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

71. Chapter 71

'I don't like you!' by BloodyMarryMe

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

Hey everyone! Here's another late chapter, I hope you remember where we left off! It's the last chapter of the Dressrosa Arc (Finally)! I prepared this chapter for you just before I go off to battle against my exams again, so I might be MIA for a while after this (Only for about a month, though, so don't worry, I won't make you wait too long).

Enjoy this last chapter of the Arc and I hope you like it!

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CHAPTER 71

Explosions and disarray could be heard all over the city. Strawhat and Doflamingo jumped from one building to the other, throwing kicks and punches at each other. People below them ran and screamed, trying to get away from the heart of the battle and the cutting edges of the moving birdcage. Now that the fight wasn't contained solely on the roof of the palace, panic spread through the city as people feared they will get involved and become the target of the deadly Shichibukai.

Another rumble was heard as Doflamingo aimed a precise kick to the pirate captain's ribcage and sent the boy flying into a nearby house. The wall shattered, but the pirate barely took a second to rest as he jumped out and counterattacked with a strong punch covered with armament haki that hit his mark. The older man stumbled backwards before creating a whip of string to slash at Luffy. The newly created weapon missed its target as Luffy jumped backwards with a somersault, and instead cut through a building that collapsed in ruins.

More devastation was brought to Dressrosa, not only by their fight, but the birdcage that kept steadily cutting through everything on its path. Soon, there would be nothing on this island left to save.

Three observes watched the fight from their position on the hill, their glances shifting between Luffy's and Doflamingo's battle and the people trying to desperately slow down the birdcage before it killed them all.

Cavendish, the Pirate Prince, nervously bit the nail on his thumb, frustrated at the sight below. "Strawhat keeps being tossed around by Doflamingo! And what are the others of the Coliseum doing!? They haven't even slowed down this death prison yet! I bet that Bartolomeo is just messing around somewhere!"

Miyako sighed at his demeanor, watching the annoyed pirate that, despite his words earlier, just couldn't keep still and leave it all to someone else. She looked up at the moving birdcage, seeing that the center of the said cage was moving elsewhere now and away from the Palace.

Before she could comment on it, Law took the words right out of her mouth. "This place might become dangerous soon. The birdcage is moving, but away from the palace now. Soon, the bars will come through here," he warned.

"Tch, now we have to think about that too?! This is getting worse…what is taking Strawhat so long?" The blonde kept mumbling complaints, staring down at the fight.

"You should go," the girl told him.

"Huh?"

Seeing the pirate's confused expression, the samurai continued, "You obviously want to go and help the others, right? So go. Do something about the birdcage. We can't stay long on this hill anyway," she added, glancing up at the moving center of the cage again. "I'll stay with Law for a while longer, until he's well enough to move, then we'll come down as well."

"I'm not happy with lying here and doing nothing either," her captain commented sourly.

"Neither of us are, but there's nothing much you can do until you get your strength back. We should at least move to some place safer where you can continue your healing. You were lucky the Tontatta dwarfs were able to heal and stich your arm back together, but it will need some time to mend properly. Leo said your wounds will heal when your blood starts flowing again through your arm," the girl countered, trying to stay the reasonable one in the group, even as she wanted nothing more than to leap from this mountain and help the struggling people below to protect this country.

"I know that already…I'm a doctor, remember," Law commented with only a faint trace of irritation in his voice.

"But Suzune…are you sure?" Cavendish was hesitant to make such a decision and leave the two. A doubtful expression crossed his face as he glanced from Trafalgar to the samurai.

Miyako nodded, while Law spoke in her stead, "She's right. Even if we don't fight directly against Doflamingo, there are still things we can do for this country…and every person's help counts now." He was still staring at the sky, watching the hazardous bars above them move. They were coming closer towards the Sunflower hill, probably cutting everything in their way as they went. Even if he couldn't see it in his position, he could still clearly imagine the devastation the birdcage left behind…just like that day 13 years ago.

"Besides…," Miyako added with a smirk, "It's like you said…who knows what Bartolomeo is doing right now. If you don't want that guy messing around, you better join them below." She knew that the mention of the other pirate captain would be enough motivation to Cavendish, seeing they obviously had a rivalry going on. The blond definitely didn't want to lose to the other captain, so it must have been frustrating to sit here doing nothing while the other was fighting in the city.

On her surprise, Cavendish didn't get fired up or agitated thinking of his rival from the same generation, but instead chuckled, "Heh." He looked down, his large hat concealing his eyes and making a shadow fall on his face. He was calm when he spoke, his words directed at the Surgeon of Death, "I realized as soon as I saw the underground harbour that this fight…defeating Doflamingo…all of this would lead to something big."

A heavy silence fell over the trio, before a deep voice spoke. Law's expression didn't change as he kept staring at the bright blue sky, covered in the wretched bars. "Yeah. Our aim exactly," he finally answered.

As if taking that as his que, Cavendish suddenly stood up, holding onto his rapier. "I guess I'm somewhat glad I'm a part of it," he admitted. With one final turn, he tipped his hat to Miyako and Law who were watching him move, and then ran towards the path that led down below. "You guys better get a move on soon! I'll be waiting!" He shouted before disappearing through the sunflower field.

The samurai watched after him before she glanced up at the birdcage again, trying to calculate how much time she and Law had before they had to move. "How are you feeling? Has your energy returned enough to move yet?"

He flexed the muscles in his newly reattached arm, feeling the electric ache rush from the wound all the way down to his fingertips. The wound throbbed painfully in the rhythm of his heartbeat. His whole body was sore, every muscle screaming in protest when he tried to move. Even so, the previously damaged nerves seemed completely mended, and he had full control over his arm and fingers as if they were never separated from his body in the first place. With a grunt, he managed to sit up, but doubled over in pain almost instantly.

"Don't push yourself," the girl warned as she supported his back while he rested his forehead on his knee, trying to regain his breath. He tried to calm his breathing, closing his eyes to focus as if he could will the agony away.

Despite Miyako's words, that's exactly what he wanted to do. He needed to push his body, even to its limits, to be able to fight on. He glanced down below where Strawhat was still fighting the Shichibukai. The pirate boy morphed into something different; a funny-shaped small giant covered in Busoshoku haki. Still, as comical as he looked, with not even Doflamingo taking him seriously, Luffy became surprisingly more powerful. With one quick attack, barely visible to the untrained eye, he managed to send Doflamingo flying into a building and beyond.

"Whoa!" Miyako gasped as she witnessed the sudden change in the power scale that now tipped in Luffy's favour. The loud crash resonated through the area, surprising everyone as they saw the false king get knocked down and sliding across the town. "H-he's like a whole new person…Even his haki became stronger," the samurai commented in awe, feeling the new presence that resonated from the strawhat-wearing pirate.

"Heh…That guy really is unpredictable…you never know what he'll do next. To think he had an ace like that in his sleeve this whole time," Law smirked. There was only a small indication of fascination in his tone. Even he was impressed by the sudden change in the battle that Luffy brought forth.

As soon as the citizens saw the Shichibukai lying there in the ruins, their screams of terror intensified, all of them running as fast as they could in the opposite direction.

"Still, he's using too much of his haki. If he keeps using this form, his haki will run out in no time," the doctor continued.

"I guess he's planning to defeat Doflamingo in this short span of time then."

"…" Law was silent for a while after hearing her answer. *But is that really possible…Will he really be able to defeat Doflamingo that fast, before his haki runs out? That bastard is still on his feet even after I plunged my radio knife in his gut. I fear his much sturdier than we gave him credit. If Strawhat-ya underestimates him…,* he mused in his thoughts.

For a moment, both Miyako and Law sat there, mesmerized by the fight, seeing Luffy fly through the air in his new dark form. A familiar sound brought them out of their trance. It was the sound of collapsing buildings, which fell after the birdcage cut through them. They glanced up to see the bars moving closer to the Sunflower field.

"We need to move, the birdcage will pass here soon."

Law nodded and started slowly rising to his feet while his crewmate helped him. She supported him, gripping his arm and putting it across her shoulders.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah. Those healing tears are quite effective," he answered, though he let out a pained grunt as he stood straight. After lying for so long on his back, his body and muscles strained from the sudden change in position.

They slowly started to walk together down the path which led towards the town. "So he managed to combine the abilities of rubber and armament haki…," Law muttered to himself, still in thought about what he saw just a while ago. He was still analysing what he witnessed in Strawhat and his new body.

"Hm?" Miyako was barely able to catch his silent murmurs, but the man only shook his head in response.

"It's nothing."

~…~

"Everyone, don't give up! We can prevail…we can live on! We can survive this tragedy!"

Not for a second did King Riku stop shouting words of encouragement to his people. Hope that has been nothing but a faint glimmer for the past 10 years has finally returned, bubbling onto the surface and giving him newly found strength. His royal blood boiled as he ran without any rest, helping his citizens and pushing at the birdcage with all his might.

On each side of the city, others were doing the same. Franky and the Tontatta dwarfs used the sea-stone factory to push it against the strings of the cage. The factory was immune to the devil fruit powers because of its kairoseki walls so there was no fear of being cut down. The dwarfs and the Cyborg pushed against the buildings with all their might, but it kept being swiped away backwards towards them.

"I-it's no use!" One of the Tontattas cried out desperately.

"No, don't give up yet! If it's not budging that only means we need to push harder," Franky yelled his lungs out to encourage them. "Use all your strength, little warriors!"

"Aaaaayeeee!" The dwarfs, finding courage and strength in his words, pushed against the walls with all their might.

On yet another side of Dressrosa, Zoro, with some of the pirates and the two samurai, used his armament haki to clad his katana in it and used it against the bars. He buried his heels to the ground for more support, but his feet slowly slid backwards as the birdcage kept moving on, besting even his strength.

"Is this really possible…to stop this cage made with such skill," Kanjuro, who was standing with his katana out beside the Pirate Hunter, grunted a question while struggling.

"If we do not find a way, the citizens of this desperate country will be the ones who suffer! We must find a way-degozaru!" Kin'emon answered his friend, refusing to give up yet. After all, giving up meant forfeiting all of their lives to the Donquixote Family.

"Right now we just need to shut up and slow down this thing! Even if we can't cut it down or stop it completely…every second more counts until Luffy defeats Doflamingo," Roronoa added, putting even more strength into his muscles. His body strained, veins popping out on his neck from the tension, while he clenched his jaw tightly without even realizing it.

"EVERYONE, DON'T GIVE UP! SURVIVE NO MATTER WHAT!"

A familiar voice rang through a den den mushi, reaching every corner of Dressrosa. On a loud speaker, King Riku kept encouraging everyone to hold on and push forward.

"STRAWHAT LUFFY WILL DEFEAT DOFLAMINGO…HE IS THE ONLY ONE LEFT OF THE DONQUIXOTE FAMILY!"

"That's right, we have to give our aaaall!" Cavendish shouted as he and the other fighters of the Coliseum pushed at the birdcage from yet another side of Dressrosa. Bartolomeo used his barrier to create a safe shield that the others could use while pushing at the strings. Don Chinjao, King Elizabello, Sai and many other, now healed by Mansherry's tears, used their revived power to help slow down the birdcage.

Around, rumours of Strawhat's win over Doflamingo reached them, as some citizens started commenting they saw Doflamingo crash into a mountain, unconscious and defeated.

"Hyahyahyahya! Ya hear dat!? I knew Luffy-senpai would win!" Bartolomeo laughed with pride.

"I don't know about that….," Cavendish commented with clenched teeth, still pushing back the bars.

"Haaah!? What's dat supposed tha mean!?" For a while forgetting their main goal, the rooster-looking captain turned to glare at the other man, getting into his face like a punk looking for trouble.

"Tch! Just look in front of you and the answer should be clear why I have my doubts," Cavendish responded, returning Bartolomeo's glare.

Before the pirate captain could realize it himself, Don Chinjao answered instead, "The birdcage is still here …If Doflamingo is really defeated for good, this should've disappeared, no?"

"Exactly."

"So ya tellin' me it's still not done, dammiiiiiit!" Bartolomeo growled and shouted at the same time, feeling his anger fire him up even more. With new strength he pushed at the bars with all his might. "Go away alreadyyyyy!"

~…..~

*huff* *huff* *huff*

Miyako ran down the street, moving swiftly through the rubble and jumping over dead bodies on her way. She avoided the falling walls of the buildings around her and the spiralling towers of string that cut and pierced through the area. Just as she moved away from one slashing bundle of strings that used to be a normal building before, she heard a crumbling sound and glanced up just in time to see a part of a house's roof broke off and was now falling right towards her. With a lunge forward, she jumped as far as she could. A crashing sound rang behind her where the roof fell, breaking in pieces and sending some of the stones flying in all directions. As she jumped, she landed right into a forward somersault on the ground. As soon as she was in the crouching position again, she jumped towards the first cover she could find, protecting herself from the oncoming barrage of stone shards.

Taking that time to catch her breath, she looked up passed numerous destroyed houses, to see a large number of those towering strings dancing around like snakes in what had to be the center of town. Right now, something was definitely happening there, as if pure chaos was unfolding in that part of the city. She could see smoke and fires, along with hearing battle shouts and clanking of metal of weapons from that direction. However, her objective was not in that direction. She started running with a goal long before those fires and strings appeared.

She thought back to what happened that made her find herself in this position, running into the city and into danger once more.

Just as her and Trafalgar finally reached the lowest level and walked onto the streets of Dressrosa, their whole scenery changed. Buildings started transforming until the stone walls changed even material they were made from. Instead of rock, the buildings split into thousands of long strings which contorted through the air. They stood upright like towers, leading to the sharp pointy end that had a dark tip, which was clad in armament haki. Suddenly, everything around them in town turned into a weapon, aimed at everyone who wasn't Doflamingo.

"What's going on, what are these!?" Miyako nervously watched with wide eyes all around her, seeing those towering strings move like animals waiting to pierce their pray.

"It's one of Doflamingo's abilities…he can make even other items into strings," Law grunted out while moving slowly for cover as they made their way through the city.

"But isn't he supposed to be a paramecia….this looks more like something a logia would be capable of."

The pirate was quiet for a while, deep in his own thoughts. Miyako wasn't entirely wrong; this kind of ability is usually connected to logia devil fruit users, not paramecia…but this man was different. Doflamingo was on a whole different scale, especially after he awakened his Emperor's haki all those years ago. You had to expect even the unexpected when fighting him…Law learned that the hard way. He didn't expect the man to last this long and be so tough, but Doflamingo withstood all his attacks and was still fighting against Strawhat-ya even now. *Now it's all a matter of who runs out of all their energy first,* he concluded.

"There are a lot more we don't know about devil fruits," he finally answered her. He remembered the experiments he personally preformed on the sword infused with a devil fruit, where he learned these fruits had many more abilities that most people didn't even know about. Indeed, no one really knew of all the possibilities devil fruits powers could bring out. If someone was strong enough to surpass their own limits, who knows how much potential lay ahead for their devil fruit power. It seems their capability was much more than even Law imagined, if one was strong enough to reach that level.

Just as they thought they moved well away from the moving bars and were a bit safer, the ground itself started to move. It reminded Miyako of the time Pica used his powers to influence their surroundings, but this time the road didn't just move like a wavy river. No, this time it started changing form, morphing into a river of strings just like the rest of the buildings. "Now even the road!?"

They lost their balanced, barely holding on as the road of strings started rising upwards, soon to be used as another weapon of Doflamingo's. They couldn't see Luffy and the Shichibukai anymore, not knowing how the battle was proceeding, but the fact that the birdcage was still there and moving was proof enough that Doflamingo still wasn't defeated.

*If we don't jump, we'll get swept away and tossed into the air,* the girl thought in panic, her eyes darting around to find a safe place where they could move. Finally she caught a glimpse of a building that was still intact. It was tall enough, with a roof terrace where they could safely hide for a while. "We need to jump down there!" She pointed at the roof terrace. They were already pretty high in the air, being carried by the strings, and only had one chance to act before they were dangerously too high up.

He nodded in response and the pair grabbed onto each other before jumping from the string road, aiming for the flat rooftop. Unfortunately, there was no way to soften the fall since Law had to preserve his energy and couldn't use his powers. Instead, all they could do was try and land on their feet and prepare for impact. As they reached the ground, both landed on their feet, but the speed from the fall would break their legs if they kept all their weight on their feet, so instead, as soon as their feet touched the ground, they rolled forward into a somersault. They managed to slow down and finally stop themselves before standing up.

The girl sighed, looking around. "We're safe for now…but where are we?" She could see those strings further away now, as the fight between the Shichibukai and the pirate captain moved further from them, which was at least one positive thing at the moment.

Before he could answer her, Trafalgar's legs trembled from the sudden exertion and with a pained huff he fell to his knees. The muscles in his legs felt numb, protesting against such sudden stresses.

"Law!" As soon as she heard his knees hit the floor, she rushed over to him and helped him to the wall where he could sit and lay back against it. There was guilt mixed with worry in her eyes as she stared at him. "Sorry…Right now I can't do anything to help you…"

He could clearly see that pitiful look in her eyes, and scowled at her. "Don't be ridiculous…you've already done enough. I don't expect you to magically heal me or anything. Besides…I can feel my haki returning to me slowly. I'll be better soon." His tone was harsh, not because he was angry at her, but because he wanted to show her he was his usual self so she wouldn't have any reason to worry. "Don't start feeling sorry for yourself now," he added with a warning.

Those words clearly had the desired effect because as soon as she heard them, her expression changed into a resolved one. "Of course not! I don't have time for such things as self-pity," she argued back, a bit offended he would even suggest that. She had too much pride to wallow in self-pity in such a decisive moment, while everyone was doing their best around her. Instead, it just made her want to fight even harder together with her comrades.

Her captain smirked, glad to see her back to her usual self. "In that case, you know what you need to do."

"Eh?" Taken by surprise, Miyako looked up at his stormy eyes overshadowed by his hat.

"You know what I mean," Law continued flatly. "You don't want to sit here doing nothing any more than I do…Still, I can't move well yet so I can't do anything right now, but you can. You can still fight, and I know that's what you want to do…it's the same what you said to Cabbage-ya, isn't it?"

"But…But I can't just leave you alone here!" She protested with worry written clearly all over her face. She didn't want to lose him again, which is something she dreaded ever since she found out he was alive after all. *What if I leave and something happens…What if he gets attacked while I'm away and he…* She gulped painfully, afraid to even finish that thought. "What if something happens?" She couldn't say it to him openly, it was still too painful to say; What if you die?!

"I hardly need to be babysat. Some of my haki has already returned, so I can even summon my Room now. If something dangerous happens I can do one teleportation at least to get myself out of here. I'm not some helpless invalid," he glared at her to emphasize his point.

"….."

"Go. I bet at this point you are more needed in other places than here…the others seem to be trying to slow down the birdcage and give Strawhat-ya more time to defeat Doflamingo. Surely, every arm counts now."

Miyako's hand reflexively moved to Yawarakai-Te tied at her waist. It was an unconscious action that always brought her comfort when she was dealing with a difficult situation. As if it helped her calm down and think, she kept her hand on its sheet, while still gazing at her captain. She was observing his expression, looking for any signs of doubt or wavering on his part, yet there was none. His eyes told her to go and do what she thought was best.

Her grip around her katana tightened as she made her decision. With a nod, she stood up, her golden eyes still fully trained on her captain. Depending on how the battle against Doflamingo goes, this could be their last time seeing each other. But she had to believe that it wouldn't be so…that they will see each other after all of this is over. She had to believe it.

"One more thing," she added, kneeling back down swiftly, right in front of him. Without stopping to give herself a chance to overthink her actions, she drew closer to her captain and crashed her lips to his. For only a second he was taken aback, but then she felt his hand grip the back of her head and pull her even closer into the kiss. She didn't have any parting words, as it would take her a century to say everything she wanted to, so instead she decided to deliver all her emotions through this one final act.

She couldn't tell for how long they stayed like that, but when they finally parted, they were both gasping for air and out of breath. Instead of trying to sort out their feelings and put them into words right now, they shared one long look before the girl rose to her feet again and turned to leave. She could still feel the lingering warmth on her lips, along with the faint metallic taste of his blood, but she didn't care.

The Surgeon of Death watched after her crewmate as she jumped off the rooftop and disappeared from his sight…maybe forever. His tattooed hand balled into a fist from that very thought. *Mugiwara-ya…show Doflamingo that power only a D. has….because I don't want anyone important to me to die ever again.* The only solace he took was in the fact that if Doflamingo wins, they will all die together here in this country…so at least he wouldn't have to live with the pain of losing someone he loved, ever again.

The samurai covered her head for further protection as she hid behind some rubble, waiting for the shower of stone shrapnel to stop. She coughed, rising her head when it was finally over, leaving only a cloud of dust around her. Without missing a beat, she stood up and proceeded in her run, further into the city.

She could hear shouts from up ahead and not before long did she stumble on a group of civilians, running away from the center of the town.

"I-it's all over, where do we even go now!?" An injured man cried out, while the other tried to help him walk, half-carrying his weight.

"Hey, what's going on up there?" She stopped one of the running men, trying to break through their frenzy long enough to get them to answer.

"S-Strawhat lost to Doflamingo! It's all over, we're doomed!" He had tears in his eyes, clearly showing that he wasn't lying.

"What are you talking about? That can't be true," she, on the other hand, refused to believe it.

"It's true! Downtown in the Central Street, right now the other warriors from the Corrida Coliseum are trying to stop him, but it's only a matter of time before he finishes them all off. They're dropping like flies, completely useless against him!" A woman chimed in, attesting to the words of the other one.

"And you're telling me you saw Strawhat Luffy fall! He's…dead?"

The locals looked away with uncertainty. "W-well not exactly dead, but…"

"We can't be sure if he's died, but he did fall down and wasn't getting up. Gatz, the commentator of the Coliseum arena picked him up and carried him somewhere while the rest of the warriors stayed to fight Doflamingo," they explained.

The samurai let out a breath of relief she didn't even realize she was holding until now. *So he's probably not dead then…But he must be in bad shape. Perhaps he used all of his haki like Law said? Does that mean Luffy-san can't fight anymore?* A pool of questions whirled inside her mind, bringing forth confusion and anxiety.

She let go of the man she was holding to stop his run, and the civilians quickly ran away again, trying to get away from the Central Street where Doflamingo was apparently killing everyone in sight. *I need to rethink my strategy now.* She bit her lower lip in thought, storming her brain for the best solution in this situation. Just then, a lightbulb lit up in her mind as she remembered someone who surely knew exactly what was going on in the city. She took out a den den mushi that Robin gave her earlier at the Sunflower field and started the call. Not a minute after, a woman's voice answered from the other side.

"Viola-san, I'm glad I got through!"

"Suzune-san, you're ok! Is Law with you?" A slightly surprised, but relieved voice answered the samurai.

"No, but he's safe. I am, too, for now…But the citizens are still in a panic and I just heard Luffy lost to Doflamingo! What the hell is going on at the Center!?"

"No…that is not quite right," the other woman quickly responded. "Luffy-san did not lose! But…he hasn't won yet either."

"What does that mean?"

"I watched the fight the whole time; Luffy-san was able to bring Doflamingo down to his knees, he was on the brink of beating him, but before he had the chance to finish him off, he ran out of haki. His body returned back to normal and he looked exhausted," Violet explained.

*So it's just like Law predicted; Luffy was using too much energy and didn't have enough time to throw the final strike.* Miyako sighed. "Then…what is happening now?"

"Gatz-san took Strawhat somewhere safe and some others decided to give them more time so they went to try and slow Doflamingo down, but…they can't keep up with him. They don't stand a chance."

"Well what about the Strawhat crew? Or Barto-san and Cabbage-dono?"

"Everyone is trying to slow the birdcage down…if they don't succeed, the bars will cut us all down even before Doflamingo has a chance to. I hope Strawhat revives his strength before that and stops Doflamingo..."

Hearing those words, Miyako looked up at the center of the birdcage and the bars traveling down from it. The bars were still steadily moving closer together, making the cage smaller by the second. *So if we don't slow it down, the birdcage will kill us all before Luffy even has a chance to stop Doflamingo,* she concluded.

The next words from Viola startled the girl a little, bringing her back from her thoughts. "What will you do, Suzune-san?"

*I want nothing more than to go slice that Shichibukai bastard to pieces!...But, it seems that isn't my priority right now. Because, if we don't slow down the birdcage, we'll be out of time before Luffy-san can defeat that guy…I won't even delude myself that I can kill Doflamingo in my condition so I might only get in the way. Instead, I should go somewhere where I can make a difference!* She nodded to herself after reaching a decision, but quickly remembered Viola couldn't see that and she was still waiting for an answer. "I'll try to slow down the birdcage with the others…hopefully, we can buy Luffy enough time to recover," she talked into the den den mushi.

"Alright! Good luck, Suzune! As for me…I know what I need to do." There was suddenly a foreboding tone in Viola's voice as she spoke. It was noticeable even through the transponder snail and it gave the samurai an uncomfortable feeling. She furrowed her eyebrows and frowned in suspicion as she spoke again,

"What do you mean by that, Viola-san? What are you planning to do?"

"There was a long silence on the connection before the older woman spoke. "Sorry Suzune-san but I can't talk now. I need to hurry."

"Viola-san, wait-!" But before Miyako could say anymore, the connection was cut off. She doubted it was a malfunction after Viola's final words. More likely, the woman hung up on her, not wanting to say any more than that. *What is she up to?* As curios as she was about the whole thing, she knew she had to hurry and get a move on as well, since the birdcage didn't even look like it was slowing down. *Those guys definitely need all the help they can get.* She put the den den mushi back into her pocket and rushed to find the others who were dealing with the contracting bars.

~…~

Trafalgar examined his patient, a black-haired young pirate captain lying at his feet. Strawhat had injuries across his entire body and he needed to wipe off the blood to even see the wounds right. Bruises made his skin all black and blue, especially around the torso area, but luckily there didn't seem to be any broken bones. The armament haki probably protected the boy from that while he fought against the other pirate.

There wasn't much he could do at this point, since he didn't even have any of his equipment with him. Besides, Law was in a worse condition than his allay. The best he could do was keep his body from any future harm before Luffy regains some of his strength. Still, when he saw from the rooftop Gatz running down the street with the unconscious Strawhat on his back, trying to get as far from Doflamingo as possible, he knew he had to do something to help. At least up here, on the rooftop with him, Luffy was safer than running down the streets where Doflamingo was searching for him. The other pirates and ex-toy slaves tried their best to stop him, but Law knew they would hardly be able to slow that man down. They were simply no match for him.

*No. Strawhat-ya is our only hope now…only hope for Dressrosa,* he concluded.

He knew there was no point in trying to rush the boy, since it was obvious Luffy needed time to recover, so he let him be and kept an eye for any complications while the other slept.

Looking up, he could see the birdcage still moving, but then something about it caught his eye. Even though it was steadily advancing, Law noticed it was different from before, *It's slower…it's moving slower than before. It's actually working! Those guys are really slowing it down.*

He glanced at the sleeping form next to him and clenched his jaw in expectation. "You better wake up soon, Mugiwara-ya, or all these efforts won't mean a thing. People are dying out there, trying to slow down Doflamingo and the birdcage…so you better make every life count," he muttered.

His whole body tensed when he got a reply, completely unexpected. Rather than an answer, though, it was a hazy mumble that bordered with a groan. "Nn…ngh…" Still, he got one clear answer from it…

Strawhat was waking up.

~….~

When Miyako finally reached the border of the birdcage, she found something she would never have expected. She stopped in her tracks, unsure how to proceed for a moment. The sight of Kin'emon, his samurai friend Kanjuro and Roronoa Zoro wasn't surprising, but it was the backs of the other people by their side, helping them stop the birdcage, what startled her. She could clearly see a dozen white backs of marine uniforms pushing against the cage, and right by Zoro's side, none other than Fujitora.

She stopped, uncertain what to think of the whole scene as marines and pirates worked together to stop the birdcage from moving. That just proved in what a dire situation they all were, and everyone was aware of that fact. Her eyes nervously darted from the marine to the swordsman, still a bit doubtful whether it was truly safe to join them, especially since a marine admiral was only a few meters away from her. A marine admiral that almost killed her earlier that day.

Before she could act on her own, a voice did the first move for her. "Will you just keep standing there or help us, Little Miyako?" The groaning voice belonged to the marine admiral as he struggled to keep the birdcage at bay.

It took her by surprise so much that she didn't even remember to complain about the way he addressed her as if she was still a little child. Instead she quickly unfroze from her spot and leaped to help the others. As she slid her katana from the sheath, the silvery metal turned a glistening black colour. She coated it in armament haki and clashed the sword against the sharp bars. With the Busoshoku Haki on it, the metal didn't cut into pieces as soon as it touched the strong bars. Still, the bars didn't even budge and only pushed her backwards while they proceeded, making her feet slide against the ground. Gritting her teeth, she pushed against them even harder, giving it everything she's got. Her sheer stubbornness and unwillingness to lose against Doflamingo's rule was enough to keep her going.

"Ghh!" She groaned through clenched teeth, feeling every muscle in her body tense up from the pressure she was using. She put her free hand on the back of the katana, using it as support so she could push against the bars even more vigorously, using both hands.

And in one small instant, hope appeared. For just a second, the birdcage came to a screeching halt, the bars singing from the pressure. Everyone gasped, struck with this new and wonderful realization. But as soon as it stopped, it started again. The citizens of Dressrosa were once again thrown into despair as the birdcage started moving again.

"Don't stop now! PUUUUUUSH!" Roronoa yelled for all to hear.

Somewhere from the distance, Miyako could hear a faint, crying voice as if answering the pirate's shouts with their own heartfelt ones; DZoro-senbaaaaai!"

The bars started creaking again, while pirates, dwarfs, marines, gladiators and civilians all worked together to stop their impending doom. Even kings, pirate captains and marine admirals had to push their egos and quarrels aside for this moment.

~…..~

EVERYONE! IT'S TIME!"

A new voice, this time not belonging to King Riku, broke through the noise of a struggling country. Some had no idea who it was, but others recognized it as the voice of Gatz, the announcer of the Corrida Coliseum. A sceptical murmur broke through the crowd as they heard this man speak. Yet Gatz ignored all their complaints, shouting into the den den mushi speaker for whole Dressrosa to hear.

"THE ONE YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! THE ONE WHO WILL BRING DOWN FALSE KING DOFLAMINGO AND END THIS SORROWFUL STATE OF OUR COUNTRY! THIS ONE LITTLE GLADIATOR WHO EXCEEDED EVERYONE'S EXPECTATIONS…LUUUUCY!"

The announcement continued as Gatz did his bit just as he would in the arena. "YES! LUCY IS ALSO KNOW AS…STRAWHAT LUFFY! SO TREMBLE IN PLEASURE DRESSROSA, BECAUSE LUCY HAS PROMISED US…A ONE-SHOT KNOCKOUT TO DOFLAMINGO!"

Just as Gatz's speech halted, everyone pushing the cage felt more pressure come from the bars. Looking around, Miyako could see some of the Coliseum Warriors dropping to their knees in exhaustion. *Mansherry's tears that were falling to the ground have stopped too…and now, the healing prospects that gave them strength probably also ran out!*

With people unable to hold out anymore, the birdcage started moving faster again. Everyone still remaining had to push even harder, passing the limits of their strength, to be able to slow it down enough before it shrank too much.

Another warrior fell, this time the giant, Hajrudin. One after another, the previously injured people started falling to the ground from loss of energy.

"Shit! Time's up!" Zoro cursed, still doing his best to keep the cage at bay, but he already knew it was no use anymore. They were out of time.

In the meantime, Gatz's speech still echoed in the background.

"DOFLAMINGO! THIS IS YOUR EXECUTION GROUND!"

~ at the same time, on a random rooftop ~

"It's time," Law spoke up, still sitting with his back leaned on the wall. His injuries were still quite grave and prevented him from moving too much.

The one beside him slowly stood up on shaky legs. But unlike his body that breathed heavily, there was no wavering in his tone as he spoke, "Yeah. I'm ready. Can you use your powers…I see him."

Without an answer, Trafalgar raised his arm and created a swirling blue sphere inside his palm. The sphere suddenly spread across a large area and thinned out, almost invisible in the air. "Room."

~ back at the Town Center ~

"COME OUT, LUUUCY! 3….2…"

The whole country of Dressrosa chanted with Gatz as he started counting down until the main event. Just as he counted back to 1, one of the thick bundles of strings pierced right through his chest. The man opened his mouth, but only blood came out. And yet, he simply glared at Doflamingo who he saw down below from his spot, and continued to count; "Zero!"

Gatz had no regrets. His eyes were trained on the sight below, where he saw Doflamingo fighting Viola, the King's daughter. He saw her trapped and about to die a cruel death from her own niece's hand; a clear proof of how evil Doflamingo truly was. *At least I managed to keep him busy for a while…Buy Viola-sama some time,* he thought in relief. With blurry vision he watched as Rebecca ran towards her aunt with tears in her eyes, surely screaming form terror. He could hear nothing but the chants repeating Lucy's name over and over by all of Dressrosa's citizens. Mixed with them were the shouts of all the people still struggling to keep the birdcage at bay, to give them all as much time as possible. He could hear them yell at each other to push even harder and not to give up. In his mind, since he was unable to even mutter without breath, Gatz prayed for a miracle…he prayed for one person who was yet to appear. His eyes focused on the sharp steel that glistened in the sun, as Rebecca's sword swung down towards the other woman, Gatz called out for Lucy one last time.

And his prayer was answered.

The lanky pirate boy appeared right before the sword, completely unafraid by its sharp edge as he blocked the steel with nothing less than his head. Using armament haki on his forehead, he easily stopped the weapon, which broke into pieces.

With his last breath, Gatz yelled one last thing into the announcer's den den mushi. "HE'S HEEEEREEE!"

~…~

The whole country cheered at the sight of their saviour. So much that the vibrations rocked the whole area, enough to feel it in everyone's blood and bones. Their eyes were focused on only one thing now; the final battle between Strawhat and Doflamingo.

However, the grin on Miyako's face quickly disappeared when a push from the birdcage brought her back to reality. With all her might, she pressed back. "Guys! I'm as happy as you are about Luffy's return, but you're forgetting about one small problem left...the birdcage is still going to crush us all!"

Her shout brought everyone back to their senses and reminded them that their battle with this cage still wasn't over. The bars were cutting into the King's Plateau now, slowly breaking apart even the hill it was standing on. Once again, everyone strained to slow down the killing cage, just as the ground beneath their feet started to move. Looking around everyone gaped and the citizens screamed as the whole town turned into a sea of strings. Buildings and streets were losing shape and morphed into thin, razor sharp weapons instead.

*It's just like before when I was with Law! How much power does Doflamingo have left to still be able to do all this!? It's insane!* Miyako gulped, worried for Luffy's wellbeing even more than before.

The uncertain expression must have been written on her face because Zoro could easily read it. "Don't doubt our captain," he stated, startling her, as if reading her mind. "He'll pull through! He always does," he finished while gritting his teeth and pushing back against the birdcage again.

"Indeed! All we can do is believe in Luffy-dono right now! We have to focus on our end here!" Kin'emon added, struggling with the bars along with everyone else.

At the same time, they could hear Luffy's voice as he activated his Gear Fourth power again and turned into the Boundman.

"Look above!" One of the marines shouted and soon the people were all murmuring and pointing at the sky. There, Luffy was flying higher into the air while Doflamingo chased after him unafraid.

I only took a moment for everyone who knew Luffy and his abilities to realize what he was about to do. On sheer shock of everyone's, his armament covered arm grew bigger and bigger until it reached the size of a giant. As the pirate aimed at the Shichibukai, he fired his gigantic punch down towards his awaiting enemy.

"King Kong Gun!"

The shadow covered the whole city as the fist came flying down. As soon as the powerful punch hit Doflamingo everyone cheered, but suddenly, everyone's grins left their faces when they realized that power sent the man crashing down and destroying everything with him. They all paled when they realized Doflamingo was about to come crashing down right on top of them all. The power of the punch didn't hit just him, either, but brought a good portion of the city down with him.

"Ruuun!" Someone yelled, and as if that was the signal, everyone started running from that spot in panic before Doflamingo landed along with all the destruction that followed.

Miyako ran for cover, sprinting across the area for a long time before she decided it was safe enough to stop and look behind. She turned just in time to see their enemy crash down, while Luffy stayed in the air, breathing heavily from the aftermath of his attack. For a second he just stayed there until gravity pulled him down. That final attack, however, took its toll and Strawhat started falling down completely exhausted and unable to stop himself. Just in time before his fall, his image flickered and disappeared, a simple rock replacing his existence. Miyako smirked knowing whose actions saved the boy. *Law must be well, then.*

As the dust cleared, the timid citizens started moving closer to what was left of the Town Center. Some of them gazed up, gasping in relief when they noticed the birdcage was slowly disappearing.

"I-it's done…"

"It's gone! The birdcage is disappearing!"

"He did it."

Still in disbelief, the people uttered with wide eyes.

As if on cue, Gatz's heavy voice started up in the den den mushi again. Between laboured breaths he shouted his speech for all to hear. "2000 PIRATES OF THE DONQUIXOTE FAMILY VERSUS WARRIORS OF FATE THAT HAPPENED TO BE HERE…FINAL MATCH: DONQUIXOTE DOFLAMINGO VS. GLADIATOR LUCY…! THE WEINER…T-THE W-WEIN…THE WEIN…"

Miyako blinked in confusion, frowning at what she was hearing. "Is he trying to say 'The winner'? And why does it sound like he's crying?"

"UUUGH…THE WINER IS….LUUUUCY!" Finally able to get the words out, Gatz screamed form the top of his lungs the final score, bawling as he did.

The samurai could hear cries of joy and relief all around her as people hugged each other and cheered. Her eyes continued to gaze at the blue sky above and she found herself thinking has the sky always looked this beautiful? A smile spread across her face as her thoughts led her elsewhere; to her captain, *Are you seeing this, Law? It's finally over. You're anguish can finally stop with this…your thirst for revenge can finally be quenched. You were right…it's just like you told me...D. prevailed.* From the bottom of her heart, she hoped her captain found a sense of closure with this.

~…..~

"Are you sure we're safe here? I mean, I know it's all the way to the east of Dressrosa, but there's a whole army of marines looking for us now, right?" Miyako glanced through the window, but all she could see was hill after hill with fields of flowers spreading into the night. If nothing, it sure looked peaceful, with no disturbance in sight as they all sat in a small cottage in the middle of the night.

After Doflamingo's fall while everyone were still celebrating, Kin'emon, Kanjuro and Zoro quickly ran over to Miyako and started pulling her with them as they made their escape from the scene while everyone were still busy celebrating. The big event gave them the perfect opportunity to slip passed the marines unnoticed. They ran over to where Robin was with the others and then quickly went to get Luffy and Law. When they met up with the Tontatta dwarfs and Kyros, they discussed about their future plans and decided the best things for them all would be to hide and lay low for a while. Everyone were injured and in need of rest, especially Luffy and Law. At first they went to the Palace where they met up with the rest of the pirates in Dressrosa, but decided it wasn't safe to stay there for long. It didn't take long for the rumours to start flying around town that they were staying there, and the marines were still in Dressrosa even if they hadn't made a move yet. Luckily, Kyros knew of the perfect place to hide instead and in the end led them to his home where he used to live with Rebecca and his late wife Scarlet. Since Scarlet also used to hide from her people, they all lived in a secluded area well away from town. There, on Carta Hill, a small house stood, where the whole group of the Strawhats, Heart Pirates and Luffy's brother now sat together with Kyros, in hiding.

"I can't say we'll be safe here for long, but it will do for now. We'll have to be quick to leave, unless we want the admiral to notice us," Robin answered.

Miyako gulped, remembering Isshou, or admiral Fujitora, as he was now called. She would prefer not to go against him again. She knew she had no chance of beating him, after all. That knowledge only added to her distress and she felt a sense of impatience. *I need to get even stronger! I want to be strong enough to protect everyone, as soon as I can.*

Half of the group was already asleep, tired from the whole ordeal, while Sabo told of his story to the ones awake and willing to listen. He told them about Luffy and Ace and their past together, along with the memory loss that concluded with his joining the Revolutionary Army. He spoke of his regret for not being able to save Ace, along with the painful way he finally regained his memories, only to realize it was far too late.

By the end of the story, Kin'emon and Franky weren't even trying to hide their tears that seemed to endlessly flow from their eyes.

Suddenly, Sabo stood up, surprising everyone. "Well, I should get going."

"Already? Won't you wait until he's awake?" Robin gestured to Luffy.

Sabo only shook his head. "It's fine. I got to see him, that's what matters." Remembering something, he pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it over to Zoro. "Here. I made a vivre card for Luffy just in case. I'll take a piece of it too."

"Ah!" Miyako stood up, her body still sore but her injuries finally taken care of and bandaged. Still, she remembered that she had something to thank him for and she wanted to do it properly. After all, he saved her in Dressrosa when she fought against the admiral. "I wasn't able to thank you properly at that time, so…" She bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you for helping me before."

Sabo smiled and tipped his hat in return. "Don't mention it." He opened the wooden doors that squeaked from the movement and cast one last glance at his little brother before he gave his crewmates a big smile. "Well, Luffy might be quite a handful, but do take care of him, won't you!"

"Yeah! Leave him to us!" Franky called out while the others said their farewell to the revolutionary.

Only the Pirate Hunter stayed quiet, but there was a distant gaze in his eyes for a moment, as if remembering something. What he remembered was the scene that seemed like it happened a lifetime ago; when the other older brother said the same thing to them in Alabasta just before leaving, with the same grin on his face that Sabo had. "He's quite a handful, but take care of him!" Ace's words echoed in Zoro's mind. Finally, the swordsman let out a laugh, startling the rest of them in the room, since he was the only one from the still-awake people who had such a memory. "Ace said the same thing," Zoro explained with a grin before he stood up, looking for another bottle of sake.

"Tch, that samurai drank the whole damn thing," he muttered complaints as he cast a quick glare to a sleeping Kin'emon who finished the whole last bottle of sake together with Zoro.

"You mean, the two of you drank the whole damn thing," Miyako corrected with a smirk.

Robin chuckled before she slipped under the covers on the couch that Kyros set out. "Well then, I'll be going to sleep. You all should better get some rest too. If not, when the marines attack you might slip up and get killed by the admiral in a most painful way," she warned with a mischievous smile on her face.

The samurai girl sweatdropped as she felt chills run through her. *That's scary, Robin-san. Why even say that right before bed time? Are you trying to give us nightmares?* Though what really disturbed her was how much it reminded her of Sai, so much that it made her feel nostalgic, which only made her disturbed even more since she had mixed feelings about the whole thing.

~….~

Miyako lazily opened her eyes, hearing the sound of birds in the morning. The sun hit her face, making her blink the sleep from her eyes. It took her a moment to realize she was lying on the wooden floor, covered in a blanket, while she used her hands as a pillow. *I don't even remember falling asleep last night. I must have been even more tired than I realized.* She sat up, looking around the room to see Zoro, Luffy and Law still sleeping. The rest were gone from the room, but she could hear some voices coming from the outside and recognized them as Usopp's and Franky's. There was also a delicious smell coming from the kitchen and Miyako's stomach growled happily in response.

She stood up, examining her bandaged body just to be sure that the wounds didn't reopen, and then walked over towards the source of that smell. She found Kyros and Robin at the stove, preparing breakfast for everyone. Nico Robin smiled as soon as she noticed her.

"Miyako-chan, good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Morning," she responded. Her body was still sore from the hardwood floor she slept on, but she didn't want to be rude towards their host so she nodded with a sleepy expression. "Yes, I did."

As if reading her thoughts, Kyros turned and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I can't provide you with anything better than the floor. Unfortunately this house is small so there isn't a lot of room…"

"Oh not at all, you even went so far as to take all of us in. You helped us take refuge and did so much already!" Miyako shook her head in response to his apologies, showing there was nothing to feel sorry about. If anything, they all should be the one to apologize and say their thanks to the soldier.

"That's right, you've really helped us out, Kyros-san," Robin added with a smile. She was just in the middle of making herself some coffee.

Usopp's sharp laughter broke the atmosphere inside along with the sudden silence between the trio. "Uhh…is it fine for them to be outside? If someone sees…," the samurai started.

"It's fine. Nobody comes here. The marines set camp on Dressrosa's coast so I doubt they would come all the way here," Kyros reassured her.

"It's actually strange that they haven't begun searching yet…I would think they would start hunting us down right away after Doflamingo was defeated. That would be logical, to not give us any time to regroup and recover." The girl hummed in thought.

"True. I don't know what admiral Fujitora has planned for us…," Robin nodded. "Right now Kin'emon and Kanjuro went to the city to get more news. They'll tell us more when they get back, I hope."

*Kin'emon-dono and Kanjuro-dono are the only ones among us without bounties, but two samurai in the middle of Dressrosa still looks way too suspicious. I hope they won't get recognized or anything.* Miyako sighed in worry.

"Those two haven't woken up yet, either, so we need to give them more time to rest before we can move out," Robin continued, gazing at Luffy and Law.

"You're right…If Luffy wasn't snoring so loudly I would be afraid he'd died in his sleep long ago. He's been sleeping since we got here yesterday afternoon," she stated only half-jokingly.

It was already late in the morning when breakfast was ready and Miyako helped Kyros and Robin set the table. Kin'emon and Kanjuro made their return to the cottage and already started ransacking the place for another bottle of liquor.

"Ah, found it! This sake will go excellent as an aperitif before our food," Kin'emon announced happily and started taking out the small sake cups.

As if on cue, the pirate swordsman blinked his eyes open, awoken by the mention of liquor. "Huh? Did someone say sake?"

"That's what you wake up for?!" Miyako shook her head in disbelief, but Robin and Kyros only chuckled in amusement.

Kyros limped to the front door and called for Usopp and Franky. "Come on, the food is ready!"

As soon as he said the word 'food', along with the delicious scent that wafted throughout the room, Strawhat jumped up in a seating position in less than second. "Food!? Where?!"

"Gyaaah!" Almost everyone screamed in surprise as Luffy suddenly yelled. He was sleeping like a log just a few seconds ago, but suddenly he was filled with energy as soon as food was mentioned.

"I want meeeat!" The boy continued to yell, both of his arms raised high in the air.

"Shut up and stop yelling! The marines will hear you all the way from the coastline!" Miyako reflexively hit him on the back of the head with a fist, much like she would often do to her own nakama when they were acting out. Perhaps that was why it came so naturally, more like a reflex, and she had no time to even stop and think about her actions.

"Ouch! Don't hit the injured~," Luffy whined, caressing the back of his head, but there wasn't any real anger in his voice.

"I'm injured too you know, and you're stressing me out," the girl sighed.

"It's suddenly getting so lively in here," Robin chuckled, watching the two bicker.

Everyone grinned, happy to see their captain back on his feet and energized.

"Nn, what's all this commotion?" A new voice joined them as Law muttered, waking up from his slumber. It was hard to stay asleep with all the sudden ruckus in the small room.

"Ah, Toraoland, you're just in time for breakfast," Kyros called out with a smile as he put the final tray of food on the table.

"It's Trafalgar," the captain corrected and grimaced when he saw a basket of bread right in front of him on the table.

"Law-dono, are you well? How is your arm," Kin'emon asked, just as he finished pouring some liquor in Zoro's and Kanjuro's cups.

The captain experimentally tried rolling his shoulder and moved the limb around to see how it feels, after a good night of sleep. He felt a constant numbing pain, which would turn into a sharp one whenever he would move the arm, but at least it seemed completely functional. He had no problem controlling it. "The Tontatta dwarfs did a good job on it, but it will take some time to completely heal," he explained.

"Of course. I'm surprised it's not damaged more…I mean, it was cut clean off and they had to sow it back together," the samurai girl added and felt a chill just from thinking about it. Just remembering the horrid condition she found Law in at the Palace was enough to fill her with dread all over again. At least he looked better now, with his wounds cleaned up and bandaged, though he was still quite pale and those dark circles under his eyes looked bigger than usual.

"Now that we're all here, we should discuss about our next move right? Kin'emon, Kanjuro, did you find something out about the Navy while you were in the city," Usopp joined in the conversation.

"The Navy set up camp at the shoreline, but there was no indication that they are preparing to go after us," Kanjuro spoke up in the middle of his chews as he ate a large piece of meat.

"But surely they know where we are by now?" Robin tapped her index finger on the table in thought.

"Maybe they still think we're at the Palace with Rebecca and King Riku?" Franky suggested.

However, Kin'emon shook his head. "Mn, buf thfey hafen't sfearched the Palace eitfer. For nowf thfey've havfen't madfe any movfes," Kin'emon answered with his mouth full of food. He could barely talk while gobbling up all the food in front of him, but that didn't stop him from trying, much to everyone else's discontent.

On the other hand, Luffy understood him perfectly. Just like the samurai, he was answering with his mouth full. "Thfen wfe're fine hfere!"

"There's no way we are! Just because the Navy hasn't made a move yet, doesn't mean they won't! Did you forget there's an Admiral on this island? Maybe they're just waiting for the right chance to strike, when our guard is down and we least expect it!" Usopp shivered in terror as the worst possibilities already entered his mind.

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat. If that happens, we'll deal with it when the time comes," Zoro shrugged, his expression completely relaxed.

"Why are you so calm about it," the sniper yelled back in annoyance, utterly unconvinced.

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door that startled everyone.

"Eek, it's the marines!" Usopp cried out and hid behind a blanket that was still on the ground, as if that would protect him from the army of marines if they were to charge right now into the room.

Everyone glanced at each other before Miyako decided to walk to the door and open it. She blinked a couple of times as she stared at the person before her. A big, muscular man with short blonde hair and bronze skin tan. Just like many of them inside the cottage, he was covered in bandages that protected his injuries.

"Who is it?" Kin'emon called out since the others couldn't see the front.

"It's…," Miyako started, before turning around towards the group with a drop of sweat on her forehead. "Actually, I have no idea who this is," she finished with a sheepish smile.

"It's Bellamy!" The man in front of her barked in anger before he invited himself in and stepped into the room. "When I woke up at the Palace you guys were already gone, and the others told me where you went," he explained.

"Ah, Beffamy, you'rfe ok!" Luffy smiled cheerfully, some of the food spitting out of his mouth as he talked.

The ex-Donquixote Family member huffed with a frown and crossed his arms on his chest. "I didn't know when you lot are going to leave so I didn't want to miss my opportunity…." He stopped at that, not daring to let words of gratitude escape his lips. Instead, he gave the pirate captain a serious look, but only got a wide grin in return.

"Shishishi! Don't mention it," Luffy responded after gulping down all the food inside his mouth. Even if Bellamy didn't say it, he still understood.

"But I'm still frustrated…When I woke up at the Palace, the others told me Trafalgar saved me and brought me back with you all. There, that Tontatta dwarf healed me," he explained. Turning to the other captain, Bellamy scowled. "Oy, Trafalgar, why didn't you kill me!? Now I've lost the chance to die and redeem myself for my foolishness!" He shouted.

Law barely gave him a look in return, but he did explain, "Strawhat-ya told me he was friends with you so I brought you to the Palace, but if you want to die, go somewhere else and do it."

"Tch, I'm all well now so why should I drop dead just because you tell me so? Don't think I'll thank you for saving me, though," Bellamy huffed in anger again.

Law, didn't say anything, but just clicked his tongue in annoyance as Bellamy and him glared at each other.

The one who did speak was Miyako. "What? How rude of you! Even after Law went to all that trouble to use his powers and transport you to the Palace, as injured as he was." She folded her arms on her chest and scowled at the man before her.

However, Bellamy just snorted and looked away from her piercing eyes staring at him. It was his silent way of telling her he didn't want to deal with her either.

"Alright, enough! This is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves," Franky scolded them. "Right bros…and sis?" He looked between Bellamy, Law and Miyako. "We should all be glad together that we survived and sing in the name of peace, aow!"

The arguing trio sweat dropped, but stayed quiet, not even sure how to respond to the sudden weird atmosphere the Cyborg created.

"More importantly, I was just reminded of yet another peculiar thing we heard today," Kin'emon broke the sudden silence. "We heard a strange rumour in the city."

"Rumour?"

The two samurai men nodded in unison. "It is about Rebecca-dono and her father. Something about her father being a prince from a faraway country who died during a war there. It is like nobody knows Kyros-dono is actually her father." Kin'emon told them in short about the strange rumour that was floating around town.

The first to respond to that wasn't Kyros, however, but the Strawhat pirate captain. "Wfhat's withf tfhat storfy!?" He was still stuffing his mouth with food, even while angrily complaining at the rumour. "And why didn't anyone wake me up when Sabo was leaving!? I'm sfo sad he's gfone,~" he continued to whine. "Anf I'm still tfired, I need morfe sleepf. And food! More food!" Half of his face looked like it has fallen asleep while the other showed a mixed of sadness and anger, all while he was still yelling and chewing at the same time. "Anfd wfe need to meet upf withf Sfanji sfoon! Man, I'm tired~"

"Are you sleepy or sad or angry or hungry?! Pick one! One at a time!" His first mate yelled in irritation, trying to dodge all the food that Luffy was spitting while he complained.

Luffy ignored him while he prattled on in anger, "Soldier is Rebecca's dad!" He even slammed his fist on the table to make his point, but it didn't look as authoritative since he fell asleep as soon as he did it.

"Whoa, did he just faint?!" Miyako exclaimed in worry.

"Maybe he's not that well yet. Hey, just rest properly!" Usopp reprimanded his captain who was back at snoring with a snot bubble in his nose.

Finally, the man everyone talked about spoke up, breaking the rowdy atmosphere. "I was the one who started that rumour," Kyros sighed. Everyone quieted down as they listened to him explain. "The only people who knew about Rebecca are the royals and the Donquixote Family. The rest of the citizens only knew of her mother. So I chose to go with that rumour before anyone found out I was her father."

"Why," Robin asked in wonder.

"I have a criminal record…and a very dark past, to be honest. I was never meant to be tied to the royal family, so this is for the best."

"No way that's true! Rebecca knows everything!" Luffy was once again awake and yelling.

"Are you sleeping or not!?" Usopp almost got a heart attack when this captain jumped and started being loud again.

"I've sent her a letter telling her everything about me…she should have gotten it by now. She might hate my decisions now, but she's still a child. I don't want her to sacrifice her future in the heat of the moment. King Riku understand as well," the soldier explained.

"….."

Everyone stayed quiet for a while, but looking at Luffy it was easy to see the whole thing didn't sit right with him. He didn't care about all those facts, even if it was the logical thing to do. The aura around him clearly stated he was dissatisfied with Kyros' decision.

Even Usopp and Zoro picked up on it and both stared at their captain with a sweat drop. They were worried he'd do something to jeopardize the soldier's decision. *He's not buying it at all.*

"Well in the end, it is your decision to make…," Miyako started, though she felt a bit of discontent about the whole thing. She knew Kyros was just doing what he thought was best for his daughter, but she didn't think that girl was such a child as he thought her to be. The girl even went into a gladiator arena to fight because she believed in a kind of freedom that was suffocated in this country for so long. She could clearly see that Dressrosa wasn't as peaceful and true as everyone else believed. The samurai believed Rebecca became more mature than her father realized. *Still, a father's job is to worry and do what's best for their child. It's natural he just wants to ensure the best future possible for her…But Rebecca might not have the same idea of that future as he does.*

"It is already done…I have made my choice," he added, as if wanting to end the conversation and show that his decision was final. "I have somewhere to go. You should stay here and rest some more." He took the crutch that was set against the wall near the door and used it as support as he opened the doors to the cottage. He nodded to everyone as a goodbye and shut the door behind him as he left. With a serious expression, hiding his emotions, the soldier limped up the hill filled with flowers, heading slowly towards Scarlet's grave.

The group watched him through the window before he disappeared out of sight. The Wano girl sighed, folding her arms on her chest. "I know you don't like it Luffy-san, I'm not so keen about it either, but we should respect his decision-!" As she talked, she turned around to Strawhat only to see him lying on the ground and sleeping soundly, a piece of chicken leg still hanging from his mouth. Every now and then he would munch on it in his sleep. "He's asleep again!? And what's this; sleep eating?!" She couldn't believe the sudden changes in this boy, he flipped through his emotions and states so quickly. No wonder he was always so restless. It suddenly reminded her of a certain condition Trafalgar once mentioned; was it Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or something like that?

*Speaking of Law…* Miyako turned towards her captain only to see him leaned against the wall, his eyes closed as he rested for a while. *Figures, he's still weakened from the battle. But…sooner or later, we'll have to find some time to talk about everything that happened. I know this might not be the best time since we are still hiding from the Navy, which is why I gave him time to rest properly and didn't press the issue, but I can't say I'm not curious. He did say he'll reveal everything to me once the whole ordeal with Doflamingo is over.* She looked out the window again and saw the sun was already high in the sky, indicating it was probably little past noon. *Maybe I should go for a walk? I'm getting restless cooped up in here, so stretching my legs for a bit might be a good idea.*

"Miyako-chan, is something wrong?" Robin's sharp stare didn't miss the frowning expression the girl was wearing on her face.

It brought her back from her thoughts, startling her a bit. "Huh!?" She quickly composed herself again when she saw Robin's questioning gaze. "I'm fine. I think I'll go for a quick walk."

"Hmm...well don't go too far. If the Navy sees you, it'll be trouble," Franky warned.

"Right, you need to be inconspicuous as a ninja, Wano woman!" Kanjuro added in a cautionary tone.

Miyako examined the other samurai, the one Kin'emon came to Dressrosa to save. She didn't really have a chance to focus on him before, due to everything going on around them, so only now did she properly stop and look at him. His face was painted a ghostly white, with bright red mane reaching down to his feet. It was now pooling all around him while he sat on the ground. The rest of his traditional attire was equally colourful, reminding her of those traditional stage performers in Wanokuni. He didn't even have a sword on his hip, but there was a large brush by his side instead. It made Miyako wonder was he really a samurai, since he surely didn't look like one.

"Indeed. But this Wano woman is a special case, she wields a katana even," Kin'emon interrupted.

"A Wano woman with a katana!? What an oxymoron," Kanjuro rubbed his chin in thought, examining Miyako up and down suspiciously.

The girl could feel pressure in her head heightening with every comment the two samurai made. Finally she had enough, "Oh don't you start too! I've had enough of those arguments with Kin'emon-dono already, I don't need your commentary as well!" She glared at Kanjuro defensively.

"Oh! What a bad way for a woman to conduct herself around men!" Kanjuro exclaimed in shock.

"As I said Kanjuro, she is a strange sort. However I have given my approval to her…she is a good soul." Kin'emon nodded a few times seriously as he reassured his friend.

However the way they spoke about her only made the girl more irritated. She clenched her teeth, glaring at both of them now. "Yes, thank you for that," she said to Kin'emon sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Finally, she turned around to leave, "I'll be going now…before I kill someone," she muttered the last part to herself before exiting the cottage.

~…..~

She didn't really know where she was going, only walking where her legs carried her. She took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling more relaxed and free as soon as she stepped out of that cramped house. It was cozy and nice, and she was definitely grateful to Kyros for giving them a secluded place to stay, but it was relaxing to have some more space around her.

She walked through the fields of flowers, marvelling the beauty of nature around her. The golden fields reminded her of the scenery she saw the first time they came to this country and docked here. She remembered looking at the vast hillside then, amazed by the sight. Of course then they didn't even suspect what kind of evil that beauty masked. She had no idea what dark secrets lay underneath such a great façade that was Dressrosa, the country of passion. This time as she looked around, going into the woods where the narrow path led, even though the view looked the same, it felt different. Perhaps because this time she knew this beauty was real. There was a sense of freedom behind it all, something that didn't exist before. She looked at Dressrosa with different eyes now, after knowing all she knew now, after knowing the truth.

The path led her out of the woods and into an opening. She could see farm fields across the area and a few small houses in the distance. The area was separated with a short wall. It looked old and was made of stone, with a few holes in it here and there. Deciding she shouldn't go to a populated area, Miyako stopped at the wall and sat down on it, watching the farms from a distance. The peaceful atmosphere gave her a perfect opportunity to collect her thoughts and calm her nervousness. She got a bit anxious every time she remembered the talk she had to have with Law. She didn't know why exactly, but she was both interested and afraid of what he would have to say to her. What story will he told her? She wondered will something between them change after he tells her the whole truth. *What if it doesn't…? What if he stays just as secretive and closed up as before? Then again, I haven't really told him everything about myself either…Is it something that we should just let happen though time? Maybe forcing him to open up was a bad idea…I mean he promised he would tell me everything after defeating Doflamingo, but if he's doing it just because of that promise….if he doesn't actually want to tell me about his past…? Maybe I should just leave it be?* The girl's thoughts continued to spin one after the other, casting even more confusion on her heart and mind.

~…..~

A the same time, unaware to anyone of the pirates, including the samurai girl who was deep in thought, the Navy Admiral had his own dilemma he was facing at the moment.

He was right in the middle of his meal, slurping down on a bowl of yakisoba while he stared at a cup and a single die before him on the table.

"Hmm…those people saved this country when nobody else could do anything…not even the Navy. And now the Headquarters are telling me to hunt them down. What a difficult quandary this is," he spoke to none in particular. There were marines running all around him, mostly helping the locals with rebuilding Dressrosa. Some worked together with princess Mansherry and the Tontatta tribe to heal the citizens, giving blood donations so she could use her powers and turn the blood into healing dandelions.

"Admiral Fujitora, how come we didn't go after the pirates yesterday when the battle with Doflamingo was finished," one of the higher ranking officers in the marines asked.

The said admiral was silent for a while, the crease on his forehead becoming deeper as he furrowed his eyebrows even more. "To take down the Pirate Alliance or to let them leave as heroes…that is truly a tough decision. So I have decided to leave it to fate. The Heaven itself should decide on the outcome of this dilemma," he explained although the other man only looked more perplexed by that explanation. "I made a bet when this whole thing started…I decided to place my bet on the pirates and it paid off. So this time I made another bet…I decided to put my faith in the hands of fate, to let it decide." He took the die into his hand and showed it to the marine officer. "If it's anything other than one, I will go after them…if it is one, I will leave them be for the day. I cast this die yesterday and can you guess what number it showed? Of all the numbers, it stopped at number one."

The marine paled, his jaw suddenly slack. It took him a moment to collect himself again. "A-are you saying you decided based on a die cast?!"

"Indeed...it was luck, or rather, fate that decided. The Heavens did not want me to go after the pirates yesterday. Do you think today will we different?"

The marine gulped, suddenly anxious, as Fujitora cast the die inside of the cup and slammed the cup upside-down on the table. He slowly raised the cup and looked inside, even though he had no way of knowing which number it was by just looking at it. "Well?" He urged the marine, awaiting his answer.

"I-it's one…The die rolled a one," the marine answered honestly. He didn't want to lie to the admiral, no matter how crazy the other was being, in his opinion.

Isshou sighed and nodded his head. "So another one today, huh? The Heaven must love these pirates. I suppose we will have more time on this island to help the people rebuild their homes, then."

"But what if the pirates escape today!?"

"Do not worry, they are still on this island. Besides, we know where they are. They will not leave without us noticing," the admiral concluded. He slurped down the last of his yakisoba before standing up with a loud huff. "Besides, we are still waiting for reinforcements to arrive," he added.

"Huh? Admiral, where are you going?!" The officer called out after him when he noticed the old samurai was leaving camp.

"Oh, didn't you know? The best way to digest your meal is to take a leisurely stroll afterwards," he answered simply.

Before his subordinate could ask him anything more or stop him, Fujitora disappeared from Drossrosa's shore.

~….~

She didn't know how long she sat there, just gazing at the nature in thought. It felt like hours, and she noticed the sun had already moved past its zenith a long time ago. Miyako was brought out of her daze when she heard a sound of footsteps that were slowly coming closer. There was a cobblestone road leading next to the wall she was sitting on, and someone was slowly approaching from her right. She thought it was just a local at first, but cautiously waited for the person to show themselves as they walked up the small hill where she was.

As guarded as she was, the person arriving wasn't the one she expected to see in a place like that. Her eyes went wide and she instantly jumped off the wall, grabbing onto her katana.

*Why?! Why is he here?!*

Admiral Fujitora walked towards her, but she soon realized there was no bloodthirsty aura around him. She couldn't sense any warrior's spirit coming from him, but that only confused her more.

"Do not worry, I will not harm you. Today, the Heavens have smiled upon you all," he announced, completely aware who he was talking to despite his blind eyes.

It took a while for Miyako to find her voice from the sudden surprise. She had to lick her lips that have suddenly gone completely dry. "Why are you here?" She was still piercing him sceptically with her gaze, just in case it was a trap. However, that didn't seem to be the case.

"I am simply out for a walk…I presume that is why you are here, as well," Fujitora answered with a shrug before coming closer and sitting on the wall beside her.

Miyako just stared at him in disbelief as he patted the seat next to him, indicating for her it was alright to sit back down and relax. For a second she thought she was imagining things or hallucinating…how else would she explain such a ludicrous situation where a marine admiral was inviting her to sit with him? "S-so…am I to believe you being here is just a coincidence," she asked with an unconvinced expression, trying to ignore her nervousness that made her break out in cold sweat.

The man hummed in thought before answering. "Such a familiar presence isn't forgotten that easily."

*Dammit, he felt my presence?! How keen are this man's senses!?*

"You have grown…," he added, breaking the long silence.

She was surprised by the statement, but didn't let it show on her expression. She knew it was no use though, since this man could usually read people like open books, and he didn't even need to see their expressions to do it. After a while she carefully sat back down, all the while keeping her eyes on the man beside her. She was still tense, ready to jump back up and fight at any given moment if necessary. "Does that mean you won't try and take me in?" She just wanted to be sure.

"Hmmm?" The man had no threatening aura around him as he spoke. "As I said, I'm just here for my after-meal stroll. Who would want to fight on such a beautiful day, anyway…ah, though I'm not even sure if the day is beautiful," he spoke jokingly, as if trying to lighten up the mood.

Miyako smirked at his simple answer, feeling she was truly relaxing if only a little. "You haven't changed at all, Isshou-san. Still a gambler to the core." She knew he had orders from the Navy to capture them and yet he played around like this. If he wanted he could beat her on the spot and take her with him, but instead, he decided to just talk casually. Who else besides him would do such a thing?

"Is that so…? But a lot has changed since then….since the time you were still with Sazaai," he argued.

The mention of her late master pricked at Miyako's heart and a heavy silence fell on them both as they both silently remembered Kuroda Sazaai in their minds. Finally, she broke that silence, "Do you think he would disapprove?" She didn't have to clarify for them both to know what she meant; the fact that she was a pirate now. A pirate with a wanted poster, a bounty, and everything that goes with it.

Fujitora rubbed his chin with his fingers, mulling over her words. "Yesterday, it wasn't the Government or the marines who saved this country...it was a group of pirates. A group of criminals most wanted by the Government, who they went so far as to call 'The Worst Generation.' Even if I cannot condone everything pirates do, I cannot find flaw in what they did for Dressrosa." He paused for a while before continuing, "As for your Master, I think if he heard about it now, he would simply laugh it off and say something along the line of; 'As long as you are true to yourself, you should feel no shame in how you live your life.'"

Miyako chuckled as she heard those words, "Right. That does sound like something he would say." She realized just thinking of her Master calmed her and reassured her, all at once.

Isshou continued, "And by choosing these people as your friends and nakama...I think you stayed true to yourself even after all this time...even as a pirate. That is what I believe, at least," he concluded.

She was a bit surprised at his words and she couldn't help but stare at the old man in wonder. He might be a Navy admiral now, but she could also see he was still the Isshou-san she once knew.

After a short silence, the old samurai opened his mouth again as he just remembered something else, "I am interested though...how did you decide to join a pirate crew, and none other than the one led by the Surgeon of Death? Why become a pirate?"

Little did he know, she didn't have much choice in the matter at first. Miyako couldn't help but laugh as she heard that question. It was a question that she often asked herself too. "It was not an easy decision, I assure you. And my captain and I often bump heads with each other, even now." She paused, thinking about her next words carefully before she started again, "Truthfully, when he asked me to join his crew I was surprised, but also a little happy. He acknowledged my strength. He didn't see me as some weak woman of Wanokuni, but an asset to his crew, an equal to all the other crewmembers. He gave me a place to belong to. Of course I didn't think like that from the start...at first I thought he was nothing more than an arrogant psychopath….well, actually, he might still be an arrogant psychopath...but I realized he was also much more than that," she explained, her expression continuously changing as she talked about her captain.

Without even realizing it, the girl had a smile on her face as she talked. Finished, she glanced at the samurai only to frown by his look of surprise as he 'stared' at her,

"W-what is it?"

His expression soon changed into a mellow one, but a smirk played on his lips.

"It's nothing...I got my answer." He shook his head, his expression back to the usual blank one.

Now it was Miyako's time to be inquisitory. "I heard you bowed your head in front of the entire world and asked for forgiveness because of what happened in Dressrosa," she started.

Isshou was silent for a while before humming deeply. "It was a right thing to do."

She couldn't help but snicker, not because she was mocking him, but because she imagined how outraged those geezers in Mariejois had to be after hearing that news. "You even admitted it was the pirate alliance that saved Dressrosa. I bet the World Government was furious."

"I took responsibility…a man has to take on the burden of responsibilities on his shoulders...it comes with authority and power. I will not let even the World Government twist the truth of Dressrosa anymore than they already have these past 10 years." There was suddenly a dark undertone in his voice as his tone became harsher.

The girl nodded, understanding where he was coming from. Perhaps it was their Wanokuni and samurai blood, or perhaps it was because they were both impacted greatly by a joint important person they shared…whatever it was, some of their views were still mutual. "But to go that far...I'm glad," she couldn't help but smile. "It seems you haven't lost your true self either, Isshou-san...although you had me worried for a while when you showed up with Doflamingo."

"Well someone did remind me that I was here to fight evil...not encourage it," he responded, a small smile on his lips.

He stood up from the small ruined wall him and Miyako were sitting on, muttering complains about his sore old bones. "Well then, with this I think I will end my stroll for today. You do realize, little Miyako, the next time we see each other…" He didn't finish his sentence, leaving the rest of it hanging between them. There was no reason to complete it. They both knew they were supposed to be enemies and that fact won't change, no matter their past. The girl nodded in response, indicating she understood, but said nothing either.

"And what will you do? Does you being a pirate meant you turned your back on your country for good?"

"Of course not!" Miyako blurted out even before she could think about it. As realization of his question hit her, her expression changed into a complicated one as she felt mixed feelings in her heart. "It's not like I never want to go back to Wanokuni…it is still my home…But…the Heart Pirates are my home too, now," she answered to the best of her ability. There was still all kinds of things that needed to be sorted out about that. But she found it far too early to start. All she knew is that she wanted to stay with the Heart Pirates for now…that was what she decided. She wanted to stay with Cody, Bepo, Joshua, Penguin, Sai, Shachi…everyone. They became like a family to her during their voyage together. Yet she knew she couldn't just turn her back on her past and run away from it. One day she will have to confront it…by going back home, to her country.

"I see….but I must warn you, Little Miyako… The state of our country isn't as it once was. Perhaps it is good that you found a place to belong to...because Wano might not be that place for you anymore," Isshou proclaimed, surprising her.

She frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

However the old samurai just shook his head and scowled. He used his wooden katana as a cane and turned his back on the girl, leaving from the way he came from. The only sound that could be heard was his katana and wooden sandals hitting the stone road as he walked away. *It seems your little protégée is all grown up now, Sazaai-san...It seems, she even found love.* At that thought, Fujitora couldn't help but smile, although he felt troubled by it as well. It was obvious from how she spoke of Trafalgar Law...So obvious that even a blind man like him could see it from the tone in her voice. But as much as he wished Sazaai's adopted apprentice happiness in her life, he couldn't forget the fact that she chose a path that made her his enemy. *Her choices have already sealed her fate…,* he concluded. *It is the path we have decided to walk on, Little Miyako, so we must not regret it no matter what…even if it brings us to our deaths one day.* That deep crease on his forehead returned, the one that would always appear when he was troubled by something.

The girl watched after him in silence, but a small smile flickered on her lips as she saw the old samurai make his way down the road.

As he was leaving, he stopped to say one more thing just before he was out of sight, "Oh and my answer to your question is; 'I'm still battling it.'"

"Huh?" She blinked in puzzlement at the sudden proclamation.

"The question you asked me when we met; 'If I won against the evil that took my eyes'...I battle against it every day still. I blinded myself because I lost to my weakness momentarily, but that day also strengthened me. Because of that, I haven't stopped trying to defeat all evil rooted in this world, even to this day."

With sudden realization, the samurai remembered what he was referring to. She smiled with a nod, "I see…"

She watched him walk away with a melancholic look in her eyes which gently glowed in the dimming daylight. In her heart, she finally understood how much resolve it was necessary to become as strong as he was. She understood what it took to reach that kind of level. But just like he had resolved himself, so did she; she promised herself that she would protect her loved ones no matter what. She believed that she would one day became as powerful as he is, to achieve that dream. Finally she could answer her late master's questions clearly; "Who do you fight for? Why do you want to become stronger?" Finally she had the answers. *Because I want to be able to protect the ones important to me. Because I want to feel free…get the kind of freedom you can only have with strength. To not be afraid of losing the ones I love anymore.*

However, as soon as Isshou was out of sight, her expression hardened when she remembered the last words he left her with when he parted with her. 'The state of our country isn't as it once was.' She frowned in thought, thinking what he could have meant and why wouldn't he tell her more? Perhaps he didn't want her to have a reason to return to Wano? But why?

~…..~

By the time she got back to Kyros' cottage, it was already sundown. She watched the orange sky slowly turn to a blood red colour over the horizon, painting the ocean a crimson colour. As she came closer, she could hear numerous voices coming from the inside, the loudest one being that of Strawhat. The light inside flickered as shadows moved, talking and laughing with each other.

"Huh? Where is all the food from the fridge?" Kyros' voice echoed in confusion.

"Don't tell me you ate everything in the house, Luffy!?" Usopp yelled in disbelief.

"Heeeh? But I was hungry~ I need meat to replenish my energy!"

"More importantly, what happened to all the sake?" Zoro complained.

"You drank it all!" The sniper bit back.

She chuckled as she listened to the rowdy noises coming from the inside, slowly approaching closer. That's when she noticed there was a figure sitting on the bench outside, staring at the ocean. It didn't took her long to recognize that tall but lean form.

Instead of walking inside, she drew closer to the man sitting on the bench. Even before she got all the way to him, he turned around to great her, piercing her with those grey eyes hidden underneath the hat. Even now, as darkness slowly fell and there was hardly any sunlight left, he still wore it. Still, Miyako didn't mind; after all, it was the hat she gave to him and it suited him just as she thought it would.

"You're not joining the party," she asked, sitting herself beside him on the bench.

There was a clear hint of irritation in Trafalgar's sigh. "It's hard to rest when they are all so damn noisy all the time," he complained in a bitter tone.

The girl only chuckled as a response. "I suppose I can't really argue with you on that," she noted. "I like the Strawhats," she suddenly proclaimed. "I'm grateful…they let me see a different side of you, one I've never seen before." Every time Law had an interaction with the Strawhats' captain, it was almost comical to watch, since Miyako knew Trafalgar as someone completely different. The Strawhats would often throw him off his game with their erratic behaviour, which must be hell for someone as meticulous as him. On the other hand, the samurai girl found amusement in watching their bickering and Law trying to handle them and ultimately failing to do so. It was refreshing to see, especially since it gave her so much material to tease him about it later. She had to supress a snicker at the sheer thought of it.

"So what you are saying is that you like watching me struggle with them and you find enjoyment in my plight," he concluded in a straight tone.

"Yup," the girl sang, and then laughed when she heard him sigh tiredly.

Still smiling, she glanced at the man sitting next to her, a knowing look in her eyes. "But as much as you complain about them, I know you like them too."

"Like might be a too strong of a word… I suppose I don't dislike them, though, and they can be useful sometimes...," he commented.

She had to supress the urge to roll her eyes at his roundabout admission. "Yet you were willing to place your life in Luffy's hands. Even though you kept saying you were only using them for your plan…in the end, you believed in Luffy, didn't you?"

"Hn," he snorted as if disagreeing, but there was a smirk playing on his lips. "I believed D. will make a storm…it is a bloodline that makes miracles happen. It was something someone told me a long time ago…and I believe it is the truth," he explained, although it was quite vague.

"Monkey D. Luffy," Miyako repeated Strawhat's full name, emphasizing the D in it. She looked up at the sky in thought where the first stars started flickering. "I wonder where that bloodline truly came from…What is D.?" She asked those questions out loud, although knowing she wouldn't get an answer.

"Who knows…But Cora-san told me they are the natural enemy of the Celestial Dragons…of the Tenryuubito, which is why Doflamingo was so scared of it. Even someone like Doflamingo felt threatened by that bloodline."

A certain name caught the samurai's attention and she gazed down upon Trafalgar again, an interested look in her eyes. "Cora-san?"

He returned her stare, silent for a while, as if contemplating what to say next. Finally he closed his eyes and smirked as if he remembered something, or someone, dear to him. "That's right…I promised I would tell you everything once this is all over." He opened his mouth again, but Miyako cut him off.

"Actually, I was thinking…If you don't want to, you don't have to tell me anything. I won't lie and say I'm not curious, but I trust you…I don't want you to force yourself, especially if it's something painful."

He gazed at her for a while before staring at the ocean again. "To be honest, after a long time…after 13 years, I finally feel like I can breathe again. I'm finally free…I know this is all far from over, I know we still need to defeat Kaido, and find One piece…but it's like I can look at the world with different eyes now. I finally avenged Corazon's death after all this time," he whispered the last part.

She didn't want to interrupt him, so she just let him talk at his own pace.

"And you fought alongside me, risked your life for my fight," he looked back at her. "You deserve to know. And for once, I don't think I'll feel as much pain remembering it as I used to. I think I can finally move on now." His expression was completely serious and as he stared at her, Miyako felt her heart beat faster in anticipation. She was getting nervous even before he started his story. "Once we meet up with everyone else, I'll talk to them properly too, but for now, I suppose you'll be the first one to hear it. Well, second actually, since Bepo already knows," he corrected himself and the smallest of smiles broke on his face for just a moment. However, that smile was gone just as quickly as he started his story.

"It's hard to even find a place to start…I suppose I should start with my full name. My name is Trafalgar D. Water Law," he started. "And I lived in a city called Flevance in North Blue…"

After that, he told her everything. He spoke to her about his past as a son whose parents were doctors, and a brother of a younger sister Lami. He told her about the White Town he lived in and what the World Government did to them after they discovered the sickness there, Amber Lead. He told her of his illness and finally talked about how he met the Donquixote Pirates and Corazon, an important person who saved him. "The D. will rise up a storm," is what Corazon told him. "It is what Doflamingo is most afraid of."

Once the story was all over, the night around them was pitch black and the moon was high in the sky. It was the middle of the night, and even the sounds inside the cottage quieted down as most residents there already slept soundly.

Yet sleep or any form of tiredness was far from Miyako's mind right now. She listened carefully at his every word without any interruptions. She didn't dare to speak even when he was finished, or rather, it was hard to find the right words to say.

"And that is what led us to here. After Cora-san's death I mostly had to take care of myself, waiting for the time when I was strong enough to get my revenge on Doflamingo…but it was more than that; it was about granting Corazon's last wish. His dying wish was to stop Doflamingo's madness…he couldn't finish it that snowy day, but I vowed that I would finish it for him. And I did…albeit with Strawhat-ya's help," he admitted.

But sitting there in silence, Miyako realized there was no reason to speak or try to say the right words to him, because there was nothing she could tell him that would make him feel better. However, there was no reason to try and make him feel better right now, for she knew that wasn't the reason why he told her all this in the first place. So instead, she just placed her hand on his tattooed one and squeezed it tightly. For a while they simply sat like that in silence, before she decided to finally speak up. She gazed at him with sorrowful eyes.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you…Though I'm glad it's finally all over."

He squeezed back her hand. "I know." He gazed back at the ocean before them. It was hard to see anything ahead, and the only indication of water was the gentle sound of waves hitting the cliff beneath them. "Funny thing is, I don't regret joining the Donquixote Family and becoming a pirate…I met Cora-san that way and he saved me…he saved me from becoming just like Doflamingo." Even now there was poison in Law's tone every time he would mention the other Shichibukai's name.

"You saved Dressrosa like Corazon-san wanted, and you set things right. I think he would be very proud of you," she said with a gentle smile.

"Even though it took 13 years…but I have no regrets," Law admitted, taking a deep breath. His arm was still in pain, as well as the rest of his body, and he suddenly felt strong exhaustion overcome him. He was far from healed and needed rest more than anything right now. Even so, he didn't budge from his seat, enjoying the company of the girl beside him. It seemed like an exceptionally long time since they had such a peaceful moment together, he wanted to prolong it even if for one more second. He enjoyed even the calming silence between them as they simply sat there together.

That calm quiet, however, came to a startling end as Miyako made an annoyed hum. "But after hearing all that, I'm so pissed! At Doflamingo and at the World Government! Now I feel sorry I couldn't hit him at least a couple of times before the marines took him away! And the World Government…I'm so sick of their manipulations," she grumbled complaints, one after the other, while scowling.

Trafalgar just stared at her in utter bewilderment before he started chuckling, trying to mask his laughter.

"Huh? Why are you laughing?!"

"No…I just didn't expect you to get mad about it," he admitted, his snicker turning into his usual smirk.

"Of course I'm mad! If someone hurts someone I love, of course I'll get angry!" The girl was completely in her element, still scowling at just the thought of it.

"Oh?" There was an amused tone in Law's voice as he gave her a knowing look.

The girl stopped, confused why he was all but leering at her with that teasing gaze of his, only to remember what exactly she just said. As realization hit her, her face became beat red and she was never more thankful to the darkness around them, which helped her conceal her embarrassed expression. "Oh you know what I mean," she exclaimed in defence.

"You're right, I know exactly what you mean," he answered, that teasing smirk never leaving his face.

The girl punched the shoulder of his healthy arm without thinking, trying to stop him from teasing her. He grunted in return since his body was still sore, scowling at her.

"You know, hitting your captain is a violation even amongst pirates." He gave her a pointed look, with a devilish gleam in them, drawing closer to the girl, which only made her lean backwards in wariness. She recognized that look and it usually meant nothing good…for her at least. She closed her eyes as he reached for her, expecting he was about to kiss her, only to give a surprised yelp when she felt a sudden pain in the arch between her neck and shoulder.

"Ow!" Opening her eyes in surprise she found herself face in face with a grinning pirate captain. She felt for the sore spot only to touch a teeth-shaped mark on her neck. "You bit me?"

His grin never wavered as he looked at her slyly. "It's punishment."

She gave him a frown in return, secretly pouting. "I see your new-found freedom didn't do anything for your bad personality."

"You'd get bored if I don't keep you sharp and on your toes," he teased.

"Oh, are you afraid I'd get bored of you?" She asked in feigned surprise, her eyes widening in mocking.

Even if neither of them wanted to admit it, they both felt a strange feeling of nostalgia and ease in their bickering. They both missed it, just being able to mess around with each other as they often did in the yellow submarine, using their sharp tongue and wits to try and best the other.

"Impossible," the captain smirked at her once more. He was glad he managed to redirect the subject away from his dark past and turned the mood light-hearted for a change. He was usually the serious sort, but he didn't want to draw out that somber topic any more than necessary. He wanted to finally put the past behind him and focus on the upcoming plans, like defeating Kaido of the Beasts or obtaining One Piece.

The girl stood up from the bench, turning around to give her captain a hand. "Come on, I don't want to be the reason for your sleep deprivation, you should rest. If those dark circles under your eyes get any bigger, you'll resemble a racoon…and then I will definitely be unable to take you seriously," she teased while trying to keep a straight face.

Trafalgar looked up at the smiling girl, seeing her reached out hand waiting for his. He chuckled, his expression hidden underneath the rim of his hat that he suddenly felt the need to adjust lower, before taking her hand and standing up. He felt a reassuring warmth emit from it and couldn't help but think it was just like her. Suzune Miyako was like a strong, radiant light that could either warm him to the core or burn him; both kind and dangerous. Even surrounded by pitch black darkness of the night, she reminded him of the sun.

Neither let go of the other's hand, but instead just walked towards the cottage in silence for a while. Drawing close, Miyako's voice broke the silence as she commented flatly, "I'm glad you didn't die." The statement was said as more of a joke now that everything was finally over.

Trafalgar chuckled. "I know. You would miss me."

"…..," she purposely stalled with her answer, pretending to think about it. "Well…I would certainly be bored without you," the girl concluded.

The two continued their back and forth while strolling towards the house.

~….~

Another new day brought another set of sore muscles in the morning. Miyako groaned from the uncomfortable feeling in her back after sleeping on the hard floorboards of the cottage. As she sat up, still rubbing her eyes sleepily, she saw Trafalgar leaning against the wall and snoring lightly, next to her. Letting him sleep, she looked around to see the cause for her sudden awakening; arguing voices that became even louder as they fought.

"Luffy, that's my food!" Usopp yelled in anger while he desperately tried to protect the food on his plate which kept being snatched away with lightning speed by two rubbery arms. Even before he managed to stop them, they would steal away his food and quickly put it in the captain's mouth.

"Shishishishi!" The said captain just laughed while he alternated between phases of sleeping and eating.

"Yow! I'm impressed at how much our captain can eat even though he's such a scrawny fella," Franky commented on a fact that never ceased to amaze him.

"But isn't his stomach getting awfully big….fufu, he might explode," Robin chuckled in amusement as she watched the boy stuff himself.

"And he's still sleeping and eating at the same time," Zoro sighed.

Miyako sighed, rubbing her eyes again as she scooted over to the table, still half a sleep. "'Morning, everyone."

"At least wash your face before you eat." The sudden voice surprised her and she looked over her shoulder to see Law wide awake and staring at her with one raised eyebrow.

*Wow, I just had a sudden flashback of Kiroi-san! She used to tell me the same thing,* the girl remembered, but dared not compare her captain with her old Landlady out loud. She gave him the exact same response she usually gave to her caretaker when she was a child, "Maa…it's fine, it's fine. I'll do it after I eat." She didn't care that her eyelids were still half-closed and her long hair was a disorderly, uncombed mess.

"Good morning, Miyako-chan. You came back awfully late last night. Was that walk so interesting?" Robin's perceptive eyes pierced the girl as she questioned her.

The girl waited with her answer for a while, remembering how she met Isshou-san on her walk yesterday. *If I tell them I 'accidentally' bumped into the admiral and had a chat with him, they'll start panicking right away. Usopp will start foaming at the mouth, I can already see it. Besides, Isshou-san had no intention of attacking at that time so I don't want to worry them needlessly,* the girl concluded. "Y-yeah, I just sat at the border with the forest and collected my thoughts a bit. Nothing to worry about." Well, that wasn't a complete lie…more like simply skipping over certain parts.

"Oh? But I could've sworn I heard yours and Torao-kun's voices outside the cottage yesterday when I awoke in the middle of the night," Robin answered, her expression showing she was deep in thought, but it definitely looked faked.

"Eh?" Miyako was honestly taken by surprise. She thought she was talking about her disappearance yesterday afternoon, but it seems Robin's motive for asking her all these questions was somewhat different. It didn't take long for her to realize Robin was just teasing her about her late-night rendezvous with Law that she obviously overheard. After all, she knew Robin suspected them to be a couple already after she saw them together on Punk Hazard. Miyako's expression suddenly became desperate as realization hit her. *She's just messing with me on purpose! Nico Robin, you demon!* "N-no, that's just…we were…talking," the girl suddenly got flustered, unsure what to say or how to respond. She was getting even more nervous as she noticed everyone was watching her curiously while Robin kept piercing her with that devilish teasing stare.

Purupurupuru purupurupuru!

Their breakfast was suddenly interrupted by a calling den den mushi, which Kyros hurried to answer. At the same time the doors of the house slammed open, revealing a green bird-like looking hairdo.

*Saved just in time!* The girl sighed in relief, but it soon turned into confusion. "Barto-san," Miyako exclaimed in surprise, a questioning look in her eyes.

However, the man barely looked her away. Actually, he didn't seem capable of looking anyone's way, but instead stumbled backwards in shock and covered his eyes as if protecting himself from bright light. "Gwaaah! All 5 members of the Strawhat pirates are here!They're too bright, I can't even see! They're like a laser beam of greatness! Damn! If I ever get the chance to see all of them together, my eyes will burn out of their sockets!" He wouldn't stop yelling, his eyes starting to get teary.

Finally, Roronoa had enough. "Just get on with it, will you!?"

As if on command, the rooster-head spoke up in a shout, "There's movement in the Navy camp! This place isn't safe anymore! The great staff Lieutenant general Otsuru and the formal Fleet Admiral Sengoku have arrived!

"Otsuru and Sengoku!?" Franky exclaimed in shock.

At the same time, Kyros was talking to the Tontatta dwarf, getting the same kind of information. After hanging up, he turned to the others with a sour expression. "Leo says the marines are on the move. Admiral Fujitora is going after the Palace to capture all the pirates."

"Gyaaaah! They're comiiiing!" Usopp screamed with tears in his eyes.

Kin'emon sighed as him and his samurai friend stared at the sniper with puzzlement. "Why are you panicking now? We have already prepared our escape beforehand and are good to go. We were just waiting for Luffy-dono and Law-dono to get better."

"It is curious that the enemy waited even this long to come," Kanjuro added.

*That's definitely due to their peculiar admiral, I'd say,* Miyako added in her thoughts.

"All we need now is a ship to make our escape."

"That's the point of me panicking! We have no ship!" Usopp yelled, grabbing his curly hair.

"It's fine! Luffy-senpai, everyone, come with me! I'll take you to the Easter port," Bartolomeo announced suddenly. "We've been waitin' all this time for ya to be ready. Now's the time! Your comrades are all waitin' in their places. We've got a ship for ya!"

Franky laughed at the news. "You have our thanks! We would be in quite a trouble otherwise, since we sent Sunny ahead of us."

"Of course! Like hell I'd let 'em take our king at this point," Bartolomeo yelled and opened the doors of the cottage. Outside they could see a swarm of marines heading for the house on the hill.

Bellamy was the first to stand up, already ready to go despite his injuries.

On the other hand, Strawhat was still stuffing food in his face as if worried he had to eat as much food as he could before the marines arrive. "Oh Bellamy, you look batter," he noted while chewing on a pizza slice.

"Heh, I could even run now," the other pirate declared. Despite his injuries, he was feeling well enough to move freely again.

"Considering the situation, you will have to," Trafalgar added, looking out the window where he could see numerous marines charging for the house.

Kyros nodded. "I need to stay here, but I wish you all the best of luck!"

"Come on, we have to go! Now's our only chance," Bartolomeo yelled and rushed out of the cottage, everyone else following close behind. "This way guys! It's all over if Fujitora catches us, so keep together! Make sure no one is left alone!"

"That's right, so Zoro, don't go getting lost now!" Miyako yelled in a warning to the Pirate Hunter.

"Shut up, I won't get lost!" The swordsman yelled in return, irked by her words.

Suddenly Strawhat stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face the marines.

"What the hell are you doing?" Miyako couldn't even mind her words at the moment.

But the boy just stood there calmly, with a confident and determined smile on his face. It was an expression his crew knew full well. "You know, I've got some things to settle. You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up!"

"Is he serious!?" Kanjuro was equally shocked.

The group looked back, seeing the small back of the Strawhat captain while he stood still. "I'm afraid so. When he gets like this, nothing can dissuade them. I'm afraid it's already settled," the archaeologist answered, but there was a smile on her face, as if she wasn't worried for her captain at all.

Just the same, Zoro didn't look panicked for his captain either. While running, he turned back to look at Luffy and yelled over his shoulder, "Luffy, we're running out of time! Finish what you've got to do and catch up! Meet us at the eastern port!"

"Got it!" Luffy waved back at them, grinning all the while.

It was like the Strawhats knew something about their captain that the rest of them didn't. Something that let them have such blind fate in their captain that they needn't worry at all, even at a time like this.

"More importantly…Zoro, that's not east, dammit!" The Wano girl yelled as she noticed Roronoa strayed off the course. It was only a few seconds after they started running, in a group, and yet he managed to almost get separated already.

"But he's still so cool, though," Bartolomeo sang in his fan-boyish tone.

~…..~

Running through the streets of Dressrosa, Miyako was sure they'd meet with a lot of resistance from the Navy, yet surprisingly there was none. It wasn't that there weren't any marines in their path…but all of them were incapacitated long before her group arrived. She could see littered bodies on the ground while they ran, all of them wearing the white-blue marine uniforms. Rushing towards them on a white stallion, she noticed a familiar face.

Cavendish rode passed them with his rapier raised high in the air. "Go on ahead, the port is right there," he shouted to them without stopping.

Not long did the others arrived; the Corrida Coliseum warriors who fought with them, side by side, to defeat the Donquixote Family.

"Thanks!" Usopp thanked them while sprinting forward without stopping.

"Don't be ridiculous! We're just giving back what we owe you! That being said, we probably owe you a lifetime," Sai chuckled in response.

"I can see the port from here!" The swordswoman pointed at the ship masts rising before them just beyond the rooftops. They were almost there, and soon will be safely off the island…Or that's what she hoped for, at least. Her smile faded as she noticed another oddity; there was someone missing from their group. At first she thought it was just Luffy, but something just felt different. Something just wasn't right. A panicked pang stabbed at her chest when she realized what it was. "Where's Law?!"

"Huh? You're right, he's not here! Where did he go?!" Franky glanced around, but the pirate captain was nowhere to be found.

"Don't tell me he got lost," Zoro shook his head in disappointment.

"He's not you!" Miyako bit back with a glare.

"Did anybody notice when he separated from us," Robin asked.

The group momentarily stopped as they checked out the area, trying to find the missing pirate, but he was completely gone.

"That's not the only problem here!" Usopp was foaming at the mouth as he pointed behind them.

They could see a figure approaching them slowly but steadily, stabbing their cane in front of them as they walked. Fujitora unsheathed the makeshift cane, which was actually his katana, and made three lightning-speed slashed around him before sheathing the sword back into its wooden covers. He struck the cut-up ground beneath his feet once and it shook. With a rumble, the piece of road he was standing on started to rise up into the air. Without losing balance, the admiral flew higher up into the air on that piece of rock, using his devil fruit powers to negate its gravity. He made his way through the streets without stopping, flying towards the group of pirates.

"Holy crap, the admiral's coming," Bartolomeo shouted in panic. "Luffy-senpai, hurry up!"

The group turned tail and ran all the way to the eastern port before turning to face the threat behind them. It wasn't long before the Coliseum warriors joined them, all of them awaiting the force that was the Navy Admiral, who was leisurely making his way towards them.

"We can't leave this island without Strawhat and Trafalgar."

"Then we'll just have to stand our ground and survive until those two arrive!"

"I'mma gonna rise up my barrier! My barrier's invincible!"

Bartolomeo used his devil fruit powers to create a large, thick wall separating the pirates from the incoming marine.

"You sure that's gonna hold?"

"It better, or we're all done for," Usopp cried out.

He stepped off the piece of rubble and carried on through the street. The ominous sound of Fujitora's wooden sandals hitting the cobblestone came closer as he approached them. Unlike yesterday when the samurai girl couldn't feel any threatening aura from the admiral, today he was clearly emitting it. She could feel the pressure coming from his warrior's spirit and it sent shivers down her back. The girl gulped, expecting the worst to come with the old samurai.

*Honestly, where did Law go at such a time!?* She screamed in her mind. *Strawhat as well…Those two really do whatever they feel like!*

~…~

As soon as he heard Sengoku docked on this island, he knew there was one more piece of unfinished business that he had to sort out. He couldn't leave without knowing the truth once and for all. Even if he had his own thoughts on the matter, he had to hear it from someone who knew a part of the story that he never had the chance to hear. He needed to hear the other side that would complete the picture of those past events from 13 years ago.

So as soon as they got close to the eastern shore, Law searched for someone he knew wouldn't be far from there. It didn't take long to find him, almost as if Sengoku wished for Trafalgar to find him. Perhaps the other also had some questions he needed answered.

"Formal fleet admiral Sengoku," Law stated as soon as he saw the man standing before him. He was different than the last time he saw the geezer, at the Summit War. The man's hair had gone completely white, sometime during these past two years, perhaps due to some stressful event. Law wasn't sure, but he didn't care much at this point. He wasn't here to examine Sengoku's new appearance.

"Heh, Trafalgar Law…that's quite ballsy of you, to appear before a retired fleet admiral," Sengoku commented. He was completely laid back, as if nothing could surprise him anymore. "You and Strawhat sure brought a lot of trouble here to Dressrosa."

Law instantly cut him off, not in the mood for unnecessary talk. He didn't have time for it either. He was well aware that the Navy was right behind them and they needed to leave this island as soon as possible. But he couldn't miss the opportunity to speak to Sengoku, a chance that might not come ever again. He had to know about his past. "I'm not here to chit-chat…I'm here to talk about an event from 13 years ago. One involving Cora…Donquixote Rosinante," he quickly corrected himself. "He was one of yours, wasn't he?" Law's eyes narrowed as he pierced Sengoku the Buddha with his stare.

"…..How do you know that name? That guy was deeply undercover on a mission," the old man asked.

Once again, Law ignored his questions. "That's exactly what I want to know about. Rosinante was working for you, for the marines. He wanted to take down Doflamingo, wasn't he? I guess I always knew it, but he would never tell me the truth, so I want to hear it from your mouth, clearly."

The old marine sighed and sat down on some rubble, taking a bag of chips from his coat pocket. As he opened it, he offered some to the pirate. "Want some?"

"No. Now talk. What do you know about Rosinante and the events that occurred 13 years ago? What was his true purpose?" The captain had no intention to get sucked into the other's pace.

Sengoku didn't seem offended, though, and he took some chips out of the bag and ate them. Still chewing, he started his story. "Yes…Rosinante was working for me undercover. You know…there was one peculiar thing…Only once did he mention something that wasn't really relevant for his mission, yet he still reported it…as if it interested him personally. A young boy with Amber Lead Syndrome. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I think perhaps I should have. His one and only goal was to stop his brother. We knew we had to act and Rosinante was the one and only man perfect for the job. Doflamingo was getting more powerful by the day and he was a Tenryuubito so it was quite a delicate matter. We had to gather the evidence and destroy Doflamingo from within. Rosinante volunteered to be the mole. He found out about Doflamingo's plan to occupy Dressrosa and we knew we had to stop it at any cost." Sengoku paused for a while, gathering his thoughts, before he continued. "I met him as a boy and he was very special to me…he was like a son of mine, not just any marine soldier. He believed in justice even more than the average man and was a very trustworthy subordinate…yet he lied to me only once in all his life. I found about it too late…when we found his dead body on Minion Island." He gritted his teeth in pain as he talked. "He wasn't even supposed to be there…I didn't even know he abandoned his mission half a year before that and went rouge, separating from the Donquixote crew."

"…" Law listened in silence, but he felt the pain in his chest. *Cora-san…* Perhaps it was the same feeling Sengoku was experiencing now. He knew exactly what the old marine was talking about; after all, he was the reason for Corazon's betrayal. And he was also the reason why Cora was found dead on Minion Island. He clenched one hand in a fist, stabbing his palm with his fingernails to try and control his emotions. Without interruption, he listened to the rest of Sengoku's speech.

"He betrayed me, but I'm sure he had his reasons. I know now it was to take care of that sick kid…but to go to all that trouble just for one dying child…I guess, that was just like him," the man sighed. As much as he couldn't understand why a marine would risk everything to go that far, he did understand Rosinante and his kindness. He understood it better than most. "4 things were lost that day; the Barrels pirates, the life of my subordinate, the ope-ope fruit…and the boy with the Amber Lead syndrome that was with the Donquixote Family at the time." With that last thing, Sengoku looked back at Trafalgar, already guessing the connection.

The other had no intention of denying it. "Yes, that was me."

The retired marine took some more chips, staring at the pirate before him. "So it's true then…The reason why Rosinante took off for half a year was because of you." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah….he took me to any hospital he could find." Law remembered the time he spent with Corazon, going from doctor to doctor only to be called a monster and yelled at. "Kyaaa, get him away! He'll kill us all with his disease! Gaaah, kill him, kill him before he spreads the disease! Monster! This child is a monster!" Numerous voices played out in Law's mind, remembering all the terrified screams from the people around them whenever they wound find out about Law's condition. But just as anger started rising inside him at the memories, he remembered Corazon's reaction each time. He would send the doctors flying and fight whoever dared to say anything bad about Law's illness. That memory brought angst, but also a sense of satisfaction.

Sengoku's voice brought him back to reality. "So he made a move on the ope-ope fruit and gave his life in exchange for yours," the man asked in thought. "Is that why he died?!"

Law clenched his jaw before it all spilled out of him, "Yeah, that's right! We were supposed to escape together! He gave me my life…and a heart! He was my benefactor, my saviour! That's why I made it my life's goal to take down Doflamingo in his stead!" He took a deep breath before calming down and continuing, "I don't know if this is the life of D. Cora-san was talking about, but-"

"D?" He was instantly cut off by Sengoku. He stood up and was about to leave when he heard the blasted letter come from Law's mouth. Once again, it was about that bloodline.

"That's right…I'm just like Strawhat-ya, I have a hidden name as well." Realizing Sengoku's sudden interest, Trafalgar tried to read the man's expression and find more information about it. His eyes narrowed in interest as he watched the marine with suspicion. "You know something about it, don't you?!"

However, Sengoku's demeanor instantly changed and he returned back to his usual self. "Who knows…," he lied, turning his back to Law again. "But I'm sure Rosinante knew nothing about it," he started. "That's it then…he didn't save you for the reason you thought it was, so don't go writing it off as an act of love or something!" He glared at the pirate over his shoulder.

Law listened to the other's words, but even if Corazon's boss told him that himself, he still cherished a certain memory that told him otherwise. Rosinante's wide grin was chiselled into his mind, along with the parting words he left him with; "Law….I love you!"

"I also wanted to meet you, the kid from back then, because you were the only one who could tell me about Rosinante…well, the 'pirate' you at least. If I was still a marine officer, I would gladly haul your ass in prison and then make you talk about what your real purpose was for fighting for Dressrosa and attacking Doflamingo…," Sengoku started. "But if you are so adamant on saying that all you've done is for him, then…let us both not forget him. That would be for the best." Sengoku understood that this pirate before him was someone Rosinante had cherished…and was sure Trafalgar also felt the same way about his benefactor. Even though he was a criminal, the marine knew there was a certain bond they both had in common; their love for the person known as Donquixote Rosinante. And because of that, he decided to let Trafalgar leave with only one last piece of advice…one piece of good will, for Rosinante…"Go, live your life…you're free now. He would have told you this."

Law felt his heart jump in surprise as he heard those words. It was exactly the same…the same as what Cora-san told him. He remembered those last words just before he died, "Law is free!" His back already turned from Sengoku, the man clenched his jaw that started to quiver and pulled his hat lower to hide his expression. The pressure in his chest intensified as he remembered his saviour and at that moment he was sure about one thing; Corazon did love him. It didn't have anything to do with him being from a D bloodline. He believed that from the bottom of his heart, no matter what Sengoku, Doflamingo or anyone else told him.

His moment was short-lasting as the world around them started trembling. Both he and Sengoku looked above to see rubble being raised up into the sky and floating above their heads. "What's happening!?" It wasn't just a few rocks either, but so much that it could easily crush the whole city if released.

"Hm….it must be Fujitora. I told you to go and leave, but you might not get a chance to," Sengoku explained as he stared up at the sky. "If you don't hurry-" The ex-marine started, but then realized he was talking to thin air since Trafalgar was already gone from the area. "Ah, he's gone…"

Law hurried on his still-recovering feet to meet with the others and soon found the group gathered at the eastern port.

"Trafalgar Law, where were you!? We were waiting for you!" Cevendish was about to give him a piece of his mind, but Law simply ran passed him towards the docks. "Oy, that's rude, don't just ignore me!" The blonde prince yelled in annoyance before running after him.

"Everyone get to the ships," the coliseum warriors called out.

"Come on, guuuuys! Luffy is coming too!" Usopp yelled from his position on top of a small hill made of rubble.

Miyako ran next to him, almost falling off the pile from excitement. "They're finally here!" She took as much air into her lungs as she could and shouted for both Luffy and Law to hear, "Hurry!"

"Fly past the admiral, Luffy!" Usopp yelled for his captain.

But the samurai wasn't as convinced. *Fly past!? How is he supposed to do that!?* She gulped as she saw Isshou approaching while Strawhat ran right at him. *Will he really be able to get passed Isshou-san that easily?* As if answering her doubts, Luffy inflated his fist to a giant's size and coated it with armament haki. With a great shout, he socked Fujitora where the other stood without reservations. The giant arm sent the admiral flying backwards, but the other easily landed on his feet. He used his katana to block the deadly punch, leaving him uninjured.

Luffy, however, didn't seem to care. "I'm sick of running, so I don't wanna do it anymore! I don't care if you're an admiral or even one of the Four Emperors! I will beat all of you up if I have to! Or I'll never be the King of Pirates!" The captain shouted with a determined glare towards the Navy admiral.

"Whooooa!" Now it was Bartolomeo who was foaming at the mouth, mostly because of the great scene he just witnessed before his eyes. "Lubby-sembaaaai!" He yelled, still chocking on his saliva.

"What is he doing?! We have to goooo!" Usopp was screaming for a whole different reason, as he panicked per usual.

Yet Strawhat ignored them all, as he and Fujitora continued their battle against each other.

"But why is he telling him exactly where he's gonna hit him? What's with this weird battle," Zoro commented as he noticed Luffy was announcing each of his attacks.

"Don't tell me he's underestimating Isshou-san? Because let me tell you, that blind samurai is one man who doesn't need a handicap in a battle…," Miyako added in worry. She knew, first hand, how terrifyingly strong Fujitora truly was.

Finally lowering from his high, Bartolomeo managed to think straight again. He turned to the giant and called out for him, "Hajrudin, go get Luffy-senpai, we don't have much time left! Everyone, to the ships!"

He pointed at the ocean, where a whole line of ships awaited them. A wooden road of boards was laid next to the ships, leading to the final one which awaited the Strawhat alliance. The long road was 5 kilometres long and leading from the island.

"Let's go!" The pirates sprinted with all the strength they had left, knowing full well there was a whole minor island of rubble above their heads, waiting to be cast down onto them. Even so, they knew there was nothing they could do about it but try and outrun it, leaving Dressrosa and the Navy behind.

They were already half-way to the last ship when they heard noisy shouts coming from behind them. They dared to take some time and turn around to notice all of Dressrosa's citizens yelling behind them, running after them towards the port.

"The citizens?! What are they doing here?"

They could hear the citizens running after them, cursing at them, yet they could hear no malice in their voices.

Miyako snickered to herself as she realized what was going on. At a pretence of wanting to catch the pirates, the locals got in the way of Fujitora and his attack so that he wouldn't be able to rain down the floating rubble onto the criminals without hitting the civilians as well. Silently in her mind, she thanked the locals for their help. They really saved them this time. *Sorry, Isshou-san, I guess it's your loss today. After all, I know you won't do anything to harm these people. And….farewell.* She said her quiet goodbyes while sprinting across the ocean. 5 kilometres away from the shore, the pirates finally reached their destination.

~…..~

"And here it is! Barto-club's ship; The Going Luffy-senpai!"

"…," everything was silent for a while, before Miyako's loud laughter broke the silence.

"Bwahahahahaha!" She couldn't help it, after seeing such a display on the bow of the ship. She felt like her sides were splitting from the pain of laughing so much, her vision hazy from the tears in her eyes, yet her gaze was glued to the bow in front of her. On it was a clear figure of a smiling Luffy with a blank stare on its comical face. Its arms bent and reached backwards, grabbing the railing. It just looked so ridiculous that she couldn't help but burst into laughter and it took her a good minute or two to tune it down into snickers.

"Oy, Suzune, what are you laughing at!? Don't you dare laugh at Luffy-senpai!" Bartolomeo glared at her with irritation.

"No…I'm not laughing at Luffy here….," she managed to squeeze out between her panting breaths, still trying to recover from her laughing outburst.

"Right! Why the hell does that ship look more Luffy-ish than ours?!" Usopp, too, couldn't believe what he was looking at.

"I'm glad you like it." Bartolomeo and his crew were filled with pride.

"That's not what I'm saying!" The sniper responded.

"I think it's kind of cute," Robin admitted.

"Are you serious, Robin!?" Usopp still couldn't believe it.

"We even have a vivre card that points directly to Luffy-senpai!" Bartolomeo's crew continued with nothing but admiration.

"Well that's a bit stalkerish…," the samurai girl noted in a whisper.

After splitting up from the rest of the pirates, the Strawhat-Hearts Alliance and the two samurai went together with Bartolomeo to find his hidden ship with his entire crew waiting for him. It turned out they were all just as stricken by the Strawhats, which explained how they could put up with their captain's constant outbursts of worship.

They managed to escape the marines, along with the sudden enemies of Dressrosa who arrived after hearing about Doflamingo's defeat. Miyako suspected Fujitora gave them a hand there, since the rubble that was supposed to crush them in the end only fell on those enemy pirates instead. The admiral could have easily killed them all and sink their ships, but he saved them, only pretending to miss. The girl was grateful, but also doubtful they'll get the same treatment the next time they meet him, and something told her there will definitely be a next time.

What's more, the other pirate captains all pledged their loyalty to Strawhat even if the boy captain refused such a burden. Even Law couldn't believe Strawhat was declining an offer to have an army of pirates on his side, but when you think about it, it wasn't that surprising. All this pirate captain wanted was to be free, while he didn't care about greatness…it was something Luffy told them himself. Miyako couldn't help but smirk as she remembered that moment.

After sailing from the eastern port, their ship sailed around Dressrosa where there was Bartolomeo's ship waiting in hiding in a small cove. The enormous ship left them there and the Barto pirates were finally ready to set sail.

"Hehehe, finally we can sail to Zou," Luffy announced. "I wonder if Sanji and the others already arrived there!" The boy grinned in excitement while sitting cross-legged on the bow, right on top of the head of his own statue. To Miyako, that somehow looked just….disturbing.

"They should have by now," Franky commented.

"Look like our bounties went up again. Luffy," Zoro declared with a grin.

"Whoa, really? Lemme see!"

"You didn't know!? That's right, all of you got a higher bounty! Even the Heart Pirates, but I don't care about them," Bartolomeo spoke. "I threw yours away, Trafalgar Law, but you're worth 500 million Beri now."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't give a damn about the numbers anyway," he just muttered and waved his hand dismissively.

"Yours is now 280 million Ribbon-girl," Bartolomeo added, though he wasn't at all interested.

That only made her sigh with mixed feelings of depression and resignation.

"Now let me take you to the new wanted posters of the Strawhat crew!" Bartolomeo announced in a completely different tone than what he used with Law and Miyako.

As he led the Strawhat crew down below to the main room in the ship, the Barto crew slowly set sail off Dressrosa and towards Zou. Miyako didn't follow, but instead walked next to Law who was leaning on his elbows on the railing, gazing at the sea ahead.

"It won't be long now…we're finally headed for Zou," Miyako commented. "We'll finally see everyone again. It feels like a lifetime since we last saw the rest of the crew," she smiled excitedly.

Law nodded. "I'll have to tell them everything…though I'm sure they already found out a lot from the newspapers. They'll need to prepare for our fight with Kaido, too."

She nodded. "I know we have a lot of unresolved things to worry about, but for now I just want to relax and feel excited by the fact that we will be reunited soon." She had her own concerns, even without the mention of Kaido. She couldn't get Isshou's words out of her mind. *The state of Wanokuni isn't as it once was,* the girl repeated his words, mulling over them. *Did….something happen to Wano?*

Whatever it was, she knew she would find out eventually. For now, the only thing they could do was to reach Zou and meet with the others. She took a deep breath and smiled widely, feeling the wind in her face and hair as the ship sailed the calm sea. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling on her skin. "I wonder what everyone is doing right now," she chimed with anticipation.

Next to her she saw her captain smirk. "I'm sure Bepo is keeping everyone in check."

~…..~

~ At the same time on Zou ~

"Ngh gh…."

He couldn't move. Even though his bodily injuries weren't that severe, he still wasn't able to move from his spot. His body felt numb, without any energy left, as he laid on the ground covered in dirt. Blood and soot dried on his snow white fur, marring it.

Bepo looked around, seeing the ground was littered with similarly clad-in-white bodies. His friends…his subordinates, now that he was left in charge while their captain was gone. He was supposed to take care of them.

Beside him he heard a suffocating grunt and turned his head with all his energy left to see Cody lying next to him. The other was coughing, in a state just as bad as him.

"C-Cody…," Bepo called out, trying to reach his friend, but it was no use. His body was slowly starting to paralyze completely. He could feel a suffocating pain spreading in his chest, as the gas they all breathed in started clogging his respiratory organs. He could barely breathe anymore and it was only getting worse. The rest of the Heart Pirates were all in a similar state. Some had other wounds too, but they were nothing compared to the poisonous gas that was slowly killing them all.

His vision was starting to get blurry and he could barely see his crewmates through hazy eyes. Around him, not only did his nakama lay there but also his people. The Mink tribe was coughing and struggling in pain just like the Heart Pirates, all of them defeated by the poison.

*Is this how it will all end….without us even meeting with Captain again? I'm the first mate, yet I can't do a damn thing! My crewmates, my friends…my own people! I can't do anything for them!*

Bepo cursed his weakness trying his best to move his body even a little. His form trembled, but it was no use no matter how much he struggled. Instead, his condition only worsened.

*Are we all going to die here like this!?*

---

Heh, I feel this isn't as nerve-wrecking when all of us manga readers know what happens anyway. :') Aah, give me back my original work so I can go wild and keep you guys on your toes! Even so, I enjoyed writing this chapter and wanted to add some things that aren't in the cannon to get you guys more interested. I feel the most important parts in this chapter were the conversations between the characters. Finally Miyako finds out about Law's past! (Can't wait until they get to Wano so he finds out more about her, too. :D) I'm also glad she got to have one final talk with Fujitora before they got separated (Some foreshadowing there, hehe).

Wow, you've all been busy with reading and leaving comments, I love it! :D Thank you all so much for sticking with this story of mine for so long. (I want to give you a deep formal bow from a seiza to show my gratitude). Now let me take the time to properly thank and answer each of you! :D

Jenny: haha Yes! I love that name!

Guest: Thank you very much! I always try to make the cannon characters as in-character as possible, and keep the OCs interesting. And Oda keeps introducing new ones all the time, so it can be a lot of work. Thank you for your support!

Zoro et Robin: I decided to keep his storytelling short though, since we already know all of it so it would maybe be a bit too boring to read once again everything he went through from word to word. Hopefully this was enough. ^^ I also felt like this chapter was more about the conversation between the characters than action or anything else, and I liked that. Whever Oda's Heart Pirates become, I already have my crew that I wouldn't change for the world~ I miss them too, can't wait to get everyone to Zou. :D Thank you for reading and supporting the story! I hope you're well!

Tgaswathi: Thank you for reading it! I hope you liked this new chapter as well. ^^

kkot2404: Thank you for reading it! Muwahaha, I'm glad you got addicted! Hahaha XD

Orion's Left Arm: I'm glad I was able to get some suspense and feels even though it's cannon so everybody knows what will happen. I feel like there is a fun dynamic between Bartolomeo and Cavendish, so they work well together as characters in the story. I felt like it was time for Miyako to improve again and I'm planning on more of that in the future from now on (they have to be ready for Kaido, hehe). Now that things are calming down, there will be more time for them to bond again. Thank you for your continuous support and always leaving such wonderful comments!

Malorne-10: Happy ending? You mean in the whole fanfic story? I haven't read any Law fanfics for so long, I'm completely out of the loop... :') At least in this Arc I believe Law did get his happy ending, avenging Corazon! :D

Guest: Hm, well, I've been using English since I was a kid (watching tv, reading and so on), so I believe that helped a lot. (Especially reading books!) And I think the more you write, the more you improve. :)

Lisanna Bane: Hi! Hahaha actually, I agree, that would be hilarious! XD Unfortunately, I think they are passed that faze where she would do that to him. :') Also I think she would be a bit worried of what would happen to her after that…I don't think Law is a very forgiving man. (Still, just imagining that scene is priceless~).

Tsuzumii: Ah, yes, the blasted title problem…but after 70 chapters I feel it's too late to change it. So I'm stuck with it now…But thank you giving it a chance anyway! Unfortunately I don't update that often so I'm sure you'll be able to catch up soon. :P

Erina: I'm glad~ I always feel guilty when I think back about when was the last time I posted. I'm glad I was able to convey all the emotions to you readers even if it was clear what will happen in the story. Oh wow, time sure flies by! I have a feeling, in the end, I'll write this story as long as Oda will work on One Piece! Haha XD

ReflectedDakness: Yep, this is the last Dressrosa Arc chapter and after this I will finally be able to deliver some original chapters again, before we dive into the Zou Arc. I'm excited about it too, since it'll give the crew more time to spend together. Thank you for reviewing!

JustChan: I'm glad you're back! And I hope you can take this reading time to rest since I know how busy you are right now. ^^ Mary Sue characters are one of my worst nightmares so I hope it will never come to that. XD Me too! I want to write about new adventures with the Heart Pirates again~ I hope you are doing well!

Lucy Jacob: Aww, thanks, I tried to make that part as emotional as I could. It's not a dumb question at all, since I never really specified what she was wearing (my fault). She cast away the suit when Zoro and the rest of them did too, but she's not wearing her kimono in Dressrosa, she's wearing her usual plaid skirt combination.

Bizzy: Heeey! Yeah, as usual I'm away for way too long. :') Yeah, I wonder will we ever get a proper introduction for the Hearts, I hope so. Then again, I already have my Heart Pirates crew. :D haha, I'll have to take care then. XD Don't worry, there's still a lot more of the story we need to go through before the ending. You too, take care and be well!

Hitoshirezu Ryu: I'm glad you found it interesting even though it's cannon. You're right, Zoro always get a very important role, but it's to be expected since he's the first mate and probably the second most strongest Strawhat pirate. I always enjoy his battles~ In the chapter I wanted Miyako to feel so desperate because of Law's death that she would even sacrifice her life; I thought it would be a good sign of just how loyal she became to her captain and how much she really loves him. Of course, I couldn't end the chapter without some Law/Miyako banter after such a long time, since they finally got some time to spend together. :D This arc was also a good chance for her to become stronger, especially since it was a fight against such a significant opponent as Doflamingo. Thank you for always reading my chapters and leaving such detailed reviews, and thank you for always giving me your support as a reader!

Dokuroskull: Oh that's quite alright, I know what it's like (I'm preparing my bachelor work this year too). Yeah, she learned to cut it awhile back in previous chapters, but haven't mastered making it before now. I wanted a specific time to actually show her do it for the first time because I didn't want her to just suddenly have it without any explanations first. Haha Yes, I quite enjoyed that side of him when they were meeting the ninja. XD Thank you for reading and don't worry about proofreading. I'm pretty busy right now as well, so I probably won't need it for some time anyway.

Ghoulchan: I agree, and that's exactly what I wanted to show. She finally bonded with her crew and thinks of them as someone important to her. Thank you for reviewing!

Apple Bloom: Finally there can be a bit more moments between Law and Miyako now that the battle is done! I hope you enjoyed this newest chapter too. Thank you for your support!

Animagirl: On it! :D