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

72. Chapter 72

'I don't like you!' by BloodyMarryMe

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

Hello everyone! I missed you all! I missed this site! I missed writing! It's good to be back again. I thank everyone who stayed with this story even after all this time: thank you for being faithful readers even with my slow updating. I'm trying to finish at least one chapter every time I have a longer gap of free time between my busy periods. This will be a beginning of a small, non-cannon Arc (that's right, non-cannon! Whoot! Finally some original material to write!), so no Zou just yet. I felt that in the cannon, we never really got to see a lot of adventuring with the Barto Club pirates along with Strawhats and Law, which is a waste, so I wanted to give them at least one shared adventure before they separate at Zou. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

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CHAPTER 72

„And then Luffy-senpai delivered the finishing punch to Rob Lucci, finishing off the Cipher Pol bastard and saving Robin-senpai! And that is also when Robin-senapi had her notorious, heart-warming speech and decided to stay with the Strawhats!" Bartolomeo was bawling before he could even finish the story of the Strawhat's adventures at Water 7, and soon after the rest of the Barto Club was crying with him.

„Luffy-senpai is amazing! He can do anything! He'll definitely become the next Pirate King," another of the crewmembers cried out, wiping away his snot and tears.

„Yeah!" The members of the Luffy-fanclub cheered in unison.

Law sighed in mental exhaustion from listening to these kinds of stories all day. Sometime after lunch, Bartolomeo climbed up the upper deck on the superstructure and decided to tell everyone at present how truly incredible the Strawhats were. „Let me tell you the glorious story of how the Straw Hat crew came to be!" With that exclamation, he gathered everyone around him and his crew sat excitedly on the lower part of the deck, staring up at their captain in anticipation. The Strawhats joined as well, feeling nostalgic about their voyages and snickering at the numerous memories Barto's stories were calling forth. Even Miyako sat with them and got so involved in the story that she was now listening with interest, her eyes gleaming in wonder. Only Law stayed on the side, sitting on the staircase and feigning apathy. The said Captain Bartolomeo started his story all the way from the beginning when Luffy was still a child and made his promise to Shanks so the whole thing lasted for hours. The only time he took a break was when the sea turned foul and a strong storm rocked their ship and almost capsized it. Right now, Trafalgar actually missed that time since it seemed a welcome break from Bartolomeo's constant yapping. He almost wished it would start up again...

„And that was also the time when the suuuuper me joined the Strawhats," Franky chimed in with a wide grin on his face.

"What happened then?! I am quite interested in these stories even though they are about pirates," Kin'emon questioned, his friend Kanjuro nodding in agreement by his side.

"Never before Dressrosa would I think pirates could also be heroic, yet you proved me wrong. These stories are also a testament to that," Kanjuro added in awe.

"Eeeh, what are you talking about? I don't wanna be a hero," Strawhat all but whined in protest.

The pirate ship with three different pirate crews continued sailing through the ocean, the loud voices and laughs carrying through the distance as Luffy insisted they had another party at dinner with as much meat their chef could cook.

„And booze!" Zoro's voice quickly added lest such an important addition be forgotten.

"Whatever you want, Luffy-senpaaaai!" Bartolomeo chimed with an expression filed with happiness.

„What are you saying?! We need these supplies to last us until we get to Zou, we can't eat all the meat in one night!" Usopp protested loudly.

„Maah, it's fine, we'll just catch more," Strawhat shrugged, picking his nose as he looked completely nonchalant about the whole problem.

„Don't act like it has nothing to do with you," the sniper of their crew wacked his captain on the head without any regard that the other was supposed to be his superior. But that's just how the Strawhats were; they were friends before anything else.

Miyako chuckled at the scene before she noticed Law heading back inside. It was already sunset when Bartolomeo was nearing to the end of his story, talking about the adventures the Strawhats experienced on Thriller Bark where they met Brook.

She got up from her seat on the floor, feeling her legs a bit cramping from all the sitting. She stretched with her hands high in the air, feeling every muscle strain before relaxing again. With a slow stroll she headed inside, leaving the rowdy crew to their antics. She walked inside, but her captain was already gone. She passed a small kitchen, seeing the cook hum to himself with a smile as he prepared dinner.

"Hi Rowy, what are we having tonight?" She greeted him, sniffing the air for the delicious scent of cooking food.

"Hey Suzune! Oh ya now, tryin' to make Luffy-senpai happy so I'm preparin' meat in all kinds of ways," he answered while scratching his back with the spatula he held in his hand that he flipped the hamburgers with. Hardly hygienic, the girl noted while she wrinkled her nose, but the man did make good food so Miyako tried to erase what she just saw from her memory.

"Right….well, did you notice Law passing by here just now?"

The cook adjusted his tall, chef's hat as he thought for a second. "Yeah, I think he headed for the cabins. Reckon, he wanted to have a shut eye or somethin.' Ya know, that captain of yours always looks sleep deprived," the pirate noted as if it just occurred to him.

"Tell me about it," the girl murmured, remembering just how many times she warned Law he should rest more instead of reading books until dawn and then getting maybe three or four hours of sleep. She didn't understand how a person could even function properly like that, but somehow Trafalgar always managed to stay sharp-witted none the less. She smiled to the cook and waved goodbye before proceeding down the long hallway. "Thanks Rowy, see ya at dinner!" As she left, she also made a mental note to avoid the hamburgers tonight and stick with pasta.

She proceeded towards the men's quarters where Law was sharing a room with the Strawhats. The cabins were divided so there were six people in each room, which was either equipped with bunkbeds or hammocks. It was a bit crowded that way, but they had to manage since they generously gave one room to the girls so they could have their privacy. Although that generosity was more aimed at Nico Robin than at Miyako, the samurai remembered.

"And here, a special cabin just for you Robin-senpai," Bartolomeo sparkled with admiration as he showed Nico Robin to her room, even opening the door for her. "Ah right, Ribbon-girl, you can sleep here too I guess," he added blankly, barely paying attention to the samurai girl.

Miyako frowned as she remembered the scene, but it was hardly surprising since that Rooster-Head's mind was filled with nothing but Strawhats after all. She was just glad she even got to share the room with Robin-dono, as she half expected they would just shove her in some storage closet or make her bunk with the rest of the guys. Not that she wasn't used to sharing a cramped space with a bunch of guys, just not this particular bunch. She sighed, remembering the Heart Pirates, feeling a slight hole in her chest as if a part of her was incomplete…perhaps she missed those idiots more than she originally thought she would. *I wonder if Law feels the same. He's been exceptionally quiet today, even for his broody self. We are nearing Zou so maybe he feels anxious seeing the crew again. He has lots of explaining to do when he sees them, after all,* Miyako mulled as she walked towards his cabin. She worried a bit for him and wanted to make sure he was alright. Suddenly she realized she worried for him more than before...perhaps she wasn't completely over everything that happened on Dressrosa; almost losing him and all. *I guess that feeling is still fresh in my mind, so I'm not over it completely yet. I wonder if I'll ever be,* she sighed while in thought.

She found herself in front of the sought quarters and knocked on the door lightly, refraining from entering until she heard a soft "Come in" from the other side. Opening the old wooden doors she saw her captain knotting his eyebrows in deep thought as he sat at the only desk in the room, hunched over some papers and jotting in a small booklet. His expression was darker than usual when he concentrated, making the girl think something was bothering him after all.

"Let me guess; you're quickly writing down everything you just heard from Barto-san before you forget any of the splendid, adventurous Strawhats' memoirs that he somehow memorized to excruciating detail," she joked with sarcasm, trying to lighting up his mood. Since Miyako was never a really physical person and kept her walls up for the longest time, in these types of situations it was easiest for her to use her wit to try and talk to people, making them relax and open up at their own pace. Thankfully, Law was the same in this regard and responded to such things better than to open, heart-to-heart talks or a flood of warm words someone to try to console him with. She didn't want to pressure him and some good humor seemed like the best approach.

By the faintest curve on the corner of his lips, she knew she managed to cheer him up at least a little, even as he rolled his eyes in the process. "You're hilarious," he commented.

She shrugged with a dramatic sigh as she hopped on the edge of the desk where she wouldn't bother his work. "I try."

"It was almost fascinating how long that man could talk….almost…but mostly it was just draining," he commented, remembering how Bartolomeo kept droning on about everything he could possibly think of concerning the Strawhat pirates. "He just went on and fucking on," he sighed, rubbing his eyes a little. There was only one oil lamp lit in the room so it didn't give him much light to work with, making his eyes strain.

The girl chuckled in amusement. She didn't hear Law curse often unless he was really rattled or pissed off at something, so this was interesting to watch. "So what are you doing all alone here?" Everyone were currently hanging out on the deck waiting for supper, so the inside of the ship was almost deserted except for a few guys needed at their stations at all times and of course, Rowy, cooking in the kitchen. Then again, it wasn't unusual for Trafalgar to slip away somewhere by himself and do his own thing in peace; he did it often on their submarine too.

"I'm trying to calculate how long it will take us to get to Zou, but it's hard to tell. Zou is….unpredictable."

The girl raised an eyebrow at the choice of his words. "Unpredictable," she repeated in question. "You almost make it sound like this island is alive," she joked.

"…" Yet Law made no comment to that.

"Uh…am I missing something?"

"I've never been there myself, I only know what Bepo told me and what I read in books when researching the place. Bepo's hometown is there, but he doesn't remember much either since he was still a cub when he left," the captain explained. "But he told me that Zou is actually a really old animal that walks through the ocean with the whole land on its back. The island of Zou isn't actually an island at all. That's why it's so hard to track, because it keeps moving."

Miyako felt her jaw drop. When she realized she was gaping in shock, she quickly closed her mouth and gulped to get her voice back. *An old animal with a country on its back? It sounds like something from a fictional story for children…then again, nothing should surprise me in the New World anymore.* "And this is Bepo's birthplace? Now I'm even more excited to see it…I wonder what it looks like…it's hard to imagine," she wondered out loud.

"We'll see when we get there." There was a dark tone in Law's voice, signaling that something was still troubling him.

"Are you worried about the crew?" Seeing his expression when she asked that, Miyako knew she hit the bullseye. "I want to get there as soon as possible too, but right now there's nothing else we can do but to sail and wait till we get to the island. Although, I'm curious how we can get there if it moves constantly," she questioned with skepticism in her voice.

Law reached for his pocket and took out a torn vivre card which moved slightly as if dancing on none-existing draft in the room. "Indeed, Zou is a phantom island with no accurate coordinates due to its…nature. Luckily I still have a piece of Bepo's vivre card to lead us. If not for that, I wouldn't be able to tell Bartolomeo-ya the course to sail on. I split the card in half and left the other part in the navigational room." He stopped when he noticed Miyako's sudden knowing smile as she stared at him while he spoke. "What," he frowned in question.

"You said before that you gave up on ever meeting with our nakama again because you already resigned yourself to falling along with Doflamingo, and yet you took Bepo's vivre card so you would be able to find them," the samurai started. "I'm just glad there was a part of you that haven't given up completely after all…that part still had hope that you'd return to your crew."

He was taken aback for a second, that way of thinking never really crossing his mind before, but the doctor was too proud to admit that she might be right. He cleared his throat quickly, staring back at the papers on the desk. "It just means being prepared for anything…I can't help it, it's just the way I am, don't read too much into it," he dismissed her assumptions.

The girl's smile only turned into a wide grin as she looked up at the ceiling in amusement. "Right, right~," she chimed in a tune.

Trafalgar's eyes narrowed, not liking that she had the upper hand; something to tease him with. It made him want to return the favor. He laid back in his chair, his eyes traveling from her bare feet, up the bare long legs and the rim of the yukata she was wearing. Miyako found her new attire in an old storage room where Bartolomeo's crew kept their treasures and other booty they managed to plunder during their pirating. It was only by accident they picked up a chest with some clothing when taking treasure chests back to their ship. It was good enough until she got a change of clothes at Zou where their submarine awaited with all her property. Unfortunately, right now she didn't have much choice seeing the clothes she wore in Dressrosa were ruined and anything else she had left along with the Thousand Sunny. Her captain didn't seem to mind however, as it gave him a nice view of her crossed, pale legs at the moment. "And did you come here just to tease me? Or perhaps you're still worried about my health? I'm a doctor remember, I can take care of myself, and my arm's all healed already, see?" He flexed his once-severed arm and there was no painful grimace on his face this time. The limb seemed to set itself back perfectly, thanks to the Tontatta tribe and his exquisite medical skills combined. Of course, his words weren't entirely true; no matter how great the healing was, the whole Dressrosa incident happened not that long ago and no body as tattered as his was could heal completely so fast. He still had his bandages on underneath his sleeve, which was an obvious indication his arm needed more time to heal properly, but he hid that fact, trying not to make his samurai worry needlessly. Yet he didn't mention any of his point of view out loud, knowing Miyako would surely have a thing or two to say about it as she certainly wouldn't see her worry as needless.

The Wano girl shrugged with a smirk, "Cause you looked gloomier than usual and I felt sorry for you," she taunted. "One of these days your face will get stuck like that if you frown so much."

Trafalgar got up lazily, resting both his hands on either side of the girl, as he leaned forward on the desk. "So you came to cheer me up? How kind of you, Miss Miyako. But you'll have to try harder than that, so why don't you give it your best shot," he murmured seductively.

The girl snickered, leaning forward until she was only a breath away from him, their noses touching. "Well aren't we demanding today - oh, wait, you're always demanding," she corrected, but there was a piercing look in her golden eyes that seemed to glimmer in excitement. She kept her eyes trained on his, silently accepting his challenge.

However, her captain had no more patience for games and he swallowed her next words, whatever they were, placing his lips over hers. Instead of fighting him, Miyako circled her arms around his neck, allowing him to depend the kiss as it became hungrier. She moved away reluctantly after a while, trying to catch her breath as she panted for air.

Law smirked as he moved his hands on each of her hips, pulling her towards the edge of the desk and closer to him. "Yes, that did the trick," he commented on their previous conversation.

"Happy to help," the girl joked.

"I don't know…I might need a bit more soothing for it to truly work," the captain insisted and was back for another kiss, using the opportunity while she chuckled to slip his tongue between her parted lips. For a while it was hard to take the kiss seriously or even kiss at all since they were both chuckling on each other's lips. It felt silly, but fun and neither was bothered by that fact despite their current silliness. After a while, the atmosphere became more serious when Law deepened the kiss even more, playing with her tongue with his own, while he moved his hands to caress her smooth thighs, lifting up her yukata. Miyako stopped laughing as the feeling of goofiness was replaced by want, and she sighed in the kiss contently.

She realized where this was going as things started to get heated quite fast, making her head spin, probably because of lack of oxygen she was experiencing from all the making out. She finally had some time to breathe when Law moved from her lips to kiss her jawline and then traveled to her neck, sucking on it lightly.

"Wait…Law…," she tried to move him off her a bit, clutching onto his shirt and pulling on it. "Ah!" Her protest turned to another yelp and a moan when his nips on her neck were replaced by a bite. She shivered, feeling the heat rise inside her and the blush on her face brightened. She was sure her whole face was equally red all the way to her ears; it sure as hell felt like it considering how hot her skin felt. But her reason didn't fly completely out of the window even when his warm, big hands started to wander over her body. A part of her was still fighting both her embarrassment and worry as she glanced at the closed doors. "Wait….Someone might come in!"

On the other hand, her captain didn't seem the least bit worried or simply didn't care, the latter being more likely the case. Feeling a bit vindictive for her taunts earlier, Law couldn't help but poke fun at her, "You're absolutely right, but that's part of the fun." He didn't stop his actions, smirking on the skin of her neck. "Now that you mention it, I think I hear someone coming as we speak," he added, just for good measure.

Panic suddenly flooded her chest when she imagined someone catching them in such a compromising position. There would definitely be no talking themselves out of that one, no matter their clever or quick wit. Besides, she was pretty sure Law wouldn't care either way even if he did get caught, which would leave her in a pinch to explain everything by herself without his help. "Law! I mind, I definitely mind!" Miyako squirmed in his arms now, trying to get away but wasn't very successful at it. She froze when she felt him chuckle.

"I'm just messing with you. Nobody is going to come, they're all still listening to Rooster-ya yapping out there. Besides, they're waiting for supper and knowing the Strawhats, they're not leaving anywhere without it. Plus, we would hear footsteps on these wooden floors long before anybody came in," he reassured her with logic this time, although there was no guilt in his expression for scaring her earlier.

The girl was silent for a while, her face red for a completely different reason as she felt her tempter rise. "Jerk!" She grabbed the rim of his fuzzy hat and pulled it onto his eyes, hard.

Law all but laughed out loud, as he took his hat and placed it on the side so it wouldn't be in the way. The girl was still squirming to get away, now cursing at him in the process, but he sneaked a hand around her hips and gripped her tightly, pulling her against him.

"I swear I'll kick your sorry a-" She was cut off as Law kissed her again before he started working on untying her yukata.

All Miyako's protests were pacified when she felt Trafalgar hold her tight, all foolery gone from his demeanor and replaced with something else…something carnal, but gentle at the same time. She could feel it in his grip which tightly pressed her against him, but not hard enough so it would hurt or that she wouldn't be able to get away if she really wanted to. They both knew that if she wanted to end this or walk away, she had the freedom to do so at any moment, but despite her weak protests, she felt safe in his arms and had no wish to move. Love and desire; that's what she felt in him – the same she felt swell up in her chest as well.

She felt his tongue in her ear as he liked the inside of it, before whispering in a husky voice, "I have no intention of letting you go no matter what happens. I gave you a chance to get away before, and you didn't take it, but I won't be giving you another one. You are mine, and mine alone, do you understand?" There was a tone of pure possessiveness in his voice as he whispered in her ear, and the girl understood he wasn't talking about this moment right now, but of something much bigger between them. "I am not sweet, or someone you need to protect or worry about. I am not a good guy, I am just that selfish."

Miyako blushed at his words, feeling her body shiver from the hot breath in her ear. She felt tingles in her spine, yet it wasn't because of the cold or fear of what he said. It was just the contrary. She closed her eyes and hugged him tightly, crumpling his shirt in her hands. This was the first time they were really alone together since their voyage started…since that night Law told her everything about his past. She sighed at his words. "Honestly…We just got out of all that chaos in Dressrosa and we're already doing this, and at a place like this no less. You really are a shellfish guy," she commented in a soft tone, but there was a gentle smile on her lips all the while. Perhaps it was exactly because they both survived Dressrosa. Because of everything that happened there, they wanted proof that they were both really alive. They survived, felt more alive than ever and they wanted to confirm that feeling…that this was indeed reality and not a dream. They both needed this. She moved away a bit and took his head in her hands, staring at his darkened grey eyes that were glazed over with desire now, yet still piercing her very soul. "But perhaps I am just as selfish...and just as possessive." She closed her eyes, wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him passionately once again.

Just as she was getting into it again, the girl's eyes shot open when a thought crossed her mind. She moved back a little so she could observe her lover's face and made a troubled expression. "Is it…going to hurt again? Because last time it was hard to walk afterwards," she admitted, albeit begrudgingly since it was embarrassing. Yet she wanted to prepare herself since it would be hard to meet with others afterwards if she had to waddle in pain.

The captain blinked a few times as if stumped by her question, before realization hit him. Since they hadn't had any alone time together lately, it was no wonder she still thought like that. After all, there was no opportunity for her to learn otherwise. On Miyako's confusion, Law said nothing, but a wide grin slowly spread across his face.

The girl's frown only deepened. "….What?" She didn't like how he wasn't saying anything, only grinning slyly in response. "What?!" She tried prodding again, this time a bit louder, but all she got was that never-changing grin in response as Law came in for another deep kiss.

~…~

The dinner was loud and boisterous mirroring the Strawhats' personalities; just like every time when dining with these cheerful, sometimes over-the-top pirates. Luffy was holding a chicken drumstick in one hand and a whole loaf of bread in the other, eating both simultaneously.

"Oh, what a wondrous occasion to be eating with our idols!" Bartolomeo was too busy thanking the skies for this opportunity to notice that Usopp kept stealing food off his plate and eating it. Even though this was hardly the first meal they all shared together, the Barto Club captain always looked equally impressed by the occasion.

"Thsif isf sfome gfreaf foodf, Rowfy," the Strawhat complimented their chef, although his mouth filled with food was compliment enough. "Althfou, nothing cfan bfeat Sfanji's cooking," he added.

Robin smiled at her captain, watching his rubber cheeks swell to inhuman size with food in them. "I'm sure Sanji would be pleased to hear that, Luffy."

"You must all miss your nakama. How heart-warming," Kin'emon noted. "I am also impatient to see Momonosuke again." There was emotion in his voice, but he remained strong-minded as always, not wanting to seem weak.

"Ooh, Momonosuke-kun! I hope the young boy is alright," Kanjuro added, elated by the thought of seeing the young kid after so much time.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Nami and the others are taking super great care of him!" Franky pitched in with a grin.

The conversation made Miyako think of her own nakama, and without realizing it, a smile crossed her face. "Yeah…I can't wait to see everyone again. It seems like such a long time…especially for the Hearts."

Zoro just grunted at their conversation, too busy drinking the large bottle of sake in front of him to pay attention to much else. Besides, even he had to admit the ramen Rowy the cook made was so delicious it was hard to put it down.

"And once we meet the others, I might get the rest of the Strawhat pirates' autographs," Bartolomeo sang excitedly, making his crew cheer in unison.

"We can't wait! We want to meet the rest of the Strawhats one day too," Gambia, the staff officer of the Barto Club, kept grinning in joy.

"I wonder what Chopper and everyone's doing right now," Usopp grinned while dazed in thought. He kept serving more food on his constantly empty plate, wondering how is it that his plate seemed to empty so fast without him eating that much, while not noticing that though he kept adding the food, his captain kept stealing it off his plate when he wasn't looking. While Sogeking was in thought about other things, thinking of their awaiting adventure at Zou, he absentmindedly wondered why his plate never seemed to be replenished no matter how much he put on it. Only when he looked down again did he notice a rubber hand stretching from his plate and back to Luffy. "Hey, Luffy, stop stealing my food!" Another argument started where Usopp yelled at his captain but the other just ignored him. "See how you like it!" Suddenly he tried to take Luffy's whole plate in revenge, but the boy growled like a feral animal and bit down the plate with his teeth, his hands still full with Usopp's food, not letting go no matter how hard the sniper pulled.

The kenshi watched the whole scene in befuddlement, trying to make some sense of things. She should have already learned there was little sense when Strawhat pirates were involved. *I don't get it…it's not like there isn't enough food for everyone,* she thought with a troubled expression. And yet, the show unrevealing before her was interestingly amusing. "So we get a diner and a show, lovely," she joked, finally giving up on trying to understand it and just going along with the flow. That seemed like the best option when these pirates were involved, otherwise you'd probably pull your hair out from the frustration of trying to understand the actions of these guys. Sometimes it was better to just embrace the madness than do the impossible and try to reason with it.

Her musings were interrupted when a certain raven-haired archaeologist sat beside her with a drink in her hand and giggled at the same scene Miyako was observing. Although, when Robin laughed, it always sounded mischievous to the samurai, making the younger wonder what she was thinking about…or perhaps plotting. You could never be completely sure when the clever Nico Robin was involved.

"They never change, do they," the samurai girl commented with a sigh. It was more of a statement than a question, but she was still given a response.

"No," Robin answered and a small pause set in before she continued, "And I hope they never will." Archaeologist's keen blue eyes scanned across the deck where everyone had gathered for dinner on a lovely evening that was rare for the New World, before it stopped on the Surgeon of Death who was currently leaning on the railing and drinking from a bottle of rum together with a few of Bartolomeo's crewmates. Every now and again he would exchange some words with them, but that gloomy demeanor didn't change much. The way he kept his head low, making his hat conceal his eyes and cast a dark shadow over his expression didn't necessary help him look any less standoffish. Robin did, however, notice something peculiar; his dark hair still looked a bit damp as if he had washed it just before dinner. That wouldn't be of interest much, if the woman hadn't noticed Miyako's damp hair tied in her ponytail with her usual red ribbon. It made her think it was quite a coincidence that both of them appeared as if they just got out of a shower, but unfortunately for Miyako, Nico Robin had too much experience to believe in such coincidences. What's more, as the girl seemed to have no luck tonight, the archaeologist found it too delicious of an opportunity not to make use of it. She already knew there was something going on between Law and Miyako, though she didn't mention it to the others since the samurai practically begged her not to, but that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun with it now and then.

With a smile still lightly playing on her lips, the dark haired woman spoke, "You and your captain both disappeared until dinner, didn't you? What happened to you two?" She enjoyed Miyako's nervous flinch, noticing the tip of the girl's ears turned red…bashfulness perhaps?

"N-nothing, I went to my quarters to take a shower before supper…that is all." The samurai tried her best to stay calm as she lied, hoping the other woman wouldn't notice even as she knew her hopes were in vain. After all, you can't trick a trickster, and the pirate known as the Devil Child knew all the tricks of the trade.

"Oh? How quaint; it seems your captain had the exact same thought in mind…what a coincidence, huh?" Robin feigned genuine surprise as she motioned towards the doctor with her chin.

"What?" Miyako found her heart just jumped in her throat and she had to swallow hard to shove it back down to its proper place.

"Oh nothing, I just noticed Law also looks like he just had a shower and thought what an interesting coincidence that was," Robin's sly words continued to poke at the poor girl, much to the samurai's dismay and her own entertainment.

The Wano girl laughed nervously, perhaps even a bit too loud as she desperately tried to appear completely unknowing of what her friend was talking about. After all, she couldn't just straight out admit her and Law made love less than an hour ago in the crew's quarters. They even took a shower together afterwards; to save time was the official reason they used, though they both knew it was just an excuse to spend more time together. And now that reason blew up in the girl's face since Robin caught on the one little detail nobody else but her seemed to notice. She didn't know if it was fortuitous or not that it was Robin of all people, because as intelligent and observant as the woman was, at least she was also discreet. "W-well…that is a coincidence. I guess it's true what they say about great minds, hm? Ehehe…he…heeee, please don't spread any rumors around!" The girl realized the more she tried to keep on with her act, the more Robin appeared like she wasn't buying it even a little bit, and finally just decided to cut the painful charade before it became embarrassing to watch.

"Fufufu," the other pirate woman couldn't help but laugh at Miyako's desperate plea. However she had her fun and didn't want to take the teasing too far; she felt a bit bad for making the girl squirm now. "Don't worry, I did promise you I won't say a word on Punk Hazard. Still, I don't think your relationship with Law is anything to be embarrassed about…or feel bad enough to hide it. I don't mean to pry, Miya-chan, I just wanted to tell you this."

The kenshi sighed in relief when she heard those words, but she noticed the conversation took a more serious turn now. She shook her head at Robin's words, "I know. It's not that I want to hide it really…it's just…Perhaps it's because on our submarine everyone teased me about it or commented on our relationship; it was like a hot topic for the crew even though it wasn't any of their business," Miyako frowned. "I mean, it was inevitable that it would spread around with those guys, but sometimes they went too far with their gossiping…you wouldn't believe how much grown men can gossip when you stick them all in close quarters underwater with no new news sometimes for weeks at a time," the girl sighed. The Hearts had to talk about something, and it seemed their captain's love life became one of their favorite topics, but unfortunately that meant Miyako's love life came with it as well. "You have no privacy on a ship, do you?"

Robin chuckled again, "I'm afraid so."

The girl nodded and continued, "I guess I just wanted to avoid that here as long as possible, since no one knows about us here." Seeing the archaeologist's raised eyebrow she quickly corrected, "Almost no one."

"I have to admit though, I'm having a hard time picturing the Surgeon of Death being all….loving towards someone," Robin noted with a lightly skeptical stare as she kept her eyes on the Dark Doctor.

Instead of being offended, Miyako burst out laughing before she managed to contain her amusement to only giggles. She took a breath to calm down before continuing the conversation. "Believe me, sometimes I feel the same way, but…you'd be surprised." She watched Law barely pay attention to something a crewmember was telling him while he kept his gaze on the dark horizon, sipping his rum. The girl smiled gently in memory of all the times Law took her by surprise. "When you meet him, you have this set profile of him in your mind, but then he does something that seems completely out of character for him and it makes you wonder. Soon you realize there's more to him than you originally thought." Miyako's eyes softened as she watched her captain, the smile never leaving her features. She didn't even notice that Robin was no longer looking in the same direction, but was examining her instead with a perceptive glint in her eyes as she chuckled at the samurai. The samurai then turned back to her companion as that gentle smile turned into an impish smirk, "Also, it's never boring with him or the Heart Pirates," she added humorously.

Robin chuckled at the girl's jest, but then felt just a pang of sadness. She knew that with love and trust also came hurt and sometimes betrayal. It wasn't easy to open your heart to someone enough to risk getting hurt and often that costs you a lot…perhaps even heartbreak and a world of pain that follows. Love never only has a sweet side, but often comes with a shadow of hurt, and the woman had enough experience to know no one could avoid it. She wished this sweet girl wouldn't get hurt, but knew it was also something you need to go through, if only to strengthen your bonds with your partner.

"What's wrong, Robin-dono?" Miyako noticed a slight change in the woman's demeanor and a hint of sadness that glazed over her usual mirthful gaze. She could see Robin was contemplating something and wondered if it was related to their conversation.

The archaeologist sighed, "Perhaps I'm just a bit worried for you, Miya-chan. From what you've told us before, I know you weren't originally a pirate nor did you want to become one so…loving a pirate can be a dangerous thing, is what I'm trying to say, I suppose."

Miyako pulled her knees close to her chest and hugged them, resting her chin on her knees and gazing at the older woman while she talked. She respected Robin, knowing the woman had a lot of experiences and wise thoughts to share, and Miyako was mindful enough to listen. Without anger, the girl gave another smile. "Of course I thought about that too. Believe me, I thought of all the reasons why I shouldn't be with Trafalgar Law, or shouldn't be a pirate of the Hearts, or shouldn't fall in love…and yet in the end, here I am. But I don't think this is a battle between my heart and my reason so I have to choose one. On the contrary, I think I finally became at peace with myself when I just admitted what I truly wanted and stopped struggling against my emotions. I like my life now, and even though it's sometimes dangerous, and frustrating and painful to love this…unbelievably stubborn and prideful man-" The girl suddenly stopped herself and cleared her throat when she realized she was beginning her usual rant of complains about her captain, and settled down again. "-I wouldn't change it for anything."

The woman nodded as she listened, realizing she wasn't giving this girl enough credit; she was stronger and more mature than Robin originally thought. She might not have had a lot of experience with romance or love, which was obvious from her often-shy reactions, but that didn't make her a naive sort that was just swept off her feet by some grand romantic adventure she might come to regret. "You really thought all this trough, hm?"

"I did," the girl nodded. She still held that smile, but there was a serious streak in her glittering eyes. Changing the subject she looked back at the people surrounding her; Strawhats, Bartolomeo's crew, her captain…She never imagined one day she'd sit with pirates or enjoy a meal with them, yet here she was. Then again, she also never thought she'd lived to see the day when she felt right at home surrounded by foul-smelling, messy guys and sailing the seas in a yellow submarine with them, but that happened with the Hearts none the less. Life was full of surprises and Miyako learned to enjoy those curiosities as she experienced them; she founder herself feeling excited that she was experiencing them in real life and not only in books as she did in Wanokuni. A lot has changed since her wandering days in Wano, but most of all, she changed. She had a different perspective on things than she had two years ago and she hoped she became more mature in the process. "You know…I'm really glad we decided to ally with you guys," the girl spoke up again, startling Robin a bit.

The other pirate women didn't say anything, but she smiled and gave Miyako a deep nod of recognition.

*I should also thank Luffy-dono properly later, for everything he did for Law and me in Dressrosa. We owe him a lot.* She realized that decision would have to wait since Luffy was too busy playing with Usopp and changing Franky's hairdo by pushing the cyborg's nose, to care about anything else at the moment. Barto Club members also joined in on the fun and cheered every time Franky would show a new feature on his robotic body.

Even though the rest of the pirates seemed greatly impressed by that act, Robin and Miyako simply stared at the cyborg who was showing off, not realizing what the big deal was.

~…..~

It was the dead of night when the mist slowly rose above the sea, engulfing the ship in thick white film that blocked all visibility into the distance. The night was calm, with only light sounds of snoring coming from the quarters where the pirates retired after their eventful supper and rested for a new day tomorrow. Dark clouds lazily sailed through the sky, covering the moon ever so often and preventing it from shining any light on its domain. It only made the night darker, and combined with the mist, it created a deep hazy cover that not even the shine of the brightest lighthouse could break through. Even though it was only a cool evening, now that the sun was long gone and forgotten by the night, the temperature quickly fell and a thin layer of frost materialized on the railings and steps of the ship.

Inside the ship, on the level with all the cabins for the crewmembers, all of the pirates slept soundly, the sounds of snoring escaping through the portholes and carrying through the mist. One of the quarters was especially loud as it contained Roronoa Zoro, Usopp, Franky, Luffy and Trafalgar Law. Luffy was making chewing noises and mumbling "More meat" once in a while. Usopp who was sleeping right above him in his hammock would respond to Luffy's sleep-eating cries as if they were having a conversation in their dreams, "You've had enough, Luffy….Let go of my food!" Franky was snoring loudly and Zoro would mutter something under his breath ever so often that curiously sounded like "Stupid Curly-brows." Only the captain of the Hearts slept composedly apart from his deep breath being heard.

Zoro just muttered another curse under his breath before his one good eye quickly opened with a sharp look in it. In a second he had his Wado Ichimonji by his side and opened the katana ever so slightly with a thumb on the guard, hearing the familiar clicking sound that followed. His haki has been steadily progressing in power, and now it warned him that something was coming. His instincts were never wrong. He opened his mouth to warn the others, but by then it was already a millisecond too late. An explosion hit them, shredding the walls of their cabin and shattering the furniture inside. Chunks of wood and scraps of metal hit them along with the hot wind created from the blast, sending them across the room and into the corridor that also had a round shaped hole in the wall. Haki was the only reason for their survival as it warned them just before the attack and the men had time to jump out of harm's way so the majority of the explosion didn't hit them, but they were too late to avoid the aftermath of the blow.

"Gyaaah! We're under attack!" Usopp screamed in panic when he finally regained his composure a little. He patted down his body and checked if everything was still in place just to be safe. Since his haki wasn't as strong as the other's he wouldn't even be warned by the danger, but luckily he was saved when Zoro suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down on the floor before any real damage could blow him away. The other's Kenbunshoku Haki was strong enough to sense the danger before the attack hit, leaving them just enough time to act like the swordsman and get down beneath the beds for cover.

Luffy was the first to stand and look around with an angry frown on his features. Who dared to attack him and wake him up just when he was having such a nice dream of eating meat!? "What was that!?"

Before he got a response, another blast was heard and the whole ship shook under an array of attacks.

Law peered inside a hole in the corridor created by whatever weapon their unknown assailants used and his eyebrows knitted in a scowl. "A cannonball," he stated as he saw a black, iron sphere lodged inside the skeletal structure of the ship.

"We're under attack! Some crazy bastards are attacking our precious Going Luffy-senpai!" Bartolomeo came running down the corridor in warning, then jumped down on the ground when another explosion hit from his left, blowing away another part of the inner deck. "Stop blowing up my ship!" He yelled in a newly created hole that showed a view of the outside night.

"Who's attacking!?" Franky yelled in confusion. Without haki, he also didn't get warned of the danger in time, but the shrapnel barely did any damage to his cyborg body and the explosions of this caliber hardly bothered him.

"I dunno, we gotta get outside," Bartolomeo hurried passed them and through the hallway to climb the stairs that led out on the main deck.

"What is happening here!?" Kin'emon ran with Kanjuro hot on his heels, as they leaped out of their quarters and joined the group, just as alarmed as the rest of them.

A sudden explosion, larger than the others, shook the ship and swayed it to the side, making the men yelp in surprise and fall to the ground. The Going- Luffy creaked loudly and made a long howl as if straining under the attack. The howl sounded like the ship itself was crying in pain under the barrage of cannon fire.

"Let's follow Birdy out and see," Luffy was already springing back to his feet and heading for the main deck after the other captain, but every now and then the ship would sway again making him and the others lose their balance for a moment. "Whoa! This is dangerous!"

~…..~

When Bartolomeo barged out onto the deck, the first thing he saw were some of his crew fighting with unknown men that invaded his ship. Through the sounds of cannon fire he heard gun shots and clanking sound of steel weapons meeting in a fiery duel. He had to squint to see through the thick fog, only able to recognize the shapes closest to him. Looking to his left over the railing, his eyes widened when he noticed an enormous silhouette rocking ominously on the waves next to the Going Luffy. It had to be a ship, but it was a ship roughly the size of a smaller mountain, incomparably larger than the one of the Barto Club pirates.

"Whoa, that's huuuuge!" Luffy exclaimed, startling Bartolomeo who looked behind his shoulder to see the Strawhats along with Kanjuro and Kin'emon who followed him out and were now staring at the same animosity he was.

"Are those…pirates," Kanjuro questioned, already preparing to join the fight.

"It's hard to tell anything in this mist," Usopp answered, putting on his goggles so he could focus better in this bad weather.

The sounds of battle intensified around them and their ship trembled again while the floorboards creaked under numerous unfamiliar footsteps that rushed onto the deck of the Going Luffy.

"It sounds like there are more coming! Reinforcements maybe?" Zoro took out his swords, putting the third one, Wado Ichimonji, between his teeth and preparing for the incoming assault.

"Captain!" Gambia rushed out of the fog with a cutlass in his hand and for once the man wasn't wearing his usual grin. "It's not the marines, but someone else…there's hundreds of them, they have a whole army on their disposal!"

"Dammit if only this fog wasn't so thick and we could see better! How the hell are they able to see anything!?" The said captain cursed, bawling his hand into a fist.

"The cover of fog is probably exactly what they were waiting for," Trafalgar noted. It was what he would do, after all, and it was a smart move. "So they were probably already prepared for it."

Gambia nodded as he remembered an important detail. "The guy I killed just now had these weird goggles with red tinted lenses."

"Whoever they are, more are coming! Quickly everyone, form a small circle. Even if we cannot see in this mist, we can watch each other's backs," Kin'emon suggested. Just then an unfamiliar man jumped out of the fog towards him with his sword held with both hands high in the air. Just like Bartolomeo's officer mentioned, the man had red goggles covering his eyes. Before he had a chance to strike down, Kin'emon slashed sideways, his move quicker than his attacker, and sliced the man from top to bottom of his torso. The enemy fell before his feet and the samurai examined the purple-haired young man. "He doesn't seem to be wearing any uniform so it's definitely not any World Government faction."

"I'm gonna go back in there and help the men," Gambia just finished blocking an attack with his cutlass and took out a pistol with the other hand, shooting his assailant right in the face and freeing himself to speak again. "What are your orders, captain?"

Suddenly the usually-goofy Bartolomeo was gone and was replaced by a serious pirate captain that quickly gave orders to minimize any dangers to his crew. "The samurai guy's right; tell the others to form groups and stand in a circle with their backs to each other. That way they can fend off attacks from all sides and they won't be taken off guard. I'll use my barrier to close off as much of our ship's deck as I can so we can steer our attackers and know where they'll be coming from." As he said that, the captain crossed his arms and two fingers on each hand, summoning his devil fruit ability. The transparent wall started from the closest side of the railing and travelled around the ship, blocking off most of the attackers from coming overboard, while leaving the others trapped on the deck.

"Men, take care of the intruders!" They heard Gambia's shout that travelled across the ship, giving new orders to his crewmates.

Angry and confused shouts came from the mist, "Boss, there's some kinda barrier blocking our way! We can't board the ship no more!" The enemy bashed their weapons against the hard wall but not a scratch appeared. Still, it took a great amount of effort by the captain to hold the barrier since it stretched out across the ship's rim. Covering such a wide area had its limits and Bartolomeo couldn't create an endless amount of it, only work with what he had. Therefore, in order to stretch it out like a thick wall, he couldn't make it very high and worried it was only a matter of time before the enemy decides to start climbing over it. "Luffy-senpai and Zoro-senpai…oh, and the others," he added, sounding like the others were barely worth mentioning, "Now's your chance! I need to focus to keep my barrier up, so you can take care of the men already inside it. I don't know how long I'll be able to keep this up." He could already feel the burden on his stamina, while the attackers kept bashing on his barrier in order to break it. "Gyahahaah, good luck with that you sorry fools! You'll never be able to destroy my barrier!" He shouted, showing his sharp teeth and bloodthirsty fangs in a sneer, but despite his claim there was already a bead of sweat running down his forehead.

"Why are we only referred to as the 'others?' I take offence to that," Kin'emon grumbled, glaring at Bartolomeo who couldn't really care less whether he had just insulted a prideful Wanokuni samurai or not.

"Whatever. Right now we should focus on cleaning up this trash," Law answered instead of the other pirate captain, already summoning his Room that stretched out like a dome covering their entire vessel. However he couldn't generate any large attacks that could catch Bartolomeo's crew as well as the enemy, which was entirely possible due to low visibility from all the fog. Instead, he had to wait for the unfamiliar men to come close enough before he could focus his techniques on them. He did wonder for a second if he should just let loose in his Room, knowing he could put the allies back together even if he accidentally sliced them while using his devil fruit, but that would cost them manpower in this battle, something they couldn't afford since they were already outnumbered. His Kenbunshoku haki did help, making it easier for him to distinguish his foes from allies; even if he couldn't see them, he could feel their killer intent, so he couldn't be taken by surprise no matter where the enemy jumped out from.

He waited until he saw three men get close enough to attack him. They all jumped in the air towards him with their weapons raised above their heads. It left their torsos wide open, giving him an opportunity he needed. With one horizontal slash from Kikoku, the captain sliced all three men in half before using Tact to simply manipulate their body parts in his Room and toss them overboard.

Next to him, Monkey D. Luffy wasn't as cautious when it came to distinguishing friend from foe. He jumped in the air and swiftly rained down his fists towards anyone who came too close to their group, yelling "Gomu gomu no gatling" while showering everyone with punches.

"Strawhat-ya, watch it! You almost hit me!" Law growled at his allay as the boy nearly hit him along with the enemy. He barely avoided the punch, thankfully sensing it before it fell, and jumped to the side just as Luffy's fist hit the floor where he once stood.

"Oops, sorry Torao," the raven haired boy apologized, though with a rather fickle tone. "It's a pain to see in all this fluffy mist and even with using haki it's hard not to hit you guys since the enemy is all mixed up with our crew," he complained, but didn't stop with his excessive attacks that were a danger to everyone. Even though he could sense his attackers so he knew where they were, he still used techniques that effected a large area with both his friends and enemies caught up in them together. "Gomu gomu no muchi," he called out before stretching his one rubber leg and swinging it across the deck, taking out several men at the same time and flinging them high over the barrier wall and overboard.

"Instead of being sorry, just stop doing it," Trafalgar yelled back at the younger captain, feeling Luffy was working his last nerve and somewhere in the back of his head he wondered if Strawhat was actually doing it on purpose and only feigning innocence. It was hard to imagine that Luffy was in truth devious enough to pull that off when he saw the boy stick out his tongue and smile sheepishly as if saying "Oops, my bad." Law's eye twitched at the sight. *No, no, I'm overthinking it…he's just a simpleton,* he concluded.

Their conversation was interrupted by Usopp's loud laugh that ran throughout the deck. "Ha-ha-ha! That's why the great sniper Usopp doesn't have such a problem! I see everything perfectly!" The pirate had his goggles on, adjusting the focus on them so he could easily see through the fog just like their attackers. With his specially crafted slingshot, he precisely hit the enemy men, not wasting any ammunition. He put his hands on his hips and stuck out his chest in a boastful manner, laughing proudly as no enemy could escape the shots of his Kuro Kabuto. Adjusting the mechanism on his goggles again, Usopp focused through the fog towards the large ship set next to the Going Luffy. With curiosity he checked at their sails, trying to find any indication of who they might be dealing with. Finally, his gaze fell onto a Jolly Roger painted on the main sail of the ship. It was definitely a pirate skull, with s large red nose and two little crossed bones on its forehead. The skull had closed eyes, each crossed with a purple vertical scar painted over it. But what interested him the most was the two letters underneath the Jolly Roger. In large, plain letters it simply spelled B.D.

"B.D.? What does that mean," Usopp asked out loud, but nobody could answer him since he was the only one who could see it. Just then he felt someone approaching from his left and quickly turned his weapon in that direction. "Eat this," with that exclaim, he set loose another shot right into the guy's face. The man yelped and stumbled back, releasing a hold on his weapon, his eyes burning with some unknown substance that was now covering his entire face, sticking even onto his nose and mouth and preventing him from breathing. A slow and painful death of suffocation awaited him.

Kanjuro grasped at his giant brush, calling out his Busoshoku haki and covering his unique weapon with the steel-hard substance. He did it just in time as two men swung their large knives at him and he blocked both with the long handle of his paintbrush. Pushing them back, he spun the brush and hit one man in the stomach with the blunt end, before swinging again and hitting the other attacker on the head, knocking them both out.

Meanwhile, Bartolomeo was still holding the barrier, but it was becoming gradually harder to do so. He was covered with sweat, gritting his teeth as he cursed under his breath. He bit his lip in an attempt to hold on, forgetting his teeth were sharpened so the lower lip easily broke and started bleeding. He didn't care though, and continued to hold out, knowing if he let the barrier fall, a whole army will come bursting on their ship all at once. Unfortunately, while focusing on his devil fruit powers, he had no means of fighting or defending himself, leaving him in a vulnerable position. What's more, he made himself a perfect target to the enemy by announcing it was his barrier earlier, so they realized taking him down meant taking down the pesky wall. The other men kept trying to get overboard and now helped each other climb over the transparent wall while some of them kept pushing against it or hitting it to break it down.

"He's the one! I'll take ya down in one easy swoop and destroy yer defenses," one man shouted and ran towards Bartolomeo to cut him down.

The pirate captain gritted his teeth harder, but didn't falter. He didn't even take one step back, staying in his cross-armed position so he wouldn't compromise his barrier, even as he saw the enemy approaching him in haste. He glared at the enemy, but another bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as he gulped in uneasiness. *I'm not gonna let down Luffy-senpai and the others! I will stand my ground no matter what!*

"Santoryu: Oni Giri." The words echoed somewhere behind Bartolomeo in a low voice. The attacker rushed towards him, ready to strike Bartolomeo down, but before he had a chance a flash of silver passed them both by and stopped behind the man. With three bleeding wounds that instantly appeared, the man's torso was torn apart and he fell face down on the ground.

Seeing it was Roronoa who just saved him, Bartolomeo's eyes instantly started to water. "Z-Zobo-zembaaaaai!" Bartolomeo cried out through his tears, already bawling before he could even thank the Pirate Hunter properly. *My life was just saved by Zoro-senpai….it can't get any better than this!* Bartolomeo still wept as he thanked the gods or whoever was listening for such great timing of his beloved idol.

"Stop crying and concentrate on your barrier, we still have a battle to finish!" The Pirate Hunter yelled at him angrily, seeing Bartolomeo's meltdown was distracting him from focusing on his powers, which made the whole wall dangerously falter for a moment. "I can sense the enemies coming closer. They must be climbing over your barrier," Zoro clicked his tongue in annoyance. These guys were no match for him, but there were so many of them it was getting frustrating.

"I have an idea for the ones climbing over," Kanjuro exclaimed. He was already using his brush to draw numerous little pictures around him on the deck. The black winged creatures he finished painting looked like bats, but only barely. They had fat bodies while their wings were disproportionately too small for their bodies, making the rest of the pirates wonder if they could even fly. Their noses were a pink shade and resembled the snout of a pig, conflicting with the black color of their bodies. A dozen pathetically-looking bats rose up from the floorboards and swayed in the air struggling to catch their balance, which was hard to do with their scrawny wings and fat bodies. Surprisingly they could fly and aimed for the enemies that were currently trying to climb over the barrier. "Since bats are already blind, the fog won't bother them as they can direct themselves without eyesight," the samurai explained, unleashing his painted minions on the enemy. They flew passed at first but then U-turned sharply and started attacking the climbing men, colliding with them and scratching at their eyes and faces until they would let go in a panic and fall back down.

"That was a good idea Kanjuro, but this is still endless. We need a permanent solution," the other Wano samurai called out and growled as he sliced through another pair of attackers that were just replaced by four more.

Suddenly a painful scream came from someone of Barto Club crew, only affirming Kin'emon's words. Franky shot another round from his mini gun, showering his enemies with bullets before yelling out, "Seems like our guys could use some back up in there. I'll go help them out!" He ran off into the mist, his large form disappearing from the group's eyesight, even though the gun shots from his specific weapons could still be heard.

Luffy landed next to them after finishing his attack and nodded. "I agree. Let me handle this." He narrowed his eyes, standing still for the longest moment before his gaze turned piercing with a fire rising inside the black color of his irises. The atmosphere suddenly changed, becoming stifle and oppressive to everyone there. A strong wave of power was released from the young pirate captain, washing over everyone on the deck in Luffy's radius, which was wide enough range to effect the entire vessel. As the blast of Haoshoku haki hit everyone on deck, Luffy showed unbelievable precision in using it as it only effected the enemies on deck and not his crewmates. Even so, everyone felt the strong power behind it and shivered as the power of Emperor's haki coursed through them. In the next instant, numerous thuds were heard as bodies fell to the ground, unconscious and limp, one after the other. Even the mist started clearing out, albeit slowly. This gave the Barto pirates the perfect opportunity to finish off their enemies while they were still incapacitated.

A loud noise was heard, one that sounded like a ship's horn, coming from the large vessel that suddenly attacked them in the first place. The horn must have been some sort of a signal because the attack abruptly stopped just the way it began. The remaining attackers left the Going Luffy and boarded back on their own ship, without a word.

"Hey ya bastards, don't think you can just leave after attacking us!" Bartolomeo called after them, ready to make his move now that he didn't have to hold his barrier wall any longer.

"That's right, I wanna know what's going on here!" Luffy agreed with an angry shout, his rubber arm already stretched behind his back so that he could shot it out and grasp at the ship's mast to jump on board and get some well-deserved answers.

Zoro also prepared his three katana, ready to cut the whole giant vessel and sink it if necessary; it wouldn't be the first time he sunk a whole galleon.

Yet before they had any time to act, a light shone through the mist. A light coming from the large clipper and aimed at the Going Luffy, which was already tattered enough from the cannonball barrage earlier. Since the visibility was still poor, it took the crew a moment to realize what the light meant, but when they did the breaths in their lungs unanimously stopped as they all thought of the same thing; *Oh, shit!*

"Incoming!" Gambia was the first to yell to warn his nakama of the danger, a warning that soon followed with another, "Brace yourselves!" When the enemies boarded the Going Luffy, the cannon attacks stopped momentarily since it wouldn't make sense to shoot at their own crew onboard, but now that all the attackers retreated it seemed the cannon fire was about to start anew.

"I'll take care of it!" Luffy was ready to deflect any incoming projectile, knowing no cannonball could hurt him. It would just bounce right back from his rubber body as they always did. "Gomu gomu no fusen!" He gulped large quantities of air, growing bigger by the second until he was the size of a large hot air balloon.

Zoro already had all his swords out and was ready to cut any incoming weapon if need be. Just like his captain, he was already used to protecting the ship this way, cutting cannonballs in two before they even had time to hit.

"They are attacking even though there are still some of their people left on our ship? That is merciless!" Kin'emon couldn't believe the gall of these people, whoever they were. It appears they completely abandoned the heavily injured or unconscious men that were left on the deck when the retreat was signaled.

The large ship was already sailing away, but the light shone brighter still as if they were preparing for their one departing attack which will be the grand finale of the show. And just before an exploding sound was heard, the light changed its blinding shine from the Going Luffy and into the air. The cannon shot and by the sound of it, it had to be something large for that was no sound of a conventional cannon like they used before.

"Har har harrr! Consider this to be a farewell present from the great Pirate Dispatch Organization, ya scurvy sea dogs! We be the best pirate mercenaries in the business!" A voice carried over the sea, shouting from the large vessel that was sailing away with surprising speed for such a big ship.

"Wha?" Rowy the cook, who was beaten badly from the fight but still standing, mumbled questioningly as he heard a sound above them. "Something's coming…from above!?"

"It sounds like something's falling," another crewmember called out.

There was a large black ball in the sky, casting down a shadow on the ship and covering even the moon, darkening the sky. The same Jolly Roger that was on the ship's mainsail was painted on the giant cannonball. Suddenly, the cannonball exploded before it even hit the deck and the light from the explosion blinded them all, making it hard to counterattack. That was hardly the last of it, however. As the large cannonball opened, numerous normal-sized cannonballs were released from its inside and were now falling onto the Going Luffy and its crew. Not only were they heavy weapons of steel, but every cannonball was spiked, making it impossible for Luffy to use his Fusen technique to block them less he wanted a hundred more holes added to his body.

"Gyaaah, we're all gonna be crushed and pierced at the same time! Whatdowedo!? Usopp ran around in circles holding his head, all of his prior boastful attitude gone and replaced by sheer dread.

"Fear not, Long-nose-dono!" Kin'emon sheathed his katana only to stand in a battoujutsu stance and prepare to draw at the opportune moment.

On the other hand, Zoro had all three of his katana out and ready, before he stood in a crouch and waited. "Kokujo: O Tatsumaki," he exclaimed and spun around all of his swords, creating a strong cutting wind power that created a large twister. The spinning force drew in most of the cannonballs, swirling them around in the twister and gathering them all in one focused area.

The Wano swordsman used that moment to release his own slash, aimed at the twirling clump of steel that Zoro created. "Kitsunebi-ryu: Karyu Issen," he called out, delivering one powerful slice into the twister and splitting all the cannonballs inside it.

"I'll make this into nothing but dust," Franky exclaimed, stretching his one hand. Until now, the cyborg was with another group of Barto's men, stuck in place just like Luffy and the others during the attack until the fog cleared up. A compartment in his unusually large forearm opened and a small cannon rose from it. He fired at the cannonballs with his mini-cannon, sending two small rockets into the twister and further destroying the cannonballs into nothing but little pieces of iron and steel.

"My turn!" Usopp joined in, leaving his fear behind for the moment. He used a green pop and sent it right into the twister where the cannonballs were now in pieces, still dancing on the air currents Zoro created with his swords. "Midori Boshi: Devil!" Roots came out of the fired seed and quickly grew, spreading around the twister and encircling the whole mess, before a large colorful head of a tropic flytrap blossomed. The plant swallowed up all the cannon balls in one large gulp, while enveloping them in its roots.

Luffy finished it all by jumping in the air and stretching his arms behind him. "Gomu gomu no bazooka!" As he yelled, he struck the flytrap with all the cannonballs inside and blasted it overboard.

Meanwhile, Bartolomeo took care of the few cannonballs remaining. He used his Bari Bari no Mi powers and summoned his barrier once more. It travelled from his feet to above them and caught all the falling cannonballs, then curled like a slide which ended over the ship's railing and into the ocean. "Phew," he sighed in relief, feeling the strain from using his powers so much this night. "That was close."

By the time the pirates defended themselves, however, the mysterious Pirate Dispatch Organization was long gone along with their ship that disappeared in the mist.

"Damn, the pirates are gone…," Gambia cursed as he tried to find any sign of the ship in the darkness, but it left no trace.

"What was with those guys, why did they attack us?" Luffy frowned, scratching his head in thought.

"I don't know, but it was well planned. They must have purposely attacked our ship for some reason," Trafalgar murmured, his eyes darkening as he mulled over possibilities of this attack. "What did they want?"

"How come we only noticed them so late, when they already attacked," Kanjuro questioned in thought. "Shouldn't there be someone on a lookout in the Crow's Nest?"

Everyone turned their gazes towards the Barto Club pirates, silently requesting an answer to what was a good question.

But the pirates only sweat-dropped nervously and looked at the side, not wanting to meet anyone's gaze. "T-the truth is we don't usually use the Crow's Nest. I mean it's out in the open and the nights can be freezing in the New World so…," Bartolomeo started to explain guiltily.

"Whaaat? You don't have a lookout," Usopp shouted in disbelief.

"That explains it then," Franky joined in.

"We should do a headcount and make sure that everyone is alright," Kin'emon suggested.

"But what do we do with the remaining pirates who attacked us? Captain?" Gambia turned to his captain for instructions. The pirates were still lying on the deck unconscious.

"We should get some answers out of them. After that, screw 'em, they can just swim with the fishes," Bartolomeo answered and all but spat at the attackers, glaring at them.

The crew was still conversing in confusion and excitement, some muttering questions that plagued them about the whole ordeal, while others discussed in amazement how the Strawhats handled the situation and how cool they looked in the process. That's when the doors of the deck slammed opened and a raven haired woman burst out in the open, holding onto the doorframe to catch her balance. The Strawhats' archeologist had cuts and bruises all over her bare arms and legs, and an especially deep cut across her cheek.

"Robin!?" Franky was the first to notice her tattered condition and quickly hurried towards her to lend his strength for support.

"Robin, what happened?!" Luffy was right behind him and appeared just as worried about his nakama as the Cyborg.

Despite their concerned questioning, Robin's gaze didn't even stop on her friends, but instead searched across the deck for someone else. Finally it fell on the Surgeon of Death who slowly walked towards her to examine her injuries. He noticed some light burns on her skin, yet they didn't look like they were caused from the explosions or fire, which peeked the man's interest.

"Law….I'm sorry," Robin started, a tinge of guilt in her voice. There was a sorrowful look in her eyes as she kept her eyes trained on him.

Trafalgar stopped in his tracks and knitted his eyebrows in puzzlement, not liking where this was going. "What's wrong?" A painful lump appeared in his throat as he instantly thought of the worst, for his quick mind didn't take long to realize Miyako wasn't with the other woman, and that didn't go unnoticed by the pirate.

Unfortunately Trafalgar Law was always right….and at the moment he hated that fact. Robin's next words shook him with mixed feelings that changed from shock, to confusion, then panic, and finally anger.

"They have taken her…they've taken Miyako!"

"What do you mean 'They've taken her,' what would they want with Suzune?" Kin'emon frowned in confusion, making a similar face to Law's. Even though the two samurai didn't always see eye-to-eye about certain things, the girl helped Momonosuke and Kin'emon knew she wasn't a bad person despite being a pirate. He still felt indebted to her for all her help so far, much like with the Strawhats, so hearing she might be in trouble left a bad taste in his mouth. "We must help her!"

Trafalgar barely heard the others speak as all his attention was now focused on the archaeologist in front of him. He closed the remaining distance with a few long strides and grabbed the woman by the shoulders so she would look up at him. "Nico-ya, this is important. Tell us exactly what happened; did they say anything before taking her with them?" He tried to keep calm, steadily talking to the woman, desperately repressing the rising urge to act…do anything just to do something and not simply stand around wasting time.

The woman nodded and started her story. "Miyako-chan woke me up just before the explosions started. The ship started rocking and it was hard to move around, but we made it out to the hallway, just as a cannonball burst through the hull right in front of us. Thanks to Miyako's haki, she was able to sense the danger…otherwise, we would both be dead already since the cannonball would straight-up hit us. But the explosion blew us backwards and it took some time to regain our composure again. Everything was in shambles, the crew running around in panic, trying to reach the deck and find out who the enemy was…That's when he came...it all happened so fast after that." She shook her head, trying to remember every detail but it was hazy. All that confusion and noise from the battle, it was hard to concentrate on anything.

"He? Who's he," Usopp asked, prompting her to continue.

"The attack came from our left and it was some kind of sea stone net. It caught me and every time I tried to get out before the weakness overtakes me, an electrical shock would ignite and strike my body. I couldn't move. Miyako-chan tried to help me, but a large man blasted through the deck where it was already damaged and stood between us; he separated us. Miyako managed to hold him off and block his attacks…he had this large double-axe and he was bigger and stronger than her. Usually such an opponent could be taken out by speed, but she didn't have enough space to move in such close quarters. Still, she managed to hold her own against him, but then once they locked weapons while she was trying to hold off his strength with both her hands busy, he took a gun and shot her at close range. He took her by surprise and she didn't have time to dodge." As she said that, she felt Law's grip loosened on her arms before his hands fell back at his sides. He paled in the face, but his piercing eyes still stared at her, pleading her to continue. "It's not what you think," she exclaimed hastily before the pirate doctor could assume the worst. "It wasn't a normal gun, it had some kind of mechanism and when he shot at her, something got stuck in her and I think it electrocuted her. After that she fell on the ground paralyzed….her body still twitched, probably from the electricity, but all in all, she was alive, I'm sure of it. There was no blood either. And then, just before the man took her out, he untied her ponytail and tossed me her red ribbon along with this, and told me to give this to Trafalgar Law and tell him that if he wants to see his nakama alive again he will follow the vivre card and come alone." She opened one hand with which she gripped two items; one was Miyako's red ribbon that she always wore, while the other was a blank piece of paper that looked ripped on one edge.

"A vivre card? But where does it lead," Kanjuro muttered in question, rubbing his chin.

"So…," Law finally found his voice after a while. It took a few moments to process everything, but mostly his body sagged with relief once he heart Miyako was alive. "The whole attack was actually a distraction and their real purpose was to kidnap Miyako…and get to me through my crewmember," he concluded in a deadly tone that was slowly becoming darker. His rage was returning again.

"I know this might be a foolish question to ask you, but do you know anyone who'd go through so much trouble to lure you into a trap and attack," Zoro asked, finally joining the conversation, Until now he listened silently, knowing they would have to eventually plan a course of action for this problem, but he was more of a type to solve problems through action than planning, anyway. He knew his skills would be needed only later in the game.

"I've made many enemies along the way after becoming a pirate. And I imagine even more so after the news travelled about us brining down Doflamingo. A lot of organizations had their stake in Joker's business and lost a lot of investment after he was ruined. It could be any of them, trying to take revenge on our alliance," the pirate captain explained.

"Organization! That reminds me," Usopp started, snapping his fingers as he remembered his previous realization after seeing the enemy ship's main sail. "I saw a Jolly Roger painted on the sail and beneath it had the initials, B.D."

"And didn't they call themselves Pirate Dipshit Organization or something like that," Luffy exclaimed in haste, remembering the enemy pirate shouting something at them while they were sailing away.

"It's the Pirate Dispatch Organization, you moron," Usopp yelled at his captain in clear irritation, sending down a karate-chop right onto his head. He cleared his throat to collect himself again before continuing in all seriousness. The sniper described the pirate logo he saw, but the group's demeanor didn't change much from their previously confused expressions.

The pirates mulled over the meaning of those initials, trying to recall any pirate that had such a unique Jolly Roger. Even Luffy picked at his brain in earnest, trying to contribute. He scratched his head as the mention of the Jolly Roger sounded frustratingly familiar as if the answer was right on the tip of his tongue. "Red nose…red nose…why does that sound so familiar?" He whined in irate, feeling as if his brain was overheating with all this thinking. "Can't we just leave that for later and follow this paper to where Miya-chan is and then rescue her? Who cares who these guys are, I'll kick their asses for taking Miyako either way, and then we can ask them if you still care," the pirate boy gave up with a gaudy gesture of tossing his arms in the air.

"But you're right…that red nose does sound familiar. Didn't we meet someone like that," Zoro muttered, holding his chin in thought. Just as his captain, he wasn't one for overthinking things, and even less for remembering all the troublesome thugs they came across and beaten over the years. The swordsman usually remembered only those worth remembering, who were worth his time and skill when fighting them, and those opponents came quite rare over the course of his life; with few exceptions of course, such as Dracule Mihawk. Others were simply annoyances he barely noticed before removing them out of his way and never giving them a second thought again.

"Even so, it would be good to know who we are dealing with, Strawhat-ya," Trafalgar tried to remain the voice of reason in the group, even though he was just as frustrated with the situation as the rest of them…no, even more so, since it was his comrade's and lover's life that was on the line. *I think I saw an article about such an organization in the newspaper once…Just like Strawhat-ya mentioned, there was a red nose…,* the pirate focused on that fact feeling that it was the key to this memory. *As I recall, the red nosed skull is the signature motif for one of the new Shichibukai…,* his contemplation ended being vocal as he muttered the name that first came to mind, remembering something about the pirate in the back of his head. Even though the captain wasn't known for his strength or fearsomeness, the name has been building up in notoriety for the last two years. "Buggy the Clown."

"That's right! He was that annoying guy we met with Nami!" Luffy shouted as he remembered.

"Ooh, the guy who could split apart," Zoro nodded as he also remembered the man.

Both Luffy and Zoro recalled the figure at the same time, bringing the pieces together and adding the name to the face that was distorted with rage and annoyance in their memory. The painted clown face had a large red nose unlike any other, which the guy was always sensitive about.

"And didn't he try to kill you again in Loguetown," Zoro questioned his captain as the memories started coming back to the Strawhats.

"Yeah, I met him a couple of times, actually. He was always equally loud and annoying though," Luffy frowned when he remembered Buggy was also at Impel Down. "The guy was always shouting and complaining about something," he added, though Luffy didn't stop to think that perhaps the reason why Buggy was always so frustrated was exactly because of the Strawhat's antics. "But I later heard he helped me and Jinbe out at Marineford War so I guess I owe him one, shishishi," the boy's frown turned into a grin, concluding that maybe the clown in desperate need of anger-management wasn't so bad after all.

Trafalgar nodded in agreement. "Yes, I met him at Marineford too. He was the one who handed you over to me," he said to Luffy. It was an old story; one he already told the Strawhat about, and Jinbe filled the blanks since the Hearts were already in a hurry to move out and sail on after the whole ordeal. It seemed like a lifetime ago now.

"Ah, that's right! I heard about that guy too," Gambia slapped his hands together as if remembering a clue, though it was hard to see any indication in his eyes as they were covered with his usual shades. Only now they had a small crack on the side, without a doubt due to the raging battle he was participating in just a while ago.

"Well of course, I mean he's a Shichibukai now so who wouldn't hear of him," Franky shrugged his large shoulders, not finding anything strange nor useful about the fact.

Yet the pirate officer only shook his head to dismiss Franky's jump to conclusions and continued, "No, not just that. The reason why that guy became so infamous over the years is because he practically raised an army. He founded a pirate mercenary organization where you can order manpower and they would send you the pirates you need. Whole wars were won in countries because of those guys who tipped over the scale, sometimes with sheer numbers."

"I heard 'bout it too!" Bartolomeo interrupted his crewmate to continue. "And that organization's name's Dispatch Organization or something, but most pirates just call it Buggy's Delivery!"

"B.D.," Usopp exclaimed as the initials that they previously discussed finally set in place with the rest of the puzzle.

"So you're saying someone hired these guys to attacks us," Franky questioned.

"Either that or that Buggy is after me again," the Strawhat scowled, already getting angry at the thought.

"No, they specifically asked for Law to get this message…I think it's him they want," Robin sighed, still feeling responsible there was nothing she could do for Miyako at the time.

Sensing the guilt thick in her voice, Zoro tried to reassure her, "Don't beat yourself over it. There wasn't anything you could so. Besides, if they want Torao, they'll keep her alive in the meantime."

"That's right…," Robin trailed off, but then her eyes widened as a shocking thought crossed her mind. "But they might torture her," the woman added.

Law flinched at the sound of that word, a dark suffocating aura releasing around him and enveloping the rest of the group.

"Gyaah! Why did you have to go and say something like that," Usopp screamed in horror with teary eyes, not wanting to even consider such possibilities. Especially since it was making the Surgeon of Death even more 'murdery' than usual. Damn that archaeologist and her grim mind, sometimes!

Trafalgar displayed astonishing control as he managed to stay collected, or at least pretend to seem like it. He curled his hand into a fist, firmly clutching the vivre card and Miyako's satin ribbon in it, almost forgetting about those items in his hand until he heard the crumpling of paper. "Then we better hurry and set our new course to follow the vivre card," he voiced out in a tone that sounded more like an order than a suggestion. *We have no time to waste!*

One of Bartolomeo's crewmembers scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression. "But won't that take us further away from Zou, meaning it'll take more time to eventually get there. Strawhats are in a hurry here-," he started explaining with gripe about the whole situation, finding there was nothing more important than the mission their idolized pirate crew was on.

One look from the Surgeon of Death was enough to stifle any more complaints, cutting the man off mid-sentence before he lost his tongue…or a whole head, considering Law's current mood. The icy glare that aimed daggers at the unsuspecting pirate was dangerously reinforced with the murderous aura currently piercing the very soul of the man, which promised a world of pain if even one more syllable escaped the pirate's lips. Instead of the usual blaze in his grey eyes when angry, there was a deep dead darkness in them, making his eyes seem almost cruelly black and threatening to swallow whoever they were reflecting within them.

Franky managed to interrupt the suffocating atmosphere that was quickly becoming dangerous before Law had the time to finish deciding whether to test his new sword skills on the man or simply choke the life out of him with his bare hands. "Unfortunately, we're not going anywhere until we fix the ship. The mast is broken and don't get me started on the hull. We need all hands on deck and start repairs immediately," the shipwright announced.

"I'll help too," Usopp joined in. "I have some experience with all the repairs I did on the Going Merry," he sighed gloomily when remembering all the times their ship got damaged by all kinds of attacks. Fixing cannon fire holes was nothing out of the ordinary for him.

"Plus, we need to take care of the crew's injuries. Some of these sorry bastards got quite a beating even if there are no casualties, luckily." A new crewmate approached; a man in his twenties, wearing a suit and a pair of shades with his white hair slicked back, which made him look more like a gangster than a pirate. Coincidentally, that was exactly what he used to be before Bartolomeo one day decided to turn his attention to pirating and his friend followed. Since he was the only man with any medical experience among his mates, his job was to stich and patch up the group members after each big fight they had while they were still a gang on land, and that job hasn't changed since then. The tall pirate had a black doctor's bag in his hand, waiting to help the other crewmembers that still weren't properly treated.

Trafalgar took a deep breath, letting it pass with a loud sigh. "I'm a doctor, so I can help with that. Meanwhile, what's the fastest you can get the ship sailing again," he questioned the large Cyborg.

Franky calculated in his head, "We don't need it completely fixed to sail…just do the basics. The other repairs we can continue working on while we're up and sailing. I'd have to inspect the damage first, since I don't know what the inside of the ship's like yet…" He crunched a few more numbers in his head, gazing at the damage he could see around him. "But a couple of hours surely. But don't worry Torao, I'll work suuuper fast and have the ship sailing for ya in no time!" He grinned, giving the other pirate a thumbs up with his giant fingers.

"We'll all pitch in so it'll be even faster! Franky, I'll help too, gimme a hammer or something!" Luffy called out, excited that he'll have something to do besides just waiting around.

Usopp, however, had a thing or two to say about that idea. He quickly started gathering all the tools and moving them away from his captain. "No way! Every time you try to help with repairs you make it worse by breaking more stuff!" He yelled at Luffy, while the other whined and argued back, which soon turned into a bickering match with Luffy trying to persuade Usopp to let him help.

"Go help with healing the injured instead," Zoro finally suggested, hoping to get rid of the boy that way since he saw Usopp was having a hard time dealing with him.

"Like hell! That's even worse, he'll end up killing some poor sod!" The sniper shouted back, hating that idea even more than the further destruction of this creepy ship Bartolomeo built in their honor.

Finally, Robin suggested to Luffy that he help her clear out the clutter created from all the blasted materials that were now filling the deck and the hull, making it harder for anyone to move around. It seemed like the only bright idea that would keep the boy interested enough and make him stay out of trouble for the time being. The chore was benign enough so he wouldn't be able to cause any more damage to anything or anyone, while he wouldn't be bored either since he'd have something to work on. At least that's what his crewmates hoped for, dreading the alternative.

Law couldn't help but sigh again, wondering with deep suspicion whether they'll really be ready to set sail as soon as Franky suggested. *At least I can use that time to strategize my next move…that person Nico-ya mentioned said I was to come alone, but that means I could easily be outnumbered by the enemy. On the other hand, if they see someone with me, they might kill Miyako for it…I'll need to think of a good plan for this,* he already started concocting a strategy as he started working on treatment of the Barto crewmembers. Luckily, none of their injuries were that severe and he worked almost automatically, since the wounds didn't represent much of a challenge to a doctor as skilled as him.

~….~

Pain. That's the first thing she felt when she finally awakened. A dull throbbing pain that travelled through her entire body, hitting each muscle that convulsed in response. It was only a whisper of the pain that she first experienced when the shock initially hit her, but that was small consolation at the moment. She tried to move, but every time she used a muscle in her body, it would create a spasm and the dull pain would return. With a grunt she fell back on the bed and closed her eyes.

Then suddenly, those golden eyes shot wide open again. Wait. Bed? Without any unnecessary movement, which would most definitely bring about more pain, Miyako tried to examine her surroundings. She realized she was lying on a bed covered in silk sheets, with nothing but a pleasant albeit plain room around her. She half-expected to be awoken in a cell somewhere, shackled and bound, so this was a pleasant surprise despite the maltreatment she underwent during the attack of the Going Luffy. "Huh," she made a sound of wonder, realizing this surprise suited her just fine, yet still puzzled how all of this came to be.

The last thing she remembered, she was shot by some kind of device that sent an electrical shot through her entire body, paralyzing her instantly. Every muscle in her body contracted of its own accord and all she could feel was pain before her blackout. *I must have been carried here afterwards, but why not just kill me?* She looked around the whitely painted room again, noting there was no guard to be seen. This fact gave her another burst of motivation to move, as she hoped this time she would be able to make it out the door, then with more effort through the gates and finally out of wherever they were keeping her. With said effort and after a lot of grunting and groaning in pain that still lingered, she managed to sit up on the bed, panting from exertion even by that small action. Her next thought made her gasp in panic as she quickly reached for her waist, only to realize her katana wasn't there. Looking around the room hastily, she found no sign of her sword, only to remember she let go of it when that man shot her. She clicked her tongue at the thought, half because of disappointment that her sword wasn't with her, and half because she was mentally cursing the bastard who knocked her out with that strange device. *It must still be on the ship, dammit.* With a sigh she gazed towards the closed doors. *Might as well try for the doors…and hope I'm not wasting my strength only to find them locked in the end,* she sighed again, resining herself to upcoming moments of a strenuous, painful activity.

Time seemed to drag on as she used her strength to slowly lift herself on her feet and walk towards the door, step by step, cautiously not to fall and hurt herself even more. At least the convulsions of her muscles stopped, making it easier to move, otherwise she would be dragging herself on the floor rather than walking right now. That was her last thought before she plunged for the doors, using the doorknob she caught in her leap for support. Not that she needed to make such a risky jump, which actually looked more like a pathetic attempt to lunge forward and not fall on her face, but she assumed it would be faster and easier than taking a few more steps that hurt her entire legs each time. Her successful grabbing of the doorknob, together with the gratifying realization that it pushed down with a clicking noise that signified the doors were unlocked, almost gave her a sense of achievement and luck, thinking there was a silver lining in all of this. That enthusiasm was, however, completely extinguished when she flung the door open only to find herself in the beginning of a long hallway that promised a lot more of that painful walking on her part. The smile that naively spread on her face quickly faltered and was replaced by a deadpan expression that clearly stated 'I should've known by now,' as she contemplated her constant lack of luck. "Rats," the girl commented all her misery in one simple word that echoed across the empty continued hall.

Step by tedious step, Miyako slowly made her way through the white halls of what looked like a large mansion. Every time, her feet felt a bit more secure, she a bit more balanced, as if her strength was returning to her. She still scorned the fact that she had no weapon, deciding her first course of action should be to find anything she could use to defend herself when the time comes for her escape. She was lucky so far, with no guards or anyone to notice or stop her, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she either bumps into some thug on her way or they simply realize she wasn't in her room anymore.

That time almost came sooner than she predicted when she heard voices around the corner and quickly hid behind a wall so she wouldn't be seen. Her bare feet left no sound on the marble floor, which she was now grateful for since the newcomers couldn't hear her steps, even as she felt the uncomfortable cold on her soles. She was still wearing nothing but some shorts and a tank top, which she had been sleeping in before the attack on their ship, and the cold draft coming from the hall left goosebumps on her pale skin. She peered from her rather poor hiding place and saw two men standing in the adjoined hall that linked with the one she was currently waiting in, making a T cross section on her path. She saw two men, dressed in simple black briefs and leather jackets with colorful shirts underneath. One had a brightly-colored bandanna on his head, while the other caught her attention with all the tattoos inked on his arms and neck. They both carried weapons, adding to their apparent gruff exterior. It didn't take long for one to realize they were pirates, though there was no Jolly Roger or any insignia that would help her discern who exactly these people were.

The men stopped walking just outside a door and one of them took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He held a box of matches with the other and took one of them out. Without having to use the side of the box, the man lit the match by scraping its head with his thumbnail.

"Ya think he'll be keepin' us here long," the shorter man with the bandanna asked, lighting his cigarette.

"Who knows. As long as he be payin' us, I be happy," the other responded before muttering to the other to give him one of those. He lit his own cigarette before adding, "'Sides, we do his bidding, but it's what Cap'n Burrows says is what counts. Tis he who be in charge here."

"I know, I know. But that young fella who pays us gives me the jitters, he does. He shivers me timers…an' not in a good way," the pirate half joked, but there was a nervous glint in his eyes even as he jested.

"Aye, best be steerin' clear o' him. Just follow Cap'n Burrows' orders if you know what's good for ya," the other warned his pirate mate.

Alas, the pirate didn't seem to be done complaining just yet. "An' do we need ta do these meetings, really? We're pirate mercenaries fer Whitebeard's sake, why do we haves us all these…formalities in our ranks?"

"Oy! You know Cap'n Buggy always stresses how important proper conduct of business is!" The taller pirate raised his voice a bit, a warning in his tone as he scowled disapprovingly at his colleague in piracy.

"But they be so boring," the other complained. "Can't we at least has us these meetings in a tavern or somethin,' like real pirates?"

The other just shook his head with a sigh, giving up on this discussion as if it wasn't the first time they were having it. "There be no tavern or even a grog barrel on this godforsaken, blighted rock of an island," he finally yelled, irritated that he always had to repeat himself in these arguments.

"Well then can't we at least stall before goin' in," the other growled.

His comrade sighed in resignation. "Fine…Let's finish our puffs first," he suggested and the other grinned, a bit more content with the situation now.

They stayed like that for a while, in silence, the whole time completely unaware that they were being watched with impatience as the girl samurai waited for her chance to scurry on her way. She was unable to do so as long as they were standing outside those doors, though. If she tried to pass the hallway now, they would surely notice her from their position and she didn't want to risk being seen. Taking them on in her body's state without a weapon would be peril enough, but doing so quick enough before they raise an alarm would be altogether impossible.

*Come on, stop your procrastinating and just go on with your work already,* the girl practically screamed at them in her mind, frustrated at their lazy pace.

After a few more intakes of their cigarette tobacco, the shorter got bored again and started talking. "Hey, I thought of a new game whiles bein' on guard with Larry yesterday," he stated proudly.

*Oh, you have got to be kidding me,* Miyako covered her face with her palm and closed her eyes while shaking her head in disbelief. She almost sighed in ire, but luckily she was able to control herself before they could hear her.

"Aye? What it be 'bout?" The two pirates continued their light conversation while they enjoyed their smokes.

Still smirking proudly, the pirate explained the simple rules. "Try guessin' a number the other's thinkin' of. Whoever answers right, wins!"

"Sounds simple enough," the other agreed, raising his eyebrow as if he was impressed by the game already.

"I'll start so ya pick a number I'm thinkin' of," the bandanna pirate suggested.

"Sounds reasonable enough." The taller one looked at the other while thinking, mulling over what number his crewmate could be imagining in his mind. After a long hum, the man finally dared to guess, "20?!"

"Nope."

The pirate sighed in disappointment. "Fine, now you pick a number."

"40!" The shorter one instantly shot out.

"Wrong!" The pirate grinned in satisfaction that he wasn't the only loser in this game.

The Bandanna, as Miyako finally decided to nickname him, frowned suspiciously. "Wait a spell, how do I know ya ain't lyin'?"

"Me!? What about you?!"

The two pirates growled, narrowing their eyes and staring at each other intently, as if trying to figure out if the other one was a cheat and a liar. The pair conveniently forgot that both were lying and cheating sort since they were pirate mercenaries.

The samurai, much to her disdain, had to witness this whole situation unfold and almost came out of her hiding place just to knock their apparently empty heads together and finish the torture of listening them once and for all. With a sweat drop she found herself thinking, *At least now I know outsmarting these guys won't be a problem.*

To Miyako's immense relief, she didn't have to intervene, because someone else did it for her. The doors the pair were standing in front of abruptly slammed open with a rather enraged, one-eyed man bursting through them. Instead of having an eye-patch as pirates usually wore, his scarred eye was covered with nothing, plainly revealing the horrid gnarled flesh where his eye had once been. Perhaps he did it on purpose, freighting his enemies with his mangled appearance and scruffy black beard. He glared at them with his one good eye before shouting right in their ears, „Cease yer dilly-dalliyin' ye werthless grog-guzzling scumbags an' drag yer behinds in here 'fore I swab da deck with yer shrivelin' corpses!"

"A-aye aye, cap'n Burrows sir!" Both pirates quickly stood up straight and saluted with outmost discipline, their cigarettes falling to the ground. They quickly stepped on them to put them out before rushing into the room, with the doors slamming shut behind them

The kenshi sighed in relief, feeling like she could actually tell she was growing old while waiting for those two nitwits to leave. She could still hear the muffled sounds of Burrows yelling coming from the closed doors when she sneaked by.

Following the plain eggshell-painted wall that was decorated with nothing but a few portraits of people she didn't recognize, the samurai arrived to another door. These ones were large, oak, two-winged doors, but they didn't look too heavy to open. Miyako weighted the risks, knowing full well there could be someone inside, yet also aware that there might be something useful too; whether it was information of what this place is and who are her enemies, or simply something she could use as a weapon remained to be seen, but there was only one way to find out. Nodding once to herself as she reached a decision after a mental discussion she just shared with herself, the girl decided to risk it. She put one ear to the doors first, straining to hear if there was someone already on the other side. Hearing nothing, she decided to give the doors a slight push and only put a little weight on them to peer inside.

The room was dark and empty, giving her all the invitation she needed to open the doors all the way and step into the darkness inside. Closing the doors behind her so no one would find it suspicious and check inside, she scrunched up her eyes and tried to get used to the dark so she could examine the new area. When her sight sharpened and was able to focus on her surroundings, she noticed an oil lamp on what appeared to be a large writing desk. Risking a little light, she turned on the lamp but kept the flame low so the shine wouldn't be visible outside on the hall. Lifting the lamp and rising it up, she turned and bathed most of the room in dim light. On further inspection now that she could see properly, or at least better than before, she noticed she was currently standing in what appeared to be a study. Tall bookshelves reached all the way to the ceiling, filled with all kinds of titles from scientific to fictional stories, and the wide desk made of dark wood was covered with files and papers. She rummaged through the drawers of the desk, trying to find something useful she could use; even a letter opener would do. A smirk tugged on her lips when she found one, sharp enough to injure or even kill a person if it was aimed at the right spot.

A light tapping on her right made the girl jump and gasp, startled at the sudden noise. Her guard was up and ready to face any foe as she aimed the lamp in that direction to see where the source of the noise was coming from. She sighed in relief when she realized it was no human, but rather rain hitting on the glass window of a large balcony door. Most of the window was covered with long purple curtains, which was why she didn't even notice it when she first entered the room. She sat the lamp down on the desk and went over to the curtains, still clutching that letter opener in one hand, and spread them wide open. Some light hit her eyes and she realized it was already dawning, the first rays of light trying to break through the darkness of night. However, not much light passed as the thick grey clouds covered the sky, creating a storm that raged outside. She opened the balcony doors seeing it was pouring rain outside and feeling the harsh icy wind that continuously blew.

Miyako stood there in silence, trying to wrap her mind around what was going on. All she could see before her were hills and forests; miles and miles of nothing but rocky mountains and trees that swayed widely on the strong wind. Despite the cold rain and merciless weather, not even caring she was still so lightly dressed and barefoot, the samurai slowly walked over to the ledge of the balcony and stared down below. Her fears were instantly confirmed when she realized she was too high up to jump down and try to escape that way. Leaning over the balcony railing, far to the East she could see the vast ocean where the sea was seething just like the storm. The high waves crashed against the shore and every so often a lightning bolt would come down from the clouds and hit the water. Further North-East, she noticed bare cliffs that looked like pillars one on top of the other, creating numerous steps. The cliffs looked man-made rather than natural. The waves kept hitting the cliffs in a steady rhythm, the water creating a chilling sound that reminded Miyako of a ship getting crushed, which is exactly what would happen if any vessel dared so much as near the coast. The strong sea currents would simply pull it in, where the waves would either topple it or push it right into the stony cliffs. Miyako shuddered, unsure whether it was because of the cold she was standing in or the thought of the Going Luffy sinking in those raging waters.

*Even if they come for me, they won't be able to dock…But that other ship must have docked somewhere. There must be a more peaceful side of this island then,* the girl concluded, trying to cling to a sliver of hope at least. She leaned over further, standing on the tips of her toes now, and craned her neck to try and see a dock somewhere, but to no avail. Even if it existed, she couldn't see it. *Where am I!?*

"I don't recommend you leaning too much over the balcony; one strong gust of wind and you can fall right over. And as you can see, it's a long way down."

A sudden voice startled her and made her hastily turn around to face her opponent. She kept the hand holding onto the letter opener hidden behind her back while she examined the man standing in the middle of the room. She was still standing on the balcony, rain completely soaking her hair and clothes now. She assumed the strong weather was also the reason why she didn't hear the doors being opened or steps coming closer, since the sounds of howling wind, rustling treetops and rain hitting onto the stone ground deafened all other noises.

The man standing before her was tall and muscular. Along with his stance, as he held himself proudly with his back completely straight, it was obvious the man was a warrior and well trained in martial arts if his body structure was any indication. Even so, he held no weapon that Miyako could see, but that hardly made her any less suspicious of the young man. He looked well in his twenties, but the calm yet guarded atmosphere around him created a sense of maturity as if he was more developed both mentally and physically than his real age suggested. That demeanor reminded her of Law a little; a man that had seen and experienced more in his lifetime than someone of his age should. His hair was ghostly white, completely in contrast with his tanned skin, making him seem like an apparition standing in this dawn-lit room that started getting a bit brighter now that the sun slowly rose above the ocean.

His dark eyes never left her, trained on the girl's every movement and yet he stayed perfectly still, not trying to approach her. "Come, close those doors and come back inside," he said in a deep serene voice as if trying to talk her down from whatever she might be planning.

The girl cast one final glance over the balcony, judging the distance and disappointedly deciding it was too perilous to even try jumping down. She took a careful step inside, but didn't close the doors behind her, just in case she would have to make her escape after all, depending on these man's intentions. She still held her hand behind her back, waiting for the opportune moment to strike at him if need arises.

Water dripped from the samurai's body, pooling around her feet and leaving wet footprints as she moved across the room. Her body felt like it was freezing now, shivering from the wet and the cold, but she hardly had the mind to think of such things. She was more concerned by the man in front of her. He seemed different than the pirates who attacked their ship and particularly unlike the idiot pair she listening in on earlier. Not only with his demeanor or the sharp look in his eyes that revealed his intelligence, but even the way he was dressed. Although the clothing looked simple enough; only a white button-up shirt and black trousers that were covered by equally black boots, it was different than the colorful rags and tattered leather those mercenary pirates wore. In every way, he seemed like he wasn't even one of them.

"Who are you," Miyako demanded with a glare. "Why am I here? Did you bring me here?" There was a whole storm of questions she was prepared to get the answers to.

The man breathed a chuckle, unoffended by her demanding approach or the harsh stare in her eyes. "I'm afraid I can only answer one question at the time."

The girl's glare only hardened and was now joined with a scowl on her face, "Don't make fun of me, I'm not in a jesting mood," she warned in a low tone.

The man closed his eyes and nodded. "My apologies, I know this is all surely very confusing and stressful for you." He took one step closer, a ray of light from the outside moving from his face to his neck and at that moment the girl noticed a large scar on the side of his neck. She reflexively took half a step backwards, wanting to keep their current distance.

As she did, he quickly raised one hand to try and settle her nervousness in a gesture to show he wasn't trying to hurt her. At that moment she got a better look at his palm and noticed there were numerous small scars on it. It made her wonder what could've caused such injuries, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as the man spoke again.

"My name is Za'in. This is my mansion and the people who brought you here work for me….for now," he muttered the last part. Even the way he talked, the kenshi realized, was different than the pirates she saw before. His speech was formal and sounded educated; more like that of a noble than some low-life thug of the underworld.

Even though he tried hard to make her feel comfortable, Miyako noticed his demeanor wasn't completely unthreatening, making her wonder if the man was really honest with his intention of 'not wanting to hurt her,' as he put it. She kept her distance, still trying to read the atmosphere around him as she proceeded with her inquiries, "You're not the one who electrocuted me…What do you want with me?"

A glint of realization sparkled in his dark eyes as he listened to her. "Ah, you must mean Gurry, that big guy. Yes, it's a contraption I made from a small Thunder Dial that I acquired from a sky island merchant a long time ago…quite useful when you don't want to kill your opponent, but only stun them." Though he spoke of his own invention, there was no boasting nor pride in his tone, just the same emotionless baritone he used.

"Painful too," Miyako added with even less enthusiasm, scowling at him.

A smallest smirk appeared on his lips as he nodded in agreement. "Unfortunately so. But I had no choice, I needed to get you here…you are my best shot of bringing him here."

The samurai's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Brining who here?" She had a bad feeling about this, her instincts already telling her she'll hate his answer.

Just as expected, the answer left her both stunned and even more anxious than before; "Trafalgar Law." That emotionless mask the man wore was twisted in a grimace and he hissed the name through gritted teeth. His demeanor dripped with hatred now and he unconsciously traced the large scar on his neck as if remembering something considerably unpleasant.

Even if Miyako didn't know anything else about the situation, one thing became perfectly clear with that answer; this man wanted to kill Law. She clutched her fist around the cold steel behind her back and the feeling reminded her she wasn't completely defenseless; perhaps there was something she could yet do. Cautiously she stepped forward, shortening the distance between them for just one step. "What do you want with Law?" Although she was fairly certain what this man wanted of her captain, she would prefer if she kept Za'in talking, distracted, while she executed her plan.

The man's eyes narrowed, seeming even blacker than before now that they were on this obviously sour subject for him. "Him and I…have some unfinished business to settle," he answered cryptically, not wanting to reveal too much.

"And what am I…bait?" The girl took one more step forward.

"Exactly," he shot-out with a completely straight face. He didn't try to embellish it or explain, feeling no guilt for anything he's done so for. "The news travel fast and the pirate alliance between the Strawhat crew and the Heart Pirates spread like wildfire, along with Doflamingo's downfall that followed. I'm glad that bastard is gone, although I would have preferred if I could've done it myself. But an even better opportunity arose itself; Trafalgar Law traveling without his crew, in the open, and so close to here…it was perfect. Like the haven has finally smiled upon me." Another smirk tugged on his lips, but it disappeared just as quickly as it surfaced. "But he wasn't alone…The Heart pirates, the Strawhat pirates and…what was it, the Barto Club? I knew I couldn't take all of you on my own, so I made a plan. Those pirate mercenaries that attacked your ship; they belong to a Pirate Dispatch Organization – Buggy's Delivery. They're expensive, but money is no option when it comes to dealing with Law. Still, him I want to deal with personally. I want him to look me right in the eyes and know who is responsible for his demise." As he explained, once again his words turned hateful as soon as he mentioned the Dark Doctor.

"If you are not one of Doflamingo's associates, why are you after Law?" Miyako narrowed her eyes in confusion, trying to understand the situation. She was starting to get a clearer picture of it; the pirates kidnapped her and brought her here so Law had no choice but to follow…and here, a trap will be laid out for him.

Za'in closed his mouth, unwilling to explain his motives any further. "That is between him and me. I sent him a message with a vivre card; he'll be coming for you, his nakama, and alone. It was clear as day what I needed to do as soon as I saw your wanted poster in the papers and learned that he had someone from his crew traveling with him; Suzune Miyako."

Miyako's eyes turned a bit colder as she listened to him. While he talked she kept moving forward and was now close enough to look him straight in the eyes, an action she did with a defiant stare. "So you kidnapped me and will make him come alone while you have a whole army of pirate mercenaries backing you up. You coward," she spat the insult.

Za'in gave her a dark stare, but ignored her taunts. "I won't hurt you as long as you stay put and not try anything. As you already learned, it's useless to run away. There is no way out. And if your captain really cares for you, he'll come." He spat the word captain in a sardonic tone.

The girl glared at the mocking tone he used, but it didn't matter as much since she already had her plan in motion. She was close enough to attack him now, trying to catch him off guard. She brought the letter opener from behind her back and raised it above Za'in's head, trying to pierce him right in the neck artery. Being so close, there was no way he would be able to respond quick enough….or so she thought.

He caught her wrist while her hand was still raised above them and held it there with sheer strength. She struggled to release herself, trying to push her hand down, but it was no use; his grip was too strong. Tightening it even more, Za'in held her hand forcefully enough for her to wince in pain. "You think I'm the villain here, but you're wrong," his words came in a rush now, as he forcibly lowered her hand, tightening his grip enough to hurt her so she had no choice but to open her hand and release her weapon. The letter opener fell to the floor with a dull thud. "He is the evil one. He is the one who took everything away from me. That's what he does…Surgeon of Death, hah, just listen to that moniker and everything should be clear!" Za'in's eyes burned with hate as he talked, his expression twisted in rage with that mocking smirk back on his lips. He stared right into Miyako's eyes, still tightly holding her wrist while he spoke, "He only thinks of himself and destroys everything he touches. Sooner or later he'll do the same thing to you...it's simply in his nature. You should be glad to be rid of him!"

The girl struggled to escape, gritting her teeth as her hand started to go numb with pain. "Let. Go!" With a shout, she hit the man square in the face using the heel of her hand and aimed for his nose. The pain shot through her hand as if she just hit a rock instead, while Za'in hadn't moved an inch. He didn't even seem surprised. *What's with this guy?!* She slowly retracted her hand, faltering in her decisiveness once she felt like she was fighting a statue or a machine rather than a person. For just a second she hesitated, feeling fear grab at her heart.

"Didn't I tell you; there is no escape." Suddenly he grabbed her and turned her around, still holding her wrist with one hand while the other held her chin. He made her turn towards the balcony where the storm still lasted. "Don't you understand, there is nowhere to go! And even if you'd killed me just now, what then? There is an army of pirates guarding this mansion who would be very angry at you for killing me before I've managed to pay them. They would strike you down out of revenge if nothing else…or maybe, they would make you pay that debt to them in another way," he purposely whispered that insinuation in her ear, making the girl shiver at the thought. "I've shown you nothing but kindness so far since I have no intention of killing a woman, I'm not like your captain after all, so don't make me regret it….pirate." He spat the last word with malice like it was an insult towards her.

She suddenly stopped struggling when she realized what Za'in said was right. She had nowhere to escape to and even if she was miraculously able to get to a ship, there is no way she could sail or navigate it on her own. The girl lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes while her wet hair stuck to her skin. She knew she even misplaced her mother's red ribbon somewhere, only hoping it was left on the Going Luffy and not forever lost. Otherwise, that would be just one more figurative punch to the gut for her now.

Za'in seemed content with her change in behavior, concluding she finally realized the fruitlessness of her situation and gave up this pointless struggle. He released her and stepped away from her, giving her some space. Miyako didn't move, still staring at the wet floor; she must've looked like a pale, shivering mess by now. Yet as she spoke, her voice was steady and stayed true without a stutter. There was a murderous undertone as she talked, surprising Za'in for the first time since their encounter. "You won't get away with this. You are underestimating both Law and me, and that will cost you your life." Even though her situation seemed hopeless, there was still a fire left in her heart that wasn't so easily put out, even by Za'in's show of power. "Leverages don't last forever, Za'in-san," she turned around to glare at him, her golden eyes lighting up as they pierced him, using his name for the first time since they met.

Even though he was taken aback at first, it only lasted a second before he returned to his previous self. He narrowed his eyes to glare at her, the cold in his orbs matching the fire in hers. "My life…," he started, continuing on her words. "-was already the price I paid when I met your captain," he hissed his answer before his emotionless stare returned. "I have nothing left to lose."

~…..~

The sun rose from the east, brightening the sky and the ocean with a palette of colors, yet the glorious scene was completely lost on Law who sat on the deck's railing with his head down, staring at the red ribbon in his hand. He was deep in thought, playing with the soft fabric in his hand while trying to decide on the best course of action. He tossed and turned the information about what he knew in his mind, summarizing everything that happened last night. Buggy's Delivery pirates attacked their ship, working for someone who had a personal matter with him. They took Miyako and sent him a warning to come alone, meaning at the very least he'll have to deal with a whole battalion of pirates standing between him and his nakama. Couple of hours had passed since then and he finished his work of treating the injured Bart Club members with the help of Goishi-sensei, the closest to a doctor Barto pirates had in their crew. Goishi wasn't even a real doctor so the 'sensei' part was more of a nickname their crew used than an actual title, but albeit a bit messy, the man had experience and practice so he ended up being quite a help while working with Law. Franky and Usopp, with the help of some other crewmembers, managed to fix the mast and patch the biggest holes in the ship, making it at least able to sail again. They set a course to follow the mysterious vivre card, not knowing where it would lead them, so now Trafalgar had do come up with some plan to save Miyako and do it all on his own while facing numerous enemies. His body, although much better than before, still hadn't healed completely so he won't even be able to give it his 100% in the upcoming fight. With a sigh, Law closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming. *This will be difficult.*

He was brought back from his musings when a raven-haired woman walked by his side. "Mind if I join you," Robin asked, and before she was given an answer, she leaned against the railing by his side. With the corner of his eye, Law noticed she held Miyako's sheathed katana in her hands. "I found this while cleaning up the quarters and thought you'd want this…you can give it to her once we save her." Robin smiled as she handed him the sword and Law took it wordlessly.

"We save her," Law repeated questioningly with a frown. "Didn't you hear the message? If they see you with me, they might hurt my nakama for it."

"Then we better make a good plan so that doesn't happen," Robin answered and chuckled when she saw Law's surprised expression.

Overhearing their conversation, Franky joined in. "You didn't think we'd let you do this alone, did you?" He grinned in amusement.

"That's right, Miyako's our friend too!" Luffy jumped from the ship's bow and landed in front of the trio, fixing his straw hat with a grin. He had been sitting up there since the ship had started sailing the waters again. At first he helped Robin and the others clean the hull, but that lasted for about 20 minutes of him running around, carrying junk, before he got bored of it and whined he needed something else to do. That's why he was brimming with anticipation, glad that they were finally on the move again.

"As long as you have the great captain Usopp by your side, you have nothing to fear," the Strawhats' sniper boasted with his chest puffed out and a pompous expression of confidence on his face.

"We would also like to help, since I feel I owe Suzune for taking care of my Momonosuke," Kin'emon added as him and Kanjuro walked over.

"Yes, she fought with us on Dressrosa. I believe she is an honorable sort," the painted samurai agreed.

"Besides…we don't have to go in there completely in the dark, remember." Zoro grinned, gesturing at the mast with a devilish look in his eye. There, two members of the Buggy's Delivery sat trembling, tied to the mast. All of their mates were killed during the battle, but the group lucked out with two pirates who were only injured. Goishi saw to their wounds so they wouldn't die and Law only had to wait for them to come to before he could start his interrogation. However, his patience was running thin and he decided now was the perfect time for answers, no matter what state the two were in. He set Miyako's katana aside and walked over to the two pirates, giving off a deadly aura.

"Wake them up," he ordered to one of Bartolomeo's men, never leaving his dark gaze from the bound pair.

The man found a bucket of cold, dirty water they used to clean the deck with and splashed it onto the two pirate mercenaries. The two gasped in surprise before coughing as some of the water got into their mouths and noses.

"W-what the-?" One started in a shout only to receive a kick from Law's pointed boot right in the face. With a yelp he stopped talking and spat out blood.

Looking up, the two gulped as they saw the Surgeon of Death towering over them with a malicious glint in his eyes. Perhaps that gulp gave them a chance to swallow some of their fear, because they found courage enough to stare back with defiance. "We're not afraid of you," one of them shouted out while the other encouraged him with a loud "Yeah!"

Law's eyes narrowed, but he ignored their claims, focusing on the important mater. "Tell me who hired you and why?" His question was brisk and to the point, indicating that he wanted the answers to be just the same.

One of the duo pirates, the tall bony one with long brown hair glared up at the captain and spoke up, "Hurt me all you want, I'll never sing for ya!"

"Yeah, hurt 'im all ya want!" The shorter, stubby one shouted again in support to his fellow crewmember.

"Yeah!...Wait what?" The skinny one shouted only to pause for a second, looking back at his crewmate with a confused look.

The fatter one just shrugged as turned towards his mate. "Ya know, since you were already volunteering…," he trailed off, feigning innocence.

The taller fellow shook his head before turning back to Law, "Whatever man. In any case, we pirate mercenaries of the Pirate Dispatch Organization are professionals so we don't kill an' tell."

"That's right! An' just wait 'til we chew through yer ropes of oppression an' topple yer puppet regime!" The short, thick one yelled towards the group that held them captive.

"Whoa man, that was deep," the long-haired pirate commented in awe.

Trafalgar raised his eyebrow at that speech while the others just watched on with stares of confusion.

The pirate in question simply shrugged, looking at his friend. "I got meself one of those word-of-the-day toilet papers recently an' I've been studying on them words...I just learned all these the other day," he explained while shrugging his shoulders as if it was no big deal.

"Shishishi, these guys are a riot!" Luffy laughed at the duo who looked like they were playing out a comedy sketch.

Trafalgar, on the other hand, wasn't so amused and his patience was running thin. His demeanor darkened again as he glared daggers at them. "I don't have time for this." He cracked his knuckles as the two stared back at him boldly, then called out one word, "Room."

…

Not even 15 minutes later, the two captive pirates completely changed their tune.

"We're sorry!"

"Aye, we'll tell you everythin'!"

They were just cut to pieces and put back together, only to be cut again. Trafalgar kept repeating that process, until he used only their heads to spin them together in a circle faster and faster until they were crying and yelling for mercy before they would both puke…which would be interesting to see since their heads were detached from the rest of them, yet certainly disgusting at the same time.

"Now talk," Law ordered curtly.

"Ok, Ok. We were sent as manpower for this guy. It was his plan to kidnap a nakama of Trafalgar Law and use them as bait to lure him in. Captain Burrows led us and we created a distraction with our attack while one of the men did the real job; kidnapping Burning-Eyed Miyako."

The group of pirates approached the talkative duo and listened in. "So Captain Burrows is the ringleader," Zoro asked.

"Naw man, Captain James Burrows is the officer in our organization, Buggy's Delivery. He's one of the higher-ups. The one who hired us was called…Zeek, or Zin or somethin' like that."

Law's eyes narrowed as he stared down at the pirate. He summoned his devil fruit powers again. "What was it?"

"Za'in!" The pirate instantly remembered with such a stimulating incentive from the Dark Doctor. "He has some grudge against the pirate doctor here."

"Za'in? Does that name ring any bells," Robin asked the said pirate doctor.

Despite what he just heard, Trafalgar was drawing a complete blank. His dark eyebrows were furrowed as he worked his brain to the maximum, trying to remember any foe he met with such name, yet nothing came to mind. Finally he shook his head in surrender, "No…I don't know of that name."

"Then why would he hate you so much," Usopp pondered.

"You must've done something to the guy," Bartolomeo joined in the conversation.

"Hah, ya don't even remember the guy ya wronged? How awful…," Stubby shook his head disapprovingly, but quickly shut his mouth with a frightened yelp when given a murderous glare from Law, "Eep!"

"Who cares?! Now we know where we gotta go and whose ass we gotta kick to get Miyako back! That's all that matters!" Luffy exclaimed, losing his patience.

"Luffy-senpai, you're awesome~" Bartolomeo cried out in admiration seeing how confident his idol was being.

Law sighed, not as convinced that such a simple plan would be enough…if you could even call it a plan.

"Luffy, we have to find a way to help Torao-kun without the enemy knowing," Robin reminded her captain with outmost patience, never breaking her smile.

"Mmm…," the boy hummed in thought for a while before dismissing the gravity of the situation. "Then Traguy can just take care of those little details." He jumped back on the ship's bow where the large replica of him stood as a figurehead, and seated himself crossed legged on the top. "Now let's go save Miyako!" With an excited shout, Luffy raised both hands in the air, balling them into fists.

"Whatever you say, Luffy-senpai!" Bartolomeo answered in equal excitement, though admiration was added to the mix. "Even if it's just saving that Ribbon girl," he added with the same level of enthusiasm despite his words.

Usopp sighed as he watched his captain's back. "Honestly, he just wants another adventure," he muttered.

"Fufufu," Robin chuckled, amused by her hyper captain as always.

Zoro smirked, but stayed silent.

"Suuuuper! Let's go save Miya-chan!" Franky added in a shout, striking a pose with both his large arms fixed together which made a star appear in the middle.

"Let us journey and save Suzune-dono," Kanjuro and Kin'emon nodded in agreement.

"Yeah!" Even the tall Buggy's Delivery pirates joined in with a cheer, only to be painfully elbowed in the ribs by his crewmate who gave him a disapproving glare. The others also turned around to stare at him strangely. "Oops, sorry, I just got caught up in a moment," he shrugged with a sheepish expression.

"Even though I keep telling you I should do it alone," Trafalgar complained even though it was clear neither Luffy nor the rest of the Strawhats were listening anymore. The Barto Club only wanted to please the Strawhats so they were instantly on board and even the two samurai had already decided. He walked back to the railing and looked at the vast ocean in front of him, before glancing back at the red ribbon he still gripped in his hand. With a thoughtful look he tied the ribbon around his left wrist, knowing he'll keep it safe there until it could be returned to its rightful owner along with Yawarakai-Te. He was prepared to do this on his own and risk his own life for it since it was his problem, a trouble that concerned the Heart Pirates, but the Strawhats wouldn't even hear of it. Right from the start they already decided to help and risk their own lives with him, just like they did in Dressrosa. Those were just the kind of people they were. He realized the only thing he could do was accept their help, since complaining wasn't of any benefit and they wouldn't take "No" for an answer anyway. So he gave up and breathed a soft chuckle, "In that case, I better start working on a strategy and take care of all those pesky details Strawhat-ya mentioned."

---

Glossary:

sensei – in this case, sensei is a title referred to a doctor, not a teacher.

grog - Grog is any of a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to a drink made with water and rum that sailors and pirates drank.

I put more 'pirate speak' in this one, because I'm trying to add that element to make my world so it would sound a bit more…'pirate-like.' So there will probably be more of that from now on. We'll see how it goes.

---

And that's all for this chapter folks! As I said before, I felt I needed to add a bit more of Bartolomeo and his crew now that they were together with the Strawhats and the Hearts. It seems like a waste that in the cannon they just skipped their time together and ended up at Zou right away. (Even though the anime had a filler, it was mostly focused only on Bartolomeo and Luffy, plus that one chick whose name I forgot…that's how much that filler drew me in... -.-'). And as much as I like Bartolomeo's fanboy attitude, I wanted to show that he also had a deeper dimension – that of a captain to the Barto Club and a hardcore pirate (you see a glimpse of that when he's fighting in Dressrosa, I believe).

I really hope you liked the chapter, I had fun writing it after the long break I had…and once again the chapter ended up being even longer than I imagined…I have a problem, it's a sickness I tell you! On a more serious note, a few people have asked me what will I do about the whole cannon Heart Pirate crew situation now that Oda-sensei has finally started revealing some of them and here's my answer; nothing! :D I won't do a thing (for now at least). For now I definitely won't be adding the cannon crew members to my Hearts because I have quite enough of them already (since Law said there's 20 of his crewmembers, and altogether I have 22 + Law, that's pretty close). However, since some of my Heart Pirates were only introduced by name, but not by appearance yet (because I knew sooner or later Oda would reveal more crewmembers at least giving us a peek of what they look like), I was thinking I might use the appearance of the cannon characters for my OCs and that way get the cannon story closer to my own (cause that guy with a mask looks really interesting, doesn't he? :D). As for Ikkaku (the girl Heart), I might add her later since I always planned to add another girl to the crew eventually, but I'll have to wait a bit to squeeze in my own between all the cannon that's been going on (I still have to decide where to add her). Good thing is I already have the back story for the other girl OC ready, so she's pretty much set. But when it comes to my Heart Pirates, there are still some backstories for them I haven't even had the chance to share with you guys in the story because of the cannon I've been following, so that will be my priority.

The future problem that I see is with Wanokuni Arc. Even though I have my own Wano Arc figured out, now I have to incorporate it with the cannon one, and for that I need to wait and see what Oda-sensei does with it. However, knowing the pace of One Piece, that's probably going to be a long wait so I have to figure out what to do in the meantime.

For other news, my old chapters are finally being proofread by the help of one incredibly hardworking Jeseney (thank you so much for all your help!), as they are overdue in need of fixing. There won't be any major changes that would affect the storyline, it'll just make it easier to read.

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Thank you so much for everyone whose stuck around and has been reading and/or reviewing this story! Your support really means a lot to me and it's a motivation to keep doing my best on this story. I know I'm testing your patience with my slow updates, and I'm sorry for that, just know sooner or later I'll always upload no matter how much times passes. :)

Reflected Darkness: Oh, I'm so glad you think that because I'm really trying to make all my OCs as cannon-like as possible, and with all the upcoming cannon storyline it'll really be a challenge to add my original characters to the story. Even though it's a story with an ending everyone knows, I'm happy it can still rise some emotions, that's what I was aiming for. Yeah, you're right; Isshou is the only link she currently has with Wano and her past life, so meeting him again was emotional and nostalgic for her (but for him too, since he is also a part of the Navy now and, as such, away from Wanokuni). Yeees, the main reason I'm excited for Zou is because I'm getting my Heart Pirates baaack! Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Guest: Thank you~ I hope you'll like this one too.

Apple Bloom: Thank you for reading! More chapters coming right up! :)

Ao tori: Yep, though it wasn't how I originally imagined my Wanokuni Arc to be, I'm lucky the whole Heart Pirate crew is heading there. (I would have been in a pinch if Oda decided to split them or something ^^') Well I'm trying to stick to the cannon so unless Oda decides to bring those two together, I will keep them as just friends/nakama. But hey, I can always add some good nakama scenes between those two. :D

Amelie'sHuman: I agree, I also missed the little moments between those two. The fact that they can have a moment like the old days means their lives are finally reverting back to normal now that Doflamingo has been defeated. Thank you for reviewing!

Guest: haha! She decided to show mercy a little, but no worries, as you can see there's no way she won't torture the girl at least a bit. ;)

Eve et Zod'a: Thanks! Hehe, yep, I couldn't wait to give them a little moment together.

White-Starcloud: Thank you very much for reading. To be honest I never imagined my story would become so big and lengthy, but now it's become so enjoyable to write that I wouldn't give it up for anything. ^^ I know I already commented on how awesome that speedpaint art was, but I'll just say it again because it's so great! I wish I could draw like that~ Thank you very much for that! :D

Izzie: Hi! It's no problem, I hope school and life are treating you well! :) Ah, and here I thought my story title, as ridiculous as it is, is at least memorable. Haha XD Thank you for not giving up and continuing to read it, it means a lot! ^^

Bizzy: whaz aaaap? Hahaha! XD Yep, somehow it feels like every new Arc Oda makes lasts longer than the last. I think the Punk Hazard Arc lasted a whole year if I remember correctly, even though it was like a day in One Piece world. It makes me wonder how long it'll take for the Wano Arc to even begin and for how long it will last. I'm glad Law wasn't ooc, I'm always worried about that when I'm doing those romantic or personal scenes. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this new original arc then, I also needed a little break from the cannon. :D Thank you for reading and reviewing and good luck with school and life too! :D

Jag: I'm glad you like it so far! Thank you for reading, I know it's a lot to go through (and wow, 4 days is pretty short for all these chapters, I'm impressed :D). Don't worry, there will be more in the future (it's just, there was so much going on in the cannon story, the two of them hardly had any time to be alone). Thank you for your review!

Hitoshirezu Ryu: I'm glad you liked it, this Dressrosa Arc was really a long run (or so it felt like). I'm happy I was able to deliver the emotional feel of their parting scene to my readers, because that's what I was hoping to achieve. I'm glad people really felt something while reading it. I always thought Oda wanted to how all these different types of people, some of them usually enemies, came together because of one common goal – survival. In a way, Doflamingo managed to unite all of them against him. That also gave me a good opportunity to use that temporary peace between them and reveal more about the relationship of Isshou and Miyako. As for the scene in Kyros' home; I always like those short moments of peace where I can take a break from the action, and build up the relationships between the characters, and it wouldn't be One Piece if it didn't have some humor added to all that. :) I agree, their meeting was perfect for foreshadowing about the whole Wano situation that I'm hoping we'll soon learn more about in the cannon (it might be a while, though). All in all, this chapter was also a turning point for Miyako's and Law's relationship that can now become more open since there aren't as many secrets involved anymore. (I say 'not many' because there are still things they don't know about each other, which is to be expected). Thank you very much for always following my story and reviewing with such detail, I can see you always put a lot of thought in each review you write and I really appreciate it, it means a lot. ^^

Not-a-fanatic-just-a-fan: Hi! I'm really happy you like my OCs, I'm trying to make them as cannon-like as I can and also detailed enough so they aren't just some background characters. I'm hoping I'll be able to add even more to their stories now that the Hearts are finally back in the picture again (I missed writing about them). It can be a challenge sometimes to keep Law in character, but it's been fun writing out his evolution from that dark, always-serious homicidal pirate into a dark, only-sometimes-serious homicidal pirate with a soft spot. :D I loved writing all those original adventures, so I'm glad I could share it you guys. Sometimes it's hard to find a balance in them since I always wanted to make my story a bit more darker (and bloodier) than One Piece originally shows (it's about pirates after all), so I'm glad it still feels like cannon after all. I know what you mean (believe it or not, Zoro is also my favorite OP character :D), but exactly because Trafalgar and the Hearts were originally shown as supporting characters, it gave me the opportunity to make something more of them in my story. Yes, big crews are hard write so I agree it can get exhausting. To be honest, writing the story with Strawhats in the picture is killing me because there's so many of them, all of them are important (I always keep forgetting someone) and I always need to keep them in character. But I'll do my best with them. To be honest, I want more Miyako/Law moments too! XD But I don't want those scenes to feel forced in the story, which is why I refrained from putting them in while the focus in Dressrosa Arc was on beating Doflamingo and such. I want them to feel right and fit in, especially when I'm following the cannon storyline, so finding the right timing is hard but crucial. I'll try to add more in the future, especially now that the whole crew will be coming back together soon. Still, I don't really use holding hands and all that lovey-dovey stuff because I just can't imagine Law doing things like that (nor Miyako for that matter). Maybe I just have a slight aversion towards that in stories, I don't know. XD haha I know, I'm a slow updater, I feel really bad when I don't upload for long. I'm always working on million things, that's my problem. (Time management isn't my strong suit). Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review, I'm glad you're finding this story satisfactory so far as I'm working my ass off on it. Hopefully, you'll like the upcoming chapters. :D

StarliteOracle: I see you're gradually making progress towards the newest chapters, and I'm glad you're still reading the story. I hope you'll like the new chapters as well, especially since there will be both original and cannon ones. Thanks for the reviews!

C. Ciel: Ah, yes, foreshadowing. :D We are all expecting Wano with anticipation, but also interested to see what Oda will make of it all. I can't wait to write about my Hearts again, I've missed them so~ I agree, it was a push in their relationship they needed to become more open with each other. :) Thank you for sticking with this story for so long and for reviewing!

Howtodreamagain: I'm happy you think so. I really do try my best so I'm glad it's appreciated. Oh, wow, the first ever, in that case I hope I gave you a good first impression of OC fanfiction, haha. :D Thank you for reading and for your review!

CocoGirlRevised: Thank you, I try my best to keep it interesting and to make my OCs realistic and cannon-like. ^^ I'm sure your stories and OCs are just as good. It's all about perfecting your skills through writing, so I'm sure if you keep writing your stories, you'll keep improving more and more. :D If it's for Law, my advice to you is read the parts in the manga with him and watch the anime scenes, and you'll be able to portray him just fine. It's all in there. :) Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you like the upcoming chapters as well~

Elisa: It's uncanny how much a person can learn from just one chapter, huh? :)

wisewolf101: No problem, that's why we're proofreading the old chapters now so such mistakes can be fixed. Hopefully we'll get them all cleaned up soon. :)

Iviidiis: Hi, I'm glad you do! :D And wow, 4 days, did you sleep at all? XD I'm glad I could portray the progress, both in their personalities and relationship between each other. I know, I'm in quite a precarious situation with the whole Wano thing right now since I'll have to wait for the manga to get more info on the state of Wano in cannon (as you said, a "few" more chapters ^^'). Yep, altogether there's gonna be a lot of vital information involving Miyako that's coming in the manga, along with Raizo, Momo and the others. I'm excited! :D I hope your exams went well and good luck with future ones~

Rafa: Don't worry, I will! Stay tuned. :D

MintTeaNote: I'm glad it got all those emotions out of you, that's the point! :D Don't worry, there will be more of Miyako and Law's relationship in the future too. Even though I like to keep it slow, hehe. Thank you for reading and for your review!

Sydney: haha Thanks. I think it also means it was high time for me to post a new chapter! XD Thank you for reading!

Anon: Thank you for reading and sorry for the long wait~

Katheryn: haha I know, I'm working on more, don't worry. :D I'm glad you like them, I also think they both work well together as they have a certain chemistry. Hahah Oh man, but those kids at Punk Hazard turned from cute to scary really fast! Now I'm worried…I'll work on more right away! XD In all seriousness, thanks for reading and reviewing, and I'll try to publish the next chapter as soon as I can. :)

Guest: Thank you, I'm doing my best~ And thanks for reading it in the first place!

Haintrex: I'm glad you like it so far. I can't believe it's already been 20 chapters since chp. 51, to me it feels like that story was just a while ago. And that's ok, I don't review often either, but I'm glad you did. ^^ I'm glad I was able to depict Miyako realistically, since I think it's important to show more than one dimension of a character. Thank you for reading, I hope you'll like the next chapters as well!

Guest: haha Sorry. ^^' I know it's been a while, but here it is. Thanks for reading, I hope I'll get to upload the next chapter soon~

Smarthiz: haha I'm glad I did. :D I know OP can get annoying with all the breaks and slow chapters the manga's been having, but all in all I think it's a great story. ^^ I'm happy Miyako is fitting so well with the storyline, because it doesn't seem like we'll be separating from the cannon any time soon. ^^' Thank you for reading my story!