A/N: Many thanks to all you lovely readers – especiallyxFallenDemonx, sarge1130, apple21, Keke xp, Mrs. ToraLaw, Son of Whitebeard, endingsarenotalwaysbad and Kagehime3 for the wonderful reviews as well to those of you who favourite/alerted. This chapter is dedicated to endingsarenotalwaysbad for always being supportive of my writing and providing the most insightful review of the round. As always, enjoy : )

Hostility Wars

Chapter 2

Interlude

"You would do well to go to bed soon, young lady. We have an early start tomorrow morning if we want to catch that Morning Glory Cloud."

Long after Haredas had extinguished the lights, leaving the entire cottage shrouded in darkness; Nami continued gripping the newspaper clipping in front of her. The lone flame of her candle cast flickering shadows over the black and white picture she had been mindlessly staring at since the News Coo had delivered it to her this morning.

3D 2Y.

"HUH? We're not going to go there yet?"

"Hurry up, let's go to the New World already!"

"How much longer are we going to hang around here?"

"What are we waiting for, Captain?!"

Trafalgar Law gave a relaxed smirk at the predictably shocked protests and wails coming from his crew. Stretching languidly against Bepo's luxuriously furry back, the Heart Pirates Captain watched in amusement at the disappointment etched on every man's face following his announcement that they would be remaining in Paradise for at least another six months. In the days after the earth-shattering events at Marineford two weeks earlier, the only credible news filtering through amid the propaganda being spewed by the Marines and World Government was that pirates from all corners of the Four Seas were taking up arms and hoisting their sails for the New World. The latest rumours that Blackbeard had already sunk twenty ships belonging to some New World hotshot captain's fleet had his men understandably eager to pit their skills in the most dangerous sea in the world.

"Don't worry," he chuckled, slowly propping his hands behind his head while Bepo continued snoring serenely in the background. "The One Piece isn't going anywhere."

"But there's no time to lose," Shachi burst out, the ginger-haired pirate wringing his hands in animated frustration at Law's apparent apathy. "We'll be beaten by everyone else!"

"It's better for us if they destroy one another," Law cut in calmly. Shifting slightly to angle himself more comfortably against Bepo, he caught a glimpse of Penguin's stoic expression. His First Mate had remained surprisingly silent throughout the entire confrontation; he had spent enough time with Law to trust wholeheartedly that his Captain always had a reason behind every move. Smirking again, he patted Kikoku. "We won't get involved in their petty fights." A determined glint entered his eyes. "Now stop griping and follow what I say – we'll get what we want at any cost!"

"Senchou!" The Heart Pirates burst out into excited cheers, all sulks and frowns forgotten at their Captain's reassurance. "We will follow you forever!" Shachi added eagerly, anxious to make up for his momentary lapse in faith.

"Aye-aye Captain! You can count on me…" Law's smirk widened as he sensed the sleeping polar bear behind him stir slightly before blowing another nose bubble and sinking back into the depths of slumber.

"Sleep talking?!"

Even in the middle of a dream, Bepo mumbled his usual apology. "Sumimasen…"

"DON'T APOLOGISE FOR SLEEP TALKING!"

Tch. Law grinned to himself. What a bunch of idiots. But thankfully, they were his loyal idiots and he wouldn't have traded them for anything…well maybe except for Doflamingo's head.

Looking up into the clear azure sky, he felt a renewed sense of exhilaration course through him. Only six more months in Paradise. Then, finally, he could unleash his havoc upon the New World.

2 years later

"Oi everyone! Dinner time!"

"Finally!" Luffy's beam stretched from ear to ear as he eagerly jumped off his usual perch atop the Sunny's golden lion figurehead. "I can't wait to taste that deep sea fish we just caught, I bet it will taste even more delicious than any other fish we've had!" He ran eagerly to the dining room, followed closely by a grinning Zoro.

Despite his captain's enthusiasm, Usopp looked unconvinced; his brow comically furrowed in his typically panicked expression. "But Luffy! We still don't know if it's safe to eat. What if it's poisonous? I don't want to die before we reach the New World…"

"Shishishi don't worry Usopp, I am sure we won't die today…" The Straw Hats sniper gulped and eyed his plate with evident hesitation.

"For you, my love – an extra big serving."

For the first time in a long while, in two years to be exact, Nami felt her nostrils dilate and stomach growl at the sinfully delicious smell of grilled fish Sanji had placed in front of her; all crispy golden brown skin and drizzled with a tangy lime sauce. "Looks delicious Sanji-kun!" She flashed him a brilliant smile and dug in – the delicious interplay between the freshness of the soft white flesh amalgamated with the tasty seasoning overwhelming her palette with the richness of its flavours. "Amazing!"

"AAAHHH!" The blonde cook clutched his heart dramatically before waltzing around the room in unbridled ecstasy. "Anything for you, Nami-swaaaaaan!"

The dark-haired archaeologist sitting across the table flashed Nami an amused smile as Sanji served her a similarly enormous portion of the fish. "It looks wonderful, Cook-san."

"Oi Sanji! Seconds!" Predictably, Luffy had already wolfed down his share in mere seconds and frantically signalled to the chef for more.

Zoro grunted as he took a swig of sake. "Same here, ero-cook."

"Get your own second helpings, you shitty bastards," Sanji growled, knocking their heads together before grabbing their plates and heading back to the kitchen. "At the rate you shitty idiots are eating, there won't be any left for my darlings Nami-swan and Robin-chwan to have any seconds…"

Nami relaxed, letting the familiar noise and chaos wash over her as Luffy, Usopp and Chopper fought over who got to play with the leftover fish eyeballs and Sanji and Zoro got into a petty argument over who had played the bigger part in helping to catch tonight's main course. It seemed that with each passing moment and every word being spoken, she was reminded exactly how much she had missed every one of them during their two-year separation. From the exaggerated cries of "Marimo/Ero-cook!" to Luffy's delighted shishishi of laughter, Franky's super pose and even Brook's skull jokes, Nami stifled the feelings of gratitude and love for her crewmates that suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. She took a sip of her orange juice. "Who's on guard duty tonight?"

The high-pitched wailing of the Den Den Mushi sitting on the kitchen sideboard suddenly pierced the air, bringing an abrupt halt to the lively chatter that had filled the room.

"Hey, what's this?" Luffy demanded, the straw-hatted boy gesturing to the violently sobbing snail. "The Den Den Mushi is crying!" Poking it somewhat violently, he looked puzzled. "Hey, what's wrong? You have a stomach ache?"

Sanji snorted at their Captain's typical lack of general knowledge. "Baka. That's an emergency signal – someone is calling for help."

As Luffy made to pick up the receiver, Robin gestured at him to stop. "Wait. It could be a trap by the Marines – it is one they often use. If the line is tapped, they will find out where we are."

Upon hearing mention of the Marines, Usopp shivered violently. "Hey Luffy, you have to be caref…"

Unsurprisingly, Luffy was already barking excitedly into the Den Den Mushi's receiver. "Hello? My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to become the King of the Pirates!" The orange-haired Navigator rolled her eyes. Even to a ghost caller in the middle of nowhere, her excitable Captain never failed to make known his name and lifelong ambition.

The black-haired sniper snatched the receiver from him in a panic. "You picked up too fast and you said too much!"

"HELP ME!"

Everyone in the room froze.

"My colleagues are getting cut one after another! The samurai are going to kill us!"

Nami noticed Brook and Zoro exchange a meaningful look.

Samurai? The navigator frowned. As far as she knew, the only Samurai in this world came from the Wano Kingdom, a small country tucked away somewhere in the Grand Line. Famed for the skill and strength of their swordsmen, the tiny country was fiercely independent and had doggedly refused to bow to or be affiliated in any way with the World Government. It was a testament to the esteem in which the World Government held their military strength that they had allowed the Wano territory to remain unconquered up to now.

Luffy grabbed the receiver back from Usopp. "Hey you! What's your name and where are you?"

Everyone in the room held their breath as the Den Den Mushi dropped its head despondently, tears continuing to trickle down its cheeks as it shook in evident terror. "Somebody please help me…I'm on…"

Nami watched in shock as the snail took a deep breathe.

"…PUNK HAZARD!"

"Come in."

Monet felt a smirk curl her lips at the sight of her visitor, cunning amber eyes roaming appreciatively over his tall, imposing figure. "Oh, Law. Such a delicious sight for sore eyes among these parts…is there anything I can help you with?" the harpy purred, licking her lips suggestively as she slowly lowered the dossier on the Straw Hats she had been perusing before his interruption. In the six months since he had mysteriously appeared on Punk Hazard, Monet had yet to see the stoic pirate display even a flicker of emotion no matter the context or situation. Any amount of insults, compliments and goading all seemed to sail over his head so she had settled on a cross between sarcasm and flirtatiousness in the secret hope that one day she would be able to find that chink in his armour and prey on his inner desires; it had almost become a personal challenge to the harpy to crack the emotionless facade that Trafalgar Law always wore.

Ignoring her question, the Shichibukai merely replied baldly, "There are intruders approaching the island. A Marine warship."

"Oh?" The verdant-haired woman paused, a slight frown creasing her brow. "Do you want me to tell Caesar?"

"No." His expression darkened as he swept his cold, grey eyes over her. "I'll deal with them myself. I just came to tell you to stay out of my way."

Monet sneered slightly. "As cold as ever, Law. And coming from the Snow Woman herself, that's quite a compliment. Fine, I'll leave it up to you." Her lips curved upwards in a devious smirk again. "You are a Shichibukai now, after all."

Wordlessly, he turned to leave the room. Using his Kenbunshoku Haki, the Dark Doctor estimated that the Marines were about three miles away from the island, which gave him enough time to intercept them in the front entrance to the abandoned facility before they could get any further.

"Oh, and Law?"

He stopped.

"I think I don't have to remind you what's at stake if the Marines or the World Government find out about Punk Hazard." Monet flapped her wings slowly as she lowered herself back to her chair.

A dark smile crossed his lips. "No, you don't."

A/N: Apologies that there was absolutely no LawNa interaction this chapter – we needed to build up to the meeting between the Straw Hats and Law! But stay tuned – we're going to jump straight into the Punk Hazard arc next chapter and if you guys are familiar with the manga/anime, you might remember the very moment when our favourite navigator and Shichibukai first laid eyes on each other…From here out, I'll be starting to take minor liberties with the storyline for brevity's sake but most of the main events will still be as per canon.

Den Den Mushi – Transponder Snail

Kenbushoku Haki – Observation Haki

Senchou - Captain

Shichibukai – Warlord

Sumimasen – Sorry / Excuse me