From the sight that greeted Penguin's eyes, he had known that he was correct in thinking that Law was far more exhausted than he had let on earlier. Penguin quietly shut the door as he entered the room, keeping the tray he held in one hand balanced. The weariness made sense, however, given the circumstances and what Penguin knew about the dark haired pirate. Law wouldn't want any of his crew to worry about him after all. Their captain would have hidden that weariness behind a shadow of his faint smirk and some random excuse. As if they didn't know what lay beneath that façade. As if the whole crew didn't know that Law was not himself when he had returned to them after being months apart, and apparently barely escaping from Dressrosa, based on his battered appearance when he finally showed himself to them.

With a slight shake of his head, Penguin took a few steps to the left and set a tray down on the small table next to where Law lay slumbering. It was late afternoon, and Penguin figured that Law would be hungry by now. He hadn't been eating as well lately, and Penguin had no doubt that it was due to the events in Dressrosa. That Penguin had been sidetracked by one of the articles in the newspaper that he and the crew had found had led to a delay in getting that food. Boa Hancock sure was beautiful, even in black and white. Penguin knew that a few of his crewmates were going to stick it up in the room they dined in, so they could comment on how nice it was for Luffy to have such a beautiful woman concerned about him. Penguin let out a sigh as he settled down on the chair in the room, and scooted it close to the side of Law's bed.

Now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things, even if the female warlord was quite a sight.

Penguin watched his captain sleeping, inwardly relieved that the dark haired man was able to get some rest after his near sleepless nights since he had come back to his crew. Penguin knew for a fact that Law had stayed awake for nearly three days upon his return, until Penguin managed to get one of the crew to slip something into Law's drink when he wasn't looking. Law had looked tired the next day when he finally rolled out of bed, but his mind was much sounder. More able to reason, instead of the panicked looks and reactions he would give a crewmate by acting as if he were going to strike them, until he realized where he was. And who he was with.

Penguin studied the shadows beneath Law's eyes. They'd always been there, but recently, they were far more pronounced. And while Law was able to get back into a sleep routine that didn't leave him making foolish mistakes fairly quickly, Penguin had to grudgingly admit that their captain had looked well rested when he and Shachi had found him in bed with Kidd that morning. Penguin frowned. He really hadn't thought much about Law's whereabouts that night, because he had been drinking. Which in the past ordinarily meant he would have passed out in his room until Shachi or Bepo or he himself woke him. And the faint, genuine smile Penguin and the crew had glimpsed when Kidd had somehow managed to drag it out of their oddly serious captain. That had been unexpected but very welcome. It meant that Law would recover from whatever had happened in Dressrosa, eventually.

"No…" Law mumbled, shifting slightly beneath the sheets, his brow creased in concern.

Penguin reluctantly left the troubling thoughts about Kidd behind for the time being, and focused his attention on his captain. Who currently appeared to be having some kind of nightmare. The dark haired pirate's brow creased further, and he looked anguished about something as a helpless sound left him, "Stop. Stop it…"

He was nearly pleading.

Penguin was intrigued by the display, but also faintly distressed that something like the sounds issuing from Law were even coming from his captain in the first place. Law, who had always been so confident, so smug, would never stoop so low as to beg and plead, unless it were something far out of his control and he was desperate. And since Penguin hated hearing his captain so vulnerable, the Heart Pirate reached out and gently rested a hand on Law's closest knee, and shook it gently, "Captain?"

Law woke with a gasp and looked at him, eyes wild, desperate. As if there was something he had been trying to do, but had failed miserably. It was only when the Heart Pirate captain saw where he was that he calmed marginally, and he focused on his crewmate, "Penguin…"

Penguin had retracted his hand as soon as he'd felt Law's leg jerk. Penguin looked at the dark haired pirate for a moment before he spoke, "Are you all right?" Obviously he was not all right but Penguin felt the need to distract Law marginally from what was bothering him so much.

Law gave his head a little shake, as if banishing whatever had been there before he'd woken, "It was…" Law ran a hand through his hair slowly, before he let it drop to the bed in order to steady himself in an upright position, "It was just a dream. I'm fine. It was nothing."

Penguin's expression was half hidden by his hat. He wore a frown and a gaze that clearly doubted his captain's words. But he didn't press for details, since it wasn't his place to question his captain. Instead, he stuck to business, "We got the paper earlier. There has been word that more alliances have formed between some of the supernovas, ourselves included with an update in one of the articles." Penguin saw that Law was giving him an alert look, and continued, "The navy said that they were going to contact you at some point to confirm Fujiorta's claim that you and Straw Hat Luffy formed an actual alliance, and not just one where he was your subordinate. If the claims prove true, the navy is planning on stripping your warlord title from you."

Law snorted, a little bit of the edge of sarcastic dismissal in his voice that made Penguin feel better. That the captain he and the rest of the crew had come to care for and admire was still there. If only buried beneath whatever was troubling him. "There is no need for them to contact me. It sounds more like an excuse to arrest me more easily. I already stated before that the alliance between myself and Straw Hat-ya was one of equals. That he was not my subordinate." Law shook his head. "It is only a matter of time before the government and the navy revoke my title, whether they speak to me or not. But it has already served its purpose. The SMILE factory is destroyed. And Caesar is out of everyone's grasp for the time being." Law smiled, though this one was only a shadow of his normal ones, "Though the end of my venture in Dressrosa gave me reason to believe otherwise. I had had no idea that the factory had been destroyed until we were well away from Dressrosa." Law looked away, "And far away from Joker."

Penguin stared at Law's slumped posture for a moment, before he ventured to speak again, "The navy, it seems, is getting something ready. There is strict secrecy, of course, so not much is known other than that."

Law lifted his gaze to Penguin's shadowed one, his brow rising with a faint quirk of his lips, "And that part was in the paper? It isn't much of a secret if it is where everyone can see it."

"Not that bit, no." Penguin admitted. "That part was just gossip in the town on the island we left earlier today." Penguin crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, "It is probably not the most reliable source of information, but you never know. Sometimes the townspeople's gossip has some truth to it, if they have nothing else to do but snoop on the government and the marines."

"Rumors are better than nothing, I suppose. It is good to know. Although the navy normally keeps anything important covered up until they are ready to go through with it." Law commented as he sat up all of the way and stretched.

Penguin indicated the tray of food with a jerk of his head, "You haven't had any breakfast. I had the cook make something. I figured that you would be hungry by now." The Heart Pirate crewmember watched Law turn to the food, though Penguin's expression darkened at the sight of Law's left bandaged forearm and the way he was favoring it, "I had the crew from the infirmary check on your stitches to see how they were taking, while you slept. Do you feel that they are in place?"

Law absently glanced down at his arm as he took a sip of water, "It feels all right to me. I'll wait a little longer, and then check to make certain that it is." The dark haired pirate bit into a rice ball, "Though I don't doubt the skill of my crew. I'm sure it's fine." Law side glanced at Penguin, "Did Shachi get through to Straw Hat-ya?"

"He mentioned that he did. It was a brief call, however. Apparently, Straw Hat Luffy and his crew ran into some trouble with the navy, so it will take them some time to reach the new rendezvous." Penguin offered a faintly amused smile, "His crew assured Shachi that they would convince their captain that it isn't wise to go to Zou if Doflamingo might be there." Penguin watched Law finish the first rice ball before moving on to the second one, "It sounded like Luffy wanted to 'go beat mingo up'. At least, that is what Shachi mentioned he said."

"He cannot go after him." Law said bluntly, an edge of anger to his voice as he looked over at Penguin, "He should know by now that it is a foolish thing to do. Joker nearly killed us. We were very fortunate that the navy interfered when they did. Otherwise, Joker would have been able to fully incapacitate me, and seriously injure Luffy in the process."

Penguin said nothing. Because he wanted to hear more. Law was talking about something that he hadn't yet brought up to Penguin or the rest of the crew. Penguin wasn't about to interrupt his captain as he continued to speak.

Law seemed to calm down as he continued, though his voice was distant, as if he were back in Dressrosa and seeing whatever it was he was speaking of, "Straw Hat-ya managed to land several strikes on Joker, but they only slowed him down slightly. He was playing around with us, enjoying himself immensely. Joker could have easily harmed Straw Hat-ya more than he had, or stopped him in his tracks completely." Law set the rice ball down, untouched, and touched his left forearm lightly, "Joker seemed to take a lot of pleasure in forcing me into attacking Straw Hat-ya. This injury…" Law traced the wound beneath the wrap of bandages contemplatively, "I did it to myself. As a distraction. It was difficult, but I managed to regain control over my right arm for an instant, and wasted no time in cutting myself." Law left the injury alone and eyed the food, "Joker wasn't happy that I did that, but it served its purpose. It gave Straw Hat-ya the opportunity to strike him while his guard was down, however briefly. After that…" Law looked away from the food, "Joker wasted no time in making sure that I wouldn't do something like that again. Not a minute later, Straw Hat-ya's allies arrived and aided us in our escape, as the the navy had decided to show up. I saw Joker as we were helped away…he was furious." Law settled back in bed, ignoring the rice balls and the water, lost in thought.

"You need to eat, Law." Penguin insisted after a moment's silence. He was thinking about what his captain had said. He'd known, figured, that things had been bad, but he had had no idea just how bad it had been. No wonder Law was down. To have an enemy treat you as not a threat, and worse, manipulate you into fighting your own ally…

Penguin turned in his seat to face Law, about to try and encourage Law into eating, when the transponder snail began to go off next to the tray of food. Penguin reached out and moved the snail within easy reach of his captain to answer.

Law sat up and nodded his thanks as he reached out and answered the call with his uninjured hand.

As soon as he heard the voice, Penguin wished that he hadn't let Law pick up, because the voice on the other end was the last person Law needed to be talking to right now.

The transponder snail grinned widely as the voice on the other end spoke in an admonishing tone, "That was rather cold of you, Law. Leaving before we had even finished speaking to one another."

Penguin didn't miss the faint shake that shook Law's entre frame as the voice registered.

Doflamingo.

Penguin grit his teeth. Why couldn't the other warlord leave his captain alone? Hadn't he done enough already?

Law squeezed the receiver in his hand, before he spoke, his tone calm and conversational, "I do not believe that there was a conversation going on at that point."

The snail laughed as the voice did, "Fufufufu. Oh, but there was a little beforehand." Doflamingo's voice grew taut, "And there will be much more when I have found out where you and Straw Hat Luffy have run off to."

"We didn't run. We were merely avoiding the marines. Otherwise, we would have finished with you then and there." Law said coolly, though his hand was shaking slightly.

Penguin grew tense in his seat as Doflamingo just laughed away for a short time.

"You seem to be confused, Law. Our little fight was not in any way in your favor." Doflamingo chuckled, "Nor is leaving it before it was finished. I am not interested in pointless struggles. You have to know what will happen once you and I cross paths again? Don't you?"

"Perhaps I will see Kaido standing over your corpse." Law mused with a faintly twisted smile, as if he knew it would be carried over in the snail's features before Doflamingo, "And if I have to endure a 'conversation' beforehand, I will survive long enough to see you dead afterward."

The transponder's snail's smile was replaced with a frown. When Doflamingo spoke, his voice was not at all cheerful. It was a cold, controlled fury, "Say what you will, Law, but once I find you, we will have that talk. I highly doubt that you will be so carefree in wishing me dead after that."

Penguin couldn't stand it anymore. It was clear that Law was becoming distressed the longer the call continued. Even though his captain might become upset with him what he was about to do, Penguin would do it anyhow. Penguin surged out of his chair with a practiced motion, and crossed the short distance to Law's bed. Penguin immediately snatched up the receiver from his captain's limp grasp, and stared at the snail. "You will never get the chance to meet Law face to face again. I won't allow it, and neither will the rest of us." Penguin's free hand snapped up to grip Law's wrist in an unwavering grasp and kept his attention on the snail as he blocked out his captain's quiet protests. Penguin was further angered with Doflamingo, because had Law been feeling better, he could have easily used his powers to take back what Penguin had moved out of his reach.

Doflamingo was silent for a moment, before the transponder snail grinned widely, and some of the amusement returned to older pirate's voice, "Oh? That doesn't sound like Straw Hat Luffy, but it is vaguely familiar…" Doflamingo was silent as if pondering, before he chuckled darkly, "Fufufufu. You're on your ship, aren't you, Law? It is one of your crew that is speaking, isn't it?"

Law tried to free his hand, but Penguin's grip was solid and unmoving. He tried anyway, since he had a feeling what Penguin was going to say, and didn't want things to go downhill so quickly. "Don't." Law hissed.

Penguin, for once, ignored Law as he answered Doflamingo, "Yes, it is, and I am going to keep the captain away from you." Penguin gripped the receiver, "And the rest of the crew will back me up."

"Penguin." Law insisted, even if it sounded like the dark haired pirate wanted nothing more than to yell, to get Penguin to be quiet. To not antagonize Doflamingo. To stop, before it was too late.

Penguin didn't care. He hadn't realized just how much Doflamingo had been tormenting his captain upon seeing him after a ten year absence. And added to that, Law not saying a word when he had returned to his crew. Bloodied and battered, with a haunted look in his eyes and lacking of any sort of a smile. Penguin glared at the snail from beneath his hat, holding his hand firm around Law's wrist as he felt his captain trying to free it, "You will have to go through all of us if you want to get to Law."

Whatever Law had been about to say was completely forgotten at those words. He honestly looked taken aback.

Doflamingo appeared to have been stunned as well, though he was quick to grin as he spoke, "You have such a loyal crew, Law. It'll be a shame to lose that, won't it?"

"He won't lose it." Penguin said firmly and hung up. He had had enough. Penguin felt Law's wrist go limp within his grasp, and he turned to look at the other man as he slowly let go, "Captain?"

Law's hand, once freed, immediately moved up to seize the collar of Penguin's shirt, "Do you know what you have done?"

"I wouldn't have said what I had if I didn't." Penguin said calmly in return. What he hadn't realized was just how strongly Law felt that he had made a mistake. Until he ended up on Law's bed on his back with Law's weapon out of its sheathe and hovering not an inch from his throat, Law's free hand still fisted in his shirt. Penguin held still as he glanced up, even though he knew that Law didn't have it in him to truly harm any of his crew, no matter if they crossed a line or not. Penguin eyed his captain's furious stare and the way his left arm shook from where he gripped his shirt, "You know that any of the crew would have said something similar."

Law angled the blade absently with his right hand as he glared down at Penguin and looked him in the eyes. The other man's hat had been knocked off as he'd landed on the bed, "You don't get it. It is irrelevant as to whether any of you would have said it or not." Law's voice wavered a fraction, "What does matter is that you have made yourself and the rest of this crew a target of a very dangerous man."

Penguin blinked up at Law, and decided that he would much rather be sitting up. Calmly the Heart Pirate lifted his hand to the back of Law's blade, "You were not going to try and seek him out, were you? With Luffy?"

Law could obviously tell that the threat of his blade was doing nothing, so he set it aside after sheathing it. As soon as Penguin sat up, Law moved across the bed to seize Penguin by the collar again. And tugged him forward so that they were nearly face to face. "He will come after me whether I seek him out or not. And now he'll be thinking about what he could do to all of you before he deals with me." Law's grasp tightened, but his gaze dropped and he grit his teeth, "I tried to keep you and the rest of the crew out of his sight. It was why I insisted I go to Punk Hazard alone. Not because I was warlord. It was to keep all of you near Zou. I…" Law let go of Penguin and stared sown at the bed, "I didn't want any of you to be in harm's way from something from my past."

"We are your friends, Law. You do not need to leave us behind to protect us. We all would have been upset if Doflamingo had killed you back in Dressrosa. We would have questioned ourselves about whether or not there was anything we could have done to prevent it, had we been there with you."

Law slid back across the bed to clutch a pillow to his chest. He sighed, before he spoke softly, obviously not wishing to fight again, "I'll…eat later at dinner, Penguin. I want to be alone right now."

Penguin slid off the bed and picked up the transponder snail discreetly. "Get some rest, then." He left the room before Law noticed what he had taken with him. Penguin would remind Law later to warn the rest of the crew about Doflamingo. For now, they were travelling underwater, and were therefore safe from the warlord looking for Law.

For the time being.

-x

Law woke up hours later than he had intended to rest, but it was good. It was late, and he would be able to eat in peace without Penguin or anyone else questioning him. Law glanced at his table, and noted that the snail was gone. A faint smile crossed his features, before it dropped as he rose. It figured that Penguin took it. The man was more on edge than he was, and the protectiveness was blatant in his actions. Law supposed it was only a matter of time before the rest of the crew displayed it as well.

After a short meal of fish and a rice ball or two, Law snuck into Penguin's room, and silently padded toward the bed. Law felt better, so he could always create a room, should the snail prove difficult to find.

It did.

With a shake of his head, though more out of fondness than anything that his crew was so loyal and protective, and more so as of late, Law held up a hand, and whispered softly, "Scan."

It took only a few moments to feel the presence of the snail, and twitching his free hand, Law soon had the transponder snail falling out of the air before him, and into his waiting hand. Law felt slightly dizzy, and supposed that he hadn't quite recovered as much as he had initially believed. No matter. He had what he had come for, and it didn't appear that he would need to make a quick getaway, because Penguin was still fast asleep. Law left the room and shut the door quietly, and headed back for his room, smiling as he saw that Bepo had ended up outside his room, dozing. He must have come after Law had gone to eat a late night snack…dinner…whatever. Law stooped and prodded his crewmate in his furry head, a tiny, genuine smile flashing across his lips as Bepo woke and beamed up at him.

"Captain!"

Law brought a finger up to his lips, hoping that Bepo wouldn't wake the nearer crewmates in their cabins, "Bepo. What are you doing, sleeping out here?"

Bepo appeared to have caught on to the quietness, and responded in a lower rumble, "The ship's drifted off course. We need some landmarks. I wanted to see if it was all right with you to surface the ship and find out where we are."

Law nodded absently, too tired to worry about it overly much. He highly doubted the Doflamingo would be flying about through the air at night anyway, "If you need it to find out where we are, then yes, take the ship up. Just dive as soon as you know where we are. We don't want the marines or Doflamingo pinning us down."

"Aye aye, captain!"

"Go on then." Law said, patting his fury crewmate on the shoulder, and watched the white bear move down along the hall. Law shook his head, unable to help another as he headed back into his room. It was just like Bepo to fall asleep if no one answered their door right away, but yet…Law shook his head. Why hadn't Bepo just surfaced? Law opened his door and entered, closing it behind himself thoughtfully. Perhaps Bepo was worried about him as well.

Law sat down on his bed, and stared at the transponder snail in his hand. Then looked at the scrap of paper on his table. He figured a late night call to taunt and or heckle Kidd might put him in a better mood, so he picked up the piece of paper and made the call.

Surely Kidd would be up this late.

-x

Kidd was more than ready to go to bed after the fight he and his crew had been in against the marines. The destruction had been satisfying, but the gash in his side said otherwise. It was shallow, and didn't really hurt, but it was reminder that he did have to be careful on occasion when there were a lot of enemies to consider.

Well, that was what Killer had told him, and Kidd hated to admit when his crewmate was right about something.

Just as Kidd was about to drift off and sleep off the lingering pain of the wound that remained, his transponder snail went off. Kidd eyed it for a moment, before a grin crossed his features. He thought he knew who it was, and if he was right, the day, night, might end just a little better. Kidd picked the call up, a grin still plastered on his face. "I knew you'd call me."

The snail smirked faintly, though the dark haired man's voice was only mildly interested, "Oh? And why would that be, Eustass-ya?"

"Maybe it is because you slapped my ass before your crew interrupted us this morning?" Kidd ventured. He sure as hell had felt something lightly trailing over his lower back, and knew that it had to have been Law. Whether the other man had been fully awake was debatable.

"Now I don't know about that. Are you sure you weren't dreaming that?"

Ass.

Kidd's smile lessened, but it was mainly because he was distracted by the tone Law had. It was lower, as if he were thinking about something. Kidd lounged on his bed, settling the snail down and tracing a hand on the sheets absently, "Why'd you leave so quick this morning?"

"Due you very energetic show of letting me know that you were more of an animal in bed…" Law smiled, as if entertained by the notion, "My crew felt it best to fix the stitches that had broken so that I would not bleed out." The snail gave the impression of shrugging, "And they left without my knowledge. When I woke up, the ship was already on the move. My crew has been…more protective of me as of late."

"More like overprotective." Kidd grumped, at the thought of a wasted morning. He sure as hell had had the thought of exploring Law's body a bit more thoroughly in the daytime. A more close inspection of his tattoos for one, which he hoped would have led to other things. Quickly shutting down the idea that he wanted to screw around with Law, Kidd added, with a contemptuous snort, "And can't you take care of yourself?"

"The protectiveness is due to returning to my crew bloodied and battered after I left Dressrosa." Law's voice was dark, as if he did not want to speak further on the subject.

Kidd actually picked up on the tone and changed subjects, "…Are you gonna make landfall?" So I can fuck you senseless was left unsaid, but Kidd felt that Law would have to have been a fool not to catch the undertone. He wasn't disappointed, as he was rewarded with the snail giving a delightfully wicked smile accompanied by a rather laidback response.

"And why would you want to know that, Eustass-ya?"

"I'm at a town right now that's got a lotta cliffs, getting supplies." Kidd poked the snail, as if he could prod the other man, "And I ain't done with you, so why don't you go there too?"

Law was amused, "I do need to have the ship resupplied." And then, in a rather suggestive tone, the other captain innocently asked, "And in what way are you not finished with me?"

Kidd picked up on the sly, teasing tone, and grinned, his voice rough as he responded, "You're just gonna have to come and find out, won't you?"

The snail gave the impression of eye rolling, "I am intrigued by your failure to hide your intentions very well. Which island are you docked at? I will tell my navigator to chart a course there. If the log has reset yet, that is."

"Cliff Rock. Unimaginative, huh?" Kidd stretched out on the bed, yawning, "It's only a couple of hours from the island we were on this morning." Kidd hung up, pleased by the idea that the next day would prove to be interesting, should Law actually show up. That he was looking forward to seeing the other captain only gave him momentary pause before he fell asleep.

-x

Law had barely hung up when the snail went off again. Law eyed it for a moment, wondering who else would call him, other than Kidd. Maybe the redhead had wanted another parting shot. Law answered, his voice half amused and half exasperated. "Now what is it?" The amusement vanished as soon as the other voice spoke.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Law. Did something good happen?" The snail grinned, "I think you'll find yourself lacking that mood soon enough."

Law's mouth went dry, "What do you want?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: The chapter was freakishly long so I spilt it into two. The next one should be up within the hour.