A/N: I really liked how this chapter came out, just because it has some very specific scenes that underscore the immense amount of danger and peril that comes along with Doflamingo, which is something I feel can't get highlighted enough.

Two

Airy music played in the background as Nauja took notes out of her book, working hard as she studied. It was a text more complicated than Law-san had ever given her and she was doing her best to understand it, even though it was hard to do with her uncomfortable dress and the unfamiliar environment. She paused and a large hand gently took the paper away from her, Doflamingo looking over her work before returning it.

"Excellent job," he affirmed. "You have the same thirst for knowledge and gift for attaining it as your father. Keep this up and we'll make you a diplomat before you're out of puberty."

"Puberty involves big changes in hormones and that often comes with mood swings and temperament changes," she noted, remembering what she learned from a book on the Polar Tang. "Why would anyone make someone going through puberty an important person like that?"

"…because you will be a princess, and cute young princesses are excellent symbols of a kingdom and their legitimacy." He sat down across from her at the table, his large frame dwarfing hers. "I have a potential queen, but I do not have an heir. Training my intelligent, capable, adorable young niece will be something the people will love to watch me do."

"You keep calling me that," she said, brow furrowed. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

"I am Cora-san's brother." The pencil dropped out of her hand and onto the table as she marveled at the new information. "That is what the kids used to call him, anyhow. His real name was Donquixote Rosinante, and he was the apple of my eye until he decided to run away with Law. We were in the middle of truly helping the boy when all of a sudden—poof—he was gone. Rosi thought he could help Law better on his own, when really all he did was abandon us."

"…but Cora-jiisan rescued Law-san from a bad place," Nauja recalled. "A bad man killed him for rescuing Law-san. How come?"

"He was afraid." She tilted her head at his response. "He was afraid of what Law would grow up to be without our influence—what he has grown up to become without our influence—and I was willing to risk everything to get him back." Doflamingo paused for a moment before standing again, moving to lift her into his arms. "Here, let me show you something."

Nodding, Nauja allowed Doflamingo to pick her up, knowing that if she didn't the Pressure was likely to come back. He carried her through the castle until they stopped outside a specific door and he put her down. One handed, he opened the door and ushered her into the hall, where five large chairs sat.

"Diamond, Club, Spade… Heart…" she said, seeing the designs on the backs of four of the chairs. "So, then this is Diamante's seat, and this is Trebol's, and this is Pica's, but… who sits here…?"

"It used to be Rosi, and was supposed to be Law, but now," he deftly placed her in the Heart Seat, "it will be you."

"It… it will…?"

"It will, yes," he beamed proudly. "Then, one day, hopefully a long, long time from now, I will be gone, and you will sit in the middle seat in my place. You will become the new Joker and the Reign of the Donquixote shall continue to flourish."

"…but, I'm not a Donquixote…"

"Yes, your name might become a problem, so I plan on amending it during the Levely. Donquixote Nauja has a certain sound to it, no?"

"Why during the Levely…?"

"In order to officially make you my heir, I have to bring you before a council and give my reasoning for taking you into my family and turning you into the next Queen of Dressrosa when the time comes." He bent down to be closer to eye-level with her, grinning widely. "Think of it: you will have the power to make or break entire countries. You will be the boogeyman and the savior—the fair knight and the shadowy villain—and no one will be able to tell you no. There shall be nothing that gets in your way."

"I… I want to be a doctor," she squeaked. "I want to draw medical pictures."

"Ah, see, there's where you'd be wasted. A young lady of your potential? You are meant for so much more than that. I mean… you do want to live up to your potential, right?"

"I guess…"

"Then as you grow, you shall become the greatest Heart to have ever sat on this chair," he said. "You shall become an elegant princess, charming the crowds and tricking the masses. You shall exercise your grip on the world's shadows, bending them to your will and crushing any opposition. You shall become more powerful than even the Celestial Dragons, making them regret the worst decision of their lives."

"What… erm… what decision is that?" she asked. Doflamingo's lips curled.

"Fufu… why, not letting me and my brother back into their folds, what else?" He chuckled as confusion swept over her face, the little girl not understanding the situation. "Daddy doesn't even know this: Cora-san and I were born in Mariejois, favored sons in a powerful family. Our father… he made a deeply foolish decision and we were exiled. Not even bringing them his head granted us permission to return to our former lifestyle. Since then, everyone who has gotten in my way has fallen, whether it be Dressrosans or Marines or even my own dear brother." He cradled her face in his hand, the Pressure coming down on her shoulders again. "We shall make the Celestial Dragons regret that day, regret it all, because they are the bad people, my dearest, wonderful, most special Nauja. They could not find it in them to forgive children for their father's sins, so now the remaining child wants their children's children to remember how foolish they once were. Do I make myself clear?"

She tried to open her mouth but her terror rendered her speechless. The Pressure pushed down harder, hurting.

"Yes!" she squeaked.

"Good." The Pressure stopped and Doflamingo stood at his full height again, towering over Nauja's tiny frame sitting in the chair. "Now let us get you back to your studies, as I believe you have training with Diamante later in the afternoon. We don't want to miss it."

Nauja nodded weakly and slid out of the chair, her eyes wide as she kept her gaze toward the tiles beneath their feet. She was scared, wanted to cry, wanted Law-san to show up and pop them back onto the Tang so they could sail far away. She wanted Viola-ya to hide her until the Hearts showed up to rescue her. Maybe Bepo-ya would show up—like he did on the island—and she would run to him with open arms instead of hiding like she had back then. He would bring her to the rest of the crew and they'd wait on the ship while Law-san set Dressrosa on fire. They would sail away together… they were going to leave together…

Nauja kept her head down the entire way back to the study. All she needed to do was survive until then.

Law sat on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, doing his best to avoid the Straw Hats while looking as irritable and brooding as possible. He was not in the mood to socialize, let alone do whatever was declared "fun" by the younger captain. All he wanted was to get to Dressrosa, and nothing was making the island appear in the distance any faster.

"Hey, shithead, stop being a standoffish prick and eat something." He looked up and saw Blackleg-ya standing there with a plate of food in one hand and a drink in the other. "I don't cook for my health, you know." Law wordlessly accepted the meal and slowly began to eat, going back to staring at the horizon. He flinched as Blackleg-ya sat down next to him—wasn't delivering the food enough?

"I'll bring the dishes back," he scowled.

"Oh, I believe you, just, you're freaking everyone out and I need to hear you say in your own words that we don't have to fear you being on this ship." Blackleg-ya leaned back onto the grass, putting his weight on his palms. "I know you're worried."

"Worried doesn't even cover it," Law grunted. He looked at the onigiri in his hand and resisted the urge to crush it as though it was Doflamingo's head instead—if Blackleg-ya didn't fuck with food, it was the least he could do in return. "I've been living in this man's shadow for sixteen years; there's not a lot I can do when he has my daughter kidnapped other than be worried."

"How old is she, might I ask?" Law glanced over at Blackleg-ya to see genuine curiosity in the other man's expression—he wasn't fishing for information to manipulate.

"She'll be eight in late summer," he replied. It was not exact, but it was what he would afford the Northern man for his concern and amazing food. Fuck, he can't let the crew know how good some of the homestyle dishes were that he'd been force-fed recently. "I'll be damned if she's spending her birthday with that monster."

"So she's a little younger than Momo? That's good to know. Maybe they'll get to play together."

"I doubt; she doesn't socialize with a lot of kids her age."

"Well, I know kids are often pickier than adults; she have a favorite food I can make for her when she gets here? Least favorite?"

"I don't know what she doesn't like, but she enjoys umeboshi onigiri; and everyone thinks I'm the psychopath."

Blackleg-ya chuckled at that. "Does her mother like it too?" Law didn't answer and kept eating instead. "I'm sorry—should've realized why she was with you. Don't seem like the type to keep a kid on a pirate ship in the face of a safer alternative."

"She's not my daughter by blood," Law admitted. It was quiet between the two of them, the only sounds being that of the sea and the distant giggles of the other Straw Hats. "We found her and I learned my lesson long ago about handing people over into the care of the Marines, so I kept her."

"Then why did you let us give the Punk Hazard kids to Smoker and Tashigi-chan?"

"Nami-ya's conviction, mostly." He popped the rest of the onigiri he was working on in his mouth and picked up another, holding its weight comfortably in his hand as he chewed and swallowed. "Nauja wasn't originally mine, but I'll do anything to keep her safe."

"Nauja… that's a cute name," Blackleg-ya said. He watched the other man eat for a couple bites before laying down and staring up at the sky, resting his arms behind his head. "You know… I was raised by a single man too. Ex-pirate. He found me half-drowned on a rock when I was ten."

"Did he now?"

"He did—the shitty old geezer was never meant for fatherhood. He cussed and he wasn't afraid to hit me when I needed it and was just your classic ornery piece of shit… but, under it all, he did everything he could to make sure I stayed alive and safe and thriving. Learned just about everything I know about fighting and cooking from him; couldn't've asked for a better dad." He saw that Law was looking at him, so he shrugged. "Neither of us have ever said it, but we love each other, so I get it. Kids… they can change even the bitchiest stringbean's priorities."

"I am going to continue to eat and pretend that you did not just refer to me as a bitchy stringbean," Law deadpanned. Blackleg-ya snickered on the lawn, knowing he got the other man good.

"Don't worry," he said. "Luffy's helping now—there's no way you're going to be without your kid for longer than you have to be."

Law hoped the younger man was right.

It was late at night as Nauja sat up in bed and looked around her bedroom. It was a large space, filled with all sorts of inert toys, as well as her desk and some wardrobes that housed her ever-expanding collection of dresses and other frilly things Giolla made. Once she was sure that there was no one physically in the room, she got out of bed and began checking different places where someone might be spying. She eventually found the baby transponder snail that was being used to monitor her and disabled it—no chances.

With the room clear, Nauja went into one of the wardrobes and dug her Sora backpack out from the bottom. She brought it to her bed and sat down atop the covers before opening it. Inside was everything that had come with her to Dressrosa… everything that connected her to the Polar Tang, the Heart Pirates, and Law-san. Pulling out a book, she flipped past lots of different pages about medical things until she got to photos of her with the crew that she had hid inside. It hurt to look at them, but she knew she had to—every day she realized she was forgetting their faces more and more, and they were the last people she wanted to forget.

"What is that you have?"

Nauja gasped and held the book close to her chest, looking about the room to see who was there. A one-legged toy soldier stood on her open windowsill. He hopped off and stood just inside her room, causing her to narrow her eyes at him.

"Toys aren't allowed inside people's houses," she said, remembering what Viola-san told her. "Why are you here…?"

"I am different than the other toys and therefore have different rules," he replied. "My name is Thunder Solider and I am the protector of all good little children in need of help." He paused, allowing her time to process that. "May I come closer?"

Nauja quietly nodded and Thunder Soldier approached.

"A medical book?"

"I want to be a doctor when I grow up," she replied. Nauja placed the book down and allowed Thunder Soldier to look at the photo between the pages—it was of her and Professor Nanuk on Law's shoulders, the captain wearing the smile that he only seemed to make when he knew she was around. "I miss him."

"Of course you miss your father, nena," Thunder Soldier replied, using that word that Viola did. "That is natural when a child is away from their parent."

"Law-san is just the captain," Nauja explained, shaking her head. "I'm not his daughter—I'm no one's daughter. I only let Uncle Doffy think what he does because that way I stay safe."

"Every little girl is someone's daughter. Why would you miss a man whose shoulders you sat on despite not being your father? Wouldn't you miss someone else first?"

"I guess…"

"I have a daughter, who was a little younger than you when I was separated from her," Thunder Soldier said. He placed his hand on hers, stiff lacquered wood against soft skin, hoping to share strength. "He is coming to save you… just as I did my best to protect my daughter."

"Where… where is she…?" she asked. "Is she another toy?"

"She is not, and I am glad." The toy then looked at the text on the page and Nauja could feel his frustration. "You understand this?"

"Yes; this is an important book," she said. "Law-san wanted me to read it from cover to cover until I understood every word. There's still some that I have trouble with, but he usually is good at explaining."

"Then he is indeed a good father, and you shall indeed become a good doctor," he replied. Thunder Soldier placed the photo back in the book and gently closed the cover. "You are not alone, child. There are those here who wish to protect you while your father comes to save you; nothing is like fighting for a child's future. You won't have to worry about the Levely, because something tells me he'll be here before then."

"Wait… how did you know?!"

"Everyone is talking about it: Doflamingo announced his intention to make you the Crown Princess earlier today." Thunder Solider took a piece of paper out of his hat and handed it to Nauja. Sure enough, that was what it said. "I have also heard stories of two Pica Army officers needing to be put back together after a run-in with a particularly nasty Devil Fruit user… one that can take people apart while keeping them alive…"

"That's Law-san!" Nauja gasped happily. She then froze as she realized that she was crying. "That's… my dad… he's going to save me."

"Do not give up hope," Thunder Soldier insisted. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "Tell me your name, so that I might not forget it."

"Nauja," she said through sniffles, "but if Law-san is really my dad like you say he is, then my name is Trafalgar Nauja."

"Then you must be brave, Trafalgar Nauja, for things will be very scary for a while and there will not be many good adults to help you." They both then heard movement in the corridor and panicked. "I'll be back soon!"

"Thank you, Soldier-ya!" Nauja began hurriedly packing her things as Thunder Soldier fled from the room; he was gone and her backpack hidden under the bed by the time Dellinger walked in.

"…and what are you doing up this late, you little fucking brat?" the teen sneered. Nauja didn't answer, instead pretending that she had been interrupted while playing with a doll. He went to the bed and ripped the doll from her hands. "I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"My doll," she lied, pointing at the inert toy dangling in his grasp.

"Need I remind you, brat, that you haven't charmed everyone here. I was the candidate for Young Master's heir before he heard that your father fucked what was clearly the ugliest woman in the world and I am not just going to give up my spot that easily to accident of birth."

"You're a bad, evil person," she replied, head held high. Dellinger smirked at that, crushing the doll's head into splinters.

"I was found and I was chosen." He tossed the broken toy aside and instead chose to loom over the child. "Your blood means nothing but outdated obligation here."

"That's fine, because I don't want to be here anyhow." She recoiled when a grin crept across his face.

"Then you won't mind being victim of a little… accident…?" he purred.

"I want to go back to my dad."

"Daddy can't save you here."

"Dellinger; enough." Teen and child both looked at the door and saw Doflamingo's towering form standing in the darkened corridor. "I think you have somewhere to be."

After exhaling in irritation, Dellinger sneered at Nauja before heading out the door. Doflamingo watched him turn down the corridor before stepping into the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Nauja gripped her blanket in worry—what was going on?

"An important lesson to learn: gods do not fear trash," he told her as he strode across the floor in a few steps. He sat on the edge of her bed and leaned over her, the Pressure bearing down on her. "You and I, my dear, will be gods reigning over these petty worms, giving purpose to those who choose to follow us. Don't mind Dellinger—he's not the best at keeping his cool. Never has been."

"…but… we're Humans…"

"I was a god before my father sinned," he reminded her. "I know what it takes to become one, and there is one thing you need to remember."

Silence settled over them, unnerving the child.

"Wh-what is th-that…?" she asked. He held up his hand and twitched his fingers similar to how Law would, except this time she felt something wrap itself around her neck and tighten.

"The only fear you need to hold in your heart is reserved for me, little one," he insisted. Nauja gasped for air and felt something wet on her neck before both the Pressure and whatever was on her neck vanished. "Now get some sleep—fufufu—tomorrow is a busy day, and you have much work to do before you become Corazón."

She waited until he left the room to feel her neck—blood.

'Law-san… where are you…?'

Nauja fell asleep that night clutching her medical textbook, having taken it out from under her bed and kept it close. A photo of her and Law-san laid out where she could see it in the moonlight and she couldn't help but cry while she drifted off. It hurt, and she was scared, and nothing felt right anymore. A hazy image of Thunder Soldier was the last thing she was aware of before she was sound asleep, her thoughts wandering towards how sad he seemed and how he felt safe like Law-san. Whomever his daughter was, she thought, was really, really lucky to have him.

She woke in the morning to find the photo and textbook gone, everything being placed in her backpack and stored in the bottom of the wardrobe again in the middle of the night. Maybe, she imagined, Soldier-ya had come by the night before, and he really was crying… but… toys couldn't cry or feel warm as they hugged… could they…? Then again, how could toys have children, or even come inside a Human house? She had so many questions, and yet there was barely anyone to ask.

Nauja hurried to dress herself and head down to breakfast; the last thing she wanted was one of the Family to come in to fetch her.

The trip to Dressrosa felt as though it would never end. While the Straw Hats mostly avoided Law and the Sack Full of People Bits Called Cesar Clown, it was difficult to completely dodge the other pirate captain and the mood he brought along hung sourly on the air. Nothing seemed to lift the gloom and no one could really blame him. If that was their kid that Doflamingo had kidnapped, they'd be pissed off too.

…and frankly, it was bad enough it was Torao's kid. Their tempers were flared all the same.

Eventually, they all reached the island known for its warm climate, amazing food, and fiery women. The pirates broke into three groups, with Nami, Chopper, and Brook staying on the ship with Momonosuke; Luffy, Zoro, Franky, and Sanji headed off to figure out how to destroy the SMILE factory and rescue the Wanolese captives; Kin'emon, Usopp and Robin went off with Law in order to hand over the Sack Full of Cesar Bits, but first…

"What are we doing here looking shady as hell?" Usopp grumbled. The four were sitting at a cafe pretending to have some espresso while they waited for Law's "informant" to show.

"Just keep your hat on," Law scowled. He took another sip of his drink and tried to not itch the false mustache tickling his upper lip. The things he wouldn't go through to protect his daughter…

"Ah, there you are," a voice said sweetly. Usopp looked to his right, only to see a voluptuous pair of breasts in a low-cut dress directly next to his face. He froze and went red, feeling more like Sanji than anything, instead looking up towards the woman's face to see curls nearly as tight as his and a coy smile as she placed her hands on his shoulders. At least Kin'emon seemed furious…?

"Glad to see you too, Ikka-ya," Law scoffed in amusement. The sight of his engineer in heels and a flowing dancer's dress was almost too much for him to not break into laughter—and him without a Photo Den Den for a bit of counter-blackmail. "Now that we're all here, I think we can get going." He stood and handed the Sack Full of Cesar Bits to Kin'emon, who hefted it over his shoulder. "We have plenty to do before the party."

"We do," she agreed, her voice higher than it normally was. Ikkaku latched onto Usopp's arm soon as he stood, which made Robin chuckle in amusement. "The hall we got is this way; come on." She pulled him forward, leading the group through the bustling streets. Eventually they reached a terrace house that she led them into, immediately shoving Usopp away soon as the door was shut and locked.

"Ow! Hey! What was that for?!" he yelped.

"I'm fucking sick of this place," she glowered, voice dropping down to normal. "Look at me, Law! Look at me!"

"I'm looking," Kin'emon offered. Blood dribbled down from his nose as he took in the sight, only barely able to register the oversized wrench in time for him to dodge.

"This is un-fucking-practical for my specific skill set, but noooo… we need to 'blend in' or some shit like that," Ikkaku huffed. "It's like no one's allowed to do anything normal in this bloody fucking place."

"…and your specific skill set?" Robin inquired. Ikkaku shrugged casually.

"Mechanics and machinery, specializing in a top-of-the-line submarine ship," she grinned, tone instantly shifting. "None of this passion and frills business for me."

"You know you can do both, right?" Shachi mentioned, poking his head from around the corner. She flipped him a rude hand gesture that he expertly ignored. "Oi, it's secure upstairs. Come on; leave the sack down here." Kin'emon placed the Sack Full of Cesar Bits on the floor and Ikkaku dragged it off towards another room that had other Heart Pirates in it, their guests unsure what was going to become of their chopped-up captive. They then followed Shachi upstairs to an inner room that had Bepo, Penguin, Clione, and Jean Bart crowded around a table.

"About damn time you showed up," Penguin smirked. He looked at his captain's extras and raised an eyebrow. "This everyone you could muster?"

"The others are either watching the ship or going to destroy the SMILE factory while Doflamingo's occupied," Robin offered. She was merely having fun watching as the giant polar bear Mink attacked Law in a fuzzy hug, completely ruining his stoic image.

"Verily," Kin'emon agreed, "and once I have the information to best assist the others, I shall join the group readying to destroy the evil fruit and rescue my comrades. The smaller and more discreet a contingent approaches the Warlord, the better."

"…and so we've got a sniper and the Devil Child at our disposal," Jean Bart noted. "This bodes well."

"Of course!" Usopp said, legs shaking. "Whatever you need us for, we've got it!"

"A magic bullet to take out Doflamingo from half a mile out would be nice," Clione snarked. "No, seriously, so much would get solved if we could just take him out."

"Considering none of you can take someone out unless it involves ice cream or booze, tell me what your sources and groundwork uncovered," Law deadpanned. Clione bit his lower lip in irritation—at least it was the truth.

"Alright, so, we do have a plan," Penguin said as he unfurled the map. It was crudely drawn, but was roughly the size and shape of Dressrosa, along with the divisions. "So here," he tapped on the map, "is where we are. Best we can tell is that the SAD and SMILE processing is here. Nauja is being kept here. We have a rotating skeleton crew keeping the Polar Tang ready to go here… and this," he dragged his finger slowly along a marked path, "is the best way to get here." He stopped on a sad, squiggly blotch labeled Green Bit.

"Have you been able to get a confirmation on Nauja's safety?" Law asked. Shachi shrugged.

"No one's been able to get visuals on her, but the fact there's a little princess living on the Royal Plateau again has a bunch of citizens really excited. Doflamingo has made it clear that he's raising her to be the next Heart and Head of the Donquixote Family."

"Grooming her to do his bidding, you mean," he growled. No one argued that fact—the kid was in a tough spot. "How did he announce that? Do you know?"

"Right before we got here he put out a proclamation that he had just been given custody of his niece, and that she is going to become the official Crown Princess after the Levely. There were still flyers here and there announcing it." Penguin took a folded piece of paper from his jacket and presented it to his captain. He opened it and saw a photo of Nauja, standing ramrod straight in a dress he knew she never owned before. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she was looking away from the Photo Den Den, exuding extreme discomfort with the photoshoot. Any number of people could have seen the image as adorable and spunky, yet for the ones in the building… her defiance was clear and the rage Law felt was tempered with pride.

"So that's your daughter?" Usopp asked, tilting his head curiously. "She definitely doesn't want to be there, poor kid."

"I'm glad you were able to save a copy, so we now know who to look out for," Robin added.

"There's only one other little kid in the palace," Bepo replied. "If there's a procession of the 'royal house' or any of the Donquixote Officers and a little kid is there that clearly doesn't want to be, then it's her. Next closest is a teenager and… well… he's short, but not so short that someone would confuse them."

"What about the other little kid?" Robin wondered. "Should we take her as well?"

"No—she's clearly a dedicated part of the family," Shachi said. "Eyepatch monocle, bright hair, penchant for grapes, of all things. We've only gotten a couple visuals—almost as tough to see her as it is to see Nauja. No one's excited about that kid, to be honest."

"Rumor has it," Jean Bart added, "that she's been a child the entire ten years Doflamingo has been in power—it's very likely the side effect to a Devil Fruit and she's much older. Information is kept very tight around her—she's too important to put in the spotlight."

"At least I know you won't be trying to drag her along too," Law frowned. "I'm running a pirate ship, not a daycare."

"Big words for someone who lets Nauja-chan walk all over him," Penguin deadpanned. He turned towards their allies and snickered. "Seriously: you haven't lived until you've seen this Resting Grumpface wander around with Human Sunshine on his shoulders. It's the most adorable fucking thing you've ever seen." He ignored the death-glare he was getting from his captain, if only because he had plenty of practice over the years.

"Sounds like when Luffy decides to perch on Zoro's shoulders," Robin chuckled. "She sounds adorable."

"Yeah, she really is the cutest," Bepo added. "We can't wait until she's back with us again."

"Verily, we should rescue this young maid as we defeat her kidnappers," Kin'emon agreed. "You were able to do the same for my son, and it would be a dishonor to allow her continued separation from her father for any longer than possible."

"Then you might need my help." Everyone at the table tensed and turned towards the corner where a toy soldier was standing. How the fuck…? "I am Thunder Soldier and I have laid eyes on the child you are after."

"How do we know you're on our side, Soldier-san?" Robin asked. The toy shrugged.

"Fuck Doflamingo."

"He makes a convincing argument," Shachi noted, pointing at the toy. "Even when asked, I've not met a toy yet that is capable of saying that even when it's clear they want to."

"Is she okay?" Law asked, trying his best to not sound desperate. "When did you last see her?"

"Last night, and every night this week," the toy said honestly. "She has photographs that she looks at when her captors are asleep. They keep her going… keep her grounded. There is little she wouldn't do in order to see her father and uncles again, but knows she needs to be good and be brave."

"Thank you," Law nodded. He glanced over at his crew members and set his expression into something ruthless and determined. "Let's get our kid."

Nauja sat at the desk in her room studying as the mid-morning breeze filtered in through the open window and brought with it the smells and sounds of the gardens around the palace. She sighed heavily as she allowed her head to sink onto the polished wooden surface—all the work she was doing was taking so much out of her. Not only did she have to study like she normally did, but she had swordsmanship lessons with Diamante, marksmanship lessons with Gladius and Baby 5, martial arts training with Lao G and Dellinger… it was so much and it was tiring her out more than sleeping at night could fix for rest. Part of her wondered if it would even be possible to go and run away at this point. Maybe this was what she had to do after all…

"Nauja! There you are, nena!" The girl jumped up, startled, and looked to see that Viola was in her room. "Pack your things! You're going to meet your father!"

Law-san?!

"What do you mean?!" Nauja asked.

"Exactly that—Doffy is getting ready to take you to Green Bit to exchange you for one of his lackeys," Viola explained. She held Nauja's face and kissed the girl on her brow. "Your time with us is going to be shorter than I feared."

"Thank you for being so nice, Viola-ya," Nauja sniffled. She then ran to the wardrobe and grabbed her backpack, putting in it everything she had brought with her and everything else she wanted to take along. "Oh! Should I change into my boilersuit?!"

"No—make it look like you're still a princess until you've been handed over," Viola advised. Nauja finished packing her backpack and ran into the woman's legs to hug her. "You've been so brave—just a while longer yet."

"…and then I can go back to Law-san and the crew?"

"Not likely." Viola and Nauja glanced over towards the door and saw Doflamingo standing there with a frown on his face. "Meva vida, mi amor, la reina, you weren't supposed to get her ready until later."

"She needs to be prepared, Doffy," Viola replied coolly. "She gets to see her father today, correct?"

"Today is the day that I show our niece and heir what true power is," he stated. Nauja could feel the Pressure coming down so hard on her shoulders that it sent her to the floor. Even Viola had collapsed, positioning herself in such a way that the Pressure lifted slightly off Nauja so she could breathe better. "You are going to come with me, my dear child, and Uncle Doffy shall show you what it means to be a god amongst mice."

"Keep your hands off her, Doffy," Viola spat, straining against the Pressure. "She is just a little girl."

"Like Rebecca was?" he asked icily. Nauja could see the fear on Viola's face, though didn't understand why it was there. "This little one shall be all mine to mold and nurture into a fine Corazón, do you understand?"

Viola did not answer.

"Do you understand?!" Doflamingo bellowed. The Pressure intensified and Viola passed out, collapsing atop of Nauja, who panicked as she turned the woman over and attempted to shake her awake. "Leave her; we have better things to do."

"I'm not going with you!" Nauja declared. "You're a bad person! I just want my dad! You don't have to hurt her because of it!"

"Oh, except, I do," he replied, lips curling in a grin. "Fufufu… you have much to learn, little one, and your dear, devoted Uncle Doffy is going to make sure that you stay on the correct path." She felt herself being lifted by nothing and soon she was sitting in the crook of his arm. "Power, my darling, is more than you can ever imagine. Now… let's get you settled for the time being…"

Nauja bit her bottom lip and tried to not cry or squirm—she was terrified more than she could express. She looked at Viola laying on the floor of her room and knew that nothing was going to be okay.

"What… what are you going to do to me…?" she squeaked. Doflamingo simply grinned.

"Nothing… yet."

"Get out of there! It's a trap! We'll explain later!"

"Blackleg-ya, my daughter is on the line here!" Law snapped at the transponder snail in his hand. "If he doesn't come and deliver Nauja, then we've got bigger problems on our hands!"

"…and I'm telling you that Nauja might not have a dad to rescue her if you don't get out of there right now!" The Den Den call ended and the wee snail in Law's hand went back to sleep.

"Fuck," he hissed. Law then noticed a tug at his trouser leg—Robin had materialized half her body in the sand next to the Sack Full of People Bits Called Cesar. "Where in the hell are you and Nose-ya?"

"Further into the jungle—that was Sanji, I take it?"

"It was; you two need to get off the island—Blackleg-ya says Green Bit's a trap."

"We're actually underground right now," she explained. "We'll move when it's safe to and meet you at the port."

"You're my ace in the hole," he warned. "If my daughter and I need you and you're not there…"

"…have faith, Torao," she smirked. The copy gave him a wink before petals began to appear. "Usopp and I are not in the business of letting kids as cute as yours down." She then vanished, right on time for the Marines to show up, as well as…

Doflamingo, and he was carrying Nauja in his arm.

"I came as agreed; now let her go!" Law shouted.

"Fufufu… I don't know about that," Doflamingo snickered. "Would you look at that! The Marines! What a coincidence…!"

"Law-san!" Nauja shrieked. She tried to struggle against Doflamingo's grasp in an effort to free herself. "Law-san, help me!"

"I have to say: it was a real interesting thing to learn you had a kid," Doflamingo said. "Having her call you by your first name was a clever misdirect, but not clever enough." The Marines all stayed quiet, as though at reluctant attention.

"Wait… none of this adds up," Law realized. "Even as a Shichibukai and a king, you don't have the pull for this." A chill ran down his spine as he realized that the blind Marine holding a sword was an admiral of all things. Fuck. "What are you planning, Doflamingo…?"

"This goes much deeper than you'll ever know," the other Warlord replied smugly. "I am all-powerful, and I shall make this child that as well once she's officially my heir. Don't you want her to live to her full potential?"

"That is my daughter, Doflamingo, and you kidnapped her!"

"I brought her home—there is nothing else to it."

Tch… Law went through the dozens of different things he could counter with in his brain, deciding that if he was going to put on a show for a Marine Admiral, the he was going to make it good.

"Then I challenge your claim to the Throne of Dressrosa," he announced darkly.

"Fu… you have no claim."

"That is my daughter, who you have publicly announced as your niece; therefore, I challenge you based on my adoptive father's right to claim. As the son of Donquixote Rosinante, you cannot deny me."

"Is this true, Doflamingo?" the admiral asked.

"No," the blond huffed. "My brother had no son."

"Then how is she your niece?"

"It is merely how I am referring to her before I have her formally adopted as my daughter at the Levely and brought to the levels of the gods," Doflamingo lied. He looked at Law and narrowed his eyes in a sneer. "This is nothing but a boy who rejected the gifts I gave him."

"I might have rejected your gifts, but that was because your brother gave me better ones," Law interjected.

"What might that be?" the Admiral wondered. Doflamingo went to answer, yet Law cut him off.

"Love, freedom, and ultimately, his life." He watched as the admiral tilted his head.

"So you are the boy 01746 died for," he realized. "I was made to learn about incidents related to this on my way over here from Marineford—if that is the case, then he has indeed inherited that right of claim, as I don't know what that is other than an act of fatherhood."

Fuck… it worked.

"Then I, Trafalgar Law, Heir to Donquixote Rosinante's title of Prince of Dressrosa, demand the return of my daughter or else Dressrosa shall have a legitimacy crisis on her hands."

"My brother lost all standing when he betrayed me," Doflamingo hissed. With him distracted, Nauja bit down on his forearm and he yelped in pain as he dropped her. "The fuck?!" Law quickly put up a Room and swapped Nauja with a small crab that had been skittering in front of him. Soon as the Room vanished, he dropped to his knees and held her close.

"I missed you so much," he whispered in her ear.

"I missed you too," she squeaked. "I love you, Law-san."

"Ik leafd du, famke." His voice cracked and he put up a Room that engulfed the beach and part of the forest. She was only able to look at him for a single confused moment before she vanished into thin air, replaced by a bug.

"…and Flevench; the things keep adding," the admiral noted. "So then tell me, Prince of Dressrosa, how true are the rumors that you have allied with the Straw Hat Pirates? An alliance would mean a revocation of your Warlord status, but if it was a case of their subordination…"

"Yes," Doflamingo grinned. "Tell us, you little shit: what's your deal with the Straw Hats?"

If he didn't play his cards right, Law knew that everything was going to hell.

Everything was warm and fuzzy as Nauja started to wake up. The last thing she remembered was falling down in someplace dark, but as she opened her eyes, she saw that it was bright and cheerful, wherever she was. A tiny face appeared just inches above her, causing the young girl to gasp.

"Oh!" the person squeaked. "The child is awake! The heir! She is awake!" A bunch of gasps followed—there was more than just the one small person that was standing on her chest.

Soon as Nauja tried to move, she knew she was in trouble, because she couldn't. She could only lift her head a little bit, seeing that there were other tiny people around her. They were in a place that looked like it was underground, except there were flowers and tree trunks and all sorts of things that only really belonged above ground. She tried not to panic, but tears still formed in her eyes.

"Let me go!" she demanded.

"We cannot!" a tiny voice declared. "You are the young heir to the Donquixote Family! You must be here to reveal our location to your uncle!"

"Why would I do that?!" Nauja struggled against what was keeping her down and failed. "He kidnapped me from my dad! Why would I work for him?! I am not a Donquixote!"

"If you're not a Donquixote, then why did he say that are you the heir?"

"…because he's a weird creep who thinks he can do whatever he wants!" There was much deliberation between the voices—they agreed that Doflamingo was a weird creep, at the very least, and thinking he could do whatever he wanted did hold merit…

"Someone get Leo then!" someone said. "She should be free!"

"Right away! Right away!" A couple moments and she felt something tugging at her arm, suddenly freeing her.

"Are you Nauja…?" The little girl sat up soon as she was able to and saw a tall lady in a short, dark blue dress who was staring curiously at her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of Law-san's," the lady explained gently. "We hid in the forest before Doflamingo and the Marines surrounded him."

"We…?"

"Yeah!" Nauja turned her head and saw another normal-sized person, this one a man with a long nose and hair like Ikkaku. "You happen to be in the presence of the mighty warrior Usoland!"

"Usopp…"

"We came to help your dad exchange you for Cesar Clown!" the man explained. "Of course, a few things didn't go as planned, but we're confident that we can finish the mission and get you back to your dad and the rest of the Heart Pirates! They're all here in Dressrosa waiting for you!"

Relief washed over Nauja at his words, tears and snot running down her face as she realized she was finally going to go home. She continued crying as the lady picked her up and held her close, rocking her as she stroked her hair and rubbed circles on her back. The little people all stared at them, feeling very guilty for sewing her to the ground—she was just a kid after all.

"If you don't like Doflamingo, then you might be able to help us!" a dwarf decided excitedly. Nauja recognized him as the one who undid the thing that sewed her to the ground. "I don't want to take a kid to battle, but you can help us confirm things that we can't! Like what's inside the palace! Then when we go into Dressrosa, you can hide while we do the rest!"

"…but I want to fight!" Nauja decided. "Even if we are really related, Uncle Doffy is a bad man who hurts people! I want to make sure he never hurts anyone else!"

"You'll be able to best do that by not being a target," Usopp said sagely. "Don't you worry—everything is going to be okay. Your dad is here, Your crew is here. We're here. None of us are going to let him get away with shit."

Nauja knew that was something she could believe in, if anything. There was something about these people that made her feel so much better… and really… what choice did she have?