Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Content Warning: sexual situations

Chapter 9

Watching

Law and Nami stood shoulder to shoulder in the large throne room. They had just finished giving Doflamingo the abridged version of their mission. Law was ready for the king's reaction, but Nami shifted her weight in annoyance, seemingly unsure how to take it. Doflamingo didn't notice her unease though. He couldn't. He was hunched over, holding his stomach, utterly overcome with laughter.

"Brother and sister..." he wheezed between cackles. "...And then he just handed it to you!"

After struggling to suppress further fits of giggles, Doflamingo finally settled down, wiping his eyes under his red glasses. He let out a deep sigh before pointing at Nami. "I knew you'd be amusing, Kitten, but that was something else."

He snapped his fingers, and a moment later, a servant was placing the file binder in his hands. He thumbed through it before addressing Law.

"The Vinsmokes might be strong, but I'd hardly consider them clever. Are we sure those enhancements didn't also rot their brains? Or were they just eager to believe anything in a skirt?"

Law stared back at Doflamingo. He knew better than to respond to the slights he made toward them. He had learned a long time ago, this was just his way of getting information. People are far too transparent once you make them angry.

"It wasn't their stupidity that made them easy to fool." The staring contest between the two men came to a halt with the sound of Nami's voice. Her tone was bored and she was idly checking her nails as she spoke. She spared the king a pointed glare before continuing. "It was their hubris."

"Fufufu," he chuckled lowly as he stood from his throne. The room was silent apart from his footsteps as he descended toward Nami. He was still smiling, his pink, feathered cloak floating gracefully behind him. The bright colors and soft materials of his clothing served as a stark contrast to the demon of a man who wore them. Law held his breath, waiting to see if Doflamingo took her statement as the sly insult he knew it to be.

"Cheeky," he mused lowly, placing a large hand on her shoulder.

Her face remained stoic and nonchalant, but Law didn't miss how her back tensed at the unwanted touch. The sound of another low giggle pulled Law's gaze away from the hand on her shoulder and back to the man it belonged to. Doflamingo was watching him carefully from the corner of his eye, his wide cheshire grin full of mirth. He wanted a reaction from Law, but he would get none.

The doors into the room opened.

"I apologize for the interruption. You wanted to know when we had an update on Operation Mousetrap."

Doflamingo released Nami, giving Vergo his full attention and signaling him to enter further into the room.

Vergo walked forward but remained several steps behind Nami and Law. "The package is in hand. It should arrive before dinner."

"So much good news in one day! I can hardly stand it," Doflamingo chuckled. He turned back to Law and Nami. "You two take the rest of the day off. I insist. Go hit the town, but be back by dinner. Tonight we celebrate."

Law followed Nami as they turned to leave. He watched as she bumped into Vergo, making an unusually less stealthy reach for his badge. He pulled away in time, clutching the breast pocket of his suit jacket and sneering at Nami.

She just shrugging and stated playfully, "Worth a shot," before turning to leave again.

"Oh, one more thing, Kitten," Doflamingo bellowed across the room. "You're safe here on Dressrosa, but you might want to keep a low profile while you're outside of the castle. Just in case."

He signaled to a nearby servant who jogged forward before handing them each a copy of today's newspaper. Law looked down to see his own face staring back at him. The Vinsmokes had put out bounties on them. Fifty million belli each, only alive.

"Shouldn't we be wearing disguises or something?" Nami asked looking over her shoulder. It didn't matter if they only wanted her alive, she did not like the idea of having a bounty.

"We don't need disguises here, Nami-ya. The people of Dressrosa won't betray anyone close to Doflamingo, and that includes you now. He was just trying to get under your skin." Law explained as they strolled through the island.

Nami wanted to be comforted by his words, truthfully she wanted to be comforted by a lot more of him than that. Still, she frowned as they walked down the vibrant streets of the city.

It wasn't just the fear of Ichiji finding out where she was. She worried how Arlong would react. Her bounty was far less than what she owed him, but one of the things he appreciated about her was her discretion. It wasn't widely known that she worked for the fishmen, and that's the way he wanted it. Arlong considered humans below him, and having one as an officer in his gang would normally be laughable to him and his followers. Besides eliminating any embarrassment her affiliation might cause him, keeping her in the shadows benefited him in other ways. It was almost always less suspicious for a human to work recon jobs. Even when she wasn't pulling a job, he could send her just about anywhere to create remarkably detailed maps for him. He might be lending her services to Doflamingo now, but that wasn't forever. Until Nojiko's debt was paid, she worked for Arlong. Having her face in the newspaper, labeled a wanted criminal, would only make pulling jobs for him more difficult.

Law seemed to sense her unease, leading her gently into a small alley between two shops. He glared at her thoughtfully.

"What?" She asked after he still didn't speak.

"I won't lie to you. Dressrosa is a dangerous place, but you aren't in any immediate danger. What's got you so scared?"

"I'm not scared." She looked away from him as she lied.

"We've passed five different clothing stores and three jewelers on this block alone, and all you've done is look at your feet."

Nami sighed softly. She started to look back toward him, but something caught her eye at the end of the alley.

Law turned around, following her gaze to the fishman staring daggers at them.

"I'll be right back," She grumbled, walking towards Kuroobi. Law ignored her words and followed closely.

Without so much as a greeting, Kuroobi lead them silently to a building on the edge of town. He kept several pages ahead of them until they reached the entrance.

"Arlong wants a word with you." He sneered at Law before addressing Nami again. "Only you."

Law gripped his nodachi tightly as he glared back at the fishman with mutual hatred.

Nami rolled her eyes at the display. "I need to speak with him as well. Law, I'll find you after."

She was relieved when Law didn't try to follow her inside. The intensity of his glare was surprising. She knew he promised to protect her, but he was going to cause them both problems being so obvious about it.

Arlong might not have been there in person, but he was just as menacing speaking through the den den mushi on the table. He was clearly not happy with her, but what bothered him most was finding out what exactly they had stolen from the Vinsmokes.

"Humans are pathetically weak. It shouldn't be surprising that they grasp for ways to bring them closer to the might of fishmen," Arlong spat. "I want you to find out what he intends to do with this research. It's bad enough in the hands of one man. We don't need him selling it to others."

"Understood," Nami said coldly.

"And, Nami." She frowned darkly at the sing-song way he spoke her name, dripping with fake sweetness and concern. "Keep your face out the papers from now on. I'd hate to think what might happen to our dear Nojiko if some bounty hunter manages to turn you in."

Despite Arlong's disturbing threats, Nami was relieved that her inevitable confrontation with him was over. Law seemed calmer as well once he saw she was unharmed and starting to relax.

It was late in the afternoon when Law followed her to the dressing rooms of a contemporary clothing store, his arms filled with the twenty or so items she was excited to try on.

"You know, you should tread lightly around Arlong's guys in the future," Nami addressed Law through the door while she changed.

The store was empty of customers apart from the two of them, so Nami wasn't worried about being overheard. She pulled on another outfit but paused to listen through the door when he didn't respond immediately.

"I told you I would protect you," he stated plainly.

"And I believe you, but it's only going to make things worse if you provoke them."

He didn't answer, and she was annoyed not being able to see whatever brooding face he was probably making.

She cracked the door to peek at him. His arms were crossed over his chest and his hat was pulled low over his eyes.

"If you aren't going to respond, at least make yourself useful and help me unzip this."

He followed her into the small changing room and closed the door behind him. His tone was casual but stern as he pulled the zipper down the length of her back. "I won't apologize, Nami-ya. They shouldn't look at you that way."

"What?" She met his eyes through the mirror.

He frowned. "They were looking at you like they owned you." He turned toward the wall, averting his gaze as she freed herself from the dress.

"Huh, I didn't take you for the jealous type," she joked, sliding on an orange skirt and admiring the way it complemented her green bikini top.

"No one should be owned, Nami-ya. Especially not you."

She looked at his back through the mirror, grateful he wasn't able to see the blush on her cheeks and the longing on her face that she couldn't suppress at hearing his words. He wasn't just protecting her. Her heart was doing that annoying flutter in her chest again as she understood the weight of his words. He wanted her to have the one thing she wanted more than anything else in the world. Freedom.

Her smile turned playful and she reached for something hidden in her clothing from earlier in the day.

"We passed a bookstore earlier you looked interested in. Let's stop in on the way back. You can buy anything you want. It's on me."

Law scoffed. "And here I was expecting you to rope me into buying gifts for you. Are you sure you're feeling alright, Nami-ya?" He teased.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't technically be me buying you gifts." She placed a delicate hand on his shoulder, gently turning him to face her before handing him a man's wallet. She couldn't hide her smug grin as she saw realization wash over his face. Vergo had been too busy protecting his badge to notice her swiping his wallet when they left the throne room.

Her hand was still on his shoulder. Although they spent most of the day together, they had been physically distant since their return to Dressrosa. It was easier when they were in public, but now that they were hidden from prying eyes, she found it difficult to pull away.

He took a deep breath and moved closer. "I thought you were gonna charge me the next time you embarrassed him like that?"

She giggled, remembering their first interaction after she arrived at Germa.

She took a step backwards, and he followed. He wasn't invading her space, the hand on her shoulder pulled him with her.

"Maybe you can pay me back another way," she purred.

He moved closer again, caging her against the wall. "Weren't we supposed to be avoiding this type of thing?" His hands grazed her exposed sides as he whispered, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake.

"Yep, definitely." A single finger from her free hand hooked around his belt, slowly pulling him against her. "Keeping..." She swallowed hard, struggling to remember the words she was trying to say. "...distance."

Tan, tattooed fingers glided up under her skirt. His hands wandered, searching for lingerie underneath. She watched his eyes widen, and he grinned wildly as he realized she wasn't wearing any.

"You better tell me to leave now," he growled, "or I might not be able to."

She could feel her heart beating out of her chest as she pulled him into a passionate kiss. She wasn't about to let him leave.

Their touches were ravenous, both acting as if it had been months and not a single day since their last embrace.

When she broke the kiss to come up for air, he flipped her around to face the wall. The skirt was pushed up over her hips, the fabric scrunched up, looking more like a loose belt. Warm fingers drew small circles over her sensitive bud. He captured her lips in a kiss over her shoulder, silencing her sweet mewling as his other hand freed her of her bikini top. He slid one hand lower and one hand higher. One finger entered her core as he broke the kiss, grazing the fingers of his other hand across her chin and lips.

He knew exactly how to touch her.

She opened her mouth to let his finger slip inside. She looked into his hungry, golden eyes as she sucked hard, watching him bite his lip as he struggled to stay composed. A second finger slid between both pairs of her lips. She ground her hips against the bulge in his pants, moaning softly, never breaking eye contact.

She knew exactly how to tease him.

His lower hand released itself from her folds, only to be replaced by something much bigger. He entered her slowly. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she lost herself in the sensation until he bottomed out. He removed his hand from her mouth, gently trailing his wet digits down her chest until they brushed over her hard nipples.

Then he was moving. It was agonizingly slow, and his lips ghosted over her ear as he whispered, promising to give her all the dirty things she wanted him to do to her. The heat was building in her at a rapid pace. If she had any control of her blissed out brain, she might wonder how he was able to learn her body so well in such a short amount of time.

His pace quickened as his hand brushed over her swollen bundle of nerves, and that alone was enough to send her over the edge. She threw her head back with a silence scream, and her nails raked scratches into the changing room walls.

She was still catching her breath when he suddenly stopped, placing a firm hand over her mouth. With her labored breathing silenced, she could hear the clicking of heels walking down the hallway.

"Miss?"

Her brain was struggling to comprehend everything happening, but she was able to place the voice of the cashier who had welcomed them into the store earlier.

A far too high pitched, "Mhm," was the only response she was able to make.

"Is everything all right in there? I thought it sounded like you needed help."

Law released his hand from her mouth but made no other movements, still pinning her against the wall.

"Oh no, thank you though. I should be done soon. Everything fits great. I'm sure I'll buy it all," she added, hoping the promise of a big sale would distract the woman now standing outside the changing room door.

It didn't. Nami could see the woman's shadow under the door from the corner of her eye. Her shadow leaned closer, looking as if she was listening for something.

"Are you sure?"

She was in survival mode, not wanting to be caught in such a compromising position, even if it was only by a retail worker and not one of the dangerous criminals they were desperate to hide their feelings for each other from.

She wanted to sound sweeter, more convincing, but it was difficult with him still literally inside of her. She felt his hot breath on her neck again and couldn't help but clench her walls around him.

"I need privacy!" she all but shouted.

The woman stepped back at her curt tone. "Alright," she said hesitantly. "I'll be up front of you need anything. Just know, we'll be closing soon."

Nami replied even as she heard the sound of the woman's heels retreating. "I-I just need five minutes."

A sharp thrust inside her made her clarify with a shout, "Ten!"

They emerged from the changing room area twenty minutes later. Nami was true to her word, buying everything she had brought to the dressing room, including the things she didn't manage to try on. She even left the woman a sizable tip, which seemed to put her in a much better mood even as she ushered the two of them out of her store.

The sun hung low in the sky as they made their way back through the city. Neither spoke about the absolute debauchery they lost themselves in only minutes earlier. There was nothing to say that they both already didn't know.

Nami fidgeted her hands as they walked, and Law could tell she needed a distraction. She needed to get her focus back on the reality of her situation and not how much tension seemed to hang in the air as they both still longed to touch one another.

She let him remind her about the Donquixote family as they walked. The different family members who would be in attendance at dinner had their own quirks. He didn't care if Vergo didn't get along with her. If he was honest, he loved that he didn't, but she needed to be on good terms with the others if she was going to survive working for the king.

And he needed her to survive. He needed her to work well with them, at least until he could come up with a way to get her out without hurting whoever she protected on Cocoyashi. Disliking Vergo wasn't unheard of in the family, but she wouldn't last long if she made enemies with the rest.

He watched her gradually gain back her confidence as they approached the castle. He watched her turn on the charm as she chatted with a few family members when they waited for dinner to start. He watched her blend well with everyone during the meal, telling just enough amusing anecdotes to be a compelling guest but not enough to draw too much attention to herself. He watched Doflamingo ask to speak with her in private as the dinner was winding down, and he stared at the door to parlor connected to the dining room after it closed behind them. It wasn't until Monet moved to block his view of the door that he realized how little his eyes strayed from her since they arrived. She was across the room, but she gave him a sly smile as she raised her glass in his direction, only pausing for a moment before continuing her walk towards the bar across the room.

He needed to stop watching her.

The doors to the dining room burst open from the hall. Diamante was easily the tallest person he'd ever met, but he didn't need his imposing size to gain everyone's attention. He was smiling wildly, holding up his arms in triumph as the rest of the family cheered.

The only members of the family that had been absent from dinner were Diamante and Viola. He didn't ask for the details of Operation Mousetrap. Even if he hadn't been too busy watching Nami to ask another family member about it, they wouldn't have told him. Doflamingo would make sure he knew only the information he wanted him to know. Even so, it was clear that he was returning from the successful mission.

As Diamante's large figure moved farther into the room, Law looked behind him. The doors to the hallway were still open. Viola stood in the hall with her back to the room, barking orders to a few guards. His gaze sharpened as the guards started to move away. He could barely hear the sound of wheels squeaking over the joyful reverie inside the room. Viola exited the hall, and the doors closed slowly enough that he could see what made the sound before it was out of view.

A metal cage rolled past. There was someone inside. The short height of the cage forced them to sit on their knees. The prisoner was gripping the bars. Even at this distance, he could see the white knuckles clenching the bars desperately, angrily. Their head was covered with a burlap sack, and Law could imagine the intense grimace that must be on their face.

A mouse caught in a trap.

The doors closed, and something pulled in Law's gut. What was it? The anxiety that came with unknown variables interrupting his plans was nothing foreign to him. Was it his promise to Nami to keep her safe? He glanced at the doors to the parlor where she was still inside. Maybe. No, this was something different.

His eyes moved back to the doors to the hall. An icy tingle teased his spine. He could tell they were someone he hadn't met, but something about that prisoner felt... familiar. He couldn't place why, but he couldn't fight the feeling that this person could ruin everything for him.