"And in a certain place, they call people like this 'God's Natural Enemy'."

Lami stares at the broken, unconscious body of the Celestial Dragon, but can find no ounce of sympathy within her to offer him and his family. In fact, she finds herself basking in the shock and horror that seems to take tangible shape and form in the space around them.

And, amazingly, she finds herself laughing – at the sheer absurdity of it all, at the fact that Strawhat Luffy had had enough courage and crazy combined to deck a Celestial Dragon right in the face, at the chaos that will surely ensue – and for the briefest second, the sound of her laugh rings out in the silent auction house, high and clear like the peal of a bell, before hell breaks loose and it is drowned out in the shouts and screams of panic as the crowd scrambles to get away.

Beside her, Law smirks. There's something like a combination of amusement and wonder in his eyes, along with an emotion that Lami can't quite identify. She could use her Haki to read him, but he's always hated it when she does that, and so she tries not to.

"Why, why did we have to get involved in all this?" Shachi moans. "The rumours were right, the Strawhats are crazy, I can't believe that we're gonna be implicated with such dangerous people!"

Lami thinks of her benefactor, how he'd called them both the "Natural Enemy of God" because of those middle names of theirs, how they were supposedly enemies of the rulers of the world. Maybe he's right. Maybe she does have the same crazy bravery running through her veins, the same capacity for causing chaos that is waiting to be unleashed like a plague upon the world. Maybe she and Law both are just as deadly as the man in the strawhat who stands not two feet away from them, his eyes dark and flat and totally dangerous, a quiet rage emanating from him.

Instead, she settles for a deadpan, "Shachi, we're pirates. We're just as dangerous."

"That's different!"

Then, in a moment, the Celestial Dragons come running, and the crack of a gun fills the air as the Celestial Dragon fires shots in quick succession, and Lami hears their voices screeching high alarm, their accents sounding almost comical.

"Brother! He's never even been hit by his own father before!"

"Why, you insolent – !"

Just this once, Lami thinks, allowing herself this small act of rebellion. With nothing more than a sunny smile, and a quiet snap of her fingers, her Devil Fruit powers render his voice inaudible, cutting him off mid-scream. His lips move, but no sound can be heard, and for a moment, his mouth hangs open, slack with shock. Lami wishes she had her camera to document this moment, where everyone's faces – not just those of the Celestial Dragons, but even those of nobles and pirates alike in the Auction House – are staring, gaping, bewildered by the sudden silence that muffles their surroundings.

"Lami, you're terrible," Penguin says, gawking at the Celestial Dragon for a long time before he and Shachi giggle with satisfaction.

God's Natural enemy indeed.

"Lami," Law says, but his lips are twitching, and he's almost on the brink of a smile. There's nothing like messing with the World Government to put a smile on his face. "What did I say about a low profile?"

She sticks her tongue out at him, but dispels the wall of Calm anyway. "Relax. No one knows it's me."

"CALL A MARINE ADMIRAL AND HIS BATTLE SHIPS! LET US PUT THIS SCUM IN THEIR PLACE!"

Whoops, Lami thinks sheepishly, wondering if she's just made things a whole lot worse. The Celestial Dragon fairly trembles with anger; his face turns a strange shade of purple. She mentally apologises to the Strawhat crew, who will undoubtedly bear the brunt of it all. She refuses to apologise to the Kid Pirates.

As always, her brother manages to read her mind. He's always been perceptive. "No, you might have pissed him off, but they'd have called an Admiral anyway. Can't have anyone laying a hand on their Celestial Dragons."

"It's not a problem as long as we get out in time, right?" Lami takes her cues from him, and since Law isn't looking particularly perturbed – not by the Navy, now surrounding the Auction House, nor by the looming threat of an Admiral who will soon arrive – she's relaxed and offers Law a smile, big and blooming and alive like the beam of a flashlight. "So we'll be just fine!"

"So we're staying." Shachi mumbles, tipping his head up and staring resignedly at the ceiling.

That's it: that's how it starts. A chance encounter with the Strawhats that would someday lead to something bigger.

A/N: Hi guys! I'm back ( finally ) with another update! Please, please comment for more!