Disclaimer: One Piece still isn't mine.
Protect
For once, Law couldn't blame Luffy for the trouble they were in. The Marine warship stumbling upon them was just bad luck, and the reckless Straw Hat captain hadn't even had time to provoke them before they'd decided to attack the two pirate crews. A well-placed cannonball had damaged the Polar Tang's propeller, preventing the Heart Pirates from diving and making any escapes or sneak attacks, so they'd had no choice but to be drawn into the fray. Most of the crew was aiding the Straw Hats against the sailors swarming onto the smaller pirate ships while Law and Jean Bart had boarded the warship to assist Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.
The Rear-Admiral leading the charge wasn't exactly a powerhouse, but his Haki skills, plus the overwhelming number of fighters still on deck, had been enough to keep Law on his toes. Much as Luffy had clearly wanted to take on the bastard that had ordered the attack, he'd passed that honor onto the older captain, seeing as his was the ship that got damaged, instead taking out his aggression on the lower-ranked officers trying to interfere with the fight.
Meanwhile, Nami, Jean Bart, and Zoro were occupied with the rest of the grunts. It had infuriated Law that his woman had been brought along, but logically, he understood why; with Robin occupied with the hoard of troops attacking their ship, the navigator was the best choice for sneaking into the belly of the warship and taking down the cannons.
Out of the corner of his eye, Law saw Nami locked in combat with a Marine, frantically blocking his sword-swipes with her staff, unable to pull away long enough to use one of her weather techniques. Unfortunately, she was also so focused on her opponent that she didn't notice the second Marine come up behind her, sword raised high to cut her down.
"Nami-ya!" he shouted in warning, desperately trying to block the Rear-Admiral's heavy strikes while activating his Room. For a moment, all he could see was the fiery woman slumped over like Corazon had been, bloody and pale; another person he cared for dead because he couldn't save them.
Just as the little ring formed in his hand, Nami was tackled to the floor by Zoro, confusing her opponents enough that they ended up attacking each other, swords buried deep in the flesh of their comrades.
"You ok, witch?" Zoro asked, his body poised above hers as a shield against any unexpected attacks as he briefly checked her over.
A relieved smile curved her lips. "I'm fine. Nice save."
"Well, someone has to keep you alive," he replied with a smirk, pulling her to her feet. "Maybe you could knock a few bellis off my debt as thanks."
In response, she launched a gust of wind that knocked back several Marines charging them, two even falling over the railing into the sea. "Nah, I think we're even now," she winked.
"Greedy witch," he grumbled before racing off to take down the remaining fighters, swords whirling about, slicing their enemies to ribbons. "Just don't get yourself killed!" Nami stuck out her tongue in response, using her Mirage Tempo technique to render herself invisible so she could sneak inside and take down the gunners.
Seeing she was out of immediate harm's way Law refocused his energies, levitating his opponent into the air before slamming him into the ship's mast, gaining a hint of pleasure from the pained cry he let out. Next, a pair of cutlasses, taken from the dead men who'd attacked the beautiful navigator, were shoved through the Rear-Admiral's shoulders to pin him to the thick wood like a frog ready for dissection. It wasn't quite enough for him, though. Law had nearly had to watch his lover be struck down; experience the same pain he'd gone through with Cora-san. In other words, he wanted to make someone hurt.
"Mes."
The horrified scream as the Navy officer watched Law rip his heart from his chest gave the dark doctor some sick satisfaction. Silently, he stood there, waiting for the Marine's cries to die down before crouching to meet his eyes. "Your men could have killed my woman," he murmured, just loud enough for his victim to hear. "That would have broken my heart. Do you know how that feels? Let me show you."
Blood and chunks of viscera leaked through his fingers as he slowly crushed the delicate organ in his bare hand, gold eyes locked on the agonized face of the Rear-Admiral whose men had tried to slay the most important woman in his life. Killing wasn't usually his style, taking more pleasure in the trauma and humiliation his abilities brought to his victims, but he refused to take any chances. Mercy was far too likely to bite him in the ass, and he refused to risk Nami's life by letting the Rear-Admiral come after them again someday.
The world was cruel and unforgiving and had already taken too much from him. Nami would not be next.
Rage slightly cooled, he turned to find Luffy, Zoro, and Jean Bart had finished off the rest of the Marines. The battle over, he started making his way towards the ship's entrance, fully intending on catching up with the navigator and ensuring she'd be safe. He didn't consider her helpless by any means, but she was part of "The Weakling Trio" for a reason and all he could picture was her being cut down, this time without Zoro or himself to save her. Before he even got to the door, however, the sound of cannon fire had stopped, rendering the air eerily still.
"Sounds like Miss Nami's taken down the gunners," Jean Bart said in relief.
Glancing over to their own ships, Zoro commented, "Those boarding parties are under control, too." He raised an eyebrow at the state of the Rear-Admiral, eye flickering between his empty chest and the blood slowly dripping from Law's hand. "I didn't see much of your fight; that guy give you a lot of trouble?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle," the doctor replied tersely, staring down the swordsman. He was in his direct path to the door, and Law couldn't help but imagine he was intentionally blocking him.
Nami had told him about the debt she held over her crewmate's head, the interest added every day basically ensuring he'd owe her money for the rest of his life. It was a source of constant grief for the swordsman, often used to blackmail him into being her pack mule or chore boy.
Blood turning to ice, Law's hand clenched around his nodachi as his paranoid mind whispered, What if he wants her to die?
It made a sick sort of sense. It would be incredibly easy for Zoro to escape his debt if Nami was killed in battle. He'd let her go alone into the ship, after all; was he hoping she'd be slain, allowing him to keep his hands clean and not risk the wrath of their companions?
Zoro could feel the tension radiating from the tall captain, letting his own hand rest on his katanas in preparation. Maybe it was just leftover adrenaline from the fight, but Law was looking at him like he was contemplating using his heart as a stress ball. "Might want to wash your hands before the witch sees you, then; doubt you'll be getting a victory kiss if you're covered in blood and guts. She's picky like that."
Luffy nodded his head emphatically. "Yeah, Tora-o; she won't even hug us if we're all sweaty!"
Gold eyes never left their target. "I'm willing to get my hands dirty if it means Nami-ya is safe. I'm going to go check on her. For all we know, she's been ambushed because you let her go alone. Invisible or not, running into a Navy warship alone is suicidal."
The swordsman's eye narrowed at the accusation as his shoulders tensed. "I don't like it, either, but she says I'm not allowed to go on stealth missions with her. Something about not wanting to get distracted because I've gotten myself lost; I wasn't listening."
"Perhaps if you did listen, you wouldn't get lost so much, Zoro-ya. Get out of my way."
"Watch your tone, Trafalgar; I get she's your girlfriend, but just because Nami's always barking orders at me doesn't mean you can, too."
"I'll use whatever tone I want when someone's preventing me from protecting my woman. Some of us have a vested interest in keeping her alive," he countered, stalking over until there was hardly a foot of space between the two swordsmen. Looking down at the green-haired man, he growled, "Now step aside. I imagine three-sword style would be difficult to do without hands."
The faint scrape of Zoro's thumb flicking out a katana cut through the tension. "That a threat?"
"Why don't you just scan the ship, Captain?" Jean Bart chimed in, glancing between the two Supernovas squaring off. "If Miss Nami's in trouble, that'll tell you exactly where she is and you can get her out of there, no problem. Storming down there without a plan could just get you both killed."
"He doesn't have to," Luffy replied. "She's fine. I used Haki a minute ago and she's the only conscious person I sense on the ship."
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Law growled as Zoro put away his sword, relief briefly crossing the green-haired swordsman's face at the confirmation that he hadn't sent his nakama off to her death.
"Because Sanji said girls find it romantic when guys fight over them or rush in to save them. I thought I was doing you a favor." He stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Plus, I was hoping you'd get your kissing over with down there so I wouldn't find you in the cargo hold again."
Vein throbbing on his forehead, the slam of a door kept Law from strangling his ally as Nami returned topside, belli signs in her eyes.
"They've got so much treasure on board!" she cheered.
"Awesome!" Luffy shouted, toothy grin wide.
Zoro rolled his eye, but there was a hint of affection in his smirk as he relaxed his stance. "At least something good came from this fiasco."
"You know what that means! It's time to have a party!"
Nami chuckled at her captain's enthusiasm before turning to Law, arms opening to embrace him before she spotted the drying blood on his hands. Plush lips turned down in concern as she studied the strain in his face. He could tell she wanted to ask if he was alright, but thought better of it, knowing she wouldn't get a straight answer with an audience. "You need to get cleaned up. Honestly, you all do; I'm not letting any of you touch my precious treasure when you're this gross!"
"It doesn't matter that much," Jean Bart joked gruffly, trying to ease the last of the tension in the air. "Why do you think gold's called 'filthy lucre?'"
"You take that back! I polish that lucre every day until it shines!"
"She does. It's weird," Luffy laughed.
"It is not!"
"Yes, it is, but it's to be expected from a money-grubbing witch like you," Zoro said, chuckling as she slapped his chest indignantly. He got his revenge by wrapping his sweaty arms around her, highly amused by her protests that he stank which only grew louder when Luffy shouted "Group hug!" and trapped them both in a crushing embrace.
Silent as stone, Law expanded his Room and teleported himself down onto his ship, ignoring Luffy's questioning call. He needed to get cleaned up, but more importantly, he needed to regain his composure. After that, he could steal Nami away and hopefully get that horrible image of her pale and lifeless body out of his head. Maybe it that would dissuade him from the vivid murder fantasies he was coming up with for Zoro.
XXX
Unfortunately, the opportunity for alone time with Nami didn't come up for the rest of the day. He'd spent nearly an hour in the shower scrubbing the blood out from under his nails, all while reminding himself that Nami was safe and Zoro didn't deserve to be dismembered. Once he was out, he'd gone to check on the damage to his sub, which was worse than he'd assumed; the propeller was a mess and there was plenty of exterior damage, which was extremely risky when your vessel needs to withstand heavy pressure deep under the ocean. Luckily Franky was willing to help them fix it, saying he'd make them a "SUPER propeller" right away. Then he'd helped Chopper attend to the wounded. No one had died and nothing was life-threatening, but his surgical skills had been necessary for a few of his men, Bepo included. The longest he'd seen Nami was when they'd been splitting the treasure, which hadn't taken more than an hour due to her unexpectedly softball haggling and his own terse responses.
After that had been the party preparations, and Law was forced to admit at this point he was avoiding her. It wasn't that he wanted to, but the frustrations of the day just kept growing, and he had no wish to accidentally take it out on his lover. She seemed to understand he needed space and didn't push it, though she'd given him a look saying she expected a full explanation later. While her consideration was appreciated, it was counteracted by Zoro's constant presence at her side, obeying her demands without so much as a grumble, only pausing to meet Law's heated glare.
By the time the party started, Law had exiled himself to the outskirts of the celebration, taking a seat by the deck's railing and nursing an ale. Throughout the night, however, his eyes never left Nami. His woman was currently matching her green-haired companion drink for drink, laughing merrily as any Heart Pirate foolish enough to join them inevitably gave up or passed out. They were certainly in good spirits, Zoro pulling her into a clumsy dance as Brook began playing a lively tune on his violin, the smirk on his face showing it was mostly to annoy the fuming cook.
Though the glare Zoro shot him said Sanji wasn't the only one he intended to piss off.
Hand gripping his tankard's handle tightly, Law matched his scowl from where he sat, silently wondering if Nami would be all that mad if he stole the swordsman's liver. He'd give it back eventually.
"You seem rather anti-social tonight, Law-san," Robin said, claiming the spot next to him. She'd been tending to Bepo most of the night, the polar bear having literally taken a bullet for her. The surgery to remove it had been a success, his thick flesh and fur ensuring it hadn't damaged any major organs, but he'd seemed to enjoy holding her attention so Penguin and Shachi couldn't flirt with her. Had he been in a better mood, Law would have found it all highly amusing.
"Most would argue I'm normally like this," he replied bluntly, taking another gulp of ale.
"Perhaps, but you've shown you can relax when the mood suits you. Particularly when our navigator is in such high spirits. I heard she even gave you a decent share of the treasure."
"Thirty percent, plus first dibs on stripping the warship for parts to repair the damage my submarine endured. She didn't even tell Robo-ya to charge me any installation fees."
"Impressive. Anyone else would have been lucky to get ten percent, and by pure coincidence, that amount would be the exact cost for salvaging rights." A secretive smile curved her lips. "Just don't be surprised if she demands you take her shopping. Our clever girl always knows how to get her money's worth."
"Is that why she keeps Zoro-ya in debt?" he asked, unable to keep the hint of bitterness from his voice.
Though it didn't show on her face past a raised eyebrow, Robin was quite surprised by his tone. "Honestly, I think she knows he'll never be able to pay her back; it's more like an old joke between friends."
"Or she just wants to ensure she'll always have a bodyguard."
"Zoro doesn't owe the rest of us money, yet we can always count on him to save us in a pinch. Besides, generally, one pays a person to protect them, not the other way around." She chuckled lightly. "Nami was right; you do get jealous over silly things."
He grunted, not bothering to argue. He didn't use to get jealous so easily, but then again, he usually didn't bother with long-term relationships. He cared about Nami, and thus everything and everyone had begun looking like a threat to him, just waiting to take her away. For the most part, he'd learned to get over it, or at least not be so obvious, but tonight, he couldn't seem to get past his anger towards her first mate.
She followed his gaze to where he was glaring holes in the duo as they chinked tankards with Jean Bart. "If it helps, I doubt those two see each other as anything but brother and sister."
"It's not that," he grumbled. At first, he'd wondered if the swordsman harbored feelings for Nami; objectively, he was one of the better-looking members of the crew and had known her longest after Luffy. He was apathetic and gruff but often the first one to come to her aid, even if he didn't have hearts in his eyes like Sanji did. However, after careful observation he'd realized that Zoro definitely didn't see her that way. Not once had Law caught him looking at her bikini-clad chest or jean-clad ass, gorgeous as they were. He never seemed to fall for her seductive manipulations, either, and Nami had told him Zoro was the only one in Alabasta that hadn't peeked on her in the baths. If anything, Law trusted him the most.
Or at least, he had before that morning.
"If Nami-ya dies, his debt would be cleared. What real incentive does he have to protect her? I doubt he'd actively harm her, but it would be so convenient if—"
Law didn't get the chance to finish that thought as a feminine hand blossomed from his shoulder, long fingers grabbing his ear and twisting it hard.
"Law-san, I respect that you're worried and thus not thinking rationally, but I will not allow you to speak ill of my crew like that," she said, eyes hard as the smile dropped from her face. "Zoro would never even consider such a thing; despite their differences, Nami is his friend and he's far too honorable to even consider betraying her." Releasing his ear, she gave him a stern look. "Now, why are you really mad at him?"
Cheeks flushed with pain and embarrassment, he knew she'd see through any lie he tried to spin and had no wish to test her patience further. He'd seen her snap the necks of a dozen men at once, and his powers wouldn't be much help escaping limbs sprouting from his own body. Checking his earlobe to be sure she hadn't ripped off his gold hoops in her aggression, he finally grumbled, "I should have been the one to save her, but he was there before I could even activate my Room."
"Then you'd rather she be killed than rescued by someone else?"
"Of course not!" he snapped. "I'm grateful he had her back, but she's my woman, so it's my responsibility to keep her safe."
Combing her fingers through her black hair, Robin regarded him thoughtfully. "Surely you're aware that you can't always protect her? You're on different crews, after all."
"You think I don't know that?" he growled, turning to her with eyes bright with rage and fear. Again, he envisioned Nami's mutilated corpse, her skin a sickly gray, hair mottled with blood. "You think I don't have nightmares about finding out she's been captured and executed, knowing there's nothing I could have done because I was too far away? You think I don't have a minor heart attack every time I open the paper and read about the trouble you've all gotten into? You think it's a coincidence how often I run into you?"
Chin resting in an open palm, her smile was knowing yet sympathetic, almost motherly. "Of course not. I have such dreams myself, and I sleep right next to her. But we can't protect her from everything. Quite frankly, even if you locked her up in your quarters, shackled to your bed, there's still no guarantee that she'd be safe. You're a pirate, too, and have more than your share of enemies. A wayward cannonball could breech the hull and drown her, or a marine could infiltrate your crew and slit her throat. Even mundane things can be deadly; a slip in the shower, a falling bookcase, or just swallowing food wrong can lead to a grizzly end."
"I'm so glad we've had this talk, Nico-ya. It really put my fears to rest," he said sarcastically.
Completely ignoring his tone, she continued, "Personally, I've found myself sleeping more easily since you two began your relationship. It's quite comforting knowing that, should anything happen to us, there's someone out there who would gladly protect our navigator. Especially a powerful captain with exemplary medical skills."
Law sighed. He understood what she was saying; it was better to be grateful that Nami had more than one champion. Zoro had simply reacted on instinct, not willing to take the chance that the navigator's lover would be able to remove her from harm's way when he had his hands full with a Rear-Admiral. "And I do appreciate that she has her crew to protect her, but if Zoro's so intent on being her knight in shining armor, why didn't he follow her into the warship? One woman alone—"
"—Stood a far better chance at taking out those Navy gunners than if she'd had a cumbersome, perpetually lost swordsman to babysit. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, Law-san, and Nami's lie in using her wits and wiles to take her opponents by surprise. Beyond that, in such close quarters, her lightning techniques would be just as risky to her allies as her enemies. She and Zoro have argued about this quite frequently and I can assure you, he always ends up worrying."
Thinking it over, he supposed Robin had a point. There was no doubt Nami was better suited to sabotaging the cannons and taking down the gunners where there was little chance of friendly fire, and Zoro, for all his good intentions, would likely wander off and get himself lost, ruining any of her carefully thought-out plans. It would certainly explain why the swordsman had gotten so defensive; he'd been just as anxious and Law's accusations had hit a nerve.
"I suppose he and I should call a truce." There was a bottle of sake in his room he'd been saving for a special occasion, but he supposed he could use it as a peace offering instead. It was worth it if it ensured his fellow Supernova's continued protection. "Fighting when we have the same goal will do nothing but strain the alliance."
"I agree. I wonder if swordsmen in general just have complexes that make them incapable of addressing their emotions while perpetually feeling as if they must be everyone's hero."
He snorted but conceded her point. It was no wonder Nami often considered the older woman her confidant; she certainly knew how to lay on brutal truths with an almost motherly calm. He made a mental note to remain on her good side. Not only could she snap his neck at any moment, but if she decided that the Surgeon of Death was unworthy of the Cat Thief's affections, Nami would take her opinions to heart.
The click of heels against the wooden floor broke his mind from such musings, looking up to find the beautiful cartographer purposefully making her way to her lover, the way her hips swayed both enticing and dangerous.
"I'll give you two some time to talk," Robin chuckled, getting to her feet and strolling over to Shachi and Penguin, both of whom immediately began fighting over who would get to dance with her first.
He didn't get to see which one was victorious, though, as his attention was immediately diverted to the navigator straddling his lap, fingers burying themselves in his hair as she captured his lips in a fierce kiss. He welcomed her tongue into his mouth, playfully battling for dominance as he pressed her soft curves flush against his taut muscles. Sharp ale and sweet mikans lingered on her lips and he groaned as he tasted them, running his fingers along her spine in the way he knew she liked, smirking as she arched at his touch. Eventually they were forced to break for air, Law's hands sliding to her hips to anchor her against him.
"What was that for?" he asked breathlessly.
Hand running through her copper locks in a way that never failed to set fire to his blood, she rolled her eyes. "You had that stupid look on your face that you get when you're irrationally jealous. I figured I'd nip it in the bud before I have to deal with another dick-measuring competition." She sighed, "Plus, Jean Bart told me you and Zoro nearly went at it. Guess that explains why he's being so chummy; I thought he was just trying to get me to lower his debt."
Annoyed as he was that one of his crewmembers had gone behind his back, Law couldn't bring himself to get too mad. At least, not when it resulted in Nami shirking the swordsman's company for his. "I'm sure he was just enjoying pissing me off."
Her fingers trailed over his chest tattoos the way she knew he liked, smirking at his satisfied purr. "Yeah, probably, but I think he's starting to feel a little guilty about it. You've been in a bad mood all day, and he knows he wasn't helping. He insisted I come over here and wipe that frown off your face before you brought the whole mood down."
"You needed him to tell you that?"
"No, but if even Zoro's saying that, you know it's bad. He said you were freaking out about me going into the warship alone," she said with an annoyed frown.
Arms wrapping around her waist, he sighed, "I was, but Nico-ya talked some sense into me. I'm glad you have him watching your back. I just…I can't help but be paranoid about losing you. The last person I cared about was Cora-san, and he—"
A soft fingertip against his lips halted his explanation. Law kissed it lightly before nibbling the flesh, smirking at the way she bit her own lip in response.
"I know; I worry about you, too," she whispered, forehead pressing to his. "We've both had important people stolen from us, and that's not a wound that heals easily. It makes us greedy, jealous worrywarts that assume the whole world is out to destroy what little happiness we have left. But I promise to be careful, because I refuse to die and leave you alone again. Sound good?"
In lieu of a response he pulled her in for another kiss, declaring without words that he'd do the same. He'd been too young and weak to save Corazon, but he was stronger now, and even when he wasn't around, they both had crews looking out for them. As much as the Straw Hats drove him crazy, he was grateful for their presence in his woman's life.
When he finally released her lips he took the time to proudly take in her flushed cheeks and dilated pupils. "It seems my mood's drastically improved. If you want, you can go back to drinking with Zoro-ya."
She rolled her hips against him, smirking at his heady groan. "Are you saying you don't want me to stay and kiss you senseless?"
A pleased grin spread across his face, gold eyes darkening with lust. "I never said that."
"Good, because now that you're not covered in blood and guts, I've been aching for the chance to pin you down and ride you as thanks for helping us fight off those Marines and getting me all that treasure."
"And convince me to spend my share on your next shopping trip?"
She smiled at him, warm and mischievous and very much alive, and Law burned it into his memory, banishing the visions of her death. "Well, I could use some new clothes."
"I'd rather keep you naked," he growled playfully, nipping at her throat as he summoned his Room, transporting them into his quarters. Neither cared that they'd miss the rest of the party; Nami was eager to get her money's worth, and Law was determined to make up for the time he'd wasted that afternoon.
The End
Hope you enjoyed! If you did, please leave a comment because it might encourage me to continue this. Faves and follows are nice, but any fanfic writer's day is made by people who take the time to comment.