Note: I know I'm super late with this chapter. Things got hectic for a while and I haven't had time to work on this. Also I know I said I was going to rewrite this fic but I changed my mind. I just don't have the time so I'm just gonna go back and rewrite the chapters I think need to be fixed and reupload them.

In any case I seriously want to thank everyone for the reviews/follows/favorites. It really means a lot.

Crash Course

Chapter 27: The Turning of the Gears

Law was not one to spend hours pacing through his office on behalf of others, but after learning everything he had, it was all he could do. Nami was undeniably in danger, as was her sister, and everyone else related to her. He couldn't stand her friends, even on the best of days, but that didn't mean he didn't care. If something happened to them, it would upset Nami - and he couldn't stand that.

How Doflamingo managed to find her was beyond his understanding. He'd only just found out that the surname Nojiko had given him wasn't the surname she'd used during her time under Arlong; they'd changed it after Luffy and the others freed them as a precaution. He knew Doflamingo had been snooping through his patients' files, thanks to Penguin's uncanny ability to trace something that couldn't be traced, but that was a usual occurrence; Doflamingo always made sure Law hadn't given someone the slip when he wanted them dead.

"Blood tests," Penguin said, as if reading his mind. He turned the screen towards Law and pointed to the highlighted area where Nami's vitals and test results had been put in. "Doflamingo went through every bit of her information but he was extremely interested in the results of her blood labs."

Law cursed under his breath. At the time, he hadn't been aware of her background; he'd only been doing his job. Unlike his colleague, Caeser, Law dealt with normal patients as well as carried out Doflamingo's dirty work, and with how well Nami and Nojiko covered their tracks, finding information on their connection to Arlong was nearly impossible without the right contact. He tried.

"Want me to change it? Call it a mistake in the lab procedure?"

"No, that'll only draw Doflamingo's attention," Law said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's been several months since the accident. If we change anything now, he'll know we're on to something. For the time being, we need to play along until Eustass or Nojiko gets their hands on more information."

"Do you really think keeping Nami in the dark is a good idea?" Penguin asked. "What if something happens in Alabasta?"

"If what Nojiko said is true, then as long as she's there, she'll be fine. Doflamingo and Arlong aren't stupid enough to mess around in Whitebeard's territory."

Penguin hummed. Law had a point, but he'd been around the red head long enough to know that she wasn't going to be pleased if she found out they knew all along. "Maybe she should just stay in Alabasta then. Bringing her back here would put her right in harm's way. Doflamingo's influence is too strong here; Nojiko's suffering immensely because of it. I think that might be why she can't get her hands on a job - and the insurance company Nami goes through, isn't it one directly under Doflamingo? Last I heard, she still hasn't paid the hospital bills and her insurance refuses to cough up even a cent."

Law rubbed his temples. "Everything in this city, except for Shakky's bar and Hancock's cafe are under the direct influence of Doflamingo. Even the police, Pen. Why do you think we get away with everything? I've had so many "accidents" in the years I've worked here that I should have had my license revoked long before now." Almost as an afterthought he added, "And they've been taken care of. Why do you think I still don't have a phone?"

"Wait, that's where all your money went?"

Law closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Sometimes, it really scared him when he realized just how much he'd actually do for her. "Yes, that is where all eight thousand dollars in the back account went. Where else did you think it could have gone?"

"Bills?"

"Doflamingo covers our bills, Pen. And if I had eight thousand dollars worth of bills despite living alone, we'd need to have a serious talk about how much water and electricity you guys waste whenever you're over."

"We don't use that much!" Penguin protested.

Law gave him a stale look. "No, not at all. You just leave every light in the house on, leave the TV blaring at top volume all night, and leave the hot tub on for several hours after you finish using it. You never turn off the pool's pump or the waterfall when you get out and you left the damn shower on all night last night."

"I was drunk! And I don't even know why you have the house with a pool. You never use it. I don't even think you know how to swim!"

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "I can swim, Penguin. I just don't like to. But that is completely beside the point."

"It is not! What is the point in having a pool when you don't have pool parties! That's like the perfect opportunity to get hot girls in their bikinis!"

Shachi, who'd been passing by, stuck his head in the door and grinned mischievously. "What's this I'm hearing about hot girls in bikinis?"

The urge to hit his head on the wall was overwhelming. How their conversations always managed to stray so far from their origin was something he'd never be able to understand - and he had not gotten used to it over the past ten or so years.

"If you two have nothing better to do-"

Penguin and Shachi hurried out of the room. They knew all too well that when Law thought they were slacking, he'd double the work and stick them with the harder and sometimes more disgusting tasks while he sat back and watched. Outside of work, they could laze around all the wanted; during work, on the other hand, Law did not appreciate it when people weren't doing their jobs.

Once he was certain they were out of the room, he pulled the bottom drawer of his desk open and frowned. The bottle of Jack he usually kept in there, just as a precaution when the stress got a little too much to handle, was missing.

He was more than aware of the fact that he shouldn't be drinking on the job, but he never got flat out drunk; he'd have a shot or two every few hours just to keep himself from wringing someone's neck. Not exactly the best way to cope, but Law wasn't a saint and some of his methods were often less than what was considered to be acceptable - and he'd get in more trouble if his temper flared and he ended up harming one of his patients' visitors. Doflamingo could get him out of most things, but he highly doubted he'd get him out of that mess.

He'd already gotten chewed out for removing that one woman from the room before security showed up and earlier that day, Bepo and Shachi had to grab him before he punched the daylights out of one girl's father because he kept pulling the IVs out of her arm. He actually threw the glass of water sitting on the bedside table at Law.

And people always assumed that being a doctor was some grand, heroic thing - it was more stressful than dealing with kindergarteners on a daily basis. The list of problematic people Law had to deal with was a mile long. Sure, there were some things he would forgive; it wasn't easy coming to terms with the fact that someone they cared about was hanging onto life by a thread, but sometimes it just got too out of hand - especially when their interference put the lives he had just saved at risk once more.

Truth be told, he'd been expecting the same thing to happen with Nami, especially with Luffy being around as he was, but he realized pretty quickly that Luffy actually listened on that behalf - especially when he realized it could potentially endanger her life.

He was getting a headache just by thinking about those two weeks.

How they convinced the nurse to let more than two at a time in, he would never know. Then again, knowing Luffy, he probably just barged right in without even listening.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself."

Law blinked impassively as Monet, one of Doflamingo's messengers, stepped into the room and dropped a file on his desk. He didn't even need to open it to know what it was - another list of instructions for how to deal with the next "emergency" patient he'd be receiving within the next thirty minutes.

"I'm elated," he said dryly as he took the folder and opened it.

Monet laughed softly. "Yes, I can see that. I suppose you already know what to do?"

Law waved her off as he read through the pages inside. "I'm well aware, Monet."

"Then I'll leave you to it."

Once she was gone, Law groaned and ran his hand through his hair. Doflamingo had put him in a very compromising situation. Doflamingo and Boa Hancock had always been at odds, simply because he couldn't convince her to forfeit the empire she'd inherited when she took over her own little crime ring and work under him. Last he'd heard, they'd had a meeting a few days ago, just before Kid delivered the news of Doflamingo and Arlong's apparent alliance, and it didn't go over well. The fact that he'd ordered his men to attack one of her subordinates didn't surprise him - the fact that it was one of her sisters did.

Boa Marigold had been shot twice and was currently being transported via ambulance to the hospital as he read through her file - and he expected Law to finish the job.

He reached for Penguin's phone, which he kept in the top drawer of his desk, and reluctantly scaled through the contacts until he came across the one he wanted. Two rings in, and the line connected.

"What the hell you callin' for?"

"Esutass-ya, we have a problem," Law said quietly. "It seem's Doflamingo's gotten a little too brave."

"Is this about the chick?" Kid asked. "Because I ain't heard nothin' else yet."

"No. It's an issue with Viper."

He heard Kid's sharp intake and muttered curse. "The hell did he do?"

"Ordered her sister to be killed," Law said flatly. "I need a cover within the next thirty minutes and someone to distract Vergo and Monet."

"I know just the person," Kid said. Law could hear the grin in his tone. "She ain't gonna be happy about me callin' her, but she'll do anythin' to keep Doflamingo from gettin' what he wants."

"Just hurry up with it, Eustass-ya. "

Without so much as a goodbye, he ended the call, erased the evidence from the call log, and went to hunt down Penguin and Shachi. This wasn't going to be easy.

Jewelry Bonney was not pleased when Kid informed her of the latest. She had absolutely no obligations or desire to help him - she was still angry about the last time he bailed on her, but the prospect of ruining Doflamingo's plans and the promise of as much free food as she could eat was certainly tempting.

She stared down at her phone and sighed. It'd been five years since she managed to escape from under the command of the crime lords, and she really wasn't fond of the idea of getting back into that hell hole, but she had a score to settle with Doflamingo and in the end, she'd have the right to call in a favor from Kid or Law if she ever needed it (though she really wasn't counting on Kid to come through on her, he never had).

Besides, pissing people off was what she did best.

She'd paint a target on her back for this, but in hindsight, helping them get Boa Marigold out alive would put her on Hancock's good side and having that woman backing her was never a bad thing.

If she didn't get herself killed in the process.

"This shit's for the birds," she grumbled.

She was nothing more than the leader of a small gang now, but that didn't matter. She had connections - connections Kid evidently needed to pull off this stunt and the rumor's she'd been hearing weren't good. There were too many people gaining too much power for her to walk around freely anymore.

Bonney should have known better than to believe she could escape it; once someone was in the crime world, they could never truly get out of it.

"Alright boys," she sighed as she stood up from her seat and addressed the group in front of her. "Been awhile since we caused a commotion, so don't over do it. Just keep that saw jawed freak and the harpy distracted long enough for them to do what they gotta do. We're gettin' paid for this big time. Don't let it slip that we're working with them or I'll personally hunt all of you down and beat your asses. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," the men said.

Bonney grinned mischievously. "Good, now let's go fuck some shit up."

Boa Hancock was beyond irate. She was absolutely livid.

"How dare he!" She screeched as she slammed her leg into the chair beside her, sending it skittering across the room in pieces.

Sandersonia winced. Her sister was notorious for her violent temper, but this was beyond anything she'd witnessed. It took Nyon an hour and a half to talk her out of marching down to the hospital and making a scene.

Hancock didn't like it, she didn't trust Doflamingo's goons to actually hold to their word, nor did she trust the fact that the tip had come anonymously, but with Sandersonia, in tears and urging her not to potentially jeopardize her sister's life even more than it already was, she had to back down. Her sisters were her family and though she might seem stone hearted, she loved them to death - seeing Sandersonia so upset made her blood boil in rage.

The fact that she hadn't stormed out in rage was an act of submission in itself, but it wasn't going to stop her from arguing the point.

"How do you know we can trust this?" She snapped at Nyon. "My little sister is on her deathbed and you expect me to stand here while Doflamingo's errand boys take care of the matter?"

"Apparently, the doctor is a friend of Luffy's," Nyon said calmly.

Hancock immediately relaxed. She trusted anyone that Luffy trusted, and she trusted Luffy's judgement, sometimes more than her own depending on the situation. Whether or not Luffy himself knew about this, she wasn't sure; last she heard he'd gone to Alabasta with his friends. But if this doctor was a friend if his, then maybe she could sit back just this once.

She didn't like it, but she would relent for the time being.

Next time, there would be no holding back.

Note: Just for clarification because I have the feeling someone will ask, when Bonney said "saw jawed" she was referring to Vergo's facial hair. I don't know why, but it reminds me of the teeth on a saw. And as for the harpy thing, she doesn't mean it literally since everyone in this fic, even Arlong and his gang, are all strictly human.

And as for Chapter 25 and all the name drops, it's merely just speculation on Nojiko's part. None of them but Hancock are actually going to get involved in a significant way and it was mostly said just to try and calm Law's nerves (and her own), but I'm probably going to go back and rewrite that specific chapter because it's annoying me.

Also, because someone mentioned it in one of their reviews and I never got around to actually clarifying it, although someone did say something about it in one of their reviews, but it was never explicitly stated what happened to Nami, and it won't be for some time now but she is 100% in fact a virgin. I'm not going to get into the explicit details but sexual abuse does not always constitute as loss of virginity.

The only reason Nojiko said it that way is because it is, once again, speculation; Nami has never told anyone a lot of what happened during her time under Arlong's command, not even her sister. She does not like talking about it.

And no, I didn't edit this chapter before I posted it (I'm going to go back through and do it later because I was in a hurry and it'd be another month or so before I remembered again)