Sorry for the wait on this chapter. I honestly do feel guilty :( But, spring is here, now! And as much as I love winter and do not like summer, I can't write properly in winter because I'm indoors, and I need to be outside to write. My home town is known as the Rainy City. People say that if you drive 10 miles out of town and look in your rear view mirror then it is as if you are looking at Mordor, so as you can imagine, it does rain a lot here, and often; and I can't see to type on my phone when it is covered in rain drops.

I think I've gotten over the mental hurdle I was at this this fic', and my writer block still isn't completely gone, but hopefully I'll be spitting chapters out more regularly again soon, maybe … but no promises.

Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece and all of its wonderful characters.

Revelation: Part Two

Nami looked on from a distance as she slowly peeled one of the mikans she had stolen from her mother's grove, watching from within the safety of the forest as the villagers buried Bellmere.

She was crouched at first, but her wounded legs soon began to ache and tremble, urging her to slump into the soggy grass, and soil the clean jeans that she's only just put on.

The town's people crowded atop a knoll which ascended towards the coastline, overlooking Cocoyashi village below. It had a brilliant view of the ocean beyond it. Peaceful and calm, a good place for Bellmere to watch over the village in the future.

'She will like it here, eventually.' Nami thought herself. Though, until that fateful day, Bellmere's grave would have to witness the tyranny of Arlong and his Fishmen Pirates as they terrorised the town and bribed the marines that her mother was once a proud member of.

'If only all the marines were as admirable as you.'

Nami'd learned the hard way that perhaps the entire world was corrupt, save for a handful of people and her crew with their happy-go-lucky captain, and his childish sense of justice. The world may have been a different place if he'd listened to his grandfather's wishes and followed in his footsteps. She knew him too well though to know that that could never be Luffy's fate. He was too reckless and wild-hearted to be oppressed by the rules and regulations of the government. He simply wanted to be happy, and free.

"Free," she lamented. That word was as painful for her now, in that moment, as it was ten years go. Tears pricked at her eyes, blurring her vision. She was already at her emotional limit for what she had witnessed that day, but the knowledge of her own predicament was a heavier burden to bear. Although she was stronger and wiser now, and could possibly make a difference to the village, she was also smart enough to know that she should not intervene, and brave enough to abstain.

But, she felt that she still needed to apologise to Bellmere, to explain her actions and the precarious situation she was in.

Nami moved deeper into the woodland, deciding to wait for the cover of night before she would approach her mother's grave and hope for redemption.

Nami knew it was safe to visit Bellmere now that the tangerine sun was low on the horizon. All of the villagers, including Nojiko, were busy in the main street, confronting her younger self over her decision to join Arlong's crew.

On the off chance that someone might peer up to the knoll, Nami approached as stealthily as she could, though hindered by her wounded legs.

She opened one of the bottles of sake that, unbeknown to him, she had traded with Gen-san, then proceeded to pour the entire thing over the make-shift cross marking Bellmere's grave. Once it was empty she popped the cork on the second bottle and consumed a fair amount of its contents.

Her brows furrowed and her face grew hot, "Bellmere-san," she sobbed, unable to hold back the tears or stop her lip from trembling. She then slumped to her knees, unable to speak.

It took a few minutes for Nami to calm herself down. She said nothing and just simply sat there, hiccuping and listening to the gentle rustle from the trees, and trying to find the right words to say when she felt like her lips would obey her again. She had always known what tale she would tell her mother when she finally returned to Cocoyashi in the future, 'why is it so hard now?'

She exhaled sharply. "You were right, you know? I've lived on, and great things have happened. That's why I couldn't save you today," she paused to take a deep breath and another big gulp of the sake. "You died to give me and Nojiko a future, and if I had intervened then I would have jeopardised that future. All three of us might have been killed, and the village would never have been free of Arlong."

She paused for a moment to curse herself through gritted teeth, somehow that didn't sound like a good enough explanation, just some poor excuse for cowardice. But as she searched for a more meaningful vindication her chest and throat became tight, and all Nami could hear was her pulse thundering in her ears, and throbbing in her neck. 'You're not a coward. Just be honest.'

"I'm a pirate now. We both are, me and my younger self," she began with a rueful smile. "I've stolen things for as long as I can remember, so it can't be too much of a shock to you," she laughed, her sad smile turning to nostalgic smirk as she remembered Bellmere's reaction to her juvenile theft.

"I'm with a very different sort of crew than the ten year old version of myself. Luffy, and everyone else, they're nothing like the Arlong Pirates," she explained as she stared out towards the ocean, calling forth all of her pleasant memories with them. "Our journey together has been a lot of fun, and has consisted of a great deal of danger. Every island we've visited we have discovered some injustice or grim fate, something which our captain simply couldn't turn a blind eye to."

The ache in Nami's legs urged her to change position then. She sat on the ground and crossed her legs, then continued while intermittently taking mouthfuls of the sake. "It didn't matter who a person was, or what they stood for, Luffy would always do what he thought was right ... We've helped so many people, and one day that pirate crew will defeat Arlong, and set all of us free."

She fell silent then and listened intensely, certain she'd heard something from within the nearby forest.

After a few moments of not hearing another sound she finished the remainder of the sake and continued, "I know that sounds like a feeble excuse for what I did, or what I didn't do, but ..." she paused with a heavy sigh. Her guilt for not saving Bellmere was eating away at her, like a rat gnawing at her insides. Nothing she could say would ever sound good enough. And it pained her to know that the people of Cocoyashi have to endure years of pain and anguish because she did not act today, 'Please forgive me.'

"I am alive, and I'm happy with them. That's what you wanted for me, isn't it? They're the greatest people I could have ever hoped to have met, so thank you Bellmere-san, for your sacrifice and for your love." There wasn't any more Nami could say, she simply hoped that Bellmere could understand. She believed that she would in time, and only if Nami ever made it back to her own time, making her inaction worthwhile.

Another rustle sounded from the trees, so Nami quickly grabbed the two empty bottles and fled before she knew her younger self would arrive and reveal her plan to Nojiko about buying the village from Arlong.

Presently ...

"Mugiwara-ya, stop!" Law shouted, just as his ally's fist collided with the fishman's skull, rendering him unconscious. He felt as though he had been kicked in the gut as he watched the fishman fall. If Nornir died from his injuries then there would be no telling if Nami-ya would ever make it back or not. "Let me examine him now!"

"If we kick his ass, won't she come back?" Luffy asked, coolly. His hot temper seemingly extinguished along with the fishman.

Luffy lazily stepped aside so Law could get to Nornir. "Usopp told me that when that kid was knocked out on Dressrosa all the toys turned back to people, so the same thing will happen when I beat him up!" he exclaimed gleefully.

"We can't take any chances, Mugiwara-ya. And she obviously hasn't come back from you knocking him out!" he argued through gritted teeth, trying to examine the fishman's head. "She's not on this time-plane so we don't want him to die from his injuries. We don't know what could happen to her then!"

"So she's not going to come if we beat him up?" Luffy pleaded.

Law's expression soured, and he sighed in disbelief at Luffy's last question, "Just help me get him to the infirmary." he said, rolling his eyes and positioning himself to carefully lift the fishman up.

Once in the infirmary, Law supported Nornir's head and lay the fishman on the empty bed, carefully rolling him onto his side so he could examine his injury.

What should have been a layer of smooth glaucous skin covering his skull was a dark, uneven, crimson pulp. Law could count three fissures along his scalp, each of them oozing blood that was showing no sign of stopping, and one of them had a small shard of scarlet and white bone that was peeking through his skin.

"Is he going to die?" Luffy asked in a flat tone.

Law looked over at Luffy then to see that his ally was clutching his right elbow, his right fist was clenched tight, and his eyes were cast in the opposite direction, staring intensely. "Hand me that tray over there," he said, pointing the silver tray at the end of the bed. The one still full of equipment from when he attended to Nami-ya earlier. "He has an open fracture, but it isn't depressed; which is good,"

"Here," Luffy muttered, offering the silver tray to Law, looking a little more at ease but still showing signs of remorse.

"Thanks," Law said as he took the tray. His thoughts instantly drifted to Nami when he looked at the tray and saw the splinter of debris that he had removed from her wounded thigh.

As if someone had replaced the blood in his veins with molten hot rock, Law began to burn up with anger. 'All of this is his fault, and here I am ensuring that the bastard doesn't die.' He didn't regret not preventing it from happening, but that didn't mean that Law couldn't be pissed off about it. Still, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted from what needed to be done, and he certainly didn't want to let his anger get the better of him. With a heavy sigh and a metallic clatter, Law bitterly placed the tray in the empty space on the bed, then picked up a scalpel and enveloped them in his room.

"Possible contusion," he began, feeling a wave of satisfaction as he sliced the fishman's scalp and peeled it back to get a better look at his cranium. "and maybe a subarachnoid haemorrhage, but I'll have to open up his skull to be sure," Law declared, leaning back and meeting Luffy's worried eyes.

His ally began to fidget for a moment, then removed his gaze from Law before he spoke again, "Can you wake him up?"

"I can't wake him," Law relented, "but he should come round of his own accord providing I ensure that he doesn't obtain a secondary brain injury," he said leaning forward again to continue his work.

"I won't hit him again!" Luffy assured him in a resolute tone.

"I know. A secondary injury is due to the inflammation of the brain. So if that happens and his brain is confined by the cranial cavity-"

"What do you mean?" Luffy interjected.

"I'm going to cut his head in half and leave him like that until he comes around." Law explained, trying to hide the sadistic smirk that was determined to shape his lips. The fishman did deserve it after all.

"That'll kill him." The Strawhat's captain said in an incredulous tone, screwing up his face as he spoke.

"Not when I use my Devil Fruit," Law reassured him. "It's just a matter of time before he wakes, Mugiwara-ya. All we can do is wait."

Aforetime ...

Nami awoke with a start. Her body snapped into an upright position in her bed, her hand clutching at her chest as she battled to regain the breath her nightmare had stolen from her. 'Just a dream,' she reassured herself as she scanned her surroundings, eyes jumping quickly from the cabinets and their instruments to the machine monitoring her life, reminding her of her unfavourable situation and location.

'Calm down,' she admonished as she lowered herself to lay flat in her cot. 'Law said that stress was bad for your condition.' Though no matter how much she tried to remind herself of that, Nami couldn't tear her thoughts away from her dream-memory. She'd just subconsciously relived the entire event, from the ten year old girl witnessing her mother's murder, to the woman she was now, the one fleeing from that island maybe a few weeks ago in a leaky fishing boat.

The quickening pace of her heart rate monitor urged her to close her eyes and try to focus her mind else where. She listened to the mysterious sounds that vibrated through the hull, to the distant thud of footsteps from out along one of the corridors. When that didn't work she tried to concentrate on the sound of the whispering air that was being pumped into the submarine's atmosphere through a generator and its beating fans. But, no matter what she tried to focus on, Nami could still hear his words echoing through her mind.

"Die for you pathetic love." Arlong had laughed as he pulled the trigger, ending her mother's life.

That line terrified her. Not his words, but the very sound of his voice and the look in his eyes. They shone with belligerence, and though he may have laughed as he spoke, his tone was harsh and cruel.

The monitor beside her began to bleep more frequently, and though she knew she needed to slow it down, her mind raced faster as if to keep time with the quickening beep. There was something more to Arlong that she had been oblivious to, that she couldn't understand and was too panicked to even notice as a child, but she knew it now as his words repeated over and over in head; there was a malevolence within him that extended to all of humankind, and not just to Bellmere and Cocoyashi. Arlong was a walking bitter enmity, and Nami was sure that had Luffy not stopped him then Arlong would have eventually taken his war against the humans to a world wide campaign.

It made her sick with worry to know that he was at large at that very moment, that'd it'd be years before he was brought to justice. 'I did the right thing,' she quickly told herself to wash away the guilt of her mothers murder, and the cruelty she knew the people of her village were enduring at that very moment. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and one that seemed to be stuck at the back of her throat.

She just hoped that one day this new burden would lessen, and the horrible taste it left in her mouth would disappear.

'Relax,' she told herself, reaching up to rest the palm of her hand on her head and calm her mind.

Nami noticed then that she was slick with sweat. Her fringe was sticking to her forehead, and her gown was clinging to her body. She was drenched right through, as if she had been dragged into her dream memory and had had to swim that final stretch of ocean after the fishing boat she escaped Cocoyashi in had sunk.

Had Nornir's power affected her again? She hoped that it had. Surely that would mean that maybe something had happened in the future, or that there may still be a way for her to go back. That glimmer of hope helped her racing heart begin to slow, and with a heavy sigh Nami pushed herself to sit up in her bed.

'I need a shower,' she acknowledged as she peeled the pale blue gown from off her chest. Nami frowned as she noticed the patches of moisture. Their placement confirmed that she had not been dragged into a dream memory by Nornir, and that she'd simply had a nightmare.

Nami took a deep breath, and brought her hand to the tip of her nose just as she felt start to tingle with dolour. "Hurry up, Lu-" she began out loud, but cut herself off when the door to the infirmary opened.

"So, you're awake," Law's smoky voice sounded with hint surprise as he stepped inside the room.

'I am' she said silently, watching as his unfamiliar slender figure approached her sick bed. 'I'll never get used to the differences between them, even if they are slight.'

"You're elevated heart rate sounded an alarm. I need to top up your medi-"

"You don't," Nami snapped, quickly removing the cardiac sensor from off her index finger, then jumping off the bed to put some distance between herself, Law and her medication.

Her treatment always left her feeling drowsy and lethargic and Nami didn't want to enter her nightmares again. She was tired of reliving the memories they brought forth. Nami felt as though they was beginning to twist and contort her mind. As a child she chose to battle against the life she had, but now, to sit back and wait for others to fight for her, it wasn't who she was. Her situation ignited a hopelessness within her, a destructive force that was beginning to set aflame to all that she was, and incensing her temperament further. She was becoming afraid that if she even managed to return to the future then she would not be the same person she was when she left that time.

If it were an option, Nami was sure that she'd choose to never sleep again.

"I'm fine now," she assured him while pulling her gown away from her body. "I'm calm."

Law regarded for a moment. His gilded eyes seemed to inspect every inch of her as she stood before him.

Though his visual examination was fleeting, it was just long enough to make her feel uncomfortable under his scrutinising gaze, forcing her to turn her face from him and stare at the tiled floor.

"If you say so," Law muttered, then turned and began to head towards the door. "My crew are preparing dinner, if you're hungry." he continued as he walked away.

"I'm not," she said, but quickly relented, "but I haven't eaten anything since ..." she paused as she tried to remember. The last thing she could recall eating were some mikans as watched her mothers burial from the safety of trees, and even they did not fill her up. Nami began to appreciating how difficult it would have been for Bellmere to survive on that diet, though she surely ate more regularly than Nami had of late.

"It's be a thirty minutes," Law said, bringing her attention away from her thoughts.

"Okay, I just need to take a shower first."

"Come up to the mess hall when you're done," he said, then quickly closed the door behind him as he left.

'The mess hall? Surely patients should eat in their room!' Nami thought to herself, but then quickly remembered how Law had invited her up on deck. If she was well enough for that then he must have deemed that she was well enough to leave the infirmary for meals, too.

Nami wasn't really sure if Law was the type of man to honour the fact that, as he put it, he had received payment for her treatment, and would see her safely through his care. Perhaps the Law she knew in the future was, but there was nothing to say that this Law was that man yet.

In fact, she was quite sure that he wasn't that man yet. Nami had caught glimpses of him that reminded her of the future Law she knew, but this Law was definitely more mysterious, and truly suited his moniker of 'The Dark Doctor'. There was still something about him that just didn't sit right with her. He was either over interested or nonchalant, and something didn't quite add up. 'Just what is his game?'

The way Nami could see it was that she was either going to be his prisoner until she had fully recovered, or he was just going to abandon her the moment she became too much of an inconvenience, and neither of those futures sounded appealing to her. She wasn't prepared to sit idly by and wait to see what would happen to her.

'I'll escape on the next island.'

Trafalgar Law headed in the opposite direction to the mess hall, ensuring that his shoes sounded at an inordinate volume as he walked the metal floor of the corridor. Once he had gotten to what he considered to be a substantial distance from his operatory he stepped into a small nook out of sight, flexed his devil fruit ability, and then waited for his patient to leave her room.

Whilst he waited, Law tried to think more about the mission at hand, and not about his doubts for their current guest. Much to his relief, Law didn't have to distract himself for too long before she emerged.

She stepped out wearing the cleaned clothes they'd found her in. Law ducked behind a bulkhead when she looked in his direction, then peeked his head out again when he heard her begin to move.

'Not following the sound of my footsteps then,' Law thought to himself as he observed her walking away from him, noting how unsteady she was on feet, 'a side effect of her medication.' He followed her at a distance, using his ability to silently transport himself behind her, but always ensuring to keep her in view.

Law studied her closely, and started to become more and more concerned the nearer she got to the dining area. Not once did seem lost as she navigated the passageways of his submarine. At every bulkhead she seemed to know exactly which way to turn, and she easily found the location of the ladder leading to the last stretch of her journey. It was at this point that he decided to intercept her, and he transported himself to the deck above.

"You had no trouble finding your way, I trust?" he asked, startling her, and knowing full well that she found it easily.

"No," she said tensely, tucking a few of her curly orange tendrils behind her ear.

Law couldn't be sure if her nervousness was due to his sudden appearance, but he presumed it was more to do with the fact that she knew where she was going, and had possibly just given herself away. 'Jora's submarine is similar to this one-'

"All seafaring vessels are the same," she continued, interrupting his thoughts, "the galley is always aft."

Law didn't bother to disguise his glower at her attempt to cover her tracks. "Have you spent a lot of time at sea?"

"A fair bit," she said, stumbling slightly as she spoke.

Law seized the opportunity and grabbed her by the waist with both hands to steady her. "One of the side effects of your medication is impaired motor control and lack of coordination," he revealed, carefully positioning himself next to her while moving his hands along the waistband of her jeans, checking that she hadn't concealed a stolen scalpel there. "It could also be the reason you have no appetite."

"Thanks," she said in a tone that was as brittle as her posture. "Any idea how much longer I'll have to take it?"

"That depends on you," he informed her, ushering her towards the mess hall with him right arm still around her back.

"Great."

Law could literally feel her slump with frustration as she said it, but before he could say anymore on the matter, his attention was snatched away by the sudden silence that befell the mess hall.

To his annoyance, all of his crew who were present there had given up on eating their meal in favour of staring at him as he escorted in his patient. A simple glare from their captain scared the majority of them back into eating again, but it was only the sound of Shachi's fork clanging on the table after he dropped it that could snap him out of his trance like stare.

"Penguin, get her a plate." Law ordered as he helped her to the table.

"Yes, captain," he flustered, then jumped up straight away and rushed into the kitchen.

The men on his crew were easy to stir. Shachi and Penguin were both excited to have a woman aboard, and had openly objected to Law's order for them to not speak with her.

"Pen," Law whispered as the man returned, motioning for the him to come closer, "I need you to interact with her now. I want to see how she responds."

Penguin nodded, then took her food over to her.

"Thank you. Penguin, wasn't it?" she asked as she smiled innocently at him.

Law saw a blush dust the cheeks his crew mate, then Penguin sat down opposite her, nodding bashfully.

'Doflamingo has done well choosing her,' Law thought to himself, watching as she easily entered into small talk with his crew.

She was sly, all happy smiles and good manners. He couldn't shake the idea that she was playing the 'damsel in distress'. It wouldn't have surprised him if Doflamingo had inflicted her injuries himself to ensure that she got aboard his ship. 'But surely he would have found some other ingenious way to get here?' he thought, doubting himself.

It didn't take long for a few other members of his crew to gather around her table. They seemed captivated by her, but there was little about a woman that did not enrapture them.

He remembered then of how he went to her room earlier, and how her gown had clung to her body, revealing the contours that lay beneath it. And again, though he had other priorities at the time, in hindsight he could appreciate her curves as he secretly searched her, moments ago. She was attractive, and he couldn't deny it, but surely Doffy would have known that it takes more than a pretty face to tempt him. He had too much at stake to be distracted by her enough to let his guard down and allow her to get close to him. His end goal was too important, and he certainly wasn't ready for Doflamingo to be weary of him just yet.

Law went to kitchen to grab a plate of onigiri, but decided against eating with his crew and their guest.

"Shachi," he called. "How long until we reach Drum Island?"

"About a week, captain."

"We're headed for Drum?" his patient asked in a surprised tone, quickly turning to face Law.

"Yes, Lami," he said, voicing her name harshly; it pained him to say it. "Do you know it?" he asked in the hope that she did. Law was still toying with the idea of abandoning her on the next island. In fact, he was leaning heavily towards it, so it would be fortunate if she knew the island at all.

"Not really," she said, quickly turning her attention back to her food, "but I've heard a lot of bad things about its King."

"Like what, Lami?" Shachi eagerly asked.

She shuffled a little in her seat. "I heard that he keeps all of the island's doctors to himself. That there're a lot of sick people there."

"I'll just have to keep my skills hidden then." Law said apathetically so he could analyse her reaction.

To his surprise, her head snapped in his direction in order to glare at him, though her expression soon softened to one that seemed more like disappointment than disgust. He was taken a back by both. Law didn't expect that an agent of Doflamingo would be too bothered if he helped sick people or not.

'More to consider,' he admitted to himself. She did still need medical attention and it seemed certain that she wouldn't get any on Drum Island. 'If she's not working for Joker...'

"Report to me later, Penguin," he ordered as he turned to leave the mess hall in favour of finding somewhere quieter to eat and think. "I'll be in my quarters."

"Aye, captain."

I hope you enjoyed that :) I actually got sunburnt while I was writing it!

From this point on we are gong to stick with Nami and Law. Well, we have one more Law and Luffy in the future/present bit, but then there won't be any for a while. And no more of Nami's flashbacks. Just pure LawNa action really, I promise you!

As I said, I think I've gotten over the mental hurdle I was at this this fic'. I was stuck for a while on how to bridge what has happen and what is to come, so I apologise if you feel this chapter was a waste of space, but it was needed.

If you have the time, please leave a review letting me know what you think. Thanks! :3

"for she waits in the wings,"

19th April 2016