Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own the story or associated characters of Eiichiro Oda's "One Piece". No profit is gained from the writing and publishing of this story, no copyright infringement intended. Should this story be deemed offensive by either the legal owners and/or representatives of One Piece, Mr Oda or this website, respectively, the story will of course be taken down immediately with full apologies extended.

Notes: This story takes place approximately 8 months after Punk Hazard. I will try not to completely ignore what happens in this arc but for the sake of this plot bunny, some canon facts will be bent this or that way. I will try to keep everyone in character – try, okay? But this is fanfiction, so please cut me some slack here.

A huge thank you to Kinjiru, author of the Heart Pirate centered drabble collection Heart Log (also to be found in my favorites, hint hint) for constructive criticism, invigorating discussions of all One Piece related subjects and willingly lent services as a skilled and thoughtful beta reader!

One.

Wherein two pirates meet to share a drink.

Impel Down was as cold and bleak as ever, but even the most recent inmate of level 6 wasn't bothered by it. Not anymore, that is. She had gotten quite easily used to being chained down and behind bars, maybe because her childhood hadn't been all that different from the things she was experiencing now. The spilled food (when it wasn't laced with drugs), the insults slung into her direction, the mockery and the leers - this jail was more tangible than the one she'd known as a girl (in more ways than she cared to count), but being caught here felt the same as it had back then. The fact that she had been given an entire cell for her lonesome self - which had absolutely nothing to do with her being the only woman incarcerated on level 6 - only reinforced the feeling. She was trapped and alone.

Alright, those manacles had taken a few days getting used to, she'd admit that much.

But solitary confinement was alright with the woman. It was the way she liked it although there was no way in hell (not 'no way in Impel Down' because the jail was horrible, but a true hell, Nami knew, was even worse) she would allow anyone to become prone to this knowledge.

It was her status as the navigator of the (infamous and notorious) Straw Hat Pirates that had gotten her the cell hidden deep in Impel Down's stone-cold bowels, not her meager bounty of 16 million belli. Which was a bit of an inside-joke among the other level 6 inmates. Nami had learned to ignore their jibes about how they were letting just anyone into the high-security levels. Their mockery was less of an attempt to insult her and motivated by the need to prove themselves 'more' to the woman. Her alliance, combined with the fact that her captain was the only one to successfully break into Impel Down and leave it again, guaranteed her a special treatment. More so than her involvement in the destruction of Enie's Lobby, her captain's assault on the world aristocrats or her contribution in her crew's war against the world government.

Those were just the icing on the cake.

Another, much more prominent factor was the circumstance that the world government apparently hadn't yet decided what to do with her, or so she was told. On the one hand, Nami knew her crimes against the government and her alliance were more than enough to warrant a death sentence. On the other hand, it was pretty obvious that she was a wonderful bait for her captain and nakama. The navigator was certain that her fate was closely tied to whatever plans were currently being hatched with the goal of taking out Monkey D. Luffy and his crew. There was also the fact that Impel Down really couldn't take another surprise attack courtesy of the Straw Hat. Especially if he brought his crew along for the ride and who knew how many pirates, bound to make an appearance just because the exuberant supernova was going to be there. And although her nakama hadn't so much as lifted a finger to reclaim their navigator that didn't mean they weren't going to do so in the future.

Even reinforced as it was now, the high security prison was unwilling to take any risks where the Straw Hats were concerned: who knew what inane abilities the crew's infamous Monster Trio had obtained in the meantime? No one, least of all the current prison warden, was eager to see how the reinforced security would hold up to that test. And this had everything to do with absolutely no one, not even the person who had designed the new security measures, believing that they'd do Impel Down any good against the one crew they hoped to keep out. Which was kind of ironic considering Impel Down's purpose.

Nami assumed that this was also one of the reasons why her (obligatory) trial and sentence had not yet taken place: after the destruction of Marineford and the chaos they had wrought in the New World, officials weren't eager to rush legal proceedings against any affiliate of Monkey D. Luffy without sufficient preparations in place. Luffy had the uncanny ability to make loyal friends in the unlikeliest of places; loyal powerful friends.

So instead, they kept her locked away and her fate undecided until whatever scheme they were planning could be set into motion. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. She estimated almost two had passed since she'd taken up residence. And just as she'd known it began to dawn on her captors that no one was going to come to safe her just yet. Terror turned into habit - on both sides of the bars.

The longer she remained captive, the less cautious they became, less spooked they seemed to be by her and her crew. Some of the prison guards were starting to believe that they might just get away with imprisoning a Straw Hat... Yet there was no talk about moving her to one of the lower levels. The prison warden - on principle - refused to take any risks with regard to Nami.

And then there was Sadi-Chan. Or rather: there was a distinct lack of Sadi-Chan.

Impel Down didn't tread lightly for its prisoners' sakes and Sadi-Chan was a regular visitor on Level 6. Apart from being Chief Guard, the woman was also chiefly sadistic and if Warden Hannyabal wanted someone 'interrogated', he usually let Sadi-Chan do the honors. Her methods were limited to torture, but the damage she wrought was substantial. Nami had often seen the results of such interrogations dragging itself back into its assigned cell and had drawn her own conclusions. Time alone with Sadi-Chan was not a pleasurable experience, unless you were Sadi-Chan.

Sometimes, the woman would stand in front of Nami's cell, a wistful expression on her face and her hands restlessly massaging her precious whip. The pirate refused to be openly intimidated by such gestures, though Sadi-Chan staring at her for any amount of time took her back to memories of Arlong Park and Bellemere's death. Curiously enough, Nami wasn't once 'interrogated', nor was she subjected to any form of torture other than verbal abuse. This led her to assume that Sadi-Chan might be thinking of her in terms of a sparkling new toy she didn't get to play with. There was no point in trying to figure out why she ended up this privileged - you didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially if said gift horse meant you didn't have to get up close and personal with that whip.

Regardless, Nami was not left to her own devices, either. She received regular visits by a severe looking man with a gaunt face, wrapped into an impressive purple robe, who kept pointing out to her that her captain had forsaken her and was undeserving of her loyalty. He implored her to do the right thing just this once and tell them everything about her crew because anything she knew might help them to catch those that had abandoned her.

"Don't you want to see them brought to justice for betraying you like this?" he would ask and Nami would stare ahead with a dull expression and say nothing until he became annoyed or frustrated with her silence and left again. As long as she made sure to avoid the drugs, she'd be giving him the silent treatment for a good long time.

The gaunt man's visits would also leave her both happy and sad. Because the fact that they were still trying to wheedle information out of her meant her crew was still up and about, wreaking havoc as they went. But when she was asked about the swordsman's weaknesses, about how it came to be that Sogeking was no longer a part of their group, whom exactly they had stolen their pet from and what they'd done to that person and why they'd wanted the blue-nosed tanuki (she didn't bother to correct them) in the first place, what sort of relationship she had with her former captain, when they demanded she tell them how exactly Black Leg Sanji looked - then all she could do was to think of Arlong as hard as she could, of Pacifista, of slimy snails and furry rats, lest they'd see the longing and heartbreak on her face. It was strange to be homesick for a place that didn't have a fixed point in the world, but more than for Cocoyashi, Nami longed for the Sunny. She missed the feel of the planks beneath her feet, the familiar sounds of the ship plowing through the ocean while she charted its course - the insults (Zoro and Sanji), the raucous laughter (Luffy, Usopp and Chopper), the faint twang of a violin or, more often lately, a guitar (Brook), the dull hammering somewhere below her as the Sunny was maintained and improved (Franky) and the scent of sweet flowers as soft steps passed by her desk to reach the book shelf (Robin).

That she knew for a fact that no one would come for her; that those happy days were indeed over, didn't exactly improve her mood (yet oddly strengthened her resolve). But this, too, she didn't dare tell those standing on the other side of the cold steel bars. For the sake of her captain and her crew, it was imperative that they never knew how far the Straw Hats were willing to go to see their captain crowned Pirate King. As long as she remembered that, as long as she didn't get too comfortable in their routine of polite questioning and verbal abuse, as long as she remained on her toes and tried to avoid the drugs, Nami knew that everything would go according to plan. No matter how long they would keep her imprisoned.

Thus, it was with a great amount of surprise that Nami received her newest visitor. And of course, the only other person to actively seek her out in her nearly timeless prison that wasn't a prison guard had to be him of all people.

Oh, she could deal with that lazy smirk, piece of cake. She could absolutely ignore that relaxed posture - relaxed, because he didn't have to run around with heavily shackled wrists, and wasn't that unfair? – as if it were old news. But that slightly mocking drawl as he addressed her so casually with "Miss Nami" this she absolutely couldn't ignore. Out of the mouth of Trafalgar Law, even the politest mode of address sounded condescending and rude - which was particularly true for the 'miss' he'd tacked to her name. In retaliation, she threw his title and name in his face as if it were the harshest insult she could muster without stooping so low to use foul language. Because who knew what happened if she didn't show at least modicum of courtesy? But of course, she was still entitled to clearly communicate her distaste for the man standing before her.

"Captain Trafalgar."

He inclined his head in a polite mockery of a greeting, which the guards standing at attention left and right from him didn't mirror. There were six of them, glaring in a manner that they thought projected watchfulness and their weapons ready for action. Interesting enough, apart from being allowed to wander freely into Impel Down without being forced into sea stone manacles, the Shichibukai was also allowed to do so with only a hand full of regular guards as an escort. This struck Nami as being quite a feat – she had heard stories about the last outsider to visit, Boa Hancock. Particularly the other woman's beauty and regrettably clothed state had been mentioned more often than Nami cared, but most of all the fact that she had been heavily manacled and guarded by then-Prison Warden Magellan himself had left an impression. Impel Down didn't slack on security just because a high ranking visitor stopped by. Not even her usual visitor, who as far as apparel went wasn't an employee of the high security jail, was as privileged as Law. Nami would have to stay on her toes for this one - the Heart Pirate was quite obviously in a more challenging league than her usual visitor.

Instead of remaining clustered around him, the guards fanned out slightly. This gave a poor illusion of privacy, because Nami was absolutely certain that every word they spoke would be carefully listened to by someone in uniform. No way would they (whoever they in this case happened to be: the government, the marines or the persons in charge of Impel Down's security) allow this man to just do as he pleased. Right?

"You look absolutely stunning, Miss Nami," he drawled and the way he emphasized his words let her know that Trafalgar Law didn't care if she was offended by his sarcasm or not. And although she knew that his stament was, in its core, absolutely correct, she knew that it wasn't true right know. She'd kept her hair braided and tied together with a torn off strip of clothing to prevent it from entangling hopelessly, but combing it with her fingers could do only so much. Like all level 6 inmates, she was allowed one ice cold shower per week (she was even given the luxury of a private shower by herself with only Domino standing watch as opposed to the men, who got to take their showers in groups of 15, believing this to be either a concession to her gender or another aspect of her solitary confinement) and although she'd always taken care to be thorough, the allotted time and water left a lot to be desired in terms of Nami's standards for personal hygiene. But at least Nami had made an effort.

For her own sake and comfort not that of anyone else, of course.

As his eyes swept over her slightly slimmed down form, she thought the expression on her captain's rival's face might be disapproval. She didn't bother trying to escape his scrutiny (there was no point in it), assuming he would begin to pick up the individual short-comings of her current appearance any moment now. When he finally spoke, it was in the calm, neutral tones of a medical professional.

"I am told that you haven't been eating," he stated matter-of-factly. "Why is that?"

"Don't like the seasoning," she quipped lightly. Somewhere in the neighboring cell, a shadowy figure chuckled.

"Too much salt?" Law enquired and Nami shook her head.

"Too many drugs," the woman replied.

A few glances were exchanged between some of the guards accompanying the quiet captain, whose quirked eyebrow was a mute invitation to elaborate. Nami decided to humor him.

"If it's a stew, they add maiden's whisper and-dash-or some babble juice; if it's a salad, they add red tattle berries or oil made from them. There's always snicker grass with the rice and sweet delirium in the tea," she explained offhandedly. Law tilted his head to the side.

The imprisoned woman had referred to the herbs used to drug her food by their common names rather than their scientific ones, which was to be expected. What was completely unexpected was the fact that not only could she tell him which drug was contained in which dish, but was apparently also able to avoid them somehow. He knew that any attempts to interrogate the Straw Hat navigator had been successfully thwarted by her, although the prison warden had gone to great lengths to ensure for various kinds of truth serums to be added to her meals for some time now. There were few other methods available to him to get the information they needed out of Nami, as there was a strict order to refrain from inflicting physical torture on her. This wasn't because there were any worries for her good health or a fear of the Straw Hats' inevitable revenge, but rather because the navigator was the frailest and weakest member of the pirate crew. It was generally assumed, that although she would break eventually, she also wouldn't be able to survive the ordeal of physical torture. This was not an acceptable outcome to those in charge: right now, Cat Burglar Nami was more valuable to the world government alive than dead.

"How would you know?" Trafalgar Law enquired, sounding only marginally more interested in her answer than the glares being directed at his back. Briefly, Nami wondered how many of those shadowy figures held a grudge against the Shichibukai personally and principally on account of him being either a) a pirate, b) a government sanctioned pirate and c) free to go. There was a calculating look in his cold, gray eyes and she decided to pick her battles carefully and answer his question. Just to be safe.

"I've got a fine sense of taste. Maiden's whisper leaves a taste like sesame oil, babble juice is sour like lime. Red tattle berries are bitter and their juice turns brown if exposed to air for half an hour or longer. Snicker grass leaves a blue-greenish tint on the rice once it's cold and has a light taste of garlic. There's nothing to it, really."

She didn't mention that she used to have a high tolerance of all these drugs after Arlong had first introduced her to them (which was early and frequent after she had joined his crew). Once she had become familiar with the effects she'd begun to build a tolerance, faking the appropriate effects when necessary. Being a gifted liar helped.

"And the sweet delirium?" he questioned. Nami made a dismissive gesture.

"They always overdose on it."

It was common knowledge that sweet delirium, in small doses, was sugary-sweet to the taste and therefore the perfect addition to any sweet drink or food. But overdosed, it left behind a distinct flavor. While this wasn't an unpleasant taste, it was immediately noticeable as it superimposed itself over any other flavor. Knowing this it was a child's play for Nami (or anyone) to avoid ingesting too much of the drugs and slowly start to rebuild her tolerance. She'd started with snicker grass and sweet delirium, because rice and tea were going to serve her better in the long run than the varying dishes and drug doses they contained. After all, Impel Down did go out of its way to serve both with every meal - at least on level 6.

"I see," Trafalgar Law drawled, his habitual smirk tugging against the corners of his mouth. "Well, well. Full of surprises, aren't you?"

Nami offered a shrug in return to his comment. The Shichibukai gave a short, sharp gesture over his shoulder. It failed to dismiss the prison guards, who remained rooted in place and alert even as Law came to stand in front of the cell. Seemingly careless the lean man let himself drop to the floor and crossed his legs. He made a very definite gesture at a spot directly opposite of him on Nami's side of the bars. The message was clear and with a theatrical sigh, the woman retreated further into her cell before returning with a folded up, moldy blanket to sit on. It dropped to the floor with a dull thump, followed closely by the woman herself. Satisfied, the government sanctioned pirate reached into the inside of his coat and produced two plain metal cups and a hip flask. A guard catching sight of this shifted uncomfortably in its spot. It was obvious that this was nothing they had expected Law to do; probably it was also nothing he was supposed to do.

"I wasn't aware you could just waltz into Impel Down to share drinks with the inmates," Nami said quietly as she warily watched her visitor beginningto pour out two drinks. He did so with deliberate slowness, which didn't worry the imprisoned pirate, although her visitor seemed to be awfully cheap about sharing. Both metal cups were filled to only a quarter.

"Other than Mister Straw Hat, I don't think anybody can," the other pirate conceded in an almost conversational tone. "But I have made special arrangements."

"Special arrangements?" Nami echoed. The dark haired man ignored that remark and held one cup out to her.

"Now to what should we drink, Miss Nami? To freedom? To dreams? Friends? Oh... how about to loyalty?" he taunted. She allowed herself a few moments of silence before taking the proffered cup. A quick glance inside confirmed her assumption: the metal cup was filled only a few inches, probably no more than two fingers high, with a richly amber-colored liquid. The liquid's smell was overwhelmingly strong. Whiskey - Trafalgar Law had come all the way to Impel Down to share a cup of whiskey with her.

Right. The situation seemed to be more dangerous than Nami had expected.

"To loyalty," she responded softly, slightly tilting her cup into the captain's direction in an inclination of clinking glasses with him. The man's thin lips widened momentarily into something that could be almost called a smile before raising the cool metal to his lips.

The alcohol swept down her throat, leaving tingly warmth in its wake. Nami closed her eyes, savoring the taste. "Sweet and nutty... oranges and... smoke," she commented quietly. "This is a North Blue malt, isn't it? A Two Rivers?"

"Indeed," her visitor confirmed, appreciation coloring his voice warmer than she thought it capable. "The single malt, 14 years. You appreciate a fine whiskey, Miss Nami?"

"I appreciate anything that is fine, captain," was her prompt, saucy reply which immediately caused some jeers from the inmates in the neighboring cells and within moments, the surrounding cells exploded in noisy, vulgar comments. The cacophony successfully forced the guards away from Trafalgar Law in an effort of re-establishing peace and quiet. Even those that remained somewhat within ear shot would have a hard time following their softly spoken conversation. This time, the pirate captain did smile. Trust the Straw Hat navigator to be on top of her game even behind bars.

"Why are you here?" It wasn't exactly a question, but he didn't mind. This wasn't exactly a social visit, either.

"To offer you a deal."

Nami snorted. "What? To trade my life against that of my captain? My crew? I'd never betray them. Oh, let me guess: it's in your best interest?"

"Barely. Mostly, it's in the best interest of people you have been trying very hard to protect."

"My crew doesn't need my protection," she snapped and it came out harsher than she had intended it to. Law showed himself unfazed by her little outburst.

"Indeed." The world was drawled with enough thinly veiled menace, that it made her skin crawl. The Surgeon of Death wasn't Sadi-Chan, however. She was more spooked of his unnerving presence than of the whip-wielding prison guard and he got under her skin more easily. Maybe because Sadi's was the kind of menacing that was out and there for everyone to see, whereas Law's was the quiet kind. His face betrayed not a single emotion or flicker of thought, although she knew that the gears in his head were listlessly turning. He liked to stay ahead of things and in control, very much like herself. And the annoying thing was that right now, he was and she had no means of breaking his hold on their encounter. But she would have to make an effort, anyway.

"Then this conversation is over." Nami bit out. Stubbornly, she put the metal cup down and completely missed the flicker of triumph in her opposite's eyes. Law was a little disappointed that she'd walked right into it, but his voice lost nothing of the quiet edge that worked so well on the redhaired woman.

"Far from it. Or am I to assume you no longer care about Cocoyashi Village?"

Involuntarily, Nami froze. A sudden coldness washed over her, as if if someone had doused her with a bucket of cold water. She hadn't been prepared to hear these words from anyone while in Impel Down, least of all him. The fact that she couldn't hide her shock and fear was more than just a testimony to Law having hit a nerve. It was proof that she had made the mistake of getting comfortable in what relative security the questions for her nakama had offered her. It was a disturbing realization for the navigator, but less so than the fact that her opposite was appearing to find great satisfaction in the terror she showed.

"It's been a while since you've been to the East Blue, hasn't it?" the man began conversationally. "Why don't I bring you up to date?" There was an odd air of serene gleefulness about him which didn't quite match his stoic personality. "You are aware that there's been an investigation of how it came to be that an entire island was occupied by a known criminal for almost a decade, aren't you?"

Nami nodded slowly. Of course there had been an investigation. When a pirate interfered with what should be the Marine's work, there was always an investigation. In the case of Arlong, Luffy's interference had been passed off as a happy coincidence. Coincidence because naturally, the Marine had been fully aware of the fishman's doings and had been merely waiting for the right moment to strike. But thenLuffy had come along and had rendered all their careful planning obsolete by removing the threat with complete disregard to the safety of the innocent civilians who had suffered greatly at the hands of the Arlong Pirates.

At least, that's what the newspapers had written shortly after she had left her home island behind.

"The conflict between your crew and Arlong's was put down to being a minor power struggle among criminals. The file has been re-opened twice since," her visitor explained over the rim of his cup.

"Twice?"

"Indeed, Miss Nami. Two years ago, when your crew vanished, marine soldiers stationed near Cocoyashi reported something quite curious."

Trafalgar Law was obviously enjoying this and despite the rising feeling of dread, Nami knew she was required to play a long. With great effort, she managed to sound somewhat neutral when she finally asked: "What was that?"

"A funeral service," the Surgeon of Death replied, taking another languid sip from his cup. The woman in front of him barely tensed further, he noted. She had overcome her initial surprise, but was still on edge, a sentiment of which he approved. It would make her more vulnerable in the end. Making a show of swirling the contents of his cup, he continued his explanation. "Held in the memory of yourself, your captain and your crew. Half the island was in attendance. You received full honors. Even those members of your crew that joined long after you entered the Grand Line."

Trafalgar Law paused to watch the woman guide the cup to her lips and drink waiting for the words to properly sink in. He mirrored the movement, eyeing her with little discretion. She'd been pretty when she had first been brought to Impel Down and even now, she was attractive in a too-skinny kind of way that came with her self-imposed - for lack of better word - fasting. She'd been aware of it, of course, and had used it to her advantage whenever she could. It was really no surprise, that her wanted posters had been somewhat popular. Meanwhile, the quiet had returned and there was a slight echo when he asked her with faked politeness: "Would you like a refill, Miss Nami?"

"I'm good," she deadpanned. He probably knew that she hadn't even consumed half of the dollop of alcohol he had poured her. She hadn't sipped from her cup that often. And she wasn't going to play this oh-so-polite game of cat and mouse, anyway. Even if he was subtly telling her by offering that the worst was yet to come. How much worse could it get than the entire village of Cocoyashi joining up to hold a funeral service for a pirate crew that had just been charged with assaulting three world aristocrats and holding them hostage?

"They chalked it up to you having been one of their own so no further actions were taken. You only did, what the Marine had been planning to do, anyway." he said and the woman snorted derisively. Law didn't seem to notice or purposefully ignored it. Either way, he continued to nonchalantly swirl the contents of his cup. He seemed pleased with something and Nami couldn't help but wonder whether she'd somehow managed to stumble into a carefully laid trap.

"There's been another report from Cocoyashi," the Shichibukai began, adding a mock-contemplative pause for effect. "Eight months ago."

Nami felt her fingers fidget with the cup and forced herself to still them.

"Can you imagine what it said?"her visitor asked. The mild curiosity he faked was infuriating, as if they were discussing something as trivial as the weather (which was a more serious matter to Nami than most other people, thank you very much). Also, how was she supposed to know what had happened eight months ago? Eight months ago, they had continued their travels. Eight months ago had been, when they had let the world know that the Straw Hat pirates weren't dead - or recruiting. Never once had she stopped to think of her childhood home because she had just been so glad—

And then all of a sudden, Nami could imagine it quite clearly. If they'd been stupid enough to hold a service for their supposed funeral two years ago, they would have also been stupid enough to celebrate their return. She felt the color drain from her face and hastily snatched up her cup again, She drained it almost desperately, putting her hopes into the alcohol's abilities to force a healthy and calm blush into her cheeks. The Shichibukai smirked infuriatingly before raising inclining his cup into her direction as if acknowledging her sudden realization.

"That's right. They celebrated your return. According to the report, celebrations lasted two full days, with your bounty posters being plastered all over the place. You'll be pleased to hear that the villagers toasted to your health and infamy. The Marine officials weren't amused. It is assumed that Cocoyashi is one of the villages that are supporting the Straw Hats and joining in your revolution." Another pause followed because he enjoyed keeping her hanging like this. It was nothing short of disrespectful, but Nami was too worried about the story he told to care about the insult right now.

"Revolution?" she asked, unable to keep her voice from sounding alarmed. Revolution? What revolution?

The man waved her enquiry off and threw back the last dredges of his drink. His voice was slightly throaty when he off-handedly elaborated.

"A few insignificant villages and some odd island kingdom that's always been a problem, apparently. The desert Kingdom of Arubasta seemed to be involved, too. But the ransom note for the princess proves that this isn't the case."

Wait, wait - what? Ransom? For Vivi? How did that happen? And when?!

Law picked up the flask and unscrewed the lid. "Are you sure you don't care for a refill, Miss Nami?" he asked again, motioning towards her cup. Wordlessly she handed it over. This time around, he proved to be much more generous with the amber liquid although he still didn't fill the cup all the way (but with a whiskey of this quality, that would have been a crime, anyway). When they had both taken another sip, he leaned back on his elbows. Obviously he was either very comfortable on the cold stone floor or very much enjoying seeing her try (and fail) to hide her rising agitation.

"The general consensus is, that you've established a base in the East Blue centered around Cocoyashi. It's quite obvious that the villagers are part of your crew. It's an interesting report," he stated, pulling a bundle of papers out of his coat and casually flipping through it, occasionally reading out to her. Nami shifted uncomfortably as he read out, somehow feeling his voice was ringing out louder now than before and desperately wanting to tell him to keep it down. And despite his earlier claim, he sounded extremely bored. "Excessively scarred man called Genzo, posing as acting mayor and sheriff... presumably trained the Pirate-Hunter Zoro... Doktor Nako, possibly a fake identity... Yosaku, former member of Zoro's group posing as fisher... no... no... where is it?"

The dark haired pirate pretended to frown, flipping the pages of the report over with his thumb as if he were searching for something in particular. He made quite a show of it, sitting up straighter than before and studiously going through the pages of the report. For all purposes, Trafalgar Law appeared to be completely engrossed in his search for that one page he apparently wanted to show her so badly. Nami wasn't fooled, however. His eyes weren't on the report in his hands, they were fixed to hers. It seemed almost that he was committing every impulse to close her eyes, every twitch betraying her wish to just look away, to memory. She felt dread rise from the pit of her stomach, the longer he noisily flipped through the pages.

'Please not Nojiko, please not Nojiko,' she mentally chanted.

Something fell out of the flipped over pages of the report and Nami recognized it as a photo that must have been loosely pinned to one of the pages with the paper clip still attached to it. The Shichibukai halted his search with an expression of mock-surprise and slowly - too slowly for genuine surprise - reached for it. He flipped the picture over and Nami gritted her teeth.

There was nothing coincidental about the fact that Nojiko's likeness was staring at her from the stone floor. In fact, Law wasn't even trying to deceive her into believing this move hadn't been deliberate. If he had, he would have had the decency to arrange for the picture being upside-down. Nami took offense to that.

"Ah, there she is," he muttered, just loud enough for Nami to catch the words. He flipped back to the front of the report and easily found the page he'd been looking for. "Woman posing as the owner of a mikan plantation. Presumably guarding the crew's treasure, as indicated in the report of Captain Nezumi, 16th branch. Official records show that the plantation was registered as property of the deceased Marine Lieutenant Commander Bellemere..."

"Stop it."

Her voice was soft and tense, but it pierced the quiet around them easily. They did have a quite eager audience, after all. Still, he feigned polite surprise: "Begging your pardon, Miss Nami?"

"You heard me."

The Surgeon of Death grinned. It was an unsettling expression on his face and Nami instantly took an even stronger dislike to it than to his damnable smirk because it meant he had her - and he knew it.

It was one thing to waltz in with the intention of mocking her. He hadn't done anything else since stepping into the prison, anyway. He couldn't in all honesty believe that she hadn't noticed how he had mocked her when feigning politeness or surprise the way he had. He couldn't have believed her to be this oblivious to him trying to rub her the wrong way. He didn't even have the decency to be subtle about it or to honestly try and deceive her. As if she weren't even worth the deception. Nami gritted her teeth. From one criminal to another, it was one of the worst possible insults. But then again, this was probably to be expected from a pirate that stooped so low as to join forces with the government.

"What do you want?"

There. It was out. The question he'd wanted her to ask ever since he'd set foot into Impel Down. Now, it was time to start negotiations.

"I want your assistance, Miss Nami."

When she didn't bother to verbally respond to his claim, he leaned forward, as if to whisper conspiratorial to her.

"I know everything there is to know," he began calmly indicating the report.

There was a growl and Nami was surprised to realize that it came from her. She hated how calm and detached he was about this, how neutral and down to earth his voice sounded while she was more or less in agony. Who did he think he was? Waltzing into Impel Down like he owned it, playing tea time with her and pretending this was a social call, only to drag up something like that! More than anything at that moment, Nami wanted to know what his intentions were. A glance passed between them: contempt and contemplation. Had he pushed her far enough?

"What. Do. You. Want?" she repeated her question, carefully enunciating each word to make it clear that she was done playing games. It was of no relevance what he knew or thought he knew - the report was half assumptions and half lies anyway. He couldn't bully her with those lies, or at least she refused to be bullied into submission just because he was parroting untruths. And if anything, she was fed up with his rotten, mock-courteous attitude. His grin told her, that he knew.

"Join my crew."

The statement was made without any hesitation on his part. It also left no doubt about the fact that this was neither an invitation nor a request. There was a shocked gasp, but Nami was pleased to note that this was not hers.

"Forget it." She was just as pleased to note that her own response elicited more shock and surprise than his offer had. There was a throaty chuckle, too. It was Law's.

"You don't have much of a choice in this matter, Miss Nami." There was it again, that neutrally detached matter-of-fact tone of his, that sarcastic lilt to her name that meant he wasn't taking her seriously. As if it was a given that she would do as he told her. But Nami felt she still had a say in that.

"Says who?" she challenged.

"Akainu and myself, among others."

Her grip on the metallic cup tightened, but she refrained from responding to his claim. The dark-haired man regarded her through cool, emotionless gray eyes.

"I happen to be in need of some of your more... unique skills, Miss Nami," he continued evenly. From any other man, these very same words would have sounded heavy with innuendo, but Trafalgar Law somehow managed to make it appear as if the mere fact that he needed her was utterly repulsive and frustrating. As if Nami herself were a regrettable inconvenience that just couldn't be helped.

'Why you...'

"And if I refuse?"

The pirate captain shrugged his shoulders and then, as if she hadn't just verbally thrown the gauntlet, he continued: "You've gone to great lengths to protect Cocoyashi, haven't you? What if all that hard work of yours went to waste?"

He paused, as if waiting to see what effect his words would have on her. But somewhere between her last outburst and his statement, she had found her cool. Or possibly the shock had paralyzed her. Either way she showed no recognition of having understood or being bothered by this prospect. So maybe he had to make it a little more obvious.

"The government doesn't tolerate revolution, Miss Nami. The term 'Buster Call' holds a meaning to you, doesn't it? You could prevent this. It's simple, really. Join my crew and do as I say and your precious little backwater village with all its idiots will live. Don't and they die."

Much to his annoyance, there was still no reaction from the woman. Pity. He'd hoped for more of a show. The Straw Hat navigator had started out so well, too, letting him play her any which way. But the game had to end sometime, he mused.

"I see," he drawled and lazily got to his feet. "Perhaps you need a little more time to think?"

The Straw Hat navigator sat unmoving and stone-faced, completely ignoring his mockery. Trafalgar Law felt the corners of his mouth itch with the need to shift from smirk to frown. The female pirate was an expressive person who wore her heart on her sleeve. He remembered that well from their first prolonged encounter on Punk Hazard.

The Shichibukai also knew for a fact that Nami had a soft spot for those in need. It had been at her insistence that they'd saved the children Cesar Clown had experimented on. Her captain had agreed, despite Law himself pointing out what a liability they would be and the woman hadn't cared about the additional risk. And even then, he could have told easily that she was the kind of person that would go the extra mile to protect, to defend. The Strawhat navigator - he was certain - was incapable of letting someone die (dealing a killing blow wasn't even worth mentioning). Not, if she had the means to prevent it, which made her silence even more incomprehensible.

Apart from her loved ones, there were children in Cocoyashi. There had even been a veritable baby boom on the entire island, starting a year after Arlong's tyranny was abolished. And despite no supporting evidence, he was certain that the Straw Hats had ways of communicating with their allies and friends. It was preposterous to assume anything else so why...?

Wordlessly, he held out his hand to retrieve the metal cup still clutched in the woman's hands. A flash of silver flew past his head with astonishing accuracy and velocity. With a metallic clatter, the cup fell to the ground and laughter exploded around him. Considering that the person who had thrown it was somewhat malnourished and couldn't move her arms freely, he was duly impressed. He also felt the first stirrings of annoyance.

The captain of the Heart Pirates was being extremely generous, as it were. He wasn't required to offer her the easy, comfortable way of doing things, but he did it anyway because he did feel a modicum of respect for her captain. Admittedly, any such respect was heavily outweighed by his sheer surprise at the other's apparent insanity and naivety, but that wasn't the point. The point was, he needed Cat Burglar Nami to do as he said and she was being deliberately unhelpful. He could force her to comply to his wishes by brute force, fully aware that Fleet Admiral Sakazuki was very much in favor of this option. But for Law's plans it was better if she came half-willingly. It was bothersome enough that she didn't jump at the chance of freedom the way he had hoped she would. Was she enjoying her stay at Impel Down that much?

"That," he said, brushing the stray droplets of whiskey off his dark coat with slow, purposeful movements, "might not have been a smart thing to do, Miss Nami." In the renewed quiet of the prison, his cold words cut any remaining noise down swift and mercilessly. He tipped his hat into her general direction, not bothering to pick up the cup or the fallen picture of Nojiko.

"You deserved it," the imprisoned pirate called after the Shichibukai's retreating form, knowing beyond a doubt that he'd be back.