The Long Con [[ Nami x Law ]]

Ch 6 - Found Resolve

Nami woke up late the next day. She burst from her room at almost noon and rushed to grab a quick shower. Law chuckled a sarcastic good morning at her as she zoomed past.

She peeked out her head from the bathroom, toothbrush still in her mouth, to ask how much time she had.

Law frowned in thought for a moment. "About 20 minutes."

He laughed again as her eyes widened and she shut the door, quickly starting the shower. He had wondered if he should wake her, but it was clear her body needed the sleep. He lounged at the breakfast table reading the paper as a wet, orange blur zoomed out of the bathroom and into her room. It tickled him that she worried at all how she looked when she met his crew. He wasn't even reading the paper any longer, just peering over it, amused by watching the redhead dart back and forth between rooms to prepare herself. She was still tying back her hair when there was a knock at the door. Nami squealed, and Law laughed openly as he answered the door.

Two men and a large polar bear studied him for a moment. They were clearly expecting Law to be in a sour mood after having to call them in on short notice, but instead they were greeted by their smiling and laughing captain. Bepo jumped into Law's arms causing him to take a few steadying steps back into the room. The other men followed quickly, locking the door behind them.

They happily greeted Law before noticing Nami. Law turned around to see her holding the mink cub, who had taken to tugging playfully at her ponytail. Law smiled wide as she struggled to free her hair from the small paws.

"This is Nami-ya."

The two men shared a look then rushed over to greet her. "I'm Shachi, and this is Penguin. We've heard a lot about you!" The man with red hair and a puffy green and pink hat shook her hand vigorously as he spoke.

Nami shot Law a look as the second man in the Penguin hat took her hand to shake it just as hard. "Law told us what you did for Oso. Anyone brave enough to do something like that is a ok with us!"

Nami's grin was wider than ever as she blushed at the compliment. Good deeds were not something she was used to being praised for. As the two men took the mink from her arms, her smile turned to Law. Her brows rose as she spotted the large bear hovered behind Law's shoulder. She skipped across the room to them and put out a hand as she introduced herself. "You must be Bepo. My name is Nami." She smiled kindly, and the bear tentatively took her hand. "I hear we have a lot in common. I just know we're going to be fast friends."

Bepo was hesitant, but Law could tell he was warming up to her quickly. She smiled at Law so brightly his heart skipped a beat. Seeing her last night compared to now was like night and day. Any doubts he had for opening up to her about Bepo were out the window. It led to saving a life from slavery, it led to her opening up to him, and it led to the pure joy she felt in that moment. Law let his walls down a little, only slightly. He would allow losing himself in this moment, to forget his plans and worries, realizing that as beautiful as she was in gowns or when she would pout or even when she cried, he knew for a fact it didn't compare to seeing her truly happy.

They spent the next few hours briefing the newcomers on the status of their mission and getting them acquainted with Oso. He clung tightly to Law's leg at first, but he warmed up to them once they offered him a few snacks.

After a while, Law called Shachi into the kitchen to go over next steps again. They would take Oso to the Polar Tang. Even after the metal collar was removed, the bear had deep scratches and missing patches of fur where it had been. There was a specific ointment there he instructed Shachi to apply generously every few hours until the swelling and redness decreased. They would also keep the Polar Tang close. Although they had a solid lead, it wasn't clear how much longer it would take to collect the information they needed. They still had a few weeks before Judge returned, and Law was insistent on having an exit strategy in place that could get them out before that happened.