"C'mon Law, it wasn't their fault." You winced as he tugged at the string, making the stitches tighter.
"They should have been taking the job more seriously. They're lucky to be getting anything at all." The raven haired captain snapped, angry that you got hurt after everything had gone so smoothly. He decided to keep a portion of Shachi and Penguin's cut for not keeping a better eye on you.
"I wasn't paying attention when I opened the door, it was my bad. They came to my rescue and kept me from ending up any worse."
"Here's the deal." He finished stitching up your arm and was now wrapping it with gauze to protect it from the elements. "I'm fine with you coming along for the whole plan, but you're going to need to keep a better focus on your surroundings or I won't bring you."
"Okay, okay. I'll work on it."
"We will work on it. We'll need to see if we can get your observation haki going." He finished wrapping your arm and stood up. "It'll be an important skill for you to have."
He'd mentioned haki before. You knew about the three different kinds and how it was possible to train in two of them.
"What if I can't get the hang of it?" You frowned as you tested your arm, opening and closing your fist. It worked fine but pulled a bit with each movement.
"I have a feeling you won't have a problem with it. We just need to get you trained on it."
"Do we have time for that?"
"We're not on a time limit. Once we turn in the hearts to the Marines we'll take a bit of time for you to heal up and wait for a reply from them. I think we can get your haki going while in Impel Down."
"If you say so." You shook your head and got off the table he had you sitting on to follow him out of the infirmary.
The other ship of pirates was long gone. They had more pirates than necessary so some got to keep their hearts. The ones he took were currently stored up in the navigation room, waiting to be received by the Marines. The closest post was a week away so there was plenty of time for him to warn them of his arrival and make sure they knew he had only the best of intentions when he got there with his delivery.
As much as you loved Law, he was one scary guy when he wanted to be. And there wasn't a whole lot scarier than a guy arriving at a marine base with an ass ton of still beating hearts. Eustass Kid had nothing on that. The fucker.
"So what's the plan until we get to the Marine base?" You padded after Law, having taken off your shoes and gotten into comfier clothes for the rest of the day.
"Business as usual. Keep the ship in good order, the normal chores." He gave you a sly grin as he tugged you towards the bedroom. "Maybe some lovemaking when we have time."
Your insides twisted and heated up at the thought. "I like that plan."
----
The week flew by and you healed up well enough to have the stitches removed. The spot was still delicate and it was definitely going to scar despite Law's best efforts. But you didn't mind. No scar could compare to the one on your back so it didn't phase you.
The morning the Polar Tang arrived at the Marine base, the crew was in a complete tizzy, waking you and Law up from a dead sleep. You lifted your head from your pillow and exchanged annoyed looks with him when someone knocked on the bedroom door.
"Captain! It's time for the delivery." Jean Bart called from the other side, knowing better than to walk into the room.
Bepo did that once without thinking. He caught an eye full of things he didn't ever plan on seeing and it was the only time you'd ever heard Law raise his voice at the navigator. Interactions with Bepo were...interesting for a while after that.
"Give us a minute." Law grumbled, lifting himself up a bit. "We'll be dressed and out in a bit, keep on guard for when we surface."
"Yes Captain!" His footsteps receded until you couldn't hear them anymore.
"Why did we have to get here so early?" You mumbled into the pillow.
Your lover rubbed a warm hand along your back before getting up. "It's not that early, we were just up late."
"I blame you for that." You rolled out of bed, stretching once your feet hit the ground.
"What? Am I not supposed to do anything when there's a beautiful woman in my bed?" He smirked, admiring your naked form as you walked off to the dresser, sticking your tongue out at him.
"You're supposed to let her get some sleep." You smiled despite wanting to come across more serious.
"We can sleep when we're dead." Law ran kisses along your neck before reaching around you to pluck a pair of boxers out of an open drawer.
"Says the man who's always looking for time to nap."
"I earn those naps, thank you. Now let's go earn some more."
----
The area around the base was open and it was a nice, warm day out. Yet, the air surrounding the submarine and the dock was stifling with the stiff energy the Marines gave off. There was a couple higher ranked men standing at the opposite end of the dock facing the Polar Tang. Looking around, you could see more soldiers standing further in, focused on your little group with guns in hand. They were waiting for the second something went awry.
But that wasn't going to happen. Some of the crew, including yourself, stood on the ship's deck, watching everything go down. Law walked across the dock, with Bepo and Jean Bart carrying the covered crate full of hearts behind him. The Marines didn't know exactly what they were getting but you thought they should have figured it out by now. You swore you could hear the hearts beating from your spot on the ship, there was no way the higher officials couldn't.
Law stopped a short distance from the Marines and gave them his signature smirk as Bepo and Bart placed the crate down by his feet, stepping back and out of the way right after. You felt a twinge, something off on one of the buildings was pulling your attention. You searched the rooftops until your gaze landed on a single Marine. They were holding a rifle, it's barrel pointed straight down at your captain. But he wasn't doing anything. The threat was there, but only if Law did something they didn't like. It was still worth letting him know.
You gripped the receiver of the transponder snail you had nearby. Law had left it with the crew in case you spotted something he couldn't, just like right now.
"They have a sniper up top and to your 2 o'clock. They're cocked and ready to go but.... I don't think they're going to fire." You spoke into it quietly to make sure only your captain could hear you on the other end. You weren't sure how, but you knew the sniper wasn't going to be a serious issue. Though the fact that no one else had noticed him before was a little troubling to you.
Law kept calm, not giving any indication that he knew about what you just told him. He spoke a few words you couldn't pick up on to the Marines and motioned to the crate. Bepo removed the cover, letting it fall off the dock and into the waters below. A collective gasp passed through the soldiers as they took in the sight before them. You noticed a few of the closer ones visibly pale.
Your captain carefully pulled a folded paper out of the breast pocket of his shirt and place it on the pile of hearts. His "application" for the shichibukai position. After a short exchange with the Marines directly in front of him he smiled and turned back to the ship.
Once he was out of earshot from them, he pulled the bill of his cap down and spoke into the mini transponder snail he had on him. "Don't worry (Y/n)-ya, I knew he was there. Good catch though, I'm impressed." He looked up, definitely happy with you and you felt a small bubble of pride well up inside. Holy hell he made you feel special.
When the three of them were on board, the submarine was immediately on the move, leaving quickly to avoid any issues. After there was enough distance between the base and the ship, everyone went inside so it could submerge. It was a tense situation that ended perfectly. No bloodshed, no fights, no issues. You were relieved.
Everyone gathered in the rec room afterwards to relax and celebrate together. Law wouldn't call it a celebration though, not wanting to jinx his chances of getting the title, even if he was confident he had it. Still, the crew gathered and soon drinks were flowing and everyone was in a good mood.
"So what now?" You sat beside him, legs tossed lazily over his with a drink of your own in hand.
"Now we wait. They'll get back to us soon enough and we'll be able to get this plan going."
"Something tells me there's going to be a lot of hurry up and wait going on with this."
"There will be, but that's fine. You'll get your answers and I'll have my revenge." He laid a hand on one of your legs, rubbing his thumb across your knee.
"Well," You smiled, watching the men romp around the room merrily. "Waiting is as good of an excuse as any to drink." You offered him your own glass. "You know, just cause we can."
He smirked and took the glass. "Just because we can..."