Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

His footsteps left marks in the snow that rapidly disappeared thanks to the storm. Law sighed, thankful for it, since he could escape without leaving a trail that could uncover him, just like a ghost wandering the island.

His breath left out a small cloud of mist, but not a sound. He wondered how long the power of Corazón’s fruit would last, since it hadn't stopped since he hid him in that chest. Thinking of him made his heart shrink, and new tears started to sprout from his eyes, making his cheeks burn. It wasn’t the best moment to start crying, he thought; he had to keep moving; he had to run away from the Don Quijote family and find a way to flee from that island, leaving behind the only person he had loved in a long time and who gave his life for saving him.

"Stop thinking of him".

The voice in his head was right, thinking of what happened just made him cry even more and walk slower. He wiped away his tears and rushed.

-

If he remembered well, in the southeast part of the island was a marine harbor, far away enough from where Doflamingo and his crew attacked. He was scared that Vergo could be there, but if he wasn’t wrong, he and his boss would be far away from the island at the time.

When the storm started to lessen, he finally could see a lighthouse in the distance, with a large symbol of the marine painted on its facade. He felt a glimpse of happiness invading him, but it didn’t last long. The marines wouldn’t help him; they never did, and surely they wouldn’t now; they were evil, the enemy, and Cora was the only exception.

He could not trust them, so he would try to escape without being seen. First, he thought about stealing a boat, but Law didn’t know how to navigate. He couldn’t trick anyone to take him away either; his illness wouldn’t disappear in a day, and he was still very weak. Maybe he could hide, he thought, but with all the marines coming and going from the base, he would be found within seconds. 

He kept thinking about what to do when luck knocked at his door, and a little boat appeared before his eyes, approaching the shore, not so far from the harbor. An old man that traveled alone, with only a fishing rod and a bucket in his hands. Why was he going fishing in that remote place? he wondered. He didn’t have time to ask, so he hurried to get to him before losing sight of him.

Law tried to scream, but he was still silent, so he ran faster than he could despite his swollen and frozen feet. He couldn’t miss the chance of escaping. He ran, and he made it. He reached the boat and grabbed the old man from his shirt, too thin for that freezing weather.

"Oh little boy, what are you doing on this remote island?" He asked, surprised to see a child with nothing but a blanket to keep him warm.

Law opened his mouth before realizing he could not answer his question. How would he tell him, then, what was happening on that island? or that they should leave as fast as possible?

"You are so pale, and this isn’t the right place for a child. Come on, I'll take you to my house."

He cried. Tears began to flow from his eyes. His cheeks burned, his nose was stuffy, he couldn’t stop shivering, and he wasn't sure he could feel any of his fingers. But he felt relieved, and a small smile appeared in his face, before passing out in the arms of the old man, too weak to stay awake.

-

A week had passed since the incident on Minion Island. Law had started living with the old man and prepared him his own bedroom in his house. He felt so thankful for him. He also started to feel better from his illness and gained some strength thanks to the help of the elder.

Every night he practiced with the power of his fruit and had almost recovered from the Amber Lead disease. He stopped coughing like he did before, and his pale skin gained some color, but those white spots didn’t seem to disappear. His voice still hadn’t returned, and he couldn’t speak a word. He wondered if Corazón’s power had cursed him, and his words had become silent because of Nagi Nagi’s fruit.

He would keep researching it.

In his days exploring the island, he made a new friend, a talking polar bear that he saved from a fight with two bullies. The bear kept following him, and even the old man let him stay all night in his house.

Bepo, that was his name, was big and fluffy and was warm as a campfire. His company in the cold nights was comforting, and he got to rest for more than four hours before the nightmares reached him.

He was inside that chest again, listening to Doflamingo’s unsettling laughter. He laughed and laughed, and it didn’t seem to stop. When finally there seemed to be silence, Law went outside the chest, but soon noticed his error, because Doflamingo and his whole crew were keeping an eye on the dead body and searching the area.

"Look who’s here, my little boy Trafalgar Law." His hissing voice made him shiver.

The pirate looked at him from above, like a predator looking at his prey, and showed him his wicked smile.

His body wouldn’t stop shivering, but he didn’t feel cold, only fear. He felt like a little sheep in front of a pack of wolves that was on the verge of hunting him. A hand almost as big as his whole arm took him from the neck and raised him from the ground, as if he were weightless.

"Your dear Corazón is dead, my brother; I killed him with my own hands." His laughter was worse than any poison; it went inside his head and corroded him from the inside.

No breath was allowed to leave his lips, and the same with his voice, no matter how much he tried to scream. He wanted to flee from his long fingers, but his weak hands couldn’t do anything.

"What’s wrong? Has the cat got your tongue?" He continued, "You look like him".

Then, he approached his face and looked at him directly in the eye through those big glasses. Law looked at his reflection, a pale little thing, weak, useless, not able to save himself, wasting the life that Corazón fought so much to save. And Doflamingo wouldn’t stop laughing.

His lungs ached, asking for air. Laughter. His arms were twitching. Laughter. He felt pressure in his chest. Laughter. His vision was blurry. Laughter. He felt nauseous.

And Doflamingo’s unsettling laughter wouldn’t disappear.

Even when Bepo appeared before his eyes, he couldn’t stop hearing that laugh in his head. That’s the only thing he heard, even when he was looking at his friend moving his lips, trying to tell him something.

He looked around him, looking for Doflamingo; he had to be there, like his voice. Where has he? Where? He had to be near.

But around him, there was only furniture, no snow, no storm, and definitely no pink feathers.

His bedroom.

He finally looked at the animal that kept shaking him.

Bepo.

He wasn’t on the island; he was in his bedroom, and his only companion was an inoffensive polar bear with a look of preoccupation in his face and almost drowning in tears.

"Law, Law, listen to me," screamed the bear.

He finally snapped from the nightmare and looked at him, blinking a couple of times. He was safe.

He nodded at his companion, while the other sighed in relief.

"You’re here," Bepo reassured again, crying a whole sea and throwing himself on top of him. "You’ve been looking at nowhere for almost ten minutes, trembling, and you didn’t seem to wake up to anything I did or said."

He opened his mouth, willing to talk to him, before remembering he would make no sound. So he took his notebook that sat beside his bed and wrote a single sentence.

"I’m okay, only a nightmare," read aloud the bear. "Law, I doubt it was only a nightmare... A bad dream doesn’t affect you... like that".

The way he said it irritated him. What would he know? He didn’t know anything about him, and neither was a doctor like Law was.

He would never feel what he felt. A simple bear too weak to save himself from two bullies. And too kind to go seeking revenge.

He would never suffer as much as he did at his young age. Since he left Flevance, he has never stopped having those nightmares and has never stopped remembering all those innocent deaths. And after all that suffering, he couldn’t explain it. His words disappeared on that island, and even his first friend in a long time would never know the tragedy that was his past.

He couldn’t even scream.

His hands slightly trembled, and some tears fell into his pillow.

Not even a second passed before his nose started to feel itchy because of the bear’s fur. Bepo hugged him tightly with a hold that could have broken him in two pieces if he was still as weak as when he escaped the island. The two of them started to shed more tears, making all the feelings that he carried leave his body. His anger left as well, thanks to his hug.

He felt so relaxed with the warmth of that fuzzy hug that suddenly it seemed like all his problems had disappeared. A calm that he hadn't felt since Corazón left this world invaded his body, and in a moment his breath started to go slowly, his eyes began to close, and, finally, he fell asleep in the arms of his friend, having a dreamless night.

Chapter Text

-12 years later-

The last sunset lights reflected on the giant bubbles of the Sabaody Archipelago, leaving an idyllic landscape that mesmerized a big part of the crew. Law, on the other hand, didn’t fall for that magical image; more important things had him distracted, and simple bubbles couldn’t interest him less.

They arrived on time, and if they were correct, in a few days all the supernovas would meet at that very same place. He didn’t lose track of any of the pirates of the new generation, and some of them were more interesting than others, but the one that caught his eye in a special way was that Stawhat pirate. He gained his respect after confronting the World Government to save one of his crewmates without batting an eye. Maybe he would get the chance to meet him.

Otherwise, he had other plans in mind on this place. He also knew that soon in the archipelago they would celebrate an exclusive slave auction, and, if his information wasn’t wrong, someone he knew well was behind all the business. He needed to find out anything he could about the auction, so maybe he would find a way to defeat him.

“Captain” Bepo approached him. “Since we got here early, I think you should rest”.

Law turned around to take a look at his friend’s worried face. He was always two steps ahead of him, knowing what he needed before he even knew it.

“I’m good,” he signed as an answer.

Law started studying sign language shortly after forming the Heart Pirates crew. Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi, the founder members, learned alongside him, and soon enough, it was the only rule to join the pirate crew.

Every member knew how to communicate using sign language, and it became a great advantage in battle, for planning strategies, and infiltrating places where any sound would discover them. Penguin and Shachi soon became excellent teachers for the new crewmates willing to join the pirates.

But Bepo was still the only one who could communicate with his captain without using words or gestures. With one look, he would automatically know what he was thinking, and that was the case at the moment.

“I don’t like it when you lie to me,” said Bepo angrily. “I know you have been preparing for the assault on the auction for weeks and researching about the Don Quijote family. Who do you think has been taking care of you when you fell asleep over the mountain of papers after days without taking a rest?”

Law grumbled annoyed. Bepo was worse than any father, always making sure he was resting when he had to and if he was eating well or if he remembered to brush his teeth (of course he remembered; he was a doctor after all).

He didn’t want to hear any more words coming from the bear’s mouth, so he turned around to look for the nearest bar in the area. He needed a drink, and maybe he could gain some more information about the archipelago on the way.

-

Law hated it when Bepo started to act like an angry parent, so Shachi was the chosen one to accompany him while the rest of the crew prepared the submarine in case they needed to flee once he finished his business.

They didn’t walk much when a bar from Groove 13 caught his eye. Inside, there wasn’t much, only a woman behind the bar counter in the center of the bar, smoking quietly in that lonely place.

They were almost turning around to leave when a voice made them stop before crossing the door. “What’s a supernova doing in a bar like this?"

A man with white, long hair peeked from a hidden seat.

They looked at him with eyes wide open.

“Captain… if I’m not wrong, that’s the King of the Pirates’ second hand”, Shachi said, struggling to get out those words.

“I prefer to be called Rayleigh,” answered the man.

They froze at the spot. They didn’t expect to find such an important person that easily; the same Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, was in front of them, drinking peacefully without being annoyed.

Law turned around to sign Shachi so they could talk with the man, but before he could even move a hand, Rayleigh stared at him and started the conversation.

“Trafalgar Law, the death surgeon, what are you doing in a place like this?” Signed the old pirate.

That was a pleasant surprise for Law, since he always had to leave the boat accompanied by someone who could talk in his name. As much as he would love to talk freely, very few people knew sign language in that vast world.

So he decided to not miss the chance to ask him whatever he needed without a translator, making it slower than he would like to.

“I would like to ask you some questions." Law signed.

“Go ahead; do you also want to know more about the One Piede?”

Then he realized who he was talking to. He was not only a powerful and worldwide-known pirate; he was also one of the few privileged people who got to see the largest treasure in the world with his own eyes. And for a second, he regretted not being interested in that treasure. Maybe he could ask him about it once they were finished with his business.

But for now, he preferred to discover whatever he needed to defeat Doflamingo and his reign of evil.

“I don’t pursue any treasure,” he answered.

“I see," he laughed. “Come sit down and order whatever you want; it’s on the house.”

He sat beside him, followed by Shachi, who was still in shock with the situation. They both asked for a beer that the woman brought as fast as possible, giving the old man another one too.

“What do you know about the slave auction?” Asked straight.

“You don’t look like someone interested in buying..." Rayleigh looked at him from head to toes while taking a sip. “I imagine you’re looking for information on what ’s going on behind the business”.

He nodded.

“If you are here, it’s because you heard about the auction that will be held in Grove 1 in two days. They will be selling high-quality slaves at prices you’ve never even heard about, and there will be special guests from Mary Geoise.”

That only meant that amongst the slaves there could possibly be giants, or even fishmen, he thought.

“And obviously,” Rayleight continued, “with the visit of the Celestial Dragons, they expect the same owner of the business to be there.”

“Who?” he asked.

“One of the seven warlords of the sea, Don Quijote Doflamingo .”

There it was, that infamous name, confirming what he suspected. His hands slightly trembled. He spent years training so he could fight him, but still felt fear just by hearing his name.

“If I’m not wrong, Doflamingo has been taking part in the slave sale for 7 years now, and this one is expected to be the biggest one yet.”

“I see… Thank you for the  information." Law signed him.

“I don’t know much more about it, but after all, this is an exchange of information, and as it turns out, I’m also very interested in the auctions.”

Rayleigh was right; that information had a price, and they were lucky he didn’t ask for a very high quantity of berries.

“Doflamingo is linked with the Celestial Dragons; I still don’t know how. They let him do whatever he wants, so the World Government and the Marines turn a blind eye on him.” Law started to tell him. "As far as I know, he is making berries so he can sponsor an experiment, but I still haven’t found out what about.”

“And what will you do once you have proof?” he asked after listening to everything he knew.

“I want to find a way to destroy him; him, his crew, and all of this business."

“You’ve got something big on your hands,” Rayleigh laughed loudly, making Law spit some beer. “But it’s your lucky day; since I too will be attending the event, let’s see what we can discover.”

Law was surprised by what that pirate was implying. Was that some kind of alliance? he wondered. But having Rayleigh on their side was a pretty good card.

So they drank together and kept talking and drinking until Shachi started snoring in one of the bar’s seats.

That was the moment they knew it was time to leave, so Law took Shachi by the arm, signed a thank-you to Rayleigh and his wife Shaki (soon discovered), and left the bar.

The first morning lights started to appear and reflect on the archipelago bubbles. This time, he stopped to appreciate the views before teleporting to the submarine.

They appeared in his bedroom, where he always left a small object prepared in case he needed to come back. He laid down Shachi in his bed, removing his shoes first so he could get a well-deserved rest. Law, on the other hand, changed those stinky clothes and put on some new ones before leaving for his morning coffee. He had so many things to do, so sleeping wasn’t an option, so maybe he could use those sleeping hours to get some work done.

His luck wasn’t on his side that morning, since outside his door there was his bear friend waiting for him. He knew Bepo waited for them to come back all night long.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Asked angrily Bepo.

His usual kind face disappeared, and for a second, Law felt some kind of fear seeing his upset expression.

He tried to sign him an answer, but drunk and tired as he was, he couldn’t even move his hand right.

“Turn around and get into your bedroom; you’re getting some rest today; wait until I bring you something for that drunkenness,” ordered him.

“N…n” a faint sound tried to leave his lips.

Bepo opened his eyes wide and froze, waiting for what would happen in the next few seconds.

Always, as Law tried to express a word, it came with undesired voices only he could hear.

“I hear you, my dear Law…” Doflamingo’s voice took over him.

His laugh echoed in his head and caught him in the madness of a waking nightmare. He could feel his hands trembling and his vision going dark. Closed in that chest, his breath struggled to leave. When did he sit on the floor?

He needed air; he needed to escape, breathe.

A single tear started to run down his cheek before being caught by a fuzzy paw.

A pair of small black eyes looked at him. “Law, listen, you need to breathe; follow me.”

Law inhaled and exhaled, mirroring the bear.

“You are in the Polar Tank; you’re safe.”

His gentle voice brought him back to the real world. Bepo was right; he was not in that chest; he was sitting in those narrow corridors of his submarine, with his friend by his side helping him come back from his memories.

“Listen, I'm bringing you something to make you sleep; you need to rest.” He tried to get up before Law grabbed him by the arm.

He didn’t want to be alone and come back to his nightmares.

“Do you need me to stay?”

Law nodded, and they both sat down again on the floor of those corridors.

The warmth of the bear and his slow breath calmed his mind, and he finally got that well-deserved rest.

Chapter Text

-12 years before-

Every day that passed, he felt more at home in that small house on a remote winter island. His body started to feel better, and he could even walk from one end of the island to the other without losing his breath. He also started studying that old man’s books, but it didn’t take him long to finish all of them, so soon he started to visit the town’s library.

Surgeon books were what he looked for the most. Knowing surgery would make him master his fruit in ways he couldn’t even imagine. In battle, he would be untouchable, and in medicine, he would be able to cure any disease.

So for weeks, he read and read all the medicine books from the library and practiced his powers with his bedroom furniture. Even once he cut Bepo in two pieces, making him think he would stay without legs forever, and cried all day and night, even when Law fixed him.

His fruit was interesting, for sure. Such a great but dangerous power in his hands. He understood why Doflamingo wanted it that badly, but he would make sure he never got what he wanted.

He also felt curious about Corazón’s power when reading about the fruits. Maybe not a powerful power in battle, but it was very useful for an undercover marine like he was.

A silence that would get him into places no one could, and a calm that would reach anyone he touched. But how long would the silence last? Law wondered. He needed to keep researching the power and its outcomes.

Soon, he found out how vague the information about the fruits in the books was. Any book he read explained how its effects affected its users. His same fruit, the ope-ope, didn’t work the same for a person without medical knowledge as one who studied medicine. As well, a powerful fruit wouldn’t give the same results if you weren't a good fighter.

He noticed he started to go almost daily to the library and took books with him so he could study during the night too. He kept studying as much as he could while trying to avoid falling asleep. As soon as he got some sleep, those nightmares didn’t hesitate to appear. Almost all of them have Doflamingo as the prime protagonist; some others of the last minutes with Cora before being hidden in that chest, and a very few with his parents and sister in the destruction of Flevance.

His wish to end those horrible dreams made him research the psychology behind them. Why do they appear? Why did he keep dreaming about them? And how could he make them stop?

Just as he was in the middle of his night reading, his furry friend joined him in the bedroom.

“What are you reading, Law?” asked Bepo, peeking over the book.

Law pointed at the title of the book, Dream Psychology , and continued with the paragraph he was just reading.

“I don’t get how you can be interested in books with that many words,” yawned the bear. “By the way, how long has it been since you last slept? I haven’t seen you outside your bedroom for days.”

Law looked at him, dark circles under his eyes, and blinked. He took a moment to understand what the bear was saying. To be honest, he wasn’t sure how long he had been studying and taking notes about medicine and psychology. 

He shook his head before returning to the book, preferring not to know and continuing with his task.

But his friend wasn’t going to give up. “The grandpa sent me because he’s worried," he said. “I’m worried.”

This time he didn’t look at him; he just turned around to keep reading, although the words were blurry in his eyes.

“Law, get some rest.”

He refused; sleeping meant having nightmares, and having nightmares meant meeting that man once again, so it wasn’t an option. He closed that big book before trying to kick the bear out of the bedroom.

But soon he regretted that decision. Bepo was too big for him, and his force wasn’t even half as strong as his, so he wouldn’t be able to move him even a millimeter.

“Law,” the bear lifted him from the ground without effort, “sleep.”

Law kicked and pushed, trying to break free from him, but all of that was useless. Bepo put him on the bed and grabbed him so he wouldn’t escape.

But even though he had a weak body, Law was small and fast. He took a chance to free himself from his friend and went to the door.

He hated being treated like that, like a child. Anger took his body and looked at Bepo, annoyed.

And with all his rage, he opened his mouth and tried to pronounce a word “L…Le…”

But darkness filled the room before he could even finish the word.

Voices and laughter wrapped him, making him shiver with fear.

It was far worse than his dreams; it felt too real, too near.

And he could not escape from it.

-

Bepo took care of him; he always did.

After that panic episode, he slept for a day and a half, and for all that time Bepo never left his side. The grandpa brought him food and drink while he stayed with Law, waiting for him to wake up.

But once awake, that sweetness disappeared, and anger took him. He kept nagging Law about not resting enough and eating very little, so he finally listened to his friend for once and started to take better care of himself.

He began training with the powers of his fruit and how to use them in battle. He got some help from the two new members of the crew, Penguin and Shachi, and the four of them started to train hard to become the strongest in all of North Blue.

Soon he gained some muscles and stopped looking like a living dead wandering the island.

Years passed, and the crew became bigger. Big enough to go out to the sea and sail with their own jolly roger. Their name started to be known and feared in the north islands, the great Heart Pirates, with the feared Surgeon of Death as captain, the one who spoke no word.

But he didn’t even think about sailing to the Grand Line until the day he read on the news about the new Warlords of the Sea.

“Don Quijote Doflamingo, King of Dressrosa, becomes one of the Shichibukai.” Read Bepo out loud for him. “Captain, what do you want to do?”

“It’s time for us to enter the Grand Line. "

He made a decision. He would find him and get his revenge, whatever it took; even if it cost his life, he would find a way to defeat Doflamingo and his crew.

He would destroy him.

Chapter Text

-Present time-

It was too early in the morning in the idyllic Sabaody archipelago—too beautiful for spending it where they had planned.

The Heart Pirates crew arrived at Groove 1, ready to attend the slave auction. Law refused to be late; he was always the first to arrive everywhere. Most of the time, it was almost an hour before the meeting time.

Before getting there, all of them prepared for anything that could happen during the event, although only Law and his most trusted men would go inside.

Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi looked at him and nodded, so the four of them entered the building. Law checked the room before choosing the better place to sit down—a strategic seat in case they had to flee—but not too far from the scenario to lose sight of the spectacle.

The room was almost empty. Maybe they came too early, but Law wanted to take a look at the assistants at the auction before it started.

Soon, more assistants started to arrive. He looked at all of them: high nobles, rich businessmen, celebrities going incognito, pirates, and even some Marines trying hard not to be seen.

He thought about all the curses he knew after looking at a marine soldier who was oddly interested in the booklet that featured all the selling “products” (it was just horrendous to use that word for referring to the slaves, he thought). He didn’t have any sympathy for the Marines, and even less knowing what kind of people were among its ranks.

It was not the moment to be thinking about kicking a Marine’s ass. There was a big commotion at the entrance of the building, which only meant the most important guests of the event made their appearance. They dressed from top to bottom in those bizarre outfits that looked like diving suits, as if they could be intoxicated by the mortal air. Every other guest looked at them in amazement and fear, while the group of Celestial Dragons took their place in the best seats of the auction house, just in front of the scenario, and talked freely about their next slave purchase.

He didn’t enjoy listening to them, and he was sure all the other visitors had the same feeling. Luckily, a red-haired man, almost as big as Bepo, caught his eye. He recognized him on the spot, and both shared a heavy look.

“Trafalgar Law, I heard about the silent pirate of the North Blue.” Commented the pirate, who just got inside the room with his crew.

Eustass Kidd, that infamous pirate of the South Blue, glanced at him with an arrogant smile on his face. Law gave him the same treatment and answered by mirroring his expression and giving him the middle finger.

That gesture seemed to amuse the red-haired pirate, who started laughing out loud.

“Not very polite.” Commented before turning to find an empty seat with his crew.

Law followed him with the eye—not his favorite supernova, that was for sure. He was loud and big-headed, and he would not handle more than 5 minutes next to him, but he was surely an interesting being and a rival to be feared, as he heard.

Would other supernovas also make their appearance in that event? he wondered. The event looked like it was starting, but somehow the room still felt empty and quiet, as if someone still had to arrive…

-

Chaos.

The crowd screamed their lungs off, trying in any way possible to escape the chaos.

But he was static. It felt like time had stopped while the blurry shadows around him kept moving their way to the exit in any possible way.

And he just stayed frozen, looking at the pirate that appeared before his eyes.

His closed fist covered in blood of his victim, one of those Celestial Dragons that lay on the bloody floor of the room, unconscious.

The Strawhat boy breathed deeply, anger in his face, and looked at the body of that so-called “god”. 

And Law just looked at him, amazed by that young pirate that just some minutes ago burst into the slave auction, at the loud scream of “WE ARE GOING TO SAVE YOU!”

The beating of his heart increased while time started to pass again, and everything in the room came back to life, running, screaming, and fighting.

“MARINE BOATS SPOTTED IN THE ARCHIPELAGO WATERS."

“WE HAVE TO ESCAPE.”

“LET US GO, PLEASE; THE PIRATES ATTACKED.”

The loud shouts didn’t seem to end, but he thanked whoever screamed for the information. He had to wake up from whatever that was and start to act.

The Strawhat crew didn’t seem to notice what happened around them and kept arguing about saving their siren friend trapped in that fishbowl that occupied the center of the scenario.

Law made a sign to his crewmates, they’d have to be warned before they separated. Only that crew going solo could destroy what was left of the building, and the least he wanted was to run to save his and his friend's lives.

“The marines are outside.” Bepo was the one to talk while looking at that pirate boy.

Monkey D. Luffy looked at them as if they had just appeared in the room and made a confused but curious expression.

“A talking bear," he said. “Who are you?”

Why did he ask that? His whole crew was in possible danger after attacking one of the untouchables, and the marines would go instantly after them with the possibility of a big battle going on soon, but above all of that, he preferred to ask about his bear friend.

He sighed and looked at Bepo, waiting for him to keep answering.

“We’re the Heart Pirates. You should hurry to save your friend and leave before it’s too late.”

“A little fight doesn’t scare me.” He simply responded with a bright smile before turning around and hurring to the scenario to free his friend.

He reacted with a quiet laugh at the comment of the boy, but he had to admit he was impressed by his way of thinking. As much as he would love to see what his next movement would be, he wasn’t willing to face the Marines in battle.

Their decision to leave was made; the Heart Pirates wouldn’t wait for the chaos to grow bigger, but their way to the exit was stopped when the known face of that old pirate appeared in the scenario.

In the blink of an eye, he saw the last assistants of the auction fall on the floor, including the Celestial Dragons, who finally went silent after shouting threats for a while. A powerful force knocked them out, leaving only the pirate crews awake.

“I didn’t expect to cross paths with that straw hat again.” A sincere smile appeared in Rayleigh’s face while he turned around, facing the mermaid.

Monkey D. Luffy prepared himself to attack in case of need and talked loudly to the old pirate. “What do you want to do to Camie?” His tone wasn’t friendly at all.

“Don’t you worry, boy." With both of his hands, he took the collar that apprehended the mermaid to break it in two pieces and, without hesitation, sent it flying seconds before it exploded “I have everything under control”.

Every member of the Strawhat Pirates was impressed with the power of that man and looked at him with eyes wide open while expecting his next movement.

“That’s the engineer, Luffy!”

A badly injured octopus that Law barely noticed shouted to Luffy to make everything clear while being treated by some kind of racoon with a big pinky hat, maybe the crew’s doctor?

Law thought to himself, while checking the situation they were in, that it was too late for them to escape without having to fight. If they didn’t find them outside, they would attack the building at any moment.

How did they end up in this incredible mess?

“We’ll have to fight, right, captain?” Penguin asked, as if he read his mind.

“Don’t worry,” a loud voice said, “we’ll finish those marine idiots from the entrance.”

Both Law and Monkey D. Luffy looked in his direction.

That red-haired pirate just smirked at them while making his way outside, followed by his crew.

Law wondered if they were there the whole time without making a move while the Strawhat pirates attacked the auction and fought the Celestial Dragons. But that wasn’t the moment to ask himself questions, but to act.

The two captains turned around and almost ran to the door, following on the heels of the other captain, and prepared to face whatever was outside, expecting the pirates to make their apparition.

-

It wasn’t a long battle.

Law, Kidd, and Luffy made the perfect undefeatable team, and no marine could even think of going near them before being knocked out. Dozens of soldiers were defeated, and none of them were hurt.

He had to admit that they were stronger than he thought. Kidd was explosive and wild, and chaos seemed to follow him wherever he went, leaving a trail of unconscious bodies, while Luffy made everything a kid’s game, and enjoyed every punch and kick, and left no Marine without a blue eye.

It had been long since he enjoyed that good of a fight, with such great partners by his side and at the same level. It felt like they connected their minds and synchronized their attacks, just like if they were in a ballroom, and every movement was perfectly thought out to match the next one.

And for the first time, not having a voice wasn’t a problem. Every move smoothly led to another without the need to talk. He felt understood and not a burden while communicating in battle.

He enjoyed every second of it, but sadly, all good things ended fast, and soon their crews joined the fight to make things easier and find a way of escape for the imprisoned slaves of the auction house.

It was time for them, too, to escape. Even if the fun had to end for Law and his new-found partners in fight.

He made a signal only his crew understood, indicating the retreat of the battle and the return to the submarine, with the new recruit, Jean Bart, following them.

While the Heart Pirates crew ran back to the submarine, Law looked one last time at the almost destroyed building. That young pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, managed to liberate all the slaves that were on sale that day and made sure no more people would be sold from now on in that place. But with that chaos, he also fucked his plan, destroying all the proof incriminating Doflamingo as the prime owner of the slave sale business.

Law was unsatisfied with the results of his plan; they didn’t get anything valuable against Doflamingo, and it couldn’t be the end of it. He needed something, anything.

He thought, for a second, about what to do. Maybe it was best to hide until things calmed down in the archipelago. Inside the submarine, the soldiers would be unable to find any trace that led them to the Heart Pirates. On the other hand, he didn’t want to leave empty-handed after wasting all his morning on that auction.

It didn’t take him long to make a decision. He turned towards Groove 13, so he could meet with Rayleigh once again in Shaki’s bar.

“Law, where are you going?"

As always, Bepo was like his shadow and was the first to notice their captain not following the crew’s steps. But Law didn’t have time to explain where he was going.

If Rayleigh was able to get some of the information he was looking for, maybe some of those documents would lead to Doflamingo. He needed to ask him; no, he had to get any data that could help him defeat the Shichibukai.

He signed a fast answer to his friend before teleporting himself to the nearest Groove, so, for once, no one of his crew followed him.

“Get the ship ready; I’ll be back soon.”

Chapter Text

He could hear the amazed shouts coming from Shaki’s bar before even stepping into Groove 13. A loud conversation was happening inside, and it surely was an interesting topic of discussion, deduced Law, hearing all the loud and shocked voices trying to join the never-ending talk.

It wasn’t the moment to be knocking on the door, interrupting whatever was happening in there. So he sat on a couple of wood crates he found outside the bar while waiting.

Law hated interruptions, especially when he had something important between his hands, so he wouldn’t be the one to spoil the party. Luckily, he was a patient man, and, maybe, resting a little wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The bubbles of the archipelago danced in harmony with the wind in a way that calmed him, and, little by little, his eyes closed and he fell into a gentle slumber.

-

“Hey you!”

A cheerful voice brought him back to the archipelago. When did he fall asleep? He didn’t remember lying on those uncomfortable crates while hugging Kikoku.

Maybe Bepo was right all this time and he should be getting some rest; napping in random places wasn’t normal at all, and even less for someone like him.

He took a look around him, still half-asleep, while trying to get up and sit up straight. That’s when he met with a smiley face that looked at him with a big, intense gaze. Law had to blink a couple of times to recognize the young pirate with the straw hat that had sat down by his side, invading any personal space that he had left.

“You’re the pirate of the fight, right?” Asked the boy. “You’re friends with that talking polar bear.”

He nodded in response.

So those were the loud guests Rayleigh invited to the bar, Law thought, all the Strawhat crew, and, of course, his captain, Monkey D. Luffy. All the noise that was heard now made sense. That crew wasn’t known precisely for being discrete and quiet, that was for sure.

And that boy... He couldn’t stay still in one same place, he kept swinging his legs while he checked around him, as if he were looking for something great to appear at any moment, and always with that big smile from ear to ear in his face.

What an interesting person, he thought, and for some reason, he wanted to know more about him.

“I still don’t know your name!” The boy said loudly, jumping from his side, waking him up from his thoughts. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy, and I’m gonna be king of the pirates!”

What a bold statement to make, king of the pirates? No one was dumb enough to believe in such a childish and ambitious dream, except for him. Law felt impressed by his words; his enthusiasm was contagious, and, just for a moment, he believed in him, as if that dream would become true in any moment.

And, for some reason, his heart started to beat faster than usual.

He was going to give that boy an answer when he stopped his hands. Right, he went alone to visit Rayleigh... And, as far as he knew after the auction, that boy didn’t understand sign language. He slapped his face with his hand and looked at Luffy, who kept smiling at him, waiting for an answer. How could he talk to him then?

He took a look around him; maybe he could find a paper to write on. But he didn’t have any pencil to use… What would he do?

Frustration was the best word he could think of for describing how he felt when this happened. That’s why he always left the submarine with a companion, to avoid such a situation. He almost thought of letting it go and waiting for Rayleigh to finish his conversation with the other Strawhats, when he noticed a newspaper behind one of the crates, with yellow pages and almost no ink for one to read.

Luckily, an image of a balance appeared on one of the pages, symbolizing the World Government Law. Maybe the boy would guess his name once he showed the image to him.

He couldn’t be more wrong.

"Oh, is it a game? Lemme guess!” Luffy said while trying to think of a possible response. “Mmmm… is it Balance?”

Law shook his head.

"Oh, I know! It’s Libra, right?”

He shook his head once again, trying hard not to pull his hair out in frustration. This was harder than he thought.

“It’s not? Ugh, wait, I think I’ve got it…” Luffy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to find the answer. "Okay, is it… Is it Weigh?” Asked the boy while opening one of his eyes and looking at his response.

Law denied, deciding to let it go. He would never guess it; even if they tried over a hundred times, Law just knew it. But he had to admit he was having fun with that boy, making him smile softly and giggle, something very uncommon for him.

"Hey, I didn’t know you knew how to laugh,” said Luffy, surprised. “You look good when you smile."

Law didn’t really laugh much, and even less in front of strangers. Actually, his crew celebrated whenever he laughed. He even once saw some of them betting about it in the kitchen; he wondered if he had made some of his friends lose berries.

But around that boy, he felt weirdly comfortable, as if he had known him since forever.

He felt relaxed.

“I might not know your name, but I know you’re strong and have the coolest power.” Luffy kept talking, filling Law’s silence, and commented about the auction’s battle.

He started to act out the fight, giving a great performance with every punch and kick he made and also trying to gesture as Law did when using his fruit. He even remarked about the other supernova, Kidd, or the red-haired guy as he called him, and how amazing that metal hand he made was.

While the Strawhat kept his interpretation, talking about how great Law was, he felt his cheeks start to burn. How could his words make him feel that good? He thought to himself. Time seemed to stop while being around that boy, and anything around him mattered.

The sun started to lower, and that boy kept talking and acting while his sun-kissed skin turned yellow with the first lights of the sunset. His smile never left his face, and Law wondered if he knew how to stop grinning. It didn’t matter, he couldn’t imagine that boy with a serious expression, it didn’t suit him.

He was a free spirit; he was sure of that. And that joyful energy reached those with the saddest souls, even Law’s.

He smiled softly, wishing for that moment to never end and for that warm feeling to never disappear.

But nothing lasts forever.

“Luffy,” a man’s voice woke him up from that moment, and he looked around to find a blue-haired man dressed in underpants walking out of the bar. “C'mon, we’re leaving; Rayleigh will get us the Sunny ready to get to the New World.”

A group of people followed him closely; the rest of the Strawhat crew, Law deduced, stopped walking once they saw who was waiting with their captain. They looked at him with big, surprised eyes, waiting for him to make any movement.

“Why is the supernova Trafalgar Law waiting with you?” Asked the dark-haired woman with the cowboy hat, the only one who dared to speak a word about him.

“Torao! So that’s your name? I like it!” Shouted the boy too loudly for his liking.

Torao? Where did he get that nickname? he wondered. The calm and joy of the moment disappeared in a blink of an eye, changing it with irritation and tiredness.

“Luffy, what are you doing with him?” “Why are you here?” “I’m sure he came looking for more fights." “Where is your talking bear friend?” The rest of the crew started with the questions right at the same time, making a noise that could be heard in all the nearby Grooves.

All the situation was making him a little nervous, and, sadly, he could not defend himself in moments like that. There was no way for him to answer them or make them shut, so he had to keep listening to those noisy people throw questions at him non-stop.

He started to feel more and more uncomfortable when Luffy, without hesitation, gave them an answer to finally make their mouths shut.

“Torao is a quiet man, but we had so much fun talking about the battle!” Said the boy with his distinctive grin. “He also helped save Camie and the other slaves.”

Everyone nodded in understanding but still looked kind of confused, as if wondering why he was there and why he couldn't answer all those questions.

“He is not quiet, Luffy," said the woman with the cowboy hat. “He cannot talk.”

She turned in his direction and, to Law’s surprise, signed at him, “ right, Trafalgar Law?”

“Nico Robin, it shouldn’t surprise me that a language expert like you would know sign language.”

They both smiled, but Law was glad to communicate with someone and finally share his thoughts. Nico Robin was an impressive woman, just as he heard about her.

“Thanks for your help in the battle from the auction house; what brings you here?” She kept asking him.

“I came looking for Rayleigh, but I lost track while listening to your captain right there.”

Robin laughed at that statement, knowing very well the charm Luffy had to any person he crossed paths with, making them completely blinded by his brightness.

“Luffy has that special power over people.”

Both of them looked at him, making Luffy confused about the whole situation. Yes, they both agreed he had that enchanting power that made him shine like the moon in a sky full of stars.

“Rayleigh is still inside, preparing everything before leaving to get our ship ready.” Robin said out loud for everyone to finally understand what the conversation was about—well, kind of.

“I will hurry up then, thank you,” Law said while getting up from Luffy’s side, ready to talk to Rayleigh but not so ready to leave the Strawhat behind.

“What was that? You talked with your hands?” Luffy looked impressed after looking at both of them talking between them. He kept moving his hands, trying to imitate their movements.

She nodded. “It’s called sign language.”

“Robin, will you teach me?” He said with enthusiasm while grabbing the woman by the arm with the intention of convincing her.

But it wasn’t necessary, because Robin gladly accepted giving him lessons once they returned to the ship and continued their journey. Luffy was excited and kept rambling about it.

As much as he would love to stay a little bit longer listening to that sunshine boy, Law turned around and reached for the bar’s door before Rayleigh left the place to prepare the Strawhats’ ship.

"Ah, Torao, are you leaving already?” Said Luffy with a sad voice that didn’t suit him at all. “I hope we meet again!”

He took his hand and intensely shook it as a farewell, with a strength that could have broken Law into pieces.

When Luffy let him go, he said his goodbye, signing him an “I hope so ,” before giving him a soft smile and turning to get into the bar.

“Hey Robin, you have to tell me what he said,” he heard the boy say before closing the door behind him and leaving the Strawhat crew and their captain outside.

-

Just as Nico Robin told him, he found Rayleigh inside the bar, packing everything to leave soon, wherever the Strawhats’ ship was, next to Shaki, who smoked her cigarette quietly.

Inside the place, silence prevailed, unlike outside of it, where he could still hear the loud voices of the other pirate crew that wouldn’t ever shut, having another noisy discussion about what happened seconds ago. Law didn’t really care about it.

Rayleigh looked surprised as he saw Law enter the room. He moved everything out of the bar counter and sat down in front of it, expecting a long conversation between them two, as his wife put two cups full of beer in front of them, foam leaking out of them and wetting the table.

“Trafalgar Law, I didn’t know if I would see you again,” he said as he took a sip of this cup.

Law took the seat by his side and also drank from his cup. The cold beer refreshed him; he had to admit he needed that drink. The tropical weather of the archipelago made him sweat more than he would have liked; something cool helped in the situation.

After a couple more sips, he turned around to look at his companion, who was having his second beer already.

“I needed to see you before I left."

I needed to know if you gained some information about the auctions I could not investigate because of the chaos would be a better sentence to say, but he preferred to keep it short.

“Ah, of course. Who could imagine someone could create so much chaos within minutes?” Rayleigh laughed.

“It was a great spectacle to see, but the Strawhat fucked up my plan.”

Although Luffy was great and helped all the slaves escape a tough life of suffering, Law wasn’t happy with his results; he couldn’t see the full auction come to an end and see how it worked firsthand; he couldn’t go inside to investigate the building once it was empty; and even less, he couldn’t discover Doflamingo’s intentions.

It was a failure.

Rayleigh nodded. Even if Law really didn’t know why he needed to enter the auction too, he was sure it was the same for him—a complete disaster. But Rayleigh didn’t seem annoyed by it; if not, he looked very impressed by Luffy’s actions.

“It might be your lucky day”, said the old pirate while checking in his pockets looking for something.

Before Law could ask what he meant, he showed him a bunch of papers and some letters, all of them with the Don Quijote symbol on the corner.

He was without words—if he could use any—when did he get those? He checked them one by one, looking at the information and names. Most of them were signed by less important members of the family, but a couple were signed by Trebol, a man he knew well. He was one of the most trusted men in the Don Quijote family, always by his side like a shadow, making sure every one of his boss’ commands were fulfilled perfectly.

And, after checking all of them carefully, he found the last of the letters written in Doflamingo’s own handwriting, with his signature at the very bottom.

His hand shivered, running his fingers over the written paper, reading every word of it, and making sure it was him—that he wrote every letter of it.

“How many berries?” Asked with his hands still trembling, almost incapable of communicating.

It was just... perfect?

That only paper could be one of his best possibilities for defeating that perverse pirate. Everything he needed was in his hands, resting carefully as if it were delicate glass that could be broken with a slight blow.

"Ah, don’t worry about the money.” Rayleigh smiled while looking at Law’s perplexed face. “I am, too, interested in the downfall of that shichibukai.”

He was still incredulous, with eyes like plates, looking at his drinking partner and not understanding why he didn’t ask for gold and treasures.

And before he could insist, Rayleigh said again, “If you are willing to pay something, then these rounds are on you.”

Law laughed at that and simply nodded. He would be willing to pay for more than a hundred drinks for all that man’s help.

“Anyway,” he continued, “I can’t keep inviting people to drinks; Shaki will end up mad at me.”

“I will.” The woman said on the other side of the bar counter, after releasing a mouthful of cigar smoke.

Law gladly agreed to pay for more, and he wasn’t interested in making that woman mad, but it was getting late, and his crewmates still waited for him on another Groove, preparing the submarine for when their captain was done with the business.

He got up from his chair, thanking both of them for all the help, and attempted to shake Rayleigh's hands, but that man wasn't going to let Law go without giving him a tight hug and a couple of pats on his back, making fun of this formality and seriousness.

“It was a pleasure sharing drinks with you," signed Law.

The couple nodded with a smile on their faces, as if they were good old friends that he had known for years.

“I hope you accomplish your plan and come back to tell me about it.”

“Of course, I expect it.” Law smiled softly.

After another last goodbye, he waved his hand and went through the door, stepping out of the place to find an orange landscape in front of him.

It was late in the day, and the sunset lights turned everything into those warm tones. For once in his stop in the archipelago, Law walked calmly, enjoying every second of it. The bubbles shone like they were in flames, making them look like sparks of fire.

Law smiled; he, for once, felt truly happy. Maybe his plan was almost ruined, but he got to meet amazing people in the chaos of an auction. He hoped he would meet again with both Rayleigh and Shaki and, of course, with the Strawhat crew.

Maybe in the new world they would see each other's faces once again, this time as rivals. But he was sure he would enjoy Luffy as a rival and in battle, with such strong skills and that charming personality of his.

He softly smiled again, thinking about that boy and having a warm feeling in his body he'd never felt before.

The sun was almost set, and the sky slowly turned into an indigo blue that showed the first stars of the night. Law was arriving at the submarine, a little hungry after all day without stopping once. He hoped Bepo and the others waited for him for dinner and were prepared to listen to everything that happened while he was gone.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice a shadow, almost twice as big as him, approaching him.

“Ah, my dear Trafalgar Law, it’s so good to see you again,” said a hissing voice that made his whole body tremble, knowing exactly who it was.

Chapter Text

Law stopped breathing. He couldn’t do anything to save Corazón, and he couldn’t even save himself. 

Corazón I’m sorry .

His whole body felt cold, and his hands moved fast around his arms, caressing them, trying to gain some warmth. But the cold was still there, giving him chills.

It was my fault.

The silence around him started to eat him alive—no sound, no words—as if Corazón’s power invaded the place entirely.

I’m so sorry.

Where was he? He forgot. His thoughts trapped him once again in a world of nightmares.

Corazón, save me.

He was trapped. Trapped, and with no way of escaping. There is no way for him to be free.

Let me go .

A shadow moved around him, as if looking for something, or someone. Him.

Law tried to get up, but his legs didn’t respond to him. It didn’t matter; he had to get away. He crawled away, fiercely digging his fingers into the ground, trying to escape from that dizzy shadow without succeeding, stumbling over himself and finding himself again on the floor, with that unknown presence getting more and more near him.

Don’t come near me.

Where was his sword? When did he lose Kikoku? He remembered having it in his hand; he must have dropped it somewhere around him. Where was it?

Where? Where? Where? Where?

He touched the floor, trying to find it one way or another. But it was late; he could feel that dark body reaching him and surrounding him entirely.

“Law, I finally found you.”

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

“Law, listen.” Said the voice, quiet enough for him to listen. “Look at me.”

But Law refused to raise his head, too afraid of who he would find in front of him. Afraid of finding Corazón’s face, angry at him for wasting the life he fought so much for.

The hand of that shadow tried to reach for his shoulder, but he quickly moved it away, refusing his touch, frightened of it.

“Is he coming?” The voice was still there, refusing to leave.

That was it, he thought. Maybe it was for the better if they found him; a boy with such a strange disease would only bring chaos to the rest of the world. His life wouldn’t mean much—another Fleavance child dead that would join the thousand others. He was never meant to stay alive; he was meant to join them sooner or later, his friends, his teachers, his neighbors, his parents, his sister...

He was meant to die.

Maybe he should.

“Law.” That was another voice, one that he could recognize well. Who was it?

“Law, can I touch you?”

He denied with his head while hugging his legs tightly with his nervous hands moving up and down while listening to that soft voice that somehow calmed his mind.

"Okay, I won’t touch you.” The voice continued. “I’ll ask you simple questions; are you okay with it?”

He simply nodded, not quite understanding what was happening but ready to listen.

“We are in Sabaody; do you remember when we arrived?”

Law nodded. Of course, he was in Sabaody; they came a few days ago for a mission. What was it? He struggled to remember everything.

“Good, good, we went to the auction; remember the battle?”

He repeated the action. Yes, he had to fight all those marines, right after the slaves were freed by that young pirate.

“Strawhat.” Law signed, he remembered fighting alongside him and that other red-haired pirate, Kidd.

“Yes, Monkey D. Luffy, he broke in the auction, saving his mermaid friend.”

He didn’t forget about his savage actions during the horrible event, causing all that chaos, and… and…

He struggled trying to remember why he got angry at him—why would he if that boy helped all those slaves regain their freedom?

“You left to meet with Rayleigh, right?”

Yeah, he went back to his bar, finding all the Strawhat Pirates chatting with him. He spent all this time waiting with Luffy, a moment he enjoyed quite a bit.

His respiration stabilized slowly, vividly remembering every second of the day since entering the slave auction and the moments with Luffy acting out the increible fight against the marines.

“Do you remember what you talked about with Rayleigh?”

He touched one of his pockets, looking for the key information found in some of the letters Rayleigh stuck out of the auction house, but they weren’t there or in any of his pockets.

Law put on a confused expression while looking for those; where did he put them? He was sure he took them after inviting the old pirate to a second round of beer.

“Something happened while you were returning to the Polar Tank, am I right?”

Yes. He met the worst of his nightmares, the one that kept him awake night after night, the only one who could make him shiver and become useless with a single glance.

Law looked up, looking at those black dots his friend had for eyes, at Bepo, and with his trembling fingers, signed a single name.

“Doflamingo.”

–Some minutes before–

“Ah, my dear Trafalgar Law, it’s so good to see you again!”

Law shivered in fear at the sound of that voice, his whole body trembling. He felt his heart beating faster and faster with every step he heard while that monster approached him.

This can’t be real , he thought. This has to be another panic attack; he can’t be here .

He looked at his hands, not sure if he was in the real world or in his world full of nightmares where that voice reigned. His hands spasmed in sync with his heartbeats as he reached his head and pulled his hair in horror.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

He repeated that word over and over again in his head, thinking that if he truly desired that man to disappear from the world, it would become reality. But the world never gave him what he wanted and never would.

“My dear boy, how I missed you.” He heard that voice just behind him, reaching for his body and forcing it to turn around and face that man.

He couldn’t make himself look up and see his face again, so he looked down, seeing those pink feathers move with the slight wind. Law felt as if he were a child again, on that island where he lost his savior, Cora-san, forever. It was like he was looking again from inside that chest, waiting for those pink feathers to disappear from his sight.

But this time there was no way of escape; he was a trapped prey in the hands of his hunter. He was static; his whole body refused to move, waiting for what was going to happen next.

Long fingers reached his cheek, twitching at the sudden touch of it. It was a soft and delicate caress that followed his jaw until it got to his chin and gently forced him to move his head up and look into Doflamingo’s eyes.

Law’s face was reflected in those peculiar sunglasses he always wore—the same glasses he hadn’t changed after all those years. He looked at his scared reflection with watery eyes on the verge of drowning, and incapable of doing anything else.

The hand still rested on his cheek and kept caressing him with the thumb, as if he were a puppy in the hands of his owner.

“My little Law, you’ve grown up.” He showed him a perverse grin from ear to ear. Law trembled at that, but still didn’t move an inch. “You’ve become a handsome man, and a powerful pirate.”

He brought his face closer to Law’s, almost feeling his breath on his cheeks, and looked at him like he was about to eat him alive.

“Yeah, a very pretty boy, even with those white marks…”

He let out a loud laugh before grabbing his face tightly and taking a taste of his cheek, licking it, and making sure he had Law just in his hands.

Law’s cheeks burned in anger, in hate. But he couldn’t fight that feeling of uselessness; when he couldn’t even dare to fight that man and his whole body refused to respond to him.

“You know, I’ve been following all your steps as a pirate, every island you passed by, and every growing bounty.” Doflamingo continued with his monologue, not waiting for Law to give him any response. He moved away from his face and loosened his hand grip, but refused to release it.

“And also those rumors about you... The Silent Pirate?” He looked at him right in the eyes, grinning. “You grew up to become him .”

He trembled with those words. His whole body shivered, and he started to feel cold. He knew he was referring to Corazón and hated how thinking of him brought back those painful memories of his last moments with him, before Doflamingo ended his life.

“Well, I’m sure you would be more useful than him,” he kept saying, as if talking about his brother didn’t bring any emotion to him. “You should accompany me back to Dressrosa.”

Law knew well about the island where that man ruled as their king. He never dared to even think of visiting that place; it would be like walking into the lion’s den. He knew better than to fall into that trap.

“I came here to check on the auction; imagine my joy when I saw you right there enjoying it." Enjoy wouldn’t be the word he would use to describe how he felt looking at the horrible spectacle of the human sale.

Doflamingo laughed loudly. A laughter that could be heard in the whole Groove. Law looked at him, wondering what he found so funny.

“My dear boy, you and your friends managed to entirely ruin it.” He kept laughing, but in his voice there was anger. He was not pleased.

“Yes, you three powerful captains, you destroyed everything.” He approached his face again, and looked at him intensely. “But I have to admit your fighting skills left me wordless. Truly amazing...”

His laughter stopped, but he kept that wicked grin on his face, too close to see anything more than that. His fingers stuck on his cheeks, his sharp nails scratching his skin. He didn’t believe in any god, but he started praying, asking, wishing, begging, that that monster let him go.

He asked for too much.

Finally, his long fingers freed his jaw, burning with pain. Law felt his skin itching, and with a gentle touch, he caressed those scratches, staining his hands with blood from his cheeks.

“That’s why I want you by my side.” Doflamingo raised his arms above his head, preparing for what he was going to say next. “Joining the Don Quijote family."

Law snapped out of his fear. He opened his eyes widely, feeling his whole body responding to him, from his toes to his fingertips. He opened and closed his hands, as if he had forgotten how to move them until now.

What did Doflamingo say? Joining him? He might fear the shichibukai, but Law would never allow that man to take his freedom away.

He checked on Doflamingo, who kept talking more to himself than to Law, and insisted on him going with his crew, where he would be powerful and feared among the Dressrosa people. He spoke about how no one would even dare face them and all the power they would gain. The most feared pirates in all the sea.

No. He wouldn’t join that crew. Never .

Law moved his attention to his surroundings, now dark because of the night and only illuminated by the moon's shine. His sword had to be somewhere near; he remembered going to the bar with it, so it must have fallen when Doflamingo first approached him.

It didn’t take long to find it, besides that man who continued his show, moving his arms around dramatically while talking about his powerful reign in Dressrosa.

Law was about to create a room around it when his fingers stopped mid-action. He couldn’t hesitate, not now that his freedom was in danger. He took a second to calm down and inhaled. Although his whole body trembled and struggled to breathe, he decided to try again.

He raised his right arm, moving his tattooed fingers to create a room, this time working. In a blink of an eye, Kikoku appeared in his left hand, being switched with a coin he found in his pocket. No time to think . He drew the sword and acted fast, teleporting right behind Doflamingo, near enough he could smell that horrible citrus fragrance he sprayed on himself, and quickly intending to slash his neck. Too slow . Doflamingo moved faster, reappearing in front of him, an evil grin on his face, and grabbed Law’s neck, all in the span of a second.

“My sweet boy, you don’t want to do that."

Doflamingo had Law lifted in the air, as if he weighed nothing, and put him at his same height.

He coughed. His hold was tight around Law’s neck, and his nails dug into his skin, choking him. The pink feathers around Doflamingo’s back turned blurry and merged with the dark landscape, making it hard to recognize where one ended and the other started.

His body tried, and tried, and tried, and tried, and tried to get air into his burning lungs. He needed to breathe, but the tight grip made it impossible.

Slowly, his eyes started to close, while the dark spots he saw in front of him grew bigger, making everything around him black as a moonless night. His body kept asking for air, and he was about to give up when he fell into Doflamingo's feet.

He took a deep breath, inhaling for his life. He felt his whole body reviving, as if he had come back from death. Almost , he thought. Law coughed a couple of times before noticing Doflamingo crouching in front of him, waiting for him to recover while holding a piece of paper.

“Interesting…” He said while crumpling up the paper in his hands. “I thought I got rid of all the evidence of the slave auction.”

The letter . Law looked at it while Doflamingo destroyed the only proof left of his business with the slave sale. The only information that could incriminate him, make the marines take away his shichibukai title, and, at best, persecute him for his crimes.

The plan shattered in front of him into little pieces.

And what now? Law thought. There was no way of finding another piece of evidence as good as that one, not after the destruction of the auction house. He was lost without it.

“It looks like I tend to leave little pieces that could unravel my plans.” He said after changing his attention from the letter to Law. “Just like you, my dear boy.”

Luckily for Law, this time he didn’t get any violence from him. Doflamingo simply kept with his monologue, as he had been doing for the whole conversation.

“How sad.” He said as Law sat up and looked at his glasses, his reflection of him looking pale as a zombie. “I was willing for you to come, as were some of your crewmates...”

There was confusion in his eyes. What?

“Oh yes, they were that excited that they boarded my ship without hesitation.” His smile grew bigger, and let go a short laugh. “I’m sure they are waiting for their captain to join them.”

He felt frustrated. So it was decided from the beginning. Doflamingo wouldn’t have approached him with the intention of recruiting him without a plan. Of course, he was dumb—so dumb for believing he had a chance against him.

He never won and never would.

“You have three days to make a decision; I’ll be waiting.” Said as he turned around to leave.

“You wouldn’t leave them like you left Corazón, right? ”

Law trembled at the sound of his name, while the silhouette of the shichibukai got lost behind the bubbles and finally disappeared from his sight.

–Present–

Bepo waited patiently while Law calmed himself enough for him to communicate. His breath became slower, and his hands weren’t trembling as they did when one of the Heart's crewmembers found him.

He moved his tattooed fingers, with the intention of finding out what really happened that afternoon he went to talk to Rayleigh at his bar.

“Doflamingo’s ship appeared without notice.” Started explaining the bear. “We didn’t have time to prepare for the attack, and we didn’t have you to help us…”

Law clicked his tongue; of course, without him, the crew couldn’t protect themselves that long. He cursed quietly, knowing that while he enjoyed his time with Luffy, his crew was in danger without him knowing.

“Doflamingo was there, but left as soon as he knew you weren’t with us.” Continued. “And the rest of the Don Quijote crew went back to their boat after..."

Law looked at his friend, who struggled to find the words to explain what he already knew. He took his paw and squeezed it between his hands, giving him the strength he needed to keep talking.

“Law, they… they took Shachi and some other crewmates with them.” Said Bepo with a trembling voice. “I… I don’t know what they will do with them… I’m scared.”

Without letting him finish, Law hugged him tightly, feeling his soft fur warm all over his body. He was scared too; he feared Doflamingo as anything else, but he would overcome all of it if that meant saving his crew.

He broke the hug and looked at Bepo intensely. “ Don’t worry... We’ll save them. ”

He wasn’t sure if that would be possible to save all of them and defeat Doflamingo, but he had to do it for the crew; he had to save them either way.

“I promise.”

Chapter Text

The two following days, Law closed himself in his cabin, not even letting Bepo go inside of it. He ate from the snacks he saved for when he was studying; he wore the same clothes he put on himself on the same day of the auction; and he was also sleep deprived, having slept a couple of hours since locking himself in.

Law still tried to recover from this meeting with Doflamingo. Every once in a while, he fell again into those nightmares, feeling a recurring pressure in his chest that left his lungs without air.

Even feeling like that, he had no time to lose; he needed to remake his plans from scratch and find not only a way of saving his crewmates but also defeating Doflamingo and the Don Quijote Family.

After two days of considering what his next move should be, the only answer he got was to follow Doflamingo to Dressrosa. That meant joining him and becoming part of his family.

The pirate Trafalgar Law, from the Don Quijote Family. His whole body trembled at the thought of it.

He tried to get that thought out of his head when a quiet knock interrupted him.

“Law, you have a visit.”

The low voice of Penguin was almost impossible to hear. Law knew all the crew felt down because of the situation, and he wasn’t the exception. For days, every left member tried to reach for him, with food or anything they came up with to make him open the door. He even heard some snoring at night outside of the cabin waiting for him. But none of these made Law leave his room.

Law opened the door enough for him to sign Penguin asking who was wanting a meeting with him.

“A woman in a kind of maid dress said you two knew each other.”

He nodded in response. Law had no clue of who she could be, but it might be important, so he opened the rest of the door for, finally, stepping outside of his cabin.

But before he could do another step, Penguin stopped him. “Captain, maybe you should shower before meeting with her…”

He hadn’t checked on him since two days before; maybe he was right. He went back in and looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was messy, his face, pale, and he had dark circles in both of his eyes, making him look like a walking dead. His clothes also stinked and felt heavy on his body; a fast shower and a change of fit wouldn’t be that bad of an idea…

—

The warm shower made him revive—well, kind of. He still had those dark circles framing his eyes, but his face managed to gain some color, and his clean clothes didn’t make him look like a zombie anymore, maybe more like a vampire afraid of the sun.

He went out of his cabin to find Penguin still waiting for him, and they both went to the dining room, where he said that woman was waiting for him.

The woman turned around when the two of them entered the room, making Law breathless for a slight moment.

“Ah Law! I thought I would never see you again!” said the lady while getting up from the chair.

Baby 5 looked just the same, but grown up, of course. She talked to him as if time hadn't passed since the last time they last saw each other. She seemed happy to see Law again, but as much as he would love to share that joy, her presence on his ship wasn’t good news.

She grabbed him by his hands and kept talking. “When they told me I would see you again, I was so excited! I hope you missed me too.”

Law looked at her without a clear expression, not knowing if he was happy or disturbed about seeing her again. Well, if he had to pick between who missed the most of the Don Quijote family, she would be the first one, of course, but that wasn’t really a complicated choice.

“What? You didn’t miss me? Did I do anything wrong? Say something.” She became impatient for an answer.

“Lady, the captain cannot talk.” said Penguin, clarifying the situation. “I’ll be the one translating for him.”

She didn’t seem to quite understand, but she let go of Law’s hands and sat down again, looking at them while waiting for an answer and picking up some snacks that were left on the table.

“The captain says he also missed you.” explained Penguin while Law signed for him. “He wanted to ask you, what are you doing here?"

After a moment of her looking intensely at both of them, she stood up again and started her explanation. “I came to know of your decision, you know… about joining the Don Quijote family…”

Law shivered for a moment. Right, today was the third day, and he had to give an answer to Doflamingo. But it was decided from the beginning; he didn’t actually give him another choice… It was giving his life again for him or getting part of his crew, his friends, killed. It wasn’t fair for them to have to pay up for Law’s past.

He found it quite funny, once again in the hands of that horrible man, and once again in those same hands, the lives of the ones he loved. This time, though, Law wouldn’t let him destroy his only family and would fight for them at any cost.

Law gave Penguin his answer.

“Captain, are you sure about it? I…”

“There’s no other way.”

Penguin nodded in understanding and turned to face Baby 5 again. “The captain says he accepts.”

The woman smiled and seemed excited about Law joining them again. Law didn’t share her happiness; he only wanted this to end as fast as possible and set his tripulation free.

“But…” Penguin interrupted. “He first wants to make sure they are all okay, and…” He struggled to say what Law told him. “The whole crew will be freed, and only the captain will be joining you.”

Baby 5 agreed with his decision and made no comment about it.

It was the best thing he could do to save all of them. He would miss his friends, of course, but saving them was his priority, and if staying as far from his crew as he could guaranteed their lives, he would gladly do it. Law wouldn’t make the same mistake as with Corazón. Not again.

He didn’t notice Baby 5 pulling a Den Den Mushi out of her pocket and already calling Doflamingo’s ship when a man's unknown voice was the one to answer. “Baby 5, what are you doing? You should have been done with this a while ago!”

With that annoyed tone of voice, he rapidly assumed he wasn’t in a good mood, and that made Baby 5 a little concerned.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got good news. Law is joining us!”

She said it as if he was willing to join and wasn’t being blackmailed about it, and as if some of his crewmates weren't taken as hostages until he gave the only possible answer.

“He just wants to make sure they’re all okay." Continued her.

He didn’t respond, but loud screams and some steps were heard on the other side of the line before someone picked up the Den Den Mushi again.

“Captain!”

“Shachi! That’s Shachi!”

Law and Penguin looked at each other, sharing a surprised but content expression. It was him, and he sounded very alive and okay.

“Captain, we’re all okay; you don’t need to worry.” Hearing that made the two of them sigh with relief. “They could give us better meals, tho.”

Of course he was alright; no one would dare joke around in a dangerous situation like that but Shachi. He was that kind of man.

Penguin seemed so happy to hear about his friend, but Law couldn’t get a hint of peace of mind. He was still worried about his crew, and the whole situation was bad enough for him to not be calm.

“The captain and I are so happy to hear that!” Penguin talked for both of them. “We hope we can meet soon.”

A lot of voices were heard on the other side of the line, making a big uproar.

“Captain, don't worry about us!”

“We’ll see y’all soon!”

“We miss you!”

Law couldn’t stop himself from making a small smile. Maybe he should trust his crew for once, just like they trusted him to rescue them.

Before they could respond to them, the Don Quijote pirate took the Den Den Mushi away from the Heart’s crew to talk.

"All right, I think that’s enough.”

It wasn’t enough. Law was sure that the crew put in their best efforts to make it seem like they were okay and didn’t make them worry even more. As much as he would love to keep up with the call, that would have to do until they could meet again.

“I’ll return to the ship then, so we can head back to Dressrosa. I have to meet up with my new boyfriend. I'm sure he misses me.” Baby 5 blushed thinking of that.

Law sighed. He was surprised she didn’t change after all those years. But he was thankful it was her the one to come; Baby 5 was the only one that didn’t annoy him and get on his nerves, even when she couldn’t stop talking about that new man in his life.

“I don’t think you will see him soon," said the voice, interrupting the woman’s daydreaming.

“What?”

“There’s been a sudden change of plans; the marines called Doflamingo.”

Did that mean they weren’t going to Dressrosa? The three of them looked at each other confusedly as they waited for the man to clarify the situation.

“We’re leaving at noon, so get your ship ready.”

All of them nodded, even if the person on the other side couldn’t see them. That left them even more confused. Where was Doflamingo supposed to go?

While Law and Penguin wondered, Baby 5 took the Den Den Mushi off the table to put it back in her pocket. She took the opportunity to finish the snacks and the tea Ikkaku prepared for her before meeting up with the captain. Once she finished, she turned to Law to give him a tight hug.

"Ugh, Law, I loved seeing you again.” Said the lady after letting him go. “I’ll be going now; see you soon!”

Before she could turn around to leave, Law took her sleeve. She couldn’t leave yet. Not now that they left him with more questions than answers, would his crew be okay until they could reach Dressrosa?

Baby 5 smiled softly. “I’ll make sure they treat them okay, and they eat well.” She responded to Law's unspoken question.

He nodded. His trust was put on her; he had to. Baby 5 wasn’t a bad person, not like the majority of other members of the Don Quijote family. So he would make an effort to trust her.

As she left, Law approached Penguin, not letting him leave the kitchen with all the information he knew.

“ Don’t you dare explain about my plan to anyone,” Law gave him a death stare as he signed. “ Especially Bepo.”

Penguin nodded, afraid of what the consequences could be.

Law was known for being a calm captain, usually not caring about his crew's teasing and joking. They didn’t annoy him on a daily basis, but as a crew, they loved to play pranks on each other, and the captain wasn’t an exception. Law was unbothered by them, but in the very few times they really got to upset him, a real demon was released.

Once, he cut Shachi into such little pieces that, after a week, you could still find parts of him scattered around the submarine. Another time, he swapped half of the crew’s bodies, and they had to spend a couple of days begging their captain to change them back.

Penguin knew that well, since he was put in Bepo’s body and he felt so itchy and hot all the time. Not making his captain angry was for the best…

“Understood?”

He nodded again several times, putting his right hand on his heart as a promise he wouldn’t talk.

Law nodded back, making Penguin release the breath he was holding, and, without hesitation, he left the kitchen, leaving Law alone in his thoughts.

He wondered what their next stop would be, why the marines needed their shichibukai, when they would meet again with their crewmates, and what Doflamingo would want from him to frame him like this.

All questions and no answers.

Maybe it was for the best to leave his worries apart and see how things went, and that meant preparing for the worst. Law didn’t think there could be a good ending in any case.

He let out a large sigh, and he also left the room. They should prepare fast, as they would be leaving soon.

-

That wasn’t any marine base—the one they arrived at, following the Don Quijote family’s ship. The whole Heart’s crew (the ones left) looked with a surprised expression at what was before their eyes.

Marineford—that's where Doflamingo was called. That’s where the most dangerous and powerful marines reunited. And, of course, the worst place a pirate could land on.

Law gulped.

No. He had to stay calm. After all, they came with the shichibukai, which meant they had his protection, right?

Even so, Law felt chills just from the danger of being there. In any kind of situation, he would be able to trust those people. Never again .

Soon, Bepo contacted him to explain the situation. They talked about an incoming war in the newspapers. The execution of Portgas D. Ace, better known as Fire Fist Ace, son of the emperor Whitebeard. His execution was like a declaration of war against the pirate emperor, and sooner or later he would make his apparition with an army of ships full of pirates from around the world ready to fight.

Law couldn’t lie; in a dangerous situation like that, he, as a pirate, was excited to see how things went. A battle between the most powerful men in the world was something he had to witness, even if he didn’t participate in it.

They had to follow orders to stay close to Doflamingo’s ship and not get off the submarine. It wasn’t like he was willing to get involved, but he hated not being able to choose what to do and having someone order his crew around.

Law was annoyed, and with too many thoughts on his head, he had to distract himself somehow, so he turned on a Den Den Mushi radio to listen as the battle started and some pirate ships started to arrive at the Marineford deck.

He was nervous to see how the war would go.

Chapter Text

The submarine fled faster than it ever had since entering the Grand Line, with two new passengers on board. Everyone kept moving around following Penguin’s orders (now in charge of the ship), while Law and Bepo checked the two damaged bodies in the operating room.

The entire cabin smelled like burned skin and blood, making Law feel nauseous. His fingers checked on Luffy’s wounded torso, turning the once-white gloves into a scarlet mess. His skin was too damaged, and it would be a miracle if his organs survived the operation.

Law took a deep breath.

He looked at Luffy’s pale face and touched with two fingers the side of his neck, checking on his pulse and making sure he still breathed and was alive. Finally, he felt the slight beat of his heart, making Law release the breath he didn't notice he was holding.

He was too young. Too young to be suffering like this. He looked so small lying on the operation table, his thin limbs falling off the sides. Looking back at Sabaody, you wouldn’t tell this small boy kicked a whole marine army only using his strength and fruit power.

The surgeon sighed and looked at the fishman's body next to Luffy’s.

Jinbei, the ex-shichibukai, laid unconscious in the stretcher. His wounds weren’t as severe as Luffy’s, but he, too, was incredibly injured.

They did fight lots of marines and an admiral after all.

As Bepo prepared everything for the surgery, Law kept checking on Luffy, thinking about how to save that boy’s life.

He had mastered his fruit years ago, becoming the best surgeon in all of the Grand Line and the Four Seas. He had saved tons of lives and practiced lots of surgeries; there wasn’t an operation he couldn’t handle. Or at least that’s what he thought until he had the young pirate’s life in his hands. 

But he wouldn’t let him die; that boy would live and would come back to the sea to follow his dream of becoming the pirate king. That was a promise Law made for himself.

He was scared, of course, but there wasn’t time to hesitate; he had to act, now or never.

Law created a room as he looked at Bepo, who nodded back, confirming everything was ready. Luffy was more critical than his companion, so they would start with him.

The injury was too big and too deep—the perfect work of an admiral for destroying the body of his victim. He still remembered the moment it had happened, just after he did the same with Luffy’s brother, succeeding in it.

Law couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Luffy appear, falling from the sky, followed by a whole lot of other pirates (still shocked to see Jimbei and Crocodile next to him). But there was the young pirate, joining the war, facing three admirals, endangering his life, just to save his brother’s.

He really did everything he could to save him. Law admired Luffy. He could never be that person—the one who would stand in front of some of the most powerful enemies and still try to fight.

Luffy was great not because of his strength but because of his fearlessness. If he had an objective, he would fight for it no matter the difficulty; he would face it without thought, even if it was impossible for him to win.

Was even the word impossible in his dictionary? Law doubted it.

Even with the help of the bear, he knew that one would be a long surgery, having to operate two badly injured bodies. He was thankful for having the power of his fruit; if not, it would be impossible to handle two operations at once.

He was the best and the only one who could succeed.

Law would absolutely save them.

-

After almost two days of surgery, Law finished the operation completely exhausted, having to support his tired body on a shelf full of supplies. Bepo, at the same time, fell on the chair next to him and began snoring.

Law looked at his friend, absolutely surprised at his ability to fall asleep within seconds, but the bear needed that well-deserved rest. He, on the other hand, cleaned up the mess while checking on everything once again.

Jinbei was stable, his heartbeat was normal, and his wounds even looked like they got smaller. Law wondered if being a fishman had anything to do with his fast healing or if he was simply built that way. 

Luffy, just by his side, had a weak heartbeat, and his pale body still struggled to gain some color. Of course, it would take him a couple of days to stabilize and maybe a week to recover. These days would be critical, and only the will of the young pirate would allow him to survive.

He checked on Luffy’s torso, covered in clean white bandages. Under them, an X scar marked the work of the admiral. A reminder of his fight against the world government and the terrible defeat.

His finger trembled while covering the torso again with a blanket, hoping that even after the battle, Luffy wouldn't surrender. Law was sure he would survive, and in less than a blink of an eye, he would see his warm smile once again.

Just like if he read his thoughts, the heartbeat seemed to speed up a bit, but not enough for Law to not worry.

He yawned as he started to leave the operating room. It was the first time he had his powers active for that long, and it almost took all his energy to maintain the room for the surgery. His limbs felt heavy from handling the instruments, and the precise work also left him exhausted, as if he had run a marathon. It was for the best to make his way into his cabin and lay down a bit with the intention of taking a rest, and maybe getting to sleep for more than a couple of hours. He was so exhausted that he knew his nightmares wouldn’t annoy him for once.

But that would have to wait, because just as he opened the door, there was Ikkaku with a pair of coffees on a plate with cookies and sweets. One of the drinks was plain dark, while the other one had white foam with some marshmallows on top of it. Bepo loved his coffee as sweet as candy, with soy milk and tons of sugar, covering entirely the taste of coffee. Law wondered how he still had all of his teeth in his mouth.

He grabbed the other one, black coffee with one spoon of sugar, and took a sip of it as he looked at the woman in front of him.

Ikkaku had been bringing them his meals while the surgery was ongoing, and they took the opportunity to take breaks. Law ate fast, and after 15 minutes of rest, he was done and went back to the surgery. Bepo, on the other hand, took longer rests but never let Law work alone; he was the best companion without doubt.

“Captain, there are some people waiting for you outside.”

For a moment, Law feared the Don Quijote family had found him while he was too busy saving two lives. Maybe they’d been following the submarine all this time. His overthinking started to capture him when he looked at his crewmate. Ikkaku responded to his gaze with a tranquil expression, with no sign of worry, only the warmth of her smile.

That seemed to calm him, as he nodded and asked her to lead the way to the deck.

Once they arrived, one well-known face greeted him with a disgusted expression, while the other one seemed excited to see him, even not knowing who it was.

The pirate empress Boa Hancock took a step forward, showing up her splendid beauty and making some of the Hearts fall on their knees.

“Tell me, man, where do you have Luffy? Is he okay?" Said the woman as if the deck belonged to her.

The other one, a big head with a purple mane, followed her, as if making a spectacle of their movements. “I saw you taking the boy; where is he?”

Law blinked twice, looking at those two moving around his submarine, making a great uproar. It looked like they were part of a spectacle that would soon begin. 

“Has the cat got your tongue? Speak to me!” The pirate empress began to get impatient as she stepped loudly toward Law.

“The captain cannot speak.” Ikkaku, the only one of her crewmates who seemed in her right mind, spoke for her captain. “He just finished with the surgery.”

“And how is he?” Shouted the big head also impatiently. 

Both of them had strong personalities that were hard to handle, making Law feel overwhelmed. He hated all the shouting and loud questions, but knew very well they wouldn’t shut up until he spoke, so he turned to Ikkaku and signed fast, knowing that she was the fastest reader of his crew. 

Ikkaku was a great translator and would be the first one to accompany him on his missions if it weren’t for her great capacity to keep peace among her crewmates. Everyone seemed to always listen to her orders, so she usually stayed on the ship on their stops. Law tried to bring her with him a couple of times to use her as his voice, only to find the submarine out of control once they returned. She really was the authority on the ship.

“Jinbei is stable, and he should wake up sooner or later.” Ikkaku almost synchronized with Law’s signing. “Luffy, on the other hand, is in critical condition; only time will decide if he survives.”

“WHAT?” Hancock screamed. “Then you should have saved him!”

She was nervous. Hancock had a tick in her eye and kept biting her nails, all while walking from side to side of the deck.

Law was surprised. Why was the pirate empress, known for her hatred of men, suddenly worried about the life of a boy? That young pirate really made the most uncanny yet powerful allies he ever knew. 

He still remembered him falling from the sky, followed by two Shichibukai and… Ah! He just now remembered why their face was familiar.

“The captain did everything he could to save him.” Ikkaku spoke, anger in her voice.

She didn’t like that the abilities of her captain were questioned. Of course Law tried his best to save the boy, and she knew that very well, as she was the one checking on Law and Bepo while they couldn’t stop the operation and bringing them everything they needed. She was also crucial to the surgery and knew it wasn’t an easy task to do.

“Are you two friends?” Asked the other one, talking of Luffy and him.

Law shook his head. No, they weren’t friends, not even acquaintances, as they only shared a couple of conversations. Maybe rivals should be the right wording, as the two of them were pirates of the worst generation. But Law didn’t think of them as such. Was there even a word to describe their short relationship?

“No need to explain.” Stated them. “You were moved by your instincts; thank you then.”

“We’ll be leaving them.” Hancock said it with a loud voice. “Ivankov, take Luffy to the ship.”

Law shook his head, confronting the Pirate Empress. In any case, he would give Luffy to inexperienced hands that didn’t even know how the recovery had to go.

The look on his face spoke clearly, but nevertheless, Ikkaku explained everything for them to understand.

“Our submarine is prepared with the best machinery for surgeries.” She said it with an angry tone of voice. “Taking him from the operating room would only sentence him.”

Law nodded in agreement.

Boa Hancock and Ivankov looked at each other. The big head seemed to understand it without doubt. On the other hand, the woman still wasn’t sure of it and kept walking from one way to another, nervous.

Finally, she agreed, after Ivankov told her a couple times it would be fine.

“Fine, but you’ll have to follow us.” She said it without leaving any other choice. “We’ll be heading to Amazon Lily.”

Behind Law, the Heart Pirates crew started shouting loudly, creating a great uproar of cheering voices.

“The Island of Women!”

“We’ll meet the Kuja!”

“We are so lucky!”

Amazon Lily , Law didn’t think there would be a safer place than that island, where no one could enter without facing the dangers of the Calm Belt. It would be the best place to let Luffy recover in peace and to hide from the marines (and the Don Quijote family too). 

He nodded, finally agreeing with her decision, and left to get everything ready for the journey.

Maybe Luffy would get to enjoy the island, too.

Chapter Text

“Luffy has woken up.”

Bepo gave him the good morning with those news, and a full cup of coffee. 

Not a second after they ended their conversation with the Pirate Empress and Ivankov, Jinbei appeared on the deck, walking as if nothing had happened to him. 

Everyone was shocked to see the ex-shichibukai, who was supposed to be unconscious and very wounded, standing up and worrying more about Luffy’s life than his.

Law had tried to get him to sit down, but it was impossible to change his mind, saying over and over again that he was okay and they shouldn’t worry. The captain was sure surprised the fishman had his wound almost healed, but he should still take it easy and rest until they reached Amazon Lily.

But Luffy wasn’t like the ex-shichibukai. His wound was worse and his body was weaker, and it should have taken him a week of rest before he could even walk outside the room. Only two days had passed; how could that even be possible? Law wondered.

After taking a long sip of the coffee and handing it back to his first mate, he summoned a room and teleported him out of the ship to the island he wasn’t supposed to step on, Kuja’s orders.

He didn’t care. He was a doctor worried about his patient’s life, and that wouldn’t be an impediment to doing his job.

Luckily, it didn’t take him long to find Luffy after looking for his steps in that jungle of abundant tropical trees. He was next to Jinbei, who seemed to have followed him too in his escape.

“ACE!” He screamed, pure desperation in his voice, “WHERE’S ACE?” Saying his brother's name was like a stab in his throat, and he broke every time he pronounced it. 

He was fighting anything he found before him: trees, rocks, the floor—whatever was put in front of him was beaten up by his bandaged hands, leaving a trail of blood as a sign of his pain.

“Stop it! You’re still severely injured; your wounds will open!” Jinbei shouted, stepping in front of him.

Luffy looked back at him, his eyes wet from crying. 

“This isn’t a dream, right?” asked Luffy. “Ace is- is dead?!”

“Yes.”

That only word made Luffy fall to his knees, with a haunted look in his eyes. There were murmurs in his mouth, saying words that Jinbei could hardly hear. His hands had spasms and opened and closed in the air, as if they were trying to hold onto something or someone.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” A loud shout was heard all over the island.

Law felt his pain in that scream. The person in front of him was completely empty—a container who had lost everything that defined him. Without his smile showing his full teeth, without his laugher nor his joy, without that fearlessness that made him do impossible things.

Luffy was now on the floor, digging his fingers into the ground, making his fingernails blood from agony. All of himself was lost on the battlefield that Marineford had become.

Luffy now punched the floor, making rocks fly over him and creating a cloud of dust around them.

“Luffy, stop.” Jinbei talked softly.

“Go away.” 

Luffy continued, not caring about Jinbei’s words. His hands now punched everything around him even harder, spraying blood over the grass, leaving the marks of the pain he was feeling inside of him.

Law could barely look at him—a completely different pirate who had lost control over his emotions. Although he couldn’t judge him, as he had been in his same situation, feeling the same as he had felt in the past.

The boy couldn’t stop crying, with his cheeks as red as blood and full of tears. 

And he kept calling him, his brother, shouting for his name, begging for a response that would never come, waiting for a person that would never return.

He was getting desperate and punched harder and faster, creating around him a mess of rocks, branches, bandages, and blood he left behind.

Luffy couldn’t stop himself from destroying everything around the jungle, to the point of making Jinbei step back before a tree fell on him.

It was the point when Jinbei finally decided to act and stop the boy, as he wouldn’t simply calm himself.

He punched Luffy in the face, making him fall and, most importantly, stop his madness. The boy fell on the grass and looked at the fishman.

His eyes were still wet, of course, but there wasn’t any sign of anger in them, as if it had been banished with the punch. Now only sadness intended his eyes, which looked at Jinbei with sorrow.

Luffy now looked small, like a child. But he was a child. He was too young to be experiencing the war, or an execution, but even less the murder of his brother. He was too young to lose the one family he loved the most.

But Jinbei was right to stop him before he killed himself with his torture. His bandages were now loose, and he had lost too much blood, making the consequences appear now with a weak boy with an exhausted expression and breathing harshly.

Law decided to step forward and check on his patient. After all, that’s why he was there—not to watch any spectacle of the boy who was lost in his despair.

Jinbei noticed his arrival as he nodded with his head and left the boy behind on the ground, completely devastated and crying without saying a word.

“Leave me alone, Jin-” Luffy was getting angrier again when he saw the shadow of the other pirate. 

His expression changed, as if he had finally calmed his mind. His hands, which were in the air with the intention to punch back at the fishman, fell on his sides, touching the ground.

“Torao…”

Luffy wiped away his tears with both his hands, not only to clean his face but also to make sure he was awake and Trafalgar Law was really there, on that tropical island in the middle of the Calm Belt, standing in front of him.

“What- what are you doing here?” Said while jumping from the ground to stand in front of him.

Law touched the last bandages that hadn’t fallen from Luffy's body while he punched everything around him. He was prepared, of course, and with a movement of his fingers, a medicine case appeared next to them, with everything he would need for the cleaning of his wounds and the changing of bandages.

“Oh, yeah, you’re a doctor, right?”

Law nodded in response while he threw away the dirty bandages. He couldn’t have told him about his abilities in medicine, so who could have told him about it?

As if Luffy had read his mind, he responded to his question. “Robin told me after we left Rayleight’s bar.”

Luffy stayed still while Law cleaned the wound and checked that everything was okay. Luckily, his chest wound wasn’t damaged (at least most of it), but he had really injured his hands with the punches, and his cheek was red and swollen from Jinbei's punch.

“That bear man… sent her away.” His voice broke while he was talking. “Well… he sent all my friends away.”

He looked down, tears starting to form again in his eyes, almost making it unbearable to stand, leaning forward and holding onto Law before falling again on the ground.

Luffy cried in Law's arms and hugged him tightly, as if he would escape the moment he released his hold. That boy needed someone, anyone, to rely on, to take care of him, and to make sure he would not fall into his sorrow.

Law, for a moment, stiffened at the gesture, not sure about how to react. He was not used to physical touch and made sure to avoid it. But Luffy, that boy, needed his warmth and his shoulder to cry on, so he relaxed and returned the hug, patting his back.

“And my family…” continued him, hiccuping. “My last brother… is gone.”

Luffy’s hold tightened, and he cried.

His breath became harsh and rapid, as if air were taken away from him, and he tried to hold whatever was left. A panic attack , Law thought. He had gone through this; he knew what it felt like. He started caressing his back in circles and kept holding him, trying to bring him back from the nightmares in his mind.

For a few minutes, they stayed like that, holding each other, while Law kept trying to calm the boy. Luffy’s breath took his time to stabilize, and finally his whole body relaxed. 

His hold loosened, giving Law the space he usually felt secure in (even though he hadn’t that problem with Luffy), and he raised his head, making eye contact with the other pirate.

Luffy’s face looked very different from what he had seen in Sabaody. That joyful expression was long gone, and his bright smile was now a distant memory. His eyes were swollen, and he could barely open them. His cheeks were red and sore from the crying, and his right cheek still had some blood from Jinbei’s punch. His skin was paler than Law’s, and anyone would confuse the boy with the living dead.

The young pirate bit his lip.

“Please… tell me you will stay…” Luffy said with a broken voice, almost begging. 

Law didn’t expect that coming from the boy. He opened his mouth, but no word came from it. 

I’ll stay.

I won't leave you.

I’ll be by your side.

Don’t worry.

I’m here .

He would have given him thousands of answers, all of them saying yes to him and telling him he would stay. But he didn’t pronounce any.

He hated it. He hated, hated, hated it.

“Right… You can’t talk, huh… How funny.” Luffy separated from him, creating a distance not only physically but emotionally too.

It felt like a punch in the stomach for Law. For the first time, he wouldn’t be able to help his patient, but most importantly, he wouldn’t be able to help a friend. Would he even consider Luffy a friend? Not a day before, he would have said he was his rival. But it wasn't right to consider him that way. Maybe that red-haired pirate would be a rival. They had fought together to defeat some marines, but they wouldn’t risk their lives for each other.

But he did more than that with Luffy. He had helped him when he shouldn’t have to. And now, he was on that island, making sure he was okay and being near him in case anything happened (just like that morning).

Maybe they were friends after all. And a friend wouldn’t leave the other one to die.

Law grabbed his arm and pressed it carefully, making sure he didn’t hurt him more than he was, and nodded. 

He would stay, and he would do everything he could and more to help him. And as he made himself promise it, he turned again to carefully cure Luffy's wounds, sharing the silence that, for once, didn't feel like a prison to Law.

Chapter Text

The next day, Law woke up once again with news that Luffy had disappeared. This time, although it was easier to find him, he was in the same spot he was the day before on the island, marked with the rocks and leaves lying all over the place, creating a pretty messy spot in the middle of the leafy reed.

He sat, hugging his legs, next to an enormous palm tree that covered the intense sunlight of that summer day.

Law approached him and touched his shoulder softly in an attempt not to scare the boy, who seemed lost in his thoughts.

“Ah, Torao, you’re here.” He gave Law a tiny smile.

A small tear fell off Luffy's cheek, but he was quick to clean it with his hand, as if it never existed.

Law smiled at him in return and pointed next to the boy as a way to ask if he could sit next to him and accompany him that morning.

Luffy simply nodded and looked away, to the trees. The calm breeze of the tropical island made the leaves move in harmony and created shadows that danced on their skins. It was relaxing, and Luffy thanked the tranquility around him; he really needed that.

To the young pirate's surprise, Law brought with him a bag full of food for them to eat for breakfast. Luffy opened his eyes wide, looking at the rice balls and a pile of fruits. He didn’t eat that morning, and his stomach made sure Law was aware of it too.

He blushed at the sound of his tummy, and before he could ask for some food, Law handed him a pile of it.

“Thank you!” 

And before Law could even give him a smile as a response, Luffy had already put everything in his mouth. His cheeks puffed out, making the boy resemble a squirtle.

Law repressed a small laugh at the boy’s way of eating. His mouth was full, and it took him a moment to swallow all of the food, and now a big lump toured his neck from top to bottom until it disappeared into his stomach, now round and bulky.

His fruit power was surely something different, Law thought. He really knew how to use it for his own benefit, that was for sure.

After eating some more, both of them rested their heads on the tree, listening to the breeze and the birds.

“Ace wasn’t my real brother.” Said the boy, after being silent for a while. “You knew that, right?”

Yeah, the discovery of Fire Fist Ace being the son of the King of the Pirates was a real shock for the entire world. But Luffy didn’t share blood with the famous pirate, as Ace was his only son.

“My grandpa took me to live with him when I was only 6.” Luffy continued with his story. “He tried to kill me multiple times.”

Luffy laughed, as if remembering it brought him joy. Although Law wasn’t really sure if he should be worried after that statement about the strange relationship with his brother, he just let the boy continue talking about his past.

“But we became the best brothers to ever exist.” He smiled. “The three of us were a real pain in the ass to Dadan.”

Law was confused about the story, who was Dadan? And there was a third brother? Where was he?

Maybe his confused expression made Luffy realize he was leaving gaps in the story, as he stopped remembering and explained better to the surgeon.

“Sabo was our other brother; he escaped his life with his parents to live with us and the bandits. He would be around Ace’s age now…”

That soft smile Luffy had on his face disappeared as he bit his lower lip, trying to not break down again (and failing). Some undesirable memories had returned to his mind, making the boy cover his face with his hands as a way to hide his sadness.

“He…he died.” He struggled to finish the sentence. “His ship sank when he sailed away, escaping from his family…”

His hands moved away from his face, a little wet, and he looked to the horizon, to the sea framed by the trees, and tried to reach it with his hand.

“We promised we would sail to adventure when we reached 17.” A little smile appeared on his face, wistfully. “All of us would become pirates traveling the Grand Line.”

His eyes returned to his bandaged hands, a clear reminder of his recent loss.

“Now, I’m the only one left.” Luffy’s breath started to increase with every word he said. “My brothers, my friends, they’re all gone.”

He grabbed his head with his trembling hands, a blank stare in his face, and dug his fingers into his hair. 

“I’m alone.” Whispered. “I’m alone.”

Law started to panic at how the situation increased in a blink of an eye. The boy was just smiling a moment ago, remembering his childhood memories with his brothers in the calm waters of the east blue, and now he just fell into his inner world of nightmares.

Luffy kept whispering words Law could barely understand (he was sure he heard his brother’s name between sentences), while one of his hands reached his chest scar, putting his fingers between the bandages and almost removing them from his body. 

He was having another panic attack. And just like yesterday, Law thought about doing the same as he did to help him go back to reality, taking his time to caress his back to calm him. But as he was reaching Luffy’s back, he moved away, completely scared of anyone’s touch, now digging his nails into his trembling arms until blood covered his fingertips.

“No.” He said, with the most terrified voice. “No, leave me.”

He had left that reality completely, confusing his surroundings with the shadows of his memories.

Law stepped back and looked at Luffy, not knowing what to do next. In these situations, the one thing that helped him the most was Bepo’s warmth and soft voice. His words calmed his mind to the point of overcoming the panic attack.

But what would he do with Luffy? He avoided his touch, and talking to him was not a possible option. Maybe... should he go get Bepo? No. Leaving his patient alone in this situation was the last thing he would do as a doctor.

Should he…?

He bit his lower lip, scared of the thought.

But he couldn’t just wait and stare at him, and trying to touch him would only worsen the situation.

“L…” 

Law tried to form his name between his lips, but it was impossible for him. Not even now, in front of a friend, being the doctor he was, he could overcome his fears and trauma to save him.

He was lost. Maybe the best option was to go and look for his bear friend, even if it went against his principles as a doctor…

As he was standing up from the boy’s side, a hand grabbed his shirt, preventing him from leaving.

He was still deeply trapped in his mind but, somehow, recognized his presence. Law was surprised to see the boy seeking him out, even if he couldn’t ask for it with words.

So Law kneeled in front of him and started inhaling and exhaling deeply and loudly, trying to follow a rhythm with his breath. Maybe words couldn’t be his way to help the boy, but he wouldn’t stop trying.

Inhale.

Exhale.

After a minute of repeating the action, Luffy’s hands felt light and fell on his sides, uncovering the marks of his own wounds, while his breath started to lower.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Law couldn’t believe it was actually working. He kept persisting, inhaling and exhaling, following the rhythm he had started, and making Luffy mirror him.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Luffy’s eyes started to look around, first lost, not knowing what was around them and checking on everything. His breath became slower.

Inhale.

Exhale.

His hands felt the grass under his fingers, pulling a few blades and releasing them to fly with the calm breeze. His breath was even slower.

Inhale. 

Exhale.

He moved his head up to meet Law’s sight, now with their breaths synchronized. They stayed like that, inhaling and exhaling at the same time but never losing their gaze. It wasn’t until a long moment had passed when Luffy broke the rhythm and leaned against Law’s chest, resting his head.

“Does these ever disappear…?” His voice was begging, wanting to be freed of his nightmares.

Law couldn't bear to shake his head. After more than ten years, he still faced those panic attacks, a reminder of what had happened and the consequences of what he couldn’t do to change the path of history. And Luffy would now have to live with that pain as well.

He trembled in Law’s hands, breathing deeply. Luffy looked small, like a child, scared of his surroundings, and only safe in the hands of his loved ones. But there weren't any loved ones to hold him; now he needed it the most.

“Help me…” It was a low whisper that Law barely heard coming from Luffy’s mouth. “Torao, help me…”

But what could Law do? He clenched his teeth out of frustration. What a useless doctor he was... he couldn’t even help himself; how could he help Luffy?

“Take this pain away from me.” He begged.

If he could only invoke a room and remove his pain that easily. If he could only perform surgery and make him feel better, he would do it right away.

But it wasn’t that simple or easily done with that kind of pain.

Luffy was suffering in a way only time can heal, and in that matter, the only thing he could do was accompany him and give him the strength he was now lacking.

“You’re the only one who can help me…” 

Luffy got close to him, turning his head towards Law to be face-to-face with him. His breath was slow, just as his movements, while his hands graved Law’s shirt from the collar, Law felt the warmth of Luffy’s body all over him. He was sweating, and his rubber skin was covered in a shining layer of sweat, making Law’s shirt feel humid.

He got closer and closer, until he felt his breath on his nose. Luffy’s breath was still fast and deep, giving Law goosebumps all over his body from the cold air coming out of his mouth, slowly approaching Law’s.

After a second that felt like an eternity, Luffy’s lips found his and joined in a soft caress that only lasted a heartbeat, giving only a murmur of warmth before the boy stood back rapidly.

Shame was reflected in his eyes. “I’m- I’m sorry.” He said, confused, looking away and evading Law’s eyes, trying to make sense of what he just did. “Forget what just happened.”

Silence.

They both sat a few meters away from each other and stayed silent.

The leaves of the palm trees danced with the calm breeze, letting small beams of light pass through them and creating a mesmerizing landscape.

That wasn’t enough to calm Law. It was strange . He felt conflicted with himself, a world of emotions happening inside of him, not giving him an answer to how to feel after what happened. There was an earthquake inside his gut. He was trembling non-stop, telling him what happened was wrong and the boy shouldn’t have done it. His heart was pounding, seeking to get closer to Luffy. A small tingling in his lips asked for more. His now reddish cheeks felt embarrassed, which made him look away. His long legs just wanted to stand up and run far from that one spot. But above all of them, his head tried to put order and comprehend Luffy. 

Reason had won. As a doctor, as his doctor, his duty was to understand how his patient was, and Luffy wasn’t ok at all.

He was vulnerable, in a state of mind where his actions didn’t correspond to his emotions. It wasn’t his fault; Law knew it ; of course he knew it, and he couldn’t blame him for that.

But what was that small sadness growing inside of him after Luffy had regretted his actions?

He shook his head in a way to persuade himself to forget about what had occurred. He shouldn’t be wanting for more, knowing this came from a person who was at his lowest. But, deep down, he wanted to keep that fleeting moment in his memory like a small treasure, even if Luffy just wanted it to disappear.

Law accumulated as much strength as possible to turn around and check on the boy.

Luffy’s eyes were directed far away to the sea, but he wasn’t looking at anything at all. He seemed lost in his thoughts and stopped acknowledging anything around him, not even Law.

He didn’t know how to approach him in a way he expressed he didn’t mind, that it wasn’t his fault, that it was ok to make mistakes. But above all, it was okay to not be okay after everything he had suffered.

But once again, he was trapped in that perpetual silence, unable to help, useless.

“Luffy!” A voice was heard in the distance. Was it the voice of a woman? “Luffy, where are you?”

Law didn’t get to turn to Luffy to get his attention when a shadow appeared behind the palm trees, interrupting them.

"Luffy, there you are!”

Boa Hancock stepped in front of them, impotent as always. Law had to admit she looked stunning in that shining red dress and her long silk hair blowing with the wind, even if Law and Luffy were enchanted by her charm.

She didn’t acknowledge his presence at all and looked directly at Luffy, turning her stoned expression into instant worry.

Of course, Luffy wasn’t looking his best, with his eyes and cheeks as red as cherries and still covered in tears. She didn’t like what she was seeing and reached for his hand in a way to make him stand up from the ground.

“Luffy, are you okay?" She asked in the most worried voice. “Come, I’ve already prepared lunch for you.”

Luffy accepted her hand and followed her orders without complaining. In a blink of an eye, he was already standing up and looking around him, still waking up from his inner world.

Seeing Luffy like that seemed to anger her, so she finally acknowledged the other pirate, who was still resting on the ground, and her angelic face turned to a demoniac expression.

“I really thank you for saving Luffy’s life, but I think you’ve helped enough.” Boa’s voice was severe and threatening, capable of making Law shiver for a second. “Get out of my island and don't dare to step back here again.”

Before he could make any move or follow them, Luffy turned to him, putting his flat hand on his mouth and moving it forward in his direction.

Law opened his eyes in surprise, realizing it wasn’t any random gesture what he did, but the sign for saying “ thank you," and the boy learned it, only for him .

When did he learn that? Law was eager to know, but that gesture wasn’t a simple thank you in sign language but a symbol of farewell.

Luffy needed time and space, and Law following him would only worsen the situation. He respected his decision to leave, so he simply waved him goodbye and stayed there, watching the two of them disappear between the trees that covered the island.

Chapter Text

Another day passed.

Law woke up late that morning, for once, not together with the sun—something quite strange for him.

But he felt good and grateful that he could rest for the first time in weeks (or was it months?) without anyone or anything waking him up or interrupting his sleep. He hadn’t had nightmares since they fled from Marineford with their two patients. His mind was too occupied with worried thoughts of Luffy’s state, and that actually helped him conciliate his sleep way better.

Having someone to care about kept his mind too busy to think about his own problems.

Getting out of bed, he looked around his cabin, or the mess it always was. The rest of his submarine was always clean and tidy; he had created a perfect cleaning schedule that his crew was obliged to follow to keep the ship clean and shiny.

But his room… that was another thing. It was just like him—a mess, always in the dark, and nothing ever in its place… It felt as if there had been a battle inside of it.

Maybe one day he’ll have time to tidy everything up, but for now, he dressed up and walked out of his cabin.

After what happened yesterday, he was forbidden from stepping on the island. So, for now, he would be staying inside his submarine if no one called him again regarding Luffy’s state.

He walked without haste to his next destination, the kitchen, to enjoy a cup of his morning coffee, but as he was getting near the room, he heard a great uproar coming from inside. What was going on in there?

As he opened the door, a straw hat popped in front of him, shouting and screaming while Penguin tried to stop him from grabbing any more things from the table.

“These are super good; lemme try another one.”

“No! These are for the captain when he wakes up.”

Penguin was taking away from him a plate with some sausages and bacon, while Luffy ate one fried egg in one bite and tried to get the plate back. It was a game of tug-of-war in which Penguin was no rival for a boy who had a strange increase in his power when food was around.

He was surprised to find Luffy acting as he did before the Marineford War, but it was a relief to see that he slowly became himself again.

They kept fighting around when Bepo approached them with another couple of plates filled with eggs and bacon, and some toasts too.

“Stop fighting; there’s food for everyone.”

Luffy, mouth stained with egg yolk wide open, jumped over the bear before any plate could touch the table.

Law, who watched the situation from the door, took the opportunity to create a room around them to teleport Bepo, along with the plates, and swap him for a spoon, making Luffy slam against the kitchen floor.

“Ah, captain, good morning!” Shouted the bear on the other side of the kitchen, where the spoon was supposed to be before the swapping.

“Why is he here?” Asked Law, signing to him while he returned to the table.

“He was walking around the shore all alone, so I invited him to breakfast.”

Law gave him a strange look, to which the bear responded, “He looked hungry.”

Of course his navigator would do that; he was pure in his heart and always willing to help the ones who needed it most.

He wouldn’t argue with him, and they both joined Penguin, who ate from the plate Luffy was trying to take from him before he arrived, and seemed to enjoy it gladly.

Law took a sip of his coffee from his favorite mug, the one decorated with red hearts, and looked at Luffy, who seemed to be standing up from the ground and looking around him, confused by how he fell to the floor in the first place.

“Torao!” He shouted. “Don’t mess with me like that.”

Law gave him a smug look and patted the chair next to him, inviting Luffy to join them and eat breakfast, even though Penguin wasn’t really liking that decision.

The boy accepted the invitation, jumped on the chair, and ate what was on his plate without hesitation, not stopping even for a breath.

“I’m so hungry… That Hammock didn’t leave me alone until that grandma ordered her to.” He sounded exhausted.

Was that why he was walking all alone on the beach? Law asked himself.

“Heya, can I eat those?” He said, pointing to the toasts on the plate, still without a bite.

Law nodded in response while taking another sip of his coffee.

“Law doesn’t like bread.” Said Bepo.

Luffy's wide eyes opened in surprise while he smashed the food into his mouth. “How can you not like bread?”

“Making food for Law is never easy; he’s kind of a picky eater.” Penguin answered while cutting some sausages.

“It was even worse as a kid; he barely ate anything that wasn’t meat.” Added the bear.

Law frowned at them, not enjoying those allegations about him, and even less if it was Luffy who was listening to them.

“Has he always looked like that?” Asked Luffy, pointing to Law’s annoyed expression.

“It was even worse.” Said Bepo. “When I met him, he was soooo arrogant and always bossed us around.”

Penguin nodded enthusiastically at that, making Law even more annoyed.

“He might seem stoic, but actually he’s so selfless.” Added the bear.

“Yeah, he cares about his friends so much and is always willing to help the ones who need it.” Agreed Penguin with his comrade.

This time his expression changed, and Luffy would have been assured that he was blushing under his fuzzy hat.

“He saved me before even knowing me.” Bepo smiled at that, remembering the old times. “Two bullies were beating me up when Law stepped up and fought them to save me.”

“Whaaaaaaaat?” Luffy loved hearing stories, and Law’s past was a really interesting topic for him. “And what happened with those bullies? Who were they?”

Law pointed to Penguin, who blushed with embarrassment, and tried to form an explanation. “Well, Shachi and I were young and lost, and we already apologized, I swear!”

The group laughed at Penguin’s reaction; it was funny to see the man still concerned about something that happened almost 15 years before.

“It’s cool you stayed together after all those years and formed a pirate group!” 

They all nodded at Luffy, nostalgic about their time together on Swallow Island.

“Law was the one who chose to be a pirate; we just followed him.” Penguin said to him.

“That was always your dream, Torao? Me too!”

“Oh no!” Penguin cut him up. “He wanted to be a doctor, like his parents.”

“His parents?”

“Well, they died from a strange disease Law suffered from too.”

Law signed Penguin to stop. He didn’t like sharing information about his past; he didn’t enjoy people pitting him. But Pengin didn’t seem to notice his order.

“He then joined a dangerous pirate band, where he met the man that would save him.”

“Penguin, you should… stop…” Bepo advertised him after the annoyed expression in Law’s face turned progressively into anger.

“But he, too, was fooled and killed in front of him. That’s why the captain cannot–”

Law slammed the table with his hand hard enough to make every cup and plate fall and spill their contents on top of it, creating a mess of food and drinks. Some of his hot coffee fell on his hand, but he didn’t care for it, as his anger burned all his body with greater strength. 

Penguin understood the message as he sat still and straight on his chair, without pronouncing another word, and feared that if he decided to move a millimeter, that would be his last day on earth. Law’s deadly stare was on him, making him sweat of terror and breath harshly.

Maybe it was his lucky day, because Law turned to Bepo as if he hadn’t just put everything on the table upside down and gave him an order.

“When he’s done with his breakfast, send him to the operation room.”

And with that said, their captain teleported out of the kitchen, leaving the three of them silent and still shocked about what had just happened, and Luffy especially confused.

After half an hour, Luffy knocked on the cabin door Bepo had accompanied him to. The bear didn’t stay with him, and Luffy found himself alone and standing in front of a thin door, waiting for Law to open it.

He didn't have to wait for long, as he suddenly appeared inside the room, in front of a hospital bed. Law was on the other side of it, indicating Luffy to sit on it while he finished some preparations.

Luffy sat straight in front of him, swinging his legs and checking on every spot of the room, very curious about what he was looking at.

“Chopper doesn’t have half of this stuff in the nursing room.” He pointed to the tools in the cabinets.

Law gave him a confused look, to which Luffy responded, “Oh, he’s the doctor of our crew. The reindeer, do you remember him?”

Of course, that strange creature that resembled a raccoon with an enormous pink hat. He remembered him in Sabaody, healing some of the slaves, when all the chaos began. Wasn’t he a little bigger at that moment? He asked himself, not sure of his real appearance.

Law finished preparing the new bandages to clean and disinfect Luffy’s wounds and turned to him, showing a notebook to the boy’s face.

How are you feeling? read Luffy on one of the pages.

“It doesn’t hurt as much as it did two days ago.” Explained the Strawhat, even though he still sensed a heavy pressure in his chest.

Law looked at him right in the eye and gave him a serious look; he wasn’t asking that.

The legs stopped swinging.

Luffy’s eyes turned to the other side of the room, embarrassed. “Sorry about what happened yesterday... I– I’m feeling better, actually.” His voice lowered. “Thinking of Ace hurts a little less every day that passes.”

He breathed deeply, not letting the sadness he was feeling escape in the form of tears. But he held them better than he expected, and he formed a small smile on his face.

Law gave him a look of compassion. That smile wouldn’t hide the sadness in his eyes.

And he missed that one big, smiling boy he had met at Sabaody, kicking his feet and laughing until he couldn’t breathe. That boy who was noisy wouldn’t stop sharing his thoughts for a second. That impulsive and fearless pirate that would step forward to confront a Celestial Dragon.

Now he looked at an empty container who had lost every emotion that had filled him and defined his being. 

The bandages that covered him were dirty, with blood and mud all over them. Law took them off, carefully trying not to open any closed wounds still healing.

His hands softly touched the big X mark on Luffy’s chest. The wound was still reddish, but it seemed to be healing slowly; only some cleaning and a special cream for the burned skin would be enough for the healing.

Suddenly, Luffy’s hands closed and tensed, his nails digging into his palm and getting reddish. He stiffened, clenching his jaw, and looked down.

“Cover it.” Demanded Luffy.

Law turned around to be met with his own face. A floor mirror reflected them both entirely and, most importantly, showed Luffy his chest scar.

He wouldn’t need to ask it twice, as Law formed a room all over the cabin and made the mirror disappear from in front of their eyes, changing it for a book that fell directly on the floor.

Luffy released a breath he didn’t notice he was holding. His stiff body slowly relaxed as he opened his now-wounded hands, looking at the damage his nails had done.

“I- I didn’t see it until now.”

Luffy suddenly felt the urge to run to the nearest sink and throw up some of his breakfast. He was heavily sweating and fell on his knees once he was sure he wouldn’t throw up again.

His eyes closed, and, surprisingly, he tried to calm his nerves by controlling his breath, just like Law had taught him the day before.

After a couple minutes of repeating the breathing steps, he opened his eyes just to find Law standing next to him with a towel and a glass of water in both of his hands, and handed them to the boy.

Luffy drank all of the water and tried to stand up again, failing considerably and accepting Law’s help when he offered his hand in aid.

He sat back in the hospital bed, this time not swinging his legs, just trying to hold himself and not get nauseous again.

Law grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it, letting him know that he was there if he needed to talk. Luffy, understanding the gesture, appreciated it.

“It’s big.” He simply said.

Law nodded, while he grabbed the cream again and spread it all over Luffy’s chest. He was careful not to hurt him any more than he was, but the skin was still sensitive to touch, and Luffy tightened his grip on the towel he had handed him before.

“It was like I could smell the burned skin for a moment.” He tried hard to hold his tears, failing.

The wound had triggered his memories and got on his senses; it was an usual response in traumatic moments, just like the one he lived through.

“Do you...” Luffy stopped for a moment and looked directly at him. “Do you still get flashbacks? Of what Penguin said before…”

Yes, he wanted to answer him. I get them once in a while, when I fall asleep, when I taste Lami’s favorite food, when I look at Cora-san’s marine picture, when I see a pink feathered animal...

But he gave him a simple nod and a sad look, knowing he wouldn’t be able to share it with him.

“I didn’t know you had to go all through that…” Luffy looked at him with empathy, now knowing what it felt like. “Is that why… your silence?”

Law struggled to even look at the boy back but nodded. It was the first time in years he let anyone know about it, since he told it to Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi, the only ones in his crew who knew the full truth.

And now Luffy, who was going through something similar, couldn't look at his torso without trembling and getting nauseous, just as Law couldn’t speak without losing his breath and getting those horrible flashbacks. 

“Thank you, Torao, for telling me...” A sincere smile appeared on Luffy's face while his hand reached Law’s.

He hated people pitting him, but... it kind of felt right telling Luffy about it. He felt almost glad Penguin had slipped up a bit and explained more than he should have in their breakfast.

Law now remembered when he met Bepo on Swallow Island and thanked him for being there when he needed it the most. Luffy needed the same company and understanding now, and he would be there to give it to him.

“I- I still don’t know how to handle all this.” Continued Luffy. “It’s hard…” He bit his trembling lip. “But it’s a relief to have a warm hand that holds you when you can stand alone.”

Law agreed, nodding and giving him a soft smile. Having someone to share your pain with was one of the things he was grateful for about his crew. And if that was what Luffy needed, he would gladly give him his warm hand whenever he needed it.

As he finished with the bandages, someone knocked at the door.

Law opened it only to find Ikkaku on the other side. “Rayleigh just arrived on the island, capitain.”

Law and Luffy followed her outside to the submarine’s deck, where all the crew (the ones left) were looking at the famous man. The old pirate was on the shore, having a conversation with Jinbei.

“Have you seen him beating up that sea king?”

“He did it as if it was nothing!”

His crewmates pointed to the other side of the shore as they talked with awe about a fight that Luffy and Law couldn’t enjoy watching. Law looked to the way they were pointing, and there it was, a sea king bigger than twice his submarine, lying on the sand.

Rayleigh was impressive; his reputation preceded him, Law thought.

“Hey, there you are!” Both the pirate and the fishman turned to look at the Polar Tank, right where Luffy and Law were standing, and waved at them. “Glad to see you’re okay.”

Rayleigh gave them a big smile, happy to see them again after all the battling they had to go through.

"Luffy, come, we’ll have a talk.” He said, asking the boy to follow him into the jungle.

The boy nodded with enthusiasm and jumped off the submarine, creating a big crater on the shore’s sand.

Law looked at them having a small talk before turning around and waving goodbye to Jinbei, to a few Kuja pirates that watched the shore, to the Heart’s crew, and to him.

“Captain.”

He didn’t notice Bepo approaching him from behind in silence, while he was too focused on the pair walking inside the jungle without haste.

“You have a call.”

He nodded at the bear and turned one last time to see the last glimpse of the straw hat disappear between the leaves of the palm trees. For a moment, he felt a strange feeling in his guts, as if that would have been the last moment he shared with the pirate boy.

It didn’t matter; he had a call to attend, so he followed his crewmate inside his submarine, not making the person on the Den Den Mushi wait anymore.

“My dear boy.” A hissing voice was on the other side of the line. “It pleases me to finally find you.”

Doflamingo’s voice was like venom, powerful enough to make the captain shiver in fear only by its sound.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten about your friends…”

Of course he hadn’t. However, he prioritized Luffy's health over other concerns. Sooner or later, he knew he would have to face the consequences of his actions, and he didn’t think these would be low…

He now felt so fucking stupid.

“Well, my sweet Law, I hope you had fun, but I think your little adventure has come to an end.” His horrible laughter filled the room. “Your friends are waiting for you in Dressrosa!”

Suddenly, the tone shifted, and his voice turned dark, angry. “You know, I’ve been looking for you since you fled from Marinedord.”

“I’ve been looking for your Den Den Mushi’s signal for a week; it really surprised me to find it in the middle of the Calm Belt…”

A shiver went down his spine, he found him. For a second, he actually felt fear for Doflamingo coming to get him, capable of anything to accomplish what he wanted. 

“My dear boy, do not fear.” He suddenly talked, as if he could read Law’s emotions and tried to suppress them, even if he was the one provoking those feelings of fear. “I won’t touch any of your friends; I’m not interested in causing any damage...”

For a slight moment, his breath stopped, waiting for what Doflamingo would say next, knowing it wouldn’t be that easy. It never has.

“ Only… ” He continued, just as Law predicted, “if you’re in Dressrosa before a week passes.”

“You don’t want to know what could happen if you don’t get here within a week…” 

Law knew him well, and he wasn’t precisely known for his compassion. Doflamingo didn’t care about anyone that wasn’t him, not even his family. It would be better to follow his orders if he didn’t want half of his crew dead and buried.

“I’ll be waiting for you, my boy.” He finished before cutting the call.

He noticed his hands trembling while he put down the Den Den Mushi, and cold sweat ran down his body. It took him a few minutes to calm down, get hold of his breath, and focus on his surroundings again.

Bepo was next to him; when had he held his hand to caress it? Law wondered. His soft paw kept his hand warm and succeeded in calming him down and stopping his trembling. He thanked the bear with a small smile, grateful to have him by his side.

But he didn’t have time to lose. “How much time to get the submarine ready to leave?” He asked the bear while fixing himself after his breakdown.

“In about two hours, we can have it.”

Law nodded. That would do. They would have to pass through the Calm Belt and cross the Red Line before getting to Dressrosa; it wasn’t precisely a fast journey.

He sighed, okay, we’ll do it; come what may, we’ll get there in time . He repeated those words in his head as a way to calm himself.

I’ll save them.

Law found himself once again in the jungle, looking for the same spot he had spent those days with Luffy.

When he reached the shore, careful if any of the Kuja warriors were around to catch him stepping on the island, he found Rayleigh having a drink with Jinbei and enjoying the last lights of the day. He had told him Luffy had fallen asleep while talking; why wasn’t he surprised? , and he had let him rest on that spot as it would help him recover from his wounds.

And there he was, looking at the tranquil face of the boy, resting under the shadow of a palm tree and with his straw hat by his side. His chest rose and fell calmly, and no nightmare dared to disrupt his sleep.

It was the first time since the surgery that he had seen the boy calm. Even when they were silent, even when he smiled, even in their breakfast, laughing, there was sadness in his face.

But now he looked peaceful, and he would have bet he saw a small, sincere smile form on Luffy’s lips, maybe having a good dream.

Law turned to him and approached his face. Luffy was good-looking; he knew it, but he didn’t think he ever stared at him long enough to notice Luffy was very handsome. He was round, and his cheeks were a subtle shade of pink, just like a peach. One of them had that particular scar, and Law wondered how he got it. His long lashes rested over his cheeks, which moved suddenly because of the laughter that was forming in his mouth.

He felt a pleasant pressure in his chest, making him smile, too, at the sight of the sunshine boy. His hand caressed Luffy’s raven hair; it had grown a bit and almost covered his cheek scar. Law moved a strand of hair that was covering it, slightly caressing the scar with his thumb.

“To-torao…”

Luffy’s sudden voice startled him, and he stepped away ashamed, his cheeks as red as an apple. For a second, he thought Luffy caught him staring at him for too long. But the boy’s eyes didn’t open, and his slow breath continued as it was.

Luffy was very much asleep.

Law sighed in relief, still red in his face. 

He would miss that boy; he wished he could stay more with him, to spend more days enjoying breakfast, resting under the sun, and listening to his non-stop talks about his adventures on the Grand Line.

Law felt sad leaving the boy behind. He hated to leave like this without telling him. But he didn’t dare wake him up and face him. To look at Luffy directly in his back-pitch eyes and tell him he was leaving him behind.

He felt bad, but… it was the best way to do this.

The Heart Pirate’s captain stood up and turned around, not daring to even look at Strawhat in the face.

“Goodbye, Luffy.” Law whispered.

For once, words didn’t trap him in his world of nightmares; if not, they brought a taste of dreams he couldn't be part of.

Chapter Text

Citric.

As expected, in every corner of that enormous castle his nose could sense that citric fragrance that would make him feel nauseous. He couldn’t escape from that smell, just as he couldn’t escape from the shadow of the shichibukai.

Law sat on the middle side of that long table, full of empty chairs. Well, to be clear, the whole room was empty, except for the presence of half of the Heart’s crew.

Just as they arrived at Dressrosa, they had docked the submarine in an extrange harbor, hidden from the sight of unwanted visits. It was full of pirate boats loading and unloading crates. It wasn’t his business what was inside those boxes but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious.

But he didn’t have not even a minute to look around, as one of Doflamingo’s men he couldn’t put a name on came to greet them and show the pirate crew the way to the castle.

The island had a lively atmosphere. They had arrived at night hours, so he didn’t expect that many people on the streets just walking around and talking, and was surprised to see the island governed by Doflamingo so full of joy. People around them looked happy, and had fun playing with… toys that could walk by themselves?

Law wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was real or something caused by his severe lack of sleep. He didn’t have time to stop and check it out by himself, as the man told them to hurry up.

“We don’t want the master waiting.”

To be fair, Doflamingo had waited for almost a week for him to reach the Dressrosa waters before seven days had passed. They made it in time, Law thanked the great weather throughout the journey for their fast arrival.

Law sighed, relieved for a second, but not forgetting about his crew, hoping every member was ok and not hurt in the hands of Doflamingo or any of the family.

Soon, they reached the castle, and that man showed them around, not wasting time going from room to room and walking fast to get them to the big meeting room before Doflamingo made his appearance.

And there they were, waiting for anyone to come after that man had left telling them to wait.

“Long time no see, Law.”

The first one to come inside was Pica, after half an hour of waiting. He barely had changed after all those years, same high pitched voice, and never leaving Doflamlingo’s side. After all, he was one of the four heads of the family.

He looked at Law and his crew from above his shoulder, as if he was looking at something insignificant.

Time only increased his superiority complex, Law felt revulsion.

The next one to appear was Trebol, another face that made him especially disgusted. He, also, looked the same, and left a trail of some kind of mucosity wherever he passed by. Gross, he thought.

And just behind Trebol, him.

Low steps started to approach the room, indicating one last person had just arrived at the reunion.

A smell of a citric fragrance invaded the room, making Law’s nose tickle, disliking the scent. A mess of pink feathers appeared on the door, framing that perverse smile he was very known of.

Everyone turned to look at him, and any small talk shut at the sight of the great shichibukai. Trebol approached him and welcomed his boss, but Doflamingo wasn’t in the mood for greetings, his annoyed expression didn’t bode well.

“You really made me wait, Law .” Said Doflamingo, while taking the seat in front of the surgeon.

Not saying any pet names, not sweet expressions in his talking, and that made Law shiver in fear. It couldn’t mean anything good— it wasn’t good .

He took the seat in front of Law, and Trebol followed next to his side. Pica stayed behind him in silence. Doflamingo was powerful enough to be feared in his own presence, but three heads of the family all together would make any nation tremble.

And the Hearts were no fools, they also trembled in fear.

Before their arrival, Law had told them to stay on the submarine for their own safety, but they had insisted, obviously worried for their friends’ life.  After asking him a thousand times, Law finally agreed with the only rule to stay completely silent and don’t dare to move a finger.

“But… You made it in time.” He smiled, showing him his perfect white teeth. “Congratulations.”

“Where are they?” Law signed fast, Bepo being the one translating him.

“I think we’ve got other manners to discuss besides your men, right?”

Law looked at him with challenging eyes. Maybe he was being risky, but his friends’ life was more important than any chit-chat Doflamingo had in mind.

“Well, you decide!” He turned to Trebol, and the other nodded in response.

The door opened again, and for an instant his heart stopped, while looking at the door slowly moving to let a tall figurine enter the room. 

Diamante, the last of the family heads, appeared with a smile from side to side of his face. On his hand, a tray with a lid that seemed to cover something.

Now, Law’s heart was racing, so hard he was sure the others could hear the heavy pumping.

Diamante’s lips were moving, having a small conversation with his comrades, but the only thing he could hear was his loud heartbeat. He was too focused on the tray that was put in front of him, expecting the worst.

Skinny fingers approached the lid. “...right, my boy?”

His attention returned to the room and the people around him. Doflamingo’s voice brought him back to reality, and looked at him back, expecting an answer while holding the lid with one hand.

“Let’s take a look at them.”

The lid was taken out of the tray, and his heart stopped. 

Fingers, ears, and a single eye... all of it arranged perfectly in line on the tray as if it was some kind of beetle collection.

Law couldn’t feel another thing that wasn’t nausea. He put a hand on his mouth trying hard not to vomit. But, as much as he wanted to look away, his wide eyes wouldn’t stop looking at the parts of his friends' bodies. He could recognise the ears, pierced, and with different earrings; or some fingers, with badly painted nails and small scars; or that characteristic green eye, that didn’t shine as it used to.

He could see a friend through every loose limb, limbs without its body. Would he be able to put them back?

Suddenly, anger started to fill his entire body. They didn’t promise this, no, Doflamingo had promised he wouldn’t touch anyone, he lied, he did trick Law to bring him to his island. He felt fooled, and anger only increased.

Law looked at him defiantly. He stood up, but before he couldn’t do a step forward a hand slammed his head on the table, making everything jump off of it. 

Body parts now fell on his sides, forcing Law to look with horror at that green eye that looked back at him. And he couldn’t escape, his head was trapped under an enormous hand.

Doflamingo tsked. “Ah, my dear Law, I didn’t want things to go this way, but you’re not making it easy for me.”

The shichibukai grabbed the green eye with his free hand and looked at it, as if behind that emerald iris he could find some kind of treasure.

“Of course, I didn’t break our deal.” He looked back at Law, hand still on his head. “I didn’t touch them after making my promise.”

Law gritted his teeth, incapable to move his head an inch from the captive hand.

“But, as I recall, you were the one to break our first deal.”

Doflamingo looked back at the eye, and smashed it with his strong fingers under Law’s horrified look.

He laughed loudly, followed by his comrades. “One part for every day without news of the Heart’s Captain.” He started counting every part on top of the table. “You were gone for a week, so you do the math!”

Law’s vision was blurry, but recognized the shichibukai’s finger pointing one limb at a time. Two ears, four fingers, and a smashed green eye.

“You don’t want any more limbs served on a tray, right?” 

It wouldn’t be very smart of him to keep fighting a lost battle, and even less having half his crew behind him, in danger if his captain did a wrong move in this game. Law tried to shake his head, giving up.

“Splendid!” 

Doflamingo smiled widely, quitting his hand from Law’s head, and sitting back again in front of him, taking a taste of a red wine Trebol had served him.

Feeling his heart beating out of his body, Law tried to put himself together, sitting straight and taking deep breaths. His vision was blurry, and it took some time to get the hold of his breath again.

He looked again at the shichibukai in front of him. His glass was almost empty and Trebol made sure to fill it with wine again.

“Well, where were we?” He took another sip. “Right, our deal.” Doflamingo smiled widely. “You agreed to join the Donquixote Family, something that makes me quite excited.”

Doflamingo said that last sentence hissing as if he was a snake, giving Law goosebumps.

“First, you have to liberate them.” Law signed.

Bepo translated him, making Doflamingo frown. He surely didn’t like anyone demanding things from him. 

“Yeah, of course, I’m not even interested in them.” He pointed at the crew right behind Law, who didn’t dare to move a finger, scared of what could even happen.”I only want you. ”

A shiver ran through Law’s body. He wanted to scream, to attack him, to kill the one who had been ruling in his nightmares in every sleep for years and years.

But he simply nodded.

“Then, I request for them to take the submarine and sail away.”

“No, captain.” Bepo shouted at him, without translating the whole sentence. “I can’t let you do this!”

The crew behind him joined the bear reprehending their captain. They all disagreed with Law doing this all alone, as he always tried to do . 

“The decision is already made.” Law turned to his crew to sign in front of them. “This is a lost battle. I can’t let him have you too.” His eyes looked down. “I’m not doing this as your captain, I’m doing it as your friend, please.”

Law would do anything to keep them safe. They didn’t deserve to go through this because of him. No, this was his battle, and he would fight it alone, if it meant that his crew would be safe and alive.

To his surprise, they all nodded, defeated. For once, he would have hoped for a tranquil life sailing the Grand Line along with his crew, his friends, until he was too old for the sea . He wouldn’t enjoy it anymore, but, at least, he would make sure they would.

“Tsk.”

Doflamingo looked at his glass of wine, once again empty, awaiting for Trevol to fill it.

“I’m getting tired of this talking-with-your-hands thing.” Doflamingo exclaimed, “does anyone here understand him?”

The three officials shook their heads as a no.

“That’s what I thought.” 

He took another sip and put the glass down, making a big noise to get all the Hearts turning to him.

“If my dear Law stays here I won’t understand any of his hand gestures, so I thought… one of you” he pointed at them with his long fingers, “should stay here as his interpreter.”

Law shook his head. No, that wasn’t their deal. He wouldn’t allow any of his crew to suffer his same fate.

“Sadly for you, my boy, you don’t get to choose in this manner.”

Doflamingo was right, and he hated it. There was no way of escaping his strings. He already had him, controlled just like a puppet. He even should be grateful his crew could escape from him save and sound.

“Captain, I’ll stay with you.”

Law looked at Bepo, his second hand, his best friend, with sympathetic eyes. He felt so bad, so angry that he couldn’t do anything to keep all his crew away from this. But, deep inside of him, he wanted, needed , someone by his side, as selfish as it was.

So he simply nodded, resigned, knowing at least the rest of his crew would be free and far away from this horrible island and his ruler.

“Excellent!” Doflamimgo shouted, turning to Trevol. “Let’s prepare, then, everything for Law’s return, first of all…”

He kept talking, making plans for what would happen the following evening and other stuff he had to discuss with the officials.

Law didn’t listen and didn’t care, he only thought of his crew and waited for the moment he would be seeing them sail away from Dressrosa.

Bepo waved to the sea, where the Polar Tank started to immerse into the shiny water, illuminated by the last lights of the day.

After the reunion, Law had finally met with the other half of the crew. Besides the missing limbs Doflamingo had brought to the meeting, they looked fine.

Of course, most of them had bruises and thin cuts around his body, but at least they all could stand up and give their captain a big hug, relieved to finally reunite again.

Law had fixed the lost limbs thanks to the power of his fruit, (at least the ears and the fingers), and got every one of them checked up for any other health problem they could have (nothing serious besides weight loss and lack of sleep).

He had prescribed some treatments for them to follow once they had left the island to their new destination.

“Follow this vivre card, it will take you to the safest place in the grand line.” Bepo explained to the crew while giving them a piece of the paper.

Leading them to Zou was the safest option, to keep them away from the situation and not easy to find for the Donquixote Family. Keeping them away, even if it was hard for their captain, would be the best.

“We’ll miss you captain.” They all said.

Law smiled, giving them one of that hard to see smiles of his, but the truest he ever did.

He did have the best crew, and he would miss them, too. They all hugged again, and started their departure. 

Bepo grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it, they would be alright, they were the best crew he could ever have asked for, and he would miss them.

Law hopped, seeing the last yellow part of the submarine disappearing between the waters, to meet again, and have another big hug followed by the biggest party ever.