Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Law had seen him before —in newspapers he bought while waiting for a lead that could change his life, the ink still warm from the press, the pictures black and white. His name traveled from island to island, praising feats that were hard to believe — the kind of things no sane person would ever dare to attempt.

Monkey D. Luffy.

The rookie whose reputation skyrocketed overnight. Hundreds of thousands of people told his stories: how he destroyed cities — and rebuilt them with hope and longing —, how aggressive and selfish he could be — burning the world for his crew, moving sea and land to make sure they were safe — and his complete disregard for justice — crushing any Marine forces that stood in his way, enforcing his own sense of right and wrong in the face of the World Government’s corruption.

Law had been following him, looking for his name — any mention of him — in every newspaper for months. He underlined, cut out, pasted, and organized every event where Monkey D. Luffy had been present, trying to find a pattern, a hint of what drove him.

And now he had found him — he had reached him, and will see with his own eyes the man who knew no limits.

Law had already made his decision — deep down, he knew there was no way he was going to change his mind. Not after all the time he’d spent gathering every piece of information.

That’s why he went.

The bar door burst open with a loud bang, echoing through the small space, silent in the stillness of early morning.

Law turned slightly, tilting his head back to get a look at the new arrival.

He smiled.

He was exactly what Law had imagined: loud, impulsive, and completely unaware of his surroundings. The perfect recipe for a problem —or a threat, as the Marines had already started to call him.

"Two meats! Or three! You serve meat at this hour, right?"

Law watched him bounce between empty tables, practically hopping on the balls of his feet.

"We don’t serve food this late," the bartender grunted from behind the counter.

"EH?" The straw hat tilted his head to the side, his eyes wide and confused. "But that guy’s eating."

"Those are snacks that come with drinks."

The air grew heavy, almost too thick to breathe. Both pairs of eyes turned toward him. The rubber pirate pointed right at him, and the bartender just shrugged, too tired to care.

Well, this wasn’t how Law had planned their meeting.

Luffy took a single long step toward him, stretching his body thanks to his Devil Fruit, and flopped down next to him, resting his cheeks in his hands like a puddle more than a person.

“Hey!” he blurted out, eyes still locked on Law. “Can I eat that? I’m super hungry and my nakama say we’re outta food. You’ll share, right?”

Law tilted his head slightly, waiting for... something.

Then he pushed the plate toward him without a word, letting the food be devoured without a second thought.

"Thanks!" The words were barely understandable through mouthfuls."What’s your name?"

"Trafalgar Law."

Chapter Text

A loud crash echoed through the metal and wooden walls of the Marine ship they were on.

Amid the startled cries, Luffy pushed forward until he reached the highest point of the deck. His hands gripped the railing tightly, fighting against the wind whipped up by the ship’s increasing speed.

A giant wave — that was what they were riding to finally reach Ace and rescue him once and for all.

He was so close, just a little further — time itself seemed to stretch the harder his heart pounded, threatening to burst out of his chest.

The pressure and the shouting muffled his hearing, making it feel as if he were underwater — with the same suffocating panic of drowning.

He was going to rescue Ace.

Too much had happened in the past few days, far too much to focus on just one thing. Too much to even understand what was really happening anymore.

Somewhere between leaving Hancock’s island — maybe even before — his mind had simply stopped processing the events unfolding before him.

He’d had to put off saying goodbye to Bon-chan, and to so many others.

There was no time to drown in sorrow, not when his goal was still ahead.

He had to save Ace — and he would prove to him that he wasn’t a child anymore. Ace would see it for himself.

And, just like he’d said back when they met again in Vivi’s Kingdom: they would see each other again, this time at the very top.

The ship jolted to a sudden stop, throwing his body forward. Luffy let out a groan, clutching his head where a metal bar had struck him — or maybe he’d run straight into it himself. Either way, it hurt.

He lifted his gaze, glancing left and right to find out what had happened, because this wasn’t the plaza where Ace was being held.

“What happened?!” the clown screamed at the top of his lungs, flying back and forth at full speed.

Luffy frowned, springing up to where the others had gathered.

It was cold.

“Hey, Jinbe!” The wind the clown created as he crashed into Jinbe knocked Luffy’s hat off his head. He had to hold onto it, maneuvering so it wouldn’t fly away. “Why are we here?!”

A distant explosion made him turn his head. Many more followed, along with cries and shouts of battle.

They were high above where Ace was imprisoned — he could see him, a chained figure, and his heart stopped beating — Everything around them was frozen, the sea and the wave they’d been riding.

“The water’s frozen.”

“What are we gonna do?!”

“Ah... it’s a shame we won’t be able to go—”

The pere-pere of a Den Den Mushi interrupted the voices. Luffy went straight for it. The crowd parted quickly, giving him an easy path — these people were very helpful.

“To all fleets near Marineford,” Luffy froze in place, listening to the voice coming from the Den Den Mushi without needing to touch it, “be advised that the execution ceremony for the condemned, Portgas D. Ace, has been moved up.”

The pounding in his ears grew louder, painfully so.

They wanted to kill Ace sooner.

Luffy closed his eyes for a moment — they felt wet, that’s how they felt.

They had to get there faster.

He had to save Ace.

“Straw Hat-boy, we’re going down now, don’t worry.” Iva’s huge head appeared in front of him, blocking his view of everything else.

They had to go down.

Luffy lifted his gaze and grabbed the tallest mast he could reach, vaulting off the ship with ease.

“...first, the one with the wax— yes, you. Evacuate everyone from here, we can’t have too much weight if we’re going to move this thing. Jinbe, help me lift the lower part, if we unhinge it we can slide down to the base. Croco-boy and Knife-boy, once we’re down, you two go ahead to clear the way...”

If the ice broke, they would fall.

They would reach Ace.

Luffy knew he wasn’t thinking — not in the way his nakama teased him about, but in a far more shallow way.

He couldn’t say exactly — or at all — how they’d ended up up there, or what had caused them to fall, or when the others had followed him.

He just knew they were falling because he felt nothing solid under his feet, because he couldn’t move at will. His stomach turned over, worse than it had since he woke up, and he couldn’t help but feel afraid.

It was horrible, so strong it was hard to move his limbs — which really did feel like rubber — and he’d felt that way many times in the last few days.

First his crew, his friends — Luffy hoped they were alright. He knew they were strong, they were amazing. But once again, his limbs went limp when he remembered them.

Every time he closed his eyes, every time he slept, all he saw was them disappearing.

The clown’s screams registered louder in his head.

He didn’t know where his nakama were. Would he see them again someday?

He had to. He couldn’t continue his journey without them — he wouldn’t be able to.

“Croco-boy! Grab Straw Hat-boy!”

But first, he had to rescue Ace. Then, he would go for the others.

More frantic shouting erupted, and Luffy had to force himself to focus on what was happening.

The ground was too close.

Chapter Text

Law had bet everything that day—his future, his love, and his life.

Trafalgar D. Water Law had wagered it all on Monkey D. Luffy.

The tide had risen, washing the base of the cliff without restraint. Law swung his legs, feeling the sea breeze dampening his trousers.

He was alone—only himself here. He missed his crewmates, missed their laughter and the clamour he had learned to appreciate.

He couldn’t help but compare the hollow ache in the pit of his stomach to the one he’d felt when Corazon’s laughter disappeared from his life forever.

It made no sense—Law knew he would see his crew again, his friends. He only had to wait a little longer, and they would be there to greet him with open arms and scoldings he wouldn’t be able to quiet even if he tried.

He supposed it was because he had never ruled out the possibility of dying when he left Sabaody, leaving his whole life behind—or maybe it was the sheer amount of death that had seeped into the very air around him.

All of it for Straw Hat—Luffy.

He wanted his strength, needed it for his plans to work in a few years—when Law finally gathered the courage to free himself from his chains. But he wouldn’t risk his friends. He had learned at a very young age that losing someone you loved was more painful than a terminal illness—more torturous than any physical pain they could inflict on him.

So Law left his crew in Sabaody, gave them vague instructions to sail to a nearby island, and vanished among the horrified murmurs about the events of Marineford.

The seawater threatened to soak his shoes, lapping beneath him.

His heart was still pounding hard, the adrenaline refusing to leave his body—from the hours he’d spent dancing between life and death with Straw Hat’s body and the two weeks he’d kept his vigil in case of an emergency.

The sea parted, letting the massive corpse of a Sea King drift past.

Law shot to his feet, his nails digging into the damp earth left by the dawn drizzle. Instinctively, he reached for Kikoku, unsheathing it—the blade thrumming under his grip, ready to strike.

From the water, a figure emerged—tall as an average man, built like a fighter.

His breath caught in his throat, bottled up like champagne about to burst.

Silvers Rayleigh.

“Well, I was expecting to find a lot more people here when I arrived.”

Law took a step back, his boots sinking under his weight, surely making a tiny crater in the grass.

“Trafalgar Law, am I wrong?” the old man smiled, his glasses glinting in the sun. “We met back in Sabaody—not a pleasant place, as I recall.”

“Peculiar circumstances,” he replied, his hand tightening around Kikoku’s hilt, trying to stay steady.

“True, true.” Rayleigh pulled off his wet clothes and wrung them out.

There were muscles everywhere, scars and fresh wounds, little scrapes. It wasn’t the body you’d expect of an old man whose hair had long since lost its color.

“I came to meet with Luffy. My ship sank in a storm and delayed me.”

“What misfortune.”

“I know. I would’ve liked to learn a bit about how the Surgeon of Death treats his patients. You’ve got quite a few rumors following you, boy.” Rayleigh took a step closer, then another. His posture was relaxed, casual in a way that was almost unheard of in the New World. “I suppose Luffy must be in the forest.”

“He just woke up. He didn’t take the news very well.”

Law had to make a conscious effort to regulate his breathing, feeling his lungs fill, the air sliding through his nostrils and leaving in a warm farewell.

Rayleigh—the old man—had effortlessly knocked out everyone at the auction house. He’d made Penguin stagger when he’d closed in for what had been longer than a blink.

He was powerful—a weapon loaded and ready all on his own.

"You should have gone." Law frowned, as he tried to fit the words together. “With Luffy, I mean. He needs every friend he can get right now.”

“I’m not his friend,” he snapped—a reflex more than anything, still too focused on staying composed.

“You’re carrying his hat.” Rayleigh gestured with an easy, amused little laugh.

The string of the straw hat hanging around his neck felt heavier for a moment. The fabric was thin, made to be forgotten if you wore it long enough.

Law held the brim between his fingers.

When the operation had started, he hadn’t had time to worry about the patient’s belongings—too overwhelmed searching for vital signs to latch onto, too busy staying alive beneath Marineford’s depths, dodging attacks meant to kill him.

It had been hours later, when exhaustion finally struck, that the hat had rolled to his feet, bits of worn straw catching on his ankles.

He’d picked it up and, without thinking, kept it with him.

“I don’t plan on staying any longer.” Law replied instead, letting the implications of friendship over a worthless object hang unspoken. “Straw Hat is awake. I have no reason to keep wasting my time here.”

“If that’s so, I still think you should say goodbye to Luffy. You’ve done a lot for him.” Rayleigh cast a look toward the stretch of forest, even if nothing could be seen but thousands of trees. “I’ll stay here watching your submarine—don’t worry. This old man won’t be going anywhere soon. Go.”

He wanted to refuse, to make clear the background of his actions and walk away once and for all.

But he couldn’t.

The person standing before him was nothing less than a legend—his reach in power, the innate mastery of Haki he possessed, and the leadership that radiated from his very posture. No matter how old he was, he outclassed Law by far.

Rayleigh had ordered him to go after Straw Hat—not an option, no matter how much he liked to pretend it was.

Law had always known how to distinguish those small nuances in the tone of words. The moments when certain syllables rose above others, completely changing their meaning.

It had been imperative to learn that when his life revolved around games without mercy.

So he turned around and started walking away. He didn’t nod or say anything—there was no need, and he knew that if he opened his mouth, he’d condemn himself.

When had he become someone else’s subordinate?

How pathetic.

He followed the trail of destruction to find his patients. Both were badly injured, with wounds running clear through their bodies—an entrance and an exit.

It had been fascinating—too fascinating—to dig among the ligaments and muscles altered by the powers of the Gum-Gum Fruit.

The reach of Devil Fruits had always intrigued him. Each had its own set of limits to obey.

They said that a Devil Fruit’s power disappeared from its target once the user lost consciousness. However, that depended strictly on the type of fruit consumed.

According to that rule, if Law were to cut someone in half while keeping them alive, that person should die the moment Law was knocked out.

Straw Hat’s body should have stopped being rubber during the operation, reverting to an ordinary human being.

Neither of those scenarios had turned out to be true.

Perhaps Law had been interpreting the rule incorrectly. Maybe there were countless details he’d overlooked. Whatever the case, his curiosity about the subject wouldn’t cease.

A loud explosion indicated him he needed to take the next tree to the right.

If the wounds reopened, there would be much worse problems. Law hadn’t been exaggerating when he warned Jinbe of the danger Straw Hat’s body would be in if the wounds split again.

He had done everything he could to keep him alive for so long—he should have died. Law had stretched his life against nature itself.

But there was nothing else he could do.

The crash reached him before the sight did. Something—a boulder the size of a mountain—flew past just a few meters away, the impact as it struck a tree making the ground tremble under his feet.

Law lifted his gaze.

Through the haze of dust, he distinguished Straw Hat’s silhouette. His fist was rising and falling again and again against a rock that refused to break completely, splinters spraying in every direction.

Jinbe was trying to hold him by the waist, but every attempt failed—each grip dodged.

“Luffy!” the fish-man’s deep voice sounded exhausted. “Enough, boy! Stop!”

Straw Hat wasn’t listening. Between the sound of flesh pounding rock and his own sobs, it was simply impossible to reach him.

Law couldn’t be there.

Law shouldn’t be there.

He should turn around, retrace his steps, and face whatever Rayleigh had in mind for his future—he could lie, he could—

Straw Hat screamed. His vocal cords reached their absolute limit, the voice sounding raw, nearly bloody—a sign he had done this before, many times, too many.

Law stood still. His feet wouldn’t let him move—he couldn’t bring himself to leave or to step closer to the other two. He needed to get out of there.

Straw Hat’s arm stretched farther than any human body should allow, smashing his fist against Jinbe’s torso, driving him back to keep him away. He didn’t seem aware of his surroundings, unable to distinguish what was around him: trees, mountains, people.

Everything must have looked the same to him.

It was the purest image of loss.

One Law was far too familiar with—he had seen it firsthand, after all. On a thriving island reduced to ashes and on another where snow covered spilled blood, repeating the same agony—too terrible to name—more times than anyone should have to endure. No matter how hard someone else had fought to keep him from feeling despair again.

Because it wasn’t fair—it would never be fair.

Cora-san had sacrificed his life, had put himself in danger day after day, hour after hour, standing against Donquixote Doflamingo to save people he didn’t even know—people he owed nothing to — to Law.

He gave his life for justice, and yet every other marine’s sacrifice gets told, every other marine gets to grow old—but never Cora, who deserved nothing less than all the time in the world at his disposal.

That all-too-familiar ache began under his eyelids. Law held it back—just like so many nights alone in his submarine—swallowing the tears.

Endless nights, when he asked himself why he was still here, what he gained by staying alive when everything he wanted always ended up far out of reach.

He remembered Lammy’s bright eyes when they talked after school, roaming the toy shops. His mother’s soft hands tucking him in. His father’s gentle voice taking them along to his work. The crooked smiles Cora-san would give him to lift his spirits after the waves of pain from his illness.

It had been so much harder to escape that endless circle of loss when he was younger—the months after the events on Minion Island.

It had been almost impossible back then.

But Law had to keep living—if not for himself, then for those who were gone.

Cora-san would never be the revered hero he deserved to be—not despite the piles of information he passed right under the noses of one of the most dangerous organizations on the seas, not even after dying to save lives—and so, Law would keep his memory alive. He would make sure everyone—

Law would keep him alive.

Law had let the tears stop, stopped mourning what he could never get back, and rose again.

He lived another eleven years.

He focused on what he knew, recalled every piece of information Cora-san had managed to leak out, the papers he had hidden on the ship that carried them for those six months.

He studied—studied every single one of them, tried to make sense of it all—and not for the first time, he had screamed himself hoarse for losing that final message to Vergo.

He leaned on Bepo, on his crew, when he fell apart—he was well aware he would never be free of those episodes. He learned to trust again, to let go of part of his pain and allow others to help carry it.

Every day, he asked himself if this was what Cora would have wanted for him—the people he connected with, the actions he took, the emotions he still couldn’t handle.

Cora-san had always been the best—a damn saint Law could never surpass.

Law kicked, fought, and cried beneath his memory. He destroyed islands as easily as Cora had smiled, hoping he could see that smile in his dreams, approving his own version of justice.

He freed slaves, gave them a new chance at life, gave them the same hope Law had received when he believed he was on his deathbed.

He got into battles that didn’t concern him—saved Monkey D. Luffy, saved the former Warlord Jinbe, and thousands more by keeping those two alive.

Was this what Cora-san would have wanted?

He would have done so much more—Law could never even reach what he had done.

If only he’d had more time—Law would have given him all of his without hesitation.

He closed his eyes and remembered his face again—trying to forget the blood that had stained his skin in those last moments.

He wished he could see him again.

Law opened his eyes and let the image of Cora-san dissolve in his memory. When he spoke, his voice was rougher than he remembered—it hurt, it hurt to talk.

“You don’t get to decide who lives or dies.”

He conjured a Room, raising one finger to capture the figure of Straw Hat, who struggled, suspended in the air, thrashing his head and arms side to side, trying to break free. “Do you weave fate itself, Straw Hat? You’re nothing but an ordinary human, like the rest of us.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Jinbe collapsing to the ground, exhausted. His breathing was ragged after fighting to restrain Straw Hat’s blows. “Ace made his own choices, Luffy. You still have so much to live for—so many people waiting for you.”

Straw Hat let out a wounded sound, twisting without much strength left.

Law sighed—inhaling, exhaling.

“If you die, who will keep him alive?” His voice dropped a tone, vibrating in his own ears. “There are things only you know, you were brothers after all. Only you can tell his story.”

It was just a matter of time.

The deck of the submarine rocked back and forth with the waves rolling in from the shore. He had decided to stay outside, bring his writing materials, and admire, one more time, the reason for his decision.

Law was going to remain on Amazon Lily for another two months.

It hadn’t been easy to reach that point—he missed his crew, but there were too many factors keeping him from leaving entirely right then.

Rayleigh was one of them. The old man had insisted for hours that he stay nearby, pointing out Straw Hat’s wounds with worry. Law had already done enough for that old man—he’d dealt with the destruction of part of the island to keep his patients’ wounds from reopening and watched over them for the following hours—he didn’t have to keep listening to him.

Then there was the news Boa Hancock had brought. The Marines were relentlessly searching for the submarine’s whereabouts—and his head. His bounty had risen spectacularly, as had the admirals’ unofficial efforts to kill him.

Law wasn’t going to risk ending up in Impel Down if he could help it.

The sheet of paper—soon to become a letter—lay flat atop one of his books he now used as a writing surface. The pen hovered in the air, just centimeters from letting the ink spill across it.

His crew must have been worried sick. He could easily imagine Bepo spiraling into anxiety, devouring the supplies Clione had managed to gather. By now, they surely knew the outcome of the War of the Best—Law’s appearance at the very end.

His vivre card was probably the only thing keeping them sane—Law needed to start that letter soon.

A shout echoed from the cliff above.

“Torao!”

Law looked up just in time to dodge the body hurtling straight toward him.

Straw Hat soared through the air, crashing into the metal wall behind Law.

“Ouch!”

“I told you your wounds are still under observation,” he said, shooting him a bored look as he quickly scanned the bandages. “Stop doing that.”

Straw Hat laughed, bright and sing-song. “I’m fine, just bored.”

Law ignored him once he confirmed that not a single drop of blood was staining the now dusty wrappings. He would have to change them soon.

The corners of the white paper lifted in a gentle breeze.

“What’s Torao doing?”

“That’s not my name.”

He rolled the pen between his fingers, spinning it, lifting it, tapping it—thinking.

“Don’t ignore me!” Straw Hat stepped into his line of sight, sitting down in front of him on an improvised chair. “What are you doing?”

“Writing.”

Chapter Text

Everything was very bright, very beautiful. From the wide, high ceiling where Luffy could see his reflection as a little red dot, to the golden goblets that looked a lot like the ones Nami had barely managed to buy on one of the islands they had visited in their last months together.

Now he was sad.

Luffy pouted, letting himself be pulled along by the arm by Hancock, who was much more excited than he was.

That morning, he had been summoned to where the rest of the women lived — with real houses and lots of food that didn’t grow on the outskirts of the island. Hancock and an old lady had shown up after his daily training with Rayleigh, claiming that he deserved to be part of the celebration for the kingdom’s anniversary.

Luffy didn’t really understand why a kingdom had a birthday, but he liked the idea of eating tastier things than roasted Sea King.

He had jumped to his feet and followed Hancock when she told him they had to dress him properly before eating — Luffy didn’t care, too busy casting a glance at Torao’s yellow submarine.

He was invited too, right?

He had supposed so — he would see him later, then.

“Look, Luffy, we prepared a big chocolate cake for afterwards.” Hancock dragged him to the center of the large room.

It was a very big cake, layer upon layer of baked dough and a chocolate fountain beside it.

Luffy felt his mouth water.

“Wait, Luffy!” His arms were grabbed, stopping his rushed walk toward the table. “It’s for later.”

His shoulders slumped.

He couldn’t have the cake, he couldn’t see his nakamas, and neither Rayleigh nor Torao were in sight.

What more did the world want from him?!

“But Hancock!”

Many more people came into the room, only women, of all sizes and colors. Luffy liked them, but they were very boring sometimes.

Hancock had let him go, her hands grabbing her own cheeks in a gesture that, Luffy remembered, she did many times.

She was weird.

“The main dance is starting now!” a woman’s voice exclaimed through a Den Den Mushi.

Many other women screamed in excitement — Luffy watched them in confusion before copying them and letting out a happy howl.

It must be something fun, right? Dancing.

On the Sunny, when everyone was in the garden, Brook would play an entertaining melody for everyone, and Chopper and Franky would jump around moving all over the deck; even Robin sometimes let Sanji lead her to dance in the center of everyone.

Luffy liked dancing with them.

Hancock had grabbed him again by the edge of his outfit, dragging him among many women who were crowding everywhere.

“My queen!”

“We’re waiting for you!”

“I know, I know…” Hancock stopped walking, making Luffy bump into her back. This time she held him by the shoulder, turning him around. “I’m going to dance this piece with Luffy!”

Much more happy shouting.

The music began — it wasn’t how he had imagined it. It was much slower than what Brook played with his violin, it didn’t have many high notes, it sounded like a lullaby —Luffy remembered that Torao had told him that’s what it was called when he had asked.

Torao would hum songs when he looked at his wounds — Luffy liked it a lot, even if he never understood what he was saying.

Hancock made him move to one side, grabbing one of his hands and placing the other on her waist.

They moved to the other side — Luffy lowered his head, watching his feet so he wouldn’t accidentally step on Hancock. Usopp got very annoyed about that when Franky did it.

Hancock said something, but Luffy didn’t manage to hear her, too focused on watching where they were going — it was a lot of work.

Hancock wouldn’t get mad if he stepped on her, right?

Luffy evaluated her face again. Her cheeks were red — again —, a big smile on her face and bright eyes.

Yeah… she wasn’t going to get mad.

He smiled, copying her.

Their clothes matched, Luffy realized. She looked pretty, like when Nami modelled the new clothes she bought or when Franky changed his hairstyle when Sanji wouldn’t let him into the kitchen after a day of working on inventions.

She had a long red dress with golden pieces — same colors as Luffy — and a ribbon tied in her hair. Her feet must have hurt from the high heels she was wearing, but Hancock was smiling and laughing, excited about the dance.

She was very strong — Luffy had seen that from the beginning.

The lights were shining, pointing at the two of them, Hancock moving as if she knew exactly what she was doing and had practiced it many times. She was an empress; it made sense she knew those things.

If Luffy was going to be the King of the Pirates, would he have to learn too?

He tilted his head, thinking.

The lights blinded him, hitting his eyes and keeping him from seeing the other people around him.

Should he ask them?

He squinted to see better. The lights dimmed a little when he did, letting him see in one of the spins a silhouette different from the rest. He wasn’t a woman, he wasn’t wearing a dress, and he didn’t seem to be among groups of people either, alone — just arriving.

Luffy opened his eyes wider, catching the details.

Torao.

Torao was coming into the room. Torao had come after all.

His smile grew even bigger.

Torao also looked prettier. He always looked pretty, but now Luffy could see more of his figure than with the thick coat he almost always wore, even when it was very sunny.

Torao’s eyes shone when one of the lights hit him, the gold as bright as what Luffy was wearing — they matched.

Luffy laughed, little giggles coming out of his mouth and making his stomach do a happy flip.

He felt something soft under his feet, once, twice.

“Sorry, Hancock!”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t hurt.”

Luffy wanted to leave. Hancock was very fun sometimes, but he wanted to say hi to his friends. Rayleigh had also come in through the big door at some point after Torao did.

“Are you alright, Luffy?” Hancock asked worriedly, her eyebrows furrowing and a few wrinkles appearing.

Luffy made a grimace. What was he supposed to do?

“Bored.”

“Oh…” Hancock wasn’t smiling anymore, and Luffy felt a little bad. He should clarify that she wasn’t what bored him. Hancock wasn’t boring. “The song is about to end, Luffy, don’t worry. Afterwards, do you want to…”

Luffy had nodded. The song was going to end and he could go to his friends. Torao was sitting at one of the tables in the back, crossing one of his legs over the other and saying something to Rayleigh — he couldn’t hear, but Torao didn’t look happy.

“Do you want to go to your friends?” Hancock asked another question.

She didn’t look worried or sad anymore. She had a strange shine in her eyes and a crooked smile on her lips. Luffy didn’t know how to interpret it.

“Yes,” he said, nodding enthusiastically. “Torao just arrived and I want to show him the chocolate fountain, the giant cookies, and the big roasted buffalo and…”

Hancock blinked rapidly, watching him closely. She smiled even more — it wasn’t entirely happy, but it wasn’t unhappy either.

“Very well, you can go to your friends,” she said. Luffy laughed at the tone of voice she used, like when Dadan tried to order them to take a bath.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the dance floor. He wanted to introduce her. Luffy didn’t think he had ever seen her talk to Torao — Torao always hid in his submarine when any of the island’s women came to see them.

Surely Hancock would like Torao!

Torao was the best!

They dodged the groups of people around them — Hancock shouted something, and Luffy stepped on someone.

“Sorry!”

Torao and Rayleigh were sitting together this time — Luffy watched them eating one of the meat sandwiches he had seen earlier.

No. Torao wasn’t eating it, he realized as he got closer. Torao had taken the bread apart, setting it aside and eating only the meat.

The meat must have been really tasty!

A hard bump made him stumble, crashing against a table and rattling the glasses on it.

The noise was enough that Torao and Rayleigh turned to look at him — Luffy felt his belly do another flip, this time much stronger.

Torao’s golden eyes shone brightly when they looked at him, as if they grew bigger and only they existed — it was strange, just like how his hands felt very still, he needed to move them.

Torao was very, very pretty, Luffy could see it better now. The suit he was wearing was completely black and had many golden cords on the shoulders and in the front — like gold, a lot of gold.

He looked like a prince, like the ones Sanji told Chopper and him about. Sanji said they were magical, so beautiful they could have the world at their feet and so strong they conquered everything they wanted because no one could stop them.

Luffy hadn’t believed those existed — pirates were better, but now, looking at Torao, he was sure they were real.

Because Torao looked like Sanji had said they were, and he was so strong he would have everything he wanted.

Torao was amazing.

“Luffy?”

Luffy blinked, half-hearing Hancock say his name. He had stopped, and now Torao and Rayleigh were staring at him.

“Hancock, I’m going to introduce you to my friends!” he said instead, shaking his head side to side to focus on the task of getting to Torao.

He felt his legs walking for him, moving without him having to tell them — Torao was frowning, this time looking at Hancock and then back to Rayleigh.

Luffy had to hurry.

“Torao!”

Torao looked at him again, his eyes half-open — that was fine, that was better.

“Straw Hat-ya.”

“Luffy, hello.” Luffy smiled toward Rayleigh, noticing the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes.

“Look, this is Hancock!” He lifted the arm still linked with the woman’s, and Hancock let out a little yelp.

Did he hurt her? — Luffy let her go.

“I already know her, Straw Hat-ya.”

“Really?” Luffy tilted his head to the side, trying to remember if that had ever happened. He was sure it hadn’t.

“Yes, when you were very focused on eating when you woke up.”

Torao shrugged and gave a nod in Hancock’s direction, which she returned.

Rayleigh got Torao’s attention again, showing him a paper with something written on it.

“Oh…” Luffy frowned, crossing his arms.

Hancock was still at his side, but she didn’t say anything. Rayleigh shook the paper so the light would hit it better, and Torao picked up his plate of meat again.

Luffy pressed his lips together.

People were dancing, and the music was slow again — boring.

He opened his eyes wide, smiling once more. “Torao, let’s dance!”

He didn’t wait for an answer, he didn’t need one — Luffy was going to be the King of the Pirates, and the King has everything he wants. He took the plate from Torao’s hand, lifting him out of his seat with the force he used.

“What are you—?” Torao grabbed his arm with his free hand, trying to break Luffy’s grip. “Straw Hat-ya, no.”

“But—” The lights blinded him. He blinked quickly so he wouldn’t lose sight of Torao — no more. “I want to dance!”

“Then dance, but don’t drag me with you.”

“But—”

Torao turned around, ignoring his protests and walking back to his seat.

But Torao was a prince, so he had the world at his feet and no one could stop him.

Luffy held the materials tightly in his hands, keeping the wind from blowing them away. With determination, he pushed aside the fabric used as the door of Rayleigh’s tent.

“Luffy? Today’s training is already over, what brings you here?”

“I want you to teach me how to write letters.” He put the sheet of paper and the pencil on the small wooden table nearby, with enough force to make his point clear.

Torao never paid attention to him and always ignored him whenever Luffy tried to take him out to explore the forest and fish while Rayleigh supervised — in case they fell into the water if the little boat flipped over. — He only ever paid attention to the thick books he read and those papers that arrived in his hands from the bird that brought messages.

If Torao only paid attention to papers, Luffy would give him a paper with letters so he would notice him.

“I can do that, if you pay attention,” Rayleigh said, speaking so calmly he almost sounded amused — Luffy smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “But, can I ask why?”

“Torao likes letters!”

“Of course… Law.”

Rayleigh got up from his chair, walked over to Luffy, and closed the door before smiling broadly at him.

“Torao is very smart.”

“He definitely is.”

“I also want to show him that I can.”

There were many days — a week — when Rayleigh sat him down on the grass and taught him how to write correctly. They drew the letters together until Luffy’s were easy to understand.

He had stained many sheets with dirt and ink — he had to redo the last one five times, but he managed to make it presentable.

It looked good, and Luffy didn’t wait any longer to hand it to Rayleigh, pushing him to give it to the bird so it would eventually arrive in Torao’s hands like all the others.

Luffy was hiding behind a bush — making sure his hat wouldn’t be seen by accident — and waited, waited many minutes for the messenger bird to come flying to the yellow submarine with the smiling face.

Torao was lying back on a beach chair, his hat covering his eyes and an umbrella keeping the sun off him — didn’t he feel hot in that sweater?

A big gust of wind made his hair fly up into the air — Luffy was startled, grabbing the strands that lifted quickly so they wouldn’t be seen among the leaves of the bush.

The messenger bird flew at full speed over his head, crossing the distance to Torao like a bullet — but Torao reacted before it crashed into him, because Torao was so cool.

The envelopes fell into his hands in an instant — one black, with an orange ribbon tied into a little bow; and the other yellow, with the smiling face that Torao had everywhere, from Luffy.

Eagerly, he rocked up onto the tips of his toes, leaning forward to better see Torao’s expressions.

Torao narrowed his eyes, observing the two envelopes with one eyebrow raised.

One

Two

Three

Four

Luffy exhaled when Torao opened his. He tore the paper carefully along one edge, ripping it in a straight line to create an opening. The folded paper fell onto the ground.

His heart was beating fast, sending a jolt of energy through his body so strong it reached his ears.

Torao unfolded the paper, adjusting his position to read the written letters.

Luffy came out from behind the bushes, unable to hold back his excitement any longer.

The paper was folded back to its original shape — Torao looked up, finding him in just a moment.

Luffy smiled — Torao had read his letter and was finally looking at him.

Both letters were put away, tucked under the thick book Torao had been reading earlier, before he walked in big strides to where Luffy was waving.

In the sunlight, Torao’s hair looked much browner. Luffy hadn’t noticed that before — it must have been because Torao spent so many hours always in the shade.

“Did you really have to send me a letter, Straw Hat-ya?” Luffy closed his eyes when the piece of yellow envelope was pressed against his forehead — it wasn’t hard. “I have to see you every day, so why do I also have to get paper messages now?”

“But you always ignore me!” he complained, dodging another swat and crossing his arms. “So will you come with me to pick strawberries now?”

Torao sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Since you took the time to go all the way to civilization to send the note…”

“It’s a letter!” he corrected, smiling. “And you’re going to have so much fun! Rayleigh and I found this clearing where…”

Luffy ran as fast as he could, even swinging between tree branches to cut across.

He was late.

He had written another letter to Torao the day before, and to his surprise, he got a reply that morning.

It was small, just a piece of paper cut from a bigger one:

 I’m not going to wait for you if you’re not there.

Luffy wasn’t there — he was arriving late.

He stretched the fingers holding the piece of paper, careful not to get it dirty from the bark on the trees — he should have left it with the other letters Torao had given him, kept in a little box Rayleigh had helped him make, but for some reason that day he couldn’t part with it.

Torao was waiting for him at the top of the mountain, on the cliff Luffy had shown him many weeks before — it was a beautiful place, and he was more than happy to have heard Torao agree with him.

His arm got tangled with one of the branches, knocking a bird’s nest to the ground and sending him rolling the last few meters he needed to reach.

Oops.

“Help!” He stretched the last vowel of the word, shouting with all his lungs so someone would stop his body from falling off the cliff.

“You’re late.”

Abruptly, his body stopped rolling, hitting something Luffy couldn’t see from his position — Torao’s legs.

Torao was standing at his full height, his hands in his pockets and the cow-spotted cap casting a shadow that kept Luffy from seeing his eyes.

“You did come!” It was a little weird how his voice came out, almost like he couldn’t catch his breath — Luffy touched his heart, feeling the fast thump-thump beneath his skin.

Was he sick?

“I confirmed today, didn’t I?”

Torao moved away from his side, turning his back and walking off until he sat at the edge where the mountain ended.

“Yes… but you never listen to me!”

“You don’t command me, Straw Hat-ya.”

Luffy ran until he was beside him, letting himself fall into the grass and matching the swinging of Torao’s feet in the air. “You should!”

“Of course not. I’m a captain for a reason. If I wanted to be ordered around, I wouldn’t be one.”

Luffy hummed, placing his hands on his knees and leaning all his weight on them so he could see Torao’s face without falling.

“I’m also a captain!”

“I’m aware.”

“But I don’t care if Nami tells me where we have to go first.”

“That’s different, Straw Hat-ya.” Torao sighed, unlike him, leaning his head back. “The thief-ya is your navigator, just like Bepo is mine. They know which island is best to land on.”

Torao’s eyes shone very brightly under the sunset of that day. Luffy couldn’t see them completely, some parts shaded by the cap’s visor, but they were so striking it was impossible not to keep looking.

“Bepo…” Luffy tilted his head, closing his eyes and shaking to clear his memory — he was having a hard time. “The bear?”

“That one.”

“He’s your navigator?” he asked, remembering the big white bear he had seen at the auction house. “Why does he talk?”

“He’s a mink.”

That definitely didn’t mean anything — Luffy hummed, waiting for Torao to keep talking. Torao shook his head to himself, giving him a strange look before closing his eyes. “It’s an island where a lot of animals talk.”

“Wow! That’s incredible!” he exclaimed. “Have you been there?”

“No.” Torao shook his head. “But… I plan to someday.”

An island with lots of talking animals must be awesome — it’d be like having lots of Choppers everywhere.

“I’m gonna go with you!”

Luffy could feel a change in the atmosphere — like Torao’s shoulders tensed and his feet, which were swinging with the wind, stopped moving.

Had he said something bad?

Then, it was the tone.

“Straw Hat-ya…” Luffy frowned, observing Torao closely. “You never asked me why I saved you.”

It was something serious; Luffy could tell for sure. Torao had that look that wasn’t really focused on him, seeing something Luffy couldn’t, looking right through him and going on to reach limits that didn’t exist. Torao seemed like he could know everything happening in the world, like he held knowledge Luffy didn’t think anyone could ever have, so much information, so many things to unpack.

“I didn’t have to,” he replied, shrugging. “Torao knows why he did it.”

“Don’t you have any curiosity to know?” His golden eyes narrowed — everything on Luffy. “What if I only want you to owe me? What if I want to destroy you later?”

“Torao isn’t bad. He wouldn’t do that.”

“You don’t know me, Straw Hat-ya.”

“Yes, I do!” His voice rang out over the distant songs of the birds — Luffy didn’t care, not when Torao looked madder than ever. “Torao is good. I can see it.”

“What if I want to use you for my own benefit?” Torao said, so rough and dry that Luffy felt his throat must have hurt to say it.

He didn’t look okay — and Luffy didn’t like that.

“Then that’s okay,” he replied simply, meeting the gold he liked so much — surprise in them. “I want to help Torao with whatever he wants to do.”

“You don’t understand me.” Torao sighed, growled — it was a combination of both, so dense it echoed in Luffy’s ears longer than it should have. “I want to kill someone. I want to use you to kill them.”

“Torao must have a good reason,” Luffy insisted, smiling, something small, wanting Torao to see he was serious. “He’ll just have to wait two years until I finish training with Rayleigh.”

“You’re impossible…”

“You are!”

They fell silent — Luffy knew better than to keep talking. He had understood those moments when he was a child, much more often after Sabo had left. Ace had needed a lot of time to himself, just him and his thoughts, but Luffy couldn’t stay alone; he needed his older brother…

Luffy knew when it was better to stay quiet. That helped the people he loved in that way — and Torao had that same look Ace used to have, so empty.

The same look Luffy knew he himself had had many weeks ago — the look he knew he still had on some nights when it was impossible to sleep.

“Doflamingo killed someone very important to me.” Torao said softly, so softly the wind could have carried it away.

Luffy didn’t know exactly who Doflamingo was. He thought he’d heard his name once, but like so many times, he regretted at that moment not paying attention to what was happening around him.

Whatever, that ‘mingo’ guy had to be a horrible person if Torao wanted to kill him.

“Cora-san saved me. Doflamingo killed him.” Luffy had never heard Torao speak that way. The way the vowels dragged out harshly, breaking and scraping against his teeth. “He was his own brother, but even so, he shot him. I could never forgive him.”

“Then we’ll defeat him!”

Luffy spoke completely seriously — how could he not, when Torao seemed to be struggling with himself just to talk, just to be there.

Luffy also understood why he always seemed to have something inside himself that didn’t let him fully rest. He had seen it in Nami when they first met her, in Vivi the closer they got to Alabasta, in Robin, who had only just started smiling for real in the last days he had seen her.

If Torao needed him to be able to defeat Mingo, Luffy would be more than happy to lend him his strength, just to be able to see him free in the end.

Just so Torao would smile at him.

“What… what was Cora-san like?” he dared to ask, making sure he pronounced it correctly.

Maybe it wasn’t the best thing, maybe Torao would want to end the topic once and for all, but Torao also got happy talking about his nakamas. About the bear, the one with the penguin hat, and the other one who wrote him letters all the time.

If Torao loved Cora-san, talking about him would make him happy — and Luffy wouldn’t have to see that golden color hiding behind tears and pain anymore.

Torao fell silent for a few seconds. At some point, his hat had fallen back, landing a few centimeters behind them, and he seemed uncomfortable without it — Luffy remembered his own. He took it off and played with it, feeling it heavier against his fingers.

He didn’t think too much about it. He squeezed the material in his hands one more time before letting go of it, placing it carefully over Torao’s black hair.

The sun — more orange than yellow — shone brighter, illuminating Torao from head to toe.

Torao flinched at the gesture, quickly raising his hands to feel the object on his head. Luffy put a hand on top of it, stopping him from taking it off.

“Straw Hat-ya…” he threatened, but Luffy didn’t care.

“If Torao doesn’t mind… can he tell me about Cora-san?”

Silence again, briefer this time and broken by Torao’s tired exhale — Luffy smiled, knowing everything had gone back to normal.

“Cora-san… he was a clown…”

Chapter Text

After several years traveling in the company of loud people, sailing through the currents of the New World alone settled in the pit of his stomach like a spicy discomfort.

The blue waters turned black at the depths where the Polar Tang maneuvered.

It was a familiar view; one he had grown used to seeing in his day-to-day life.

Law sighed — it felt different after spending two months on solid ground. The longest time without rushing from island to island that he had been able to enjoy.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was how his life had once been meant to be. Exploring the world with nothing but love and curiosity. Days would pass slowly, drinking in every second of happiness, not caring about the shades of guilt he never stopped feeling in this world when love decided to touch him against his will.

If love touched him, because Law didn't deserve it.

He didn’t deserve the way his crew hovered around him with bright eyes, always waiting for him — not the way Bepo hugged him when he thought he was stressed, not the way Penguin sat with him in silence on sleepless nights, not the way Shachi fixed his hair every week.

He didn’t deserve the way Cora-san had looked at him, as if his mere existence made hopeless days a little better.

But Law could never do anything to push them away. He could never make them understand he wasn’t the person they were looking for.

Law found himself loving them despite his own restrictions — they had slipped into his heart, flooding it, and would leave it withered once their departures became inevitable.

Because Cora-san had died saving him, smiling through the pain because he believed in Law even when Law didn’t believe in himself. He saw kindness where there was none. He believed in the best of people. He was a Marine who trusted a pirate — a rotten child who led him to his death.

Because his mother and father left from one day to the next. No warnings. Just sharp pain that never faded, that clouded his senses until living lost its meaning. Life slipping through their fingers without doing anything to stop it.

Because his sister’s departure was as slow as it was sudden. She deserved more time. She had everything Law lacked to be, the kind of person who would change the world, who would fix it.

But deserving didn’t change fate. It didn’t bring back the dead or kill the scum.

Law could only protect their memory. Their legacy.

Days went on, the world didn’t stop for his losses, and people kept living, breathing — Law kept living.

He remained on his feet, stumbling forward, messing up decisions. He found himself trusting — against his will — people who could destroy him.

They also helped him keep breathing. They held him up and celebrated by his side, moving toward a better future.

If there's a reason, he's still alive when everyone who loves him has died, Law is willing to wait for it.

Defeating Doflamingo was the first step — but was there more?

Cora-san once wanted him alive. He had asked Law to live, back when his own brother wasn’t yet a threat.

What was it that Cora wanted for him?

Law could wait — just a little longer — to understand what his existence truly longed for.

He moved from his seat, brushing his fingertips along the wooden desk covered in papers and coffee stains. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, tired.

One of the sheets flew off, caught on the edge of his coat zipper.

Black and gray ink, pink highlights, blue scribbled notes — Doflamingo smiled back at him in a frozen grimace.

Law held one corner, crumpling the paper under his rough grip.

Just a little longer.

Eleven years — soon thirteen. Time slipped through his fingers.

The pen that had been resting unused at the edge of the table was picked up. Law toyed with the object between his fingers, quickly striking through one of the scattered ideas written on the edge of the paper.

Zou.

Law could control that for now.

"Captain!"

Bepo’s soft, furry arms wrapped around him tightly. The orange boiler suit rubbed against Law’s cheek, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Law let himself be hugged, gripping the fabric with his own hands, squeezing it between his fingers to hold them there a little longer.

He had missed them.

He looked over Bepo’s shoulder, at the rest of his crew. He did a quick headcount — a habit he hadn’t thought to shake.

The other nineteen looked at him with bright eyes and their own cries of joy.

"Hey, Captain!" Shachi’s voice rose above the rest. The redhead had pushed his way through, elbowing crewmates aside "Where my hug at?!"

"Is it gonna be by arrival order? ’Cause you looked at me before Shachi."

Laughter broke out. Even Law’s body shook with the spasms of it, pressed up against Bepo’s chest.

He frowned, but there was no real strength behind it. "I saw the boar, that ran you over, first."

"Hey!"

"We bought you a souvenir from Sabaody! You don’t deserve it anymore, Captain!"

The hug ended. Bepo unwrapped his arms slowly with a low grunt. Law brushed off the white hairs stuck to his hoodie, blowing them into the air before giving the mink a glance.

"Did you bring us a souvenir?" Bepo asked, putting his paws together in an attempt to look cute — and it worked.

Law looked away, knowing he had blushed at least a few shades. "What makes you think that?"

"Shachi said you’d bring us something from the war."

"Yeah, Law, what did you bring us?" Shachi called out from the back.

"Did you want a severed head as a gift?" he replied, raising an eyebrow, amused to see most of them shiver. "Or a piece of Akainu’s clothing?"

"The second one doesn’t sound bad, Captain," Penguin laughed. "It’d be nice to know how it doesn’t melt in lava."

"It must be part of his body."

"The suit?" Clione made a confused face, quickly mimicked by the others — Shachi shrugged.

"Maybe he’s naked all the time and creates his clothes with his devil fruit."

"That’s..."

"Alright!" Ikakku interrupted, clapping to draw attention. "Let me see the Tang. Something tells me you haven’t repaired it like you should, Captain."

The woman frowned in scolding, hands on her hips and hair blowing in the air, but as she passed him, she gave him a friendly pat on the back, covering him in her sweet perfume.

Law found himself smiling, soft and calm, as he watched his crew pushing each other to squeeze through the entrance to the submarine.

This was fine.

"Ikakku has the money!" Shachi yelled from somewhere near the entrance.

"Why her?!"

"I don’t know! Ask the Captain!"

The fluffy hair of the only woman in his crew poked through the door.

"I’m buying you new clothes, Captain. I saw you wearing the same shirt for over a week." With a grin on her face and a dangerous glint in her eyes, Ikakku waved at him before running off. "Yellow and black, got it."

The crew had spent the past week catching up and resting beneath the surface, hidden from view while the Marine fleet remained stationed at the island. Now, with the Marines finally gone as of the day before, it was time to gather supplies and prepare to continue their journey.

"Are you sure you don’t want to go?" Law asked.

Bepo was one chair away, leaning over some papers — drawing. Law thought it was some kind of map, but wasn’t entirely sure with the different colors covering most of the page.

"Yes, Captain."

"Just don’t come complaining later when you want to go out while we’re already on the move."

"I won’t."

Law nodded, listening as the main entrance closed, leaving them in total silence.

The library was lined with bookshelves, all secured with a locking system to keep the books from falling during the submarine’s movement. However, in moments like this, you could see the colorful spines and their titles glowing under the yellowish lights.

He knew the mink was watching him — Bepo was never good at hiding his actions, too big and clumsy. Law ignored him. He’d speak when he felt ready.

He focused once again on the documents he had managed to take from Amazon Lily, a large copy of a map — torn to pieces but still functional. It detailed directions and reference images to pieces of land in the New World, islands forgotten by the World Government.

He hadn’t been able to find more than that. The section had been restricted once they realized Straw Hat had dragged him into the palace library.

"You’re not going to leave again, right?" Law looked up, blinking rapidly to clear his vision.

Bepo sounded like he was about to cry — nothing new — the fur on his forehead wrinkling in pale lines and his claws digging into the table.

Law sighed. "You know the plan."

"I can go with you, Captain." Bepo said quickly. "Please. You don’t have to do this alone."

"We’ve already talked about this."

"Cap—"

Dressrosa was still far away, but Law had had years to plan the assault. He knew every move to make, every precaution to take, and he had always been too stubborn to deviate from something he had structured.

The decision had been made, and deep down, Law knew Bepo understood. The big polar bear was good at dissecting him, understanding his strengths and weaknesses — the limits no one else could cross.

It was a lost battle, and they both knew it.

Still, giving him a little peace wasn’t a bad thing.

"Straw Hat offered to help.” Law leaned back in his seat, pretending to be as uninterested as possible. “Does that make you feel better?"

The images of the conversation he had had on the cliff with Straw Hat repeated in his mind over and over. Law had found himself opening up about his past, managing to bring out some stories that hurt like open wounds.

He still didn’t know if it had been his best move, but sitting there, legs pulled in and chin resting between his knees, Law had felt just as small as he had the first time that story left his lips—back on Swallow Island.

"Straw Hat... Oh!" Bepo sat up straight like a dart, beaming from every pore. "Yes, I remember him!"

"I’d be worried if you didn’t."

"Sorry."

Law dismissed it, waving a hand back and forth, waiting for his navigator to stop apologizing. "You can stop pretending to draw now."

"Sorry!" Bepo’s face twisted in confusion, shaking his head a second later. "But I am drawing, Captain!"

Law held back a laugh, feeling at home for the first time in months.

The yellow glow of the sun turned orange, tinting the skies purple on the horizon, pink and as intense as fire on the other end.

Law took a few more steps across the deck, closing the distance to the railing. The evening air hit his face, carrying that familiar scent of algae and fish — salty.

They hadn’t come back yet. Law had been able to hear the voices of some of his crewmates a few minutes earlier, nearby, just a few streets away, and shared laughter whose context he hadn’t managed to catch.

Bepo had gone to sleep earlier than expected — it was supposed to be their farewell party for the island.

Fish swam below the submarine, schools of them dodging the pointed structures.

Law allowed himself to relax, absorbing the humidity in the air and the warmth of the few rays of sun that still reached his body.

The next stop was still uncertain — the news from Sabaody was still fresh, and Marine fleets had surrounded the island like a shield. They’d have to disembark on another Paradise island, again.

The sun dimmed. Clouds moved quickly, trading places until the deck of the Tang was cast in shadow.

Law opened his eyes — at some point, he’d closed them. And as his heart sped up in arrhythmic, frantic beats, the salty scent turned chemical — mint and wood, alcohol pronounced by its making.

He couldn’t quite place what was happening, but the smell churned his stomach, triggering every alarm. It was faint, scratching at the furthest part of his brain.

The wind shifted direction, surging from all sides and making it hard to breathe normally. A sharp seagull cry cracked through the air, unleashing a wave of noise in his ears.

Law rushed to grab Kikoku, the hilt brushing his fingertips just as the distant sound of a ship’s anchor echoed against the seawater.

Something was definitely wrong, and it had escalated way too fast.

Behind him, the Tang’s deck creaked under the weight of something — someone.

Law turned quickly.

"Been a while, Law."

It was inevitable — the sweat in his palms and the cold shiver racing down his spine, despite how hot his body felt. Law hesitated, clutching the synthetic grip of his nodachi — he hated himself for it.

Donquixote Doflamingo, standing with his long legs bent in that characteristic posture burned into Law’s eyes from the moment he saw him again—far away, framed by the spilled blood of the War of the Best—stood atop the submarine, his shadow stretching over Law.

His signature glasses had been replaced — this time a dark pink, matching the feathers that draped from his shoulders.

Law’s breath caught at the base of his throat when he saw the man’s smile grow.

"Doflamingo…" he whispered under his breath.

He was screwed.

Why the hell was Doflamingo there?

The hate was covered by the horror that blond hair triggered in him. There was no good reason Doflamingo would show up in front of him — not unless he wanted something from him. Or wanted him.

It wasn’t a coincidence. Law couldn’t lie to himself even if he wanted to. And even if it was, he didn’t believe he’d come out of it unscathed — not with that man. That’s why he’d planned so carefully, configured every detail of their first encounter under his rules and on terrain that gave him the advantage.

He unsheathed Kikoku, the cursed blade catching a pink gleam in the light.

His legs didn’t move — he remained still, waiting.

"Aren’t you going to greet me, Corazón?" he asked cheerfully, his voice raspy and deep, not matching — not at all — the sweetness with which he shaped the syllables of the nickname.
Law clenched his jaw at the word. "I raised you better."

He didn’t respond, his mind running a thousand miles a minute.

There was no clear escape, surrounded by waters that would drown him the second he touched them. His powers could only do so much — escape to the city, run aimlessly with the shoreline as a limit.

"Did I surprise you?" Doflamingo spoke again, leaping from his position and landing in front of him — both levelled by the ground, uneven only in height.

Law forced himself to speak, his teeth protesting the pressure. "What do you want?"

"A lot of things, in general," Doflamingo mused without taking his eyes off him. "Today? We both know what I came for."

One step — Law struck.

The blue aura stretched out in a blink, casting its glow over a wide diameter around them — terrain he could control.

"Oh, come on, Law. No need to get aggressive," Doflamingo mocked.

He slashed diagonally, a sharp gust of air aiming for the neck, chest, anything. But Doflamingo swayed out of the way with the same ease he used to dodge Baby 5’s attacks back in Spider Miles — humiliating.

Law couldn’t remember having ever seen him fight before — Doflamingo had never needed to. The Family handled the dirty work, Pica and Gladius got their hands bloody so he could stroll in untouched — but Law had always known he was stronger than any of them, drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

His figure draped in pink had gone unnoticed in Marineford, playing with threads on the sidelines and filling his path with corpses without sparing them a second glance.

His fingers moved with near effortlessness and immediately, an invisible thread grazed Law’s side.

The cut was clean, shallow. His skin split beneath layers of fabric, blooming with color.

"Shut up!"

Doflamingo laughed, unfazed by the shout, as he counterattacked for the first time in earnest. He raised a hand, and dozens of threads fell from the sky like shining blades or tiny bullets embedding into everything in their path.

Law rolled across the ground. One struck his thigh. Another slashed across his back, but there was no time to scream. He simply stood up as best he could.

He swallowed hard, feeling the skin on his face uncomfortably tight from the fluids drying quickly under the strong wind at the shore — all sounds stacked in his ears. The thumping of his heart, his ragged breathing, the hurried footsteps in the distance, still near the shore.

Another strike. A direct punch. Law deflected it with his sword, but the impact threw him backwards, his spine slamming against the metal railing.

If he fell, he was done for.

The ground creaked beneath his feet.

"Come on, Corazón. Are you done yet? Gonna let me talk now?"

Law clenched his teeth. The air burned in his lungs — he growled, anger flowing hot through his veins.

Doflamingo kept coming, closing the distance at a slow, deliberate pace. Kikoku had fallen meters to his right, his leg throbbed in agonizing pain, the cold seeping into his back was a reminder of his limited mobility, but he could still...

"Captain!"

The shouting from the city had grown louder at some point. Among the screams of terror and protests, Law picked out the characteristic northern accent of Shachi. The black boots of his crew’s uniform thudded against the sand in heavy steps, now ringing out too clearly.

"What's happening over there?!"

"Is he bleeding?!"

He could still do it. Numbers didn’t always guarantee victory, but this was an advantage he hadn’t had before — the sea. Penguin was sprinting along the shore, kicking off his black boots mid-run and leaving them behind. The sea had always been their strength, so—

"Mister Donquixote, the cannons are ready." A small Den Den Mushi chirped from inside the pockets of those pink feathers.

The blood drained from his face — Law felt his strength crumble at that moment, finally understanding why he’d heard the sound of an anchor several minutes earlier.

Turning sharply to the right, staring at the now nearly darkened horizon, Law spotted the white sails of the Marines, the shape of their warships barely distinguishable from the blue of the ocean.

"No need." Doflamingo’s voice forced his gaze back. The man smiled broadly, shamelessly, amused by what Law knew was visible desperation on his face — no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

They were surrounded.

"The Marines? Are you serious?" he tried to mock, regaining his composure as best he could.

He knew it was futile.

He knew.

"You’re one of the most wanted men across the seas right now, Corazón, after your stunt with Monkey D. Luffy." Doflamingo shrugged — another step. "It’d be careless of me not to be prepared."

The splash of seawater below snapped him back to his senses. His crew. There was no way they...

"Oh, your little friends came back. I like their uniforms, you know?"

Law leaned over the railing — deciding, deciding, thinking, thinking.

Damn it.

"Get out of here!" he shouted with all his strength. "Now! Go!"

Because they were surrounded, because there was no way to fight if the Marines got involved too, if Doflamingo decided they were worth dragging into his game, they were all finished.

Law wasn’t going to let that happen, not now, not ever.

Penguin and Shachi stopped trying to get closer, floating in the water, staring at him in disbelief.
"But Captain—"

"Go! Did you hear me?! I don’t want you here!" he repeated, aware of the single meter now separating him from Doflamingo. "Leave!"

"That’s not a very nice thing to say, Corazón. That must’ve hurt their feelings."

Law ignored the mockery, focusing on his crewmates — his friends. "Go now! If you know where to go, then get out!"

They obeyed the command — his last order.

"Now, now, not so fast, kids." Doflamingo raised his fingers, and threads fell from the sky—

Law jumped, pulling Kikoku to him with his fruit, holding the blade steady and slashing through the air. The blade barely grazed the feathered coat before something invisible blocked his path.

Threads.

He closed his eyes — just for a second — understanding what would happen next.

They wrapped around his arm, then his torso. He felt them bite into his skin, squeezing as if to sever muscle, to mutilate bone.

He tried to cut, to move, to break free — but Doflamingo lifted his hand with a sharp gesture, and the threads yanked Law off the ground, choking the air from his throat.

A whistle sliced through the air, passing dangerously close overhead. Law managed to see a shadow over the water: the first Marine cannonball, exploding far off, to the side of the beach.

Another blast. Closer.

"Seems they don’t know how to follow orders, huh?" Doflamingo growled, eyeing the distance before turning back to Law, smiling with sickly sweetness. "We can take care of that later, Corazón."

Law struggled in the air, kicking weakly until it became impossible to raise his legs. His body was a puppet in Doflamingo’s hands, suspended in the center of the threads.

"First, I need you cooperative."

A fist wrapped in threads, propelled by brute force, struck him square in the stomach. Every ounce of air left his lungs. The Room collapsed with a muffled hum.

Law fell.

The impact against the ground was dry — brutal. He felt something crack inside him, blood filling his mouth. He coughed. He couldn’t move.

The screams of his crew no longer reached him. He could only hear the frantic splash of the ships approaching. And the cannons.

 One after another. Closer and closer, shaking the submarine, breaking the objects resting inside—

And Bepo.

Bepo.

"Bepo."

He turned his head toward the entrance of the submarine, his lips dry, blood dripping down from his brow.

Doflamingo hummed, signalling he had heard — the same gesture Law remembered from when he was a child, when he’d approach him to talk about the plans he had changed despite Trebol’s disapproval, and Doflamingo would listen attentively from behind a newspaper.

"He’s not… he has nothing to do with this," he said with effort. "He’s asleep. He didn’t even fight. He’s just..."

Doflamingo laughed softly. "Your little white bear? I saw him in some photos."

"I’m begging you…" Law found himself saying, not even knowing when he stopped fighting against the humiliation — maybe it was the memories of those early years in Spider Miles, maybe it was knowing he had no other choice, not when he wasn’t in a condition to protect anyone. "Take me. Do whatever you want. But leave him alone."

"You know I can’t do that."

"Yes, you can! You’re doing this because you want to screw with me!" Law’s voice broke, a desperate tone that hurt to use — almost like a burn. But there was no turning back now. "Let him go! He’s useless to you. He—"

Invisible threads wrapped around his mouth, encircling his face and cutting off his speech. He felt himself choke on his own spit.

"You have your answer," Doflamingo whispered — low, deep, reverberating through Law’s body. "Look on the bright side. You’ll have company."

The glossy soles of Doflamingo’s shoes filled his vision, far too close to his eyes — too close—

Law was lifted, slung over his shoulder like dead weight. The crowd had gathered at the shore, drawn by the chaos and the morbid curiosity; the shameless display of violence.

From the metallic spine of the Tang, Doflamingo straightened calmly. He raised his eyes to the sea and lifted a hand, waving with total familiarity at the approaching ships.

A vice admiral, standing tall on the bow of one of the vessels, responded with a restrained nod.

Law could barely raise his head, but just enough to see the scene from where he was — dragged like a trophy. The way Doflamingo addressed the Government men disgusted him.

"Clear the coast." Without looking back, Doflamingo ordered, "I only want the ship intact."

And just like that, the cannons fell silent.

The marines scattered as if they’d received a direct order from a superior. No one questioned. No one hesitated.

And Law understood. He felt it deep within, in a place so buried that not even rage could reach it.

Doflamingo wasn’t just maintaining his power. He was rising — with every damn second, his influence grew.

First as a boss, where everyone followed his commands without question, then as a king of a kingdom condemned to misery, and now as an untouchable. A Warlord of the Sea, shielded by the power of the World Government and bound by no rules.

Doflamingo has something to prove — Law knew it. A goal beyond imagination that he would reach without pausing to consider anything else, because he had nothing to lose. Even if Baby 5 would give her life without hesitation, or if Trebol and Diamante would sacrifice themselves to buy him more time to complete his plans.

Doflamingo never cared about emotional bonds, no matter how much he played at being part of a happy family — Law knew that better than anyone.

As he watched Penguin’s tears run down to vanish into his chin, the muffled sobs of Ikkaku clumsily covered by her gloved hand, Law couldn’t help but envy him. Without the pain of loss, without the bottomless pit in his stomach that refused to disappear, that threatened to devour him whole — Doflamingo couldn’t feel any of it, while Law drowned in guilt, spitting blood on the deck just like the salty liquid from his eyes made it impossible to see clearly.

At some point in his life, Law had stopped believing in karma. There was no distinction between good and bad when life chose to hit you in the face, to destroy you.

While Law lost everything, while Cora-san lost his life lying alone, Doflamingo kept winning. He changed the rules at will, pulled the trigger, and took everything that wasn’t his.

He takes treasures, takes kingdoms, takes lives, and snatched away every last ray of hope.

And the world just kept spinning.