#Trafalgar Nauja

[nehswritesstuffs]

Trick or treat!!

I know that you really did like Law becoming my 7yo OC's Cora-san dad vaor, so here's an excerpt from the next installment in the series. 208 words, retreads stuff from the prior two fics because it also deviates from the main story before they have this talk.

“Listen, I know I’m…” Fuck, this was awkward. “I know I’m not your real dad, but while we’re doing this, we should probably at least pretend like I am so no nosy aunties try anything.” “Law-san… you are my real dad,” Nauja replied. There was an uncomfortable silence between them, the only sounds being the waves against the sides of the ship. “My first dad… he wasn’t like you. He wasn’t mean, but…” She avoided eye contact, instead seeming very interested in what was going on behind Professor Nanuk’s ear. “What did you call your dad? In Flevench?” “Vaor, Vader, Papa…” “My dad wasn’t mean, but he also didn’t really like me,” Nauja said, her head bobbing in a nod. “My vaor loves me, because he teaches me, and tells me I’m good and smart, and does things to protect me that my dad would have never done. You gave up the crew for me… and I don’t know why, other than that you’re my vaor… and he would have never done that.” “Come here,” he requested, holding open his arms. The little girl stepped forward and allowed herself to be enveloped in his grasp, both glad that the hug was so warm against the cool night air.

Want a little fic snippet, WIP, behind-the-scenes info, or otherwise, hit up my ask (multiple callers accepted and encouraged)!

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, that rock can be home - Part 3

Just to let you all know, but this fic is going to change from rated T to No Rating over on AO3 and get a Mature rating on FFN sometime between this chapter posting and the next one. That doesn’t mean that the next chapter is going to be spicy or more mature, but it does mean that I am going to soon shift gears, as this fic is becoming much more than I originally anticipated.

Corasson Law begins coming to terms with his choices, while his old crew stumbles into something more than they realize. [8309 words; Law tries to retire from piracy to raise his daughter with varied results, while the effects of that decision is felt elsewhere]

To say that the Polar Pirates were going through a bit of an adjustment phase was really underselling things.

First off, they were going by the Polar Pirates instead of the Heart Pirates, which was a bit of a problem for the people who they had run into earlier in their adventures. They weren’t exactly keen on changing their Jolly Roger much, so most of what they did involved turning the spikes on the design into snowflake points. All it took was a line on each spike and… yeah… they could see how that was confusing.

Secondly, they were missing their former captain and his kid. Well, it had felt as though despite the fact they agreed the kid was his, the kid also felt like theirs, and it was now too late to hash out a shared custody agreement since the pair’d fucked off to who-knows-where. The only clue they had was an entire Cardinal Blue, which wasn’t exactly something they wanted to explore themselves.

...and third, they didn’t really know what to do with themselves. At least under their prior captain, they had a direction they were going in. A drive. A purpose. Now…? It was just difficult to say.

“There has to be something we can do,” Ikkaku frowned. She and some of the other Polar Pirates were sitting around a table in the communal mess hall on Zou, the Humans all frustrated in their restlessness as their Mink friends attempted to assuage their fears.

“The Lords of Night and Day were insistent that you don’t really work,” Wanda shrugged. “They’re probably gathering up the conviction to actually meet one another in person so they can talk about it.”

“…but they never do that,” Carrot frowned. “That’s why we’re Kingsbirds.”

“I was just a cub when they came back from foreign lands; if there’s anything to push them towards talking, it might be this.” Wanda took a drink from her tankard and exhaled heavily. “It’s just a shame we can’t be better hosts.”

“We just don’t want to overstay the Minkdebt,” Penguin shrugged. He and Shachi exchanged a glance—they were acting as co-first mates, as they had done before, and it was just a damn good thing they were used to it already. “We’re just lucky we made it here intact.”

“True, but your captain is one of us, which makes you honorary Mokomoans,” Fred reminded them.

“Yeah, but,” Shachi piped up, “if we’re Mokomoans, then we should act like it and pull our weight.”

“It’s not that simple,” Wanda replied. “The Lords of Night and Day are… different when it comes to Lesser Minks.”

“Well, what does the captain say?” Hakugan asked. Everyone glanced down at the end of the table where Bepo was sitting alone. The polar bear was slumped forward so that his arms were folded atop the table as he rested his chin on them, ignoring the rest of their conversation.

“Oi, cuz, snap out of it,” Fred said. “What’s got you so down?”

“It was Nauja’s birthday last week, and we didn’t hear anything!” Bepo pouted. “I was hoping we’d at least get a snail call.”

“I’m sure you’ll hear about the cub eventually,” Fred sighed. She looked at Wanda and Carrot, offering a shrug. “She’s a cute little thing; I’m not surprised their former captain’s heart melted because of her.”

“Everyone’s heart melted because of her,” Ikkaku noted. “Besides, we were promised they’d check in and that hasn’t happened yet.”

“Maybe they’re still trying to find a place,” Carrot offered. “It’s probably difficult.”

“It can be, for former pirates,” Jean Bart said, having returned with a tray full of drinks. He placed it down on the table and people took what they wanted. “There are many hoops to jump through, for some more than others.”

“A kid’s not like a Hoof,” Shachi frowned. Everyone nodded—all there, Minkfolk included—knew about Jean Bart’s past and the trouble it caused at no fault to anyone assembled. “It’s rough, yeah, but he should have at least said something about how they were still looking.”

“We should have heard something by now, even if it’s just that they’re still running,” Bepo whimpered. Uni passed him another drink and the bear morosely sipped it. “I miss the Captain. I miss Nauja.”

That was definitely something the entire Polar Pirates could agree on.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Slowly but surely, Law was finally starting to find himself integrating into stationary island life. Sure he had a single place for his daughter to grow and learn and have friends, but with the lukewarm reception they had been given, he wondered precisely how long it would take and what would be the tipping point. It had been helping to safely bring Storm into the world, as it seemed, and now it felt as though he’d been summoned there from another island instead of shown up out of nowhere…

…because really, the locals needed to leave him alone.

“Run that by me again,” he deadpanned. He was sitting in the consultation room, a farmhand perched on the examination table. He had never even seen the man before today, and yet…

“Uhh… everybody at the farm hurts when they piss,” the farmhand replied. “It’s normal for there. Something in the water or whatever.”

“That is… not normal.” Law’s brain was going into overdrive trying to think of a reason as to why this man, along with everyone else he lived with, was pissing fire while thinking that was normal. “You’re at… which farm again?”

“Margen’s; you know the one?”

“Out past Linda’s; mostly potatoes, but also some burdock, turnip, onion, shallots, and garlic.”

“Yeah, you know your way around the island already,” the patient chuckled. Okay, memorizing the lay of the land must have been another bar that was so low it was on the ground. Add that to personal hygiene and basic concepts of personal space. “Think you might know what’s wrong with me, Doc?”

‘I don’t have time to unload all that right now,’ Law sighed internally. He instead used a small amount of Haki to make the farmhand pass out and carefully laid him down on the examination table. After opening a Room, he began to analyze his patient for any sign of cancer or… to think… venereal disease…

“Oh, Vaor, I’ve got the tools sanitized!” Najua said as she knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” he said. Law didn’t even flinch as his daughter came inside the consultation room with the equipment box. She place it on the counter and then went over to look at the unconscious patient.

“Oooh, how’d you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make him sleep. You wouldn’t be doing that if he wasn’t asleep.” She wriggled her fingers in imitation of Shambles for emphasis.

“He’s unconscious because of Haki—I just figured out how to do it the other day,” he admitted. “When I yelled at Janka-ya at school, Linnie-ya almost passed out from it and had to stay in her father’s office for the rest of the day.” Did he feel bad for the headmaster’s adult daughter? Of course he did, but it was the sexually-aggressive school secretary he wasn’t having any empathy for at the moment. She needed to leave him the fuck alone…

“That’s neat,” she decided. “Can you teach me how to do that?”

“Not before I figure out what kind of Haki it is and how to properly harness it otherwise.”

“Oh.” Nauja tilted her head to the side as she watched her father run a quick test of the man’s enzymes. “I thought he came in with leftover body aches from a cold.”

“He apparently also has acute dysuria and I’m trying to figure out why before he wakes up. It might be related…” Law then groaned and hung his head. “Extremely high levels of capsaicin; no wonder he said everyone else at the farm was experiencing the same symptom.”

“Then… it’s not related…?”

“No, doesn’t look like it. My guess is that it’s just over-consumption coupled with heightened sensitivity.” The farmhand then began to stir and Law dropped the Room before his eyes opened. “Looks like you fainted there. Did you eat before coming into town?”

“Not a lot; must’ve been it.” He saw Nauja as he sat up and patted her head. “Don’t worry, missy. I’m fine. Just a little achy.”

“…and full of spicy food!” the girl said with a grin. The farmhand stared at her and blinked. “Vaor is teaching me medicine, so he asked me what I thought about your symptoms while you were passed out! You eat lots of spicy food, yeah?”

“We tend to,” the farmhand marveled. “That explains the burning piss, I guess. You’re a clever little lady, aren’t you?”

“I try,” Nauja beamed. She then turned to Law. “Vaor, can I stay at Svana-ya’s for dinner? Mika-ya’s there and she’s making pies.”

“Fine, fine; get out of here,” Law said, shooing his daughter out. Their patient laughed as the girl scurried from the room. “My apologies; she needs to learn discretion.”

Though, in all actuality, Nauja had been right on schedule.

“Ah, it’s fine; nothing no one don’t know anyhow,” the farmhand said. His expression then turned almost sly. “Why don’t you go to Svana’s? You and Mika would make a fine pair if you tried.”

“Svana-ya’s grandniece and I have a purely professional relationship,” Law replied dryly. There were a few other reasons as to why it wouldn’t work, but that was far from this man’s business. “All I can say is that I look forward to working with her in a medical capacity like I currently work with her great-aunt. Now, let’s work on those joints of yours.”

The farmhand clearly wasn’t buying it, but it wasn’t like that mattered. None of it was anything Law hadn’t heard before, and was sure he was only going to hear again. No use in letting it bother him now.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“What are you doing?”

Nauja looked up from her sketchbook to see one of her classmates, Magne, standing there, staring at her curiously. She held up her work so he could look—a drawing of the harbor on the otherwise dreary late winter day.

“Practicing,” she said. Magne frowned, looking from the drawing to the boats.

“I thought you’re supposed to draw guts and stuff.”

“Well yeah, I will, but not now.” She took back her sketchbook and continued forming the shape of a trawler, sticking out her tongue as she concentrated. “I gotta get good at drawing a bunch of stuff in order to be good at drawing guts because of all the things guts can do and places they’ll be.”

“I guess that makes sense,” he said. He sat down next to her and watched for a couple minutes as she draw the best approximation of the harbor she could. “You’re not that good yet, are you?”

“I’m eight.”

“…but you’re always drawing.”

“That’s because I’m practicing, and even adults have to practice. If my vaor still studies medicine and he’s the island’s doctor, then this is normal.”

“That’s boring.”

“…but it’s the truth.”

Magne shrugged at that. “Maybe if you planned on farming sheep or fishing like some of us then you wouldn’t need to study so much.”

“That might be good for you, but it’s boring to me.” Nauja went back to sketching, trying to capture the shape of a trawler bobbing in the water. “That’s why we’re different, and Vaor says it’s good that people are different.”

“Okay Northern Nerd,” the boy said. He didn’t leave, however, staying put and petting the top of Professor Nanuk’s head, the toy poking out of Nauja’s bag. She didn’t correct him, either—he wouldn’t know a Northern accent from a Celestial one…

…wait a second…

“Do you hear that…?” Nauja wondered. Her friend stared at her.

“Hear what?”

“It’s like something’s crying.” She shoved her sketchbook and pencil in his hands and carefully began to head down the rocks.

“I don’t hear anything!”

“But I do!”

“Be careful!” he warned. She was, as she carefully stepped down to where a tidepool was situated within the crevices of the shoreline. There was no way she had just imagined it…

…ah! There! Nauja looked behind a rock to find a small animal sniffling sadly. Wait, was it a dog…?

“I found something!” she shouted up at Magne. She took her jacket off and wrapped the wet ball of fur up in it, bringing it back up the shore to where her classmate sat in bewilderment.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I dunno.” She opened her jacket and the creature yipped cautiously as it was set on the ground. Suddenly, she understood. “It’s a puppy.”

“A puppy…? I wonder where he’s from.”

“One of the trader ships, I think.”

“…but those all left yesterday. How did they miss him?”

“He didn’t want to be found,” she said. Nauja plucked the sticks and kelp from the puppy’s fur and realized he was white with a large diamond-shaped mark. Huh. So he looked a lot like a riceball…

“So now you talk to animals?”

“I… I’m just guessing,” she scowled. Her classmate didn’t seem very convinced.

“Well, what are we gonna do with it?” the kid frowned.

“Keep it…?”

“I can’t keep a dog; my grandma’s allergic.”

“Then maybe I can,” Nauja replied. She let the puppy shift under her hand and roll onto his back. He yipped happily as she began scratching his stomach, his paws batting at thin air.

“Your dad is a doctor—are you allowed to even have pets?”

“I don’t see why not if he stays in the right parts of the house and not the clinic.”

“Your whole house is the clinic.”

“Well, I’m not letting him just stay out on his own! It gets cold out!”

“He has fur.”

“Well, I’m gonna try anyhow,” she decided. “I don’t want him to be sparrow food when they come back! That’d be my fault if he was!”

Magne shrugged; no one could say he didn’t try.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“No.”

“…but Vaor…! He has nowhere to go!” Nauja pouted as her father continued to idly write on a med chart. He was making a concerted effort to not look at his daughter and the now-dry animal currently cradled in her arms. Meanwhile, one of the younger smiths was sitting on the nearby exam table with her arm in a cast, trying to keep a straight face. “He must have come off a trader ship.”

“Then he needs to go back on that trader ship.”

“…but there’s no one left in the harbor!”

“Having a dog is a commitment, Nauja. You can’t expect it to be easy.”

“I didn’t think it would be easy!” She then turned to the smith. “You know I’m serious, don’t you?!”

“I’m not the one you need to convince, kid,” the smith chuckled. She then glanced over at Law, who was pointedly avoiding looking at his daughter. “At least look at the little guy.”

“No,” he repeated. “It’s a waste of time.”

“…but Vaor…!”

“Nauja, I…!” Law went to throw what was supposed to be a piercing glare at the kid, one that was supposed to put an end to the conversation once and for all, and instead he was met with her holding up and towards him a ball of fluff happily panting as it wagged its tail and stared at him with an expression so free of thought that it might as well of been Enlightened.

Fuck.

“Get that thing out of the infirmary and into the kitchen,” he grumbled, face growing hot. Stars seemed to appear in Nauja’s eyes as she ran out in a fit of giggles.

“Didn’t think an old man like you would like cute things so much,” the smith smirked. Oh, yeah, she was a wiry nineteen-year-old—for fuck’s sake, he wasn’t that old.

“I was taken aback, is all,” he said, attempting to downplay the situation. “Now, let’s get that cast off you…”

Law fumbled through the rest of the appointment and sent the smith on her way. Once he was sure there was no one waiting to see him, he stormed into the kitchen, where Nauja was sitting on the floor and watching the puppy as it drank from a bowl of water. Another bowl was sitting nearby with some scraps of half-eaten lamb, no doubt pilfered from the fridge.

“You have to find a home for it,” he insisted, making sure he got it in before she even had a chance to speak. “We can’t have something like this around the house, famke.”

“Why not?”

“Dogs are not only messy but they’re also allergens, and what will happen to it if we have to leave?”

“Then he comes along!”

“Him? You checked?”

“He told me!” Law could feel his patience being drained at an incredible rate. “I found him because he was calling to me from the rocks. Magne couldn’t hear him, but I could.”

“This is still a medical facility. He can only stay long enough for you to find him a new home. Do you understand?”

“I guess,” she sighed. The dog looked up from the water bowl and his entire body seemed to shake as he wagged his tail. “Come on, Onigiri. You can stay in my room until then.”

“You named it?!”

“Well, yeah.” She shrugged and stroked the dog’s back. “Doesn’t he look like one?”

Honestly? The thing looked like it was going to be a nuisance.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Later that night, after the clinic switched to Emergency Hours and dinner was had, Law was settling down in the private sitting room they had put together upstairs for the evening. He had just gotten in a stack of new journals, meaning he was ready to begin his first read-through of them until he fell asleep on the couch, invariably waking up in the middle of the night with a crick in his neck and a blanket pulled over him by his daughter. Tea, cookies, the stack of journals… he was all set…

…except, Nauja went and brought Onigiri in as well, the puppy happily sniffing and exploring the new room.

“Keep him off the furniture,” Law said idly, not even looking up from the journal.

“I know,” she droned. “He even has his own bed I made out of an old blanket and a box from the rooms we don’t use. I don’t think he can hop up high enough to get on the furniture.”

“Good.” Law took a sip of tea and continued reading. The less he interacted with the dog, the better.

Eventually, Nauja excused herself to use the bathroom and left Onigiri to wander around some more. The wee pup sniffed about until he came to Law’s feet, at which he looked up and happily yipped as his entire body wagged. Law only moved his eyes as he looked at the houseguest, trying the instill the seas’ wrath in the animal.

Instead, it hopped directly up into his lap.

“No! Bad dog! Get down!” Law hissed through his teeth as he attempted to shoo away the dog, only to realize that it plopped itself into a little ball in his lap and was refusing to budge. He tried to push it off his lap, only for Onigiri to cuddle against his hand.

Oh. He was soft…

By the time Nauja came back from the bathroom, she saw her vaor was still reading his journals, but was also idly scritching Onigiri behind the ears, the puppy settled comfortably in his lap. She was smart enough to not draw attention to it, instead pulling her own book off a shelf and sitting down on the couch to read. It was something she didn’t want to jinx, instead peeking glances at them over the edge of her book.

It looked like they were going to have a dog after all! This was going to be the best!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Everyone was awake in the Mokomo Dukedom as the Lords of Day and Night finally made good on their promise and drew a meeting with their Lesser Mink guests. With Minkdebt claimed, they needed to figure things out together, but by the way they eschewed the Kingsbirds and decided to meet them in-person, jointly… it was monumental. The Kingsbirds even mostly stayed outside, keeping the rest of the dukedom from entering the meeting.

An awkward silence settled over the meeting hall as the Polar Pirates were sat across from the pair of large Mink lords. Duke Inuarashi of the Day and Master Nekomamushi of the Night both towered over them all—even Jean Bart—and they were truly a sight to behold. Fred silently urged her cousin to step forward, with Bepo shakily complying.

“Th-thank you for seeing us, milords,” the bear shivered. “It is an honor…”

“Why did you bring these Lesser Minks here?” Inuarashi asked, cutting him off. Bepo flinched.

“They are my friends,” he replied truthfully. “Thre—sorry—two of them have been with me since I was a cub, when I was stranded in the North Blue. They took care of me, and I wanted to take care of them in return.”

“Three?” Nekomamushi rumbled. “Why was there three?”

“I’m… not the first captain of this crew. Our first captain… retired. His… his priorities changed.”

“Lesser Minks that turn towards piracy are a selfish lot,” Nekomamushi stated. “Many chase gold, Beri, power, beautiful bedmates… their lust for petty things ruins lives. What did this man chase that threw you in such ruin you came back here?”

Bepo swallowed hard—even having come from a Kingsbird family, it did not change the fact that he was absolutely terrified of the Lords of Day and Night, just as he was as a young cub.

“Raising his daughter,” he squeaked. The Lords gave one another a sideways glance before leaning down in unison, an action more unnerving than anything.

“His… daughter…?” Inuarashi repeated. Bepo nodded silently. “He stepped away from a life of infamy and potential riches to raise a cub?”

“Sorry, I know it doesn’t sound very logical, but she’s a good kid! I was the one who found her, and she sort of attached herself to the Captain, and before we realized it, he gave up being a pirate to be her dad! They’re probably somewhere in the South Blue right now, but we haven’t heard from them in months, so we can’t say for sure…”

“Hmmm…” both the Lords hummed in unison before glaring at each other. The Human members of the Polar Pirates exchanged looks amongst themselves—whatever the Lords of Day and Night were now, they had absolutely been best friends at one point.

“Fine,” Penguin scoffed. He could see this was going to go nowhere fast and decided to bluff their way towards results. “We can tell when we’re not wanted.” He turned to leave, only for Nekomamushi to slam his paw on the armrest.

“Don’t you dare leave, Lesser Mink,” he growled. Penguin turned back to face the Lords and shrugged.

“You don’t like Humans, I get it, I’d hate us too if I was stuck on the back of this elephant my whole life and didn’t know anything other than horror stories…”

“Do not speak like you know us!” Inuarashi barked. The Polar Pirates all froze, the Lord’s outburst having shaken them. “Did Bepo, son of Yepo and Alana, tell you what we did before we were bestowed the weight of rule?”

“N… no…?”

“We spent our cub years in a nation of mostly Humans, where they cared for us as though there was no difference,” Inuarashi said. “One of our greatest regrets is that we could not protect our Lord’s children all these years when he could not.”

“Your Lord’s…?” Clione began to think aloud, which forcefully dragged him into the conversation. “That would insinuate that there’s more to Mokomo than just a Dukedom.”

“It has something to do with those cranes emblems, doesn’t it?” Ikkaku asked. Everyone turned their attention towards her, who looked as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Some of them are really old and worn, but there’s an emblem that’s all around that looks like a crane. It has nothing to do with Minks—there’s no Crane Minks and they aren’t a bird that sticks around—which means it’s something involving elsewhere. Right?”

“How did you figure this?” Nekomamushi wondered.

“It is plain to see,” Jean Bart defended. “She sees as a woman, I see as someone recently freed from a slave’s life. We notice to survive and survival means you have to notice things around you. If you were abroad for all that time, then you must know what that’s like.”

The Lords of Day and Night both considered that; the Lesser Minks were more clever than they let on. They then returned their attention to Bepo, who seemed ready to faint from nerves.

“The tides are shifting,” Inuarashi noted. “We have been looking for a unit to train as seafaring envoys for our nation, but if we put too many of our people in such a group, any defeat of theirs would wipe out our most skilled warriors.”

“We have discussed it at-length in our correspondences,” Nekomamushi continued. “As a Child of Electro, we know your loyalties, and we think it would be a good thing to keep some Lesser Minks on-hand in order to go places we cannot.”

“…besides…” Inuarashi shifted in his chair to get comfortable. “You know Lesser Mink society as well as we do—a crew only captained by a Greater Mink has a better chance at moving amongst the other nations without getting too much unwanted attention.”

“So you want us to be your mercs,” Shachi frowned. The Lords both looked at him.

“If that’s how you want to look at it,” Inuarashi replied.

“…then yes,” Nekomamushi finished. “You want work: become our mercenaries-in-all-but-name and you will become official Mokomoans. Legally, there will be no distinction between you and your captain. All the rights that our cubs enjoy from birth, you shall know.”

“So then,” Inuarashi said, extending a paw, “do you agree?”

There was only one choice the Polar Pirates had, now wasn’t there?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Onigiri yipped happily as he scampered on ahead of Law and Nauja while they walked along the lonely path up towards the highest point on Diura. It was nearly midday, yet the change in altitude kept the air just cold enough to send a chill through the girl’s spine.

“How much further?” she wondered.

“Not far,” her father assured. He whistled for the dog as he walked off the path, leading them across rougher rocks before coming to a level area nestled within the craggy terrain. “Here we are; best camping spot on the island.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Positive.” Law opened a Room and swapped a bunch of nearby twigs and branches for a cluster of pebbles, automatically building their campfire supplies. Once that was done, he moved a large stone with Takt, revealing the nook where he had previously hid Kikoku when he scouted for the spot, the sword humming in delight. “We can make camp before we start with more training.”

“Okay.” She took off her dirk and set it next to Kikoku, watching as Onigiri sniffed both weapons. “Vaor…?”

“Yes, famke?”

“How did you learn Kikoku’s name?”

Law glanced over at his daughter and the dog, watching them watch the sword and knife. “I learned it when I got it. Why?”

“I was just wondering if all weapons have names.”

“No, they don’t.”

“Then why is this one asking me to name it?” She turned towards him, frowning in trepidation. “Why is it talking to me…?”

“The same reason you can understand Onigiri, and why when Marla-ya brought Storm over for a checkup, you knew he was hungry before he cried.”

“Oh.” Nauja thought for a moment, her brow furrowing as she bit her bottom lip. “Is that symetesia?”

“Synethesia? No, more like the Voice of All Things. Now come here and help me.” She did pad over to his side and helped secure some branches as posts as he made a shelter out of rocks and a tarp. “I didn’t think it was real at first, but you’ve been showing signs for a bit.”

“…and what’s that?”

“You can talk to babies, you can hear Onigiri and Kikoku, you can pick up when traders are coming… remember when you would have those nightmares on the Tang?”

“Yeah… where I was running through a war…?”

“We passed by several places that were going through wars or being torn apart by more typical pirates,” he explained. “You caught onto that in your dreams—I thought it was just Observation Haki back then, but now I’m starting to reassess my diagnosis.”

“…because Haki doesn’t let you hear dogs.”

“Dogs, maybe; swords? Not like you do. Hold this.” He had her keep the tarp taut as he finished securing it. “I can feel what Kikoku emanates because it’s cursed and I’ve been around it long enough, but you… something about it feels fundamentally different.” Law stepped back from the tent, prompting Nauja to do so as well. “This is different, and I need you to know it’s not a bad sort of different, even though I don’t know what we’re going to do with it.”

“Maybe someone on Diura knows what to do?”

“I doubt it,” he sighed. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair as he itched his scalp. “Until we figure it out, this is one of the things we need to keep quiet.”

“I guess…” Nauja glanced back at Onigiri, who was sniffing at her dirk’s sheath. “Do you think I can control it with Haki? Hearing the Voice of All Things?”

“Possibly. Let’s work on you knowing a bit more about Observation and Armament Haki first.” Law ruffled her hair and she shrugged him off with a laugh. “Maybe I can even get you knocking out patients before we’re done.”

“Maybe; Armament Haki is so weird like that.”

“It can be.” Law could feel Kikoku bristle as Nauja walked back to the weapons and picked her knife up. She unsheathed it and looked at the well-cared-for metal in the glinting light of the late afternoon. “So…? What’s it saying…?”

“Zokuka,” she replied. “It’s name is Zokuka.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was the Spring Festival and everything seemed to be going along well. Since the Winter Solstice Festival had been canceled (the woman who had been running it passed away suddenly), it felt like everyone was going all-out. Most of the island’s population was crammed into the large field by the school, where there were children’s games and food being cooked and kegs of winterbeer being tapped with glee.

“It would be a missed opportunity,” a carpenter said, very clearly drunk. It was all Law could do to not move down the bench and away from him, especially since it would be moving towards others. “How do you know it won’t work if you don’t try?”

“…because I don’t care whose sister or cousin or friend it is—I’m not in the mood,” the doctor replied. He took another drink of his water—had to stay sober in case of an emergency—and scowled. “Just not ready yet.” The carpenter shrugged and was about to continue his argument, when Svana came over brandishing a pair of pints.

“Go, shoo,” she scolded, scaring off the interloper. The carpenter retreated, allowing the elderly woman to shove one of her pints in Law’s hands. “Here; you look like you need this.”

“I’ve already had two; can’t get buzzed—let alone drunk—and expect to have a clear head in an emergency.” His eyes wandered towards where some children, Nauja and Onigiri included, were playing with some juvenile super-sparrows, not liking the sharpness of those beaks. “People are acting stupid now that the sun’s touched their skin.”

“True, but you last had a real pint hours ago. Live a little; it’s been a good winter.”

“It has…?”

“I would think so. People accept you now, don’t they?” Law grouchily took a drink from the winterbeer and Svana laughed. “Nicolette would have loved you.”

He thought a moment before it clicked. “Why would you say that of Dr. Ghar-Spartel?”

“Enough of the North clung to her that she would have found you hilarious. Watching you want to murder people for just talking to you is funny enough as it is.”

“They need to get off my back with all the talk of matchmaking. How many times do I need to say I’m not looking for someone?”

“At least a few times more,” Svana sighed. “Listen, son: the people here are loyal and protective and accepting of those they count as their own. Unfortunately they’re also extremely stupid.”

Law raised an eyebrow as he stared at her. “You’re drunk.”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t change the fact they’re denser than Five Year Fergus’s wool.” She motioned with her own pint towards a pen where a surly ram was being kept, the creature’s overgrown pelt massive thanks to him naughtily skipping shearing seasons. “Y’know, if Antje was the only gal for you, then Mika might not mind doing something fake to keep people away while you figure yourself out. It’d help her out too…”

“No… just… I don’t know…” Law thought about the ocean that was not far away and how it could connect him to his crew. “I don’t know if I can let myself… especially this soon…”

“You’re not going to get anywhere sitting off to the side talking to no one.”

“I do talk to people,” he bristled. She gave him a deadpan look and he felt his face grow hot. “I talk to you.”

“Your elderly colleague and neighbor does not count,” she claimed. He scowled and tried to hide behind a sip of winterbeer. “You owe it to them, anyhow.”

“Owe what to whom?”

“A chance to the people who took you in; knowledge for your family that you’re finally letting yourself be happy for once.”

Law glared at the old woman. “How do you know I’m not happy now?”

“Look at you,” she scoffed. “That is not the posture of a man who allows himself to be happy.”

“Now I know you’re drunk,” he frowned, rolling his eyes. He finished off the pint and passed her back the empty tankard. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be double-checking my supplies.”

Law didn’t even allow Svana the chance to respond before he stood and left the festival, soon finding himself back within the safety of the clinic. It was quiet there and he could finally be with his thoughts… at least until someone got so drunk they were liable to break a limb. He trudged upstairs and sank into the seat at his desk in the private office; if there was really an emergency, the bell attached to the door would alert him.

Why the fuck was everything so exhausting? Law stared at the ceiling for a bit, idly twisting back and forth as the chair swiveled, trying his best not to scream. He was already over the lies, the dancing around topics, the attempts of his new neighbors to get involved more than a doctor should allow—and yet he knew that this was the safest route to take. A city would present too many people to keep track of and moving to another rural island would start the problems all over again. Besides, a place that was unaffiliated with the World Government to the point of spite? Not many large animals despite it being the South Blue? It not being hotter than the inside of the Polar Tang on a two-week dive also despite being in the South Blue? No one asking him about his schooling credentials? He’d never find another place like this even if he sailed the entire Blue.

Part of him wondered how the crew was doing. Were they still on the Grand Line? Had they made it to Zou? What were they doing now that they didn’t have him to lead the way? He had no questions over whether or not Bepo had been the right one to pass captainship onto, but that still did not stop him from worrying. Then again, he did a lot of worrying, didn’t he? Since forever, it felt like; first it was about Lami, then about Cora-san, then Bepo and Penguin and Shachi, followed by the rest of the crew, and now… now it was Nauja. After all this time… it was only Nauja.

He didn’t regret it—he couldn’t regret it—because he knew that this was what he wanted to do in the end. Pass on the Tang to someone he trusted, find a quiet place, settle down, raise a kid and grow old… it was something he considered a pipe dream before Nauja. He thought he was going to be the last Flevench person, with no one to tell stories or cook food or share his language. As recently as becoming a Warlord, he thought instead he was going to die by a taut string as he ground a still-beating heart beneath his heel. Now… yet now… now…

Fuck. Why was he so restless? Standing up briskly, Law went to his room and directly to the sink, where he opened the tap all the way and splashed the cool well water on his face. What the fuck was this emotion? What the hell was he feeling? It reminded him distinctly of guilt, but he was well-aware of the sensation and there was no way. This was not the same guilt of him being the only one left… the only survivor… he didn’t understand… what was going on…?

Looking at himself in the mirror, Law noticed how his face seemed to be filling out, his cheeks not as hollow as before the winter. He knew that he was also beginning to put on weight around his middle, hiding his abs; not a lot, but before long he was likely to need new trousers if he kept it up as more than just winter-weight.

If he thought his father had been staring back at him before, he really was now. All he needed were patches on his skin and streaks of white in his hair for seventeen years to vanish and the Bad Days to resurface.

“Ik leafd du, soan,” he whispered, voice trembling. It wasn’t the exact timbre he remembered, but it was so close that it nearly brought tears to his eyes. No, those were not tears streaming down his face… not any more than those were the last words he heard, with his mother already gone…

Law let out a breath as he shakily undid the top buttons of his shirt, exposing his parents’ rings and his chest tattoos in an attempt to break from his thoughts. The ink itched, his skin feeling like it was on fire; there was only so long they were going to be useful in distracting him from the past. He was careful to not expose them much anymore aside from his hands and forearms, but that didn’t change how they all mocked him, in a way. They had been a part of him for so long that he couldn’t imagine removing them, and yet… with summer coming…

A couple hours later, as the sun was going down, Nauja and Onigiri came back to the clinic, thundering up the stairs as they searched for Law. They found him having returned to the private study, desk lamp on as he bent over something he was manipulating in a small Room.

“Vaor! Vaor! Vaor! Lonnie-ya and Eira-ya and Junir-ya are bringing up the season’s first lambs! The feast is gonna start soon!” Nauja tilted her head as she looked at her father’s project. “Is that your chest…?”

“Yeah,” he admitted casually. “I’m altering them a little bit to see if it helps. It’s just moving the faces to make other circles.”

“Why…?”

“They’re too distinctive, and…” He put back the part of his chest he was working on and sighed heavily. “I don’t know if they feel right anymore. I don’t know if anything feels right anymore. At least this way, I can change it back very quickly.”

“Come back to the festival, Vaor,” Nauja insisted with a pout. Onigiri yipped happily, apparently agreeing with her. She tugged gently on his elbow, trying to get him out of his seat. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the opening of the feast.”

“Alright,” he nodded quietly.

Law then allowed himself to be pulled from his office and back to the festival, where indeed farmhands from three different sheep farms were at the platform with the season’s first lambs. Nauja left his side and went where Dervla was giving a speech to the rest of the kids in front of the platform about having survived another winter, about anticipating a good growing season, and how the tradition was to slaughter the first three lambs to feed the island’s children, so that they might know and understand not only their importance to the land as caretakers, but how quickly a larger, craftier animal could gobble them up before they realized. Law held his breath as the blades touched the lambs’ throats, not realizing he twitched as they were killed until he felt a hand touch his arm.

“They don’t have this in Lvneel, do they?” He looked and saw Svana again, her face flush from alcohol and half a pint still in her other hand. “Nicolette didn’t like it either.”

“I’m not fond of slaughter rituals and I don’t know how I feel about my daughter being so close to one.” He contemplated how much he could reveal, his eyes unable to look away from the blood-letting. “I’m sure you can imagine why.”

“Don’t worry; she’s a good girl,” Svana nodded. “She’ll understand it like we do; she seems fascinated already.”

“That’s part of what I’m worried about.” Law could see her curiosity as the lambs’ blood was collected—likely for sausages—and held back a shudder. “Let’s hope her stomach for this carries over when we have a human being bleeding out in the clinic.”

“If she could survive Storm being born, then she can survive most things,” she assured.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

There were not many islands in the Grand Line that came close to replicating Northern winters, but Salcha was getting damn close. Shachi pulled his cloak closer as he stood on the top deck of the Polar Tang, waiting for the shopping committee to return. It was just a good thing that the wind was relatively gentle—one well-timed gust and he would topple over.

Fuck… what had become of him? He and the rest of the crew used to be as hardy and resilient as any batch of Northerners that had earned their keep on the Grand Line. Now most of the crew was huddled inside the Tang…? While he was getting concerned over some wind? It was embarrassing.

About twenty more minutes passed and Shachi eventually saw the shopping committee return with what he figured was going to be the first round of groceries, along with… was that someone from a shop helping with a delivery…? He wasn’t sure until they were all coming up the gangplank, the new person now clearly a very tall man in a cloak huddled over a bundle of blankets in his arms.

“Who the fuck are you?” he wondered.

“Verily, I wish to see Captain Bepo,” the man insisted. “I invoke Minkdebt to secure passage to Zou and the Mokomo Dukedom.”

“Where is Bepo?” Uni asked, teeth chattering. Shachi gave the stranger another look-over and led him below deck. They eventually found the Mink talking with Penguin in the navigation room, the bear squeaking in surprise at the tall man.

“Captain Bepo,” the man breathed, almost reverently. He fell to his knees, clutching the bundle in his arms close to his chest. “Verily, this is an auspicious day! Our fortunes have truly turned!”

“Who are you?” Bepo wondered. He looked at Shachi, the pair exchanging concerned looks, as the man placed the bundle on the ground and removed his cloak, edging it under one end of the blankets once folded.

“My clan is an ancient ally of the Dukedom,” he said, shrugging off the sleeves of his kimono. Turning, the man showed the crest tattooed on his back—the same crane within an ornate circle that was all over Zou—tears forming in his eyes. “The Kozuki Family is the one I serve thusly—I, Kin’emon, am their faithful servant—and it is by great fortune that we have crossed paths with a Mink.”

“Kozuki…?” Penguin tilted his head as he wrapped his mouth around the word. “Know anything about these guys, Bep?”

“Something from when I was a cub, yeah…” His ears then perked up. “You’re the Humans that the Oldfathers made a pact with! The samurai from Wano! The Original Minkdebt!”

“Verily, and I must ask you extend your forebears’ generosity once again, if not for my sake, then for my lord’s.”

“Your lord’s…?”

“Indeed.” He took the bundle of blankets and peeled back a layer, revealing an unconscious boy. “May I introduce the True Shogun of Wano, Kozuki Momonosuke, who is currently on Death’s Door.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It seemed as though the entire crew had popped into the mess hall to take a look at their visitors. While they were started off with a gentle gruel to make sure their stomachs were not in complete starvation mode yet, the pair of samurai were soon eating piles of food, seemingly making up for the lost meals.

“Not a single bite?” Clione marveled. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“I took nary a bite,” Kin’emon said through his food, “and Lord Momonosuke only ate a spoilt fruit. We Wanolese are in possession of a mettle few others can match.”

“Yeah, but this is just a kid,” Shachi noted. He caught Momonosuke’s eyes, at which the boy quickly looked back down at his food. “Hey, kid, how old are you?”

“I shall be nine soon,” the boy mumbled. Penguin scoffed in amusement.

“So you’re eight? We got experience with kids your age.” He watched as Momonosuke’s face turn puzzled as he looked around—there were no other children there. “She’s not here right now, but until recently there was a kid on the ship, and she just turned eight.”

“Where is she?” the kid asked.

“Somewhere a little more stable than a pirate ship,” Ikkaku said. She propped her chin up with her hand as she leaned into the table. “Her dad saw there was a choice to make in how she grew up, and he made it.”

“I do not have that luxury,” Momonosuke sniffled.

“…of your dad making a choice…?”

“…of my father still being able to make such a choice for my wellbeing.” He placed his bowl and chopsticks down on the table and pressed his palms together. “Thank you for the meal. You are most kind for pirates.”

“We are who we are, pirates or not,” Jean Bart stated. “Are you done? We have a bed where you can rest.” Momonosuke nodded silently and allowed the large man to lead him along. Kin’emon did not resume eating until after the boy had left, continuing to shovel food into his mouth.

“Lord Momonosuke has suffered much these past months,” he said. “He lost both his parents and younger sister in quick succession, only to find that we have been subject to a mysterious jutsu.”

“…a… jutsu…?” Penguin scratched his head under his hat. “What, you mean like a ninja?”

“Indeed; a talent one can only gain with luck. Lady Toki, my late shogun’s wife, could manipulate time and use it to send people to a distant hour. I also have a jutsu—I can create disguises.”

“Oh… you mean a Devil Fruit ability,” Shachi realized. Everyone else nodded in agreement. “We’re familiar with those. So, she could go back and forth, eh?”

“No, only forward.” Kin’emon shuddered as it seemed as though the past few months were all coming back to him at once. “He is a strong lad, however. He will be just as strong a man… like his father before him.”

“He’s a kid,” Bepo said. “He should be allowed to figure out who he is on his own.”

“That is another luxury he cannot afford.” Kin’emon finished off what was in his bowl and put it and the utensils down as he saw Jean Bart return to the room. “Is he…?”

“Sleeping soundly. You can go see him, if you want.”

Carefully, Kin’emon stood and was led through the tight corridors of the submarine until he was brought to what looked like was little more than a broom closet. Jean Bart opened the door and the samurai saw that it was, indeed, a small room, where Momonosuke was curled up in a child-sized bed, hugging a stuffed toy seagull and snuggled in a blanket emblazoned with a design from Sora, Warrior of the Sea. He watched the boy reverently, the child’s face peaceful and breathing even from sheer exhaustion. Kin’emon went to his side and knelt down, bowing his head in deference.

“I swear on the graves of our clan and my fellow retainers that Lady Toki’s words shall not be in vain,” he promised. The boy slept on, unaware of his surroundings other than that he was comfortable enough to sleep.

The course to Zou was already set.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

A/N: We love Onigiri in this house.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, that rock can be home - Part 2

With the rate at which I’m finishing these chapters, I highly doubt I’m going to get the next one done before *checks notes* mid-April at the earliest, so I’m sorry in advance. Good news I guess is that I recently also passed 41k overall and I am regretting my decisions lol

Chapter 1 [FFN/AO3]

With a backwater island located, a father and daughter adjust to their new life. [10,387 words; AU where Law tries to lead the quiet life Cora-san always wanted for him]

Business was slow.

It was not that there was a lack of need for a medical professional in Hinba or on Diura as a whole. As a matter of fact, it was clear that there was an intense need for one. It was simply that—aside from the handful of new patients he did see who were mostly around his age—the residents weren’t entirely trusting of the man who simply wandered in from parts unknown and it was becoming a problem.

“They’ll come around,” Svana said as she measured Law’s fingers. She was bored and decided that he needed gloves, so therefore was going to knit some that fit his curiously long hands. He had tried to turn her down, but before he could even get a word out Nauja had been gifted mittens of her own for when the snows began to fly, the girl now wearing them happily around the house as the adults stuck to the front sitting room.

“I’m more used like a novel pharmacy than anything,” he groused. “How do you get them to listen to you?”

“I delivered over half the island’s population and haven’t lost a mother yet,” she shrugged. “They’re a prickly bunch—we tend to be so here in the South.”

“I knew this place felt like home,” he scoffed. She finished writing measurements and took some yarn and needles from her basket. “I’ve worked with guys from the South Blue before—I was well aware of what I was getting into.”

“Of course,” she agreed idly. Law wasn’t entirely certain he enjoyed the fact the island’s elderly midwife had attached herself to the clinic so readily. Boredom, perhaps? Wanting to make certain that the prior doctor’s spirit was not being trampled? If he didn’t know better, he would have guessed that there had been something between Svana and the old doctor, though that would have put such an age gap between them that he didn’t want to think of the logistics…

Just then, one of the small children who tended to run around nearby came barreling in through the front door, making Law jump in surprise; how in the hell were kids fucking with his Observational Haki? The child, however, looked out of breath, as though he had run the entire way from the school to there.

“Now what is this about?” Svana asked, barely even reacting to the boy’s sudden presence.

“There’s ships in the harbor!” the boy squeaked. “Traders!”

“Which ones?” she asked. The boy pondered for a moment as he took off his backpack.

“Books and stuff, but also house things!” He took a small box from his bag and shoved it in Law’s hands. “Miss Lanna at the shop told me to give this to you!”

“I never ordered anything… what is it…?”

“Mark-over,” the boy scoffed, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Some people use it when the traders are in town because of the sailors’ marks they got! She said you probably don’t have some for your hands. I guess it’s the stuff you have to mix…? But she said you could get some that matches your hands better if you talk to her.”

“Then I shall have to thank Miss Lanna next time I see her,” he nodded. The boy grinned, clearly proud of himself. “Now run along; I should put some of this on if I’m going to see what the traders brought.”

“Yes, sir!” The boy then zoomed out of the house as quickly as he entered it, leaving the two adults to exchange tired looks.

“Do you need me to show you?” Svana asked, gesturing to the makeup box.

“I’m a man of many talents,” he deadpanned. He stood and brought the box with him to the large infirmary, where he was able to mix the tint into the makeup with the help of the room’s strong lights until it was so close to his skin tone that he almost couldn’t tell the difference. Law thought of Cora-san as he began to brush the stuff over his hands and forearms, remembering the man’s routine that he had though of as silly at the time.

“Remember Law, you don’t need to pile it on too thick. Just enough to conceal will do.”

Fuck… it had seemed like so long ago… was it really that long? Cora-san had taught him a lot when they were running together, hadn’t he? Sometimes there was nothing to do but watch him. He would shave, put on makeup, fix his hair… usually right before they tried another hospital that he eventually would burn down. He didn’t think the medical networks they visited had fully recovered until just a year or so before he took the Polar Tang into the Grand Line…

A few spritzes of sealant and the job was complete. Law stared at his hands and arms, marveling at how different they looked without the ink being visible. He stared in the mirror as he fastened his shirt up to the second-to-topmost button, fingers trembling as he did so. Each done button made the man staring back at him more a ghost than anything, his father finally before him when he was done. Neither of his parents had tattoos that he had known of, and it reminded him partly of why he had gotten them to begin with—to stave off his brain going back to those days.

It was inevitable now; he planned on growing older than his father ever had the chance to be, and the man was certain to stare back at him from time to time for his troubles. How old would his parents be if they lived this long…? How much older than Cora-san had they been…? What would they think of him off in the middle of nowhere, playing pretend—

“Vaor! Vaor! Vaor!” His morbid thoughts took a back seat as he heard Nauja come looking for him, with her nearly throwing the door open with how excited she was. “Svana-ya said traders are here!” She stopped and stared at his hands and forearms, her head tilting to the side. “Where’d your tattoos go?”

“I covered them—can’t trust traders. Their reach is too long.”

“Since when do you know makeup?”

“You’ve seen photos of Cora-jiisan; the man made sure I can apply eyeliner in the dark.”

“Can you teach me how to do that?”

“Maybe when you’re a little older and we know your hand’s steady,” he offered. “Now come on; let’s go see what got brought into port.”

Nauja made her way to the front door while Law got his wallet from his office and left the clinic, Svana having already gone back to her own house. The pair went down to the docks and watched some of the merchants unload their ship with some of the other villagers. Law glanced over at one of the men standing there—a teacher from the school, if he recalled correctly, who looked to be about his age.

“How do we see what they got?” he asked.

“We have a couple empty spots where they set up shop—in the middle of summer, there’s often stalls,” the other man replied. He gestured down the main road, where someone was opening the shutters of what was likely a storefront. “You’re the new doctor, I take it?”

“Yeah. Tr—er…” He pretended to cough. “Sorry. Doctor Corasson Law. My daughter Nauja is the one that only shows up three times a week for morning sessions and twice for afternoons.”

“You’re good to make her go at all—her social skills have been improving the most from what I can tell. That you’d have to ask her main teacher; I just take her if there’s a coverage issue. I’m Seasbur Daisuke; Nauja’ll be in my class full-time in a couple years.”

“Thank you for looking after her.” He bowed his head slightly, Daisuke mirroring his movement. “She can be a little much.”

“Ah, she’s just a kid.”

“Yeah, but she’s my kid, so I know how much of a handful she can be.” He watched as the sailors continued to load boxes onto the cart. “What do they have, anyhow?”

“Stuff we can’t make here, mostly,” Daisuke explained. “Primarily manufactured goods, but there are some specialty imports and some different foods.” He paused for a moment, clearly mulling something over, before continuing. “Say, since I got you here and there’s still a while before they’re ready for business, my coworkers and I were wondering if we could talk to you about something.”

“Did Nauja—?”

“No, she’s fine. It has nothing to do with her, but figure might as well talk now while the kids are all distracted.” He motioned towards where the schoolhouse sat. Children were trickling out the front door, most of them bouncing and excited for what the traders possibly had for them as they headed towards the wharf.

Well, there was no time like the present, he guessed.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law knuckled his left ear and stared at the small group in front of him. “You want me to teach what…?”

“Health class,” Jacks—the headmaster—repeated awkwardly. Both secretaries and all three teachers were there as well, each of them with a hopeful expression.

“You do realize that I don’t even know if the people on this island trust me yet to be their primary care physician, let alone teach their children anything related to the Human body.”

“Oh wait, that’s right, you also lived on the Grand Line—do you know anything about Fishfolk and Minks? To be thorough?”

Law pinched the bridge of his nose and pursed his lips for a moment, gathering himself. “I know my daughter just started and is on the young end, but what all do you teach here?”

“A bit of everything,” Rikki—one of the teachers—offered. “Reading, writing, math, geography, what we can of social studies, science, and history…”

“…and we add in things that would be useful for living on this island specifically,” another teacher—Dia—added. “This means often going outside the classroom for introductions to agriculture, animal husbandry, sailing, fishing, how to barter with merchants, placement with potential apprenticeships or further education off the island…”

“Wait: you can teach them about how sheep fuck but not about Humans?”

“It’d be nice if we didn’t have to teach them about Humans fucking,” Daisuke admitted. “I mean, you can also go over with them stuff about good hygiene and what to do when you’re sick and all that, but you’re an actual doctor… I think things might hit different coming from you.”

Whatever headache was going to result from this conversation was going to be troublesome.

“So… you want me to write a Health curriculum for ages six to sixteen purely because I am a doctor? Despite the fact I’m still a stranger? Don’t you ever have Svana-ya come in and talk to them or something…?”

“She does, but… my wife said that you trained for a while in Drum Kingdom before its downfall and then Water 7 after that—you’re much more qualified to talk about nitty-gritty medical matters.” Law stared at Jacks, unsure what in that to broach first. “My wife, Dervla, she’s the village leader. You know… the one that told you to set up shop in the old clinic.”

“Between talking to her and Svana, we’ve gotten an idea of the kind of person you are,” Daisuke added. Law exhaled heavily and was thankful that it was at least this and not, say, the entire village ganging up on him at once; he was right to suspect Svana as a possible font of information about him, though Dervla was a surprise. “We’re willing to give you a go, if you’re interested.”

“Might stave off some awkward conversations later,” Dia shrugged. “I’ve got the teenagers and the amount of things I’ve heard of getting stuck in places…”

“Alright, alright… fuck…” Law sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly; this was a rare sort of opportunity to get in the good graces of the island’s inhabitants, and the sooner he could win their trust, the sooner he could blend into the background. “This would solve more problems than you’re telling me, I take it?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Jacks admitted. “Sometimes we draw straws and it’s still not enough.”

Law regretted his words before he even said them. “Then I guess I can put together something…”

The collective sigh amongst the staff was telling.

“Seas, thank you,” Jacks breathed. He shook Law’s hand with an unexpected force that wriggled the younger man’s arm and through into his body. “How long do you need to prepare the course?”

“I… uh…”

“Does three weeks sound good?”

“It…”

“Excellent—we’ll set up something for you to show us what you’ve come up with in the meantime!” Jacks seemed to be absolutely set on not giving Law a choice in the matter. “Alright, then we’ll see you towards the end of the month.”

What the actual fuck had he just gotten himself into?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Vaor, can I ask a question about before here?”

It was a few days later and Law glanced up from the coursework he was compiling to see Nauja was standing awkwardly in the doorway to his office in the clinic. He reached out with his Observation Haki—cutting down on his Devil Fruit was going to be a priority—and felt no one, prompting him to put the publication down. “What is it, famke? Is it about the crew?”

“Umm…” She looked down at her hands. “I just had a thought: why do you have things from Flevance? I thought they were dangerous.”

Oh.

“They were, but I was able to fix that,” he replied. Law beckoned his daughter over and she entered the office, climbing up into his lap. She was getting big for that, he realized, and wondered when it would need to stop entirely. “One of the first things we did when we got the Polar Tang was go to Flevance and look around at all the damage. We took some things I didn’t mind ruining and experimented to see if we could divorce the Amber Lead from things that had been treated with it. After that, I was able to take things from my home and made them safe for people to touch and carry so that I’d always have a bit of the good memories with me.”

“So… that’s why you have Oma and Opa’s rings?”

“Yeah.” He felt the weight of the twin loops sitting against his chest on their chain a little more prominently, glad for their presence. “It’s how I got a lot of things, actually.” Pausing, he wondered if he should continue, then thought he might as well. “Would you like to see?”

“Oooh! Yes please!” Nauja’s face brightened at the prospect, so Law opened a Room—damn it, he had to stop that—and replaced the medical journal with a boot-box he had brought with him from the Polar Tang, one with a cobbler’s stamp from a shop on the White City’s high street. It was one of the few things from the ship he’d taken that could not be shoved in a pack, along with a box of miscellaneous books and things, as well as the small chest from Nauja’s original home in Water 7. “Oh! This box!”

“Do you remember this?” She nodded as he lifted the lid and took out the envelopes of photographs, exposing the rest of the contents scattered across the bottom. “We couldn’t bring anything too hefty with us, being in a submarine and all, but we were able to reclaim some things like jewelry and other small items.”

“Oooh, like these!” Nauja marveled, taking a pair of wire-frame eyeglasses out. She held them up to her face and then wobbled—the lens’ strength was a surprise. “Opa had bad eyes.”

“Heh, yeah, and so far I’ve got Oma’s sight, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Law explained. “This was the bell Tante Lami and I used when we were sick, and these are my parents’ name tags for their doctor’s coats at the hospital—it was easier some days to grab a spare from the hospital linen closet if theirs hadn’t made it through the wash—and this…”

“…what about this…?” She pulled a lumpy envelope out and frowned. “It’s heavier than the others.”

“That’s because it’s full of that jewelry I was talking about,” he said. He let her pour the contents out onto the desktop, only to see that it was a jumbled, tangled mess. “Maybe when you’re a bit older we can go through it. I don’t know what you’d like or not.”

“It’s a mess.”

“That’s what it does when someone doesn’t keep it all separated properly.” He then had an idea. “If you want, you can get them all apart, and then I can get you a box for it.”

“That’d be nice.” She poked at the lump, where a teardrop pendant sat shimmering in the light. “So you went with Penguin-ya and Shachi-ya and Bepo-ya to get these?”

“We left Bepo-ya on the ship as a control subject, but yeah, we did,” he confirmed. “The chemistry set we’d stolen before heading over came in handy.”

“I wish I could have seen Flevance in person,” Nauja said quietly, “you know, without the danger.”

“I know, my little seagull; I wish that too.” He pressed a kiss to her hair as he gave her a one-armed hug. “So much of it was white and pastels, even in nature, at such an amount that we should have seen Amber Lead coming earlier.” Letting his eyes go out of focus, Law’s memories slipped back nearly two decades and he swallowed hard. Had it really been that long…? Was his sister’s smile that old? His mother’s gentle voice? His father’s strong hands? The sisters’ guidance? Eventually, he felt Nauja’s hand wipe at his face—when did he start crying? “Thank you.”

“For what…?”

“Being here. Listening. Accepting. It means more than you realize.”

…and honestly? He knew it was more than he realized as well, but he wasn’t about to get into that. They instead began to untangle the knot in front of them, working right until the next patient came in through the front door.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The morning chill settled over Hinba in a low mist as Nauja grabbed her Sora backpack and ran out the kitchen door into the pre-dawn air. She couldn’t figure out why it was this cold and no one was acting like it was unusual, but was glad that it seemed like it was supposed to be normal. She watched the sun creep over the ridge as she made her way to school, where it was clear she was one of the first ones there.

“Good morning, Miss Rikki!” she grinned as she ran into her classroom. None of the other students in her grades cluster had arrived yet, which was honestly fine by her. The woman at the head desk glanced up and smiled.

“My… aren’t you here early?” Miss Rikki chuckled.

“I wanted to know if I could use the lightbox!” Nauja said. “Vaor’s still using ours and won’t give it up.”

“Is that so?” The teacher went over to where the lightbox desk was and switched it on. “What sort of things are you learning about now?”

“The digestive system,” Nauja replied happily. She dug into her backpack and pulled out a looseleaf snail photo of exposed bowels from an injured Marine and placed it on the lightbox surface along with a piece of tracing paper over it. “Isn’t it cool?! I’m not learning everything about it yet, but I am learning about when some things go wrong, and I’m gonna draw a bunch of pictures of it!”

“That’s… lovely…” Miss Rikki grimaced. She watched as Nauja began tracing; no wonder the lightbox was in use at the girl’s house. “…and you’re… allowed to do this…? Encouraged…?”

“Oh, yes! It’s the only way I’m gonna be good at drawing them for real one day! At least to start!”

“Who in the hell did Jacks and Dervla contract,” Miss Rikki muttered. He then coughed, pretending to clear her throat, before addressing Nauja again. “What else do you have to draw?”

“Different kinds of bodies and body parts, but also everything else,” Nauja explained, not looking up from her work. “I can’t bring the naked-parts pictures, because we don’t know how people are here about naked stuff even if we are doctors, and I really shouldn’t have this here, but it’s cool, isn’t it?”

“It’s… not my favorite, but it’s good to see you so excited about your work, Nauja,” Miss Rikki said, forcing a smile. She did not even notice that some of the other students had made their way into the classroom until it was too late, with some of them crowding around the lightbox.

“Whoa, that’s cool!” Nauja looked over her shoulder and saw that a small handful of her classmates were now staring at what she was tracing. “Where’d you get that?!”

“One of the books I have to read for doctor stuff!” Nauja beamed. “It’s someone’s bowels exposed from a severe lass-er-ae-shun!”

“…a what…?”

“Their guts spilled out of a sword wound!”

The small children all oohed and aahed at the gory photo and in-process drawing while their teacher tried to not cry—she really had her work cut out for her with this one.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was early in the morning as Law woke up to the feeling of something cold burrowing its way under his blankets. He groaned and rolled over, seeing that Nauja and Professor Nanuk had joined him in the bed, the girl attempting to cuddle in close as she could to stave off the chill.

“Could you have waited half an hour more?” he groaned.

“’S cold…” she whined.

“Seas help me if I ever try to bring you to my Home Blue.” He adjusted the blankets so she was nearly completely covered, and him only up to his neck as he held her close. “It’s cold there like you wouldn’t believe.”

“I thought southern places in the Blues were supposed to be warm!”

“Not this far south; here we’re about the same distance from the Equator as Flevance was in the North,” he murmured. It had admittedly been a while since he was this consistently cold thanks to the Grand Line’s… peculiar weather patterns, not to mention the heat involved in the Polar Tang’s mechanics that made it a hotbox on the best of days. “You’re used to living in a ship that gets really warm.”

“I miss the others,” she replied sleepily. “I miss the Tang.”

“I know you do, kiddo.” He stroked her hair as he lowly hummed a few bars of something he thought he remembered from childhood. “They’re all really proud of you.”

“Yeah…?”

“Yeah.”

Law laid like that for about forty-five minutes—he didn’t want to risk oversleeping though he sure as hell wasn’t getting up yet—before carefully removing himself from the bed and leaving Nauja nestled in the warm blankets. He glanced out the window and chuckled to himself before getting dressed—it was going to be an interesting day.

Sure enough, Nauja was shuffling into the kitchen by the time he was whisking some eggs, a blanket still pulled tightly around her. “My birthday’s next month—it should be hot outside.”

“Too bad,” her father replied. “Say… what’s the weather look like?” She sat down on her chair and groaned. “Nauja… what’s it look like outside?” He watched as she slid off the chair and went to the window, her forehead softly hitting the glass pane before she actually bothered to look outside… and gasped.

“Wait… it snows here?!” She spun around to look at him, eyes wide.

“Why wouldn’t it snow here; we’re closer to the South Pole than we are to the Equator,” he chuckled. He saw how Nauja was almost vibrating in excitement and remembered something. “You weren’t this excited when we visited winter islands in the Grand Line.”

“Yeah, well, those always have snow and this place doesn’t!” she reasoned. “Do you think it’ll snow on my birthday?!”

“It might,” he said. “If you grew up in my homeland, it would be around the warmest day of the year.”

“…because we’re on opposite ends of the Blues, right?!” Good; she was awake enough to begin thinking critically again.

“That’s right,” he replied. “Now grab what you want in your omelette out of the fridge before I pour the eggs.”

“Oh! Yes, Vaor!” Nauja happily went into the fridge and found some leftover bacon, a cheese block, and some leeks and mushrooms that looked like they were about to wilt. “These, please!”

“Good, now go get dressed properly and maybe you can play in the snow a bit before heading off to school,” he said. She then remembered she was still in her pajamas! Nauja ran back to her room, returning when she was warmly dressed and ready to play. She was almost out the door when Law pulled her back in and stuck her on the chair—breakfast first. The entire omelette was downed in almost record time before she ran out and jumped directly into a snowbank. By the time Law went outside to join her, she was already red-faced and soaked to her skin—smiling brightly in the brief morning twilight—and he knew he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Hey, do you want to come play with us?”

Nauja glanced up from the book she was just about to pack away, seeing two of her classmates, Carina and Magne, standing there hopefully. Miss Rikki looked like she was still handling other students as everyone packed up to go home.

“I can’t; I’ve got chores.”

“You can do them when you get back,” Carina said.

“Yeah, it’s nothing super-urgent, is it?” Magne asked.

“Well, no…” She slipped the book into her Sora backpack. “I have to sweep up the downstairs including the clinic, feed the Den-Den, and it’s my turn to change the linens in the infirmary and sanitize the medical instruments…”

“Wait, you have to do what?!” Magne marveled. Carina’s mouth dropped open in surprise as well.

“Sanitize medical instruments…? It involves boiling them and…”

“No, the Den-Den!” Carina interrupted. “I didn’t know you had a transponder snail!”

“We have it for emergencies,” Nauja replied. “Don’t people have them for emergencies…?”

“Miss Dervla, yeah, but not a lot of people have them,” Carina said. Mange nodded.

“I don’t think I’ve even seen one.”

“Then maybe if you come over, I can do my chores after we have some fun and you can see the Den-Den!”

“That sounds cool!” Mange grinned. The three children packed the rest of their things and ran out of the schoolhouse, heading down the street towards the clinic. They barreled into the kitchen, kicked off their shoes, and dropped their stuff on the floor, with Nauja poking her head into the corridor.

“Vaor! Back from school! I’ve got friends over!”

“As long as you get your work done,” Vaor replied unseen. It sounded like he was in the consultation room.

“Okay!”

Nauja then grabbed some lettuce from the fridge and led Carina and Magne up the back steps, to the smallest bedroom, which was kept as the private combination-office-and-library. Amongst the dozens of books and papers and the pair of desks, a terrarium sat on its own table with lush greenery and a low-powered heat lamp, a snail shell sitting on a rock.

“Whoa… so that’s a transponder snail…?” Carina marveled. “Why’s it hiding?”

“It does that when it’s sleeping because it’s not hooked up to anything right now,” Nauja explained. She broke the lettuce into tiny pieces and placed it in front of the snail. When it didn’t move, she lightly scratched the shell with her fingernail. “Hey, wake up. It’s food time.”

The snail didn’t move.

“Are you sure there’s one in there?” Magne asked.

“Yeah, I’ve fed it before. Sometimes you gotta…” She picked up the shell and shook it slightly…

Only to scream as the dead snail schlupped out of the shell and plopped onto the terrarium floor.

All three children screamed, in fact, as they ran out of the office and down the stairs. While Carina and Magne decided to grab their stuff and leave, Nauja went straight to the consultation room, where Vaor had one of the fishermen, Lars-ya, up on the examination bench as he looked in his ear.

“Do you have to keep barging in on appointments?” Vaor said through grit teeth. “This is unprofessional.”

“Vaor! Vaor! It’s a disaster! The Den-Den died!”

Vaor’s face scrunched in confusion. “What do you mean ‘the Den-Den died’? We’ve still got another ten years on that thing at the very least.”

“I picked it up and it just slid out of the shell and went plop on the rock!” she whimpered.

“Fuck,” Vaor cursed under his breath. He then looked at his patient with an expression that showed he wanted to scream. “Do you know if your wife can order transponder snails through her store?”

“Lanna can get her hands on a lot of things, but she can’t work miracles,” Lars-ya shrugged. “You can try to catch a snail, but even if you have the tech it doesn’t mean it’ll work.”

“Great,” Vaor sighed. “Just… don’t worry, famke. I’ll clean it up later.”

“…but I was supposed to feed it! I must not have in time…!”

“They just do that sometimes, like people; it’s nothing to worry about. Now let me finish here with Lars-ya, alright?”

“…but… but…!”

“Just go,” he insisted, trying to not sound cross. Nauja then ran up to her room and hid under her blankets, sobbing hysterically as she allowed the severity of the situation weigh on her. She had not seen more than five transponder snails since leaving the Polar Tang, which meant that they had needed to keep that one alive! What were they going to do?! She cried so much that she almost vomited, absolutely sick to her stomach as she curled around Professor Nanuk, trembling.

The little girl did not know how much time passed before she heard her door open and felt the mattress shift with new weight. She peeked out from her blankets to see Vaor sitting there with a mug of tea waiting for her, which she took and held under her face.

“It’s all gone now,” he said, scratching her scalp. “I already got rid of it.”

“Am…” she sniffled, “…am I in trouble…?”

“Not at all,” Vaor replied. “What I said in front of Lars-ya was the truth: these things happen. I’ll figure out how to replace it later, alright?”

She nodded.

“Alright. Now drink your tea and come downstairs for chores when you’re ready. How does fish and rice sound for dinner?”

A grunt.

“Bring your mug down when you’re done,” Vaor said. He then kissed her hair and left, allowing her time to calm down on her own. It took a while of her breathing in the hot steam from the mug before she was steady enough to drink—the thought of anyone from the Polar Tang trying to call them was sharp in her mind as she tried to tell herself that if Vaor said it was okay, then it was okay.

If Vaor said he was going to fix it, then he was going to fix it. Everything was fine. Nothing to worry about, right…? Right.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“What do you mean it can’t be done?!” Law gaped. He was standing in the general store the following day, the proprietor at least attempting to seem empathetic from behind the counter. “I need a snail to keep in contact with everyone from where we used to live! This is essential.”

“That’s all well and good, but properly-raised transponder snails are a rarity to come by in these waters,” Lanna replied calmly. “They’re often restricted to the super-wealthy and the emergency networks local leadership builds.”

“So what you’re saying is that the only person on the island who has a Den-Den Mushi is Dervla, and that’s only because she’s in charge?”

“Yeah. It’ll go to whomever succeeds her once she retires.”

“You barely get newspapers, it’s difficult to get books, and now you’re telling me that transponder snails are hard to come by?”

“You know how much of a hassle it is to get to this island,” she reminded him. “It impacts literally everything and everyone going in or out.” She watched as Law covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath—at least he was actively trying to not be a dick about it. “I know you’re probably used to more things being readily available from your time in Water 7, but this is the South Blue… not just that, but Diura… we used to sail three days to see a doctor between his yearly rounds before you showed up.”

“That’s inhumane.”

“That’s the trade-off we get for not being bothered,” Lanna shrugged. “Is there anything else you were looking for today? Maybe that’ll help.”

Law took a steadying breath—yeah, it was best to change subjects. “Do you know who is the best person to ask about woodcrafts?” She raised an eyebrow and he took a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to her. “I want to know if anyone can copy this pattern.” The woman studied the paper curiously, taking in the intricate design of flowers, leaves, and grasses that had clearly been copied from a book.

“This Lvneelish?”

“No, but close enough,” Law replied. “It’s from a book on the North Blue that Dr. Ghar-Spartel had. My daughter mentioned she likes it, and I was wondering if I could get something like this on a jewelry box.”

“That is a good question; a lot of us are good with carving, but this is delicate work.” It was then that the chimes on the door rang and someone else walked in—a woman looking miserable in her last months of pregnancy. “Ah, Marla, just the woman I want to see.”

“Daisuke will not pass your daughter in geography if she keeps doodling in class and not turning in homework,” Marla groaned as though they’d had that precise conversation before. Lanna shook her head.

“It’s for the Doc.” She gestured towards Law with a jerk of her head. “Your dad still do woodcarving jobs on the side?”

“Last I checked.” Marla was passed the paper and she narrowed her eyes at it. “This is definitely a Northern design, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Law admitted, almost sheepish. “I haven’t properly met your father yet—do you think he can carve something like that on a small box?”

“We’re on break at the shipyard; let me get what I came here for and you can ask him yourself.”

“Her dad’s the best this side of the current,” Lanna smirked. “How about I just keep an eye out and an ear open for the other thing we talked about, hm?”

“Argued about what she can and can’t get, eh?” Marla wondered, a near-consoling tone to her voice. Law shrugged as she received a package and almost jumped out of his skin when she linked arms with him. “Come on—time’s wasting if you want this to be a secret. This is a secret for your daughter, right?”

“Uhh…”

The grin that crept across Marla’s face was nearly predatory, he decided, as he was forcefully dragged from the store. Hopefully it was going to be as pain-free as possible… though… his hopes were not exactly high.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was well after lunch when Law stepped into the schoolhouse, glad that the building was kept warmer than most. An entire week’s worth of new snow and it felt as though it was refusing to let up, which was great to only children and people who didn’t have to leave their own warm places. He left his hat on as he shed his bag and coat, putting them up on a visitors’ peg near the door as his thoughts were lost in the lessons he was going to teach that day. The oldest group had sexual consent, the little ones had hand-washing, and the middle group was—seas help him—getting into why bathing was important…

“So good to see you, Dr. Law,” purred a voice. He nearly jumped out of his skin, only to see that it was the younger of the secretaries, hidden by her desk’s position in regards to the door. Taking off his hat, he put his mittens in it before hanging it too on a peg.

“Same, Janka-ya,” he replied tersely. He honestly had few bits of leftover patience for niceties that particular day, but he was willing to perform if it kept him from being hounded with questions. Get in, teach the day’s lessons, then leave; that’s all he really wanted to do. “Are classes on time today?”

“They seem to be,” she replied. “I don’t think any are behind, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“A little,” he admitted. Law went over to the radiator and held his hands close to it, glad for the device’s intense warmth. “I want to get the oldest kids’ lesson done before they get sent off to their jobs.”

“Surely you don’t have to get to that immediately,” Janka frowned. Wait, no, that was more of a pout, wasn’t it? “You can wait here with me until Dia is ready with her group.”

“Don’t bother me, Janka-ya—I’ve got a lot I need to think about to keep the kids on their toes,” he replied. Which was true; he had only taught a handful of sessions thus far and the schoolchildren’s capacity for curiosity knew little bounds. His hands finally warmed up and he turned, only to see that Janka was now standing right next to him. How…? “What?”

“You cold?” she asked. What were her eyelashes doing? Was there something in her eyes…?

“If you haven’t noticed, it’s snowing outside,” he replied. “Usually that accompanies cold weather; I’m fine now.”

“Pity. I could help you warm up in the future. Maybe… if you come a little earlier…?”

“I have patients that need attending and a curriculum to keep on top of; I don’t have extra time.”

“You sure a curriculum is the only thing you need to keep on top of?” she asked. He tried to move and she blocked his way. “Maybe… you need something to be on top of you?”

Janka winked and suddenly everything clicked into place in Law’s brain—oh, fuck, she was flirting with him! He then noticed how he was essentially trapped between the wall, the heater, and the secretary who was sizing him up with very specific intent. Swallowing hard, he pressed himself against the wall, trying to stay as far from her as possible.

“That is very inappropriate, Janka-ya,” he replied shakily. “This is not the place for that.”

“Then maybe I can warm you up at my place…?” A grin crept across her face that made his chest feel tight and his stomach awful. “Your place…?”

Law’s brain felt as though it was shutting down. Seas, when was the last time someone propositioned him like this? Propositioned him at all?! It was before he had his homicidal aloof loner reputation as one of the most notorious Supernovas, that was for certain, and he absolutely hated how helpless he felt as he was cornered. Couldn’t use his Devil Fruit without questions, had no access to Conqueror’s Haki, he was afraid to even touch her…

“Dr. Law…? Are you, uh…?” Law looked towards an open door that had a small handful of teenagers gathered around it, staring at the scene as though they walked in on something private.

“Ah, class is in session! Excellent!” He slid along the wall until he was out of Janka’s grasp and grabbed his bag on the way in, not allowing himself a second to breathe until he was in the classroom with the door shut.

“You haven’t seen her with some of the traders, have you?” Dia, the teacher, groaned in exasperation. Law shook his head silently, the man still a bit in shock at the interaction. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks,” Law squeaked. He then took a deep breath to calm himself and looked at the students. “Alright class, today we’re going to be talking about why what Miss Janka did was not okay. Everyone to your seats.”

At least he was able to do that.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Despite the nights beginning to grow longer, Law understood how fortunate he was that there had been extra rooms in the clinic’s living areas as soon as the air grew a chill. The clinic was likely built to accommodate two or three families so medical staff had no problem living on-site. What it meant for him, however, was that there was plenty of extra room to move about in the cold months, allowing for a room meant specifically for training.

“Right here, famke,” he said, bringing her through the motion of stabbing a practice dummy. Her knife was in one shaky hand, grip backward so the flat of the blade could rest along her forearm when not being embedded in someone’s torso. She frowned at it, not enjoying the movement.

“It’s hard to hold,” Nauja pouted. “Why can’t I hold it like normal?”

“You won’t always be able to grab it like normal,” he reasoned. “Sometimes you will have to grab it weird and not have time to adjust the grip.”

“Like when?”

“Like when you have to take the knife from someone’s sheath and bury it in their side.” Law then placed his hand over Nauja’s and pressed the tip of the knife against the dummy’s side. “Now, what will this hit?”

“The… ninth and tenth ribs,” she replied, brow furrowed as she thought. She then adjusted the knife. “This way will go between them and hit the left kidney and part of the stomach. The other side is the right kidney and the gall bladder.”

“Good, good.” He then let her adjust her grip and placed the knife tip back against the dummy’s side. “Thrusting up here hits what?”

“The spleen.”

“…and maybe…?”

“Maybe a… lung…?”

“Good.” Law then saw that Nauja was frowning as she stared at the knife in her hand. He could tell something was bothering her. “What is it?”

“I know this is in case someone tries to hurt me, but…” She crinkled her nose. “Aren’t we doctors? This feels a lot like how to kill.”

“Not at all,” he assured. “You need to know where things are in the body if you’re going to draw them, or treat them medically, or fight off someone without hitting a vital organ. That takes a lot of practice.”

“…but why would I need to know how to fight here?”

“You never can be too prepared.” Law pressed a kiss into her hair and let out a low chuckle. “Alright, now show me again where to stab to get under the sternum again.”

Nauja wrinkled her nose and placed the blade accordingly.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was finally Nauja’s birthday. Although it was still winter, the weather had warmed just enough to turn everything slightly slushier. Heavy, wet snow fell the entire day, encouraging Law to make the prudent decision to stay inside. At least Nauja herself didn’t mind, as she enjoyed days where she stayed in and was allowed to study alongside Law. He surprised her with umeboshi onigiri for lunch and Flevench-style pea soup for dinner, afterwards bringing the celebration into the front sitting room where a fire was already warming the hearth from “business hours”. Flexing his Devil Fruit for the first time that week, he shambled three wrapped packages onto the table next to the cake, which made his daughter gasp.

“Really?!” she marveled. He nodded silently, allowing her to pull the nearest package towards her and open it up: an art and drafting set filled with pens and pencils—regular and in colors—as well as a couple sketchbooks and some varied straight-edges, measuring utensils, and other miscellanea. “Wow! That’s so cool! Thanks!”

“Don’t thank me just yet; open the rest of them,” he chuckled. She pulled another package towards her and tore the paper off—a wooden box, decorated with an elaborate pattern that had been carved into the lid and sides.

“What is it?” she asked, tilting her head. She opened it carefully to find that it was lined with a blue velvet and had many different internal sections.

“It’s a jewelry box,” he explained. “Macksson Jan made it. We can put the things from the envelope in there to keep it nice.”

“…oh. Okay.”

Law watched as Nauja stared at the intricately-carved box, running her fingers lightly over the design. She sucked in a sniffle as tears began to well in her eyes. “Famke…?”

“Law-san… I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” she said quietly. She sniffled again and hiccuped before wiping tears away with the heel of her palm. “I’m just some kid Bepo-ya found…”

“Where did this come from?” he wondered aloud. His hand found the top of her head, where he began to scratch lightly at her scalp. She struggled to not cry and it made his heart feel both heavy and dangerously fragile. “I thought we’ve been through this.”

“I know… but…” She sniffled loudly, trying to suck up some snot back into her nose. “It’s hard…”

Ah. Something was making her rethink things, whether it was a difficult time adjusting, or maybe something someone said, or possibly even her own mind beginning to play tricks on her. She was a bit young for it, but then again… he had been when that first started himself. Children generally suffered from moods as they grew emotionally and she was being subject to one. The only thing now was how to get her out of it…

…and maybe… maybe it was good to have all the cards on the table. His daughter deserved that much, after all.

“Nauja?” He gently turned her face towards him and brushed away more tears. “Can I tell you something? Something I don’t know if I ever said out loud in words before?”

“Not… not even to my uncles?”

“No one on the Polar Tang knows this.”

The girl sat there and digested those words. Something no one else knew? No one at all? She placed the jewelry box down on the cushion next to Professor Nanuk and adjusted so that she was sitting cross-legged on the couch.

Please.

“When I was your age,” he began, each word measured and deliberate, “before I met Cora-san, before we knew Amber Lead was killing us, I went to church. My parents took your Tante Lami and I there once a week, most weeks, the last time being about a month before… before I lost them.”

“Church…?” She tilted her head curiously. “What’s that?”

“It’s a place for religion… for faith… for spirituality… for the part of us that can’t be mended with bandages and stitches and medicine… when done right, a church is a place where people can find peace, understand things in different ways, be a loving community, and be inspired to do good, if not there then elsewhere in their lives. It can augment mental and emotional therapy for some people and help keep them even-keeled between sessions. Again, when done right, it has the ability to be highly valuable.”

“Was it… not done right…?”

“I think it tried, which is the best most churches can do.” Law took a deep breath as he thought back to hardwood pews and soft candlelight; he could almost smell the sweet and heady mulberry incense and hear the bells and organ pipes in the rafters. “The church in Flevance would do things like talk about salvation—unconditional freedom and forgiveness in this life and the next—which wasn’t something I really understood. When you grow up privileged in a place where even the poor are wealthy by other countries’ standards, such a thing is a difficult concept to grasp, especially as a child. I was more concerned with other stuff… more irritated with other stuff…”

“Like what…?”

“‘Everything happens for a reason’,” he said, the words flowing over his tongue for the first time in so, so long. “The church ran the schools for younger students in Flevance and it was something the religious sisters and brothers we had as teachers said. Often. I didn’t believe it then and not for a long, long time after.”

“Why…? Were they mean?”

“They could have been, in another time or place, but no they were very nice. They loved all of us children the same whether we went to church or not, whether we believed what they said or not, and said that if we were to ever think of anything preached to us as true, it was that. We had to find our own way to make sense of it, but they encouraged us to take that phrase to heart.”

“So… everything…?” Nauja puzzled over that for a moment. “I thought things happen because people do or don’t do things.”

“You are correct, but it’s something they said to make us feel better here, to help make sense of things in here.” He tapped the middle of her chest with two fingers, then her forehead. “I thought they meant stuff like when Tante Lami got into my room and tore it apart in play, or when my parents had a patient who passed away unexpectedly, or when a classmate would break a bone after slipping on ice. That wasn’t it at all.”

“What was it?”

“It was preparing us, in case one of us would not find salvation with the others,” Law admitted quietly, his voice cracking slightly. “It doesn’t mean what happens is always right, or good, or that you will ever understand why; it’s hopefully something that clicks into place later on so that the past doesn’t weigh the better parts of you down. By thinking about it, you can move forward and not let ghosts haunt you.”

Nauja looked away, her gaze towards the art set on the table yet far-off and distant. Her father waited for her to say something, yet she did not.

“If I had not been the only one to live,” he continued, “then I would have never lost my faith in the good in the world. My rage would have never led me to Doflamingo or to my Devil Fruit. Amber Lead would have killed me if bullets and fire didn’t. I would have never had to relearn what was good with Cora-jiisan or the crew, I would have never gone on the journey I did, and I certainly would have never agreed to stop at the island we met on.” He watched as she drew up her legs and hugged her knees in an effort to become smaller. “I would have never known that you needed me like I needed Cora-jiisan, and I would have never realized that what he wanted was not for me to go headlong into a suicidal revenge mission, but to pass on the love he gave me.” Holding her gently by the shoulders, he waited until she looked back at him to continue. “I don’t know what forces brought us together if any did at all, but what I do know is that you are my reason, Trafalgar D. Water Lawsdottir Nauja. It doesn’t have to make sense to you just as much as it needs to make sense to me.”

Errant tears were now streaming down both their faces—too much more and things would become ugly.

“You lived,” he stated. “That’s what you did to deserve to inherit love. I lived, and that’s all I needed as well. If more people knew that, then maybe I could take you home to my family, or you might know first-hand how much of a klutz Cora-jiisan was. If more people understood… then the world might be different.”

“If there was a church here, would you take me?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“I…” he swallowed hard, “I don’t know.”

“Would you… go by yourself…?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did Oma and Opa and Tante Lami and Cora-jiisan find it? Salvation?”

“I like to think they did.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, where he lingered for a moment as he drew strength from her presence. “We’re here for a reason, famke, and so far, being your father and seeing you celebrate birthdays is enough for me. Now come on; open your last present.”

Nodding quietly, Nauja took the third parcel from the table and dragged it into her lap. She slid her fingers under an opening in the paper and stopped.

“I’m the only one in school who was adopted outside their blood-family,” she admitted. “A couple kids live with grandparents, and one girl lives with her aunt and uncle, but there’s no one else like us.”

“…and that too is for a reason.” He gently rubbed her back. “Come on. Open it.”

Nauja carefully tore at the paper and revealed a small stack of books that she quickly looked through: the newest Sora volume, a volume of reference poses, a collection of Northern folktales, and a book on unique localized architecture. She opened the last book and saw in the index not only a section on her father’s hometown, but hers as well. She stared at a photo of a canal full of gondolas and yagara bulls and sniffled.

“…as long as you need me, and longer still,” he murmured. She looked at him with watery eyes and he ruffled her hair. “So, what do you think?”

“Thank you, Vaor. I love them.” She then glanced over at the cake that was still sitting on the table and began to fidget. “Can we…?”

“We can,”  he replied. Nauja breathed a sigh of relied—something to solidly change the subject, and not only that, it was whole cake all to the two of them! It was perfect.

As they ate their cake, Law sat on the couch with a book of his own, while Nauja knelt in front of the table as she began to test her new drafting supplies and reference materials. He glanced over once in a while to see that she was paying close attention to the particular way that elevated canals worked. Had she lived next to one? He couldn’t remember…

Eventually, Law left Nauja in the sitting room as he went to put together some tea for her and pour a couple fingers of a gifted whisky for himself. Was he technically on-call? Yes, but if he couldn’t drink the stuff during a special occasion on a full stomach, when could he? He brought the teapot, their Sora mugs, and the whisky back on a tray, watching her nose wrinkle at the sight of his drink.

“That’s stinky,” she scowled.

“Your opa drank it, as did both of my opas,” he shrugged, sitting down to lean back into the couch. “I don’t expect you to like it—you didn’t even like that sip of beer Ikkaku-ya gave you.”

“Don’t remind me,” she cringed, pouring herself some tea. They took more cake to have with their drinks, both quiet as they continued their dessert in peace.

When he was nearly done with both cake and whisky, an odd feeling settled over Law. It was as though a weight shifted on his shoulders—not quite lifted and yet eased in a way. Two years prior, he would have not been able to predict that this was ever in his future. Seas, he wouldn’t’ve been able to predict it when he first saw Nauja, the girl nearly half-feral and malnourished from neglect, that she would be the entire reason behind his retirement. Now, after everything, she knew more about him than even Bepo. She understood him and his motivations in a way no one else did, even if it hadn’t all set in yet, and there was something… oddly reassuring about it.

Eventually, all children were likely to hit their limits and Nauja was no exception. He chuckled inwardly as her head bobbed in exhaustion, her fight to stay awake nearly valiant in a way.

“You can go to bed if you want,” he said. She shook her head.

“I wanna stay up,” she whined. Nauja abandoned her books and crawled up onto the sofa and cuddled into Law’s side. He let his arm drape around her and she hummed in happiness—the sharpness of the whisky, the smokiness of the fire, the fragrance of the tea, the sweetness of the leftover cake, the electricity and rumbles of the oncoming change in the storm, the warmth of each other and the flames… it was going to be a birthday she would never forget, and neither would he.

Eventually, the storm began to roll in and Law began to drift off himself. He imagined the smell of the fire as Cora-san’s cigarettes, as the fireplace in his parents’ house, as something warm and comforting beyond his daughter… a reality where some things went a little more his way…

Just before he was nearly asleep, a thudding pounding rocked the door, jolting both father and daughter awake. Law went to the door to open it, only for Daisuke to come in, supporting his wife Marla with one arm draped across his shoulders. While both were windwhipped and drenched from the heavy snowfall, she was clearly in pain, which set off alarm bells in Law’s mind.

“You have to help,” Daisuke said between heavy breaths. “She’s gone into labor.”

“Wait… where’s Svana-ya?”

“She’s seeing to her brother’s younger granddaughter,” Marla said. She took a deep breath as her hand went to her stomach. “This one wasn’t supposed to come until next month.”

“…but obstetrics isn’t exactly my field of expertise…”

“I don’t think this baby cares,” Daisuke replied as Law began to support Marla from her other side. He caught sight of Nauja peering at them from the couch and he blanched. “What about…?”

“Hey, famke, remember the illustrations about childbirth in our textbooks?”

“Yeah…?”

“Well get ready, because you’re going to help in-person.” Law led Marla and Daisuke back to the operating theater and helped sit the woman down before beginning to grab things off of shelves and out of cupboards. “Get Marla-ya one of the spare gowns; I don’t want her in those soaked clothes.”

“Yes, Vaor!” Nauja chirped. She scurried back out of the theater and down towards the linen cupboard, giving the adults precious seconds to themselves.

“When was the last time you helped deliver a kid?” Daisuke asked. Law shook his head.

“I can in theory, but it wasn’t part of my clinicals.” Which was the truth, but the ins and outs of his unorthodox medical training wasn’t something that really mattered at that moment.

“Not even for your own daughter’s birth?” Marla wondered as she peeled off her soaked jumper.

“Lot of reasons, long story, but we’re not going to talk about that now.” Nauja then returned with a fresh patient gown, which she shoved in Marla’s hands. “Alright, now get the lights and wash your hands really good.”

“Yes, sir!”

Daisuke shot Law one final incredulous look before Marla caught their attention again as a contraction caused her to hiss in pain. They left her side only to scrub in best they could, because there wasn’t long before the woman began full-on cussing.

What followed next was one of the most stressful hours of Law’s life. He was never going to admit that he’d only ever glanced at obstetrics in passing, with Penguin and Shachi’s giggling immaturity having been the most those texts had gotten use until he went over the topic with Nauja all those months ago. It made him glad he had, as both of them were thrown into the terrifying and messy situation headlong, for at least they were both somewhat (if poorly) prepared. Eventually, a baby cried its first cry and was nestled in his mother’s arms, Marla so relieved and exhausted she could barely speak.

“Storm,” she breathed. “I think that’s his name.”

“Not after your dad?” Daisuke smirked.

“No—his arrival was something to weather, like what’s going on outside.” She raised her eyes towards Law and Nauja, who were both beginning to crash as they cleaned up on waning adrenaline. “We’re doing fine; you two should go rest.”

“Marla-ya, I…”

“I’m a mom now and that means I can boss people around,” she joked. “In all seriousness, you look like you’re going to fall over.”

“We’re okay,” Nauja insisted. She rubbed at her eyes, the late hour getting to her. “We can stay up…”

“I’ll get you if we need anything, how about that?” Daisuke offered. Nauja nodded at that with a tiny squeak, while Law exhaled heavily. Fine—he had them there.

“We’ll be in the waiting room if you need us,” he said. Law then ushered Nauja out so that the new family could have some privacy, the pair finding their way back to the front sitting room. The fire in the hearth was nearly out, so he put a couple more logs on and made sure the flames caught before sitting down a bit too hard on the couch.

“Vaor…?” Nauja whispered as she joined him, cuddling in close.

“Hmm…?”

“We’re here because someone needed to help Storm be born, right? Is that the reason?”

“Maybe.” He smiled hazily at her and let out a chuckle low in his throat. “Slaap goed.”

“Sleep well,” she echoed, curling back up into his side. He wrapped his arm around her and they stayed like that until Daisuke woke them five hours later with food ready in the kitchen.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

A/N: I don’t know how many of you all realize how Catholic-coded Law is and when I say Catholic-coded I mean after a happy upbringing there was an awful event that made him lose his faith and question everything he’d known, only to slowly get back to accepting what he was brought up in and where he is currently, even if a lot of what he sees at-large makes him uncomfortable and by no means has erased the fury he once felt. My circumstances were (obviously) not the same, but a lot of the emotional journey that Law goes through via Flevance and Amber Lead really strikes a chord with me due to applicability with my own faith journey and that’s part of why I adore his character so much.

Also, just as a disclaimer, once I wrote Visiting Home [FFN/AO3], my brain went and decided that something similar probably happened in canon, so to me it’s my emotional support fanon, and by emotional support I mean crying happens a lot.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, the world awaits - [MASTERPOST]

I figure it’s probably a good idea to put all the links in one post, so here we are (though this might be subject to change if AUs of the AU are written). Post subject to change with additional fics.

fly little seagull, the world awaits - 51k words - AU where Law takes in an orphan child during the timeskip and becomes her Cora-san

Chapter One: Bepo finds something on a morning walk that brings massive change to the Polar Tang. [7423 words; Heart Pirates’ Accidental Child Acquisition AU] 

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter Two: With Nauja now a fixture on the ship, Law and the rest of the Hearts adjust to having a child in-tow. [8344 words; AU where Law accidentally lets the adoption cycle continues]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3] 

Chapter Three: Law learns what Cora-san possibly felt thirteen years ago in probably the worst way possible. [9709 words; AU where Law realizes he accidentally became a dad while staring down canon events]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3] 

Chapter Four: Doflamingo is in Impel Down. Strawhat-ya is going to rescue his crewmate. The Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance has begun shifting gears. An entire nation is ready to break its shackles and rise. Law just wants to keep his daughter safe through it all. [11,188 words; AU where Trafalgar Law gets forcefully assimilated into the Unconventional Single Dads Club]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3] 

Chapter Five: Onigashima shall rise and fall. A boy shall become a man. Friends shall part ways. A certain legacy shall come full-circle despite the need to be broken. [14,616 words; AU where history repeats itself in the worst way]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Additional storylines under the cut!

little seagull, little seagull, where shall you go? - 95.1k words - combination of fly little seagull, the world awaits and other alternate storylines

fly little seagull, you’re too far from the nest - 24.8k words - alternate Dressrosa events

Chapter One: Just as Law gets a lead on a safe haven for the crew, his reasons for storming Dressrosa become increasingly more personal. [6331 words; AU where Law accidentally becomes a dad and Doflamingo finds himself an heir]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter Two: While the people love a good princess, the princess in question isn’t exactly keen on the idea herself. [7826 words; AU where Doflamingo kidnaps a child and Law is determined to get her back]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter Three: It’s always been about revenge, only now it’s also over the future herself. [10,701 words; AU where Law does for a child what Cora-san did for him and lives to tell the tale]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

fly little seagull, that rock can be home - 18.9k - Law choosing a kinder revenge than suicide-by-Doflamingo, by raising his daughter

Chapter One: Law is about to leave the Polar Tang as he heads to certain Death on Dressrosa. Then he goes to say goodbye to one specific person, only for half a lifetime’s worth of motivation to vanish in an instant. [8568 words]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter Two: With a backwater island located, a father and daughter adjust to their new life. [10,387 words]

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter Three: coming soon

[tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Please remember that comments, reblogs, fun tags, reviews, and general interaction are appreciated!

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, the world awaits - Part 1 of 4

If you had told me this time last year that I would be this attached to these characters after a series reread/catchup session (with a more developed fangirl palate and sense of storymaking compared to when I was forced to drop), I would have seriously laughed hysterically at you.

While this is 7423 words to start, I’m breaking it up into bits so as to not murder everyone’s eyeballs; starts vaguely in the beginning of the timeskip; I’m mostly sticking to canon events here but there will be some deviations so be warned I guess; do I have other fics? Yes but you’re getting this one instead

fly little seagull, the world awaits; Bepo finds something on a morning walk that brings massive change to the Polar Tang. [7423 words; Heart Pirates’ Accidental Child Acquisition AU]

According to the Heart Pirates, life was good.

They had honestly one of the coolest ships on the Grand Line: an underwater-going vessel called the Polar Tang. They had each other, which was pretty neat considering they all got on like close, on-great-terms, siblings. They had their captain, who was just given the title of Shichibukai, meaning that they basically got a free card to do whatever the fuck they wanted. Rad ship? Great comrades? A fucking newly-minted Warlord for their secretly-nerdy captain? What more could they possibly, truly, fathomably, want?

So when Bepo said that he found a cool addition for the ship while out on the island, everyone was understandably confused.

“Is it the new intercom system I’ve been asking for?” Ikkaku asked, pointing at Bepo with her fork. All the Hearts save for Law—who was passed out from studying all night—and the currently beaming Mink were sitting around in the mess hall eating breakfast. “You know how the den dens like to crawl off.”

“Nope! It’s even better!”

“New pots and pans?” Penguin asked.

“Nope!”

“Air freshener that actually works?”

“Even better!”

“Air conditioning that actually works?

“Even better-better!”

“I think you got us, Bepo,” Hakugan said. “What did you find?”

“A cub!”

The mess hall went silent.

“You found a… you found… found…” Uni kept on trying to complete his sentence, yet couldn’t. “What the fuck?”

“Let me show you!” Bepo said. He plodded over towards the bunkroom, followed by the remainder of the crew, and plucked a pile of blankets from his bunk—the only one unmade.

There, in his arms, was a sleeping little kid. A Human kid. At least, it looked Human underneath all the dirt and grime…

“Oh, fuck, Bepo kidnapped a child,” Shachi grimaced. Bepo tilted his head curiously.

“It followed me,” he claimed. “I asked around on the island, and no one’s missing, so the cub’s ours now!”

“Its parents are going to kill us,” Penguin said. “Our captain is going to kill us.”

“It’s just a little thing… I thought it could be our mascot.”

“You’re already kind of the mascot by virtue of being the fuzziest,” Clione reminded him. He looked at the sleeping kid and raised an eyebrow. “Does it at least have a name?”

“It didn’t say, sorry.”

“At least have the decency to ask the kid its name first before you kidnap it,” Ikkaku frowned.

“I didn’t kidnap it!”

“We really should tell the captain so this can get straightened out,” Jean Bart said. Bepo shivered.

“…and wake him up?! No, not yet! Let him get up on his own! He’ll be less cranky that way! Then maybe we can keep it!”

“Keep what…?”

Everyone froze and turned towards the bunkroom door—there was Law, holding his favorite Sora, Warrior of the Sea mug filled with coffee. He took one look at the bundle in Bepo’s arms, sipped his drink, and walked away.

Oh… fuck.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Needless to say, Law was a bit livid once he woke up enough for his brain processes to function. It took everything in his power to not dice everyone into tiny pieces so that they could think about why they would even entertain the notion of keeping a child aboard, let alone actively bring one on, and he instead stomped off towards the small village on the island they were moored at in order to talk with whomever the fuck was in charge.

Except, the thing was, no one was missing a child. In fact, no one had ever seen the wee foundling before.

“Okay kid, start talking,” he ordered. He was back on the Tang, arms folded across his chest as he stood across the table from the child, who was now awake and eating cookies in Bepo’s lap. It had understandably panicked when it first woke up, but now that it knew it was safe, the only things it was biting was chocolate chips and baked oatmeal. “Where are your parents?”

“I don’t know,” it squeaked. “We were sailing, but there was a storm.”

“What’s your name?”

“Nauja.”

“Then, Nauja-ya, why didn’t you tell anyone on the island you were there?”

“I was doing fine.”

Law stared at the child; judging by her severely matted hair and filthy clothes that didn’t quite fit anymore and the way she was inhaling the oatmeal cookies, she had been doing exactly the opposite. It did not take a medical degree to see that she was experiencing cases of dehydration and malnutrition brought on by mild starvation—all it took to know was surviving. He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “How old are you?”

“Six.”

“Worse than I thought.” He shot a glare at Penguin and Shachi, who were hiding in the kitchen. “…and you just let him bring this kid aboard?”

“We didn’t know until she was here,” Shachi defended.

“All we were doing was having a decent breakfast for once!” Penguin added. He saw how happy Bepo was with the kid and his heart could barely handle it. “It’s all Bepo’s fault!”

“Sorry; the cub was following me when I was taking a walk before breakfast,” the Mink claimed. “I thought it looked cold, so I brought it in here.”

“We don’t call six-year-old girls ‘cubs’,” Law explained. “I thought you would have figured out by now that Humans don’t have cubs… they have kids.”

“You aren’t going to leave her on the island, are you?” Bepo asked. “No one will know what to do with her!”

“Actually, they will know everything to do with her,” Law replied frankly. “Do you know how to take care of a Human child?”

“I can learn! Besides, we can take her to her parents! It can be fun!”

“The bear’s determined!” Ikkaku shouted from the corridor. Without looking, Law activated a Room and transported the offending mechanic to Bepo’s side, making her swallow hard.

“Thank you for volunteering to clean her up,” he said.

“Why me?!”

“…because you are literally the only other girl on the ship, even if generally aged-out of the descriptor,” Law said. Ikkaku opened her mouth to protest, thought about it, then closed her mouth again. Fuck. “In the meantime, we’ll be discussing what to do with her.” He narrowed his eyes at Bepo, who looked as though he wanted to cry.

“C’mon, kid,” Ikkaku said. “Auntie Ikka’s gonna get you cleaned up and looking a bit more like a kid and less a wild animal.” She plucked the girl from Bepo’s lap and placed her on the floor, holding her hand as she led her from the mess hall.

Sooner she could get the kid away from ground zero, the better off everyone was going to be in the end.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Later on, after Nauja was bathed and Bepo was thoroughly reamed-out, Ikkaku carried the towel-clad small child into the infirmary, where Law was waiting with his mug refilled with coffee and an opened book on pediatrics. He saw Nauja and raised his eyebrow as the child-towel lump was placed on the main examination table.

“Where’s her hair?”

“It didn’t cooperate, so I got rid of it,” Ikkaku shrugged. She looked again at the impromptu pixie-cut she had to fake and reassured herself that it wasn’t bad. “It was a real mess—matted in place while still braided and filled with gunk—there was nothing I could do to get it clean.”

“How long were you out there by yourself, kid?” Law asked through his coffee. The girl pouted.

“My name is Nauja!”

“Okay; how long were you out there by yourself, Nauja-ya?”

“Oh… I dunno.”

“A week? A month? A season…?”

The little girl shrugged as Ikkaku shoved one of Law’s old t-shirts on her. It was monstrously big to the point it nearly fell off her shoulders, but it was at least something. “I dunno.”

“Can you swim?”

“Why…?”

“Just answer the question.” Ikkaku rolled her eyes at him—his bedside manner was terse at best for adults, so this made sense.

“Well, yeah, of course I can swim.”

“Any allergies? Things you’re not allowed to have?”

“Uhh… pudding…? But that’s only if I don’t eat the rest of my dinner first.”

“Any times you sneeze or get itchy? Like after you smell flowers or touch a pet or eat certain foods?”

“No…? Should I…?”

“Ideally, no, but it’s important to know if you do.”

Nauja thought about that for a moment before allowing herself to flop backwards onto the examination table. Law took another deep gulp from his mug—this was already fucking exhausting.

“Okay then,” he scowled. “Do you know where you live?”

“With Granny and Granddad—we’re on the top floor and they’re on the bottom.”

“…and this house is where…?”

“An island.”

“Well, of course you live on an island, but which one?”

“It was far away,” the child said. “We were on the boat for a long time before the storm came. Mom and  Dad said we weren’t far from where we were going.”

“Where were you going?”

“My aunt and uncle’s house.”

“…and where is that?”

“…another island.”

“Have you been there before?”

“Nope!” Nauja grinned widely, making Law’s eyelid twitch and Ikkaku stifle a giggle. “But we had to go over this BIG rock! Mom said that it’s so big that the train can’t even go over it!”

Ikkaku and Law glanced at one another. The train? That meant…

“So you live on the other side of the Grand Line? Over the Red Line? In Paradise?”

“I guess…?” She began to roll around on the table, falling off. Law put her back with his Devil Fruit powers; he was clearly unamused.

“Please tell Bepo that his foundling needs us to backtrack.” He grabbed the pediatrics book and placed it open on the table next to Nauja. “In the meantime, I’ll make sure she’s medically stable enough for such a journey.”

“Captain, we just got to the New World. You want to go back now that we made it?”

“We have an easier time of it than anyone outside of Fish-men,” he reasoned, “and there aren’t exactly many Marines I’d trust a kid with, even with my privileges. We can at least get her to her grandparents while charting alternate routes to and from Fish-man Island; she’d just get dumped in an orphanage otherwise.”

“Whatever you say,” Ikkaku shrugged. She watched as Law looked from the diagram to the little girl’s face, concentration set in his resting-bitchface. Thank goodness he wasn’t scaring the kid, or else things were going to be very different.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Adjusting to Nauja being on the ship was… interesting.

She had only been on the Polar Tang for a few hours and it was already a struggle to get everyone to their daily tasks. When she wasn’t wandering around, she was asking an innumerable amount of questions, disrupting pretty much everyone’s day at one point or another. She was passed off from crewmate to crewmate, eventually landing with Bepo, who kept her on the top deck as they sailed back towards the Red Line.

“This is frankly embarrassing,” Shachi frowned. He and Penguin were also on the top deck, watching Bepo play with Nauja. “We are not going to get any action with that around.”

“I thought women like kids?”

“Yeah, but maintaining that kid is going to be the troublesome part. We have her all the way to the Sea Train Zone—what the fuck do we do until then?”

“Leave the kid with Bepo and Ikkaku?”

“Penguin, listen to yourself. We leave her with Ikkaku for longer than half an hour and she’s going to end up with even less hair and gear grease everywhere.”

“…and Bepo…?” Penguin grimaced as he watched his best friend ponder that. “She’d just develop an allergy to him, wouldn’t she?”

“Knowing our luck? You know she would.”

Both men nodded in commiseration at their imagined fate. As they did, Clione came atop deck, a newspaper in his hand.

“Well, my contact in Pucci is doing a little bit of digging while we’re en route,” he offered. “Uni’s looked through all the old newspapers we have in the archive for the past three months and there’s nothing about a family of three going missing during a storm.”

“Would they even cover that?” Penguin scoffed.

“Well, yeah,” Clione shrugged, “if they were rich enough.” He held out the paper and the other two looked: there, on the page the paper was opened to, was a small, grainy photo of a family. It was clearly not Nauja’s family, as it looked like the youngest of the three kids was about ten years old. “They got caught in something in the New World on the way to Dressrosa and it took being a literal billionaire for their faces to get on page eight. If Nauja’s normal as we think… I dunno.”

“Fuck… it’s a worse disaster than we thought,” Shachi groaned. “We’re definitely stuck with her.”

“At least for a little while.” Clione watched as Bepo tossed Nauja into the air and caught her in a fit of giggles. “Isn’t the captain risking, you know, everything getting this kid back? It doesn’t seem like him.”

“Yeah,” Penguin sighed. “It makes sense though.”

“How…?”

“Kids are your best non-Bepo bet at finding a soft spot for him—especially if they remind him of kids he used to know when he was just a tyke himself.” Penguin settled back in his chair and adjusted his hat so that it blocked the sun from his face. “Who knows? Maybe she reminds him of his little sister.”

“He has a sister?”

“Legend has it,” Shachi scoffed. “I’m sure you can guess what happened to her.”

“Ouch,” Clione grimaced. He saw Nauja decide to sit on Bepo’s shoulders like a perch, bringing a small frown to his face. “…and going back is the only way?”

“Not like we can get out of her where they were going,” Penguin replied. “The best lead we have is that she lives in the STZ. If her grandparents are there, then we’re off the hook, and you can’t ignore the potential of alternate routes in and out of the Red Line and Fish-man Island’s influence, especially since we’re not that far removed.”

“True… I just don’t know if this is really going to do us much good.”

“Relax,” Shachi assured. “The only worry we should have is if they make boiler suits in her size.”

“…you can’t be serious.”

“Weirder shit’s happened.” Clione looked to Penguin for backup, the other man staying silent under his hat. “The fact he agreed to take her back is a good indication that, should things go a certain way, we might have a communal kid.”

Clione grimaced. “Twenty dads and one mom… poor thing.”

“Eh,” Shachi shrugged, “she might turn out half-decent with Jean Bart for a mom. Time’ll tell.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Later that evening, after dinner and overnight duties had been assigned, Law sat hunched over his desk as he nursed some tea and attempted reading the dusty pediatrics textbook further. While he was generally comfortable with the treatment and general conditions involving adult bodies, he had no idea about ones that were still developing. Children themselves were… okay, he guessed, but there was so much to them he didn’t understand. Their individual growth rates alone were enough to make his head spin, let alone all the extra things that they needed or lacked or simply had for no reason. He was so engrossed in the book that he didn’t hear the knock on his cabin door, only noticing someone was there when Ikkaku led Nauja inside.

“…what is this?”

“Do you really want her in the bunkroom?” the mechanic frowned. While the sight of him bent over his studies like a goblin possessing several doctorates wasn’t new to her, she really wished he would act more normal while they had company. “We don’t have private guest quarters and Jean Bart is still having night terrors. She’s going to have to stay with you.”

“She will not; Bepo brought her, so he can bunk with her.”

“You’re the only one with a private room.”

“This was not part of the plan.”

“It’s only until we get her back to her family,” she reminded him. Law looked at Nauja, who grinned happily at him.

“Fine—one toe out of line and you’re sleeping with farts and screaming all night.”

“Yay!” Nauja scurried into the room and climbed into Law’s bed, where she settled down underneath the blanket. She took the large, squishy plush fish from atop the pillow and hugged it aggressively without so much as asking permission.

“Goodnight,” Ikkaku smirked. She went back to the bunkroom, leaving the new roommates to their devices. Law turned off the overhead light and switched his desk lamp on, darkening the room considerably.

“I still have reading to do,” he explained. “You go to sleep, alright?”

“Don’t you need sleeps too?”

“Not as much—I’ll join you later.”

“Okay! Goodnight!” The child allowed him to tuck her in and he went back to his book. The text was admittedly dryer than normal, which really was saying something, and before long, his tea was cold and he was beginning to feel the day’s events hanging over him.

Fuck… what was he going to do…? He ran his fingers through his hair before dragging his hands down his face. He was a Warlord now—he was at the Government’s beck and fucking call—and there was nothing on his ship for a small child to do, let alone anywhere for one to simply exist. The sooner he could drop her off the better, even though the pessimist in him was telling him otherwise. Touching the worn, faded photos on the wall in front of him, he thought about the only people whose advice he wanted to ask… whose answers he was never going to hear.

‘Lami, what do six-year-old girls like to do other than go to festivals?’ he wondered silently. ‘Moeder, how do I handle such a ball of energy? Vader, what happens when she asks a question I don’t know the answer for? Cora-san, how do you go about taking care of a kid that isn’t even really yours to care about?

‘How much trouble am I really in?’

Only silence met him, as expected.

What he would give to ask just one of them a single question… he ached to think of it.

Knowing his mind was not going to soak in any new information, Law resigned himself to sleep. He clicked off the desk lamp and nearly rolled into his bed. With the stuffed toy between them, he stared at the child in the faint moonlight, wondering what it was she was dreaming about so peacefully.

Trafalgar D. Water Law closed his eyes and dreamt of happier days.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Waking up with the stuffed fish in his arms, Law at first wondered if the prior day had been a dream. He hugged it tight and opened his eyes, only for his thoughts to be spoiled by a note stuck to the wall via a magnet.

Got the cub.

It looked close enough to Bepo’s handwriting that Law didn’t even really care anymore. Fuck, he was so damn tired… it was such a good thing they weren’t too far into the New World, or their proposed route wouldn’t even be a consideration. After a piss in his closet of a toilet, he shuffled out into the rest of the ship, wondering how it was so quiet in the afternoon. He eventually found everyone in the mess hall, clapping politely as Nauja spun atop a table… showing off a new dress…?

“What did I miss?” he groaned.

“We… uh… might have stopped at an island for a quick shopping run a couple hours ago when you were sleeping…” Shachi admitted, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t think it was right for her to be wearing nothing but old t-shirts.”

“Are we still at this island?”

“Nope!” Nauja beamed. “The Pose already reset! We didn’t want you to worry!”

“There was nothing that could stop them,” Uni claimed, holding out Law’s coffee-filled mug. The captain accepted it, taking a large gulp to steel himself against whatever nonsense was soon to come.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hakugan was honestly minding his own business when he felt a tiny tug on the hem of his sleeve. It was a gorgeous day as he was on the top deck tending to the rigging, letting the cool ocean air cut through his boilersuit and ruffle his hair as he checked its stability in relation to the steering apparatuses. His attention was caught by the crew’s wee guest, who was looking up at him with wide eyes.

“What?” he asked, knowing the kid couldn’t see his expression.

“I want to color. Can I color something?”

Ah.

“You might want to ask Clione about that,” he shrugged. “I just don’t have anything up here to color with.”

“Is that why your mask is white?”

“My mask is white because it freaks people out. Now go ahead and find Clione. Wiggly hat.”

“Okay!” Nauja left Hakugan, climbing back down below deck. She wandered around until she found Clione, who was in the laundry room mending some boilersuits.

“You look like you’re hunting for something,” he chuckled. “What’s the problem?”

“I want to color something, but Hakugan said to look for you! Do you know what I can color?”

“Well, not these,” he shrugged, gesturing to the garment in his hands. “Why don’t you ask Ikkaku? She knows what’s best for girls to color.”

“’Cause she’s a girl too! That’s right!” Nauja tapped her right fist in her left palm as though she’d had a revelation. She then rushed about until she found the woman in question in the engine room, where she and Uni were recording a bunch of readouts from some valves. “Auntie Ikka?”

“I’m busy…” she warned. Not that Nauja realized that, as the girl beamed brightly at her.

“I want to color, but Hakugan said that I can’t color his mask so I had to ask Clione, and then Clione said he didn’t know what I should color either, but that I should ask you because you’re a girl too and would know what it is I’d like to color!”

Ikkaku stopped writing and stared at the child, completely flabbergasted. She looked to Uni for confirmation that this was happening, only to see that he was actively trying to ignore and stay out of the entire conversation. This is what she got for traveling with a bunch of fucking babies.

“Listen kid: I don’t know what there is to color around here because I don’t have anything to color, just write.” She gestured with her clipboard in order to get the point across. A thought then crossed her mind; might as well take this directly to the top and save everyone else a bunch of fucking hassle. “Say, why don’t you go ask the captain? It’s not just that the captain’s name is Law, but his word is law too. He’ll figure it out for you.”

“Really?”

“That’s what captains are: problem solvers.” She saw that Uni was now looking at her, giving her a worried expression at the fact she was bringing the captain into this. Oh well. “Now run along. He should be able to get you your answers.”

“Okay!” the little girl replied cheerily. She then left the engine room and went into the infirmary, where she found Law carefully mixing some chemicals together, seeming rather pleased with himself as the two clear liquids merged and became green. “Do you have something I can color?”

Law narrowed his eyes as he looked at her—what the fuck?

“There was literally no one else on the ship you could ask that?”

“I did, but now I’m asking you, because the captain’s word is law like your name… whatever that means.”

“It means they’re all cowards,” he deadpanned. Law put the green-filled flask into a holder and began rummaging around in the drawers. Eventually he found a couple markers, some colored pencils, and scrap paper. “Here; draw on this.”

“Thank you!” Nauja squeaked. She hugged his leg before running off, taking the supplies with her.

For fuck’s sake—the crew needed to at least pretend that they weren’t afraid of a small child.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Why are you always studying?” Law didn’t even look away from his textbook to know that Nauja was changing into her pajamas in his bathroom. “You’re an adult—adults don’t have to study!”

“They do when they find themselves facing something they never knew about before,” he replied dully. “Good minds always learn things.”

“I thought captains always knew things…?” She climbed through the gap between his arm and his leg, crawling her way into his grasp. “What don’t you know?”

“I’m a doctor, but I don’t know a lot about growing bodies, like yours,” he grimaced. He waited before she settled in his lap before tilting the book so she could see easier. “Kids are very different from adults. You being here reminded me of that.”

“You didn’t learn about kid stuff before me?”

“Not extensively; pediatrics is an admitted and pronounced weak area of mine. Mostly I’ve concentrated on adult patients and surgical maneuvers.”

“That’s a lot of bones,” Nauja said, pointing at an illustration in the book. “How many are there?”

“In an adult, the number is around two-hundred-six, but in children it is greater, more like two-hundred-seventy.”

“Whoa… that’s neat.” She marveled at the textbook, which gave Law an idea.

“Would you like to see the difference between my hand and yours?”

“Yes!” she gasped, gazing up at him with sparkles in her eyes. The sight of her tugged at something deep within him, hearkening back to days in decades past.

“Then hold still while I use my Devil Fruit,” he said. She did and he dissected both their left hands, showing her how their bones compared. “See how these match up, even though my bones are bigger?”

“So, these will look like those when I’m older?” she asked, pointing out the phalanges.

“Not exactly, but close. I don’t know how big you’ll get, because that’s a significant factor, as are congenital and environmental conditions that alter bone growth.”

“Ohhh… neat…” Neither her nor Law noticed the knock on the door, nor it creaking open. “Why do I have more bones than you?”

“Children’s bones form from softer cartilage and fuse together as they get older, if they have the correct nutrients. There is more of them because they aren’t fully formed yet, which makes it easier to do things like be born and grow up.”

“Careful, Cap, or you might get into a weird conversation you don’t want to have,” Shachi smirked. He unloaded his tray on the desk—two mugs, a small pot of tea and Jean Bart’s famous chocolate chip cookies—and raised an eyebrow at their skeleton-hands. “Huh… so that doesn’t freak you out, kiddo?”

“Nope!” Nauja claimed. She then looked at the tea and cookies, and then at Law. “Can I have the rest of my hand back?”

“I guess so,” he sniffed. Law returned their hands to normal and dropped the Room in order to grab a cookie. He looked at Shachi, who gave him a look right back, the two silently conversing.

‘Aren’t you settling into the role a little quick?’

‘She gave me no choice.’

“How are babies born if they need more bones?” Nauja asked through a mouthful of cookie. Shachi choked down a cackle, while Law calmly shambled a book on obstetrics to the desk and opened it up.

“Although the birth canal is generally wide and elastic enough for them to go through, babies need the extra flexibility involved with having more bones in order to decrease complications,” he explained. He took a sip of his tea and gave the mortified Shachi a smirk. “Are you interested in how that works, Nauja-ya?”

“Oooh, yes please!”

“I’m moving her to coffee,” Shachi deadpanned. Law simply ignored him, instead flipping to a page illustrating a lateral cross-section of a thirty-eight week pregnancy.

“See that right there? That’s the birth canal, and all that baby has to go through it. It’s why skulls aren’t fully formed until years after birth, so they can fit.” He watched as Shachi recoiled in fear and scurried away—a great way to get most of his crew to scram was talk frankly about certain medical things in casual conversation, and Shachi was no exception. Nauja grabbed at her tea—in one of the smaller mugs Uni normally used for espresso—and drank a large gulp.

“That’s still really big for that bit there,” she noted. “Is there a drawing about that?”

Eh; it wasn’t quite giving her The Talk, but considering the ease of everything, he’d take it.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Wow!” Nauja’s eyes went wide as she pressed her hands and nose to the porthole glass. The Polar Tang was diving underneath the Red Line, going deeper and deeper than most divers could on their own. “Everything looks so cool!”

“While you can see,” Shachi smirked. He wiggled his fingers and made a groaning, ghosty sound at her, causing the child to squeak in fright. She hopped down from the chair she’d been standing on and went to the Captain’s chair, where she crawled into Law’s lap.

“He’s being mean!” she declared.

“Nauja-ya, hush, I’m concentrating,” Law said, not taking his eyes off the controls and readouts in front of him. He did not make a motion to move her, however, allowing the girl to stay where she was at. “Hakugan-ya? How’s hull pressure?”

“Stable,” was the reply. “There’s a lot more she can take before we need to get worried.”

“Good. Bepo-ya?”

“Course steady!”

“Nauja-ya?”

“…yes…?”

“It’s getting cold and will only get colder—I want you to have whoever is in the kitchen help you make hot chocolate for everyone. Got it?”

“Yes, Captain!” she gasped. She had a job to do! He then shook his head at her.

“I am not your captain.”

“Okay then… yes, Law-san!”

She left immediately after, unable to see the absolutely panicked look on Law’s face as she skipped out into the corridor. The rest of the people in the control room ignored it, instead concentrating on the instruments’ readouts.

By the time Nauja returned, she was wearing a blanket like a shawl-cape and helping to carry her own tray of hot chocolate. Once all the other cups were distributed, she crawled back into the captain’s lap with her mug and settled in the crook of his arm, keeping herself cozy against him. Everyone else in the control room saw, of course, though knew better and kept their mouths shut.

Law-san. She called him Law-san. To those who knew, the coincidence was too much to ignore. They instead filed it away for later and continued concentrating on navigating the waters around them, watching out for the inherent dangers of the sea.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Why do you say some people’s names like that?”

Law glanced down at Nauja on the barstool next to him, seeing that the little girl was staring at him curiously. He paid for the crew’s drinks and the barman went off to fill the mugs. “Like how?”

“You called him Barkeep-ya. I am Nauja-ya. Why is everyone a-ya?”

“Oh. It’s just a habit. It was common to say in my hometown.”

“Where’s that?”

“The North Blue, like most of the rest of the crew.” He watched as she kicked her feet and thought, absolutely devastated at how cute she was. Every time she set herself next to him, he could feel the desire to laugh emanating from his crew, as though seeing him suffer was one of the funniest things in the world.

“Can I go there?”

“No,” he said abruptly. She flinched, and a part of him felt bad. “It’s… uh… not an easy place for travelers. As the adult currently in charge of your well-being, it would be irresponsible for me to suggest otherwise.”

“Oh.” She sipped her milk thoughtfully. “Do you ever go back?”

“Only once; it wasn’t fun.”

“That’s sad,” Nauja decided. “Don’t your mom and dad miss you?”

Instead of answering, Law took a drink from his mug. He wasn’t really in the mood to be opening up to anyone, let alone a small child in their temporary care. The child stared at him, waiting for a response, before nodding.

“It’s okay, my mom and dad don’t miss me either.”

“I’m sure they do, Nauja-ya…”

“No, they don’t,” the girl replied. “They would have found me before Bepo-ya did if they missed me. They were gone a really, really long time. It was always Granny and Granddad who bothered.”

Law raised his eyebrow at that. Instead of concentrating on the statement about her parents, he consciously chose to scoff before drinking some of his ale. “Copycat.”

“I’m allowed!” Nauja pouted. “You can’t stop me!”

“From being a snotty little copycat? Hearing you call Bepo-ya that makes you sound like an old woman.”

“Then it must make you sound ancient!” Law choked on his drink. “Nahaha! I’m right! I’m right!”

“Nauja-ya…”

“Shachi-ya! Does Law-san sound like an old man?!”

“You know it, kiddo!” the offending crewmate cackled, raising his drink. Law glared at him—the other man too drunk to care—before turning back to Nauja, who was smugly triumphant.

“I am not an old man,” Law groused.

“You’re drinking beer,” Nauja pointed out. “Stinky old men drink stinky beer.”

“Shachi-ya’s older than me, you know, and is on his fourth mug of the night. What does that make him?”

“Weird and drunk.”

“…but not old…?”

“Nope!”

Law pinched the bridge of his nose, grit his teeth, and tried not to yell at the child or his crewmate. What did he do this time to deserve this?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

No one was entirely certain as to exactly why Nauja was crying, but she was, and that was why everyone else was panicking. She had been left on the Polar Tang with the bulk of the crew while Law and Bepo went ashore to acquire navigational information, meaning that there was no one around that seemed to be able to placate their guest.

“This is not what I signed up for,” Ikkaku grimaced. She put her hands over her ears as Nauja flopped face-down on the top deck, screaming into the Tang beneath them. “Remind me to murder the captain when he gets back.”

“What do you think’s wrong?” Penguin asked. He tried poking Nauja, only for her to scream louder. “Fucking seas—there’s no off button.”

“Wishful thinking, considering you don’t have an off button either,” Clione snarked weakly. “At least my contact was able to find out where she belongs.”

“Yeah, I guess there’s that,” Penguin sighed. The three crewmates exchanged looks of absolute desperation—they had tried everything. They tried holding her, talking to her, trying to get her to laugh, and nothing fucking worked. Now they were banished to the outside deck, making it so that at least her screams didn’t carry through the rest of the ship.

It was then that the captain and navigator decided to return. Law looked at the scene in front of him and rolled his eyes, collecting the child from the deck and holding her in his arms. She instantly quieted, snuggling in the shoulder of his feather-trimmed coat he was currently wearing as a cape. Penguin, Clione, and Ikkaku all stared slackjawed at the pair as Law went below deck as though everything was normal.

“What was wrong with the cub?” Bepo wondered.

“We don’t know,” Ikkaku replied, absolutely incredulous. “Now, if you losers excuse me, I gotta make sure the boiler room’s ready to go. Later.”

Yeah… none of the rest of them wanted to think about what just happened either.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Ever hear of something called Aqua Laguna?”

Nauja squeaked in terror, confusing the pirates that were with her. Once the Polar Tang had reached Water 7, Law and Bepo made quick work of tracking down Nauja’s house. Penguin and Shachi tagged along as well, and now they were talking with someone claiming to be a neighbor, with the house they needed being the only one boarded up on the street.

“Does it have something to do with water?” Shachi joked. The neighbor stared at him flatly—they were in Water Fucking 7… of course it had something to do with water.

“It’s a yearly flood that does a lot of damage to the island,” he replied. “If people aren’t careful, they can get swept up in the waves and drown.”

“How awful!” Bepo shivered.

“We were waiting to hear back from the kids before we did anything to the house aside from basic cleanup, but…” The neighbor looked at Nauja, who was doing a very poor job of trying to not cry. “Hey, don’t worry; we’ll take care of you.” The girl hid her face against Law’s leg and sobbed.

“My navigator found her on an island in the New World,” Law explained. The neighbor looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“The New World? They left for that ages ago.”

“It’s what we gathered. She said something about visiting an aunt and uncle.”

“Really? I didn’t think they had family that way.”

An alarm bell went off in his mind as Law reached out subtly with his Haki, still not entirely used to the sensation. He couldn’t tell anything about the supposed neighbor. Hm. Someone called out from a few houses down, catching the neighbor’s attention.

“Excuse me,” he said. “I’ll be right back.

The four pirates looked at one another cautiously, unsure of how to continue. There was no way they could leave Nauja in an empty house, nor were they going to leave her with someone who claimed to be a former neighbor. It all felt too suspicious for their liking. Nauja clung to Law’s pant leg and sniffled, causing him to idly stroke her hair.

“So, now what are we going to do?” Shachi wondered.

“I guess there’s only one thing to do,” Law said.

“Flex your Warlord powers to find her parents?” Penguin asked. Law shook his head and picked up the child. She clung to him, her arms loose around his neck and her head resting on his shoulder.

“What I should have done from the beginning.” He carried the girl as he walked back through the streets, eventually reaching the Polar Tang and the rest of the crew waiting on the deck.

“No luck…?” Clione wondered. “My contact…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Law said. “Oi, Ikkaku-ya.”

The mechanic’s stomach went to her throat. “Yeah, Captain?”

“I think you need to build that extra room after all.” He watched as her eyebrows shot up curiously, as did most of the rest of the crew’s. “Get the parts you need for it while we’re here—we can stop on Leyteena for a bit of peace and quiet.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” she said, giving him a mock salute.

“Where are the others?” Hakugan noted. Law shrugged.

“Their problem, not mine,” he said. He then brought Nauja down into the galley and placed her on the counter as he made them both something hot to drink. Before long, two steaming mugs of tea were sitting on the counter. Nauja reached for one, only for Law to intercept her hand to keep her still. He activated a Room around her head and, quite suddenly, her face felt weird.

“What did you do?” she asked quietly.

“I cleared your sinus cavity best I could, as ignoring it would be courting a headache and mouth-breathing for the rest of the day,” he said, gesturing to the sink. Sure enough, there was a glop of translucent boogers laying there. “Now you can have tea. It will help with the rest.”

“Thank you.”

Law watched Nauja as she gingerly picked up her mug and held it, letting the steam waft up into her face as she blew on the liquid to cool it. A smile crossed his lips as she took a sip and grimaced—it was still hot and he didn’t put milk or sugar in either mug.

“You know…” he said, hesitating, “my little sister was about your age when she passed away.” Nauja’s eyes grew wide as she stared at him in horror. “I never go back to my hometown because there is no place for me to go to; my parents and sister died a long time ago, along with a lot of other people. You can’t find the city on a map anymore—there’s not much left if there’s anything at all.”

“…but you escaped with your friends…?”

“No. Only I escaped. The crew came later.” He leaned his hip against the counter and wondered if he should have been telling her all this—it was stuff that not even his closest crewmates knew the whole story about. “I was on my own for a while too, and it made me very angry.”

“You’re not angry now.”

“That’s because Cora-san found me.” He could feel his voice threaten to crack. “He rescued me from a bad place, that had a bad man in charge, and he loved me with all his heart. I was…” he swallowed hard, “…like a son to him.”

“Where is he?”

“Cora-san died protecting me when the bad man came after us. I still love him today because of how easy it was for him to love me all those years ago. He had no reason to, but he did, and his love made me better.”

“Is that why…?” Nauja pointed at Law’s chest and the tattoo there. He nodded.

“Yeah.” He cradled her head with his free hand as he leaned down and kissed her hair. “I remember how much I needed him. If he hadn’t found me and taken me away… my life would be very different.”

Nauja sipped some more tea—now cool enough for her to drink—and nodded. “If you needed him, does that mean I’m allowed to need you?”

“Yeah. It is.”

“Okay.”

The two of them stayed there, drinking their tea in silence until Penguin came into the galley and paused, pointing at his captain, then the child, and back, all while keeping his other hand hidden.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“I was just having a very important conversation with Nauja-ya about how she’s staying,” Law said. The little girl nodded quickly, bringing Penguin to a chuckle.

“Well, it’s a good thing we went into your house and grabbed a bunch of shit,” he said. He brought his other hand out from behind his back and presented Nauja with a stuffed toy, the sight of which made her brighten.

“Professor Nanuk!” she gasped, holding out her arms. Penguin handed it over and she hugged it tightly. “How did you know I missed her the most?!”

“I had a sneaky suspicion soon as I saw her,” he replied. The sink then caught his eye and he cringed. “Oh… what the fuck is that?!”

“Mucus,” Law replied plainly. He took a sip of his tea as Penguin grimaced and Nauja giggled quietly. “It was a preventative measure.”

“Why you gotta be like that, Cap? That’s my sink. It’s gross now.”

“It’s a prementative measure,” Nauja declared, nodding importantly. “Or I would have gotten a headache.”

“Preventative, Nauja-ya. We took a preventative measure against a headache.”

Penguin honestly didn’t know what was worse: the fact they now had a kid, or that she latched onto Law of all people, or that Law himself was seemingly latching onto her. What a fucking nightmare.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It wasn’t much, but Ikkaku enlisted Uni’s help and the two of them were able to turn a poorly-utilized cupboard into a proper room for Nauja, with her own bed and a desk and space to put all her things. They even reorganized the storage area, where they were able to place not only all the extra bits from the former closet, but also the trunk full of her family mementos stolen before they left Water 7.

The little girl cried when she saw the room, which turned into the captain fighting back an outward emotion as his twenty-strong crew of fully-grown adults bawled their eyes out.

Nauja was there to stay.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, the world awaits - Part 5 of 5

Okay, NOW I promise we’re done, lol. I have actually two different endings for this, but the first I wrote less than a day before I read ch 1079, which then screwed it up, so you have this one now instead ahahaha I’ll also let y’all figure out for yourself what got written before and after I read 1081 last week (more before than what you might think), so... enjoy!

Chapter 1 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter 2 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter 3 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter 4 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Onigashima shall rise and fall. A boy shall become a man. Friends shall part ways. A certain legacy shall come full-circle despite the need to be broken. [14,616 words; AU where history repeats itself in the worst way]

It had not been long and Nauja was beginning to deeply regret her decision to sneak onto Onigashima. Tengu-ya had been extremely angry when they had left and she was beginning to understand why. She didn’t have a Devil Fruit ability like Tama or Momonosuke—only her knife—and things were already pretty hairy. There was not a familiar face around as she and Tama wandered around the chaos; most of the people running by them were Beast Pirates and other lackeys of Kaidou and Orochi.

“Okay, let’s split up,” Tama decided. They were both riding on Komachiyo, having snuck off Speed’s ship when no one was looking. “We can cover more ground that way.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“We’re here as samurai—we need to find our units,” the junior kunoichi reasoned. “Your father and his men should be around somewhere, while I have to find the Straw Hats and distribute these dango.”

“Makes sense, I guess,” Nauja nodded. She and Tama high-fived before she slid off Komachiyo’s back. “Let’s do this!”

“Right!” Tama rode off speedily, while Nauja crept about in the shadows, trying to not be seen by the large amount of adults that were wandering about. Some of them were engaged in fighting, while others were simply going to and from different stations. She eventually found a large alcove where she could catch her breath without anyone around, glad for the breather. Her dirk was already getting heavy against her wrists and she wasn’t anywhere near a member of the crew.

“…a child…?” a voice marveled. Nauja jumped nearly out of her skin and turned around, raising her knife in defense. There, she saw a strange blond man standing there, his expression unreadable, but there was no mistaking him for any of the other bounty posters she had been quizzed on. “What is a child doing here…?”

“What do you want with me, Basil Hawkins?!” she snapped. Instead of answering her directly, he brought out his tarot cards, the bits of paper hanging in the air.

“A Paradise accent tempered by a conspicuous Northern lilt,” he said, swishing the cards around. “Approximately seven or eight years old, accurate identification of other pirates, bladed weapon, very short hair, yellow and black hearts on her lavender yukata, a Sora backpack and matching charm on her weapon’s sheath… probability of being a certain Supernova surgeon’s natural child or ward… ninety-seven-point-two-six percent.” Nauja shivered and a chilling smile crept onto his face. “I was correct.”

“Get lost, you creep.”

“On the contrary: I think I found my way to get back on Kaidou’s good side,” Hawkins observed. “With this offering, I might survive that much longer.” He held out his hand. “Come, child, I shall bring you to safety. All this fighting must be scary…”

“No,” she snapped. Her dirk wavered in her hands. “You said Kaidou—I can’t trust you.”

“He’s not necessarily interested in you, child, but your father,” he said. “You’re worth more to him alive, trust me on that at the very least.”

“I won’t go with you!”

“Do not make me use force—I do still have some respect for your father, after all.”

“Then don’t you dare touch her!”

Out of seemingly nowhere, a large rock seemed to teleport itself to slam into Hawkins, which he had to create a straw shield to defend against. When he brushed aside the rubble, he saw Law had slid onto the scene, looking rather worse for wear as he knelt down and brought his daughter into a hug before he began physically checking her for injuries.

“What in the hell are you doing here?!” Law scolded, panting hard from his effort to get to her side. His heart felt as though it was going to explode out of his chest. “I told you to wait with the other kids!”

“Vaor, I did wait with Tama-ya… kind of…” the girl grimaced. “She’s here too…”

“You girls are in so much trouble!” Law groaned. “After all that, you deliberately disobeyed me and now you’re in the one place I wanted you far away from?! How did you even get past Tengu-ya?!”

Nauja bit the insides of her lips and tried to look away guiltily—busted.

“Quite possibly, my fortunes have changed.” Hawkins stared at the cards in front of him before clearing them from the air. “A forty-percent increase… it’s worth it.”

Glaring at his fellow Supernova, Law held Nauja close to his side as he extended his free arm, attempting to activate a Room to get them out of there. It wasn’t working, with each attempt flickering out in his panic.

“Kaidou is going to love this,” Hawkins stated. He drew his sword, readying to strike. “Trafalgar and his brat, handed to him on a—”

Just then, a massive roar cut him off, so loud that it shook everything around them. Hawkins turned to look and instead got a face full of allosaurus tail, which cleared him through the far wall. The dinosaur slowly stomped into full view, growling lowly at the broken wall before shifting down into X Drake’s Human form.

“Are you two alright?” he asked. He saw Nauja’s eyes were wide in amazement; few kids were immune to the charm of a literal dinosaur saving them.

“It was under control,” Law hissed.

“Mmhmm, sure.” Drake watched as the other man put the child down and leaned against the wall in an effort to catch his breath properly. “Hey… can I, uh, give her something?”

“What could you possibly have to give?” Law asked. Drake bent down and picked up a pen Hawkins must have dropped when he was hit and procured a piece of paper from his inner jacket pocket. Law raised an eyebrow, knowing full-well what sort of paper it was.

“Something I never really should have had on me to begin with.” He knelt down and used the floor as a writing surface before beckoning Nauja over. “What is your name, darling?”

“Trafalgar Nauja,” the girl beamed. “Who are you?”

“Nice to meet you, Nauja. My name is X Drake, and as you can tell, your father and I know each other… in a way.”

“You sound a little like him. Are you also from the North Blue?”

“I am,” the man admitted. “I even have a father like you have Trafalgar here. Got him in a similar way, if what I hear is correct.”

“Your dad’s navigator found you and he just kind of took over?”

“More like my father’s friend found me, but close enough.” He sat directly on the floor in an attempt to hunch over more and be at her eye-level better—curse his height. “I even have a brother, although I never met him. He left our father’s life as I entered it. Although I’ll never know his laugh or hear his voice or learn what he thinks of me, I’ve been living in his shadow this entire time… seeing and experiencing the consequences of his actions. He’s like a ghost, in a way, and there’s something telling me that he would want you to have this.”

Drake held out the paper and handed it to Nauja. She looked at Law before accepting it, only doing so once he nodded. Looking down at the note, she scrunched her nose in thought.

“‘Please take care of her. Dorry.’ That’s weird. Why do you want me to have this?”

“…because one day, you might run out of options,” Drake said. “Your father is strong and capable, but even he has limits. If you ever find yourself with nowhere to hide, and he can’t help you, let this paper guide you to my father. Call him Grandpapa and give him a hug and show him this paper.” He then paused for a moment. “Do you know what a Vivre Card is?”

“Oh, yeah! We have some of those! That’s what this is?” She held open her palm and laid the paper in it—sure enough, it began to shuffle across her fingers.

“Yes. Remember: only use it as a last resort. There is only so much my father can do for you, but it’s safer than wandering around on your own. He will make sure nothing bad happens while you’re in his care… he will think of what my brother would have done—what my brother did for a scared little boy before he died—and will hide you from the bad people in the world until you are ready to face them yourself.”

“Then I’ll keep it safe,” the girl nodded. She carefully secured the note in her yukata sleeve. “Thank you, Dinosaur-ya, for this special gift.”

“…and how do I know I can trust your father?” Law asked. Drake shrugged and stood.

“You don’t,” he replied honestly. “Is this a risk? It’s a major one, but you are the only one who can truly talk to him about my brother, and that is at least worth something.”

In an instant, everything felt to Law as though it shifted violently and clicked into place as he stared at the other Supernova… this now-former Tobiroppo… there was more to him than he could have ever imagined. He wasn’t just any deserted Marine… he was Sengoku’s project after Cora-san died… Law was sure of it. His eyes went to the Vivre Card in Nauja’s hand—to trust her with it was to trust him with it, Drake clearly under the assumption that he wasn’t going to use it to attack the former Fleet Admiral. The other man’s actions were all beginning to make a lot more sense, even if all it did was make him more conflicted…

“Does he know about her…?”

“Possibly…? He doesn’t hear a lot of chatter these days, but at the same time, many of Kaidou’s officers know she exists. The intel might stay on Wano, it might extend off the island—that I can’t say. What I can say, however, is that it wasn’t me if it gets leaked.”

Just then, a massive burst of Haki came from the ruined wall, causing Drake to shove Nauja towards Law. “Hawkins is coming to; I suggest you book it.”

The little family did, not even turning around to watch Drake morph into an allosaurus and roar so loud he shook the building.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law slashed the last of the guards down and finished descending the staircase into the lowermost basement. Nauja tap-tap-tapped her way down the rest of the stairs, avoiding her father’s unfortunate victims. The room they entered held a large blue stone, covered completely with strange symbols that made the little girl’s eyes go wide.

“This is a Poneglyph?” she marveled. Law nodded, placing his hand on the smooth, cool stone.

“It is—people have died for so much as being able to read what’s on it.”

“You can read that…?!”

“I can’t, but Nico-ya can. Her home island died because some of them could read Poneglyphs. She was the only survivor.”

“…like you…?”

“Indeed.” He let his fingertips catch in the grooves, feeling the enormous weight of the writing’s unknown message. “I wonder how many people died for this over the centuries.”

“Couldn’t they just listen…?” Nauja asked. She looked up at Law and tilted her head. “It’s whispering… you don’t even need to read it.”

“You can… hear it…?” He looked at her and raised his eyebrow. “How do you mean?”

“I… don’t… know…?” The little girl looked at the Poneglyph and tilted her head. “It’s just kinda… I dunno… humming, I guess…? In a way? I understand it.”

“…and what is it saying?”

“It’s talking about a legendary warrior and how he killed a dragon with a perfect sword, becoming a hero to all of Wano and the world,” she replied, wrinkling her nose in thought. “Do you think I can hear it because it’s part of the age-related hearing range?”

“No… I think you can hear it because of something special.” He placed his hand on her head and stroked her hair.

“Symetesia…?”

“No, not synesthesia,” he paused, “more like the Voice of All Things. I’ve heard of it being something before, but wasn’t certain about the existence of such a talent due to the rarity and lack of clinical observation.”

“Really…? It’s rare…? Then why can Momo-ya hear it too…?”

Law stared at his daughter. “What do you mean?”

“Momo-ya could hear a voice at Zou. I couldn’t make it out, so I ignored it, but he could hear it clearly. That was the excuse he used to hide in his room all the time.”

“Was it now…?” He needed something to tell her, and quickly. “If it is the Voice of All Things, then that is a rare trait, possibly an offshoot of Observation Haki if my theory is correct.” He considered something briefly, then knelt down to be at her eye level. “Does this whisper anything about the Will of D.?”

Nauja paused, closing her eyes. “No. Why? What’s that?”

“Cora-jiisan once told me that the People of the D. are the enemies of the gods… meaning the Celestial Dragons. Something the crew doesn’t know—not even Bepo-ya—is that I am one of them.”

“You… you are…?”

“Trafalgar D. Water Law was the entire name your opa and oma gave me, the name your jiisan told me to keep hidden,” he explained. He placed his hand on the cool stone of the Poneglyph again, Nauja copying him. “Nico-ya says I must search for the Poneglyphs in order to discover the truth. What you told me confirms I need the red ones.”

A low rumbling shook the floor, making the plaster above them creak.

“A sub-basement is probably not the best place to be right now, in retrospect,” Law noted. He grabbed Nauja again and opened a Room, bringing them to a higher floor again and the heat of the battle. “Those assholes better not do anything drastic without me.”

“Uh… that looks kinda drastic,” Nauja squeaked. She was pointing to some nearby rubble, which contained an arm draped in a familiar kimono sleeve.

“Shit,” Law spat. He put Nauja down and spotted the familiar allosaurus on the other side of the hall. “There’s Drake-ya. Stay with him. I’ve got some samurai to bring down here.”

“Vaor…?” He looked at her and saw that her eyes were glassy with tears. “I’m sorry for sneaking over here anyhow despite agreeing not to. Please come back.”

“I’ll do my best, famke,” he echoed. He pressed a kiss to her hair before swapping her with a rock next to Drake and himself with a splinter of wood from an even higher building level.

Honoring an alliance sure was shit.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Drake wasn’t certain as to why he had Trafalgar’s child by his side again so soon, but he definitely imagined it had something to do with the fact her father was on the roof of the building fighting with Kaidou and Big Mom. He allowed her to sit on his oversized allosaurus foot, the girl clinging to his leg as he stomped around in an attempt at intimidating people. Anyone who dared to snatch or otherwise harm her got either tail or teeth making the definitive decision for them: no.

Not on his watch.

Drake fought and intimidated the Beast Pirates while he watched over not only Nauja, but the little reindeer-doctor as he synthesized a cure for the chilly disease that was ripping through Beast Pirates and Alliance members alike, not caring about things such as sides and loyalties. He only began to relax as the Straw Hats’ doctor blasted a cure into the air. It even had a certain smell to it—sweet with a hint of spice—that brought him back to the infirmary of Tsuru’s ship, where he had been laid up for so, so long after she had found him. The girl slid off his foot and he shifted back into his Human form, looking over the scene as frozen limbs melted and the healing flames from Whitebeard’s former doctor, of all people, seas be damned, flickered out.

“NAUJA!” The girl jumped as she heard her name called, seeing Shachi run up to her and Drake, accompanied by two of Kid Pirates. He flicked her on the forehead, which caused her to squeak. “What are you doing here?! Does the captain know?!”

“He knows,” she admitted sourly. “I’m just here with Dinosaur-ya because Vaor’s up there.” She pointed at the giant hole in the ceiling. A roar just above the basement of Human hearing came from the hole, which made them all shudder.

“Impressive,” one of the Kid Pirates nodded.

“I think we can take it from here, beefcakes,” the other Kid Pirate said, giving Drake a wink. Shachi facepalmed, her crewmate ignored her, and Drake simply stared.

“We’re kind of in the middle of a life-or-death war here…” he mentioned.

“Little flirt don’t hurt,” she shrugged. She then looked at Nauja, who seemed some level of disturbed. “C’mon kiddo; let’s get you to the main of the group before shit gets too hairy around here.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nauja replied. The adults all exchanged a quick look—yeah, kid must have been in a ton of trouble already. They left Drake’s side to head on back to the little group of Penguin, Bepo, and some stray Kid Pirates, who were fighting Beasts Pirates to the best of their abilities.

“Oh, fuck,” Penguin cussed soon as he saw Nauja. “Cap’s gonna blow a gasket…”

“Already blown!” Nauja insisted. “I think I’m grounded until I’m older than Bone-ya.”

“Sounds about right,” another Kid Pirate nodded. He then noticed a large horned person running their way. “Ah, fuck, another strong-looking one…” Except, Shinobu was there too…? The fuck…? “Hey, what’s going on?!”

“Are you the one referred to as Trafalgar Nauja?” the tall person with Shinobu asked, voice booming. The pirates all tensed, only not attacking because they knew the kunoichi was trustworthy.

“Uhh… yeah…?”

“Oh, good!” squeaked a voice from nearby. It sounded familiar…

“Momo-ya…?”

Sure enough, Momonosuke fell out of the tall person’s pant leg and ran up to Nauja, wrapping her in a hug. “I heard that you and the junior kunoichi had joined the battle! It’s so auspicious that you’re still alive!”

“It’s… auspicious… that… you are… too…?” she replied. She tried looking to the adults for answers—none had any.

“I have decided,” Momonosuke declared. He held Nauja at an arm’s length and put on his most serious face. “Verily! If we survive this and I become shogun, in recognition of your bravery and service to Wano, I shall name you as my intended!”

If the area around them all could have become quiet, it would have.

“What the fuck,” the horned person groaned, snatching Momonosuke up by the collar. “You dragged us all the way over here to propose to your girlfriend?!”

“I’m not his girlfriend!” Nauja snapped, the boy’s words now clicking into place in her brain. “Ask Tama or Toko to marry you, pervy brat!”

“O-Tama is a vassal and it would therefore be inappropriate, as would O-Toko for being my sister’s ward,” Momonosuke stated plainly. “You are the natural choice.”

“Ooooh, Kid’s gonna want t’ hear about this,” a Kid Pirate marveled. A couple of her crewmates nodded sagely in agreement—any ammunition for their captain against the others’.

“This is stupid; Oden out,” the horned person scoffed, stuffing Momonosuke under an arm. By the time Nauja had recovered from the shock of the encounter, the other three members of the Heart Pirates were staring at her with amused expressions that made a chill go down her spine.

“Don’t tell Vaor!” she insisted. “Momo-ya’s just being dumb!”

“Love makes people do dumb things,” Penguin chuckled. Still paying attention to their surroundings, he took his polearm and used it to knock some arrows out of the air. “Look alive! We’re still targets, people!”

Nauja drew her dirk and tried to stay close to the other pirates, attempting to not get too close to any enemies. She really regretted coming along with Tama—so much was happening, everything, all at once, everywhere, and to make matters worse, she was missing the festival! For what?! Her dad being cross with her and Momo being weird? Yeah… this wasn’t one of her most brilliant ideas.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Having popped back down below the battle to regroup, Law and Kid found themselves unfortunately within one another’s company. They were going to have to figure out a way to separate Kaidou and Linlin; the only way those two could have been even more dangerous if they had been actual siblings instead of, well, whatever the fuck they truly were.

“Feck… sounds like the ol’ bird’s down below too,” Kid noted as they ran through the corridors. “Did our dirty work for us.”

“Wouldn’t know what that’s like,” Law grunted. He tried not to think about what had happened before he ran into the Southern redhead again, having been snatched out of the air by a Northern blond, who he repaid in kind by having him watch over the severely injured Wanolese Easterner. Fuck, there was a lot going on. “We need to figure out where our crews are; they’re our support system.”

“No shite, Shirley,” Kid scoffed. He raised his eyebrow, however, at the nearly distracted look on the other man’s face. “Thinking ‘bout some other orders Straw Hat gave yeh?”

“Fuck off,” Law growled. They turned a corner and saw the group that their respective crews had merged into, with Killer already there and helping protect them. “It’s about time… Penguin! Report!”

“No one else has been able to get on Onigashima,” Penguin replied as he parried a blow from a Beast Pirate. He pushed his opponent back and a Kid Pirate took over, slashing their adversary across the stomach. “Sounds like Tama’s here too, working her dango-magic.”

“I figured as much. Based on that, I figure you have her little co-conspirator?”

“I have stabbed a lot of people,” Nauja stated, popping out from behind Penguin. She was splattered in blood, but it was clear it was not her own. “This is way worse than when we show up in a Marine port…”

“Yeh brought yer bairn t’ the battle?!” Kid said, completely flabbergasted. “What the actual fuck, Trafalgar?!”

“Not on purpose, let me assure you,” he replied, marveling at the fact he didn’t have a headache already.

“Och, aye, like I’d believe yeh at this point, yeh bloody fucking twat,” Kid snapped. He then turned to Nauja and gave her a toothy grin. “Ever get tired of the pompous ol’ windbag an’ yeh can come visit wi’ yer Uncle Kid. We know how t’ treat a wee bairnie right.” The little girl giggled, making her father roll his eyes.

“He’s not your uncle; don’t listen to him,” Law deadpanned. “He’s just an idiot whose metal plate in his skull’s gone magnetic.”

“At least I don’t do any of that daft posing shite,” Kid shot back. “Yeh looked like yer at a modeling gig, not fighting for our fucking lives!” He struck a couple poses to prove his point. “At least the Straw Hat knob’s putting in visible effort!”

“Sorry my Devil Fruit requires concentration and finesse!”

“Fucking finesse yersel outwith m’sight, yeh moody-arsed beanpole! Big Mam’s mine, yeh ken?!”

“Are we speaking the same language?!”

“Awww, playin’ the daft laddie, aren’t we? Well, while yer nerd-brain’s so busy tryin’ t’wrap its processes around m’accent, I’m gon’ take t’ bint’s head mysel.”

“As though I’d let you take all the credit after all that shit I had to pull to keep you together!”

“Aye; I bet yeh’d like it all, eh? Took yer turn already, Trafalgar! Now it’s time for the lads’ lads t’shine!”

Just then, a giant spider made of straw crashed onto the scene, with Basil Hawkins sticking out of its back. It roared—somehow—and made it clear it was out for blood.

“A’ll gie him laldie,” Killer said, his voice almost mirthful. “Fucker’s mine.”

“Then let’s split up!” Kid shouted at the rest of his crew. “Pick off some officers!”

“Bepo!” Law saw his navigator’s ears perk up and the Mink took the three steps to join him. “Take Nauja and run. I don’t care where. Just get her someplace quiet.”

“Understood,” Bepo nodded. Before Nauja even had time to protest, he picked her up and ran, dodging Beast Pirates and arrows as he did his best to do what was asked of him.

“Come on, Kid,” Law scowled. “We’ve got an Emperor to distract.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Blood pounded in Law’s skull as he watched Charlotte Linlin grow both in girth and in power. He knew there were some who called his Devil Fruit abilities horrifying—and rightly so—but what was happening before his eyes was down-right chilling. She was tampering with people’s life forces; she was killing them without so much as a drop of consent. It wasn’t just the doctor in him, but his very humanity was sickened.

“All I do is for my family,” she chortled as she continued to bulk up. “My children are heirs to a legacy of greatness. As their mother, it’s my duty to clear a path for them. I’m sure you will understand as I grind your bones into dust.”

“Classy,” Law replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yer eldest is fifty, yeh dusty ol’ bint,” Kid scoffed. “That’s more than time t’ stop relying on mam to fix yer problems.”

“Say a pair of brats who don’t know a mother’s touch,” Linlin smirked. “I still have some daughters I could marry you to if you decide to do the smart thing and submit. I’ll teach you a little something about filial piety.”

“Fuck that,” Kid spat. “That shite got m’crew and me nowhere! All we got, we took oursel!”

“…and you, Trafalgar?” Her voice rumbled with power, echoed with the cries of all the souls she ripped from their hosts. “Do you wish to become Mama’s new favorite?”

“My parents never played favorites—that’s part of what made them good at parenting,” Law fired back. Kid let out a snort—fuck this was the good shit. “Besides, I wouldn’t use my daughter’s wedding as a bargaining chip. She’s too headstrong for such a thing, even if I was that shitty of a parent.”

“Roast t’ hag!” Kid cheered amongst the gasps and marveling. “Gie ‘er good!”

“What would you know about being a parent?” Linlin sneered at Law. “My intel does say you have a bratty little tag-along these days. That’s not a daughter; that’s a charity-case. What sort of pirates resort to charity, I wonder?”

“If being a father is charity, then I wonder what your children think of their fathers? What your sons think of their children.” Law drew his sword and widened his stance slightly. “I know more about being a father, being a parent, than you can ever fathom.”

“You really think she’s yours, you delusional boy?”

“More mine than whatever caused your multiple uterine prolapses are to you.”

Kid was fucking cackling.

“Have it your way,” Linlin hissed. “Napoleon! Prometheus! Hera! Let’s finish these upstarts.”

Law brought up a Room and Kid cracked his knuckles and neck. Now they were talking.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It took a while for Bepo to finally find a corridor that was relatively quiet before he felt safe enough to put Nauja down. Surprised that there was even a place still calm within Onigashima, he searched for a storage room before ushering in his littlest crewmate and closing the door behind them.

“You alright?” he asked. She nodded. “Good, now let’s figure out what we’re going to do from here.” He peeked out into the corridor to double-check and breathed a sigh of relief—no one.

“What’s gonna happen if Vaor can’t stop them?” Nauja wondered. She looked around the room in a panic, seeing that it was empty aside from some low tables, boxes, and stacks of Wanolese seating cushions.

“This place crashes into the Flower Capitol and we would have to get back to the Tang fast as we can,” Bepo replied. He looked back at Nauja and saw that she was shaking as she tried to not cry, likely overloaded by everything and regretting having come along. She was so different from the first time he saw her—a pair of curious eyes poking out from behind smears of dirt and matted hair—and it only showed him how far she’d come with them… with Law. “Listen: nothing bad’s going to happen, okay? We’ve got this.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” chuckled a low voice. The Mink scooped the child up into his arms and held her close. “Cute… as though either of you are anything other than a liability…”

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re not getting to us that easily,” Bepo announced. He put his back to the wall and tried to sniff out the other person in the room and couldn’t; the smells from elsewhere in the complex were still too strong.

“I’m surprised you don’t recognize me… little brother…”

A figure stepped out from behind some cushion stacks and both Bepo and Nauja gasped. There, standing before them as though everything was completely normal, was Zepo.

“You’re dead!” Nauja declared, pointing at the other Mink.

“How would you know?” Mystery Zepo chuckled. “What would a Lesser Mink cub know about me?”

“Enough to know you’re not real!” She looked at Bepo, who seemed completely at a loss for what to do. “Come on! We need to get out of here!”

“I… I…” Bepo breathed, his brain sputtering out. “Was Fred wrong…?”

“He can be,” Mystery Zepo replied. A large explosion rumbled from elsewhere in the castle.

“No, he’s the one lying! That’s proof!” Nauja wiggled from Bepo’s grasp and tried to shake him out of it. “Bepo-ya…!”

“…but… how can he be here…?”

“Shoot…” The small child looked around and tried to figure out what she could do to snap Bepo out of whatever it was that was keeping him from knowing that this wasn’t real. Was it a Devil Fruit? A robot? A really good imposter? She needed to figure it out, and quick.

“You’re going to let me take care of the cub,” Mystery Zepo said. He began to step forward towards the pirates, sending a chill down Nauja’s spine.

“Bepo-ya! It’s a trap!”

“Of all the people in this place, don’t you want to trust your brother?”

“Don’t listen to him!” Nauja could see that there were tears forming in the Mink’s eyes as he trembled against the wall. “I don’t know who he is, but he’s trying to trick us!”

“Why would I trick my brother?” Mystery Zepo asked.

“Your brothers are Vaor and Penguin-ya and Shachi-ya!”

It was no use—Bepo was absolutely frozen in indecision. Nauja knew she had to do something, or else they were going to fall victim to… whatever it was that mimicking the long-dead Mink.

“Bepo-ya! Look at the moon!” she shouted, running to the shut balcony door. She struggled to pull the frame open. “Look at the moon and let’s get out of here!”

Just as she was able to force the frame open, the Mystery Zepo was there next to her, having appeared in nearly an instant. He took a knife from his belt and glared at Nauja, sunglasses glinting in the moonlight.

“This is not your place,” he hissed. “Don’t you da—”

Mystery Zepo was cut off, a giant paw reaching around his skull and crushing it. Electric sparks frizzed from his body as the illusion tech broke, revealing a faceless robot in its place. Bepo, in full Sulong, casually tossed the contraption to the side and straight through the wall.

“Nothing hurts the captain’s daughter,” Bepo growled, voice low and gravelly. Nauja carefully went over to the now-ruined wall and looked at the robot, taking careful note of the markings along the side.

“PUNK…?” she wondered aloud, tilting her head. “Why’s it got the word PUNK painted on it?”

“I don’t want to hang around long enough to find out,” Bepo replied as another explosion made the building quake. He muttered a low apology as he swept her up into one paw and burst through the outer wall of the storage room, bringing them into the open air. Despite there being no change to the color, his fur was now longer and fiery, and his face more fierce.

He roared at the moon in mid-air, cursing and thanking it in one long, rumbling note that crackled in Electro.

If he ever found the people who tried to trick him with his brother’s face, he was going to rip them apart.

“Hang on, Nauja!” he boomed. She held on tight as he brought them to the ground around the palace, the clouds closing up once again once his paws were on the dirt and he shrank back to his normal size. He shuddered and coughed up some blood—one of the benefits of an underwater ship was being able to avoid Sulong and the effects therein.

“VAOR!” Nauja screeched as she saw the flames that were engulfing the castle. Bepo grabbed her and secured her against his chest—she wasn’t going anywhere.

“We have to stay out here!” he insisted. “I can’t let you burn!”

“…but Vaor…!”

“…wants you to live!” Bepo exclaimed. “Everything he does, everything the crew does, is so that you can live!”

Nauja went limp at that, knowing that he was both right and correct. Guilt settled on her, knowing that her actions, her presence was what drove Law and the crew to do a lot of what they did, and it hurt more than she could comprehend. Bepo let go and placed her on the ground, a paw resting supportively on her shoulder.

“All we want is a future you can look forward to,” he said.

“…but… why…?” Her voice cracked as tears began to choke her. “I’m just some kid you found…”

“You’re Law’s kid, the crew’s kid…” He licked her temple gently. “We love you.”

“…but… why…?” she repeated. “What did I do to deserve it…?”

Bepo stared at Nauja, completely flabbergasted. “Nauja… you didn’t need to do anything.”

“…but I’m nothing but trouble!” she cried. “If it wasn’t for me coming along, you’d…!”

“Don’t think that way!” Bepo held Nauja’s face in his paws and made her look directly at him. “There’s no reason for us to love! We just do! Why else would we let you stay? Why else would we take care of you? Why else would the Captain adopt you as his own daughter?” He saw the tears and snot running down her face and tried to wipe it off with his sleeve. “We knew what bringing a kid into the crew meant… we wanted to love you. There doesn’t have to be a reason other than that.”

“…even though I do stupid stuff…?”

“Kids do stupid stuff all the time—it’s how they learn.” He saw she was biting her lower lip in an effort to stop crying, it not really working. “The rest of the crew does stupid stuff all the time too, and they’re adults, so I don’t know why a few mistakes is such a big deal.” He licked her forehead again. “Sorry, but you’re stuck with us.”

Nauja nodded weakly and hugged Bepo, letting the Mink comfort her as they remained hidden in their spot outside the castle. The muffled sounds of war punctuated their embrace; both were drawing strength from the other, the aftereffects of the raid and their conversation completely wiping them.

Just then, a curious smell reached Bepo’s nose, then a noise that was definitely not fire.

“Is… is that seawater…?” he marveled. He and Nauja looked at the castle and saw that there was water and smoke coming out of the building—something was extinguishing the flames.

“Vaor!” Nauja gasped. She broke from Bepo and began to run towards the castle. She made her way past water-logged Beast Pirates and samurai, Bepo tailing close behind, as she searched for Law. By the time she found him, he was laying down in a pile of debris, eyes closed as he breathed heavily.

“Dinna worry; he ain’t dead,” Kid groaned as he caught sight of the child. He was laying in his own pile of debris, though had his eyes open. “The ol’ bat kicked our arses, but we got her in the end.” He gestured towards a nearby hole in the floor, presumably where Big Mom went.

“Vaor…?” Nauja knelt down beside him and put her hands on his chest, shaking him. “Are you alright…?”

“Ja, famke,” he groaned. Law struggled to lift his hand, reaching out towards Nauja. He was able to find her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he opened his eyes. “I’ll be alright. That was just…”

“…a lot…?”

“Yeah… it was a lot.” He offered her a wan smile, which she took as permission to hug him, clinging desperately as he rested his hand against her back. “Ball’s in your court, Strawhat-ya.”

Almost as if Luffy heard him, a gleeful shishishi reverberated throughout the castle.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After having the sheer audacity to to return to the fray on the back of a dragon, Luffy turned into Nika to no-sell Kaidou.

Fucking hell… Monkey D. Luffy became Nika, the legendary sun god and liberator of peoples from times ancient and immemorial, while Law had a time with the hag that just wouldn’t die? And the “help” he had gotten from Kid? Had to almost carry the moron while he was staggering about and yet Strawhat-ya turned into a literal god.

Now wasn’t that some straight-up peak protagonist-level shit right there?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The aftermath of the raid on Onigashima was, fortunately, plenty less complicated than was feared. With Kaidou and Big Mom done for (Law did not want to say they were dead, as he knew he needed a corpse to do that), the Beast and Big Mom Pirates scattered like ants after a good threatening from Yamato. Orochi actually was dead, confirmed by Hiyori and Denjiro, who were there as he spoke his final words before being consumed by flames. The royal siblings were reunited and Oden’s long-lost heir proclaimed himself shogun.

Wano was free.

Oh, the celebrations that were had! Those who had been in the Flower Capitol wept in joy and relief, knowing that they had nearly become victim to a misplaced Onigashima. Parties broke out throughout the lands, bolstered by food sent from the unpolluted farms. Talk of the old ways now flowed freely, bringing with it reminisces of a society—while not perfect—was still defined by full bellies and factory work not being a death sentence. Many of the Alliance members were met with cheers and grateful platitudes, much to their derision. Pirates were not heroes, after all, and honestly had been in it for their own reasons. Whether itching for a fight or wanting information, they were not the ones that Wano should have been heaping their praises on.

Despite this, while members of the victorious forces recovered, there was a heightened sense of wonder and gratitude in the air. Adults took their first clean drink of water since childhood alongside their own children, festival stalls did not close up, and people smiled in the streets at whomever crossed their paths. It was even evident that the inhabitants of Ebisu were genuinely happy, as there was something about their demeanor that was simply right. All were thankful, even as they cleaned up the messes that had been left behind in the fighting.

Meanwhile, invitation had been extended to all the members of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance to stay within the royal palace while things were settling down. Although Law would have rather started living in the dockyards in Tokage, he subjected himself to the Flower Capitol for a while longer as he put aside Nauja’s impending punishment and allowed her to remain with her new friends. He had taken to wandering around the palace while they were at play, doing exactly the sort of thing he knew his daughter couldn’t whilst aboard a submarine full of adults.

“Vaor! Vaor! Vaor! Look at this!” Having been examining a frieze in a quiet corridor, Law glanced over to see Nauja with Tama and Toko, the three girls striking a set of poses out of Sora, Warrior of the Sea, with the pink-haired girl in the middle with her arms up and arched, while the older two stood on either side of her, hiding their faces in the crooks of one arm while their other pointed up and towards each other at an angle, nearly touching in a point.

“Teaching them about Sora, I see?” he chuckled. “How does he compare to Wanolese stories?”

“O-Ja tells us tales of this warrior, and he seems mighty!” Tama gasped dreamily. “I wonder if he ever gets sent to the New World…?”

“Well, I like Poison Pink!” Toko giggled. “She’s really cool! And her hair’s like mine! I can wear her costume!”

“Maybe when you’re a bit older,” Law replied. Shit… he hoped the kids saw the earlier versions of the Germa 66 costumes and not the ones that looked more like the real deal. There was no way he was getting blamed for a Wanolese child wanting a neckline that passed her navel. A distraction, a distraction… “Say, how about the four of us head down to the festival before it gets too crowded?”

All three girls’ eyes became large and round—perfect.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Okay, so maybe being a chaperone to three energetic children wasn’t the smartest move after all. The trio were excitable and bouncy and not only chattered like chipmunks on uppers, but moved as such too. Between that and the fact that he was out in public, it made Law tired just existing, which wasn’t a very good look if he was perfectly honest. An even worse look would have been opening a Room just to keep tabs on them—he only had two eyes and there was three of them.

Then again… this must have been how his parents felt when they were taking him and his sister to festivals, wasn’t it?

Still attempting an aloof aura, Law smiled inwardly as he watched the girls rush from stall to stall; Nauja had friends and that was irreplaceable. They bounced and giggled and acted like normal children, making him wonder if any of them had ever been this way before… if that luxury had been afforded them. At least he knew more days like this were ahead of them… ahead of him…

“Oh, what’s that…?” Nauja asked, pointing at a stall. People were standing in front of it and lighting incense, a sight that made her tilt her head in curiosity.

“That’s some leftover incense from the Fire Festival,” Toko said. “Haven’t you ever seen any?”

“They don’t have it where we’re from,” Nauja replied. “What does it do?”

“You light it as an offering to people who’ve died,” Tama explained. “I light some for my mom and dad every once in a while. Some people say you can talk with their spirits that way.”

“Like… tell them you’re doing alright…?”

“Yeah! Do you want to light some for your mom?”

Panic seized Nauja as she came at a crossroads. What was she going to tell her friends…?

“Ahahaha! O-Tama, some people don’t have moms!” Toko laughed. “I don’t! I only had a dad too!”

“…but you have Hiyori-sama!”

“She’s more like my sister!” Toko then turned to Nauja and grinned, tilting her head to the side. “Do you have anyone you’d like to light incense for?”

“Well… um…” Nauja glanced back at Law, who nodded in permission. “My grandparents… and my aunt. I never met them, but I want to say hello… let them know my dad’s taking good care of me.”

“Then that’s perfect!” Tama gasped excitedly. She and Toko pulled their friend to the stall, their chaperone hanging back. “Three sticks, please!”

“All three of you girls are going to light one?” the stallkeeper asked, trying not to chuckle.

“O-Ja never has and we need to show her how!” Toko said cheerily.

The stallkeeper nodded at that and set out three sets of incense. Each girl got a wooden skewer, which they lit with the flame of a lantern. Nauja watched as her friends transferred the flame to the ends of the incense, which she copied, and snuffed the remaining flame on the skewer in some provided sand. She placed her hands together and closed her eyes in imitation and tried to think.

‘Uh… hi Oma, Opa, Tante Lami, Cora-jiisan… I don’t really know if this is going to work, but I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Nauja and I’m your granddaughter… or niece, in Tante Lami’s case. Law-san is my dad now, and although I’m not related to any of you by blood, I’ve heard stories about you that makes it feel like that doesn’t matter. Vaor and the crew love me and protect me and take care of me, and that’s more than I’ve ever had before. Thank you for making him so kind. Even when he’s sad, he is kind, and I know you all did that.’

She peeked at the incense sticks—only halfway.

‘Well, I know about you, so I guess you should know about me! I’m almost eight years old, I love reading Sora, Warrior of the Sea, and drawing! I want to become a doctor, like Opa and Oma were and like Vaor is now! I love drawing things like how they are in the textbooks! Clione-ya calls it “hyper-realism”. Oh, yeah, and we live on a pirate ship! It can go under the water! Vaor’s crew is made up of some of the kindest pirates out there. I know, I know, there shouldn’t be such a thing as kind pirates, but there are. All they want is to be free. There are other crews like that we’ve been meeting, and I really like it a lot!We’re good friends with so many other kind pirates and that makes our crew seem not so weird!’

Another peek—nearly done.

‘Okay, the incense is almost done! I know we’ve never met, but I love you! Thank you! Bye for now!’

Opening her eyes and letting her hands fall to their sides, Nauja watched the incense as it fizzled out. It was kind of stinky, but it was a good sort of stinky, she guessed.

“Did you girls have a good chat?” the stallkeeper asked as Toko and Tama also opened their eyes. “I’m sure whomever you were talking to loved the attention.”

“I’m sure they did as well,” Law said. It was barely there, but Nauja could hear his voice crack slightly. “Now let’s hurry back—you don’t want to miss the fireworks, do you?”

The three girls gasped—no they did not!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

With stray mochi wrappers and broken konpeito littering the balcony, Nauja watched as the fireworks reached their grand crescendo. Tonight she and her friends were watching with Zoro-ya, Hiyori-ya, and Sanji-ya, with each child snuggled into an adult. Toko-ya was already snoring against Hiyori-ya and Tama-ya was beginning to falter in her perch on Zoro-ya’s lap; only Nauja was really awake of the three.

“I believe it’s high time we put these little ones to bed,” Hiyori-ya said sweetly as the last bit of glitter faded into the sky and smoke. Zoro-ya grunted something and stood, hauling Tama-ya up with one meaty arm and accepting Toko-ya with the other. “Did you wish to join them, Lady Trafalgar?”

“No, I should clean up here,” Nauja said, leaning out of Sanji-ya’s grasp and grabbing at some of the wrappers. “I promised I’d sleep with the Hearts tonight anyhow.”

“Suit yourself,” Zoro-ya shrugged. Hiyori-ya followed him inside, with Sanji-ya’s eyes trailing behind them in a way that Nauja couldn’t tell who he was looking at. He then turned his attention back to Nauja, taking care to stub out his cigarette before moving to help her.

“You’re such a hard-working kid,” he noted. “Does Trafalgar work you that hard with chores?”

“Technically, I’m still in trouble,” she reminded him. He nodded, knowing that she was talking about sneaking onto Onigashima. “Most of my actual punishment is gonna come after we leave Wano—I won’t get any sweets or be allowed to do anything but study or train for a while after this.” She saw that he had a curled eyebrow raised in question. “It’s… more than fair.”

“You’re a pretty neat kid, Nauja-chan,” Sanji-ya chuckled. “I mean, you were brave enough to go to begin with.”

“It’s not bravery if you go in not thinking about how bad it could be,” Nauja muttered. “All I wanted was to be with Vaor.”

“Still… not everyone can figure out who I am without me giving more facts,” he replied. “You had me sweating on Zou when you mentioned my eyebrow. No one had made the connection until then.”

“Then everyone’s stupid,” she scoffed. Sanji-ya snorted at that, which in turn made Nauja grin. They finished putting all the wrappers in a bag and left the spoiled konpeito shards for birds before heading inside. Zoro-ya and Hiyori-ya met them in the corridor, the other two adults now free of Tama-ya and Toko-ya.

“You coming?” Zoro-ya asked. Sanji-ya swallowed hard and glanced at Nauja: the final obstacle.

“I can find my dad on my own,” Nauja said frankly before walking away. She heard a door to one of the rooms slide open and shut as she made her way down the corridor, not wanting to alert her adults to the fact she knew what possibly might be going on.

The palace was quiet as Nauja padded her way through the corridors and staircases looking for her dad, the only other ones active being the staff. He was not in the large bedroom where most of the rest of the Hearts were already asleep on the giant mega-futon they made by pushing a bunch of singles together. Nor, she noticed, was he in any of the banquet halls and receiving rooms, where he had been apt to sulking in the past few days. The only ones she could find were the members of the Hearts who were off cavorting with pretty maids or the handsome footman, making her wrinkle her nose in irritation… some use they were being…

Wait! There he was! Nauja found a staircase that led down into a room that had dozens upon dozens of wooden dolls. A blue Poneglyph sat in it, whispering to her tales of Wano’s past. Ignoring it for the time being, she went down what looked like another staircase set into the floor, continuing to descend deeper and further into the rock below.

“Who is this joining us?” As Nauja’s eyes adjusted to the light, she saw that Tengu-ya was standing there without his mask, leading her Vaor and Nico-ya down below the surface. “Ah, another intrepid explorer for our group.”

“If the fireworks are over, you should be headed to bed,” Vaor said sternly. Nauja shook her head instead and grabbed hold of his coat.

“I wanted to stay with you,” she reasoned. Nico-ya giggled quietly, while Tengu-ya simply gestured to an opening in the wall where a dim light shone.

“I think there is something here that you all might wish to see,” he said. Nico-ya and Nauja proceeded to crawl in through the hole, while Vaor placed himself at the end with his Devil Fruit ability.

There, beyond a pane of clear glass, was an underwater Wano shimmering in the moonlight.

“That is Old Wano,” Tengu-ya explained. “Our nation used to be much bigger, but when the country was sealed off it was done so literally, and the rainwater had nowhere to go. The buildings you see are probably around eight hundred years old. It is good that the sky is so clear tonight, or else it would be impossible to see except for in the daytime.”

“Wow…” Nauja marveled. “Does that mean there’s even older stuff further down?”

“There is,” Tengu-ya said. The girl slid out from the opening and rushed down the staircase, the clack-clack-clack of her geta echoing against the stone-hewn walls. Once at the bottom, she gasped in wonder at what she saw in the pale moonlight filtered in past waves and glass.

There, telling her its secrets, was a red Lode Poneglyph.

“Vaor!” she squeaked. “Oh, seas, Vaor!” Nauja ran up to the fence that surrounded the stone and jumped up and down excitedly. When Tengu-ya brought Vaor and Nico-ya to the chamber, both were nearly at a loss for words.

“It’s really here,” Nico-ya marveled. She tilted her head in confusion as she watched Nauja stare at the Poneglyph in wonder. “What do you know about these, Nauja-chan?”

“It’s singing!” the girl replied cheerily. All three adults blanched. “The blue stone that was on Onigashima and the one upstairs were just whispering, but this one is singing! I can hear it clearly!”

“How can you do this?!” Nico-ya gasped. She grabbed Nauja by the shoulders and looked into her eyes, scared beyond her mind. “If this is a game, Nauja-chan, you need to tell me, now.”

“She’s been showing signs for a while,” Vaor replied, his tone calm and serious. “It’s the Voice of All Things—I think she can hear it. She did on Onigashima.”

“That legend…?” Tengu-ya questioned. He then scoffed. “Then again, look at all here that otherwise lives in folklore and whispers…”

“Why is that such a bad thing?” Nauja asked. “It’s just something I can do… it doesn’t hurt anything, right?”

“It might not to you or to the rest of us, but this means that you understand this,” Nico-ya said. She pointed at the Poneglyph, which seemed to buzz in joy. “Never tell anyone outside this room you can hear those. Do you understand?”

Nauja nodded.

“It’s like my full name: we have to hide it from the world,” Vaor added. “Never be ashamed of it, but you have to know that if a bad person discovers you can hear what these things have to say, then our travels might become more dangerous than they need to be.”

“A secret name?” Tengu-ya mused.

“You may know, as payment for this,” Vaor said, gesturing at the Poneglyph. “My name in-full is Trafalgar D. Water Law. My parents died before they could pass on the knowledge of its meaning upon my coming-of-age.”

“So you wish to search for the meaning behind the Will of D., hmm…?” Tengu-ya asked. Vaor nodded. “Then you must take care… as though this old man needs to tell you that. There is nothing of the Will in what has been passed down in the shogunate, but I believe it is something you might be able to find an answer for at the End.” He then stared at the younger man, intensely curious. “Where are you from? I was one of the few with access to newspapers, even after my escape, so I might know of it.”

Vaor hesitated. “Flevance, in the North.”

“Ah—then how fortunate that the son that survived bears such a name, and that he might be one of the heroes that graced this country.”

“We’re no heroes, and we are far from saints,” Vaor stated. “We are pirates—our goals merely aligned.”

“Hmm… strooth… however, it does not change what you have done, nor will it change the meaning behind your name.” Tengu-ya went to Nico-ya and Nauja, putting a hand atop the little girl’s head. “Now, my child, can you tell me what it is this lovely stone sings of?”

She recited it perfectly.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was the late following day and Law was returning to the Flower Capitol after having visited the dock at Tokage Port where the Polar Tang was now sitting. Ikkaku and some of the more mechanically-inclined members of the Hearts, along with Robo-ya and Nose-ya, were working on making some additional upgrades to the ship, some that put him at-ease and others that were… questionable at-best. He made it back to the palace before it was time for dinner, the festivities still going strong. How long did a festival need to be, anyhow? A quick check on Nauja—she was reading some Sora books to Tama and Toko, who presumably could not read common script, given their expressions—and he decided it was time for a bit of wandering before dinner.

…or else he would have, had Shachi and Penguin not cornered him.

“So…ooo… Cap…tain…” Penguin said, drawing out the words. “We hear the Head Brat in Charge is looking for ya; has all day.”

“I am not beholden to Momo-ya now that he’s shogun,” Law frowned.

“It’s about Nauja,” Shachi said. Law blinked at that.

“Is she still beating him up?”

Shachi grimaced slightly, making a tsk noise as his lips parted. “No… more like… I think you need to get changed into something more appropriate.”

“What about my clothes is inappropriate?” Law threatened. He was wearing a button-down shirt, jeans, and boots, with his usual hat and his feather-trimmed coat draped over his shoulders. Just because he wasn’t still in Wanolese garb didn’t make him look inappropriate…

“Nothing normally,” Penguin said, “but come on, let’s go; Bep’s getting Momo for us.”

“I don’t like this,” Law stated as his two officers dragged him through the corridor, one on each arm. They got him to the room the lot of them had been sharing before most of the crew left for Tokage and wrestled him back into his yukata… the one he could have sworn he left on the Tang. “You two better explain yourselves, and quickly.”

“It’s probably better we don’t,” Shachi claimed. He and Penguin then pulled him along again, bringing their captain to a small meeting room where Bepo was waiting nervously out in the corridor.

“Oooh, ready…?!”

“Bepo…” Law warned. The polar bear mumbled an apology and quickly slid open the door, allowing Penguin and Shachi to literally shove him in. By the time he regained his footing, the door was traitorously shut behind him.

“Lord Trafalgar, there you are.” Law’s attention snapped towards the voice and saw that it was Momonosuke; he was still not used to the deeper timbre of his older self. “Please, have a seat.”

Law raised his eyebrow; they were the only two in the room, the young shogun already sitting seiza on a cushion while an empty one sat across from him. He complied, sitting in the Wanolese fashion in hopes that this wouldn’t take long, placing Kikoku down at his side.

“Mind telling me what this is about?” Law asked, getting directly to the point. Momonosuke swallowed hard.

“It… it’s about your daughter… the Lady Trafalgar…”

“You know you don’t have to refer to us by titles we don’t have,” Law stated, pinching the bridge of his nose. Wano was so nauseatingly extra he could barely stand it. “What did Nauja do?”

“Uh… nothing… I…”

“She and I, as well as my officers, are staying here at your request, in order to not break up the friendship she has with Tama-ya and Toko-ya while we can,” he explained. “If she has done something that needs addressing, then I shall address it as her father.”

“You see, that’s it! She hasn’t done anything!” Momonosuke gasped. Law narrowed his eyes. “It’s just that, since I’ve become shogun, I’ve been made to think of the future!”

“We’re setting sail soon; I don’t expect to return any time in said near future,” Law said. “I know Tama-ya and Toko-ya are fond of Nauja, but they’ll have to make do with letters.”

“Then… will you come back? In, say, fifteen years?”

“Why fifteen?”

“We shall be the year we both become twenty-three years of age; verily, I seek your permission to wed Lady Trafalgar upon such an auspicious reunion.” Momonosuke bowed deeply, his hair hiding his face as his nose nearly touched the tatami mat. “She is a hero to the nation, and no doubt shall become a fine woman. It would be an honor to have her as a bride.”

Of all the fucking…

“You know you’re older than me now, right?” Law mentioned, voice sharply deadpan. “You know… the man who is her father…?”

“I am eight years of age!”

“You are twenty-eight goddamned years old,” Law said firmly. “In fifteen years you will not be twenty-three, but forty-three. Furthermore, I am not the person whose permission you would need in order to marry her.”

“…then whose would it be…?”

“Nauja’s!” As a pirate and a medical professional, he had heard plenty of absurd things in his life, but this conversation was quickly ratcheting itself towards the top of the list. “She’s not some thing to treat as a token! It’s not my job to barter her away!”

“…but, I…!”

“…and what the actual fuck makes you think that, even if you were still an eight-year-old brat today, that she would want to get married to you in fifteen years?!”

“Her fortitude and dedication to this country’s freedom makes her an excellent candidate to be a shogun’s wife!” Momonosuke cried. Fuck… Law really still was bullying a kid, wasn’t he? “Her character is precisely the sort of thing that this country needs at my side, that I want to see in my own children some day!”

“This conversation is over,” Law decided. He picked up Kikoku and stood, trying to flex impending numbness from his calf muscles. “If I ever hear that you’ve come within fifty feet of my daughter without my presence, you shall learn precisely why they refer to me as the Surgeon of Death on my bounty posters. Do I make myself clear?”

“Uhh…”

“Then let me make it clearer: I don’t care that you leapt through time and this,” he gestured at all of Momonosuke, “is because of a Devil Fruit. I don’t care that when I met you a few months ago, you were still a literal child. I don’t even care that you are Shogun of Wano and Strawhat-ya’s new idkbff. Come near my daughter again and I will make you wish I killed you.”

“…o…okay…”

Law slammed open the door, finding that all three of his officers were there, as well as Hiyori, the princess looking rather irritated while the pirates all jumped at the sight of their captain.

“I told him it was a horrid idea,” Hiyori said, composure calm as only a vindicated younger sibling could pull off. Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi, however, were frightened into silence.

“How long have you known about this?” Law glared.

“Ju-just when we were s-sent to g-g-get you…” Penguin lied. Law turned his amber eyes towards the weakest link: Bepo.

“Onigashima!” The bear cracked instantly. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! We should have told you sooner, but it was low priority since we kind of had other things on our mind!”

“It was the middle of the battle!” Shachi added. “He was still a kid then! We thought it was cute!”

“Didn’t you ever propose to a girl when you were a kid?” Penguin asked, trying to brush it off. “I mean… that’s just what boys do when they find a girl that doesn’t put up with their shit…”

Completely done, Law turned on his heel and went back to change his clothes. Once he was in actual pants again, he found where Nauja was, with her and her friends trying to act out a scene from Sora.

“Alright girls,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Sleepover at the Tang. Grab your stuff. Come on, this means all of you.”

“Oh, do you think Jean Bart will bake us cookies?!” Nauja gasped.

“Wait…” Toko stared at her friend, smile still wide, but the tiniest hint of confusion in her voice. “What is this ‘sleepover’ your father speaks of, O-Ja?”

“It’s when friends all stay the night over at someone’s house!” Nauja explained. “Well, if submarine ships count as houses!”

“So… this has been a sleepover this whole time…?” Tama asked, looking around the room. That’s right—none of them really lived there.

“Yup, and now I’m returning the favor; chop chop,” Law said. The girls cheered and began to gather the stuff they would need to head back to the Polar Tang. Once he was able to corral them out into the corridor, they ran into Hiyori again, the woman giving him a knowing smirk.

“Hiyori-sama, we’re going to have a sleepover with O-Ja!” Toko grinned. “Isn’t that neat?!”

“It is,” she agreed. She then turned her attention to Law—they really had seen a lot for their age, hadn’t they? “I shall set my brother straight. He has a lot to learn.”

“A lot to learn about what, Hiyori-ya?” Nauja asked.

“Never you mind,” Law said. He took the bag that had Tama and Toko’s things and waved the girls off. “Make sure everything’s in your backpack before we go—I don’t know when we’re coming back.”

“Okay!” The three girls rushed down the corridor towards the Hearts’ room, leaving the two adults.

“Don’t fret, Lord Trafalgar,” Hiyori assured. “By the time you return to these shores, my lord brother will have long-forgotten all about his childhood crush. She’ll be safe.”

“I hope so,” he frowned, staring down the corridor. She giggled at that, catching his attention. “What…?”

“Sir Denjiro looks at me that way when I’m being particularly troublesome,” she admitted. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You’ll never stop worrying, you know.”

“I know.”

“One day, she will thank you, and it shall be about everything you’ve never told her about… this included.”

He nodded and inhaled deeply, trying to keep it together. “I know.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was well after nightfall and the dockyard was still bustling with activity. Several bonfires were lit to help with light, though they also served as gathering places for the varying pirates and shipwrights that were not currently working. One pirate in particular was utilizing the atmosphere to take to storytelling, with three pajama-clad children sitting rapt in front of him.

“Aye, so there we was, staring down this absolute unit of a granny; bigger than the whale that guards the entrance t’ the Grand Line!” Kid watched as the girls giggled at him, all three amused by his tale. “She tried t’ gie us t’ join her, but that would’ve involved marrying some kid of hers and that bloody fucking bunch of reprobates? Aye, right, I dinna ken a worse fate than being tied to one o’ them.”

“Don’t swear like that around them,” Law scowled in disapproval from his reading spot on the other side of the fire. Kid scowled right back and gave a venomless two-fingered salute.

“Yer lads cuss.”

“My lads can speak without anyone feeling like they need a dictionary.”

“Where the fun in that?” Kid then noticed Toko let out a yawn, the pink-haired girl being the first to flag. “Oi, Trafalgar, I think the bairnies here need a wee kip.”

“Is that right now?” Law asked. “Time for bed already?” Nauja, Tama, and Toko all shook their heads in a panic.

“NO!” they all chimed in.

“I thought Eustass-ya couldn’t tell you what to do!” Nauja added.

“He can’t tell me what to do, but he is part of the Inter-Seas Association of Semi-Capable Adults and therefore knows when certain children might need their sleep.” He snapped his book shut and placed it in his inner coat pocket before standing. “Now then, say goodnight to Eustass-ya.”

Pouting, the three young friends tackled Kid in a hug, not entirely wanting to leave just yet. He was able to wrap his right arm around them with a chuckle. “I can finish in the morning if yer that interested.”

“We are!” Tama replied. “Even though O-Ja and I were there, we did not see all the events unfold!”

“Yeah, and I was not there at all,” Toko said. She closed her eyes and hummed. “You’re warm.”

“You’ll be warm inside too,” Law said. He plucked Toko from Kid’s grasp and motioned for the other two girls to follow. After exchanging a knowing glance with Kid, Law led Nauja and Tama over to the side of the Polar Tang, opening a Room so he could place them by the top deck’s entrance. They went below, with Nauja leading the way to her bedroom. It had been finished earlier that afternoon, with more shelves, chests to place her things in, and a bunk bed that was sitting over a desk. The older two girls marveled at the changes, while the third was already too asleep to notice.

“Oh, wow!” Nauja gasped. “This is all mine?!”

“That it is,” Law replied. He placed Toko underneath the blankets while Nauja and Tama investigated the rest of the room. “Robo-ya and Nose-ya worked rather hard on it with Ikkaku-ya.”

“I’ll have to thank them in the morning!” Nauja beamed. She hugged Law tightly before climbing up the ladder leading to her bed. “This is so cool! I thought this place was neat before, but now… it’s the best!”

“Did you sleep here before?” Tama asked, following her friend.

“Yeah, but before that I had to sleep with Vaor, because this room was actually storage,” Nauja said. The girls allowed Law to tuck them in as they settled in on either side of Toko, the three fitting snugly. “Ikka-ya put this together for me when it was decided I needed my own room.”

“That’s neat…”

“Good night, girls,” Law said. “If you need me, I’m at the end of the corridor, to the right.”

“Good night,” Nauja and Tama echoed back at him. Law then turned out the lights and switched on the nightlight—the star-filled, mid-ocean sky illuminated the ceiling, garnering a couple little gasps before he closed the door.

Nodding, Law went over to the kitchen and made himself some coffee first before heading into his cabin. There, he sat up with his mug of liquid life and a medical tome he had acquired from the Flower Capitol, reading it to see what sorts of things Wanolese medicine did the same and different compared to others. It was a surprisingly engaging read, making it so that he almost flew through the first half of the book on only the one mug of coffee. As he put the mug down after draining it, the photos secured to the wall caught his eye. He had recently added some more of Nauja, snail-captured images of her having fun with him and the crew surrounding the ones he had of his parents, sister, and Cora-san.

“You’d be proud,” he whispered in the silence. “I’m gonna figure out this mystery myself, so I can give my daughter our true identity. I’ll teach her everything, and then she’ll do us proud.”

The photos simply smiled back.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

When it was finally time for the Polar Tang to depart, it was difficult separating Nauja from Tama and Toko. The three girls sobbed at the prospect of not being together again for a long time, with some of the Wanolese well-wishers that had gathered needing to hold the girls back. Even Momonosuke was there, wailing about not wanting Strawhat-ya to leave, though in reality, it was the same deal.

They would come back again, one day. It was a promise between friends.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

They were nearly at the next island when they ran into trouble again.

“Captain, uh, we’ve got a problem,” Hakugan stated, peering through the periscope. He, Law, and Bepo were in the navigation room, with the captain sitting in his chair.

“What is it?”

“It looks like there’s people already on the island…”

“…so…? There are people on most islands.”

“It doesn’t look like it holds a permanent settlement, but there is a small harbor. Some affiliates of Blackbeard are currently docked there.”

“Fuck…” Law’s upper lip curled into a sneer as he contemplated the new information. He didn’t want to risk pissing off anyone who answered directly to one of the Emperors, not if they didn’t have backup. Wano was one thing and this was another. “How close by can you get to the island in order to reset the magnetic field?”

“…for this place? It’s gonna have to be close.” Bepo was checking the Log Pose and comparing it to the map he had unfurled on the dash. “According to the information we got from Zou, this place has a tight reset zone.”

“Alright—down periscope and dive—I want us off their radar soon as possible,” Law stated.

“Aye, aye,” Hakugan nodded. He turned off the periscope and concentrated on a series of dials and switches, which he used to begin prepping the Polar Tang to dive. “Huh…”

“…what…?” Law raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“No… just… I feel kind of funny…” He then grunted suddenly, holding his stomach. “What the…?”

“I feel weird too,” Bepo agreed. “Do you think it might have been those pies Penguin made…?”

“The pies were cooked,” Law sighed, “you’re just being sill—urgh!” A sharp yet pulsing pain hit him in the abdomen as well, causing him to fall out of his chair and collapse on the floor. Something odd coursed through his body, making it feel as though it was changing, much to his chagrin, and they hadn’t even started to dive yet.

“Captain!?” The voice sounded like Bepo, and yet wasn’t. It was too high in pitch. “Captain!? What’s happening?!”

“I don’t know, I…!”

Law paused at the sound of his own voice, something intrinsically off about it. He struggled to his feet and looked over at Bepo, only to see that his navigator was donning a hairstyle close to Fred’s and was gaining a pear-shaped figure. Looking at Hakugan, he saw his helmsman was now sporting a cup size probably larger than Ikkaku’s. He felt his chin and discovered his goatee was no longer there, which caused him to look in the glass of the porthole at his reflection.

After all the years of his father staring back at him in the mirror, it was now his mother’s turn.

“FUCK!” he cursed. “Hakugan, dive, NOW!”

“Captain, what’s going on?!” the helmsman asked, attempting to maneuver to ship fast as he could.

“I don’t know! We’ll figure it out later!” Law turned towards the doorway and saw Shachi standing there with four mugs of coffee in his hands, now staring wide-eyed at the scene.

“What the fu…?”

Suddenly, a rumble shook the Polar Tang, spilling coffee and sending those in the control room into furniture and walls. Shachi in particular landed in Law’s new cleavage, which the captain did not appreciate. By the time he shoved off his crewmate, he was looking at Shachi alright, but a Shachi with the sort of hourglass shapeliness he’d normally be chasing instead of sporting.

“WE’VE BEEN HIT!” Ikkaku’s voice blared over the intercom snail. Sirens started to go off and a deep panic seated itself in Law’s chest.

Nauja.

“TACTICAL MANEUVERS!” Law ordered into the receiver on the dash. “BATTLE STATIONS!”

Once the command was given, Law rushed out of the navigation room and went to the engine room, seeing that Ikkaku was already barking orders, and then the mess hall, where most of the crew still were. A leak had sprung near a join—it was worse than he thought.

“CAPTAIN?!” gasped several crew members. Someone in the back was already infected, with Jean Bart changing into a bearded woman before his eyes.

“Vaor?!” Law’s head snapped towards the sound of Nauja’s voice, seeing that she was running towards him. “What’s going on?!”

“Sorry, but I’m gonna look like Oma and Tante Lami for a bit,” he said quietly. The terror in her face made him sick to his stomach, yet he kept it together as he looked at the rest of the crew and their quickly-transitive state. “What’s the status of that leak?”

“It’s hard to hold! We’re going to take on water sooner than later!”

“Shit!” Law grabbed the intercom snail and hissed into it. “We’ll need to surface!”

“…but Captain…!”

Another blast shook the ship, where transforming people got flung into walls and Nauja clung to Law’s leg.

“Captain… it’s Blackbeard himself! We have a visual!”

No…!

“If we keep going down, the water pressure will crush us!”

“Let’s surface!” Law ordered into the Den Den. “Prepare for battle, and be quick about it!”

“Vaor, what’s happening?!”

“I don’t know, famke,” he frowned. The girl watched as Law finally realized what was going on and used his Haki to bust through the forced gender flip, going back to his normal self. Once he did, the others in the room began to change back as well.

“How the fuck…?” Law whispered. He looked at his hand, then at his crew, as they went through changes at different rates. A sense of dread filled him like nothing he had ever felt before.

They had made it into the ship without so much as boarding.

Blackbeard’s crew had made it on the ship without boarding, and was about to make them surface.

“Shit—Nauja, backpack, now!”

Squeaking in reply, the girl scampered off, dodging crewmates as they ran around the ship, popping back to normal and panicking about the condition of the Polar Tang. She made it to her room and found her Sora backpack, putting in it all the things that she knew she needed: Professor Nanuk, books, photos of the crew and her family, the envelope with money and some Vivre Cards, her dirk, a jacket…

“Nauja, move!” She jumped and looked over at the door; Law was standing there, his arm outstretched and his face stern. He grabbed her soon as her backpack was secured and carried her through the ship.

“Vaor…?! What’s going on…?!”

“I need you to listen to me, Nauja,” he murmured in her ear, voice softer than she expected. “The crew loves you. Can you remember that?”

“…but Vaor…!” She looked around and saw that suddenly they were in the loading bay. “What’s going on?!” He set her down on the floor and knelt before her, ignoring the blaring klaxons and flashing warning lights all around them.

“Repeat what I said,” he demanded, voice shaky. She nodded weakly.

“The crew loves me.”

“I love you.”

“You love me.” She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Vaor… Vader… Dad… please…”

“It’s going to be too dangerous from here on out,” he said. He gently placed her on a chair in a sort of… thing…? She wasn’t sure what, but he strapped her into a harness and kissed her hair and forehead. “Be good, alright? You’re going to grow up to be an amazing person, Trafalgar D. Water Nauja. It’s a shame I won’t get to see it.”

“Vaor…?!”

“I love you, Nauja, with all my Heart.”

Nauja’s eyes went wide as Law hit a button on the wall and the seat turned into a capsule. She screamed for her father as she struggled against the harness, although he couldn’t hear it thanks to the workmanship of the pod. It sank onto a track and another wall slid down between them, a glass panel allowing them to keep eye contact as the capsule settled into place and tears streamed down their faces.

Fly little seagull, he said silently. The world awaits.

The escape pod jettisoned itself, whisking Nauja far away from the current battle. The torpedo chamber filled with water as the contents were all forced out until only air bubbles and the sea remained.

Law set his face and exhaled heavily—it was time to take care of Blackbeard and, if he was lucky, at least his crew would survive this.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja stared at the folded Vivre Card in her hand, then up at the building in front of her. Everything her father ever told her came rushing back all at once, as she knew she shouldn’t be there. It was the Marine Headquarters, which was precisely not the place for a pirate to be, even a little one. She was glad she put her boilersuit in her backpack a while ago to blend in with just her t-shirt and shorts—this was going to be leagues more difficult than infiltrating the okiya.

Knowing she wasn’t going to get anywhere with hiding in the wharf, Nauja stepped out into the sunlight and began to walk up to the Marine Headquarters with her head held high. Recruits and minor officers all stared at her, wondering whose kid she was, all the way until an elderly lady with kind eyes stopped her.

“Where are you going, my dear?” she asked. “I think you’re a bit young to be signing up.”

“I’m here to see my grandfather,” Nauja said. She held up the folded Vivre Card and it shuffled on her palm. “My uncle gave this to me because I don’t remember what my grandfather looks like.”

“What is your grandfather’s name? That might help.”

“Uhh… Grandpapa…?”

The woman chuckled; oh, the innocence of children. She then noticed that there was writing on the inside of the Vivre Card. “What’s that?”

“A… erm… a note.”

“For whom?”

“It’s for Grandpapa from Uncle Dorry.”

The elderly lady inhaled sharply, her eyes going wide for just a moment. Nauja began to panic, only for the woman to reach out and grab her arm.

“I know your grandfather; let me take you to him.”

“You… you do…?”

“Yes. I knew your Uncle Dorry before your grandfather knew him.”

A light went on in Nauja’s head—this was the friend that Dinosaur-ya had mentioned. She nodded and let the woman take her hand, bringing her through the maze-like corridors of the Marine Headquarters. She eventually found an office, where there was an elderly man sitting at a desk doing paperwork.

“Tsuru, what’s this?” he wondered, sitting fully upright. He watched as the little girl detached herself from his old comrade’s side and approached him, holding up a Vivre Card. It spun in her hand when she was directly next to him—it was his.

“I think you should read that, Sengoku,” Tsuru suggested. He picked up the Vivre Card and unfolded it, seeing the familiar, distinctive script inside.

‘Please take care of her. Dorry.’

“Where did you get this, child?” Sengoku asked gently. Nauja shuffled in place nervously.

“Your son gave it to me,” she said. “He knows my dad, and we met not too long ago, and he gave me that saying that if I were ever in any trouble Dad couldn’t handle, that I should find you.”

“Did he, now?”

“Yeah; he said something about his brother, and how although they never met, his brother would want me to have this.” The adults both looked at one another, which allowed the girl’s eyes to wander towards the photo frames on the desk. “That’s him! That’s Uncle Dorry!”

“Yes, it is him, isn’t it?” Sengoku nodded. He pulled the photo frame closer, allowing Nauja to see both the portraits clearer. She gasped when she saw the other one in the frame, before it having been shielded by glare from the lights. “What’s the matter?”

“That’s Cora-jiisan!” she realized. Nauja went into her backpack and pulled out an envelope, from which she presented a copy of a photo she last saw on her father’s wall. “He was Dad’s dad! Like how Dad is my dad! Dad needed Cora-jiisan and he took care of him, like how I needed Dad and he took care of me!”

“Is that so…?” Sengoku marveled, looking at the photo. It was something he had never seen before, with his son taking the photo of himself and a sour-looking teen with white patches on his face and in his hair. He wasn’t sure there was a time he had seen that sort of smile on him as an adult, and it made him nearly want to cry.

“Yes! This is Dad and me!” Nauja said. She held out another photo, this one of her and a very familiar-looking pirate. It was the teen from the first photo, no longer sick and now the adult taking the picture. Sengoku stared at the photos side by side, then stared at Tsuru, terrified of what was happening.

“I did not know,” he apologized to the child. “Since I’ve retired from my normal duties, I don’t hear a lot of chatter about who is in what crew these days. That this man has a child is news to me.”

“Dad didn’t really think he was my dad until very recently, but now that his adoptive uncle’s in prison, we’re safe to be a family! Well… kind of…”

“What do you mean by that?” Tsuru asked.

“Well, there’s this big, mean, ugly guy who made his crewmate turn all the guys on the ship into women! After he fixed it, Dad had me get my backpack together and he put me in an escape pod. I… I’ve been going by this ever since.” She tapped the now-still Vivre Card on the desktop. “Now I’m here! Why do you have a picture of Cora-jiisan?”

“He was my son, before your Uncle Dorry came into my life,” Sengoku said. “I found your Cora-jiisan, he found your father, and your father found you. We are family.”

“Then maybe,” Tsuru said, “this is a chance to make things right.”

“Indeed.”

Sengoku stared at the little girl for a moment, wondering what he did to deserve such a sweet and innocent thing as this. He had done so much wrong by his son—by the boy he had taken in without thought of reproach from the Celestial Dragons—and the kid he’d decided to take in. That Flevench boy should have grown up to become a Marine… should have been allowed to do great things, and yet he had squandered it. He, Sengoku, had squandered the future of a young man he’d never met—Trafalgar never truly had any autonomy when it came to this—and now the man’s daughter was here… in his office… in need of a place to be safe and free.

“What is your name? I can’t introduce my adorable little great-granddaughter if I don’t know what her name is.”

“Trafalgar D. Water Nauja,” the girl said firmly, head held high. “My dreams are to become a medical illustrator and get justice for Vaor and the crew and the ship that was our home. Dinosaur-ya—erm—Uncle Dorry said that you can keep me safe while I grow up. Is that true?”

“It is,” Sengoku nodded, “and it shall be. No one, pirate or Marine, will know what hit them.” He brought her into a hug and the girl broke down into sobs. Tears flowed from them both as the finality washed over them, unaware of the note that had been slipped into her backpack, tucked between the pages of a book about a city long-razed, written on the back of a photo taken while neither subject had been paying attention as they read together in the sun.

You shall fly, my little Nauja, and the world shall know your name.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, that rock can be home - Part 1

I’m back! With another Trafalgar Nauja fic! [*confetti*] I was working on this alongside fly little seagull, you’re too far from the nest, because I’m apparently a sadist, but I knew I couldn’t let 13k words go to waste, and now it’s over 30k words and counting after being distracted by a bunch of other things, and although I didn’t set out to make this series a choose-your-own-adventure with Law and this OC child, that’s what it’s turned into and I wish I could say I’m sorry but I’m not in the slightest.

8568 words to start; deviates from the main story in the second section of the third chapter (so, like, 17.5k words in) and then this storyline effectively replaces the rest of the main fic in this continuum; tldr: Law is morphing into a little kid’s Cora-san and is about to say what he thinks is his final goodbye to her pre-Dressrosa; much slower in pace than the other variations of this fic, but also will be much steamier and domestic; there are so many fcking OCs in this that it’s almost just Law in OC Land for a long while and I am not sorry; shout out to all in the Rare Pears server for putting up with me and my nonsense they are true fandom heroes lol, as is Rimetin for being this fic’s first victim

fly little seagull, that rock can be home; Law is about to leave the Polar Tang as he heads to certain Death on Dressrosa. Then he goes to say goodbye to one specific person, only for half a lifetime’s worth of motivation to vanish in an instant. [AU where Law acquires a kid and realize the true gift Cora-san wanted for him]

The girl’s words piqued his interest. “You want to do medical illustrations?”

“Yeah! Well, I still want to be a doctor, like you, but I also want to be able to do drawings! I’m not very good at those yet, but I’m gonna practice real hard!” She pulled another drawing from her desk and showed him; it was a copy of an illustration of a hand’s skeletal structure from one of his textbooks. “See? I’m not good at that yet, but I’m still learning, right?”

“You are,” he agreed, chest filling with pride. “This is wonderful, Nauja-ya. You are very talented.” He watched as she put them away and sat next to him.

“What did you want to talk about?” she wondered. “Are we going to an island where I have to behave extra? I don’t like those islands.”

“No, actually…” He swallowed hard. “I’m…” He saw her face and all the happiness and joy it contained, melting away his prior conviction. How could he chose dying at the hands of Doflamingo over raising this child? Was getting revenge for Cora-san worth throwing away the gifts the man had given him in the first place? Maybe what he owed that foul-mouthed, accident-prone, absolute flaming mess of a spy—who was honestly the best spy he had ever seen—was to live and love. That that would be the best revenge levied on a man who never understood either. He still didn’t wholly understand why he did it after all these years, but maybe… just maybe… taking care of this kid would give him the answers… could help him with his guilt… might finally give him some peace.

If nowhere was safe from Donquixote Doflamingo, then he was simply going to have to run until they found nowhere.

“You and I are going to have to take a special trip soon, away from the Tang,” he said. “Be prepared to pack in the morning, alright? It’s going to be an adventure.”

Nauja’s eyes lit up. An adventure?! With just her and Law-san?! This was going to be the best!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

They didn’t often get new visitors in Hinba, which was one of the first things that the barman noticed about the pair. It had been a rainy evening when they arrived—not storming, just the steady, reliable autumn rain that could lull a person to sleep. It seemed fairly normal a night until they walked in: a tallish man with a piercing glare, both a pack and a sword slung across his back, and a small child hiding under his feathered cloak. They both appeared to be worn from travel, though the man more so. He let the child find a table near the back and he went up to the bar, the proprietor now able to see the dark circles under his eyes and the glint of two rings on a chain hiding in the unbuttoned folds of his shirt.

“Food and drink, please,” the man said, “and a room if you have one.” His accent was something near-completely foreign to the barman, making him stop for a moment. The stranger caught his hesitation and spoke slower. “You do serve food here, yes?”

“We do; just don’t normally get strangers, is all,” the barman shrugged. “We’re a bit out of the way for most, and even the trade routes aren’t always consistent.”

“Is there a doctor around?”

“You in need of one?”

“No, but I am one, and I’ve been looking for a place to set up shop where I can fill a void. A good physician upholding their oath means that everyone gets care.”

“I see.” The barman put a glass of beer and a bottle of pop on the counter. “Any requests for that food?”

“No allergies, but I’m not fond of bread or pickled things.”

“…and is the kid picky?”

“No; my daughter is less picky than I am if you’ll believe it.” The man took the drinks, tattoos spelling DEATH across his knuckles flashing in the low lamplight. “Do you have a room? I’d like to not sleep on our ship tonight.”

“Yeah, I can get you a real bed, but you’ll have to share. It’ll be ready by the time you’re done eating.”

The stranger nodded in silent thanks and took the drinks over to the corner where the child had already set up with what looked like a book and drawing set. It was curious, but then again, things did rarely happen on their island.

“What do you think is up with him?” one of the regulars wondered. The barman watched as the stranger put the drinks down and settled into a chair with his back to the wall.

“None of our business,” he shrugged. He watched the strange man for a moment, taking note of his interactions with the child. She was completely at-ease and he seemed tired by simply looking at her—yes, that was a father and his daughter. “Maybe we’ll find out eventually.”

“What, do you think they’ll stay?”

“Nearest doctor’s been a three-day sail for a long time now; there’s a chance.”

“With that bedside manner? No fucking thanks.”

“Eh, that’s not our decision to make.” The barman then put down the glass that he had been cleaning and went into the kitchen, getting two plates of food. He brought them out to the strangers, chuckling as he saw the girl’s eyes light up happily. “Hungry, kid?”

“Yeah!” She put aside what she was working on and bounced up and down in her seat. Huh… she was drawing what looked like a medical diagram… “Thanks for the food, Barman-ya!”

“Eat up, buttercup,” the barman said. Huh. Her accent wasn’t like her father’s, though it was clearly influenced by it. “So… where you strangers from?”

“Here and there,” the man replied. “We used to live on the Grand Line, but we needed a change of scenery.”

“The Grand Line…? Must have been an adventure getting to these southern waters…”

“It was.” The man took a careful bite of his food and tried to ignore the barman. When he realized the conversation wasn’t entirely over, he glanced up. “Yes…?”

“Just… nothing. You must have a familiar face.”

“He looks like a pirate!” the kid sad cheerily around her food.

“Famke…” the man warned with a gentle sternness.

“Well, you do…!” she insisted before turning towards the barman. “Vaor’s not that guy, but lots of people think he’s that guy, because the person who takes the bounty photos is bad at it. He tried complaining but it’s no good.”

“Is that so?” the barman chuckled. He could see the man’s face get dark with blush—it was obviously a sore point. “Well, don’t worry, kiddo; even if your da here was some big-shot, we don’t give a shite about that.”

“You don’t…?”

“Last time I checked, the World Government doesn’t give a damn about us, so the least we can do is make it mutual,” the barman explained. It was faint, but he could see the kid’s father relax a little in the shoulders. Ah—so he was concerned about that; no wonder. “You could round up more than a couple bounties here on Diura… just saying.”

“Then I’m sure you are more than underserved from a medical standpoint if you take such an attitude towards piracy,” the stranger said. He then nudged his daughter’s shoulder with the back of his hand to get her attention. “Chew with your mouth closed.” He sounded as though it was something he’d already said well over a thousand times in her life and would likely say a thousand more.

“…but Vaor…!”

The barman didn’t stick around to hear the end of the argument; their first new visitors in a long time needed a place to sleep.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Later on, upstairs in their rented room, Law and Nauja were getting ready for bed. They were separated by a changing screen as the girl pulled on her pajamas, her father already in a fresh pair of shorts as he sorted through the contents of his pack.

“Is this the place we’re gonna stay?” she wondered from behind the screen.

“It might be,” he replied. She came out with her day clothes neatly folded and placed them on a chair before climbing atop the bed. “We don’t have too much left if we want to have the money to start a clinic when we do settle.”

“What are you looking for?”

“The Den Den.” He then found the transponder snail’s shell—it was sleeping—and placed it in a tray on the nightstand with some lettuce. “Can’t ignore that for too long.”

“…or we can’t call my uncles!”

“Correct.” He waited until Nauja was under the bedding before he handed her Professor Nanuk so he could replace everything else in the pack. “Go to sleep now, famke.”

“Vaor…?”

“Hmm…?”

“How did you meet Moetje?”

He looked at her as she rested herself against her pillow, hugging her stuffed toy tightly. It was a practical move, he knew that much, but it was still disarming. If there was anyone listening in on them—and he would have been surprised if no one was—they could mistake his hesitation for a widow’s melancholy, especially if they stayed and the rest of their story ended up sticking.

“We were in classes together,” he replied gently, deciding on a story. “It’s easy to not pay attention to who else is in the room when you’re in med school because you’re trying to concentrate on not failing, but partway through our first term I finally looked behind me and there she was…” He put their pack on the table and went into the bed, glad for how warm Nauja was against the chill of the rain. Reaching back into his memory, he tried to remember the name of a classmate… someone he barely recalled, but knew needed a memorial… because all of Flevance did. “Antje was a year older than me, and my fifteen-year-old heart couldn’t take how pretty she was.”

“Yeah… Moetje was pretty, wasn’t she?”

“She really was.” Fuck… he didn’t even know if he liked women, let alone anyone at all. That was something he might figure out now that he was a civilian… he just needed to find where they were going to settle first. “Go to sleep, alright? We have a lot to do tomorrow.”

“Mmmhmm…” She burrowed in close and quickly drifted off, her hand unconsciously reaching for the rings still on the chain on his neck. “I love you, Law-san.”

“I love you too, Nauja-ya,” he whispered back. He opened a Room long enough to turn off the lights and tried to go to sleep himself, though he knew it would be light and fitful as it had been since they left the Tang.

What the fuck had he gotten himself into?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“I’ve made an important decision,” he told the late-night collection of his crew. “I cede captainship of the Heart Pirates and am going to live a civilian life.”

The entire mess hall was so quiet one could almost hear everyone breathing.

“Wait… what?!” Penguin abruptly stood, absolutely flabbergasted. “What the fuck?!”

“What got into your head?” Shachi asked. He stared down the younger man, trying to get a read on his face. “This was not part of the plan.”

“What plan?” Jean Bart asked.

“Yeah, what plan?”

“What’s going on?”

“What aren’t you telling us?”

“Quiet,” Law insisted, the room going silent again. “I was supposed to leave tonight to enact a plan to take out Donquixote Doflamingo and his criminal operation at its roots. Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo were supposed to be in charge while I did that anyhow. Everyone was supposed to hide in the Mokomo Dukedom until after it was safe…” He swallowed. “…well after I died at his hands.”

“Why fuck with Doflamingo?” Clione wondered. “Man’s a psychopath, sure, and what do we care that he’s an underworld broker? We just know what to avoid.”

“Doflamingo killed someone important to me once,” Law explained frankly, “and the past thirteen years of my life have been about me figuring out how to get revenge. I was saying my goodbyes to Nauja and…” he sighed, choking up, “…I can’t do it. I spent half my life meticulously planning how I was going to go out in a blaze of glory as I possibly killed one man… and I realized that, as I looked at Nauja, I didn’t know what I was going to do if I survived… that I didn’t know if I could ever forgive myself for choosing death over raising her.” He felt hot tears stream down his cheeks as he licked his lips and avoided looking at anyone else in the crew. This was more information than he ever wanted to share, but knew that if anyone deserved it, it was them. “That person… he’d want me to live… to raise a child while growing older than my father ever got the chance to be… because that’s what he wanted to do with me when I was a kid…”

“…but Doflamingo denied you both that,” Jean Bart said, his voice grave and even. “Nauja is a chance to have that life and honor the one who saved you. A gentle revenge.”

“Can’t we just help you take him down?!” someone asked. Law shook his head.

“To go up against Doflamingo is choosing dying at his hands rather than raising her; I’d never forgive myself, more so if any of you were involved.”

“…but what if we wanted to help raise her too?”

“Please, just… let me be selfish. I just realized that I have a chance to truly be free of all this and… I can never repay you all for what you’ve done, so please…”

Law was cut off by the scraping of a chair against the floor. Everyone looked and saw that Bepo was now standing, tears in the Mink’s eyes.

“You’re going to have to tell us all about how the two of you are doing on a regular basis,” he insisted. “If we can’t be there, then we at least deserve that much.”

“Bepo, I…”

“I’m going to miss you,” the navigator cried. He lumbered up to his captain—no, his best friend—and tackled him in a shaky hug. “What would I have done without you?”

“Electrocute the goobers before you entered your teens?”

“You know what the bear means,” Penguin interjected. He and Shachi looked at one another, then Law. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

Law nodded, croaking out a tiny “Yeah.”

“Dreams change all the fucking time,” Shachi shrugged. “Sometimes all it takes is chasing one to realize you were after something else all along. Right?”

The thing was that he didn’t realize how right his words were.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Morning came, bringing sunshine with it. Law and Nauja soon found themselves in the village leader’s office, the greying woman in early middle-age staring them both down. Here was this strange, tattooed man explaining that he was a surgeon who wished to set up a practice, with a young girl at his side almost too old to be the daughter he claimed she was if he was not already lying about his own age.

“You are both strangers,” she reiterated, “and have yet been in town for an entire day. How am I to trust you with my people’s medical needs, of all things, under such circumstances? We’ve dealt with only a midwife on the island for well over fifteen years, so why stop now?”

“All I want is to give my daughter a stable life away from bad memories,” Law said. The village leader—Torilsbur Dervla according to the nameplate on the desk—did not seem like someone who could be easily convinced, which made him glad they prepared in advance. “You don’t have a doctor on the island and I can fill that void.”

“You already said you are a surgeon. I am not so ill-informed that I don’t know the difference.”

“My training and real-world experience meant I functioned as a hybrid family practitioner and surgeon—I am more than qualified to run a small hospital, let alone a rural clinic.”

“Of course.” She stared at his hands and frowned. “By what organization?”

“I began my formal training in what was Drum Kingdom, though I finished in Water 7. Plenty of fieldwork supplemented what I couldn’t learn in the classroom.”

“Couldn’t handle the strain?”

“No… the king had a poor idea of what public health should be and banished nearly all the medical practitioners—doctors, surgeons, nurses, researchers, you name it. The prestige might have returned when it became Sakura Kingdom, but my wife and I always wanted to help real people, not be locked away in a research tower.”

“…and she is…?”

“Moetje died,” Nauja said frankly. “That’s why we can’t stay in Water 7 anymore. Vaor called this a ‘fresh start’.”

“Then there is the question of you, Lawsdottir Nauja,” Dervla mused. “I know you must look like your mother, but I still have to note how the resemblance between you and your father is minimal.”

“Ma’am…? Why did you call me that…?”

“Lawsdottir? We don’t use family names here since not everyone is born with one, so that is how we trace our lineage, using son and dottir and bur. You are his daughter, thus Lawsdottir.”

“So I am Lawsdottir, and Vaor is Corasson?”

“If one of your grandparents was named Cora, then yes.”

Law watched Nauja consider this before nodding. “I… I don’t know if I could do it now, but could I go by Antjesdottir? Maybe later?”

“That would be up to you and your father,” Dervla said. Law saw her expression soften slightly before she turned back to him. “You really want to stay here?”

“With your permission—we won’t stay where we’re not wanted.”

“It’s true that a good doctor’s a long way off from here, and a good surgeon even further. I can show you where you can set up your practice, but understand that we do not accept strangers into our folds easily. You could live here until she is grown and you would still be the Lvneelish surgeon and his daughter, here for seas-knows-why.”

“You try leaving home as I did and attempt going back, with a child at that. No… I’d like for this to be our home. We would do well here.”

“I’m warning you now: although we are not poor, what we do have is of little interest to most. Aside from fishermen, there’s mostly sheep and potato and goat farmers around these parts, and while some of us won’t pay in beri, others won’t pay at all.”

“A doctor finds a way,” Law stated. Dervla nodded at him, now fully convinced.

“Come with me then, Doctor Corasson Law, Miss Lawsdottir Nauja, and I can bring you to where the last doctor used to live. If we’re lucky, you might still be able to make use of some of her things.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

With the night sky above them shining brightly, the little dinghy’s occupants sat quietly as the currents and wind gently guided the craft further into the South Blue. Nauja held Professor Nanuk in her arms as she stared up at the sky, taken in by the swirls and glittering specks above them.

“It’s so pretty,” she marveled. “Why don’t we ever see the sky like this when the Polar Tang is above water? There’s so many…”

“Whenever we use lights at night, it disrupts our ability to see the stars,” Law explained. He looked at her as she stared wide-eyed at the sky. “You like it?”

“I love it, Law-san!” she gasped. “I wonder if anyone else in the crew has seen the sky like this! I’ll have to ask when we get back!” When she turned her attention towards him, however, she tilted her head in confusion. “Why are you sad?”

“Nauja… we’re not going back to the Tang.” He saw her hug her toy a bit tighter in the starlight. “We’re going to find a place to stay, and then live there.”

“Wait… you mean… forever…?”

“For as long as we need to; if that’s forever, then it’s forever. Most likely we’ll need to move after a few years, but I won’t try to make it often.”

“Why…?”

“…because it’s too dangerous to keep constantly traveling, especially in a big group. The whole crew wants you to grow up in a good place, and I realized recently that place is probably not a pirate ship in the New World.” She stared at him, silent, and he tried not to panic. “Listen, I know I’m…” Fuck, this was awkward. “I know I’m not your real dad, but while we’re doing this, we should probably at least pretend like I am so no nosy aunties try anything.”

“Law-san… you are my real dad,” Nauja replied. There was an uncomfortable silence between them, the only sounds being the waves against the sides of the ship. “My first dad… he wasn’t like you. He wasn’t mean, but…” She avoided eye contact, instead seeming very interested in what was going on behind Professor Nanuk’s ear. “What did you call your dad? In Flevench?”

“Vaor, Vader, Papa…”

“My dad wasn’t mean, but he also didn’t really like me,” Nauja said, her head bobbing in a nod. “My vaor loves me, because he teaches me, and tells me I’m good and smart, and does things to protect me that my dad would have never done. You gave up the crew for me… and I don’t know why, other than that you’re my vaor… and he would have never done that.”

“Come here,” he requested, holding open his arms. The little girl stepped forward and allowed herself to be enveloped in his grasp, both glad that the hug was so warm against the cool night air. “You know, Cora-jiisan… I didn’t understand why he cared about me either. I thought that maybe it was pity for my situation, or out of fear of my name, but I look at you and I know… I know why he lov… why he cared for me so unconditionally, why he died to keep me alive and free.”

“…why…?”

“…because I think… that when he looked at me… he saw hope.” He leaned his head back until it tapped against the mast and he was looking up at the foreign night sky, so different than the stars he and Cora-san navigated by. “He saw hope that the bad man who eventually killed him wouldn’t win… that there could still be good that came from all the terrible things we had seen and done. Cora-jiisan needed me just as much as I needed him.”

“Does that mean that you need me as much as I need you?”

“In our way, yes,” he assured. He looked down at her and saw that she was happy and content. A frown then formed on her face, which he echoed. “What is it?”

“Who was the bad man who killed Cora-jiisan?”

“His name is Donquixote Doflamingo, and he was supposed to be his brother.” They weren’t pirates anymore, yet it was still important she knew what not to trust. “He is a very mean, cruel man who is sick in the head and will do anything to get revenge for Cora-jiisan and me running away if he finds us… if he finds out that you exist. Even if we stuck to being on the Tang, you’d be in danger should he find you and realize that you’re my famke… that I’m your vaor…”

“Oh!” she gasped. “I know this is a different subject, but does this mean I’m a Trafalgar now?”

“I guess it does.” He smiled wanly at that, seeing that his daughter was smiling at him in the starlight. It made the night sky seem that much brighter. “Get to sleep, famke. We should be able to reach the next port tomorrow morning. We’ll talk more then, alright?”

“Yes!” She settled into his lap with Professor Nanuk firmly in her grasp, keeping both close as she closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

Vaor and famke.

They were father and daughter.

Neither of them couldn’t ask for anything better.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was a modest house on the edge of the village, with living upstairs and in the back; the front sitting room was a waiting area and other rooms set up as an office, a consultation room, a small infirmary, and combination larger-infirmary-and-operating theater. It was a bit bigger than most of the other houses, though with the amount of space in it dedicated to doctoring and medicine, it was almost like some apartments had been stuck onto a proper clinic. Nauja was nearly vibrating with excitement as they were being shown about, while Law was looking around at everything with concern.

“This is wonderful,” he acknowledged, “but I feel like there’s a catch.”

“No catch,” Dervla said. “Just do what you said you came here to do and it’s yours.”

“I have money,” he replied icily. “This just seems like a lot to just give away.”

“Vaor, some of these expired before I was born!” Nauja gasped, pointing at a glass-doored medicine cabinet.

“Don’t touch anything until I’ve had the chance to inspect it,” Law warned. He then turned back to the village leader. “Well, am I right?”

“Like I said: just do the job you say you’re here to do and there won’t be any problem,” Dervla repeated. She pat Law on the back of his shoulder and gave him a nod. “You know where to find someone if you have a question.”

“I do, but…”

“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.” She then left the newcomers alone in the smaller infirmary, with Law able to hear her shut the front door on her way out.

“I don’t know…” he mused. He picked up a medical journal from a bookshelf and cracked it open—it was nearly twenty years old and filled with hand-written notations and commentary in the varying articles’ margins. “Something about this doesn’t feel right.”

“Vaor, we have a house, a place for medicine, there’s a school in town… it’s actually really neat here.”

“It’s still really suspicious when someone goes from not wanting you around at all to giving you a house specialized for your profession within an hour,” he replied. He kept flipping through the articles, a sense of familiarity washing over him. “You know… Oma used to do this.”

“Do what?” Nauja asked. She placed Professor Nanuk on the counter and bounced over towards Law, who sat on his haunches to show her the journal.

“Write in the margins like this,” he said, dragging his fingers over the ink scribbles. They were not far removed from the copperplate handwriting of his parents’ generation, the most prominent difference being the shakiness of the hand despite still being legible. “Opa did too, but not nearly as much as Oma did—it kind of annoyed him.”

“That’s silly,” she giggled. She then watched as he turned a page and almost instantly grew pale. “Vaor…? What’s wrong…?”

One look at the journal and she knew what it was: the next article was coauthored by her grandparents. Law sat directly on the dusty floor and tried his best to not cry.

“I… I remember when this was published,” he said shakily. “La—your Tante Lami was a toddler, and I had to watch her at night while they wrote.”

“I thought you said everything from… erm… home is gone,” Nauja said quietly. Law let out a laugh in disbelief, tears flowing freely down his face.

“The old doctor died before Flevance did; even if she had anything from there, unless someone bothered to come in here and take it…” He couldn’t continue, instead palming his eyes as he broke into a heaving sob. Nauja tackled him in a hug and he held her close, not wanting to let go.

There was still proof that Flevance had once lived, that his parents had lived, and that there was a legacy to pass down as he lived…

…wait a minute.

Shakily, Law disengaged Nauja and handed her the journal so that he could stand up. Tears still in his eyes, he looked at the other volumes on the shelf, running a pointer finger over their spines. Sure enough, there was plenty of medical journals and textbooks from Flevance. The collection was from a broad pool of sources—all the Cardinal Blues and the Grand Line were represented—if there had been someone on the island that was affiliated with the World Government, the entire shelf would have already been burned. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and ducked out of the room, heading into the office. His suspicions were confirmed and his jaw dropped laxly: whole bookshelves of medical publications going back decades… and many of them from the White City itself.

“Vaor…?” He glanced over and saw Nauja standing awkwardly in the doorway. “What is it?”

“I… erm…” He rubbed the back of his neck and waited until she stepped into the office properly. “It’s old, but there’s medical knowledge here that the Marines would kill this whole island over.”

“Really…?” She scrunched her nose and peered at the closest shelf. “This isn’t even from Flevance.”

“A lot of it is, or I’m sure is influenced by Flevance,” he replied, “and this one…? This is from an island that also doesn’t exist anymore. Rumor says it was destroyed for its thirst for history and knowledge.”

“Yeah…?”

“Yeah.” He licked his lips as he selected another book and flipped through it. “It makes sense if the previous doctor was well-learned that she would have had this sort of personal library, but it also tells me something else.”

“What’s that?”

“No one here is going to turn us in, even if they compare me to my bounty poster. We can stay here… for as long as it takes.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah.” He put the book down and knelt down on one knee to be at eye level with her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. “This is our home now.”

“…but… how will I get strong and good at stuff if we stay put? What if I can’t?”

“Don’t you worry about that.” He brought his hands up to her face, holding her as though she might break. “You’re going to grow up to be an amazing person, Trafalgar D. Water Nauja… I’m going to make sure of it.”

She hugged him and, before they knew it, they were both crying.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

One of the things that was extremely evident when it came to living with Amber Lead Syndrome was that there were good days and bad days. What observers often referred to as bad days were usually the good ones, and when presented with a bad day, it was understandably cause for alarm.

It was a bad day as Law and Cora-san were huddled on some rock, glad for the break in weather that allowed them to camp on the seas-forsaken outcropping instead of attempting to find an island with an inn they hadn’t been run out of yet. The teen could barely move, causing his adult’s panic to skyrocket. He had fussed over the boy and made sure he ate before turning towards his alcohol supply, soaking his depressive thoughts though the afternoon sun had yet to dip low into the sky.

“One day, after we’ve figured this shit out, we’re going to get out of this Blue,” he said, fully drunk at that point. Law was barely able to turn his head and see Cora-san sitting next to him, staring off into the distance as he drank directly from the wine bottle. “There has to be a quiet place we can go.”

“The East and West are both hot,” the boy replied, his voice feeling like sandpaper against his throat.

“They’re quieter than here.”

“What about the South Blue? Do they have weather like the North?”

“Yeah, in some places, but,” he took another drink, “they have to contend with giant and fierce animals more than we do. The only places I can think of that doesn’t are too out of the way.”

“Cora-san… I’m not going to make it that long…”

“You can’t say that, Law!” he sniffled. “We’re going to get you a cure and then I’ll find us someplace nice to live! You can study medicine and open up a clinic and I’ll be there to help you!” He emptied the bottle and laid down—there was no mistaking that he was drunk. “My papa did not live to be very old. I think I’d like to get older than he did one day, raising a family peacefully amongst other people.”

“Then go and get married and acquire babies,” Law huffed. He tried to hide the fact he head tears in his eyes—it was something he knew he’d never see. Cora-san as a dad? Ridiculous.

“I have my family,” Cora-san replied. He placed a shaky hand on Law’s face and turned it towards him. They were both on the verge of crying, held together by barely a thread. “You are my family now, Law. Do you think I tell all those hospitals that you’re my son to be an asshole about it?”

“…no…?”

“Then it doesn’t matter if you end up being the eldest or the only.” He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Law’s. “It doesn’t matter what anyone fucking says: you’re my son now and I love you.”

“…but…!”

“I don’t know how many you lost, and I can’t replace them, but I can still love you, because everyone needs that, don’t they?”

“…but… what did I do…?” He watched Cora-san’s eyes flutter shut and he frowned. “Cora-san…? What did I do that makes you love me? I’m just some shitty kid who tried to kill you.”

A snore was his only reply. Fuck… and with him unable to move too.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As Law feared: there was a steep learning curve to dropping himself and his daughter into the middle of a rural community. Curious passers-by kept popping their heads in and seeing who it was that was occupying the old doctor’s house. Children used to being able to barge into the front room without reprimand were shocked to discover that there were suddenly people living there. Local customs and traditions were plentiful as the young father tried to figure out what was going on around them. The Port and Village of Hinba was the only major population center on the Island and Country of Diura, which was otherwise dotted with varying farms and pastures as advertised, and yet there seemed to be no end to the amount of people that were coming in and out to meet them.

“You sure are an interesting pair,” chuckled the elderly neighbor lady—Svana—as she helped Law clean the infirmary. It was a quiet day, after Dervla had threatened everyone else to leave him alone or get kicked off the island. Nauja was outside with some of the other children who lived nearby, making it just the two adults in the house.

“Now why would you say that, Svana-ya?” he posed. Law was placing fresh bottles of antiseptic in one cupboard while she was washing the inside of another.

“Last time we got a new doctor we had to send to Roshawan for one,” she noted. “People don’t normally come here thinking that they might be able to stay and make a living… especially not if they arrive with a young one in-tow.”

“Consider us unique,” he said. He knew full-well that she was likely considered the island’s best font of information on them aside from Nauja, except no one was truly aware of how much they had planned beforehand. “What was the doctor like who was here before?”

“Dr. Ghar-Spartel was a hardy woman, who traveled the seas before settling here,” Svana nodded, her expression turning far-off as she reminisced. “We all mourned her when she passed—I think it’s part of why we never found another in all this time.”

“I was told you don’t take easily to strangers, yet you mourned someone you sent for?”

“We did; it turned out she was in town when our call was received and her heart fit here so well that no one could imagine anything different. With any luck, you two will acclimate as easily as she did.” She left the cupboard open and went to wring out the cloth and wet it again with the cleaning solution. “I get the feeling she would have liked the both of you—had a soft spot for Northern blokes who’d wander in town.”

“Was she Northern…?”

“Never publicly claimed a lick, but she was acquainted with quite a few. Came with the territory considering how far she sailed; she spent many an evening telling me tales of Lvneel and other places.”

“Maybe you can tell us some of those stories one day,” he said. “Leaving home young has… disadvantages. I don’t have a lot of stories to pass on to my daughter about my home sea. Not about Lvneel, or Kuenta, or Whiteland, or Flevance, or Notice…”

“I’ve got plenty, especially of Lvneel and Flevance,” she replied. “They were cultural hubs, and I’m sure you’ve heard how Flevance was known for their medical knowledge before the Plague, so she spent plenty of time there.”

Law finished stocking the cupboard and closed it. “Weird how that works: a place that was the best-equipped to handle a situation being wiped out by it instead.”

“It sounds suspicious to me, but that’s age and how life is here for you,” she sighed. She saw the confused, embarrassed look on Law’s face and she chuckled. “We don’t care about what the Government says in these parts. We’re not affiliated with them—never have been—so there’s no love lost if you know my meaning.”

“I know perfectly well your meaning, Svana-ya,” Law nodded. His face was still warm—it looked like embarrassment, but deep down, he was just happy he could continue to get something from his hometown… and something as intangible as stories? He was beyond elated. Now the only problem was making sure his neighbor didn’t catch on about how much he already knew… how much she was able to piece together…

Just then, the kitchen door at the back of the house slammed open and the sound of more than one child came barreling in. Nauja came sliding into the infirmary in her stocking feet, with a small gaggle of children close behind.

“See?!” she said, pointing at Law. “That’s my vaor! He’s a doctor, isn’t he, Svana-ya?!”

“He’s no midwife, but he’ll do,” the older woman chuckled. The village children all stared at Law and the ink visible thanks to his tank top shirt. “It’s impolite to stare—you act like you’ve never seen sailors’ marks before.”

“Are you a pirate?!” one of the children gasped. Nauja froze, yet Law knew exactly what to do. He crouched down with a wicked grin and wiggled his fingers, coming at the children until they screamed and ran away.

“I’m the worst pirate of them all! The Surgeon of Death!” The children that were not his all scurried out, with his daughter staring at him in confusion. “What…? It’s not like I’m not already mistaken for him.”

“Vaor… don’t do that again. You looked weird.”

“Oh, now you’re too cool?”

“Vaor…” Nauja rolled her eyes and went to find the other children, leaving Law with an expression of deadpan irritation on his face. Svana laughed merrily at that.

“What betrayal!” she cackled. “…and to think people wonder why I never had children!”

“I don’t know; maybe because you’re the island’s midwife?”

“Delivering children is not the same as having and raising them, young man,” she retorted. She forced her giggles under control as the man young enough to be her grandson attempted to get back to cleaning. “She is a good child; you should be proud.”

“I am.”

“…and I’m sure her mother is proud of you both.” He paused loading the cupboard for a moment, clearly lost in thought, before putting the vial back down on the counter. “How long has it been just the two of you?”

“…not… erm… long,” he admitted. He kept staring at the countertop, hoping she’d drop the topic, yet her hand gently touched his back in an effort to console him. “Can we please not talk about this, Svana-ya?”

“Bottling it up won’t be good, lad,” she cautioned. “You still have a lot of life left to be weighed down by something so heavy as those bits of metal on your neck.”

“I’ve carried more for longer,” he said, knowing the risk of saying so. The thin chain that held his parents’ wedding bands—scavenged from the ruins of the hospital when he was a reckless teen—suddenly felt very conspicuous, even though their presence was supposed to be part of the lie. “This is for my daughter—I don’t care what it does to me as long as she can grow up strong and free from everything.”

“She won’t if she loses both her parents this young.” The old woman rubbed his back and, for a moment, Law felt his stomach churn. He wasn’t used to genuine concern out of strangers and it made him feel guilty… guilty for everything. Flevance, Lami, Cora-san, the crew… everyone. Shit… did his classmate even like him back then? Had she tolerated him at the very least? He couldn’t remember…

“Being there for Nauja was part of why we moved from the Grand Line,” he stated. “I couldn’t stay there and raise her at the same time… it wasn’t right. It’s… cowardly to come here, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Corasson Law: it’s the bravest thing you could have done for her.”

Seas… he really hoped she was right.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The sense of déjà vu that Law was experiencing did not settle well with him, as it made him think of a time when he was the child, diminutive due to stunted growth and comparative height to his adult. He held Nauja close as he opened a large Room, the two of them surrounded by citizens of the small town they were in. Well, on the outskirts of, but that was besides the point.

“You don’t scare us,” a shop owner said. He had been a Marine for twenty years before retiring, the seagull tattoo still prominent on his upper arm. “A member of the Worst Generation would fetch a large price… especially one who tries to go into hiding while his cohorts make trouble elsewhere. What are you after, Rogue Shichibukai?!”

“I’m not here for trouble if that’s what you’re concerned about,” Law announced for about the sixteenth time.

“Then where’d you get the kid?”

“None of your business.”

“I’m making it my business, boy.”

Law sighed and twitched his fingers, the mob of citizens being replaced with their children and pets. The startled kids all looked at him and Nauja without really knowing what to say, let alone knowing what happened.

“You’re the man that Dad wanted us to stay away from,” a little boy realized. Law breathed a sigh of relief and put Nauja down; they had about five minutes before they needed to start running again.

“Perceptive,” he replied. “Do you always listen to your dad?”

“Yes…?”

“I doubt that, but close enough.” He stroked Nauja’s hair as she huddled against his leg, holding onto his trousers as she tried to hide from the other children in the safety of his coat. “What’s the matter? You were fine a little while ago…”

“That was before they tried to take me and run you out of town,” she mumbled.

“But he’s a bad man!” a girl declared.

“Maybe your dad’s the bad one!” Nauja shot back. “Mine just wants to take care of me! Why does that make him bad?!”

“Nauja…” Movement caught Law’s eye and he grimaced—the adults were back sooner than he expected. “Time to go.” He picked her up and waited just long enough for her to flip her middle fingers at the other children before he triggered a series of swaps that landed them in their boat, then switching the entire boat with a whale that was breaching just offshore so it could damage the wharf. He finally let out the breath he had been holding and put his daughter down, only for her to slump onto the deck in irritation.

“They hate us,” she grumbled. “Vaor… why do they hate us…?”

“…because they don’t know any better, and hating people who are different than them has worked for their survival in the past.” He made sure the wind was catching the sail correctly before pulling a map out of his coat pocket. “That’s another one down.”

“This stinks,” she said. “I feel like we’ve been searching forever.”

“Not forever, but definitely a long time,” he admitted. Law crossed off the island they had just been on and took a look at where they could go next. They were running out of options around the entrance to the Grand Line, meaning the further they went into the South Blue, the more dangerous it was likely to become. He sat down as he studied the map, propping his feet up on Nauja’s legs in order to rile her up. It worked and she wriggled out from under him in order to crawl over to his side and nestle in the crook of his arm.

“How long were you and Cora-jiisan running?” she wondered.

“Almost half a year—it’s only been a couple months for us,” he reminded her. He traced the line of a water current and nodded. “I think if we keep low and only stop for supplies, we might be able to get to this island in about two weeks or so.”

“…Diura…?” She peered at the paper and frowned. “Why there?”

“It’s far enough from Reverse Mountain that we’re out of the way of other pirates,” he reasoned. “Fewer pirates mean fewer people who would recognize me even if I don’t use my Devil Fruit. It even looks like it might be out of the way for people around there too.”

“How?”

“The currents are all wrong.” He took her hand and gently traced the current paths on the map with her finger. “This is a major water current that goes through that area of the South Blue, and this is the major wind current. Neither of them go near there, which means that it’s minor sailing traffic only.”

“…so… it would be no problem for the Tang, but it would for a normal ship?”

“Not a problem, just more difficult.” Shit, he wished Bepo and Penguin were there to explain it better, maybe even Hakugan, since he was admittedly less comfortable with specifics. He kissed the side of her head and squeezed her gently. “We’ll find someplace. I promise.”

“Why here?” she asked. “Why not the North Blue?”

“Too many people remember my face or my accent or both,” he admitted. “Besides, the Marines would be looking for me in my Home Blue if I simply vanished off their Grand Line radar.”

“Those villagers sure did know who you were…”

“…and they’re the only ones who caught us so far,” he reminded her. Their amount of close calls had been racking up exponentially—it was a surprise that they hadn’t been chased out of town before this. “One report does not make the military change course… not like that. Besides, it will look like they called the Marines because their harbor was wrecked and they didn’t want to pay for it.”

“…oh.” Nauja took the map and looked at it closer. “There’s a town on Diura. Do you think it’s big?”

“Probably not, but something tells me that they have the room to take in a girl who lost her mother… a man who lost his wife…” He watched as her face scrunched while trying to remember their cover story.

“It was a couple years ago,” she recited. “Moetje was sick, and you were really sad for a long time after she passed away, so my uncles told you that moving might help, since we can go where you don’t have memories of her.”

“Good—and where were we before that?”

“Water 7; you didn’t like needing to prepare for Aqua Laguna every year anyhow.”

“…and how did we get through to the South Blue?”

“A ship that could pass through the Calm Belt gave us passage, but no one has to know that it’s because it’s a submarine pirate ship and not a Marine ship.”

“Exactly.” He frowned and remembered the last time he was running like this, when it was with Cora-san, and how different this time was. “Can you remember something for me?”

The girl perked up. “What is it?”

“Remember that I love you, okay?” He watched as confusion crossed her face. “I never got the chance to tell Cora-jiisan that in all the time I spent with him. I love you…” he took a deep breath, “…and the crew loves you. That’s why we’re doing this. Do you understand?”

“You love me… and the crew loves me,” she echoed. “You loved Cora-jiisan, and he loved you. That’s why we’re running… why he ran with you… why the crew can’t run with us.”

“Yeah… that’s the gist of it.”

The little girl stayed quiet for a moment, mulling everything over as she idly picked at the hem of her sweater. She then nodded; she understood, and she was glad.

“I love you too, Vaor.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

That night, after the rest of Hinba was back in their homes for the evening, Law used his Devil Fruit to take apart the wall in the front sitting room, having found a space inside just big enough for Kikoku. While he had entertained the idea of leaving it out as a display, it was safest that he hid it away, at least for the time being.

“You’ll come out soon enough,” he murmured to the sword as he placed it inside the thin nook. He let his hand linger on the scabbard, giving the blade inside a moment to accept its oncoming rest.

“Do we need to put my knife away?” Nauja wondered. Law looked and saw the girl was holding up her weapon; he let go of Kikoku and shook his head.

“I still want you to train,” he said. “A knife is easier to keep out of sight than a long sword. Don’t worry—Kikoku understands.” He then replaced the paneling and plaster as though it had never been moved. “This is it. We’re home now.”

“…yeah…?”

“We still need to be careful, but yeah. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.” He let her cling to him in a tight hug—it was time now to get on with the rest of their lives.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, you’re too far from the nest - Part 1 of 3

Umm… oops… my finger slipped and an AU of the AU happened. It is not going be the last time this will happen for this particular AU. [*stares at LibreOffice and sweats*] I just need to get more of it done first, so have this in the meantime.

6331 words to start, but will be well over 17k at estimation of this posting; picks up immediately after chapter two of fly little seagull, the world awaits, so do read that please if you’d like to know what in the hell’s going on (I mean, tl;dr is that Law is transmorgifying into a 7yo’s version of Cora-san, but yeah it’s an extra 15.7k words if you haven’t gotten there yet), as this entire thing will function as an alternate third chapter to that fic (I’ll update the author’s notes accordingly); congrats y’all are gonna be subjected to more of my OC and my weird Dressrosa headcanons enjoy

Original Story

fly little seagull, you’re too far from the nest; Just as Law gets a lead on a safe haven for the crew, his reasons for storming Dressrosa become increasingly more personal. [AU where Law accidentally becomes a dad and Doflamingo finds himself an heir]

It was late in the evening when Law and Bepo finally made their way back to the Polar Tang; their talk with Fred had been fruitful enough to where the captain felt he could build plans utilizing the knowledge she gave them. Law knew he couldn’t include his fuzzy best friend in the deliberations that needed to be done—he needed Penguin and Shachi so that he could start preparing them to helm the crew themselves. There were contingencies to plan, failsafes to put into place, and he was going to need to do them quickly.

What he needed most was to make sure the crew would be alright if… no, when he died fighting Doflamingo… that Nauja was going to be cared for… or else he couldn’t begin the next stage with a clear mind and no regrets. He knew that things could naturally fall into place, but he knew the peace of mind involved in planning everything out beforehand could either make or break him, and this was something too fragile to allow free reign.

“I wonder how everyone else is doing,” Bepo mused as they walked along the street. There weren’t nearly as many people wandering around as earlier, but it was still fairly busy for the hour. “Oh no… some of my friends could be married with cubs…”

“We all have different paths,” Law reminded him, using words that had not personally brought him comfort in years. “Besides, all the cubs will think you’re the coolest adult ever.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so.” They then turned a corner and something felt wrong. “Bepo… something’s off. Do you smell anything?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” the Mink replied. “This is a pretty rough part of town, so nothing I smell surprises me…”

Together, Law and Bepo both broke out into a run, heading towards the docks fast as they could. By the time they got there, it looked as though they had been too late. Hakugan and Clione were attempting to drag some of their unconscious crewmates into the Tang, while Penguin and Shachi were trying to bandage up some of the others, and the rest were doing their best to not move.

“What happened?!” Soon as the others saw Law, the color left their faces. “Is everyone alright?!”

“We don’t know,” Shachi admitted. His voice wavered, which made the hairs on his captain’s neck stand on-end. “There was this weird guy waiting for us when we got here and took us by surprise. Beat us all up and knocked us all unconscious…”

“Where’s Nauja-ya…?”

“He took her!” Penguin sobbed. He couldn’t look at Law, too ashamed of what he was admitting. “We tried to get her into the Polar Tang, but when woke up she was gone!”

“Fuck!” Law kicked a nearby bottle, it shattering on the wall of a building; there was no telling where they were now. “What did he look like?!”

“You won’t get a hold of him,” Jean Bart said solemnly. “I got a good look at him—he’s a high-ranking Marine.”

“What’s a Marine want with Our Nauja?” Bepo shivered.

“More importantly,” Ikkaku mentioned, “what sort of Marine kidnaps a little girl from a Warlord’s custody but leaves a hot ticket item like Jean Bart behind?”

Dread settled down on Law, creeping down into his bones. Oh, fuck, something was seriously off about this. He tried to think of all the Marines that they had crossed paths with the past few months; no one was really of the caliber to take on all the crew on their own, even without him and Bepo there. Why did the Marine take Nauja, of all of them, and completely ignore that Jean Bart was a Celestial’s runaway slave?

Oh… oh no…

“Was he tall? With dark hair and a beard? Lightning bolt sideburns? Sunglasses? Food on his face?”

“Fried rice, yeah…”

Law tasted bile.

“Captain…?” He could hear Bepo’s voice, yet the bear sounded so far away. Law’s chest tightened and his eyes slipped out of focus as he stumbled.

Vergo had Nauja.

Doflamingo would soon have Nauja.

All he knew was the crew’s panicked voices in the distance before he blacked out.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja struggled against the material of the sack she had been stuffed in at the wharf, unable to break it. She couldn’t even stab it open with her dirk—it was protected by something that made it too tough. It was bad enough that the sack had been suspended from something while they were on a ship so that she couldn’t roll away, but now she was being carried like she was just some potatoes. Well, these potatoes were going to fight back!

“I brought what you asked for, Young Master,” the man said. He threw the sack into the air and something caught it, jostling the little girl inside.

“Don’t be so rough with our guest,” another man chided, his accent strange. The sack was gingerly put down on the floor and the top opened, allowing Nauja to pop out. It was bright and sunny, causing her to raise her hands to block out the light until her eyes adjusted. “What a little cutie—she’ll do well with us.”

As Nauja’s eyes adjusted to the light, she began to take in her surroundings. It was warm and smelled nice, like fruit trees and pretty perfume. An in-ground pool was nearby where people were laughing and playing. Ladies were lounging around in swimwear, relaxed and soaking up the sun.

“I still don’t like this.”

Nauja turned around and took a step back as she saw the two men staring at her. One was the man who knocked out all the crew at the wharf with a piece of bamboo and the other… well… there was something about him that made her tremble in fear. He was very tall, blond, and wore pink sunglasses and a pink feather coat. Although she had never seen him before, he looked disturbingly familiar, to the point where she wanted to run away.

“Where am I?” she squeaked. “Where’s Law-san? Where’s the crew?”

“They’re not here right now, little one,” the pink man grinned. Nauja could feel something heavy pressing down on her shoulders, although she knew there was nothing there. “Hmm… interesting…”

“I need Law-san!” she demanded. “Where is Law-san?!”

“We’re actually hoping he comes for you,” the pink man said. He sat down on a nearby chair, lounging smugly. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen him… not since my younger brother stole him and filled his head and heart with lies.”

“…s-s-stole…? L-l-lies…?”

“Yes, you see, I take in people who have been thrown away by the world,” he explained, and edge to his voice the girl could not describe. “I give them a home and make them mine. Law was one of those people when he was just a child. I treated him like a brother… a nephew, even…”

Nauja furrowed her brow in thought—this man wasn’t Cora-san.

“So I guess this makes me your Uncle Doffy,” the pink man declared. “How good it is to finally meet my niece after so long. I didn’t even know you existed until recently!” He picked her up and sat her on his knee—it didn’t feel right… not like when she sat with Law-san or the crew. “We’ll have plenty of fun until your daddy comes for you.”

“…but… I…”

“Tu home cruel!” Nauja saw a lady storm up to them, looking very much like Ikkaku when the settings in the engine room were messed with, except this lady’s hair was smooth and long and she wore a pretty dress and heeled shoes instead of a boilersuit and boots.

“Violet, meva vida…”

“Don’t you meva vida me, Doffy!” she hissed. “What is this?!”

“My niece.” He paused and placed a hand on Nauja’s head. “Maybe more.”

“If this is your niece, then why do I suspect your goon brought her here in that sack?!” She pointed at the still-visible heap of burlap.

“I am not a goon,” the man from the wharf huffed.

“Then why did you have this nena as though you abducted her from her bed?!”

“She’s fine,” the man from the wharf said. “Better here than who she was with.”

“Don’t talk about Law-san and the crew that way!” Nauja snapped. “They’re good people, even if they are pirates! They take care of me!”

“Fufufu… that might be so, but now we’re going to take care of you,” the pink man chuckled. “Law was a naughty boy and ran away from us, but you’re a good girl, aren’t you?” Nauja cringed, trying to move from his grasp. He instead gripped her skull, keeping her on his lap. “We are family, and family takes care of one another.”

“Marxa enrere; give her to me,” the lady said. She plucked Nauja from the pink man’s lap and held her close. “What fool plan do you mean to put in place by kidnapping a child?”

“I want to bring the Third Corazón home, give the Heart Seat someone to sit in it, bring my brother’s folly back into our folds,” the pink man said. Nauja felt the pressure again, which only made the lady brace her against her shoulder. “If you want to play with her, then be my guest. Just know she’s here to serve a purpose.”

“…and if it doesn’t work…?” the man from the wharf asked.

“Then we simply have to wait for the Third Corazón to grow into a fine young woman,” the pink man smirked. The lady holding Nauja scoffed and left, carrying the girl with her.

“Quins nervis té!” the woman hissed as she took Nauja inside. “He must be losing his mind if he thinks that this is a good idea…” She stopped as she realized Nauja was sniffling, threatening to break into a full-on sob. “Oh, no, no, no… nena, don’t cry… don’t cry…” She set the girl down on the polished tile floor and held her face, wiping tears away with her thumbs. “There, there… we shall figure out what to do…”

“I want Law-san…”

“…and I’m sure Doffy’s banking on him wanting you back,” the woman assured. She reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, which she used to clean the girl’s face. “My name is Viola, but the others refer to me as Violet. What is your name?”

“Nauja.”

“Well then, my darling little Nauja,” she poked her nose with the handkerchief, “I’ll bet that you’re hungry after what Vergo put you through.”

“Vergo…?”

“Yes, the imbècil with food on his face. It was him that took you from your family, wasn’t it?” Nauja nodded. “It is okay: we do not like him either. Anyhow… are you hungry? What would you like to eat?” Nauja shook her head, but was betrayed by her stomach making a gurgling noise. “Come now, it is nearly lunchtime. What does your father feed you?”

“…uh… onigiri…?”

“I don’t know if we have the correct rice for onigiri, but let us see what’s in the kitchen.” Viola offered the girl her hand, which only got her a stare. “I promise I will not hurt you. In fact, I hope your father is able to take you far away from this place very soon.”

Nauja nodded and took Viola’s hand. She didn’t know this lady, though she did not seem like the pink man or the man who stole her from the crew. There was something very, very different about her, and it made Nauja feel a little better. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was dark.

“Just let him go!”

It was cold.

“He is free!”

Gunshots rang out; one, two, three, four, five.

It was the day he was alone again… except…

“Don’t hurt him!”

…Nauja…?!

He beat on the chest again, trying to escape.

Six.

Law sucked down air as he sat up, shaking violently. A scream left him and he felt familiar hands holding him still as he tried to reorient himself to where he was; the Polar Tang, and she was underwater.

“Captain!” His eyes came into focus and he saw that he was in the infirmary, with most of the crew standing there. Penguin and Shachi were holding him by the arms and shoulders, his entire body still shaking.

“Where are we…?” he asked, voice rough.

“We’re in a holding pattern just offshore,” Penguin explained. “Ikkaku, Uni, and Hakugan were able to get us settled. It looked like you dinged your head pretty bad when you fell, but luckily there’s no concussion that we can see…”

“What about Nauja-ya?”

“We did recon of the island soon as we were able to,” Clione offered. “Whoever that guy was has her far away from here.”

“You know who he is, don’t you?” Shachi asked. Silence. “Law… who took the kid…?”

He paused, knowing that the inevitable had finally happened.

“Crew meeting, fifteen minutes,” Law ordered. “Out, now.” Most of the crew filed out, leaving just Bepo standing there in the corner, wringing his paws. “I said out.”

“I’m sorry,” the Mink whimpered. “If it wasn’t for Fred and me…”

“No—just, no, Bepo. Don’t apologize. That man was hunting us.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and shakily stood up. “If he didn’t hit us now, it only would have been some other time… a worse time. I hate to say it, but we’re almost lucky that this is all we’re dealing with.”

“I’m scared,” Bepo admitted.

I am too.

“Just… make sure everyone’s in the mess hall, alright?” Bepo nodded and tearfully left the infirmary, affording Law some time alone to gather his thoughts.

Vergo… Vergo had Nauja… and, fuck, he was likely taking her to Doflamingo. Was she hurt? How fast were they traveling? Was she scared? What were they going to do with her? If any of them harmed even one hair on her…

Fuck.

Just… fuck.

Law decided it would be good to at least check himself over and went to his cabin, shutting the door behind him. Kikoku was already laid atop his bed—the sword seemingly pulsing in empathetic anger—as well as his hat. Ignoring them for the time being, he looked at himself in the toilet mirror, seeing that at least he didn’t split his face open when he fainted. Seas, he learned that she was gone and he fucking fainted and knocked himself unconscious like he was in some melodrama where that’s what fainting did to a person. He washed his face and avoided looking in the mirror again; too much longer and his father would start to stare back at him, as though that wouldn’t add insult to injury.

Father… he really was Nauja’s father, wasn’t he? For all the not wanting her on the Polar Tang to begin with, he was the one who she latched onto the most… the one who took most responsibility for her… the one who seemed to be guiding her the most. That was what being a father—being a parent in general—was, right? Shit… he had been her father all this time and he couldn’t even call it what it was until it was too late.

Stepping over to his desk, Law looked at the photos on the wall—images of Nauja had joined the ghosts of his family, her smile bright and cheerful against the cold metal of the wall. Yes… she was his as much as they were and there was no going back from it.

‘I’m coming for you,’ he thought silently. ‘I will not let him hurt you.’ He touched a photo, then let his fingers drift towards one of him and Cora-san, the dead man’s dopey grin almost able to settle his nerves. ‘If this wasn’t such a dangerous situation, I’d say you were laughing in your grave.’

Then, something caught Law’s eye. A folded piece of paper was poking out of a copy of Sora, Warrior of the Sea that he did not remember putting there earlier. He opened the compilation and saw that it was marking a spot where Sora was trying to rescue a citizen from Poison Pink’s grasp—it was a tragic arc, as he knew that the hostage didn’t make it in the end. After putting the book down, he unfolded the paper, seeing an unfamiliar script.

A body does not thrive without its Heart.

Fuck… Vergo didn’t just kidnap Nauja, but he had boarded the Polar Tang long enough to leave him a note. Law put a Room up around the entire ship and checked for any bugs or other surveillance equipment—nothing. It was a taunt. A way to rile him up. A way to give Doflamingo the upper hand.

He wasn’t going to fall for it.

After pocketing the note and taking a deep, steadying breath, Law grabbed Kikoku off his bed and went to the mess hall where everyone was already nervously assembled. Their whispers died down as he entered the room, all eyes falling on him.

“Captain, we’re…!”

“Save it,” he said, raising a hand. “No one here is at-fault. If anyone is, it’s me.”

“Cap…” Ikkaku was cut off by him shaking his head.

“I need to come clean,” he admitted. The mess hall remained silent—good. “Most of you have figured out by now if you weren’t out-right told that I’m from Flevance, that I’ve been with Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi since I ate my Devil Fruit at thirteen, but none of you know exactly what happened in the gap between Flevance and then.”

“Everyone always said you sort of drifted,” Clione offered. “You would have been, what, ten?”

“Yeah,” someone else said. “Three years is kind of a big gap for being that young, but you clearly didn’t want to talk about it.”

“I didn’t want to talk about it because I had drifted to Spider Miles and into the clutches of the Donquixote Pirates.” Gasps and whispered curses rose from the crew—if they hadn’t heard of the infamous North Blue crew before they left their home sea, they definitely learned their name while sailing the Grand Line. “Doflamingo himself saw my potential and began grooming me to become a lead officer within his organization. In another life, I likely would have done so.”

“What made you… not…?” someone asked.

“The Corazón—the man who had the Heart Seat amongst Doflamingo’s elite officers—recognized me for what I was: a lost kid being abused and manipulated for someone else’s gain. He spirited me away from Doflamingo’s lies and treated me like his son as we ran in search for something to cure Amber Lead Syndrome, which I was dying from at the time. We were caught not long after he found the Op-Op Fruit and fed it to me, and paid the ultimate price for it.” Law saw how his crew was looking at him, as though they saw him for the first time again, and it hurt. “Cora-san is the reason why I exist… why all of this exists… and Doflamingo means to punish me further.”

“…by kidnapping your daughter…”

Everyone turned towards Bepo, the navigator’s brow furrowed in worry. He fidgeted at the attention.

“Sorry, but, I think it’s fair to say that although I found her, and we all love her, she became the captain’s daughter.”

“He’s right,” Law agreed. “Killing Cora-san was not enough—he wants to take my child as he thinks I was taken from him. That’s why he sent that Marine to kidnap Nauja; he’s on the payroll.”

“You are a pain in the fucking ass, you know that?” Penguin groaned. “You know what this means, right? We’re going to help you get your kid back.”

“Penguin, I…”

“Hey,” Shachi added, “I know I want to see her being a feral fucking terror like you were at thirteen. We ain’t gonna get there by just sitting back and watching.”

“She might be the captain’s daughter, but she’s our kid too!” someone piped up.

“Yeah! We can’t let that asshole have the last laugh!”

“Who the fuck does he think he is, stealing little kids like that?!”

“We’ll make him regret ever thinking he can fuck with us!”

“We’re with you, Captain!”

“Nothing can stop us!”

Tears began to form in the corners of Law’s eyes—his crew really was full of the best idiots.

“Alright,” he nodded, letting out a breath of relief. “If we’re going to take down Doflamingo and get our kid back, we’re going to need a plan…”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja was certain that she did not like Dressrosa. Well, there were some things that she did—it didn’t smell of farts and the sun was a pleasant sort of warm—but most of it she did not like at all. It was lonely and weird, with odd people and living toys that screamed on the inside but were silent on the outside. The only person who didn’t make her feel uneasy was Viola-ya, but even she couldn’t be with her all the time.

“Oh, she is just the most precious little thing!” Giolla cooed, pinching Nauja’s cheek. “We’re going to have to do something about those clothes though… and this hair! You can’t do anything with it!”

“It will be nice to have a child in the Family again,” Baby 5 noted. She was crouched down next to the girl and gave her a smile. “Tell me: what do kids like to do these days? Rob banks? Burn down islands? Stab people?”

“Uhh… I like reading Sora, Warrior of the Sea, and practicing my drawing for medical things…?”

“Oh, well that figures,” Baby 5 huffed.

“Violet called dibs for now,” Doflamingo said idly from his chair on the other side of the room. He was barely paying attention, his nose still in a book as he waited for dinner.

“Law’s ruining her,” Baby 5 griped. “She’s a little nerd like him.”

“That might just be what we need around here,” Dellinger shrugged. He sat at the table next to Buffalo and poured himself a glass of water from a nearby pitcher. “We’re a bunch of weirdos, but I wouldn’t say any of us are nerds.”

“Are you just sore you’re not the baby of the Family anymore?” Baby 5 smirked. Dellinger tossed her a middle finger, confirming her theory. “I was happy that we found you, for the record.”

“I also have been able to take down full-grown Marines since I was a toddler.”

“Tch; don’t listen to him,” Baby 5 huffed. She swat away Giolla’s fussing hands when she saw that Nauja was pouting. “Aww… you have his glare. That’s almost cute.”

“How would you know?”

“He and I grew up together; I’m your tante,” she beamed.

“Tieta,” Giolla insisted. “We are Dressrosan now.”

“Fine—I’m your Tieta Cinca, and if you need anything…” Baby 5 gave Nauja a wink, which did admittedly make her feel a little better.

“Alright, food’s up!” Machvise boomed as he entered the dining hall. He, Lao G, and Gladius were carrying in pizza, followed by the remaining, hungry officers. Everyone sat down at the table except for Nauja, who stood a ways back, not wanting to join them.

“Come on,” encouraged Doflamingo. “Eat with us.”

“No thank you,” Nauja squeaked. “I don’t like pizza very much.”

“You don’t like pizza?!” Machvise marveled. “What sort of a kid doesn’t like pizza?!”

“Leave her alone,” Diamante scoffed.

“I’m going to need you to sit down at the table, little one,” Doflamingo insisted. Nauja could feel the Pressure again and she knew it had to come from him. She went and sat between Señor Pink and Lao G; Viola-san was not there, but then again, neither was Vergo. “Good girl.”

An old man with a bodysuit and an old man with a pacifier and baby’s bib? And neither of them wore real pants? And the one with the pacifier was wearing a diaper…? It almost made her want to cry.

“Now, before we get too far into dinner, I want to formally introduce the newest member of our Family,” Doflamingo said. “Law has been very naughty while away, and this is his daughter. What is your name again, little one?”

“…Nauja…”

“Repeat that; I didn’t hear it.”

“My name is Nauja,” she said clearly. “I’m not a part of your family. I have my own family.”

“…but if you’re Law’s child, then you should have always been part of our family to begin with,” Trebol sniffled. He sucked some snot back into his nose and continued eating. “The Young Master rescues people from mediocrity and raises them to greatness.” Gladius elbowed him, nearly causing him to choke on his pizza.

“She’s a kid—don’t use words like mediocrity. She won’t understand.”

“Mediocrity means boring and nothing special,” Nauja scowled. She tried to do her best imitation of Law-san, glaring at the two men at the end of the table. Doflamingo only laughed.

“Fufufu; an intelligent little thing. I expect nothing less from my niece.”

The table went silent—everyone stopped eating.

“I’ll bite—what do you mean by that?” Señor Pink wondered.

“Precisely what it sounds like,” Doflamingo replied. “My niece has now come to live with us. She will be many things, even if her father refuses to cooperate due to all the lies my brother fed him.”

“She’s just a kid,” Dellinger frowned. “What’s she going to do?”

“She is a candidate for the Heart Seat and will be trained to be a good little girl and act as a Princess of Dressrosa, helping her uncle with all the things he no longer has time for.” He saw as she grew confused and chuckled. “Fufufu… didn’t Daddy ever tell you? I am the King of Dressrosa. Your father was to be my Prince and right-hand man, but his mind was poisoned to turn against me. You shall be a princess and have everything you’ve ever wanted. Because I can make that happen.”

“A… princess…?”

“Yes.” Doflamingo smiled wickedly as he took a drink of his wine. “What better an heir than the child of one who broke the rules? It will be sweet and poetic.”

“I’m not sure if that’s the wisest idea, Young Master,” Señor Pink frowned. “Children are always underfoot and in the way.”

“True, but when you raise them right, they are worth more than all the gold in the Grand Line once they begin to use the gifts you have carefully given them.” Doflamingo motioned towards the younger members of the group with his glass. “If I can raise Buffalo, Baby 5, and Dellinger to be jewels within my organization, then I can raise Nauja as I wished to raise Law: to run it.”

“Then I propose a toast,” Pica said, raising his own glass. “To the Little Mistress finally finding her way to where she belongs: home, with us.”

“To the Little Mistress,” everyone else echoed. They lifted their glasses in a toast, everyone staring at Nauja as they did so.

She needed to get out of there, and fast.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law’s brow furrowed as he read over the intel. It made sense given everything else he knew, but it almost felt too good to be true. With all the research they were doing into their enemy the whispers began to blend together after a while.

“Your contact is sure about this?” he asked. “As in: a hundred-percent without a singular doubt?”

“Of course they are, Captain,” Clione assured. “They are never wrong… not about shit like this.”

“Good.” Law placed the paper down on his desk and palmed his eyes—he was getting even less sleep than usual and was really beginning to feel it. “Then we’ll see what sort of things we can get regarding the layout of Dressrosa and we’ll go from there.”

“This might end up being more than we can chew,” Clione noted.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Law replied. His crewmate bowed his head slightly and left, the captain now alone in his quarters again.

Joker’s main customer for SMILE fruits was Kaidou of the Beast Pirates, and from what it looked like, he was holed up on some isolationist rock called Wano. Not only that, but if he remembered his rumors correctly, Big Mom’s children often referred to him as their uncle, if begrudgingly. This meant that the connections between everyone at and towards the top were too big to ignore. Any little change in the status quo would be dangerous to not only Doflamingo, but to half the Emperors, all the Marines, and a decent chunk of the Grand Line.

If he was going to take on the world to get back his kid, then the least he could do was destabilize it along the way. A body did not thrive without its Heart, after all, and the Heart of the criminal underworld? A fitting trophy if he knew one.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja stood very still as she waited for Giolla to finish measuring her. She was standing atop a stool in the woman’s eclectic art studio, all sorts of fabrics and baubles laid out for use. Dellinger sat on a plush chair in the corner while seemingly pouting behind a magazine.

“Hold still, Little Mistress; I am going to design some outfits for you that shall properly befit your station,” the old woman beamed. She pinched Nauja’s face between her thumb and forefinger, relishing in the fact she had a young girl to raise again. “You shall make the perfect addition to the Family when we’re all done with you.”

“She’s just a little kid,” Dellinger scoffed. “It’s not even like she signed up. What would she possibly do with the Heart Seat of all things?”

“I know you’re not old enough to remember, but the Heart Seat is a very important place in our organization,” Giolla said idly. She picked up some fabric swatches and began to hold them against Nauja’s face and arms, checking them against her complexion. “Those who sit on the Heart Seat are the ones the Young Master loves and trusts the most… the ones who he gives only the most important responsibilities… the ones that weigh the most. A body does not thrive without its Heart, after all.”

“Yeah, that’s what you all keep saying.” Dellinger inspected his nails before going back to the magazine. “I just think it’s interesting how we go from the Heart Seat being almost a memorial to a man I barely remember to the idea that a child will sit in it.”

“It might be her father first, remember that,” Giolla tutted.

“He won’t work for you,” Nauja said sourly.

“Except he will, pet,” Giolla assured threateningly. She stroked Nauja’s hair, going down her face so that her fingernails scratched the underside of her chin as they flicked up and towards her. “He was ours when he was only a little older than you are now, and he’ll be ours again. Once someone is in the Family, they are in for life.”

“You’re not his family; he won’t work for you,” she repeated.

“He shall, if he knows what’s good for him,” Giolla replied. “Before long, the Heart Seat will have an occupant, the Young Master will have his Family whole again, and you shall be the princess of a grand kingdom. You do want to be a princess, don’t you?”

“I want to be a doctor.”

“You can be both, silly. Now hold still while I see which fabric I want to work with first…”

Nauja didn’t want to hold still. In fact, Nauja wanted to push the weird old lady over and run away. She probably could have too, but there was the fact that Dellinger was still on the other side of the room, watching them over the top of the magazine. There was something about his face that she didn’t like… that made her want to run in a different way.

“Are you making me a boilersuit in that?” the girl wondered, crinkling her nose as she noticed the fabric in Giolla’s hand.

“Nonsense—I’m making you a dress.”

“I don’t want a dress.”

“You’re getting a dress. Several, in fact.”

“…but they don’t fit nice under boilersuits!”

“Then it’s a good thing that princesses don’t wear boilersuits.”

“Baby 5-ya wears a maid uniform! Isn’t she like a princess? And Viola-ya wears dresses but they’re not that.” She scrunched her nose at the pink-and-red shot silk. “It’s ugly.”

“It is not ugly!” Giolla huffed. “With these fabrics, you shall become a work of art! Fashion is art and art is fashion! You shall see in time, Little Mistress, and thank me when you are older.”

Nauja pouted and she could almost hear Dellinger’s snickering from there.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law was not exactly having the best of days. Granted, they hadn’t been exactly stellar since Nauja was kidnapped, but this was ratcheting itself up towards the top of the list. It had long past ‘Lami coloring in his comic books’ and was quickly reaching ‘First Ever Day in Sabaody’. Vergo had bolted soon as he showed up on Punk Hazard and now Cesar Clown was at his feet, barely alive as he struggled against the multiple seastone bullets in his back.

“Seas, Luffy, you allied us with a fucking psychopath,” Usopp cringed, staring in horror as Law began putting bits of Cesar in a sack. He looked to Luffy and saw his captain merely had a confused look on his face. “Luffy…?”

“Huh…” Luffy watched as Law continued packing Cesar Clown, his head tilting in confusion. “Torao isn’t telling us everything.”

“You think?” Nami deadpanned. The only comfort she took in the entire thing was that the Marines looked just as disturbed as she felt.

“This doesn’t look good, I’ll hope you know,” Smoker frowned. Law shrugged.

“I’m not much in the mood to care about optics,” the Warlord scowled. “Doflamingo has captured someone important to me and I’m not making the same mistake twice.”

“Someone important?” Luffy wondered. “Who’s that, Torao?”

“None of your business.”

“Luffy asked; you know that means he’s making it his business,” Nami warned flatly.

“It’s not like you’ll have the manpower to go in by yourself,” Sanji noted. “Doflamingo… that’s serious business. You’re one guy.”

“I am, but I am one very pissed off guy, so it’ll work. He needs to be surprised.”

“Then let’s surprise him together!” Luffy grinned. “I don’t like the sound of this Mingo guy anyhow. You can’t just keep people if they don’t want to be somewhere.”

“Question is, what are we going to do with them?” Zoro wondered, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the still-unconscious Buffalo and Baby 5. “We just gonna leave them like that?”

“No; I’ve got other plans,” Law said. He finished loading the living bits of Cesar into the sack and tied it up, swapping it with a blade of grass on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. “Keep going with what you were doing—I’ve got them.”

“You, uh, sure…?” Usopp asked cautiously. Law brought up another Room and sliced off Buffalo and Baby 5’s heads, allowing them to plop to the ground. “Oh, yeah, fuck, that’s going to haunt my nightmares for years to come.”

“Are you sure that’s necessary, Torao?” Luffy asked, tilting this head to the other side. He wasn’t frowning, but he wasn’t smiling either. “I understand Clown-guy, but what are you going to do with them?”

“Send a message to Doflamingo. He only speaks in grotesque.”

“Are you sure you really want to do that?” They all looked and saw that Baby 5 was smirking; she had woken up, though Buffalo was still unconscious. “You really want to risk her safety?”

Law crouched down, sitting on his haunches and elbows resting on his knees. “I have to show Doflamingo that I mean business or else everything will be for naught.”

“…but she’s a cute thing, and you know how the Young Master loves cute things…”

“What, does he have your girlfriend?” Zoro scoffed. Baby 5 let out a laugh.

“They have my daughter,” Law stated, voice cold and even. He picked up Baby 5’s head and looked her dead in the eyes—his glare icy and piercing and predatory. “What is he doing to her?”

“She has everything a girl can want,” she replied. “The Little Mistress has plenty of toys and dresses and studies often so that she may do what her father refuses to: become the Heart that becomes the Head. She’s a princess and she doesn’t need you anymore.”

A few moments passed in silence before Law dropped Baby 5’s head directly into Buffalo’s crotch as he stood up and walked away towards where there was a raft he began to prep. The disembodied head protested, sound muffled by her companion’s coat.

“That’s interesting,” Smoker stated. Usopp and Nami both stared flatly at the Marine.

“That’s a word,” Nami said.

“No kidding,” Usopp added. “Why ‘interesting’ of all words?”

“Remember: the man bought his way into the Shichibukai by handing over a hundred pirates’ hearts,” Smoker replied, contemplative. “Him having a child—a young daughter from the sounds of it—is an interesting development. It could… change things.”

“It makes sense,” Luffy shrugged. “That’s why he’s so angry and why he didn’t need convincing to help the kids.” A grin then crept across his face. “I knew I made the right choice to be friends with him! He just wants his own kid back!”

“Allies, Luffy,” Nami reminded him. “Temporary allies. Not friends.”

“It’s the same thing,” her captain grinned. She pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing that this was going to end up being an uphill battle with someone who likely had never even seen a dictionary, let alone used one.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, you’re too far from the nest - Part 2

I really liked how this chapter came out, just because it has some very specific scenes that underscore the immense amount of danger and peril that comes along with Doflamingo, which is something I feel can’t get highlighted enough.

Original Story - Part 1 (FFN/AO3)

While the people love a good princess, the princess in question isn’t exactly keen on the idea herself. [7826 words; AU where Doflamingo kidnaps a child and Law is determined to get her back]

Airy music played in the background as Nauja took notes out of her book, working hard as she studied. It was a text more complicated than Law-san had ever given her and she was doing her best to understand it, even though it was hard to do with her uncomfortable dress and the unfamiliar environment. She paused and a large hand gently took the paper away from her, Doflamingo looking over her work before returning it.

“Excellent job,” he affirmed. “You have the same thirst for knowledge and gift for attaining it as your father. Keep this up and we’ll make you a diplomat before you’re out of puberty.”

“Puberty involves big changes in hormones and that often comes with mood swings and temperament changes,” she noted, remembering what she learned from a book on the Polar Tang. “Why would anyone make someone going through puberty an important person like that?”

“…because you will be a princess, and cute young princesses are excellent symbols of a kingdom and their legitimacy.” He sat down across from her at the table, his large frame dwarfing hers. “I have a potential queen, but I do not have an heir. Training my intelligent, capable, adorable young niece will be something the people will love to watch me do.”

“You keep calling me that,” she said, brow furrowed. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

“I am Cora-san’s brother.” The pencil dropped out of her hand and onto the table as she marveled at the new information. “That is what the kids used to call him, anyhow. His real name was Donquixote Rosinante, and he was the apple of my eye until he decided to run away with Law. We were in the middle of truly helping the boy when all of a sudden—poof—he was gone. Rosi thought he could help Law better on his own, when really all he did was abandon us.”

“…but Cora-jiisan rescued Law-san from a bad place,” Nauja recalled. “A bad man killed him for rescuing Law-san. How come?”

“He was afraid.” She tilted her head at his response. “He was afraid of what Law would grow up to be without our influence—what he has grown up to become without our influence—and I was willing to risk everything to get him back.” Doflamingo paused for a moment before standing again, moving to lift her into his arms. “Here, let me show you something.”

Nodding, Nauja allowed Doflamingo to pick her up, knowing that if she didn’t the Pressure was likely to come back. He carried her through the castle until they stopped outside a specific door and he put her down. One handed, he opened the door and ushered her into the hall, where five large chairs sat.

“Diamond, Club, Spade… Heart…” she said, seeing the designs on the backs of four of the chairs. “So, then this is Diamante’s seat, and this is Trebol’s, and this is Pica’s, but… who sits here…?”

“It used to be Rosi, and was supposed to be Law, but now,” he deftly placed her in the Heart Seat, “it will be you.”

“It… it will…?”

“It will, yes,” he beamed proudly. “Then, one day, hopefully a long, long time from now, I will be gone, and you will sit in the middle seat in my place. You will become the new Joker and the Reign of the Donquixote shall continue to flourish.”

“…but, I’m not a Donquixote…”

“Yes, your name might become a problem, so I plan on amending it during the Levely. Donquixote Nauja has a certain sound to it, no?”

“Why during the Levely…?”

“In order to officially make you my heir, I have to bring you before a council and give my reasoning for taking you into my family and turning you into the next Queen of Dressrosa when the time comes.” He bent down to be closer to eye-level with her, grinning widely. “Think of it: you will have the power to make or break entire countries. You will be the boogeyman and the savior—the fair knight and the shadowy villain—and no one will be able to tell you no. There shall be nothing that gets in your way.”

“I… I want to be a doctor,” she squeaked. “I want to draw medical pictures.”

“Ah, see, there’s where you’d be wasted. A young lady of your potential? You are meant for so much more than that. I mean… you do want to live up to your potential, right?”

“I guess…”

“Then as you grow, you shall become the greatest Heart to have ever sat on this chair,” he said. “You shall become an elegant princess, charming the crowds and tricking the masses. You shall exercise your grip on the world’s shadows, bending them to your will and crushing any opposition. You shall become more powerful than even the Celestial Dragons, making them regret the worst decision of their lives.”

“What… erm… what decision is that?” she asked. Doflamingo’s lips curled.

“Fufu… why, not letting me and my brother back into their folds, what else?” He chuckled as confusion swept over her face, the little girl not understanding the situation. “Daddy doesn’t even know this: Cora-san and I were born in Mariejois, favored sons in a powerful family. Our father… he made a deeply foolish decision and we were exiled. Not even bringing them his head granted us permission to return to our former lifestyle. Since then, everyone who has gotten in my way has fallen, whether it be Dressrosans or Marines or even my own dear brother.” He cradled her face in his hand, the Pressure coming down on her shoulders again. “We shall make the Celestial Dragons regret that day, regret it all, because they are the bad people, my dearest, wonderful, most special Nauja. They could not find it in them to forgive children for their father’s sins, so now the remaining child wants their children’s children to remember how foolish they once were. Do I make myself clear?”

She tried to open her mouth but her terror rendered her speechless. The Pressure pushed down harder, hurting.

“Yes!” she squeaked.

“Good.” The Pressure stopped and Doflamingo stood at his full height again, towering over Nauja’s tiny frame sitting in the chair. “Now let us get you back to your studies, as I believe you have training with Diamante later in the afternoon. We don’t want to miss it.”

Nauja nodded weakly and slid out of the chair, her eyes wide as she kept her gaze toward the tiles beneath their feet. She was scared, wanted to cry, wanted Law-san to show up and pop them back onto the Tang so they could sail far away. She wanted Viola-ya to hide her until the Hearts showed up to rescue her. Maybe Bepo-ya would show up—like he did on the island—and she would run to him with open arms instead of hiding like she had back then. He would bring her to the rest of the crew and they’d wait on the ship while Law-san set Dressrosa on fire. They would sail away together… they were going to leave together…

Nauja kept her head down the entire way back to the study. All she needed to do was survive until then.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law sat on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, doing his best to avoid the Straw Hats while looking as irritable and brooding as possible. He was not in the mood to socialize, let alone do whatever was declared “fun” by the younger captain. All he wanted was to get to Dressrosa, and nothing was making the island appear in the distance any faster.

“Hey, shithead, stop being a standoffish prick and eat something.” He looked up and saw Blackleg-ya standing there with a plate of food in one hand and a drink in the other. “I don’t cook for my health, you know.” Law wordlessly accepted the meal and slowly began to eat, going back to staring at the horizon. He flinched as Blackleg-ya sat down next to him—wasn’t delivering the food enough?

“I’ll bring the dishes back,” he scowled.

“Oh, I believe you, just, you’re freaking everyone out and I need to hear you say in your own words that we don’t have to fear you being on this ship.” Blackleg-ya leaned back onto the grass, putting his weight on his palms. “I know you’re worried.”

“Worried doesn’t even cover it,” Law grunted. He looked at the onigiri in his hand and resisted the urge to crush it as though it was Doflamingo’s head instead—if Blackleg-ya didn’t fuck with food, it was the least he could do in return. “I’ve been living in this man’s shadow for sixteen years; there’s not a lot I can do when he has my daughter kidnapped other than be worried.”

“How old is she, might I ask?” Law glanced over at Blackleg-ya to see genuine curiosity in the other man’s expression—he wasn’t fishing for information to manipulate.

“She’ll be eight in late summer,” he replied. It was not exact, but it was what he would afford the Northern man for his concern and amazing food. Fuck, he can’t let the crew know how good some of the homestyle dishes were that he’d been force-fed recently. “I’ll be damned if she’s spending her birthday with that monster.”

“So she’s a little younger than Momo? That’s good to know. Maybe they’ll get to play together.”

“I doubt; she doesn’t socialize with a lot of kids her age.”

“Well, I know kids are often pickier than adults; she have a favorite food I can make for her when she gets here? Least favorite?”

“I don’t know what she doesn’t like, but she enjoys umeboshi onigiri; and everyone thinks I’m the psychopath.”

Blackleg-ya chuckled at that. “Does her mother like it too?” Law didn’t answer and kept eating instead. “I’m sorry—should’ve realized why she was with you. Don’t seem like the type to keep a kid on a pirate ship in the face of a safer alternative.”

“She’s not my daughter by blood,” Law admitted. It was quiet between the two of them, the only sounds being that of the sea and the distant giggles of the other Straw Hats. “We found her and I learned my lesson long ago about handing people over into the care of the Marines, so I kept her.”

“Then why did you let us give the Punk Hazard kids to Smoker and Tashigi-chan?”

“Nami-ya’s conviction, mostly.” He popped the rest of the onigiri he was working on in his mouth and picked up another, holding its weight comfortably in his hand as he chewed and swallowed. “Nauja wasn’t originally mine, but I’ll do anything to keep her safe.”

“Nauja… that’s a cute name,” Blackleg-ya said. He watched the other man eat for a couple bites before laying down and staring up at the sky, resting his arms behind his head. “You know… I was raised by a single man too. Ex-pirate. He found me half-drowned on a rock when I was ten.”

“Did he now?”

“He did—the shitty old geezer was never meant for fatherhood. He cussed and he wasn’t afraid to hit me when I needed it and was just your classic ornery piece of shit… but, under it all, he did everything he could to make sure I stayed alive and safe and thriving. Learned just about everything I know about fighting and cooking from him; couldn’t’ve asked for a better dad.” He saw that Law was looking at him, so he shrugged. “Neither of us have ever said it, but we love each other, so I get it. Kids… they can change even the bitchiest stringbean’s priorities.”

“I am going to continue to eat and pretend that you did not just refer to me as a bitchy stringbean,” Law deadpanned. Blackleg-ya snickered on the lawn, knowing he got the other man good.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “Luffy’s helping now—there’s no way you’re going to be without your kid for longer than you have to be.”

Law hoped the younger man was right.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was late at night as Nauja sat up in bed and looked around her bedroom. It was a large space, filled with all sorts of inert toys, as well as her desk and some wardrobes that housed her ever-expanding collection of dresses and other frilly things Giolla made. Once she was sure that there was no one physically in the room, she got out of bed and began checking different places where someone might be spying. She eventually found the baby transponder snail that was being used to monitor her and disabled it—no chances.

With the room clear, Nauja went into one of the wardrobes and dug her Sora backpack out from the bottom. She brought it to her bed and sat down atop the covers before opening it. Inside was everything that had come with her to Dressrosa… everything that connected her to the Polar Tang, the Heart Pirates, and Law-san. Pulling out a book, she flipped past lots of different pages about medical things until she got to photos of her with the crew that she had hid inside. It hurt to look at them, but she knew she had to—every day she realized she was forgetting their faces more and more, and they were the last people she wanted to forget.

“What is that you have?”

Nauja gasped and held the book close to her chest, looking about the room to see who was there. A one-legged toy soldier stood on her open windowsill. He hopped off and stood just inside her room, causing her to narrow her eyes at him.

“Toys aren’t allowed inside people’s houses,” she said, remembering what Viola-san told her. “Why are you here…?”

“I am different than the other toys and therefore have different rules,” he replied. “My name is Thunder Solider and I am the protector of all good little children in need of help.” He paused, allowing her time to process that. “May I come closer?”

Nauja quietly nodded and Thunder Soldier approached.

“A medical book?”

“I want to be a doctor when I grow up,” she replied. Nauja placed the book down and allowed Thunder Soldier to look at the photo between the pages—it was of her and Professor Nanuk on Law’s shoulders, the captain wearing the smile that he only seemed to make when he knew she was around. “I miss him.”

“Of course you miss your father, nena,” Thunder Soldier replied, using that word that Viola did. “That is natural when a child is away from their parent.”

“Law-san is just the captain,” Nauja explained, shaking her head. “I’m not his daughter—I’m no one’s daughter. I only let Uncle Doffy think what he does because that way I stay safe.”

“Every little girl is someone’s daughter. Why would you miss a man whose shoulders you sat on despite not being your father? Wouldn’t you miss someone else first?”

“I guess…”

“I have a daughter, who was a little younger than you when I was separated from her,” Thunder Soldier said. He placed his hand on hers, stiff lacquered wood against soft skin, hoping to share strength. “He is coming to save you… just as I did my best to protect my daughter.”

“Where… where is she…?” she asked. “Is she another toy?”

“She is not, and I am glad.” The toy then looked at the text on the page and Nauja could feel his frustration. “You understand this?”

“Yes; this is an important book,” she said. “Law-san wanted me to read it from cover to cover until I understood every word. There’s still some that I have trouble with, but he usually is good at explaining.”

“Then he is indeed a good father, and you shall indeed become a good doctor,” he replied. Thunder Soldier placed the photo back in the book and gently closed the cover. “You are not alone, child. There are those here who wish to protect you while your father comes to save you; nothing is like fighting for a child’s future. You won’t have to worry about the Levely, because something tells me he’ll be here before then.”

“Wait… how did you know?!”

“Everyone is talking about it: Doflamingo announced his intention to make you the Crown Princess earlier today.” Thunder Solider took a piece of paper out of his hat and handed it to Nauja. Sure enough, that was what it said. “I have also heard stories of two Pica Army officers needing to be put back together after a run-in with a particularly nasty Devil Fruit user… one that can take people apart while keeping them alive…”

“That’s Law-san!” Nauja gasped happily. She then froze as she realized that she was crying. “That’s… my dad… he’s going to save me.”

“Do not give up hope,” Thunder Soldier insisted. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Tell me your name, so that I might not forget it.”

“Nauja,” she said through sniffles, “but if Law-san is really my dad like you say he is, then my name is Trafalgar Nauja.”

“Then you must be brave, Trafalgar Nauja, for things will be very scary for a while and there will not be many good adults to help you.” They both then heard movement in the corridor and panicked. “I’ll be back soon!”

“Thank you, Soldier-ya!” Nauja began hurriedly packing her things as Thunder Soldier fled from the room; he was gone and her backpack hidden under the bed by the time Dellinger walked in.

“…and what are you doing up this late, you little fucking brat?” the teen sneered. Nauja didn’t answer, instead pretending that she had been interrupted while playing with a doll. He went to the bed and ripped the doll from her hands. “I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

“My doll,” she lied, pointing at the inert toy dangling in his grasp.

“Need I remind you, brat, that you haven’t charmed everyone here. I was the candidate for Young Master’s heir before he heard that your father fucked what was clearly the ugliest woman in the world and I am not just going to give up my spot that easily to accident of birth.”

“You’re a bad, evil person,” she replied, head held high. Dellinger smirked at that, crushing the doll’s head into splinters.

“I was found and I was chosen.” He tossed the broken toy aside and instead chose to loom over the child. “Your blood means nothing but outdated obligation here.”

“That’s fine, because I don’t want to be here anyhow.” She recoiled when a grin crept across his face.

“Then you won’t mind being victim of a little… accident…?” he purred.

“I want to go back to my dad.”

“Daddy can’t save you here.”

“Dellinger; enough.” Teen and child both looked at the door and saw Doflamingo’s towering form standing in the darkened corridor. “I think you have somewhere to be.”

After exhaling in irritation, Dellinger sneered at Nauja before heading out the door. Doflamingo watched him turn down the corridor before stepping into the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Nauja gripped her blanket in worry—what was going on?

“An important lesson to learn: gods do not fear trash,” he told her as he strode across the floor in a few steps. He sat on the edge of her bed and leaned over her, the Pressure bearing down on her. “You and I, my dear, will be gods reigning over these petty worms, giving purpose to those who choose to follow us. Don’t mind Dellinger—he’s not the best at keeping his cool. Never has been.”

“…but… we’re Humans…”

“I was a god before my father sinned,” he reminded her. “I know what it takes to become one, and there is one thing you need to remember.”

Silence settled over them, unnerving the child.

“Wh-what is th-that…?” she asked. He held up his hand and twitched his fingers similar to how Law would, except this time she felt something wrap itself around her neck and tighten.

“The only fear you need to hold in your heart is reserved for me, little one,” he insisted. Nauja gasped for air and felt something wet on her neck before both the Pressure and whatever was on her neck vanished. “Now get some sleep—fufufu—tomorrow is a busy day, and you have much work to do before you become Corazón.”

She waited until he left the room to feel her neck—blood.

‘Law-san… where are you…?’

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja fell asleep that night clutching her medical textbook, having taken it out from under her bed and kept it close. A photo of her and Law-san laid out where she could see it in the moonlight and she couldn’t help but cry while she drifted off. It hurt, and she was scared, and nothing felt right anymore. A hazy image of Thunder Soldier was the last thing she was aware of before she was sound asleep, her thoughts wandering towards how sad he seemed and how he felt safe like Law-san. Whomever his daughter was, she thought, was really, really lucky to have him.

She woke in the morning to find the photo and textbook gone, everything being placed in her backpack and stored in the bottom of the wardrobe again in the middle of the night. Maybe, she imagined, Soldier-ya had come by the night before, and he really was crying… but… toys couldn’t cry or feel warm as they hugged… could they…? Then again, how could toys have children, or even come inside a Human house? She had so many questions, and yet there was barely anyone to ask.

Nauja hurried to dress herself and head down to breakfast; the last thing she wanted was one of the Family to come in to fetch her.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The trip to Dressrosa felt as though it would never end. While the Straw Hats mostly avoided Law and the Sack Full of People Bits Called Cesar Clown, it was difficult to completely dodge the other pirate captain and the mood he brought along hung sourly on the air. Nothing seemed to lift the gloom and no one could really blame him. If that was their kid that Doflamingo had kidnapped, they’d be pissed off too.

…and frankly, it was bad enough it was Torao’s kid. Their tempers were flared all the same.

Eventually, they all reached the island known for its warm climate, amazing food, and fiery women. The pirates broke into three groups, with Nami, Chopper, and Brook staying on the ship with Momonosuke; Luffy, Zoro, Franky, and Sanji headed off to figure out how to destroy the SMILE factory and rescue the Wanolese captives; Kin’emon, Usopp and Robin went off with Law in order to hand over the Sack Full of Cesar Bits, but first…

“What are we doing here looking shady as hell?” Usopp grumbled. The four were sitting at a cafe pretending to have some espresso while they waited for Law’s “informant” to show.

“Just keep your hat on,” Law scowled. He took another sip of his drink and tried to not itch the false mustache tickling his upper lip. The things he wouldn’t go through to protect his daughter…

“Ah, there you are,” a voice said sweetly. Usopp looked to his right, only to see a voluptuous pair of breasts in a low-cut dress directly next to his face. He froze and went red, feeling more like Sanji than anything, instead looking up towards the woman’s face to see curls nearly as tight as his and a coy smile as she placed her hands on his shoulders. At least Kin’emon seemed furious…?

“Glad to see you too, Ikka-ya,” Law scoffed in amusement. The sight of his engineer in heels and a flowing dancer’s dress was almost too much for him to not break into laughter—and him without a Photo Den Den for a bit of counter-blackmail. “Now that we’re all here, I think we can get going.” He stood and handed the Sack Full of Cesar Bits to Kin’emon, who hefted it over his shoulder. “We have plenty to do before the party.”

“We do,” she agreed, her voice higher than it normally was. Ikkaku latched onto Usopp’s arm soon as he stood, which made Robin chuckle in amusement. “The hall we got is this way; come on.” She pulled him forward, leading the group through the bustling streets. Eventually they reached a terrace house that she led them into, immediately shoving Usopp away soon as the door was shut and locked.

“Ow! Hey! What was that for?!” he yelped.

“I’m fucking sick of this place,” she glowered, voice dropping down to normal. “Look at me, Law! Look at me!”

“I’m looking,” Kin’emon offered. Blood dribbled down from his nose as he took in the sight, only barely able to register the oversized wrench in time for him to dodge.

“This is un-fucking-practical for my specific skill set, but noooo… we need to ‘blend in’ or some shit like that,” Ikkaku huffed. “It’s like no one’s allowed to do anything normal in this bloody fucking place.”

“…and your specific skill set?” Robin inquired. Ikkaku shrugged casually.

“Mechanics and machinery, specializing in a top-of-the-line submarine ship,” she grinned, tone instantly shifting. “None of this passion and frills business for me.”

“You know you can do both, right?” Shachi mentioned, poking his head from around the corner. She flipped him a rude hand gesture that he expertly ignored. “Oi, it’s secure upstairs. Come on; leave the sack down here.” Kin’emon placed the Sack Full of Cesar Bits on the floor and Ikkaku dragged it off towards another room that had other Heart Pirates in it, their guests unsure what was going to become of their chopped-up captive. They then followed Shachi upstairs to an inner room that had Bepo, Penguin, Clione, and Jean Bart crowded around a table.

“About damn time you showed up,” Penguin smirked. He looked at his captain’s extras and raised an eyebrow. “This everyone you could muster?”

“The others are either watching the ship or going to destroy the SMILE factory while Doflamingo’s occupied,” Robin offered. She was merely having fun watching as the giant polar bear Mink attacked Law in a fuzzy hug, completely ruining his stoic image.

“Verily,” Kin’emon agreed, “and once I have the information to best assist the others, I shall join the group readying to destroy the evil fruit and rescue my comrades. The smaller and more discreet a contingent approaches the Warlord, the better.”

“…and so we’ve got a sniper and the Devil Child at our disposal,” Jean Bart noted. “This bodes well.”

“Of course!” Usopp said, legs shaking. “Whatever you need us for, we’ve got it!”

“A magic bullet to take out Doflamingo from half a mile out would be nice,” Clione snarked. “No, seriously, so much would get solved if we could just take him out.”

“Considering none of you can take someone out unless it involves ice cream or booze, tell me what your sources and groundwork uncovered,” Law deadpanned. Clione bit his lower lip in irritation—at least it was the truth.

“Alright, so, we do have a plan,” Penguin said as he unfurled the map. It was crudely drawn, but was roughly the size and shape of Dressrosa, along with the divisions. “So here,” he tapped on the map, “is where we are. Best we can tell is that the SAD and SMILE processing is here. Nauja is being kept here. We have a rotating skeleton crew keeping the Polar Tang ready to go here… and this,” he dragged his finger slowly along a marked path, “is the best way to get here.” He stopped on a sad, squiggly blotch labeled Green Bit.

“Have you been able to get a confirmation on Nauja’s safety?” Law asked. Shachi shrugged.

“No one’s been able to get visuals on her, but the fact there’s a little princess living on the Royal Plateau again has a bunch of citizens really excited. Doflamingo has made it clear that he’s raising her to be the next Heart and Head of the Donquixote Family.”

“Grooming her to do his bidding, you mean,” he growled. No one argued that fact—the kid was in a tough spot. “How did he announce that? Do you know?”

“Right before we got here he put out a proclamation that he had just been given custody of his niece, and that she is going to become the official Crown Princess after the Levely. There were still flyers here and there announcing it.” Penguin took a folded piece of paper from his jacket and presented it to his captain. He opened it and saw a photo of Nauja, standing ramrod straight in a dress he knew she never owned before. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she was looking away from the Photo Den Den, exuding extreme discomfort with the photoshoot. Any number of people could have seen the image as adorable and spunky, yet for the ones in the building… her defiance was clear and the rage Law felt was tempered with pride.

“So that’s your daughter?” Usopp asked, tilting his head curiously. “She definitely doesn’t want to be there, poor kid.”

“I’m glad you were able to save a copy, so we now know who to look out for,” Robin added.

“There’s only one other little kid in the palace,” Bepo replied. “If there’s a procession of the ‘royal house’ or any of the Donquixote Officers and a little kid is there that clearly doesn’t want to be, then it’s her. Next closest is a teenager and… well… he’s short, but not so short that someone would confuse them.”

“What about the other little kid?” Robin wondered. “Should we take her as well?”

“No—she’s clearly a dedicated part of the family,” Shachi said. “Eyepatch monocle, bright hair, penchant for grapes, of all things. We’ve only gotten a couple visuals—almost as tough to see her as it is to see Nauja. No one’s excited about that kid, to be honest.”

“Rumor has it,” Jean Bart added, “that she’s been a child the entire ten years Doflamingo has been in power—it’s very likely the side effect to a Devil Fruit and she’s much older. Information is kept very tight around her—she’s too important to put in the spotlight.”

“At least I know you won’t be trying to drag her along too,” Law frowned. “I’m running a pirate ship, not a daycare.”

“Big words for someone who lets Nauja-chan walk all over him,” Penguin deadpanned. He turned towards their allies and snickered. “Seriously: you haven’t lived until you’ve seen this Resting Grumpface wander around with Human Sunshine on his shoulders. It’s the most adorable fucking thing you’ve ever seen.” He ignored the death-glare he was getting from his captain, if only because he had plenty of practice over the years.

“Sounds like when Luffy decides to perch on Zoro’s shoulders,” Robin chuckled. “She sounds adorable.”

“Yeah, she really is the cutest,” Bepo added. “We can’t wait until she’s back with us again.”

“Verily, we should rescue this young maid as we defeat her kidnappers,” Kin’emon agreed. “You were able to do the same for my son, and it would be a dishonor to allow her continued separation from her father for any longer than possible.”

“Then you might need my help.” Everyone at the table tensed and turned towards the corner where a toy soldier was standing. How the fuck…? “I am Thunder Soldier and I have laid eyes on the child you are after.”

“How do we know you’re on our side, Soldier-san?” Robin asked. The toy shrugged.

“Fuck Doflamingo.”

“He makes a convincing argument,” Shachi noted, pointing at the toy. “Even when asked, I’ve not met a toy yet that is capable of saying that even when it’s clear they want to.”

“Is she okay?” Law asked, trying his best to not sound desperate. “When did you last see her?”

“Last night, and every night this week,” the toy said honestly. “She has photographs that she looks at when her captors are asleep. They keep her going… keep her grounded. There is little she wouldn’t do in order to see her father and uncles again, but knows she needs to be good and be brave.”

“Thank you,” Law nodded. He glanced over at his crew members and set his expression into something ruthless and determined. “Let’s get our kid.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja sat at the desk in her room studying as the mid-morning breeze filtered in through the open window and brought with it the smells and sounds of the gardens around the palace. She sighed heavily as she allowed her head to sink onto the polished wooden surface—all the work she was doing was taking so much out of her. Not only did she have to study like she normally did, but she had swordsmanship lessons with Diamante, marksmanship lessons with Gladius and Baby 5, martial arts training with Lao G and Dellinger… it was so much and it was tiring her out more than sleeping at night could fix for rest. Part of her wondered if it would even be possible to go and run away at this point. Maybe this was what she had to do after all…

“Nauja! There you are, nena!” The girl jumped up, startled, and looked to see that Viola was in her room. “Pack your things! You’re going to meet your father!”

Law-san?!

“What do you mean?!” Nauja asked.

“Exactly that—Doffy is getting ready to take you to Green Bit to exchange you for one of his lackeys,” Viola explained. She held Nauja’s face and kissed the girl on her brow. “Your time with us is going to be shorter than I feared.”

“Thank you for being so nice, Viola-ya,” Nauja sniffled. She then ran to the wardrobe and grabbed her backpack, putting in it everything she had brought with her and everything else she wanted to take along. “Oh! Should I change into my boilersuit?!”

“No—make it look like you’re still a princess until you’ve been handed over,” Viola advised. Nauja finished packing her backpack and ran into the woman’s legs to hug her. “You’ve been so brave—just a while longer yet.”

“…and then I can go back to Law-san and the crew?”

“Not likely.” Viola and Nauja glanced over towards the door and saw Doflamingo standing there with a frown on his face. “Meva vida, mi amor, la reina, you weren’t supposed to get her ready until later.”

“She needs to be prepared, Doffy,” Viola replied coolly. “She gets to see her father today, correct?”

“Today is the day that I show our niece and heir what true power is,” he stated. Nauja could feel the Pressure coming down so hard on her shoulders that it sent her to the floor. Even Viola had collapsed, positioning herself in such a way that the Pressure lifted slightly off Nauja so she could breathe better. “You are going to come with me, my dear child, and Uncle Doffy shall show you what it means to be a god amongst mice.”

“Keep your hands off her, Doffy,” Viola spat, straining against the Pressure. “She is just a little girl.”

“Like Rebecca was?” he asked icily. Nauja could see the fear on Viola’s face, though didn’t understand why it was there. “This little one shall be all mine to mold and nurture into a fine Corazón, do you understand?”

Viola did not answer.

“Do you understand?!” Doflamingo bellowed. The Pressure intensified and Viola passed out, collapsing atop of Nauja, who panicked as she turned the woman over and attempted to shake her awake. “Leave her; we have better things to do.”

“I’m not going with you!” Nauja declared. “You’re a bad person! I just want my dad! You don’t have to hurt her because of it!”

“Oh, except, I do,” he replied, lips curling in a grin. “Fufufu… you have much to learn, little one, and your dear, devoted Uncle Doffy is going to make sure that you stay on the correct path.” She felt herself being lifted by nothing and soon she was sitting in the crook of his arm. “Power, my darling, is more than you can ever imagine. Now… let’s get you settled for the time being…”

Nauja bit her bottom lip and tried to not cry or squirm—she was terrified more than she could express. She looked at Viola laying on the floor of her room and knew that nothing was going to be okay.

“What… what are you going to do to me…?” she squeaked. Doflamingo simply grinned.

“Nothing… yet.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Get out of there! It’s a trap! We’ll explain later!”

“Blackleg-ya, my daughter is on the line here!” Law snapped at the transponder snail in his hand. “If he doesn’t come and deliver Nauja, then we’ve got bigger problems on our hands!”

“…and I’m telling you that Nauja might not have a dad to rescue her if you don’t get out of there right now!” The Den Den call ended and the wee snail in Law’s hand went back to sleep.

“Fuck,” he hissed. Law then noticed a tug at his trouser leg—Robin had materialized half her body in the sand next to the Sack Full of People Bits Called Cesar. “Where in the hell are you and Nose-ya?”

“Further into the jungle—that was Sanji, I take it?”

“It was; you two need to get off the island—Blackleg-ya says Green Bit’s a trap.”

“We’re actually underground right now,” she explained. “We’ll move when it’s safe to and meet you at the port.”

“You’re my ace in the hole,” he warned. “If my daughter and I need you and you’re not there…”

“…have faith, Torao,” she smirked. The copy gave him a wink before petals began to appear. “Usopp and I are not in the business of letting kids as cute as yours down.” She then vanished, right on time for the Marines to show up, as well as…

Doflamingo, and he was carrying Nauja in his arm.

“I came as agreed; now let her go!” Law shouted.

“Fufufu… I don’t know about that,” Doflamingo snickered. “Would you look at that! The Marines! What a coincidence…!”

“Law-san!” Nauja shrieked. She tried to struggle against Doflamingo’s grasp in an effort to free herself. “Law-san, help me!”

“I have to say: it was a real interesting thing to learn you had a kid,” Doflamingo said. “Having her call you by your first name was a clever misdirect, but not clever enough.” The Marines all stayed quiet, as though at reluctant attention.

“Wait… none of this adds up,” Law realized. “Even as a Shichibukai and a king, you don’t have the pull for this.” A chill ran down his spine as he realized that the blind Marine holding a sword was an admiral of all things. Fuck. “What are you planning, Doflamingo…?”

“This goes much deeper than you’ll ever know,” the other Warlord replied smugly. “I am all-powerful, and I shall make this child that as well once she’s officially my heir. Don’t you want her to live to her full potential?”

“That is my daughter, Doflamingo, and you kidnapped her!”

“I brought her home—there is nothing else to it.”

Tch… Law went through the dozens of different things he could counter with in his brain, deciding that if he was going to put on a show for a Marine Admiral, the he was going to make it good.

“Then I challenge your claim to the Throne of Dressrosa,” he announced darkly.

“Fu… you have no claim.”

“That is my daughter, who you have publicly announced as your niece; therefore, I challenge you based on my adoptive father’s right to claim. As the son of Donquixote Rosinante, you cannot deny me.”

“Is this true, Doflamingo?” the admiral asked.

“No,” the blond huffed. “My brother had no son.”

“Then how is she your niece?”

“It is merely how I am referring to her before I have her formally adopted as my daughter at the Levely and brought to the levels of the gods,” Doflamingo lied. He looked at Law and narrowed his eyes in a sneer. “This is nothing but a boy who rejected the gifts I gave him.”

“I might have rejected your gifts, but that was because your brother gave me better ones,” Law interjected.

“What might that be?” the Admiral wondered. Doflamingo went to answer, yet Law cut him off.

“Love, freedom, and ultimately, his life.” He watched as the admiral tilted his head.

“So you are the boy 01746 died for,” he realized. “I was made to learn about incidents related to this on my way over here from Marineford—if that is the case, then he has indeed inherited that right of claim, as I don’t know what that is other than an act of fatherhood.”

Fuck… it worked.

“Then I, Trafalgar Law, Heir to Donquixote Rosinante’s title of Prince of Dressrosa, demand the return of my daughter or else Dressrosa shall have a legitimacy crisis on her hands.”

“My brother lost all standing when he betrayed me,” Doflamingo hissed. With him distracted, Nauja bit down on his forearm and he yelped in pain as he dropped her. “The fuck?!” Law quickly put up a Room and swapped Nauja with a small crab that had been skittering in front of him. Soon as the Room vanished, he dropped to his knees and held her close.

“I missed you so much,” he whispered in her ear.

“I missed you too,” she squeaked. “I love you, Law-san.”

“Ik leafd du, famke.” His voice cracked and he put up a Room that engulfed the beach and part of the forest. She was only able to look at him for a single confused moment before she vanished into thin air, replaced by a bug.

“…and Flevench; the things keep adding,” the admiral noted. “So then tell me, Prince of Dressrosa, how true are the rumors that you have allied with the Straw Hat Pirates? An alliance would mean a revocation of your Warlord status, but if it was a case of their subordination…”

“Yes,” Doflamingo grinned. “Tell us, you little shit: what’s your deal with the Straw Hats?”

If he didn’t play his cards right, Law knew that everything was going to hell.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Everything was warm and fuzzy as Nauja started to wake up. The last thing she remembered was falling down in someplace dark, but as she opened her eyes, she saw that it was bright and cheerful, wherever she was. A tiny face appeared just inches above her, causing the young girl to gasp.

“Oh!” the person squeaked. “The child is awake! The heir! She is awake!” A bunch of gasps followed—there was more than just the one small person that was standing on her chest.

Soon as Nauja tried to move, she knew she was in trouble, because she couldn’t. She could only lift her head a little bit, seeing that there were other tiny people around her. They were in a place that looked like it was underground, except there were flowers and tree trunks and all sorts of things that only really belonged above ground. She tried not to panic, but tears still formed in her eyes.

“Let me go!” she demanded.

“We cannot!” a tiny voice declared. “You are the young heir to the Donquixote Family! You must be here to reveal our location to your uncle!”

“Why would I do that?!” Nauja struggled against what was keeping her down and failed. “He kidnapped me from my dad! Why would I work for him?! I am not a Donquixote!”

“If you’re not a Donquixote, then why did he say that are you the heir?”

“…because he’s a weird creep who thinks he can do whatever he wants!” There was much deliberation between the voices—they agreed that Doflamingo was a weird creep, at the very least, and thinking he could do whatever he wanted did hold merit…

“Someone get Leo then!” someone said. “She should be free!”

“Right away! Right away!” A couple moments and she felt something tugging at her arm, suddenly freeing her.

“Are you Nauja…?” The little girl sat up soon as she was able to and saw a tall lady in a short, dark blue dress who was staring curiously at her.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Law-san’s,” the lady explained gently. “We hid in the forest before Doflamingo and the Marines surrounded him.”

“We…?”

“Yeah!” Nauja turned her head and saw another normal-sized person, this one a man with a long nose and hair like Ikkaku. “You happen to be in the presence of the mighty warrior Usoland!”

“Usopp…”

“We came to help your dad exchange you for Cesar Clown!” the man explained. “Of course, a few things didn’t go as planned, but we’re confident that we can finish the mission and get you back to your dad and the rest of the Heart Pirates! They’re all here in Dressrosa waiting for you!”

Relief washed over Nauja at his words, tears and snot running down her face as she realized she was finally going to go home. She continued crying as the lady picked her up and held her close, rocking her as she stroked her hair and rubbed circles on her back. The little people all stared at them, feeling very guilty for sewing her to the ground—she was just a kid after all.

“If you don’t like Doflamingo, then you might be able to help us!” a dwarf decided excitedly. Nauja recognized him as the one who undid the thing that sewed her to the ground. “I don’t want to take a kid to battle, but you can help us confirm things that we can’t! Like what’s inside the palace! Then when we go into Dressrosa, you can hide while we do the rest!”

“…but I want to fight!” Nauja decided. “Even if we are really related, Uncle Doffy is a bad man who hurts people! I want to make sure he never hurts anyone else!”

“You’ll be able to best do that by not being a target,” Usopp said sagely. “Don’t you worry—everything is going to be okay. Your dad is here, Your crew is here. We’re here. None of us are going to let him get away with shit.”

Nauja knew that was something she could believe in, if anything. There was something about these people that made her feel so much better… and really… what choice did she have?

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, the world awaits - Part 2 of 4

So, like, I wrote an ending for this, right? The very next day I read ch.1079. Now there’s... complications. Let’s see how this goes.

Chapter 1 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

With Nauja now a fixture on the ship, Law and the rest of the Hearts adjust to having a child in-tow. [8344 words; AU where Law accidentally lets the adoption cycle continues]

“Captain! Captain! You have a message from the Marines!”

Law scowled as he accepted the letter from his crewmate and opened it, trying to keep Nauja from reading over his shoulder. It was a job from the Government. “Looks like we’re getting put to work.”

“What do they want this time?” Jean Bart glowered. What a way to ruin a day lazing about atop deck. “I am sick of hiding every time we need to report.”

“You’re in luck—it looks like I just have to take care of some business in Gallandria. That’s not too far from this point. Might not even need to get the rest of you involved.” Law raised both eyebrows slightly as he continued reading—intriguing. “Some low-bountied pirates got past Fish-man Island on a fluke and are causing havoc…”

“…but not enough to warrant the Marines to investigate?”

“What would you rather do? Stop rebuilding your headquarters to deal with small pickings, or let your lapdogs take care of the pickings for you?”

“Why do you let them tell you what to do?” Nauja asked curiously. “Bart-ya says we are pirates because we are free! Isn’t free not being told what to do?”

“It is, but it also isn’t,” Law said. He thought for a moment, considering  his words carefully. “Freedoms always come with prices. Pirates don’t do lots of many things that the Marines like, but I’m one of the pirates the Marines ignore as long as I do things for them now and then. Sometimes it involves going after other pirates. It’s not ideal, but it works for the time being.”

“Would all the pirates be free if the Marines disappeared?”

“No—although they try to keep what they call order and justice by fighting pirates, if the Marines were gone, then the Government would be gone, and as much as I hate them, some of them are good people who protect other good people… there’s just not as many of them as there should be. Besides, not all pirates are like us and do things like take care of children.”

“They’re not…?”

“No. Many pirates are murderers and destroy for no reason. We simply have our own goals and don’t want to get involved with civilian matters—the specifics are complicated—and becoming pirates is the price we pay.” He felt bad for the amount of misdirecting about himself he was doing, but knew he’d clarify everything one day. “We’re able to sail the seas, but we do so without our families or a home on dry land. We are ‘free’ because we gave up so many things in return… things that normal people might call freedom, such as social supports and rules to keep them safe.”

“Oh…” Nauja went quiet as she thought. “I don’t get it.”

“That’s alright—you go and make sure your backpack’s ready for a quick getaway, okay?”

“Okay!” Nauja scurried down below deck, which allowed Jean Bart to scoff once she was out of earshot.

“You loathe the Government as much as I do,” he noted curiously. “Why would you tell her anything less?”

“…because I don’t know when I’m going to have to leave her or why or where,” Law said. “She’s young enough to learn to not hate everyone, but old enough to start learning what nuance is. If I can prepare her for that…”

“You needn’t say more,” Jean Bart said, patting his captain on the shoulder. “To see the world through the eyes of a child again… to no longer know the pain… there is so much I would give, and yet…”

“…the knowledge you have is worth more than anyone can fathom.” Both men nodded at one another. “C’mon; let’s make sure she stays out of the boiler room before Ikkaku-ya pops a gasket.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“What’cha doing?”

Law looked over to find Nauja staring up at him as he sat hunched over his desk. His eyes flicked over towards the door—still shut—and wondered how the fuck she got in there without him realizing.

“Reading,” he said plainly.

“…but it’s not one of the textbooks,” she noted. Ah, yes, it was built much differently than his other books, wasn’t it?

“It’s a comic,” he said. “I’ve been reading it since I was your age.”

“Oh! What’s it called?!” she asked, climbing into his lap. “Sora, Warrior of the Sea… sounds cool! What’s it about?”

“A Marine that fights on the side for Justice in the North Blue against the evil army Germa 66, which is led by a family of super-powered villains,” he explained. Stars formed in her eyes and he tried not to laugh—he had yet to meet a small child immune to Sora. “Even though the main character is a Marine, it inspired a lot of kids from the North to become pirates when they grew up.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. A lot of what Sora does in his fight against Germa 66 is tough for Marines to do, because he just does what he thinks is necessary. Any good person who becomes a Marine has to do a lot more paperwork and appeasing bad coworkers than the story shows. It would be very difficult to fight the real Germa 66 like he does.”

“Wait… the bad guys are real?!”

“Very real.” He gave her a gentle hug with one arm. “The comic book might be fantasy and a way for the Marines to look better, but Germa 66 is a group no one wants to tangle with. They’re assassins for hire; mercenaries; powerful rented soldiers; monsters of science and technology.”

“Whoa… can I read it too?!” Nauja asked. Law plucked another volume from the shelf above his desk and handed it to her.

“This is the first one—I have all the volumes so far.”

“Thanks, Law-san!” She hugged him tightly before sliding off his lap and scurrying out of the room.

“Just ask if you need me to explain anything!” he called out after her. She did not respond, being halfway to her room already. He shook his head and went back to the volume on his desk, wondering when it was she was going to catch up to where he was.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Taking a deep breath, Law steadied himself as he prepared to go through another round of his practice katas. It had been a while since he legitimately trained with just Kikoku, and he could feel it in the way his muscles were on fire. He needed to be sharp with his sword as well as his Devil Fruit, and it was frankly appalling how rusty he’d become. Now, atop the uppermost deck of the Polar Tang, he at least had some peace and quiet as the rest of the crew played on the beach nearby. He took off his soaked shirt and drew Kikoku once again, letting it sing as he went through the motions, alone in his pursuit.

“Law-san! What are you doing?!”

Well, nearly alone.

“I’m going through my katas.” He tried to not look at the girl who was standing just out of reach, feeling her presence with his Haki instead. “It’s been too long since I’ve done them.”

“Why’s that?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I use a pretty big sword. That takes constant practice to maintain.”

“Can I try?”

Law had to stop mid-set to stare at her.

“Nauja-ya, my sword is taller than you are on your tiptoes and holding your hands up. No.”

“If I’m a pirate, I’m gonna need to know how to fight! Your sword is super-cool! Can’t I learn how to use something like that?”

“Any sword demands more height from its wielder than you currently posses,” he scowled. She pouted in response—she did not want to budge. “If you’re that set on it, let me see how you fare with a knife. Go bother Uni—he has some.”

Nauja stomped away in clear irritation. Thinking that was that, Law went back to his katas, only for her to return fifteen minutes later with one of Uni’s sheathed knives in her hands.

“Teach me!” she demanded.

“No.”

“Teach me, please! Uni said we can use his dull knife for practice!”

“I said no.”

“…but you’re good with swords! I want to use a sword when I’m older!” Law tried glaring at her in an attempt to make her back down, only for it to feel like Kikoku was mocking him for her refusal to leave.

He had to hand it to her—she was stubborn. Familiarly stubborn.

“Fine, fine; get over here,” he muttered. Nauja gasped happily and bounced over to his side as he sheathed Kikoku and rested it against the wall. He took the knife and inspected it—too dull for fighting purposes, certainly, but still too sharp—and temporarily blunted the edges by shaving off parts of the blade with his Devil Fruit. It was still heavy when he handed it back to her, but it was still less likely to injure someone.

“When I’m bigger, will a sword feel as heavy as this knife?”

“That would depend on how comparative a full sword would be to your growth rate. If you’re serious about this, we’ll need to work on your strength and endurance. The blade might feel fine now, but in a fight, it can become heavy quickly when you’re tired.”

“I promise I’ll work hard, Law-san!” Nauja beamed. Something swelled in him as he eased her through katas, concentrating on the movements involved in slashing someone’s hamstrings or stabbing up into a groin. Was it pride? Fear? Something else entirely? He wasn’t certain.

Later on, away from the captain’s prying eyes, two of the Heart Pirates gave their youngest member her very first real knife: a dirk with a seagull emblazoned on the sheath. Her eyes lit up and she hugged them excitedly, feeling like she was a real pirate. She showed it to Law-san immediately, which made him both  glad she had a weapon of her own, and furious at exactly the same.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Law-san, I have a question.”

“I am a little busy,” he replied. Nauja of course had to come into the infirmary while he was running bloodwork to see what sort of antibodies his crewmates now possessed after half of them came down with a cold that hadn’t responded to the usual medication. He and Clione were going through all the samples one by one, taking as detailed of notes as possible.

“…but, you said I can always ask you a question,” she reminded him.

“She’s got a point, Cap,” Clione said idly. Law grunted sourly and looked at Nauja, who was holding a Sora compilation book.

“Yes, you can borrow it,” he said in an attempt to anticipate her question.

“Oh, I know that,” she replied. “I just wanted to know who those people were.”

Law’s stomach dropped. “Which people?”

“The ones in the photos by your desk. I saw them when I was getting this.” She held up the book as evidence. “You’re in some of them, so I figure you know.”

“I’ll, uh, be back,” Law muttered. Clione waved him off nonchalantly—the kid did ultimately come first. He went back to his room with the girl and watched as she climbed into the desk chair and pointed at the worn photos held to the wall by magnets.

“Who are these people?” Nauja wondered. “I’ve never seen them before!”

Fuck… of course.

“Do you remember when I explained that you were staying with us?” He watched as she nodded in affirmation. “This is my sister Lami.”

“Oh…” she realized quietly. “Does that mean this is your mom and dad?”

“Yeah. Maybe your Oma and Opa, in another life. They were both well-known, amazing, talented doctors. They are what steered me towards medicine to begin with.”

“Does that mean then that this is… uh…?” She pointed at the blond in another photo, trying to reach for the name.

“Cora-jiisan,” he confirmed. “I know they all would have loved you, if they got the chance.”

“How did they die?”

“Poison. The World Government poisoned them.” He watched her nose scrunch in confusion as she tried to process why a little family would be treated that way. “There was a mineral that was mined in our hometown that the Government knew was dangerous when disturbed, but ignored the danger because it made them a lot of money. No one where I grew up knew about the poison until the whole country became sick at once after generations of exposure. Whoever didn’t die of the poisoning like Lami did, were killed by soldiers sent in by the Government to stop the spread of what they said was an infectious disease. That’s how my parents died.”

“Why did they kill everyone?”

“To cover up the source of why everyone was sick.” He pointed to a photo of him and Cora-san. “See those white patches on my skin there? That was one of the symptoms. He passed it off as a harmless skin condition while we were going from hospital to hospital.”

“So, you found a cure?”

“I ate my Devil Fruit,” Law took off his lab coat and laid it on the bed so that he could roll his sleeve up to his elbow. “Do you see something here on my skin? Hiding in my tattoo?” She hesitated before putting her fingers on his forearm, right over an old scar. “That’s one of the places my Devil Fruit couldn’t fix, so I had to cut it out. There are bits like that all over my body and most of them are covered by my tattoos. If the wrong people found out that’s what my scars were from, it would mean the whole crew would be in danger.”

“That’s… scary.”

“It is, but it is also the truth.” She clutched the Sora complication to her chest, biting her lower lip in thought. “Does it make you feel sad? Uncomfortable? Angry?”

“…yeah…”

“That’s good, because I guess you also feel like you never want something like that to happen again. Am I right?”

She nodded.

“That’s how you’re supposed to feel,” he explained. “Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo know about it in detail, but no one else. I mean, the rest of the crew have an idea, know bits and pieces, but they don’t know the full extent of what happened.”

“So, I can’t talk about it to the crew?”

“I’d prefer you not. The more people talk about it, the more likely it is I’ll get targeted by people who will want to finish the job. We think that part of my former bounty is purely because I survived.”

“That’s… wrong.”

“It is, but that doesn’t change the fact it happened.”

“Can you… tell me about them? About your home?”

“…I can. Knowing about them is dangerous, though. Are you sure?”

“They’d be my family if they were here. It would be home if it still existed. I should know, shouldn’t I?”

“Then yes, you should.” Law sniffled slightly as he nodded, trying to recall some of the better stories to tell her. “How about the time my sister stole all my Sora comics and used them as coloring books?”

“What?! No way!”

While it didn’t surprise him in the slightest, Clione had to finish the bloodwork by himself. He brought the results to Law, who was still in his cabin, Nauja curled up on his bed napping while he stared at old photographs procured from an old boot-box. He took it, croaked out a thanks, and kept shuffling through the memories in a way his crewmate had never really seen before.

Maybe, just maybe, this was how it was meant to be.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Alright everyone, new calendar!” Penguin shouted over the din of the mess hall. He held up a spiral-bound booklet and a pen high enough for everyone to see. “New calendar—write your shit on it before this one gets tossed in the furnace too!”

“It was a fucking accident!” groaned the guilty party, sinking in his seat. Some chuckles came from his crewmates and they all began to pass around the booklet.

“What do we write on it?” Nauja asked as the calendar inched down the table towards her. Ikkaku raised an eyebrow.

“Anything we want,” she replied. “Most of us write down our birthday and the day we joined up. Sometimes any holidays we think are important. Most of the time it gets transferred one year to the next by someone else, but an accident happened to the old one.”

“Oh…” The little girl watched as the mechanic was passed the calendar. “Can I write on it?”

“I don’t see why not.” Ikkaku finished marking her birthday and join date and flipped to a specific month, pointing out a day. “We got you then.”

“Thanks!” Nauja then went and carefully wrote her name in prim, careful block letters. “Nauja, joined!” She then found a different month, putting down her name and a heart in one of the squares. “That’s my birthday!”

“Is that so?” Ikkaku nodded. She took note of the day and noticed how close it was. “Does the captain know?”

“He asked me my birthday when I first got here, so he should.” Nauja then passed the calendar to Uni, who proceeded to take care of his business. “Why?”

“Just wondering,” Ikkaku shrugged. She watched as the little girl across the table from her nonchalantly went back to her lunch. Something told her that it was something she was going to need to bring up to the only adult not currently in the room, the sooner the better.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“I don’t understand how that’s my problem and not the committee’s. Why even have a ‘birthday committee’ if you’re not going to let it do its job?”

Ikkaku scowled sourly, folding her arms over her chest as her captain attempted to ignore her presence. Seas, he was so fucking dense sometimes that it made her want to scream as she knocked the fucking test tubes all over the infirmary floor.

“Her birthday’s coming up and we almost missed it,” she reiterated. “She is very attached to you and I think that, at least this first time, it would mean the world if you were the one to throw her first birthday party on the Tang.”

“That would be favoritism,” he claimed.

“She’s going to be seven—I think the rest of the adults on the ship can deal.”

“Which ones?”

Why did he insist on being so fucking difficult?

“Listen, Cap: the kid you’re letting stay on the ship has her birthday soon and she’s going to want to celebrate it. I know you’re a fucking spoilsport who hasn’t celebrated his birthday since you were her age or something stupid like that, but if you ruin this for her then you are going to be in a world of trouble.”

“What’s the worst you can do?” he wondered idly. “I’m too scary to mutiny against, so… leave the crew…? Not that strong a threat.”

“You forget, o-insular-one, that I know what blackmail is.”

Law finally glanced over from his microscope, more of a glare than anything else. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“1519, Zeferia Harvest Festival; how many tankards of beer did you have again? Twelve?”

“Eleven.”

“Same difference.” She grinned devilishly. “No matter how you shake it, you were extremely drunk and so were those twins. I was not drunk, but I was in possession of a Photo Den Den.”

“I hate you.”

“Mmhmm… no you don’t. Someone’s got to keep you in line, and it sure as fuck isn’t any of the other idiots.”

Groaning in frustration, Law stomped over to where he kept the crew’s medical records and pulled out Nauja’s, immediately finding her birthday. Fuck, it was soon, wasn’t it? He showed it to Ikkaku and she nodded in confirmation.

If ghosts were real, he needed to consult with Lami’s, and quickly.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Oh, what a lovely little girl! What are you doing out without your mommy and daddy?”

Nauja looked up at the middle-aged lady and crinkled her nose. The crew had stopped on an island and were now wandering around the market in an effort to stretch their legs and take in some of the local color while stocking up on supplies. Nauja was no different, as she had gotten her own spending money from Law-san like everyone else and was told to get herself supplies. She was outside a stationary store and looking at the many pens on display when the woman approached her.

“I’m with them,” she said plainly, pointing across the street. There were a few other Heart Pirates, trying to haggle over the prices of some produce. The woman raised her eyebrow; the Hearts were still in their boilersuits, while the little girl had on a t-shirt and shorts.

“Those are pirates, dear. I want to know where your parents are.”

“Close enough,” Nauja replied casually. “My mom and dad were mean and ditched me, so now I’m with them. It’s an upgrade.”

“Is it now…?” the woman grimaced. She then noticed the knife at the girl’s side. “Did they give you that?”

“Not them across the street,” Nauja said, getting irritated. “Penguin-ya and Shachi-ya gave me this. They’re not here.”

“…and why aren’t they with you?”

“They’re going that way, to see if they can do some sex.” Nauja pointed towards the less savory of the taverns, where there were already individuals for hourly hire milling about outside. The woman stared, completely aghast at the words coming from the child’s mouth.

“They told you that?! It’s very inappropriate for a girl your age to know!”

“They didn’t tell me that—Ikka-ya told me that. She’s finding some sex too.”

“Why’s she doing that instead of taking care of this kid?” the woman mused aloud. “How irresponsible!”

“Law-san’s responsible for me—he’s the captain. It kinda means he’s responsible for all of us, but mostly me because I’m still little.”

“Then I think I might want to speak with this captain, so I can tell him you should be in a better environment,” the woman scowled. “Now where is this idiot who thinks a bunch of filthy pirates can raise a little girl when they’re clearly more interested in whores than her wellbeing?”

“Behind you.”

A chill went down the woman’s spine and Nauja brightened at Law inserting himself into the conversation. The woman turned around to see Law towering over her, his glare intense and harsh.

“I… uh… I mean…”

“Nauja-ya, I have some books I think will be able to help your reading and maths, as well as some simpler volumes on chemistry and biology than what I have in the ship,” he said, gesturing to the bag in his hand. “Clione-ya also is looking for you; there’s some fabric at the shop that he is considering using for a boilersuit for you, but he wants your opinion first.”

“He knows as long as it’s not flowers or pink or red!” she scowled. A grin then crept across her face, terrifying the woman. “Law-san? Why is it inappropriate that I know some of the crew are finding people to have sex with?”

“It’s only inappropriate if we’re keeping you from understanding what that is,” he explained. “Lots of kids don’t learn about it until much later, but since you are studying medicine and live on a pirate ship with almost two dozen sexually-frustrated adults, it’s necessary that you know.”

“So I don’t interrupt private time?”

“Exactly.” He then looked at the woman, who was nearly frozen in shock. “You have a problem with how we’re raising her, take it up with the Government. I’m sure they’ll step in. Send a social worker. Tell me how I’m a bad, terrible parent when I’m the reason she’s cared for to begin with. Go on. Do it.”

Sufficiently cowed, the woman left the pavement in front of the stationary store and escaped from the wrath of the pirate captain and his ward. The little girl giggled and looked up at her adult, whose stoic expression quieted her quickly.

“Not a word of this to the rest of the crew, you hear?” he mentioned. “Last thing we need is them getting bent out of shape because of some nosy old auntie who doesn’t mean anything.”

“That’s fair,” she nodded. She then turned back to the pens and frowned. “Is it okay that I stay with you? That no one on the crew is my mom or my dad?”

“I think you have something a little better than that,” Law assured. “Now let’s finish here so we can get back to Clione. You know how grumpy he gets.”

“He does,” she smirked, voice lightening considerably. She then had him help her pick some pens and a couple notebooks inside, because yes… she did have something better, didn’t she?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Laying on her stomach while she read, Nauja kicked her feet idly as she went through the medical textbook that Law-san had left her with. He had left for a Warlord summons a week beforehand and had assigned her homework. Well, everything she did for studying was technically homework, but at the same time, it was something to keep her occupied while he was gone. She would thus take her work all around the Polar Tang and study in the varying rooms alongside the other Heart Pirates.

“What do you think is for dinner tonight?” she wondered aloud. She was in the bunkroom, humming happily on Jean Bart’s bunk while the large man in question sat on the floor knitting.

“Something good, I imagine,” Jean Bart replied. He kept his eyes on the yarn and needles in his hands, the metal clacking nearly echoing in the otherwise-empty bunkroom. “Something else is on your mind, isn’t it?”

“No…”

“Are you sure?”

Nauja hesitated, looking over at Jean Bart before frowning. “I guess I miss Law-san.”

“Do you now?”

“Yeah. He’d be able to tell me more about what’s in the book I’m reading.” She folded her arms and let her forehead sink down to them, her voice muffled. “I kind of also wanted him here for my birthday.”

“You know he can’t control when he is summoned.”

“I know… but still!” She lifted her head again in a pout. “I don’t know if he even knows when it is. He didn’t mention anything about it.”

“He reads the calendar just like everyone else.”

“…but the Government doesn’t.”

Jean Bart nodded at that. “Not our calendar, at the least.” He then held up his project for the girl to see. “What do you think?”

“Oooh, it’s cute,” she replied. He then began to go through the motions to secure the yarn and finish it off. “Why do you do that?”

“Knit? It’s calming. I learned how to do it before I came to travel on the Tang. It reminds me of my first crew.”

“It looks more boring to me.”

“That’s why I’m not making you do it,” he chuckled. He finished tying off the end and handed the hat to Nauja, who immediately jammed it on her head. “Think that will keep you warm on the next winter island?”

“Yes, thank you!” She gave him a hug and went back to her studying, keeping him company as he started on another project, this one a crocheted blanket. They stayed like that for a while before Uni popped his head in nearly an hour later.

“Hey, dinner!” He watched as Nauja rolled off the bunk and Jean Bart put his cushion and crocheting away. “Ah, finished with another project?”

“Now I get a hat!” Nauja grinned. She allowed Uni to carry her on his shoulders as they went to the mess hall, where Penguin was already serving dinner to the rest of the crew. “Oh! Onigiri!”

“That’s right, kiddo,” Penguin chuckled. Uni put Nauja down and she bounced over to the other man’s side. “Got some special umeboshi-filled ones for you right here.”

“You’re the best, Penguin-ya!” She hugged his legs before grabbing her plate and a juicebox. “This is the best birthday dinner! Thank you so much!”

“Alright, alright; way to boost a guy’s ego,” Penguin laughed. “Now go sit down and eat before it gets cold.”

Nauja happily brought her dinner to her special spot—the one with old manuals for her to sit on—and sat down. Everyone was so happy as they ate that it almost didn’t feel as though the captain was missing. She wanted Law-san to be there, but she knew that sometimes adults had to do stuff like not be around for things. It sucked, but at the same time, she knew that when it came to Law-san, it was something he did not enjoy.

What was enjoyable, however, was when everyone was done with their food, Bepo brought out a cake! It had seven candles, which took her a few puffs to extinguish. The crew cheered and they began the party proper—it was her birthday, after all!

After only a few bites of cake, however, the entire room went silent. Nauja saw that the crew was all staring at the entrance to the mess hall and her eyes followed their gaze, only for her to gasp.

Law-san.

He looked like he had recently been in a fight, and that he probably should have been in the infirmary first, but he instead was there, standing in the doorway, his bag still slung over his shoulder and looking at her with a relieved sense of fondness. The girl slid from her seat and ran up to him; just enough time for him to go down on a knee and open his arms before she tackled him in a hug.

“Happy birthday, Nauja-ya,” he whispered in her ear. She hugged him tighter, her small arms around his neck. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“This is the best birthday present,” she squeaked.

At that, the crew cheered once again and they cut another slice of cake for their captain, who was back an entire week earlier than expected from Shichibukai Shit. Now the party could truly begin, much to everyone’s delight. Presents started after the cake, as did the passing around of alcohol, and singing and dancing and other things to distract the rest of the crew from the child’s delight as she opened the packages passed to her.

A new blanket. A child-sized Sora mug. Books. Paper and pens. A sword-care kit. A new backpack.

Except, nothing really compared to the fact she had Law-san sitting next to her, eating his not-umeboshi-filled onigiri as he watched her open presents. He even slipped a hand into his bag and pulled out a small stack of unwrapped books, passing them to her unnoticed in the din of the party.

Books on Flevance, the language, a dictionary, a photobook… all things he would have had to hunt for in order to acquire.

It really was the best birthday ever.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was the middle of the night and Law was wide awake in his room, reading the latest medical journal he picked up while in port. Most of the articles were standard enough, but he did find a couple statements and findings that piqued his interest beyond what the articles could provide. He was taking notes on them when he heard a soft thudding noise against his door. Reaching out with his Haki, he could sense that Nauja was there…

…and she was scared…?

Cautiously, Law opened the door to see a pajama-clad Nauja standing there, tears and snot streaming down her face and Professor Nanuk’s arm clutched tightly in one hand.

“What’s this?” he asked. Soon as the girl noticed that the door was open, she stumbled her way into the room and crashed into Law’s long legs. She was mumbling incoherently and her whole body shook as she sucked in shaky breaths. Sighing, Law picked her up and closed the door, making it so that they had some privacy as he held her close. “Come on, Nauja-ya; tell me what’s wrong.”

She trembled in his arms and whimpered, curling into a ball around Professor Nanuk.

“Alright then,” he decided, “I’m going to go back to my studying and you’re going to stay with me. Talk when you’re ready.” She nodded into his chest and he sat down, keeping one arm securely around her as she stayed in his lap. The child slowly uncurled and one hand went to clutch his shirt in spite of her trembling fingers.

“Can… can you do the thing…?” she croaked, tapping on her face with Professor Nanuk’s paw. Law put down his pen and activated a Room.

“Hold still,” he said. Seconds later and all her snot was in the wastebasket, the girl finally able to breathe properly again. “Better?”

“Yeah…” She clung closer to him, her voice quiet. “I had a bad dream.”

“What sort of bad dream?”

“I was… I was running, and there was fighting and fire all around me. Scary people were everywhere. People were dying.”

“Is that something you read in a book?” he asked, trying to think of all the Sora storylines over the years. “You know those are pretend, right?”

“It wasn’t from a book—it looked real,” Nauja insisted. “I don’t know where I was or who was fighting, but that’s what my dream was. Why did I dream that?”

Possibly some form of Haki, Law thought, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “The brain is a very curious thing. We don’t know why it does a lot of the things it does, like give us strange dreams or make us think in certain ways. Maybe the how, the mechanics of it, but not the why. I think maybe you just had a dream to make us ask why… if that makes sense.”

“I guess,” she muttered. They were silent for a moment, with him stroking her hair as he allowed her to burrow in as close as she could. “Uh… Law-san…?”

“Nauja-ya…?”

“Can I… uh…?”

“Of course you can,” he replied. He kissed the top of her head and she squeaked happily. “Now go wash your face and drink a little bit of water, okay? That will make you feel much better.”

Nodding, Nauja left Professor Nanuk in Law’s lap while she went into his bathroom to wash and drink some water. While she did that, he saved his place in the journal and placed the stuffed toy on his pillow. He waited until she scurried over to his bed and crawled in before he turned off the lights and joined her. Once he was sure the blankets were in place, Law tucked her head beneath his chin and put an arm around her in an effort to make her feel safe.

“Thank you, Law-san.”

“Get some sleep, Nauja-ya; we’re going to make landfall tomorrow.”

Within moments the girl was asleep, leaving her adult to lay there in the dark, brow furrowed as he glared at the metal wall across from him. If that was Observation Haki, then it was extremely advanced. She was only seven years old; to sense a nearby war, to see images of said place, even look slightly into the future… it was all highly advanced stuff even for adults… again, if that was it and not some bizarre dream.

He felt the small hand tighten around his shirt and he exhaled heavily; just another thing to worry over, he supposed.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja’s hair was getting long.

It had been over a year since it had last been cut and it was getting to be long enough to braid. The girl looked at herself in the washroom mirror and frowned—she wasn’t sure if she liked it now that it was longer again. She finished brushing her hair and placed it in pigtails before bringing her bathroom stuff back to her room. After grabbing a book, she went into the galley and saw Law, Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo sitting around, talking quietly to each other over some coffee.

“Well, well, don’t you look cute today, Nauja-chan,” Shachi teased. “You get any cuter and we’re going to have to watch out.”

“I don’t like it,” she huffed. She saw that Law was staring at her and she knew why. “Can you fix it?”

“It’s hair that you take care of,” Penguin said. “There’s nothing to fix.” He was then cut off from saying more by the scrape of Law’s chair against the floor. “Captain…?”

Wordlessly, Law walked out of the mess hall and made his way down to the infirmary, with Nauja trailing not far behind. He found a high stool and sat her on it before securing a cloth around her neck to  shield her lavender coveralls from stray hair.

“I liked how it looked before,” she claimed as he searched through the cupboards.

“Before it was uneven and patchy because Ikkaku-ya couldn’t get an even cut.”

“Then like it but better.” She pouted as the box of barber supplies was shoved in her hands despite the sheet that was in the way. “I look too much like her.”

“Like who?”

“You know. In the photo.”

Law nodded at the confirmation, gently taking the ties out of her hair. He then started combing it, making sure the tangles we all out properly, before taking the spray bottle from the box and spritzed her hair until it was damp. He then ran the comb through it again and repeated the process.

“You’re not her, you know,” he reminded her. “It wouldn’t matter if you had the same hair.”

“I know… I just liked it better before when it was short because it was easier.”

“It is easier, but you can also do less with it. There’s more than one of us that can put in braids, or make it fancy.”

“Nuh-uh,” Nauja said, shaking her head. “I don’t like it long or fancy.”

“As you wish.” He replaced the spray bottle and took the scissors from the box, snipping off her hair with the even, steady precision he used when giving the rest of the crew a trim. By the time he was done, it definitely looked like much nicer of a cut than it had been the first go-around. He handed her the mirror and let her look. “Better?”

“Yeah!” She kicked her feet happily as she was divested of the supply box and sheet. “Now I look like myself again! Thank you!”

“Now back to your studies—go on.” Law shooed her out of the infirmary and began to clean up, making a mental note to hunt her down the next time everyone was getting a trim on the top deck.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Granted, they never should have disembarked the Tang to begin with. Those on the crew with Observational Haki could feel the chaotic, murderous intent pouring from the island. Even Nauja could tell, which should have been the biggest warning sign of all, yet they went ashore anyhow because they were in need serious of supplies and didn’t know if they could last until the next port.

Should they have expected an ambush? Yeah, they really should’ve.

“I could really do without the fucking welcome committee on every other fucking island,” Law grunted. He was wrapped up in causing a distraction in one part of town while the rest of the crew concentrated on getting supplies in the other. It looked as though the main belligerent (someone who could manipulate metal as though it was clay or water, which was both annoying and unnerving) was nearly completely out of commission, which was good considering the Heart Captain was running very low on patience.

“Could be worse,” Penguin shrugged. “We could be fighting at sea.”

“True.” Law watched as the Devil Fruit user’s friends tried to piece her back together and others were in some version of retreat. “The fact I’m a Shichibukai means nothing to them.”

“If anything, it means that they want to take down one of the Government’s dogs,” Penguin reminded him. He tried to flick the blood off the tip of his spear; it didn’t work. “The comics make this seem easy.”

“If only,” Law scowled. A sense of dread then tugged at the edge of his consciousness, alerting him to… he wasn’t certain. “Something’s wrong.”

“Well, yeah, something’s wrong,” Penguin scoffed. “We don’t exactly get a lot of receptions like this…” The transponder snail in his boilersuit pocket began to chirp at him. “It better be fucking good…”

“She’s gone!” Shachi panted via the snail. “The group that took Nauja into town in plainclothes was surprise-attacked! The undercover tourists plan didn’t work!”

“Shit!” Penguin hissed. He turned to tell their captain of the development, only to find that the other man was already gone. “Oh, fuck, Papa Law’s been activated. Evac to the Tang. Now!”

“Wha… oh. Copy that.”

The Heart Pirates all began to retreat towards the Polar Tang, trusting that the situation was going to be under control in a matter of moments. They didn’t have to chase after Nauja to know that their captain was going to descend upon her captors with all the bloodlust and fury that he was technically saving for one specific man. His amber eyes would glint in rage and he would bleed the kidnappers until they were barely alive, anger nearly uncontrolled as he held Nauja in one arm while he vivisected with the other. There was nothing that they wouldn’t give to stay away from the captain in that mode.

By the time the crew had nearly finished loading up the supplies, Law and Nauja popped onto the wharf, the latter hiding her face in the former’s shoulder in the safety of soft feathers. The amount of blood and viscera on them both not only confirmed their suspicions, but posed plenty of questions as well. Nauja was trembling, Law was two shades from complete madness, and a chill swept through the crew as their captain spoke three simple words:

“Burn it. Now.”

Oh… oh shit.

“With pleasure, Captain,” Jean Bart replied gravely. He took some of the crew with him back into port, while the rest continued to load supplies and avoid their captain.

By the time the Polar Tang left the dock, the entire town was engulfed in flames and screams of terror; fitting for a visit from the Surgeon of Death.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law couldn’t remember the last time he saw Bepo so happy.

None of them could, actually, and it was all while they were stuck in a port with a particularly finicky Pose reset. It was taking much longer than the usual New World Half Day, and that meant they had more time to wander the town, which led to…

“Guys! I want you to meet my cousin! This is Fred!”

Fred, as it turned out, was a giraffe. An incredibly stocky and built giraffe. That fact turned into an impromptu lesson in their corner of a dingy bar about Mink biology and how it both mimicked and was different from Fish-men and Humans. Fred was also a woman, as evident by the feminine voice and pronouns Bepo kept using.

Most members of the Heart Pirates were just glad to have Bepo so excited.

Ikkaku felt slightly betrayed having not known about this cousin beforehand.

Penguin and Shachi decided that if they met a Human like Fred, then they were definitely getting stepped on.

Nauja kept staring at the Mink with stars in her eyes, completely enamored by the concept of crewmates’ family.

Law, on the other hand, was making a valiant effort to be pragmatic about the entire ordeal.

“So you really never passed by other Minks while on the seas?” Fred wondered. She took a sip of her drink and raised an eyebrow at her cousin. “I would think that they’d be everywhere, given how many come and go.”

“It’s usually not understood what a willing migrant has truly lost until their children’s children start asking questions, not unless they ask the questions themselves,” Law stated gravely. “They don’t know garachu and live in fear of Sulong for the wrong reasons. Trust me when I say we’ve been trying to get your cousin back home for over a decade now.”

“I believe it,” she nodded. “Our people generally do not cling to Lesser Minks that are working against our best interests. Even a rocky start can lead to a true friendship.”

Law tried not to laugh as he felt embarrassment radiate off Penguin and Shachi—they all knew that any amount of inquiring and they were caught. “This leads to a very interesting question, Fred-ya: are you also a migrant, or just a traveler?”

“If this is you asking if I intend to return to Zou, then by all means.” She took a piece of paper from her inner jacket pocket and ripped off a piece, handing it to Bepo. “This is Gran’s Vivre Card. Her hip is not doing well, so she guarantees that she won’t be leaving anytime soon, not without warning.”

“What about Mom and Dad?”

“Uncle Yepo and Aunt Alana are doing fine—they’ll be overjoyed to hear from you.” Fred stared at her cousin, unable to keep her eyes off him, as though she wasn’t entirely sure she was dreaming or not. “We had funerals for you.”

“Minks have a second mourning period?” Clione wondered. Fred shook her head.

“His elder brother, Zepo, was amongst a Mink exploration crew that was branded pirate by the Government and slowly vanished,” she replied solemnly. “Few came back; he was not one of them.”

A few moments of awkward silence settled over the group before Law cleared his throat. “I think it’s time for Nauja-ya to get ready for bed. Can I trust you all to take care of it for me?”

Everyone took the hint and left Law and Bepo with Fred. Even Nauja herself knew that they needed privacy, stopping only long enough to give the polar bear a tight hug and a kiss to the cheek. Law waited until the rest of the crew was out of the bar before placing a hand on Bepo’s shoulder, letting him know it was okay to cry.

Bepo sobbed.

While there had always been the chance that Zepo had already died, there had still been the concept of hope attached to it. After all he had been through, after all that happened, he couldn’t even achieve his original goal. He cried and cried until he could no longer shed tears, instead squeaking out a request for some strong alcohol.

“Not until we get some water in you first,” Law stated. He got a large tankard of water for his navigator and set it down in front of him. “Now drink all of it. Slowly.”

Bepo nodded silently and began to nurse down the water, sniffles still overpowering his ability to do anything. Fred rubbed his back, assuring him that everything was fine.

“Fred-ya, I have a question for you.”

“Is now really the time?” she asked, gesturing at her cousin. “The bear is having a crisis.”

“This is the only time, because I doubt I’m going to get another shot of just the three of us again,” he replied. “What is your people’s policy on visitors?”

“We love visitors,” Fred said. “The reason we are taken as isolationist is due to the fact our home is difficult to access, but that doesn’t mean we turn away peaceful travelers who happen upon us. You and your crew are more than welcome, especially after you’ve taken such good care of one of our own. A warm reception waits you in Zou, Trafalgar Law.”

“Not me, but the rest of the crew,” Law said. “I have a plan that needs to be put into motion soon, but I need to get certain parties in safer surroundings.”

“We shall foster the cub for you, without a doubt.”

“I need all of them to be safe.” He scratched behind Bepo’s ears, which made the Mink whine. “There is something I need to do alone, but if I fail, I don’t want my crew to suffer retaliation.”

“How soon?”

“Soon—there’s a planned public event I’m basing this operation on, and I’d like to have them hidden before then.”

“I have some things to deliver and it shall take about two weeks’ time,” Fred said. “You can have them go ahead. With Bepo within their number, they shall not be turned away.”

“Don’t tell me you’re really thinking of doing it alone, Captain!” Bepo pouted. “You know we support you on this! We can help!”

“You’re the best fighter amongst them,” Law reminded him, “and I am not deliberately putting anyone in more danger than I think necessary. You all can handle a lot, but that doesn’t mean Doflamingo is anything but an easy warmup. It’s him I don’t trust.”

“You wish to face off against the Royal Shichibukai Donquixote Doflamingo? As a fellow Warlord, isn’t he your ally?”

“That man is no one’s ally but his own,” Law scowled. “You are certain that Zou is safe?”

“You need a Vivre Card of someone on Zunesha’s back in order to access Zou and the Momoko Dukedom; no one gives those without reason.” Fred regarded Law with a sort of stoicism that he didn’t think was possible in one of Bepo’s relatives. “Your cub and crew will be protected beyond a doubt.”

“It’s a kid, not a cub,” Bepo sniffled, the congestion starting to get to him. “Lesser Minks are really weird and picky about it.”

“Noted,” Fred acknowledged. She saw the look of resolve in her cousin’s captain’s eyes and felt a chill go down her neck and back.

This was a man who did not expect to live very long and was going to make his time left count.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, the world awaits - Part 4 of 5

Fucking hell, I reread Wano for this.

Also, you’re reading that title line right. It’s now five chapters instead of four, because otherwise I’d have a 20k+ word chapter and I don’t want to subject everyone to that level of bullshit this time around lol (I am also SOBBING at ch. 1081, btw, so there’s that)

Chapter 1 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3] 

Chapter 2 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter 3 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Doflamingo is in Impel Down. Strawhat-ya is going to rescue his crewmate. The Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance has begun shifting gears. An entire nation is ready to break its shackles and rise. Law just wants to keep his daughter safe through it all. [11,188 words; AU where Trafalgar Law gets forcefully assimilated into the Unconventional Single Dads Club]

The submarine was full of dread and excitement as it made its way towards Wano. While the Heart Pirates were all glad to be back with their captain, none was more glad than Nauja. She stayed close to Law as they sailed towards the unknown land. Even the guests on the ship were aware that something had shifted, that there was a new element hanging in the air, and that it involved the captain and his newly-discovered daughter. They regarded her presence carefully, not wanting to spook anyone.

“That is truly a disastrously cute kid,” Usopp said, sitting down with Robin and Franky on the top deck of the Tang. Nauja was on the other side of the deck, sleeping curled into Law’s side as the captain himself napped against Bepo. “Really does make sense of his fury when he discovered what Cesar was doing to the kids at Punk Hazard.”

“He makes a good father,” Robin nodded. She handed Usopp a map of Wano’s capitol to let him study it.

“I wonder where she was during Sabaody two years ago.”

“Probably hidden in the ship,” Franky said. “She’s a clever thing—I doubt she’d do anything to reveal herself unnecessarily. That’s what you do when you’re raised by pirates.”

“What’s that you’re working on?” Usopp asked. He looked at the schematics on Franky’s board—it was of the Polar Tang. “I thought Ikkaku didn’t want anyone touching her baby.” He pat the bit of the deck next to him; the submarine was a unique one.

“Well, yeah, but I want to help her make a super special space for the little one once we get a bit of downtime,” he explained. “Space is tight, so I’m trying to think of something to grow with her, as well as some other additions and modifications, as a thank you to Torao for being such a super ally.”

Usopp stared flatly at the cyborg. “Don’t tell me your idea of an alliance is the same as Luffy’s.”

“Fine then; I won’t.”

Robin chuckled quietly at the interaction, glad that the quick repeat separation from the others was not doing anything to hamper their morale any more than it already did. With Zoro sulking in the galley and the concept of losing Sanji forever looming over them, it was good that this at least was easy, that it was as it always was. She then went back to her book only for a shadow to block out the sun.

“Nico-ya.” She quietly closed her book and glanced up at her host captain. “A word.”

“Of course,” she replied. Her eyes found Bepo and how he was now napping with Nauja curled atop his chest. She felt a slight tug and suddenly they were in the empty infirmary, away from prying ears. “Oh, it must be serious.” She took a chair and sat, crossing her legs. “What is on your mind? Is it related to what we discussed earlier?”

“No; Kitsune-ya was giving me some background earlier on the current state of Wano,” Law stated as he leaned against the counter. Robin tilted her head curiously. “He is concerned for Nauja’s safety, as it is no place to bring a child at the moment unless necessary.”

“As her father, I’m sure you have similar fears,” she nodded. “This is not like normal islands, where you can simply leave her in the ship.”

“Precisely.” He felt his face grow warm at the verbal affirmation that he was, indeed, her dad. “That is why I have an extremely important favor to ask of you. It might be a while before Strawhat-ya catches up and I wish to ensure my daughter’s safety in the meantime.”

“…and you trust me?”

“…yeah.”

The infirmary was quiet for a moment while Robin mulled the request over. “This is truly something you wish to entrust with someone from another crew? Alliance or not, you would be putting your child’s life in my hands, and you and her both know me far less than your own crew members. That’s not something to consider lightly.”

“I am not putting my daughter’s life at the mercy of a Revolutionary, nor someone the Marines refer to as the Devil Child, nor even another pirate. I want Nauja to stay in the capitol, where there is plenty of safe food and water, under the care of someone else who knows what it’s like to be the only one to survive.” He saw tears well in the corners of her eyes as she tried to not allow the admission to hit her too severely. “I know about Ohara, what they did, and that it led to you running until you found Strawhat-ya and his crew. Flevance was very much the same, if you turn pursuing knowledge into slowly being poisoned and a Buster Call into bullets and arson. Nauja represents something that can’t change those facts, but can make them easier to live with. You can’t even imagine how often I think of just taking her and leaving all this behind… letting someone else deal with it.”

“Every time you look at her, at the very least,” she replied. He blushed more, averting his gaze.

“Both our crews love her, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they wouldn’t protect her with anything less than their lives, but you alone understand what she truly is to me… what she is to an entire nation she will never meet.”

“This is an honor I do not accept lightly,” Robin said. She made eye contact with Law and he could see the silk and steel that kept her composure steady. “Where exactly am I to keep the Heir to Flevance safe?”

Law allowed himself a small, appreciative smile, knowing full-well that he made the correct choice.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“So, you wish to learn the geisha arts?” the old woman hummed. She regarded the younger woman bowing before her—so regal despite her tattered clothing—and nodded. “You already hold yourself well for someone never trained; I see promise. Tell me something first.”

“Anything, Tsugaru-okaa-san.”

“Why do you wish to learn?”

“My family was ruined and I have been on my own since I was a child. I wish to be free of such uncertainty once and for all.” The woman lifted her head and sat up straight and seiza. “We were with trusted friends, but I made the decision to break from them, as they cannot help me provide what I must. A geisha, on the other hand, does not live by the whims of men and their quarrels. I wish a better life for my ward than a lifetime ruled by the pettiness of men.”

The older woman raised an eyebrow. “You have a child?”

“I did not birth her, yet she is under my care.” She turned and beckoned a child into the room, having her sit next to her and bow. “O-Ja has no mother of her own and is nearly the same age I was when I first found myself alone in the world. It was fate.”

“Quite.” The older woman watched as the child shook in fear, seiza sloppy and hands stained by dirt. “You have curious names and come to me from nothing. Who are you?”

“Refugees who go from place to place, the last being the ruins of Kuri Castle. Please forgive our poverty and ignorance, as it was borne of isolation.”

“We will work hard!” O-Ja exclaimed, face still turned to the floor. “O-nee-ya says young girls can become shikomi and help their geisha sisters! I want to help her gain an audience with the shogun!”

“Is this true, O-Robi?” the older woman asked. O-Robi replied with a nod.

“If I can gain an audience with the shogun before the festival, I would be most honored, as it would show my ward an irreplaceable lesson.”

“Which is…?”

“The value of hard work, how buds blossom and turn into fruit worthy of pride.”

Silence fell over the room, punctuated by noise filtering in from the okiya’s courtyard and corridors. The old woman looked at the poised O-Robi and the trembling O-Ja, thought for a moment…

…and cackled.

“You girls sure have spunk!” she laughed. “O-Robi, if you work hard at this and prove yourself worthy, I shall present you to the shogun as a special case before continuing on as a sort of advanced maiko after the Fire Festival. O-Ja, then you shall become her shikomi, and one day we will be glad to see you graduate to maiko, and then, after much work and training, you too shall become a geisha and be free.”

“Oh, thank you so much, okaa-ya!” O-Ja cried.

“Yes,” O-Robi said, bowing again. “The information we shall learn in your care shall be invaluable.”

“Right then,” the older woman grinned. “Let’s get to work!”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The street was busy as Penguin leaned against a building, looking as though he decided to rest and people-watch for a while. The Flower Capitol was a busy place, that was for certain, and he was glad that the crowd was able to hide his presence easier than in a normal port.

“Oh, oji-ya!” He raised his eyebrow as a small child popped out of the crowd and approached him. “I’ve been looking for you! You’re nee-ya’s friend!”

“If I’m nee-ya’s friend, then you can call me nii-ya,” he deadpanned. This acting like they didn’t know one another shit was precisely that. The little girl laughed, fishing an envelope out from inside her yukata sleeve.

“I don’t know about that, oji-ya” the girl said with a grin. Fuck… she really was the Captain’s kid, wasn’t she? He pocketed the envelope and sighed; there had to be a better, safer way to pass information along. “Is there anything you want nee-ya to know when I tell her I completed my errand?”

“Yes—tell her that we have a special errand for you to do soon, and that we hope you both are learning well.” Penguin pat the girl on the head and offered her a smile. “This is a very brave thing you’re doing.”

“I know it is, but I’m a member of the crew, and I gotta do what I can!”

“That’s a good kid,” he chuckled. “Now run along and tell nee-chan that it’ll be in three days’ time.”

“Gotcha!”

The girl vanished back into the crowd, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He stayed where he was for a few more moments before making the trip back to the edge of the city, where Law popped him back outside the gate.

“Got the goods?” he asked. Penguin nodded. “How’d she look?”

“Just fine—they must have good food in the okiya. She’s faring better than Bush-Bog Bepo at any rate.”

“Then the plan’s going well,” Law stated. He seemed to exhale in relief under the tengai basket, glad that at least one thing in the gods-forsaken place was still going smoothly. “Alright; let’s move out. I want to be at the farm by nightfall.”

“Shame we can’t empty it all,” Penguin shrugged. “It’d make a statement, that’s for sure.”

“We’d get caught.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like we’d be hogging it all; we’d be like the Witching Hour Boy I keep hearing about…”

“Enough of the stupid fucking Witching Hour Boy,” Law grumbled. “We’re not doing that—we’re pirates. Pirates doing good things for civilians makes me sick.”

“Cap…? Isn’t that kind of how you got yourself a kid…?”

Penguin couldn’t try to outrun the Room’s reach fast enough.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Entering the bedroom, Robin felt absolutely exhausted. She sat down next to a low table and exhaled heavily—every part of her body felt as though it hurt from practicing her posture, movements, and dancing. It made her glad that she had been given a room to herself, sequestered from the other oikya residents as she endured her rigorous training.

While it wasn’t the first palace she had gone undercover to infiltrate, it didn’t mean that this one was going to be any easier.

“Nee-ya, I’m back,” Nauja said as she entered the room. She hugged Robin and immediately went to work on getting the ornaments out of her hair. “Did you learn much?”

“I did,” she sighed. “This is a job for those with solid constitutions and silent tongues.”

“Is it?”

“That it is.” She heard each of her hair ornaments get placed upon the corner of the table out of her sight. “What did you learn on this fine day?”

“I learned of histories of Wano that I did not know,” Nauja replied. She then frowned. “Nee-ya, why can’t I attend school?”

“School is for those with money, which we decidedly are lacking,” Robin explained. “Cheer up; who did you hear this history from?”

“One of the customers—he was one of the yakuza’s men, and he said how Wano when you were my age was a very different place. Shogun Orochi had yet to make a pact with Kaidou and his men, and a fool danced in the streets to protect the people.”

“That is how I understand it,” Robin replied, careful of her wording. Even there, where the other okiya residents were very warm and accepting, they needed to watch what they said in case of spies. “Then again, I was only a child, so there are things I do not recall as well as others might.” She felt the final pin slip from her hair and the strands all tumbled down her back. Nauja then grabbed a brush and began to untangle it. “Have you been making yourself useful?”

“Of course, nee-ya!” the girl grinned. “I clean tables and help the geisha and maiko get customers more drinks to pour or food to eat! They tell me I am cute and a hard worker! Okaa-ya says that I am doing well.”

“Maybe, when I have accomplished what I meant to, I might have the time to educate you myself,” Robin said. “I know many things that a geisha does not—my first true family was a scholarly one before it was set to ruin—and I might be able to impart some of that knowledge.”

“Really…?!”

“I do not doubt the ones you were with before my care, but if things go a certain way, I might be able to do so.” She felt the girl hug her from behind and she smiled privately. If only she had been given such luxuries as a loving and supportive family at Nauja’s age; would things have been different? “Now, how about your hair?”

“It’s easy to keep when it’s this short,” Nauja beamed.

“You don’t want it to be longer? A shikomi can do much with longer hair.”

“Yeah, but I had long hair when I was little-little, and I had to get rid of it.”

“You did?”

“Oh, yes, but I don’t mind,” Nauja said. “I like only having to brush it in the morning.” She helped Robin out of her kimono, who in turn helped her out of her yukata. It was good that they had stolen actual clothes instead of Kin’emon’s disguises; they did not need someone coming in to find them sleeping in what should have been dayclothes. They set up the futon once they were in their nightrobes and went to bed huddled together against the chilled evening air. “Should my hair be long?”

“It should be exactly how you like it,” Robin chuckled. She kissed the girl on the forehead and snuffed the lamp before settling in and whispering, “Good night, Nauja.”

“Good night, Nico-ya.”

Robin held the girl close as they eased off into sleep—there was no way she was allowing Torao’s treasure feel anything but secure in her father’s absence.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was Strawhat-fucking-ya. Again.

Law really didn’t know what ever possessed him to think that an alliance with the other pirate captain had been a good idea. The kid was absolutely batshit insane, could not follow even the simplest plan, and was incapable of any sort of subtlety, all of which had been repeatedly proven time and again. It had yet to be an entire day and everything was already falling apart and their covers were blown, causing Law to very quickly ditch the wandering monk guise and get Nico-ya to pass off his daughter so they could vacate the Flower Capitol while flirting with capture.

“I need you to stay here with the other children,” Law said. He, Nauja, Penguin, and Shachi were in Amigasa Village, where Momonosuke and Tama were currently hidden, while Bepo was guarding the remainder of the crew in the meantime. “Tony-ya and Kiku-ya will take good care of you.”

“…but Dad! They didn’t figure out that I’m one of you yet!” the girl pouted. “I can still do recon work for everyone from the okiya!”

“No—you are staying here with Tama-ya and Momo-ya,” he replied firmly. “Not only is it no longer safe there, but it’s bad enough you’re not on the Tang.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “You might not be strong physically, but just like the rest of the crew, you are a seasoned pirate. Help Tony-ya and Kiku-ya keep Tama-ya and Momo-ya safe. Okay?” Nauja sniffled and nodded. “That’s my girl. We’ll be back soon.”

“Must I be left here in this place?” Momonosuke frowned. “I would be best served darting about from one locale to the other, learning what I can from those who are paid no heed. Verily, the courtesans and cleaning women are to have much information spoken recklessly in their presence. Even the girls may come and be of service.”

“No sale, you pervy little shit,” Law hissed. Momonosuke harrumphed in irritation. “Be glad you’re even being left with my daughter at all. One toe out of line and I don’t care what you’re heir to or what alliance I joined—you’ll be dead from starvation before they find all the pieces to put you back together.”

“Papa Law is so scary when he’s protective,” Penguin snickered. “I wonder what will happen when real suitors come calling?”

“Let the man live in parental bliss for now,” Shachi joked. “Eight or ten more years and we’ll have plenty of new, young, virile recruits to vet.”

“Are they here to serve under the best captain in the world, or here for the chance to court his lovely daughter?”

“We’ll have to even keep an eye on the women, for who knows who would want the delicate bloom for themselves…”

“I will murder both of you and no one would know the difference,” Law threatened.

“Cap, you are a grown-ass man threatening a child,” Shachi noted.

“You did not watch him motorboard every woman he could while on the Sunny—the child is mentally ill and raised by poor examples, therefore needing a firmer hand in order to correct it.”

“How dare you, knave!” Momonosuke charged at Law, only to collapse into little pieces thanks to a Room. “This is treason!”

“I literally cannot commit treason in or towards Wano despite the alliance—maybe Kiku-ya will be kind enough to explain it while we’re gone. She seems fairly knowledgeable.”

“Vaor…? What are you talking about?” Nauja wondered, an expression of deep confusion spread across her face.

“Remember Nauja,” he said gravely, “you can punch him.” Law then opened a Room and he, Penguin, and Shachi were replaced by leaves.

Huh. Dads sure were weird. Uncles were too… but dads… definitely weird.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Please play nice while this one has a conversation with our esteemed physician,” Kiku requested gently before heading into one of the empty houses with Chopper. This left Nauja, Tama, and Momonosuke to poke around Amigasa themselves. They found an old dojo with child-sized equipment, which they hauled out to the clearing near the house.

“Verily, this shall be good practice for whilst we await the rest of the adults,” Momonosuke grinned. He took a shinai and beat it against the practice dummy, the thwap it made satisfying him. “You two may watch or serve as a lookout.”

“There’s more than one shinai,” Nauja noted. She picked up the other one, feeling the weight of it in her hand. It felt… right. “Maybe we can spar?”

“I do not engage in battle with women,” Momonosuke huffed. Nauja and Tama exchanged unimpressed looks—even they knew it wasn’t a practical tactic. “If you wish to spar, practice ninjutsu with the junior kunoichi. A sword is unbecoming of you.”

“Kiku-ya’s your samurai—why can’t I fight with a sword too? I already use a knife.”

“O-Kiku was a loyal vassal under my father. You are just a stupid girl.”

Quickly, Nauja used her shinai to hit the other out of Momonosuke’s hand, then spun around, stopping her swing when the practice weapon was nearly touching the side of his head. Tama gasped loudly, while Momonosuke’s eyes went wide.

“I am not stupid,” Nauja insisted. “Besides, I am not the one who can barely hold a sword.”

“That’s no fair! I wasn’t expecting that!”

“Bad adults are not going to care if you’re ready or not!”

“That is why a shogun has vassals!”

“That is how people die!”

“Wait a second! What’s going on out here?!” Chopper shouted as he came out of the house, Tama pulling along Kiku close behind. “Why are you fighting?!”

“This insolent wench decided to attack me,” Momonosuke hissed. Kiku gently took the shinai from Nauja’s hands and stroked the girl’s hair.

“Tell this one what is the matter, Lady Trafalgar,” she insisted, cradling the girl’s face in her palm.  “Why do you quarrel?”

“He’s an asshole,” the girl said. Momonosuke went to charge at her, only for Chopper to turn into Heavy Point and hold him aloft by the back of his collar.

“That’s not nice either,” the reindeer sighed. “We need to work together if we’re going to stop Kaido and Orochi.”

“That is correct! My father’s country is at stake! I must become shogun!”

“You’re just a kid!” Nauja snapped. “What do you know?!”

“I am Kozuki Momonosuke, next Shogun of Wano! You are nothing!”

“I am Trafalgar Nauja and I am not nothing!”

“Of which house do you belong, Trafalgar Nauja, that has you believe you can speak to me in such a manner?!”

“Not one run by spoiled brats!” Momonosuke stuck out his tongue and pulled on his lower eyelid, while she gave him a two-fingered salute. “I’m not here to baby you! Grow up!”

“Verily,” Kiku sighed, “we should all take a walk to settle our nerves. This one knows of a path to the beach. We can let out our frustrations against the sand.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Chopper agreed. He was beginning to regret being left behind with the children, but at least he had Kiku as backup.

With that, the two adults marched the three children single-file down towards the beach. Salt still carried on the air from the ocean, while sand began to overtake the ground beneath their feet. Tama could feel the tension between Momonosuke in front of her and Nauja behind her—it wasn’t good.

“Maybe,” she said as she fell into step beside Nauja, “you should apologize to Momo.”

“Why should I?” Nauja scoffed. “He’s an idiot.”

“Even if he is, we’re here to help him.” The junior kunoichi gave her friend a kind smile. “Then, how about if he’s ever doing something stupid, tell me instead!”

“What good would that do?”

“It’d make my shogun less cross with you.”

“He can be cross if he wants,” Nauja huffed. “Shogun or not, he can’t go pretending rules don’t exist when he wants to; I didn’t go through all the trouble I did just for him to treat me like shit.”

“Strooth, however, it gives none of us license to treat him poorly as well.” Tama looked at the other girl and tilted her head. “Where do you and your father hail from, might I ask?”

“Well, he comes from the North Blue, from a country that doesn’t exist anymore. I used to live on an island called Water 7; that’s on the other side of the Grand Line.”

“It no longer exists…? Was it merged with another kingdom…?”

“No. It was killed. The whole country. Vaor… Dad… he escaped.”

“So… you could be the last of the kingdom’s line; prestigious,” Tama nodded. Nauja never wanted to hear anything ever again about sounding like an old lady for using big words and calling people -ya; she wasn’t even certain Tama knew what some of the words she was saying meant… not that it was her fault… “What of your mother? Is she still in the Seven Waters?”

“Tama-ya, I…” Nauja was nearly about to tell her friend that sometimes people didn’t have moms when Momonosuke and the adults all gasped.

They were at the beach alright, right near a beached whale named Charlotte Linlin.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Queen the Plague was gone, having taken the unconscious Emperor with him. Tensions were still high in Udon’s prison, all the way up until Momonosuke accidentally revealed himself. There was a hushed gasp around the yard and nearly everyone dropped to their knees in reverence around the boy.

“…what are they doing…?” Nauja asked, wrinkling her nose. Tama raised an eyebrow at her.

“They are bowing to Momo,” she replied, as though it wasn’t obvious. “I know you don’t get on, but he is still the old shogun’s son.”

“Yeah, I really don’t care about that,” Nauja scoffed. She tried to act aloof in an imitation of her father. “He’s still a brat.”

“You call me such names despite being younger?” Momonosuke snorted. “It is plain to see that you are merely jealous, as commoners often are.”

“Uh-huh, sure, you piece of shit.”

“O-Ja!”

“Oh, to have the quarrels of children again,” one of the prisoners chuckled. Many of them were looking at the pair with laughter in their eyes instead of the insult that Tama feared. “You shall learn of the Kozuki Dynasty’s might and honor soon enough.”

“I’d rather not.”

“They would bow to you as well, you know, if you were my betrothed,” Momonosuke smirked devilishly. Nauja tilted her head in confusion, having never heard that word before. “Oh, come now—fifteen years and I’m sure you’d make a lovely bride… although probably flat-chested as tomboys tend to be…”

“No wonder Vaor said I can punch him,” Nauja said to no one in particular. She gathered up her wits and drew her dirk. “I’m only seven, you idiot! You can’t tell any of that, as though it would even matter!”

“…and I am but eight years of age—we would mature together.”

“Get lost, pervert!”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Wano, Trafalgar D. Water Law felt a chill go down his spine and inexplicably desired the ability to murder something.

“Could Momo even marry O-Ja…?” Tama wondered. “Even if she wasn’t a foreigner, I think there would possibly be too big a class difference.”

“Yeah—I’m in the class that can kick his ass!” Nauja went to charge at Momonosuke, but was deftly intercepted by Kiku, who scooped the girl up into her arms. “Lemme go! I gotta teach the idiot prince a lesson since no one else will!”

“You are staying with this one, Lady Trafalgar,” Kiku giggled gently. “How spirited you are is a reminder of this one’s childhood, raised by men good of heart but rough of language.” She held Nauja as one would a stuffed animal, which made the girl pout. “They too taught girls to be forceful with their emotions and follow their passions as they grew into confident women. Such excellent role models they made...”

“You sure about that?” Raizo deadpanned. He looked at Kawamatsu, who gestured at the children still mocking one another. “She is the daughter of an ally; brusque yet formidable.”

“If the child is that bold and fearless, her parent must be a force to behold,” the kappa shivered.

“The giant bird called her Trafalgar?” Kawamatsu and Raizo glanced over to see Eustass Kid, who was watching the children fight with interest. “Yer havering; dinna ken the bastard had a wee bairn of his own. Don’ seem the type.”

“You are acquainted with her father?”

“I wouldn’t say something as nice as ‘acquainted wi’, but aye, arsehole and I butt heads when occasion calls,” Kid snorted. He looked at the girl carefully. “Must’ve knocked some poor thing up when he was still barely a nip himself.” He paused and clearly did some mental calculations. “Feck… she didn’t plop out of his mechanic, did she?”

“Her mother is unknown; Lady Ikkaku is more of an uncle to the child than an aunt or mother,” Raizo explained. “I would not test your luck, as he is extremely protective of her.”

“…and how’d yeh ken this, crag-face?”

“Her father’s underwater vessel was my transportation back to Wano; I have seen them interact.”

Huh. Interesting.

“Well, not my bloody fucking business if he uses this as a fucked-up family holiday,” Kid scoffed. “Oi, Killer, let’s go round up the lads—we’re gonna have some fun.”

“Faffaffaffa,” Killer chuckled before cringing. “Have’t untangle this fucking fankle before shite really goes down. Y’ken Heat and Wire gonna have a conniption…”

“Feckin’… see yeh losers up the road.” Kid and Killer both sauntered off, deciding that they were going to use this new information, but how was the question.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“You know, I’m gonna kill Law once we get a hold of him,” Penguin grumbled. He and Shachi were running through the woods, trying desperately to get through Kuri as quickly as possible. “We seriously could have busted his ass out by now!”

“He’s better at getting information,” Shachi reminded him between gasps of air. “We just have to ‘take care of the crew’ until he makes it out.”

“…and it’s his fault for getting us used to teleporting,” Penguin argued. Before long, Amigasa was within sight, the operation being much more crowded since the last time they were there. Some of the people there they did not recognize glared at them as they made their way through the encampment, suspicion being lifted as they finally found Nauja and she paused her katas to run up to them happily.

“You’re back!” she grinned, hugging both of them at once. “Penguin-ya, Shachi-ya, come meet my friends! We were just practicing!”

“We gotta get going, kid,” Penguin said. Instead, she latched onto his wrist and dragged him over to what looked like a sparring area. The purple-haired Tama was trying to beat up a practice dummy, while a pink-haired girl they’d never seen before was sitting off to the side with a shamisen and an unsettling grin.

“Tama-ya, Toko-ya, these are two of my uncles, Penguin-ya and Shachi-ya,” Nauja said. Both children stared at the men and the men stared right back.

“Where’s Momo-kun?” Shachi asked. All three girls silently pointed in the same direction, off to where a house was to the east, where the boy was poking his head around some shabby curtains to stare at them. Ah. “Is he being a dumb boy again?”

“The dumbest boy!” Nauja groaned.

“O-Ja has beaten him up a lot!” Toko laughed. “He doesn’t like to learn his lesson!”

“Momo and O-Ja quarrel unnecessarily and they are often separated by the adults,” Tama admitted. Nauja simply grimaced at being immediately tattled-on by her friends.

“Then let’s change the equation,” Penguin decided. “Get your backpack—we’re leaving. Captain’s orders.”

“…but, I want to stay with Tama-ya and Toko-ya!” Nauja insisted. “They’re neat! It’s Momo-ya who gets in the way.”

“Trust us, okay?” Shachi insisted. He was beginning to sweat—the last thing they needed was someone like Nami or Chopper coming over and asking questions about their captain, as they were liable to crack underneath even the slightest pressure. “Now come on: get your backpack.”

Except, she didn’t need to, as a chain of arms sprouted from the ground and brought it over to her.

“What the fuck…?” Shachi marveled. “How did she…?”

“Don’t underestimate me,” Robin giggled from right behind them, making the two men jump. “I promised Torao I’d watch over his daughter unless it was to pass her off to another appropriate guardian, of which I believe you both count. Between O-Kiku and myself, you can report that she has been well-cared for these past few days.”

“Uh… thanks…” Penguin replied, not really knowing what else to say. Another chain of hands brought over a furoshiki cloth containing some bento boxes, which she handed to a now-excited Nauja.

“It’s a long road back to the Flower Capitol; don’t eat anything you can’t trust.”

“We shall!” Nauja said. She then handed the lunches to Penguin so that she could hug both her friends goodbye. “Promise we’ll meet later?”

“Yes!” Tama said. “We’ll both get strong and help fight as samurai!”

“I’m not strong, but I’ll make sure to not die!” Toko giggled. The trio hugged and Nauja went with Penguin and Shachi, her dirk at her side and Shachi carrying her backpack.

“Fight as samurai, hmm…?” Penguin asked once they were outside of the town. “You’re not a samurai; you’re a pirate.”

“…and Tama-ya is a junior kunoichi, but that doesn’t matter,” Nauja nodded. “We’re gonna help everyone fight! It will be the element of surprise!”

“Do you think your dad will seriously let you join us during the raid when he almost died in Dressrosa and you bullied him into coming along here?” Penguin sighed. “Kids don’t belong on battlefields.”

“…but Tama-ya…!”

“…is probably going to stay here along with Toko and that old guy with the platform sandals. She just doesn’t know it yet.”

“Tengu-ya wouldn’t…!”

“Something tells us that he would,” Shachi replied. “Listen: we’re not doing this to punish you. Children shouldn’t be soldiers, is all.”

“…but that’s the thing! The enemy wouldn’t be expecting someone like me or Tama-ya! We would have the element of surprise!”

“Nauja.” Penguin stopped walking and knelt down, looking the girl directly in the eyes. “Shachi and I were young kids when our parents died and we were taken in by pieces of shit who made us do things that no kid should have to do. Your dad was only a kid when he experienced war, where he watched people he loved die all around him… do you think we’d simply let you walk onto Onigashima with us?”

The young girl looked at the ground. “N-No…”

“That’s right,” he affirmed. “We’re taking you back to the Flower Capitol because we need to keep you safe, and right now, that means to keep you moving.” He stood upright and held out his hand, which Nauja took in order for them to walk along. “Tama and Toko are your friends now?”

“Yeah,” she admitted quietly. “It’s nice having friends my age.”

“It really is,” Shachi agreed. “Looking at the three of you kinda reminds me of me and Peng and your dad! How old are they?”

“Well, Tama-ya is already eight, and Toko is six…”

“Shit, if you’re seven still, then you really are just like the three of us,” Shachi laughed. “Now all you need is a Mink toddler and you’re set!”

“All they do is poop their pants and electrocute people,” Nauja frowned. “Maybe when the Mink is my age, then we’ll talk.”

She didn’t expect them to laugh as hard as they did. What was honestly so funny about that?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Done with attempting to torture more information out of Hawkins, Law decided to leave the prison. Most of the other man’s blood was coating the floor and the bottoms of his zori as the fortune teller remained within a hair’s breadth of death. He went through the door into the corridor of the torture wing, only to see that X Drake was standing there, simply watching him walk away. The former Marine made no move towards him and Law sensed nothing that could be described as either bloodlust or a desire to recapture him.

“If letting me go is part of your plot,” he said, “then consider me a willing participant.”

“Oh, I’m certain I’ll be seeing you soon,” Drake said. There was something about the tone of his voice that made Law hesitate, turning around on his heel in curiosity.

“Why let me go? I’m an invaluable piece to the puzzle.”

“Let’s just say I don’t like making kids cry,” Drake quipped. A protective ire crossed Law’s face and he chuckled. “Then the rumors were true: you do have a kid.”

“Nowhere you can get to, you overgrown lizard.”

“Relax, Trafalgar. I said I don’t like to make kids cry. Hearing about the two of you makes me nostalgic, is all.”

“Nostalgic? For what?”

“You really want to know?” Law raised an eyebrow and sensed around them with Haki—nothing was raising flags, let alone was there anyone else in the prison’s torture wing. He nodded, allowing the other Supernova to continue. “It reminds me of how my first dad was before my mom left. I have another dad now—a foster father, if you will—but I got him as a teenager. Although I can’t deny what he gave me, there’s nothing like being a little kid whose dad cares, whose parents in general care, and I’m not about to get in the way of that.”

“Didn’t peg you for being a softie,” Law scoffed. “Daddy issues, yeah, but not soft.”

Drake snorted. “Oh…? Of all the things, daddy issues was what you went with?”

“Rare is the Northern kid with a rebellious streak that doesn’t have heavy daddy issues, in my experience. The only difference is if they’re willing to talk about it or not.”

Rolling his eyes, Drake chuckled at that. “Is this you warning me about your crew somehow?”

“Possibly—time will tell.” Law then rested Kikoku on his shoulder and turned to walk away. He made it to the door and popped out of sight, being replaced by a pebble.

Pebble, discarded doll, dango skewer, cat; Law kept moving himself along the streets of the Flower Capitol, searching for any sign of his crew. He found nothing as he scouted the area, nothing until…

Ah! There! He felt a familiar presence within the city and began to make his way towards it. When he finally arrived, he was standing outside an old soy sauce brewery, the windows and doors shuttered. He went around the back and was able to slip in through some loose boards. It was dark as he made his way through the building, going mostly off of how his Haki felt than anything else. He eventually came to a storeroom, where it appeared to be nothing more than some old barrels and busted crates. All it took was a Room and he was able to disassemble one of the barrels, revealing Nauja having been hiding in it.

“…and why are you back in the capitol, young lady?” he asked.

“Uh… if I stayed with Momo-ya for one more moment, I’d crack a shinai over his head?”

“While I like that answer, it’s still the wrong one.” He opened up another room, this one bigger, and decided to takt Penguin and Shachi out of the walls. “Why is my daughter back in the capitol?”

“We needed to make sure she was alright after not only were you captured,” Shachi defended, “but you also said that we needed to take care of the crew.”

“Plus, we heard about a prison uprising in Udon and that one of the people we left her with had been there, so it was something of a security measure in case the village’s cover was blown,” Penguin added. “There’s a lot of people there now—we don’t know if they’re there on borrowed time or not.”

“Shit… and there’s not long until the raid…” Law mused. He allowed the Rooms to drop and Penguin and Shachi landed on their faces while Nauja landed on her feet. “We need to gather the others and lay low for a while, which shouldn’t be too bad as long as there’s a place big enough for us…” He glanced around and frowned. “Where’s the rest of the crew?”

“Hunkered down in Ebisu for the time being,” Penguin replied with a groan. “Bep’s with them.”

“Yeah, we were mostly waiting for news that you escaped so we could figure out what to do,” Shachi agreed.

“Plus, we found this place as a hideout!” Nauja grinned. “Isn’t it great?! Even Jean Bart will fit!”

Law looked around the old brewery again—it was spacious, that much was true, but there was still the fact it was in the middle of town. “It’s big and abandoned, but we’ve got too many people to house and feed to remain under the radar here. This place might be able to accommodate six or seven maximum without drawing attention, not twenty-two.”

“Then we need a big-ass place,” Penguin surmised. He and Shachi were now both standing, covered in wood splinters and plaster dust. “You have to admit that our spatial needs are… unique.”

“I wouldn’t say unique, simply a mild challenge,” Law said. The sight of Nauja jumping up and down with her hand up caught his eye. “Yes…?”

“I know a place!” she said happily. “It’s big, and it’s still in the Flower Capitol, and we can use it to gather more information while we prepare! It’s very useful!”

“That’s my girl,” Law replied, a prideful smirk across his lips. He patted his daughter on the head and she grinned up at him, which was enough for Shachi and Penguin to stare at one another, unimpressed.

“So then, where is this magical place, squirt?” Shachi wondered.

Oh… they did not like the look on her face one bit.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was in the early hours of the morning as Tsugaru woke from her slumber to a silent okiya. The elderly woman had gone to bed early the night prior, which accounted for her early rising more than she would like to admit. She shuffled from her room to the bathroom, refreshing herself before going to sit on the courtyard porch and look at the moon. It was impossibly big and beautiful for its partial phase, lending a serene air to the early hour.

Times like this made her glad that she was free.

After a while of sitting there, Tsugaru heard a peculiar noise. It wasn’t a mouse, nor a cat, but it was trying to get in at the gate. The lock rattled—an intruder.

“Well, okay, out of ideas,” a man’s voice said quickly.

“You know I can take apart the lock, right?” another man deadpanned.

“No, no, throw me over!” a child’s voice insisted. Tsugaru paused; the child sounded familiar. “Okaa-san might be angry if you force the lock! She’s really nice when she’s not angry!”

“We are not throwing you over,” the second man replied sternly. “You could hurt something.”

“Won’t know until we try!” a third man said. There was a sudden scuffle—the second man was apparently restrained—and the sound of the child squeaking as she was tossed in the air and tumbled down into the dirt. Tsugaru looked in the direction of the yard and saw a small girl running towards her…

…and it was O-Ja…?

“Okaa-ya!” the girl gasped. She looked terrible, as though she hadn’t bathed or eaten her fill in days, befitting someone who had suddenly gone missing. “Please! I need your help!” Tsugaru brought the girl close into a hug, her ire resurfacing—how dare that villain use a mere child for her schemes?!

“O-Ja… O-Ja, listen to me,” she held the child at arms’ length, “did you know that O-Robi was a lying, thieving spy?”

“Okaa-ya, I’m a spy,” the girl admitted. Wait… what…?! “We never lied to you, though! We’re here to help Wano be free… free like geisha are!”

“If you walk away from that life right now, then I will let you stay here at the okiya without O-Robi,” Tsugaru said. “We will act like nothing happened… like you didn’t show up here with a wanted criminal…”

“I can’t. I have to help how I can! I’m part of the alliance—I can’t let it fail!”

Tsugaru raised an eyebrow. “The alliance…?”

“Yes! The Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance! We’re helping the Kozuki Family!”

“Whatever offshoot has you fooled is just a bunch of nonsense causing you trouble,” the old woman claimed, shocked the child spoke a name long-taboo in the Flower Capitol. “The Kozuki Family has been gone for twenty years—they’re not doing much of anything these days.”

“That’s because they just got here,” O-Ja said. She took a photograph from her sleeve pocket and showed it to Tsugaru. “Is this proof enough?”

There, in the photograph, was O-Ja alright… along with a small girl with purple hair, a smaller girl with pink hair, and… Kozuki Momonosuke…!

“If this is a prank then it’s not funny,” Tsuguru scowled.

“It’s not—I just need to convince you to let my family in for a little while we hide from Orochi’s men!”

“…and why me…?”

“…because you might be strict, but I know you’re good and kind! Why else would you take in strangers before?”

Tsugaru looked in the direction of the gate, then back at the child. “There are men with you.”

“My dad, and the crew, and they promise to behave and not bring you trouble.”

“Your father…? Then you lied about that as well…?”

“I told you: we never lied! O-Robi said I had no mom, which is true! And if you thought I was an orphan, then that used to be true too before Dad gave me his name! You were too important to lie to, okaa-ya! Well, other than my name, but it was close enough!”

“Too important…?”

“…and if anything, then Dad at least wants to thank you for taking care of me, because he might be a pirate, but he still knows manners!”

Tsugaru stared at O-Ja, both of them trembling. She looked in the child’s eyes and tried to see something… something that could justify her sounding an alarm and getting the yakuza’s attention. Nearly an entire minute passed and she made her decision.

“Open the gate and bring your family into the banquet hall,” she said. “I’ll get the others.”

“Right!” O-Ja rushed to the gate and opened it, bringing the Heart Pirates inside the okiya’s domain. By the time Tsugaru led the okiya’s other residents into the hall, the pirates were all sitting seiza as they waited. Several gasps escaped them—it was the missing shikomi, with a group of rough-looking strangers! Tsugaru motioned for her staff to sit facing them, with herself sitting directly in front of O-Ja and a man who looked like their leader.

“Now tell me,” Tsugaru demanded firmly, “why are a bunch of foreign pirates darkening our door?”

“For one,” the man next to O-Ja said, “to thank you for caring for my daughter and giving her a means of acquiring good food and water as well as information for the assignment she insisted on participating in.” He bowed deeply in the Wanolese fashion, which seemed to unnerve the others who were with him. If Tsugaru believed that the child had not been eating her fill of food, then the adults appeared to have eaten even less.

“You used a child for espionage. By any moral and legal code, that is unacceptable. Who is to say I shouldn’t turn you over to the yakuza right here and now? We do that and the girl would be mine to raise in a safer and more stable environment than you could ever provide. She would be free of you, and all I’d have to do is lift my hand.”

“You won’t,” he replied, sitting up straight.

“…and how do you know that?”

“…because although I don’t trust you, my daughter trusts you, and she tends to be a good judge of character.” The man’s piercing amber eyes sent a chill through the okiya’s residents. “Our second reason for being here is that we need a place to hide for a few days and she suggested this okiya. If you do not consent, we shall be out of your hair immediately and you shall never need to think of us again.”

“You’re really doing it, aren’t you?” Tsugaru wondered. “You’re really planning on helping bring the Kozuki Family back from extinction?”

More gasps and murmurs from the staff.

“It is a goal that aligns with our interests, yes. I have done plenty more foolhardy things in the past—none of them involve Nauja being in the line of fire.”

“So that is your name…? Nauja…?” The girl tightened her fists as she avoided eye contact. “Then why, O-Nauja-chan, are you so young, yet you believe in this cause so much?”

“Dad doesn’t care about it as much, but I do,” O-Ja said. She then looked at Tsugaru, expression steely despite her young age. “Momo-ya’s a dumb boy, and I don’t like him one bit, but under him, Wano would be free! No more Kaidou, no more Beast Pirates, no more SMILEs or poisoned factories or poisoned food or wondering when you’ll get kicked out of the Flower Capital for not being important enough! Okaa-ya took O-Robi and I in because we said we wanted to be free, and that’s the truth! We want Wano to be free of these evil people! Free like pirates! Free like geisha!”

The adults in the room all stared at O-Ja, impressed and moved by the child’s conviction. They only saw honesty in her, which moved some of them to tears. Tsugaru frowned before clenching her fist in determination.

“Alright!” she decided. “You can stay!”

“…but okaa-san…!” someone gasped.

“Most of you don’t remember, but business was better under the Kozuki Family,” the old woman said. “Think with your hearts or with your purses—the answer’s the same. We will hide you for as long as you need—Orochi will pay for his maltreatment of the ones who he lauded power over. His laws mean nothing if we are not freed by them… and living in fear of falling out of his favor is no way to live.”

The man next to O-Ja grinned. His gamble was turning out to be a fruitful one.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“I don’t like this,” Shachi scowled. Feeling naked without his hat and sunglasses, he tried to flex his shoulders in an effort to get his kimono to shift—no sale. Between that, the cosmetics on his face, and his hair having been straightened and done in an elaborate manner, he was severely uncomfortable. “I want to touch my face; it’s itchy.”

“No touching,” Ikkaku warned. She was busy applying blush to Clione’s white-painted face, both men having been volunteered alongside her for informant duties. “If I have to redo your makeup too often, I will murder you.”

“I’ll be honest,” Clione said, “I didn’t even think you knew how to do this sort of stuff.”

“Never had the patience to do it very often, and that was before landing a spot on a ship where I’d sweat it all off in half an hour anyhow,” she shrugged. It was then that Nauja came into the room, brandishing a mannequin head wearing a blond wig.

“I got okaa-ya’s extra hair!” she cheered. She waited for Ikkaku to put the finishing touches on Clione’s cosmetics before handing over the wig, which got secured on the man’s head. “Oooh… you look pretty, Clione-ya!”

“Thanks…?”

“…and don’t worry Shachi-ya! You look pretty too!”

“That’s not as much of a compliment as you think it is, kiddo,” Shachi deadpanned. He tried to wriggle his face muscles in order to alleviate the itch, only for Ikkaku to threaten him with the powder brush.

“I will end you,” she threatened. She then finished with Clione’s wig, the three adults now looking no different than many of the other maiko wandering about the okiya. “Okay then, star helper-child—bring us to the goods.”

“Right!” Nauja beamed. She led them through the corridors to one of the dining halls, where there were customers already eating and drinking away. “Nee-ya, I brought the new maiko.”

“Very good, O-Ja-chan,” smiled the geisha who was in charge of the room. “Bring them in.” Nauja did, directing the new hires to be seated on cushions along the wall.

“I’m surprised that Tsugaru-san is willing to take more in after that disaster,” one of the customers scoffed into his drink. “That would have ruined any other okiya, geisha or oiran.”

“That is an astute observation,” the lead geisha admitted. “However, we are taking extra precautions now because of it. There shall be no special exceptions unless we see fit, not because someone requested them. These maiko shall be tested here for as long as it takes before they are allowed to be sent to the shogun. Tsugaru-okaa-san takes pride in her craft and does not permit others to make a mockery of it. If one is to judge this okiya, it should be on the consistent quality we have beholden ourselves to over the years despite our station, not the actions of one snake who found a path through the grass.”

“Didn’t the kid show up around that time?” the customer mentioned, staring at Nauja. The child held a shiver down as she gathered plates to be brought back to the kitchen.

“This cutie-patootie?” another customer giggled, face already red from drink. He ruffled Nauja’s hair and pinched her cheek. “Are you kidding? She’s going to run this okiya one day.” He then shifted and looked at the newcomers before attempting to wave them over. “Don’t be shy! You learn by doing!”

“With respect, our profession learns by watching,” the lead geisha stated.

“Nonsense,” the second customer snorted. “Long as we don’t touch, I think it’s alright to give these gals a taste of what’s to come.”

Customers and subordinates alike turned towards the lead geisha, looking for instruction. She knew the position she was in, as well as the “newcomers” in question…

“For a moment,” she agreed, motioning towards the Hearts. Ikkaku, Clione, and Shachi stood, taking positions next to customers while attempting to seem shy. While the first two secured seats between customers who merely bowed their heads in greeting, Shachi ended up sitting next to the man who gave the suggestion, feeling his eyes claw up and down him.

“Nice to see Tsugaru-san is diversifying again,” the second customer said, staring wistfully at Shachi. “I’d like to get a hold of you in the middle of the night, darling.”

Yeah, and the near-twenty pirates hiding under the tatami mats in the crawlspace would be ready to help make him regret those words.

“Can we go to an okiya without being subjected to your taste in bedmates?” a third customer groaned loudly. He leaned over to Ikkaku and sighed. “He’s a menace, I swear. He gets us kicked out of restaurants for groping the waitstaff.”

“A place with rules should help rein him in then,” she replied with a smirk. She looked at Nauja, who was placing trays by the door, then at Clione, who was trying to not die, then at Shachi, who was not only really trying to not die but was also trying to figure out how he was going to talk his way out of this one considering the timbre of his own voice. They were only supposed to be watching silently from the sides…

“You can’t get her to reply,” Nauja said as she collected more dishes. “O-Chi-nee-ya and O-Line-nee-ya aren’t allowed to speak yet. They sound like farmers.”

…and the kid comes in clutch, thank fuck.

“O-Ja-chan,” the lead geisha gently chided, knowing how big of a save it was. “You must work quietly.”

“Yes, O-nee-ya,” the girl replied. “Forgive me.”

“She is just a young girl; Tsugaru-san has time to mold her into shape,” another man said nonchalantly.

“Speaking of young children,” someone piped up, “I heard the craziest story yesterday, you know… about those whispers involving Lady Toki’s prophecy.” The rest of the customers jumped at the change in conversation, seizing it tightly.

“Tch. Conspiracies.”

“They say that Oden’s son leapt through time and has shown up as a child.”

“…as a child? You know that has to be a pretender, right?”

“A grandson, mayhaps, if the boy had survived?”

Aaahhh… there they were… now maybe all the sexual harassment was going to be worth something.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was two days until the raid on Onigashima.

Moving stealthily in the middle of the night, Law returned to the okiya to retrieve his daughter and the last of his crew. He had moved the other half the night before, while keeping the ones who were helping gather information in the game for one more day. Once he was within the okiya’s walls once again, he allowed himself a smile as Nauja ran to him and jumped into his arms.

“You ready to go?” he asked.

“I am,” she said, clinging to him with her arms around his neck. He saw the rest of the crew were all ready, with Tsugaru standing in the doorway.

“I am truly in your debt,” Law said, bowing his head slightly towards the elderly woman. “They are all I really have.”

“Then protect O-Ja and put the better-paying shogunate back in its place,” she demanded. “Go, and don’t come back until you’ve done precisely that.”

With another nod, the Heart Pirates left the okiya and dispersed into the city. They all knew of the meetup point outside the Flower Capitol’s borders, as traveling in a large pack would do more harm than good. Going out different doors and headed in varying directions, most of the Hearts pretended to not know one another side from a few small groups.

“Otou-san, can we get some soba?!” Nauja asked excitedly, seeing a stand sitting in front of a textile shop. Chuckling, Law shook his head.

“It will spoil your dinner,” he gently chided, playing along with the ruse. “Maybe we can have some on your birthday.”

“Oh, I would like that very much,” she said. She held his hand as they wandered through the streets, pretending to be out on a stroll, only pausing when she stepped in front of him and held her arms up. “Please…?”

“You’re getting big for that, aren’t you?” he chuckled. She merely grunted and did a little hop in place. Giving in, he picked her up, careful not to remove the furoshiki cloth that was hiding the Sora design on her backpack. “Better?”

“They’re behind us,” she whispered in his ear.

Taking her claim seriously, Law slipped into a nearby alley and began to run. Using his Devil Fruit at this point would be a potential disaster, while breaking out into a fight in the open was only asking for even more trouble. He eventually found himself blocked in, a certain blue-haired yakuza boss staring him down.

“Kyoshiro,” he growled.

“Public Enemy Trafalgar,” the other man replied. He watched as the pirate drew his own sword, holding it one-handed as he kept Nauja close to him. “Turned to kidnapping, have we?”

“Can’t kidnap what’s yours.” Law tried to flex his fingers to see if he could open a decent Room without dropping his daughter—no dice.

“I beg to differ; kidnappings can come in all forms, as do bluffs.” Kyoshiro looked at the way Nauja clung to the younger man’s yukata and frowned. “What’s to stop me from rescuing that child and bringing her into my household, raising her to be a proper lady?”

“As though a yakuza has any room to judge.” Reaching out with his Haki, Law felt that they were surrounded. “Then again, your wards tend to be… troublesome, from what I hear.”

“You talk of my pride, joy, and heartbreak,” Kyoshiro replied, staring at the pair carefully. “How very astute of you—she was like a daughter to me, wasn’t she?”

“It’s difficult watching them do what they please, isn’t it?” Law said. “It’s difficult and hurts, both heart-wrenching and rewarding, and yet is one of the easiest and best things in the world.”

“Poetic.”

“Words from someone who knew what he was talking about.”

Kyoshiro continued to stare at the little family, his eyes narrowed and tired as he examined the situation. He sheathed his own sword, which only served to confuse his men.

“What are you doing, boss?” one wondered cautiously. “We have him right where we want him!”

“Yet is there not something… familiar about them?” Kyoshiro said. He stepped forward and Law tensed. The other yakuza adjusted their grips on their own swords, hoping that they would not need to rush in to defend their boss. “Let me ask you a question—your reaction decides your fate.”

Law did not answer, instead narrowing his glare at the taller man. Kyoshiro, figuring it was as close to consent as he was going to get, bent down and whispered in Law’s ear, so lowly not even Nauja could hear.

“Long live Kozuki Momonosuke, brother to my ward as she lives and the true shogun of Wano Kuni.”

Law sucked in a breath—fuck—this Kyoshiro was not entirely as he seemed. They exchanged a glance as the older man straightened. He sheathed his sword and created a Room with his now-free-hand, father and daughter being replaced by leaves.

“Shogun Orochi’s not going to be too happy about this,” a subordinate grimaced.

“Then he shall never know,” Kyoshiro stated. “It was a favor, one father to another. That child needs her father, if only for a short while longer.”

“…but what about…?!”

“We all have our part to play,” Kyoshiro nodded. “Now let’s get the fuck back to base—I’m exhausted from all this running around.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“You must listen to your father, child,” Hitetsu said gently. Nauja was sobbing on the shore near Amigasa Village, with the elderly man at her side and her father staring her down. Tama and Toko both awkwardly stood a short distance away, wanting to comfort their friend, but being too intimidated by the adults to do anything.

“I want to go along!” Nauja insisted. “I’ll be good and stay on the Tang!”

“No, you are going to stay here, with your friends and Tengu-ya,” Law countered. “You already shouldn’t be here. I can’t risk you any more than you have already.”

“…but I’m strong! I can take care of myself!”

“This has nothing to do with how strong you are and you know it.” Law exchanged a look with Hitetsu and the older man nodded, instead heading towards Tama and Toko. “I thought you were okay with staying.”

“Momo-ya gets to go,” she whined. She then breathed deeply and swallowed to clear her nasal passage.  “Why is he going…? He’s pathetic.”

“That’s not my decision to make,” he replied sourly. He really wished that the brat was also staying behind, but he understood the tactical advantage of bringing a physical manifestation of the old dynasty into battle, even if he didn’t agree. “This is why I wanted you to stay on Zou with Alana-ya and Yepo-ya… so that we could avoid this.”

“You keep almost dying,” she reminded him, letting herself lean against his legs. “I’m sick of you almost dying all the time.”

“…and what would you rather me do?”

“Live, with me, someplace not here,” she mumbled. “Just be my dad.”

“Except, when we took down Doflamingo, we took down Kaidou’s supply of drugs, and I highly doubt he’s going to let that one slide,” he explained. Law knelt down in the sand and held his daughter by her shoulders. “I need to look for something there anyhow, and I don’t think I can find it, help take down Kaidou, and protect you.” He gently turned her chin upwards so as to look her in the eyes. “Listen, famke, I love you, and I am different because of it in all the best ways. I plan on coming back, whether it’s to celebrate a victory or to grab all three of you girls and run. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Good.” He kissed her forehead and gave her a smile. “I love you, Trafalgar Nauja.”

“I love you too, Vaor.”

“Now go enjoy the festival.” He opened a Room and disappeared, being replaced with a pebble that was on the deck of the waiting Polar Tang.

“Now that’s settled, let’s begin to prepare for our journey to the Flower Capitol for the Fire Festival,” Hitetsu announced. Nauja sat on the beach instead, watching the Polar Tang slip beneath the surface of the waves. The old man sighed heavily—how he wished comforting the child were but a simple act.

“Let us pack!” Toko grinned as she bounced up towards Hitetsu. He saw that Tama was heading towards Nauja and he took solace in at least that.

“Yes, do lets,” he agreed, letting the child lead him back towards the village. They were both well out of earshot before Tama sat next to her friend. Both girls stared out at the horizon, watching the waves gently crest and reach out towards the tide line, never quite touching their toes.

“I get it,” Nauja croaked out as she tried not to cry, “but he doesn’t think he’s coming back.”

“How can you tell?” Tama wondered. Nauja wiped her nose on her sleeve.

“He looked at me like that before,” she said. “That time he went alone to fight the guy who grew the SMILEs for Kaidou. Now he’s taking the whole crew… everyone but me. They even took Momo-ya, and that little brat trips over his own geta.”

“I don’t remember how my dad looked at me, verily,” Tama admitted. She let out a little chuckle, trying to hide her own tears. “My parents died so long ago now that I don’t even remember their faces. I like that you have a dad… that I saw him look at you, because I can imagine that’s how my dad looked. It’s really nice.”

“Tama-ya… I…”

“Nah, it’s fine,” the junior kunoichi said. She stood up and stretched, reaching high as she could into the air. “Wow! What a great day! Verily, it would be a shame to waste it!”

“That’s why we’re going to the Fire Festival, right?” Nauja asked. Tama grinned instead, pointing towards the treeline.

Speed was there.

Speed had a boat.

Speed still did everything Tama asked of her.

“The adults might want us to stay here, but I wanna help create a Wano that doesn’t have Orochi, where we can eat our fill every day, not just on festivals and birthdays. You in?”

In…?! Nauja couldn’t stand up and hug Tama fast enough.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, you’re too far from the nest - Part 3 of 3

So, this chapter spiraled out of control and is at 10,701 words, which brings the total for this alternate chapter to 24,857. If you replace the regular third chapter with this, it brings the story up to roughly 66.5k words, which is fairly impressive if you ask me.

Original Story  - Part 1 (FFN/AO3)  - Part 2 (FFN/AO3)

It’s always been about revenge, only now it’s also over the future herself. [AU where Law does for a child what Cora-san did for him and lives to tell the tale]

Nauja held on tight as the Linear Fox bus scampered quickly through the underground tunnel back to Dressrosa. Usopp and Robin got their own foxes to ride, and although she could have ridden with one of them, they all played it safe and had saddled up a third fox.

‘I wonder what’s going on with Law-san,’ she wondered to herself. She didn’t like the fact that he had sent her away almost soon as they were together again, but knew that if he was going to defeat Uncle Doffy…

“Are you alright, Nauja-chan?” Robin asked. Nauja’s fox jumped over a root and the girl gasped.

“Yeah, I think so,” she said shakily. She squeaked as the foxes came to a stop, with Nauja losing her grip and tumbling over the front of her ride. Hands sprouted from the ground and cushioned her fall. “Oh! A Devil Fruit!”

“That was close,” Robin chuckled. She and Usopp both dismounted their fox-buses and the Tontattas began to tie up their own mounts. “I don’t think Torao-kun would like it if we returned you with a bunch of scratches.”

“To-ra-o?” Nauja tilted her head.

“Oh, yeah, that’s what we call your dad,” Usopp explained. “Our captain can’t say his name, so, Torao.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” the girl frowned, not paying attention to the fact she was being led through yet another tunnel. “It’s not that hard…”

“It is for Luffy,” Usopp shrugged. They then came to a chamber where Franky and Thunder Solider were waiting, with Nauja gasping at the sight of the latter.

“Solider-ya!” she cried. She ran up to the toy and hugged him. “I’ve been worried about you!”

“I’ve been worried about you as well,” Thunder Soldier replied. “I see you’ve brought company.”

“This is Robin-ya and Usopp-ya—they’re friends of my dad! And I think you know the Tontattas…?”

“I do,” Thunder Soldier nodded. “I’ve been working diligently with them to build a resistance army that will bring back the Riku Family to power. We’re almost there.”

“The Riku Family…?”

“Yes!” Leo said cheerily. “King Riku was a kind and noble leader! Your uncle tricked the people into thinking he was evil so that he could come in and overthrow him!”

“Not many kings from the Big Humans are good, but Riku was,” Tonta-Chief added. “He was good and fair, and now instead he and his family suffer the most out of all.”

“…but you’re two toys and a bunch of Tontattas…” Nauja frowned.

“Yow, I’m no toy!” Franky replied. “I’m a cyborg!”

“What?!” Nauja marveled. “That’s supposed to be impossible! Did you eat a Devil Fruit?!”

“Nope! This is all genuine science and technology, little miss!” Franky posed outlandishly, making Nauja’s eyes grow wide, Robin chuckle, and Usopp facepalm.

“Does my dad know?! That’s so cool!”

“He knows,” Usopp deadpanned. “Franky, did you learn anything while you were out there? Where’s everyone else?”

“You’re not going to believe this, but I’ve got a story to tell you,” the cyborg replied. Usopp swallowed hard at that—whatever it was, it had better be something he could run away from.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hakugan cussed under his breath as he ducked into the alleyway in order to avoid Marines. Fuck, the island was crawling with them now, which made his job infinitely more difficult. Once the coast was clear, he made a break for it, sprinting almost the entire way back to the crew’s rented house.

“Fuck, be a little more conspicuous, why don’t you,” Clione cringed as the front door slammed. “Any sign of them?”

“I wish,” the masked man breathed. “Did the others get back?”

“Right here,” Shachi said from the other room. Hakugan entered and saw the entire rest of the crew sans Law and Nauja was there. “You were almost caught too, eh?”

“There’s so many Marines out there that Dressrosa might have more than Marineford at the current moment,” Hakugan claimed. It didn’t make him feel any better that no one contradicted him. “What about you guys? Any good leads?”

“Sorry,” Bepo replied, bowing his head, “but we were hoping you had something.”

“Well, we can’t leave the Captain and Nauja to their own devices; it’s not like he’s taking her to a festival,” Jean Bart mused. “There has to be something we can do.”

“That’s the problem, big guy: there’s not much we can,” Penguin frowned. “This is a delicate operation that the Captain was willing to go into by himself before Nauja got involved—we’re good at information gathering and delicate shipwork and being a support structure, but battle…? With the Donquixote Pirates? And at least half the area’s Marine population? I don’t think so.”

“How do you know he would have gone in by himself?” Ikkaku asked.

“He’s only talked about how he wants to take down Doflamingo for, like, the entire time we’ve known him,” Penguin replied. Shachi and Bepo both nodded in confirmation. “He wanted Doflamingo dead even before the kid was in the picture… before any of us were in the picture… this day was coming whether we had a say in it or not…”

“Is this Doflamingo and his crew really that bad?” Jean Bart mused. The others nodded.

“If given a choice between fighting them or the Marines, I’m going with the Marines all day,” Shachi said. Mutters of agreement filtered through the rest of the crew—no arguments there. He then thought about it before sighing. “What the fuck are we even doing here…?”

The room was uncomfortably silent. It was a simple enough question, but not one that had an answer they wanted to hear. Functionally, they were in the way, just waiting to fuck everything up, to turn tail and run, and it wasn’t exactly the best feeling in the world. All they wanted to do was back up their captain, to help rescue his kid, and yet they were functionally a liability.

Just then, one of the transponder snails on the desk woke up and started buzzing in code. Clione frantically started writing the message, his face growing progressively paler the more he wrote. “Fuck…”

“What is it…?” Bepo wondered. “Is everything okay with the Captain and Nauja…?” Clione simply leaned back once the snail stopped buzzing and stared into the middle distance.

“I… uh… don’t know how to tell everyone this, but… my contact just passed along some interesting news.”

His crewmates stared at him—what?!

“…as it turns out, Cap’s royalty,” he said flatly. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to both process the information and figure out how to present it to the rest of the crew, his mouth making a tsk sound each time. “He… I guess… is Doflamingo’s… nephew…?”

“Wait, what…?!” Penguin asked, furrowing his brow. “Says who…?!��

“An admiral, who I guess heard it from the Captain during what ended up being failed negotiations,” Clione marveled. What the actual fuck was going on? This was beyond anything anyone thought would happen.

“…and your contact knows this how?” Ikkaku asked.

“The Marines who were on Green Bit, which I guess was a trap after all, can’t keep their yaps shut and now the admiral is having a hell of a crisis on what to do, which is honestly the good part about all this.” More code came through and he could help but laugh incredulously as he wrote it down.

“What is it now…?” Shachi frowned. The rest of the crew were all exchanging uneasy glances.

“Admiral Fujitora stripped both of them of Warlord status thanks to their alliances with Straw Hat and Kaidou,” Clione marveled.

“Well, it was fun while it lasted,” Ikkaku deadpanned.

“No shit; plus, because of the whole them-being-related-thing, this might be classified as a civil war…?”

“Oh no…” Bepo fretted. “All we wanted was our kid, and now the Captain’s started a civil war?! This is terrible!”

“Hmm… maybe not,” Jean Bart mused. The others looked at him and he nodded with the levity befitting his former captain’s status. “Has your contact mentioned anything about Nauja?”

“Just that they’re still looking for her.”

“Then that’s settled,” Penguin nodded. “We’re going to find her first.”

“You said yourself we are not good for battle,” Jean Bart said with a chuckle, “so let’s use this civil war to our advantage.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja crept carefully past the Marines that were concentrating on Franky and dashed for a small alleyway, dirk drawn and at the ready. She was shaking as she watched the cyborg continue the distraction and was glad that he had not stopped yet. It was her job to get out of sight now that they were getting the plan into action, and she was not going to disappoint anyone. With her dirk firmly in her hands, she began to creep backwards towards the other exit, which would hopefully allow her access to the rest of Dressrosa.

“Where do you think you’re going, brat?” She cringed and looked over her shoulder to see Señor Pink standing there at the back mouth of the alley, looking the exact amount of stupid and mean that she was not in the mood for dealing with at the moment. “The Young Master’s been looking everywhere for you…”

“Stay away from me,” she insisted, holding up her knife. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“You sure about that?” he scoffed. “You really shouldn’t be a brat when someone as hard-boiled as I am decides your fate.”

“That doesn’t even mean anything! You’re just weird!” She watched as he ground his teeth on his pacifier—great. Now he was just pissed off.

“You wouldn’t understand the pain I’ve gone through, kid,” Señor Pink growled. “It takes a real man to have lived through what I have.”

“You’re creepy! Stay away from me!”

“Stop picking on the Little Mistress, Pink.” Both Señor Pink and Nauja looked to see that Baby 5 was approaching as she lit up a cigarette. “You go get the cyborg—I’ll take care of her.”

“You sure?”

“I’m pretty sure your expertise is needed elsewhere.” He nodded and dove into the ground, swimming his way towards a battle with Franky. Nauja began to shake as Baby 5 stood there staring her down. “What’s the matter?”

“I wanna go home,” Nauja said resolutely. Tears began to silently stream down her cheeks. “I don’t want to stay with any of you anymore.”

“…but Little Mistress, your place is here, with the Family.” Baby 5 crouched down and stared at the girl curiously. “Don’t we treat you well?”

“I don’t care.”

“You don’t care…? Now what kind of an answer is that?” Baby 5 let out a puff of smoke, tilting her head in genuine curiosity. “Don’t you like being a princess?”

“No. I like learning doctor things.”

Baby 5 paused, considering everything she knew about the girl. “Is this about Giolla’s dresses? If you ruin enough of them she’ll get the picture…” Sounds from Señor Pink and Franky fighting began in the background, though not clearly enough to tell what was going on. Nauja remained still, holding her knife shakily as she kept it pointed at Baby 5. The adult closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, letting out a puff of smoke before she turned her crouch into a bow on one knee and looked the girl in the eyes.

“Then tell me what you need me to do, Little Mistress, and I will make it happen.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Every part of Law ached as he drifted back into consciousness. Seastone cuffs burned at his wrists held behind his back and he could feel at least three of his ribs were broken, varying other fractures, lacerations… fuck… was he concussed…? Oh… seas… he was fucking concussed…

“Rise and shine,” Doflamingo sing-songed. Law blinked blood from his eyes and realized where he was: the Dressrosan palace, tied unceremoniously to a chair. He tilted his head up and saw the top was shaped like a heart—oh, fuck. “You have answers to give me, young man.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” Law hissed. “Debts don’t transfer when it’s the brother that pulled the trigger.”

“You’re still mad about that?” Doflamingo asked, a false innocence scraped thinly across his voice. The corner of his mouth twitched into a grin. “All I did was eliminate an obstacle that was in my way.”

“He never wanted to see you again; how is that an obstacle?”

“It is when he runs off with my ticket to everything.” Doflamingo held Law’s chin and made the younger man look at him, eyes narrowed. “Now you’ve come back, but not to give me what I want.”

“At this point, I don’t know what you want anymore,” Law spat. “You keep taking my family away, and for what…? So I can use my Devil Fruit ability on you? What in the hell do you think is owed you?”

“Everything, Law; I am owed everything this pathetic world has to offer.” He let go and straightened, towering over his prisoner. “All the riches of Marie Geoise, all the power of the Underground, all the life afforded me by that Devil Fruit of yours, all the legitimacy of raising a young child into what her father was foolish enough to eschew…”

“…and you will not lay a finger on her ever again! I made sure of that!”

“Are you, now?” He smirked as Law’s face fell in horror at the sight of Nauja stepping out of the shadows, clinging to Doflamingo’s pant leg as she stared at him. “Tell him.”

“Uncle Doffy is kind to me and forgave me for biting him,” the child said. “He said that with training, I will become Queen of Dressrosa.”

“Nauja-ya…”

“You’re sitting in my chair—I’m going to sit there,” she said, face wet with tears. “I’m going to be the Heart, and then Joker and Queen. Uncle Doffy will make sure that I become Queen when he gets tired of Dressrosa.”

“Nauja-ya, listen to yourself: this is the man that killed Cora-jiisan! He’s going to kill us too! He just wants to use you!” Law struggled against his restraints, the cuffs cutting into his wrists. His stomach churned as Doflamingo picked her up, allowing the child to latch on as he held her close. “Nauja-ya! What did you do to her?!”

“She’s a bright child—she’ll do well,” Doflamingo said. She hid her face in his coat, unable to look at Law. “My only concern is how you were able to hide her from us for so long… hide her mother… who is her mother, and where is she? Why did you have a child so young and why do you keep her away from the only other family she has left?”

Law’s chest felt tight as he stared at Doflamingo—he really thought Nauja was his biological daughter…? That he had her for the past nearly eight years? There was something that wasn’t right about all of this… something that settled wrong…

“I’ve seen how you treat family… why would I return to you if given the choice?”

“A single man raising a young girl all by himself? You need a support structure; you need family…”

“I have my family. You were never a part of it.”

“Even when I raised you?”

“Especially when you were grooming me.”

“Ooooh, now that’s not nice,” Doflamingo crooned. He lifted his leg and kicked the side of Law’s face, staying perfectly still with the child in his arm. “I only raise people out of mediocrity. Whatever vile words you attach to it is entirely your fault.”

“Uncle Doffy says I’m a good girl,” the child said, voice wavering. “You were bad—that’s why this is happening. Mom would want me to be a princess.”

Ah! That was it!

“No… this is happening because a certain someone thinks he can mimic my child and that I won’t notice because I’m panicking,” Law said. It was beginning to hurt to move his jaw—great, another bullet point on the list. “I don’t know who that is, but my daughter knows one very important thing that you don’t.”

“Oh…? What would that be…?”

“That she has no mother.”

The child sitting in Doflamingo’s arm dissolved into string as he dropped it, instead choosing to step on the Heart Seat as he held Law high against the back, crouching down to be directly in his face. His Haki bore down on Law, threatening to make him pass out.

“Don’t play games with me,” he hissed. “I am going to make you watch as I eliminate that crew of yours and all your little allies. That girl shall become mine to raise. She will be everything you weren’t… everything you refused to be… everything you neglected to tell her mother…”

“Fat chance.”

“Then what do you want?!” His Haki pressed harder, pushing Law to the edge. “Do you want money?! Power?! Why did you challenge my claim to the throne?! Why did you stay away all this time, only to come back with that traitor’s name on your lips?! Why did you do something as monumentally stupid as announce a bond you spent almost half your life acknowledging?! Do you realize how much of a fucking mess I’m going to have to clean up now because of you?!”

“You killed the man who would have been my father, you kidnapped the girl who is my daughter, and you have the nerve to think that this might be about money?!” Law wheezed. Shit—was his lung punctured…? “This has always been about revenge, Doflamingo, plain and simple.”

“You know nothing about revenge,” Doflamingo sneered. “Your whole nation murdered before your eyes and you. Know. Nothing. I am going to get my revenge—true revenge—and laugh as the world burns and bows at my feet. As they do, I shall teach that girl how to be fierce and powerful and have her continue on where Rosi and you refused. Revenge, my boy, is a dish of many flavors.”

“You kill me and she will be the one to slit your throat,” Law warned. “My daughter knows better than to believe a piece of fucking work like you.”

“She will be an elegant queen and the ultimate Joker, all while you rot.”

“…but why her…?!”

“Why not?” Doflamingo leaned back and dropped Law, letting him hit the chair below him hard. “You think you’re so clever, like you’re going to trick your way out of this one. Well, guess what?”

He couldn’t guess, because everything went black.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Chaos reigned around Baby 5 as she ran through the streets with Nauja on her back, trying to carry the girl to safety. Groups of angry, confused Dressrosans were beginning to take up arms, talking about the overthrowing the Young Master in favor for his brother’s family. Marines were both aiding and clashing with them. Toys were flopping about as they tried to resist the call to assist the Donquixote Pirates in defending against the growing discontent. Everything was a dry powder keg and someone was soon about to throw a match on the nation.

“I thought you can transform into stuff to get away easier,” Nauja wondered as they ducked to avoid some citizens. “Why can’t you?”

“I can turn into weapons, not anything useful for getting you away,” Baby 5 scowled. “That shit better be glad I like you. I’m betraying the Young Master for this.”

“Something tells me Law-san will like it a lot,” Nauja giggled. They peeked out from behind a stack of crates and Baby 5 began to run some more. “You really lived together when you were little?”

“Shared a room, even,” Baby 5 replied. “It was the two of us and Dellinger, and Buffalo for a little bit. I guess it was like having brothers.”

“Then you really are my tieta, aren’t you?”

Baby 5 stopped running as she processed Nauja’s revelation. For those short years he was there, he really had been like a brother to her, hadn’t he? Even when he was gone she looked up to his ghost like a sibling would  had their elder brother disappeared. There was always the hope that he’d come back and that they could be like they were before. She hesitated for so long that a group of armed citizens found them.

“It’s Princess Nauja! A member of the Donquixote Family has her!”

“Ah, shit!” Baby 5 turned her hand into a gun and fired a smokescreen into the ground, allowing them some time to escape. She eventually found a cluster of toys hiding from the fighting; they cowered at the sight of her. “Hey! You!”

“Don’t hurt us!” a toy shivered.

“I won’t if you do what I say,” Baby 5 snapped. She let Nauja slide off her back and pushed her towards the toys. “Keep the Little Mistress safe until we can figure out what the fuck is going on.”

“…and why should we listen to you?” a toy asked. It looked like a clown, but Nauja could feel that there was something very not funny inside of it.

“Because this kid is the reason we have a shot at getting rid of Doflamingo,” Baby 5 stated. The toys all looked at her with their unmoving faces—a Dressrosa without Doflamingo was a tempting proposition.

“Where are you going to go, Tieta Cinca?”

“I need to figure out which side of this I’m going to be on.” She pressed a kiss to the top of Nauja’s hair and ran off, jumping off a ledge to turn into a rocket and whiz away. This left Nauja to look at the toys, most of whom were shaking.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” she frowned. “I’m not like them.”

“You are the Little Mistress, Princess Nauja,” a plush giraffe said. “We have been given orders by members of the Family to bring you back. We don’t want to bring you back.”

“I need to find my dad,” she said, “and I know you know how to find him.”

“Most of us wouldn’t know the first thing,” a nutcracker explained. “Toys are good for only a few things, after all.”

“I know you’re toys, but you used to not be, so I know you’re able to help me.”

Some of the toys scattered at that, not wanting to be caught between Doflamingo’s orders and this girl who knew way too much. The toy clown stayed, however, tilting its head curiously.

“How did you know?” it wondered.

“I can hear you screaming,” she explained. She squat down and placed her finger on its chest. “In here. All the toys are really sad in here, even if they say nice things and are able to smile. It’s like you’re in pain. I can hear you call out to people you used to know… people who you want to help, but don’t realize who you are.”

“You figured out all that?” the clown toy marveled. She nodded. “That’s… odd. It feels like even the people in charge of us don’t realize what’s truly going on sometimes, and yet no one told you…?”

“Nope. I figured it all out on my own.”

“The fact you’re able to figure all that out on your own… no wonder Doflamingo wants you back… why his officer wants you out of sight.” The toy then sighed resolutely. “I shall care for you.”

“You will…?”

“I shall; I cannot turn away a lady in danger, especially princesses.” The toy bowed deeply, nose almost able to touch the ground. “If I could tell you my name in this form, Little Mistress, I would. Do I call you Princess or Nauja or Princess Nauja?”

“My name is Trafalgar Nauja, but just call me Nauja I guess.”

“Wait… Trafalgar?! Are you are related to Trafalgar Law, Surgeon of Death?!”

“Yeah! That’s my dad!”

“There is beauty in irony, I suppose,” the toy muttered. It then hit the sides of its face with its hands in an attempt to ground itself to reality. “No more dawdling—let’s get you to a safe place. I have not been a toy for long, but I still know a thing or two.”

The toy took Nauja’s hand and began to lead her through the streets and alleyways, hoping to keep the child alive for as long as she was needed. They ran and ran until finally, there was an opening: if they were able to get past the group of Marines then they could get out of the palace area and head towards the south harbor.

“It’s Princess Nauja!”

Both Nauja and the toy cringed as they skidded to a halt. Some of the Marines lowered their rifles at the toy while others blocked their path to safety. The girl held on tight to the toy, which made it impossible for it to be shot.

“Get out of the way, Princess Nauja!” one of the Marines ordered. “We’re here to bring you back to your uncle!”

“I don’t want Uncle Doffy! I want my dad!” she snapped.

“We have direct orders!”

“From who?!”

“Vice-Admiral Vergo of G-5!”

Nauja tensed at hearing the name. No… she wasn’t going to go back with him… she just wasn’t! Her grip on the toy clown loosened as she began to tremble.

“You won’t touch her,” the clown toy said resolutely. “By all that is beautiful in the world, I will protect her with my life.”

“You’re a toy,” a Marine scoffed. “One word from the Family and you’re protecting nothing.”

“Shows what you know.”

All of a sudden, the toy that was standing in front of Nauja disappeared in a puff of smoke, instead being replaced by a man with long blond hair and fancy clothes. The man marveled for a moment at the fact he was Human again before drawing his sword and pointing it at the soldiers in front of him.

“I said: don’t touch the child,” he repeated haughtily. “Her father is ready to move mountains to retrieve her and I intend to protect her until then.”

“You’re nothing but a two-bit pirate—what are you going to do?” one of the Marines sneered. “Well, what are you going to do, Pretty Boy?”

“Go to sleep.” The man’s head sagged as he stumbled, catching himself just before he fell to the ground. Nauja and the guards all stared at him, wondering what was going on.

Then, the man looked back up, showing that his face had now changed from something gentle and pretty to feral and grotesque. He cackled wordlessly with his wide grin and balanced his stance. A moment and he vanished, completely baffling the onlookers.

Shivering, Nauja saw the Marines turn their attention onto her again. The leader took a step towards her and suddenly something slashed his abdomen from hip to shoulder, blood and guts spurting out as he cried in agony. His companions all fell in the same manner, one by one, all terrified until they were laying lifeless in the dirt, their mad killer standing tall and proud over his quarry.

“Wh—who are you…?!” Nauja whimpered.

“Hakuba,” the man replied, voice low and cold and completely unlike before. He stepped forward, approaching Nauja with his blade still covered in entrails. “My other self, the idiot he is, finally had a good idea.”

“What’s that…?”

“Keeping you alive will be useful.”

The man stumbled and fell to his knees in front of the child, almost completely collapsing before he propped himself up with his hands and gasped deeply. He looked up—he was how he looked at first.

“Good,” he smiled gently. “My other self is not a complete brute after all. My name is Cavendish, and I am going to help you find your father.”

“…but the harbor…?”

“Heading there is no longer safe with these brutes around. If your father is helping to free this place, then he helped to free me, and for that I shall assist in whichever way I can. My other self… he shall at least keep you safe when he is out.”

“Thank you, Banana-ya!” Nauja beamed. Cavendish cringed at that.

“Banana?! I am more like an elegant rose, perfectly cultivated to the peak of its beauty!”

“Then why do you have the same name as Shachi-ya’s favorite type of banana?” The little girl tilted her head as the princely man fumed and struggled to not yell at her—she was just a child, after all. What did she know about such things?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

To say that Dressrosa had devolved into complete pandemonium was a complete undersell of the very specific brand of disorder that was there. It was a clusterfuck, as Shachi accurately described, and to say it was a civil war was not entirely off. With the toys returned to their original forms, there was a lot that was going on in regards to old soldiers, former gladiators, and simply ordinary dissidents coming back onto the scene and into everyone’s memories again. Even the animals that had been turned into toys added to the panic, as they were aggressive and dangerous, causing worse damage than they had as toy soldiers.

“We need to find King Riku!”

“Princess Viola might know where Kyros went!”

“Shit! Princess Rebecca! Did she make it out of the coliseum?!”

“I hear she is working with Princess Nauja and her father to take out Doflamingo!”

“If they do take him out, I wonder which line shall rule…?”

“Together, perhaps?”

“Princess Rebecca is still a child yet! Do not talk like that!”

“I was not talking of Princess Rebecca!”

Yeah. There definitely was a lot going on as the Hearts tried to figure out what to do and where to go. Some of them got involved in patching up people who had been injured by the wild animals, though most were simply just trying to find any hints of Nauja or Law, dodging Marines in their panic.

“This is not going good,” Uni grimaced as he lifted Hakugan above his head. The masked man stood on his shoulders and tried to look around the square they were in. “How about it?”

“Nothing.”

“You sure…?”

“I’m sure—there’s nothing but panicked people, gladiators, and soldiers from what I can see,” Hakugan replied. He glanced down and saw Ikkaku, Clione, Penguin, and Shachi testing out some weapons they “liberated” from a naval setup. “Almost ready?”

“Yeah—we should be good to go in a sec,” Penguin assured. He made a stabbing motion with the spear in his hand and nodded. “Marine-issue shit’s not that bad.”

“Could be worse,” Ikkaku scoffed as she tested out the feel of a quarterstaff. She looked at Bepo and raised an eyebrow quizzically—he wasn’t taking his pick of the weapons. “Aren’t you going to take something?”

“I… uh… not really… sorry…” The bear nervously picked at his paws as he shifted from foot to foot. “I’m not very confident in fighting right now.”

“…but we’ve seen you fight before,” Clione noted. “Do you just not like fighting with weapons, or…?”

“Always has been like this; don’t worry about him,” Shachi added. “Bear could have killed us five different ways before we knew each other an hour. You know as well as I do that he’s a born hugger, not a mugger.”

“Well that’s one way to put it,” Bepo mumbled. Did it matter that he’d only been nine when they met? Not entirely…

“Hey! Jean Bart’s coming back!” Hakugan hopped off Uni’s shoulders as the largest Heart Pirate came lumbering into view. “What’cha find?”

“He’s here!” Jean Bart grimaced. His crewmates’ expressions fell in concern.

“Who’s here?” Penguin asked.

“Vergo.”

Fuck… they were in the middle of a civil war and the man who kidnapped their kid was there?! While their captain was who-the-fuck-knew-where?! This was not good…

“Did he see you?” Shachi asked.

“I don’t know; it’s not like I’m an easy target to miss.”

“Well, we’re not going to find out,” Penguin said. “Come on, everyone! Let’s move out before it’s too late!”

“It looks as though you’re done anyhow,” a voice announced. Everyone looked behind Jean Bart to see that Vergo had indeed seen him and had followed the large man back to the rendezvous point. He was already holding a long piece of bamboo, twirling it in a slow, menacing arch to his side. “Round Two, gentlemen?”

“Fuck off!” Ikkaku snapped. “This is all your fault! None of this would be happening if you hadn’t kidnapped Nauja!”

“My fault?” Vergo had the gall to layer an accusatory film over his voice. “I’m not the one who brought a child on a pirate ship with all the dangers and unstable factors such an environment has, then invaded a sovereign nation, attempt a coup of the ruling family, and decide to turn even the military on the king. I might have ‘kidnapped’ her, but I did none of that. I only put her where she belongs.”

“You might not have done all those things,” Bepo hissed, “but that’s only because you were playing dirty, sneaking into the military.” The Mink went to the front of the group at his crewmates’ horror.

“Bepo, get back!” Jean Bart warned. “He’s the one who took us all down—he’s no pushover.”

“I know,” Bepo replied. He growled low, baring his teeth. “What do you know about Minks?”

“Tch—you’re animals that talk,” Vergo scoffed. “The men look like beasts and the women look like fuzzy pinup girls.”

“Sorry, but my cousin would have a word with you about that.” Bepo took a step closer, making his crewmates uncomfortable. “What else?”

“Something about the full moon, which is nowhere near time to worry about that.”

Another step. “Anything else?”

“You are in the way.”

“Wrong answer.” Bepo caught the piece of bamboo as Vergo swung with it, his entire body crackling with Electro. It took only for Vergo’s lips to part in surprise for the Mink to send a shock through the Human’s body, causing him to scream as he burned from the inside. He dropped unceremoniously to the ground, sizzling and smoking. “We’re protective of kids and cubs.”

“Holy shit, Bepo!” The Mink turned around and saw the crew was staring slackjawed at him. Shachi in particular seemed terrified, pointing shakily at him. “I… I didn’t think you remembered how to do that!”

“Oh… sorry!” Bepo bowed in a panic. He seemed to snap out of a daze, completely embarrassed. “I should have warned you all!”

“Dude, I think you killed him,” Ikkaku marveled. She nudged Vergo with her boot—either he was dead or knocked out cold and at this point she’s take either. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Sorry—did everyone else want a go…?”

“No… I think we’re done here,” Penguin said, patting Bepo’s shoulder proudly. “The sooner we figure this place out, the better off we’re gonna be.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Dellinger fell to the ground bleeding and unconscious as Hakuba flicked the blood off his sword. The teen twitched as he laid crumpled in the rubble, Nauja staring wide-eyed at him before she crabwalked away from the body that had knocked her to the ground just moments before.

“I wonder how many more people will try to get in our way,” Hakuba chortled. He looked at Nauja, the grin on his face refusing to fade. “Who should I kill next, Princess?”

“You’re not supposed to kill!” she squeaked. “He’s mean, but he shouldn’t die!” She looked back at Dellinger and saw that the teen was still breathing. “He’s not dead now!”

“That must be my weaker self attempting to exert control.” He walked towards Dellinger slowly, sword still drawn. “There are things that must be done.” He raised the blade and Nauja gasped—no!–only for him to stumble and miss, tip of the sword lodging itself in the ground next to Dellinger as Cavendish took over.

“Banana-ya! Don’t scare me like that!” Nauja stood and brushed the dust from her dress before checking to make sure her backpack was still intact. “I’m gonna be a doctor, and doctors don’t like it when people die!”

“That’s something I keep trying to do when it comes to reining in my other half,” Cavendish grimaced. He pulled his sword from the ground and sheathed it before offering his hand to the girl. “Come, we can keep looking for your father. If we are lucky, we can find my horse as well—Farul is a wonderful steed on which to elegantly ride.”

“All I care about is finding my dad,” Nauja reiterated. She allowed Cavendish to pick her up and place her on his shoulders so that she could help look around. “Uhh… Banana-ya…?”

“Yes?”

“What color is Farul?”

“White, of course. It is the most regal color.”

“Then I think he’s coming from over there.” She placed her hands on his face and turned his head to the left; it took a couple seconds, yet there in the distance was a group of people coming towards them, and towards the front of the group…

“Oh! Farul! You’ve come for me!” Cavendish was close to tears as the group approached, his horse at a canter alongside a bull that was carrying some familiar faces. “Straw Hat! It is about time you brought my precious Farul to me!”

“Huh…? Oh, hi Cabbage!” Luffy smiled brightly at Cavendish, who began fuming as a result. He then noticed Nauja and shook the lump of a person that was draped across the bull’s back. “Hey, Torao, is this yours?!” He shifted the person and yes! It was Law-san!

“Nauja!” he gasped. “Where have you been?!”

“I was with some of your friends!” she replied. “Then I got separated from them, but Tieta Cinca brought me to some toys! And one of them became this guy! Who can become another guy! But they both protect me, so it’s okay!”

“I have an idea,” Cavendish said. He put Nauja up on Farul’s withers before hefting himself in the saddle.  “You’re never going to be able to approach Doflamingo with such a retinue. Come with me and let Farul’s ability to maneuver swiftly take you to the plateau.”

“Ucy’s taken us this far!” Luffy replied.

“Well, yeah, but he’s tired,” Nauja pointed out. “Farul isn’t ‘cause no one was riding on him.”

“That makes sense,” Luffy nodded. He then tossed Law over to the horse, having him land directly between Nauja and Cavendish. “Shishishi! Thanks for doing so well, Ucy!” The bull let out a low grunt—it was only happy to help.

“Are you okay, Law-san?” Nauja asked. Law tried to adjust so that he was not laying on his hands but was unsuccessful. “Did Uncle Doffy hurt you?”

“Nothing we can’t fix,” he replied, offering her a wan smile. She smiled back, only to be surprised by something being placed on her head—a hat. “Strawhat-ya, why are you putting that ratty thing on her?”

“She’s gonna keep it safe for me, aren’t you?” Luffy chuckled. He was now sitting behind Cavendish; one noodle-arm was putting his hat on Nauja, while the other was helping Kyros onto Farul’s back-most end. “That hat’s my treasure, like your dad is your treasure, so it’s only fair you have that while I help your dad, okay?”

“Okay!” she grinned. Nauja then tilted her head at Kyros. “Soldier-ya… is that you…?! You’re not a toy anymore!”

“That’s right,” he said, allowing himself a small chuckle. “Now let’s get going; I want to be out of a job before the day is out.”

“Gladiator?” Luffy asked.

“Nope!” Nauja grinned. “Protector of good little children who need help!”

“Sound like an excellent thing to not need—ride, Farul!” Cavendish shouted. The horse whinnied and took off, doing his best to gallop with all the extra weight on his back. Doflamingo was going down!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law-san and Strawhat-ya had been up atop King’s Plateau for a long time. Every so often, the group in Flower Field got a glimpse of the fight—an arm from Luffy or some strings from Doflamingo—and the fact they hadn’t seen a Room go up made for the youngest of the group gathered there worry.

“Don’t cry, Princess,” Cavendish said, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She simply kept staring up at the plateau, biting her lower lip.

“I’m not a princess,” she huffed. “If being a princess means all this, then I don’t want it.”

“I told you she is wise,” Kyros said. He was laying down on the ground spread-eagle to catch his breath, his daughter sitting next to him. “I would keep her if I were your grandfather.”

“Who knows what Grandfather wants do after all this,” Rebecca frowned. She was still shaking as she was attempting to process everything that had happened over the past ten years. “I still find it difficult to believe that she’s the girl who was going to become the princeseta after the Levely…”

“She’s clever and determined—I wouldn’t write her off,” Robin chuckled. “Torao-kun has been good to and for her.” Leo popped up onto her shoulder and was about to add something when Luffy’s voice boomed over them all.

“Oi! Cabbage! Get Torao to safety!” Everyone looked and saw as Luffy tossed Law over the side of the level he was on. Robin caught him in a large hand before placing him gently on the ground, her eyebrow quirking in curiosity. “Oh…? Your arm did not do that before…”

“Oh! We’re on it!” Leo and Mansherry began to reattach Law’s arm while Cavendish held Nauja back.

“I’m not leaving!” Law snapped, surprising everyone else there. “Strawhat-ya is up there because of me; I’m not going to run.” He passed out as Mansherry’s healing tears hit his arm and Nauja was finally able to wriggle out of Cavendish’s grasp and run to him.

“If that is so, then there is still much to do,” Kyros nodded. He watched as Nauja clung to her unconscious father before he turned to Rebecca. “Let the rest of us help the citizens. These two will be alright.”

“I’ll stay with them,” Cavendish agreed. He sat near Law and Nauja as the others went to find the way down. “Don’t move him about so much; it’ll be bad for his healing.”

“I know that!” she sobbed. She clutched his shirt as she pressed her face into his chest. “Law-san…! Please be okay, Law-san! I still need you!” Nauja continued to cry hysterically until she felt his hand gently rest upon her back. “Law-san?!”

“I’m here,” he groaned, putting on a smile for her. She sat up and he could see her a bit better, catching the tears and snot running down her face. “Hey, none of that now. I’m here.”

“…but you’re…!”

“…with my kid, and that’s all I ask.” He blinked some blood from his vision and touched the skirt of her dress. “This is pretty—where’d you get it?”

“Giolla made it for me. I don’t like it. My boilersuit doesn’t fit nice over it.”

“Sometimes, pretty things don’t suit us, because they aren’t always practical for our needs,” he said. “It’s not good or bad. It just… is.” He closed his eyes and exhaled heavily as he heard the far-off sound of Luffy shouting. “After all this time, it’s not even me doing the bastard in.”

“Perhaps,” Cavendish nodded, “it’s better this way. This darling needs her father after all, and is one really the same after they’ve killed?”

“Don’t you get sentimental on me now,” Law grunted as he sat up. Every single part of him hurt beyond reason—this was going to be a rough recovery. He saw that Nauja was picking at a pleat in her skirt and he frowned. “What…?”

“What did you call Opa?” she asked. “I’ve thought about it, and I don’t think I should just call you Dad, so I want to know what you called Opa in Flevench.” He nodded at that, considering his options.

“Vaor… Papa… Vader…” He licked his lips—fuck, how did they get so dry? “Other people had different names for their dad, if none of those fit.”

“No… I like Vaor. Can you please be Vaor now?”

“Of course… famke…”

“…and what does that mean in your language?” Cavendish wondered. Law hesitated, turning towards Nauja so that he could stroke her face.

“Daughter,” he replied, voice cracking. Nauja flung herself into his arms and began to whimper quietly. Law carefully cradled her against his chest and tucked her head under his chin, allowing her to cuddle in close. “Cavendish? Do you mind…?”

“I’ll give you a minute,” the other man replied. He stood and put a few paces between them in order to afford a bit of privacy.

“I almost lost you,” Law whispered hoarsely. “Seas… I’d never forgive myself if I let Doflamingo take another person from me…”

“You’re really my dad now? For real? Not just what we’re saying?”

“I think I was for a long time already… it just took putting you in danger to realize that.” He felt her shiver and he kissed her forehead, avoiding the straw hat still atop her hair. “You did very, very well. Cora-jiisan would be extremely proud of you.”

“…yeah…?”

“Yeah. Want to know how I know?” She nodded. “…because I’m extremely proud of you.” Nauja hugged Law tighter, her breathing jagged and uneven as she tried to keep herself calm.

“Vaor…?”

“Yes, Nauja…?”

“If Strawhat-ya is going to finish beating up Uncle Doffy, will we still be a prince and princess?”

“No—all that is going back to Viola-ya and her family. It never should have been taken from them to begin with… not the way it happened, anyhow.”

“Okay, good,” Nauja nodded. “Being a princess was dumb and a little boring when it wasn’t being scary. I’m glad we’re doctors in a submarine! It’s much more interesting that way.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Something then caught his eye down in the battlefield and he let out a chuckle. “Hey, famke, want to go be doctors?”

“Oh! Yes please!” She held onto his jacket tightly as he opened a large Room and suddenly they were on paver stones in front of people from the coliseum. Nauja panicked when she saw that although she had been placed on her feet, Law had landed on his side and she righted him immediately.

“P-P-Princess Nauja!” one of the gladiators gasped, “…and Trafalgar Law! What are you doing?!”

“Aren’t you running a bit far?” Law asked, motioning towards an unconscious Luffy. “Has his Haki returned yet?”

“He has three minutes and twenty seconds left out of ten,” the large man carrying Luffy said.

“Then let my daughter and me take it from here,” Law replied. “Don’t worry,” he opened a Room, “we’re doctors.”

With a small pop, all three were replaced by rocks. Once Nauja realized they had moved to a flat rooftop, she saw that her father was maintaining an exceptionally-large Room as he was slumped against a wall, while Luffy laid on the floor of the roof completely unconscious.

“Strawhat-ya!” She ran over to him in a panic and lifted his head so it could rest on her lap. “Vaor, what are we going to do?!”

“We’re just buying him time to recover,” he replied. “I wouldn’t think he’s very treatable right now with exception of that.”

“…but look at him! He’s all cut up and dirty! These are going to get infected!”

“We’ll worry about that after the fight. For now, we have to make sure things go according to plan.” He looked somewhere away from the rooftop, catching Nauja’s attention. She took off her backpack and replaced it as Luffy’s pillow so that she could see what was so interesting.

There, on the ground, Viola and Doflamingo were staring one another down, with the former holding a knife.

“Vaor, we have to help her!” Nauja whispered. He simply raised a hand in reply as she draped her arms around his neck.

Not yet.

They watched as Viola attacked Doflamingo, only to be caught in his strings. Rebecca also became ensnared, unwillingly making the moves that were going to kill the other woman. There was a shuffling noise and Luffy began to stand.

“Torao,” he growled, “I’m ready.”

Just as Rebecca was going to bring down her sword, Law made the swap, bringing Viola to the rooftop and a Haki-charged Luffy to the ground. The weapon shattered and Doflamingo sputtered in rage. Nauja left her father’s grasp to scurry over to Viola, helping her sit up.

“I… I’m not dead…?” she marveled. She looked up at Nauja and tears began to form in her eyes anew. “Mars maleïts… you’re alive…”

“I am!” Nauja sniffled. Rebecca was then flung onto the rooftop, replacing a fragment of rubble that had been laying nearby.

“Nena!” Viola gasped. She and Nauja helped the teen up, who shivered when she realized what had happened.

“Tieta…!” Rebecca sobbed, allowing her aunt to bring her into a hug. “I’m so sorry!”

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Viola crooned, rubbing her niece’s back. “You were so brave these past ten years, had so much asked of you, and yet you’re still good under it all. Both of you did so well.”

“Both of…?” Rebecca wiped the tears from her eyes and saw Nauja standing there awkwardly, the little girl not sure what to say. “Oh! Princeseta! You’re here too!

“I don’t want to be the princeseta!” Nauja blurted out. “I just want to be a doctor! Being a princess isn’t for me! Giolla-ya’s dresses and all the training and all the people watching me all the time—it’s not for me!”

“Then you don’t have to be a princess anymore,” Viola agreed. She glanced over at Law, who was still monitoring the situation with Doflamingo and Luffy. “Hear that? At least I won’t need to make an official decree.”

“You might still need to; I did sort of claim rights to challenge Doflamingo for the throne on Green Bit earlier,” he said casually.

“You did what?!” Viola marveled.

“Cora-jiisan being Uncle Doffy’s brother makes Vaor a prince!” Nauja chirped. “Cora-jiisan took care of Vaor, and Vaor takes care of me, so we’re technically a prince and princess, but we don’t want it, not unless it involves making Uncle Doffy look stupid.”

“I think Lucy is taking care of that, germaneta,” Rebecca replied, a laugh working its way through her tears. All four of them looked to the sky and watched as Luffy and Doflamingo went head-to-head in mid-air, bringing their duel to a thrilling crescendo.

Luffy won.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Things were still a bit chaotic after that. While most of the pirates were able to hide within the castle at King Riku’s request, the remaining Straw Hats, Law, and Nauja were hidden in Kyros’s small house in order to get some quiet rest. One everyone’s wounds were cared for, Law collapsed from exhaustion, causing Nauja to panic.

“Don’t worry,” Robin assured. “He’s done enough for one day.” She helped the girl move him from halfway-draped across the bed to laying down on the floor, edging a seat cushion underneath his head. Since they had arrived at the house, Nauja had swapped Luffy’s hat for Law’s and shed her ruined dress in favor of her lavender coveralls. “Aren’t you tired?”

“No.” Nauja shook her head and looked around the one-room house; Kyros, a man she didn’t recognize, and her vaor were laying on the floor passed out cold in their sleep. Luffy was asleep in the bed, as was Usopp, having fallen asleep waiting for his captain to release his grip on him as though the sniper was Professor Nanuk instead of another Human. This left her with Robin, Franky, and Zoro, all of whom were finally beginning to relax in the quiet.

“You’ve been super-brave this week, kid,” Franky chuckled. He didn’t pause working on fixing the damage to his face, with half of his skin pulled back as delicate instruments picked at the wiring beneath. “We won’t blame you if you took a nap.”

“I will when I’m tired, so not yet,” she claimed. She felt happy and safe there with the Straw Hats and wanted to enjoy the feeling for a while longer. After living with the Donquixote Pirates, she knew how good of a feeling it was, since it was something not all adults afforded her.

Just then, Nauja gasped and stood, carefully stepping over the varying people and medical debris she needed to reach the door.

“What’s going on there, kid?” Zoro wondered. The girl simply threw open the front door and saw three of the best things she could have ever imagined: Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi.

It was the crew.

“Nauja!” they all cheered as she ran out of the house towards them. She ran to Penguin and Shachi, who picked her up together, only for Bepo to lift all three of them in a hug.

“I can’t believe you’re all here!” she cried.

“Neither can we,” Penguin admitted. “We’ve been doing triage since the Birdcage began, and even then some of us were fighting alongside the citizens. Now come on, where’s the captain? We’ve got to bolt before everything goes to shit; everyone’s waiting at the Tang.”

“Vaor’s inside,” she said as everyone was put down. The three crewmates looked at her and she realized where the confusion was coming from. “Oh… yeah… I call him Vaor now… because having Law-san’s better than my dad…”

“No worries,” Shachi snickered, ruffling her hair. “So, we got to get in there and haul his ass out, or is he coming?”

“Vaor’s sleeping, so I don’t think we should wake him up,” Nauja frowned. “Where were you going to go?”

“Zou, to rest up a bit before deciding whereto next,” Penguin said. “We have to let Fred prove that her baby cousin’s okay after all.”

“Then we’ll meet you there!” she replied cheerily. “If the rest of Strawhat-ya’s crew is there, then they’re going to need to know how to get there, and none of them have a Vivre Card, but we do! This way Vaor can get more rest to feel better, and you can let them know we’re coming!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Bepo grinned. After distributing high-fives, they went to leave and were stopped by the sight of a tall, blond man who was walking towards them and the hut. The Mink let out a low growl while the Humans palmed their weapons.

“Whoa, hang on,” the man chuckled. He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“You sure about that?” Penguin spat, eyeing the staff slung across the stranger’s back.

“Trust me,” the man said. “If I wanted to hurt you…” His right hand burst into flames. “You’d be barbecue by now.”

“Then why are you here?” Shachi asked. The man’s hand became corporeal again.

“All I want is to see my brother before I skip town. That’s something I’m sure you can appreciate, can’t you?”

Nauja looked at the man and tilted her head. “Your heart sounds funny.”

“Nauja…!”

“…but Penguin-ya! It does!” She approached the blond and waited for him to crouch down to her height. “It’s like you have another voice in here, but I can’t tell what it is.” She pointed at his gut, which earned her a grin.

“While everyone was fighting, I ate my older brother’s Devil Fruit,” he said, a gentle pain in his voice. “Now he’s inside me, in a way, and I want to go see our younger brother once more before we part ways again.”

Nauja thought about that, then nodded and held out her hand. “Strawhat-ya’s in the house. I’ll bring you there.”

“Then, um… we’ll get going…” Penguin said awkwardly. The three Hearts stayed still, however, watching Nauja take the stranger by the hand and lead him into the house.

“I have Strawhat-ya’s brother!” she grinned happily. The stranger chuckled as he seemed to personify the word awkward as he stood in the door.

“She’s good at reading people,” he admitted. “To whom does she belong?”

“That would be Torao-kun there, sleeping by the table,” Robin said. She watched as the blond sat down on the edge of the mattress next to Usopp and Luffy, putting his hat and staff on the last bit of bed. “Should I wake him, Sabo?”

“Nah; let him sleep,” the blond replied. “All I wanted to do is see him before I leave.” He stopped as Nauja climbed into his lap and cuddled in close. “What’s this?”

“You’re warm,” she said, resisting the urge to fall asleep. She was tired, and he felt safe.

“I should hope so,” Sabo smirked. “So this is the child who brought down one of the most infamous crime families on the seas?”

“She is,” Franky confirmed. “The little miss getting kidnapped is what caused her father and his crew to attack the Donquixote Pirates like they did. He was super-pissed.”

“I’d be too, if such a cute kid was on the line.” Sabo wrapped an arm around Nauja, who was already snoring softly. “She’s lucky to have a dad like Trafalgar.”

“She’s favored,” Zoro noted. He took a sip of his booze, never taking his eye off her. “I don’t know how, but she is, just like he is.”

“Here I thought you didn’t believe in all that,” Robin noted. Zoro simply scoffed.

“I still don’t—it’s just that there’s something nagging at me and I don’t know what.” He emptied the bottle in his hand. “They’re the only words I have for it, you know?”

“That’s fair,” Sabo agreed. “If she is as favored as you say, then I think you should consider getting her and her father off Dressrosa soon as possible. I’m leaving tonight as well—once the Marines start moving, it’s going to be chaos, more so when Cipher Pol 0 returns.”

“You know they’re on their way?” Franky frowned. Sabo nodded in confirmation. “Shit—we really will have to get off this rock.”

“Best to wait until they wake up,” Sabo said. The child in his lap hummed happily and a wave of nostalgia washed over him, bringing the Revolutionary back to better days. “Until then… they’re in your care.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law really, really didn’t think there was time for this.

He had already gone to chat with Sengoku at the older man’s request—and without Nauja, against the latter part of said request—and was now making his way towards the meetup location where he was going to take his daughter from Robin’s care and head to the wharf where their ride was waiting. It was a great feeling when he saw Nauja sitting on a rock waiting for him, Robin giving him a nod in affirmation before silently walking away.

“Did you get done what you needed to?” the girl asked.

“Yes, I did,” he replied. He picked her up and put her on his shoulders, glad that he was not at risk of any of the crew to make fun of them as they slowly made their way to the port. Specifically him. And his “resting grumpface”. How did they keep coming up with the shit…? “Are you excited to go to Zou?”

“Yeah! I can’t wait to see everyone again! We’ll get to meet Bepo-ya’s family too! That’s important!”

“It is,” he agreed. Law then scowled as someone popped out from around a corner, cloak doing a terrible job at concealing their identity. “Viola-ya… what is it?”

“I just wanted to thank you both personally before you left,” Viola said, putting the hood of her cloak down. She gave the father and daughter a smile, loving the distinct difference between their temperaments. “You did more for Dressrosa than you realize.”

“We got rid of Uncle Doffy, which is pretty big,” Nauja grinned. “I’m gonna miss you, Viola-ya! You were really nice!”

“I’m honored to hear that, nena,” Viola smiled back. “If you and your father ever need a place to stay, the doors of the palace are open to our nation’s heroes.”

“We’re pirates; I don’t think you can get away with harboring pirates after a decade of Doflamingo pulling the strings,” Law stated. He paused, then blanched, realizing what he had said. “Your words have weight again, Viola-ya. Don’t waste them on our account.”

“Except I shall,” she insisted. She then pressed a kiss to his cheek, then pulled Nauja’s face down to kiss her forehead while Law was trying to not freak out. “You have an immunity-granting title and a solid roof for your heads and your crew waiting for whenever you wish.”

“Thank you, but we’ll have to decline,” Law blushed. “Now if you excuse us…” He then began to quickly walk away from Viola, who was not convinced in the slightest.

Maybe, if he walked quickly, he could pass off his embarrassment for being winded. Yeah, that was it. He was winded from carrying Nauja—not that he couldn’t, of course. It was just that his strength was still coming back. He was fine. They were fine. Everyone was fine… fuck. Viola was fine.

“Are you alright, Vaor?” Nauja asked. “You’re walking really fast…”

“Not a word,” he warned. She shrugged at that, just glad she was with him again.

Yeah… it was a very good thing that the crew wasn’t there, or he’d never hear the end of it.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As the Straw Hat Fleet dispersed and the Going Luffy-sempai took its precious cargo towards Zou, there was one particular guest who was more than a bit curious about their new accommodations. It was a long ride still yet to come and the questions had yet to stop.

“Chicken-ya, why does the prow look like that?” Nauja wondered, pointing at the ship’s figurehead. Bartolomeo chuckled and blushed.

“Why, it’s only modeled aftah the greatest pirate t’come from mah Home Blue!” the green-haired man beamed. “Can’t’cha tell it’s Mistah Luffy?”

“Well, yeah, but, why?” Nauja hung half on the upper deck railing, looking at the floor below. She could see Law chatting quietly with Robin, books open between them and bodies close to touching. A flicker of hope stirred in her before she saw Franky bring them both drinks and sit with them—Robin rewarded the cyborg with a quick kiss to the lips as he slotted in on the other side of her. Oh well…

“Ah, it might not be sumthin that needs age t’understand,” Bartolomeo shrugged empathically. “See, Mistah Luffy has been such an inspiration t’me and mah crew that he was the only choice!”

“Still seems kinda weird,” Nauja noted. “He’s, you know… a person…”

“Yeah! A great one!”

“The crew knows that Vaor’s great, but the figurehead of the ship isn’t him.”

“Youse all ride in a ship that don’t need a figurehead! Besides, yer dad woiks so well with Mistah Luffy and the rest o’ the Straw Hats that it might seem a bit weird.”

“You’re still weird, Chicken-ya,” Nauja frowned. She tried to figure out a new subject to change to, but was having a difficult time. Bartolomeo wasn’t very smart, or very clever, but he was still an adult, so hopefully there was something… “Have you been to Zou?”

“Nope, but I gotta help spread the woid of Mistah Luffy’s role in Dressrosa!” he beamed. “Can’t’cha imagine it? This beauty of a ship, spreading the Straw Hats’ influence? A dream come true!”

“Strawhat-ya’s nice, but…” It was no use—Bartolomeo couldn’t hear her over his own imagination.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was wonderful as the Dressrosa contingent was reunited with their crewmates and friends on Zou. There were hugs, there were tears, there was an abundant amount of food for a party.

What there wasn’t, however, was a certain chef that hailed from the North Blue by way of the East, willfully abducted to keep the rest of those on Zunesha’s back safe.

A pirate’s work was never done.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

A/N: Thanks for reading! The story continues in chapter four of fly little seagull, the world awaits! Read it on tumblr, FFN, or AO3!