#also: fuck Señor Pink. normal people should want to kneecap him

[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!