#because i listened to it after watching dressrosa and it made me cry

[woahbeans]

and they lived happily ever after

[chxrlynn]

some one piece headcanons i have

characters ; law, robin, nami, sanji

tw ; characters' trauma/s

a/n : aaaa, this is my first time writing again. i used to write oneshots and full blown fanfiction books but i wanna try headcanons/scenarios (´-﹏-`；).

i am also well aware that some of these headcanons already exist but i headcanon them too! i hope it doesn't bother anyone (��ŏ﹏ŏ).

let me know if i should make more of these or suggest a character! you can also send feedbacks about anything. my asks are open too <33.

trafalgar law

i love the idea that he still has his white lead marks around his face and body. it's not as visible anymore but if you look closely, it's there.

as much as he loves his peace and quiet, he feels restless if he doesn't have any background noises. it reminds him of the night he lost corazon.

post-dressrosa, he was feeling a little lost since he already fulfilled his purpose of finishing what corazon couldn't.

oftens wonder if corazon would be proud of him (he is).

has a picture of his crew on his desk with corazon's 1×1 on the corner.

is NOT organized, has crumpled notes and scratch around his desk and a bin full of paper.

would sleep on his desk and sofa but NEVER on his bed.

nico robin

hates loud noises and explotions since it reminds her of ohara.

would stay up because she'd sometimes get night terrors about ohara's incident.

has high pain tolerance because she's used to pain.

plays the mom figure subconsciously since she knows what if feels like to not have one by her side.

her and nami would talk about their mothers. robin loves to listen even if she can only add a few into the conversation.

i like to think if she laughs so much, she'll actually go "terushishishishi".

would doodle saul on the edge of her notes when she's thinking.

loves giants because of saul and would love to visit elbaf not just because of history.

loves to play with the other strawhats' hair.

actually started finding bizarre things cute out of pity since she knows what its like to be disliked/feared but it grew on her.

nami

distances herself when reminded of the past out of nowhere.

she usually starts having flashbacks when she's doing her charts, reminded of how she sat on that chair for hours.

does NOT like it when people point out she's bothered or ask if she's okay even when she already insisted she's fine and lashes out.

would feel bad and lonely after lashing out so she's go out the deck and watches the crew.

she doesn't apologize verbally, but her body language says so otherwise.

takes showers and baths in hopes that it would also wash out her negative thoughts.

has an old drawing she made of her, bellemere and nojiko when she was 6 pinned by her bed side table.

TRIES to budget her shopping money (keyword: tries).

would crouch down to pet every cat she sees and is also a cat tamer.

vinsmoke sanji

cooks to keep his mind from overthinking. (doesn't work)

most of the common things he cook are those he'd love his mother to try out.

hates children with a burning passion but would love to have his own.

confident about his abilities as a chef and fighter but don't get me started about his self worth.

VERY EMOTIONAL but doesn't show it because that's not him.

would cry if you hug him.

his favorite knife is the one he always practiced with when he was zeff's apprentice. the handle is already worn and the blade lost it's gloss but it feels like he's back in baratie.

his hair is SO soft but claims he doesn't use anything special. even nami is jealous of his locks.

his locker is just his clothes hanged properly and the bottom is a STOCK of cigarettes.

lowkey the best person to go to for comfort, no joke. (MAKE SURE YOU'RE THERE FOR HIM TOO.)

[physicalturian]

Why don’t you listen to me? Law x GN! Reader - Part 7

Spoilers for : Punk Hazard and Dressrosa arcs [No gender used for the reader, no physical description, everyone is +18] Words : 6649 Archive of our own Blood, exhaustion, fighting, violence, despair, blood, intimacy, stupidity, innuendos If you feel like I should put more warnings, send me a DM or an ask … Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

How could he be alive? How could he be there, watching the fight? How did he make it? I felt relief course through my body just from seeing his angry face. He seemed fine, if not better than last time I had seen him. My heart started beating faster in my chest, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes but instead of crying, I went past my limits and focused hard enough to teleport to that roof. I almost did not make it, for my focus was definitely not there, no matter how hard I claimed it to be.

 When my knees hit the ground, I looked up towards Law, and he stared right back at me, frowning.

I covered my mouth and stood up really quick, stumbling the few steps that separated us before falling to my knees once more and pulling him into a hug. I held him so tight, I think he had to hit my back gently to ask me to calm down. I loosened my hold just a little bit but did not lean away. If I did, I’d see his face and if I saw his face, I’d break down. “What has gotten into you?” He asked, very confused. I tried to come up with the words but knew that no matter what I’d say, I would cry. Remembering what I saw was enough to make me sick and sad.

 “Your arm… it’s back…” I said against his shoulder as I moved my hand over it. He winced and said he still needed some time before doing anything crazy. I hummed but did not move.

“Can you let me go?” Law grunted. I could, but did I want to? I felt like if I let him out of my sight again, he’d be gone for good. I was scared, I was mortified, I did not want to let him go, I thought as I leaned back and looked away. “Sorry.” I mumbled before standing up. I could feel the tears coming back, I asked him to give me a minute and he took that time to watch over Luffy and Rebecca who were still in the middle of the fight.

 I moved to the edge of the roof and looked over it too, watching when Law brought Rebecca to us and seeing the defeat of Doflamingo against Luffy. I said I saw it all, but all of it was behind a filter of tears and short breaths. I was trying to get a hold of myself but I couldn’t, I was dead tired, I couldn’t keep the façade up anymore. I was grateful when no one came up to me, I needed to let it all out.

 When Luffy got shambled back to us, both women went to check up on him. I wiped the tears from my face and patted my cheeks to hype myself before making my way to Law. He seemed exhausted, but relieved too. In a small voice, I asked, “Are you relieved?” Looking at him, I felt self-aware. How long was staring too much? Could I keep looking at him until I had to go? Could I take a good look at all his features until I had enough? What was the right amount of time someone took, looking at someone else’s eyes before it’s creepy? I wondered…

 He shrugged and leaned back on the wall, finally opening his eyes after seemingly dozing off, sitting. “There is still much more that needs to be done-“ He stopped mid-sentence and stared at me in awe before grabbing my hand a pulling me down. “What happened to you?! How are you in a worse state than- stop moving!” I tried to pry his hands off my face but while he was out of breath and tired, he still had energy to be a doctor. And a doctor he’d be.

“To be honest, I’m past the point of feeling anything.” I stated, letting my hand fall to my side when he shooed them once more. Telling me that being a brat was not going to help. I think my cheeks heated up when he said that, but I could put it on the countless wounds I had.

 “Do you think it’s something to be proud of?” He asked, touching something on my forehead that made me wince.

“I survived, did I not?” I asked rhetorically.

“You wouldn’t have had to survive if you had stayed on the ship-“ I pushed him away from me and sighed loudly. How long could he repeat the same thing over and over again? He was going to speak again, probably offended that I cut him off, but I spoke up.

“I get it, okay?! I should have listened, but I didn’t and now it’s all over!” I said a bit too strongly. “Seeing you die in front of me was enough of a punishment, I don’t need to feel worse than I do right now. If you want to keep telling me I’m an idiot, do that once I’m rested because I’m this fucking close to do something I’ll regret. Alright Captain?”

 He stood there, silent. I repeated my words over in my head and regretted them instantly. Fortunately, we were told to move before he could reply. We were to be guided to Kyros’ house, where we could rest. I was going to get up and hurry away from Law when he caught me and slipped my arm over his shoulder. “Don’t overdo it. Lean on me.”

Huffing, I did as he asked. Not talking.

He chuckled and I felt his hand tighten around my arm and waist, “This, you listen to, uh?”

I felt my face burn up and I looked away, “Who am I to ignore my doctor’s advice?” I said quickly as we followed everyone. “Yours?” I heard him wonder softly.

 Facing him quickly, I stuttered, “I mean- mine like, like you’re not Chopper, you’re the Heart Pirates’-“ “I’m kidding, relax…” I felt my heart lighten. For some reason, having him being playful was reassuring. I called it playful but it was more teasing than anything else, not that I minded.

 We walked a long while before reaching the house where some medical equipment was waiting for us. Those who were in better shape took care of those in worse states, Law took care of the hunk blonde man he brought back from the castle. It took a lot of time, during that time I was dosing off outside, looking at the field of flowers that was expending in front of me. There were groans inside, but once it all calmed down, Law left the house and closed the door behind himself before plopping down in front of me.

 I did not look at him, too lost in my thoughts and perhaps hoping he’d just take care of my wounds without talking. But he did not stay silent.

“I’ll do what I can, but I’ll probably have to take another look once we’re off this Island.” He explained. I kept my gaze off of him. “Look at me.” He ordered. I clenched my jaw and stared straight ahead, not looking at him. Sure, we joked once, but I was still not over his constant repetition of how bad my choices were. I thought I was feeling better but now that we were alone once more, the heaviness in my chest was back and I was trying very hard not to jump him. I wanted to feel him close, I needed him. “I said, look at me.” He grumbled, grabbing my jaw and making me face him.

 I was met with his surprised expression, he let the hand that was holding tweezers hit his knee. “Why are you crying? Does it hurt that bad?” He asked.

I chuckled and wiped the tears, taking a deep breath to calm down. “It hurts yeah, but like not- not physically. I mean, yeah it also hurts everywhere but-“ “Is it about the thing you said?” I grabbed his hand and got it off my face, to look anywhere but at him.

“Yes. Yes, it is. But just, just doctor me. Forget what I said.”

 Moving his hand to my forehead, he didn’t warn me and pulled out a shard of glass from my forehead. “I can do both, talk.” He stated, throwing the shard to the ground.

“I said what I said, what more can I say-“

“Don’t play with me, just because I’m a doctor doesn’t mean I won’t do everything to get you to talk.” He punctuated his words by grabbing my hand and rolling my sleeve without much care then he started cleaning the wounds. I winced and tried to pull back but he only held me stronger.

 “I thought you had died. I saw when… I saw your arm get cut off, then I heard your screams-“ I paused and gulped, feeling a knot forming in my throat. I hissed again when he pressed the alcohol on my wounds before moving to my other arm where the knife wound was.

“Continue, I’m not finished, neither are you.”

Scoffing, I did as he asked. “I thought I’d check your vivre card, but it was gone and then the gunshots…”

“When did those happen, then?” He moved his hands from checking my knife wound to opening my hands and checking the side, with which I had hit the ground, hard.

 “I think the knife wound is a bit more important here, Law-“

“How? I’ll treat everything, just tell me how you did it.” He insisted.

“Well, how did you get your arm back? I saw it get cut right off, and I don’t see you talking about it-“ “Leo sewed it back on and the Tontatta princess healed it. Your turn now.”

I did not know how to say it without just telling him how heartbroken it made me to know he was gone. How desperate I was and how much I wanted to cry. I was not going to tell him any of that, I had to find something- “And be honest.” Fuck him…

 “I just… I hit the ground, I kept hitting the ground. Over and over again. That was my first reaction, along tears and… yeah, I was just… I-“ I pulled one of my hand from his and wiped the tears again before leaning against the wall, looking at the sky instead of him. “I’m so relieved you’re alive. You were right, I was so fucking useless out there.” I said in a weak voice. He didn’t warn me when he started sewing shut the huge knife wound, I gasped and looked down where his fingers were working diligently.

 “I didn’t say that, I said you should stay on the ship-“

I cut him off, feeling a bit annoyed, “Underlying statement being I was weak, wasn’t it?”

He sighed and kept working on my arm, “Not at all, you keep getting things wrong.”

“Keep getting things wrong? I wouldn’t get things wrong if you were clear, Law.”

“I didn’t tell you to leave my crew, let’s start there.” He huffed, cutting the thread he used to put sutures. Then he moved and did the same on the bleeding wound on my forehead.

“Well then, here is what you did do is: you did call me stupid, and you did give me an ultimatum.” He exhaled loudly once more, this time I could feel his breath hitting my face from how close he was looking at his work.

 In a low tone, he whispered, “You weren’t supposed to take it.”

“What do you mean?” I was confused.

“You were supposed to choose the crew over this stupid fight, I know how much you like the crew. I thought it’d make you stay.” He explained, this time a bit clearer. I tried to look at him from under his hand, but couldn’t really see him. I could however feel the needle stinging my skin. I could also feel the exasperation building up inside me.

“It was not ‘the crew or the fight’ to me it was ‘the crew or your life’, yours, Law. Your fucking life. I just couldn’t bear losing you if you decided to sacrifice your own life.”

 He stopped moving, then cut the thread before looking at me, frowning. “Why would you choose my life over the crew?”

“Because I made a god damn promise to Bepo! Because you were ready to die out there! Because I needed to make sure I could do something about you not dying- which I failed by the way. But also because I-“ meeting his eyes, I stopped and laughed at myself before shaking my head. I did not continue, nor did he. He was frozen on the spot.

 “Because what?” he asked.

I chuckled and shrugged. “Why were you so intended to keep me on the ship, Law?”

He sighed, probably ready to ask me once more what I was not ready to tell him. Instead, he started wrapping bandages around my arms. “You can’t fight. I need to remedy that.” “I know I can’t fight, but I can still be useful.”

He chuckled and met my gaze, smiling. “Tell me, what kind of Captain would I be if I sent my crew out there without them being able to fence for themselves?” I shrugged.

 “I was worried. While you are useful, in many ways, I knew this was going to need fighting more than helping. But you insisted, and insisted. I had to make you stay, to avoid….” He gave me once over, “This.” He nodded at my pitiful state.

“It’s not your fault-“

“Yes, it is. I couldn’t watch over you, I was too focused on taking him down.”

“And you wouldn’t have had to watch over me if I didn’t come…” I argued back, earning a short laugh from the fruit-user.

“You wouldn’t have come if you did not feel the urge to protect me from my…” Cutting him off, I huffed a laugh, “Tendencies to prioritize the mission over your own life?” He laughed and nodded, I liked seeing him smile again even if it was a small one.

 We stayed silent for a moment, until he was done wrapping the bandaged around my arms and making sure it held. “I should have listened to you…” I mumbled.

“You should have.”

“But I don’t regret not doing it.” I said softly.

He breathed my name in a warning tone, before continuing, “Don’t do it again. Look at you, look at all the damage you took-“ he paused he looked at me frowning, “Why did you come to Punk Hazard?”

I choked on my saliva at the mention of the beginning of it all, of my desperate attempt to keep an eye on him. He leaned over, making me lean back and hit the wall. I gasped at the pain in my back but try to cover it with a short chuckle. “I told you, I was worried.”

“Penguin was worried. Shachi was worried, Bepo too, but I don’t see any of them here.” Because they’re not in love with you… I am… But I didn’t reply. He sighed and asked me to turn around and take off the clothes that were covering my back.

“It’s nothing, just bruises. We should go sleep.” I could feel my blood pumping, my hands getting cold and yet sweaty. If I stayed here any longer, I’d do something I’ll regret.

 He lost his patience and said my name in a way that half scared me, half turned me on. So, I followed his order and turned around, taking off everything that was in the way before slumping over my knees and keeping the clothes close to my front. I made sure my hair was out of the way too.

“It’s-“ I felt his slender fingers brush over my back and felt a shiver run down my spine but did not say anything. With how delicately he was touching me, it did not hurt, if anything it felt like a caress. So, I closed my eyes, humming.

“You have cuts, and bruises everywhere. It’s not small ones, they’ll take a while to heal- What happened to you?”

 “Do you want the truth?” “Yes, I never want you to lie to me no matter how intended you are on keeping things for me, dear-” I heard him clear his throat before starting working on my back. Did I hear him right? Did he call me dear? No, I must be tired, projecting even…

 “Mingo did not like it when I jumped on him, twice if I may add. He slammed me into the ground, very angrily, both times.” I tried to shrug but Law had placed a hand on my shoulder, holding me in place. Turning my head to the side, I had his hand right next to it. I contemplated doing something, looking over his tattoos and gentle hands. It felt intimate for some reason, not just a doctor and a patient. Thinking, fuck it I did a thing I’d regret and leaned over just lightly, planting a kiss on the back of his hand before looking back ahead.

 I felt his hand tightened right there. I thought he’d move it away but instead he moved it closer to my neck, his thumb brushing my skin ever so lightly. “Why would you jump on his back in the first place? I would scold you but I’m curious…”

“Yeah, well- he was going to shoot you so I jumped him but he dealt with me just as fast as he put… as he… you know, shot you….” I paused a moment, enjoying his palm placed on my back as he put bandages on it. Then I remembered I was talking, and continued, “The second time, I tried to distract him so that he’d let go of Viola and Rebecca, as you can see, it did not go well. I don’t regret any of those things though, in the end everyone’s fine, right?”

 I heard him chuckle then pack up the medical stuff before asking me to help wrapping bandages around my form. When we were done, he softly said, “It looks like when I’m not around you’re a wild animal,” I then felt his forehead against the back of my head then his lips grazing the nape of my neck, he slid his hands to rest them over my shoulders, pressing the pad of his thumb like a massage. I wanted to tense, startled by the touch, but instead I melted into it. I let my head lean back against his, then I felt his lips press against my skin I turned around, to meet his eyes in shock. That’s when he realized what he had done and quickly stepped away, swearing under his breath. “It’s done, get dressed. Go rest.” He said quickly, grabbing the supplies from the ground before standing up.

 “Hey, don’t leave!” I never dressed so fast, in seconds I was standing up and grabbed his shoulder to stop him. Calling his name, he did not pay attention, “Ignore what I did, it was inappropriate. Avoid sleeping on your back and-“ “Law! Why don’t you listen to me? Stop packing your shit, stay.”

He shrugged my hand of his shoulder and turned his back on me. I felt a twinge, I felt sick, I felt hopeful too, but all together I felt weird. A knot in my stomach, why had he said that? Why was he trying to throw it under the rug?

 “Why did you follow me to Punk Hazard?” He asked while turning around, staring down at me with a scowl. I did not want to be asked this right away, I knew full well why, I was worried yes but it’s because I did not want to lose him, because I could not bear through the pain of seeing him die if he ever did.

 I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it and looked to the side. Could I trust my mouth right now? Could I even form words? I was embarrassed, panicking and my blood was pumping so hard I was sure he could hear it too. I let out a shaky breath, laughing nervously. “I… you…” how to say it? Did I really want to say it? If he was asking, he must know, right?

 He exhaled loudly and rested his sword against the wall, for a second I thought he was going to leave but instead he put the supplies on the ground and crossed his arms over his chest. I stared at the bandage around his biceps, that’s where it had been sliced, I could still hear his screams- “I, what?” He inquired.

Shaking my thoughts clear, I met his gaze for a second but could not look at him longer than that, I never did that. I did not know how to do it, I just felt out of place. How did one confess to their Captain?

 Letting out a nervous chuckle, I pushed him away and gave him the best smile I could muster. I was not going to tell that I loved him, nor that I needed him alive, I had to keep this professional. When- no, if he rejected me, it’d be awkward. “I told you, I was worried,” I said. It made him sigh as he moved to grab his stuff once more. “I’m not used to having a Captain that lets his crew behind to do, you know… Pirate stuff. Usually, it’s all of us or none-”

“It’s called being careful. I have to be careful enough for the both of us, considering how prone you are to getting in dangerous situations.” He hissed, grabbing my arm as an emphasis for his words.

 I scoffed, trying to pull my arm away from his hold but he kept his hand tight around it. “And maybe I wouldn’t have to leave you behind, if I could trust you.” He finished, before squeezing his hand tightly then letting go.

For a moment, I realized how bad words could hurt. I felt a pang in my chest but kept my expression calm. He shouldn’t know how much it hurt me, he should know that I’m strong and reliable.

And yet, when I stared at him, all my voice could muster was, “You don’t trust me?” I trusted him, why did he not trust me?

 His face contorted in a pained expression for a second, then he huffed. “Just tell me why you followed me to Punk Hazard, I need to know.” His tone was strained, but I was not ready yet. I wanted to be honest, I did, but seeing him right now… I thought back on my plan of telling him, and just sighed. “No, you’re right. You shouldn’t trust me, I could be a surgeon that takes people’s heart out of their chest and be known to just murderer people, that would be hard to trust-“

“Fine, so be it. If you want to play that game, let’s go back inside.” He did not even give me time to reply that he stepped back inside.

 While scolding myself internally, I followed him; I discretely reached out for his coat to stop him but stopped mid-way and shook my head once more. Stop this, what if he doesn’t trust you? He made it abundantly clear when he told you, you were stupid and that he did not need you. Shove it all away and don’t do anything rash. We went our separate ways, he laid on the ground, using his sword as a pillow which mustn’t have been comfortable. And yet he fell asleep just as soon as he hit the ground.

 I would have suggested him to sleep with me like we did back on the ship, but there was this growing tension between us. I thought it’d have disappeared after his almost death, but it was ever present.

 At some point during the night, Sabo came in to check up on Luffy. I was not as surprised by learning they were brothers, as his crew was. They seemed caught off guard, but it didn’t stop them from welcoming him. I only half-paid attention to his story, my focus was solely on the wounded man on the ground. Why was he so insistent in wanting to know why I followed him to Punk Hazard, I told him many times one of the main reasons why I did he but he was pushing.

 Making sure my back was off the wall, I brought my knees to my chest and crossed my elbows on it, resting my head too. The bandages were a bit too tight around my sternum, but I ignored it. While Law called himself my Captain again, and so did I earlier, I still did not think I was welcomed back. I should listen to him and leave but at the same time… at the same time it was perhaps just my fear of doing something I’d regret that kept me from going back to him.

 I couldn’t wake him up now, so I’d have to wait until morning to talk about it again but… perhaps I should follow Sanji’s advice and talk like adults. Yeah, talk like adults but also keep not telling him the truth, you know, like an adult. Fucking idiot. Huffing, I kept myself on high-alert but tried to get some rest nonetheless.

 While the Straw-Hat crew seemed nice, I did not spend enough time with them to know if I could let my guard down. Even on the Polar Tang I almost begged to get one solo, even if very small, room to myself. In the end I managed to have one shared with Bepo, but it was mostly just me since Law requested him to sleep with him on rougher nights. But those nights came in more recently, at least before Punk Hazard. Perhaps was it because he was thinking about this revengeful plan, he had concocted to get rid of Doflamingo? Perhaps it took the dust off some old memories that he would have been keen on forgetting.

 Whichever it was, I think he was glad that this very night he did not have nightmares. Or maybe he did not sleep at all, like I did, only half-asleep but still very much aware of what surrounded us.

 When we woke up in the morning, the Samurais brought food. I managed to sneak and get some for myself and Law, dropping it in front of him before going through the door without a word. I’m sure he wasn’t he a mood to talk, but I was not in a mood to see him sulking around either. So, I sat outside and watched the flower field.

 I did not know how long I stood there, but I could feel my whole body was on fire. The adrenaline from last night had worn off and I had a hard time going around, which is why I stayed seated on the ground and did not venture to the centre of town. Even when I heard the Princess was helping the injured one, but when I heard wind of it, I also heard the mention of the Marine. While I wanted to get some of my pain alleviated, it was not worth the risk of crossing path with the Marines.

 Hearing the ruckus inside, I had guessed they heard it too, and were probably deciding on what to do.

 Soon after, I heard the door open along soft footsteps before being nudged on the shoulder by something solid. Looking at it, it was the tip of a sheathed sword, Law’s. “Is it time to go?”

“Yes, get up we’re leaving.” He grunted, handing me a hand.

Taking it, I hissed and was ready to follow the others when he gripped my wrist. “Stay close to me, don’t wander off and keep running, no matter what. Are we clear?”

“Yeah sure, let’s go.” Before I could go, he pulled me once more and gritted through his teeth, “It’s a yes or no question, are we clear?”

It’s alright, it’s okay, don’t react. He’s on edge, it’s okay. With as much frustration as him, I smiled, “Yes, sir.” His frown disappeared and confusion struck his features, then I rushed to the front and joined everyone when they started running.

 I was out of breath pretty easily; I suppose I should maybe work on my stamina and combat skills when I’m back with the crew. Perhaps Penguin would help me, I’m definitely not asking Law since he’s being a bitch. Or maybe it was because of the bandages…

 As we ran, I realized we had lost Luffy. I stumbled a bit at the realization but got brought back to the front by Law who pulled me once more, telling me to hurry up.

 Rolling my eyes, I would have teleported to the front to show off if we weren’t being shot at. The only thing protecting us being the huge shield, Bartolomeo was holding up, or as he called it: barrière.

 But it did not matter, I could keep up, I was in automatic mode the entire time. That is, until I saw Law take a turn.

 “Oh, no. He’s not doing this right now.” I said to myself while following him. When I teleported to the street he had turned to, I felt an arm pressed right under my neck. It disappeared off of me just as fast and I was left, a hand on my neck as I looked at Law in confusion.

 “I told you to not wander off, why are you here!” He exclaimed in frustration.

“It’s not wandering off, I’m just following you at this point-“

“Don’t do that! Don’t play on words, go back to- fuck they’re too far now.” He groaned after checking the streets before looking back at me with his usual frown. “Why did you follow me?”

“Well, it’s called the buddy system. You’re not going anywhere alone, the only person who’s allowed to do that is Luffy because he can make friends easily.” I said casually, leaning against the wall. As I did, I felt the stinging pain in my back but ignored it, before continuing with my underlying statement, “You, however, cannot make friends for shit. I’m the buddy here.”

 Law sighed loudly, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. After a few seconds, he held out his hand, “Follow me, but when I tell you to hide, you hide. I’ll be nearby.”

Hesitantly, I took his hand. Sure, it was for guidance, but it still felt nice to touch him in a non-medical way, for the very few times I did. We ran towards an unknown direction; it was unknown until I saw there was one Marine sitting on the rumbles. He wasn’t ready to attack, and nearby was seated a big monkey. A gorilla? An orangutan? I didn’t know, it was definitely a primate. With a gesture of his hand, Law signalled me to stop and hide, which I did. I let my bum hit the ground a bit too strongly, but it felt nice to rest. My muscles were on fire, my lungs were threatening to come out of my mouth and my wounds had probably opened again, the sewing must have been shitty for it to happen.

 Placing my head against the wall, I tried to calm my beating heart to eavesdrop the conversation that was happening. No, no, don’t do that, it’s his life. Don’t do that, I told myself before bringing my fingers to my ears and trying my best to muffle everything. It wasn’t hard considering the loud crashing sounds that were happening in the distance. Stones flying in the sky, gathering to a huge one, I think I saw Luffy there too.

 My arms were starting to tire, if they weren’t enough already from the gashes on it. But I sighed, and gulped. It muffled the sound even more, I had to fake a yawn to undo it but kept my gaze ahead of me to not get caught off guard.

 Without sound, I felt like I had no notion of time. It was strange to say that, but I felt like it had been ages since Law had left. The moment I had that thought, something nudged my shoulder. I gasped and moved my hands from my ears, looking at it and seeing Law with a scowl.

 Feeling like he was going to ask, I used his sword as lever to get myself up and groaned, “I covered my ears. I promise I didn’t hear your conversation with the Marine, no matter how suspicious this is.” His only reply was a scoff at first, then he pulled the sword and me with it, catching my bicep before I could fall.

“Don’t grab my sword like that, it’s not meant for that-“ “I don’t see you handing me a hand when my wounded ass is on the ground, chief.” I scoffed, letting of his sword with a huff.

 “You have the worst attitude. I don’t have time to deal with you right now, let’s go.” He motioned with a curt of his head before starting running towards the huge ball of debris in the sky. I suppose it made sense to run towards the most frightening thing on the island right now. If that was there, it meant they were trying to block our way, which meant the port was that way.

 But the call that is ‘running towards danger’ never ended well, no matter who initiated it. And yet, here I was, keeping my mouth shut and running behind him without complaining.

 It might be a lie; I may have complained a bit about the utter pain that I was feeling all over my body but he was pretty good at ignoring it and just told me to keep going. “You seem fine for someone who lost an arm, I should have asked Minsh- Manshi… the princess to heal me, too.” I said out of breath, now running right next to Law.

 I almost tripped when he laughed at my struggle and simply corrected me, “Manshelly.”

 Chuckling I shrugged, or tried to, it was hard to do while running. “Yeah well, let’s Manshe-leave so that you can take proper care of me.” Was I pouting? It took me a bit of time to realize what I had said, it sounded like I was a brat in need of attention when all I meant was that he did a poor job last night.

 Which I was not going to tell him.

 He chuckled once more and was about to reply when he put his arm in front of me and stopped me dead in my track. With a huff, I placed my hand on his arm to balance myself and looked ahead where stood our allies. “We’re there, stay by my side.”

“You’re the one who wanders off, not me. You don’t need to tell me twice-“ He cut me off,

“No, I need to repeat it countless more times,” He sighed as we hurried to joined the rest of the people. Looking over at me, he smirked, “Maybe the princess could have healed your hardness of hearing, that would have been a gift-“

“I’m not deaf Law, it’s called selective hearing. It’s necessary when you keep repeating the same shit over and over, you know?” There was a bit too much animosity in my words, but it was too late. They were out now.

 Once we had joined everyone and waited for Luffy’s fight to be over, Law continued. “The same shit? Do you mean: the orders you can’t seem to take?”

“Hey, I can take a lot, ok? But I already told you, your orders were bullshit. Not all the time, but sometimes.” I paused and raised a finger, “And I followed all yours orders up until now, just not the stupid ones so… I’m great at this, really.”

He sighed loudly, “If you’re so great, why do I feel like putting you on a leash is the only way to keep you still when I tell you to stay back.”

 I turned around and faced him in pure awe, and slight embarrassment. Why did I kind of like what he said? No, no, don’t think that… They say to carve every word before letting it fall, but I just spurt pure raw unthought words, “And I feel like chaining you down is the only way to keep you out of danger, oh- wait no, sorry you can manage getting tied up just fine, especially when the enemy-“

 “Alright! Both of you, please, stop with the flirting. It’s annoying, it’s definitely something that needs to be talked about in private and above all,” Cavendish covered his eyes in emphasis for his next words before dramatically saying, “It’s truly painful to see, goodness…”

 After hearing the blonde’s words, I felt my face flame up and looked away from both of them, clearing my throat. I did not mention his use of the word flirting and simply waited for the ‘go’ before starting sprinting towards the huge ships that awaited us at the port.

 I dared throw a glance at Law while running, he seemed deep in thought. Maybe I should apologize, I don’t even know why I said any of this. I don’t mind his orders, they make sense, I’m just an idiot. I can’t tell him that though, it’d be too gratifying for him… No, he wouldn’t be satisfied by that… Even so, I had to find an excuse as of why I spoke so heatedly instead of staying compose like I usually am. Looks like shoving it all way is starting to have consequences I don’t like…

 Focusing on the task at hand, we all ran to the ships and, thanks to Luffy, reached the said ships in one piece instead of all ending up at the bottom of the ocean. Maybe not all of us would have drowned, but fruit users definitely would have.

 Lots of people returned to their own ships, but it looked like the most important fighters decided to join the one on which we had all gathered along the Straw-Hat crew. When they started talking about pleading allegiance to Luffy, I snuck off and wandered about the inside of the huge ship. “I should probably find a change of bandages, I can smell the iron-y smell from here, yikes.” I said to myself. Talking to myself eased the eerie feeling of being alone inside an empty ship. Yes, people were on deck, probably feasting at this point, but inside it was empty.

 No number of loud laughs could help with that ghost-like sensation of being alone in an unknown place. I felt out of place but kept searching until I found a pretty well stocked infirmary.

 Closing the door behind me, the room was muffled. There wasn’t any sound except the creaking of the wood, and for a moment there, it felt peaceful. I stood against the door an unknown amount of time before pushing myself off the wooden door and making my way to the bed.

 Taking off my shoes, I sat on the bed and patted the pillows a bit, humming to help with the lack of sound in the room. “If they’re partying, I could nap… I sure … as hell mmm need some… of that nice…” Sleep. I couldn’t help my eyelids from closing and my brain going in pass out mode. I felt my body relax and very slowly, I let myself drift off to an uncomfortable but perhaps restful sleep.

[Part 8]

[cienie-isengardu]

The development of Law’s relationship with Zoro - Part 5: Zou, The Kindred Spirits (The Last Moments Before War)

<<Part I: Before Meeting>> <<Part II: Sabaody Archipelago, The First Meeting>> <<Part III: Punk Hazard: The Alliance (A)__(B)>>  <<Part IV: Dressrosa, The Breaking Point (The Plan Failed)__ (Saving Law)__(Protecting Law)__ (Birdcage, Pica and Doflamingo)__ (Aftermath)>> <<Part V: Zou, The Kindred Spirits (Traveling Together)__(Searching for Nakama)__ (Reunion)__ (Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance)__(The Last Moments before War)>>

After Jack’s attack, Zonesha required medical attention (chapter 822). Anime extended that by showing how various members of the alliance worked together to help the injured elephant and even included a scene between Zoro (who again was lost) and Law asking him about his awful sense of direction.

This scene is funny on many levels, because:

anime didn’t show Law to be involved in any task like making bandages or preparing medicine or, like Zoro, cutting the wood 

which means either he wandered and just saw Zoro or went after him on purpose

the “you walked on your own, Zoro-ya” implies he was aware Zoro at some point disappeared which supports possibility Law searched him on his own

and thought Zoro’s sense of direction was ridiculously terrible which clearly made Pirate Hunter embarrassed. 

At least we know Law paid attention to Zoro in the Dressrosa arc, when he twice got lost on different occasions.

Then the whole interaction was related to Law invading Zoro’s personal space. Either it was his “revenge” for victory party on Dressrosa or he simply felt that comfortable around the other man. Whatever Law’s reason was, once Carrot and Luffy showed up out of nowhere, Law stepped back. Not too far away, but the distance between him and Pirate Hunter was more casual.

Luffy and Carrot made fun of “stray swordsman”. Zoro retorted he will simply carry the wood into the right place and did not take kindly to Law’s comment about waste of time and that he may be lost again. Whatever Zoro wanted to say, Trafalgar without warning used shambles to send the other man into the right place. With wood. That fell from the sky with Zoro and almost killed some poor Minks. Zoro called Law “that bastard” but overall it didn’t change anything between them.

That makes episode 775 one of the most direct interactions between these two Supernovas. Involving violating personal space, commenting on someone's flaw and a bit of arguing.

Once the Zunesha’s wound was dressed, the alliance split in four groups:

The rescue mission for Sanji was carried by Luffy, Nami, Chopper and Brook, Pekom and Pedro. Heart Pirates (represented by Law) and remaining Straw Hats (represented by Zoro) were going to Wano as Kinemon’s group. 

While saying goodbye to Luffy’s team, Law and Zoro stayed far away from each other but close to their respective crewmembers. Then Luffy grabbed his people and simply jumped into an abyss, shocking and/or scaring his companions, samurais, minks and Law alike (chapter 822).

Law definitely still wasn’t used to such a way of transport. And maybe seeing Luffy doing it again brought the not so happy memories of a similar jump on Dressrosa. In contrast Zor’s group was pretty much relaxed watching their companions fall down from such height.

And so, the Zou arc ended.

Luffy’s group headed to Big Mom’s territory while Zoro’s group with samurais and Heart pirates will soon travel to Wano cramped in Law’s submarine.

Zou arc is set up for the upcoming fight against Kaido and Big Mom. One one hand, chapters 803 - 822 provided details and pieces of history needed for better understanding of the alliance situation and what will wait for them in future. On another, there were a few days of needed rest for characters during which the similarity between Law and Zoro could be seen. Both have marks of “dark characters” with specific sense of humor and/or logic. Both are cool-headed and while analyzing their situations often emotionless, if not to say clinical or even heartless. In dangerous situations they aren’t prone to panic or showing worries. Both have low tolerance for idiots (unless said idiots were their crewmembers). Both are introverted, quiet people who don’t talk much but observe their surroundings. Often keep some tangible distance from the large group and seem to like their own personal space. At the same time, through the arc Law could be seen in close range to Zoro - sometimes with little to no personal space between them. They may not talk much about personal matters and don’t hang like Luffy and Usopp do, but they definitely feel comfortable enough to stick so often close to each other and share observations. 

Zoro, as one of the quietest Straw Hats and less prone to being emotional (like crying after dying painted dragon) was still the safest person to stay around for Law. They understood each other without need of many words, had similar reactions to danger or shocking news and people saying idiotic things (Bartolomeo and Luffy) while not showing their own emotions - even when ninja picked their interest immediately. Which is why Zou arc was titled by me as “The Kindred Spirits” because finally manga presented their interactions in more detailed way and it is hard to miss how often those two decided to stay around the other, even if there wasn’t anything to talk about.

If I have to sum up the Zou arc in relation to the development of Law’s relationship with Zoro in one sentence, I think “Law hanging out with a fellow introvert when there are so many noisy extroverted people around” would do the work.

Here comes additional thoughts and details worth to consider:

↪ In theory, as non captain, Zoro is below Luffy and Law. Straw Hat and Surgeon of the Death are de facto leaders of alliance. But once Luffy went his way, Zoro led Straw Hat group (similar like Sanji led the separated part of crew to Zou). During that time, he and Law were on equal footing in the sense of leadership skills. Interestingly, the narrator called their group as “team Zoro”, totally ignoring Law’s status as captain or potential leader. Later on, when alliance split in four groups, the graphic illustrating the division showed Trafalgar and Zoro as equal leaders representing their respective crews while both were put into Kinemon’s team.

↪ Thinking more about “team Zoro”, there is a possibility that Law temporary accepted Zoro’s leadership:

- it is clear he hates when people order him around (what was seen on Sabaody Archipelago with Eustass Kid) and Luffy, every time Straw Hats makes a decision ignoring Law’s opinion or outright ignoring him.

- Nami mentioned in Dressrosa Law was a lot like Luffy - giving orders to others without caring what they think. At the same time on Zou he did not boss anyone from Straw Hats. All major matters (not waiting for samurais and finding Bepo) were decided by Zoro. Everyone was allowed to express their concerns - what Robin and Usopp did - but once Roronoa made the final decision, no one questioned his judgment of the situation. Not even Law who, as captain himself, should be on equal ground. 

- Law said “we should head straight for [Bepo] if we want accurate intel” which sounded like a suggestion of best action instead of giving order. This adds to the impression Law was truly compliant through their journey into the unknown place.

- Considering that Zoro did not try to order Law around (like Kid) and listened to his observations and suggestions (unlike Luffy sometimes), there wasn’t any reason for conflict or power struggles between those two Supernovas. Trafalgar was treated well by Zoro and the group who asked about his opinion and respected him in the general sense of the word. 

↪ There is also the matter of Carrot’s attack. Zoro took on himself to fight the unknown enemy and Law did not protest. 

- Once again, Sabaody Archipelago showed Law did not take kindly to insinuation he needed protection of others when Kid insisted on fighting marines alone. 

- During Dressrosa, he didn’t fight unless he had to; to save as much energy as possible in case of a facing Doflamingo. We learned then that though Ope Ope no Mi was a powerful devil fruit, using its powers consumed a lot of energy. 

- It is hard to judge how much time Law needed to fully renew his strength but after three days of rest on Dressrosa and one week of journey, from the group that arrived to Zou, Law seemed to still be recovering from injuries. What the bandages on his arm implies. Not even Luffy or Usopp had any visible injury signs after so much time. 

- In all fairness, Zoro was the only one person in the group who wasn’t really damaged during the previous battle. The fight with Doflamingo left Luffy sleeping for three days after, Law and Usopp were mercilessly beaten down at some point, Franky had a manly fight against Senor Pink that left him injured and exhausted, Robin was hurt while protecting Rebecca from Diamente’s attack.

- Now, considering that Law could be not fully healed - and if that was true, Law and Zoro should be very aware of such a problem - letting Roronoa to deal personally with the danger makes sense. On one hand Zoro is always first to fight an enemy, because he likes fighting. On another, protecting others is his natural reflex. But in contrast to Kid, Zoro doesn’t make a big deal of that; he doesn’t ask for gratitude nor make fun of those who rely on him for being weak. The same as in Dressrosa, Law’s inability to fight at full capability was acknowledged but didn’t treat as personal weakness. Zoro simply protected the group because it is what he always does - put himself between danger and other people.

- Which could explain why Law didn’t protest and let the other Supernova deal with the enemy instead of proving his battle superiority or something like that. Law allowed himself to be protected - maybe because of injuries or because of trust in Zoro. Maybe for both of those reasons.

↪ During the joint trip to meet Raizo, Law always stayed at the end of the group, just after Zoro. Anime made it especially look like Trafalgar kept quite a large space between himself and Pirate Hunter, even though for most of time he didn’t mind staying close to the man. This actually made me think about author’s notes included in volume 76:

“This famous Japanese saying that can be taken as even sexist. "A wife must always walk three steps behind her husband."

This saying comes from ancient Japanese samurai culture. Let's say we were one of those samurai who constantly carried around those dangerous Japanese swords, not knowing when we'd need to pull them out and fight- if that were the case, would we really make our loved ones walk right next to us? Those "3 steps" are equivalent to the distance we must make to keep our ladies safe!! If you're a man, say this. "Take 3 steps back and follow me!!!" Take 3 steps back from volume 79, and this is "Volume 76"!!” [translation according to one piece wiki]

Putting aside the context of wife, the “safe distance” from someone who is carrying katanas actually could explain the change in range between Zoro and Law. When the group went to and came back from the hidden place, everyone was walking in line, one person after another. Since Law was a swordsman himself, he may follow some unspoken safety rules, like not going too close to armed swordmaster. Also, maybe he prefered to keep a distance between Zoro’s cursed sword and his own? The cursed blades like to cause problems and some, like Kitetsu, are bloodthirsty. So in general, the distance kept then most likely was less about liking or disliking each other and maybe about some rules of safety understandable to swordsmen?

↪ This seems to be more anime-thing, but Law addressed Roronoa as Zoro-ya. In the previous arc, most male Straw Hat pirates get their own nicknames (nose-ya for Usopp, Black Leg-ya for Sanji, Straw Hat-ya for Luffy). Law is on a first-name basis with Zoro. On the other hand, Roronoa used Luffy’s nickname Traffy..

↪ The interest in ninja is another thing they have in common albeit for different reasons. Law was mainly interested in clone jutsu which fits his medical skills - he can manipulate someone’s body while a ninja may multiply himself. Zoro’s interest was focused mainly on weapons and ninja’s endurance to pain/injury, because of course he wanted to see how strong the shinobi was.

↪ Law seems to not be a fan of partying, at least not in a big and noisy group. I’m not sure if we ever saw him actually drinking alcohol (don’t remember that personally) and who knows, he may not be fond of that too. This time Zoro didn’t drink with Law, so either he respected Trafalgar’s wish to be left alone or simply knew that Law was surrounded by his own crew, thus didn’t need his company. Last time, Law was a lonely Heart pirate between Straw Hats and the new Straw Hat Grand Fleet, now his own crew for sure wanted to spend some time with a long no see captain.

That is all for now for Zou arc. The alliance had a chance to relax and rest a bit before facing Kaido. With the help of new friends, Zoro and Law headed to land of samurais now occupied by one of Yonko. How their relationship will work under new level of pressure will verify the next part - Wano arc.

[glitterandmoondustofficial]

Side To Side

Chapter 207: Survival

Characters: Ruby, Law Rating: Teen Warnings: Language, tempers Notes: So this chapter changed direction a million times until I was satisfied. It ended up changing some things for the future that were already planned out so stay tuned :)

~~~~~~~

Ruby could tell that Law’s anxiety had increased significantly recently. He had agreed to let her go to Dressrosa, but he hated it. Oh, he loathed it. He was always in a bad mood. Snappy, irritable, depressed. He barely ate, only having coffee for most of the day until someone forced him to eat.

Ruby ignored it at first. Which probably wasn’t the best decision. She just didn’t want to deal with his pissiness. She understood why he was being a pain in the ass. It’s not like she wanted to go either. However, she would do anything to make sure her lover was safe. She felt that her going to Dressrosa was what kept him the safest.

She had, however, had enough of his attitude.

Law was silently taking off his clothes at the end of the day in their bedroom. Ruby had been brushing her teeth and came out to greet him, but noticed the pissed off look on his face.

She sighed.

“Law,” she called him softly. He didn’t acknowledge her, and that really annoyed her. “Trafalgar Law,” she said more firmly and he stopped. He turned to look at her. “You need to quit that attitude of yours,” she said like she was scolding a teenager.

“I don’t have an attitude.”

“Yes, you do. Everyone has noticed it. Do you know how many members of our crew have come to me to deal with it, like I’m your parent or something.” She sighed.

He sighed through his nose. He closed his eyes and turned back to the dresser. He continued to get undressed, not saying anything. Ruby frowned and eyebrows furrowed. She opened her mouth to say something but he interrupted her.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “I know I’m being an ass.” Ruby closed her mouth. “I don’t like that you’re leaving.”

“I know. I don’t either.”

“Then don’t go.”

“We’re not having that conversation again. I’m going.” She walked into the bathroom and spat in the sink. She put away her toothbrush and walked back out. “We need to tackle this like adults.”

He sighed. “There’s nothing to really tackle. We both know our feelings and we made the decision. It’s just a matter of me accepting that my choices have led us here.” Law turned to her.

Ruby frowned and walked up to him. He stared at her, the intense emotions in his eyes betraying his neutral face. She leaned in and kissed him chastely. She wrapped her arms around his middle and held him. He let out a long sigh and wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m sorry you’re stressed out,” she started. “It should be over soon.” He stayed silent. “Right?”

“I…no…” he frowned deeply. “It’s going to take months, Ruby. That’s months away from the crew that you’ll have to deal with. That’s month’s I’ll…” his eyebrows raised.

Ruby looked down. “Well…it will be worth it, won’t it? We’ll all be together and be safe once it’s all over, yeah?”

“Yeah, everyone will be happy and safe. I won’t let him touch any of you.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes slightly. “And you?” Law didn’t say anything. He just looked into her eyes before hugging her tightly. Ruby frowned deeply and hugged him back. “You’ll come get me?”

“Of course,” he said. “I wouldn’t leave you on that bastard’s island.”

Ruby relaxed. “Okay, good.” She tilted her head up and kissed his chin. “I love you, mo chuisle.”

“Love you, too. I’ll make sure that you’re happy and protected for the rest of your life. I won’t let Doflamingo even look at you while you’re there.”

Ruby smiled softly. “I believe you.” She pulled away from him and took his hands in hers. “Is there anything I can do for you? I know you’re really stressed right now.”

He looked at their hands. “I think this is something I’ll have to work out on my own but I wouldn’t mind laying my head in your lap.”

“Such a simple request! Of course we can do that.” She smiled at him and he relaxed.

After they both undressed and got into bed, Ruby ran her fingers through his thick hair. She smiled as he quietly read. She scratched his scalp lightly. She watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath. He had a slight frown on his face, one that was different from his usual grump frown.

“Law?” She called. “You don’t have to keep it bottled up.”

Law was silent for a moment, Ruby wasn’t sure he processed what she said. He opened his eyes slowly and then sighed. “I need to talk to you.”

“Of course, hon.”

“I’ve grown accustomed to you,” he said. “When you first moved in here it was hard. There was always someone in my space. Her clothes and makeup were all over my room, it became more cluttered, smelled different. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure about the change at first.” He sighed. “But I loved you, so I dealt with it. After a while, all those things that threw me off or annoyed me, I wanted them. I looked forward to them. It was you. If those things weren’t around, then that meant you weren’t around.” He looked up at her. “I’m not sure I’m ready to give that up.”

Ruby blinked. She stared at him for a moment. “You found me annoying?”

Law scoffed. “First of all, that’s not what I said. Second of all, you hear me being open and honest with you and that’s what you take from it? Unbelievable. You’re a pain in the ass.” Ruby giggled. He huffed and started grumbling under his breath.

“I love you, mo chuisle. You can be very sweet when you try.” He rolled his eyes. Ruby smiled softly. “I understand what you mean, though. When I first joined…everything was so different from what I was used to. I had to change everything about myself.”

“Not seeing the correlation.”

“Because I wanted to change for you. I wanted to be different for you. I had to grow accustomed to your decisions and life, which I did because I wanted to be around you.”

“What I’m hearing is that you fell for me immediately.”

Ruby shrugged. “Sure, if that’s what you want to hear. Whatever.” Law stared up at her confused. “I don’t remember how exactly I felt about you at first, I just knew that it didn’t feel right when I wasn’t around you. It wasn’t romantic love, but I guess I did love you.” She smiled. “So, yeah, I understand being accustomed to you and not wanting to give that up.” She sighed. “I’m going to miss everyone, especially you.” She cupped his cheek and rubbed his cheekbone.

Law sat up and turned to her. They embraced. Ruby buried her face in Law’s neck. She frowned. She supposed she hadn’t really thought about it. She was going to be alone. She would be away from the crew and her lover. She swallowed. She wasn’t prepared for the ache she was going to feel when she was away from Law. She really got herself into some shit this time around.

“I’m going to miss you, too,” he said. “I will come for you.”

She smiled. “I believe you.” They looked at each other for a moment before kissing. She couldn’t turn back. She had made her decision. She was going to Dressrosa, no matter how much it terrified her to be alone again.

They pulled away and stared at each other. Law brought his hand up to her cheek and wiped away a tear she hadn’t realized escaped.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked her, caressing her cheek.

“Yes,” she said firmly. “I’m sure.”

He sighed. “Okay…” he frowned. “I’ll support any decision you make.”

Ruby smiled. “So, you’ll stop being such a grump?”

“I didn’t say that.” Ruby giggled and Law’s facial features relaxed. He brought her forehead forward and kissed it. “I love you.” Ruby opened her mouth to respond but he covered her mouth. “Listen to me,” he started, “When we first started dating I had no idea I would love you as much as I do.” He took her cheeks into his hands and squished them. “I hadn’t planned on getting you involved in this. I just want you safe and unharmed. I’d rather die than let anything happen to you.”

“Law-”

“Shut up, I’m trying to talk about my emotions. I’m still needing to get something off of my chest.” Ruby closed her mouth. Law did not stop squishing her cheeks. “You’re the first person that I’ve thought about a future with. I want to live a long life with you. Before…Ruby,” his voice cracked. “I need to confess something to you,” he said. “And it’s because I love you and want to be honest about Dressrosa.”

“Okay. You can tell me anything, you know that.”

He took in a breath. “I never planned on surviving past Doflamingo.”

Ruby paused. Her eyes widened. She took his hands from her cheeks. “W-what?”

“I never planned on coming home from Dressrosa.” Tears filled her eyes and stared at him in shock. Tears rolled down her face and her face scrunched up. He frowned deeply. “Please don’t look at me like that.”

“How else am I supposed to look?” She asked, frustration rising. Tears blurred her eyes and she sobbed. “You said- you said we were going to grow old together. You promised me…” she let out a sob. She wiped her face but she couldn’t stop crying. “You were going to leave me. You were going to leave me alone.”

“You would have the crew,” he said quietly. “You’d never be alone.”

“I’d be without you. I love you. I wanted to be with you. I want us to grow old together where no one can hurt us. Why would you tell me that we would move on together?”

“Because,” he sighed, “because I wanted that fantasy.”

“It was never fantasy. It was always supposed to happen. Why did you lie to me? I thought you…” she trailed off. No. She knew he loved her. She knew that he was a complicated man with complicated emotions. He didn’t do this to hurt her. He did it because he was confused and didn’t know how to feel.

But it still hurts.

He didn’t say anything, but he looked ashamed. He couldn’t meet her eyes. She stared at him through her tears. Shame and guilt overcame his features.

“I’m sorry,” he said, so quietly she barely heard it. “It was something that Erina and I tried to work on but I guess I’m just stubborn.” He swallowed. “I had a plan to make sure you’d-”

“Fuck that,” she snapped. “Don’t start with that bullshit. You knew that I wanted you to come home to me. You just expected me to move on like you didn’t mean anything to me?” She took a deep breath and covered her face with her hand. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to snap like that.”

“No,” Law sighed. “Don’t apologize. I’m sorry,” he told her. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I know you are. I know that you feel guilty.” She sighed. She cleared her throat and wiped her eyes. “I just...I wanted our future to mean something.”

“It does.”

“Law,” she sighed. “You have your purpose and goal. It’s hardly reasonable for me to expect you to drop 13 years of pure dedication for just me.” She frowned deeply. “I believed in you every step of the way, I believed you would come back to me. I…” she trailed off. “I’m such an idiot. I knew you were willing to die for this cause of yours, I knew you’d do whatever you could to kill him. I don’t know why...I don’t…” she trailed off. Frustration mixed in with hurt showed on her face. “It’s been hard knowing that the only thing you’ve been living for was taking down Doflamingo. I told myself that it was fine because when this was over you’d be able to focus on actually living your life but…hearing that you didn’t plan on surviving, after you had told me so many times that you planned on a future with me...” she stopped herself and swallowed. “Was it all lies?” He didn’t answer her at first. Her frown deepened and her lip quivered. She took in a sharp breath. “I just wanted to be important to you, too.” She cried.

“You are,” he said. “It wasn’t all lies. I really want to have a future with you.”

“I was willing to deal with Dressrosa and your revenge if it meant you were going to come home to me.” Ruby squeezed her eyes shut. “I hate you.” She cried. “I hate you so much.”

“That’s alright. You can hate me. I just...I don’t know. Ruby...don’t think that you’re aren’t important to me. You are. If you had said that you didn’t plan on returning to me I’d feel the same as you.” He frowned deeply. “I never wanted to make you feel like I didn’t love you. I love you more than…” he trailed off with a frown. He looked into her eyes and Ruby sighed. She sniffed. “I love you,” he sighed. “More than I can explain.”

She knew that. She knew he loved things intensely. She knew that he loved her an incomprehensible amount. Ruby wrapped her arms around him tightly. Law hugged her back. Ruby cried. It wasn’t pretty tears. It was sobbing and sniffling and hiccuping. Her face was wet and red. Law stroked her hair and kissed her ear.

She didn’t mean to break down into sobs, but she just found out the person she loved more than anything planned on going on a suicide mission. Her heart ached. She couldn’t move on without him. She’d never be the same without him. She loved him. Oh, she loved him. She loved his smile and his gold eyes. His touch. His voice. The idea of her never being in his arms again terrified her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered hoarsely when her sobs quieted down. “I didn’t mean to break down like that.”

“You don’t have to apologize for letting your frustrations out.”

“I know.” She sniffed. “And I am. I'm frustrated and hurt.” Ruby sniffed before letting out a breath she was holding in. Law leaned his forehead against hers again and closed his eyes. They sat silently, just breathing. “But,” she began again. “I’m only focusing on how I feel.” She pulled away and took his forlorn face in her hands. “I’m so sorry that you feel like the only way to achieve Corazón’s will is by dying, my love.”

He stared at her, unshed tears in his eyes. “My original plan was to die for Cora-san but you going to Dressrosa made me realize that…” he sighed, “maybe I should try harder to survive.” He covered her hands with his. “I could never let you go there and then die when I could protect you. I want to survive for both our sakes. I want to survive because I don’t want to die alone in some foreign country. I want to be with you.”

“We’ll come back together,” Ruby said after a moment.

Law nodded. “Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “I won’t let you down.” Ruby smiled sadly and took her hands away from his cheeks. She sighed and looked at her hands in her lap. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

“What?” She looked up at him.

“For hurting you like this.”

Ruby looked into his gold eyes. She closed her eyes slowly. “Dunno.” She opened her eyes again. She was tired. She didn’t want to think about it. “I just want to go to bed.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Ruby crawled to her side of the bed without another word. Law swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat in silence. Ruby stared at his back from under the blankets, his tattoo smiling at her. “Come to bed, Law.” He turned to look at her. She reached out her hand and he took it. “We’ll figure it out later, just come to bed and hold me.”

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’re always so demanding of your captain.”

“Yes, I am.”

She pulled him into the bed so that he was laying down. Ruby turned and faced the wall. Law immediately curled around her, holding her in close. Ruby closed her eyes.

She was done with today.

[all-blue-headcanons]

Good day, lovely person! I just bumped in to leave a smol request. A scenario, if possible. Although your specified writing makes it already scenario like... But Law, with a little dig into his though process when he finds out his childhood friend, who he thought was dead for over 10-12 years now - appears now to be actually alive 🤔

Law finding out his childhood friend is actually alive after a decade thinking they were dead

It was that time of year again where Trafalgar D. Water Law became an absolute nightmare for the Heart Pirates to deal with, their captain’s mood suddenly becoming as unreasonable as he could be cold. Fortunately the crew had learned roughly when to expect ‘the change’ in his behavior - as Penguin had once coined the term, everybody knowing to keep their distance as the ever increasing lack of sleep caused the bags under the man’s eyes to become that much darker and more pronounced.The stony stare spoke volumes as to how the Surgeon of Death had been feeling as of late, and as much as his crew loved their captain, they all knew that sometimes it was best to simply let him be. From what they had learned about Law’s past, there was a good reason as to why his usual smiles were in short supply around this time of year… Trafalgar Law was grieving, mourning those he had lost in the only way he knew how - and very much prefered to be left alone when he did. Twirling a cigarette he’d pilfered between his fingers, Law sighed as he turned his attention towards the cloudy heavens. It appeared as though the skies were grieving along with him that day, his wintery eyes reflecting the crashing waves of the sea close by. Those same grey irises look down at the stick clasped within his tattooed digits; he didn’t like these things at all, and barely knows why he’s even having it but the man lights up the other end with a shaking hand before pressing it through pursed lips.Death. He scowls upon reading his own fingers before inhaling deeply in defiance, welcoming the vile taste that covers his tongue. How ironic, yet so appropriate at the same time… swiftly he takes another drag of the foul-tasting thing, and while it does makes Law cough at first, the familiar scent and taste instantly soothes his frazzled nerves, bringing home familiar thoughts and feelings of him.Tomorrow would be the anniversary of Corazon’s death. Even after all these years, the missing hole in his heart had barely begun to heal, and it was only getting worse as he realized that two years from now, Law would be the exact same age as when his precious friend died.Just twenty six years old. How the time had flown. Exhaling deeply, Trafalgar Law watched as pale plumes of smoke allowed themselves to be carried away on the cold ocean breeze, the cigarette having done it’s work in bringing good thoughts and feelings of his oldest friend. Still. There was another person he was sorely missing, and unlike Corazon, thoughts of her weren’t brought back so easily…It was on an evening like this many years ago when they had first met, back when he’d still been a simple and carefree boy still living in Flevance. His beloved father had been a magnificent doctor, and sometimes he would be called upon to vistit neighbouring countries to help with issues that the lack of doctors in the area couldn’t. It was on one such visit that Law had made a new friend away from home, somebody who reminded him of his sister and wanted to keep contact after he’d gone back home.At least… they had, until the same man responsible for taking Corazon away had somehow found out about her too. Law frowned at the thought. It hadn’t been proven, but who else would have had reason to do something as awful as that? A bomb had been delivered to her family’s residence, a scenario that the Heart Pirate’s captain hadn’t even found out about until he’d come of age as a pirate and decided to stop by just to see her one more time before travelling the world…He hadn’t even started his first journey before discovering the shell-shocked ruins of her home, the rubble scattered everywhere much like his memories of the destruction of Flevance.Once again, Law inhaled his cigarette deeply, hoping to choke out the burning sensation building up inside his chest. It broke his heart all over again to think of his only other childhood friend gone like that, not even getting to say goodbye like he had with Corazon, but instead finding the ruined gift he’d sent with a letter congratulating her on her last birthday. Law had long since known that he’d never be able to rest until that madman was dealt with, the memories of his two oldest friends resting as heavy and painful on his heart as the smoke circulating in his lungs… ”Laaaaaaaaaw!” Bepo calls out in the distance, breaking Law out from his unhappy reverie. Frosty grey eyes instantly snapped open and turned towards the source of the sound, but the darkness in Law’s gaze faded somewhat at the sight of his cuddly friend dashing over, clearly at odds over something. Panting heavily as he arrived, the Polar Bear Mink presented his captain with the newpaper he’d just received, along with an odd collection of pages.Accepting the newpaper mindlessly, the Surgeon of Death flipped open the front page to read the surprising news. The destruction of Eneis Lobby? That place was locked up tighter than even Dressrosa, one of the World Government’s most well-hidden and protected locations on the planet. How on Earth had that happened? Law listened intently as Bepo explained the situation that had gone down, along with whom had been responsible for such a shocking event.Monkey D. Luffy, another Rookie… and a D. just like him?”And these too, Law! Their bounties really got big because of what happened!” Bepo continued as he handed over the collection of papers that had come along with the news. Idly flipping through the pages, the man’s interest piqued as he studied the faces of the motley crew, vaguely recalling some of the strange deeds that this crew had somehow accomplished over that time.Monkey D. Luffy. Roronoa Zoro. Black Leg Sanji. Cat Burglar Nami. Usopp. Tony Tony Chopper. Nico Robin. Franky. Only the first few names rang any bells, but it was the final page regarding their newest member that made him freeze, shaking him to his very core.It was her.Her face was exactly as he last remembered seeing her all those years ago, back when he’d still been that carefree little boy whose greatest concern had been becoming a fine doctor like his father, and the whispered secrets between silly children. Law’s eyes widened as his fingertips gently traced over the portrait before his eyes, tanned skin curving along soft eyes and the cheekiest grin he ever did see…He’d lied to himself, Law had. Her only existing memory over the years had been the dog-eared letters he still held in his possession, back when they’d corresponded until thinking she had died. Sometimes Law had kept these letters close, hiding one inside his pockets while other times, he locked them away once the memories had become too hurtful to hold onto any longer… and yet every time, he always found himself taking them back, reading each and every one all over again on those long nights when he just couldn’t sleep. The precious pages became that little bit more tattered with every cycle, as loving fingers wistfully traced over the aged parchment.There’s a hitch in his chest, along with that burning sensation again that spreads up towards his wintery eyes, the Surgeon of Death staring unblinkingly at the unexpected face printed upon the page. She was alive, and had been for all this time and he’d never known…“Law, please tell me what’s wrong!” Bepo wails, utterly distraught at the sight of his captain looking as though he were about to cry, but the Polar Bear Mink is astounded when Law finally smiles after days of seeming so faraway.“There’s nothing wrong at all, Bepo. At least, there isn’t anything wrong anymore… something’s very much right about the world again,” Law replies with a genuine grin, beaming in that roguish way that the bear had only seen on a handful of occasions.Everything was okay. Trafalgar D. Water Law was back again, and it was enough for him to know his old friend was still alive for the time being, not to mention clearly doing well for herself given the scathing details on what had gone down over at Eneis Lobby. The humilation of the World Government, how the Straw Hats had declared themselves mortal enemies of the twisted system that had hurt so many people over the years - it built up a hope in Law’s heart that he hasn’t dared feel for years, and doesn’t even frown when Bepo nuzzles him tearfully.It’s only when the rest of the crew rejoice openly at the sight of their captain behaving like his old self again that he snaps.“Alright, alright! Show’s over, people. We’ll rest up here this evening and move out as soon as it’s dawn,” Law yells over at them with a crooked grin, tucking the newspaper under his arm along with the collection of the Straw Hat’s bounties. God, how he loved them so, but even more knowing how much they really did care…It was almost completely dark now, as he knew it would be the same when he could finally strike against his old enemy, but for now, Trafalgar D. Water Law was content in the knowledge that not all had been as lost as he’d thought. His friend was still alive, and as if desiring to fuel his newfound happiness, the clouds above parted, revealing the night sky and the brightest star of them all, shining like a beacon of hope against an uncertain future.Stay alive, my friend. We’ll meet again someday soon, I promise you.

[manaani]

this is pointless I know lol

I’m like, very emotional person, probably more so than a lot other people. So I cry somewhat easily I guess.

I tried to think of scenes where it happens even after I’ve already seen the scene once because sometimes the scene doesn’t make me cry a second time.

For example that one scene in Marineford arc (one piece) it gets me EVERY TIME like I absolutely CAN’T watch that scene without crying and it’s not just teary eyes it’s like face red eyes puffy gotta blow your nose kinda sobbing. And another is in Dressrosa, (the tragic end of Law’s flashback) the anime just had to pick the most heartbreaking OST to play during it like it just grabs my heart and punches it repeatedly wtf. And of course the “I wanna live!” moment though the other two hit even harder because they’re just SO UNFAIR while this one is more of a happy moment. Oh and when Brook is like “I’m so glad I’m alive” while bawling is like jeez I feel like when characters do the whole stuff like I love being alive I love life I want to live it gets me.

So in hxh... I rewatched it with my friend, and also rewatched some parts myself. When I watched it with my friend, her attitude kinda made me the mood very different than when I watched it alone (since she hated the ants and made it very clear every five seconds) so I feel like my own experience was like, a bit deeper. I hold back a bit obviously when someone else watches with me (not with one piece tho since she cries as well).

We continued it from Greed Island... I don’t think I ever cried in hxh before Chimera ant arc? I felt bad for Killua and Kurapika (moreso with Kurapika, since I could really feel the pain and loneliness he felt during Yorkshin arc, it was really moving; feeling really bad for Killua comes later). But the Kurapika stuff is different and makes me feel upset but not cry. I know if Kurapika would breakdown and cry at some point I would definitely cry as well.

The scenes that stood out to me as in having me in tears in Chimera ant arc, was the obvious choice (Meruem and Komugi death), the girl reuniting with her mom (I think the music was beautiful) , Killua’s breakdown to Palm about Gon really got me honestly? Like when crying is animated well and you can hear the desperation and pain in the voice it really gets me. It reminds me of when Zuko apologised to Iroh which was another moment like that done very well. I just really, really like seeing characters at their most vulnerable and this is what happened with Killua and the reason why it touched me, especially since it got him off guard as well. And then there is the biggest offender aka the ending of the fight with Pitou like to me that’s the moment that probably got me the most and I’m not sure why. Because like, when I was listening to the soundtracks I started crying at the OST that played during this scene like whaaat? Like if I’m not already crying before, it’s when Gon says “it’s okay” and Killua gets that look (like holy shit the animation during this part is something else) that it finally hits like it KILLS me. It probably doesn’t do that for many people, idk it’s probably more like shocking and WTF moment to a lot of other people, but to me that’s the part that fucks me up like the animation the music the narrator everything is just UGH. Everything that comes outta Gon’s mouth just makes it more sad. And I don’t know why the narrator explaining about how Pitou’s corpse sole purpose is to kill Gon just adds to the sadness?? And I don’t just mean Gon I mean Pitou as well. And then Gon goes all “it’s time for you to go sleep as well” (in which he obviously means both Pitou and himself) I’m like thanks Satan. About Meruem and Komugi, I actually didn’t cry anymore when I was watching it with my friend, but I’m not sure if it’s her attitude that kinda gave me a different “feel” when watching this arc. I mean I didn’t bawl at Killua either this time tho I think I still got a bit teary-eyed. But the Pitou corpse Gon Killua sad moment still had me in tears I guess it’s these personal things where some moment just gets you for some reason?

In Election arc I did cry too, both scenes were of course between Killua and Alluka. First is when Alluka asks if everything was better if she was gone and when Killua asks her if she was sad if only he loved her in the whole world and he gets this look like you can see the love ooze from him and it’s so sweet and touching to me. Second is of course the whole hugging Alluka/Nanika and apologising.