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nehswritesstuffs · 2 years ago

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fly little seagull, the world awaits - Part 2 of 4

So, like, I wrote an ending for this, right? The very next day I read ch.1079. Now there’s... complications. Let’s see how this goes.

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

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

“Captain! Captain! You have a message from the Marines!”

Law scowled as he accepted the letter from his crewmate and opened it, trying to keep Nauja from reading over his shoulder. It was a job from the Government. “Looks like we’re getting put to work.”

“What do they want this time?” Jean Bart glowered. What a way to ruin a day lazing about atop deck. “I am sick of hiding every time we need to report.”

“You’re in luck—it looks like I just have to take care of some business in Gallandria. That’s not too far from this point. Might not even need to get the rest of you involved.” Law raised both eyebrows slightly as he continued reading—intriguing. “Some low-bountied pirates got past Fish-man Island on a fluke and are causing havoc…”

“…but not enough to warrant the Marines to investigate?”

“What would you rather do? Stop rebuilding your headquarters to deal with small pickings, or let your lapdogs take care of the pickings for you?”

“Why do you let them tell you what to do?” Nauja asked curiously. “Bart-ya says we are pirates because we are free! Isn’t free not being told what to do?”

“It is, but it also isn’t,” Law said. He thought for a moment, considering his words carefully. “Freedoms always come with prices. Pirates don’t do lots of many things that the Marines like, but I’m one of the pirates the Marines ignore as long as I do things for them now and then. Sometimes it involves going after other pirates. It’s not ideal, but it works for the time being.”

“Would all the pirates be free if the Marines disappeared?”

“No—although they try to keep what they call order and justice by fighting pirates, if the Marines were gone, then the Government would be gone, and as much as I hate them, some of them are good people who protect other good people… there’s just not as many of them as there should be. Besides, not all pirates are like us and do things like take care of children.”

“They’re not…?”

“No. Many pirates are murderers and destroy for no reason. We simply have our own goals and don’t want to get involved with civilian matters—the specifics are complicated—and becoming pirates is the price we pay.” He felt bad for the amount of misdirecting about himself he was doing, but knew he’d clarify everything one day. “We’re able to sail the seas, but we do so without our families or a home on dry land. We are ‘free’ because we gave up so many things in return… things that normal people might call freedom, such as social supports and rules to keep them safe.”

“Oh…” Nauja went quiet as she thought. “I don’t get it.”

“That’s alright—you go and make sure your backpack’s ready for a quick getaway, okay?”

“Okay!” Nauja scurried down below deck, which allowed Jean Bart to scoff once she was out of earshot.

“You loathe the Government as much as I do,” he noted curiously. “Why would you tell her anything less?”

“…because I don’t know when I’m going to have to leave her or why or where,” Law said. “She’s young enough to learn to not hate everyone, but old enough to start learning what nuance is. If I can prepare her for that…”

“You needn’t say more,” Jean Bart said, patting his captain on the shoulder. “To see the world through the eyes of a child again… to no longer know the pain… there is so much I would give, and yet…”

“…the knowledge you have is worth more than anyone can fathom.” Both men nodded at one another. “C’mon; let’s make sure she stays out of the boiler room before Ikkaku-ya pops a gasket.”

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

“What’cha doing?”

Law looked over to find Nauja staring up at him as he sat hunched over his desk. His eyes flicked over towards the door—still shut—and wondered how the fuck she got in there without him realizing.

“Reading,” he said plainly.

“…but it’s not one of the textbooks,” she noted. Ah, yes, it was built much differently than his other books, wasn’t it?

“It’s a comic,” he said. “I’ve been reading it since I was your age.”

“Oh! What’s it called?!” she asked, climbing into his lap. “Sora, Warrior of the Sea… sounds cool! What’s it about?”

“A Marine that fights on the side for Justice in the North Blue against the evil army Germa 66, which is led by a family of super-powered villains,” he explained. Stars formed in her eyes and he tried not to laugh—he had yet to meet a small child immune to Sora. “Even though the main character is a Marine, it inspired a lot of kids from the North to become pirates when they grew up.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. A lot of what Sora does in his fight against Germa 66 is tough for Marines to do, because he just does what he thinks is necessary. Any good person who becomes a Marine has to do a lot more paperwork and appeasing bad coworkers than the story shows. It would be very difficult to fight the real Germa 66 like he does.”

“Wait… the bad guys are real?!”

“Very real.” He gave her a gentle hug with one arm. “The comic book might be fantasy and a way for the Marines to look better, but Germa 66 is a group no one wants to tangle with. They’re assassins for hire; mercenaries; powerful rented soldiers; monsters of science and technology.”

“Whoa… can I read it too?!” Nauja asked. Law plucked another volume from the shelf above his desk and handed it to her.

“This is the first one—I have all the volumes so far.”

“Thanks, Law-san!” She hugged him tightly before sliding off his lap and scurrying out of the room.

“Just ask if you need me to explain anything!” he called out after her. She did not respond, being halfway to her room already. He shook his head and went back to the volume on his desk, wondering when it was she was going to catch up to where he was.

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

Taking a deep breath, Law steadied himself as he prepared to go through another round of his practice katas. It had been a while since he legitimately trained with just Kikoku, and he could feel it in the way his muscles were on fire. He needed to be sharp with his sword as well as his Devil Fruit, and it was frankly appalling how rusty he’d become. Now, atop the uppermost deck of the Polar Tang, he at least had some peace and quiet as the rest of the crew played on the beach nearby. He took off his soaked shirt and drew Kikoku once again, letting it sing as he went through the motions, alone in his pursuit.

“Law-san! What are you doing?!”

Well, nearly alone.

“I’m going through my katas.” He tried to not look at the girl who was standing just out of reach, feeling her presence with his Haki instead. “It’s been too long since I’ve done them.”

“Why’s that?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I use a pretty big sword. That takes constant practice to maintain.”

“Can I try?”

Law had to stop mid-set to stare at her.

“Nauja-ya, my sword is taller than you are on your tiptoes and holding your hands up. No.”

“If I’m a pirate, I’m gonna need to know how to fight! Your sword is super-cool! Can’t I learn how to use something like that?”

“Any sword demands more height from its wielder than you currently posses,” he scowled. She pouted in response—she did not want to budge. “If you’re that set on it, let me see how you fare with a knife. Go bother Uni—he has some.”

Nauja stomped away in clear irritation. Thinking that was that, Law went back to his katas, only for her to return fifteen minutes later with one of Uni’s sheathed knives in her hands.

“Teach me!” she demanded.

“No.”

“Teach me, please! Uni said we can use his dull knife for practice!”

“I said no.”

“…but you’re good with swords! I want to use a sword when I’m older!” Law tried glaring at her in an attempt to make her back down, only for it to feel like Kikoku was mocking him for her refusal to leave.

He had to hand it to her—she was stubborn. Familiarly stubborn.

“Fine, fine; get over here,” he muttered. Nauja gasped happily and bounced over to his side as he sheathed Kikoku and rested it against the wall. He took the knife and inspected it—too dull for fighting purposes, certainly, but still too sharp—and temporarily blunted the edges by shaving off parts of the blade with his Devil Fruit. It was still heavy when he handed it back to her, but it was still less likely to injure someone.

“When I’m bigger, will a sword feel as heavy as this knife?”

“That would depend on how comparative a full sword would be to your growth rate. If you’re serious about this, we’ll need to work on your strength and endurance. The blade might feel fine now, but in a fight, it can become heavy quickly when you’re tired.”

“I promise I’ll work hard, Law-san!” Nauja beamed. Something swelled in him as he eased her through katas, concentrating on the movements involved in slashing someone’s hamstrings or stabbing up into a groin. Was it pride? Fear? Something else entirely? He wasn’t certain.

Later on, away from the captain’s prying eyes, two of the Heart Pirates gave their youngest member her very first real knife: a dirk with a seagull emblazoned on the sheath. Her eyes lit up and she hugged them excitedly, feeling like she was a real pirate. She showed it to Law-san immediately, which made him both glad she had a weapon of her own, and furious at exactly the same.

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

“Law-san, I have a question.”

“I am a little busy,” he replied. Nauja of course had to come into the infirmary while he was running bloodwork to see what sort of antibodies his crewmates now possessed after half of them came down with a cold that hadn’t responded to the usual medication. He and Clione were going through all the samples one by one, taking as detailed of notes as possible.

“…but, you said I can always ask you a question,” she reminded him.

“She’s got a point, Cap,” Clione said idly. Law grunted sourly and looked at Nauja, who was holding a Sora compilation book.

“Yes, you can borrow it,” he said in an attempt to anticipate her question.

“Oh, I know that,” she replied. “I just wanted to know who those people were.”

Law’s stomach dropped. “Which people?”

“The ones in the photos by your desk. I saw them when I was getting this.” She held up the book as evidence. “You’re in some of them, so I figure you know.”

“I’ll, uh, be back,” Law muttered. Clione waved him off nonchalantly—the kid did ultimately come first. He went back to his room with the girl and watched as she climbed into the desk chair and pointed at the worn photos held to the wall by magnets.

“Who are these people?” Nauja wondered. “I’ve never seen them before!”

Fuck… of course.

“Do you remember when I explained that you were staying with us?” He watched as she nodded in affirmation. “This is my sister Lami.”

“Oh…” she realized quietly. “Does that mean this is your mom and dad?”

“Yeah. Maybe your Oma and Opa, in another life. They were both well-known, amazing, talented doctors. They are what steered me towards medicine to begin with.”

“Does that mean then that this is… uh…?” She pointed at the blond in another photo, trying to reach for the name.

“Cora-jiisan,” he confirmed. “I know they all would have loved you, if they got the chance.”

“How did they die?”

“Poison. The World Government poisoned them.” He watched her nose scrunch in confusion as she tried to process why a little family would be treated that way. “There was a mineral that was mined in our hometown that the Government knew was dangerous when disturbed, but ignored the danger because it made them a lot of money. No one where I grew up knew about the poison until the whole country became sick at once after generations of exposure. Whoever didn’t die of the poisoning like Lami did, were killed by soldiers sent in by the Government to stop the spread of what they said was an infectious disease. That’s how my parents died.”

“Why did they kill everyone?”

“To cover up the source of why everyone was sick.” He pointed to a photo of him and Cora-san. “See those white patches on my skin there? That was one of the symptoms. He passed it off as a harmless skin condition while we were going from hospital to hospital.”

“So, you found a cure?”

“I ate my Devil Fruit,” Law took off his lab coat and laid it on the bed so that he could roll his sleeve up to his elbow. “Do you see something here on my skin? Hiding in my tattoo?” She hesitated before putting her fingers on his forearm, right over an old scar. “That’s one of the places my Devil Fruit couldn’t fix, so I had to cut it out. There are bits like that all over my body and most of them are covered by my tattoos. If the wrong people found out that’s what my scars were from, it would mean the whole crew would be in danger.”

“That’s… scary.”

“It is, but it is also the truth.” She clutched the Sora complication to her chest, biting her lower lip in thought. “Does it make you feel sad? Uncomfortable? Angry?”

“…yeah…”

“That’s good, because I guess you also feel like you never want something like that to happen again. Am I right?”

She nodded.

“That’s how you’re supposed to feel,” he explained. “Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo know about it in detail, but no one else. I mean, the rest of the crew have an idea, know bits and pieces, but they don’t know the full extent of what happened.”

“So, I can’t talk about it to the crew?”

“I’d prefer you not. The more people talk about it, the more likely it is I’ll get targeted by people who will want to finish the job. We think that part of my former bounty is purely because I survived.”

“That’s… wrong.”

“It is, but that doesn’t change the fact it happened.”

“Can you… tell me about them? About your home?”

“…I can. Knowing about them is dangerous, though. Are you sure?”

“They’d be my family if they were here. It would be home if it still existed. I should know, shouldn’t I?”

“Then yes, you should.” Law sniffled slightly as he nodded, trying to recall some of the better stories to tell her. “How about the time my sister stole all my Sora comics and used them as coloring books?”

“What?! No way!”

While it didn’t surprise him in the slightest, Clione had to finish the bloodwork by himself. He brought the results to Law, who was still in his cabin, Nauja curled up on his bed napping while he stared at old photographs procured from an old boot-box. He took it, croaked out a thanks, and kept shuffling through the memories in a way his crewmate had never really seen before.

Maybe, just maybe, this was how it was meant to be.

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

“Alright everyone, new calendar!” Penguin shouted over the din of the mess hall. He held up a spiral-bound booklet and a pen high enough for everyone to see. “New calendar—write your shit on it before this one gets tossed in the furnace too!”

“It was a fucking accident!” groaned the guilty party, sinking in his seat. Some chuckles came from his crewmates and they all began to pass around the booklet.

“What do we write on it?” Nauja asked as the calendar inched down the table towards her. Ikkaku raised an eyebrow.

“Anything we want,” she replied. “Most of us write down our birthday and the day we joined up. Sometimes any holidays we think are important. Most of the time it gets transferred one year to the next by someone else, but an accident happened to the old one.”

“Oh…” The little girl watched as the mechanic was passed the calendar. “Can I write on it?”

“I don’t see why not.” Ikkaku finished marking her birthday and join date and flipped to a specific month, pointing out a day. “We got you then.”

“Thanks!” Nauja then went and carefully wrote her name in prim, careful block letters. “Nauja, joined!” She then found a different month, putting down her name and a heart in one of the squares. “That’s my birthday!”

“Is that so?” Ikkaku nodded. She took note of the day and noticed how close it was. “Does the captain know?”

“He asked me my birthday when I first got here, so he should.” Nauja then passed the calendar to Uni, who proceeded to take care of his business. “Why?”

“Just wondering,” Ikkaku shrugged. She watched as the little girl across the table from her nonchalantly went back to her lunch. Something told her that it was something she was going to need to bring up to the only adult not currently in the room, the sooner the better.

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

“I don’t understand how that’s my problem and not the committee’s. Why even have a ‘birthday committee’ if you’re not going to let it do its job?”

Ikkaku scowled sourly, folding her arms over her chest as her captain attempted to ignore her presence. Seas, he was so fucking dense sometimes that it made her want to scream as she knocked the fucking test tubes all over the infirmary floor.

“Her birthday’s coming up and we almost missed it,” she reiterated. “She is very attached to you and I think that, at least this first time, it would mean the world if you were the one to throw her first birthday party on the Tang.”

“That would be favoritism,” he claimed.

“She’s going to be seven—I think the rest of the adults on the ship can deal.”

“Which ones?”

Why did he insist on being so fucking difficult?

“Listen, Cap: the kid you’re letting stay on the ship has her birthday soon and she’s going to want to celebrate it. I know you’re a fucking spoilsport who hasn’t celebrated his birthday since you were her age or something stupid like that, but if you ruin this for her then you are going to be in a world of trouble.”

“What’s the worst you can do?” he wondered idly. “I’m too scary to mutiny against, so… leave the crew…? Not that strong a threat.”

“You forget, o-insular-one, that I know what blackmail is.”

Law finally glanced over from his microscope, more of a glare than anything else. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“1519, Zeferia Harvest Festival; how many tankards of beer did you have again? Twelve?”

“Eleven.”

“Same difference.” She grinned devilishly. “No matter how you shake it, you were extremely drunk and so were those twins. I was not drunk, but I was in possession of a Photo Den Den.”

“I hate you.”

“Mmhmm… no you don’t. Someone’s got to keep you in line, and it sure as fuck isn’t any of the other idiots.”

Groaning in frustration, Law stomped over to where he kept the crew’s medical records and pulled out Nauja’s, immediately finding her birthday. Fuck, it was soon, wasn’t it? He showed it to Ikkaku and she nodded in confirmation.

If ghosts were real, he needed to consult with Lami’s, and quickly.

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

“Oh, what a lovely little girl! What are you doing out without your mommy and daddy?”

Nauja looked up at the middle-aged lady and crinkled her nose. The crew had stopped on an island and were now wandering around the market in an effort to stretch their legs and take in some of the local color while stocking up on supplies. Nauja was no different, as she had gotten her own spending money from Law-san like everyone else and was told to get herself supplies. She was outside a stationary store and looking at the many pens on display when the woman approached her.

“I’m with them,” she said plainly, pointing across the street. There were a few other Heart Pirates, trying to haggle over the prices of some produce. The woman raised her eyebrow; the Hearts were still in their boilersuits, while the little girl had on a t-shirt and shorts.

“Those are pirates, dear. I want to know where your parents are.”

“Close enough,” Nauja replied casually. “My mom and dad were mean and ditched me, so now I’m with them. It’s an upgrade.”

“Is it now…?” the woman grimaced. She then noticed the knife at the girl’s side. “Did they give you that?”

“Not them across the street,” Nauja said, getting irritated. “Penguin-ya and Shachi-ya gave me this. They’re not here.”

“…and why aren’t they with you?”

“They’re going that way, to see if they can do some sex.” Nauja pointed towards the less savory of the taverns, where there were already individuals for hourly hire milling about outside. The woman stared, completely aghast at the words coming from the child’s mouth.

“They told you that?! It’s very inappropriate for a girl your age to know!”

“They didn’t tell me that—Ikka-ya told me that. She’s finding some sex too.”

“Why’s she doing that instead of taking care of this kid?” the woman mused aloud. “How irresponsible!”

“Law-san’s responsible for me—he’s the captain. It kinda means he’s responsible for all of us, but mostly me because I’m still little.”

“Then I think I might want to speak with this captain, so I can tell him you should be in a better environment,” the woman scowled. “Now where is this idiot who thinks a bunch of filthy pirates can raise a little girl when they’re clearly more interested in whores than her wellbeing?”

“Behind you.”

A chill went down the woman’s spine and Nauja brightened at Law inserting himself into the conversation. The woman turned around to see Law towering over her, his glare intense and harsh.

“I… uh… I mean…”

“Nauja-ya, I have some books I think will be able to help your reading and maths, as well as some simpler volumes on chemistry and biology than what I have in the ship,” he said, gesturing to the bag in his hand. “Clione-ya also is looking for you; there’s some fabric at the shop that he is considering using for a boilersuit for you, but he wants your opinion first.”

“He knows as long as it’s not flowers or pink or red!” she scowled. A grin then crept across her face, terrifying the woman. “Law-san? Why is it inappropriate that I know some of the crew are finding people to have sex with?”

“It’s only inappropriate if we’re keeping you from understanding what that is,” he explained. “Lots of kids don’t learn about it until much later, but since you are studying medicine and live on a pirate ship with almost two dozen sexually-frustrated adults, it’s necessary that you know.”

“So I don’t interrupt private time?”

“Exactly.” He then looked at the woman, who was nearly frozen in shock. “You have a problem with how we’re raising her, take it up with the Government. I’m sure they’ll step in. Send a social worker. Tell me how I’m a bad, terrible parent when I’m the reason she’s cared for to begin with. Go on. Do it.”

Sufficiently cowed, the woman left the pavement in front of the stationary store and escaped from the wrath of the pirate captain and his ward. The little girl giggled and looked up at her adult, whose stoic expression quieted her quickly.

“Not a word of this to the rest of the crew, you hear?” he mentioned. “Last thing we need is them getting bent out of shape because of some nosy old auntie who doesn’t mean anything.”

“That’s fair,” she nodded. She then turned back to the pens and frowned. “Is it okay that I stay with you? That no one on the crew is my mom or my dad?”

“I think you have something a little better than that,” Law assured. “Now let’s finish here so we can get back to Clione. You know how grumpy he gets.”

“He does,” she smirked, voice lightening considerably. She then had him help her pick some pens and a couple notebooks inside, because yes… she did have something better, didn’t she?

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

Laying on her stomach while she read, Nauja kicked her feet idly as she went through the medical textbook that Law-san had left her with. He had left for a Warlord summons a week beforehand and had assigned her homework. Well, everything she did for studying was technically homework, but at the same time, it was something to keep her occupied while he was gone. She would thus take her work all around the Polar Tang and study in the varying rooms alongside the other Heart Pirates.

“What do you think is for dinner tonight?” she wondered aloud. She was in the bunkroom, humming happily on Jean Bart’s bunk while the large man in question sat on the floor knitting.

“Something good, I imagine,” Jean Bart replied. He kept his eyes on the yarn and needles in his hands, the metal clacking nearly echoing in the otherwise-empty bunkroom. “Something else is on your mind, isn’t it?”

“No…”

“Are you sure?”

Nauja hesitated, looking over at Jean Bart before frowning. “I guess I miss Law-san.”

“Do you now?”

“Yeah. He’d be able to tell me more about what’s in the book I’m reading.” She folded her arms and let her forehead sink down to them, her voice muffled. “I kind of also wanted him here for my birthday.”

“You know he can’t control when he is summoned.”

“I know… but still!” She lifted her head again in a pout. “I don’t know if he even knows when it is. He didn’t mention anything about it.”

“He reads the calendar just like everyone else.”

“…but the Government doesn’t.”

Jean Bart nodded at that. “Not our calendar, at the least.” He then held up his project for the girl to see. “What do you think?”

“Oooh, it’s cute,” she replied. He then began to go through the motions to secure the yarn and finish it off. “Why do you do that?”

“Knit? It’s calming. I learned how to do it before I came to travel on the Tang. It reminds me of my first crew.”

“It looks more boring to me.”

“That’s why I’m not making you do it,” he chuckled. He finished tying off the end and handed the hat to Nauja, who immediately jammed it on her head. “Think that will keep you warm on the next winter island?”

“Yes, thank you!” She gave him a hug and went back to her studying, keeping him company as he started on another project, this one a crocheted blanket. They stayed like that for a while before Uni popped his head in nearly an hour later.

“Hey, dinner!” He watched as Nauja rolled off the bunk and Jean Bart put his cushion and crocheting away. “Ah, finished with another project?”

“Now I get a hat!” Nauja grinned. She allowed Uni to carry her on his shoulders as they went to the mess hall, where Penguin was already serving dinner to the rest of the crew. “Oh! Onigiri!”

“That’s right, kiddo,” Penguin chuckled. Uni put Nauja down and she bounced over to the other man’s side. “Got some special umeboshi-filled ones for you right here.”

“You’re the best, Penguin-ya!” She hugged his legs before grabbing her plate and a juicebox. “This is the best birthday dinner! Thank you so much!”

“Alright, alright; way to boost a guy’s ego,” Penguin laughed. “Now go sit down and eat before it gets cold.”

Nauja happily brought her dinner to her special spot—the one with old manuals for her to sit on—and sat down. Everyone was so happy as they ate that it almost didn’t feel as though the captain was missing. She wanted Law-san to be there, but she knew that sometimes adults had to do stuff like not be around for things. It sucked, but at the same time, she knew that when it came to Law-san, it was something he did not enjoy.

What was enjoyable, however, was when everyone was done with their food, Bepo brought out a cake! It had seven candles, which took her a few puffs to extinguish. The crew cheered and they began the party proper—it was her birthday, after all!

After only a few bites of cake, however, the entire room went silent. Nauja saw that the crew was all staring at the entrance to the mess hall and her eyes followed their gaze, only for her to gasp.

Law-san.

He looked like he had recently been in a fight, and that he probably should have been in the infirmary first, but he instead was there, standing in the doorway, his bag still slung over his shoulder and looking at her with a relieved sense of fondness. The girl slid from her seat and ran up to him; just enough time for him to go down on a knee and open his arms before she tackled him in a hug.

“Happy birthday, Nauja-ya,” he whispered in her ear. She hugged him tighter, her small arms around his neck. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“This is the best birthday present,” she squeaked.

At that, the crew cheered once again and they cut another slice of cake for their captain, who was back an entire week earlier than expected from Shichibukai Shit. Now the party could truly begin, much to everyone’s delight. Presents started after the cake, as did the passing around of alcohol, and singing and dancing and other things to distract the rest of the crew from the child’s delight as she opened the packages passed to her.

A new blanket. A child-sized Sora mug. Books. Paper and pens. A sword-care kit. A new backpack.

Except, nothing really compared to the fact she had Law-san sitting next to her, eating his not-umeboshi-filled onigiri as he watched her open presents. He even slipped a hand into his bag and pulled out a small stack of unwrapped books, passing them to her unnoticed in the din of the party.

Books on Flevance, the language, a dictionary, a photobook… all things he would have had to hunt for in order to acquire.

It really was the best birthday ever.

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

It was the middle of the night and Law was wide awake in his room, reading the latest medical journal he picked up while in port. Most of the articles were standard enough, but he did find a couple statements and findings that piqued his interest beyond what the articles could provide. He was taking notes on them when he heard a soft thudding noise against his door. Reaching out with his Haki, he could sense that Nauja was there…

…and she was scared…?

Cautiously, Law opened the door to see a pajama-clad Nauja standing there, tears and snot streaming down her face and Professor Nanuk’s arm clutched tightly in one hand.

“What’s this?” he asked. Soon as the girl noticed that the door was open, she stumbled her way into the room and crashed into Law’s long legs. She was mumbling incoherently and her whole body shook as she sucked in shaky breaths. Sighing, Law picked her up and closed the door, making it so that they had some privacy as he held her close. “Come on, Nauja-ya; tell me what’s wrong.”

She trembled in his arms and whimpered, curling into a ball around Professor Nanuk.

“Alright then,” he decided, “I’m going to go back to my studying and you’re going to stay with me. Talk when you’re ready.” She nodded into his chest and he sat down, keeping one arm securely around her as she stayed in his lap. The child slowly uncurled and one hand went to clutch his shirt in spite of her trembling fingers.

“Can… can you do the thing…?” she croaked, tapping on her face with Professor Nanuk’s paw. Law put down his pen and activated a Room.

“Hold still,” he said. Seconds later and all her snot was in the wastebasket, the girl finally able to breathe properly again. “Better?”

“Yeah…” She clung closer to him, her voice quiet. “I had a bad dream.”

“What sort of bad dream?”

“I was… I was running, and there was fighting and fire all around me. Scary people were everywhere. People were dying.”

“Is that something you read in a book?” he asked, trying to think of all the Sora storylines over the years. “You know those are pretend, right?”

“It wasn’t from a book—it looked real,” Nauja insisted. “I don’t know where I was or who was fighting, but that’s what my dream was. Why did I dream that?”

Possibly some form of Haki, Law thought, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “The brain is a very curious thing. We don’t know why it does a lot of the things it does, like give us strange dreams or make us think in certain ways. Maybe the how, the mechanics of it, but not the why. I think maybe you just had a dream to make us ask why… if that makes sense.”

“I guess,” she muttered. They were silent for a moment, with him stroking her hair as he allowed her to burrow in as close as she could. “Uh… Law-san…?”

“Nauja-ya…?”

“Can I… uh…?”

“Of course you can,” he replied. He kissed the top of her head and she squeaked happily. “Now go wash your face and drink a little bit of water, okay? That will make you feel much better.”

Nodding, Nauja left Professor Nanuk in Law’s lap while she went into his bathroom to wash and drink some water. While she did that, he saved his place in the journal and placed the stuffed toy on his pillow. He waited until she scurried over to his bed and crawled in before he turned off the lights and joined her. Once he was sure the blankets were in place, Law tucked her head beneath his chin and put an arm around her in an effort to make her feel safe.

“Thank you, Law-san.”

“Get some sleep, Nauja-ya; we’re going to make landfall tomorrow.”

Within moments the girl was asleep, leaving her adult to lay there in the dark, brow furrowed as he glared at the metal wall across from him. If that was Observation Haki, then it was extremely advanced. She was only seven years old; to sense a nearby war, to see images of said place, even look slightly into the future… it was all highly advanced stuff even for adults… again, if that was it and not some bizarre dream.

He felt the small hand tighten around his shirt and he exhaled heavily; just another thing to worry over, he supposed.

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

Nauja’s hair was getting long.

It had been over a year since it had last been cut and it was getting to be long enough to braid. The girl looked at herself in the washroom mirror and frowned—she wasn’t sure if she liked it now that it was longer again. She finished brushing her hair and placed it in pigtails before bringing her bathroom stuff back to her room. After grabbing a book, she went into the galley and saw Law, Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo sitting around, talking quietly to each other over some coffee.

“Well, well, don’t you look cute today, Nauja-chan,” Shachi teased. “You get any cuter and we’re going to have to watch out.”

“I don’t like it,” she huffed. She saw that Law was staring at her and she knew why. “Can you fix it?”

“It’s hair that you take care of,” Penguin said. “There’s nothing to fix.” He was then cut off from saying more by the scrape of Law’s chair against the floor. “Captain…?”

Wordlessly, Law walked out of the mess hall and made his way down to the infirmary, with Nauja trailing not far behind. He found a high stool and sat her on it before securing a cloth around her neck to shield her lavender coveralls from stray hair.

“I liked how it looked before,” she claimed as he searched through the cupboards.

“Before it was uneven and patchy because Ikkaku-ya couldn’t get an even cut.”

“Then like it but better.” She pouted as the box of barber supplies was shoved in her hands despite the sheet that was in the way. “I look too much like her.”

“Like who?”

“You know. In the photo.”

Law nodded at the confirmation, gently taking the ties out of her hair. He then started combing it, making sure the tangles we all out properly, before taking the spray bottle from the box and spritzed her hair until it was damp. He then ran the comb through it again and repeated the process.

“You’re not her, you know,” he reminded her. “It wouldn’t matter if you had the same hair.”

“I know… I just liked it better before when it was short because it was easier.”

“It is easier, but you can also do less with it. There’s more than one of us that can put in braids, or make it fancy.”

“Nuh-uh,” Nauja said, shaking her head. “I don’t like it long or fancy.”

“As you wish.” He replaced the spray bottle and took the scissors from the box, snipping off her hair with the even, steady precision he used when giving the rest of the crew a trim. By the time he was done, it definitely looked like much nicer of a cut than it had been the first go-around. He handed her the mirror and let her look. “Better?”

“Yeah!” She kicked her feet happily as she was divested of the supply box and sheet. “Now I look like myself again! Thank you!”

“Now back to your studies—go on.” Law shooed her out of the infirmary and began to clean up, making a mental note to hunt her down the next time everyone was getting a trim on the top deck.

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

Granted, they never should have disembarked the Tang to begin with. Those on the crew with Observational Haki could feel the chaotic, murderous intent pouring from the island. Even Nauja could tell, which should have been the biggest warning sign of all, yet they went ashore anyhow because they were in need serious of supplies and didn’t know if they could last until the next port.

Should they have expected an ambush? Yeah, they really should’ve.

“I could really do without the fucking welcome committee on every other fucking island,” Law grunted. He was wrapped up in causing a distraction in one part of town while the rest of the crew concentrated on getting supplies in the other. It looked as though the main belligerent (someone who could manipulate metal as though it was clay or water, which was both annoying and unnerving) was nearly completely out of commission, which was good considering the Heart Captain was running very low on patience.

“Could be worse,” Penguin shrugged. “We could be fighting at sea.”

“True.” Law watched as the Devil Fruit user’s friends tried to piece her back together and others were in some version of retreat. “The fact I’m a Shichibukai means nothing to them.”

“If anything, it means that they want to take down one of the Government’s dogs,” Penguin reminded him. He tried to flick the blood off the tip of his spear; it didn’t work. “The comics make this seem easy.”

“If only,” Law scowled. A sense of dread then tugged at the edge of his consciousness, alerting him to… he wasn’t certain. “Something’s wrong.”

“Well, yeah, something’s wrong,” Penguin scoffed. “We don’t exactly get a lot of receptions like this…” The transponder snail in his boilersuit pocket began to chirp at him. “It better be fucking good…”

“She’s gone!” Shachi panted via the snail. “The group that took Nauja into town in plainclothes was surprise-attacked! The undercover tourists plan didn’t work!”

“Shit!” Penguin hissed. He turned to tell their captain of the development, only to find that the other man was already gone. “Oh, fuck, Papa Law’s been activated. Evac to the Tang. Now!”

“Wha… oh. Copy that.”

The Heart Pirates all began to retreat towards the Polar Tang, trusting that the situation was going to be under control in a matter of moments. They didn’t have to chase after Nauja to know that their captain was going to descend upon her captors with all the bloodlust and fury that he was technically saving for one specific man. His amber eyes would glint in rage and he would bleed the kidnappers until they were barely alive, anger nearly uncontrolled as he held Nauja in one arm while he vivisected with the other. There was nothing that they wouldn’t give to stay away from the captain in that mode.

By the time the crew had nearly finished loading up the supplies, Law and Nauja popped onto the wharf, the latter hiding her face in the former’s shoulder in the safety of soft feathers. The amount of blood and viscera on them both not only confirmed their suspicions, but posed plenty of questions as well. Nauja was trembling, Law was two shades from complete madness, and a chill swept through the crew as their captain spoke three simple words:

“Burn it. Now.”

Oh… oh shit.

“With pleasure, Captain,” Jean Bart replied gravely. He took some of the crew with him back into port, while the rest continued to load supplies and avoid their captain.

By the time the Polar Tang left the dock, the entire town was engulfed in flames and screams of terror; fitting for a visit from the Surgeon of Death.

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

Law couldn’t remember the last time he saw Bepo so happy.

None of them could, actually, and it was all while they were stuck in a port with a particularly finicky Pose reset. It was taking much longer than the usual New World Half Day, and that meant they had more time to wander the town, which led to…

“Guys! I want you to meet my cousin! This is Fred!”

Fred, as it turned out, was a giraffe. An incredibly stocky and built giraffe. That fact turned into an impromptu lesson in their corner of a dingy bar about Mink biology and how it both mimicked and was different from Fish-men and Humans. Fred was also a woman, as evident by the feminine voice and pronouns Bepo kept using.

Most members of the Heart Pirates were just glad to have Bepo so excited.

Ikkaku felt slightly betrayed having not known about this cousin beforehand.

Penguin and Shachi decided that if they met a Human like Fred, then they were definitely getting stepped on.

Nauja kept staring at the Mink with stars in her eyes, completely enamored by the concept of crewmates’ family.

Law, on the other hand, was making a valiant effort to be pragmatic about the entire ordeal.

“So you really never passed by other Minks while on the seas?” Fred wondered. She took a sip of her drink and raised an eyebrow at her cousin. “I would think that they’d be everywhere, given how many come and go.”

“It’s usually not understood what a willing migrant has truly lost until their children’s children start asking questions, not unless they ask the questions themselves,” Law stated gravely. “They don’t know garachu and live in fear of Sulong for the wrong reasons. Trust me when I say we’ve been trying to get your cousin back home for over a decade now.”

“I believe it,” she nodded. “Our people generally do not cling to Lesser Minks that are working against our best interests. Even a rocky start can lead to a true friendship.”

Law tried not to laugh as he felt embarrassment radiate off Penguin and Shachi—they all knew that any amount of inquiring and they were caught. “This leads to a very interesting question, Fred-ya: are you also a migrant, or just a traveler?”

“If this is you asking if I intend to return to Zou, then by all means.” She took a piece of paper from her inner jacket pocket and ripped off a piece, handing it to Bepo. “This is Gran’s Vivre Card. Her hip is not doing well, so she guarantees that she won’t be leaving anytime soon, not without warning.”

“What about Mom and Dad?”

“Uncle Yepo and Aunt Alana are doing fine—they’ll be overjoyed to hear from you.” Fred stared at her cousin, unable to keep her eyes off him, as though she wasn’t entirely sure she was dreaming or not. “We had funerals for you.”

“Minks have a second mourning period?” Clione wondered. Fred shook her head.

“His elder brother, Zepo, was amongst a Mink exploration crew that was branded pirate by the Government and slowly vanished,” she replied solemnly. “Few came back; he was not one of them.”

A few moments of awkward silence settled over the group before Law cleared his throat. “I think it’s time for Nauja-ya to get ready for bed. Can I trust you all to take care of it for me?”

Everyone took the hint and left Law and Bepo with Fred. Even Nauja herself knew that they needed privacy, stopping only long enough to give the polar bear a tight hug and a kiss to the cheek. Law waited until the rest of the crew was out of the bar before placing a hand on Bepo’s shoulder, letting him know it was okay to cry.

Bepo sobbed.

While there had always been the chance that Zepo had already died, there had still been the concept of hope attached to it. After all he had been through, after all that happened, he couldn’t even achieve his original goal. He cried and cried until he could no longer shed tears, instead squeaking out a request for some strong alcohol.

“Not until we get some water in you first,” Law stated. He got a large tankard of water for his navigator and set it down in front of him. “Now drink all of it. Slowly.”

Bepo nodded silently and began to nurse down the water, sniffles still overpowering his ability to do anything. Fred rubbed his back, assuring him that everything was fine.

“Fred-ya, I have a question for you.”

“Is now really the time?” she asked, gesturing at her cousin. “The bear is having a crisis.”

“This is the only time, because I doubt I’m going to get another shot of just the three of us again,” he replied. “What is your people’s policy on visitors?”

“We love visitors,” Fred said. “The reason we are taken as isolationist is due to the fact our home is difficult to access, but that doesn’t mean we turn away peaceful travelers who happen upon us. You and your crew are more than welcome, especially after you’ve taken such good care of one of our own. A warm reception waits you in Zou, Trafalgar Law.”

“Not me, but the rest of the crew,” Law said. “I have a plan that needs to be put into motion soon, but I need to get certain parties in safer surroundings.”

“We shall foster the cub for you, without a doubt.”

“I need all of them to be safe.” He scratched behind Bepo’s ears, which made the Mink whine. “There is something I need to do alone, but if I fail, I don’t want my crew to suffer retaliation.”

“How soon?”

“Soon—there’s a planned public event I’m basing this operation on, and I’d like to have them hidden before then.”

“I have some things to deliver and it shall take about two weeks’ time,” Fred said. “You can have them go ahead. With Bepo within their number, they shall not be turned away.”

“Don’t tell me you’re really thinking of doing it alone, Captain!” Bepo pouted. “You know we support you on this! We can help!”

“You’re the best fighter amongst them,” Law reminded him, “and I am not deliberately putting anyone in more danger than I think necessary. You all can handle a lot, but that doesn’t mean Doflamingo is anything but an easy warmup. It’s him I don’t trust.”

“You wish to face off against the Royal Shichibukai Donquixote Doflamingo? As a fellow Warlord, isn’t he your ally?”

“That man is no one’s ally but his own,” Law scowled. “You are certain that Zou is safe?”

“You need a Vivre Card of someone on Zunesha’s back in order to access Zou and the Momoko Dukedom; no one gives those without reason.” Fred regarded Law with a sort of stoicism that he didn’t think was possible in one of Bepo’s relatives. “Your cub and crew will be protected beyond a doubt.”

“It’s a kid, not a cub,” Bepo sniffled, the congestion starting to get to him. “Lesser Minks are really weird and picky about it.”

“Noted,” Fred acknowledged. She saw the look of resolve in her cousin’s captain’s eyes and felt a chill go down her neck and back.

This was a man who did not expect to live very long and was going to make his time left count.

#Trafalgar Law #Heart Pirates #Bepo #Shachi One Piece #Penguin One Piece #Jean Bart One Piece #One Piece #fan fiction #go ahead. look me in the hairy eyeball. tell me Law wouldn't be wrapped around her finger. i dare you.#Nauja is just wholesome 100 and I have no regrets #but yes Law would sugarcoat very little unless it might be related to her survival #that's important #Trafalgar D. Water Law #my birthday present to you dear reader #Trafalgar Nauja

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