#part of why i think she's still keeping a distance from sanji after their family drama - even in a scenario where vinsmokes/judge/germa

[deecotan]

Hey, I like your art style can you please do like a comic where Sanji sister finding out that she's gonna be the aunt cause I really like to see the reaction

sorry for the rather somber atmosphere... it's just in any zosan lovechild AU that is not the "sora lives" universe, i see reiju still keeping a distance when zosan's child is born because she's still with the vinsmokes or any other reason. or at least in the beginning anyway, one day she might finally give a chance on being part of sanji's life again -- once she finds a way how.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Oooohhh! Now you got me all excited! Also welcome back! And I think I know which Scientist your talking about! (Since I’m caught up in the Anime and Manga I know cannon evil scientist Characters that would fit) and that’s okay if you don’t add in Overhaul (I just remembered how much I truly hate and despise him, like I love how Deku will give everyone a chance, but Overhaul? Seriously? The other side of the world isn’t far enough to keep him away from Eri!)

Part 12 Water 7

After Aokiji, they see a Giant Frog doing the Front Crawl, find a Train Station on the Sea, and meet Granny Kokoro, Chimney and Gonbe (Reader becomes friends with Chimney and Gonbe), then head to Water 7 to finally fix the Going Merry repaired and finally get a Shipwright (And get their gold traded in for, which Nami added Reader in for her threat for their proper sum, which Luffy and Usopp yelled at her for)

Meeting the Gally-La crew and Iceburg (She likes Iceburg, Polly *Shocking her family since Polly doesn’t exactly scream ‘friendly’* Tyrannosaurus, Iceburgs’ mouse and Hattori, Lucci’s pigeon, but is uncomfortable about Lucci and Kaku as they feels ‘off’ to her, which Gally-La tries to explain Lucci’s ‘shy’, but she still keeps her distance) though it was a shock that their money was stolen but not as badly as Usopp being attacked (And find out Robin is missing)

It’s a shock when Luffy reveals they have to get a new ship, with Luffy and Usopp fight over, only for Reader tries to use her power to fix the Merry which everyone told her ‘NO!’ (They don’t want her to use her power as she’s been using it so many times, suffering from fevers and don’t want her to think she has to always use her power to fix everything that happens) and she stayed inside as couldn’t watch the fight between Usopp and Luffy since she doesn’t want either hurt

However the next day she and her family are being chased and hunt down by the residents of Water 7 for trying to Assassinate Iceburg, however at night they finally meet CP9, who reveal themselves and have Robin with them, but before they leave, Lucci forcefully grabs Reader to take her with them since she is one of their targets for the World Government, but they must bring her alive (And collect Franky along the way)

You can change and abridged this if you want (I wanted to add in the main events, along with the Train Ride to Enies Lobby being my next request since Water 7 branches into like 3-4 different arcs and it’s just a LOT of stuff to go over)

-You had no idea what a train was, after the ship came across a train track, and Usopp and Robin were happy to show you pictures, but you were confused, “These are on land, why is this in the ocean?”

-They unfortunately couldn’t answer, as they didn’t know off the top of their head before Sanji spoke, “What’s that?” attention went out to the track and you all saw a giant toad.

-A loud whistle was heard and your eyes lit up as the train came down the tracks, straight for the toad and you shouted, worried, “Look out Mr. Toad!” the train hit and he was sent flying, making you worry.

-Everyone else was panicking as well, trying to figure out what happened until you saw a building in the distance, a train station.

-Once the ship was docked, Luffy, Sanji, Robin, and Usopp got off and met with Granny Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe, who explained everything about the Sea Train, and how it travels around to the various ports around in this area.

-Chimney couldn’t help but beam at you, finding a new friend in someone younger than her, and you couldn’t help but smile, after you were a little shy at first, running round playing with Gonbe.

-Luffy couldn’t help but laugh, seeing you have fun as Kokoro gave information to them about going to Water 7, a place where shipwrights were aplenty, as Merry needed some attention and Luffy like the idea of getting a shipwright on his crew.

-Once you had the direction you needed to head, you waved goodbye to your new friends and you were soon off again.

-Once docked and ready to disembark, you looked over at Zoro who was fast asleep on the deck of the ship, Nami making sure your disguise was perfect before you would disembark, “Will Zoro be okay by himself?” Nami just grinned, ruffling your hair gently, “He’ll be fine, we need to leave someone on the ship and he’ll make sure everything is safe.”

-You nodded up at her before Usopp picked you up, holding you in his arms as everyone else left the ship, everyone pairing up except for Sanji who went to go and get food.

-Nami didn’t hesitate to use you to make sure that they received a proper sum for the gold they brought in, telling those in the bank that they better not be cheating your future. You were confused, looking around with big eyes, and while not fully approving of her using you, Luffy and Usopp did agree that they better not be cheated out of anything.

-Once the briefcases of money had been obtained, you held onto Usopp’s hand, window shopping while you headed in the direction the bank worker told Luffy to go in to find a good shipwright to inspect the ship.

-Nami explained to you that they had to first inspect the ship, to find out the extent of the damage, and once that is known, then they could fix the ship.

-Iceburg was so nice to you, giving you a piece of candy after he saw you peeking out from behind Luffy’s leg. Tyrannasaurs, his pet mouse, was super cute as well, running down Iceburg’s arm to sit on the top of your head for a moment.

-Paulie was… at first he scared you, yelling at Nami and Kalifa to cover up, calling them indecent. He went to say something crude before Lucci punched the top of his head, sending him to the ground.

-Hatori then spoke, “There is a child present you dummy!” your eyes instantly turned into stars, “It talks- big brother the birdie is talking!” you tugged on Luffy’s hand as Hatori flew from Lucci’s shoulder into your opened hands, “My name is Hatori, and that’s Lucci- he’s a little shy.” Paulie grumbled lightly, rubbing the back of his head before he gave you a grin, ruffling your hair lightly, apologizing to you only, but not to Nami or Kalifa for his earlier insults.

-Your bright sparkly eyes and huge smile was so heartwarming to all of them, you looked so adorable, but you remained close to Luffy as there was something about Kalifa and Lucci, and Kaku whom you all met earlier, that made you…uneasy.

-It wasn’t like when you normally met new people, being with strangers, this was something else.

-As you all were heading back to the ship, Usopp got separated from you, Luffy, and Nami, as you had all been playing ‘get the money back from thieves’ for what felt like forever.

-When Kaku found Luffy, you and Iceberg, after Nami went to go find Usopp as he had the other half of the money, and told him that there would be no fixing Merry, tears welled in your eyes, as that was your home, you didn’t want to leave the first home you felt happy and safe in.

-Luffy was left to ponder this as Chopper and Sanji arrived back, Chopper crying that Robin is missing, you gasped, scared, as Zoro held you in his arms, as Sanji explained that he saw Robin with an unknown masked man.

-Nami then ran back to the ship, “Usopp’s been attacked!!” immediately everyone went on the defensive, listening to Nami that Usopp had been robbed and left bloody and beaten in the streets, the Franky Family, who had been the ones trying to take it earlier, were the culprits.

-Luffy rushed off immediately, not even knowing where he was going before the others were quick to follow, Zoro leaving you and Chopper on the ship.

-However, you looked at Chopper, looking scared, but determined, “We need to go help Usopp!” while initially going to deny this, going to leave it to the others, Chopper agreed and the two of you headed off the ship together, rushing towards Usopp’s location, only to find him not there and a trail of blood leading you both away from the area.

-Chopper and you found Usopp first, near death, extremely hurt and you cried, “Big brother!” your cries attracted attention of those inside the house nearby and they came out, seeing Chopper and a little child over the body of the idiot who tried to take them on himself, you crying loudly.

-Usopp was trying to calm you down, trying to tell you not to use your powers as you took his hand before a voice shouted out, “Usopp! Chopper! Y/N!!” you gasped, turning as the Franky Family came out to find out who you were, only to be taken out by Luffy, followed by Sanji and Zoro who arrived right after.

-Once the Franky House was destroyed you all went back to the ship where Usopp was bandaged up, you were sniffling, holding onto his hand, “Can’t I heal him a little?” everyone, even Usopp, told you no, not willing to risk your health.

-When Luffy announced that with what was found, you would all have to get a new ship. Usopp thought he was joking and quickly got into an argument with Luffy.

-Sanji held you close after pulling you away, your arms around his neck, trembling like a leaf, not liking your family fighting, and with Robin being missing as well, you were scared. You didn’t want to lose your home and your family.

-When Usopp challenged Luffy to a duel, saying he was going to leave otherwise, you ran over and hugged his leg, “Don’t go! I’ll-I’ll fix it- I can fix Merry so please don’t fight anymore!!”

-Usopp’s angered look fell, softening as he kneeled, brushing your tears away, but said nothing to you before pecking your forehead and he left.

-Nami held you close, trying to calm you down, “I know you want to help, Y/N, but you can’t fix everything, sometimes things change and we just have to deal with it. You’ve been using your ability a lot here lately, and each time you get a fever- that’s not healthy. We’ll be okay.”

-Luffy said nothing, upset that he had upset you, but knew this was something that had to happen.

-Several hours later, and after Nami failed to try to convince Luffy to talk things over with words, as he knew that Usopp knew when to be serious, they prepared for their fight.

-Sanji felt terrible, holding you close inside the galley as you were crying, they all said you wouldn’t be allowed to watch the fight, because they knew how upset it was going to make you, so Sanji volunteered to be the bad guy and hold you in the galley.

-You ended up crying yourself to sleep and didn’t wake until the next morning, waking up in a hotel room, and not the ship. You felt terrible, almost like you were sick, but you knew it was from crying so hard.

-You were scared to see everyone, scared to see the aftermath of the fight, but when you walked out, you weren’t prepared for Zoro grabbing you, tossing you to Luffy as everyone was shouted at to run.

-You were confused, clinging to Luffy as a bunch of people were after you, finding out that the crew was framed for trying to kill Iceburg, which made your eyes go wide, as that wasn’t true!

-You and Luffy got separated from everyone else who were trying to escape those chasing them as well as looking for the still missing Robin, after you learned that Robin was one of the people who was there when Iceburg was almost assassinated.

-You couldn’t- you wouldn’t believe Robin would do something like that and Luffy agreed, now looking for Iceburg to demand the truth from him.

-Luffy passed you off to Sanji and Chopper so he could go off and you gasped, seeing Robin who told the three of you to stop following her, confusing you.

-Robin explained there was a darkness inside of her, and if she stayed with you all, then you would all get hurt. Sanji was quick to figure it out that she was being forced to do this, probably by that masked man.

-You and Chopper ran off together, on order of Sanji, and luckily you found Luffy, Nami, and Zoro and Chopper explains what happened with Robin and what Sanji thought, that she was being forced to do this.

-After breaking into the Galley-La headquarters was quite the adventure, you remained with Nami, who was being the only smart one, while Luffy rushed in head first, as you all looked for Iceburg.

-Paulie nearly attacked Luffy after seeing him, demanding answers and Zoro arrived right after and after a brief fight, everyone fell into a room where several familiar faces were.

-Seeing the truth, Paulie ran to help Iceburg, only to be easily beaten as the truth came out, that CP9 were the ones who did the assassination attempt, looking for blueprints, but the ones that were here, were fake.

-Luffy demanded to see Robin, who wasn’t with them, and before you could blink, Lucci rushed forward, kicking Luffy hard in the stomach, sending him back into the others while grabbing you, holding you to his chest.

-You gasped, “Big brother!” before you heard the others shouting out your name. Lucci then spoke, “Y/N is wanted by the World Government, so we’re taking her along with Nico Robin.”

-Lucci handed you to Kalifa who held you close, her grip gentle but firm, as they easily took care of your family, Paulie and Iceburg.

-You were so scared you were silent, silent tears streaming down your face which did surprise the CP9 agents, they could see that your terror was genuine, making them curious if you were scared going to the World Government, that there was a story you didn’t know.

-You overheard their plans, looking for Franky, the same person who beat up Usopp and tried to attack Luffy and Nami earlier, as he would know where the blueprints would be.

-When they entered Franky’s hideout, you saw Usopp after Franky was blown through a wall, Usopp rushing over to help him and your eyes went wide, “Usopp!” he turned, seeing you and he instantly glared, “Y/N?! Let her go!!” You cried when Kaku easily dispatched him before they told both Usopp and Franky that their boss, Spandam, wanted to see them, mainly Franky, calling him Cutty Flam.

-Kalifa found you adorable, as you all headed towards the train station, as the storm was beginning to rage and you were scared, hugging her around her neck. She cooed softly, “There- there Y/N, it’s all right, this happens every year.”

-Once at the station you were surprised to see the train up so close, but you didn’t want it to happen this way. While their backs were turned, you saw Sanji peeking around the corner and he held a finger to his lips and you kept quiet.

-You learned that these people weren’t going to hurt you, as long as you behaved, which you did only out of fear, but you were scared about what was going to happen if you were handed over to the World Government.

-You were scared when Franky and Usopp were put in one car and you were taken to another, but Usopp gave you a firm nod, silently telling you to be brave, which Franky saw, respecting the care he was showing to you.

-Usopp told Franky who you were, trusting him, and Franky was stunned to learn this, as you had been in your disguise, not recognizing you, but he became determined to save you as well.

-You burst into tears as Kalifa dropped you in Robin’s lap who looked relieved to see you, “Y/N” CP9 left you and her alone as you hugged her, crying loudly over everything that had happened in the past two days.

-Robin held you close, angry that you were there, you should be safe somewhere else, as she knew what was going to happen if the government got their hands on you.

-Once she got you calmed down, after giving yourself the hiccups again, Robin tried to figure out what she was going to do, she didn’t want to put you at risk, as well as nobody else in the crew, as that was part of the deal with CP9, they would leave the crew alone if she went quietly.

-The situation was now different, as you were thrown into the mix. She didn’t know what she was going to do!!

-A tap on the window was heard and you saw a mysterious masked man with a long nose, not realizing it was Usopp but Robin did as he explained Sanji was on the train and they were going to rescue her and you both.

-Robin tried to explain that he was in great danger- they all were, before he managed to get inside, hiding under the seats while Robin lied to Corgi about someone else being in the same car.

-When a Shooting Star shot out from under the seats, Corgi was momentarily blinded before Sanji ran in, “Robin-san! Y/N!” Robin hesitated before she left you on the seat, not wanting you to be hurt and ran, “Don’t follow me- you’ll be killed if you do!”

-You hopped off the seat, running after Sanji and Usopp and you could see the tears in Robin’s eyes as she kicked Usopp back, telling him to leave her, you could see how much this was hurting her as well.

-Something happened in the car before you, as you were far behind, due to your short little legs and you were knocked off balance, hitting your head hard on the ground. You heard Sanji and Robin calling out your name in worry, before everything went black.

[littlesniggy]

hello ı was trying to find you but i finally found and may can i ask young vinsmoke brothers s/o wants to see sora ?

Honestly, I still had no idea what you wanted me to write exactly. I mean, Sora died when they were still kids and I'm pretty sure that neither of them had a s/o back then....🙈So, I kinda went with what felt the best for me I guess? If it's not what you had in mind I'm sorry but I really had no idea how else to write it...😅

So, this is the Vinsmoke brother's s/o wanting to see Sora's grave and their reaction to it. Hope you enjoy it anyways....😅

Ichiji

He’s confused as to why you would want to see his mother’s grave. It’s not like he was particularly close to her so it kind of irritates him that you seem to have some interest in her. “Why do you wanna see it, Y/n? She’s dead. It’s not like you knew her.” He’d ask, raising an eyebrow in annoyance.

But if you keep insisting he will eventually oblige but only under the requirement that you will drop the topic of his mother after that. He will lead you to her grave and look it up and down. It’s nothing pompous; just a plain black grave stone with the Germa 66 sign and her name on it. That’s it.

He will keep his distance to the grave, not having any interest in pretending like he cared. If you were thinking he would maybe start and talk about his mother, you’re gravely mistaken. He’s spent all his childhood with his siblings and father. There was simply not room in visiting his mother (nor interest) and therefore he knows almost nothing about his mother other than what he’s been told.

If you’re taking too long he will get impatient and tell you to hurry up. “It’s just a piece of stone with a name on it. Nothing more.” It’s harsh but honestly, he doesn’t care. His mother is none of your business and from then on he will shut every conversation you want to have about her down. There’s just no use to dwell in the past or mourn the dead.

Niji

Much like his brother he’s confused. “Where does this stupid question come from?” he’d ask, raising one curly eyebrow in question. When you tell him that you’re just curious about his mother in general he’ll laugh at you. Not like a teasing laugh but full out make fun of you.

“Do you think you’ll become closer with my family if you pretend to care about our dead mother?” he’s amused and he wouldn’t even be sorry if you started crying. In his mind you had it coming and he did nothing wrong. Maybe out of pity he’d oblige and show you her grave but he will not stop making fun of you.

“That’s is. Happy?” he doesn’t even take a second look at his mother’s grave, already turning around to go back to the castle. “You know the way back, font you?” he’ll ask but will already be gone by the time you answer.

Niji will tell his brothers about your weird request and will make fun of you with them together. Like Ichiji, he’s never been close to Sora and so he doesn’t care if she’s dead or alive. Given, he wouldn’t even care if one of his siblings or his father died. It’s just the way he was designed. He wouldn’t even try to understand your thought process if you told him. He simply doesn’t care.

Sanji

Out of all of them Sanji would really want to oblige but since they’re not on his family’s ship(s) he doesn’t know how to show you. He’s been thinking about his mother more often than not, especially since he met you. He just thinks it would’ve been nice if you and his mother got to know each other.

He will, however, tell you every story he can remember about his mother. He will even tell you the story about how he cooked something for her and how she (probably) pretended it was the most delicious food she’s ever tasted.

It will also bring back the horrible memories about his brothers and father but he tries to hide it behind his usual easygoing behavior. And don’t push him. If he doesn’t want to tell you, he won’t, no matter how much you ask. It’s a miracle he even told you about his mother. Not even his friends know about it so you should feel special.

If the chance of visiting her grave presents itself in any way, he will show you her grave, probably taking some flowers and something self-cooked with him to place on her grave. He likes that you are there with him and support him emotionally. It just helps him a lot.

Yonji

Like Ichiji and Niji, he finds your request ridiculous. Who do you think you are just asking something like this? “Are you stupid? Why would you wanna see her grave? Did you know her?” it doesn’t dawn on him that you might be interested on learning more about his family. And his mother just so happened to be a part of said family – a famous part at that.

“It’s on the other side of the castle. Go, take a look. But it’s nothing special.” He’ll tell you, not even intending to show it to you personally. Maybe he’ll tag along if you are persistent enough but only if you’re not too annoying.

If he tags along he will keep his distance from you and the grave, his attention on you anyways. He tried to figure out why you kept insisting on seeing this ugly piece of stone in the first place.

But even if you tried to explain it to him, he wouldn’t understand, He’d get the meaning of your words but he can’t comprehend them on an emotional level. Like Niji, he’d probably make fun of you and think it’s stupid. But don’t feel bad. It’s nothing personal; he’s just designed to not care about ‘minor’ stuff like this.

[britishassistant]

The Villainous Paranoiac Goes To Jail and Ninja Afterlife

Two innocent children get sent to Night Raven College

A set of scenarios about three of my ocs unwittingly trading places for two days, non-canon to any of my AUs

Swap 1:

Yuu—> Konohagakure

Yuu wakes up with a tantō to the throat.

Chie: Tell me where my daughter is and I’ll make your death quick

Yuu promptly freaks the fuck out

Through a combination of panicked yelling and tears the Prefect manages to convey to the Ketsugi that if there was a kidnapping, Yuu is both uninvolved and as much as of a victim as their precious daughter

Gai confirms that the strange teenager not only has no chakra, but clearly has little to no combat training despite his(?) athleticism, meaning Mayu-chan could easily overpower an assailant of this size, especially one this undernourished!

Yuu tries not to be offended and to avoid staring at Gai and Lee’s eyebrows they’re so big

Promptly shrieks when Kami!Sanji materializes to confirm that the Paranoiac had nothing to do with Mayu’s disappearance as far as the other gods can tell

Yuu becomes convinced that this place is the afterlife

The sad part is that Chie and Jirou can’t actually say much to the contrary, because??? Their daughter remembers dying before she came here?? Also there are active deities just floating around so.

Actually tears up at the homemade meals the Ketsugi provide

Before being sick as a dog later because food infused with chakra? Does not agree with a person without a chakra regulatory system

Surprisingly patient with Lee and any questions he has the purity of Jack and Deuce is strong in this one

Bit more long-suffering towards Naruto and his rendition of Wonderwall. Sunshine child too bright, introvert Yuu can’t handle it

Keeps writing down everything everyone says

This makes ANBU and ROOT very twitchy

The Paranoiac is quietly slated for “interview” at T&I the next day

Yuu crashes on the Ketsugi couch none the wiser

Mayu—> Nanba

Mayu wakes up to confused screaming and profanity.

It’s Hani.

It’s very rare for screaming not to be because of Hani

All he knows is one child was in this bed last night, and now’s there’s a different one dressed like it came straight out of Ninja Kamikaze???

Mayu for her part is both very alarmed to be waking up in a prison cell with two strange men and very glad she has her bokken with her

Kiji comes in to find his beautiful inmates being menaced by a twelve year old with a wooden sword

The twelve year old is winning

Once Mayu has ascertained that they aren’t enemy ninja and she’s somehow in her old world (?) she becomes much more cooperative with the guards

She’s very worried about how she’s going to get back to her family in Konoha

Also wondering if she should try to contact her former little brother Harp (who knows if she’ll ever get the chance again?)

These worries are not assuaged when the Warden informs her that there’s no records proving “Tamara Kaur” ever existed

For lack of any relations who they can contact to take the child off their hands, and because they have no idea how she successfully infiltrated the most secure prison in the world and replaced one of the inmates, the Warden decides to keep Mayu in Nanba’s holding cells until further notice

Guess who finds the samurai child while breaking out?

Nico, Uno, and Rock are amazed at the existence of a real live Japanese Samurai! With a katana and everything!!

Jyugo just asks straight out if Mayu’s an actor too

Mayu is very bemused by everything, but they seem friendly! The one with the mohawk likes food too!

Plus the blonde one is British! Just like she used to be!

Uno is very confused about how a twelve year old somehow lost her citizenship

Break Mayu out to get food together

They get caught the moment they set foot in the cafeteria and scolded very harshly

Mayu has trouble sleeping in a cell cot that night

Nana—> Night Raven College

Nana’s first instinct on waking up in a strange bed next to a monster is to assume he’s been kidnapped and attempt to subdue his captors

Which means Grim wakes up to an attempted smothering

The ghosts hear muffled screaming and rush in only to get salt and iron filings to the face. Nana actually has them all on the run when Crowley bursts in

Instantly becomes a confused and lost child in front of the headmaster and dorm heads

Only Grim and the ghosts know the truth, and their complaints are overlooked due to them “scaring the poor boy”

No one has any idea what to do with a thirteen year old magicless kid. It was hard enough with Yuu, and the Prefect was at least sixteen and could attend classes!

Nana adapts quickly to the idea of being in this new world— he’s just sad he couldn’t say goodbye to Kiji, Hani-senpai and Trois-senpai before leaving Nanba

Immediately resolves to leave NRC at the earliest possible convenience when he gets a good look at the Theory Wall— he can’t even read Japanese but that amount of crazy that it signifies always spells trouble

Is confused by all the pictures of Disney villains on the Theory Wall, but decides it’s not worth the trouble to ask about

Actually uses the beauty products Vil left for Yuu correctly

Gets semi-adopted into Pomefiore after asking Vil where the high quality products came from

Grim and the ghosts aren’t sorry to see the little brat go

Vil carts him around to test his potential in the performance arts

Epel tries to be a good senpai for the kid, and tells him he doesn’t have to just go along with Vil

Nana appreciates the effort, but does find this kind of thing more fun than being on his own he’s homesick for his cell

Rook enjoys seeing the child freeze up minutely whenever he asks about the prison attire and the large “7” tattoo on the back of the boy’s head

Nana likes Rook less and less with every pointed question the vice dorm leader makes

Can’t sleep in the big cushy Pomefiore bed and so curls up on the floor with a pillow instead

Swap 2:

Yuu—> Nanba

What why is Yuu in jail now

The prefect was supposed to be back home/in Ramshackle Dorm, why is Yuu in jail now—

Yuu is stressed and overdue for Grim snuggles

Paranoiac is also not thrilled about being stuck in Building Three— it’s like Pomefiore on steroids

At least Epel and Vil don’t steal and obsess over the underwear of their “fans”

Rook...the jury’s still out. But probably not. Probably

Maybe

Hopefully

Much less cooperative than Mayu.

Questions about the Prefect’s family name are met with a stony glare. “It’s Yuu. Just Yuu. How many times do I have to repeat myself?”

Can’t answer any questions about Mayu or her current whereabouts despite admitting to knowing of the girl, but does posit a theory about the three of them transmigrating and swapping places based on the information gained in Konoha

Gets offended and even less cooperative when the interrogating guard calls the hypothesis “crazy”

Not intimidated by Hajime or the other guards in the slightest. Yuu’s classmates are far more likely to inflict lasting bodily harm and it’s hard for even the worst human glare to measure up to Floyd or Leona on a bad day

The Warden scares the Prefect though

Doesn’t stop Yuu from requesting a lawyer or other legal counsel before submitting to further questioning

The Paranoiac is a Japanese citizen and has made a point to know what the applicable legal rights for this situation are

Yuu ends up in the holding cells

Guess who hasn’t learned their lesson while breaking out?

Uno takes one look at Yuu

“Ah Jyugo, this one has your energy”

Nico loudly asks if the Prefect is from an isekai and died and reincarnated in Nanba??! Do they die over and over again and revive to beat bad guys?? Do they have an amazing cheat skill?? Are they a spider?? Can they shoot a beam??

Yuu just thinks. Ah. So this is what would happen if Kalim and Idia somehow had a kid

Don’t break the Prefect out, but Jyugo comes back later and deposits something through the bars

“This is Kuu. He’s a guard, but he’s also really good when you’re lonely. You look like you could use the company”

Yuu blinks and holds out a hand for the black cat with a guard cap to sniff

Crashing in a cell cot is uncomfortable, but hey, at least there’s a cat to pet

Mayu—> Night Raven College

Why is there a tanuki in her bed?

Grim isn’t waking up by being murdered but being poked with a stick by another smol child isn’t much better

Mayu is Concerned by the Theory Wall

“Is— is the person who lives here okay?”

Grim: Hell if I know

Mayu’s even more Concerned when she opens the fridge and sees it’s bare

>:|

Sanji wouldn’t let these people go hungry, so she’s not going to either!

Searches until she finds the Prefect’s grocery money and marches with Grim to Mr. S’s Mystery Shop

Everyone is confused by the presence of a new preteen on campus after the last one vanished from Pomefiore during the night

Mayu’s used to haggling with market people who would rather see her starve than even sell her the worst of their produce, so she’s easily able to barter Sam down to a third of the price for the groceries she wants to buy

Sam’s more amused by the guts of this tiny samurai devil than anything

Mayu and Grim drag all the food back by themselves with a few students following from a distance out of curiosity

They all soon enter Ramshackle once the smells of cooking begin to emerge from the dorm

Silver first followed because the child has a sword and is now helping to knead dough

Epel arrived because he had questions about where Nana had gone, but Mayu is genuinely clueless so now he’s peeling apples for lack of anything better to do

Mayu soon has several “helpers” for making bread and other easy-to-preserve and mix-and-match bulk meals to fill the Ramshackle fridge, though she soon has to send Grim out for more ingredients when her helpers begin getting hungry

The night ends with a feast that can rival the quality of food served at Kalim’s parties

Mayu finds one of Yuu’s blank notebooks and writes down some easy recipes the Prefect can use for all the food now in the fridge and pantry, with emphasis on fish based dishes

The ghosts and Grim enjoy having Mayu much more than Nana

Mayu still has trouble sleeping in the big Ramshackle bed that night

Nana—> Konohagakure

Well this isn’t Nanba or Night Raven College

Welp. Time to go then.

Nana is halfway out of Konoha before anyone notices

Gai does notice because a strange kid in a prison jumpsuit swiftly scurrying to the exit sticks out like a sore thumb in the early morning

ANBU’s search for the vanished Yuu is the only reason Nana isn’t stopped by them

Nana tries to run

Nothing can outrun the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha

Nana is now more than slightly traumatized

Gets carted off to early morning training with Naruto and Lee

Is initially more interested in plotting yet another escape attempt until Lee mentions Yuu and NRC—then he’s curious about what information he can glean about the two other members of this triad

Especially interested in the concept of reincarnating into another world or being brought there by an outside force rather than moving between worlds freely

Eats an almost alarming amount for his size at breakfast that morning and leaves nothing on his plate

Unfailingly well-mannered to his hosts

Offers more information about Mayu’s past world in payment for eating the Ketsugi’s food and waking up in their home after they refuse to let him pay them back using manual labor

Asks them to tell him what they already know so he can work out what knowledge gaps to fill in

Nana: ...Why are you singing Wonderwall?

Takes it upon himself to teach Lee and Naruto more English so they can at least form basic sentences

It’s an uphill battle because predicates and participles are hard

A supportive and encouraging if slightly inept teacher

Soon realizes Chie somehow knows all the swearwords and glares at him for trying to teach them to the boys

Also falls ill from eating chakra-infested food

Gets twitchier as the day goes on and asks to leave the village several times, insisting he can’t impose on their hospitality any longer

Only agrees to sleep on the couch once Jirou subtly implies that at least people will notice and go looking if he goes missing from their house compared to if he disappeared from a tree miles away from Konoha

Can’t sleep on the couch due to jumping at noises during the night, ends up curling up on the floor next to it

[drazzilder]

A Hellish Encounter

By Drazzilder

Chapter 14: Christmas

The week flew by as everyone was preparing for Christmas, the city full of shoppers and flooded with the sights and sounds of the holiday. Everyone was doing their part to make things happen. Sanji and Enji were busy looking at every website, every production facility, anywhere they could think to find that toy for you. They are putting in the hours to try to make it by Christmas. You have your suspicions when he is staying late at work but you want to keep the surprise.

You are having much better luck at getting his present ready in time. You help pack the kids’ things, making sure the they are ok with moving back. They even wrote some ground rules to make sure things don’t go back to the way they were. Even though Hina is just a live-in nanny, she has been with the kids long enough to grow attached to them and she is doing everything she can to help them as well. Every time you come over, she greets you as if your family and the kids are even getting used to your presence.

H: “It looks like that should be everything. Are you ready for tomorrow?”

(Y/N): “I think so. Enji always wakes up around 6 so if I get up at 5 that should give me enough time to get here and move everything to your rooms. Then I’ll teleport all of us to the kitchen where we can start cooking breakfast. He did say his favorite way to wake up is to the sounds and smells of me cooking.”

F: “Don’t you think he will be suspicious?”

(Y/N): “With the long hours he is been putting at work lately, he sleeps like a rock.”

N: “There he goes, overworking again…”

H: “Actually, I think it’s a little different this time. Think about it, that man isn’t the best with emotions, he is probably trying to find the perfect gift for everyone.”

S: “Dad is actually thinking about us?”

(Y/N): “I can tell you that he has been asking me for some ideas for you.”

F: “SPILL IT!!I want to know if he is getting us something good.” She says practically jumping up and down like a little kid.

N: “It’s probably just going to be money and some clothes like it always is.”

(Y/N): “You will have to wait till tomorrow to see.” You say with a smile.

S: “I can wait till tomorrow to be disappointed.”

Z: “Gosh, you boys need to lighten up, can’t you see the man is trying!”

Everyone laughs a little as you finish up the last of the packing. You hug everyone and you quickly head back home.

~

“DAMN IT!” Enji yells in anger at his computer. “Another fan made doll. Why does this have to be so hard to find!”

His phone rings. “What?!”

“Hello Enji.”

“Oh…sorry Sanji. I’m just a little worked up right now”

“I know, but I called you to give you some news.”

“Did you find it?” He says with a little excitement in his voice.

“Not quite, but I have a lead in working on. Apparently, some Yakuza have been seen with a few of them. They were selling them on the black market.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to go buy one from them?”

“Ok, I won’t. Bye.”

“SANJI WAIT, IT’S TOO DANGEROUS!” He pleads but she already hung up. “Damn it, if she gets hurt, I’ll….”

“You’ll what, Enji?” You say as you come into the home office.

“Oh….um…. it’s nothing.” He sometimes forgets you can teleport and you caught him off guard.

“Ok....So you want to watch a cheesy Christmas movie and cuddle?”

“That sounds awful….” He says rolling his eyes.

You two spend the rest of the evening together ‘watching’ a movie. You are in your new favorite sitting position on the couch: Enji sitting behind you with his arms around you and his chin on your head, you slouched in his lap with a blanket over the both of you. You’re sitting on the couch together shirtless, the more contact you get with that warm skin of his, the better. Enji can’t help himself during the movie and begins to kiss your head and nibble your ear. You push back against his chest to get more contact with him and he responds by tightening his grip and warming up some more. The movie becomes background noise as you both put your attention on each other. After the movie is over you both head off to bed. Even though it’s the middle of winter you both still strip down to your underwear, partly because it’s so comfortable being next to Enji but also, he radiates so much heat when you’re around you practically sweat each night.

~

Christmas morning you managed to wake up 5 minutes before your scheduled time, so you gently move off of Enji and get dressed in the dark. You quickly head downstairs as to not wake him up with the flash of light. You then appear at the apartment.

(Y/N): “Is everyone ready?”

H: “Just give Natsuo a minute to get up. Go ahead and start with the boxes.”

Z: “With pleasure.”

H: “You really like (Y/N) don’t you.”

Z: “He is the only human I don’t mind being put inside of.”

F: “You were inside other people before (Y/N)?”

Z: “12 before I meet (Y/N). Each one either couldn’t handle the testing or they took their own life.”

N: “How come he got to live.” He says as he enters rubbing his eyes.

Z: “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. He was the youngest human I was put inside of but he had one of the strongest wills.”

(Y/N): “Thank you Zaheer but we got to get going if we are going to make it on time.”

Z “Sorry, let’s go.”

You then quickly start to go to each room and teleport the boxes back to the house, making sure when you move them not to make too much noise. This takes about 10 minutes or so when you finally are done and just the kids and Hina are left. You all create a circle of hands and you teleport them to the kitchen at the house. Through the door they see the Christmas tree with large presents under it. They are about to get excited but you quickly remind them of what you are doing. You sense Enji is still sleeping so you all get to work cooking. Shoto is on rice, Fuyumi is on salmon, Natsuo takes care of the eggs and Hina gets the tea ready. You’re just about finished when you hear movement from upstairs.

“(Y/N), did you get up early to surprise me?” You all hear from a distance.

“Why don’t you come down and see your surprise!”

He slowly makes his way down; he is probably still groggy from a week of less sleep. You now remember the new habit you two formed of walking around the house without shirts on. At first it was to help with your self-confidence with your scars but you both can’t keep your hands of each other. It just turned into a habit after a little bit. You probably should have warned him to get dressed but it’s too late when he rounds the corner with just the pajama bottoms he put on. Once he sees what’s happening in the kitchen, he just stares for a moment, completely silent.

F: “Merry Christmas Dad.”

S and N: “Merry Christmas.”

H: “Merry Christmas.”

(Y/N): “Merry Christmas, Enji.”

Even though you have gone up and hugged him he is still in disbelief and hasn’t moved. It is only when you look at his eyes do you see why. A few tears start to well up and you kiss him on the cheek to break his stare.

E: “What is going on?”

F: “We are here for Christmas, cooking breakfast dad. Are you ok?”

E: “I…I…. I didn’t think you guys would actually want to come here ever again. Why are you here.”

N: “That demon you are dating is very persuasive.”

Z: “He isn’t dating me, he is dating (Y/N).”

(Y/N): “Why don’t you follow me and see the rest of your gift.”

You take his hand and lead everyone down the hallway to Shoto’s old bedroom. You slide the door open and turn on the light. Enji sees a pile of plain boxes neatly arranged in the middle.

E: “What are all of these? Are all these for me?”

H: “(Y/N), you’re going to have to spell it out for him. He doesn’t do subtle very well.”

(Y/N): “Enji, these boxes are your kids’ belongings. They are moving back home, today.”

With those words Enji just slams down on his knees, he couldn’t take the emotions as he starts to cry uncontrollably. You go to comfort him and Hina and Fuyumi join you. They motion to the boys and they come reluctantly.

E: “You can’t be serious? Is this a dream? Are you really moving back in with me?”

F: “Yes dad, we are back but you have to know it’s because of (Y/N) that we are willing to try.”

E: “What?” He manages to get out through sobs.

N: “We have laid out some ground rules we can go over but I don’t think you will remember them if we tell you now.”

E: “I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll do whatever it takes to have you back in my life.”

You all stand in your embrace a little while more when Enji finally stopped crying and gets up.

(Y/N): “Ok, now that things have settled down, let’s go eat. And Enji, go get a shirt on.”

Enji looks down at himself and quickly goes red in embarrassment as he didn’t realize until now that he didn’t have on a shirt. He quickly bolts upstairs and comes down and everyone is sitting at the table with food in the center. After he sits everyone begins to eat. The food was really good, like always when you’re cooking. After some coffee and tea, you all moved into the living room to open presents. The kids only got you each a card but you both agreed you’re just happy they are home.

E: “Fuyumi why don’t we start with you.”

F: “Ok” she heads over to the pile of gifts and find she has the largest present out of all of them. She quickly moves it and starts to unwrap the package. “A bike?”

E: “I thought you could use a new bike for college. This one is the top-of-the-line model and is fully electric but can be pedaled manually as well. It has large baskets for your books and groceries. I hope you can use it.”

F: “I love it! Thank you!” She says as she hugs Enji.

E: “Natsuo, your next.” He says a little more relaxed knowing the last present went well.

N: “Well, if her gift was good then I hope mine is good too.”

As Natsuo opens his 2 boxes, the first one is a bunch of video games. He looks with confusion because they are for a console he doesn’t have. He then quickly rips the wrapping off the other box and finds it is the brand-new console that isn’t out for another 3 months.

N: “How did you get this? It’s not even out yet.”

E: “As the number 2 hero, you make some connections. (Y/N) told me you really wanted one of these so I pulled a few strings.

N: “Thank you so much! I can’t believe you did this.”

E: “Im glad you like it. Shoto, it’s your turn.”

S: “I’m on it.”

Shoto finds he has a large box that sounds like a bunch of smaller boxes in it. When he opens it is a bunch of hand and power tools. He looks at Enji with confusion.

E: “I was told you like to work with your hands and like working on DIY projects and building things. If you don’t like it, I can exchange this for something else.”

S: “I like it, I can use these for a few projects I want to work on.”

E: “Really? That’s good. I worked hard to try to get you all something that you would enjoy. Hina, I even got you something.”

He hands her a small box. When she opens it, she finds a gold tennis bracelet.

H: “Oh my gosh, Enji! You didn’t have to get my anything, this is so wonderful.”

E: “It’s a thank you for having to deal with me and raising my kids by yourself.”

H: “Um, I don’t know how to say this but there is nothing left under the tree, (Y/N) where is your gift?”

Enji sits up with horror in his eyes. He never managed to find the toy for you. He was so busy trying to get the best gift that he didn’t even think of a backup. His mind is racing and he starts to feel sick when you grab his hand.

(Y/N): “Its ok Enji. I wanted you to make you and your kids happy. I’m just happy that everyone is here.”

E: “But you didn’t get anythi….”

The doorbell interrupts his train of thought. He gets up to see who could possibly be at the door on Christmas Day. He opens the door and is surprised to see Sanji.

S: “Good morning, Enji.” As she hands him a package.

E: “What is this?”

S: “Give it to (Y/N).”

E: “You found it?”

S: “Yes, I did. Merry Christmas, Enji.”

E: “Did you want to stay?”

S: “No, I have my own family to get to but thank you.”

E: “Well you will be getting a large bonus this year.”

He closes the door and comes back to the living room. He sits down looking at the box.

F: “Who was that dad?”

E: “That was Sanji, she was dropping of my present to you.”

(Y/N): “Really? You didn’t have to get me anything, Enji.”

You slowly unwrap the box. It is just a plain brown box. You still are curious as you open the box. You take the object out and start to take the tissue paper off. When you finally see what was inside, your speechless.

(Y/N): “What? How did you? Where did you?”

E: “This is what I have been doing at the office. I have even looking for this.”

You hold up the stuffed doll of Endeavor, it is about a foot and a half tall with fake flames. It has a little zipper on the back to replace the batteries. You’re a little afraid to squeeze it but once you do, you hear ‘Prominence Burn!’ and you feel it start to warm up in your hands. You begin hugging it as you start to tear up just saying “Thank you.”

F: “Dad, I didn’t know there was a stuffed doll of toy that big.”

E: “There was a batch made as a test. They warm up when you squeeze them but it would catch fire too often so they didn’t make more. Apparently, (Y/N) got one as a kid to keep him warm in the test facility. I can’t believe there are any left.”

(Y/N): “It was the only warm thing I had as a kid. I thought I had the only one of these. Funny, when I first meet you, I saw the flames coming off of you and I wanted to go and hug you. I was so cold but looking at you was enough to give the energy to stop the bomb.”

E: “Merry Christmas (Y/N).”

(Y/N): “As much as I love this, I’m glad I don’t need to use it anymore.”

F: “Why’s that?”

“Because I have the real thing right here.” You say giving Enji a big squeeze. He responds by pulling you in for a kiss. The rest of the day flies by as the whole family is enjoying the time together. Everyone helps unpacking each other’s rooms and clean up a bit. You all have dinner, afterwards everyone goes to the living room to watch the Grinch. After the long day, everyone was exhausted from the excitement of the day. The kids fall asleep before you two.

“Thank you so much (Y/N). This is the best Christmas I ever had.”

“I think I can say the same thing. Thank you Enji.”

You two hug each other tightly in bed, causing the doll between you to sound and start to heat up. You both laugh a little and kiss one last time before going to sleep.

Next Chapter

[itsthemoofacewriting]

I know you’re tired (why don’t we go back home)

That’s right, I’m not done with Whole Cake Island, nor Sanji’s vulnerability, so buckle in kiddos. This is a standalone and has nothing to do with my other story involving the WCI arc.

Summary: Sanji is quiet. Far too quiet, considering his kitchen is half burned down and Nami’s having none of it.  Rating: T

Warning: This story mentions abuse and the aftereffects of that on Sanji- some very negative thoughts. So please know your limits and exit if you have to, I don’t want to upset anyone. But I will say the ending is happy, because I like to toe at the dangerous line of emotional but not too much.

The title is from the song ‘Tired’ by Astyn Turr.

Can also be found on AO3 and FFN. 

Enjoy.

Sanji’s standing in his beloved kitchen, eyes calculating as he takes in the damage and he doesn’t need to get out his abacus to know this will cost an arm and a leg to repair. The worst of the damage is centered around the stove. The countertop is now black instead of the beautiful cream and gold finish it once had. There’s also god knows what stuck to the top of the stove. At this point it looks like it’s melded to the metal grates and he knows that’s going to take some elbow grease to get out.

Unsurprisingly, the fridge is as good as new. Nami had told him it had been the first thing Luffy had saved when the fire had broken out.

There’s no salvaging the cupboards surrounding the stove though. Fire’s licked away all the colour and has eaten away at the wood- he’s slightly surprised to see the remaining cupboard doors are even still on. He hasn’t worked up the courage to look in the cupboards yet, to see whether he has any cooking equipment or utensils left. He will look, just not yet. He wants to see how much of the black soot he can get rid of and whether he can get any of the black sludge off of his stove first.

Currently, he’s on his hands and knees, cleaning the floor around the stove and has been cleaning for the last few hours. The kitchen is nowhere near clean enough but it’s a whole lot better than the eyesore from before; most of the soot is gone and the black sludge is slowly lifting- it only loosened on his third attempt and at some point, he’ll have to ask what the hell it is.

That’s how Nami finds him. He heard the door open and the distinct sound of heels clicking about the hard wood floor, which then changed to tiles, so he knows she’s making her way towards him.

He spins, ready to put on a show and fall into his Nami-swaaan~ routine but the look she’s giving him stopped him on the spot and he’s preparing for the worst. It’s rare to see that look on her face, a mixture between angry and stern. Many of the crew would say she always looked like that, but he knows her well enough, watched her for long enough, to know the small differences.

“Why aren’t you angry about your kitchen?” She demanded, crossing her arms, eyebrow raised, and he realised it’s actually a look of don’t bullshit me.

So, he shrugged and started cleaning the space between him and Nami. It’d be rude to turn his back on her and he’d never dream of doing that, but at the same time he needed to keep himself busy, he couldn’t stand the scrutiny of that look.

And she knows it. She continued to stare even though he’s trying to look busy, to politely brush off her concern and not look at her. But she’s not giving in because the silence continued to stretch in the still kitchen, and the final straw is when she started to tap her foot. It matched the seconds ticking on the clock and he started to visualise the ticking of a bomb. He’s not sure what he’s expecting when it goes off.

Doesn’t have to either because he’s giving in on the tenth foot tap.

“Well, I can imagine it was a hard journey to get here,” the ‘without me’ is unsaid but it’s there and he shrugged but all she does is continue to stare, looking expectant, so he continued, “and I couldn’t be sure of who actually did it.”

That’s weak and they both know it. Nami’s huffing and her previously crossed arms now sit at her hips as she responded, “Look around-” She pointed at the blackened walls, he hadn’t started on them yet, “-This has Luffy written all over it. You think anyone else could achieve this?”

Sanji had nothing to say to that, so he just kept cleaning, even though he’s pretty sure the spot he’s cleaning isn’t dirt anymore and is actually a scorch mark.

The foot taping started again. “Luffy wasted food,” She said bluntly, and he knows what she’s doing, she’s trying to bait him. “Cooked everything in your best pot and then tipped the pot with the food in overboard.”

He knows she’s missing out on a few key details, like the fact that the atrocious stew he made was poisonous and that had he been with them, this wouldn’t have happened. His sister had told him when she’d returned and if it wasn’t for his sister, Luffy would be dead right now. Probably the one time he’s thankful for his family’s powers, not that they ever benefitted him.

They descend back into silence and it’s suffocating, makes him want to fidget, but he stopped himself. It’s then that he realised why it’s making him so uncomfortable and itchy. It’s stifling and it screams rejection and disapproval. It reminded him of when his father would look down his nose at him, judging him and it was that silence that used to greet him back from his cell when his voice was raw from yelling.

“Well?” Her voice cut through his thoughts before they can go any further, to a much darker place when thinking about his biological family, and he flinched at the tone.

“Sanji?” The tone is soft, a stark difference to the one from before.

Briefly, he wondered why it’d changed so drastically from before when he hasn’t responded. It’s because whilst he hasn’t said anything verbally, physically he’s said enough; from the silence, to the lack of eye contact, to the flinching and belatedly, he realised he’s curled his shoulders in. To make himself look small. Something he hasn’t done since he first joined Baratie.

He’s shown his hand and to someone who’s well versed in this language.

Their pasts were fairly similar, he’d always known that, trapped in situations of abuse and it used to make him nervous. He was always waiting for her to catch on. She was so perceptive, and he was sure she was onto him in Skypiea when he’d said he was from North Blue. He’d watched her eyes narrow and her mouth had opened to voice her confusion, but they’d been interrupted, and it was never brought up again. He slightly wondered if that was on purpose, she didn’t forget the little things.

He chanced a glance at her face after he’s straightened himself and regretted it almost immediately. She looked so worried, eyes searching for something and it made him feel naked. It made him want to disappear and it’s because he’s scared that she’s going to see right through him.

Shame.

That’s what he’s feeling, and he hated it. He doesn’t want her to see all the dirt on him, all the disgusting parts of him that made his family hate him. He doesn’t want it to happen again, he can’t. Not with her. He wants her to see him as the best version of himself, always.

But he can’t anymore. Not when she’s seen where he’s come from first-hand and heard all about it from his father.

He realised he’s already naked. Laid bare before them all, against his will and it’s easier to hide away in the kitchen then let them see him for what he truly is.

His hands have stopped their idle cleaning and he’s got so lost in his self-loathing that he’s forgotten to keep his face neutral and he’s curled back in on himself. He’s laid himself bare this time and there’s no escape.

She doesn’t look disgusted though, she doesn’t sneer down at him like his family did when he was young and tell him how pathetic he was or hit him. It looked like it’s suddenly dawning on her, maybe not the full picture just yet- but the lines are in place and the drawing only needs to be coloured in.

He sees the agitation bleed out of her. Her previously tense shoulders relax; her face softened and her eyes… he doesn’t know if can continue to look directly into them just yet. They melt and there’s so much sitting in that look and it’s all for him.

Understanding. Warmth. Empathy. Affection.

For little pathetic Sanji.

He looked down again. His wall’s about to crumble and he desperately needed to leave but he has nowhere else to go. This is his safe space.

Heels click against the tiles to close the distance between them but they’re less threatening now, not so sharp and don’t send panic down his spine.

The atmosphere in the kitchen has lifted, it’s warm and he’s suddenly reminded of his mother, how he used to feel when he was around her when she was alive.

Even more so when Nami draws him in. Her hand gently pulled the dirty rag away from his blackened hands and squeezed and he thought that was going to be it. But then her arms are wrapping around his shoulders and he’s being pulled into her embrace. It’s a bit awkward, he’s still taller than her even when she’s wearing heels, so he has to slouch a bit, but he doesn’t pull away. She brings him down until his face is resting in the crease of her neck.

It’s personal and far too intimate and warm.

Like she’s protecting him.

And it’s the straw that broke the camels back.

His eyes sting because he honestly can’t remember the last time someone had hugged him like this.

That’s a lie. He can but he doesn’t let himself think about it too often because he never quite got over her death. The woman that made his childhood bearable with gentle touches and adoring looks as he showed off his latest creation; only for it to all be taken away so suddenly before he was forced into darkness.

The tears are pouring now and he’s hugging Nami back just as tightly as she is. He’d be mortified normally; that she was seeing him like this, and he was ruining her pretty dress with something he should be over by now, but he can feel matching tears running down his cheeks that aren’t his. He can feel her body shaking along with his because she’s sharing his grief with him, so he doesn’t have to do it alone.

Nami doesn’t try to sooth him or give him reassuring words, she’s just there with him in the moment. They stay like that, their hold never slackening on the other as sobs filled the quiet kitchen. Quiet ship actually, if either of them bothered to pay attention to anything other than the person in front of them.

Neither of them moved away from the embrace, but when Sanji’s arms slacken slightly, Nami took that as a sign to start running her hands up and down his back. The move brought a fresh wave of tears from his eyes but they’re silent now, just a residue of what’s left over.

They’re in his hair now and he wondered how appropriate it really was when he nuzzled into the crook of her neck, but she didn’t voice her disapproval. If anything, it encouraged her actions all the more and he could feel the rigidness wash from his body at the gesture.

With one last squeeze, he’s tentatively pulling away from her embrace. It’s time to face the music. He wasn’t expecting her to look so determined and he’s thrown for a second because he doesn’t know what to make of that look. She cupped his face and her thumbs soothe across his cheeks to wipe away the tracks of tears that remain.

“I don’t have the full picture, but I know enough. I don’t think any less of you, I want you to know that I wouldn’t- that any of us wouldn’t. If anything, I think you’re even more amazing than you already were.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

That almost brings a fresh wave of tears to his eyes because she’s so quickly and concisely got to the root of the problem. They’re words he’s never heard directly said to him and he’s slightly glad because he couldn’t imagine hearing them before now and coping with it.

Her hands are steady on his face and she doesn’t let him look down at his feet like he wanted to. As much as he wanted these words from her, the small voice in the back of his head told him otherwise.

“Judge knows nothing. For him to say all those words and believe them just proves it,” She told him fiercely, daring him to disagree. “You’re the strongest person I know, physically, mentally and emotionally. None of them are weaknesses. It’s makes you human and nothing’s worth keeping more than that.”

Nami’s words were fierce, but her expression is soft. Because the words are for Judge and the voice in the back of his head, but the softness is for him. For that dirty side of him that she now sees and apparently likes.

There’s nothing he can say. Mainly because he doesn’t trust his voice not to crack but also what could he say to that? Instead, he’s pulling her into another hug. One where he’s wrapping his arms her and trying to convey how much she means to him.

It must come across because she’s squeezing him back and he felt her breathe in deeply. What really confirmed it is the confidence in which she said, “I missed you.”

He felt like he could melt. From how adorable she’s being right now and the relief; he missed her too.

“I missed you too.”

She pulled away from him so she can see his face but stayed in his embrace, she looked serious again.

“Don’t do it again.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he uttered back softly, and his eyes drifted around her face, taking all of her in. It’s rare he got to see her up close like this and he’s savouring the moment.

And then she’s smiling at him, like he’s handed her a whole chest full of gold. Whilst Nami may seem hard and unforgiving at times, she’s also one of the softest and most understanding people he’s ever met and she’s showing that right now.

It’s a combination of everything that does it for him. The atmosphere is intimate, despite the half-burned kitchen surrounding them, they’re still holding onto each other and Nami’s eyes have gone doe-eyed, almost like she’s realised too. But she didn’t pull away, didn’t let go. Instead he watched as her gaze quickly fell to his lips before darting back up to his eyes and he copied the gesture.

They’re like magnets, slowly drawing in closer with little regard to anything else other than the person in front of them. Perhaps he’s being dramatic, but when their lips finally touch it’s like everything has fallen into place and all the wrongs in his life are suddenly right. He tilted his head to the side to find a better angle and slot himself closer to her. She hummed in agreement, like she could read his thoughts, but the action sent tingles through his lips and his new aim is to get her to do that again.

But there’s hands on his shoulders before he can fulfil that goal, they’re pushing him back and he doesn’t resist.

“Maybe now isn’t the best time to be doing this,” Nami whispered and he can feel her breath on his lips. Her hands don’t move from his shoulders, but they do relax and stroke at the fabric of his shirt.

“Why’s that?”

“I feel like I’m taking advantage, look at what we’ve just been doing,” she said, edging around the topic and he smiled because she’s trying to be delicate with him.

“If it’s you, you can take advantage whenever you want.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She snorted and pinched his side, “I’m being serious.”

“So am I.”

She gave him a bland look then, unimpressed with his joking.

“Really I am. I kissed you and I’ve wanted to for a really long time…” but then he hesitated, wondering if he’s read her wrong and maybe this was her attempting to let him down gently. “I mean, unless you don’t…?”

But then she’s firmly pressing her lips against his and, his moment of self-doubt faded into the background. He doesn’t get the chance to savour their second (second!) kiss because she’s pulling back to give him a coy smirk.

“Now, I didn’t say that.”

He smiled at her then and his hands moved to cup her jaw, his thumb stroking along it as he waited another moment for all of this to soak in.

“Can I kiss you?” He should have asked before, but he was too wrapped up in the moment, he slightly regretted that as he watched her blush prettily before him. They’ve already kissed (twice!) but somehow this embarrassed her? She’s too cute for her own good.

All she does is nod back and he brought her in closer, his lips brushing against hers, teasing her, but he doesn’t keep her waiting for much longer as he pressed his lips fully to hers. His hands move away from her jaw and into her hair, one playing with the strands whilst another stationed itself at the nape of her neck. It’s a good move on his part because she’s humming against his lips again and he felt like he could float away at the feeling.

He doesn’t though, instead he worked on keeping his cool because there’s no way he’s messing this up- he’s worked too hard to get to this point. It’s almost all thrown out of the window when Nami brushed her tongue against his lips and the sound that came from the back of his throat it definitely not something his brain preapproved, but it doesn’t stop him from opening his mouth to welcome her in.

It’s then that his brain finally registered how long they’ve been in the kitchen, in silence, alone, uninterrupted and as much as he’s focusing on her, on how soft her lips are and how good she felt, he also knew how unusual that is.

Reluctantly, he parted from the kiss but not without leaving a lingering one against her lips. When he opened his eyes, he’s met with an expression he’s never seen before on her and it makes it so much harder not to press back against her. She looked dazed and her eyes are lidded and she’s so gorgeous (Okay, so the last one isn’t new, sue him).

“Why is it so quiet?” He asked and pressed another kiss to her lips because he’s weak. Weak in the best way possible.

She blinked at him, apparently not expecting him to say that. Soon enough, her lips are curling upward, and she responded, “Luffy’s in hiding because of the state of the kitchen.”

“So he should be, what the hell was that idiot thinking?” There’s heat behind his words again but they don’t match the soft way Sanji nudged his nose against Nami’s.

“Go give him hell.” She tilted her head towards the door to encourage him.

He smiled back boyishly, his face so much lighter than before, like a burden had been lifted. He squeezed her hand in response.

“But don’t think this is over. If you ever need to talk or cry, know that you can come to me.” Nami’s face was serious as she looked at him. “Maybe even when I’m drawing maps.” Her face cracking to wink at him.

He nodded at her, leaving her with a parting kiss on the cheek but at the last second, he hesitated and looked at her longingly. Was this really more important than her?

Luckily, Nami’s well versed in Sanji.

“I’ll be here when you get back,” she breathed out, giving him a teasingly smoky look that he wanted to burn into his brain for later. That look is directed at him, him!  

That’s all he needed to hear before he’s marching out of the kitchen, footsteps heavy, kicking the door open to an empty lawn deck and shouting for Luffy to show himself.

From inside the kitchen, Nami smiled. Her work was done, for now.

----------------------------------------------

Feels like my super expensive psychology degree is finally doing something; not making me any money but helping me write fanfic- score!

I actually wasn’t going to have them kiss at first, I was only going to allude to a relationship because I didn’t want it to undermine Nami supporting Sanji, but I’m a sucker for them. Hopefully I managed to pull it off.

Please excuse any errors.

Thanks for reading.

[purplehairedwonder]

Hearts With(out) Chains Chapter 7

Fandom: One Piece Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Gen (eventual Lawlu) Words: 3324 Characters: Trafalgar Law, Monkey D. Luffy, Nico Robin, Usopp, Franky, Zoro, Chopper, Nami, Sanji, Smoker, Tashigi, Vergo Note: I’m taking my turn at the Corazon!Law AU because my brain won’t leave me alone until this is written down. Tags will be updated as the chapters come out.

The story title is based on the Ellie Goulding song “Hearts Without Chains.”

Summary: Law is reclaimed by the Family when he’s 17 and, with Doflamingo holding the lives of his crew as collateral for his good behavior, eventually becomes the third Corazon. Years later, trapped by his impossible situation, Law can’t help but resent Monkey D. Luffy for offering a glimpse of something he’s repeatedly had ripped away from him: hope.

Previous chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Read also at AO3 / FF.N

“Oi!” Straw Hat called. “What’s going on?”

“Luffy!” the cat burglar and tanuki cried in relief.

“Straw Hat,” the mangled parts of the G-5 soldiers groaned.

“Luffy, look,” the long-nosed one said. “It’s the guy from Sabaody.”

“Corazon,” Nico Robin said, immediately taking a defensive posture. “This must be one of Donquixote Doflamingo’s operations if his second is here.”

Straw Hat blinked at Law then smiled widely. “It’s you.”

Law inclined his head. “Straw Hat-ya. I see you made it.”

“He saved me at Marineford,” Straw Hat, still smiling, said to his crew, who exchanged glances.

“Things change, Luffy,” Pirate Hunter Zoro said, hand going to the blades at his hip. “I don’t think he’s here to help us now. He already got the love cook.”

Straw Hat’s gaze went to where Black Leg had fallen, and his expression darkened. “Sanji!”

“He’s alive,” Law said. “For now. I’m afraid I can’t let any of you leave.” This would be more complicated with all of his targets in one place; part of him thought that he should have brought backup after all, but he quickly dismissed it.

“Chopper,” Straw Hat called. “Come look at Sanji.”

The tanuki started to move, and Law lifted Kikoku but suddenly had three swords to parry as Zoro charged him. A distraction. No matter.

Law and Zoro traded blows with their blades until Law lifted a hand and switched Zoro with a snowflake among the amputated parts of the G-5 soldiers. The pirate hunter yelped in surprise before gaping at the moving and talking body parts.

“What the hell kind of power is this?!” he demanded.

“Super freaky, right?” the cyborg asked. “As long as we’re in this circle, he can do what he wants.”

Law’s lips twitched, but his haki flared and he dodged a shot from the sniper’s slingshot. Law swung Kikoku in his direction, but arms sprouted around the sniper and pulled him out of the slice’s path. Boulders in the distance split in two, and Long Nose gaped like a fish.

Law Shambled out of the way of another blast from the cyborg and had just enough time when saw the skeleton approaching to swap him with a rock on the other side of his Room. The skeleton sputtered in surprise, but Law ignored him, turning his attention back to the people in front of him. He tried to raise Kikoku again but couldn’t move her. He frowned and looked down to see hands sprouting from the blade. When he looked back up, he met Nico Robin’s gaze. He smirked and Shambled away once more. She was startled enough by the motion to drop her powers.

With a bit of distance between them now, Law surveyed the scene. He was on the defensive and couldn’t keep Shambling around to just avoid the Straw Hats’ attacks; it was taking a toll on his stamina. He was already starting to feel the effects of prolonged and consistent use of his abilities. He needed to get on the offensive and end this.

But the Straw Hats weren’t going to make it that easy for him.

He was casting around for something he could use to his advantage when his haki prickled once more. He side-stepped just in time to see a fist fly by his head then return to its owner. When Law looked backed, Straw Hat was eyeing him with a frown.

“I don’t want to fight someone who saved my life,” he said.

“I have orders to get rid of all trespassers,” Law replied. “You and your crew are trespassing, Straw Hat-ya.”

“Shishishi, that’s what pirates do,” Straw Hat replied with a laugh.

“I’m a pirate, too,” Law reminded him. “And pirates also protect what’s theirs.” Or their boss’s, who controlled the fate of his crew. Whichever.

“So, this is Doflamingo’s operation,” Nico Robin mused. “What is he doing here in a place that is supposed to be off-limits to everyone?”

“None of your concern.”

“Luffy,” the cat burglar called. Straw Hat glanced over at her. “They’ve taken kids,” she said, gesturing toward the group behind her and Kin’emon. “We have to help them!”

Straw Hat’s expression darkened, and Nico Robin’s lips quirked. “I think we just made it our concern, Corazon.”

Law shrugged. “So be it.”

He turned toward the G-5 ship that had anchored just in front of the lab—and inside Law’s Room—and lifted a finger. With Takt, the ground began to shake as the ship rose out of the water.

The cat burglar looked around, alarmed. “What’s that noise?”

“Why is everything shaking? Earthquake?” cried the G-5 soldiers.

“T-the ship!” Long Nose yelped.

“Woah, cool!” Straw Hat declared, delighted.

Once the ship was high enough, Law sliced Kikoku through the air, and the ship split into quarters, debris raining down from the sky. Law flicked his fingers, and the debris started flying toward the others. Zoro and Kin’emon jumped in front of the children to cut down boxes and boulders while the cyborg bolted to the tanuki and Black Leg, using his huge body to cover them as the tanuki treated a woozy Black Leg. Straw Hat blew himself up like a bubble—Law raised an eyebrow at that—and bounced the threats off to protect Nico Robin and Long Nose. The skeleton dodged as he made his way back toward his crew, and the G-5 soldiers tried to use one another to shield themselves.

As the debris fell, Law slammed the pieces of the ship against the various rock formations in the area, fusing them together. There would be no escape via ship for the Marines now.

With the ship out of commission, Law turned his attention back to his targets. He planned to use the chaos of the debris to disguise his attack, but when he made to jump into motion, he couldn’t move. He looked down to see hands sprouting of the ground, wrapped around his ankles. When he glanced back up, Nico Robin had her arms crossed in front of her and a knowing smile on her lips.

Then she said something to Straw Hat, and he looked over at the immobile Law. Before Law could think about switching with a piece of debris, Straw Hat had deflated and thrown his arms out directly at Law. He hissed as Straw Hat’s rubber arms wrapped around his chest multiple times, and Kikoku fell from his grip as his own arms were restrained.

“Gotcha!”

His hands were still free, though, so he prepared to Shamble out of Straw Hat’s and Nico Robin’s grips—

His eyes widened and he grunted in pain and surprise as something slammed into his back. The strength leeched from his body and his Room fell around him. The pieces of ship and ocean debris that were still swirling in the air were no longer being directed so crashed into the ground, forcing people to dodge. He glanced behind him and saw Smoker, Seastone-tipped jitte driven into his back above Straw Hat’s rubbery limbs. The vice admiral’s gaze was sharp.

“I want my heart back, pirate,” he growled.

“Zoro!”

Law’s gaze flew back in front of him to see Zoro rushing toward him, and Law was completely helpless. Shit.

“Don’t kill him!” Straw Hat called as the pirate hunter neared.

Law tensed as Zoro raised his sword and swung down. There was blinding pain in his temple and then nothing.

-----

Vergo watched from his hidden perch as the pirate hunter swung his sword and Corazon—no, he would always be little Trafalgar Law, traitor to the Donquixote Family—crumpled. Straw Hat Luffy released his hold on Law, easing him surprisingly gently to the ground. Smoker reached down and searched through Law’s pockets until he found his heart. He straightened and slid it back into his chest. Too bad; that would have been a good way to get rid of Smoker for good. Oh well. There were plenty of hazards on this island Vergo could take advantage of.

With Law’s Room down, the G-5 soldiers started piecing themselves back together with varying degrees of anatomical correctness (they truly were the Marines’ most inept). Captain Tashigi collected herself and joined Vice Admiral Smoker as they looked at the gathering Straw Hats. The tanuki had gotten Black Leg back to his feet, though he was moving with some deliberation. An argument between Smoker and Luffy ensued, seemingly over Law as they both gestured at his unconscious form.

The cat burglar then spoke up, gesturing toward the children behind her. This caught Captain Tashigi’s attention, and she turned an impassioned plea to Smoker, undoubtedly to help the brats. Vergo frowned; he’d gone to a lot of trouble to get Caesar those subjects, so it wouldn’t do for them to be taken away now. Caesar was doing important work for Joker, and those test subjects were necessary.

After some further arguments and discussion, the pirates and Marines split into two groups, with Smoker, Tashigi, and G-5 following the cat burglar, samurai, cyborg, pirate hunter, tanuki, and skeleton inside—likely because Law had taken out the Marine ship so there was no way to get them out without calling for backup. That was something Vergo could work with as the base commander for G-5.

Before she started walking off, Tashigi offered something to Straw Hat Luffy, though the long-nosed sniper ended up taking it. He then bent over and—ah, they were Seastone cuffs. He fastened them around Law’s wrists. So, they weren’t as dumb as they looked after all.

Straw Hat then picked up Law and threw him over his shoulder. The pirate hunter handed Law’s blade over to his captain before joining the group going inside the lab. Nico Robin, Black Leg, and the sniper followed Straw Hat in the opposite direction, likely to their ship.

Vergo found his lips curling upward as he watched Straw Hat Luffy carry an unconscious and powerless Law back toward his ship. Perhaps it was finally time to put the brat in his place.

-----

The first thing Law felt as consciousness returned was the throbbing in his head. The second was the telltale weakness in his body that came from Seastone. Memories flooded back in, and his eyes flew open. He was staring up at a wooden ceiling rather than a gray, snowy sky. Confused, he glanced down to see he was on a bed, and his wrists were shackled in Seastone cuffs.

That… was not good.

“You’re awake.”

Law started at the voice and looked over to see Nico Robin sitting on a stool across the room. She had a book in hand, but she marked her page and set it on the desk. Law’s gaze slid past her and took in the rest of the room—an infirmary, not a brig.

Nico Robin let him take in his surroundings and waited until his gaze turned back to her.

“Welcome to the Thousand Sunny,” she said.

Law frowned, but when she made no other move, he sat up slowly, careful of his aching head, and scooted back to lean against the wall. They both knew he was a minimal threat to her in these cuffs.

“Your ship?” Law finally asked when his companion (no, guard) remained silent. He wasn’t sure if this was better or worse than a Marine brig—though he supposed with no little satisfaction the Marine brig was fused to a rock somewhere outside. Either way, his capture was a complication in his mission, which meant it was a danger to his nakama back in Dressrosa. The sooner he took back control of the situation, the sooner he could finish his mission and assure their safety.

She hummed in agreement. “Smoker wanted to arrest you, but Luffy wouldn’t let him.”

Law blinked at that. “Why?”

Not that Law was worried about being arrested; Doffy would never let Smoker take Law in. But it would have been yet another complication in his operation, and Doffy hated complications.

Nico Robin studied him for a long moment, her gaze unsettling—as though she could see through Law. “Isn’t that the question going around today?”

Law narrowed his eyes. What was that supposed to mean?

He opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the infirmary door slamming open. Straw Hat stood in the doorway, and Law’s breath caught, that tug in his chest returning stronger than ever, as if it refused to be ignored. Straw Hat’s eyes traveled around the room, brightening when they landed on Law.

“You’re awake!”

“And apparently a prisoner,” Law replied dryly, gesturing with the cuffs.

Straw Hat’s expression fell. “That’s not—” He stuck his lips out in a pout. “I just wanted to talk. Would you stay if we took them off?”

“Long enough to kill you, then I’d be gone.” Law was here on a mission, after all. He briefly wondered where Kikoku was but decided it didn’t matter; once he got these cuffs off, he’d open a Room and find her.

“Why would you want to kill me?” Straw Hat asked. He didn’t sound worried about Law’s threat, just confused. Nico Robin had risen to her feet during the exchange. Nothing in her posture said she was poised to attack, but Law had a feeling she’d act in an instant if Law showed any sign of threat to her captain. “You saved me two years ago.”

“You know who I work for,” Law replied with a shrug, aiming for casual and in control despite his predicament. “I’m here on his orders.”

“And you’re a loyal soldier, aren’t you, Corazon?” Nico Robin said. “You follow your captain’s orders without question.”

There was enough give in the shackles for Law to cross his arms. He said nothing in reply, though. His actions at Marineford sat heavily on the air among them.

“I heard about your exploits over the last two years,” she continued. “You’ve made quite a name for yourself, Surgeon of Death.”

Law remained silent. He didn’t care about the Demon Child’s judgment or her use of the epithet he had earned. He did what he had to do. Besides, he was a pirate, and he acted like one.

Nico Robin walked over to the door and put a gentle hand on her captain’s shoulder, a softness to her tone that had not been there moments before. “Be careful.”

Straw Hat nodded, and she smiled at him before leaving. She closed the door behind her, leaving Law and Straw Hat alone. Law would have been annoyed at being underestimated like that, but the Seastone rendered him essentially useless.

This boy, Law thought as they regarded one another, was the reason he had made a selfish choice that resulted in Shachi losing his arm. Why had he done that?

What was it about him that tugged on Law’s chest, drawing him into the boy’s orbit?

It couldn’t just be that initial that they shared, a mysterious legacy Cora-san had sacrificed everything to protect Law over. But what was it?

Straw Hat crossed his arms. “I don’t think you want to kill me. Or my crew.”

Law raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” he said. “You might want to ask Black Leg his opinion on that.”

Straw Hat frowned. “Sanji’s okay, though. You didn’t kill him.”

“Only because you interrupted me,” Law drawled.

Straw Hat made a frustrated sound. “No.”

Law blinked. “No?”

“No,” Straw Hat confirmed. “I don’t believe you.” He started pacing, and Law followed his back-and-forth movements with his eyes. “I wanted to thank you. For saving me that time,” Straw Hat said.

“You don’t need to thank me,” Law replied, the same lie falling from his lips that he’d repeated over the last two years: “I acted on a whim, nothing more.”

Straw Hat shook his head. “Jimbei said that you’d be in trouble with that Mingo guy for helping us, and I was worried.” He paused and looked at Law. “Were you? In trouble?”

Law suppressed the urge to touch his throat. “I fail to see how that matters.”

Straw Hat stared at him, seeming to read something in Law’s non-response. “But you helped me anyway. And I’m grateful!” He nodded, as if confirming something to himself. “So, you’re a good guy. No matter what anyone says.”

Law flinched. “No, I’m really not. You should listen to Nico-ya.” His hands were soaked with blood, including that of his own nakama. And if he didn’t complete this cleanup mission, there would be more blood on his hands.

“Nope,” Straw Hat stubbornly decided, as though he knew Law. But if he actually knew him, he wouldn’t want anything to do with Law. He shouldn’t want anything to do with Law. “I can feel it. Right here,” he said, touching his chest.

Law’s breath caught, his protest dying on his tongue. He was touching the same place Law felt the tug in his own chest when Straw Hat came up. Did he…? Did he feel it too? Whatever it was?

Straw Hat suddenly flopped down onto the end of the mattress, bouncing Law slightly. Law grimaced as his head protested.

Straw Hat looked over at Law curiously. “What kind of name is Coradone anyway?”

“Corazon,” Law snapped, still feeling a bit off kilter. “And it’s not my name. It’s a title.”

Straw Hat perked up. “Really? Then what’s your real name?”

Law looked away. “It doesn’t matter. I haven’t gone by my name in years. No one uses it.”

Though Law wasn’t looking at him, he could hear the frown in Straw Hat’s voice. “That sounds lonely.”

Law blinked in surprise. There was something to what Straw Hat was saying. Though the Family treated becoming an executive and earning the title as the highest honor one could achieve, Law had learned over the last six years that it also acted to dehumanize the wearer of the title. Law was no longer Law; he was Corazon, the second in command of the Donquixote Pirates. He was defined entirely by his station in the Family. Though Law had been with the Family for over a decade, he didn’t know the real names of the other three executives—their identities were their titles.

(The irony of Law continuing to remember Rosinante as Cora-san, a diminutive of his title when he’d been undercover, was not lost on him.)

“Anyway!” Straw Hat said cheerfully, letting Law’s silence be response enough, “Smokey wanted to arrest you, but I wouldn’t let him. But while the Marines are here, you should probably stay out of sight, especially after what you did to their ship. That was so cool, by the way! Sanji’ll get you food,” he added, as if that was the most important detail.

Law looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. “So, I’m your prisoner, Straw Hat-ya?”

Straw Hat shrugged apologetically. “I mean, I’d take the cuffs off, but—”

Law smirked. “You don’t want me to kill your crew.”

“Not that I’d let you,” he said, smile turning cheeky.

Law couldn’t help a small laugh. “You think you’re stronger than me?”

“I did beat you,” Straw Hat pointed out.

“That was four-on-one,” Law reminded him. And Law had only gone down when Smoker had surprised him with the Seastone.

Straw Hat’s smile widened. “Let’s find out sometime.” He jumped up off the mattress. “I need to check on my nakama, but I’ll be back.” He crossed the small room and opened the infirmary door.

“Trafalgar.” Straw Hat paused and looked back at him curiously. Law hadn’t realized he’d spoken until Straw Hat had frozen. “Trafalgar Law,” he said again, unsure of why he was telling Straw Hat. “That’s my name.”

Straw Hat’s face lit up into a blinding grin, and Law’s chest tightened. “I like it. Trafal— Tragal— Torao! I like it, Torao!” he beamed before heading out and shutting the door behind him.

Law was in so much trouble.

Next chapter

[deathlikesdeep-dish]

The Razr (Zoro AU Scenario)

Hi guys!

I’m so flattered that I’ve had some people join me here on this fun writing journey!! I truly truly do a little happy dance every time I get a follow. :D 

I keep meaning to just sit down and write a quick lil somethin somethin, but it always ends up longer than I intend 😅

This is a headcanon I came up with about Zoro having a crazy outdated flip phone that he refused to get rid of and his friends finally forced him to get a smartphone so he could use GPS. 

It turned out a little more serious and emotional than I originally intended, but I’m pretty pleased with it!! Would love to get y’alls feedback. 

xx

Warnings: obscene amounts of fluff, language 

Word Count: 1862

“Zoro, where the fuck are you??” Nami yelled on the other end of the phone. He could hear the irritation in her voice.

He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face in frustration. “I really don’t know, Nami. I think I made a wrong turn,” He paused and sighed. “Or two? Shit, I don’t know.”

Zoro could hear Nami yelling on the other end of the line, and he placed his phone in the cup holder, knowing that this might be a while. He hit his head a few times on the steering wheel of his car, closing his eyes as he waited for her to finish screeching. He was used to this. He knew that he wasn’t the most directionally adept member of his friend group, but he got by….when others were around.

What made matters worse is that Zoro absolutely refused to get rid of his ancient, bulky flip phone, a fact that Nami never failed to bring up in situations just like this. He didn’t see a point in getting a new phone when his old one worked just fine. He thought back to a conversation he’d had about it just the other day with his friends.

-

“Bro, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Their newest friend Franky said upon seeing Zoro pull his phone out of his pocket. “A fucking Motorola Razr? That thing has gotta be 10 years old!”

“It’s actually 12 years old,” Luffy chimed in with a laugh. “It was Kuina’s before it was Zoro’s.”

“Kuina? Who’s Kuina?” Franky asked. Zoro tensed up at the mention of her name, and the room went silent. Even Luffy noticed that he’d made a mistake in bringing her up. Zoro squeezed the phone tightly in his pocket.

Kuina was Zoro’s older sister. Five years his senior, Kuina had used the phone as her own for several years before she upgraded and passed it to Zoro. At first, he resented that she always got the newest stuff, and that he got the hand-me-downs. Now, he wouldn’t dream of letting it go. Kuina had died in a tragic accident just a couple years back. She was only 25. This phone was one of the only things that she had ever given him that was hers, along with the family katana that had been passed down for generations.

“Sorry, Zoro,” Luffy murmured, stuffing a bite of food into his mouth uncomfortably. Zoro simply grumbled in response with a shrug.

“Still,” Nami ventured tentatively. “Maybe it would be helpful for you to get a smartphone sometime soon. They all come with GPS systems built in.”

“And what’s wrong with a map?” Zoro snapped back.

“Well, nothing…” Nami said.

“Unless you can’t actually read it!” Luffy shouted out, not able to help himself. He cackled. Zoro shot him a glare, and he laughed even more. He crossed his arms over his broad chest.

“Yeah, well whatever. Next time I get lost, I’ll get a fucking smartphone. Deal?” Zoro said, to get them off his back more than anything.

Nami’s eyes lit up conspiratorially. “Don’t say stuff like that unless you mean it, Zoro.”

Zoro waved her off. They all knew that he certainly wasn’t going to purchase his own phone, so it was a moot point. It worked perfectly fine. Plus, it was hers. He’d keep it as long as it worked.

-

He was pulled from his reverie by Nami yelling his name.

“ZORO,” She yelled. He picked his phone back up and placed it at his ear.

“Goddamn it, Nami. I fucking know I suck at directions, please stop bitching at me,” He growled.

She started to say something, but stopped herself with a sigh. “Ugh. You exhaust me.” She replied.

“What else is new?” He snapped back.

“Whatever, Zoro. I just can’t believe you got lost on the way to your own birthday party.”

“Like I even care about this shit anyway,” He said. “It’s you and Luffy that always insist on throwing a party in the first place.”

“Hey man, don’t pretend like you don’t like eating food and getting shit-faced.”

He rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. He knew he didn’t have an argument there.

“Can you see a street sign anywhere?” Nami finally asked after a few moments when there was no reply.

Zoro looked up towards the streetlight and squinted at a sign in the distance. “Yeah, it looks like I’m at the corner of Alabasta and Logue Town drive.”

“Thank Christ,” Nami sighed. “You’re not that far. I’ll send Franky and Sanji to go get you.”

Zoro groaned. “Why does Sanji have to come? Doesn’t he have a fucking cake to bake or something?”

“They need to go out and get a few things from the store,” Nami said. “Listen, you’re the one that’s lost. Suck it up.”

“Ugh. Fine. See you soon.” He hung up, not wanting to hear anything else.

It took Franky and Sanji about 10 minutes to get to him.Thankfully, they just decided to have Zoro follow behind them in his car rather than ride together. Zoro wasn’t sure he could stop himself from punching that jackass directly in the face if he said anything to him.

They finally got back to Robin’s house where they were having the party. Robin was for sure the most adult out of any of them. She’d already bought this crazy historic home and had a job at an archeology firm while everybody else was living in shitty, thrown-together apartment complexes, eating pizza rolls and beer for every meal.

Sanji had looked like he was going to start some shit when they got out of the car, but decided against it when Zoro gave him a look. Plus, Sanji thought, it’s the guy’s birthday. Probably should lay off for one night.

Everyone was pleased to see him, and only gave him a moderately hard time about getting lost on the way to his own party. And despite himself, Zoro gave in to the jovial atmosphere. A few beers certainly helped. By the time he and Luffy had teamed up to play beer pong against Law and Usopp (“Sniper-king, my ass,” Zoro had thought to himself on Usopp’s third consecutive loss), Zoro was feeling pretty damn good. These were his people. They’d been the ones that were there for him. Even when new friends were added to the group, they’d always fit in. Luffy was the usual recruiter, and he somehow managed to find some cool-ass people.

The best time to give Zoro any gifts, Nami had discovered, was when he was sufficiently plastered enough to not object to them. Zoro was always more affectionate and willing to be the recipient of attention when he was drunk.

“Alright!” Nami announced over the blare of the music. “It’s present time, you degenerates! Sit your asses down!”

Franky turned the music down from his smartwatch, lowering it to a dull roar. Zoro was feeling warm and smiley, so he didn’t object when Robin lead him to the couch in the middle of the living room to receive his gift.

“What did y’all fuckers get me this time?” Zoro laughed, slurring a bit as he talked.

Nami rolled her eyes and Luffy just bounced excitedly from the armchair across the room. No matter how much he had to drink, it would seem, Luffy was always one big ball of energy.

“Remember,” Nami said, handing him a small, delicately wrapped box. “You promised.”

Zoro furrowed his brow, confusedly. “I promised?” He started to open the box, a bit nervous all of a sudden about what he would find under the shiny paper.

When he finally finished unwrapping the box, he froze. In his hand, he found a brand new iPhone. He looked up at his friends, knowing how much something like this cost.

“Guys, this is ridiculous,” He said, not knowing exactly how he felt.

“Stop,” Nami said, holding a hand up.

“Yeah, we all pitched in! Even Sanji!” Luffy grinned from his chair. “So no take backsies!”

He looked up at the room full of expectant faces, flushed from the alcohol and the good company. There was a pit in his stomach. On the one hand, he was angry. They knew how he felt about his phone. They knew what it meant to him. It wasn’t just a stupid phone. On the other hand, he was touched. Touched that his friends had come together to help him out. He found himself putting his hand in his pocket, thumbing over the ancient flip-phone that had once been hers.

“Guys, my phone works perfectly well,” He managed after swallowing. “This is completely unnecessary.”

“C’mon man,” Usopp clapped his hand on his shoulder. “You know it isn’t unnecessary. Do you need a reminder that you got lost on the way to your own party tonight?” He laughed.

Zoro remained silent, one hand gripping the new phone, and the other deep in the pocket of his pants.

“So, of course, we figured that you’d feel this way,” Robin chimed in. “So, that’s only one part of the gift.”

Zoro snapped his head towards Robin, the crease in his brow deepening. She pulled out another box from behind her back and handed it to him. This one was slightly larger, and a bit heavier. He peeled back the wrapping paper.

“It’s a shadow box,” Franky said. “So you can still keep your old phone, too.”

“Just on display on the shelf,” Nami said. “Instead of in your pocket.”

“We know how much it means to you, mosshead,” Sanji grumbled from the doorway. “You don’t have to get rid of the old phone. So, just accept the gift already.”

Zoro felt himself get teary-eyed. He told himself it was the alcohol as he wiped his hand over his eyes before tears could fall down his cheeks. “Thanks guys,” Was all he could manage.

Knowing that he needed the attention off of him, his friends just laughed and cheered, turning the music up to get back to the party. Franky spent the rest of the evening helping set up Zoro’s phone and showing him all of the functions that he would have access to. Zoro was still so overwhelmed, but he tried to make himself pay attention. Finally, and most importantly, Franky downloaded Google Maps and showed him how to use it. Zoro pocketed the phone with a slight smile and a ‘thank you.’ It felt heavy and big in the back pocket of his jeans. His heart felt heavy too. He couldn’t help but feel like this was the end of something. But somewhere, he knew that Kuina would be looking down on him, so happy that he had found such thoughtful friends.

Luffy raised his glass for a toast. “To Zoro! And never getting lost again!”

The rest of them raised their glasses, looking over to Zoro expectantly as they waited for him to raise his glass too. He reached for his beer and raised it slightly with a smirk.

“You motherfuckers are gonna regret this,” He grinned finally. “Getting lost was my only character defect. Now I’ll be unstoppable.”

[misc-headcanons]

(As the three of them leave, Maple puts a finger to her lips and motions for the group to follow her. They make their way to a nearby forested area, and once they're out of earshot Maple breathes a sigh of relief before waving the fan to clear away the smoke around them.)

Maple: Okay. You can talk now that nobody's nearby.

Dochi: What WAS that?

Maple: A spell, obviously. One that made us invisible.

Ube: Man, you think fast. I was like, two seconds away from taking out my sword if that guy took another step towards us!

Vanilla: Fritter? Hey, you okay?

(Fritter clings to her and sniffles, crying while holding her tightly)

Fritter: That was the killer, 'Nilla! He was right THERE! If he'd seen us, he would've...

(The others immediately go to comfort him, putting a hand on him and making a big group hug)

Ube: Hey, it's okay! Look, we're all here and we're fine thanks to Maple. We're not gonna let you and Vanilla get hurt by any bad guys.

Fritter: What about you guys? I don't want you to get hurt, either!

Dochi: We'll be alright. Big brothers and sisters are tougher than most people. It's why we're...you know, BIG brothers and sisters. We're big and strong! (Flexes her arms)

Maple: And we're smart, too. Which is why we're not going to stand around here, in case some of the townspeople come near here. Look, there's an old pathway up that hill that looks like it hasn't been used in a while. Why don't we go up there and try to set up camp on the mountain?

Fritter: Um...okay. (sniffs and wipes his sleeve) That sounds like a good idea.

Vanilla: Ooh, I think I can see a roof up there. Maybe we can spend the night in there instead of sleeping outside.

Dochi: If the path looks like it hasn't been used in a while, then what's up there? If it's an abandoned house, then it'd be easier to stay there without anyone noticing us.

Maple: It might be abandoned for a reason...But it's the best option I can think of. Come on, let's start walking; the more distance we put between that murderer and us, the more comfortable I'll be.

(The five of them climb the winding path up the mountain, and are more quiet after their close encounter with the murderous ronin. Dochi, Maple, and Ube take turns carrying the younger two kids whenever they get tired, and after a while they arrive near the top of the mountain. The building Vanilla saw is now fully visible; it's the crumbling ruins of an old castle. Near where they're walking is a set of gravestones along the path leading to the castle's entrance.)

Fritter: Hey...Hey, hang on a second, we gotta stop walking.

Dochi: You need me to carry you again?

Fritter: No, we have to be good guests. If we're gonna stay at this house when we don't live there, we need to be nice about it.

(Maple seems to realize what Fritter's getting at and nods slightly. She sets Vanilla down and takes a few items out from the knapsack she's carrying, and motions for the others to do the same.)

Maple: For the spirits of the people who used to live here. Fritter's right, we need to leave them a gift as payment for staying in their home uninvited.

Dochi: Ohhh, right. Mom says that you should be kind to your host--even if it's a ghost host!

(The siblings each take out some spare food and place them near the four gravestones. Vanilla tugs on Maple's sleeve and points at her pipe.)

Vanilla: Can I do the flower spell? I wanna give the ghost hosts flowers as my present.

Maple: (smiles) Go ahead. You remember the words?

Vanilla: Yup!

(Vanilla takes the pipe and quietly murmurs to herself as she holds it out in front of the grave stones.)

I summon the boun-ti-ful jewels of spring, bloom here for me and make the earth sing.

(The marks on Vanilla's cheeks glow faintly as smoke billows from the pipe and settles on the ground, thickening and swirling until a handful of seedlings begin to sprout and grow at a rapid pace. After a few seconds, a cluster of flowers bloom and sway gently in the breeze. Maple takes the pipe back and pats Vanilla on the back.)

Maple: Great work, 'Nilla.

Ube: Hey...Maple, Mom's used magic to talk to ghosts before, right? Has she ever taught you to do it?

Maple: A little bit. I mean, she won't let me study necromancy until I'm older, though...I have taken a peek at some of her spellbooks on it. But speaking with spirits is something we've practiced together.

Ube: So could you speak to the people who lived in this castle? That way we can actually ask permission to spend the night.

Maple: Hmm...I guess I could try. I wonder if they could tell us more about Wano's history. It'd be a rare opportunity to learn about it. I mean, there aren't any books about Wano you can just pick up and read.

(She reads the names on each stone before taking the pipe out and blowing a swirling trail of smoke that circles around the graves.)

Echo of life, shadow of death. Kin'emon, Momonosuke, Raizo, Kanjuro...Let your echoes reach us, let your shadows appear to us.

(The smoke continues to circle around the graves, but nothing else happens.)

Fritter: Did you say it right?

Maple: I'm sure I did. Once you say the incantation, you should be able to sense a spirit and then it'll take shape. With the pipe, it should be easy for them take a form we can see with the smoke.

Vanilla: Maybe they don't like smoke. Should we try something else they can use as a shape, like the flowers?

Maple: I...I don't understand, I've done that spell perfectly before. Why isn't it...wait a minute. (She peers intently at the smoke circling around the grave, watching it slowly begin to fade and drift away) I...don't think anyone's been buried here.

Fritter: Maybe they're shy and don't want to talk to strangers?

Maple: No, that can't be it. Even if they didn't want to appear, I used enough power to summon them here. They would have started to take form before leaving if they didn't want to speak to us. I don't think there's anything here to be summoned.

Ube: Then why are there graves here?

Maple: That's a good question.

(As they stare at the graves in confusion, the sound of voices causes them to freeze up. The people approaching sound as if they're coming from the path the kids had taken from the bottom of the mountain by Okobore, and the siblings immediately see their clothes and recognize them as the adults from the town.)

Luffy: Why did you want to come with us to this castle, anyway?

Kiku: I'll explain once our allies have all arrived.

(The adults see the children near the graves, and both groups stare at each other in surprise for a moment. The one in the red robe looks even more familiar to the children, and they wonder if they'd seen him before they had ever come to Wano. The green-haired swordsman is the first to speak up.)

Zoro: Oh, it's those kids from earlier.

(When his gaze lands on Fritter, Ube and Dochi immediately raise their weapons while Maple takes her youngest brother's hand. Vanilla hides behind Maple and grabs Fritter's other hand.)

Ube: Stay back, murderer!

Dochi: Don't take another step towards my siblings, or I'll cut you in half, right along that scar on your chest!

Law: Murderer? I told all of you to keep a low profile!

Luffy: No, Zoro told me that was just a misunderstanding. He didn't kill anyone, he just slashed the guy who framed him and ran off!

Kiku: You really do have a talent for causing a ruckus...

(Vanilla steps out from behind Maple to get a better look at the man in red.)

Maple: 'Nilla! Get back behind me, we don't know who these people are.

Vanilla: But... (she peers at Luffy, and when she recognizes him she beams at him) That's not a stranger! That's Luffy, he's Papa's friend!

Ube: Wait, what? Oh. Ohhhhh, you're right! It is!

Dochi: Holy crap, it is!

Law: You know these kids, Luffy?

Maple: We haven't actually met, but we know OF him. (She relaxes a bit, but is still holding Fritter's hand as she walks up to Luffy and holds out her other hand in greeting) We're Katakuri's children. Um...we first saw you when you ruined Aunt Pudding's wedding and caused our Grandma to have a mental breakdown, but I doubt you noticed us during all of that.

Luffy: Ohhh! I didn't know Katakuri had kids. Huh, you even have his mouth marks. (He shakes Maple's hand.)

Dochi: Also, we don't blame you for all that either! I mean, we were mad at first. But then Papa told us you did it to save Sanji. So wait, are these guys part of your crew too? (She glances at Zoro, Law, and Kiku)

Ube: Oh, whoops. (He smiles sheepishly at Zoro) Sorry for threatening to kill you, mister. We thought you were a crazy killer or something, but if you're with Luffy then you can't be too bad.

Kiku: Wait, what are you all doing here in Wano? And why are you by yourselves?

Vanilla: Oh! Dochi and Ube stole mama's magic scissors and made a portal, 'cause they wanted to meet up with our aunties and uncles and grandma here. But then Maple saw us and tried to take them back, and then the portal ripped, and we all fell through it and now we're here!

Kiku: That...isn't what I expected.

Law: Wait, your grandmother...Big Mom's already in Wano?

Maple: That's--um, confidential. We can't reveal where our family is to another pirate crew. (She looks sternly at Vanilla, who pouts.)

Vanilla: Yeah, but they're friends with Luffy! And Luffy is Papa's friend, so we won't be called traitors if we tell them, right?

Law: We're ALLIES, not friends.

Vanilla: Huh? Aren't those the same thing?

Luffy: Yeah! We're friends, Law.

Law: I don't want to have this conversation again...So. You five are lost in Wano, and nobody in your family knows that you're here.

Dochi: Mama and Papa probably know by now. Papa's got really good Observation Haki, and Mama knows how to use magic, so they should've figured out we're gone and where we are. They'd probably want us to stick with Luffy, since he's Papa's friend; we dunno where our aunts and uncles are, so he's the only grown-up we know that we can trust here.

Ube: OH! Let's be allies! Me and Dochi can fight, Maple's the best of us at magic, 'Nilla is good with healing spells and knows some stuff about medicine, and...um, Fritter's a really good cook! I mean, he's 7, and he's really good for a 7 year old.

Luffy: Hmm...Alright!

Maple: This is NOT going to go over well if our family finds out. Look, if we're really going to be allies, we need you to keep this a secret from them. The only one who wouldn't call us traitors for this are Mama and Papa, and Big Mom would KILL us if she found out we were allies with you of all people. Um, no offense.

Luffy: No problem! I'm pretty good at keeping secrets.

Law: You're joking. Please tell me you're joking.

Kiku: I admit, I normally wouldn't approve of involving children in this. But...we can't just leave them on their own.

Ube: Plus, we wouldn't take no for an answer and we'd just follow you guys anyway. My mom says we're "tenacious to a fault."

Law: You'll fit right in with Luffy, then.

Luffy: Hey, since you guys got here before us, have you seen some of our other friends? A guy named Kin'emon, a kid named Momonosuke...

Maple: (frowns) Wait...you mean...them? (She points to the gravestones.)

[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.

[waterchestnut123]

CHAPTER 2 / The Peculiar Perils of Straw Hat Parties

Common commentary throughout the 5 seas held that Straw Hat parties were notoriously wild. This is something that Trafalgar Law, as well as the rest of his crew, are learning first hand. Not that Law particularly feels like partying; after Dressrosa, the Heart Pirates Captain has a little soul-searching he’d like to attend to. But one tends to become… drawn in, to certain things around Luffy—regardless of one’s plans or intentions. This is how Law finds himself developing an unlikely and unexpected friendship with his ally’s navigator—and how that friendship, much like Luffy’s parties, grows far beyond his intentions.

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Chapter 2: The Reunion Party

Chapter Rating: T Warnings: Alcohol, references to canonical character deaths, vaguely sexually suggestive content

“Toraoooo, your bear is the beeeest!” Nami crooned between mouthfuls of fur as she held the furry second mate against her face in a tight hug, feet dangling just above the ground. She was on her fourth beer and sixth cup of sake, and the concept of personal space was clearly beginning to slip dangerously between her fingers.

Between the two crews the Thousand Sunny was packed, and the party in full swing. Choruses of laughter and chatter rose up from all over the ship; Brook’s guitar and melodic voice drifted from the foremast bench, and the sizzle-pop of Sanji’s grilling mingled with Luffy’s cheers of “Meat! Meat! Meat!”

Bepo, for his part, looked alarmed at the tipsy navigator clinging fiercely to his neck, attached like a leech to its host. She buried her face into the back of his head, and Bepo tried to hold perfectly still so as not to dislodge the woman Law was beginning to suspect might very easily topple were she jostled too severely. Not that Law was doing all that much better. While ordinarily he might scowl in distaste at the whole ridiculous situation, at the moment he found himself instead attempting to repress an ungainly snicker.

Laughter broke out on the lawn deck as both Heart Pirates and Strawhats began to notice Bepo’s misfortune (or fortune, depending on who you asked). Law himself finally lost the battle with that snicker, even when Bepo turned his pleading gaze on him.

“Captaaaain…!” Bepo whined, eyes wide and wary.

Taking pity, he forced Bepo to endure only a few amusing minutes more before extending his hand and murmuring, “ROOM.”

“Shambles.”

Suddenly Nami found her arms, not around the furry first mate but around Sanji. Only momentarily startled by his sudden relocation, Sanji quickly and cheerfully adjusted to his new position between Nami’s arms. Bear now gone, her gaze turned to narrow on Law as Sanji wrapped his arms around her waist in turn, cooing her name with unashamed idolization. It only took a moment for her to turn her fist onto the poor unassuming cook, ignoring his tears and cries of “Why?!” as she turned to pout angrily at Law.

“No fair, you get him all the rest of the time!”

She crossed her arms under her breasts, pouting hard as she stuck out her lower lip (and her chest). He could practically feel the rest of his crew withering beside him; and while he wasn’t entirely unaffected by her efforts, neither was he one to lose a battle of wills.

He smirked, nodding to the bear who now stood a good distance away, peeking out from the galley.

“But what of poor Bepo-ya?”

Her expression soured further, nose turning up into the air. “We were having a moment.”

Glancing between her stubborn form and Bepo’s wary posture half-hidden by the door frame, he openly laughed at the ridiculous suggestion. In response she leaned forward and stuck out her tongue; but much to her surprise (and somewhat to his own—he’d blame it later on the alcohol, and certainly not the delightful blush his action would elicit from her), he took a step forward and pinched her tongue between thumb and forefinger. She took a startled step back, quickly pulling her tongue back into her mouth and smacking his hand away, looking for all the world utterly scandalized.

“Hey!”

He smirked as he responded, firmly though not without lingering amusement.

“Be nice to my bear. Besides, if you’re looking for something furry to hug, you have Tony-ya.”

Her eyes seemed to light up at that, and she immediately turned around, ignoring a still dithering Sanji as her eyes swept the deck.

“Choppeeer?! Where are you?”

“O’er ‘ere, Nami!” the reindeer cried from the stairs, waving one small arm as he chewed on a shish-kebab.

She turned towards the little doctor, but not before swiveling to face the other captain once more, a finger pointing at him sternly.

“You interrupted my Bepo hug—this isn’t over.”

Law snorted, a small smile pulling at his lips against his will. “Take it up with him when you’re sober.”

“Oi!” she shouted, taking a step forward and using that finger to poke him in the chest, “I’m plenty sober!”

He smirked, swatting her hand away. “Yeah, and so are the rest of us.”

She stared at him in confusion a moment before her eyes narrowed further. Her mouth opened but she quickly closed it again, mouth a tight line before she raised her hand to poke him silently in the chest.

Law rolled his eyes. “Go hug your Tanooki.”

With a smirk, he raised his hand, blue glow encompassing the ship as he murmured, “Shambles,” replacing her with the person nearest the Strawhat doctor—Clione. Nami blinked in momentary confusion as she glanced around at her new location, before her eyes found law and narrowed on him. Clione, for his part, was utterly unfazed.

“Oi! I’m a reindeer!” Chopper shouted in high-pitched irritation.

Law glanced apologetically at the little doctor whose shish-kebab stick was now empty and waving in the air angrily. However, before he could offer an apology, Luffy came flying over the forecastle deck towards Law, who only narrowly avoided being thrown to the ground.

“Toraooooo!”

Luffy landed with a flip near him, and Law eyed him with a scowl. Undeterred, Luffy grabbed him by the wrist and started pulling him with alarming strength towards the direction he had come.

“Usopp, Schachi, Penguin and I are playing a game! It’s hop scotch but with sake—Usopp calls it sake scotch. You’ve gotta come play with us!”

Exasperated but knowing there was likely little he could do to persuade the adamant captain otherwise, Law let himself be pulled along; but not before glancing over his shoulder to see Nami releasing Chopper from a tight hug, eying him with smug amusement as she watched Luffy drag him away. Law shot her a glare before straightening to voluntarily follow after Strawhat (he had to at least pretend to maintain some dignity), but even he had to admit the gesture was half-hearted.

—:—:—:—

An hour later, Nami stepped out onto the balcony at the rear of the ship behind the aquarium bar, taking intermittent swallows from her glass of water and appreciating the cool evening breeze on her flushed face. She had perhaps overindulged just a little. Though Luffy insisted they have the party now, someone did rather need to stay sober enough to keep an eye on the sea’s condition and keep alert for any approaching ships—and as the navigator she was the best for the job, even if she was still annoyed with Luffy for his flippant dismissal of her concerns. A little water and fresh air would do her some good on both fronts.

The breeze was light and the moon half full, casting silver light out across the still sea. She smiled at the peaceful sight, letting out a sigh of contentment as she listened the laughter on deck. Despite her annoyance with Luffy, she did always enjoy seeing everyone so happy and carefree. Well… most everyone anyway.

Her mind cast back to earlier that evening, on the upper aft deck beside her Mikan trees. She had only gotten bits and pieces of what happened on Dressrosa—all from different members of her crew, but it had been enough to piece together a hazy image of his motivations—and the past which informed them. She had been right to assume he was being duplicitous on Punk Hazard, though what he had been duplicitous about turned out to be far less concerning than the possibilities her fears had conjured. The truth ended up being almost mundane, really: he wanted to take down an old captain who had killed someone he cared about—and he was prepared to use whatever means necessary to do it. It was almost silly she, of all people, hadn’t figured it out sooner.

Though he was from a rival crew and their alliance only temporary (if he got his way—which, knowing Luffy, was admittedly slim), she couldn’t help the ache in her heart she felt for him and everything he’d been through. It sent a shiver down her spine to think he had been prepared to die on Dressrosa, if it meant killing Doflamingo. She could painfully relate; she had been prepared to do the same with Arlong there at the end, though her chances of success had been far less than his.

Like Arlong, Doflamingo was a dark and dangerous captain to have worked under—vicious, vindictive, and ready to kill with little provocation. She could certainly see how he got his epithet, or rather, epithets: the Surgeon of Death; the Heart Stealer; the Dark Doctor. There was an edge of almost gleeful vindictiveness to Law in battle, and a cold, calculating cunning. Doflamingo’s influence in that area was clear; however, what had surprised her as they worked together on Punk Hazard and further on Dressrosa, was the way in which those traits had been dwarfed by the influence of the man he had been so set on avenging. Whoever he was—whatever he did for Law to garner such admiration and loyalty, had deeply affected him and so wholly overshadowed Doflamingo’s toxicity she very much doubted she would recognize the person he had been as a member of Doflamingo’s family.

And yet, still further would he change.

For the Law that she left behind on Dressrosa prepared to die for his cause, and the Law who met them at sea on the Sunny after Doflamingo’s defeat, were different men, subtle though the differences were. Sure he was the same surly grouch he’d always been—but a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and a different one placed back upon them. She hadn’t quite understood until some of the story had been shared with her—and then it became immediately clear to her precisely what she was seeing. He’d achieved resolution for what had haunted him all those years; but in exchange, he’d been given back his life—and now he had to figure out what to do with the years he had been ready to sacrifice in the name of vengeance.

Yet another thing she could relate to.

It was small things she noticed first upon his return. He was warmer, kinder—certainly more tolerant of her crew’s antics. Perhaps part of the change had merely to do with a firmer sense of trust established between the two crews. Certainly she had chalked it up to simply that, at first; but it had been enough of a change to warrant an eye on him, and that was how she noticed other things as well. He smiled more, when he thought no one was looking. She caught him staring out at sea with faraway eyes instead of leaning against the mast with his hat down, as though trying to block out the world’s existence. The duplicity she had sensed in him on Punk Hazard—even up to the drop with Cesar, was gone. He probably hadn’t anticipated upholding his end of the alliance’s goal to take down Kaido if he’d been prepared to die on Dressrosa, but he nonetheless stuck with her crew on the long journey to overthrowing a Yonkou. He was in this alliance now wholeheartedly—something that hadn’t been the case before, and had been, for her, a source of concern.

Overall it was a marked change, one she hadn’t expected—and one that certainly cast him in a very different light; but she had nonetheless been… gladdened, to witness it.

Which was why, when she saw him looking so lost staring out at the sunset on the upper aft deck when she went to tend to her trees, she had roped him in to helping. It was why she had said what she had said to him, despite never sharing such intimate sentiments with him before. It was hard to be in that place; she remembered it—the long, sleepless nights after Arlong’s defeat, staring up at the Merry’s ceiling, thoughts tumbling in no coherent pattern save for the repeating words, “I’m free—I’m free.”

In a way she never could have anticipated, he had managed to subvert all of her expectations and fears of who and what he might be, and prove himself to be nothing short of what she of all people would best understand.

She was willing to admit, now—at least to herself, that over the course of their alliance she had come to like him. Ever-present grumpiness aside, he was clever and witty and reliable, always thinking a step ahead and equipped with no end of back-up plans. This in particular she appreciated amongst her hard-headed, reckless crew. He cared deeply for his own as well, as became evidenced by his eagerness on their way to the rendezvous point with the Hearts after Dressrosa. He was cool, calm, and collected in the face of grim odds—a trait she admired in Luffy as well; and he wielded his power with the care, precision and grace of an experienced surgeon. Fitting, she supposed, given the devil fruit he possessed.

All that, and (another thing she would only ever admit to herself) it was nice to have some eye candy on the ship for once. As objectively handsome as she knew the members of her crew to be (skeleton, cyborg, and reindeer notwithstanding), they were family—and it was difficult to find people you viewed as such attractive. At the least, she would never give Zoro the appreciative eye she had found herself giving Law on more than one occasion. As much as she loved the one-eyed doofus.

She took another long drink from her glass, closing her eyes and focusing on the sea breeze across her cheeks, which were still faintly tingling. Not yet sober, but getting there. As she opened her eyes to gaze once more out at the liquid landscape, she heard the quiet creak of the door to the aquarium bar behind her. Turning her head, she saw Law stepping out onto the balcony, shutting the door quietly behind him. Speak of the devil.

He glanced at her a few feet down, catching her eye.

“Nami-ya,” he acknowledge, before heading her way. “Mind if I join you?”

She shook her head as she turned her gaze back out to the water.

“Get tired of Usopp’s drinking game?”

He smirked, leaning over the railing beside her.

“Nose-ya demanded I leave after my fifth win.”

She let out a quiet chuckle, giving him a quick once over.

“Yeah, you look like you’ve won five rounds of sake scotch.”

It was a cup of sake each turn, plus an extra if you won, so he’d had at least ten glasses. Though steady on his feet, the ever-present tension in his shoulders was gone. A small smile turned up the corners of his lips, and his face was just a tad rosy. She smiled into her glass. It seemed the Dark Doctor did indeed have a lighter side.

He turned to her, a brow raised. “Are you insinuating I can’t hold my liquor, Nami-ya?” He raised a hand to his chest as though hurt, and she couldn’t help but laugh at uncharacteristic the gesture.

“You’re looking at the sake-scotch record holder. So yeah, compared to me.” She raised a brow teasingly, her smile smug. He eyed her with interest.

“More than five wins?”

Her smile widened into a grin. “Try ten.”

He raised a brow appreciatively, smirking, eyes glinting.

“Maybe we should see who’s the better drinker, then,” he challenged. Nami laughed.

“You’re on—next time.” She wiggled her glass of water at him. “I’m trying to sober up at the moment. Someone on this ship needs to be alert, since we’re in the middle of the sea.”

He hummed thoughtfully, turning his gaze back out at the water. “Can’t argue with someone on Straw Hat’s crew trying to do something sensible for once.”

“Hey!” she chastised, elbowing him in the arm. “We’re—we have… sensible moments…” Her poorly considered objection fell flat and she frowned a bit, Law chuckling at her attempt. Nami couldn’t help but smile a bit too—their lack of sensibility was often one of her chief complaints as well. Besides, it was a bit difficult to defend the indefensible.

They settled into silence, both gazing out at the sea and the stars shining brightly against a blanket of navy blue. The half-moon’s light reflected on the water’s surface, refracting blue and white, making the ocean look dark and deep and full of secrets. The sight before her was one of the very reasons she loved the seas so. She rested her cheek on her palm, taking a slow sip of the water as she let out a content sigh.

“You are… not what I expected you to be.”

She turned at Law’s unexpected interjection, soft and thoughtful, finding him staring at her with a considering gaze.

She gave him a half smile, brow arching. “Oh? And what did you expect me to be?”

He paused a moment, considering her in silence.

“Simple.”

She laughed, tucking a hair behind her ear before returning her gaze to the water. It was a common misconception of both her and Robin. In the pirate world, beauty was often mistaken for airheadedness—especially when the most powerful female pirate looked like Charlotte Lin Lin did. The only thing which garnered either of them a second consideration was the size of their bounties.

“Well,” she said with mock-reproval, “Glad to have cleared up that foolish notion.”

He hummed in agreement, and silence lapsed between them once more. After a moment she looked back at him, considering him in turn.

“I’ll admit… you’re not what I expected you to be, either. I was sure you’d betray us at some point. I wouldn’t have thought you could get so comfortable, but Luffy was right—you’re a good guy.”

He frowned a little, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

She nudged him playfully in the ribs. “Oh, don’t try to deny it! Despite your complaints, you helped heal those kids on Punk Hazard, and I’m sure I saw you smiling earlier when Luffy carted you away. You’ve even grown comfortable enough around us to let your guard down, and I think that says a lot.”

He frowned harder. “I never let my guard down.”

“Oh?” She raised a brow, smirking. “Is that so?”

He merely continued to glare at her. She grinned.

“Then how did I end up with this?”

She reached into the scoop neck of her sweater, and from deep between her breasts pulled out his wallet, waving it teasingly before his face. His eyes widened.

“How did you—?”

“You’re an ex-shichibukai and supernova captain with a half billion bounty,” she interrupted. “You’re clever and watchful enough to have noticed it was missing muuuuuch earlier in the evening.”

He reached out a hand to grab it, scowl on his face, but she darted backwards with a Cheshire grin.

“But you didn’t. Because you trust us, and it didn’t occur to you to look.”

“Room!”

Her humor dissipated as the shimmering blue sphere expanded around them and she huffed, tossing it at him before he could use his abilities to take it by force. He caught it expertly in one hand as the blue glow faded.

“Alright, alright, no need to get fussy. You can pretend you don’t like us if it makes you feel better. And I was going to give it back to you tomorrow anyway.”

Glancing at her warily, he opened the wallet and expanded the pocket. He looked back up to her with a glare, lowering the bifolded leather and extending a hand wordlessly. She pouted, arms across her chest, but he only glared harder.

With a sigh, she reached between her beasts once more and pulled out a wad of folded bills, handing them back with a huff. She’d been hoping he wouldn’t notice—it was a pretty nice haul.

“Spoilsport,” she complained.

He tucked the bills back in his wallet before putting it securely in his pocket. She settled back against the railing of the balcony, taking a sip of her water. However his gaze remained on her, eyes dropping from her face down to her chest where they lingered.

“Is that why you dress that way? Ready access to your, ah… pocket?”

She turned to him with a raised brow, not quite following. He gestured to her vaguely before finally adding for clarification, a faint shading to his face, “Bikins and low-cut shirts…”

She snorted derisively. “Why do you dress like a snow leopard?”

He frowned. “Whats wrong with spots?”

“What’s wrong with bikinis?” she countered, eyes narrowed.

He paused before responding. “It just seems… impractical,” he said carefully.

She glared, aura darkening as she crossed her arms angrily, turning to face him. “You mean you think I dress like a slut.”

“I didn’t say that,” he replied quickly, raising his hands in defense.

“No, but you were thinking it,” she accused knowingly, a frown still pulling at her features. His mouth open and closed wordlessly several times before she finally sighed, turning a thoughtful gaze back out to the stars.

“I don’t bother considering what other people think about how I dress,” she admitted, voice softer than intended. “I dress how I want—I didn’t always have that luxury.”

She didn’t elaborate; didn’t mention keeping her hair short because Arlong’s crew would pull and yank her around by it any time it got too long, didn’t mention growing up in hand-me-downs and staring longingly at all the latest fashions in shop windows when she was out thieving; didn’t mention the repressed desire to show off her figure when it began to come in, simply because it was the only thing all her own that she had to her name she could feel proud of. Instead she turned to him, a sly smile pulling at her lips.

“The fact that I can both distract my targets and leave such ample cleavage readily available to store pilfered items between is just a bonus.” She offered him a saucy wink, finding perhaps too much enjoyment in the way his eyes widened at her unexpectedly direct reply. “How about you, leopard man? Why all the spots?”

It took him several seconds to recover, pulling his gaze from her to stare down at his hands draped over the railing. After a time he pulled his hat off his head revealing a mess of dark hair beneath it, and eyed the garment thoughtfully for several silent seconds. She thought, for a moment, he would dismiss her question or ignore it entirely—and so was surprised when he actually answered.

“I’ve had this since—since I was young. I guess over the years I just… grew fond of the pattern.”

He twirled it on one finger, mood visibly souring as he continued to stare at it. The tension in his shoulders was back, and the frown lines on his face were deepening. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen a thousand times before—he was the king of grump, after all; and though she didn’t know why, his sudden decline in mood deeply bothered her. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or the stillness of the evening begging to be disrupted like the still waters of a pond—but she was seized by a sudden need to distract him from whatever melancholy had gripped him. Before he could notice her change in demeanor, Nami plucked the hat from his hands. Mouth open with an objection on the tip of his tongue, he froze as she placed it on her head, putting on an exaggerated scowl and crossing her arms the way he always did.

“What do you think? Do I make a good Torao?”

She scowled harder and he glowered at her, but despite it she could see the smile which threatened to pull up the corners of his lips.

“Very funny,” he responded flatly.

He reached out to yank the hat off her head, but she jumped back and out of his reach, sticking her tongue out at him with a teasing smile. He moved to close the distance between them, but once more she was quicker, pulling out of his reach. Their game of cat and mouse continued along the circumference of the balcony, Nami laughing tauntingly at his pitiful effort, always remaining just out of reach—until finally he had her pressed up against the wall at the opposite end, caged between his arms.

Just as suddenly as the humor of the moment had blossomed, it faded, both becoming acutely aware of the position they suddenly found themselves in. Their nearness—of little consequence while they leaned companionably side-by-side against the railing, now felt all-consuming; and his eyes—only moments ago playful, were now edged with something intense and unfamiliar, making her feel very small beneath his burning golden gaze. Her pulse spiked, and it felt all of a sudden very hard to breath—as though all the oxygen had been sucked out of the space between them.

His gaze sharpened on her as a hand slowly moved from the wall beside her, reaching up towards her face. Her heart pounded harder, and she had to remind herself to breathe as his fingertips brushed the hair beside her cheek, lingering for a brief moment before reaching up and lifting his hat carefully off her head—eyes never leaving hers. He gently placed it back on his own head, the tiniest of smirks lifting the corner of his lip and eyes darkening the longer they held her own.

His gaze was both inescapable and strangely hypnotic. In the span of seconds, it made her forget they were from rival crews, forget that anyone could walk out onto the balcony and see them in this compromising position (innocent though it still was)—forget all the reasons she shouldn’t reach up and touch his face; but it couldn’t override years of training and a lifetime of deeply-rooted instinct. For at that moment a chill yet humid breeze—sharper and harsher than any that had blown across the waters all evening, blew now across the balcony, demanding her attention.

The conditions at sea were suddenly and rapidly changing; a storm was coming.

Her eyes broke free of Law’s hold and snapped out to the water with alarm. In the distance she could see faint white caps reflected in the moonlight, violent and growing larger. She felt her stomach drop to her ankles. Dammit, not now, she wasn’t nearly sober enough for this…

Turning her attention away from the water, she grabbed Law’s wrist and hurried for the nearest door, dragging him along without explanation. He staggered briefly in her hold, before pulling his wrist free and managing a confused, “What—?!”

“A storm is coming,” she informed him tersely, not slowing her pace. “I told Luffy this could happen…” she muttered angrily, passing quickly through the aquarium bar with Law on her heel before exiting out onto the main deck and an assault of noise from Luffy’s current arm wrestling match. She made for the railing, cupping her hands to her mouth and shouting urgently over the hubbub.

“Oi! Party’s over! We’ve got a storm coming—all hands on deck!”

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

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[generaldevi]

Prognosis

Chapter 7: Giving in

Rating: Mature Pairing: Law x Luffy

Characters: Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Monkey D. Luffy, Trafalgar D. Water Law, Usopp, Donquixote Doflamingo (mentioned), Donquixote Rocinante (mentioned, Dr. Kureha (mentioned), Sanji (mentioned)

Warnings: References to Depression, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional Dependency

My part for the @lawlu-events BigBang 2018/19

The story got illustrated by the awesome artist @novicecomics

“Zorro! Nami! Usopp!” Luffy called his friends, while waving with his free arm. “Got him!” He flopped down on the free chair, pointing to the other one next to him. “Sit down Torao!” He cheered, grinning broadly. “It took you longer, then I expected” Zorro said with a smirk, scrutinizing the other one. Luffy had a talent to get what he wanted, whatever he wanted.

“Yes, I was starting to wonder, if I should have betted against Nami!” Usopp said with a little nervous laughter. He still felt weird around the doctor. He had a weird aura to himself. Something Usopp could not put his finger on. He was calmer than the first time they met, though. If Luffy trusted the doctor, he would do so too (even though a little bit of caution would harm nobody).

“Sadly, you did not~," Nami said with a playful sigh, before smiling at Law. It was a warm smile. She could very much understand how the other must feel. It was always weird being the new one to a group of people, who already knew each other and were close friends. “Do I want to know what bet this was?” Law said in a gruff tone of voice. He already guessed it was about him, and he was sure, that he would not like to know… whatever it was about.

“Nami wanted to bet, if I get you before the trip ends! But no one wanted to bet against her!” The voice of Luffy was cheerful. “Nami never loses a bet! If you want to keep your money, do not bet against her! Or play with her!” “Oi!” Nami raised her fist. “Do not warn the new one!” Now the chances of milking the new one for easy money were gone. Damn Luffy being nice and social.

“You took out enough people on this ship already! No need to also take out one of us!” Zorro said, before looking at Law, who seemed rather confused.

“You! Silent! I did not forget how much money you still owe me! You understand me?! One day I will come to your apartment and snatch all your liquor and sell it!” “No way!”

“Are your friends always... you know... like this?” Law said. One moment the others seemed like typical adults and the next second they acted as if they were bickering teenagers. They all seemed to know each other very well.

Envy.

Friendship.

He despised it. He missed it.

“Yes! They are funny!” Luffy hummed and looked over to the dining area. “The evening buffet opens soon! I am starving! I want chicken, pork, the lobster…” Law frowned. How could the boy be starving? He had witnessed what the other one devoured for lunch! He shook his head. “Get used to it.” Zorro leaned back in his chair, observing Luffy and Usopp for a moment, before closing his eyes. “Wake me up, when the buffet opens. I wanna get at least some meat before Luffy eats it all!”

Somehow Law got the impression that this was not only a figure of speech but something must have happened in the past. “Oi!” Luffy grinned. “It is not my fault! They should not name it All-You-Can-Eat if they only have a limited amount of food!”

Usopp grinned. Oh god. He remembered the face of the poor cooks and waiters. He pitied them. The way the waiters face had twisted in surprise, disbelief and horror.

“I am pretty certain they did lose a week worth of profit with you. You ate for ten people at least.” “Nami did not have time that evening! I had to eat for her too!” “As if I eat that much!“ Nami scolded him. “Just because you represent the epitome of a glutton!”

Their bickering went forth and back. Somehow, Law felt himself relax more and more. It almost felt, as if the others were not bothered by his presence. “Oi! Torao! Come on, get something to eat with me! Zorro! Wake up!” Luffy did not wait for an answer. He practically ran towards the buffet. It was half amusing, half disgusting to watch. The word gluttonous Nami mentioned before was rather fitting in Laws opinion. As cheerful and happy as Luffy seemed most of the time, considering food he seemed more like a greedy pig. And he ate like one. He chewed with his mouth open, talked while having his mouth half full. It was not exactly a delightful thing to watch and still… Law was amused. Zorro had started to keep up with Luffy’s eating tempo but gave up promptly after. Usopp had overloaded his plate with food. Law had begun to wonder, why the other one had so much food on his plate, when he ate like an almost normal person. He observed Luffy snatching half of the food, so it made sense… Was it a tribute for their friendship? Apparently. Nami was the only one eating and behaving like a proper ordinary, decent and sane person (at least concerning eating behaviors). The only weird thing about her was the force she used to ram the fork into one of Luffy’s fingers, whenever he tried to steal something from her table.

“Get your greasy fingers off my plate! You do not even like fruit salad that much! Oh Law, I hope you are not bothered by these guys behaviors. They got no manners!”

After talking for a while, she had found out, that his name was Law. She had wondered where the Torao was coming from… since on his name tag was written Dr. Trafalgar D. W. L.

“My family had been rather unique too, so do not worry.” Not so greedy, not so animalistic and seeming like starved people fighting over some fiber… but weird in other… places. Luffy sitting next to him, eating like a maniac (and mauling his food in a way, that Law found some pieces of it, on his own plate), was still better than Trebol with the always running gooey nose. Disgusting…

“Oh your family? You mean the man from the picture?”

With a quick swipe of his tongue, Luffy fetched the piece of chicken sticking to his lower lip. Even though he seemed focused on eating, he had watched and observed Law the entire time.

“Yes. Father, well-“ Law tilted his head a little bit. “Adoptive father.” Law loved Corazon, had cherished him … but it still felt inappropriate to say, that Corazon had been his only father. The few memories he had about his blood family. Law was fond of these fragments of happiness and joy.

“Adoptive or not. Family is family.” Nami smiled softly, blue painted nails clicking against the cocktail glass Sanji had brought her. “True!” Luffy grinned. “Who cares who is born by whom, or whose blood is in your veins! Family is what you feel!”

He nodded before shoving another enormous piece of meat into his mouth. If Laws thoughts were not occupied by the family talk, he would probably wonder if Luffy had a gag reflex at all. He was certain, he had seen pieces of non-chewed meat sliding down his throat. “I guess that is one way to put it.”

Law remained quiet for the rest of the dinner. The way Strawhat looked at him, knowingly. There was something powerful in this look. Determination.

“Come Torao! I show you my favorite place!”

Law looked up with a frown. How could the other one be this active and eager again? How did he have this much energy?! Did he not want to relax after such a substantial meal and relax a bit? Law was pretty sure he could a little bulge in his stomach from all the food. But no, apparently the other one did not need to rest.

“Sure.”

One evening. Their deal had been one evening spent together. Just a few more hours and he could crawl back into his cabin again. He just had to survive this evening. Was it what he desired? Isolation. Loneliness. Luffy led the way through dining area. Once again, he was babbling and babbling.

“We are always the last people in the dining area! The others finish their food so quickly! They eat so little.”

“You are the best doctor here! You took care of my friends.”

“Sanji is our friend too now! He cooks awesome food! Nami likes his Cocktails!”

“The old hag is a cool doctor too! Are you two friends?”

“You are our friend now too!”

“Tomorrow you must try the eel! The way Sanji prepares-,“ “What did you say?” Law had ignored most of the things the Strawhat said. Did he mishear him?

“You must try the eel!”

“No, before that.”

“That you belong to us now!” Confusion was written all over Luffy’s face. Law was acting in a bizarre way. It was clear, that he did not want to be alone, so why did he isolate himself? If he wanted friends, why wouldn't he make any? It was not so difficult! “Don’t worry! The others like you, cause I like you. If Zorro is hurt again in training, I can bring him to you, right?”

Law took a deep breath.

“You know I only accepted the invitation because you kept coming every day to my office. This, whatever you believe this is, it is not a friendship.” “It is!” “… How do you think it will work out, after the trip? Only a few days left. You will go to your place again, and I will go to mine. Are you even living in the same city as I am?”

Probably not. Hopefully not. Hopefully yes. No-, he should not get his hopes up.

“Why should distance end a friendship? I am still friends with Vivi! She was in our class for a year! She is now back to Alabasta! And yup! Same city!” “And why do you think, that you know where I live and work?” “Heard the nurses talking! You work in the hospital in the city I live!”

There was it again. The big, knowing grin. It made Laws toes curl in, and his breath accelerate. Big, knowing grin. Threatening. Dangerous. No. The last two things were not fitting. There was no sheer endless row of teeth, no gum revealed. Eyes hidden. Instead, there were warmth and joy. Law sighed. It felt like he was talking to a wall.

“Awesome.” It did not sound honest, but Luffy did not seem to care.