Chapter Text
Law did not expect the snowstorm to be this bad. It had only been thirty minutes but the snow layer was at least three inches thick. Little snowflakes hurled about in chaotic, spiralling motions. A small twig flew towards Law and hit him on the nose. Law held his middle finger up to the sky, cursing God and everyone whose names he could remember for that mild inconvenience.
Room .
A blue sphere enveloped an area around a kilometre in radius. Other than the distinct lack of activity, there did not seem to be anything serious from what he could gather, except for an absolutely delighted squeal just outside the sphere. Law withdrew it, feeling irritated.
“Did you see that blue light thingy?”
“Move it, Luffy. You should be thankful that damned thing didn’t reach us.”
Luffy? Law thought. He realised with grave horror that there could only be one person that could be. Monkey D. Luffy, sworn brother of the former Portgas D. Ace and Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff Sabo. Grandson of the legendary Monkey D. Garp and biological son of Monkey D. Dragon. His bounty was at least five billion berries by now. Rumours of his bounty being raised to seven—no—ten billion flew around too. Law did not know what to believe anymore.
Monkey D. Luffy, holder of the title King of the Pirates ever since he defeated Blackbeard Teach and recently, Red-haired Shanks and his crew. His reign had gone on unquestioned for two decades, around the same time Law himself gave up being a pirate. Such an acclaimed celebrity of that stature had no reason to be on his washed-up Swallow Island…
“But it’s still so cool! Come on, Zoro! Let’s go look for it!”
“No!”
The Roronoa Zoro? That was it. Well, well, well. A master swordsman has graced the life of a sh*t one, such as Law. He would have been flattered but his long list of achievements barely rivalled Luffy’s.
Law sensed their presence as well as he could sense Bepo, Shachi and Penguin sneaking up on him to pull a prank. He walked a little to the left, raised his hand, casted another room that was a little larger than before. As he predicted, Luffy made noises of wonder while Zoro unsheathed his swords.
“Huh? Why can’t I cut it?” Zoro said blankly.
Zoro now resorted to using Haki for Law felt a dull ache in his shoulder. Irritated, Law withdrew from his room and indulged his curiosity. After all, they took down his living nightmare Don Quixote Doflamingo. The least Law could do then was thank them by crying at their feet.
-
Holy f*ck, these people were gorgeous.
He was glad he still knew how to wield his late father’s silence abilities. They were a real lifesaver in situations like these. They did not need to know how much his heart was pounding. Was this a nosebleed? Did they need to flex their bicepts to show off who was stronger? How could people have this much aura?
The one he dared look at first was Roronoa Zoro.
He was tall, stoic and muscular. The rumours were true: his tit* were indeed larger than most women he met and Law wished he could return to the Edenic state where he never thought of that. Compared to his ‘companion’—Law felt it would be rude to call him a ‘god in the flesh’ despite that being literally what he was—Zoro was neatly dressed with green hair slicked back and in a thicker black kimono.
His tanned face was well-shaped and sculpted. His skin was a bit dry, though that could be from the cold. There were long, fine lines whenever he smiled and frowned. He looked like a great man who was content with what he accomplished.
He was poking his ‘companion’ with the back of his swords, telling him to shut up and keep looking for a place to camp for the night. Now, this man, this wet dream come true, this built-like-a-roman-soldier hunk turned his head just a little bit to the side and f*cking smiled to show that he did not care.
If Zoro was muscular, then Luffy (Law dared to say his name in his mind) was a hulking figure. His back, hands and stomach were large. His forearms were hairy. His smile was wide and friendly. Luffy, with a great laugh from his diaphragm, told Zoro that they could snuggle in a cave somewhere and that there was no need to worry so much.
“Zoro, we lived through Punk Hazard and Drum Island! We’ll be fine !”
Law was impressed that he said all that with nothing but a humble black coat, black pants and a thin white shirt with a plunging V-neckline that concealed just enough to be considered a proper shirt. His broad, proud chest boasted a large scar in the shape of a cross, alongside thick curls of black hair. Law caught glimpses of rich tanned skin under the damp patches of his shirt.
When he stretched, Law saw faint outlines curving around his side. At first, Law thought they were ribs, but upon further consideration, he realised they were defined oblique muscles mixed with some scars that seemed to hug his body.
Luffy took large steps, as if impatient to move to the next point, but he also swayed and bounced around like he had all the time in the world. He was easily entertained by anything that moved and Law loved the smile lines in his eyes. They were deep and unapologetically honest, especially when paired with some freckles.
Oh, Luffy looked so loveable!
He was thankful he was conveniently crouching behind a mess of dead bushes, black coat camouflaging with the dead, uninteresting landscape. He felt blinded by their presence, the hope of the world they represented.
Back to the real world though, there was something more concerning, the snow blanket was getting thicker, and if he did not return immediately, he could get enveloped. No problem, Law thought. He hoped they could hear his prayer of thanks for not only making the world a better place.
“Impel down was snowing like this, and Bon-chan pulled me through to save me!” Luffy said excitedly to Zoro. “Iva-chan had an underground lair with food and music! I wonder if he’s here too. That’ll be really funny!”
“It would be f*cking convenient too. I’m freezing my tit* out here.”
“Oh, now that you mention it. I’m cold too,” Luffy returned.
I’m not, Law figured, fanning himself.
Still, it was unacceptable to die here because he could not stop himself from staring. As he stood up from crouching, he felt his back pop and he called it a bitch. Hiding behind some trees, he cast another room, which he was sure extended towards his home. Some blankets and an electric lamp appeared in front of them.
That should be enough, Law thought.
If they wanted anything more, they had to f*cking follow him.
“Thanks!” Someone said warmly.
H-huh?
Law turned back and realised that Luffy did not seem to realise he was there. However, Luffy realised that eventually. As Zoro hogged the furriest blanket to himself, Luffy stared at Law with a careful look in his eye, wondering whether Law would introduce himself. Despite the obvious signs of ageing, Luffy’s eyes were round, curious and joyful like a lovely child’s.
Luffy’s smile faltered like he did not expect to see him. They stared at each other for a little while longer than what was considered polite by most people. Maybe Luffy was determining whether Law was a threat. Law did not realise how red Luffy’s face was. It was probably because of the snow. Luffy of all people should not be cold in a place like this.
And then, his smile returned. Brighter than ever before. Smouldering, scorching, like the surface of the sun. Law felt his knees buckle.
“Thanks, old guy!”
Law’s heart skipped a beat. Oh, he was f*cked. So, so f*cked.
-
When Law took the hour-walk back to his humble abode, he realised that Luffy and Zoro were right there, trying to pick the lock on his front door…
Wait.
When Law took the hour walk back to his humble abode, he realised that Luffy and Zoro were right there, trying to pick the lock on his front door.
Huh? How the f*ck did those two find their way all the way here? Back to Law’s residence? Law silently screamed and could not believe what he saw. His heart could not take it!
Law glanced around rapidly. To their credit, this was the most efficient way of stalking someone he had ever seen. He looked at the ground and found their footsteps trailing around the perimeter. They came through the back. How did they come here faster than he did?
“Oh! It’s that old guy! Give us a bit, it’s locked.”
Law’s sword fell to the ground with wobbly metallic clanks. O-old?
“I… Well, that is unfortunate.”
Luffy suddenly ran up to him with a large smile. He smiled and laughed heartily, patting his back. Luffy was being friendly but Law felt like he was trying to crush his spine. Law felt his heart pound all the same.
“Thanks! It’s really cold!” Luffy said, now casually putting a blanket over Law’s shoulders. “These blankets were fluffy and nice, but the snow got really bad and I didn’t want to dirty ‘em, they're so cute! Did you make them?”
“I… Yes… I am friends with a polar bear.”
Luffy laughed generously. He hugged a blanket tightly as he watched Zoro.
“Aw, don’t be so formal! We’re friends now!” Luffy said. Zoro accidentally locked them out again. Luffy laughed again. He picked up Law’s sword and turned to him with a soft, careful look. “Take it easy, old guy. We’ll open the door in no time!”
“I- No, please. I'm used to the cold.”
Luffy nodded sagely at that response. He said he was used to it too. His smile was large and warm.
Why were they at his house of all places and why were they trying to pick his lock? Law’s infatuation with them had not yet melted into annoyance at their antics. He found their backs attractive and their childish, mischievous attitudes endearing. That was until Luffy broke the doorknob and Zoro cut a hole through his door.
Handsome faces, perfect bodies be damned. They just broke into his house when he was right there.
“Look at that!” Luffy said, arm still on Law’s shoulder as he dragged him forward. “Sorry about that! We broke your door, and it’s cold so thanks for letting us in!”
“Eh, thanks, ah. Thanks,” Zoro corroborated.
“I wish I knew what to say,” Law said, finally gathering the Haki to push Luffy’s arm off. It felt cold without his arm around him, without his hair tickling his neck. “Enjoy your stay, I’ll go to town and book a room with a proper door and lock.”
Luffy frowned at his tone. “Don’t be pissy, old man! Show us around!”
“No way! You people broke my house!”
“Huh?” Luffy said incredulously. “You live here ? In this dump ?”
Law gawked.
“That’s weird. I didn’t expect that,” Luffy trailed off thoughtfully. He looked at Law and smiled with great satisfaction, “Cool! Let’s hang out here! I heard there’s cartoons now, let’s watch them!”
A gorgeous man like Luffy apparently must have a horrible personality to balance things out, Law tried to rationalise. Such was the way of the world, Law thought. Good things are always humbled by some form of negativity. Penguin said this philosophy was emo bullsh*t but Law thought Penguin was not introspective enough.
“Sorry about your door, though,” Luffy said with some sincerity before gently patting his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to!”
Law seethed impatiently.
“Your bounty is five billion berries now, right.”
Luffy indulged Law with a happy laugh. “Yup! Six now, actually. With Zoro’s, it’ll be ten billion in total. What about it?” Law realised that Luffy would not stop treating his misery like an amusing joke and dropped the topic. It would also be suicidal to pursue this line of argument. He gestured in some random, unspecified direction. “The shower is… to your right.”
Thankfully, Luffy did not hear that, or if he did he did not care. Zoro, meanwhile, was too busy studying the small set-up in the living room meant for polishing his sword. He even sat down on Law’s little stool and started polishing his swords. Law used the same oil and stones as Zoro.
Luffy, meanwhile, got distracted and ran around Law’s house as if he owned it. Zoro looked up at the sudden noise.
“Look at this light thingy!” Luffy exclaimed, running up to Zoro. Zoro stared at it inquisitively. Zoro liked the look of it. “I bet it’s from the void century!” A child from a somewhat backward town gave him that for saving their parents.
“This clock doesn’t even work!” No one said Penguin had to be good with his hands to make something for Law.
“Zoro, what do you think this book is about? It has pictures, but not very colourful.” That was the first medical textbook he bought with his own money as a teenager.
Law forced himself to calm down.
It never was about the money, though the several billion berries would be enough for him to be richer than Doflamingo’s wildest dreams. No, not that. Where would he even start? He could punch Luffy but Luffy would punch him right back. Harder. He could find a kitchen knife and stab Zoro but Zoro would bend the knife in two with brute strength alone. Gah!
He wondered what the rest of the Strawhat crew would say about this. Would they let this happen? Or heck, would they even join in the peanut gallery as they nitpicked every bit of Law’s life as if they knew him all along?
They then started raiding his closet, presumably to look for warmer clothes.
“These things look like dumb birds!” Luffy laughed, holding some coats out and flapping the sleeves as if they were twenty-year-old coins found under the couch. Luffy giggled as he monologued about the different types of birds Nico Robin told him about.
Law pinched his eyebrows, mindlessly agreeing before he took a closer look. He snatched them back before Luffy and Zoro could wear them. Law could not fight them, but he could kill them. They were different in his head.
“Leave them alone,” Law said sharply.
“Huh? You said something, old man?” Luffy asked, smirking. He found Law’s sudden rise of emotion funny.
“Room!” Law said irritably. Luffy was happy upon seeing that blue sphere, immediately running up to it like a child running to catch bubbles. “Shambles.”
Those two were now replaced with some clueless birds, who he released through the window, feeling sorry they had to be involved. They could try and find his house again. The snowstorm was picking up in strength, more savage wolves roamed about and there was little to no vegetation to either forage or use as firewood. They could f*cking try if they wanted!
Law looked out the window again and the thick snow layer suggested that any traces of the way here would have been erased… It would at least take some time and in the meantime, Law could properly iron out their coats with some steam.
Luffy kicked the door open. “What the hell was that for! If you’re angry, then f*cking say so, jerkhole!”
“Shut up , Luffy!” Zoro smacked him. He closed the door behind them. “You asked for it! Just apologise like a normal person!”
Luffy huffed. He turned to Zoro and pointed at Law accusingly. “But he’s being a dick!”
Zoro pulled on his cheek. “And you’re one too!”
There was a little lump of snow on Luffy’s head, which Zoro brushed off with one flick of the wrist. Still angry, Luffy punched Law’s jaw, who ducked and kicked Luffy’s chest. However, Luffy grabbed his ankle and leaned in. He was about to toss Law aside when he seemed interested in something all of a sudden.
“Wow! Nice legs, old man! Ooh?” Luffy was very obviously staring at his crotch. “Your fashion sense is kinda weird.”
“It is not ! Stop that! Let me go!”
Zoro hit them both on the head, telling them both to shut up.
They did. Unwillingly.
Zoro remarked that he would use his shower and then went in the opposite direction towards the kitchen. He was disappointed to find that there was no alcohol or not much in it. Room, shambles. Zoro muttered a quick thanks as he turned the water on and started doing his business. Luffy, meanwhile, started looking for his kitchen. Once he did, he opened the fridge and ate the rice balls Law prepared for his meals the day before.
Tiredly, Law hung the black coat on the cloth hanger near his door, promising Cora-san he would adjust it when he felt better. The only one he did not dare to be as complacent with was the red one. Unlike Cora-san’s, the coat still smelt like him all these years later. It smelt like sweat and motor oil. It still smelt of love. Law punched it.
“This is what you get for leaving me alone!” Law punched the shoulder pads before adjusting it. “f*ck you, Eustass. You said you’ll stick around. What’s it like at the bottom of the ocean? I bet you and the guys are partying and f*cking strippers now. Having fun ?”
The coat stared at him silently. The shower kept running and his fridge kept droning on. Law raised his hand and a small coin from the floor flew to his hand and stayed there for a few seconds. Law held it for ten seconds before letting it drop pathetically.
“I’m not as cool as you are, Eustass,” Law said, sighing. “You’re never coming back, aren’t you?”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Eustass. I understand why you did what you did. It’s just that I…” Law looked up and Luffy was there, leaning by the hallway. He hurriedly looked away. “I’m sorry, Eustass. I’ll talk to you later.”
Law shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. Luffy seemed sorry.
“Aren’t you going to shower? You’re free to.”
Luffy shrugged. Good point. What could Luffy possibly say after Law essentially trauma-dumped him?
“Nah, don’t feel like it,” Luffy looked hurt for some reason. “G’night, old man.”
Law realised he must have looked like a degenerate, burying his face in dark maroon feathers. Now that he thought about it, Luffy was not exactly wrong. Those two looked like birds whenever they wore these. Large, misguided, violent, birds. Enormous birds who loved Law so much they would give him their lives. Law felt tears spring up.
“Good night,” he said, unsure if he was replying to Luffy or talking to Eustass.
“So captain, you mean to say that the king of the pirates is here. In your house, in your bed?” Shachi asked.
“Must you say that last part in italics?” Law returned.
Bepo was sweet. “Are you sure it’s not another nightmare? He did defeat Doflamingo and Teach, so is it-”
“I wish but no,” Law told them what happened. Bepo was concerned and offered to help fix the door properly later in the afternoon. Shachi meanwhile, seemed smug, amused about something that had nothing to do with him.
The door rattled at the hinges. With a great kick, the door flew towards them in the living room. It slammed against Law’s face and landed him flat against the wall. Luffy wanted to show off the wolf he punched to death and now wanted for lunch.
“G’MORNING OLD MAN!” He said with great cheer. “I GOT US MEAT ! ZORO WENT TO TOWN BUT DON'T WORRY! HE'LL BE FINE!”
Law sobbed behind the door. He could not believe how horrible his day had gone and how much worse it had become. He hated wolf meat and now he had too much of it.
“Old man? Wait, Captain, is he referring to you ?”
Bepo held a paw up to cover his growing laughter. Luffy looked over and was delighted to find a talking polar bear, for he started asking questions like if Bepo pooped. Bepo explained how that worked in a bear, which Luffy listened attentively.
“Is there someone else?” Luffy said once Bepo finished talking.
Law stared in horror at his beautiful teak door being destroyed twice within less than twelve hours. The cold winds from outside were coming in. Law felt himself shiver both from irritation and with the cold.
“Let me say just this once,” Law said irritably, his hip aching. “I am not old. I am forty seven. My name is Trafalgar Law and I am a doctor.”
“So you’re Robin’s age but you act and live like a dinosaur,” Luffy said with sincere, pure-hearted adoration.
Shachi and Bepo started laughing after a long pause, not for the sentiment (which they agreed) but because of how casually he spoke. Shachi asked Law under his breath how quickly they became friends because hoo boy, that was frank. They were not friends, Law insisted. Not at all.
At least, his friends were better hosts than him. Luffy pouted while staring at Law. Did he expect Law to personally serve him? After insulting him? What gall!
Luffy blinked owlishly. “Who do those coats belong to anyway? You’re so precious about them.”
Shachi and Bepo turned to Law anxiously. Law waved them off, figuring he did not have much dignity left to lose.
“The black one belonged to my father, who I called Cora-san. Sengoku found it, and washed it for me after he died,” Law answered.
Luffy hummed thoughtfully. “What about the red one?”
“My partner. We were supposed to get married fifteen years ago. He died too, obviously, so that never happened. I bought it back from an auction.”
“Married, huh…” Luffy said abstractedly.
Yes, married! With a cake, custom rings and everything. Eustass took a lot of initiative for the whole thing. He was surprisingly excited about it and was incredibly sweet about it. As sweet as Eustass could be, Law supposed. Law rolled his eyes thinking about it. He insisted they get a black wedding cake with beer in it.
To be fair, Eustass was not the type to be tied down but Luffy looked even less so. He was the sort who thought marriage was a construct and that he wanted to love whoever and whenever he wanted without any real commitment. Except for Law’s things, Luffy looked like he had a lot of love to give. Luffy stared at him carefully, like he was inspecting something. He cracked a small grin.
“You got room in your heart for one more?” Luffy asked suddenly.
“What?”
Luffy leaned in closer. “I said, will you give me a chance? I won’t die that easily.”
Shachi’s eyes widened, at least a little impressed by Luffy’s audacity to say all that to Law’s face without stuttering. Meanwhile, Bepo held his hand, obliging Law to sit down. It was not very effective, unfortunately. Law went to Luffy and punched him in the nose with all the Haki he could muster.
Surprisingly, Luffy did not try to fight back.
“My dad died to protect me. Eustass died to prove himself to me,” Law said. “You have no right to walk in here—uninvited, mind you—to ask for my hand and then claim my loved ones were weak. I am, yes, but I won’t tolerate disrespect. Get out!”
“What the hell?” Luffy started. “I didn’t say any of that, old guy! Where did you get all that from?” Luffy was baffled.
No one said anything for a while. Luffy stared at Law, without paying attention to anyone else. He held his bruised nose guardedly. He did not look particularly guilty. He said everything exactly as he intended it to. He meant everything he said. Law choked a sob and turned away. This handsome bastard was toying with him.
Luffy spoke anxiously. “Hey, look. I didn’t mean to…”
“Just go, please. Shachi, Bepo, can you get him a room at Ikkaku’s place? I…”
“Sure, don’t even need to ask,” Shachi said easily, standing up. He stretched his arms. “Clione should be open this early, I bet.”
Luffy was affronted.
“C’mon! Don’t kick me out! I didn’t mean to make you cry!”
“You probably didn’t but it came off that way. Just go. I want to be alone for a little while,” Law said. Law tried not to be mean, especially when Luffy looked worried, even sorry for what he said. “I’ll talk to you and Roronoa when I feel better, yeah? I have stuff to deal with, clearly .”
Law went back into the kitchen without waiting back to see whether Luffy had anything to say. He busied himself by washing his face. Luffy and Shachi had left the premises when Law found it in him to turn back. Bepo hung around awkwardly with a sympathetic frown. He shuffled over to wash it and they stood in some comfortable silence only a several-decade-long friendship could provide.
Law looked over impatiently. Bepo sighed tiredly.
“He meant well, I think,” Bepo said timidly. Glancing back, he added even more softly, “He looked at you the same way Kidd did whenever you two argue about something dumb.”
Scoffing, Law said, “Don’t give me that. They aren’t the same.”
Bepo nuzzled his nose against Law’s hair. Bepo’s little whines made Law think about getting a pet. He had always liked animals.
“Of course not! This one looks worse! You always attract strange people,” He said, smiling. Law did not want to think about it but he supposed that was the case. Only Bepo could pinch his cheek so much that it hurt after a mental breakdown.
Penguin was one of the more mature people Law knew and that was not a very high bar to meet. He was crying over the phone and begged for Law to reach him within half an hour. Law went to him after taking a two-hour nap.
“Am I going to die, captain?”
“Unfortunately no, you might live.”
“That sucks,” Zoro said sympathetically. Apparently, Zoro got lost and stumbled into Penguin’s humble abode an hour ago. Zoro obediently put another cold towel on Penguin’s forehead when Law told him to. He did not mind that his host was ill and babbling. He barely registered Penguin's existence and they both preferred it that way.
He turned to Law, “Drink more water, right?”
“Yes, and sleep it off. You know your medicines, so get to it.”
“Aye-aye…”
When Law walked outside, he was surprised to see Zoro walk out and stand next to him. He had a comforting presence. Together, they stared at the slow town, the white sky and the faint glow the clouds had from the sky. He spoke first, “Luffy said something a couple days ago, didn’t he?”
Law shrugged.
“That insatiable bastard.”
Law nodded, too tired to say otherwise. Zoro hummed too.
“He hogged your bed and sniffed it like a dog when we first crashed at your place. Didn’t need a blanket or anything, he was knocked out like a baby.”
“What does that mean?” Law asked, understandably confused.
Zoro shrugged, “There’s a bar here, right?” Law nodded. He pointed straight ahead. “Sick. Let’s go.” Zoro turned left. Law waited two minutes for him to correct himself but that never happened so he jogged up behind to point him in the right direction.
Zoro said thanks but went in the wrong direction again anyway. Law gave up and let him go his own way. Zoro was the sort to ‘move to the beat of his own drum’, as the saying went.
“Hey, wait up!”
Law turned around to the sound of that bright, easily excited voice. When Law got a closer look, he was greeted by a smile larger than the sun and the sight of large muscles straining through a thin shirt.
“You’re fast, Traffy!” Luffy said, panting slightly. He laughed when Law frowned at him in disapproval. “I’m tired, gimme a minute!” His exhausted smile was gorgeous. He turned his head to find Zoro walking along absentmindedly and he stretched his arm to grab Zoro by the collar and pull him forward so they could walk together. Zoro said hello and thanked him.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere in particular,” Law said.
“Okay! Let’s have lunch!”
“A-again?”
“Duh?” Luffy said. “I’m still hungry.”
Law sighed. “Fine… Zoro, what about you?”
Zoro looked like he had no opinion. From the look of it, he just wanted to walk around aimlessly and take a nap somewhere where no one would bother him. Law could appreciate that. It must be tiring being this attractive all the time. Luffy grinned when Law offered to buy them both some meat kebabs sometime in the future if it were convenient.
No one amongst this quirky trio felt like starting a conversation. Luffy was more focused on keeping Zoro on the right path and Law… Law was trying not to explode both from his annoyance at whatever strange nonsense Luffy said a few days ago and his current heart palpitations.
Luffy’s side profile had no right being this masculine. Law supposed he should make an effort to be polite. He doubted Luffy meant anything bad, even if insensitive. This was pretty-privilege speaking and Law knew that.
“Out of formality, can you both tell me your names?”
Law was surprised to see them both suddenly look awkward, Luffy especially. Surely, he of all people thought being a pirate was something to be proud of. Sure, there were unfriendly, prejudiced people but Luffy was clearly strong enough to hold his own. Luffy looked at Law bravely.
“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, King of the-”
Zoro hit him on the head. He heard that Zoro was a bit dull in the politeness department and that Luffy was duller. Law smiled, encouraging them to elaborate. This was cute.
“King of the monkeys,” Luffy said quietly, after rubbing his head.
Zoro said his name blandly without any epithet.
Law could not help but laugh at how much Luffy was pouting.
“Sorry,” Zoro said. “Just gotta make sure you’re not a marine or something.”
Law nodded in understanding. He said he was not fond of the World Government in the most generalised way possible. Luffy looked at him funny but did not question him further.
“There’s no need to hide your identities unless you feel more comfortable doing so,” Law explained, waving a hand in the air. “Everyone here already knows, anyway. You’re considered heroes after everything you’ve done until now.”
“Don’t say that. It’s embarrassing,” Luffy admitted quietly, blushing slightly. Zoro gave Luffy a suspicious look. Humble lot they were, Law thought. They moved forward with a slightly better atmosphere between them. Law felt more comfortable talking first.
“Well, would you both like me to show you both around?” Luffy immediately agreed, running up to Law and grabbing his arm like an overexcited date.
Law saw that Luffy was at least two heads taller and broader than himself. Up close, he smelt of the sea: sweaty and stinky, but also of freedom. It was a bolder sort of freedom, one that made its presence known to the whole world. Law liked it. Zoro walked in a different direction but they let him be this time.
“Where is Zoro going?” Law said quietly, glancing around.
Luffy laughed, adding that Zoro would be fine without too much thought. He looked at Law like he thought every little thing Law did was cute. Law rolled his eyes whenever he caught Luffy staring, to which Luffy responded with a light, friendly chuckle. In those moments, Law felt they could very reasonably be friends who talk about small, irrelevant things over a meal.
“There’s the bar,” Law said. “I think you may like the casserole. They serve large portions.”
Luffy swung his heavy arm around Law’s shoulders. Law took that to mean that he did not mind the possibility of eating casseroles. Luffy stood there silently. He glanced at Law once, as if waiting for permission.
“Want me to let go?” He asked with unexpected shyness
“I… It’s fine, I don’t mind, if it makes you comfortable.”
“Are you comfortable, old guy?” Luffy insisted worriedly.
Law thought about it. His arm felt warm, not unlike Eustass’s one non-prosthetic arm and Cora-san’s lanky ones embracing him.
Luffy tightened his hold when he realised Law was not going to shake him off. If Cora-san grabbed Law like a foot-long sandwich and Eustass hugged Law like he was his equal, then Luffy held Law’s shoulder like he wanted to apologise and try again. Law held Luffy’s wrist as an acknowledgement that they were okay.
Luffy chuckled. Law smiled somewhat uncomfortably.
Luffy started talking excitedly when they sat down at a bar. Of course, Luffy ordered ten plates of casserole and ate it all by himself, but he talked a lot too. He had a million and one things to say about how ‘kinda cold but not really’ Swallow Island was compared to other wintery regions on his journey. He spoke a lot about his crew and how quirky they all were. It was all infinitely interesting.
It was oddly flattering to see Luffy try very hard to speak nicely, a challenging task for an impatient man who had many things to say. Law laughed whenever Luffy pouted at the mere thought that Law was not listening to him. Law liked to think this was how he spoke to the older members, more specifically Jimbei, the first son of the sea—a great man in his own right though far older than himself.
Over time, Law felt himself smiling a bit more easily now, especially when they had a warm meal and some lukewarm alcohol to go with it. Luffy seemed happy whenever Law smiled at his jokes. It reassured him that they were really okay after all.
“Counter-shock.”
Some sparks flew around his broad shoulders but Luffy did not stir. Law belatedly forgot Luffy was made of rubber. Silly him. He tried something new.
“Room.”
Luffy stirred. “What the hell... AHH MY FOOT WHAT THE HELL COME BACK! AHH NO NOT MY EAR TOO!”
“You’re a lot funnier than Ikkaku, I’ll give you that,” Law said. He chuckled as he restored Luffy’s foot and earth to their original positions.
Angry, Luffy swung his fist but Law caught it and kissed his knuckles as an apology. Almost immediately, Luffy punched his jaw with his other hand. Suddenly, his knees wobbled and he nearly fainted. That was either because Luffy's Haki was as strong as they say or that Luffy’s angry face was f*cking attractive.
“Good morning to you too,” Law said before passing out.
-
Things were blurry. Despite feeling woozy, Law seemed to be okay enough to cook breakfast for them and even lightheartedly converse with Luffy. Luffy laughed and smiled. His laugh warmed Law up like a glass of warm water.
“Traffy! You should buy more food! This isn’t enough for a man at all!” Luffy said after finishing the third plate of scrambled eggs Law cooked for him. Law had no idea when Luffy insisted on that stupid nickname. It at least sounded cute when Luffy said it. Luffy made it sound like a term of endearment.
Law remembered how Luffy ate all the fish raw despite Penguin offering to cook it for them the other day. Penguin and Shachi were appalled when Zoro ate a squirming fish whole, even chewing it with loud crunches and squishy noises. Those two also ate all of their morning catch by the ocean, which caused some grievance with the town who wanted fresh meat for a change from all their salted ones.
“It's good enough. I would’ve bought more but someone—I won’t say names of course—but someone ate all of today’s, and yesterday’s catch so now I have to make do.”
“C’mon, don’t be like that. I would’ve shared if you asked,” Luffy tried to pout but it looked a bit strange on his masculine features. He glanced up at Law’s smiling mouth. “Meanie.”
“I’m sorry, Luffy,” Law said without meaning it. Luffy frowned deeply like a child throwing a nasty tantrum. “I’ll ask next time.”
Luffy folded his arms. He frowned awkwardly.
“By the way,” Luffy began nagging again. Law looked away and covered his ears despite Luffy demanding him to listen. “Get a bigger bed, Traffy. It’s full of toys and Zoro had to sleep outside! It’s cold outside!”
If that was the case, then Luffy should have slept outside since he was taller and larger than Zoro… Law pretended like he was seriously considering Luffy’s proposal. “Plus, your heater doesn’t even work! Fix it!”
“Alright, handsome,” Law sighed, giving up. “I’ll see what I can do.” He would not bother.
Law thought that would be the end of it but Luffy was still complaining, occasionally bringing up legitimate problems. However, in his defence, Law did not expect to play host to this huge, hulking god of a man with unnervingly high expectations. Pleasing the King of the Pirates was not part of his agenda within the next ten years. Dying seemed more likely in that time frame. Law chuckled absentmindedly at an unrelated thought.
“Your house is so small, though. Heck, even the mini merry is bigger than this place," he said carelessly. Small for you, Law thought as his upper body was slightly double the size of his small table. Law’s shirts were at least a size or two too small. Those poor shirts were being sacrificed for a noble cause of emphasising his great chest.
A bit distracted, Luffy continued with an annoyed tone, “Why did you try to kill me?”
Law gave a strained smile.
“It’s a prank I used to do to any new friend the four of us adopted into our little crew when we were at sea. An initiation if you will.”
Goodnaturedly, Luffy laughed at the explanation. His full laugh made his house feel homely. It was true that Law did not have a heater, or that he had not replaced his blanket yet, but he felt warm when he felt Luffy’s laugh reverberate in the small kitchen.
“You’re really weird, Traffy. Who does that to a friend?" Luffy said like he was amused by a child’s antics. “But I guess I see it. I got my crew in funny ways too. Brook was so cool! No one wanted him to join at first but look at him now! He’s one of Robin’s best friends. Second to me, of course.”
Law grinned.
“I heard you fought in Ennis Lobby for Nico Robin, is that correct?”
Luffy’s expression softened. Law cleared their plates and started washing them. He turned back and chuckled.
“That was impressive,” Law said, looking back at the soapy water. “I started admiring you from that. Of course punching a celestial dragon was very attractive—please don’t tell Sengoku I said that—but there’s something admirable about risking it all for a friend.”
Luffy grew quiet.
“Well, yeah,” Luffy replied, now a bit red from embarrassment. He smiled at Law meaningfully. “ I won’t try to kill any of them when they are defenceless, unlike someone here.”
Law shrugged. He supposed he should have expected that. No one messed with the King of the Pirates or his friends, he thought aloud and Luffy agreed with a beaming sense of pride. Law laughed at his honesty.
After breakfast, Luffy insisted on Law showing him around and Law, now sorely in love, agreed. Luffy would only (weakly) agree to wear Cora-san’s coat. He thought Eustass’s coat looked and smelt disgusting despite it being the only thing in Law’s possession that matched his height and build. Law did not feel comfortable mentioning that Luffy smelt worse.
As they walked to the market, Luffy kept his distance, at least an arm’s length.
Maybe he could tell Law was being unnervingly horny. He might have noticed that Law was staring at his shirt barely fitting around him. He could read his thoughts and kept his distance to protect his sanity, perhaps.
However, Law just realised that Luffy was just being polite. Law liked to think Luffy could tell he was a bit reserved and wanted to be accommodating.
To be polite too, Law remarked on the weather being cold as always. Luffy seemed too eager to give Law the coat. Maybe he did not like it… Tasteless.
"What are you looking at?" Luffy asked, arm draped casually over Law’s shoulder.
“Nothing noteworthy,” Law replied when he saw Luffy was similarly looking ahead. “I know you’re still hungry. Let’s eat and then some new clothes.”
“This makes me feel like a bird,” Luffy said abstractedly. “Do you like birds, Traffy?”
Zoro suddenly appeared out of nowhere with three bottles of alcohol. He seemed truly prideful with his spoils. Law was happy for him. He would apologise to the storekeeper later.
“Remember when a bird tried to eat you before Nami joined?” Law liked Zoro’s coat, it was a thick black coat with cream fur trimming that barely ended at his ankles. It was Penguin’s coat. The sight made Law realise Penguin and Shachi bulked up since they were teenagers.
“I was a twig back then! It's kinda boring when it’s just us though. We should find Nami, Usopp and Sanji and sail the grand line again for old time's sake!”
Luffy went on a whole rant about their backstories, half to Law and half to himself nostalgically. They fought Buggy D. Clown, met some of Zoro’s friends, fought a weird butler trying to gaslight Usopp’s village—Luffy bit a fishman to death with said fishman’s teeth… He even worked as a waiter for Sanji’s father slightly before that.
“Humble beginnings for such great men,” Law said. Zoro and Luffy smiled mysteriously. Realising he spoke out of turn, Law corrected himself, “The market is that way, shall we go?”
Zoro nodded immediately and caught up with Law. With several friendly pats on the shoulder, he started asking questions about the sword Law carries everywhere. On that topic, Law had more interesting facts to share, which Zoro paid keen attention to as he would use this information against him in the future. Zoro made Law agree to have a duel with him at least once, since he had a couple lined up with Shachi and Penguin underwater.
Law hoped Zoro was not as dedicated and true to his word as the rumours say.
“Doc,” he said weakly. Law managed to cut away some of the man’s infected skin. It was black and blue. “What’s going on?”
Law did not like what he saw but it was not the worst. “I’ll need to inject something. Hold still, alright?”
“Okay, doc.”
He pulled out his needle and cleaned it with an alcohol wipe. He easily slipped it into his arm once he found a vein. As he did so, he whistled a ten-second tune that tied him through the pain. A few people liked that it was catchy. He pulled on the bandage forcefully just to be funny.
“There. All done.”
He looked like he had been through hell within those ten seconds.
“H-huh?”
Law disposed of the needle in a disposable bag tucked in his briefcase. “Ask a reasonable person to peel off the bandages in a few days. Next!”
“You’re really cool for an old guy.”
Law turned back.
Right, how could he have forgotten, again?
Luffy had eagerly volunteered to be his chaperone or something of the sort a few hours ago. After a light breakfast (Law still wondered why Luffy wanted to stay with him), Law announced his plans to go to a neighbouring island to get medical supplies and do free checkups for the day until evening. It was here he realised that Luffy seriously thought of him as a crippled, antisocial child without any practical understanding of the real world.
Petulantly, Luffy argued that he must come along just in case Law got lonely and wanted someone to talk to. (Law originally planned to take Bepo.) He insisted that he must carry all of Law’s things or else Law ‘would slip and fall on the snow’. (As insulting as that was, Law appreciated the free labour.) He said that he must protect Law or else the ‘big scary wolves would eat him alive’.
That claim in particular irritated him.
Luffy would eat those wolves first! Law saw it for himself!
“Can we get a drink now?”
Zoro was also here. He was Luffy’s chaperone. He did not do much other than tell Luffy to shut up and knock people out in the back of the head with his swords when they talked too much. Those rare interjections were much appreciated. Other than that, he mostly slept and kept to himself, while occasionally asking Law about his sword. Law decided he did not like how interested Zoro was.
Other than that, though, those two just followed him wherever he went. The thought was endearing and disturbing. Law knew he looked ridiculous between these large muscular men who found it quite funny to act like his bodyguards.
“Oh! And food too! Traffy, are you done?”
“Just one more second,” Law said tiredly.
He checked his final patient once over and seeing that he was mostly fine, Law gave him some medicine and stood up quickly. He sighed when Luffy grabbed his hand forcefully and pulled him out of the makeshift clinic.
“Let's drink together!” Luffy said forcefully. He found time to sneak out and find a nice tavern with cheap drinks. Law said he was an irresponsible chaperone, to which Luffy pouted without offering any further argument.
The bar was packed, except for an empty seat on one end where there was a rowdy group of travellers and another two on the other, dingier end of the room. For some reason, Zoro sat next to him and together, they ordered some sloppy mess of porridge they barely called food. Law paid for them both.
Meanwhile, Luffy gravitated towards the other end. He had a great laugh, a laugh that one can hear ten miles away even on another island. It was wild, full and unapologetically happy, something the drunken travellers could appreciate despite openly stating that they hated pirates with a scornful passion. Luffy laughed loudly at something strange a traveller said.
Now that was a laugh, Law thought. Luffy looked particularly handsome and manly with the faint window light.
“Here,” Zoro said. It was the largest glass of beer Law had ever seen. It was as large as his head, probably. “You gotta loosen up, old guy. You need more energy to keep up with Luffy.”
“You’re right.” But I don’t think I want to, anyhow. Luffy was leagues ahead of him.
Zoro looked at Law meaningfully before looking over at Luffy toasting with ten other random strangers. He raised his glass when Luffy looked at him from across the bar.
“How’s Luffy, anyway? You guys are chummy,” Zoro said.
“As chummy as everyone else over there,” Law gestured to the scene in the distance vaguely. Zoro laughed. Luffy looked over, frowning slightly at their distinct lack of energy.
He stretched his arms out and grabbed them both by the shoulders, circling them tightly. Maybe Law was sort of crazy but he felt like Luffy held onto him with exceptional strength in nearly cracking his shoulders and rib cage. Law nearly gagged and Zoro just laughed when they zipped over to Luffy’s end of the bar in a few seconds.
“Get used to it, old man,” Zoro said with a smile. “Luffy’s into you.”
“What an honour,” Law said dryly. He hoped Zoro meant that.
Apparently, Zoro got a seat next to Luffy because a traveller had to retire for the night. First mate privileges. As for Law, meanwhile…
“Luffy, why am I on your lap? I can stand on my own.”
Luffy laughed carelessly. He refilled Law’s glass with more beer and insisted Law drink with him. Law took one sip and refused any more refills. Glancing up at the clock, he said he could not afford to waste any more time and that he needed to go back to Swallow Island. Luffy held his hip with some force.
Understandably, Law lied about the urgency part. Luffy’s thigh was warm and excessively muscular. If Law was a little crazy, maybe even ten percent as insane as Luffy, he would have crossed his legs and acted like this was his throne. Of course, Law was sober and would not. Luffy’s grip on his hip just tightened as he shifted Law’s body closer, such that Law’s side nearly touched that great chest of his. He had never felt this embarrassed in a very long time.
“C’mon, old guy. It’s not so bad. Don’t be so serious!” Luffy said joyfully.
“I- No! Like I said, I’ll stand up,” Law tried to wiggle out but Luffy and the others too—including a half-way drunk Zoro—jeered at him. Great, Law thought. Now he was being a party pooper, one of Luffy’s least favourite people. That was a minus one on the charisma scale.
Apparently, Luffy had a plan. Wiggling his fingers, he brushed against Law’s waist. Law jolted a bit. Oh. So they would act like children now? Law tried to kick Luffy with the back of his foot but it turned out he was the one in pain. It felt like a solid brick wall. Luffy laughed at Law’s apparent childishness as he started tickling harder.
“What the f*ck- hahaha! Luffy! W-what the- hahah!”
Luffy gasped. “I have not heard you laugh so much before.” He now used both hands to tickle Law and Law hated how quickly he turned into a laughing, blushing mess the more he cramped up left and right from laughing too much. He knew Luffy pinched him sometimes, albeit gently, for dramatic effect.
“Haha- Stop! Ah- hahaha! Luffy!”
Luffy had a wide grin, like what he accomplished was better than he thought.
“Pretty… Really, really pretty,” Luffy said softly, breathlessly, like he could not believe what he was seeing. He stopped for a while to let Law finish laughing but that dumb infatuated grin never fully left his face. “Don’t be so grumpy, old man. C’mon!”
“f*ck that,” Law said.
He cleared his throat and finally got out of Luffy’s lap when his grip loosened. He could not believe he had been sitting there for an hour. He paid for everyone’s drinks, but for some reason, no one was particularly happy about it. God damn it . “I’ll go back. I’ll see you eventually. Take care, Luffy. Yes, good night, Zoro, I will ‘piss off’ now.”
Law saw it was dark outside. “Good night.”
He bowed and left the bar, having done everything he was obliged to do. As long as these people just see him as a killjoy and not a wanted criminal, it was fine. Though, Law supposed that those were the same thing to these drunk extroverts. He gave the matter more thought and admitted that being a killjoy was definitely worse.
-
Law had been running around for a few hours and he knew that he was lost and that it was midnight by now. Thirty minutes after Law left the tavern, he made the horrible mistake of loitering around the town to find little trinkets to buy for the guys back home. Luffy called for him and it was rather difficult to act like he did not hear him when Luffy’s arms kept reaching for him, presumably to drag him back.
“I’m not going back! Did you not hear me!”
“I did and I don’t like it!” Luffy said with a pout.
“No means no, Luffy!”
“Nuh-uh!” Luffy said childishly.
Silently, Law screamed. “Why me! Damn you, Luffy! Let me go home!”
Law cast another room and swapped himself with an empty beer can from an alleyway of some neighbourhood house. He heard Luffy run around while cursing Law’s name. Law activated silence once more. He ran off. God bless his father…
-
Law glanced around the area, just before he walked in the forest to head back to his submarine to finally sleep for the night. He supposed Luffy and Zoro could find him when they were done. Law gave the matter more thought. They absolutely could not. Law’s heart was crying in agony.
“I trust them. I’ll find them tomorrow.”
“Hmm, sure. What are you doing now, Traffy?”
“Who, me?” Law said thoughtfully. “I’m going to read a book and go to sleep.”
“That’s a very old man thing to do.”
“I guess, but it’s better than panicking over what I want to do with my life and feeling sorry for myself.” Law glanced to the side. Luffy was standing next to him, hands on his hips. Law screamed with horror. He ran behind a tree.
“Don’t just come up behind me, Luffy!”
Luffy got defensive. He ran towards the tree and did not break a sweat while doing it. “That’s on you, Traffy! Don’t get angry at me!”
“Wah!”
“Wah!” Luffy said too. He calmed down and rubbed the back of his neck. “Stupid Traffy. If you wanna have fun, just call me. Zoro and I got kicked out of the bar after you left, so we have nothing better to do.”
Law was not even a little bit surprised. “Why?”
“We fought a few people…” By Luffy’s light tone, Law knew he probably killed someone, albeit unintentionally. “Anyway, Zoro’s doing his own thing and I’m in trouble.”
Luffy looked like he wanted to be praised.
“How much trouble? It can’t be that bad.” Law felt himself smiling when Luffy looked away awkwardly. “How badly did you f*ck up, Luffy? If it’s someone I know, I can-”
“There he is!” That was the sound of a particularly competent marine officer. “Strawhat Luffy, you are under arrest!”
Law laughed. He f*cking laughed in Luffy’s face, and Luffy looked incredibly guilty. He looked like he finally did it now. He had this sad, puppy-like look in his eye, like he knew that Law had a good reason to leave this time . For f*ck’s sake…
Law grabbed his hand and started running.
Luffy was surprised. He did not let go—of course, not, far from it—but he seemed hesitant, like he wondered whether to trust Law. Perhaps that was a fair assessment, they were running through the forest in the dark, after all, following a specific route only Law knew. After all, if the marines did not kill Luffy then Law was in the best position to do it.
“Why didn’t you use your teleporting thingy?” Luffy asked. “You ran away from me all this time…”
Oh. Law felt bad about that, kind of. Law thought about how best to explain himself. Law stopped for a moment to check where they were going. They turned left and Law saw a slight glimpse of the submarine. They started running more earnestly.
“It’s more fun this way isn’t it?” Law laughed when Luffy clearly disagreed, going into very fleshed out arguments. Law envied his stamina to talk in full sentences while running. Law spoke excitedly to himself. “I feel like a kid who did something I wasn’t supposed to do and now I’m running from Cora-san who definitely found out.”
Luffy found the explanation absurd. He thought, so what if ‘Cora-san’ found out? Surely, what was more important than caring about what you were ‘supposed to do’ was whether you were having fun. All this time, Luffy just did whatever he wanted. He had nothing to rebel against and did not care—no one dared tell Luffy what to do or how to do it.
And yet, Luffy smiled gently when he saw that Law did care. He thought Law was the most innocent person he had ever met. He smiled indulgently and told Law to stop for a moment.
“I can do you one better.”
Luffy reached his arm out, circled Law’s waist and pulled him closer.
“What the f*ck, Luffy? Stop touching me so freely.”
“You look nice like this,” Luffy said, laughing, not caring for personal space. “You’re prettier when you’re next to me.”
Like what? Holding on to Luffy’s broad, muscular shoulders for dear life like a damsel in distress as Luffy’s thick, hairy forearms nearly squeezed Law to death? Breathless, partly because Luffy was just so f*cking handsome and mostly because Luffy was suffocating him? Law looked and felt ridiculous.
Luffy aimed for the mast of the submarine and smiled when he got a good grip, even tugging on it to make sure. Law swore he heard the wood creak a bit. He hoped Eustass did a good enough job reinforcing the masts to take on the massive force called Monkey D. Luffy’s sheer willpower without breaking.
“Hold on, Traffy!”
And with that, they were catapulting head-first towards the submarine before Law could even think about it. Nyoom! Luffy crashed head-first against the mast but at least he had the decency to press Law’s head against him, such that his nose was buried in his armpit, as if to cushion the impact.
God damn it, Luffy stank ! But Luffy’s kind, affectionate laugh easily made up for it as he brushed Law’s hair carefully with a tender look in his eye.
If Luffy was starting to melt like soft snow in spring, then Zoro was freezing like an icicle in a cave. Neither of which were comfortable for Law, but he could see that at least melting snow was not as dangerous as the ice-cold blade that dangled his earrings as he sipped his coffee. So much for a pleasant breakfast alone.
Those two had been going on their own adventures lately these past couple of days and Law had not seen them for a while. Sure he was beginning to miss them but he appreciated having his alone time back. Law saw Zoro’s sword near his neck. What a rude way to say hello.
“W-what is it?” Law said, putting his cup of coffee down. He noticed Luffy staring at them in the distance, extremely curious about the display. Law felt like an animal in a cage. He suddenly regretted wearing a tacky yellow sweater.
“I wanna fight you. You knew that already, though,” Zoro said simply like it was a fact of the universe.
Law took another spoonful of his cake and chewed it very slowly, feeling intimidated by the raw insanity Zoro emitted. He hoped that Cora-san would make space for him in heaven as he picked up his sword from the ground and unsheathed it.
Kikoku, the name the craftsman gave it, was a beautiful stainless sword with an uncannily purple shine when seen from certain angles.
When Law stood up and twirled Kikoku around, Luffy produced a little awed sound.
“Nice,” Zoro’s bloodlust intensified, almost drooling when the sunlight made a little twinkle on the blade. “I can f*cking hear her. She wants blood.”
Upon hearing that, Kikoku shook his wrist violently, as if agreeing with Zoro. Law felt a throbbing headache come to him.
Do no harm , was what the craftsman told him when he bought it for how well it complimented his aesthetic. Yet, Kikoku was angry. He had not fought a proper opponent in years. She was as tall as an actual person and weighed like one too.
Law wanted to drown himself in the ocean when he realised how serious the situation truly was. He heard of the stories where Zoro fought with all his might. Perhaps all those rumours were true, for Luffy stared at Zoro with unwavering confidence like Zoro would not and will never lose. In this case, Luffy was confident that Zoro would give him something to look at.
Law realised from that moment onwards that this green-haired, moss bastard would send him to hell. At least he could see Eustass again. He took relief from that as he struck Zoro first, aiming for his right hand.
Zoro smiled wickedly as he raised his left hand just high enough for Law to notice and block it. Kikoku screamed sharply at the sudden blow and Zoro was delighted in a sad*stic way. Law turned Kikoku around briskly and cut Zoro’s shoulder while he was a bit distracted.
“Not bad, old man.”
“Do not call me that. I am not old.”
“Haha, old man!” Luffy interjected with a laugh.
Law blocked another one of Zoro’s blows. “I am not old! Stop that!”
Zoro aimed for Kikoku’s middle point, presumably her weak spot but Law swung it back and hit the back of Zoro’s blades instead. Zoro tried to do the same but Law ducked in time. Zoro laughed every time Law successfully dodged. Law ducked under Zoro’s swords that came right at him. He thought Law was a kitten trying to act tough.
Law raised Kikoku to block a blow. Said blow was a red herring. Zoro came down and cut Law’s waist, almost like he wanted to slice Law in half. Biting down on his lip to suppress a long-suffering scream, Law hoped that once, just once, he lost this fight quickly. He would much rather not waste a perfectly good morning.
“You’re sweating, old man.”
“I am not old!”
Zoro laughed as he drove a sword through Law’s shoulder. Law groaned at the pain. As much as he wanted to simply pass away, one look up at Zoro’s feral smile made Law hang on for just a bit longer. He really needed to kick this young bastard’s ass. Zoro smiled wildly. Luffy laughed heartily in the background. Luffy’s ass was next! Oh, he made sure of it!
-
Two things. Firstly, Law was, much to his dismay, still here. Secondly, again much to Law’s dismay, Luffy was watching like all this was entertainment. He had this sharp look to him. His round dark eyes narrowed slightly with concentration. He looked like he was an expert at sword fighting, and that he was intently analysing their technique. More specifically, Law’s. Law supposed Luffy was focusing on him specifically to pick on him. The thought made him angry.
Well! Luffy’s attention felt heavy and scrutinising. Law could barely breathe.
“That’s enough, Zoro,” Luffy said sternly. He looked at Law with some unexpected concern. “He’ll die if you guys keep going.”
Zoro nodded solemnly, agreeing with the assessment. Damn, so they found him more useful alive . Law coughed out some blood as he barely stood up straight. He wobbled around and it felt like the world was spinning in a dizzying, blurry spree. Law jerked his head up to glare at Zoro.
Sensibly, Zoro backed off but jumped at some strange disturbance in the air. He turned to Law with a wide, co*cky smile. Oh, so now Zoro was interested in fighting him. Law had never felt more insulted in his forty-seven years of existence.
“Oh. I didn't know you had Haki, old man,” Zoro said blandly.
“f*ck you guys,” Law said. Luffy laughed as he stood beside Zoro, casually putting an arm around his shoulder.
“Nah, not feeling it,” Luffy replied, grinning down at Law. They looked like they would dominate their partners in bed.
Obviously, neither of them were affected but they were impressed by his audacity to even try. “I’ll f*cking kill you both. I’m not a f*cking cage animal. That doesn’t count, fight me again.”
“Ooh!” Luffy was happy to hear that.
Amused, Zoro raised his sword again and struck Law. Law blocked it.
“Me neither, let’s do it.”
Luffy laughed delightfully. He leaned into Law’s ear and whispered something and his breath tickled Law’s neck to an unnecessary degree.
Caught off-guard, Zoro looked like he would hit Law dangerously close to his head, but he never did. He chose not to. As suicidal as he could be, he would rather not die in front of a small café owned by a kind old woman who gave him cakes for free. So much for showing Luffy something cool, Law thought.
-
Law blinked up at the sky. Zoro was sitting opposite him, eating a slice of honey cake while watching Law carefully. He did not feel bad for defeating him so pathetically but there was at least some newfound respect in Zoro’s eyes. That was so validating! Totally!
“Now, who the f*ck taught you how to wrap bandages?”
Luffy was proud of himself. “Chopper did! I passed Chopper’s school of first-aid!”
“Well, he’s a sh*t teacher. Don’t pull so hard! Does Doctor Chopper want me to f*cking pass away?”
“Don’t be mean to Da Chop!” Luffy said. He let go slightly. “And I’m trying! Stop complaining!”
Luffy continued tugging at the bandages until they covered up most of his injuries. Based on the amount of bloodied tissues and loose bandages, Law was surprised he did not need a blood transfusion of any sort. Law found himself lying down on Luffy’s lap, something the latter took great delight in as he stroked Law’s hair.
Irritated and tired, Law turned to his side and forced himself to sleep. Luffy noticed his frown and used his thumb to tug the corner of his lip upwards to form an absurd smile. Zoro laughed.
“Aww, don’t be angry,” Luffy said with easy charisma. Law glared at Luffy again but the latter ignored it casually, completely used to it now. “It’s so boring here. I wanted to see something cool! And that was awesome!”
Law could not help but be offended over how little his existence meant to Luffy, the embodiment of everything good in life. Luffy withdrew his hand quickly before Law could bite down like a wild, feral dog.
“Um… I nearly died!”
“Yeah, yeah, that checks out,” Luffy said thoughtfully. He laughed again, ruffling Law’s hair with excessive enthusiasm. “That would be the coolest death I’ve ever seen, though! Really!”
At least Luffy helped Law sit up and held Law’s lower back to support him. Smiling gently, Luffy wiped the blood off of Law’s lip with his sleeve and combed his hair indulgently. He treated Law like a doll.
“You’re really cool, though. Please don’t be mad at me,” Luffy said sweetly.
“I’m not. I’m really f*cking mad! You let this happen.”
Luffy had a wide unreadable grin on his face. Luffy ignored everything Law said.
There was a strange intimacy in the way Luffy looked at him. There was a single sparkle in his eyes and he always looked like he wanted to say something but never found the courage to say any of it. Luffy’s focus would occasionally go down to his cut lip. He looked like he wanted to kiss Law as an apology.
It persisted a few days later when Luffy and Zoro finally left them. When he felt better, Law convinced Penguin to give these two buffoons one of his old fishing boats, which at least had more room for them to lie down comfortably with one large empty room and a small kitchen. There were also many large bottles of rice wine from Jean and some bags of salted fish to help them get by.
Rather than grateful, it would be more accurate to say that they were intrigued to see how seriously Law tended to their general welfare. Luffy, in particular, was quite touched.
“Luffy, we cannot waste the good stuff Trafalgar got for us so don’t eat it all.”
“I’m amazed you remember my name,” Law said dryly.
Zoro laughed. “Of course, old man!”
Zoro ignored Law’s mounting annoyance and pat Law on the back before jumping into the boat. Luffy busied himself with undoing the rope that tied the boat to some sturdy trees by the lagoon. Sensing Law’s presence, Luffy smiled radiantly. He laughed when Law waved back, clearly happy.
Luffy stretched his arms out and put his hands on his midriff like he wanted to hug Law but was too lazy to get up. His thumbs stroked his belly button, trying to tickle him again but Law made sure that did not happen again.
“Don’t be a stranger, old man!” Luffy said after pulling away.
“I’ll beat the sh*t out of you both if you come back.”
That made them both laugh like it was a funny inside joke. The knowing look in their eye made Law think they have talked sh*t about him behind his back.
“Sure thing, boss,” Zoro laughed. He seemed serious. “Good bye, old man Law. We’ll miss ya sometimes.”
“Bye, bye, Traffy!”
Law pushed the boat forward to get more momentum. Luffy looked back. Again, there was that look on his face like he wanted a peck on the cheek. Cheekily, Luffy stretched his arm to tug at his hand, as if to pull him into the water and drag him along. Law kissed his knuckles and brushed his hand away. Luffy left behind a warm spot on his forearm, one that Law would miss for longer than he expected.
