The Life Before My Eyes

The Life Before My Eyes
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/36553846.
Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M, F/F, F/M
Fandom: One Piece
Relationship: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Donquixote "Corazon"
Rosinante & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Akagami no Shanks | Red-Haired
Shanks/Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D.
Water Law, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace,
Sabo/Smoker (One Piece), Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji,
Penguin/Nami (One Piece)
Character: Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, Sabo (One Piece), Trafalgar D. Water
Law, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante, Akagami no Shanks | Red-
Haired Shanks, Dadan Family (One Piece), Makino (One Piece),
Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates, Roronoa
Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji, Aka Ashi no Zeff | Red-Leg Zeff, Kuina (One
Piece), Nami (One Piece), Usopp (One Piece), Brook (One Piece),
Franky (One Piece), Nico Robin, Jinbei (One Piece), Dracule Mihawk,
Perona (One Piece), Smoker (One Piece), Penguin (One Piece),
Shachi (One Piece), Benn Beckman, Lucky Roo, Yasopp (One Piece),
Crocodile (One Piece), Bell-mère (One Piece), Heart Pirates
Additional Tags: Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy, Time Travel, Luffy Being Luffy, non-linear
drabbles, Cora-san is ASL and Law's dad, ASL Brothers (One Piece),
plus Law, Fluff, Angst, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Haki
(One Piece), Conqueror's Haki (One Piece), Alive Sabo (One Piece),
sea kings as pets, Kuina (One Piece) Lives, Donquixote "Corazon"
Rosinante Lives, shanks has like seven gay panics a day, don't mind
him, Sanji Is Not A Vinsmoke, bc screw them, Portgas D. Ace Lives,
Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate Lives, Letters, Love Letters, I
mean as loving as Luffy and Law can manage, Panic Attacks, Canon-
Typical Violence, long-haired sanji
Language: English
Series: Part 1 of Life Anew
Collections: Disfrutemos de la perfección, Davy Jones, goodlol, Lyrane’s treasure
trove, Fics Adored and Loved , ASL, ✨ Other
Fanfics✨ , fanfics that make me froth in the mouth [but
in a good way], One Piece bests, The best pairings to bask in,
Completed Masterpieces, One Piece works that have my soul, Best
Completed Stories, cauldronrings favs ( •̀ ω •́ )✧, Completed Fics
✅ , Serotonin, The Good Kush, masterpiece of one
piece, Wolfis OtherStuff Library, Noa's TBR, Why...(°ロ°) ! (pages and
pages of google docs links)░(°◡°)░, слава богу бог мне дал
хороший вкус, Fics to hyperfixate on
Stats: Published: 2022-01-20 Completed: 2022-08-18 Words: 95,587
Chapters: 60/60
The Life Before My Eyes

by Spooky_Vanilla
Summary
Luffy smiled, “My treasure? You can have it, if you can find it. But you’ll
never be able to.”
Blades cut into his neck, and the mighty Pirate King took his last breath.
And then he woke up.
Or: Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy travels back in time. He decides he's going to mix things
up.
This should be on Ao3 and on no other platform. I love translations and you have my
permission to post translations so long as my work and the translation stay on Ao3
and I am given the proper credits!
Notes
I don't even know XD
See the end of the work for more notes

Prologue
Monkey D. Luffy, the King of Pirates, has seen a lot in his short life. He’s seen an island in the sky,
an island that was under the sea, and he’s even seen an island that was half on fire and half frozen.
He’s made friends everywhere he went, carrying around precious people like nobles carried around
cash. He has the World’s Greatest Swordsmen as his First Mate, the best sniper as his close friend,
an Emperor of the Sea as his closest ally.
He also carried many enemies; made friend and enemies at every turn. The world government was
after him for being free, like it was a crime to dream and achieve those goals. He was chased and
chased and chased for the sole reason of being a man who has seen everything the world had to
offer. He’s seen the island in the sky, the island under the sea, he’s seen islands that held Samurai,
ones that had dinosaurs.
He found the One Piece.
Luffy hasn’t just seen majestic views, hasn’t just seen countless battles against the Marines that
constantly believe they could pick a fight with him, hasn’t just seen life. He’s seen death. Lots of
death. Death of his loved ones, people he cared for more than anything in the world. Ace, Sabo,
Nami, Chopper, Robin, Franky – everyone he held dear.
Luffy, he was going to see his own end too. And, yes, maybe it was a bit cliché, but he was going
out with a bang. He grinned on the scaffolding he was chained to despite how much he wanted to
cry – for his lost crew, for the amazing adventure he had, for the life he lived without any regrets –
and he told the world, just like the King before him, that his tressure was theirs for the taking.
They just had to find it.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy blinked awake, his vision met with a wooden roof and snores reaching his ears. He could
feel a foot against his side, a hand on his forehead, and what felt like curly hair over his cheeks. He
was lying on a thin mattress, a blanket riding low on his hips and the red shirt on his thin – very
thin, and small – frame jostled up.
The Pirate King sat up slowly, blinking out of his daze as he looked down at the people around
him. Ace and Sabo, his brothers, were sleeping peacefully besides him, not a care in the world.
Luffy blinked, his mind trying to understand what he was seeing. He lifted a hand, gazed at it
before he touched the scar under his eye. He lifted his shirt, looking at his chest, one that was
previously marked with a bold X, and he just…stared. Was this some type of afterlife? Because he
knows he died. He knows that his life ended, and he died without any regrets, just like he promised
his brother he would.
So…why was he looking at his brothers? His brothers as kids?
Luffy brough his hand up, and slapped Ace across the face quickly. Dark eyes opened and Ace let
out an angry yell, glaring at him as he nursed his red cheek.
“The hell, Luffy?!” he yelled, Sabo stirring besides them.
Luffy turned to Sabo, pursing his lips, and then proceeded to slap him as well.
“Oi!” Sabo barked.
They both tackled Luffy, and he laughed as his head hit the ground. If this was his afterlife, Luffy
would be fine with that. And if it was more than an afterlife, if he had somehow managed to go
back in time, he would be fine with that as well. Maybe this time, he’d manage to save his brothers,
and his nakama.
Luffy smiled his D smile and laughed because, fuck, he wasn’t the Pirate King for no reason.
Knowledge, Actions, Truths
Chapter Notes
So, these chapters are going to be drabbles that jump around in the timeline, I will put
the ages of the ASL at the beginning though to make it easier to navigate :D
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (20) 7
Ace/Sabo: 10
“We can’t go today.” Luffy said, gaze harsh and leaving no room for arguments.
It was rare for their little brother to get this serious, to the point where it was something like trying
to move a rock with only a stick – something very difficult to do without the stick breaking.
Normally, when their brother got like this, Sabo and Ace would listen and bend to his whim – but
not because they weren’t afraid to go against what their brother said, but because he always seemed
to know what was going to happen.
But today was the perfect day to pit-pocket some nobles and to dine and dash. That ramen place
was just calling their names!
“Trust me.” Luffy said, and that was when Sabo noticed the fear in his eyes.
“Luffy, why not?” Sabo asked instead.
“Your dad.”
Two words, just two, and Sabo felt dread flood his system. How Luffy even knew who his dad was
in the first place…Sabo had no idea it could have happened. He had been careful in keeping his
heritage from his brothers because he was scared.
“Eh, Sabo you know your dad?” Ace asked, suspicion in his gaze.
“Yeah,” Sabo bowed his head, no reason to lie if Luffy already knew, “I’m sorry, I lied about
being an orphan.”
“Why the hell did you even lie?” Ace frowned, but he just looked curious, not angry.
“I was born noble,” Sabo spat the word out, “But I hate it. So I ran away!”
“Okay,” Ace shrugged, “So we stay away from High Town today, whatever. Let’s just go get
some breakfast.”
“I want alligator!” Luffy cheered, and Sabo felt light at the way Ace turned with a smile on his lips
– always one to hide his affection.
“Wait for me!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
The changes in Luffy were subtle, but the brothers noticed it. Months ago, Luffy woke up one day,
and just changed. He was still Luffy, no doubt about that, but he was different – hardened in a way
no child should be, not even them.
He had this presence about him that was different from the crybaby Luffy who couldn’t throw a
punch without either tripping over himself or punching himself in the face. Two weeks after this
subtle change happened, Luffy’s aim and ability to use his Devil Fruit’s power was practically
perfect. He could throw punches with ease, even turned his leg into a whip!
It was easy to role with because this was Luffy they’re talking about! But one day he just…
disappeared. A note was left on his pillow, telling them he’d be back in colorful crayon that Sabo
wasn’t even sure where Luffy found. They had waited patiently for their brother to return (not
really, Ace ran himself up the wall in silent worry and Sabo tried to keep his mind off of it by
chattering to himself after Luffy was gone for an hour) but they had ended up running to Dadan
when Luffy didn’t come home that night.
Five days later, Luffy came back with a cheerful smile, a giant and a kid trailing after him.
“This is Cora-san and Torao!” Luffy had introduced them cheerfully, waving his hands at them to
emphasize who was who, but the brothers hadn’t cared.
“Luffy!” Ace and Sabo grabbed their younger brother and tugged him close.
“Where the hell did you run off to!?” Ace yelled, hitting Luffy over the head.
“We were so worried!” Sabo added.
“I wasn’t worried!” Ace sputtered, face red as he realized he was hugging his brothers.
“Shishishi! Sorry!” Luffy smiled sheepishly, “They were in trouble.”
“How’d you even know that?” Ace asked, almost a sneer, “Better yet, how did you even help them
if they were in trouble. That guy’s huge!”
Luffy blinked at them, “Size doesn’t have anything to do with strength, Ace.” He said helpfully.
“Anyways! They’ll be living with us from now on!”
Dadan blinked. Once, twice, thrice, “NO WAY! You three brats are enough!”
“Torao’s a doctor!” Luffy said, like that helped any.
“We don’t want to intrude!” The giant, Cora-san, said nervously, waving his hands.
“It’s not a problem!” Luffy said, beaming. “Torao is Nakama, and you’re Torao’s treasure, so
you’re Nakama too. I protect my Nakama.”
Sabo’s breath held as he watched his brother. Again, he was seeing someone else, someone who’s
older and wiser and has been through more than one could imagine. He blinked, and his baby
brother was looking at him, brown eyes wide and curious.
“Torao is my responsibility.” He said, firm.
“Okay, Luffy.” Sabo gave in, “As long as he can hunt, I don’t have a problem.”
“Like hell!” Ace yelled, glaring, “He has to know how to rob people too!”
“Oh and cook!” Luffy added even though he was the one wanting the kid and his dad to stay.
Judging by the kid’s deadpan, he noticed that too.
“Wait!” Luffy said suddenly, knocking his fist into his palm, “I forgot, I need a Den-Den!
Makino!”
And then he was running off, leaving his brothers to rush after him in a hurry. Judging by Dadan’s
long-suffering sigh and her yell of the two needing to carry their weight, the two strangers Luffy
dragged home were here to stay.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
When Shanks’ Den-Den Mushi started to ring, he had been a little buzzed. As the crew’s party to
celebrate Shanks being officially labeled as a Yonko just started, the drinks were quick to come
and be emptied. He watched as Benn answered the snail, his expression morphing to one of
confusion, then worry before he waved Shanks over.
“Who is it?” Shanks asked, grinning as he was handed the receiver.
“SHANKS!” Luffy’s distinct voice yelled over the snail and Shanks paused, terror gripping at his
veins.
Luffy wouldn’t call unless he was in some real danger, he knew.
“Anchor, what’s wrong?” He asked in a rush.
“Shanks, you’ll never believe it!” Luffy said, the snail copying the child’s grim expression.
“Hit me, Anchor.” Shanks’ grip on the receiver tightened with his worry. Luffy should smile, not
frown.
“I time traveled.” The kid said, completely serious.
“What?” Shanks asked flatly.
“Yeah, I was being executed and then, boom, I was a kid again!” Luffy said, wonder in his voice.
“Executed?” Shanks choked. “What, why!?”
“Shishishi! I went to Laughing Tale, found the One Piece, found out what happened during the
Void Century, and I became the King of the Pirates, but then the government was on my tale way
more than it was before, so my crew was getting hounded like a bunch!” Luffy started to ramble,
“And they ended up…well, my crew, they…” there was a pause, and a deep breath, “I let myself
get caught because everyone was…gone…so I was getting executed. And then I woke up with my
brothers and I’m so small!”
Shanks tried to understand the word vomit.
Okay. So.
Anchor knew some things that only those (but not necessarily limited to) on Roger’s ship should
know. Laughing Tale was a huge part of that.
But, holy shit, Luffy actually did it.
“Okay,” Shanks swallowed, “And you called me because…?”
He was still processing, don’t judge.
“I need a favor.” Luffy said.
“Okay…” Shanks mumbled, because holy fuck, Luffy was King of the Pirates! He was also
executed, fucking hell, “What can I do, little dude? How old are you anyways?!”
“I was twenty, but I’m seven right now!” Luffy said cheerfully. (So fucking young, Shanks won’t
even think into that.) “I wanted to know if this really is real.”
Shanks heart cracked at the broken tone his little Anchor adapted.
“I can’t say for sure, obviously, but this is as real as it’s gonna get, Anchor.” Shanks said softly.
“Okay…Great!” Luffy chirped, “Shanks, you’re a Yonko now, right? You probably can’t leave the
New World a lot, but just so you know, I’m the Pirate King! You don’t need to stay away
anymore!”
Shanks’ heart warmed, “I’ll visit soon, Anchor.” He promised.
“Yay!”
After the call ended, Shanks turned the curious crew gazing at him, and grinned.
“Let’s party twice as hard! Luffy’s promise was fulfilled!”
Loud cheers sounded over the deck, and tankards of alcohol rose.
Haki, Swords, Zoro
Chapter Notes
I am back!!
I'm going to try to get three drabbles per chapter (based off the title) and each chapter
will jump around in the timeline, so I hope that doesn't get too confusing lol Thank
you for all the reviews!!
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (20) 7
Ace/Sabo: 10
Law: 14
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“Hey, Luffy,” Law asked the youngest of the four, “How do you always seem to know where we
are?”
“I was curious about that too,” Sabo muttered as he cut into the cooked boar over the fire.
“Yeah, you were never able to do that before a few months ago.” Ace commented, narrowing his
eyes.
“It’s called Haki.” Luffy said, drooling over the cooking meat, “I can teach you guys if you want,
Shishishishi!”
“What’s Haki?” Sabo leaned forward.
“Well, there’s three forms! I can teach you and Law two of them.” He said.
Law frowned, “Why can’t you teach us all three?”
“Why can Ace learn them all?” Sabo asked, pouting while Ace smirked.
“Well, you have to be born with this type of Haki!” Luffy said cheerfully, “I know you don’t have
it, Sabo, but Law could. Right now, Ace is the only one who can use it, though.”
“Ha!” Ace smirked, pride in his gaze.
“Well, what does it even do?” Sabo stuck his tongue at his older brother.
“Observational Haki is one that can be learned, it lets you sense incoming attacks and stuff like
that! Armament Haki is kind of like armor? I can teach you guys that.” he frowned thoughtfully,
before biting into a chunk of boar, “Conquers Haki lets you use your will to knock people
unconscious.” He summarized.
“What?” Sabo gasped, “That’s so cool!”
Ace frowned, “I can use that Haki?”
“How would that even work?” Law asked, always the analytical one of the group, “It seems too
good to be true.”
Luffy grinned, “Follow me!”
“Oi, you ate all the boar!”
“Just follow me!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy stood in front of the Tiger Lord. His brothers nervously grabbed their weapons, but it wasn’t
necessary as this was a demonstration.
“Just watch!” Luffy told them, grinning as he placed his hat atop his head.
He walked forward without listening to their worries and pulled his arm back. A regular punch
with no real strength behind it sent the tiger into a rage, and Luffy grinned cheerfully as he turned
his back to the animal.
“Luffy! Watch out!” Ace yelled as Law’s fingers instantly moved to create a Room.
Luffy dodged the paw rushing down onto him, closing his eyes. “This is Observation Haki!” He
called to his brothers, dodging another swipe.
He remembered the awe he had felt when Rayleigh showed him this, he hoped his brothers were
just as excited! When he opened his eyes, his brother’s mouths were open and their eyes wide.
Luffy grinned. Coating his arm with Armament Haki, he showed how his skin didn’t falter under
the claws of the giant tiger. He explained the Haki he was using, before jumping back a few feet.
“And this,” he said, a pulse of Conquers Haki leaving him in a controlled burst, “Is Conquers
Haki.”
The tiger fell with a loud crash, and Luffy turned to his brothers.
“Are you ready to learn!?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“What’s this supposed to be?” Law asked, staring at the sword his little brother woke him up with
by, quite literally, pushing it into his face.
Cora-san was worriedly hovering over Luffy’s shoulder, biting at his nails while wearing that
ridiculous pink apron that Sabo cheerfully handed him a week after Law and Cora-san joined the
family. Law rarely saw Cora-san without it on since he was always trying to cook them something
new – even if most of the time he needed to have someone watching over him, either the bandits or
one of the brothers, so he didn’t burn the house down.
“This is Kikoku. Your sword.” Luffy said, that knowing glint in his eye back.
Law wondered what his little brother always seemed to know.
“I’ve never seen it before.” He said plainly.
“Well, it’s yours.” Luffy insisted. “It’s a cursed sword, but don’t worry, its dormant. I can’t hear it
at all!”
Law grabbed the sword and startled at how right it felt. “What do you mean you can’t hear it?”
“Well, Kikoku is sleeping, so it doesn’t talk.” Luffy said, like that explained anything.
Ace snorted tiredly, “Luffy logic.”
“Luffy logic.” Sabo agreed.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Zoro was busy in the middle of a match when Koushirou was called to the door of the dojo. Zoro
continued to fight; he needed all the experience as he could so he could finally beat Kuina!
“Zoro,” Koushirou called once Zoro won the fight, sending a sharp grin to his rival. The owner of
the Dojo walked into the room with a kid wearing a Straw Hat trailing behind him, “Your friend is
here to see you. He said it was an emergency.”
Zoro didn’t really have any friends. He certainly didn’t know who that guy was, either way.
“Hiya Zoro!” the kid chirped, beaming at him.
Zoro blinked at him, frowning. The kid simply grinned, practically bouncing in place with energy.
“Hm,” Kuina sent him a smug grin, probably making fun of him because this scrawny kid called
himself Zoro’s friend.
“Oi, Luffy,” another kid trailed into the room, a long sword draped over his shoulder and eyes
flashing around the room. “You sure that’s the kid?”
“Yep! That’s Zoro!” Luffy, apparently, said with a grin. “He’s strong. He’ll be the Greatest
Swordsman one day.” He informed, and Zoro felt his breath hold.
Did the kid just…
Golden eyes flicked over his body, before the pre-teen hummed. “Whatever you say.”
“He will!” Luffy said, determination in his gaze, “I won’t have just anyone as my Nakama, Torao.”
“Zoro, the Greatest Swordsmen?” Kuina was gaping, looking at the kid with wide eyes.
Zoro wasn’t any better.
No one ever believed him when he said he would be the greatest, they just laughed and told him it
wasn’t possible. But this kid declared it for all to hear without any doubt in his words...
“Zoro,” Torao, apparently, said, “Care for a spar?”
Zoro grinned, looking over to Koushirou for permission. The man nodded after a moment, and
Torao handed his sword over to Luffy, taking a bamboo one from the barrel.
The spar was a close call, and Zoro ended up losing by just a second. The kid was fast, faster than
Zoro, but he didn’t seem to have a technique down – probably new to the art of swordsmanship.
But the straw-hatted boy just beamed.
“Zoro, join my crew.”
“Ha?”
Luffy laughed loudly, “I’m the Pirate King! I need the best for my crew!”
Torao just leaned his sword against his shoulder, a slight smirk on his lips.
“Why would I want a weakling as my captain?” Zoro asked bluntly.
Torao’s smirk grew and Luffy just blinked, confusion on his face.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Oi, why are you following me?” Zoro questioned the two boys following him.
Luffy and Law (who apparently didn’t want to be called Torao by anyone other than Luffy) along
with two other boys, Ace and Sabo, hadn’t left his side since he left the dojo. The two boys that
hadn’t entered the Dojo carried metal pipes, probably their weapons, and didn’t really give him any
attention, speaking with Law about whatever came to mind.
But Luffy? Luffy wouldn’t leave Zoro alone. He didn’t talk, per say, but he had a loud presence,
walking by Zoro’s side with a wide smile.
“Why the hell are you following me?!” Zoro repeated when no one answered his question.
The freckled boy spared him a sharp glance, “Luffy decided you have potential, so he wants you to
join us.”
“Shishishi!” Luffy threw his arms out, “Zoro is really strong!”
“Why are you the captain?” Zoro squinted at the small-fry. If he’d have to guess, he’d say the
lanky teen, Law, would’ve been the captain. He just had that air about him.
“He’s not the captain,” Sabo answered, grinning toothily, “We’re all going to make our own crews
and set sail when we’re seventeen, but Luffy is the strongest of us, so when he wants to train
someone, he knows they have potential.”
Zoro looked over to the kid that was trying to grab a butterfly. “He’s the strongest?” he repeated
dryly, unimpressed.
“Yeah,” Ace huffed, “Don’t know how the shit did that, but he’s strong.”
Zoro rolled his eyes, “I don’t have time for this. I need to train.”
Luffy perked up, sending him a grin. This one was different, much different than the other's. It had
a sharp edge, something knowing, and the kid said, “Ne, Zoro, I can train you a lot. I may not
know swords like you do, but I know something that can help with that.”
Zoro squinted, “And what is that?”
Luffy beamed and pointed behind Zoro. There was a group of people who were walking up,
swords in hand and dark smirks on their faces. Zoro recognized them as the people who challenged
the dojo months ago, and got their asses handed to them big time. Zoro tensed, knowing that they
weren’t going to be friendly.
“Oi, boss, it’s the brat that beat Kajuki!” one of the men yelled. “And he’s with a few punks.”
“Let’s teach them a lesson.” another grinned, pulling his sword from the scabbard.
Zoro grit his teeth, he didn’t want these kids to get hurt even if they were really annoying. “Get the
hell out of here,” he hissed at them.
Law smirked lazily, shrugging, “I don’t see why we should.”
“Heh, I’ve been wanting some action,” Ace smirked, knocking his pipe against his hand.
“I call dibs on the big guy!” Sabo said loudly.
“Shishishi!” Luffy snickered, walked past Zoro, and paused in front of the men. “Do you want to
hurt Zoro?” he asked, looking innocent and clueless as he tilted his head to the side.
“That’s right, kid.”
Luffy lowered his head, a scowl pulling his lips, and he said coldly, “No one hurts my Nakama.”
The men dropped like flies under the boy’s gaze and Zoro paused in awe.
“No fair, Luffy,” Sabo whined.
Luffy just hummed, turning to look at Zoro with a wide, confident grin. “My crew is a crew who
dares to dream! What is your dream, Zoro!”
Zoro’s breath stuttered out of him, “I’m going to be the Greatest Swordsman in the world!”
“Join my crew, Zoro!” Luffy declared, “And we’ll achieve our dreams!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“WE DON’T RUN A DAYCARE, BRAT!”
“Thanks, Dadan!”
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter 4 - The Yonko and The Pirate King

The Yonko, The Pirate King, The Heart
Chapter Summary
The waves were soft as they rocked the Sunny, the setting sun casting beautiful rays of
purple and pink and orange against the vast ocean.
Law was dying.
...until he wasn't, the fuck?
Chapter Notes
I really really like this chapter, so I'm posting it sooner than intended! I updated the
tags with the relationships that will be in this, but they aren't the focus in this fic. They
will be mentioned and seen frequently, but the main focus is Luffy and his chaos lol
Well, I lie, Shank/Corazon is going to be a supporting focus because I need it lmao
I edited this a bit, but it's probably not 100%, so pardon any mistakes lol
Enjoy!!
(First two scenes/flashback) Luffy: 20 Law: 27

(Scene three and onwards): Luffy: (20.5): 7.5 Ace/Sabo: 10.5 Zoro: 9.5 Law: 14.5
The waves were soft as they rocked the Sunny, the setting sun casting beautiful rays of purple and
pink and orange against the vast ocean.
Law was dying.
The War between the Navy and the Pirate King and his allies had wiped everyone out, scattered
them across the seas. Gone. The Straw hats were no more, the only thing proving they lived being
the whispers of everyone, talking of their recent deaths. Only the Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy
remained of the crew of dreamers. The Heart Pirates had just two members left alive after the war,
and soon it would be zero.
Law was dying.
No ifs, no buts, he was going to die.
He was a doctor; he knew the symptoms of death when he saw it. There was nothing he could do
either, so he was just waiting for his time to run out.
It would, very soon.
“Law.”
Law looked over to his side, where Luffy sat. They had been sitting in silence for a while now,
something that was new for Luffy. They were simply soaking each other’s company in the rocking
of the sea.
“Yeah?” Law asked, his rough and weak.
“I’m going to turn myself in.” The Pirate King said, voice simple.
Law closed his eyes, the wind blowing at his cheeks and hair. He knew that Luffy hated being
alone to the point where he thought death was better. With Penguin in a coma with no signs of
waking up, Luffy would be alone when Law died. When Law died, so would Penguin because no
doctor would try to help him – not anyone nearby, and Penguin was living on borrowed time.
“I had hoped...” Law trailed off, knowing that hope and Luffy didn’t go together.
“I know,” Luffy murmured, gaze at the sea.
Law had been injected with a liquid version of Sea Stone. It ate at his energy, slowly but surely,
until nothing remained. Until he was dead. There was no stopping it, Law had realized. His ability
was still there, he could still use it, barely, but using it wouldn’t save him nor would it help his
condition.
Law was a fallen Yonko, and soon he would die. And leave Luffy alone.
He hated himself, just a little, for that.
Leaving Luffy alone meant the first person – other than Cora-san – that Law ever loved more than
himself would die. Law would kill two people he loved by being someone precious to them.
He wasn’t going to let Luffy feel alone, even if he’s going to turn himself in and allow his
execution.
Law inhaled deeply and lifted his hand. Luffy’s fingers curled into his instantly, eyes harsh, “No.”
“Let me.” Law said, almost a plea.
Luffy’s hand fell away after a moment, and Law called up a Room. His energy lessened
significantly, but he didn’t falter. He put his hand onto his chest and pulled. Luffy’s eyes widened
when he realized what was happening, and moved his shirt to the side, allowing Law to take his
heart as well.
“You won’t die alone, Pirate King,” Law said, smiling.
Luffy’s eyes flooded with tears as Law placed his heart into a scared chest. The feeling was
foreign, having a heart that wasn’t your own beating in your chest. Law’s fingertips brushed over
the split between their skin, golden eyes taking the sight to memory before he placed Luffy’s heart
in his chest.
And then Law leaned in, his hand on Luffy’s cheek and their lips met. Once, twice, thrice. It
wasn’t the first time they had kissed, but it was undoubtedly the last.
And then Luffy stood, and he left.

Walking to his death, and all Law could do was watch.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law felt the heart in his chest slow.
Slow, slow, slow.
Until it stopped.
His heart, too, slowed.
Slowed, slowed, slowed.
His lips twitched into a smile, tears gathering in his eyes as he watched the sea for the last time.
And his heart, too, stopped.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law woke up, his eyes connecting to a wooden roof. Which, by the way, shouldn’t happen.
He died. He knows he did.
Law looked to his side and blinked at what was greeted to him. Portgas D. Ace’s sleeping face was
way too close to his, and Law can see a familiar hair of green on Ace’s stomach. The Yonko sat up
slowly, surveying the room intently.
There were four other boys in the room, all of them children and easily recognizable as people Law
knew. People who Law either saw died or knows for sure their lives had ended. Revolutionary
Sabo was easy to pick out, even without the scar over his eye, and maybe the top hat sitting at the
edge of the room, a straw hat and Law’s hat sitting next to it, helped.
Arms and legs tangled together, pillows thrown in random directions and blankets covering little
skin, Law sat in in a room full of people who should be adults and dead. Himself included.
“Mugiwara-ya!” he hissed darkly, eyes trained on the face of the Pirate King.
Luffy didn’t stir, still drooling on Sabo’s elbow.
Law snarled under his breath, grabbing Luffy’s cheek, and pulled. His skin snapped into place, and
the boy’s eyes blinked open.
“Torao...?” he muttered, sleep thick in his too-high voice.
“Mugiwara-ya,” Law stared at him, “What the hell?”
“Torao.” Luffy looked much more awake, scrambling up and staring at Law in awe.
Law went to open his mouth, but Luffy grabbed his arm and hauled him up. He was dragged out of
a tree house, and to a river nearby. Luffy looked over to him, hesitance in his eyes, and Law hated
it. Hesitance and Luffy didn’t mix, not now, not ever.
“Torao?” Luffy asked softly, wide eyes blinking.
“Luffy,” Law heaved a sigh, and sat. He had a feeling he’d need to, “Why are we alive? Are we
alive?”
“I don’t know.” Luffy admitted, frowning, “I woke up here, I think we time traveled somehow! I
asked Shanks to look into it, but he hasn’t found anything yet.”
“How long have you been here?” Law asked curiously, mind whirling with any logical reason for
how this could have happened.
“Hm, six months?” Luffy asked thoughtfully, lips pursed in thought. “You just remembered
everything, right?”
“I did.” Law agreed, leaning back.
He thought for a long moment, before he sighed. Only one reason would stick to his mind, even if
it was ridiculous.
“You died with my heart in your chest, and I died with yours.” Law said, “That could have
something to do with this?”
Luffy beamed, “Who cares, Torao! We can redo everything!”
Law smiled slightly. That sounded appealing, but the sight of Luffy being Luffy was something he
hadn’t seen in weeks – not after Zoro fell in battle and Luffy was the last Straw Hat.
“I don’t think anyone else remembers,” Luffy continued, “And I’m pretty sure they won’t. If it is
because of the whole sharing hearts thing.” he waved a hand, “But that’s okay. They shouldn’t
have to remember all that.”
Law sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead. When he imagined dying, he hadn’t thought that
involved going back in time.
“How old am I?” he asked, voice blank.
“Torao’s about, hm, almost fifteen.” Luffy said, nodding his head. “I’m seven and a half!”
So Cora-san was already gone...and Law already had the Ope Ope no Mi.
A sudden memory burst behind his eyes, one of a straw-hatted boy shoving a heart-shaped fruit
down his throat after taking out the men who cornered Cora-san. Said Cora-san who was usually
seen with a ruffled pink apron.
Cora-san who was alive because of Luffy...
Law looked over to Luffy with wide eyes, “You saved Cora-san.”
“Cora-san is Torao’s precious treasure,” Luffy said simply, like that reason was good enough.
For Luffy, it always would be.

Law found himself reaching out, and Luffy met him halfway. Luffy pet his hair as Law rested his
head against the other’s shoulder.
Luffy was the only person Law loved in a way that was different from everything else. His love for
Luffy was infinite and vast, and he would do so much for the younger. Cora-san's place in Law’s
heart was different, love a child would have for their parent, and it would always be that. He had
longed for days where Cora-san hadn’t died, that he was still rooting for him and collecting
bounties. Law has missed Cora-san so, so much.
But Law loved Luffy. And he had lost Luffy just a few minutes ago, for him at least, and he...he
needed this. And he could tell Luffy wanted this too.
After a few minutes, Law composed himself, and straightened. He needed to see Cora-san, and
judging by Luffy’s knowing grin, the younger understood.
“Do you remember the way to the Bandits?” Luffy asked him.
“Yes,” Law rasped, nodding his head.
“Okay,” Luffy yawned, “Good night, Torao!”
“It’s almost morning,” Law answered back instantly.
“Good morning, Torao!” Luffy snickered, moving back to the treehouse with a wave.
And Law bounded his way up towards the Bandit’s Hut, jumping over tree roots and dodging low-
hanging branches like he’s done this so many times before. He had, in actuality, but that didn’t
matter.
He threw the door to the bandit’s hut open, uncaring for startling those who were or weren’t
awake, and stared at the wide-eyed and very concerned Cora-san.
Law hadn’t cried much when Luffy died because he knew he was going to be joining the younger
soon enough. He hadn’t cried much when his crew fell, nor when the Straw Hats did. He was
prepared for Luffy’s death, and they all knew there was a large possibility that they would die in
that war.
(There had been too much to do – trying to stay alive – to ever mourn his fallen crew properly.)
He hadn’t been prepared for Cora-san's death. He hadn’t prepared his mind to handle the grief, and
he never really had, even years and years later.
So seeing Cora-san again, alive with his makeup already on his face and that stupid pink apron,
Law cried.
And cried, cried, cried.
And Cora-san clung to him in return, confused and worried, but alive and that is all Law would
ever need.
Chapter End Notes

Up next: Chapter Five - Brothers, Devil Fruit, Pirates
Devil Fruit, Family, Pirates
Chapter Notes
I've been writing chapters non-stop, no one can stop my imagination or my

inspiration!! XD
I tried out a new layout for the chapters, what do you think?? I will be posting new
chapters every few days from now on :D
Enjoy!!
Ace: 18
Sabo: 17-18
Luffy: (29) 14-15
Law: (35) 21
Zoro: 16-17
⊱ ────── {.⋅ DEVIL FRUIT ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Portgas D. Ace sighed for the tenth time that day, huffing and puffing to himself. He ate a Devil
Fruit exactly six months ago, and he still isn’t over it. Sure, he has damn good control over it –
thanks to his baby brother and his big brother’s lessons on how to control two of the three types of
Devil Fruit. How to keep his body as human flesh other than pure fire had been a rough journey
even with those lessons in his mind.
It didn’t help that Sabo teased him about it to the point where flames were literally in Ace’s hair.
Of course, Ace imagined Law’s amused smirk, eyes laughing at him, and then Luffy’s actual, loud
laughter, and that hadn’t helped make the experience any better.
He ate the Mera Mera no Mi on accident when his first mate was shoved into him when they were
trying to figure out if the fruit in Ace’s hands was a Devil Fruit or not, and the fruit was shoved
into his mouth, and he swallowed it. His crew spent hours apologizing for making him eat a
literally Devil Fruit, and he had sulked for a day before sending a letter(s) to his brothers, telling
them of his new status as a hammer in the water.
And they all sent letters containing varying levels of amusement.
Bunch of bastards, the lot of them.
Despite not purposefully eating the Devil Fruit, Ace made it his own, and he is proud to say his
new moniker is “Fire-Fist Ace”. Which is pretty badass if he does say so himself. Of course, his
big brother’s title is pretty cool, he’d admit that. Surgeon of Death has that scare to it that makes
his sleep-deprived brother seem creepy. Which he was, Ace wandered around the forest without
his head on his shoulders once because he pissed the other D. off enough, and Law had just
smirked and offered to take off his arms when Ace yelled at him.
Which he will never tell anyone. Ever.
Thinking of Law made Ace think of Luffy, and about how the youngest of them was planning on
setting sail on his sixteenth birthday. He had collected his crew over the years since he had been
seven, and he had a pretty solid crew that was pretty strong for rookies. He had a navigator, Nami,
the liar sniper, Usopp, the swordsman who wielded the Three-Sword-Style, Zoro, the cook, Sanji,
and Ace is pretty sure they were taking Kuina with them after Luffy demanded for her to yell her
dream for all to hear when he was eleven and dropping Zoro back off at his island for a few
months.
Thinking of Luffy also made Ace think of how he missed his brothers. Sabo was already in the
Grand Line with a large bounty of two-hundred-million, a bounty he got after being an official
pirate for almost seven months. Law was rocking a two-hundred and fifty-million bounty,
something Ace knew was on purpose. Law could have a much higher one, but he was trying to stay
on the down-low, hence making himself seem weaker.
People always looked at the number and decided their strength. Law was actually one of the
strongest of the brothers. He was tied with Luffy, who was the hardest to beat because he was a
freaking monster. Ace still has no idea how Luffy learned Haki when he was seven with no real
teacher (he refused to believe Old Man Rayleigh taught him everything when Luffy had been gone
from Dawn for three weeks-tops before he learned Haki) and then decided to teach them. Ace
knew how difficult it was to learn such Haki, especially at such a young age.
Luffy was always mysterious like that, though, and Ace gave up trying to figure him out long ago.
“Captain,” Deuce called, giving him a dry look, “This island is covered in snow, are we seriously
staying here?”
“Hey,” Ace laughed, “I can go by myself.”
“As if we’d let you.” the shipwright, Cassy, said with a raised eyebrow.
Ace smirked, “Then let’s go!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FAMILY ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Oi, Uncle Shanks!” Ace called as he walked into the cave that was currently housing the Red-Hair
pirates.
Shanks positively beamed, “Firecracker! Long time no see, kid.”
Ace grinned, settling down in front of his uncle while his crew just gaped at him.
“UNCLE!?”
“Oh, yeah, Shanks has the hots for my dad.” Ace looked over his shoulder, “Did I not tell you
guys?”
“Obviously not!”
“I don’t have the hots for C-Corazon...” Shanks fumbled.
“Okay, sure,” Ace waved, “Anyways, did you know Luffy already wants to set sail? Damn brat is
two years too early!”
Shanks laughed, “You know he wouldn’t have it any other way.” he said simply, “The kid’ll be
fine.”
Ace pouted, “Still, Sabo and me set out when we were seventeen and Law left when he was almost
twenty.”
Shanks grinned, “Did you honestly think that land would keep Anchor for another two years?”
Ace laughed, “Guess not.”
“Anyways,” Shanks’ grin was sharp, “Mind telling Uncle Shanks why on Earth you’re going after
Whitebeard?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ PIRATES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Gurararara! You have spunk kid! Run wild under me as my son!”
“Go to hell, you Geezer!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Dear Brothers and Dad and Dadan,
I have been kidnapped by an old man named Whitebeard. Don’t mourn me if I die.
Portgas D. Ace”
“Damn idiot.” Law smirked
Seven islands away, Sabo smirked and laughed for the ocean to hear. One sea over, Luffy cackled
in the forest, his Navigator giving him a confused glance before parrying an attack from Zoro. On a
little island in the kingdom of Goa, two grown adults sobbed.
“Ace, you idiot!” Corazon cried, “You don’t get to call me dad and expect me not to worry!”
“Ace got kidnapped by Whitebeard!” Dadan sobbed into her handkerchief.
“I need to call Shanks!” Corazon yelled, tripped over his feet, and scurried over to the Den-Den.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

The Whitebeard pirates watched with differing reactions as their newest brother/son stormed onto
the deck, grabbed the News-Coo delivering the daily news by the neck, shoved several letters into
its bag along with a few belli, snarling, “You better tell those assholes that I’m going to burn their
asses for that! I know he laughed at me!”
The News-Coo seemed to slump in defeat, showing that this wasn’t the first time this happened. It
cawed and it sounded judging.
“Oh, and tell Cora-san that I’m not sorry,” Ace then smiled cheekily and turned on his heel,
“Whitebeard, fight me!”
A certain First Mate sighed deeply, already prepared for the expected slap to the air and yelling as
someone got sent overboard.
“Why won’t you just join?” Marco asked as a sopping wet Ace was dropped onto the deck, “Pops
wants to call you son, what’s so wrong with that?”
“I already have a dad!” Ace sputtered, “I can’t call Whitebeard Dad! Cora-san raised me, not him!”
That was it...?
Marco looked over to the captain of the ship, shoulders slumping when he saw the glint in his eyes.
“Why don’t you call me Grandpa?” Whitebeard suggested, “I don’t have a Grandson yet.”
“My grandpa hits me every time he sees me because I’m not a marine.” Ace deadpanned.
That was concerning.
Ace placed a hand on his chin, humming in thought, “How about Grandpops?”
“Gurarara! Welcome aboard, Grandson!” Whitebeard said happily.
“I wonder what Uncle will say when he hears about this.” Ace smiled gleefully, and Marco
snapped to look over at the newest member of the Whitebeards.
He had a bad feeling.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Oi, Grandpops,” Ace knocked on the door to the captain's room, entering the room when
Whitebeard called for him to enter.
“What is it, my son?” Whitebeard asked warmly.
“So, uh,” Ace shuffled into the room, sitting at the foot of the bed when prompted to. “My
biological dad was Gol D. Roger.” he said hesitantly, “And I understand if you don’t want me to
join your crew now...”
“Gurararara!” Whitebeard chuckled, “And here I thought you had something serious on your mind!
Who cares who blood you share, you are the child of the sea!”
And Ace found himself another member of his patchwork family that he would give his dreams
for.
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter Six - Ship Stealing, North Blue, Chef

Ship Stealing, North Blue, Chef
Chapter Notes
Remember when I said an update every few days? I couldn't wait to post this chapter,
so ignore that for now--
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (20.5) 7.5

Law: (27) 14.5
Ace/Sabo: 10.5
Zoro: 9.5
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SHIP STEALING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“I want to get my crew,” Law said the moment he managed to get Luffy alone.
Luffy nodded in understanding. “Then let’s go!”
Law sighed, “We need a ship, Luffy.” he said simply, moving Kikoku to his other shoulder.
The blade was as long as he was tall, so he looked a bit silly carrying it around. He wouldn’t hit his
growth spurt until he was sixteen if this timeline moved like his original one did, so he would be
stuck short for a while. But Law wouldn’t carry any other sword. Kikoku was his, and that was
that.
“So?” Luffy tilted his head to the side, “That’s not a problem.”
Law raised an eyebrow as Luffy laughed like a mad man and yelled for a ‘Brothers Meeting’.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“I cannot believe you stole a ship!” Corazon yelled, borderline hysterical as he gazed at the ship
the brothers presented to him.
It wasn’t a large ship, but it certainly wasn’t small. It had a kitchen, a decent sized room dedicated
to medicine (something Law was practically drooling to get his hands on after being in a forest for
five months and some change), and a room big enough for them all to sleep in. Of course, Corazon
got his own room if he wanted it, but for now it was Sabo’s navigating room.
Zoro grinned proudly as he looked at the ship, “We picked the nicest one, what d’you think?”
“What do I think!?” Corazon shrieked, “You stole a ship!”
“We paid for it...” Luffy pouted.
Well, that wasn’t necessarily a lie. They looked at their treasure hole, grabbed two small sacks of
treasure, gave it to the guy who originally owned the ship, and booked it. So, they didn’t steal it.
They traded.
“With what money?” Corazon looked at them suspiciously.
“We’ve been saving up!” Sabo yelled back.
“Yeah, we rob people!” Ace crossed his arms, huffing.
“Ace!” the brothers hissed.
Corazon bemoaned, planting his face in his hands, “Boys,” he whined.
“We steal from pirates...?” Luffy offered.
“I guess that’s the best I’ll get.” Corazon sighed,
⊱ ────── {.⋅ NORTH BLUE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“I’m heading out,” Law called once he attached the cloak Luffy had cheerfully handed to him –
something he stole from a noble whom he seemed to really hate. Law assumed it was Sabo’s dad
because the moment Sabo looked at it, he shuddered and redesigned it to make it look like a
normal cloak (by ripping off the gold feathers and a majority of the design), handed it to Law with
a nod, before telling Luffy that they should hit that place up whenever they had the chance.
It didn’t take a genius to see Sabo hated his parents.
“Law,” Corazon tripped over his feet as he tried to follow after his son, “At least take one of us
with you!”
“I’ll be fast.” Law said, smiling slightly, “Bye, Dad.”
“D – D – Dad!?” Corazon pointed at himself, eyes bugged out and jaw dropped.
Law blew air out of his nose, cheeks flushed, “Yeah, Dad, so what?” he muttered.
Corazon’s smile was like looking at the sun, “Be safe, Law! I love ya!”
Law scurried off the ship as quickly as he could. He may not be that emotionally constipated
fourteen-year-old he had originally been, but he was still emotionally constipated even in his
(mentally) thirties. He can admit his love for Luffy through actions, and he can show his love for
his brothers easily, but they weren’t the type of people to say it. Corazon did, though, and Law was
embarrassed by how happy it made him.
It had taken them a bit to get to the North Blue, but with the help of Luffy’s Conqueror Haki and
his bet Sea King, Unagi (such an original name, Law knows), the trip through the calm belt was
swift and easy. Zoro had still been a little wary around Unagi despite the fish literally being around
the brothers whenever Luffy went near the beach – the thing was seriously obsessed with Luffy,
and Law didn’t know if he should be concerned or not.
The snow crunched under his feet, and it was a familiar sound to his ears. He had lived on this
island since Cora-san died and left when he was in his late teens. This island was the closest place
to home he could’ve gotten before the Polar Tang and the Heart Pirates, and later on Luffy and his
crew. Law paused when he felt familiar presences and smiled into his coat collar.
Bepo, Penguin, Shachi, oh how he missed his old friends.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Woah! A bear!” Sabo awed the moment Law and his crew stepped abord.
“Sorry,” Bepo said nervously, shifting closer to Law.
“He talks!” Ace sputtered.
“I’m sorry,” Bepo repeated, and Law grinned.
“Heya Bepo!” Luffy chirped, walking over to the Mink with a wave, “Torao! Are we ready to go?”
Law looked over to the newest members of their weird patchwork family – because these people
were new, in a way – and nodded. “Yes, I think we are.”
“Everyone, this is Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin. They’re part of my crew.” He informed before
turning to the Heart Pirate’s first crewmembers, “Guys, this is my family. That there is Ace, Sabo,
Luffy, he’s Zoro, and that’s Cora-san.” He paused before pointing to the Sea King rising out of the
water, “That’s Luffy’s pet, Unagi.”
Penguin and Shachi stared wide-eyed while Bepo yelped in surprise.
“Shishishishi! Let’s set sail!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ CHEF ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sanji was so hungry. It’s been days since he’s eaten anything, and the old man has gone much
longer than that. Sanji didn’t even know how he’s lasted this long, given that he gave Sanji all the
food for some stupid reason Sanji didn’t get.
It wasn’t like he deserved it. He didn’t want to live if the old man would die.
That was why he ended up in this situation; he was too soft-hearted to be a Vinsmoke, and he’s
accepted that. But that didn’t make him feel better. At all.
Sanji didn’t want to die. There were so many things that he still wanted to do. He wanted to live a
life that was his, his to make decisions for, his to make mistakes in, his to live. He wanted to find
the All Blue, wanted to become the best chef ever, wanted to find people who actually cared about
him and let him be himself.
Sanji wasn’t going to have that, though, because he was going to die.
“Oi! Law! There’s people over there!”
Sanji lifted his head, and a ship filled his vision.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law bit his lip as he watched his newest patients. He easily recognized Black Leg even if he was
all skin and bones and a kid, but what worried him was how dehydrated and, frankly, starved he
and the old man were.
The ship didn’t have many medical supplies, but Law was able to get them as stabilized as he
could, and now they just had to wait.
“Luffy-ya, did this happen originally?” Law asked.
Because if it didn’t, they were changing the future at a frightening rate and who knows how long
they could keep their knowledge of the future and rely on it affectively.
“Yeah,” Luffy nodded.
Law relaxed. He liked knowing things, especially now that he could plan the downfall of
Doflamingo again and have another satisfying win. And if they weren’t changing the future too
drastically, he was content.
“Are they going to be okay?” Luffy asked, looking at Sanji with a look Law was all too familiar
with. Despair, hope, fear, care…
The Pirate King of this time would never have a reason to look that way, not if Law has a say in it.
“He’s going to be fine. It will take a while for him to recover fully, but he will.” Law said. He
reached for his sword, and kept it against his shoulder, “I’m going to go out, Luffy.”
Luffy nodded, eyes trained on his Nakama, and Law slipped out of the room quietly. Everything
would be fine.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Oi, Sanji,” Sanji looked over to one of his saviors, a boy younger than him, and swallowed
nervously at the intense look in Luffy’s eyes.
“Y – Yes?” Sanji managed out.
“I’m creating a crew of dreamers, what’s your dream?”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Y – You brought more.”
“Heh, those three are with Law, those two are with all of us.”
“Ace, not you too…”
“We’ll watch Sanji!”
“No, I’m putting my – YOU DAMN BRATS, YOU CAN’T EXPECT ME TO TAKE CARE OF
THIS OLD MAN!”
Chapter End Notes
Unagi – King Eel
Up Next: Chapter Seven - Heart, Dark King, Revelations
P.S. I really love chapter seven, so I'm super excided to get it out!! It holds what I
know a lot of readers are looking forward to :D
Heart, Dark King, Revelations
Chapter Notes
The chapter a lot of people have been waiting for! I was going to post this on Firday,
but I decided why not today? I already wrote a Valentine's Day Special for
Corazon/Shanks and the other ships in this fic, but I know a lot of people have been
wanting to see this, so consider this my Valentine’s gift to you readers :D <3
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (20.5) 7.5
Law: (27) 14.5
Ace/Sabo: 10.5
Zoro/Sanji: 9.5
Corazon: 26.5
Shanks: 27.5
⊱ ────── {.⋅ HEART ⋅.} ────── ⊰
If told a year ago that he would be a father of four rambunctious sons, Donquixote Rosinante
would have laughed in your face. He never intended in getting attached to Law, and he never
intended to get saved by a seven-year-old with a pet Sea King, whom dragged him to the East Blue
and said they were now family.
But, still, if you asked Rosinante, he would tell you he loved his boys with all his heart and that
would never change, even if they were going to give him gray hairs before he turned thirty. They
were planning on being pirates, and Rosinante didn’t see a problem with it.
Sure, he was a Marine. Well, retired Marine. But he didn’t see any problem other than them risking
their lives. Rosinante became a Marine because he owed a debt and that was the only thing he
could think of. He was a Celestial Dragon by birth, and he was ashamed of his heritage (of his
brother), but he was so, so happy to be alive.
Because he met Law and Ace and Sabo and Luffy, and then Zoro, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, and
Sanji. Those two boys of his collected people like treasure did pirates and it was driving Rosinante
crazy with worry, but he loved them no matter what.
Even when he needed to scold Law about removing his brothers’ body parts, or when he needed to
have yet another talk with Ace about his blood not meaning a damn, or when Luffy got himself
stuck between a literal rock and a hard place, or when Sabo knocked out yet another tooth and the
bleeding wouldn’t stop (and no, he did not panic, thank you), they were his boys. Rosinante would
do anything for his boys, and he would protect them with his life.
So when a literal Yonko and Dark King fucking Rayleigh wandered to the island, casually asking
where Luffy was, he panicked.
Because that was his boy, even if he woke up screaming some nights, even if he ran head-first into
danger without a thought, even though he got stuck between literal rocks and a hard place, and
even if Rosinante was going to get gray hairs before he turned thirty, that was his son.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Oh, Corazon,” Makino smiled pleasantly when Rosinante walked into her bar, carrying a basket
full of things the brothers decided the girl just needed.
He’s pretty sure they shoved some gold in the basket, so he wasn’t going to leave it for Makino to
carry back in case she got stopped by some bandits, as unlikely as it was (bandits were terrified of
coming near them, Rosinante assumed it was because of his sons and their freakish strength). It
wasn’t like he minded the walk anyways, it let him work his sore muscles, his sons decided he
needed to join in on their workouts as well and his Haki hasn’t ever been this strong.
(When he asked Luffy where he learned Haki, Rosinante’s youngest had claimed that “Ray-san”
had taught him for two years, which just raised more questions than answers, really.)
“I was about to head up the mountain, this certainly makes things easier!” Makino said airily.
“Good morning, Makino.” Rosinante said, eyeing the literal Emperor of the Sea that was casually
sitting next to Dark King Rayleigh, his hackles raised but a pleasant smile on his lips. He was a
spy; he could mask his panic with ease. “The boys wanted to deliver this themselves, but they’re
off somewhere doing Seas knows what.” He sighed deeply, grey hairs, he’s telling you. He can
only hope they didn’t set anything on fire today, Ace was known for having his own arson streak.
And hopefully Sabo didn’t rob a noble’s house again, and hopefully Luffy stayed out of trouble for
one day, yesterday’s bees-nest incident was going to leave nightmares, and hopefully Zoro didn’t
get lost and end up on another island like the other day, and maybe Law wouldn’t come home with
a person’s torso like he had last night–
Well. You get the point.
Makino just giggled and took the basket, “Those four will run you into the ground soon, Cora, you
need a break.”
“In the form of wine, I hope.” Rosinante joked, and Makino beamed.
“I just got a new shipment of that wine you and Dadan like, I was going to bring it up!” she turned
on her heel, her finger moving along the bottles until it stopped on the ones she wanted.
“You’re a saint,” Rosinante said, smiling as he accepted the bottles and kept them in the crook of
his arm. He hoped he didn’t fall, he’s pretty sure he’d cry if he broke these bottles.
Makino laughed, “Corazon, this is Shanks! Shanks, this is Luffy’s father, Corazon.”
Rosinante flushed at the address, he still wasn’t used to being their dad officially even if they
considered him their dad, but he couldn’t help but wonder why the hell a Yonko needed to know
that.
It worried him a lot.
“Nice to meet you, Shanks,” Rosinante said, smiling politely.
The Yonko looked surprised, eyes wide and mouth open, and he just stared. Rosinante shuffled
nervously, sending Makino a questioning look.
“Ha, so you’re the boy’s dad?” Rayleigh asked curiously, smiling widely as he finished his drink,
“I’ve been wanting to see him.”
“And why’s that?” Rosinante’s voice had a certain edge to it, sharp in a way it hasn’t been in a
while.
He used to be a marine, and he was still damn strong. Not enough to fight two literal legends, but
he could hold his own for a while depending on who exactly he was fighting. His devil fruit was
meant for surprise and stealth, so it’s not like he could use it should he have to fight these two.
But Rosinante was strong enough without it. His Haki was one of the strongest (he’s had almost
five years’ worth of being an undercover marine pretending to be a pirate, he needed to be strong to
rise in the ranks of his brother’s piss poor excuse of a family. Not to mention being raised by
Sengoku, which, damn, he hasn’t contacted his father in months.)
(With Ace and Luffy and Law under his care, Rosinante didn’t know if he should contact his
father. His father had a…distinct moral compass, and he wasn’t above killing a few kids if it was in
the Marine’s interest. It’ll be best for him to believe that Rosinante had been killed.)
“Oh, no, Corazon!” Makino shook her head, hands waving, “Shanks and Luffy are friends!”
“Oh,” Rosinante relaxed instantly, he had stood at his full height the moment he noticed the strong
presences in the bar, and moved to his regular slouch at Makino’s words, “I swear, that kid’s going
to give me a heart attack one day.”
Makino gave his elbow a pat through the load of feathers. Honestly, she didn’t even reach his
elbow, but the thought counted, “I know the feeling.”
“Well,” Rosinante sent the two pirates a grin, “I can take you to him if you’d like.”
“You have my thanks,” Rayleigh said, standing. He nudged Shanks when Rosinante turned,
leading the way, making the Yonko snap out of his daze.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Shanks has never seen such a beautiful man before, like, ever. Corazon was tall, like really fucking
tall, and his smile was just wow, and his smile was dazzling, and his eyes were so pretty. Did
Shanks mention his height? He was so tall, like really fucking tall. Shanks was speechless.
He trailed after the most gorgeous man he’s ever laid eyes on, and he had a hard time to not stare
so obviously. Judging by Rayleigh’s smirk, he wasn’t being all that secretive.
“So, the boy lives in the mountains?” Rayleigh asked, looking around nonchalantly, “There are
many animals here, right?”
“Yes,” Corazon nodded, eyes trained to the ground as he carefully stepped over a root, “They can
take care of themselves, but I still worry…”
Shanks liked his voice. Wow. It was nice. Like really nice.
Ahem.
“I didn’t know Luffy’s father was even around,” he asked casually.
“Ah, I wouldn’t know,” Corazon smiled, it was fond and bright, “Luffy’s not really mine, but he’s
still my son.”
Ah, so Luffy found himself adopted. Shanks smiled, that was good for his Anchor, even if he was
technically the Pirate King in a kid’s body. The man led them up a path, stopping at a hut and
giving a near-sobbing woman the bottles in his hand before showing them towards a different part
of the forest. The path wasn’t as used, discreet, and Corazon hummed under his breath as he dug
around his large cloak for a moment before coming back with a cigarette box and a lighter.
“Oi! Luffy, no fair!” the shout was muffled, but Shanks grinned because that meant his little
Anchor was close.
“Shishishi!”
“Luffy, you have some visitors!” Corazon called, breathing smoke out in the direction away from
Shanks and Rayleigh.
“SHANKS!” they all heard.
Shanks grinned widely when he saw the rubber boy hurtling towards him, laughing loudly. He had
an armful of the D. a second later, and the boy just laughed loudly.
“Ray-san!” He cheered, arms up as he grinned at Shanks’ former superior.
(Corazon choked on his cigarette and Shanks watched with rapt attention as he coughed, holding
his cig away from his mouth.)
Rayleigh studied him with a smile, “Monkey D. Luffy.” He greeted in amusement.
“Oi! Cora-san!” a teenager with a long sword barked as he came into view, “What have I said
about smoking!?”
Corazon yelped, and his coat caught on fire a second later. A boy in blue yelled that they needed
water, and a boy with freckles tossed a cupful of water at the burning man.
“This is why you shouldn’t smoke, Cora-san.” The teenager sighed.
“I can smoke if I want, Law,” the man huffed, seemingly unaffected by how he had literally been
on fire a second ago.
Shanks might’ve drooled, just a bit.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ DARK KING ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“So, you became the Pirate King,” Rayleigh said as he watched the young boy in front of him.
Luffy smiled at him, humming. “Yeah,”
“And do you have any idea why you came back?” Shanks asked, “We still haven’t been able to
come up with anything.”
Law sighed deeply, “Before Luffy turned himself in, we swapped hearts. That’s the only thing we
can think of.”
“You…swapped hearts…” Shanks repeated slowly.
Luffy laughed happily when Law called up a Room and literally removed his heart.
“I see.” Rayleigh watched the two.
“Wait, you’re from the future too?” Shanks asked.
“Shishi! Torao’s a Yonko!” Luffy said, smile dimming slightly for a moment before returning to
it’s regular beam.
“A Yonko, hm?” Rayleigh observed the bored-looking teen.
“Yeah, kicked Kaido’s ass,” the boy said blandly, “Took his spot before the war started.”
Shanks saw the grip on the long nodachi tighten, tan and spotted knuckles bleached white. Luffy
placed his hand atop Law’s wrist, and smiled, and Law sighed before looking away.
“So, what was this about swapping hearts?” Shanks wanted to tease them about how it was kind of
romantic, in a morbid way, but refrained. “Does that have anything to do with this?”
“I doubt that would cause us to travel through time,” the former Yonko now teenager commented
with another sigh. He adjusted his sword’s position, staring at the sea.
“Who cares!” Luffy grinned, “We can stop the war, and we can save Ace and our crews!”
“Yes,” Law smiled slightly, “But that will take time and effort.”
“Shishishishi! Who cares?” Luffy repeated, “It’s just another adventure!”
Law rolled his eyes, “We need a plan, though.”
Luffy picked at his ear, “Gross.”
“Mugiwara,” Law sighed, “I need you to stick to my plans this time.”
“Everything turned out fine last time.” Luffy grimaced, “Well, except for when you got shot, and
then when you were caught by Mingo and chained, and then when that happened, but everything
else before that was fine! I saved your ass, Torao!”
“Listen,” Law addressed them, ignoring Luffy easily, “We need to be on the lookout for a Devil
Fruit named the Yami Yami no Mi. That fruit basically starts all the bad in the future.”
“Mostly,” Luffy agreed.

“Why?” Shanks asked, frowning thoughtfully, “Why would this fruit cause this much trouble?”
“This fruit can cancel out any Devil Fruit powers, but it can also absorb a Devil Fruit.” Law
explained, “Basically, whomever has this fruit can have at least two Devil Fruit powers at once
without any drawbacks. The person who ate the fruit in our original timeline ended up taking
Whitebeard’s after he died during the war of Marineford.”
Luffy’s eyes shadowed over as he dipped his head.
“Whitebeard?” Rayleigh echoed, disbelief in his eyes.
“The war started because Blackbeard took one of his sons and turned him into the marines to
become a Warlord,” Law glanced at Luffy for a moment, continuing after observing the younger
boy. “That son ended up being the biological son of Gol D. Roger, so the execution was live. Of
course, Whitebeard wouldn’t let his son die, so hence the war.”
“Captain had a son?” Shanks hissed loudly, jaw on the floor.
“So Rouge’s son lived,” Rayleigh said, relief in his tone.
“Wait, you knew?” Shanks gaped at his former superior.
“Of course I did, brat!” Rayleigh laughed, “Where’s the boy at?”
“Ace hates his dad.” Luffy said sternly, “He won’t want anything to do with you guys.”
“The freckled kid that threatened me with a pipe?” Shanks said in disbelief.
“Yeah,” Law nodded.
Shanks and Rayleigh exchanged looks before they both burst out laughing, “This calls for a party!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ REVALATIONS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“So, Shanks,” Shanks looked over to the literal walking wet dream named Corazon and tilted his
head to the side. The party had died down quite a bit, the boys all either passed out or almost there,
and the Red-Hair pirates either drunk or asleep. Even Benn had let lose to the point where he was
slurring his words and on the verge of unconsciousness.
Shanks could handle his alcohol better, though, so he wasn’t nearly as bad as his crew. It helped
that he paused his drinking to share stories to the reluctant Ace and his brothers. Ace obviously
didn’t like Roger, but he had seemed grudgingly impressed with the stories.
“Luffy told me a lot about you, of course I didn’t think he was talking about a Yonko, but,”
Corazon smiled at him, the dying embers of the bonfire giving his skin a shining quality, his smile
sincere, “Thank you for saving him. I’d be dead without that kid.”
Shanks chuckled, “Luffy’s Nakama, you don’t have to thank me.”
Corazon had a fond light in his eyes as he looked over to the sleeping brothers and their crews. “I
was prepared to die; I knew it was going to happen.” Shanks chewed the boar leg in his hand,
paying close attention, “I just wanted Law to live. And he needed a Devil Fruit a very dangerous
pirate was searching for, so I was prepared to stall him so Law could escape. But Luffy showed up
out of nowhere, force-fed Law his Devil Fruit, and then dragged us into a Sea King’s mouth.”
Shanks snorted, “That sounds like Anchor.” he mused.
Corazon flinched back, “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to rant at you! I just wanted to thank you! Luffy
is very important to me, and, well, you get the point...”
Shanks smiled, “There’s no need to apologize, I don’t mind.” he pushed red strands out of his eyes,
“Luffy is special, he’s helped all of us one way or another. Thank you for watching over him, he
needs it.”
Corazon nodded, “He’s strong for his age.”
He had no idea. Executed at twenty because everyone else he loved was dead or close to death, and
he decided he didn’t want to be alone.
“Ne, imagine how strong they’ll all be in ten years.” Shanks said, “You’ll need a lot of wine,
then.”
Corazon laughed, eyes scrunched up and his smile wide and Shanks felt a teeny part of him wither
up and die because he was so totally fucked.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Shanks groaned when he woke, hand moving to cover his eyes as the sunlight burned into his
eyelids. He could hear his crew waking up around him and the sound of flickering fire, along with
the sound of water. A hand pressed gently against Shanks’ arm, and the Yonko pulled his hand
back, peeking his eyes open.
Corazon smiled at him, handing him a glass of water, which Shanks took eagerly. A second later,
Law was shoving a small glass of a green sludge into his hand and said, “Drink.” He then moved
over to Yasopp, kicked him awake quite literally and did the same.
Shanks’ nose wrinkled at the smell coming from the sludge. Luffy laughed, thankfully quieter than
normal, “Torao makes the best hangover cures.” He said cheerfully.
Corazon rolled his eyes with a smile, but Shanks knew that Luffy was probably talking from
experience and forced the sludge down his throat. The Yonko looked over to Corazon when he
stood and asked Sabo to skin the crocodile he and Ace dragged over and felt himself flush.
Corazon was wearing a pink apron that was tied around his waist, the thing much tighter than his
heart-patterned button up and showing his build where the ruffles didn’t cover. And he wasn’t
wearing his huge feather jacket either, meaning Shanks had a great view of his ass.
“Shishishi,” Luffy’s laughter came from next to his ear, and Shanks looked over to the Pirate
King’s knowing eyes, “You’re drooling, Shanks,”
Shanks wiped his mouth, damn Anchor for being so observant.
“I know the crocodile smells good, but you can’t eat it raw!”
Okay, so maybe Anchor didn’t know.
“Also, Cora-san likes guys, you should ask him out, shishi!”
Okay, maybe Anchor did know…
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter eight - Setting Sail, Crewmates, Bounty with Tears
P.S. I throw in a lot of head canons into the next chapter, especially with "Bounty of
Tears". I really that chapter <3
Setting Sail, Crewmates, Bounty with Tears
Chapter Notes
Sabo’s crew is going to be the crew from another fic of mine, for those who happen to
recognize it :)
I really like the last part of this chapter, so I hope you all do too :D
Enjoy!!
Sabo/Ace: 17-17.5
Luffy: (27.5): 14
Law (33-4): 20-1
Sanji/Zoro: 16-16.5
Corazon: 33
Shanks: 34
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SETTING SAIL ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo grinned as he threw his bag over his back, his gloved fingers grabbing his signature hat and
placing snug over blond curls. Today was the day, he would finally set sail, and he was happy to
leave the island. He loved Dawn Island, of course, his family lived and grew up here, but his
biological ‘family’ have been on his ass lately despite the last time they ran into each other ended
with a lot of Haki and a dark threat from a young Luffy.
Law had set sail almost seven months ago, his three crewmates and him shoved onto a boat by a
stern Luffy despite how Law said he really should wait a bit longer. Luffy and Law always
understood one another on a higher level than the rest of them were ever able, so none of the other
brothers or their Nakama knew why Law stayed on the island until a few months before his
twentieth birthday, but there was no doubt in their mind that Luffy knew.
When prompted, Luffy said Law was scared. Not of setting sail, Law was obviously itching to get
out there, but of leaving them alone. It had made Cora-san cry his eyes out and Dadan yelled that
she just had something in her eyes as she dabbed at her watering eyes with a handkerchief.
Ace left on his birthday just a few months ago, and now it was Sabo’s turn. Just like with their
previous brothers, their friends and family were sitting on the edge and waiting for Sabo to set sail.
Sanji and Usopp even managed to be here for the day despite them being in different places, for
the most part. Sanji was on the floating restaurant him and Zeff made most of the time, Usopp
went back to his home island every few months to stay with his mother, and Nami rarely had time
to come to the island to train (physically, since she was always going over navigation at her home
island) due to her mother not really wanting her to be a pirate.
(They all knew Nami would be a pirate anyways, Bell-mere knew this too but tried to stop her
daughter from turning to piracy even if it was pointless.)
“Sabo!” Luffy called, smiling widely, and holding a wrapped box in his hands.
He had given Ace a present the day he left as well, but he said sternly that it was to be opened
when they were at or near the Grand Line. Sabo smiled softly when he was given the same
instructions, and accepted the hug his little brother gave him, the younger’s limbs wrapping around
his body in a way no regular human will ever be able to do without his brother’s fruit.
“Please,” Luffy’s voice was soft, for Sabo’s ears only, “Be safe.”
Sabo’s smile softened and he ruffled messy raven locks, “Always.”
Cora-san was next, tripping over his feet slightly as he made his way over, and wrapped Sabo in a
hug, lifting the former noble and clutching him to his chest.
“You better be careful, and write me lots, got it!” Cora-son demanded; eyes watery.
Sabo hugged him back for all he was worth, “I will, Dad.” he promised.
Cora-san set him down after a long moment, fixing his top-hat and smiling proudly, “You better
get going before I keep you here,” Sabo’s precious dad said.
Sabo never thought leaving would be such a task. He never thought he’d have a dad who actually
loved him.
“Be safe, Sabo,” Makino held his hands, squeezing them with a proud smile.
“I will, Big-Sis Makino.” Sabo hugged the woman before she handed him a box, it was wrapped in
what looked like one of her bandanas.
“This is for emergency use only,” she said firmly, smile wide.
“Got it,” Sabo laughed, and quickly moved to Dadan. “Thank you for taking care of me!”
“Damn brat!” the bandit turned her head, sobbing loudly while tugging a handkerchief from her
shirt. Sabo was surprised when the expected ‘Get out of here’ didn’t come and watched as the
bandit who was sort of a mother to him, tugged a small bag from her pocket and handed it to him.
“Get out of here already!” she cried.
Sabo laughed and bounded his way to his boat. He waved until he needed to start navigating the
boat. Unagi pushed him out of the coast of Dawn Island, leaving him with a small huff that only
Luffy would be able to understand, eyes teary, and Sabo finally set out on his journey.
In the bag Dadan handed to him, a shiny, red-beaded necklace glittered in the sunlight.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ CREWMATES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
It didn’t take Sabo long to find a crewmember. A woman in her early thirties quickly became his
first crew mate, her lips painted black and her eyes an eerie purple. Indigo was her name, and her
reasoning for being a pirate was to spite her parents who’ve wanted her to be nothing but a good,
quiet wife or a marine. Neither fit Indigo, and when Sabo asked her to join his crew, she agreed
without hesitation, leaving a loveless marriage and hateful parents behind.
Soon, more and more crewmates started to join, and soon Sabo was setting sail towards the Grand
Line. Bindi, an orange and green fish-woman, navigated them safely towards the Reverse
Mountain with Sabo’s help, and they arrived into the Grand Line safely. Sabo quickly tugged the
box his brother gifted him out of his room and undid the leather tie holding the box closed.
“What’s that?” Falan, the ship’s swordsman, asked.
“My brother gave it to me, he told me to open it when I got to the Grand Line.” Sabo said, pulling
the box open.
Makino definitely helped Luffy wrap it, since it was so neat. Sabo folded the protective tissue
away and stared at what looked like an oddly shaped bracelet with a needle in the center. There
was also a book labeled ‘Log-Pose’, and a few other trinkets, and two other books. Both were
labeled with his name in Makino’s beautiful cursive, one in blue saying, “Sabo’s Adventures” and
the other in yellow saying “Sabo’s Journal”.
“A Log-Pose?” Bindi questioned, squinting at the object in the box.
“You know this?” Sabo asked, carefully taking the bracelet out. It was surprisingly heavy, not light
like Sabo would’ve assumed, but it didn’t weight a ton. He slid the smooth, blue wood over his
hand, and made sure to strap the pose to his wrist tightly.
“That’s the only way to navigate the Grand Line,” Bindi said.
Sabo grabbed the book labeled ‘Log-Pose’. It was clearly Benn’s writing, and Sabo smiled as he
skimmed it. This wasn’t just a gift from his brother but his whole family. It was kind of them.
Once he got the basics of the Log-Pose, he cheerfully informed his crew to set sail.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ BOUNTY WITH TEARS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo’s first bounty was amazing. Sure, he totally thinks he’s worth more, but twenty million isn’t
anything to scoff at for his first bounty. The picture, he still isn’t sure when it had been taken, was
a side-profile of him. He was looking at something in front of him, off to the side of the camera,
smirking, amusement in his eyes. His weapon of choice, a pipe of course, was raised in view,
darkened with Armament Haki (though it didn’t seem so in the picture), his blue-themed clothes
(which mocked nobles) was also seen.
What stood out, however, was the red beads fashioned in an intricate knot holding his cravat.
“Wo-hoo!” Sabo cheered, “This calls for a party!”
(Maybe, and this was a huge maybe, he spent a little too-much time with his Uncle Shanks.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“Sabo,” Rosinante sniffled, not even bothering to hide his tears as he gazed at his third-eldest’s
bounty. Dadan started sobbing a river the moment she saw the beads stark against Sabo’s cravat,
but insisted she just got dirt in her eyes.
Wanted Dead or Alive: Rosi D. Sabo
That brat was going to give Rosinante grey hairs soon, but hell, did he make Rosinante want to cry,
his heart warm.
“That’s my son!” Rosinante turned to the pirates piled around him in the Bandit hut, “Shanks, we
have to celebrate!”
“Shishishi! Go Sabo!”
A sea away, one Portgas D. smiled, touched beyond belief when he saw his little brother’s bounty.
In a submarine, islands away, Trafalgar D. Law grinned.
“Doing damn good, little brother.” The Surgeon muttered.
Chapter End Notes
Rosi D. Sabo - Rosi comes from 'Rosinante' and D. comes from Ace, Luffy, and Law
:)
Up Next: Chapter Nine - Trapped, Voices, Ink
P.S. the next chapter is pretty heavy on the angst, but "Trapped" and "Voices" has a lot
of Luffy and Law bonding while "Ink" is Cora-san and Law bonding :D
Trapped, Voices, Ink
Chapter Notes
Editing this while listening to a Corazon playlist is just *chef kiss*
I have read a lot of comments on whether or not I'll cover Marineford, and to just get it
out there, I will be covering it! Chapter 23 is the official Marineford chapter :D
(Though, it may be covered in multiple, I'm still not sure lol)
Also, on comments. I've only gotten around to answering a few, I'm going through all
the comments slowly but surely, so bear with me lol
Enjoy!!
Luffy (20.5) 7.5
Law: (27) 14.5
Ace/Sabo: 10.5
Zoro/Sanji: 9.5
(Should I add T/W's to chapters like these? I'm not sure, plz let me know ^^)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ TRAPPED ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law was small. He shouldn’t be.
Law had less stamina. He should have more.
Law had patches on his skin. He should have ink.
Law felt trapped in his own un-inked skin, and he hated it.
His skin had tattoos, dark lines with deep meanings. He was six foot three. He was a Yonko – a
fallen Yonko.
His skin didn’t have white patches still fading or scaring over, he wasn’t barely five feet, he wasn’t
a kid that wasn’t even a pirate yet.
It was wrong.
Law was okay with dying. He was okay with it, truly. He had been fine with dying – he had
planned on dying earlier than he had. He never anticipated becoming a Yonko, never anticipated to
live after taking Doflamingo out. A part of him never expected to live through that encounter if
he’s honest.
So, he lived longer than he had expected. He had been ready to die, especially since he had weeks
to prepare himself for it.
Law is…happy to be alive. Cora-san is alive, he has part of his crew with him, brothers and Luffy,
and it’s more than he ever hoped for in the past months.
But he was trapped in a body – in skin that wasn’t his, and he hated it.
“Torao?” Luffy had been following after Law for a while, though he tried to be subtle about it.
Law’s Observation Haki wasn’t the best of the best, but it was still better than average, so he had
sensed Luffy making his way to him.
Luffy was small too. His voice was too high in pitch, too child-like. He didn’t have his regular
stamina, couldn’t use his main attacks like Gear Second. But Luffy didn’t seem to mind being in a
body that hasn’t been his for a decade and some change. Law wasn’t like that, wasn’t simple-
minded and look at the best in the situation. He was analytical, liked facts over hope, and maybe
that was why Luffy was so appealing.
Where Law planned and planned, Luffy didn’t think.
Where Luffy didn’t think, Law tried to keep him alive.
Where Law was dying, Luffy would go out with him.
“Torao, what’s wrong?” Luffy asked him, sitting in front of him.
Luffy wasn’t an idiot like people thought he was – simple-minded with a one-track focus, yes, but
he wasn’t stupid. He was observant in a way that scared Law because not once had Luffy not left
him feeling bare and exposed. Luffy could learn and understand a lot, but he chose not to because
he saw it as useless for him to learn when his nakama wanted to.
But Luffy could see through Law, see through anyone, like they were a glass window that had been
cleaned recently. And Law loved it as much as he hated it.
“m’fine.” Law grunted.
“Law,” Luffy said, raising an eyebrow.
It looked silly on that too-young face.
Luffy should be older.
Law should be older.
Law sighed deeply, “I’m not used to being a kid again,” he muttered out.
Luffy smiled at him, grabbing Law’s hand. “I like your spots, Law.”
Law watched Luffy tangle their fingers together, “I don’t.”
Luffy smiled, one of his rare soft ones that didn’t make him look loud but sincere, loving dare Law
say, “It shows that despite everything, Torao is still alive.”
Law hated those spots.
He should have ink on his skin.
Luffy looked at him from under his lashes, his finger gliding over the patches moving up Law’s
arm like it was treasure. Like Law deserved it.
Law was starting to think he did, so long as Luffy looked at him like that.
Law hated those spots; they should be covered in ink.
Luffy loved them anyways.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ VOICES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law found Luffy after searching for half an hour. He hadn’t been in the tree house when they woke
up, nor had the bandits seen him. Luffy didn’t just disappear, so the brothers and their friends ate
breakfast and went searching for him. It was good training for the other’s Observation Haki, at
least, and Law played it off as it being practice.
Law found him at the cliff overlooking the sea. Luffy had his hands clasped over his ears, eyes
scrunched up tightly, and his presence was barely a whisp. None on the brothers would be able to
find him like they were – except maybe Sabo who took that type of Haki like a fish to water.
Maybe he just got tired of Luffy knocking his skull with a stick whenever he failed to dodge.
“Luffy-ya,” Law called.
Luffy flinched, hands pressing to his ears with more force.
Law approached slowly, kneeling in front of the King. Taking in the boy, Law understood what
was happening, and he moved to rest Kikoku next to them. His fingers wrapped around Luffy’s
wrists, and he pulled the other closer. He pulled Luffy’s hand away from his ear and let the other
rest against his chest.
“It’s so loud,” Luffy choked out.
“Just listen to me,” Law said simply, turning to watch the waves.
Something like this has only happened a handful of times, and Law learned the best way to calm
the other down was by making him focus on one thing – usually someone’s heartbeat or breathing.
The Voice got too loud for him sometimes, mostly when he was upset or stressed about something,
or if he got too careless with what he allowed himself to hear.
Everything spoke almost constantly, Luffy told him months ago, when they were still in their adult
bodies and exhausted, only a handful of their crewmates left alive. Normally, Luffy only heard
what wanted to speak directly to him. When he got like this, though, he usually unknowingly forced
himself to listen to everything around him.
It took a while for Luffy to calm down, his fingers peeling away from his ears and his body
relaxing.
They didn’t talk about it. They didn’t need to.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ INK ⋅.} ────── ⊰

The tattoo parlor was the most shadiest thing Law has ever seen. It was in a dark alleyway that took
fifteen minutes to navigate to, but Ace had led him there without a care in the world, pipe in hand
and chatting about something Sabo and him found during their daily runs – aka stealing from
people.
The tattoo artist was probably a murder, but Law flashed some belli, and he got a grunted response
of what he wanted. Ace stood back, glaring suspiciously, but didn’t focus on Law’s request. Cora-
san would flip out if Law returned home with all of his former tattoos, especially with death on his
knuckles, so Law was putting those off for later.
Law’s shirt was removed the moment the artist got the design he wanted, and the needle rose. His
original tattoos would be on his skin soon enough, but he wanted to add a bit to it. The needle
glided on his skin, and Law felt himself smile.
As he and Ace walked back to the forest, the younger boy looked at him with a frown, “What did
you get, anyways?”
Law smiled, “It’s a secret.”
“Pf, lame,” Ace huffed, obviously disappointed.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Two days later, Rosinante was sobbing dramatically the moment he saw the ink on his son’s skin.
Corazon in Rosinante’s neat cursive sat on Law’s collarbone, and on his right shoulder, LASL
stood out in bulky letters.
Ace was not crying like his other brothers, thank you very much.
(He was.)
Chapter End Notes
I was going to add a picture of what I envisioned the tattoos to be, but I was too lazy
lol Just imagine Law's shoulder-heart tattoos with a LASL in the middle (right now it's
just the LASL though) and Corazon over his chest, his chest-heart tattoo will be there
too, and Corazon is right above it.
I love cursive writing, so you'll all be seeing it mentioned plenty of times in future
chapters XD
Up Next: Chapter Ten - Cook, Strength, Commitment

P.S. Chapter ten focuses on Sanji for all three drabbles :D
P.S.S. does anyone want smut?? I don't know if I wanna add it into this fic but I'm
down if people will read it XD
Cook, Strength, Commitment
Chapter Notes
This chapter is way shorter than I would've liked, barely 600 words, but I can't see
how to add to it, so...
I'll totally have more Sanji chapters because this one's length is just sad lol I'll post
again tomorrow to make up for the small chapter though! On another note, Marineford
has been pushed to Chapter 24 as I was hit with inspiration on how to make Corazon
suffer more than he already has so Shanks could comfort him, and they could bond
and Marineford was pushed another chapter back-
Lastly, I will be adding smut to this fic after such positive reactions (which I haven't
responded to yet, I'll get to it soon but I've read them I swear-), but it'll be few and far
between and mostly non-explicit. Mostly with Law/Luffy from before they time
traveled and maybe a bit of Shanks/Cora. But, again, it won't be very detailed XD
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (21.5) 8
Law: (28) 15
Ace/Sabo: 11
Zoro/Sanji: 10
Corazon: 27
Shanks: 28
⊱ ────── {.⋅ COOK ⋅.} ────── ⊰
It took Sanji two months to start gaining weight without Law hovering over him, and it took two
more months for Sanji to start moving around normally. Sanji itched to cook, it’s been too long
since he’s prepared anything. Corazon was an okay cook when he managed to stand long enough to
make something, and Zeff even started to cook dinners while hobbling around on the wooden leg
that Law had given him, muttering about how he didn’t care if the old man walked or not.
Sanji wanted to cook.
So, he did.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“Old Man Zeff!” Sanji yelled, “Teach me to cook!”
“Why should I teach a shrimp like you to cook?” the old man didn’t even look at him, but Sanji
wasn’t going to give up easily.
“I want to cook, I want to be the best cook!” Sanji insisted. “When I find the All Blue, I want to
cook everything!”
“Hn, you just look like a pipsqueak to me,” Zeff squinted at him, and Sanji stood tall. “Peel those
potatoes, brat.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ STRENGTH ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Okay, Sanji’s turn!” Luffy chirped, beaming too happily for someone who’s been smacking his
nakama around like ragdolls for the past hour.
Sanji nervously shuffled closer and let Luffy tie the blindfold around his eyes. He was ways away
from the others, given how he’s been recovering and not able to move for a while, but he needed to
catch up. He wanted to be strong.
A stick bonked over his head and Sanji grit his teeth.
“Try to feel for the attack,” Law’s strict voice informed, “It’s all about feeling right now.”
Sanji tried to feel for the stupid stick, only for it to hit his shoulder. Sabo had gone before him, and
he had only been hit four times compared to Ace’s seventeen. Sanji wanted to get that good
because when you watched Sabo, you could see that he could feel the attack like Law spoke of.
Sanji felt, listening intently, and waiting.
He got hit in the elbow.
Sanji felt for the attack.
His head was struck next.
Sanji felt.
Felt, felt, felt.
And it was like he could see the attack, so he moved his head, and felt nothing.
“Yay, go Sanji!” Luffy chirped behind him, and Sanji peeked from under his blindfold.
“I did it?” he asked, confused.
“Yes,” Law smirked, “Took you nineteen tries, but you did it.”
“My turn!” Penguin said cheerfully.
“Let Sanji have a few more.” Law said, nodding to Luffy.

The top of Sanji’s skull got hit.
Sanji felt, and he dodged.
Sanji felt, and he got hit.
Hit, dodged, hit, hit, dodged.
By the twenty-fifth struck, Sanji successfully dodged four hits. Sanji beamed as he made his way
to the group that had already gone, it was a start and a damn good one!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Cooks pride their hands, boy!” Zeff barked, “So you can’t attack with your hands!”
Sanji pursed his lips, so what was he supposed to attack with?
“Your legs, boy,” Zeff stressed.
And that was the beginning of Sanji’s leg training.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ COMMITMENT ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Sanji,” Luffy said, smiling.
“Y – Yes?” Sanji sputtered.
“Do you want to join my crew?” Luffy asked him, tilting his head to the side.
“I thought I already did?” Sanji felt dread in his gut.
“You didn’t mean it then,” Luffy said lightly, still smiling, “Do you want to join my crew, Sanji?”
Sanji’s bottom lip trembled, “Yes!”
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter Eleven - Changes, Acceptance
P.S. The next chapter is ASL and Cora-san's reaction to Law's sudden change (aka,
after he time travels) :)
Changes, Acceptance
Chapter Notes
Way short chapter, again, sorry--

Good news about that, though! Double update :D
Enjoy!!
Luffy (20.5) 7.5
Ace/Sabo: 10.5
Zoro/Sanji: 9.5
Law (27): 14.5
⊱ ────── {.⋅ CHANGES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
The day Law traveled through time had been a hard one. He stuck to Corazon or Luffy for a
majority of the day and had no idea how he should act. So he just acted like himself, snarky, dry,
sadistic (at times, not always, Penguin), and logical. Apparently, he wasn’t that different from his
fourteen-year-old counterpart, if Luffy’s snicker about it was anything to go by.
But obviously, he was different. There was a change between a hardened Yonko compared to a
traumatized too-mature for his age fourteen-year-old and it wasn’t anything he could just tone
down. Luffy has been here for months, so obviously his persona change wasn’t even questioned
any more, so Law figured the questioning looks would leave with time.
When it came to using his powers, a majority of his techniques hadn’t been thought up, and he
learned that the hard way when he used Shambles to change Zoro out with a rock before he could
get hit by a bear-claw. Not to mention how he went from joining Luffy’s classes as a student and
changing to a teacher.
“Why the hell are you going to teach us!?” Ace sputtered the moment Law said he would teach
Armament Haki that day.
“Yeah, you aren’t much better than us,” Sabo crossed his arms, frowning.
Law smirked slowly, his hooded eyes boring into his brothers and friends, “Do you want to bet?”
Luffy just laughed loudly, “Don’t worry, Torao’s Armament Haki is super strong!”
Zoro raised an eyebrow, looking curious but accepting the answer as it was. He believed Luffy
more than he believed anyone, so it wasn’t all that surprising that he would just take Luffy’s word.
The others, though, not so much.
“The hell, Luffy! Were you giving him extra classes?!” Ace fumed.
Luffy looked confused, “No?”
Luffy sucked at lying, so the brothers believed him instantly, turning their accusing eyes at Law.
“You trained more than we agreed, didn’t you!?”
“Yeah,” Law said simply.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ACCEPTANCE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante’s jaw was on the ground.
He had noticed Law’s changes, of course he did, but he figured it was just Law growing. You
know, like puberty and teenager things! When he sensed a large wave of power coming from
where the boys were, he hadn’t even thought about what dangers they could be facing and hurried
to them.
Instead, he found Luffy and Law sparring, their arms and weapons darkened with Armament Haki
and their expressions determined. Rosinante knew that just a few days ago Law couldn’t fight with
his Armament Haki active for long, but it was like he was looking at a different person.
“Room!”
Luffy threw his arm back, sending it forward and knocking Law a few feet back, stopping his
attack before he could do it. Law twisted his wrist, Kikoku dropping to slice at Luffy’s wrist.
Rosinante knew for a fact that Law didn’t have his swordplay perfected yet, but it was like he was
watching an oiled machine do what it had been programed. Like Law has used that weapon for
years. Luffy ducked down, falling flat onto his back and kicking his leg up at Law. The limb
stretched, knocking Law under his chin, and sent the other flying.
They both flopped down, and just stayed looking at the sky.
“Damnit, Luffy-ya!” Law grunted, “You broke my nose!”
“Shishishi! Sorry, Torao!” Luffy chirped.
And then Luffy sat up, waving the older over. Law went willingly, face flushed and a pouty frown
on his lips as Luffy raised his hand up to Law’s nose. He wiped the blood away and cracked his
nose back into place.
“All better!” Luffy said, smiling.
Law prodded at his nose for a bit before he grunted, “Better than before.”
“Shishi!” Luffy wrapped his arms around Law several times and kept him there despite the other’s
struggle.
Rosinante knew that something about Law changed, but looking at the scene in front of him, he
couldn’t find himself to care. So long as Law was happy, Rosinante was too.
“Boys! Are you oka – ack!”

“Shishishi! Cora-san, there’s a root right there!”
“Are you alright, Cora-san?”
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter Twelve - Sparring, Brothers, Questions

Sparring, Brothers, Questions
Chapter Notes
I really like this chapter XD We need more Whitebeard shenanigans in here lol
Enjoy!!
Sabo/Ace: 18-18.5
Luffy: (28.5) 15
Law: (35) 22
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SPARRING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Hey, Ace,” Thatch questioned, wiping sweat off his brow and breathing heavily. The commanders
usually spared once or twice a week if they had the time, and since the weather was nice and there
was nothing going on, being at sea and all, Thatch challenged Ace to a duel.
Ace has been a Division Commander for a few weeks now, and it’s been busy up until now, so
Thatch was ready to wipe the deck with Ace, only to get pleasantly surprised that Ace was much
stronger than he had first anticipated.
“Huh, yeah?” Ace asked, looking slightly winded. He looked used to such taxing spars, or just
battles in general. Thatch didn’t have that much stamina; his division didn’t really go head-first
into battles every other day like Ace’s did, so the difference compared the Logia and the cook was
pretty vast.
“Where’d you learn Haki? It’s difficult to learn and you haven’t been in the New World for long.”
Thatch said, noticing that the Commanders present not-so-subtly perked up at the question.
“Oh, I’ve known Haki for years,” he grinned wolfishly as he laughed, “My brother beat it into
me.”
“Brother?” Izou questioned, “I didn’t know you had siblings.”
“Yeah, there’s four of us,” Ace motioned to the tattoo on his arm LASL sat on his bicep in chunky
letters. Well, that explained the tattoo at least. “I’m the second oldest.”
“So your big brother taught you it? I wonder where he learned it, yoi.” Marco muttered the last part
to himself thoughtfully.
“Oh no!” Ace laughed at them, “Luffy did, he’s the youngest.”
“And how old were you…?” Thatch trailed off.

“I was about ten, so Luffy was…seven?” Ace placed a hand on his chin, “Yeah, Luffy had turned
seven recently when he started to teach us.”
“Seven!?”
“Ha, yeah,” Ace grinned, like that was a common occurrence.
“Where the hell did a seven-year-old find someone to teach him Haki in the East?!” Haruta
demanded.
“Oh, he said Rayleigh taught him for two years,” Ace said, “But I’m not sure if that’s true since he
never used Haki before he left the island for two weeks to pick up our big brother and when he
came back he was a master. Damn shit, he never tells us anything.”
“Silvers Rayleigh?” Whitebeard hummed in surprise.
“Yeah, Old Man Rayleigh.” Ace agreed easily, way too casual about this entire situation.
“I – do you not know how it happened?” Izou asked, still in a bit of shock.
“Nah, I stopped trying to figure it out a while ago.” Ace waved his hand before lifting it to massage
his neck, “That’s just Luffy.”
“But for the Silvers Rayleigh to train a seven-year-old Haki…” Namur muttered. “And in the East
Blue?”
“Luffy said Rayleigh taught him on a inhabited island in a calm belt.” Ace pipped up rather
unhelpfully. “I think he said for two years, but I don’t see how Rayleigh could’ve taught Luffy
Haki before he was seven, so I’m not buying it. But Luffy is a sucky liar, so who knows, Cora-san
only taught him how to lie believably when he was fourteen.”
Whitebeard chuckled while his sons exchanged looks, wanting to know more.
“Welp, I’m hungry!” Ace hollered, leaving them alone with their questions.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ BROTHERS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace yawned as he walked onto the deck of the Moby Dick, eyes watering. He wandered over to the
small circle of people, curiously peeking over Thatch’s shoulder.
“What’re you reading?” he asked lightly.
“Oh, just about one of the rookies in Paradise.” Thatch answered, reading the next part aloud for
Ace. “Trafalgar D. Law, the Surgeon of Death, singlehandedly dismantled two Navy Warships,
and left the debris on the shore before disappearing.” The commander whistled, “Damn, his
bounty’s almost three-hundred million now.”
Ace yanked the bounty of out one of his nakama’s hands, grinning widely when his brother’s
smirking face stared back at him. He hasn’t seen his brother in forever and while letters and
bounties were able to keep him content, he wanted to see his brother and hear about his adventures.
“What’s with that grin?” Thatch asked, a curious look on his face.
“Oh, do you perhaps know this Surgeon of Death?” Izou asked, voice teasing.
Ace saw Thatch send Marco a look, one he couldn’t decipher, but didn’t think into it.
“’course I do!” Ace said cheerfully, “I can’t believe how big his bounty is now! He told me he
wanted to stay off the radar for a while. Guess he changed his mind,” Ace laughed.
“Are you two close?” Izou pressed, “I’ve never heard you speak of him before.”
Ace was close with all of his brothers, and Law wasn’t an exception. They grew up together, Ace
knew Law like he knew the back of his hand. Ace and his brothers slept in the same treehouse,
tangled in a careless heap, and Law has been a part of that since Luffy brought the brooding teen to
the island.
Ace had been there when he got his first tattoos (one of which all their brothers got by the time
they turned fifteen), had seen Law turn in his first bounty. Ace can’t even count how many times
he had to drag his big brother to bed when he decided to stay up for another study night in their
tressure/makeshift library treehouse located next to the tree house they slept in and stored their
things in.
Not to mention the only time Ace was away from any of his brothers was when they were out
stealing from people or was doing some midnight Haki training.
Close was an understatement.
“Yeah,” Ace said fondly, his grin wide, “Torao’s my big brother, ‘course we’re close.”
A long silence.
“What?” Marco choked out.
He sounded relived for some reason.
“Yeah, Law’s my big brother.” Ace said, tilting his head, “Have I not mentioned it before?”
“Obviously not!” Thatch laughed, “I can see the resemblance, a bit…” he pulled the bounty up
next to Ace’s face, looking between the two. “Smirk.”
Ace smirked.
Izou clicked his tongue, “And hood your eyes.”
Ace awkwardly did as requested.
“And tilt your head to the side a bit,” Thatch added.
They stared at him for a moment.
“Yeah, I can see it.” Thatch said.
“Yes, the resemblance is there.” Izou nodded.
“What do you think, Marco?” Thatch asked.
“Trafalgar is more sadistic, yoi.” Marco said.

“Ha! You don’t know the half of it!” Ace barked a laugh, “One time, Torao left a bounty we were
hunting without his body and made the sucker guess where his limbs were hidden, and if he
guessed it by the end of the day, we’d let him go.”
“What?”
“What?” Ace tilted his head to the side, “We didn’t let him go, if you’re wondering, he didn’t meet
the deadline. Torao put him back together, obviously.”
“I…Marco did I hear that right?”
“Yes, yoi.”
“Okay, nice talk, nice talk…”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Damn, the newest rookie is certainly making a name for himself.”
“Gurararara! Seems like a cheeky brat!”
“Who’re you guys talking about?” Ace asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.
“The Top-Hat pirates,” Marco answered.
“Sabo’s in the paper?” Ace asked, grinning. He scrambled into an amused Whitebeard’s lap and
read the paper.
Seems like Sabo set an island with nobles on fire. Ace let out a joyful laugh, he wondered what
caused that to happen.
“You know him too?” Marco asked dryly.
“Yeah, Sabo’s my little brother!” Ace nodded, “He’s usually the responsible one, wonder what
happened for him to lose his cool, though.”
“He seems to mock nobles a lot, yoi,” Marco observed.
“Yeah, he hates nobles.” Ace said, “Doesn’t help that his dad was one, a huge prick too.”
Whitebeard let out a hum, “Seems like a interesting brat.”
Ace tilted his back and grinned widely, “He is!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ QUESTIONS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Okay, so, Ace,” Thatch leaned next to the second Division Commander, “I have to ask.”
“What?” Ace asked, though his mouth as full so it didn’t exactly sound like a proper word.
“Your family is, like crazy, right?” Thatch asked, “Because I’ve never heard of one family having
four D’s that are total powerhouses, especially from the East.”
Ace tilted his head, “What do you mean?”
“You’re from the East Blue, aren’t you?” Izou asked, “That blue is considered the weakest, but
from what we’ve heard from you, you and your brothers sound like total monsters. No offense.”
“None taken,” Ace grinned, “I mean, growing up, we were called the Monster Quartet. We grew
up in a forest filled with really big predators, and we were raised by bandits and a former marine
spy, oh, and Gramps wanted us to be marines so he would throw us into monkey pits a lot growing
up, and Law has a super over powered Devil Fruit, but Luffy’s is pretty handy in battle even if it’s
weird, oh and then that’s not even mentioning Uncle and Old Man Rayleigh’s training…and I’m
pretty sure Luffy’s been friends with Jimbe since fo~orever, dunno how that happened.”
“There’s so much I need to navigate in that word vomit,” Namur stated blandly.
“You, a marine?” Haruta let out a laugh.
“I know! That’s what we told him and he’d smack us!” Ace whined, nursing the memory of the so-
called Fist of Love. “He used Haki too! We were just kids!”
“I never want to meet your gramps.” Thatch laughed.
Ace muttered, still looking upset at the memory.
“Jimbe? How the hell does Jimbe know your little brother?” Izou asked, eyes wide.
“Luffy used to always tell me about how Jimbe was going to join his crew.” Ace shoved some rice
into his mouth, “And when I asked Jimbe about it, he said that he told Luffy he’d consider it. But
that doesn’t mean Luffy was wrong, Jimbe will give in eventually.”
Absolute silence. Ace looked up, raising an eyebrow.
“Jimbe agreeing to join a human kid’s crew?” Namur blinked a few times.
Jimbe didn’t hate humans like some Fishmen did, but he still had that regular distaste and wariness
for them like most fishmen. For him to agree to be some kid’s crewmate was honestly the most
surprising bit of Ace’s word-vomit.
“I…I’m just going to pretend this convo just…didn’t happen.” Thatch muttered, looking like his
head hurt.
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter Thirteen - Lucid Dreams, Jealousy, Worry
P.S. the next chapter has some elements that were heavily inspired by a comment!
Chapter fourteen and fifteen both take place on the Moby; Law is a special guest in
chapter fifteen :D
P.S.S. no one will like the reason for his visit-
Lucid Dreams, Jealousy, Worry
Chapter Notes
This chapter is a bit on the shorter side but I added in a prompt I saw in the comments!
:)
Enjoy!!
Ace: 19.5
Sabo: 19
Luffy: (29.5) 16
Law (36) 23
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LUCID DREAMS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace, for the last few weeks, have been having the same dream. Over and over and over, it was the
same thing. He can’t claim to understand what he was seeing because most of the time he didn’t
really remember the dream itself; only the feeling of self-hate and helplessness. Marco, his
boyfriend of almost three months, told him that it was okay; nothing to worry over to the extent
that Ace was worrying.
(Marco confessed to Ace one day after a raid, and they’ve been dating since. But because it was
new – Ace grew up around his brothers and friends, and he’ll admit he had a small, microscopic
crush on Sanji when they were kids, but he had no experience with romance – they kept the
development to themselves. If the relationship fell apart, they wouldn’t want to drag their crew
down with it, hence only Pops knowing since he was really observant.)
But Ace couldn’t shake the feeling that this dream was important, that he needed to know it.
It was weeks after the first dream that left Ace gasping for air, hate in his gut and helplessness
drowning him, that he finally got a good grasp of what he was seeing. Thatch was obvious, his hair
gave him away immediately, but what Ace saw made him sick. Thatch was on the floor of the
Moby, a knife in his back and eyes lifeless.
Ace didn’t understand what the dream meant; he didn’t really care. The point was quite clear;
Thatch got stabbed in the back (literally or physically, Ace has yet to decipher) and died on the
ship and that was what was important.
Ace had one dream like this before, when he saw Outlook III, that bastard, for the first time. A
dream of Sabo being led away by High Town Guards, and he had woken up shaking with Sabo’s
name on his lips. Luffy had been the only one there and he told Ace to always stick to his gut,
especially when Ace had dreams like those.
Ace learned early on that Luffy just knew things, and to trust him when he gave advice like that.
(Especially when he saw the intense look in those normally childishly happy eyes, the seriousness
in Luffy’s child voice still sent shivers down Ace’s spine when he thought back to that day. It was
like he wasn't looking at his baby brother but a man who knows. Knows too much. Ace gave up
ever figuring Luffy out, but that didn’t stop his ever-growing curiosity.)
So, Ace listened to his gut and believed his dream. He didn’t know what would happen, the dream
was pretty limited in information, but he knew Thatch would be attacked from behind or betrayed,
and Ace wasn’t going to let that happen!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ JEALOUSY ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Marco honestly didn’t know what was up with his boyfriend. Ace has been twitchy for the last
month because of some dream he’s been having, and Marco honestly didn’t know how to help him
with that. But now, all Marco was seeing from Ace was a bright smile, nervous eyes, and the fact
that the man wouldn’t leave Thatch’s side.
It hadn’t been that big of a deal the first time it happened, Ace was overall friendly, but seeing him
touch someone so often and so much was new. Marco was happy that his lover was finally
stepping out of his shell, even if it was only with Thatch.
But when the fifth day of Ace attached to Thatch’s hip showed up, Marco just wanted to know
what was happening.
“Hehe, I think I’m stealing your crush, Marco~” Thatch cooed in the rare moments Ace wasn’t
breathing down his neck.
Marco glared. Ace was his own person, and he could do whatever he wanted. Who was Marco to
tell Ace that he couldn’t be close to their brother? It was stupid and childish to be jealous of how
much attention Ace had on Thatch at all times. Marco was the First Mate of the Whitebeard
pirates; he shouldn’t get jealous in the first place.
But damnit, does Ace have to dodge him just to spend time with Thatch?
⊱ ────── {.⋅ WORRIES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Marco grabbed Ace’s arm and dragged him away the moment the commander’s meeting ended.
The Logia had whined and pulled against his arm, trying to follow after Thatch, but gave in after
Marco gave him a stern look.
“What’s going on, yoi?” Marco asked as he closed his door behind him, sending Ace an
unimpressed look when the other started to sputter excuses. “Ace, just talk to me.”
Ace fumbled, “Well, I’ve had these dreams before,”
“The ones that you’ve been confused on?” Marco asked, folding his arms.
“Yeah,” Ace nodded, he looked hesitant, “I can’t really explain it, but I know that I need to listen to
the dream?”
Marco raised an eyebrow, “Okay, and what is the dream telling you?”
Ace was a shit liar, so if he really was worried about his dreams, Marco would listen. Marco would
help him, that’s what nakama and boyfriends did.
“Well, the first time I had these dreams, it was about my brother Sabo. Luffy told me to always
listen to what the dream tells me and Luffy’s rarely wrong when he’s that serious.” Ace bit his lip,
“And what I saw in my dream sort of came true, so I’ve always paid close attention to them.”
Okay…Marco was starting to get a little worried.
“And…and why are you following Thatch around?” Marco wasn’t sure if he wanted to ask his
next question, but he did anyways, “What did you see, yoi?”
“Thatch was stabbed in the back, dead,” Ace spat, nails digging into his fists.
Marco sunk down into the bed next to Ace, processing.
“I dunno if he was betrayed or just attacked from behind,” Ace muttered, “But I know he’s going to
die.”
And after that day, Thatch had two followers at all times.
“I’m just that irresistible.” He joked weakly when Izou raised an eyebrow.
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter Fourteen - Traitor, Blood, Den-Den
P.S. Law shows up next chapter!!

Traitor, Blood, Den-Den
Chapter Notes
I was invited to watch a surgery done by a professional, along with a lot more things,
and the program could give me a scholarship to a good college, so I sent an application
in. Today, I get a form along with more information on the program and as I'm reading
through it, it tells me I have to pay 950 dollars to join and, um, couldn't you have told
me that in the original email?? Not everyone has that kind of money laying around
honey-
I decided to post this early because I couldn't wait to get it out lol
Also, I just spent an hour writing angst, angst, more angst, and sex and Idk how to
feel- (chapter twenty-seven lol)
Lastly, I wanted to point out that I'm about to ruin my '69' work count with another
side-fic for this fic XD
I'm such a child--
Enjoy!!
Ace: 19.5
Sabo: 19
Luffy: (29.5) 16
Law: (36) 23
⊱ ────── {.⋅ TRAITOR ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Thatch walked out of his room (for once without his two constant followers, surprisingly), the
Devil Fruit he found on his last raid tucked under his arm. Izou had a Devil Fruit dictionary and
Thatch wanted to know what his fruit was. If it was a good power, he might eat it. He didn’t really
want to be a hammer in the water, so the power would have to be worth his while.
“Thatch!” Thatch turned at the call of his name, tilting his head to the side with a grin when his
brother waved him down.
“Sup Teach?” He asked.
“Ah, is that the fruit you got last time?” Teach asked curiously, his easy smile still on his lips.
“Oh, yeah, I was going to see what it is.” Thatch agreed and continued to walk. He needed to get to
Izou fast if he wanted to know what the fruit was tonight, the other commander liked his rest and
reacted horribly when he was woken.
“You gonna eat it?” Teach prodded.
“Eh, maybe.” Thatch scratched at his cheek, “I’m still not sure. Did you need something, though?”
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you real quick.” Teach said. Thatch thought for a moment, he had a bout
twenty minutes before Izou clocked in, which meant he could spare a few minutes on his brother.
“Sure, what’s up?” Thatch asked.
“I noticed something in the water a bit ago, I’d tell Commander Marco but Ace and him finally
went to bed.” He explained.
Thatch smiled warmly, telling Teach to show him to the problem. Marco hadn’t been getting much
rest lately, and it got worse now that he was worrying over Pops’ health along with his and Ace’s
newest hobby of following Thatch everywhere.
(That, and Marco obviously had a crush on Ace. It was so obvious! If Ace was more aware of
romantic feelings, he’d probably notice like everyone else on the ship, and Thatch wasn’t sure if
that was a good or bad thing for Marco. Poor guy’s running himself mad with nerves after Izou
said he just needed to tell Ace how he felt.)
No one would look at Marco worrying a hole in his floor over a boy as the First Mate of the
Whitebeard pirates.
“It’s over here.” Teach said.
Thatch moved closer to the railing, frowning thoughtfully when he couldn’t see anything.
“I can’t see it,” Thatch admitted, “What am I looking for?”
“You know, that Devil Fruit of yours is something I’ve search for, for years.”
Something prickled at his senses, and Thatch turned around quickly, catching the knife in his
brother’s hands as it rushed down towards him.
Shit, this wasn’t happening, was it?
Over a Devil Fruit? One he was probably not going to eat in the first place?
This wasn’t happening, tell him it wasn’t…
The knife entered his skin, piercing through a layer of muscle and nerves–
“Room.”
Teach’s arm paused, dropping around Thatch and his torso falling back. Thatch gasped, looking up
at the man who was walking up like he owned the place, a long nodachi on his hand. The man
whom Thatch vaguely recognized as the Surgeon of Death wore spotted jeans, a blue long-sleeved
shirt, the sleeves pushed up his arms, black feathers around his neck and his jolly roger over his
chest in yellow.
Golden eyes stared down at him, dissecting him in a mere glance, before he looked down at the
still moving and loudly cursing Teach. How he was still able to move, Thatch had absolutely no
idea, but Trafalgar D. Law…didn’t exactly save his life, with a knife in his chest and all that.
Trafalgar D. Law once visited the Moby before with the proposition of healing their father when he
was a rookie pirate.
(Thatch still remembered the lanky teen handing over his heart as a way to show that he was
serious about saving Whitebeard and not killing him. It still gave him chills.)
Trafalgar kicked at Teach, lunging for the Devil Fruit the traitor was trying to take a bite of. Thatch
was surprised at the look of panic on the usually reserved man. The world grew foggy, a metallic
taste was in his mouth, and Thatch felt his breath shudder. Law slid down next to him, and Thatch
couldn’t see Teach anywhere, but something told me the man was dealt with – either having ran or
Law killed him.
A scowl scrunched Law’s sharp features up and he bit his lip, “Shachi, Penguin! Prepare the
operation room stat!”
“Eye, Captain!”
“Thatch!” the yell of his many siblings. Thatch managed to tilt his head, looking over to where the
many pirates flooding the deck.
“What have you done to my son?” Whitebeard asked, voice chilling, loud.
Thatch smiled weakly, “Teach tried to kill me.” He slurred.
“Teach?” Marco asked in surprise, even the barest hint of tiredness fading away completely.
“Yeah,” Thatch shuddered as the pressure on his wound increased, Law barking for his crew to get
the stretcher and to make it quick, damnit! “W…Where did – he go?”
Those imposing gold eyes flashed down the fruit by Thatch’s feet, “Never mind that. Focus on
staying alive, Commander.”
Law saved Pops years ago. Thatch had no doubt that he would save him too.
Trafalgar blinked at him once before he turned the fruit at their feet and grabbed it, he looked at it
with such hate, before the object was being taken out of his hands by one of his crewmembers,
Thatch being carefully lifted onto a stretcher.
“Torao!?” Ace gasped when he shoved through the crowd, eyes flashing from Thatch to Law.
“What the hell is going on?”
Law shook his head, pointing at his sword and then at Ace before he stood, wringing his bloodied
hands together, “Everything’s ready?”
“Just waiting for us.” The one with ‘Penguin’ on his hat said, already rushing into the submarine.
“Oi! Get him on an iv, strongest shit we have!” Law said, following them at quickly. His voice was
still heard as he disappeared into the ship, still barking orders at his crew. “His heart was close to
being torn in two!”
And all of them heard his last shout before quietness descended onto the sea.
“Someone get that fucking fruit locked away! If I have to see it one more fucking time, none of you
will like it!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ BLOOD ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law heaved a sigh; his fingers numb as he removed the latex gloves keeping his skin hidden away.
Thatch was stable, his vitals all regular – or as regular as they could be, in this instance.
His fists clenched as he thought of where that fucker, Blackbeard, went off to. At least now he
didn’t have the Yami Yami no Mi, the cursed thing locked away in Law’s quarters. He still had no
concrete plan for how to deal with that thing, despite all the years they’ve had at preparing for it.
He’d need to contact Luffy – tell the King that he got the fruit – and Shanks. Shanks could
probably protect it better than Law could, until they got a good way to deal with it. At first, they
had planned on sinking the thing in the ocean before Rayleigh brought up the fact that ship-
coatings and fish-people existed. Anyone could stumble upon it down there.
Luffy had mentioned someone eating it, and they were leaning towards that option the most.
They didn’t care if a war broke out after they were dead. So long as their nakama weren’t targeted
and killed in the way they had been, Law could care less. He wasn’t some saint – Luffy certainly
wasn’t either despite what some people might say. They were selfish, didn’t give a damn about the
future or their effect on it other than how it affected their friends.
Law realized he sounded like a dick but honestly, he didn’t care. He watched his nakama die
before his eyes, most of their deaths brutal, no mercy involved. He watched as Luffy tore himself
inside and out about their lost crews, Law himself did the same even as he was dying.
Law listened as the strongest man he knew, the Pirate King, wept by his bedside when he believed
Law to be asleep. Listened but never had the energy to shed tears either, never had the energy to
squeeze the hand holding his, never had the energy to tell the one person he loved more than
anything that it was okay.
Law was dying because he had no energy and Luffy had been forced to watch.
The heart of all the bad in their old future was Blackbeard and the Yami Yami no Mi. Get rid of
one, and the other won’t have the same affect. At least that’s what Law hoped.
(He should have killed Teach right there, shouldn’t have cared about Thatch’s life ending. Law
almost left Thatch there to bleed out, almost ran after Blackbeard. But then Ace’s face – Ace’s
letters flashed through his mind, and Law hesitated. And Blackbeard escaped.)
The captain heaved a sigh as he scrubbed the blood off his fingers. It was an occurrence he was
used to, since his first life. He grew numb to the sight of stained water leaking down the drain after
his second crewmate died on his operation table.
“Keep a eye on him, yeah?” Law asked Shachi, who was checking on the stitches he and Law
finished just a moment prior.
“’course, Captain,” Shachi looked at him in concern, “Go rest. I’ll handle it.”
Law nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him. He sighed again, a
part of him unwilling to return to his quarters where that thing waited, locked away in the safety of
his room. Law ran a hand over his face, forcing his panic down.
He didn’t have time for that. He didn’t. Not now, not in a few years. Not until the Navy was
burning under his and his nakama’s heels.
Only then could Law give into the panic and the memories eating at his composure.
Only then.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ DEN-DEN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law couldn’t sleep. He had tried to close his eyes and just sleep off the surgery that made his limbs
heavy with exhaustion. He tried to take a warm bath, the energy in his body draining when the
water reached up to his knees.
He couldn’t sleep with that fruit taunting him, locked away on his deck.
Law sighed, reaching to the bedside table next to his bolted bed, blindly searching for the Den-Den
he knew was sitting there. He typed in the familiar number of Luffy’s personal Den-Den,
something he rarely called as they mostly used the Den-Den in the Bandits Hut.
Luffy answered on the third ring, the sounds of waves crashing against rock reaching Law’s ears.
“Luffy-ya,” he breathed, and the Den-Den smiled slightly.
“Torao,” Luffy hummed. He sounded sleepy; Law must’ve woken him. “Are you okay?”
“I got the fruit.” He murmured, not willing to raise his voice.
The smile slipped instantly. “Where? Are you alright?”
“m’fine. The Whitebeards had it, Blackbeard got away.” Law said bitterly, “Almost killed Thatch,
the cook Ace’s friends with.”
Luffy curse was barely audible, “But you have the Yami Yami no Mi?”
“Yeah, dunno what we’re going to do with it.” Law frowned, “I’m not sure they’ll even give it to
me. It’s the cook’s.”
Luffy’s frown was copied by the Den-Den, “Law.”
Law shivered.
“Yeah,” He muttered.
“It’s okay to be scared.” Luffy said, “It’s okay to be scared of the fruit and of Blackbeard. You
don’t need to be strong all the time, you know.”
Law closed his eyes tightly until colors blasted behind his eyelids. “I know.”
“No, you don’t.” Luffy hummed, “Shi~Shi~ but that’s okay. Lay down Law.”
Law laid back into his bed, staring at the ceiling.
“Pull up your covers too, you get cold at night.” Luffy added.
Law tugged at his blankets, tucking the thick comforter under his chin.
“Did I tell you about that cool bug I found yesterday? Shishishishi! It was a rhino-beetle! I was
hunting boars when I saw it, and I almost got ran over!” Luffy started a long tale about the beetle
and what it said when Luffy decided to listen to it.
Law fell asleep with a smile on his lips.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Thatch is going to be okay?” was the first thing Ace asked when Law resurfaced from his fifteen
hour rest – the near nine hour surgery ending at one in the morning and Law resurfacing near
dinner.
Law felt like death, which was ironic given his title as the Surgeon of Death. Screw whoever
thought it was just a scare tactic at this point.
“Coffee.” Law grunted, and Ikkaku chuckled as she handed him a mug of dark coffee. Law could
marry her if he wasn’t in love with Luffy. She was a saint at times.
Law eagerly drank his steaming beverage, closing his eyes in contentment as he chugged half the
mug in one go. Coffee after long, long surgeries were always the best coffees. Even coffees made
by Luffy – though Law will admit Luffy’s gotten better at it over the years.
“Don’t choke Cap.” Penguin said when Law swallowed wrong, coughing into his mug.
Law flipped him off good-naturally, finishing off his drink. He stared at the cup mournfully,
instinctively reading for Kikoku only to realize his sword wasn’t by his side.
“You really get cranky when you don’t sleep.” Ace sighed, shifting the cursed sword back to her
original owner. Law grasped it, nodding.
“Thatch will recover. Keep him on light duty for about two weeks, no straining activities. I’d
prefer if he stayed inactive all together, gives him more time to heal,” Law started to list off, “He’ll
wake in a few days, most likely.”
Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates relaxed.
Law hoped Thatch didn’t decide to be a Luffy and destroy his submarine, the guy kind of had that
Luffy-like-sunshine to him if he went off of Ace’s letters.
“How can we repay you, yoi?” Marco asked.
Law had a sarcastic quip on his tongue, something along the lines of don’t break my brother’s
heart, but Ace beat him to the punch.
“Law doesn’t usually take rewards for saving someone’s life.” The younger said in a cheerful
manner.
“The Yami Yami no Mi.” Law cut in, eyes hard as steel and posture tense.
Ace turned to him with furrowed eyebrows, Whitebeard watched him with wary eyes.
“You already have a fruit, Torao, why do you want another?” Ace asked.
“Yes, I’d like to know that as well.” Whitebeard rumbled.
“Luffy,” Law sighed, the lie flowing easily, “decided he wanted it.”
Ace snorted, “And of course you just go along with his whims. You have such a soft spot for him,
obviously playing favorites!” he accused jokingly, trying to ease the tension.
“What does the kid want with it?” Izou asked sharply.
Law lifted a shoulder, eyes dragging along the crowd as another cup of coffee was handed to him.
Again, if Luffy didn’t have Law’s heart, he’d be sending whomever that was mooneyes.
Law closed his eyes, sipping the delicacy in his hands. “Luffy’s just being Luffy. Who knows.”
“Captain, Luffy’s on the Den-Den, said he wanted to check in with you after you passed out last
night.” Shachi piped up at the literal worst time ever.
Law glared at the snail in his crewmate’s hands, snatching the receiver and the snail. “What?”
“You sound grumpy, shishishi~” Luffy grinned, “Did you sink the fruit?”
“I already told you, we can’t do that.” Law rubbed his temples. He wasn’t paid enough for this shit.
“I was thinking Sabo!” Luffy chirped.
Law paused, eyes opening, and he gazed at the determined face of the Den-Den. “You are a
genius.” He declared, awe in his voice, “When you think, you’re pretty sharp.”
“Shishi!”
“What about Sabo? And Luffy? A genius?” Ace frowned, “The hell are you talking about?”
“Ace!” Luffy chirped, “I haven’t heard your voice in for~ev~er! Hey! Hey, Ace is on the Den-
Den!”
“Ace!?” Cora-san’s deep voice was cut off by what sounded like him falling. Ace beamed.
“Hey Dad!” Ace yelled, shoving Law aside to take the receiver into his hand, “Luffy, Dad! It’s
been forever!”
“Ace! How are you? You’re eating well, right?” Cora-san rambled nervously, the snail taking his
most distinct features, painted lips and eyes.
“Yeah, they feed me lots here.” Ace smiled, “You aren’t falling too much, right?”
“I never fall!” Cora-san declared, like he hadn’t just fallen a minute ago.
“Cora-san, you’re on fire again!” Luffy yelled, laughter in his voice.
“Huh? Oh, guess I am.” Cora-san said nonchalantly, too used to it.
“Zoro! We need water!” Luffy hollered.
“Not again!” that sounded like Sanji.

“Anyways, Ace!” Cora-san chirped, “Did you take my advice or not? You never told me; a father’s
curious about their son’s love life!”
“Cora-san!” Ace sputtered, “Like you’re one to talk!”
“I’m happily engaged, Ace!” Cora-san smiled teasingly.
“Yeah, to a weirdo.” Ace muttered.
“Shishishi! We have another Dad, Ace!”
“I ain’t calling Uncle, Dad!” Ace said firmly.
Cora-san laughed, “I think he’d have a heart attack if you did.”
“Oh?”
“Ace.”
“What?”
“I see your smirk, don’t call Shanks Dad just to give him a stroke.”
Marco watched the banter back and forth between father and son and frowned. He…really hoped
this Shanks they were talking about wasn’t his nemesis (best friend) Shanks.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law closed the door to his submarine, tossing the Yami Yami no Mi in his palm. “Set course for
Yuki no Shima.” He told Bepo.
Bepo beamed, Ikkaku whined.
“Ain’t that Red-Hair’s private island?” she asked.
“Yes,” Law smirked.
“That place is always blizzarding!” Penguin whined.
“Isn’t it great!?” Bepo cheered.
“Shut up, Bepo.” Shachi pouted.
“Sorry,”
Chapter End Notes
Yuki no Shima – totally made it up lol

Teach isn't dead I'm sorry-
Up Next: Chapter Fifteen - Night Terrors, Sniper, Bounties
P.S. "Night Terrors" gives a bit more hindsight for Luffy and Law's pre-time travel
and Law's condition.
Night Terrors, Sniper, Bounties
Chapter Notes
I wasn't going to post today but I passed my drivers permit test today, so a celebratory
chapter!!
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (20-21) 7.5

Law: (27) 14.5
Ace/Sabo: 10.5
Zoro/Sanji 9.5
Corazon: 26.5
⊱ ────── {.⋅ NIGHT TERRORS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy was no stranger to nightmares. When he really was eight years old, he had dreams filled with
fire and pirates, of Ace’s sweaty hand tight around his, tugging him towards the forest in hopes of
escaping the flames. As he grew older, he had dreams of his Nakama disappearing right before his
eyes, their hands reaching towards him and his name on their lips, only for him to fail.
After that, his dreams consisted of Ace, magma, and a teary Thank you for loving me!
Luffy hated those dreams.
It made the scar on his chest itch, and even now, with the X he loathed missing from his skin, he
could still feel it burning into his skin. Again.
You’re my brother, Ace!
Again.
You never listen to me, always worrying me, Luffy!
Again.
Thank you for loving me!
Again.
WHERE’S MY BROTHER!?
And again.
Luffy slipped from the tree house silently, Sabo stirring slightly when the space between him and
Zoro was found empty but settling in without anyone waking. Luffy didn’t want to worry them with
something that was now a fear instead of reality. The only person who would ever understand is
Torao, but Luffy knew Law needed his sleep. So, rest he will get and Luffy with simply work his
frustration off by beating up a few trees or something.
Luffy wasn’t one for planning or thinking ahead, but this was a different scenario entirely. There
was so much at risk – his brothers, the bandits, his dad (Cora-san was his dad if the other liked it
or not. Cora-san is what Luffy imagines a dad being.) his Nakama, their dreams – so he needed to
think and plan.
Think, think, think.
Plan, plan, plan.
Luffy had no doubt that Sabo’s original father would find them out eventually, so they’d need to
prepare. The Celestial Dragon that visited Goa still hasn’t showed up, and the fire still hasn’t
started. Luffy didn’t know if it would, with everything that he and his brothers, crew, and Torao
changed. But, something told him he couldn’t be too careful (oh, how he missed being carefree and
not having to worry ahead) and he needed to keep an ear peeled for anything resembling Celestial
Dragons, the Blue Jam pirates, and the Grey Terminal Fire.
Luffy stopped at the cliff overlooking the ocean. He’s watched the ocean his whole life, longing to
one day sail her beautiful waters. When it was just him and Law, Luffy longed for the sea to
swallow him whole. To sink deep in her waters, to die surrounded by the ocean he’s longed for and
loved his whole life.
Law had been dying, getting weaker and weaker as time moved on. He hadn’t been able to move
around himself by the time Luffy decided he was going to end it all. Luffy had carried him around
the Sunny even when the Yonko said that he could walk.
He couldn’t have, they both knew it.
Luffy hadn’t been scared like that for a long, long time.
He had watched as Law got thinner, how the bags under his eyes doubled, and then tripled. He had
watched as the Yonko struggled to eat, to stand, to talk.
Law had been withering away, and a part of Luffy withered away with him.
It had been so hard to watch his special person die. Law was his precious treasure, one that was so
different than the others. Luffy had tried to smile, tried to stay happy because he knew that was
what Law would have wanted.
It was so hard to smile while he watched his special person die.
To watch him stare at the sea, the sun shining on his skin, the stars sparkling in his eyes, the ocean
waves spraying his skin in a beautiful sheen, while knowing that Law wasn’t going to be there, had
torn Luffy in two. Knowing that his smiles and his smirks were going to disappear, that his dry
humor would just be a memory and his calloused, yet soft hands wouldn’t hold Luffy’s anymore.
Luffy loved those hands, tattoos or not, spots or not.
Those were Law’s hands either way. Hands that held Kikoku lovingly, hands that did surgeries and
saved lives, hands that held Luffy’s hands, hands that were dependable, that gave Luffy so many
feelings when they brushed along his cheek, a chuckle escaping plump lips that Luffy actually
liked kissing when he and Luffy laid tangle in coarse sheets.
Hands that would never hold his, hands that would one day fall limp and never regain strength.
It had been so, so hard.
It had been hard to watch knowing that Law wouldn’t live much longer. Knowing that one day
Law would go to sleep and he wouldn’t wake…knowing that Luffy would have to carry him once
more – this time without complaints about walking just fine on his own – and let his special
person’s body burn in the sea they both loved.
Luffy couldn’t do that. He left, his special person’s heart in his chest, and a grin on his lips despite
everything.
Law was still alive, Luffy knew. He might be smaller and less defined, but he was still Luffy’s
special, special person.
He still had that same smirk, that sadistic, dry humor. He still looked beautiful in the sunlight, stars
still reflected off golden eyes, still stared at the sea. His hands were still his hands, no ink and all,
his laugh was still the same, but heard more often, his smile was present much more than before.
Law was still his precious person, he still lived and breathed, and he was forming muscle, was a
healthy weight. Law could walk on his own without difficulty, could eat by himself, could pick up
a glass of water without shaking hands that spilt more water than was drank.
But Luffy couldn’t get the image out of his mind, couldn’t get the feel of a too-light man in his
arms, nor could he get the image of Law cursing, his face filled with despair and shame as his hand
gave out and his drink landed in his lap.
It took a lot for Luffy to cry, but he had found himself weeping every night, Law’s tattooed hand
clasped tightly as he watched his special person’s chest rise and fall steadily with sleep.
He had felt so useless.
A part of him still felt useless.
“Luffy-ya, stop thinking.”
And Luffy did, wrapped in strong arms instead of too-thin ones, his ear over a strong and stead
heartbeat instead of a slow one.
And when he looked up, stars shined in golden eyes as Law watched the sea, and a part of Luffy
that was withered away, dead and scarred over, never to see the light of day again, started to
breathe. Started to live.
Started to heal.
Because his special person was alive and well. His brothers were happy and breathing. His Nakama
were his for the saving.
Luffy wasn’t the Pirate King for no reason; he’d do it. He’d save his nakama and then some, his
special person by his side.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law tucked his arms under Luffy’s knees and his waist, hauling the boy – man – up with ease.
Luffy’s head rested against his chest as he made his way back to the treehouse, and Law couldn’t
help but think Luffy was a bit too light for his physical age.
Not like he didn’t eat enough , Law thought with dry fondness.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SNIPERS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Usopp knew that he cried pirate a bit too often for the villager’s liking, but he really was looking at
pirates! They even had a black-flag and everything! He’s never heard of the LASL pirates, but they
were pirates!
“Pirates!” Usopp yelled, scrambling up the path of the village, “There’s pirates here!”
Like always, everyone yelled at him, unbelieving.
Screaming pirates made his mother hope that Yasopp was coming home, and she needed that hope
if she wanted to get better! Usopp didn’t care if the villagers didn’t like him or not, he just wanted
his mother to live! Usopp ended up sneaking back to the coast, hiding in the bushes with his trusty
slingshot. He didn’t see his dad anywhere in the ship, just a bunch of kids his age or older.
Weird , Usopp thought. Weren’t pirates supposed to have adults?
Usopp bit his tongue when a very tall man walked out from inside the ship, another taller but
significantly shorter than the feathery man trailing by his side. The man was easily ten foot! Usopp
had never seen such a tall human ever! He didn’t think people could be that tall!
He looked really intimidating too! The black feather coat on his shoulders made him seem huge
and that meant scary, his face painted and a pair of sunglasses low on his nose, a cigarette between
his red lips. He slouched under the coat, stalking over to a freaking bear!
A bear! These pirates had a bear !
Usopp so needed to tell the villagers he was serious! These guys could be trouble!
“Why’re you in a bush?”
Usopp’s soul left his body.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy snickered as he watched his sniper faint. Usopp was a sight for sore eyes, and Luffy carefully
picked the other boy up and headed back to the ship. He sensed Usopp instantly – mostly because
he was looking for the sniper, though a presence in the bush was hard to ignore – and snuck off the
ship before anyone could notice.
Well, Sabo had noticed, if him looking around in alarm before relaxing and sighing was any
indication.
“Luffy!” Cora-san yelled in alarm, eyes on the kid in Luffy’s arms, “What did you do? Who is that!
Is he okay!?”
Law smirked, a twinge of relief in his eyes as he gazed at Usopp. “Unconscious. I’m assuming he
was scared.”
“Shishishi!” Luffy beamed, “This is Usopp, he’s Nakama!”
Cora-san shook his head with a sigh, knowing it was better to just agree. Everyone Luffy called
Nakama ended up being just that one way or another, after all.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ BOUNTIES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Ne, ne,” Luffy said as he looked over Ace’s shoulder, arms wrapped around the (physically) older
boy. “What’s that?”
“It’s a bounty,” Ace squinted at the paper before he looked up, “For that guy.”
“Eh?” Usopp questioned, looking at the paper and then at the person several times. “That’s
Klahadore, he’s the new butler for Kaya’s family.”
“Nah, that’s Kuro.” Ace and Luffy chorused blandly, both picking at their nose.
“HAA!?” Usopp panicked.
“What’s going on?” Sabo asked, hitting his shoulder with his pipe as he walked over with his
confident, almost cocky, smirk.
“There’s a pirate pretending to be a butler,” Ace said, a cat-like smirk stretching his lips.
“He’s worth sixteen million.” Luffy said with a sly smile.
Sabo cackled, “What are we waiting for?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante was going to get grey hairs any day now.
“Is that a pirate worth sixteen million?” He asked his sons and co. blandly, the villagers all
watching in shock.
“Yeah!” Luffy chirped.
“He seemed to have poison on him,” Law said squinting at a vial held between his fingers.
“Was he poisoning those rich people?” Sabo asked, like this was an everyday conversation.
“Hm, probably,” Law shrugged.
“Who cares!” Ace proclaimed, “We gotta turn this guy in! He’s worth a bunch!”
“Shishishishi!” Luffy threw his hands up, “MEAT!”
Zoro simply smirked, crossing his arms. He looked ridiculous with three very large swords
strapped to his side, but he probably did the most damage after Sabo and Ace’s initial sneak
attack.
Well, when he got there. He was a bit lost even though they only took one turn.
Rosinante bemoaned, rubbing at his nose, “You boys are going to give me grey hairs…”
“Hah-ha!” Sabo threw his head back, “Silly Cora-san!”
Rosinante pouted, but relented, “Fine, maybe that’ll give you three a few days’ worth of food along
with other supplies…”
He’s still not over the ASL brother’s appetite. He’s scared one day Law would decide he needed
two and a half boars for every meal like the other three.
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter Sixteen: Admiration, Kisses, Fathers
P.S. "Admiration" is about Zoro!

Admiration, Kisses, Fathers
Chapter Notes
I'm back with another chapter early surprise-
I thought this chapter was pretty cute, but I think a part of it seems a little rushed, so
sorry if it is!
Enjoy!!
Luffy (20.5) 7.5 Law (27) 14.5 Sabo: 10.5 Ace: 10.5-11 Sanji: 9.5 Zoro: 9.5-10
Corazon 26.5
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ADMIRATION ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Zoro admired Monkey D. Luffy, his captain. He admired Luffy a lot, and his admiration wasn’t
something easily gifted. Luffy earned it easily though (the cook? Such a bastard, Zoro couldn’t
stand the twerp and Sanji used every chance he could to kick Zoro upside the head, the dick), so
easily that it surprised Zoro. But he didn’t regret joining the Straw-Hat crew, the crew having three
official members not counting their captain.
The brothers were a crazy bunch, all of them monsters in their own rights. Sanji was a bit weaker
than Sabo and Ace (who usually tied with one another), going off the sparing scores, but he was
getting so much stronger under Luffy and Law’s training.
When Law mentioned Zoro heading back to his home village, Zoro had been rightfully confused.
He was part of the Straw Hat crew wasn’t he? Luffy’s crew? Why would they be sending him back
to his island (not home, it never really felt like home. He didn’t have people waiting there for him
with happy smiles or loving hugs, he didn’t have Cora-san or the brothers there. His home was with
them.) after all this time?
“We don’t know swords!” Luffy said when Zoro questioned why, letting out his trademark shi-shi-
shi laugh, “Torao learned by himself, but you rely on your swords the most, so you need to learn
your stuff, right?”
“Don’t worry,” Law smirked at him, eyes alight with something that looked pleased (like he was
happy Zoro was so worried, like he felt relieved by it), “We’ll come pick you up at the end of the
month. You don’t have a Devil Fruit to rely on, the art of swordsmanship is complicated.”
Zoro grumbled, crossing his arms. “Okay.”
He admired Monkey D. Luffy, his captain, with his entire being. If going to his home island and
learning all the sword play, he could help Luffy reach his goal – help Zoro reach his goal – he’d do
it.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ KISSES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law felt…wrong looking at Luffy sometimes. The Luffy he was used to (the one who he fought
Doflamingo with, the one who shared his bed with him, the one who died with Law’s heart in his
chest) was, well, older. He was defined, his form lithe yet muscular, his jawline sharp and his face
not filled with baby fat from his childhood. Sometimes Law thought about the Luffy he once knew
and would know again soon, and he felt wrong. Because the Luffy he loved was a child right now
– well, physically at least, Luffy was almost twenty-one mentally. Whenever Law thought of any
type of affection, anything further than a hug made him shudder in disgust.
Him and Luffy didn’t have any label for what they were. Law had Luffy’s heart and Luffy had
Law’s. Luffy was Law’s and Law was Luffy’s. It was as simple as that, neither ever saw a need for
labels when they were known as Mugiwara Luffy, King of the Pirates, and Surgeon of Death,
Yonko of the sea, and they didn’t need labels being known as two members of the Monster
Quartet. They both knew that they loved one another more than they loved anyone else and that
they were together.
That was all they needed, really.
They had kissed each other more times than Law could count, they had shared a bed for months on
end, huddled together and cuddling because Luffy loved touch even when he was asleep. They had
missed out on so much in their lives – love life included – and sometimes Law wondered what it
would’ve been like if they had the time (if they weren’t running for their fucking lives, losing
crewmates and allies like flies dropped) to make out like horny teenagers. Or what it would be like
to make love, soft and slow like those stupidly in love couples do instead of desperate quickies
(fearing that if they took the time to love they’d be found with their pants literally down and have
to fight another battle) to fight like normal couples, to yell and love and cry and laugh with one
another.
Law could wonder, but he wouldn’t act on those thoughts for a long, long time. Their ages and age
difference (physically. If Luffy could live through a war, could kill and fight and survive just like
Law could, their age difference really didn’t matter) just made things much more awkward at the
moment.
Law didn’t really mind waiting. He hadn't been interested in sex until he and Luffy got together and
Luffy didn’t even know the full ins and outs of sex until their rushed first time (which had been
interrupted by a marine's attack, what a mood setter). They went several years without indulging in
any of their romantic or sexual urges, Law could go on for a few more.
But he missed the closeness that came with sharing a kiss, no matter how chaste. It wasn’t like he
and Luffy had all that much time to share long kisses when they were living on the Sunny (the
Polar Tang long destroyed), but the love and the care and the worry that could be felt in a single
brush of lips had been so intimate.
Law missed being close to Luffy, more than just physically. But with them both being so young, it
was just weird to him.
“–rao~! Torao!”
Law jumped, looking up at the pouting Luffy.

“Hm, what?” he asked, blinking from his thoughts.
“Everyone’s already gone, Torao!” Luffy huffed, worry shining in his eyes, “Dinner’s ready.”
Law’s surprised Luffy didn’t just leave him.
Luffy pouted, looking offended, probably knowing what Law was thinking.
“What’s wrong, Torao?” Luffy asked as Law stood, dusting his pants off before grabbing Kikoku.
“Nothing, just thinking.” Law answered, “Let’s eat.”
“Torao,” Luffy stretched his hand out, grabbing ahold of Law’s wrist.
Law turned, raising an eyebrow.
Luffy bounced up to him and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before smiling and bouncing his way
towards the bandits.
Yeah, he's had missed that, Law thought as he tugged at the bill of his hat.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FATHERS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo never had a father.
Well, yes, he technically did have a father, but Outlook wasn’t really a father.
Dads were supposed to be loving, reliable, strong and tough, and they supported what their kid
wanted to do within reason. Outlook wasn’t loving or reliable, he was frankly weak and puny, and
wanted Sabo to do everything that would profit Outlook, not Sabo.
Sabo never knew what it was like to have a real father, and then he met Cora-san.
The tall man was warm and loving, he was proud of them even if he didn’t agree with what they
did, and he supported them no matter what. Cora-san was a dad, Sabo and his brothers’ dads.
Sabo loved Cora-san, and he knew that his brothers did too.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace hated his dad, plain and simple.
Gol D. Roger is a terrible man and an even worse father. Ace hated him, loathed him with all his
heart.
Maybe, if Roger had been there, if Ace hadn’t grown up on a mountain with Bandits that, up until a
few months ago, thought him a monster, maybe he would’ve looked at Roger and seen a father.
But Ace never would see that man – if he could even be called that – and see his father.
(Little did Ace know, on his eleventh birthday, Shanks would sit him down and have a long talk –
tell a long story – and Ace would cry, his brothers grinning at him as he admitted that he was happy
to be alive. As he thought that maybe Roger wasn’t as terrible as he had first thought. Those
thoughts would never leave though, the wounds cut too deep, but that had been enough and would
be for a long, long time.
It would be enough until Ace was forced to kneel on scaffolding, a war happening in front of his
eyes, his family and crew fighting for him.)
Roger cursed Ace. Ace’s entire existence was a curse – he never should’ve been born.
Ace was a demon, plain and simple, and it was Roger’s fault.
Whenever Ace heard ‘Dad’ or ‘Father’, his lips would curl into a sneer, and he’d make whoever
mentioned it wish they hadn’t with his glare. He hated any mentions of fathers.
But then there was Cora-san and his warm, bubbly personality. Cora-san who told Ace that the son
of Gol D. Roger deserved to live and proceeded to yell at Ace about blood not mattering when Ace
told him the son of Roger was a monster and shouldn't be alive. Cora-san who tripped over nothing
but was always happy to help Ace perfect his form, even give him some tips on his kicks.
Cora-san who was Ace’s dad.
Plain and simple.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy doesn’t know what a dad’s like, nor did he even know his own dad. He had thought he was
fatherless until Gramps dropped the bombshell that he did have a dad when Luffy had been
seventeen. Whenever Luffy thought of a dad, he thought of Shanks because Shanks was all that
popped into Luffy’s head when it came to parental figures.
Luffy never really minded though, having no real parents. He could’ve cared less because he had
his brothers.
Ace cared about his father – not in a loving way, no, but he cared about who his father was. Ace
really hated his dad, and Sabo always shuddered, fear and hate clouding his eyes when his own dad
was mentioned. Luffy never had any idea what it was like to have a father to even hate.
But now, in this life, Luffy had Cora-san. Cora-san who was the only person who popped into
Luffy’s head when he thought of a father. Shanks was so obviously in love with Cora-san and
Cora-san was so obviously in love with Shanks. And because Cora-san was the dad, that meant
Shanks had to be the mom, obviously.
In this life, Luffy had proud to say his dad was Cora-san, the loving man who cooked for him and
helped him train and gave him the best hugs.
And he was happy about it too.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law, for as long as he can remember, has always thought of Cora-san as his father. Law’s
memories of his actual father were foggy at best, but Cora-san has always been a strong presence in
Law’s life, even in death.
Law was alive because of Cora-san.
Cora-san was willing (probably still is) to die for Law so he could eat his fruit and live.
Cora-san gave him the brightest smiles, the warmest hugs, and had one of the strongest presences
in Law’s life.
Law looked at Cora-san and saw his dad. He has no qualms about it either.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante smiled as his boys all dug into their meals with their usual vigor, Shachi and Penguin
fighting over the boar stew and Bepo taking the pot of fish for himself. Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, of
course, took whatever they could get their hands on while Law took to stealing off their plates.
It was a nice sight, one Rosinante has come to cherish.
“Thanks for the food, Dad!” his four sons told him, all smiles, and loving eyes.
Yes, Rosinante’s jaw dropped, his eyes widening, and his finger pointed at his rowdy boys as what
they said set in. And then he smiled, tears in his eyes as he shoved more food towards his four
boys, his heart warm and makeup maybe a bit smudged.
Yes, Rosinante called Shanks later to tell him all about the event, just a little choked up.
And yes, Shanks complained about not being a dad too, and maybe Rosinante told him he was still
the boys’ dad.
It also made Rosinante think, did they have four kids together!?
(He really, really liked the sound of that. A lot.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Hey Uncle Shanks!”
Shanks deflated. He wanted to be Dad Shanks, not Uncle Shanks. Dad Shanks made it feel like he
was married to Corazon and that’s what he wanted!
“Mom!” Luffy cheered, and no Shanks did not sob over the child (his child).
He didn’t!
(Benn had pictures.)
(A year later, Shanks totally didn't bribe Luffy into calling him 'dad' instead of 'mom' with a slab of
pork. And no, Corazon did not inhale his cigarette in shock, and then think that this totally made
them married now, he didn't!)
Chapter End Notes
Corazon did not inhale his cigarette in shock, and then think that this totally made
them married now, he didn't! - Cora, your Hancock is showing...
Up Next: Chapter Seventeen: Gold, Manners, Writing
P.S. "Gold" is in Sanji's POV and "Manners" is in Kuina's!

P.S.S. "Writing" has Cora and Ace bonding :D
Gold, Manners, Writing
Chapter Notes
I quite like this chapter! I had a brilliant idea this morning when I was in the middle of
making breakfast, and had to write it down before I forgot it - let's just say Mihawk is
going to make an appearance soon :D
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (21.5) 8
Law: (28) 15
Bepo:12
Ace/Sabo/Penguin/Shachi/Kuina: 11
Zoro/Sanji: 10
Usopp/Nami: 8-9
Corazon: 27
Shanks: 28
⊱ ────── {.⋅ GOLD ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sanji laughed loudly as he rushed away from the thugs chasing after him, wind coursing through
his hair and sending his golden locks flying as he kicked off a tree to his right, flying high into the
air. The bag in his hands was tossed into the air, and he smirked as he brought his foot down onto
the first thug’s shoulder, sending the man into his friend, before he twisted in the air and knocked
the side of his foot into another thug’s head.
Landing softly, Sanji grabbed the bag of treasure before it could fall and hurried between bushes
and trees. He took a long way back to the hideout just in case someone tried to follow him (as
unlikely it was with his Observation Haki active) and quickly climbed up the large tree near their
tree house. This tree served as their little base, one that held treasure and books – everything they
would need to become a pirate, maps and navigation and medical books being the most seen.
The largest tree in the forest, though, served as their place of rest and relaxation. Sanji wouldn’t
call it home, but at the same time it was one of their homes. The Bandits hut (which they didn’t
sleep in due to it not having enough space) was their home too. The first tree house hadn’t been
large enough for them as their little group grew and grew. Now there were three levels.
The first level was the level closest to the ground, the place where they had a lot of traps set and a
relaxing room of a sort. Couches robbed from nobles (Sanji still remembered Luffy and Sabo’s
diabolical laughter as they returned home with a couch held over their heads) and mats laid on the
floor along with paintings (either made by Makino or, once again, stolen from nobles. Sanji is
seeing a trend) making room more friendly.
(Sani asked why there wasn’t a lot of windows once, and three of the four brothers deadpanned
“Winter” at him. Sanji didn’t really get it, but he trusted them.)
The next floor served as one of the sleeping rooms, large with windows that had wooden shudders
waiting to be broken out for the cold or rainy seasons held against the corners. The floor was just
one big mess of bedding and pillows, but it was home. Lastly, the top section served as a
watchtower (though they couldn’t see much without that telescope Sabo found at Grey Terminal
last month) and the room for the brothers and the other few that could fit up there.
The brothers usually ended up joining them in the main room anyways, so the room was usually
used by Law and Luffy at night. Sanji was a light sleeper, unlike basically everyone else in the
weird group they made, and he always woke up whenever those two snuck off and up the ladder
connecting them to the top floor.
Sanji never heard what they talked about, their voices always hushed, but they always sounded so
worried – sometimes angry or sad, and Sanji didn’t like that. While he liked girls better (his mom
was a girl and she was the best person in the world. Boys were mean, like his dad or his brothers –
but his nakama were great, even if they were boys) he cared deeply for Luffy and Law – as his
captain and his saviors.
Sanji wondered what always worried them so much, especially when they never spoke a word
about it to anyone else. But, if they wanted to keep it a secret, it wasn’t Sanji’s place to tell anyone
about it.
Sanji climbed the last step of the hidden ladder and stepped into the room where his nakama were.
All eyes turned to him, and Sanji proudly placed the bag of gold at his feet.
“Aw,” Luffy pouted, looking at his smaller bag.
Ace huffed, “I knew I should’a went to the other side,” he muttered.
Sabo laughed good-naturally while Law gave Usopp a ‘this is your fault’ look, his crew laughing at
him, all three of them having larger bags than Law’s and Usopp’s combined.
“Looks like I win, cook,” Zoro said proudly.
Sanji sneered.
He didn’t care for Zoro much – but he was still Nakama.
“You just got lucky,” Sanji spat, “Seaweed.”
“Eh? You wanna say that again, Shrimp!?”
“I called you Seaweed, what you hard of hearing too!?”
“Shishishishi!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ MANNERS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“You all have terrible manners,” Kuina said, her third day with the boys.
“Pirates don’t need manners,” Sabo said, a tone to his voice that made some pause.
“Yeah, what Sabo said,” Ace grinned, “Manners are a waste of time for pirates!”
“But you don’t need to act like pigs!” Kuina folded her arms, “You ate all my food! It was in my
hand!”
“Shishi! You weren’t fast enough!” Luffy giggled, still gnawing on a bone.
Kuina huffed, “Please tell me, Captain, why do I have to be fast in eating?” she asked, very
sarcastically.
Zoro smiled, teeth on display, “Helps your reflexes.”
Everyone around the fire nodded. Kuina paused, “Are you serious?”
“Luffy, Ace, and Sabo will take food from everyone.” Law piped up, chewing on the last chunk of
meat – he took food from people too, so it wasn’t like he was one to talk, Kuina noticed. Though
his appetite was certainly smaller than his brothers – still larger than average, though. “These guys
just use it as training.”
Kuina hmphed, “It’s still rude to take food from someone’s hand.”
“Get better at it, then.” Ace said blandly.
She punched his skull, the boy holding onto his head with a scowl. They all knew he could’ve
dodged, even Kuina, but he didn’t. It made her feel below him, and that made her scowl further.
Her Haki training wasn’t going any good – she was nowhere as close to her crewmates or the
brothers. Luffy – her captain – and Law were still leagues ahead of everyone else, even Ace and
Sabo – the two strongest people she’s ever fought.
Kuina was determined to become strong, the strongest swordswoman ever! And Luffy was the
strongest person she knew (she still wasn’t sure who was the strongest between Law and Luffy, so
she chose Luffy since he was her captain, naturally) so he was her goal.
But still, “LEARN SOME MANNERS!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ WRITING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Cora-san had really pretty writing. Ace didn’t usually care about how he wrote, it’s not like he did
it often. He knew how to read and write just fine thanks to Sabo – who taught him and Luffy
before they had all their other friends and brother. Paper had been limited to them before they got
such a large group of Nakama, so writing anything down had been rare.
But Cora-san sent letters to Shanks and his crew all the time, sometimes Ace would sometimes
watch, taking in the sight of the pen glided down the paper gracefully – grace being something
Cora-san usually lacked outside of battle – and he was awed by how pretty Cora-san wrote.
It was thick, swirly lines that were even and sharp. Cursive is what Cora-san called it when Ace
asked, the blond shyly rubbing his neck when he explained it was what he was taught in his
original family (Celestial Dragons, something Cora-san hated more than Ace hated Roger, which
was saying something. Maybe that’s why Ace always felt at ease with Cora-san because he knew
what it was like to hate the blood flowing through his veins) and he never really grew out of
writing in cursive – the writing obviously changed over the years to make something special to
Cora-san only.
(Law had Cora-san’s name tattooed over his chest in that same sharp writing, and Cora-san never
failed to tear up at the sight.)
“Say, Cora-san,” Ace asked, meeting reddish-brown eyes when they looked up at him curiously.
Ace knew his face was red, but he felt embarrassed asking this of Cora-san. “Can you teach me
that?”
Cora-san, the only person Ace would ever willingly call Dad, smiled at him. “Of course I can,
Ace!”
Eight years later, Rosinante would get a letter in sharp, thin cursive (in writing so similar to his)
saying that Ace finally understood what it was like to be in love, and Rosinante would smile.
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter eighteen - Crushes, Letters for Help, Confessions
P.S. Next chapter focuses on Marco/Ace :D

Crushes, Letters for Help, Confessions
Chapter Notes
Finally, some more Marco/Ace!!
Enjoy!!
Ace: 19.5
Sabo: 19
Luffy: (29.5) 16
Law (36) 23
⊱ ────── {.⋅ CRUSHES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace didn’t really get why his new crewmates were always sending each other sly looks whenever
Ace was around Marco. Marco was the first person on the ship that Ace really trusted with his
back, and in the year and a half Ace’s been part of the crew, that trust has only grown.
Trust was something that he didn’t just give out, it took months for him to trust the Spade Pirates
the point that he did before they joined Whitebeard. Ace couldn’t just trust anyone, not like he
trusted his brothers and Cora-san, but Marco was surprisingly easy to get close to – to trust, to care
for. Ace didn’t really know how he felt about that.
Marco really was a wonderful person, but he just made Ace feel a bit sick. Which is weird since
he’s only gotten sick like four times in his life.
There were so many people Ace could turn to – Makino, Cora-san, Sabo, Law, Sanji, Penguin,
Bepo, Shachi, hell even Luffy – but he found himself bypassing all those people in his life that he
trusted and went to his Grandpops. Grandpops was someone that he trusted a lot, almost as much
as Ace trusted his brothers (which isn’t something people ever managed to reach because Ace
trusted those four (plus Cora-san) so, so much), so Ace knew he could trust Grandpops with his
worries.
“Ace, what seems to be troubling you?” Whitebeard asked the moment Ace sat down at the foot of
his bed.
“Someone I know makes me feel sick,” Ace blurted out, a flush rising on his cheeks when
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.
“Ah,” Whitebeard had amusement shining in his eyes, “And sick how, Grandson?”
“I – well, my stomach always feels all,” he moved his hands around, “Fluttery? And I can’t really
think right, and I, uh, but I really trust this person…” he wrung his hands together, face red as he
looked away from the amusement in his captain’s gaze.
“I see,” Whitebeard said, “And who causes this?”
Ace looked up at him, “Do you know why it happens?” he dodged the question.
Whitebeard chuckled, raising his sake. “Have you ever loved someone, Ace?”
“My brothers and my dads.” Ace answered, tilting his head.
Whitebeard hummed, “And have you ever liked someone in a more than friendly way?”
“How so?” Ace asked.
“Well, like romantically.” Whitebeard waved a large hand, “Like you want to date them, marry
them, anything similar.”
Ace thought about it for a moment. “Yeah,” he said. He did feel something like that with Sanji
once, when they were young. It had been very embarrassing, and his feelings ended up leaving
after a few months, though Law teased him about it constantly when Ace still had those feelings.
“Are those feelings similar to the way Marco makes you feel?” Whitebeard hummed.
“Huh, yeah,” Ace said, blinked, and then pointed, “W – Wait, I never said Marco!”
“Gurararara! I can see it, my boy!” Whitebeard chuckled and Ace pouted.
“So I like Marco?” Ace asked more to himself than for his Grandpops, “What am I supposed to
do?”
“You can tell him how you feel,” Whitebeard hummed, “or you can just keep it to yourself.”
“But won’t the feelings leave?” Ace asked, “They left last time.”
“Only time will tell,” Whitebeard said, smiling reassuringly, “Whatever you chose, don’t regret it.”
Ace doesn’t live with regrets; he promised his brothers he wouldn’t. So, Ace simply grinned and
nodded and told his captain to have a good night. He slipped out of the captain’s room and smiled
as he turned to go to the commanders’ rooms.
He was going to tell Marco how he felt. It can’t be that difficult, right? And if Marco didn’t like
him back, oh well, at least he went for it right? The next time he sees Marco, he’s going to tell him!
“Ace, didn’t know you were here, yoi.”
“Oh, uh, Marco, fancy seeing you here!” Ace stammered, rubbing his neck, “Great seeing you! I’m
heading to bed, night!”
Okay, so it was harder than Ace thought…
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LETTERS FOR HELP ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law hummed to himself as he slid the bloodied gloves off his fingers, depositing them in the waste
besides the sink before he turned the handle for hot water. He was very tired, the surgery lasting
longer than he had originally hoped due to some complications with the patient’s lungs when they
were in the middle of the surgery, so he ended up using most of his energy.
Scrubbing the soap off his hands and allowing the warm water to tingle down his cold hands, Law
sighed in content. Luffy could call him tomorrow, an update on how his crew was coming along as
well as Shanks and Rayleigh’s search for the Yami Yami no Mi is going.
Law has been searching for the fruit as well, but the New World was huge, and he was mostly
targeting Whitebeard territory. It didn’t help that he needed to stay on the downlow with
Doflamingo on the lookout for him and not wanting people to know that he was in the New World.
He had no idea where the fruit could be, and their deadline was approaching quicker than he would
like.
But for now, Law headed to his quarters, he had a surgery he needed to sleep off.
“Captain Law!”
“Fuck,” Law hissed, turning to send a glare at Shachi as he walked into the room, “What?”
“You got a letter from Ace,” Shachi said, lifting the envelope that had a smiley and a frowny face
drew over the paper locking the letter away safely. All of them had signs that showed who was
sending what, something they did just in case someone (be it marine or pirate) ending up with the
News-Coo or the letter. They rarely signed the letters as well, just to be safe.
(Luffy signed his letters with a crown, a red ribbon wrapped around it to serve as his straw hat – as
his title as King. Sabo used a dragon’s hand signed in blue, Cora-san covered his letters in hearts,
and Law covered his in spots.)
Law grunted and waved for Shachi to put the letter on his desk. He’ll read it when he gets some
sleep.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
The distance the coffee the left Law’s mouth was impressive, Shachi’s not quite sure he’s seen his
captain spit coffee out, like, ever. That means whatever Ace wrote must’ve been a huge shock to
the normally put-together captain.
Law, though, was reeling.
Did he read that right? No way, he couldn’t have.
My favorite older brother, I have a crush on Marco and I need help. A lot of help.
Law reread the sentence once, twice, thrice, and yep, he read that right. And that was Ace’s hand
writing, which meant someone else didn’t just send him this. Holy fuck, why. What on the entire
Grand Line made Ace think he could send this to Law, of all people, and expect help?
Law asked as much in his next, coffee-stained letter.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“What does he mean what help will he be?” Ace hissed, glaring at the letter his brother sent him.
“You know everything!”
“Woah there, what’s wrong, Ace?” Thatch asked lightly, throwing an arm around Ace’s shoulder,
and looking at the note.
“I asked my brother for help, and he said that I’m an idiot for asking him!” Ace huffed, “I mean,
Torao knows everything!”
Thatch just blinked, eyes on the lazily written words, the ink smudged, and paper stained in what
looked like coffee or maybe tea, and his eyes widened comically.
If you have a crush on someone, don’t be a bitch and just say something about it. You’re a
idiot if you think I’ll be any help with your schoolgirl issues. Let me sleep off my surgeries, go
bother Dad.
Also, I’m your only older brother, if you’re going to bribe me, do it correctly.
“Schoolgirl,” Ace huffed, grabbing a piece of paper from besides him and an ink pen, Thatch took
the letter and read it again, “He’s such a dick.”
“Uh, Ace?” Thatch asked, looking at his newest brother, “You have a crush on someone?”
“Obviously, Thatch,” Ace huffed, twisting his hand to artfully write “Fuck You” across the paper
in bold, messy words.
“On who?” Thatch felt a grin stretch his lips. Oh-ho, if Ace liked Marco back, Thatch won’t have
to watch Marco’s pitiful pinning anymore. “Someone on the ship?”
Ace grumbled to himself, grabbing an envelope, and drawing two faces on it before sealing it.
“Yeah,” he muttered.
“Oh~?” Thatch leaned into his space more, “Who is it?”
Ace looked at him doubtfully, “Izou.”
Thatch fell, “Huh?”
Ace smirked at him, “You heard me.”
Thatch gaped. Oh, he was so not telling Marco that.
But Izou? He could totally tell Izou.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“You don’t have a crush on me, do you?” Izou asked, eyes sharp, “You just told Thatch that so he
would get off your ass.”
“Yeah, obviously,” Ace muttered, glancing at the commander, “He wasn’t gonna leave me alone.”
“You’re right,” Izou smirked, “So, do you perhaps have a crush on whomever sent this?”
A white envelope covered in pinkish-red heats was pulled from his sleeve, and Izou smirked, eyes
observing. There was a hopeful sheen to them, Ace noticed, but he was too busy beaming at the
letter.
“That’s from my dad.” He said, making grabby hands.
“Oh?” Izou passed it over, slipping to sit next to Ace.
Ace didn’t seem to mind that Izou was planning on reading over his shoulder and simply tore the
envelope open with surprising gentleness.
You have a what?
Was the first thing written down, and Izou could practically see a man with shock on his face.
My baby’s grown so much! Oh, is the man nice? I know you don’t like people a lot! This man must
be very special, I can’t wait to meet him! I don’t know if I approve yet, but I’ll ask Shay about
whoever it is you’re interested in, I’m sure he’ll know them.
But, if you want to confess, you don’t always have to do it face-to-face. You have trouble with that
sort of thing, so try writing him a letter, or maybe a gift? If you believe in what you are feeling,
then just go for it.
Have I told you about Shay’s visit? He just left the island, but he told me that he loved me! How
exciting is that?! He even purposed! I said no, it’s too early you know, and it would be too difficult
with him sailing the New World. We don’t see each other often and I’m not sure if marriage is the
best thing for us right now. But I can’t wait for when we’re really ready for marriage!
The letter ended with yet another You and your brothers are getting so big! before it was signed off
with a heart. Izou assumed the heart was just a symbol to keep the man’s identity unknown and
pulled out his wooden fan.
Izou smiled at the love he could clearly see throughout the letter, especially when the man wrote
about this “Shay” of his. It was cute, reminded him of Marco a bit when he pinned on Ace.
(But, when Izou thought of it later, he wondered if he knew this Shay person. There were no
bounties for this guy and if he’s sailing the New World, he should have one.)
“Perhaps writing a letter would be good?” Izou offered, “Sure, it isn’t as personal, and apparently
you have trouble with face-to-face things.” He was so keeping that in mind.
Ace puffed, “I can do that,” he said, mostly to himself. Izou smiled.
“Here, let me help you with what you should say.” Izou said, grabbing a piece of paper from Ace’s
desk, “Whom am I writing to?”
Ace blushed, “I can just fill–”
Izou raised an eyebrow, “Who am I writing to, Ace?”
“Marco,” Ace mumbled.
Izou smiled widely, “Wonderful, now then, let’s start with what you’re going to say.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ CONFESSIONS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Today was the day. Marco was going to confess his feelings to Ace. He didn’t want to think about
Ace’s reaction, he simply wanted to get his feelings off his chest. Ace could very well not like in in
that way, and Marco understood – he was at least fifteen years older than the second division
commander, and that might not be something Ace was okay with. Besides, Marco was the second
highest authority on the ship, someone who has sailed the seas when Gol D. Roger had, it got
tricky dating a superior, didn’t it?
Ah, Marco was getting cold feet again…
“Marco, you wanted to talk to me?” Ace asked him, looking oddly nervous.
Marco raised a hand, rubbing his neck, and blurted, “Ace, I like you.”
Ace blinked at him, his eyes moving along Marco’s face as he visibly processed. His face flushed
and his silver eyes widened, his lips parting as he stared at Marco.
“L – Like,” Ace’s hand flew in the air, “Like more than…”
“Yes, I really like you Ace.” Marco said, “I understand if you don’t feel the same, I just wanted to
tell you.”
Ace ducked his head shyly, wringing his hands together, and Marco waited for him to say
something, anything. And then Ace’s hands were going to the pocket of his shorts, an envelope
was removed quickly, and he handed it over to Marco, his face hidden by dark locks and the bill of
his hat.
Marco nervously ripped the sealing and unfolded the letter. Ace’s paperwork was always rushed,
written in fast lines with ink smudged and letters thick and blotchy, but there were times when
Marco read over his reports and saw neat cursive that didn’t really seem like Ace’s writing. This
letter, though? Marco recognized the writing style as those rare reports, neat and thin words written
gracefully. The style was familiar, he thought like he always did when he saw it, but he couldn’t
quite place his finger on it.
But Marco wasn’t really focusing on that, more on what the letter said.
I’m not good with feelings, Ace wrote, but I really, really like you.
And Marco didn’t need to finish the rest of the letter right now. He smiled, blue meeting silver,
and Ace smiled back shyly.
Seems like Marco was worried over nothing, he thought as Ace grabbed him into a hug.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Oh-ho~ Marco, do you have a secret admirer?” Thatch cooed, lifting the letter he saw on Marco’s
desk. The chef’s grin widened when he read the letter, the handwriting unfamiliar to him, but the
words so sickingly sweet it felt like he ate an entire jar of chocolate. “Make sure you rest, I know
you’re going to stay up doing paperwork again! I love you! Oh, Marco, why didn’t you tell me you
found yourself someone? What happened to Ace!”
Marco glared, “Take a good look at the letter, idiot.”
Thatch hummed and scanned the note again. The end of the page had a small symbol written on it,
a smiley face and a frowny face.
“What am I…” Thatch gaped. “ACE WROTE THIS!?”
“Huh, I wrote what?” Ace yawned, walking into the room.
Thatch gaped, lifting the letter. Ace smiled sleepily, “Yeah a while ago,” he agreed, dropping into
bed next to Marco.
“WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!?”
“Uh,” Marco mumbled into his pillow, “A few months before Teach.”
“HUH!?”
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter Nineteen - Greif, Love
P.S. Cora/Law bonding time in "Greif" and Shanks/Cora in "Love"!

Greif, Love
Chapter Notes
This chapter is a bit short, but enjoy!!
Luffy: (21) 8
Law: (28) 15
Bepo: 12
Ace/Sabo/kuina: 11
Zoro/Sanji/Shachi/Penguin: 10
Usopp: 8
Corazon: 27
⊱ ────── {.⋅ GREIF ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante frowned from where he sat, placing his head into his chin. He couldn’t focus on
anything recently, his mind always drifting. Even during Shanks’ calls, which Rosinante always
loved, he couldn’t focus. Shanks couldn’t call all the time, being a Yonko, he had duties he needed
to do, and other pirate crews always tried to challenge him, so he was usually pretty busy. But
somehow Shanks always managed to call him at least once every two weeks and Rosinante
absolutely loved it when the Den-Den rang, and Shanks’ voice met his ears.
But Law’s been acting weird, and Rosinante was worried.
Law has always been a tough cookie to crack, and he’s only seemed to get more…withdrawn these
last few days. Rosinante knew his son, he’s known Law for a long, long time, and he knew when
Law had something on his mind. Rosinante saw Luffy purposefully enter a conversation about
medicine yesterday, and he actually stayed awake for it, so Rosinante knew he wasn’t the only one
who’s seen Law’s change.
Rosinante wasn’t the best parental figure, he knew that. He taught the kids how to hide their
presences and how to lie (well, Luffy got somewhat better at it, Rosinante called that a win). He
taught them how to fight, how to tell a person’s intentions, how to read people. Rosinante would
put his life on the line for his boys, he tucked them in at night when he goes to check up on them
before he himself went to sleep, he’s bandaged their injuries, fought thugs because they thought
they could try to go after Rosinante’s boys, and he’s given them advice for whatever they needed
help with.
But he wasn’t really the best remodel. He was clumsy, he couldn’t have a smoke without worrying
about catching himself on fire, and he allowed the boys – even worse, he encouraged his boys – to
fight and taught them how to make the most of their opponent’s movement, how to hit all the right
places, how to balance their own weight to make their attacks have just that more oomph.
But Rosinante loved those kids. He really loved them.
Before Law, Rosinante was a hollow person. He was so hollow, just a husk of who he used to be.
He was known as a marine traitor, his family thought they betrayed him, and his contact his Father
(with Sengoku, his superior who ordered him into that mission knowing very well that Rosinante
would become this hallow, awful person) was so limited.
Rosinante had been Corazon, a child abuser, someone who didn’t say a single word. And then Law
stabbed him, and Rosinante saw so much pain in that child’s eyes, and it had been like Law
jumpstarted everything that Rosinante was. Corazon became Rosinante once again, and Rosinante
did everything to protect this small, small boy who made Rosinante realize that he wasn’t hallow,
that he still felt.
And Rosinante felt so much. Slowly his intentions changed, and his feelings changed, and he
realized that Law was his boy. Law was his son, his prized treasure that Rosinante would die for.
Nothing other than Law mattered when Rosinante realized that. Not his debt to Sengoku, not his
adopted family, not even his own life.
And then Law and him were saved, they were both given the chance of living, and Rosinante got
three more sons – four boys in total that mattered more to Rosinante than his own life did.
Rosinante had never seen Law so happy, running with his brothers with a small smile, the patches
on his body slowly fading from his skin – small but so dazzling smile directed at Rosinante, love
and affection in his golden eyes that used to be filled with just pain and hate.
And then Law came home with a tattoo, Corazon written over his chest in Rosinante’s handwriting,
and Rosinante cried. Rosinante always saw Corazon – the silent child abuser who hated everything
and everyone, someone who was hallow – as a monster, as a separate being. It didn’t matter that
his sons and their friends called him Cora-san with such love and respect in their voices, nor did it
matter that Shanks called him Cora with a soft smile, Corazon was a pirate who wanted his
monster of a brother to care for him, like he was a child again.
But that ink on a nervously smiling Law’s chest changed everything.
Rosinante and Corazon were the same person, both of them were fathers that would do anything to
see their boys smile. And that was all that mattered.
But Law wasn’t smiling. Hasn’t for days, and Rosinante hated it.
Law has gone through so much – seen too much – and Rosinante just wanted his eldest son to be
happy.
Rosinante sighed again, closing his book. He wasn’t going to end up reading anything if things
continued as it has been. He rubbed at his temples, trying to chase the lingering headache away,
and stood. The feather coat that Rosinante couldn’t bring himself to discard sat on his shoulders, a
comforting weight, and he bit the bandits and Zeff, along with Sanji who was hurriedly copying
Zeff’s chopping, goodbye before making his way to where his eldest son was.
Law was rarely seen alone nowadays. Either his crew or his brothers hanging off of him, but he
was by himself, Kikoku out of its sheath and swinging in the air.
“Law,” Rosinante called, and his son looked over to him, golden eyes narrowed and sweat on his
tan skin, the bill of his hat low on his forehead.
Rosinante sat on a log, thankfully keeping his balance for one, and gave the wood a pat. Law
seemed to mull over his request before he sheathed his sword and slowly sat next to him. Rosinante
watched the trees for a moment, Law shifting next to him, a question in his eyes as he stared a hole
into Rosinante’s side.
Rosinante simply threw his arm over his son’s shoulder and held him close, wrapping his eldest
and frankly most worrisome son into a hug. Law stayed tense for the longest time, before he started
to shake, and he clung to Rosinante.
Rosinante wanted his sons to be happy, but there were days when they couldn’t be. So, he held his
son, tangled his fingers into his unruly hair, and let Law get it out of his system. If his eldest
wanted to tell him about it, Rosinante would listen, but he wouldn’t force it out.
And who knows how long later, Law pulled back from Rosinante’s embrace slowly, like he didn’t
want to leave, and Rosinante smiled, wiping the remains of tears from a faintly patched cheek.
“Law?” He asked, “Want to talk about it?”
“I just,” Law cleared his throat, looking up, “I love you, Dad.”
Rosinante’s heart pinched, oh he would never get used to those words.
“I love you too, Law,” he smiled.
“Dad,” Law worked at a swallow, trying to find his words, and he grabbed onto Rosinante’s
sleeves, “I don’t want you to die. Please, you can’t put your life on the line, not for me.”
And Rosinante pulled his son back into a hold. What Law asked for was impossible.
Rosinante would gladly die with a smile if it meant he’d save his boys.
“Law,” he murmured, “I’ll be careful if you do.”
And Law sniffled, nodding into the fabric of Rosinante’s shirt, and they simply sat there.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LOVE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante loved Shanks.
It wasn’t the normal type of love that Rosinante held for people, not parental like he had for his
sons, not friendly like he held for the bandits, nor was it sibling like his love for Makino.
Rosinante was in love with Shanks.
At first, he found that Shanks was nice company, someone who Rosinante could bond with over
semi-similar interests when he stopped by the island every few months. But then Rosinante found
himself getting excited for the visits, and then he started to get excited for when Shanks called for
updates, and soon those updates on the boys turned into idle chats until it became something…
more.
Rosinante knew for a long time that he was attracted to the same gender. It was something that he
had been ashamed of for a long time because, while Marines didn’t send people away because of
their likes, it wasn’t exactly welcome with open arms. Sengoku didn’t even know, and Rosinante
had shared almost everything with his father. When he was sent undercover to his brother’s pirate
crew, the one thing Rosinante always hid out of shame was finally let loose.
Which was ironic given that he was hiding basically everything he was during his stay there.
But Shanks made it easy to not care, even now. All it took was one soft smile and Rosinante was a
pile of mush. At first it scared him, how easily this man who he’s only known for not even a full
year could affect him to this degree, but it was easy to give into the feeling.
It was a nice feeling, too.
Chapter End Notes
Up Next! Chapter Twenty: Navigator, Mikan, Marines

Navigator, Mikan, Marines
Chapter Notes
I'm early again lol
I'm honestly having too much fun messing with the timeline and events of One Piece
XD
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (21) 8
Law (28) 15
Bepo: 12
Ace/Sabo/Shachi/Penguin/Kuina: 11
Zoro/Sanji: 10
Corazon: 27
Usopp: 8
Nami: 9
⊱ ────── {.⋅ NAVIGATOR ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy hummed to himself, skipping as he looked around. Cocoyasi Village seemed happier than he
remembered it being last, but that was probably because Arlong has yet to show up.
And he never will. Not this time. Not after what Luffy did.
Luffy smiled at a woman who gave him a curious look, all teeth and gum and crinkled eyes, and
she gave him a small smile in return.
“Are you from here, dearie?” the woman asked, leaning down into Luffy’s height.
“Nope!” Luffy chirped, “I came here with my brothers!”
“And where are your brothers?” the lady asked.
Luffy smiled, “Wherever they are,” he said, “We’re exploring.”
Well, sort of. They were searching for a pirate, the bounty not anything that was worth their time,
but Torao’s been wanting these medical tools forever and his birthday was coming up. The Straw
Hats, the Heart, and Ace and Sabo all decided to hunt down as many bounties as possible so they
could buy that for their brother/nakama/Toroa. Luffy, obviously, called dibs on the strongest of the
crew they were hunting.
If Torao wanted some medical tools, then he’d get them. Luffy was going to give Torao everything
he wanted because he deserved it. (And Luffy wanted to see his special person happy, but that’s a
given.)
“Young lads like yourself shouldn’t be by themselves,” the old lady chided, “Why don’t we take
you to the sheriff so we can find your brothers, hm?”
Luffy thought for a moment before he nodded and allowed the woman to hold his hand. Zoro was
probably lost already, so Luffy could put in a word for them to look for a kid with three swords
wandering around. He could also see if Nami was around, which was a huge plus for their targets
being in this village.
Luffy continued to hum to himself, Bink’s Sake on his lips, and looked around. He caught sight of
an orange cowboy hat and beamed. “Ace! Ace, over here!”
His brother’s head snapped over to them, and a smile spread freckled cheeks, “Luffy!”
The woman paused, watching curiously as Ace glared at her, suspicion in his expression. “Who’re
you, what do you want with my brother?”
“She’s taking me to the sheriff.” Luffy said, smiling, “Zoro’s lost! Shishishi!”
“Zoro’s always lost,” Ace huffed, reluctantly nodding to the lady, “Thanks for helping him.”
“My pleasure,” the old lady said, smiling slightly. They started walking, Luffy chattering away
about what he saw, and soon enough they made it to the sheriff’s office.
“Oh, Hiji-san,” Genzo said, eyes wandering to the two boys she walked in with, “Who are these
young boys?”
“I’m eleven,” Ace said, glaring.
“Shishi! I’m eight!” Luffy chirped, “We lost our swordsmen! Can you keep a eye out for Zoro?”
Genzo blinked. “Alright, thank you for brining them, Hiji-san.”
The lady nodded and walked away with another smile at the boys, and Ace turned suspicious eyes
onto the man in front of them. Before anyone could speak, Luffy butt in.
“Do you know Nami?” Luffy asked, eyes wide.
“Nami?” Genzo squinted at them, “How do you know Nami?”
“Nami’s Nakama!” Luffy informed. “Do you know where I can find her?”
Genzo thought for a moment before he stood, “I’ll take you to her, I guess.”
He had no idea how Nami met these boys, didn’t even know who they were, but everything would
be fine. Something told him the kid would go and find Nami if he didn’t show him the way
anyways.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Bell-mere smiled as she took off her gardening gloves, looking over to her girls. Nami was drawing
yet another map, and the former marine was so proud of her daughter for finding something that
she loved already. Her gaze then turned to the boy who had stumbled into her grove, scratching at
his blond hair, and looking around in confusion. She had offered the kid some lemonade, and now
he was sitting there with a smile, chatting with a nervous Nojiko.
He had said he came to the island with his friends and brothers, but had gotten split up, and now
they were all lost around the village. Bell-mere needed to go to Genzo so they could find all the
kids and send them to their home. She would hate if her daughters disappeared, she couldn’t
imagine what these boys’ guardians are thinking.
“Alright, kid, what’s your name?” Bell-mere asked, dropping to sit across from the boy.
“Name’s Sabo!” the boy said, grinning a childish but somehow cheeky grin, “Thank you for the
lemonade!” he added, holding onto his top hat as he dipped to a bow.
Bell-mere grinned, “Sabo, let’s head into town. We should try to find your friends.”
Sabo grinned, hopping down from his chair. “Okay,” he said.
“SABO~!”
“Oi! Sabo!”
Bell-mere turned to look at the two boys rushing over to them, the younger beaming and waving
his hand around wildly while the older one smirked, a cat-like expression on his face.
“Hey!” Sabo called, waving back.
The younger boy looked at Bell-mere, and the woman found herself trapped in his gaze. It felt too
old for a boy of his age, too knowing. Too dark.
And then his gaze was on Sabo, and his arms were shooting out far more than any normal human’s
should, and he was wrapping the blond into his arms and hugging him tightly, giggling. The
freckled boy stopped by the two, placing a hand on his hip as he looked around.
“Shishishi!” the straw-hatted boy looked around, eyes on Nami, and sent her a beaming smile. “Is
that a map?”
Nami smiled brightly, “Yeah! I made it myself!” she boasted.
“How cool!” the boy yelled, already untangling himself from Sabo and hurrying over to gaze at it.
Bell-mere felt terrible for being so on guard because of a child but she couldn’t help it.
“I’m going to make a map of the whole world one day!” Nami said happily.
Something passed over the boy’s face, “I’m the Pirate King.” He said.
Nami blinked at him and laughed, “No way, you can’t be! He’s way older than you!”
“I’m the next Pirate King! Shishi!” the boy laughed, “And I want dreamers on my crew! Join my
crew and we can make a map of the world together!”
Bell-mere’s eyes widened. What? Was this boy trying to get her daughter into piracy? He…didn’t
seem to have that child-like innocence that said he was just playing pirate, and Bell-mere felt like
he was very, very serious.
“Really!?” Nami gasped in awe.
Bell-mere stood, “What’s up Genzo? Who’s the brats?”
Nami looked over to her, seemingly interested in what was going to be said, and Bell-mere sighed.
Crisis averted.
“This is Ace and Luffy, they got split up.” Genzo said, “Luffy said he knew Nami.”
Bell-mere looked at the child, “And how d’you know her?”
“The ocean told me al~l about her!” Luffy chirped, spreading his arms wide, “She said that Nami’s
great with maps!”
Bell-mere squinted.
“Eh, Luffy, I thought you couldn’t hear the ocean?” Sabo asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Yeah, I thought it was just animals.” Ace said.
“Nope! I can hear the ocean when she wants me to! It’s just super hard since there’s so much
ocean, you know?” Luffy explained.
“You can hear the ocean?” Nojiko asked in awe.
“And animals?” Nami added.
“Yep, shishishi!” Luffy snickered.
Suddenly all three boys paused, looking towards the same direction. “Zoro must’ve found them.”
Ace said.
“Yeah, should we go help him?” Sabo asked.
“Zoro’s strong.” Luffy said, beaming with pride in his eyes, “He can handle it. We need to get to
him before he gets lost again, shi~shi~”
Cue two sighs, “I still can’t believe you got that guy to join your crew…or that he even finds us
when he wonders off.”
“Shishishishi!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ MIKAN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law walked in a lazy stroll, observing the village around him. Cocoyasi Village had briefly served
the Hearts and the Straw Hats as a sort of safe hold when the war got too great for them to handle.
Nami had been the reason they headed here, her sister and the sheriff – hell, the whole village –
shedding tears over the fallen navigator, buried next to her mother. They hadn’t stayed long, not
when the village was mourning, angry.
Law hadn’t even had to argue with Luffy when he said they should leave, the Pirate King simply
nodding, leaving a mikan by her grave before he ordered his crew to set sail. Nami hadn’t been the
Straw Hats first casualty, nor had she been the last, but her death still cut through each and every
one of them. Law remembered how Luffy mentioned a woman named Vivi and how he was upset
that they couldn’t comfort her during this rough time.
Law looked up when Cora-san tripped, reaching his hand out to grab his dad’s sleeve to stop his
face from meeting the ground. Cora-san sent him a sheepish grin when he straightened himself,
pointing to a path.
Law wasn’t stupid. He knew his brothers, nakama, and Luffy sent him and Cora-san on a fools-
errand while they did Seas knows what, but he had a feeling it was because of the bounties they
were chasing after. His friends were terrible liars, and Luffy even worse than them, so Law figured
it was for his upcoming birthday.
Honestly, birthdays didn’t mean anything to him. He’s lived through two decades and some change
worth of birthdays and he never really gave a shit when he was ten anyways, already accepting his
death long before it actually came. After that, every time his birthday came around, it was like it
was taunting him, showing that he was still alive, but Cora-san wasn’t–
Law paused, face deepening into a deadpan as he took in the sight in front of him. “Oi,” he called,
scowling, “What the hell are you doing?”
Everyone looked over to him while Cora-san gaped. “ACE YOU LET THAT POOR MAN GO
THIS INSTANT!” he shrieked, horrified.
“But he’s worth six million!” Ace yelled back.
“No! Put him down!” Cora-san ordered firmly; Law shook his head.
Why Ace decided that he wanted to use the guy as a makeshift flagpole of all things, he didn’t want
to know. He took in the mikan trees around them instead, and the people. His gazed paused on the
laughing Nami, and he lowered the bill of his hat slightly.
“Where’s Bepo?” he asked, looking around.
“I don’t know,” Sabo said thoughtfully, “But shouldn’t we be more concerned about where Luffy
ran off to?”
Luffy was plenty capable. Law waved a hand, “Let him be. He can handle whatever he needs to.”
Ace snorted, “I’m more worried what trouble will find him.”
“Hello, I am very sorry for my sons,” Cora-san cut into the conversation, bowing slightly to the
two adults in the grove.
The woman raised an eyebrow, “These brats are yours?”
“Yes,” Cora-san said, eyeing them in a way that showed his was miserable.
He always did seem miserable when he felt the need to apologize for them. Law smirked; Cora-san
was just too nervous for them. Not that Law didn’t understand, of course. He knew what it was like
to be anxious and worried whenever his crew did something a bit too eye-catching. Scared that
Doflamingo would find him sooner than his plan wished.
Law looked over to the girls standing next to Bell-mere and grinned. “You must be Nami, Luffy’s
heard a lot about you. You any good with navigation?”
Nami beamed.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ MARINES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante heaved a deep sigh of relief when Dawn Island came into view. How that trip of bounty-
hunting ended up with Luffy gaining a navigator, he didn’t know, but he was starting to figure that
was just a Luffy thing. Hearing that his son had the Voice of All Things wasn’t that much of a
shock either, just another thing that made Luffy, Luffy.
“Oi, Cora-san, there’s marines up ahead.” Zoro said casually.
Rosinante tensed, bolting upright. The sunglasses he wore tilted to one side, and he hurriedly
corrected them. His make-up and outfit weren’t anything like he wore when he was a marine, so he
knew that no one would notice him (not that he wore make-up just because it was a disguise. He
liked it as well) but he still worried deeply about being found out. If the marines found out about
Law and the Ope Ope no Mi, Rosinante didn’t want to think of what would happen.
Not to mention Ace’s and Luffy’s biological fathers, that was just spelling an execution for the
two. Rosinante wouldn’t allow that, the marines were twisted in their ways of justice, it wouldn’t
matter if Luffy and Ace were children.
“OI! YOU BRATS! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?”
“No!” the three boys cried, all of them looking vaguely horrified, “It’s Gramps!”
“Garp?” Law asked, eyes wide.
“Garp!?” Rosinante cried.
“Yeah! You two gotta get outta here!” Luffy said, pointing to him and Law. “Zoro, Sanji, Kuina,
Usopp,” he turned to his crew, “Get them to the shore, you can’t take a boat.”
Usopp’s eyes were wide, “You expect us to swim!?”
“Well, duh, Cora-san and Tora can’t swim,” Ace said, “We’re doing you all a favor anyways. You
don’t wanna meet the shitty gramps.”
Law heaved a sigh, “Yeah, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, let’s go.”
“Aye!”
“W – Wait!” Rosinante stammered.
Zoro grinned, “You’ll be fine, Cora-san.”
Rosinante didn’t like those grins shot at him.
“Whoever does the most work is strongest!” Kuina yelled, tackling Rosinante off the boat.
Rosinante wondered if it was too late to have stayed on their last island.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Shishishishi! I’m the King of the Pirates, Gramps! I do what I want!” Luffy hollered.
“Fist of Love!”
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter Twenty-One - Love of A Pirate, Red, Heart Bounties

P.S. I really like this next chapter, it's really sweet <3
P.S.S. All three mostly focuses on Shanks/Corazon :D
Love of A Pirate, Red, Heart Bounties
Chapter Notes
I LOVE THIS CHAPTER BYE-
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (29) 16 Law: (36) 23 Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 19 Zoro/Sanji: 18 Corazon: 35 Shanks:

36
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LOVE OF A PIRATE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Shanks watched as Luffy’s boat disappeared from sight, a grin on his lips. Luffy had been visibly
itching to get out to sea for good, to finally be an active pirate again, and seeing him off was
something Shanks did not regret. Even if it had been pretty inconvenient leaving the New World
with all the Marines that were trying to follow him – trying to see why he went to the East every
few months. The lot of nosey bastards.
Corazon smiled as he dropped his cigarette, crushing the bud under his boot. Luffy needed to stop
at his crew’s islands and or boat restaurant, so far he only has Kuina and Zoro with him. But with
how strong Luffy is and how strong the other swordsman/woman were, Shanks knows they’ll be
fine.
“Say, Ross,” Shanks looked up at his fiancé, smiling. Those red eyes he fell in love with met his,
and Shanks grasped his lover’s hand, “Do you want to set sail? With me?”
Eyes wide, Corazon stared at him. Shanks is kind of glad that the cigarette he had been nursing the
last few minutes was under his boot instead of in his mouth because he probably would’ve choked
on it. Not particularly an uncommon sight, but still.
“Like, on your crew?” Corazon asked.
“Well, if you want to.” Shanks said shyly, “I don’t like leaving you behind here, and without Luffy
to watch over, I thought, you know, why not come with me?”
Those red lips turned upwards in a grin, and Corazon leaned down to take Shanks’ breath away.
“Yes!”
“Yes?” Shanks repeated, voice a breath.
“Yes!” Corazon laughed, and Shanks grabbed the loosely tied tie and sealed their lips.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante looked at the place he’s called home for the last ten years and the friends he called
nakama, a smile on his lips. He would miss this place, these people, but he was going to have an
adventure of his own now, and by his friends’ and Shanks’ side. Never in a million years did
Rosinante ever think he’d be happy to be a pirate, that he’d be one willingly, but he was so happy.
He never really understood adventures like his sons did, never got how they were so happy to sail
the seas despite being chased down by marines and pirates alike. But now, heading to the New
World with his new crew, Rosinante thinks he understood it like they did.
His sons were little shits, always putting their life on the line and scaring the hell out of him.
Rosinante decided that two (well, five, counting all of them) could play that game.
He didn’t miss Shanks’ gooey-eyed look when Rosinante smiled like he had a whole evil scheme
on his mind. Which he did.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ RED ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Corazon was stunning.
Shanks has known this ever since he met him, of course, but seeing him living on the sea, waking
up next to him every morning, was so blissfully amazing that Shanks honestly fears that he’s in a
dream.
But he wasn’t, and it was amazing.
Shanks reached out, caressing the bare face in front of his. It was early, the sun hasn’t even risen
yet, and Shanks can tell that the only one awake was Lucky Roux and his team, and Benn. They
were all early risers, Benn because he liked peaceful moments when the crew wasn’t being crazy,
and Roux because he was the head chef.
Corazon liked to cover his features in bold colors, and it looked good on him, definitely, but he was
also gorgeous without it. Shanks knew his lover hated his brother, saw a part of him in his features.
Shanks didn’t care what his fiancé wore, nor did he care what style he chose to indulge in. Shanks
just wanted him by his side, that’s all. Rosinante, his Ros, was his weakness, not counting their
shared sons and crew.
(Yes, those brats were his sons, he was marrying their dad, after all. And Luffy did call him Mom,
as embarrassing as it was, for a long time until he managed to convince him to call him Dad. And
no (yes), Shanks didn’t bribe him.)
But there was something that’s been on his mind for a while now. Shanks peered at the large black
feathered coat hung next to his dark cloak and glowered at it. Rosinante hated his brother but at the
same time he still loved him, always wearing that coat even with the bad memories it gave him.
The Captain of the Red Hair pirates took one last look at his fiancé before pulling himself from the
covers, grinning as he left his room.
“Benn!” he called, singsong, at his First Mate. Benn sighed deeply, looking up from his book and
tapping the ashes off his cig, leaning back further into the railing. “Did you get what I asked you
for?”
“Yes, Shanks,” Benn sounded exasperated, but he couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “I left it in
the library.”
“Yay! Thanks!”
When Shanks walked into the library he was met with red feathers, and he grinned.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ HEART BOUNTIES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace stared, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide, at one of the bounties just delivered by a News-
Coo. He had to be seeing things. He had to be!
“Huh, Shanks got a new Crewmate,” Thatch said, showing the bounty and paper to their Pops, the
bounty Ace was gaping at. “Says he’s worth a hundred million already. Corazon D. Rosinante;
Bloody Heart Corazon.”
Ace made a sound akin to a dying whale as he snatched the bounty out of his nakama’s hand. The
sharp grin that stared back was, in fact, his dad’s. His look had changed drastically in the last
(almost) three years, Ace noticed. The red line spreading his cheeks was thinner than before, the
design under his eye gone and replaced by a sharp deep-green line moving off his eyelid in a
dramatic wing. His go-to sunglasses were low on his nose, a cigarette between his lips, and his hair
messier than usual.
His shirt was a darker color, hearts still decorating the linen, but they seemed...messy. Like they
were bloodied hearts, probably where his namesake came from. A tie hung loosely in the shirt
collar, which had the first few buttons undone, the Red-Hair Jolly Roger showing on his skin
before it was hidden under fabric.
The biggest thing that had Ace reeling was the feathered coat sitting on his father’s shoulders.
Cora-san always wore that one feathered coat since Ace can remember, but they were deep, dark
feathers that shone in the light. The feathered coat his dad had on in the bounty was a deep red, like
it had been doused in blood.
“No way,” Ace choked out, gazing at the picture in awe.
Cora-san left the island when Luffy did and became a pirate? Became a pirate under his soon-to-be
husband’s crew?
And he looked fucking awesome?
Ace would have liked a letter saying that ‘oh, hey, my son, I’m a pirate now’! It would’ve been
highly appreciated, but this was so awesome!
“Uh, Ace,” Thatch drew out, exchanging a glance with his brothers and father.
Ace looked like he was shown the best thing ever, fondness in his eyes and a smile on his lips,
which was usually a look that was seen directed at Marco.
“Look at him!” Ace cried, twisting the bounty in his hands to show it to everyone, “Doesn’t he
look awesome?! He looks so cool!”
“Uh-huh,” Haruta squinted.
“He does look pretty cool,” Izou agreed. “I wonder what brand of lipstick he uses...”
Ace had stars in his eyes as he hugged the poster. Marco raised an eyebrow, frowning, “Ace, is
there a reason why you’re so...excited.” he asked dryly, and Thatch snickered at his obvious
jealously.
“This is my dad!” Ace beamed.
“...I see, makes sen – WHAT!?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law gaped at the bounty in his hands, showing it to his brother. Sabo even stopped the party he
started for their reunion, having met up on the same island on accident. They were heading back to
Paradise to meet Luffy at Sabaody. Well, Law was going to stop at Sabaody, Sabo was planning on
heading to Alabasta – where they all collectively decided Luffy would somehow end up at.
“Is that Dad?!” Sabo shrieked, leaning further into Law’s space. Law grunted when the top-hat his
brother wore hit him in the nose. “That’s Dad!”
“Yeah,” Law stared at the photo, a smirk twitching at his lips.
“Guys! We gotta party twice as hard!” Sabo cheered.
Law rolled his eyes, leaning back against his brother’s back, and lifted his own tankard.
He’s so very thankful that Cora-san is happy this time…
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy giggled as he looked at the bounty in his grasp. He knew that Cora-san would’ve left with
Shanks, and he was happy for the two of them. Especially Cora-san, he used to always get so sad
when Shanks left, Luffy knew he was only staying because of Luffy.
Cora-san looked so happy in the poster.
“Listen up, Everyone!” Luffy called, “Cora-san joined Shanks! His bounty is a hundred million!”
Cheers erupted from everyone but a confused Vivi, and Luffy laughed happily.
Chapter End Notes

Up Next: Chapter twenty-two: Loguetown, Alabasta, Brothers
P.S. Next chapter has Smoker/Sabo!
Loguetown, Alabasta, Brothers
Chapter Notes
I'm very excited for this chapter :D So I aged Smoker down a bit because Sabo's like
seventeen here and Smoker would be like a decade and some change older so~
(I also downed Marco's age a bit, same as Smoker, for those wondering (: )
Enjoy!!
First scene (Loguetown): Luffy: (27) 14 Law: (34) 21 Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 17-17.5

Smoker: 26
Second scene/onwards: Luffy: (29) 16 Law: (36) 23 Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 19 Zoro/Sanji:
18 Corazon: 35 Shanks: 36 Smoker: 28
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LOGUETOWN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Smoker was having a great day. He turned in some rookie pirates who thought they could manage
in the Grand Line, finished all his paperwork, and his superior gave him the rest of the day off. It
was a quiet day anyways, so Smoker hadn’t argued much when he was gifted the day off.
As he was heading back to his home, his day got a bit different.
“Ah, I’m so sorry!” the man who ran into and knocked him down yelled, scrambling to lift himself
up and off the marine. Smoker blinked at the golden curls hidden underneath a deep blue top hat,
blue eyes meeting his and a sheepish smile stretching full lips.
“It’s alright,” he said easily, sitting up now that the other was off of him.
He took the other in, frowning thoughtfully. He seemed noble from his looks to how he dressed,
but it was clear he wasn’t. From the pipe strapped to his back to the journal in his hands, hands that
had visible callouses with scars on his knuckles.
“You weren’t hurt, were you?” the man asked, frowning as his eyes scanned over Smoker’s body.
Smoker felt oddly exposed, like those blue eyes were searching his soul instead of trying see any
injuries.
“No, I’m fine,” Smoker said gruffly.
“Great!” the man said happily, standing quickly. He dusted his long coat before offering a hand to
Smoker. Smoker took it after a moment’s hesitation and allowed himself to be pulled up. The kid
was stronger than he appeared.
“My name is Rosi D. Sabo, it’s a pleasure.” the newly named Sabo greeted.
“Smoker.” Smoker introduced. He didn’t know why he was staying, actually, normally he’d just
tell them to watch where they were going and go back to his business.
Sabo smiled, “Are you on duty, Marine-san?”
“No,” Smoker said slowly, “But-”
“Wonderful!” Sabo chirped, “Would you like to join me for lunch?”
“Was you running into me a ploy to ask me out?” Smoker asked dryly.
“No, no, I actually didn’t see you,” Sabo looked around with a grin, “I’ve never been to a city like
this one before, there’s so much to see!” then he paused, looking over Smoker slyly, “And you
seem like interesting company, what do you say, Marine-san?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“So, what do you do for a living?” Smoker asked.
He really had no idea why he agreed to a date, but he was getting free lunch out of it, so it was
honestly a win. Besides, Sabo did seem as interesting as he thought Smoker was.
“I’m traveling,” Sabo said, picking up his glass of tea and blowing on it, steam rising. “I want to
see everything and write about it.” seeing Smoker’s raised eyebrow, he grinned. “My brother used
to tell me all about these islands in the sky and islands that had dinosaurs living on it, and I want to
go on my own adventures and write about it.” a faint red stained his cheeks, “It’s silly, isn’t it?”
“I think it sounds like a good achievement.” Smoker disagreed, “Go for your dream.”
Sabo studied him for a moment before he grinned, leaning his elbow onto the table, planting his
chin in his open palm, “What about you, Marine-san? What’s your dream?”
Smoker paused at that. “I want justice.” he said.
Sabo looked at him from under golden lashes, he would look alluring if not for the intense look in
his eyes. “And what is justice?” he asked.
Smoker startled. He'd never been asked that before...he had never asked himself that before...
“Ah, don’t mind me.” Sabo said lightly, smiling, “Do you want to order?”
“Yeah,” Smoker said, “Let’s order.”
What was justice?
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“I had an excellent time,” Sabo said, nudging his shoulder against Smoker’s, “Thank you.”
“Hm, when did you say you were going to leave?” Smoker asked, trying to seem nonchalant.
Sabo smiled, “Already missing me?”
Smoker snorted, “Sure,”
Sabo was rather interesting. Smart and complex but seemingly not at the same time. His smile was
nice, addicting even, and he was beautiful. But his personality was what lured Smoker in, a mix of
arrogant confidence and modest innocence.
Sabo went to open his mouth but was cut off by a Den-Den ringing. He smiled apologetically but
left the snail in his pocket, “I’d really like to meet again, one day,” he said, almost shyly.
Smoker cleared his throat, “Yes, I’d like that too.”
Sabo looked surprised but grinned and nodded, finally taking the snail from his coat.
“Cap’ we’re good to go. Waiting on you!” a woman’s voice came through, “You have seven
minutes before I decide to leave you!”
Sabo laughed lightly, “We both know you won’t.” he said, “But I’m heading there now.”
The call lasted a few seconds longer before it cut off – Sabo hanging up when the woman was in
the middle of saying something, seemingly uncaring. Smoker felt disappointment well. It's been a
long time since he was interested in anyone, but it’s not like he could ask Sabo to stay when he
obviously had his own plans.
Sabo looked at him again, tilting his head. His golden curls kissed at his cheeks, and there was
obvious reluctance in his stance, but he moved forward and pressed his lips against Smoker’s
cheek. “Let’s meet up again someday, Marine-san.” he said.
Smoker could do little more than nod his agreement.
Two weeks later, a pirate bounty with the name Rosi D. Sabo came in and Smoker screamed.
(At the same time, Rosinante got a letter talking about a hot marine and wanted ways to woo him to
the pirate-side from a former-marine’s point of view. He slapped his forehead as his youngest
cackled by his side. Those boys of his…)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ALABASTA ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo lifted a hand, motioning for another plate of food with a grin. The chef looked downright in
awe, having made seventeen plates for Sabo so far. The captain of the Top-Hat pirates took a long
gulp of his ale as another plate was set in front of him. He was pretty sure his brother was going to
show up to Alabasta, and Law did too, so now all he and his crew had to do was wait.
Law and Luffy always seemed to understand one another in a way that was one step higher than
anyone else ever managed to, so if Law believed Luffy would show up to Alabasta, Sabo was
inclined to agree, that and Crocodile being Luffy’s informant (something Sabo still didn’t know
was how that shitshow happened). It’s been forever since he’s seen his little brother and he’s
missed the ever-present sunshine that was Luffy.
“Actually,” Sabo said, grabbing the bounty that had his little brother’s face on it, “Have you seen
this kid? He should be to about my–”
“Blue Dragon Sabo,” a gruff, familiar voice reached his ears and Sabo grinned.
He turned in his chair, leaning back against the counter and met Smoker’s eyes. The man looked
nice, still had that alluring aura that called to Sabo when he first started his journey. Sabo missed
the marine, dare he say.
“Captain Smoker,” he said, tasting the name, “Long time no see.”
Teeth ground down on two cigars, eyes darkening with determination, fist clenched. Sabo bit his
lip, he hasn’t been able to get Smoker out of his mind for a long, long time now and seeing the man
in front of him was like a man in the desert coming across an oasis.
Oh, he looked really good.
Sabo eyed the chiseled chest he could see from the open shirt and bit his lip, really good.
“What are you doing in Alabasta.” Smoker growled, “You’re a New World pirate.”
“I’m looking for someone.” Sabo answered, “What about you, my dear Smoker-san?”
“You aren’t the person I came here for,” Smoker said, and he sounded defensive. Sabo smiled,
adorable. “But I’m a marine and you are a pirate. I’m going to take you in.”
“You could always turn the other way,” Sabo waved a gloved hand, “I won’t tell~”
Smoker growled, “Do you think I’m a fool? Pretending to play innocent while dragging me around
Loguetown, do you think I’ll let that slide?”
Sabo blinked. Oh, now he saw it. “I missed you,” he said.
Smoker’s scowl deepened. “You are a pirate.” he said dryly.
Sabo lifted a shoulder, “Yeah, d’you wanna punish me?”
Sabo smirked at the light flush on that face, tilting his head to the side. He looked behind the
marine’s shoulder when he felt a familiar presence launch itself towards the restaurant. He didn’t
say a word, simply smiled and stared at the marine in front of him.
Luffy launched himself into the marine’s back, sending the captain flying. Sabo grabbed onto him,
hardening his back with Haki as they went flying through the walls. Sabo decided he really needed
to thank Luffy.
“Who the hell was that!?” Smoker sputtered when they finally landed, a few houses away from the
restaurant.
Sabo smiled, “My brother.”
“Hah?” the marine turned to him, “Which one? It can’t be the one who’s a surgeon.”
Sabo felt his heart skip a beat, “You remembered?”

Smoker opened his mouth, “I-” he cleared his mouth, glaring.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” Sabo said, placing a gloved hand on the marine’s.
“You’re a pirate,” Smoker said gruffly, taking his hand back, “You’re messing with me.”
“I wish I was,” Sabo looked away, “I never felt this way before. Marine, pirate, who cares.” he
looked at the logia user and smiled, “Are you on duty? Can I take you to lunch?”
Smoker blew smoke from his lungs, “Sabo,” he cleared his throat and looked away, “I’m looking
for Monkey D. Luffy.”
“Oh?” Sabo grinned, “He’s in there.” he said, pointing, “He sent us launching.”
Smoker’s eyes widened, cigars dropping from his mouth. Sabo snickered, surging forward, and
placing an open-mouthed kiss against his marine’s lips. He then stood up and grabbed his pipe,
“Oi! Luffy! I know you knew I was there; you shit!”
“Shishishishi~!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ BROTHERS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo grinned as he caught up to his little brother, finding said kid sitting in an alleyway atop a
barrel. He dropped down, landing next to his brother almost silently.
“You could’ve handled that without an issue.” He said, and Luffy tilted his head back with a grin.
“Yeah, shishi!” Luffy agreed, stepping onto the floor, “That’s no fun, though!”
“You haven’t changed a bit,” Sabo said fondly, placing an elbow onto the barrel. Luffy clasped his
hand and they both started to arm wrestle.
“You look good Sabo!” Luffy chirped, “Only thing that’s changed is that you’re taller!”
Sabo chuckled, “Not everyone wants to stay a shrimp like you, Lu.”
Cue the offended gasp and more pressure, Sabo grit his teeth, pushing back just as much.
“Who’s the blue-haired lady?” Sabo asked, gripping the edge of the barrel tightly.
“Vivi, she’s a princess.” Luffy’s face turned red as the barrel cracked under the pressure, and okay
that seemed like Luffy to kidnap a princess.
The barrel cracked and broke under the brother’s arms, and Sabo grinned. “Still a tie.” He said.
Luffy laughed and Sabo’s grin grew. “You here to see Uncle Croco?”
“Yep!” Luffy said cheerfully, “His crew tried to kidnap Vivi so they could get a ransom from her
dad, but he didn’t know, so I beat them up! Crocodile also has some new information for me,
shishi!”
Sabo still had no idea how his brother coerced a Warlord into being his secret ally and informant
but that was just Luffy for you. He’s happy to see that Luffy had changed, the darkness – the
haunted look that has always been in his eyes since they were young was barely there, just a dull
shine behind that childish joy and, strangely enough, relief.
Law had the same look growing up, and it too faded over time.
Sabo was so relieved.
“Shishishi!” Luffy folded his arms behind his head, looking at Sabo with a grin. “Is your crew
here?”
“Yeah, wanted you to meet them.” Sabo adjusted his hat, “Shall we?”
Luffy beamed, already bouncing towards the exit. A blast of perfectly controlled Haki left his body
before the goons could even touch him. Sabo sighed and shook his head fondly; he hoped his
brother never changed.
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter Twenty-three - Night Terrors, Whitebeard

P.S. I absolutely love this next chapter but it's really sad-
P.S.S. Chapter twenty-four, babes, is going to be really fun *rubs hands together like a
villain + villain laugh*
Night Terrors, Whitebeard
Chapter Notes
I watched Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time yesterday and I'm wondering
where it's been my whole life
I’m pretty sure Doffy already destroyed the town but for fiction purposes let’s say he
didn’t lol-
Enjoy!!

37
T/W: Panic Attack/PTSD in “Night Terrors”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ NIGHT TERRORS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Do you even know true terror?! I’ll show you!”
Rosinante jolted awake, air leaving his lungs harshly and his Devil Fruit activating, enveloping
him in silence, on instinct. His hands tugged at his hair as he bent down, eyes closed in a desperate
attempt to keep the sights away from him.
Rosinante had thought he was over this. He had thought that the nightmares – the memories – of
that night had been over and done with. He thought he was over this trauma, gone and accepted it.
It’s been so many years since then, Rosinante wasn’t the little kid that didn’t understand what was
happening, understand why people were screaming, torturing him.
He could still hear the screams, the tears, the slurs, even now at that very moment they were
whispered into his ears, not allowing his mind to calm.
It was ironic, his Devil Fruit made him silent, was the embodiment of calm, made it so people
couldn’t listen to whatever was being said in his range and he couldn’t hear them. Yet he could
still hear everything from then.
“My daughter was taken by your filth! She barely escaped but couldn’t live with herself! She was
dead three days later!”
“You don’t treat us like humans! You say you’re Gods, well Gods shouldn’t die, right!? That
means I can shoot you all I want!”
Rosinante clawed at his throat, tears dripping down his eyes reluctantly as he tried desperately to
get air into his lungs. He had always had a strong tolerance towards pain. Since after he was
tortured, his pain was significantly reduced compared to what it should be. When Law stabbed
him, a decade and some change ago, Rosinante hadn’t even felt that much pain, mostly surprise.
(Because his body has been used to pain since he was six, used to being strung up, kicked into the
dirt, stabbed, shot, burnt–)
But he still felt the burns and the cuts, still heard the words, still remembered how he was strung
up, shot at, blindfolded, and cursed at like he wasn’t a child. Like he had known what was going
on, why this had happened.
“–ante. Rosinante, my love, breathe-”
Rosinante jerked, the blankets tangling in his legs, one limb silently falling off the bed, and he
turned wide, unseeing eyes towards the person near him.
Rosinante shook his head, choking down a sob as he tugged at his hair harder. Damnit, why was
this still happening? He was Corazon D. Rosinante, Cora-san, father of four, husband of a damn
Yonko, the Bloody Heart – member of the Red Hair pirates, Rosinante was better than this. He was
better than being reduced to a pile of tears, an unbreathing mess.
He was happy, now, so why did he still hear those words filled with such rage and sorrow, why did
he still feel the blaze of fires from below him, the feel of rope biting into his skin as he was hung
on a wall like some fucking painting – like he wasn’t a fucking human?
Why did he still see them?
Rosinante didn’t want to see them, hear them, not anymore.
“I – I’m s-sorry!” He cried out, (agony was in his silent words, heard only by him) scrambling back
when he felt a hesitant hand reach out to him. His back collided with a wall, and he tensed further,
eyes flying open.
Instead of fire, instead of faces filled with rage, instead of seeing torches and weapons, all
Rosinante saw was red. A deep red so similar to blood, but deeper, shinier, a red that Rosinante ran
his fingers through, red that he woke up next to every morning, red that he loved.
“It’s okay,” Shanks murmured, voice soft as he kneeled next to him, “Ross, it’s okay. Can you do
something for me?” Rosinante jerked a nod, gasping. “Good, can you copy me?” Shanks breathed
in loudly, his chest expanding, before he exhaled just as slowly. “Can you copy me, love?”
Rosinante’s chest stuttered as he tried to inhale, eyes never leaving his husband’s as he copied his
breaths. He hiccupped, more tears leaking from his eyes as he clamped the hand that had
previously been on his chest, over his ear. Shanks never faltered, a steady presence by his side, and
Rosinante wanted to touch, to grab hold of that red he loved so, but he felt…revolted, fearful by the
mere thought of touch.
“Can I touch you?” Shanks asked, voice still soft, low in the room.
Rosinante shook his head, turning his head away with a flinch. He felt terrible when he expected a
hit or worse from Shanks, his husband, for simply refusing, but he couldn’t help it.
He’s gotten hit for something much more insignificant than that before.
For simply existing, for wanting to live.
“That’s alright,” Shanks said. If Rosinante was looking at him, he’d see a dark rage being
suppressed, rage at the world, one so similar to the one he’s seen in his eldest son’s eyes, in
Doffy’s eyes, “Just copy me, Ross.”
It took a while, and there had been several times when Rosinante’s panic would return ten-fold
when he was finally calming, but eventually he got his breathing under control and the slurs of hate
a mere echo in his mind. Rosinante felt jittery, his fingers trembling and his arms shaking. He
turned his back to Shanks, feet hitting the floor silently, and grabbed his pack of cigarettes, shakily
twisting the lighter in his hands.
Rosinante realized his Fruit was still active when he turned the lighter and no noise was produced.
He quickly deactivated it, body shuddering with his next breath.
Clink, clink, clink.
“Rosinante?” Shanks asked quietly.
“Please hug me,” Rosinante whispered, voice wrecked despite the fact that he hadn’t actually made
any sound during the entire ordeal.
A strong arm wrapped around him, and he was pulled back into a toned chest, the flimsy yet soft
shirt Shanks wore to bed teasing at Rosinante’s bare back. The feeling was familiar, soft, and
Rosinante shuddered.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Shanks murmured into his shoulder.
“I was born a Celestial Dragon,” Rosinante spat, and Shanks stilled. His fingers rubbed shapes into
Rosinante’s hip not even a second later.
“I know,” Shanks said, voice deep and so safe.
And he did. Rosinante told him long before they started to date and Shanks hadn’t even batted an
eye, smiling at him, and saying that he wasn’t one now, so it didn’t matter. To Rosinante it always
would matter, it would always be a deep hindrance that will forever haunt him. They never talked
about it after that, and Rosinante was so deeply thankful for that.
(“Why do you know so much about hating blood?” Shanks had asked one day, pure curiosity in his
voice, after he watched Rosinante give yet another lecture to the ten-year-old Ace after he cursed
about Roger being a demon thus making him one.
Rosinante had turned to look at him, serious in a way he never really was now-days, and carefully
took the cigarette from between his teeth. “I was born a Celestial Dragon.” He said, shame in his
voice, posture stiff and eyes filled with rage. “I know all about hating blood.”
And Shanks had stared at him, eyes captivating as he gazed at him, before he leaned back and
smiled. “Eh, does that mean you still speak douche?”
“…You don’t care?” Rosinante asked, eyes wide.
“Why the hell should I? Have you seen a Dragon living in the woods wearing a apron and chasing
kids around before?” Shanks asked, raising a red eyebrow with a grin, “You’re obviously not one
now, doesn’t matter to me.”)
“My birth parents abandoned that life, thought we’d be welcomed everywhere with open arms,”
Rosinante shook, voice weak, “People found out, ganged up on us. We were…I was tortured.”
Shanks’ grip tightened, and he cursed.
Clink, clink, cli–
Rosinante inhaled deeply, smoke teasing his lungs, and he carefully set the lighter back onto the
bedside table. He exhaled slowly, silent as smoke filtered past his lips. It was quiet for a long,
peaceful moment. Rosinante offered the cigarette between his fingers to Shanks, and lips brushed
against his fingers as Shanks took the offered smoke. Rosinante felt Shanks inhale, and he leaned
back further, resting his head onto the older’s shoulder.
“I love you,” Shanks murmured, his fingertips glided along Rosinante’s skin, touching old scars
tenderly, like they were something to be treasured, “Every single part of you.” Light kisses were
placed onto his shoulder, “No one will ever hurt you again, Ross, you’re my husband. I protect
what’s mine.”
Rosinante killed his cigarette in the ashtray, turning around and looping an arm around Shanks’
neck. He pulled the Yonko into a kiss, deep and slow, and for once, Rosinante couldn’t hear the
echo of hateful words. All that mattered in that moment was Shanks and the feeling he provided.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Shanks trailed his fingertips along his lover’s spine, keeping him close. They’ve been on the sea
for almost five months together, and Shanks has never seen his lover react that violently to
anything before. Seeing a man like Rosinante cower and mumbled out apologizes while stuck in a
vivid memory of being tortured when from he wasn’t even seven yet made Shanks’ entire body fill
with rage.
(Seeing Rosinante, his Ross, cry and cry, not a sound leaving his body would stay in Shanks' mind
for a long time.
The way he instinctively activated his Devil Fruit, the way he made himself silent without a
thought made Shanks blood boil. Rosinante, his Rosinante, silencing himself like his pain wasn’t
worth a damn made Shanks want to destroy whatever the fuck made him think that in the first
place.)
Rosinante was the person who gave Shanks the brightest smiles, was happy, clumsy, and so, so
loveable. He was a loving father, a great husband, an amazing pirate. He was gorgeous, kind,
caring. Shanks would give him the world if Rosinante wanted it.
And when Shanks asked, every time Rosinante would smile and say, “You, our crew and our sons
are my world.”
And Shanks would fall even deeper in love with him every single damn time without fail.
Seeing his husband like this, though? Shanks wanted to destroy the town that caused him so much
suffering.
Shanks paused, eyebrow quirking and a grin spreading his lips. Maybe he’ll do just that…
⊱ ────── {.⋅ WHITEBEARD ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow at the newspaper in his hand, curiosity bubbling. He had no idea
why that Red-Haired Brat would go out and set an entire island on fire, Shanks wasn’t the type to
do so. Not anymore, with him being Shanks instead of the mourning mess he had been when he got
his crew together, Roger’s death still fresh in his too-young mind. He had matured (and
Whitebeard used this term loosely) since then, he was even a Yonko now.
And, yes, being a Yonko didn’t mean that they didn’t destroy towns or island (Hell, Big Mom did
it monthly) but Shanks was the least likely to do so now days.
Whitebeard hummed as he scanned the news, pausing when he came across a picture of the
Yonko. It had obviously been taken at a distance, but the man was seen easily. Shanks had a blank
expression on his scarred face, eyes dark with rage as the flames ate at all it saw. His crew stood
around him, all of them with similar expressions save for one man.
Bloody Heart Corazon, their resident fire-man’s father, looked…relieved. His mouth was open,
eyes wide, but he looked like a weight was eased off his shoulders.
Whitebeard hummed, he wanted to meet that Red-Haired brat again soon, and that Corazon too.
Chapter End Notes
Chapter twenty-four: News, Impel Down, Cry For Help, Marineford
SHITS GOING DOWN AND I HAVE NO REGRETS--
P.S. Chapter 25 and 26 are after Marineford :)

News, Impel Down, Cry For Help, Marineford
Chapter Notes
I decided to post this early! Be warned, this is not the last we've seen of Marineford! I
do plan on adding in a chapter with other people's POV later one :D
Enjoy!!

37 Smoker: 29
⊱ ────── {.⋅ NEWS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law had been in contact with Luffy for two days when the news landed. The Straw Hat pirates had
been separated, just like they had been originally. Of course, they were all stronger this time
around, but Luffy and Law had talked for a long time. There were things that Nami, Chopper,
Usopp, Zoro, all of them only learned because they were sent away.
Robin, Chopper, Brook, and Franky hadn’t been trained by Luffy for a decade, and there’s only so
much one can learn about swords when they lived in a forest with kids who didn’t really know how
to wield swords – at least not in the way that Zoro and Kuina wanted to learn.
So Luffy decided he was going to let them get split up again, this time only for a year and a half
instead of two and some change. Law hadn’t been so supporting of the idea, but it was Luffy’s
crew and Luffy’s decision. Luffy had been sent to Amazon Lilly just like he had been last time,
somehow made Hancock fall in love with him again, and sent him a total of one Den-Den calls
since he landed.
And then the news came in: Fire Fist Ace captured and to be executed in eight days. Law’s hands
trembled as he read the news, his breath freezing to a halt. They’ve changed to much; they’ve
changed so much! Sure, Blackbeard was alive, but Shanks had his Devil Fruit, was planning on
giving it to Sabo after discussing it with Luffy.
So how had Ace been captured and turned in? How had Blackbeard even manage that?
Law grit his teeth, and turned towards the groove where the Polar Tang was docked, “We need to
go, now!”
There is no way he’ll let his brother fall in this battle, not again.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ IMPEL DOWN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy knew there was a chance he’d be too late in getting Ace from Impel Down, with the
execution sped up even more than it had been last time. Even if he did manage to get Ace out of
there, they’d have a hard time getting out. But so many of his friends were in there, and Luffy
couldn’t just leave them. And the chance that he could get Ace out of there was significantly high.
But, even if he didn’t manage it, Luffy knew he’d get to Marineford on time. He did last time.
Jimbe was down there, and Luffy wasn’t going to let his Nakama stayed chained down. That
wasn’t counting Bon Clay, and Ivankov either and Crocodile was down there – he was Luffy and
Law’s main informant!
Besides…there was another reason Luffy was here. The main one, the one that fueled him into
making such a trek down into the depths of this hell again.
The main reason, the thing that Luffy will make sure is done.
Luffy snuck in with the help of Hancock again, just like he had last time, and quickly followed the
trail he had when he first came here. He grinned when he came across Buggy.
“Oi! Uncle Buggy!”
“Gah! Oh, Luffy, it’s just you – WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN IMPEL FUCKING
DOWN!?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ CRY FOR HELP ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Tell us, who is your father?” Sengoku asked coldly, eyes harsh as they bore into Ace.
Ace bowed his head. He might not hate Roger for, well, everything anymore, but a part of him still
hated Roger for leaving, for turning himself in. Ace’s mother died because she had been alone, no
one there to protect her, and Ace had no one to blame but the man who had left her alone in the
first place. He knew it was irrational, but he would never look at Roger and see his father.
Cora-san was his father. He had been the one who helped Ace become the man he was today, had
helped him throw punches that had just a bit more oomph to it, taught him how to be a spy, how to
write in that fancy script he always did, and Cora-san had (something Ace had always been so
embarrassed over as a kid, but now missed) always kissed his injuries, wrapped him up in warm
hugs and even made his favorite food whenever he felt down.
Cora-san was Ace’s father, the only one who could ever dare to hold that title.
“Rosinante! Corazon D. Rosinante is my father!” Ace cried for the world to hear, tears in his eyes
as he looked up and met his Grandpops eyes.
(An ever-present smile slipped, eyes widening behind pink-tinted glasses, and Doflamingo looked
up to the scaffolding. He forced a grin on his lips, his body tense. He had seen the wanted posters
for his beloved little brother but hearing that he created a family without Doflamingo oddly hurt…
he was betrayed again, by his baby brother…
But you betrayed him first, why would he care about you?
No, no, Rosinante betrayed me first. I didn’t betray my baby brother.
You planned on killing him.
That was because Rosi betrayed me. He deserved it.
Lair. You planned on killing him before that day.
No, Rosi is my precious brother, I hadn’t planned any harm against my brother. The brother that I
took beatings for, gave the freshest food I could find, the baby brother that I loved with my whole
heart.
The baby brother you left behind, the baby brother you planned on shooting dead, the baby
brother you made cry.
The baby brother I need…)
Sengoku froze, eyes wide and mouth open, before he grit his teeth. “No. Your father is Gold
Roger, the Pirate King!”
Gasps erupted at that, and Ace kept his eyes on his Grandpops, on Marco and Thatch.
(“I FUCKING KNEW IT!” Thatch yelled, mostly ignored by everyone. “YOU ALL OWE ME SO
MANY BELLI!”)
“Your mother Portgas D. Rouge did something that only a mother’s love is capable of pulling off
and kept you in her womb for twenty months.” Sengoku continued, “And you were born months
after Roger had been executed. You are the continuation of the Pirate King’s legacy, Gold Ace!”
The ice covering the ocean cracked at the end of that sentence. Ace watched in shock as the Red
Force erupted into view, water spraying everyone near as the waves settled. Shanks and his crew
all stood on deck, their weapons out, and all of them looking ready to maim someone.
(Dracule “Hawk Eye” Mihawk sighed, turning away. He agreed to fight Whitebeard, not Red-Hair.
Though that’s what he’d tell the marines, anyways.)
“Dad,” Ace whispered, his voice caught by the Den-Den in Sengoku’s hands, carrying along the
plaza.
Deep red feathers fluttered in the wind as his dad smiled at him, smoke passing his lips. “Ace! Just
you wait,” he grinned widely, “we’re coming for you!”
“Dads!” Ace felt tears wet his cheeks, dripping down and off his chin, but he could care less.
“Why are you all here!?”
“We couldn’t just let you die, Ace!” Sabo screamed; eyes intense as he stood on the figurehead of
his ship.
“Sabo!” Ace…felt so hopeful.
“You idiot brother of mine!” Sabo grinned, the expression full of teeth and threatening. “What are
we going to do with you!?”
“AAAACCCCEEEE!”
Ace threw his head back, gaping at the clouds as a Marine Warship fell from the sky, Luffy sitting
on it and his face so dark, so angry, so terrified. Luffy had always been the fearless one of them,
and it didn’t surprise Ace that Luffy looked so calm while literally falling through the sky.
Cora-san gasped, “Luffy! What are you doing in the sky!?”
Luffy launched himself from the ship, his feet landing onto the ice with a loud slap. The marines
around him all jolted, the Whitebeard pirates and allies all gasping in surprise.
“Luffy, Dad, Sabo, Grandpops! Why are you here!?” Ace demanded desperately.
“Ace!” Luffy looked at him, expression full of so much determination, so much rage, “We aren’t
going to let you die!”
“Gurararara! There’s no way I’m letting any of my children or grandchildren die!” Whitebeard
rumbled back.
“You were always the dramatic one, Ace!” Sabo twirled his pipe.
Cora-san smiled at him, “You’re my son, Ace.” He said, like that was a good reason to fight a war
over him.
Shanks looked up at Ace, his expression neutral, but eyes soft and worried yet fierce and angry,
“You’re my brat, Ace, of course we’re going to be here.”
Ace choked on nothing, staring at Shanks intently. Ace had always said he would never accept
Shanks as his father, that Cora-san was the only person to ever hold that title, but he was scared.
Scared that one day Shanks would just decide he didn’t want them, want Ace.
Ace felt something in him crack, a wall he’s kept up for years and years, the only one left that only
his brothers and Cora-san managed to find their way through, breaking.
(Dad, Ace thought distantly, but no that wasn’t right. Cora-san was Dad, so Shanks had to be
something else…)
The thing that made the last of Ace’s composure break away was a submarine breaking through
the surface, the door thrown open and one Trafalgar D. Law walking out.
Ace screamed for the world to hear, “Please take me away from here!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ MARINEFORD ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante help his chin up high, grasping the pistols hidden in his coat. He had always feared
something like this would happen, that Ace would be found out and executed. He’s never been
more thankful for Ace’s connections with Whitebeard than he has at this moment.
Two Yonko, their allies (which included an entire ship full of Revolutionaries, not counting Iva and
their people), and three powerful pirate captains (and two crews) was not something the Navy
expected, and Rosinante was going to use it to his advantage.
“I’m going,” He told the crew, nodding at them.
“Be safe, Ross,” Shanks ordered, and Rosinante slipped off the ship. The bright colors he wore
weren’t particularly the best for spy work, but Rosinante was a professional. He could slip away
with ease should he ever try.
“Luffy,” Rosinante landed next to his son, kicking out at the marine trying to shoot him. Yes,
Luffy was bullet proof, but Rosinante still worried.
“Dad!” Luffy beamed, “Go to Hancock, she has the key.”
Rosinante frowned in confusion, “Why the hell would she have the key?”
“She’s in love with me,” Luffy answered bluntly, “Tell her you’re my dad and say something about
marriage and she’ll give it to you without any problems.”
Rosinante was so getting a better explanation than that later. He ordered his son to be safe before
rushing away, using smoke to cover him and taking out any Marine that managed to see him.
Finding the Warlord was easy, with most of the men around her swooning, and Rosinante lunged at
her.
“All you men,” the woman sneered, “You’re all the same!”
“I’m Luffy’s father,” Rosinante said, low enough that she’d hear. Hancock paused for a moment
before meeting his kick with her own, “He said you had the key.”
“And why should I believe that you’re my beloved’s family?” Hancock demanded haughtily.
Rosinante chose his next words carefully, “I think he mentioned something about marriage when
he told me about you.”
Hancock immediately held her face, flushing a deep red, “Marriage!? Oh, I don’t know if we want
that yet!” she had a dreamy look on her face, “Oh, Luffy, if you wanted my hand in marriage you
should have just told me~”
Rosinante was very weirded out. “Um, can I have the key?”
“Of course, Da – Luffy’s Father!” Hancock cried, handing it over to him instantly, still smiling
shyly to herself.
Rosinante hurried away before she started to attack everyone around her again, a marine
interrupting her daydream. He ducked under attacks and stayed close to the edge of the battles.
“Dad!” Sabo yelled when he saw him, grinning widely as he parried a sword attack, knocking the
marine in the skull. He hurried to fall into step with Rosinante, scowling at the people around them,
“There’s admirals up there, and Gramps. We have’ta be careful!”
Rosinante grit his teeth. There was just too many people, too much going on. They needed a plan,
and quickly.
“WHY THE HELL ARE ALL OF YOU EVEN HERE!? WHY DO THIS FOR ME?!”
“ACE, YOU’RE MY BROTHER!” Luffy screamed, “WE’RE NOT GOING TO LET YOU DIE!”
“Did he just say brother!?”

“Is he Roger’s kid too!?”
“Monkey D. Luffy, son of the Revolutionary Dragon!” Sengoku informed, and Rosinante hated
him just a little for that, “He is step-brothers with Fire Fist Ace, Blue Dragon Sabo, and the
Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar D. Law!”
Rosinante looked behind him hurriedly, finding Luffy in the center of an attack. There was
suddenly a large burst of power, and almost every single marine in Marineford collapsed, some
Rosinante knew had a strong will tumbling down too, Luffy’s eyes alight with anger as he wiped at
his cheek. The aura of a Conqueror still clinging to him and, Rosinante had never felt Luffy let out
such a powerful burst of it before.
(He’s never felt anything so powerful in general. Even Vice Admirals were unconscious…)
Law fell into step with Luffy, the younger grabbing him by his hip and hauling him up. Rosinante
saw Law scowl but accept it, saying something to Luffy that was too quiet in the air of the battle –
which was now a huge win for the Whitebeard side, with most of the Marines unconscious. Luffy
nodded, a look of determination on his face, and he looked around. He suddenly swerved, heading
straight to Sabo and Rosinante.
“Dad!” Law yelled when they finally made it to each other, scowling as Luffy let him down, “Get
ready!”
“For what?” Rosinante watched as his son called up a Room, the dome large enough to reach the
scaffolding.
“Shambles!”
Rosinante felt the floor under him lurch, and he quickly righted himself.
“Dad! Luffy!” Ace cried.
“Ace!” Rosinante quickly turned, meeting his father’s wide eyes. Luffy snatched the key from the
older’s hand, already working on getting Ace’s cuffs off.
“Rosinante…” Sengoku muttered, “You were alive all this time.”
Rosinante held his head high, “I’m sorry I made you believe otherwise, Father. But I knew you’d
kill my sons, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
Sengoku looked conflicted, but gold started to cover his skin. Rosinante grimaced, “Blood means
nothing! Ace is Ace, not Roger! You took me in despite my blood, gave me a life to live! What’s
wrong with wanting to have a adventure?!”
“That boy is different, Rosinante!” Sengoku yelled, “He has the blood of–”
“My blood is worse,” Rosinante hissed, “You know it is. I will never let my sons die! You will
have to kill me first, Father!”
The clinking of metal sounded around them, and fire erupted around them. Rosinante looked over
to his son when he felt a rubbery arm grab him, and he smiled.
“Retreat!” Sabo yelled, “We have Ace! Go!”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law breathed deeply and lifted his hand. This was probably going to suck him dry of energy for a
while, but it was going to be worth it.
“Room.”
A Room, one of the largest he’s produced so far – one that his body couldn’t really handle just yet
– surrounded the entirety of Marineford. He lifted his blade and smirked as he slashed.
As the entire island cut into two pieces, buildings toppling over and falling, as Warships crumpled
and sank. As the scaffolding that help Sengoku fell.
As a deep cut in the earth separated his family from the marines chasing him.
“Oi, Sabo, you should probably carry me.”
“What – gah, Law!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy hardened his skin with Haki as he grabbed Ace, pulling his brother along. It was a bit
awkward running while carrying Cora-san, given the other’s height, but Luffy managed. Ace
wasn’t going to be stopped this time around, and he wasn’t going to die. Luffy wouldn’t allow it,
he’d rather die than let Ace die twice.
Sabo fell into step with him, Law hung over his shoulder, the other looking exhausted. His body
still wasn’t used to making Rooms of that size, especially when he made several before that attack.
Luffy had tried to carry him for a majority of the battle so he could conserve his stamina, but it
seems it hadn’t worked like he had hoped.
“The Polar Tang,” Law muttered, meeting Luffy’s eyes, “Go to the Polar Tang.”
“You got it, big brother!” Sabo yelled as he picked up his pace, and Luffy followed the example.
“I can run!” Cora-san said worriedly.
“Nope!” Sabo, Law, and Luffy chorused.
When they finally made it to the shore, Shanks’s group stopping the Admirals from following and
attacking, Luffy felt hope bubble at his chest ten-fold.
“Get going, Bepo! Prepare to submerge!”
Chapter End Notes

Up Next: Chapter twenty-five - Impel Down, Desperate, Shock
P.S. "Shock" has a certain reveal about a certain couple~
Impel Down, Desperate, Shock
Chapter Notes
Due to popular demand, I've posted this sooner than planned lol
Enjoy~!

37 Smoker: 29
T/W: Sexual content in “Desperate”, I have no idea where it came from, sorry-
⊱ ────── {.⋅ IMPEL DOWN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy looked at Ivankov with a determined expression, head tilted back, and hands curled into fists
at his side. “I need to save my brother,” he said.
Luffy could manage to get to the bottom level by himself, but he needed Iva and all the others if he
wanted to get out of here and still have enough energy to get to Marineford. Ace had already been
taken, much earlier than he had originally. The moment he was found out here, Ace had been
removed from his cell, and Luffy had no idea where he was.
Probably already heading to his death, that you sped up, a traitorous part of Luffy’s mind
whispered. He waved it away like Law had taught him to years ago and inhaled deeply.
“And you guys need to get out of here.” He continued, “They’ll look for people now, and it’s only
a matter of time before they find you. Let’s escape together.”
Ivankov hummed, studying him intently. “You seem to know what’s happening very well, Straw-
boy.”
“Yeah, you work under my dad in the Revolution, and they’ll find you if they look,” Luffy said
plainly. Dragon wasn’t his dad, not really, he was like some weird uncle that only showed up every
once in a while, but Luffy knew it would get Ivankov to escape with him, even if they weren't
already convinced.
Ivankov sighed.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy and his group of prisoners and revolutionaries and nakama rushed towards the exit of the
level. The break-out was going much smoother than it had originally, and Luffy’s Conqueror Haki
helped with that the most. Ivankov was still reeling from the news that Dragon had a son and that
said son was a major powerhouse (even if he’s known this for years, it was still such a shock!), but
Luffy didn’t really pay attention to their staring.
Luffy was mostly focusing on the presence that was approaching quickly and scowled. Blackbeard
had been the only major crew that somehow managed to keep most of its members when the
marines decided they wanted to destroy pirates for good, mostly because of the captain’s Devil
Fruit.
Luffy hated him.
The moment Blackbeard appeared in front of him, Luffy knew what he needed to do. He’s known
this, accepted it, since he and Law spoke of what they were going to do with the Yami Yami no Mi
for the first time, Shanks and Rayleigh adding in their two cents as well. Luffy wasn’t going to risk
anything, not this time, so he was going to finish it.
“You all go!” He ordered, eyes hard and Haki thrumming under his skin.
Jimbe bristled, much like Bon Clay, Crocodile, and Iva’s group. “No, I’m not leaving you!” Jimbe
yelled.
Luffy looked over his shoulder, and he saw the second Jimbe understood that there wasn’t a debate
to this. Luffy wasn’t giving them a choice, they were leaving this to Luffy.
“Don’t die, you brat.” Crocodile huffed.
Luffy didn’t smile, didn’t reassure them. He didn’t have to, he knew he was going to win this
because Luffy almost had the strength he did when he was twenty and fighting Navy Admirals and
winning, coming out of the battle with little injuries.
(Luffy was strong, but that strength hadn’t saved his nakama before. This time it would, he’d be
damned if it didn’t.)
“Yeah,” he agreed, planting a hand on his straw hat as he dipped his head, “I’ll be right behind
you.”
And then he was walking forward, not even bothering to listen to Blackbeard’s useless banter, eyes
cold and the aura of death clinging to him. Haki flowed off his body with each step, growing in its
intensity, until the air around him was charged with static, crackling with each step.
Blackbeard was the reason for so many bad things in Luffy’s life.
He was going to stop it.
“Gear Second.” Luffy said, the familiar thrum entering his body as his skin steamed, and he was
out of view a moment later.
Haki coating his skin, Luffy launching himself at Blackbeard.
(He was merciful with the bastard, he deserved to suffer. Whatever the people in Impel Down was
going to do to him was nothing compared to what Law had muttered about.)
Luffy walked past the unconscious, close to death, pirates and headed towards his group.
Blackbeard would probably live, he was a D. no matter how little he was like one, they didn’t die
so easily.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ DESPERATE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy remembered the last time he had been in the Polar Tang before it had been destroyed. It was
just like he remembered it to be, down to the sharp smell of disinfectant and the echoing sound the
hallways created. Luffy stood slowly, looking over to where Cora-san and Sabo sat exhausted on
the table in the mess hall and gave them a cheerful smile when they gave him a questioning look.
He hadn’t eaten much, his stomach too queasy. He’d barely eaten his first serving, and he had seen
the worried looks Sabo and Cora-san shared, but he played it off to bone-deep exhaustion. He was
tired, but not to that point.
Seeing Ace kneeling on that scaffolding, head bowed in defeat again…Luffy felt nauseous. He
had been so sure they prevented that. That Ace wouldn’t have been captured, that his lineage
wouldn’t have been exposed to the world. Luffy had been so hopeful that he wouldn’t have had to
step foot on Marineford ever again. The only reason he hadn’t panicked to the point where he was
useless was because of the adrenaline that had been running through his veins.
“I’m gonna go rest!” Luffy said, false cheer in his words and a bounce in his step as he made his
way out of the mesh hall.
The moment the door closed behind him, Luffy’s smile fell and he turned towards Law’s room.
Law had been busy, hovering over Ace, who was in relatively good shape, apparently, he hadn’t
been tortured too much down there; starved and dehydrated, yes, but at least he hadn’t been
physically wounded minus a few cuts and bruises.
Ace was alive, Luffy reminded himself.
Thank you for...loving me!
Luffy stopped walking, closing his eyes tightly, his nails biting into his palms. He still never
understood why Ace would thank him for that, Luffy’s never regretted loving Ace, it had been
easy, natural.
He never understood why Ace would even say that. Luffy’s never quite managed to get it out of
his mind since he heard it.
War terrified Luffy. Shook him down to the bones, rattling his very being. The last battle he had
been in, the last of his crew fell, Zoro’s swords forced away from their master, held by Luffy as he
walked towards the grave that was for his first mate. Sanji hadn’t lasted longer either, buried next
to the swordsmen, Ikkaku and Shachi too. Law had been in the infirmary on the Sunny for hours,
coming out of the room so exhausted he collapsed after saying that Penguin would live.
(Live being a stretch as the man would never open his eyes again.)
Then Sabo’s hat was delivered to him by a mourning and bandaged Koala, and Luffy’s last brother
was killed.
Luffy screamed for days, he had destroyed everything around him.

He couldn’t speak for a week.
Didn’t speak for two.
It had been Law that coaxed his voice back.
And after that, Law had slowly started to die.
And Luffy had been forced to watch as every person he held dear was killed, as Law, the last
fucking person he had left, slowly withered away, to the point where he wasn’t alive, but he was.
He had been an empty husk, one that was nothing like the sarcastic, sadistic Law Luffy adored with
every fiber of his being.
He hadn’t really been alive nearing the end. Luffy had lost everyone.
(Luffy has always been surrounded by death.
He hated it so much.)
Luffy turned when he heard footsteps, warily eyeing Law as he walked up to him. Law really
shouldn’t be walking or doing anything, but apparently a twenty-minute power nap was good
enough for him, and he was functioning like normal.
(He was used to exhaustion, even after all these years, Luffy knew but refused to admit.)
“You didn’t eat,” Law said bluntly when he walked by Luffy, the Pirate King instantly stepping
into line with him.
“Couldn’t.” Luffy said softly.
Law hummed in return. It wasn’t the first time Luffy’s appetite disappeared, but they both hoped it
was the last. Luffy opened the door to Law’s quarters when they reached the door, slipping into the
room and closing the door when Law walked in.
They stood still, their eyes meeting, and Luffy knew he wasn’t alone in his thoughts. Law closed
the distance between them, bending slightly so their lips would brush and Luffy kissed him back. It
was soft, something that was rare for them. Normally they were rushed, desperate and scared.
Luffy quite liked it when they could be soft with one another.
But right now, he didn’t want soft.
He wanted to know that this was real, that he and Law really were here, that they managed to save
all they had; Ace, Cora-san, Sabo, Whitebeard…
All it took was tilting his head, teeth sinking into Law’s bottom lip, and the kiss shifted. Luffy
grunted when his back was forced against the door, his hands reaching up to tangle into dark hair,
pulling closer as calloused hands dug into the skin at his waist.
There would probably be bruises tomorrow.
(A dark part of Luffy reveled in that thought, the thought of being claimed in such a way.
He wanted to leave his own bruises on Law too.)

Luffy hiked his legs up, wrapping around narrow hips, and Law straightened to his full height,
never once breaking the kiss. Their tongues battled, their teeth clinking together, lips bitten, hands
sneaking, and it was as hot as it was rough, it was what Luffy needed.
Luffy tugged the other closer, his back flat against the cold metal door and Law’s front flush
against his.
Luffy wanted so much from Law, always has, but he never got everything.
Luffy wanted everything from Law, and this time he would get it.
“Law,” he gasped when the other pulled back, inhaling deeply.
Law turned, pulling Luffy from the door and nipping at his jawline. He knew what Luffy wanted,
or he wanted it too, Luffy didn’t care because he was placed onto the bed a second later. Law
pulled his sweatshirt off, throwing it without looking and Luffy felt heat pool in his gut when he
saw the lines of ink painting Law’s chest.
Law sat next to him and Luffy clambered into his lap, their hips flush. Luffy forced Law’s head
back, planting his lips over the doctor’s full ones, and he kissed him like it would be their last time.
He always has, and now wouldn’t be any different. Law made a noise, a choked moan, and Luffy
echoed the sound. Law was always vocal when they did this, needy in a way that was enduring and
sexy at the same time, and Luffy loved it.
“Luffy-ya,” Law breathed, hands already pulling Luffy’s shirt from his shoulders. Luffy tilted his
head to the side when the surgeon surged forward, eyes closing in bliss when he felt the first open-
mouthed kiss against his pulse for the first time in a decade.
Luffy and Law knew each other on a deep level. Knew what made the other feel good, what they
liked and didn’t. But that was before, when they had lived a different life, when their bodies were
adorned with scars and had gone through countless battles, when they were living on borrowed
time.
Law had always been sensitive, touch starved, but his arm had always been more so since
Dressrosa – since it got cut off. Luffy used to plant kisses over the scar, dig his fingers around the
scar, when they were with one another, and Law would always close his eyes, a shudder wracking
his body, back bowing, and his free hand moving to muffle his noises.
(Beautiful, he had always been so beautiful…)
Luffy’s neck had always been a part of his body that had his back arching, jaw falling open and
hands flinging to keep Law there; his chest would always have tears of pure pleasure threatening to
fall whenever Law decided to give it attention, bite his scar, or kiss the skin around it.
(The scar that Luffy hated so much was something Law always physically adored, and it had made
some of that darkness that clung to that mark ease away.)
Now?
Now their bodies hadn’t gone through those battles, had grown in a different environment. Law’s
arm hadn’t been cut off, hadn’t grown up with little touch, Luffy hadn’t been burned with magma,
hadn’t been doused in poison. They’d have to relearn everything again, but Luffy couldn’t find it in
himself to be upset about that.
“Law,” Luffy moaned softly, grinding his hips down and his special person muffled a sound in his
shoulder.
“I love you,” Luffy said, and Law shuddered, grip tightening.
Luffy remembered the day him and Law had really realized their time was limited; Law clinging to
him and sobbing, shouting his love, and Luffy doing similarly. It made him kiss Law just a bit
harsher, and Law always knew these things, always understood because he moved.
Law flipped them around, Luffy’s back landing flush onto the bed and Law towering over him. It
had been a long time since he’s seen Law like that, lust dark in his eyes, on top. Luffy grinned, the
one smile he knew made Law’s head swim, something he once called unfairly erotic as he half-
sulked from his embarrassment after his initial reaction (which had been to stare until Luffy kicked
him to hurry up).
Law smirked back, lopsided, and just as hungry, and Luffy gripped his shoulders, one hand sliding
up his neck. He spread his legs, letting Law slot between, and their lips met with feverish need.
Their hips ground together, hands holding hips, tangling into hair, gripping into shoulders, nails
digging into skin.
Luffy pulled Law closer, his hand falling down between them, dragging down taught, inked skin.
His fingers followed the dips and bumps of the other's abs before reaching his hips, immediately
undoing the button to spotted jeans. With burning lungs, Luffy inhaled deeply as Law pulled back,
lips parted as he panted against Luffy’s.
“Luffy-ya,” Law breathed, grabbing Luffy’s hand and pulling it to his lips, kissing his split
knuckles tenderly. Luffy’s breath held, watching unblinking as his Law stared down at him, tongue
parting full lips and running over tanned skin.
Luffy’s hips jerked up, Law's eyes fluttering as he moaned softly, hips grinding down to meet
Luffy’s uncoordinated ruts. Luffy pulled his hand back softly, tracing the full bottom lip before
tangling his fingers into dark hair. Law's tattooed fingers moved, clutching Luffy’s chin and tilting
his head to the side, eyes burning dark when Luffy submitted without hesitation.
“Seas, Luffy,” Law said, voice harsh, “I adore you.”
Luffy grinned, heart fluttering, “I adore you too.”
Law leaned down, lips gentle against Luffy’s tan skin. Luffy sighed contently when teeth scraped
against his jugular lightly before a flurry of kisses were trailed down his neck. Luffy felt the smirk
that turned Law’s lips when Luffy whined, clinging to dark locks and holding Law as his teeth sunk
into skin.
Law’s always loved biting him – it made Luffy feel like he was being devoured slowly but surely
and he loved it.
“Law, I want you.” Luffy said, voice breathy.
And then lips, claiming and rough, pressed against his, a tongue forcing lips to part, and Luffy gave
as good as he got. Fingers, rough with callouses, dug into his skin, holding his waist, pulling his
hips to press against Law’s. Moans muffled by tongues, legs thrown over slim hips, tattooed hand
tugging at zippers, Luffy finally relaxed. It’s been too long since they’ve been able to hold one
another like this and he’s missed it so dearly.
And then the door opened.

Law and Luffy looked at the door in surprise, and horror. It had been so long since they’ve been
completely enwrapped with one another that they didn’t notice someone approaching, let alone
heading to them.
(They got used to feeling every life force around them as they loved one another, and for them to
lose focus scared Luffy.
What if that had been an enemy?)
Ace stared back at them, eyes slowly widening, and hand slowly raising to point, and he looked a
lot like a shocked Cora-san at the moment. “What the fuck?”
“You shouldn’t be out of bed!” Law snarled, face flushed red as he pushed himself up, hands
moving away from Luffy. Luffy sat up slowly, eyes wide.
“You’re – You’re – You’re-! Where the fuck-? What the fuck?!” Ace shrieked, looking confused
and hysterical and really red, like Law.
Law hadn’t been this red in a while, Luffy mused. It was cute when Law clamed up, face turning
red and hand tugging his hat low to cover his face – even if his hat was with his shirt, so, missing
at the moment.
“Ace, what’s wrong!?” Cora-san’s distinct yell made Law tense up in complete shock, face
contorted in horror.
“Room, Shambles.”
Ace disappeared from the doorway, and Law quickly looked for his shirt. Luffy cackled.
“Shut up, Mugiwara-ya!” Law hissed.
“I like it when you get all red, Torao!”
“Shut it!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SHOCK ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace had no fucking words.
He had known Luffy and Law were close, but not that close. Did they even think of one another as
brothers like the rest of them? How long has this been going on? When the fuck had they even been
interested in something like that? Ace knows that neither of them were interested in sex, Luffy
literally told him he could care less about it, and Law always glared at anyone who got too close to
him that weren’t their nakama for Seas’ sake!
Ace frankly had no idea how he was supposed to deal with this, it wasn’t every day that you
walked in on your brothers swapping spit and looking like they were going to go something a lot
more passionate and much messier while looking completely natural, relaxed like they’ve done it
before.
Seas, how did one react to this type of situation?

Ace stumbled onto Sabo as Law used Shambles on him, gazing up at his little brother in absolute
shock.
“What the fuck,” he repeated for who knows what time.
“Ace?” Sabo asked, squinting at him, worry twisting his lips.
“I walked in on Lu and Torao making out.” Ace said dully.
“Ha?” Sabo’s jaw dropped, eyes widening as Cora-san slipped on nothing and fell back.
“What!?” Cora-san yelled, eyes wide and jaw dropped.
“I-” Ace shuddered at the memory.
Seriously, seeing your older brother between your younger brother’s legs while shoving his tongue
down his throat, shirts off and pants totally going to follow was…kind of gross. How long have
they been doing that? Luffy set sail like six months ago, hasn’t seen Law before he reached
Sabaody, and even then, they only saw each other for like an hour, tops, and Law’s been away
since he was nineteen. Did they do that stuff before he left? When Luffy was thirteen?
Oh, he’s feeling nauseous again.
Gross, gross, gross, stop thinking about it–
“Maybe…they didn’t mean to?” Sabo asked, voice wobbling.
“No, they definitely meant to,” Ace said awkwardly.
“I – I don’t know…” Cora-san fidgeted, frowning to himself, “I don’t know how to parent this…”
Sabo awkwardly shrugged, and Ace’s lips thinned as he tried to get the sight from his mind. He
really should’ve just gone to Bepo or literally anyone else for his question on whether or not they
were going to surface soon.
“I need bleach, I want to clean my brain.” Ace muttered, his stomach growling, “And meat. I can’t
deal with this right now.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Everyone paused when Luffy walked out of the submarine, grinning cheerily and a vibrant mark
that looked strangely like teeth stark against his tan skin.
Shanks pressed his lips together, forcing his laugh away when he saw the awkward air around Ace
and Sabo, the resigned air around Law, and the very confused set to Rosinante’s shoulders.
“Getting some, eh Anchor?” Shanks teased the boy when Luffy came bouncing over to him.
“Ace interrupted us,” Luffy pouted, and Shanks let out a laugh, planting his hand into his son’s hair
and ruffling the already messy strands.
“It was funny, right?”

“Shishishi, Torao was super red!”
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter twenty-six - Questions and Answers

P.S. Question and Answers is exactly as it sounds. Expect some secrets to be revealed
~
Questions and Answers, Anger, Truths
Chapter Notes
So I rewrote this chapter a lot and I'm not sure if I'm happy with it completely, but it's
here!
Enjoy!!

37 Smoker: 29
⊱ ────── {.⋅ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace smiled as his crew all celebrated around him. The island that they stopped at was in the New
World, close to Grandpops’ home island and was uninhabited and most importantly safe. Sabo was
perhaps the life of the party, indulging many in drinking competitions, singing and overall being
wild by Ace’s side. Ace knew it was stress leaving him, but it was still nice to see Sabo let go for
once.
But Ace couldn’t really party just yet. Something has been bugging him since he was locked into
Impel Down, and not even Marco trying to distract him worked. He had already thoroughly
apologized to the entire crew and allies, to which he got a stern “never do that again” even when
his capture hadn’t even been his fault (damn Blackbeard for sneaking up on him when they were
stopped at an island to restock).
And it seemed that no one cared that Roger was his father after Whitebeard let out his first and
only announcement on the matter. But Ace couldn’t focus.
Ace hasn’t been able to get his mind to calm down. Right now, he couldn’t really look at his older
brother after, well, walking in on him and Luffy. Luffy’s always been very smart in the decisions
he made, but he could also be a little clueless, and the scene he walked in on didn’t really seem like
something Luffy would want.
He had been in shock.
Now Ace was anxious.
“Sabo, I need to talk to you.” Ace grabbed his brother’s collar and dragged him up.
“Is this about Luffy and Law being very friendly again?” Sabo asked, looking uncomfortable but
still following, “Don’t ruin my buzz, Ace, I really need this right now.”
Yeah, Ace has noticed, but he wasn’t going to wait.

The Portgas gave Marco a small smile before he marched over to Cora-san, Luffy, Shanks, and
Law and dragged them away as well.
“What’s the matter?” Law asked, taking one look at Ace and immediately sitting down, eyes alert,
knowing this was a serious conversation. Luffy plopped down next to him, chewing meat off a
bone.
“When did your relationship start?” Ace demanded, no use stalling.
Cora-san stilled, and Sabo no longer looked buzzed.
Law started at him for a long moment, and Luffy tilted his head. “We’ve been together for years.”
Luffy said bluntly.
Ace glared at his older brother, “When you left, Luffy was thirteen, Law. Thirteen!”
Sabo bit at his lip, shifting, “Law, listen, you can do whatever the fuck you want, but not to Luffy,
not when he’s so young! This is ridiculous, we’re brothers!”
Cora-san didn’t say a word, but one look at him would tell you he was disappointed. Law sighed,
leaning back, and his face contorted slightly, like he was conflicted.
“What were you thinking, Law?” Cora-san asked sadly.
Law flinched, and Luffy reached between them and grabbed his hand. “Torao,”
“Luffy,” he said desperately, and looking at them now, it was like they were in their own little
world.
Luffy smiled, and it wasn’t one of those smiles that made you feel warm and fluffy. This was a
grim smile, his eyes holding a large amount of dread, and Ace’s eyes widened.
“Boys,” Shanks said, and they all looked to him. His expression was serious, “I think it’s time to
explain.”
Law inhaled deeply, and Luffy flinched back, like Shanks had struck him. “You’re right, Shanks.”
Law said.
“Torao–” Luffy said, and Law gave him a glance.
“Luffy, do you honestly want to go on without them knowing the truth?” Law asked, raising an
eyebrow.
“Yes!” Luffy said, and he looked…terrified.
Ace has never seen his brother terrified. He was always the strong, sturdy pillar who has always
been there for Ace, for Sabo and Cora-san and all of their friends. He taught them Haki, taught
them how to hide and how to make the right decisions, he taught them how to run from a fight they
couldn’t win, and how to be weak because – because Luffy has always been so strong that they
could be weak.
Ace didn’t know what to do.
Sabo didn’t know what to do.
Not even Cora-san knew what to do.

They went to move anyways, but Shanks lifted his hand, giving them a stern look as he motioned
for them to stay put. Ace bristled, but Shanks frowned, and there was a warning in his eyes. Ace
looked back to his brothers, biting his lip as he fought to stay in place.
“Luffy-ya,” Law said, and he raised his hand to caress Luffy’s cheek when the strongest person
Ace knows started to hyperventilate. “Luffy, follow my breaths, okay?”
“I like how we are now,” Luffy said, pulling further back from them, “Torao, isn’t this good
enough?”
Law’s face twitched, “Plenty good enough, Luffy-ya.”
“I don’t like before.” Luffy said, and his free hand reared up, scraping into his chest, his other
ripping from Law’s grip and grabbing his throat; his eyes were unseeing, “I don’t want it to be like
before! Law, I don’t want that, I–”
“Mugiwara-ya,” Law said sternly, and Luffy jerked, looking up at him.
They all stared at Law.
He wasn’t the slightly sadistic but kind and caring brother in that moment. Ace didn’t even
recognize the expression his brother was wearing, but Luffy did. Ace could see that Luffy
recognized it because his face crumpled, so many emotions running over his face – terror, anger,
hope, surprise – before his face blanked.
Ace has never seen that expression on his brother before.
“Mugiwara-ya, stop thinking,” Law ordered, he leaned up onto his knees, hands moving slowly to
cradle the back of Luffy’s skull, and pulled him closer, “Please just stop thinking.”
Luffy grabbed onto his sweatshirt, and his head resting onto Law’s chest, and he looked like he
didn’t know what to do.
“We’re all alive, Luffy,” Law said softly, dipping his head and murmurs almost not reaching their
ears, “See? Ace, Sabo, Shanks, me, we’re all alive.”
And Luffy’s eyes filled with tears and he cried.
Ace hasn’t seen his brother cry in years.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ANGER ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Shanks watched his sons carefully, swallowing the dread he felt down. He knew they weren’t…he
knew that getting them to talk about the past and talk about sharing that was difficult for them. But
he hadn’t thought it would be this rough – he should have. He should have seen the signs; he
should have helped them more.
Shanks should have done so much more for them.
He looked to his sons and his husband and made his decision. He stood and walked over to the two
time travelers, pulling Law up and the former Yonko adjusted his hold on Luffy, nodding his
gratitude as he followed him to the Red Force, not even looking at their shell-shocked family.
Shanks escorted them to his quarters and Law didn’t hesitate to drop down onto the bed. Shanks
paused at the door, staying in the hallway and listened, making sure no one followed.
“Law,” Luffy sobbed, gripping him tightly with one hand, the other moving to grasp his neck. He’s
done that a lot, Shanks noticed, and he hated why Luffy did it. He had been executed when he was
twenty, his head was cut clean off his shoulders. “Law I – I don’t–”
“I know,” Law said, carefully taking Luffy’s hand down. “Stop that,”
“I felt it,” Luffy choked, “I felt it, Law. You felt it!”
Law closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and looked up at the sky for a long moment.
“I know,” He said softly, “And we don’t need to be strong.”
“I need to be,” Luffy refused. “I have to protect everyone.”
(Shanks should have known this was going through his son’s mind. He should have known,
damnit.
He walked away from his room, nodding to Benn as he started off his ship. No one would bother
them here.)
“No.” Law murmured, “I’m strong too, Luffy, I can help.”
“You died.”
“You left.”
Luffy froze, body falling still, and Law jerked back like Luffy burnt him. They stared at one
another for a long, tense moment and Luffy looked down, shame contorting his features.
“You were already gone, Law.”
And Law looked away, hand pulling at the bill to his hat. He couldn’t argue with that, he’d barely
been alive – he was only awake for two hours a day, at most, nearing the end. He can’t even begin
to imagine what that did to Luffy.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Luffy said bitterly.
“Then when will we?” Law asked back, voice just was weak.
“Never!” Luffy said.
“That’s not healthy!” Law barked.
“I don’t need to be healthy! I just need everyone alive!”
“God – why are you so infuriating, Luffy?” Law ran a hand through his hair, “You can’t just keep
piling this shit up!”
“You act like you don’t!” Luffy snapped, scowling.
“At least I want to talk about it! You just clam up every time!”
“What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry? I’m not!”

“That’s what’s pissing me off!” Law reared forward, jaw locked, and face contorted in anger, “You
aren’t sorry! Do you have any fucking idea what that was like for me? Do you know how I feel?”
Luffy’s eyes widened, “You never talk about how you feel, I have to guess.” He said, frowning,
“How am I supposed to know?”
“You should know this!” Law’s entire body twitched, like he didn’t know what he wanted to do, he
turned around, hands shaking as he covered his face. “I get that it was difficult for you, but you
aren’t even…upset about that.”
“I regret it,” Luffy said, “I regret it a lot.”
“But you’d do it again.” Law said bitterly.
“So would you.” Luffy whispered, hand rising to rest over his heart.
“I didn’t want you to be alone.” Law said, “You hate being alone.”
It was quiet for a moment, before Law quietly said, “I understand that it was a lot for you, Luffy,
but you…”
“I wasn’t thinking,” Luffy said, and he reached forward, taking Law’s hand. Law didn’t hold it
back, and it was always like an automatic response; when Luffy holds Law’s hand, Law held his
back. “I’m not sorry.”
“You were executed, Luffy,” Law said, voice even, dull, “I felt you die.”
“I know.”
“You turned yourself in,” Law added, “And how was I supposed to feel about that?”
“You were dying, how was I supposed to feel about that?” Luffy shot back, frowning.
“I took that hit for you, Luffy.”
“I wish you didn’t.”
Law turned around, eyes wide and Luffy met his eyes, unflinching.
“I love you, Law. I really, really do,” Luffy said, “But I don’t want to remember then.”
“You love me because of then.” Law said softly.
Luffy leaned forward, letting his forehead drop onto Law’s chest, and they stayed there for a long
moment.
“I don’t want them to look at me and see a failure.” Luffy whispered.
“None of us will ever see a failure.” Law said, wrapping his arms around his lover, “We didn’t fail
today, did we?”
“Ace is alive.” Luffy said.
“Exactly.” Law said, “Together, we can do anything, Luffy.”
“Anything,” Luffy repeated, “…you’ll stay with me, right?”

“I’m never leaving you, Luffy.”
And for the first time in days, Luffy smiled and he meant it.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ TRUTHS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
The morning after was filled with passed out pirates, all of them either still drunk or hung over, not
counting those on watch. Law navigated the bodies of drunk pirates before he made it to his
brothers and his fathers, and he nudged them all awake.
“Law…?” Sabo grunted, arm moving to cover his eyes.
“Go away, ‘m head hurts.” Ace muttered.
Law rolled his eyes, “Luffy and I have a lot to tell you, so get up.”
It took approximately one minute for his sentence to get comprehended and another two for his
family to get up and follow after him. The Polar Tang was mostly empty, but Luffy was probably
still asleep, so Law navigated them to his quarters. The door opened silently, and Law slipped into
the room, his family shuffling after him.
“Mugiwara-ya, wake up.” Law said, and Luffy mumbled into his pillow. Law sighed fondly, “No
breakfast.”
Luffy grumbled but sat up, rubbing at his eye. His eyes were tinged red, his nose still stuffed, and
his face still had tear tracks. Law grimaced but knew he didn’t look much better. He waved to the
bed and the desk for his family to sit as he moved to his personal bath. He returned with a damp
towel, sliding to sit next to Luffy, and met his family’s eyes.
“This isn’t something we like to discuss, so we’ll only say this once.” Law informed, taking
Luffy’s chin in his hand and wiping at his cheeks gently. Luffy leaned into his touch, eyes
downcast as he fiddled with his fingers.
Sabo frowned, “We’re listening.”
“When I was ten years old, my home country broke out with an incurable disease called White
Lead. Flevance was destroyed and I am the last survivor.” Law said.
“We know,” Ace said, and his voice was softer – he knew this was a difficult tale. “What does this
have to do with you being a pervert to our little brother?” he asked bluntly.
Law raised an eyebrow, “Just let me explain, yeah?”
“Go on, Law,” Cora-san encouraged.
“I ended up at Doflamingo’s pirate crew, I stayed there for around two years, and it was when I
said my full name that Cora-san decided to take me out of there.” Law closed his eyes, “We tried
everything, went to dozens of hospitals, and in the end the Ope Ope no Mi was decided to be my
only hope.”
Luffy held onto his hand, a steady weight by his side and Law continued.
“Cora-san left me at the town to steal the fruit, and on the way back he got clumsy and got badly
injured.” Cora-san frowned, confusion in his expression because that wasn’t how it went. Not here.
“He forced me to eat the fruit and asked me to deliver a message to the marines. I did, and the
marine ended up being one of Doflamingo’s men. Cora-san and I almost didn’t escape, but the
damage was done and Doflamingo knew for certain Cora-san was a spy.”
“Cora-san kept Law in a tressure chest and Doflamingo killed him.” Luffy finished, knowing by
the way Law stayed silent, by how his hands shook and his eyes stared into Luffy desperately, that
Law wasn’t going to finish. “Torao spent thirteen years planning Doflamingo’s fall so he could
avenge Cora-san.”
“But…that’s not what happened.” Cora-san said slowly.
“When I was seven,” Luffy said, not answering his father’s question, “A fire broke out in Grey
Terminal, me ‘n Ace were in the center of it, we almost didn’t escape. But Sabo had been with his
parents, they had found him and taken him. He set sail a day later and was shot down by a Celestial
Dragon.”
All of them remembered how Luffy had never let Sabo go into High Town without someone with
him. How he had told them a fire would break out and how he even had a plan for when a Celestial
Dragon showed up – not if, when.
“When I was seventeen, Ace had been captured by Blackbeard and was set to be executed.” Luffy
shook, “He took a attack meant for me, and he died in my arms.”
Law continued when Luffy dipped his head, “I showed up last minute to save Luffy, he almost
died, from the injuries he sustained in Impel Down and the ones he got from Marineford.” He
licked at his lip, and he was now at the part they didn’t want to speak about.
He subconsciously rubbed at his arm, the one Doflamingo cut off, a habit from when he would still
get phantom pains or aches. Luffy reached up, taking his hand, and Law would smile at the irony
since he had to do the same for Luffy at times, but he couldn’t.
“Two years later, we defeated Doflamingo. Luffy was named the Pirate King some months later, I
a Yonko, and the World Government went after out crews and allies until only us two were left.”
Law grinned humorlessly, “I died, Luffy executed, and then I woke up in the forest where Cora-san
was alive and Luffy and I were children.”
“Wait,” Sabo said slowly, “Are you telling us you…time traveled?”
“Yes,” Luffy nodded.
“Impossible.” Ace breathed, “That should be impossible!”
“How did you manage that?” Cora-san asked in shock.
“Well, we don’t know,” Law said plainly.
“Me ‘n Torao died with each other’s hearts,” Luffy added helpfully.
“What?” their brothers and father deadpanned.
“Luffy and I didn’t have a typical alliance,” Law said dryly, “We’re lovers.”
“Torao’s my special person.” Luffy agreed, smiling up at him, eyes soft.

“Lovers,” Law repeated.
“I like special person better.” Luffy said.
Law rolled his eyes fondly. “No use trying to stop you.” He murmured.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Sabo pointed at them, “You two have been together for how long and we didn’t
know? You guys traveled through fucking time and you didn’t think to tell us?!”
“Well, as you can guess by last night, we aren’t as calm about this as we might seem.” Law
deadpanned.
“I’m glad you two finally told them,” Shanks said, “Benn’s therapy sessions are still up, if you
need to talk to him again.”
“Wait,” Cora-san said, voice dull, “You fucking knew?”
“I was the first to know.” Shanks agreed. “It wasn’t my place to tell, Ross…”
“No, I understand,” Cora-san said, face softening. “You two must have suffered,” He said,
reaching out for his sons, “I’m sorry, we must have added to that burden.”
Law felt tears prick his eyes, “You could never be a burden Cora-san…”
Cora-san smiled, tears in his eyes, and he scooped them into a hug. “I’m so proud of you all. I
never say it enough!”
“You tell us all the time.” Law said, smiling.
“Well, Ace can be a burden.” Luffy piped up, pouting.
“What?” Ace sputtered.
Law smirked, “Yeah, you had to interrupt us when it was getting good.” He teased.
“Me ‘n Torao haven’t done it in years!” Luffy whined playfully.
Ace sputtered, face red, and Sabo looked a little green while Cora-san smiled, looking like a
weight was lifted from his shoulders (his parenting was just fine, take that parenting book number
three-hundred and seven!) and Shanks laughed.
And they knew it would be okay.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Who tops though?”
“I will castrate you, Ace-ya, and it will not be temporary,”
“Ah-ha, wow, look at the time, I’m suddenly so busy~!”
“Oi, Luffy, who tops?”

“What’s that mean, Sabo?”
“Don’t humor them, Luffy-ya…”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE 2 ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Wait, how old are you guys?” Ace asked suddenly.
“Luffy-ya is about thirty-one, I’m thirty-seven.” Law said after a bit of mental math.
“Wait, you’re older than me…” Cora-san said, pointing at his eldest.
“Don’t think into it, Dad!” Luffy chirped.
“Right…”
Chapter End Notes
Up Next: Chapter twenty-seven: Moonlight
P.S. Moonlight is a look at Luffy and Law before the time travel!
P.S.S. it's really sad-
Moonlight
Chapter Notes
This is very sad, you are welcome-
On another note, this chapter is almost 3k words of pure angst, I'm very proud of
myslef-
Enjoy!!
Luffy: 20, Law: 27
T/W: “Moonlight” is a rather dark theme to it, mostly focusing around death, but it
also has a scene that implies sexual content. It’s not very detailed, and is easily
skipped, but I do suggest reading the drabble up until that part to get more information
on the pre-time travel timeline if you are interested in that :)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ MOONLIGHT ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law, once, was very sick. He had accepted his death, didn’t see an issue with it, and wanted to kill
as many people possible before he inevitably croaked. He had been fine with it as much as any
child could be fine with death, but he wasn’t like every child. He knew death much more
intimately, held its hand and skipped his merry way down a road of fire and corpses.
Law hated death, but he was used to it.
(He hated marines. He would never be used to them.)
Once, Law had been very sick, dying a little more every day, and he had been fine with it. He had
been fine with the burning in his lungs whenever he so much as breathed, fine with the way the
patches on his skin grew and grew, fine with the way his skin would burn, how it would itch and
itch and itch until red lined white and blood gathered under his fingernails.
He had been fine dealing with the hallucinations, with the spasms and the fevers and the overall
pain that came with Amber Lead.
Cora-san hadn’t been though.
Law still remembered how Cora-san had sobbed and sobbed when Law admitted to just how much
pain he had been in, physically. He had called him an idiot and told him to stop crying, in return
Cora-san gave him a determined frown and said that he’d find a cure.
He did, and it cost his life.

Law lived while Cora-san died, hanging onto his life for as long as he could just so he could keep
Law quiet because he knew, the damn klutz knew Law would be wailing his throat hoarse and
couldn’t let him be found out just yet.
Law had loved his parents and his sister; they died.
Law had loved Cora-san; he died.
Law had loved his crew; only Penguin was left, and he too was dying.
Law loves Luffy; he was still alive, somehow. Against all odds, that stupid straw-hatted pirate was
still alive, still with Law even though he’s lost everything too.
Law, somehow, someway, was able to save him. If only for a little while.
Law was starting to think he was cursed, that everyone he cared for was doomed to have a terrible
death because or related to him being close to them. If Bepo and Shachi and Ikkaku and all the rest
of the Hearts hadn’t joined him, they’d be alive and well doing whatever the fuck they wanted. If
Luffy hadn’t joined him in an alliance, hadn’t been such a stubborn shit and just let their alliance
end, his crew would probably be on the run but alive.
The Straw Hats died because of you, Law’s mind whispered darkly.
And Law couldn’t refuse. The Heart Pirates had been under attack by two Navy Admirals. One was
bad enough, but when Akainu joined the fray, the crew had no choice but to call their allies. Luffy
had been the closest, had rushed to their aid, had somehow gotten them away, and then the Straw
Hats had an even bigger target on their back after that.
And then Robin was deemed a threat too risky to keep alive; shot with sea stone before anyone
could try to intervene or get her out of the way. Luffy destroyed half of Mary Geoise in his grief,
Law assisting in his escape, painting an even larger target on their back.
And then Bepo and Franky gave themselves up so their crews could get away, and then Sanji had
been run into the ground, killed by Blackbeard and their shitshow, and then the Straw Hat Grand
Fleet had been targeted, scattered or dead, and then the Polar Tang had been blown up, only three
managing to escape from that hell, Usopp, Jimbe, Nami, Chopper, all of them being targeted and
killed, and Law didn’t even want to think about what happened a week and a half ago, dwindling
their surviving members down to three in total, one unconscious with no signs of waking and
another injected with liquid Sea Stone and dying.
Luffy was going to be left alone, Law had realized when he woke up the morning after the surgery
that was basically recreating Penguin’s lungs from string cheese into something that would work
and noticed how he wasn’t as well rested as usual. The Sea Stone wasn’t blocking his ability, but it
was limiting it to where it was almost unusable.
(Law remembered how his breaths quickened every single time his Room fell without his
command, how he would have to call it back up, only for it to slip. His thoughts on his friend, the
last of his crew, Seas, please, he can’t lose Penguin too–)
Law had tried to remove it from his system, but it did more harm than good. He tried to bleed it
from his system, tried to use his Devil Fruit, tried a medication, tried to find something that would
counter-act the Sea Stone, and all it did was give him false hope. Law knew Luffy was aware their
time together was limited, he saw it in the way Luffy would stare at him like he wanted to commit
what he was seeing to memory, how his hands would tremble, and his smile would waver before
being forced up.
Law pretended he didn’t see it, Luffy would smile.
It was hard to believe, that he would die soon. Law was accustomed to death more so than the
average person. He was okay with the thought of death, but at the same time it absolutely terrified
him. Not because he was afraid of losing his life or the afterlife or whatever the fuck existed after
death (nothingness, was his guess). Law wasn’t scared at that, no way in hell.
It was Luffy that terrified him.
Law saw the way Luffy acted when Ace had died, almost killed himself with how he wouldn’t stop
moving, threatening to tear his stitches (which he had, the shit) and bleed out. Now, all Luffy had
now was Law. Law who was dying.
(Law didn’t want to think of what Luffy would do after Law closed his eyes and didn’t open them.
He’d rather not.)
“Torao,” Luffy’s voice startled him. Law was used to Luffy being loud, hyper, announcing his
presence for the world to hear. Now, Luffy was practically silent, or perhaps Law was too trapped
in his thoughts.
Law turned slightly, looking at the Pirate King. Luffy smiled at him, the thing more of a grimace
than anything. “We should go inside, it’s snowing.”
Law looked up and noticed that it was indeed snowing. He moved to push himself up, but Luffy
was already kneeling and moving to pick him up.
“I can walk,” Law said, but he didn’t stop the King when his arms carted under Law’s knees.
They both knew why Luffy was doing this. Law let it be.
Luffy walked to the private quarters. There hadn’t been a captain’s quarters on the Sunny
originally, but Law had managed to get Franky to build one before all this madness got worse. Law
didn’t like sharing his sleeping space with anyone who wasn’t Bepo, Luffy was the only new
acceptation, and at the time, Luffy had been rather clingy.
(Now, they were both always in sight, always touching in some way even if it was just their knees
or their fingers.)
The Sunny was currently docked at an island that used to be part of the Red-Hair’s territory, before
the crew slowly dropped off the face of the earth, some members showing up dead while others
were obviously in hiding, regrouping.
(The marines were smart about their attacks, going after every single pirate crew that was known to
be strong or ruthless or had high bounties. Red-Hair wasn’t an exception, but they were one of the
luckier ones. Ones that still had a crew to fall back to.
They’d even started to target those who even dared to breath the words of wanting to be a pirate.
Law can’t count how many have been sent to Impel Down or Executed for the wish of freedom.)
No one would think to find them here, so they were safe for the time being. They were free to rest
as much as they could for the next few days, something they needed desperately. Luffy was worn
thin, bags under his eyes that should never be present on his should-be smiling face, and Law
wasn’t ignorant to the way he would give Law a decent portion of his meal. He wasn’t a fool, he
could see just how much Luffy was stressing, how much he was trying to keep Law alive.
They both knew he would die.
Luffy was like Cora-san though, he was a stubborn bastard when it came to death.
“Luffy-ya,” Law said, looking the Pirate King as the other tucked him into bed, like he was some
sort of child that needed his parents to sing him lullabies and tell him stories until he fell asleep. It
would be humiliating, it should be humiliating, Law was a Yonko, (fallen, he’s lost everything but
this man, he’s nothing but a fallen Yonko, a disgrace of a man–) but Law found himself strangely
warmed by the actions.
It made him feel loved. Something he didn’t really think he deserves.
“Yeah?” Luffy asked, tilting his head.
“Stay,” Law requested. “The whole night, this time.”
He honestly had no idea what Luffy got up to when he slipped out of bed when he thought Law
was asleep. He wouldn’t return until early morning and would fall asleep before Law managed to
peel his heavy eyelids back. Even when he was asleep, Law could feel that Luffy wasn’t with him.
It terrified him, the thought of losing this man.
Luffy pursed his lips but nodded. He was warm, was Law’s first thought, like it always was when
Luffy wrapped him up in his arms. Warm and safe, arms wrapped around Law’s quickly thinning
frame, nose in Law’s messy locks. Law wrapped his arms around the younger carefully, and for a
moment he thought that Luffy fell asleep.
“I’m scared.” Luffy said.
Law’s never seen Luffy scared. He’s certainly never admitted it before, never let people see it. But
Law...
Law knew Luffy. He could read Luffy, not as well as Luffy could read him, but he could. He knew
Luffy was terrified, and he hated himself for it.
“I know,” Law said, voice just as quiet.
Law was withering away and Luffy…wasn’t. He was the strong, healthy Luffy he’s always been.
Luffy hated being alone, and every day was a reminder that soon, very soon, he’d be alone. Law
would pass and Penguin would follow, no doctor foolish enough to assist a pirate that the World
Government has portrayed to be a demon. And even those who didn’t believe those tales, they
wouldn’t put themselves at risk for a man they didn’t know, dying or not.
Law wanted to apologize, wanted to tell Luffy that he was so very sorry. He wanted to tell Luffy
that he loved him, that he cherished everything Luffy was, even if some of his quirks were
annoying and frankly made a headache blossom.
Law said nothing.
(How could he? He was going to die, and he would leave Luffy with all of these feelings. It was
selfish.
But…Law was selfish too, wasn’t he?)

“Torao,” Luffy said, grief in his tone, adoration seeping into the desperate words.
Law tilted his head back and kissed him, cutting off whatever he was going to say. Law was
selfish and he didn’t know if he wanted to hear what Luffy had to say.
Luffy kissed him back, hesitant, like Law was made of glass and needed to be treated with care.
Law was dying, he’s already come to terms with it, he’s accepted it (lair. He’s a liar.) and he knows
there is nothing he can do to stop it.
But he wasn’t made of glass.
“Luffy,” He said roughly the moment the Pirate King pulled back. He swallowed the feelings
rising up, and requested in a manner so unlike himself, bare in a way, he rarely is with anyone – not
since his home Flevance fell, not since red stained pure white snow and dark feathers, “Love me.”
“I do,” Luffy said tenderly.
And then he kissed him, movements more like the Luffy who declared he’d become the Pirate
King instead of the Luffy who has lost everything. Uncoordinated, sloppy, rough yet sweet and soft
and loving at the same time. They became good at showing their love in their desperation, they’ve
never had the time to do anything purely sweet and slow – they probably never would.
Soon Law laid bare, back flush against white sheets, dark hair splayed over cloth, the Pirate King
hovering over him, eyes determinedly staying on Law’s face, his own face flushed and chest rising
with quick breaths. Luffy wasn’t someone that Law would call beautiful, he was handsome,
certainly, but he wasn’t beautiful.
He had that rugged look that was attractive, his smile was cute and sunny, his entire presence was
strong and persistent, but he also had the childish innocence (it was barely there anymore, not after
everything), it was alluring, entrapping Law’s attention and adoration easily.
Luffy wasn’t someone who could be described as beautiful or gorgeous because he’d probably
deck you in the face, saying that he was the Pirate King, and the Pirate King wasn’t beautiful nor
gorgeous. (“I am free,” he’d say, and that is why Law fell for him.)
But looking at Luffy now, face flushed and sweat dripping down his chin, concern in his eyes as
the light of the moon lit his face and their surroundings, his voice quiet and husky as he asked if
Law wanted this, if he could handle it…Luffy was beautiful. Absolutely stunning in a way that
made Law breathless.
The Surgeon of Death, a Fallen Yonko, could do nothing more than reach up. Always, always
reaching out, trying to keep Luffy with him, trying to make him follow the damn plan, trying to
console him.
Law always reached out, and he always grabbed his target.
This time was no different.
“Love me,” he croaked, his eyes stinging at the sudden realization that, oh, I’m going to lose this.
Because he was dying. Slipping away more and more every day.
And he’s never been more terrified.
“Please, love me,” Law gasped, “I want this,” I can handle it “I want you,” I love you. “Please,
Luffy–” I need you.
And Luffy didn’t question him, took his word on it, and Law felt full. He didn’t realize he was
crying until Luffy’s hand was on his cheek, wiping at his tears with calloused fingertips. Law let
out a sob because he was going to lose this. Very soon, he would slip away and…and he was going
to leave Luffy behind.
They were living on borrowed time.
They were going to lose this.
“Luffy-ya. Luffy, I love you!” Law clung onto the younger, desperate, babbling before he could
even think. “Please, Luffy! I love you–”
(Thinking, he’s always thought things through. He doesn’t want to, not anymore, not now.)
“Law,” Luffy said gutturally, dipping his head, and his lips stopped Law’s desperate words.
And then he was moving, his thrusts taking Law’s breath away. And his grip was bruising,
desperate, holding on like he thought their time would end any second. Law was no better, wailing
into Luffy’s shoulder, nails digging into rubber skin, leg wrapping over tan hips.
“Law, Law, Law, I love you–”
“Luffy, I love you; I love you; I love you,”
I’m sorry was on the tip of his tongue. But Luffy adjusted, his next thrust rough and making Law
see stars. He heard screaming and it took him a while to realize that he was screaming.
“I love Torao,” Luffy whispered, voice rough against Law’s ear, teeth sinking into tan skin, “I love
you,”
And Law was hitting his peak, back arching, limbs tightening their hold, his eyes rolling back.
He was unconscious before he even finished, a lull of “I love you” hitting his ears.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy wasn’t an idiot. He knew Law was going to die within the next few months.
It didn’t make it any easier.
Luffy reached out, caressing Law’s cheek lightly, not wanting to wake the other up. Law had
always been a light sleeper, one movement and his eyes would snap open, hand reaching for his
blade. Now, he was a deep sleeper, and Luffy was thankful for it. The more rest Law got, the more
energy he’d regain, the longer he’d live.
Law hadn’t moved, hadn’t stirred at all when Luffy cleaned him, wiping his skin clean of their
previous activities because he knew Law would wake up and try to clean himself off, use more
energy. Energy he didn’t have to spare.
Luffy was glad Law was getting rest.

It made it easier to gaze at his face, moonlight lighting his sharp features, and Luffy choked on a
cry.
Law was dying.
Luffy was going to lose this.
The mighty Pirate King, the man the world feared more than anyone, knew he would one day be
alone.
Knew that Law would die and Luffy would never see his pretty eyes, hear his rare laugh, gaze at
his alluring smile, see him bathed in moonlight, ever again.
And it made the mighty Pirate King sob.
Chapter End Notes
Up Next! Chapter twenty-eight: Kiss Me, Bounty, Reunion

P.S. "Bounty" is in Doffy's POV!
P.S.S. "Kiss Me" and "Reunion" focus on Law/Luffy
P.S.S.S. I'm in a Law/Luffy funk at the moment, but I focus on the other ships in the
next-next chapter I swear-
Kiss Me, Bounty, Reunion
Chapter Notes
I had way too much fun with this chapter XD
Enjoy!!
“Kiss Me”: Luffy: (25) 12-13 Law: (32) 19 Ace/Sabo: 15 Zoro/Sanji: 13

Corazon/Shanks: 30-31
“Reunion”: Luffy: (30) 17 Law: (37) 24 Ace/Sabo/20 Zoro/Sanji: 19 Corazon/Shanks:
36-37
⊱ ────── {.⋅ KISS ME ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Why are you still here?” was the first thing Law heard when he woke up.
“That’s rude,” he said dryly, looking into honey-brown eyes with a slight frown.
Luffy rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips as he towered over Law, only able to do so
because the older was currently laying down. Law thought that level of sassiness did not belong on
a soon to be thirteen-year-old, and he regretted letting Nami teach Luffy how to be an utter brat in
their first life.
“You’re nineteen, have been for a few months, Law!” Luffy said eyebrows furrowed.
“And?” Law asked, scowling as he sat up.
“Why the hell are you still here!?” Luffy near shouted.
And Law’s spine straightened without thought because he wasn’t looking at Mugiwara Luffy, the
sunny man who was kind and care-free. No, he was looking at Mugiwara Luffy, the Pirate King
that decimated hundreds of ships, destroyed half of Mary Geoise single handedly, who stared at the
strongest of the Navy and didn’t falter. The man who was serious, who was smarter than he let on
– the man he fell in love with during the battle of Dressrosa as he carried him across the fucking
city like Law was some ragdoll.
(The man who raged for him, attacking Doflamingo furiously when the Warlord tried to kill Law –
removed his arm, shot him full of led – Haki flowing off him, so powerful that the air was charged
with his pure anger and power.
“Law is mine, you can’t touch him. I won’t let you!”)
“Luffy, I don’t want to set sail yet.” Law said, crossing his arms.
Luffy had the gall to raise an eyebrow, “Liar.” He said.
Law was.
“Why are you still here?” Luffy asked, sitting in front of Law with a curious expression on his tan
face, “You don’t have to stay here, Law, and I know you want to leave.”
“I know,” said Law.
“Then why are you still here?” Luffy repeated, frustrated.
“Trying to get rid of me?” Law redirected.
“I love Torao!” Luffy said, hands on his knees as he leaned into Law’s face, “But I know that you
are a pirate! Pirates can’t be grounded forever! Why are you still here?”
Law bit his lip, looking away from those intruding eyes. “I don’t want to leave everyone.”
“We’ll be fine,” Luffy said.
“Last time we left one another for more than a few weeks, you walked to your own damn
execution!” Law snapped, unable to stop himself.
Luffy’s mouth fell shut, and the room was driven into a tense silence.
“Look, Luffy–”
“Law,” Luffy cut in, “Cora-san will be fine, Sabo and Ace and Cora-san, I’ll protect them all. And
they’ll protect me, so there’s no need to worry. Go to sea, I…I know you’ve missed being a pirate,
the Grand Line.” He sighed softly, and Law held his breath, “I’ll miss you, Torao, obviously, but I
know you!”
“Okay,” Law said. “Okay, I’ll set sail next month.”
“Tomorrow!” Luffy beamed.
“Tomorrow.” Law felt his lips twitch into a smile, unable to resist it.
Law fidgeted for a moment, “Luffy, kiss me?”
Luffy beamed, and Law smiled when Luffy pressed a slow kiss against his lips. “Let’s go tell
everyone, Torao!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ BOUNTY ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Doflamingo pressed a finger against his forehead as he looked at the newest bounty that Baby 5
delivered to him that morning. He’s been looking for Law ever since he and Rosinante somehow
managed to get off of Minion Island, but the brat was good at hiding.
His teeth clamped together roughly, veins emerging against his forehead.
Wanted Dead or Alive: Trafalgar D. Law.

That brat was a D. And he had the Ope Ope no Mi, there’s no way he could’ve survived without it.
(A part of Doflamingo was so, so relieved to see this bounty. It meant that Rosinante was most
likely alive, and Doflamingo will never admit to how much he’s worried for his baby brother.)
It didn’t matter either way. Doflamingo was a God, no D. could stop him.
(He was no God. He was human and he’s spent every day looking for his baby brother. His
precious brother that he wants to see again. Wants to laugh with again.)
Doflamingo would find Law, no matter what.
(He hopes he finds Rosinante with him, Doflamingo wanted nothing more than to wrap his
precious brother into a long-overdue hug.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ REUNION ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law sat in the chairs to the auction-house, arms out and eyes sharp. He and Luffy agreed to meet
here, but he wasn’t sure if that was a good idea anymore. He hadn’t expected Celestial Dragons to
make their way down here. There had always been the chance they would, of course, but he had
been so sure they wouldn’t come here.
Law knew from experience that Luffy always beat the snot out of a Celestial Dragon if they acted
like their normal douchey selves in front of him. Law’s only seen Luffy not punch a Celestial in the
face twice, and that was because they were kids and had absolutely no fucking idea what was
going on.
Law stood quickly when he felt Luffy’s group come closer, deciding that he wasn’t going to chance
it. It was going to go to shit real quick if Luffy saw them and they decided to act like their shitty
bloodline did (Minus Cora-san, he was a true saint). Law didn’t want to see an Admiral trashing the
place like last time.
“Torao~!” Luffy threw open the doors, positively beaming and Law felt his heart stutter.
Fuck him.
Law really missed Luffy looking more like his memory supplied instead of a child. It made Law
feel gross even when Luffy was a decade and some change older than his appearance implied.
“Luffy-ya,” Law said, grabbing the teen by the shoulder, turning him around quickly, “Let’s go
sit,”
“Mm~” Luffy had a knowing look in his eye, peering at the Celestial Dragons over Law’s shoulder.
His smile widened, not a friendly thing.
“No.” Law hissed.
“Okay!” Luffy chirped way too innocently.
They finally managed to get to Law’s seat, and Luffy cheerfully greeted Penguin, Shachi, and
Bepo. The three spoke to the original four; Kuina, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and introduced themselves
to the newest members. They knew Nami, but by the time she started going to the island to train,
the Hearts had already set sail, so they didn’t really know her well.
“I’m planning on doing what happened last time,” Luffy said, and Law was reluctantly impressed
that Luffy didn’t blurt out that he was going to have his crew sent out into the world traumatically.
“Why the fuck would you want that?” Law hissed.
“Zoro and Kuina can to learn more about swords,” Luffy started, a whisper like Law adapted,
“Sanji’s a cook, Chopper’s a doctor, Franky needs his robot stuff, Usopp is a sniper, I can’t teach
them all that!”
Law frowned, “Are you serious about this?” if Luffy was serious, there was no stopping him.
“I am, only for a year,” Luffy crossed his arms, huffing, “I’m going to talk to Ray-san, we’ve
talked about him training me for a bit again.”
Law sighed, leaning back into his chair, throwing his arms up to rest on the back of the seats,
“What’s he going to teach you this time?”
“Dunno,” Luffy shrugged thoughtfully, “Swords? Guns? Maybe he can teach me how he turned
that boulder into a spear and almost took my head off Shishi~”
Law shook his head, “Wonderful.” There was a pause of silence, “There’s a group of Marines
outside.”
“Mm! They’re here for Ray-san.” Luffy said casually.
“I figured.” Law huffed, “Our bounties aren’t much higher than they originally were.”
Well, Luffy was at four-hundred million just like Law was, but that didn’t mean that the marines
would show up for them. They weren’t seen as high-risk yet, not like Rayleigh was.
“Are you going to punch the Celestial Dragons?” Law asked conversationally, and he heard the
quiet conversation between their two crews stop.
“Yeah,” Luffy said, picking at his ear.
“No.” Nami gasped, horrified.
“Why?” Sanji groaned, rubbing a hand down his face.
“Shishishi~ I feel like it.” Luffy grinned happily, shooting himself up.
“Aren’t you going to stop him!?” Nami screeched.
“Nah,” Law said, in tune with literally everyone that grew up with Luffy.
There was no stopping the Pirate King when he was set on something.
Nami nodded sadly, reluctantly.
“Oi! You shitty dragons!” Luffy barked, and chaos quickly followed after.
Law smiled fondly, hiding the grin in his hand as he watched the action.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Mugiwara was fucking insane. Kid had heard the rumors, had seen his exploits as he took down
CPfucking9, declared war on the World Government, took down an entire rebellion at Alabasta,
caused the entire rebellion at Alabasta…The kid was known to be an oddball, and Kid had been
excited to see how odd he really was and how much was just a fib.
Kid had been pleasantly surprised when he saw Trafalgar D. Law, another Supernova with a
bounty higher than Kid’s own, sitting in the Auction House. He had been curious as to what
exactly went up in places like these, he had no real interest in buying people, though.
The Surgeon of Death looked as cold as the rumors implied, blank in the face and observing the
auction with no real reaction. Kid had been staring at him, he’ll admit, and when those gold eyes
swerved, meeting his with a slow, lazy smirk, Kid had admittedly been instantly wary of the man.
When the Surgeon of Death suddenly stood and made his way to the door, his crew staying where
they were but their eyes following, Kid had just expected the man to leave.
Not for Mugiwara fucking Luffy to walk through the door and call the Surgeon of fucking Death
Torao.
Even fucking crazier?
The Surgeon of Death planted a hand onto the kid’s shoulder, turned him to where the man had
previously been sitting, and dragged the kid over.
And it gets fucking worse.
Kid watched their little argument with wary eyes, taking in the way they seemed very familiar with
one another. And then Mugiwara suddenly beamed, Trafalgar sighed and shook his head,
amusement in his eyes as he asked the other something.
And then Mugiwara fucking stood up, marched his way down to the Celestial fucking Dragons,
called them shitty, socked them in the face, while three members of his crew freaked, a…alive
skeleton look like its soul left its body, while five members of the crew looked like they expected
this. They were still freaking, though.
And Trafalgar?
He looked at Mugiwara like he hung the fucking moon, in love, while also staring directly at
Mugiwara’s ass every few seconds, gaze like a starving man and Kid was sooo done.
When Kid thought it couldn’t get any worse, Dark King fucking Rayleigh walks out, Conqueror
Haki forcing everyone with a weak will that still stuck around unconscious, talked casually with a
fishman from the Sun Pirates, and then turned to Mugiwara, grinned, and said; “Hey Brat, haven’t
seen ya in a while.”
And Mugiwara Luffy responded just as casually, “Yep! Bet I could beat your ass now, Ray-san!”
And the Dark King just laughed, “Probably could! I’m retired now, I’ll have you know!”
“You’ve been retired for years!” Mugiwara said cheerfully, “Can you teach me the boulder-spear
trick?”
“Hm, guess I could.” Rayleigh said, smiling lazily, “Mind taking care of those Marines out front?”
“Shishi! Already planned on it!” he turned on his heel, beaming like he was the fucking sun, and
said, “Oi! Torao, wanna help!”
And Trafalgar just sighed and stood, “Better than sitting here chatting with Old Man Ray.”
“Oi! I heard that brat!” Dark King laughed heartily, “And here I was planning on boring you with
another lecture! How much sleep are you getting?”
“Not enough,” Trafalgar said, smirking.
And Kid…he wasn’t going to let these puny pirates steal all the glory!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Before Luffy slipped away to join his crew, he took one last look at Law, and grinned.
Law couldn’t resist pulling the other into a deep kiss, not caring if anyone was looking.
“Shishi! I’ll see you soon, Torao!”
“I count on it.”
Man did he hate watching Luffy go, but at least he made a good view…
(Kid screamed a few feet away, horrified.
He was also the only witness.)
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter twenty-nine - Red Hair, Surprise

P.S. more Whitebeard Pirates and Ace shenanigans involving his fathers lol
Also, how does this fic sound: dimension shenanigans where Canon and this fic mesh-
Red Hair, Surprise
Chapter Notes
I added more tags and relationships!
I also changed the summary~
Lastly, I uploaded the dimension travel fic I talked about last chapter! Check it out if
you want to :D
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (30.5) 17 Law: (37) 24 Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 20 Zoro/Sanji: 19 Corazon: 36

Shanks: 37
(This is a bit after Marineford (: )
⊱ ────── {.⋅ RED HAIR ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Whitebeard! Permission to board?”
Whitebeard looked at the Red Force, eyes narrowed and tankard of sake up to his lips. He’s known
that the Red-Haired brat was sailing towards him for the last few hours, but he still had no idea
why he was coming. Most of the commanders were up on the deck, Ace having a sleep attack
before they found out about the Yonko tailing them and he’s yet to wake, but he was still on the
deck, sleeping on the side of Whitebeard’s chair.
“Granted, brat.” Whitebeard rumbled back.
He was surprised that no Haki was flowing out of the brat. When he did visit, it was mostly for
business (not counting the first visit after Roger’s death, the brat looking dull and nothing at all
like the boy they all knew, chatting almost dazed-like with Marco. It was weird to see him without
the blue-boy, they had always been attached at the hips. Sometimes, Whitebeard wondered about
where the kid went…if he was still alive…) and every time he visited, Conqueror Haki fell off him
in thick waves that even made Whitebeard’s hair stand on edge.
The brat was strong, maybe not as strong as Whitebeard was, but he wasn’t anything to scoff at.
But this time there was no Haki, no neutral expression with guarded eyes, only an easy grin and a
jug of sake dragging behind him. Whitebeard’s eyes dragged to where the arm of his coat fluttered
empty in the wind and took a long sip of his drink. He’s wondered about what opponent managed
to take that boy’s arm, but every time he came up with nothing. Shanks, like he said earlier, was
nothing to scoff at. He was a Yonko, and a damn good fighter.
Whoever took his arm had to be strong, Whitebeard wondered if they were still alive. If they were,
he supposed he should be a bit wary.
“Red-Hair,” Whitebeard boomed, “That Sake better be worth this trouble!”
“I sure hope it is!” Shanks grinned, easy, lazy. “It’s my sons’ favorite brew.”
Cue shocked silence.
“Son?” Marco gasped, eyes wide. “What do you mean son?”
Shanks gave him a sharp teasing smile, a smile Whitebeard grudgingly missed. It was the smile of
a straw-hatted apprentice that trailed after his father-figure and joined the Roger and Whitebeard
pirates in parties and battles, the one who pranked the mighty Pirate King and got away because of
the man’s fondness. A smile that Whitebeard hasn’t seen since before Roger was killed.
Shanks offered the sake over with ease, and Whitebeard popped the lid off. East brew, a cheap one
too. It wasn’t the worst he’s had, but it certainly wasn’t the best either.
“Why are you here?” Whitebeard rumbled, taking another sip.
Shanks grinned, sitting himself down and leaning back on his lone arm. His red locks flowed in the
wind, and suddenly he wasn’t the grinning pirate apprentice anymore but the Yonko Shanks. “I
heard about what happened with Teach,” he said.
Whitebeard’s grip on the jug tightened, and his eyes narrowed in warning. Shanks gazed back at
him, not a care in the world. He reached up, touching his scarred eye gently, looking out at the sea.
“I was terrified when I found out what happened,” he admitted.
Whitebeard paused, “Why?”
“Teach gave me this, you know,” Shanks said, deflecting, “It burns whenever I think of the
bastard. He was always playing his skills down, all of us should’ve seen this coming…”
Silence descended upon the deck, and Whitebeard sighed deeply. “I heard the rumors about you
coming back to the New World missing a arm.” He said, squinting at where the limb should be, “I
can finally ask now, who did you lose it to?”
Shanks smiled, a slow, almost a predatorial type expression. His hand pausing on the nub of his
arm, his eyes filled with something Whitebeard knew too well. Pride. His curiosity doubled at that,
and he met those eyes, raising an eyebrow.
“A kid,” Shanks said. “My youngest.”
“I didn’t know you had children,” Whitebeard said.
“For the last ten years,” Shanks said, “Seems you and I are alike in that regard.”
Huh. Whitebeard hadn’t expected that.
“Huh, Uncle?” a drowsy voice broke through the spell Shanks made, and everyone looked at the
yawning Ace. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah-ha!” Shanks beamed, “Ace, good to see you Firefly!”

“Gah, I told you to stop callin’ me that!” Ace flushed, pointing at the Yonko, “What are you doing
here!?”
“Can’t I visit my son?” the Yonko pouted.
His what!?
“I ain’t calling you Dad!” Ace sputtered.
“But A~c~e~” the Yonko whined.
Ace scowled at the now sulking man, before his face slowly lit up. He scrambled up, “Is dad
here!?” he yelled, excitement in his tone.
“Yeah,” Shanks muttered, totally sulking.
“Grandpops! Grandpops can they board the ship?” Ace sent him puppy-eyes and Whitebeard
resisted a coo. His Grandson rarely pulled those out, but they were very affective.
“Yes.” He said.
“Yay! Dad! Come over here!” Ace waved, laughing.
Benn Beckman gazed at him for a moment before facing away from the Moby, raising a hand, and
flagging someone over. A man practically tripped over himself to reach the railing and a sunny
smile spread over a painted face, red feathers surrounding Bloody Heart Corazon.
The Inner Circle of the Red-Hair Pirates made their way on board, and Whitebeard watched as
Corazon tripped before he could make it to Ace; his grandson laughing brightly as he helped the
man stand.
“Dad!” Ace yelped when the tall man wrapped him into a hug and started to ramble.
“You got so big! Where’s your shirt!? Where’s the man who you write about all the time? What
did you say to Shanks, he’s pouting! Oh, let me see your Devil Fruit – have I told you about
Luffy’s last call? Oh, and Sabo–”
“’nante, breathe, damnit.” Yasopp chuckled.
Corazon laughed, setting Ace down, and the freckled Commander surprisingly stayed latched onto
the man. Ace didn’t even like too much contact with Marco yet, despite the two of them having
been dating for a few months – something about how he wasn’t used to contact out of his
immediate family, though he has gotten better at accepting affection.
“Dad! I was so surprised when I saw your bounty, I had no idea you were gonna join Shanks!” Ace
laughed, “Oh, I need to introduce you to Grandpops! And Marco! Oh, and Thatch and Izou and
Vista and Deuce and Namur, well a lot of people!”
“You must be Ace’s father, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Marco said, shuffling on his feet when the
surprisingly imposing man was guided over to him and Whitebeard.
Pinkish-red eyes narrowed behind sunglasses, and the man seemed to stare into Marco’s soul.
“You’re Ace’s boyfriend.” He said.
“Yes, sir.” Marco did not squeak.

A hand reached up, taking the sunglasses off, and the man’s full face was shown. And then he
grinned, grabbing Marco, and then slapped him on the back. “Welcome to the family! It’s crazy
sometimes, you haven’t seen the half of it yet!”
Ace beamed, “He likes you!” he gushed, grabbing Marco’s arm.
“Hurt his feelings and I’ll gut you, healing powers or not~!” Corazon said cheerfully.
Marco paled. Whitebeard had a feeling the man was probably capable of it but laughed anyways. It
wasn’t the first time Marco heard that threat when it came to Ace – hell, Ace himself told Marco
he’d throw the Phoenix into the ocean if he tried anything funny when they started the relationship.
“Ah, Whitebeard,” Corazon looked up at him, his smile switching from threatening to grateful,
“Thank you very much for taking care of my son, I know he’s a handful.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Whitebeard assured.
“Yeah, Ace is fun to have around.” Thatch said, sliding into the conversation.
Corazon grimaced, “I’m assuming you haven’t stopped at a island with alligators yet.”
Ace laughed loudly, “Not yet!” he agreed.
Whitebeard had a feeling he didn’t want to know.
He wanted to ask anyways…
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SURPRISES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Not that I’m not happy to see you guys,” Ace said, looking at his father curiously, “But why did
you stop by?”
Marco, after his initial fear of the feathered man in front of him, was actually enjoying the
impromptu visit. He’s always wanted to meet Corazon, even before he and Ace stared dating. Ace
had nothing but wonderful things to say for the man who raised him, and Marco’s wanted to meet
him since he was first mentioned. Seeing how Ace interacted with the tall man, it was easy to see
why Ace was so fond of him.
“Oh, right!” Corazon said, grinning, “I have news.”
“That you couldn’t mail?” Ace asked, tilting his head.
Shanks seemed to finally get himself together and walked over to the group. His smirk was smug,
and Marco instantly felt on edge. Ace did too, judging by how he suspiciously eyed the Yonko,
looking like he was expecting a prank to show up out of nowhere.
(Marco sadly knew that look very well, living with Thatch.)
What Marco didn’t expect was for Shanks’ arm to wrap about Corazon’s middle, and his smirk to
grow. “We got married.”
Ace’s jaw dropped, much like everyone else’s, even Whitebeard’s.

“WHAT!? Without us!?” Ace shouted.
Marco had so many questions.
“Sorry Ace, but with all of us scattered…” Corazon trailed off, looking apologetic.
Ace scowled, “You married my dad without me being there!?”
“I couldn’t wait anymore!” Shanks argued, pulling the taller man closer, Corazon awkwardly
maneuvered behind him, arms wrapping around Shanks’ waist while he laid his chin atop red hair.
Shanks practically beamed, “You can’t expect me to wake up everyday with him by my side and
not marry him!”
“I did!” Ace sputtered, fire shooting off his shoulders. “I never gave my blessing!”
“Luffy did,” Shanks said, “And so did Sabo.”
“Well, I didn’t! You need all our blessings!” Ace fumed.
“Ace,” Corazon said gently, smiling, “We’re going to do a ceremony when Luffy makes it to the
New World. We wouldn’t leave you boys without seeing it, obviously. We just had Benn marry us,
I honestly don’t remember most of the night.”
Shanks laughed heartily, “We drank the whole night!”
“Okay…” Ace huffed, “Fine, but if you hurt him in any way, I’ll take your other arm.” He
threatened.
“I think Cora would take it first,” Lucky Roux threw in his two cents.
Corazon laughed, “Yeah, I would!”
Shanks sent him a goofy smile, “I love you.”
Corazon looked just as stupid, “Shanks,” he said shyly, looking very pleased with himself.
“Gurarara! I see where Ace gets it from now!”
“Eh, what do you mean, Grandpops?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Whitebeard watched as the Red-Force sailed away, frowning slightly. He had wanted to get to
know Corazon a bit more, or at least have a conversation with the man. Sadly, once the party
started, the man stuck mostly with Ace, listening with a fond smile as Ace told him a lengthy story,
snuggled up against red feathers.
Once Ace was pulled further into the party by food and Thatch starting Bink’s Sake, Whitebeard
had thought it would be a great time to speak with Corazon, right?
Nope, a certain Red-Haired brat swooped in, smiled suggestively, and led the feather-wearing man
to the Red Force, and they weren’t seen until morning, Shanks looking pleased with himself and
obvious marks on his neck, a stain of red on his lips.
Ace had kicked him, and Corazon had muffled his laugh behind a hand.
(As they set off, Ace had waved, grinning, and yelled for the ocean to hear “By dads!”)
(Shanks had strut around like a proud dad for a month and a half, and yes, he did cry, but that was
only because Ace called him dad for the first time out of a life or death situation and that means
there’s more to come!!)
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter thirty - Red, Fail, Father
P.S. I don't know how much I like this chapter, but it's almost 3k words so I'm not
going to delete it-
P.S.S. We get some Luffy angst, not like we haven't had enough
Red, Fail, Father
Chapter Notes
I don't really like this chapter--
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (26) 13, Law: (33) 20, Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 16, Zoro/Sanji: 15, Usopp/Nami: 13-
14
⊱ ────── {.⋅ RED ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Red.
That’s all he saw.
Red was once his favorite color, something he adored completely, and he still loved red, but now it
had to be a certain tone. A red that was too bright to be the color of blood, and anything close to
that dark, metallic smelling liquid made him nauseous, twitchy, his breath stolen from his lungs
and his mind working on overdrive.
Whenever he saw anything that resembled blood, his mind would go into battle mode and Haki
would bubble under his skin.
Luffy saw red a lot.
Shanks had red hair that was a lot like blood, but it was Shanks, so it was okay. Luffy could handle
Shanks’ red, and he could handle Cora-san’s red make-up. Sometimes Sanji would wear red ties,
Ace has worn red beads since his fourteenth birthday and Dadan gave him a rope of shiny dark red,
and there were days when Sabo’s blue shirt would get replaced with a deep red one, and his gloves
were a worn red-leather, a gift from Shanks.
Luffy saw red a lot.
There was dark red in his dreams, staining the faces of his nakama, staining his hands. There was
pink-tinted water, a rag stained red as it glided over tattooed knuckled or his own split ones. There
was red leaving his body, forcing itself up and out of his mouth, a metallic taste sticking stubbornly
to the roof of his mouth.
There was red over Sabo’s face, a smile on his dead lips.
There was red leaking past Ace’s lips as he whispered his last words, red staining Luffy’s hands as
his mind shut down, grasping at his brother’s corpse.
There was red on Zoro’s skin, dripping down his chin, his eyes closed, and his breaths labored,
Chopper desperately wrapping him up as Sanji watched with shaking hands, one of the very few
who knew the reason of Zoro’s mysterious injuries.
There was Sanji, taking at hit meant for Luffy, grinning with bloodied teeth as he collapsed, barely
saved by Chopper and Law’s help.
There was so, so much red.
Red that collected under his fingernails, that tinted his tanned skin in death.
Luffy’s gotten better with it, of course. He’s had years to recover, and he has done wonders with
Law by his side and Benn working as a mock-therapist for them during his visits. Law’s been out
at sea for a few months now, and he was doing good. Luffy’s been doing good.
But there was red, a deep red, staining his brother’s clothes, a metallic stench in the air, and Luffy
wasn’t good.
There were a few things about Luffy that not many knew. Law knew, but he knew everything
about Luffy because he had seen almost everything firsthand. He’d been there, washed red off his
knuckles, wiped ash from his face, used his Room to take him from one of Luffy’s greatest regrets
battles.
Luffy was possessive. What was his was his and no one touched it. His nakama were his to protect,
were his to sing and dance with, and they were his to sail with.
(Under his flag or known to be his allies. They were protected that way, had a deterrent when the
Marines were fearful of what he could do.
He could do so much; they were right to be fearful.)
Luffy was observant, he could read anyone like a book. Law was particularly easy, Zoro was a
cakewalk, Sanji was simple. Luffy was observant, he could read a situation and decide what was
best in a matter of seconds.
(Before he would just run in without thinking, but he wasn’t naive enough to think that he could do
that forever. Not again.)
Luffy didn’t have a lot of mercy, most had called him merciless back when he was in his first,
original life. When you hurt what was his to protect, he got violent and angry. He would act before
his mind caught up, rage entering his veins, but his mind was always clear, in control, knew what
to do and who to deal with.
(Mary Geoise fell under that anger, hundreds of ships, island, the ocean trembling and splintering
under that rage.
More red stained his hands because of that rage.)
His brother was stained in red.
Luffy never claimed to be a saint, he got angry if people even tried to call him that.
Luffy was a pirate, the King of all pirates.
He wasn’t a saint, nor did he give mercy to those who hurt what was his.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace will admit that he fucked up. He had gotten stuck in his thoughts, didn’t pay enough attention,
and he had gotten cornered. Ever since Sabo was found by his parents, getting saved by Ace and
their two other brothers, the guards at High Town and Outlook III were always trying to get the kid
back. Probably to teach him a lesson and then ship him off to marry some princess or whatever the
fuck they wanted.
They were terrified of Law, though. Not that Ace really blamed them, Law was sadistic and
terrifying when he wanted to. They were scared of Ace and Luffy, and slightly scared of Sabo, but
in their eyes, they were just kids. Hell, Luffy was thirteen, they probably saw him as a small fry
that could just be shoved and discarded without any effort.
Ace would honestly like to see them try. Luffy was just as strong if not stronger than Law – Ace
has never seen them fight and truly mean it, so he had no idea which had the edge over the other –
and he could knock anyone with a weak will unconscious in an instant.
(Ace couldn’t really do that yet. Conqueror’s Haki was not his strong suit, unfortunately.)
But the point was, Ace hadn’t been paying attention and the guards from High Town noticed.
Hence him getting shot at.
And he’s never been shot before, it kind of, really hurt, and they kind of hit him at a place that kind
of made it hard to breath. But Ace wasn’t your normal guy, no gunshot wound was going to stop
him! So Ace knocked their heads together, kicked one into a wall, the other into the ground, and
noped the fuck out of there.
Sabo met him halfway, eyes wide and bag of looted cash dropping to the forest floor, gloved hands
helping him stand and hurrying to the bandits.
It took an hour before Luffy showed up, grinning with Kuina by his side, a bag of something that
smelled sweet over his shoulder. That smile fell quicker than Ace has ever seen, eyes narrowing on
his bandaged torso where red was starting to stain white.
Despite what Ace would like to say, his little brother could be just as terrifying as his big brother
when he wanted to. The darkness that invaded Luffy’s eyes, jaw locking, lips turned down into a
furious scowl, Luffy looked like an entirely different person.
“What happened?” Kuina asked, there was concern in her words but no worry. Ace was already
bandaged, bullets removed, he’d be fine.
“I let my guard down,” Ace admitted, embarrassed, “The High Town guards apparently have
orders to take us in when they can. Probably still want Sabo.”
Luffy stared at him, head tilting back, and Ace could’ve sworn he could see someone standing
behind his lithe brother, imposing, shoulders covered in a dark cloak, grin full of teeth and
threatening, eyes wide and slightly crazed in the darkness of rage clouding them.
The image was gone just as quickly as it had been there, and Ace blinked.
Luffy turned, not saying a word, stalking out of the door. Ace bit his lip, exchanging a look with
Sabo and then Kuina. The swordswoman sighed to herself before following after her captain.
She returned a few minutes later, looking worried and said she couldn’t find him.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FAIL ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy didn’t like killing people despite what his former image might’ve hinted at. He didn’t see the
need to kill someone most of the time, but there were the rare times where he would aim to kill and
wouldn’t feel any regret.
When he was angry he didn’t have much qualms about hitting for vital points, but he was usually
stopped if it got that far. Law’s hand comforting, Zoro’s grip tight and safe, Sanji’s light kick
reliable, Usopp’s wavering words believable, Franky’s yell and large hand warm, Jimbe’s words
calming, Nami’s screech and whack clearing his anger, Brook's nervous Yohohoho and voice
easing his anger, and Robin’s multiple hands secure.
There was rarely a time that Luffy craved someone’s death. He wanted Doflamingo to die when
Luffy saw Law’s lifeless body, shot full of bullets and unmoving, when they were in Dressrosa.
Luffy cared for Law in a different way, an infinite and soft but rough love that made Luffy crave
Law’s hands in his as they did whatever Law wanted because Luffy liked seeing him passionate as
he spoke about surgeries or as he prodded at Luffy’s body to see how the rubber compared to a
normal one. Or Luffy craved their lips together, their love turning desperate as they chased the
physical proof that they were still alive, hips moving, breaths heavy and moans loud as they
bounced off the walls, the sounds filthy and sinful but alive.
(Alive, and that was all that mattered.)
Luffy wanted Akainu dead the moment Ace’s body was flooded with magma. Luffy remembered
what it felt like when he did end that man’s life, blood dripping from his fingers as he stared at the
wide and shocked eyes that no longer held life.
(He had felt so relieved yet so empty. Law held him as he sobbed that night, breaths nonexistent as
he cried because fuck why couldn’t Luffy had saved Ace too?
Why did he still feel so hollow even when his brother’s killer was dead?)
Luffy wanted the Celestial Dragons gone, wiped of the earth, the moment he found out one of those
bastards ordered Robin’s death. He leveled their home until all that existed was flames and blood
and terrified Gods.
(They called themselves Gods, but they were nothing. Luffy…Luffy had held their lives in the
palms of his hands, their fate was his to decide in that moment.
He could’ve ended them all.
He walked away with Law anyways.)
Luffy only craved someone’s death when he failed to protect what was his. Doflamingo carved
Law’s arm clean off, shot him until his gun was empty and clicking, and Luffy had failed to protect
Law. He had wanted Doflamingo dead.
Akainu had a fist of magma clean through Ace, burning his organs until they were unusable, until
Ace’s voice was nothing but a mere whisper, his blood coating Luffy’s skin. He had wanted
Akainu dead.
(Some days Luffy woke up and he could still see that red on his hands, could still feel the weight of
his brother’s body leaning onto his, could still hear his voice.
Thank you for loving me!)
Luffy hated death.
Sometimes he craved to see it.
Normally he had someone there to keep his mind straight, people who understood what was going
on through his mind even when his body language gave nothing away.
Law wasn’t here. No one could help.
(Because Luffy had to be strong. Strong for his brothers and his crew and for Coda-san. Law was
the only one who Luffy didn’t need to be so strong with.
But he wasn’t here–)
Luffy stalked deep into the forest, keeping his presence down to nothing. He stopped at a place he
usually stayed away from and drew his arm back.
His fist collided with the rough rock in front of him again and again and again until his fists were
coated in red, and the rock was jagged and cracked.
Luffy failed to protect his brother, again.
He slammed his head into the rock next, the skin hidden behind his dark bangs tearing, warm
blood dripping down his nose, over his lips.
Luffy failed, again.
Why did everyone he love always get hurt when he was supposed to protect them?
Why was he such a failure?
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FATHER ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Shanks frowned when Corazon walked up the ship looking exhausted.
He felt his worry double when Corazon told him Luffy hadn’t returned home that night after he
found out Ace had been injured by some High Town guards. Shanks knew that Luffy could handle
himself in a fight, especially since they were in the East – there weren’t many strong people here
and Luffy could probably handle a majority of the feats thrown his way.
Shanks wasn’t worried about someone hurting Luffy, no, he was worried that Luffy was hurting
himself. He knew that Luffy didn’t take to one of his nakama getting hurt after Benn got stabbed
through the palm by a marine when they were heading back to Dawn after Luffy asked them to
take him to the Grand Line so he could do something.
Luffy had terrified Shanks when he let lose a burst of Conquerors Haki that ended up killing the
marine in question, and the look on his face said it wasn’t the first time. Shanks wasn’t scared of
Luffy, he could never be scared of his Anchor, he was terrified for Luffy because this was Luffy.
Mentally older and the Pirate King or not, Luffy should be smiling and laughing, not looking
terrified and eyes filled with tears as he ran to Benn with a yell.
(He lost everyone in his crew, Shanks had been reminded that day, they had all been killed either in
front of him or near him.
Of course, he would react terribly to anything that could remind him of that.)
“I’ll find him,” Shanks said, smiling warmly at the tall, feathered man smoking his second
cigarette in the past five minutes. Sending Benn a look his first mate, no doubt, understood, Shanks
spread his Haki out and headed towards the small, barely there presence that was Luffy. No
wonder no one found him, Shanks mused as he headed towards his Anchor, Luffy’s presence was
sealed tight.
It took him no time to get to Luffy, and when he arrived Shanks looked around. The rocks and trees
in the area were knocked over, destroyed, uprooted, indents of fists in the bark and cracks. Luffy
looked over at him, eyes dull and blood dried on his forehead, running down his eyes and nose and
cheeks.
“Anchor…”
And like lifted from a daze, Luffy cried, arms reaching, and Shanks kneeled in front of the kid – his
kid.
Luffy should be smiling, but Shanks knew from experience just how hard it was to do that
sometimes.
“I didn’t save them,” Luffy said, voice raspy and wobbling.
“You have,” Shanks argued, maneuvering him and the teen so Shanks was sitting, his arm holding
Luffy as the younger gripped his cloak. “You’re here now, aren’t you?”
That didn’t make the experience go away, Shanks knew.
But now Luffy had the ability to make it so it didn’t happen again.
Luffy looked up at him, eyes wide and glassy, and then he placed his head onto Shanks’ shoulder,
his grip loosening.
“Thanks…Dad.”
Shanks’ cheeks pulled with a grin, and he hauled Luffy up when he noticed the younger boy fell
asleep.
“He called me dad!” Shanks yelled as he kicked the door open, beaming.
“What!?” Corazon tripped.
“Gah, he’s bleeding!” Sabo yelled.
“I know, but he called me Dad! I didn’t have to bribe him this time!”
“Damnit Shanks, he’s bleeding!” Ace yelled, already grabbing the bandages as Sabo cleaned his
knuckles off.
“He called you dad!?” Corazon sputtered, face red and a smile on his lips.
“Such losers,” Zoro grunted, pushing the matted hair out of his captain’s face so he could clean the
cut there, not even having to look to know that Shanks and Corazon were staring at each other with
waaay too obvious love in their expressions.
Sanji snorted, taping a bandage over Luffy’s forehead. “Nice one, Mosshead.”
“The fuck you call me, Shitty Cook?!?

Home, Fishmen, Favor
Chapter Notes
I really like this chapter!
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (20.5) 7.5, Law: (27) 14.5, Bepo: 11.5 Ace/Sabo/Shachi/Penguin: 10.5-11,
Zoro/Sanji: 9.5, Corazon: 26.5, Shanks: 27.5
⊱ ────── {.⋅ HOME ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Are you certain about this?” Law asked, eyebrows furrowed in a frown.
If Luffy wanted to do this, Law knew he had a slim chance of convincing him otherwise, but Law
was worried. No one stopped the King, he knew, Luffy was the freest man in the world, officially
holding the title right now or not. Law was once a Yonko (and yet you failed to protect them, a
traitorous part of his mind whispered), but he was the Straw Hats ally (lover, his mind supplied,
because what he and Luffy had went past normal nakama. They both knew this, and they both
loved it.) and he wasn’t going to watch the captain put himself at risk like this.
Luffy was strong, yes, but he was physically seven. There were limitations now, and Law worried.
“I’ll be fine, Torao!” Luffy chirped, “Don’t worry, Shanks will be there with me too.”
Law knew he wasn’t being completely truthful. Luffy knew better than most on what happened to
those who defied the government and went as far as to protect someone who went against the
Celestial Dragons. He himself struck a dragon across the face long before he became King, and
even went as far as to destroy a portion of Mary Geoise in a fit of his rage, after Robin had been
shot and killed under a Celestial Dragon’s order.
Law remembered sinking under the sea, the Thousand Sunny tethered to the Polar Tang, that day,
after the attack. Luffy had been covered in ash and blood, eyes hollow as he allowed Law to lead
him to an operation room. His crew hadn’t said a word, Sanji smoking with his eyes shadowed but
tears visible, Franky disappearing into the Sunny, his sobs heard by everyone, Nami crying into
Bepo’s fur…
Luffy had broken down after that, what wounds he did have stitched or bandaged, and Law had
held him. Robin had been the first of the Straw Hats, of both crews, to die and it had hit everyone.
She had been morbid and creepy at times, but she had been their nakama, and they all loved her,
her death hit them hard.
(Luffy had kissed him a few days after that and requested in such a small voice (a voice that didn’t
fit a man like him, the Pirate King) for Law to make him forget. Law remembered how Luffy had
crumbled after that, crying into his palms, and asking if Law didn’t love him back.
“I can’t lose anyone else when they don’t know how I feel for them!” the King had sobbed. “I
never told her how much we needed her! I can’t lose you like that too, Law!”
Law had held him, not in the way Luffy had wanted at the moment, not in a way that would make
him forget for a few minutes, but he had been there. After, days later, Law had kissed him and
promised he knew how Luffy felt. And Luffy had smiled his first smile since the bullet hit its
target and murmured that he knew how Law felt too.)
After that, all of their bounties had risen into the triple-digit millions, some into the billions, even
Bepo and Chopper’s, who had just been thought as pets before that day, had been given one-
hundred-million bounties.
After that, they just…lost.
Time and time again, until they were all dead.
Law didn’t want that to happen again. They had a second chance now, and he wasn’t going to lose
Luffy because he wanted to save someone but do it by himself when he’s fucking seven.
“Promise me,” Law said, because he knew how much Luffy respected and kept promises, “Promise
me that you’ll come home alive.”
Home. Flevance had been home. The Polar Tang had slowly became home. They were both lost in
the sea of war and time, but now Law had another home.
A home he wasn’t going to let fall, forever lost in the sea of war and hate.
Luffy stared at him, so intent, so old, wary, worn but strong and defiant – the look of the Pirate
King Law knew. The look of the Pirate King that’s been hiding away. Law felt his lips part, almost
seeing the strong set to a lithe yet muscled man’s shoulders, a straw hat shadowing over intense
eyes, smile dangerous, arms crossed over an X-shaped scar, a yellow sash and dark cloak billowing
in the wind as the man declared War on all of their enemies.
“Come after us if you dare, shishi~” dark mirth parted lips, showed teeth, “You won’t ever come
close.”
(Law missed that. Missed the strong man who once bounced over to him, sunny smiles, and excited
eyes. Missed the feel of calloused hands holding his, holding his shoulders or his hips. Missed the
voice, deep and raspy but still unique, singing Bink’s Sake around a fire, or just saying his name,
or that terrible nickname that he grudgingly grew to love.
Law missed that, but he would have it back one day. He knew how to be patient.)
“I promise,” Luffy said, serious, not a smile in sight, “I won’t ever leave you again, Law.”
And Law smiled, nodding his head. And a day later, as his brothers and father, his nakama, all
watched Luffy off, the rubber boy waving excitedly on Shanks’ ship, Law didn’t feel the
helplessness that pushed him down the last time he saw Luffy set sail – strong shoulders squared,
head tilted low in defiant defeat, a heart that wasn’t his in his chest.
Because Luffy was coming home this time.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ FISHMEN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Fisher Tiger was no fool, like some like to say. He knew human nature, knew it firsthand, and
despite how much he’d like to, he would never love humans. Koala was a human, the first human
that Fisher Tiger cared for, but if not for her circumstances, he wouldn’t have even looked at her
twice, child or no.
Seeing Koala back at her home, smiling and with her mother, Fisher Tiger smiled. Even if those
people thought ill of him, saw him as nothing more than a monster, he was just happy that she was
home and safe.
Koala could recover now, with her mother.
Fisher Tiger shouldn’t have assumed he could just walk away, though. Humans who knew nothing
of Fishmen feared them, and thus, he shouldn’t have been surprised when he was ambushed. When
the guns should’ve fired, Tiger preparing himself, already lunging at the closest marine, nothing
happened.
A wave of something thick, suffocating, passed by them in quick succession, every single marine
falling, either onto their knees or unconscious. Fisher Tiger turned around; eyes wide when the
only person he could see standing tall was a human boy. The boy looked at him for a moment,
looking over his body, before turning to the Vice Admiral, the only one still awake.
“Marines disgust me,” the boy said, voice a bitter, dark thing. “Celestial Dragons more so.”
And then the kid started walking, the pressure increasing, the marine choking on nothing but
looked like he was suffocating. There was something in his eyes, a glint that spoke of boundless
rage and loss, and by the time the boy stopped in front of the marine, the man was gasping against
nothing. No air entered his lungs.
“You should all burn,” the boy said, a mere whisper but filled with so much power, “We’re all
people, fishman, mink, human. Anyone who thinks different is sick. I hate them.”
And then the Vice Admiral looked up, his eyes wide with fear, his small movements ceasing. His
lips moved, no sound leaving him, but what he intended to say was loud and clear.
Monster.
And the boy smiled, and Fisher Tiger felt the thickness in the area suddenly vanish.
“Free,” the boy said simply, “I’m free.”
And the Vice Admiral passed out, head crashing into the ground, the dirt cracking with the force
the boy used. Honey brown eyes looked over to Tiger, a curious shine in them, a sunny grin.
“Hiya! Are you Fisher Tiger?” the human child chirped, bouncing over to him.
Fisher Tiger felt like he was getting whiplash from this kid.
“Yes…?” he answered hesitantly, unsure if he was the next victim of this kid.
“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, the Pirate King!” the human said cheerfully, reaching up and grabbing
Fisher’s hand, “Come on, your ship was relocated since Marines were trying to sink it! Shishi!”
Fisher Tiger let the human tug him towards where his ship was apparently located, not really
listening to what the boy was humming, and looked over his shoulder. A human did that, took
down all those marines with what? Conquerors Haki mastered at, what, six? That was unheard of,
given how rare that Haki was. Fisher Tiger couldn’t even imagine the training the boy went
through to control it to such a degree, he himself hadn’t felt any of that pressure attacking him
directly.
“Luffy, was it?” Fisher Tiger asked carefully, “Why did you help me?”
Why aren’t you scared of me?
“Because you’re Jimbe’s Nakama!” Luffy smiled at him, “Jimbe’s my Nakama, which makes you
my friend too!”
Tiger’s eyebrows furrowed, and he wondered where Jimbe even met this child, let alone befriend
him.
“You’re important to Hatchan too,” Luffy continued, almost an afterthought, “Hatchan’s my friend
too! He tried to kill my friend once, but he’s really nice! I don’t like Arlong, though, Nami’s scared
of him.” his eyes suddenly darkened, “Nami’s really scared of him.”
“Why is that?” Fisher Tiger asked. This kid didn’t seem to care that they were fishmen, so it
seemed strange that he’d dislike Arlong (how did he even know Hatchan or Jimbe in the first
place? Why didn’t them tell him about a human boy who was already a master with Conqueror’s
Haki?)
Luffy hummed but didn’t say anything. Tiger didn’t want to push it, and the rest of the trip was
divulged into silence, not counting the occasional singing from Luffy or a giggle when he saw a
bug he thought was cool. Eventually they made it to an enclosed part of the shore, hidden by rock.
Luffy took them around it, and soon enough two pirate ships were seen. The Snapper Head looked
to be in perfect condition, but it was the ship next to it that had Tiger tensing where he stood.
The Red Force, the Red-Hair Pirate’s ship. Why in the world was a Yonko here?! Was his crew
okay!?
“Anchor! I was starting to get worried!” Red-Hair fucking Shanks called, waving over at them with
a lazy grin.
“Shishi! Sorry! I got lost!” the boy beamed back, tugging Fisher Tiger closer.
“Boss Ti!”
Fisher Tiger felt relief instantly flood him as his crew all rushed to the railings. As he made his
way onto the ship, the Fishman captain couldn’t help but look at the Yonko’s crew lazily sitting
around, card games being played, guns being cleaned.
“Jimbe! Jimbe!” Luffy climbed over Tiger, laughing as he beamed at the surprised fishman,
“Shishishishi!”
“Luffy, don’t just climb on people,” the First Mate of the Red-Hair pirated scolded the boy,
frowning.
“Shishi! Sorry!”
“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to him.” Benn Beckman said sternly.

“Aw, Benn, live a little!” Shanks grinned, “Luffy’s just excited.”
Benn rolled his eyes, “I still have no idea why we’re here in the first place, Cheif.”
“I wanted to save Jimbe’s Nakama,” the boy perched on Fisher Tiger said, suddenly serious as he
squinted at the island behind them, “He was cornered, Shanks.”
The Yonko sobered up quickly, “That’s what they do, Luffy.”
“I know,” the boy said bitterly, gripping Fisher Tiger’s shirt tightly, “Did I tell you what they did to
Brook?” he asked.
Shanks shook his head, “It’s alright, Anchor, there’s no need. Why don’t you do what you came
here for so we can party, eh?”
That smile was back, and Luffy climbed down the Fishman, walking up to Jimbe with confidence
in his steps. Tiger understood why the boy was so confident in his ability, having seen what he
could do firsthand. He lifted a hand to stop his crew from acting, watching the human child who
saved his life intently.
“Jimbe,” the boy said, stopping in front of the First Mate.
Jimbe looked at Fisher Tiger questioningly before peering down at the kid, “Yes? Who are you?”
“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, the Pirate King.” The boy said rather seriously, “I made a crew of
dreamers!”
“Have you now…” Jimbe trailed in confusion, still tense under everyone’s eyes.
“Yes,” Luffy smiled, “You’re my Nakama. But I know you don’t want to leave this crew, I can’t
ask you to abandon your friends, but,” the boy looked determined now, “will you join my crew in
ten years?”
Jimbe frowned, “No.”
“Shishi! I knew you’d say that!” Luffy smiled brightly, “Hey, Fisher Tiger, wanna be allies?”
Him being allies with a human boy. Days ago, hell, just an hour ago, he would’ve refused without
even thinking about it. But this boy was different, made him actually consider it. Tiger looked at
the Red-Hair captain behind him, frowning.
“Luffy’s not part of my crew,” the Yonko said, grinning easily, fondly, “He’s the captain of his
own. A true King.”
“You can’t actually be considering it!?” Arlong yelled, eyes wide.
“Boss Ti! He’s a human child!” Aladine added.
Luffy didn’t even flinch at the shouts the crew were giving out, eyes only on his fellow captain.
And then a snail rang, and he turned his attention to his pocket, quickly fishing a baby Den-Den
out.
“Monkey D. Luffy, here!” the boy said cheerfully.
“Captain, we have a problem,” an equally young voice answered.

“Yeah, a huge one!” another shrieked.
“What’s wrong?” Luffy asked, frowning at the snail.
“Luffy-ya, your Sea King is sulking,” another voice drawled, “How are we supposed to make it
stop?”
“Sulking and ramming its head into the wall are two different things!”
“Can’t we just knock it out!?”
“No! Unagi is Luffy’s pet, he’d get angry, Ace!”
“Shut up, he’s my brother! I can knock out his pet if I wanna!”
“Shishishi! Just give him a bandit or something!” the human said rather cheerfully.
“Oh, that one bandit crew that tried to rob Sabo?” the first voice asked.
“Are they even alive if they tried to rob Sabo?” the second asked warily.
“Heh! Yeah, I just knocked their skulls around, they’re alive!”
“Ah, maybe he could just eat someone without us having to feed him? Sorry…”
“Hey, what about those new pirates that’re looking for us?” the third asked, “Blue-something.”
Luffy’s face darkened, and the noise over the snail stopped instantly.
“Bluejam is back?” the one they assumed was Sabo asked.
“We’re strong enough to deal with him,” Ace muttered, “What’s the big deal?”
“Leave him alone for now,” Luffy declared, eyes alight with anger.
“You just want to take care of him!” Sabo and Ace chorused.
“Shishishi! Of course!” Luffy cheered, “Those guys tortured me for ho~urs, remember?”
“Huh? What are you talking about, Luffy-ya?”
“Eh, don’t listen to him. He’s made of rubber, remember?” Ace said dismissively.
“Yeah, he just had a few scratches.” Sabo added cheerfully.
“Shishi! I was bleeding a ton!” Luffy chirped.
“And how the hell did that happen!?”
“Hey, don’t look at us! Luffy wasn’t the strongest then!”
“Yeah, he was a crybaby!”
“Yeah, Sabo and Ace tried to kill me when we first met, didn’t I tell you, Torao?” Luffy picked at
his nose.
“No, none of you did!” Torao snapped, “You two get the hell over here, I’m taking your arms!”
“No! That was forever ago!”
“Luffy’s the youngest, you can’t try to kill him!” another yelled in shock, followed by a, “Room!”
via Torao.
“Shishishi! Zoro~ Just tell Unagi to be quiet and give him a belly rub!” Luffy ordered.
“Got it, Captain.”
“Are you seriously going to give a literal Sea King a belly rub!?”
“I’ve seen Luffy do it plenty of times.” Was the dry reply.
“But that’s Luffy! He has conversations with the thing!”
“Yeah, and the fish usually insults everyone but me, because I’m awesome.” Zoro said, “I’m going
to give him the best damn belly rub, he won’t know what to do with himself.”
“Stop being so smug! Luffy, please, this can’t be sa–”
Luffy cheerfully hung up, giving them a peace sign. “Wanna make a alliance?”
Fisher Tiger just blinked in confusion.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FAVOR ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“You should join my crew,” Luffy insisted for the seventh time since the two pirate crews settled
for a relatively awkward dinner.
“No, kid.” Jimbe said for the seventh time.
“Why not?” Luffy tilted his head.
“I’m part of a crew.” Jimbe said simply, squinting at the boy.
Luffy pouted, “Will you think about it?”
Jimbe sighed, “Yes, I’ll think about it.”
“Yay! Great!” Luffy chirped, quickly standing, “Shanks! Shanks, thanks for taking me here!”
“I hope it was worth it,” the Yonko said, smiling as he filled his tankard of alcohol.
“I haven’t been to Paradise in a long time.” Luffy said, smiling wistfully, “Now I owe you a favor!”
“Two,” Shanks said, grinning.
“No, I already did you a favor.” The child said, his arm stretching to snag a piece of meat out of a
random person’s hands. Yasopp shook his head and reached for another.
“I never cashed in a favor from you, ‘lil King.” Shanks said, smiling into his glass with a raised
eyebrow.
“I told Cora-san all about the cool things you’ve done!” Luffy beamed.
Shanks choked, coughing, and hacking for a moment, and then turned wide eyes at the boy, much
like the eyes everyone turned to the Yonko himself. “That’s not a favor! A favor is something I ask
you to do!” the Yonko not so subtly cupped his mouth and whispered, “What did you tell him?”
“I told him about that one time you saved me, and then with those mountain bandits that tried to
drown me, and then about that one time you showed up and saved me ‘n Torao, and then about that
one time you used Haki to send a Sea King away, and about how you didn’t fight back when those
guys spilt sake on you because not all fights are worth it!” the boy ranted, “Dad was super
impressed! He even got all red in the face when I told him you liked men!”
Shanks flushed as dark as his hair, “Like – like a good reaction?” he whispered rather loudly,
sweeping his eyes across the group of gaping fishmen and cackling Red-Hair pirates.
“Mm! I heard him muttering about hot Yonko being gay and the something about prayers being
heard. I think he wants to have sex with you Shanks!”
Cue the Yonko passing out, blood leaking from his nose.
“Luffy, where did you even learn to talk like that?” Lucky Roux sounded like an offended noble,
all ruffled feathers and dropped jaw.
Luffy beamed, “There’s a lot of thugs in Grey Terminal!”
Yasopp looked at Benn, “Yeah, I don’t think kids should be there, Anchor.”
“I’m not a kid!” Luffy declared, “I’m twenty!”
“Sure, drink some juice, kid,” Yasopp muttered, grinning when Luffy shrugged and accepted the
glass.
“Can I ask how you even knew of this attack?” Hatchan asked, looking at the child. Tiger had
filled them in on what had happened, and now most of the crew grudgingly respected the kid a bit.
Luffy stilled, looking up at the curious eyes intently.
“Luffy has the Voice of All Things,” Benn said, sighing smoke from his lungs, “He heard it from
the ocean.”
Not necessarily a lie. Luffy asked the ocean where the Sun Pirates were and who was with them,
and she answered. Luffy knew that he couldn’t just blab that he was from the future to anyone, and
Benn understood that he was a terrible liar. Luffy decided that Benn was way more awesome than
he first thought – which, he needs to say, Benn was already very, very awesome.
“The Ocean?” Jimbe turned wide eyes to the grinning kid.
“Yeah! She told me that she likes your crew.” Luffy said easily, “I only trust two marines, and
neither of them were sailing towards you, so I asked Shanks to take me here,” he explained.
(He just wanted to save Fisher Tiger because he was Jimbe’s Nakama. Luffy might’ve been asleep
during that conversation, but he had Jimbe fill him in later, when he joined them. He knew how
important Tiger was to Jimbe and he didn’t want his Nakama to know that type of loss. Not this
time.
It didn’t matter if Jimbe didn’t join his crew now or not, Luffy just wanted his Nakama happy. If
they were allies, that was good enough for him.)
“Say, Jimbe,” Luffy grinned, “Wanna join my crew?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE 1 ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“What the hell did you let Luffy do?” Rosinante demanded, arms folded and frown set on painted
lips.
Shanks stared – ogled – at the other for a moment before he realized he said something. Corazon
wasn’t wearing his coat, his shirt was half buttoned, and his hair was messy, and there was only a
light sheen of red on his lips, the rest of his face clear of any cosmetics. He looked like he just
woke up, and it was hot as hell.
“What?” Shanks cleared his throat, forcing a blush down.
Rosinante raised an eyebrow and lifted a piece of paper he had clenched between his fingers.
Shanks looked at the bounty for a long moment before he cackled.
“This is not funny! What the hell did you let him do!?” Rosinante fumbled, managing to catch
himself before he really tripped.
“This is hilarious!” Shanks gasped.
Wanted Dead or Alive, twenty-million-belli: The Cheshire Conqueror.
The photo was obviously a drawing of a boy with devilish features, a grin with literal sharpened
teeth and crescent-shaped eyes – the shape exactly like Luffy’s scar.
It looked ridiculous.
“Dahahaha!”
“Shanks, this is not funny!”
“Look at his eyes!”
“I can see them!”
A pause.
“Okay, it’s a little funny, but please Shanks–"
(The Cheshire Conqueror would continue to make a name for himself, his bounty rising to one-
hundred million before the kid disappeared. But the damage was already done, the kid had
successfully become a ghost-tale to new cadets and when he did eventually show up again, a large
number of marines would quit.
They don’t want to wake up with a concussion and the image of a devil, thank you!)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE 2 ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Oyaji, no.”
“Oyaji yes!”
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter Thirty-two - Marry me, Little Things

P.S We get a look at Cora/Shanks~!
Marry me, Little Things
Chapter Notes
Sorry for the late update, I haven't written much in this fic for a while as I finished
"The Other Me" and started another, "Self-Assured" lol...I need to stop writing so
many fics at once XD
On another note, there is an important note in the end notes, so I advise reading that
once you've finished the chapter - or before, if you're impatient like me lol
I won't be responding to comments for a few days, I'm going to be busy, and it takes
me forever to respond to everyone! I'm working on a few projects in my classes, and
I'm also applying for summer-college, so I'm going to be busy. Wish me luck XD
Enjoy!!
Ace: 19.5 Sabo: 19 Luffy: (29.5) 16 Law: (36) 23 Corazon: 35 Shanks: 36

(This is around six months before Luffy set out :D)
T/W: there is a make-out session and implied sex in "Marry Me". The implied sex is
just Benn being a wingman, nothing explicit or anything lol
⊱ ────── {.⋅ MARRY ME ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Shanks grinned easily as he watched Corazon shuffle around the bandits hut, which was much
larger than it had been when Shanks first started to visit. Because of all the people their sons (they
had sons together!) brought home throughout the years, the space needed increased.
Despite everyone out doing their own thing, (bandits being bandits and robbing nobles, or sleeping,
or drinking down at Makino’s, Luffy and three of his crewmates, Zoro and Kuina and Robin,
training in the forest and the rest of Shanks’ crew at the dock or at Makino’s, and Yasopp with his
wife and kid a few islands over) Corazon was ever the busy bee. Shanks liked staying in Corazon’s
company, even if it was to just watch the man clean up or cook.
Shanks has seen him hide more porno magazines with a wicked smirk mixed with deep
disappointment than he’s ever seen someone ever have to, it was amusing certainly.
“Why don’t you just relax a bit, Ross,” Shanks suggested, patting the floor pillow next to him in
invitation.
Corazon looked over at him, hair clipped back with the bright orange clips Ace sent via the News
Coo Luffy somehow befriended, a few months back, make-up half done, usual clothes lose on his
frame, tie missing, and a deep blue apron that was covered in yellow, red and grey spots – a gift
from all four boys from before Law set sail – lose on his torso. It was stupidly domestic and
ridiculously hot. Shanks wondered if Corazon would ever wear just the apron.
Shanks instantly shook the thought out of his head. He wasn’t going there today, not yet, it was
probably too soon seeing as they’ve been dating for a total of two weeks – confessing on a late
night call by accident. Shanks wanted this to last, forever preferably, so he wouldn’t rush anything.
Corazon eased next to Shanks with a small sigh, a smile pulling his painted lips as he fished his
pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Shanks never found smoking as attractive as he did now before he
met Corazon. Seeing the smoke float past his red lips, watching it curl around him was practically
drool-worthy. Shanks felt like a teenager again when it came to how much of a fool he acted
around the other.
“Thanks for stopping by, I know it’s inconvenient for you,” Corazon said, smiling, eyes closing,
and Shanks’ heart fluttered, “Luffy always gets so excited when you show up.”
Shanks grinned, “And what about you?” he asked, tone teasing.
Corazon’s cheeks flushed lightly, “I love your visits too,” he said lovingly, lifting his hand to take
another drag of his cigarette and then freezing as he realized what he said.
Shanks choked, wide eyes meeting Corazon’s equally wide ones. They stared at one another for a
long, tense moment, before he moved forward, hand reaching. Shanks’ palm connected with a soft
cheek, and Corazon’s lips parted in surprise as the Yonko leaned forward. Eyes slipping closed,
Shanks pressed his lips against deep red ones, and a hand surged up, grabbing his loosely fit shirt.
Their mouths molded together easily, perfectly, moving together slowly. Shanks felt heat flood his
veins when he felt a tongue run over his lips lightly and parted his lips eagerly, unable to stop the
pleased hum from leaving his throat. He’s wanted this for years now, and now that he’s finally
experiencing it, Shanks doesn’t know if he wants to stop.
“Seas, I love you,” Shanks breathed against Corazon’s lips, meeting the intense eyes with his own,
“Marry me.”
“No,” Corazon pressed another deep kiss against his lips, “Not yet.”
“Yet,” Shanks echoed, curling his arm around the taller man’s shoulder, digging his fingers into
blond hair. Corazon pushed them closer together, forcing Shanks’ head to tilt back so their lips
could stay connected.
“Mhm,” Corazon agreed, their kisses turning greedy. “I love you too.”
Shanks has never heard such a beautiful sentence before, even if he's heard it before. He'll never
tire of those words.
The Yonko threw his leg over Corazon’s thighs, straddling the man and taking advantage of the
extra height. Hands fell to his hips, grip tight and Shanks moaned at the feeling. He hasn’t even
kissed anyone in years, let alone had sex, everyone else just a cheap imitation of Corazon and thus
unwanted, and the feeling was too intense with his deprived body.
He wanted more.
“Fuck,” Corazon cursed when Shanks sunk his teeth into his bottom lip, pulling at it teasingly.
“That’s the idea,” Shanks said slyly, grinning.

Corazon rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Shanks’ grip on the blond’s hair transferred to his
shoulder when he felt the taller move, standing with his hands bracing Shanks’ legs to hold him up.
Lips playfully trailed along his jawline as the younger turned to what Shanks knew was his private
room, and a grin lifted the Yonko’s lips.
They were in for a long morning, that’s for sure.
Maybe evening too…
Fingers snapped when the door closed, a smirk on Corazon’s lips, “Silence,”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Make them stop,” Dadan pleaded.
“Chief’s been waiting for this for like nine years,” Benn said, flicking the page to his book,
“There’s no stopping them.”
“But they–”
Benn sighed, “Corazon has a Devil Fruit that silences whatever he wants,” he eyed Dadan for a
moment, “We can’t hear a damn thing. What’s your problem?”
“Corazon cooks dinner!” a bandit cried, “All we know how to make is rice!”
Benn blinked, looked to the sky, asking the gods for help, and looked back at his book. “Then eat
your rice, shut up, and let them enjoy their moment.”
The bandits cried.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LITTLE THINGS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy smiled lightly as he watched the sun rise over the ocean, a light breeze pushing the salty
smell of the sea wafting over him. His body ached pleasantly, sore from the training he indulged in
after waking a few hours ago and after waking up and being unable to go back to sleep.
Luffy didn’t mind staying at one place for a while, but he loved being at sea and seeing new things
every time he set sail. The few odd trips he’s taken in the past few years have made being
grounded for so long bearable, but there wasn’t anything quite like waking up to the rocking of the
sea and the bustling of his crew.
Law should be calling him soon, Luffy mused. Twice a month without fail Law would call, and
they would talk about what he’s managed to find out about the Yami Yami no Mi and Blackbeard,
and then about his adventures. More often than not, Law was always tired during these talks, and
Luffy would have the pleasure of watching the snail’s eyes droop – intimidating Law’s own
expression – until it fell asleep, soft breaths reaching his ears.
Luffy hadn’t always enjoyed the little things in life. He hadn’t enjoyed the sunrise or the sunset,
just saw them as the beginning or end of his days. He hadn’t enjoyed his Nakama’s laughter or the
time he spent with them to its fullest potential. He hadn’t always enjoyed the little things when it
came to Law; his rare smiles that tugged up full lips and showed off teeth, eyes shining and
crinkled. He had enjoyed the soft chuckles Law would sometimes let out, enjoyed holding his hand
and even liked sharing some food with him.
But now, Luffy enjoyed every little thing in life. Like the smell of smoke, forest, and cinnamon
that clung to Cora-san every day, or the way Zoro would close his eyes and nap against a tree,
leaving a space by him as invitation whenever he saw that Luffy wasn’t as well-rested as he let on,
or how Sanji would roll his eyes and cook him his favorite when Luffy had a particularly trying
night, or how Kuina would challenge him to a duel just so she could get him to smile for real
instead of whatever fake excuse he had tried to pull off.
Luffy enjoyed looking at the clouds, to watch them take shape into anything and everything. Luffy
enjoyed the ocean water touch his fingertips even if it did leave him drained until his skin left the
salty water. Luffy enjoyed the feel of sand under his feet and the sun shining on his skin.
Life was too short, was too fragile, too easy to lose, too hard to hold onto for him to not enjoy
everything he could.
But, if Luffy had to pick, he’d say the little thing he enjoyed the most was when his brothers,
Torao, Cora-san, Shanks, and all their nakama were together.
He had lost that, once.
But never again.
“Pururu, Pururu,”
Luffy answered the Den-Den easily. “Pirate King here!”
A soft, tired smile pulled at the Den-Den’s lips. “Luffy-ya,”
And Luffy grinned, enjoying the rough with exhaustion voice, “Hi Torao!”
Chapter End Notes
Next Chapter: Chapter Thirty-Three - Smoke, Hand Holding, Smiles

P.S. Next chapter focuses on Smoker/Sabo!! I love this ship so expect more of them,
with Sabo being his goofy self lol
I was surprised at how many people liked this ship in "The Other Me (And You?)",
especially with Sabo being a goof, and I'm thrilled that so many people laugh along
with me :D
I won't be posting this fic for at least 1-2 weeks! I'm going to focus on "The Other
Life" during this time and hopefully finish the fic or at least get close to ending it
:D
Smoke, Hand Holding, Smiles
Chapter Notes
I've managed to write...not as much as I would've liked during my little hiatus, so I'm
going to take another week off lol...
But I really like this chapter, so there's totally going to be more Smoker/Sabo later
on~!
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (31) 17.5 Law: (37.5) 24.5 Ace/Sabo/20.5 Zoro/Sanji: 19.5 Corazon/Shanks:
36.5-37.5
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SMOKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo beamed as he walked into the bar, eyes moving along the patriots in the establishment. His
smile didn’t waver an inch even when some of the pirates in the bar choked on their booze, gazing
at him with terror in their eyes. Rosi D. Sabo was known for being quite…dangerous, especially
with a six-hundred million belli bounty and steadily rising. And for what happened at Marineford.
Sabo made a beeline for the man he could see hidden behind a bead-curtain, sending a sharp grin
at the eyes that followed him before he disappeared into the smokey room.
“Smokey~!” Sabo cheerfully said, sliding into the booth next to the Marine.
Smoker grunted, one cigar between his lips instead of his trademark two. Sabo grinned, scooting
just a bit closer to the marine. “How’s my favorite marine?”
“Fine,” Smoker grunted, “You?”
Sabo smiled, resting his cheek on his fist, “Never been better, now that you’re with me,” he said. It
sounded cheesy as hell, but Sabo meant every word.
Smoker turned his head away, but Sabo could still see the soft pink tinting his cheeks. Sabo
allowed his eyes to roam the marine’s body, taking in the civilian clothes and the cloak that had a
hood attached. His expression pinched slightly before he forced it back up; he hated that Smoker
and he had to sneak around. It would be so much easier if they had chosen the same occupation.
But Sabo would never be a marine and Smoker would never be a pirate.
Sabo placed his hand on the marine’s bicep, “How’ve you been, darlin’?”
Smoker sighed at the pet-name, long since done arguing about how he was fine with just Smoker
and would like it to stay that way and met his eyes. “They’re promoting me,” he said, “Rear-
Admiral.”
“Really?” Sabo grinned, “That’s great news!”
Smoker eyed him, but let a small smile twitch his lips. “What about you, Sabo?”
Sabo slid his trademark hat off, letting it rest on the table. He slid closer to his lover, laying his
head on the older’s shoulder, and smiled. “Luffy apparently learned how to make a boulder turn
into a sharpened spear,” he said, Smoker shook his head in amusement (and wow, he never thought
he’d be dating a pirate and get amused by said pirate’s brothers, who were also pirates). “Law’s
been talking with Dad a lot more, probably planning something sadistic. Ace’s been setting things
on fire, but what else is new? Oh! Did I tell you about pirates who came after me? I’m famous
enough for something like that to happen now!”
Smoker frowned at him, “Nothing happened to you, right?”
“No, I wasn’t injured,” Sabo reassured, lifting a hand. The darkness that escaped from the skin
between his jacket and glove turned smokey, wisping into the air. “I’ve been using those attacks to
get used to this.”
The Yami Yami no Mi had been offered to him by his brothers, Law explaining its abilities and
Luffy explaining how it had once been used – the catalyst to everything; Ace’s death, Whitebeard’s
death, the Marines wiping pirates off the face of the earth. They hadn’t put any pressure on him,
stating that they had several plans for the fruit, but they would like to offer it to him just in case he
had wanted it.
(They hadn’t, in fact, had any other plan for it. They were going to cross that bridge when they got
there, but thankfully Sabo accepted it. Law would’ve pulled his hair out if they had to make
another plan.)
Sabo accepted it after he thought about it and has been a hammer in the water since.
The thing about the Yami Yami no Mi was that it wasn’t like every other Logia. It was different,
hence Law’s lessons on how to control a Logia were frankly useless when it came to this one. But
Sabo managed and he was a natural at it. Of course, there were still times when his fingers turned
into darkness and then made putting on gloves difficult, but he was doing well with it.
“And how is that going?” Smoker asked, lifting his glass of whiskey to his lips.
Sabo took his cigar, holding it between his fingers, “Well. I have it under control, mostly.”
Sabo placed the smoke between his lips, inhaling the bitter tobacco. He personally didn’t care for
smoking, but he liked seeing the darkness form in Smoker’s eyes whenever he saw Sabo smoking
his cigar.
Smoker lifted his arm and Sabo smiled shyly, pressing himself into the marine. He closed his eyes,
taking in the scent of cigar that clung to Smoker and sighed softly. Fingers massaged into his side,
rough fingertips working under his shirt and coat to tickle his skin as Smoker took his cigar back.
Sabo loved this.
He hated how they couldn’t do this whenever they wanted.

“I love you,” Sabo said, voice quiet in the loud bar.
Smoker held him tighter, “I know.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ HAND HOLDING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Smoker came to early in the morning, the beginning rays of the sun entering through the cracks
between the blinds and hitting his eyes. He let his eyes rake down Sabo’s face, taking in every
feature like it would be his last time. It was rare that he got the time to spend with his lover, to see
him in more than just fake-battles that was more a tease than a real clash before Sabo had to run –
before it got too obvious, they weren’t aiming to hurt.
Smoker enjoyed their time together when they could just be Sabo and Smoker, instead of the
“Blue Dragon” the pirate and “White Chase Smoker” the marine. Smoker still had no idea what he
was thinking when he deiced he loved the pirate Rosi D. Sabo, the loyal, flirt of a man who had
eyes for Smoker only.
Sabo’s eyes were closed, face softened with sleep, lips parted slightly, golden hair fanning his
cheeks and curling at his neck. Sabo was gorgeous, from his pale skin and noble-like completion to
his hardened skin, a sign of years’ worth of training, of strength. His skin taught and rippled with
muscle that was usually unseen under his many layers, unmarked save for the scarce, faded scars
from childhood.
Smoker carefully pushed golden hair back when curls fell to obscure his view of Sabo’s handsome
face.
He felt unusually lazy this morning, tangled bare in the sheets with his lover curled next to him.
The lover he hasn’t seen in months, one that he’s worried over for hours on end. Smoker wished
that they weren’t who they were sometimes, so they could be together without having to worry
about who knew and where they were. He knew Sabo did too.
But he was a marine and Sabo was a pirate, both of them too stubborn to change their ideals.
However, Sabo’s have always been flexible, and recently Smoker’s have been too.
“You should take a picture,” Sabo said, full lips twitching into a slow, lazy smile.
Smoker’s heart skipped a beat.
“Hm, maybe I should.” Smoker said easily.
He couldn’t no matter how much he wished too. Physical evidence wasn’t something they could
risk.
Sabo’s eyelids fluttered open, a stunning blue meeting Smoker’s grey and the pirate smiled
lovingly, lifting himself with his arm to move closer to the marine. The kiss they shared was soft
and slow, and not long after Sabo was moving back, the sheet slipping down his body, showing
more skin to Smoker’s greedy eyes.
“Morning, my love,” Sabo said, voice rough from sleep and their activities from the night prior.
Smoker loved it when Sabo called him those over-used names, but he was too stubborn to admit it.
“Good morning,” Smoker said back, voice just as soft, like they were sharing a secret.
They were.
“Mm, I’m thinking waffles today,” Sabo said and Smoker snorted, of course he was already
thinking of food. Sabo grinned down at him, “But, I wanna cuddle first.”
Smoker lifted his arm, inviting. Sabo didn’t hesitate to dive down, lying himself onto his side, head
rested over Smoker’s chest.
“We should try to get together more.” Sabo said, fingers tickling their way down Smoker’s arm.
“We should.” Smoker agreed.
They both shared a smile as their fingers locked together.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SMILES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo smiled a lot. He didn’t really have a reason not to, there was always something to smile
about. Be it from happiness or for a threat, Sabo always wore a smile.
He was used to smiles, having grown up around smiles. Luffy always had a cheek-stretching grin
when he didn’t have a bad night, Law would hide small smiles behind a book often and Ace was
always waltzing around with a confident grin. Cora-san smiled often too, eyes always shining as he
gazed at them, smile soft and just fatherly.
Smoker didn’t really smile often, so when his lips twitched up, Sabo took it as a win. He was
always trying to get Smoker to smile, even when they were pretending to fight to the death when
they unintentionally ran into each other on random islands.
The thing about Smoker’s smile, as rare as it was to come by, is that it was stunning. Sabo loved it
when the marine’s eyes crinkles and lit up, how his face softened with his grin, making him seem
his age instead of the serious marine that was after justice – real justice instead of that fake crap
the marines try to sell.
“Ne, Smoker,” Sabo bumped their elbows together as he cut into his next plate of waffles, smiling,
“There’s this inhabited island that’s under my dad’s protection,”
Smoker raised an eyebrow at him, sipping at his morning coffee – four sugars and two creams.
Smoker had a sugar-tooth that Sabo found so adorable, it wasn’t exactly something the marine’s
appearance gave away.
“I asked him if I could stop by it in four months,” Sabo trailed off for a moment, “I’d like it if you
could stop by too.”
We wouldn’t have to hide left unsaid.
And Smoker smiled, that fond one he usually hid behind his tough exterior, “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
And Sabo’s heart melted.

Chapter End Notes
Up next - Chapter thirty-four: The Greatest, Lessons, Awe

P.S. "Awe" features some early Marco/Ace~~
P.S.S. "Lessons" and "Awe" feature Doctor Ace! We stan Doctor Ace!!
The Greatest, Lessons, Awe
Chapter Notes
This one is mostly humor lol
Enjoy!!
“The Greatest” and “Lessons”: Luffy: (23) 10 Law: (30) 17

Ace/Sabo/Kuina/Shachi/Penguin/Bepo: 13-14 Zoro/Sanji: 12 Corazon/Shanks: 29-30
“Awe” (just after Ace joined WB): Luffy: (28.5) 15 Law: (35) 21 Ace/Sabo: 17-18
⊱ ────── {.⋅ THE GREATEST ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Dracule Mihawk stared at the kid in front of him quizzically, “What is this?”
“He’s my son!” Shank said cheerfully and Mihawk froze.
Shanks reproduced?!
“I see.” The Warlord said, annoyance slipping into his tone, “And what does your offspring have to
do with calling me to the East?”
Shanks had called, asking Mihawk to the East, and the Greatest Swordsmen left his island without
question. Sure, Shanks was no longer a decent sparring partner anymore, but he was kind of a
friend. No, Mihawk would call him a close acquaintance at best.
He’s lying, obviously, but Shanks would get a big head if Mihawk even thought the other as
‘friend’.
“You’re the World’s Greatest Swordsman, right?” the child (Shanks’ child, Seas what hell froze
over in the last decade?) asked him, eyes wide and curious.
Mihawk grimaced. He detested children.
“Yes,” he answered anyways.
“Shishi! Okay, Zoro, Kuina, you guys can come out!” he called towards the forest line. Mihawk
watched as two children not much older than Shanks’ kid walked out, the boy with three swords
and the girl with one.
Mihawk gave them a once over, frowning. The girl carried one of the twenty-one Great Grade
swords, Wado Ichimonji, it seemed. The boy seemingly carried two regular blades, but one was
different, Mihawk recognized it as a cursed sword but he couldn’t quite remember its name. A deep
green with a off-white, almost pale yellow, rope binding the top portion of the sheath, and there
was a clip near the end of the sheath, a design with three slashes over a Straw-Hat.
Said straw hat that Mihawk saw sitting on the Shanks’ boy’s head. Said straw hat that Shanks
almost gutted him over when they first met.
Wonderful, Mihawk should’ve stayed on his island.
“He’s the Greatest?” The boy asked, squinting at Mihawk with surprising amount of judging in his
features.
“Yeah,” Shanks’ boy said cheerfully, his grin wide.
“I challenge you to a duel!” the girl declared, hand already falling to the sheath of her sword.
Mihawk blinked. Was this seriously happening?
“Ha!? No, I challenge him to a duel!” the three-sword boy yelled.
“Neither of you are challenging him to a duel.” Shanks’ boy said.
Both children paused, looking at the hatted boy in surprise.
“You’ll lose,” he added.
“Are you calling us weak?” the girl asked, and there was hurt in her eyes, jaw grit.
“No, I’m saying he’s just that much stronger,” Shanks’ boy said, “Even I’d lose to him, shishishi!”
The two older children exchanged looks and grudgingly removed their hands from their blades.
“I’ll defeat you one day, and take your title!” they both shouted.
“Ha?! I’m going to beat him!”
“Ha! You think you can, Zoro!?”
“Dahahaha! Why don’t you two take that elsewhere, hm? You can talk to Hawky later!” Shanks
said cheerfully.
But Mihawk wasn’t paying attention to them. He was staring at Shanks’ boy. The way he held
himself, the look in his eyes, the knowingness in his tone...That boy was more than what met the
eyes, and Mihawk was intrigued.
“What did you say your name was, Shanks’ boy?” Mihawk asked, crossing his arms.
“Monkey D. Luffy! I’m the Pirate King!” Luffy said, and there was no lie in his eyes, in his
posture.
He believed what he was saying, and more than a child playing pretend every could.
Mihawk had been told plenty of times that his gaze was scary or creepy, how it felt like he was
staring into someone’s soul. He understood it, but he’s never felt that feeling before. Until now,
that is. Mihawk felt scarily exposed to this boy’s gaze, and he knew without a doubt that he wasn’t
staring at a normal child.
Seriously, Shanks just had to reproduce.

“Why did you call me here, Red-Hair,” Mihawk sighed.
Shanks motioned to Luffy, “He wanted to talk to you! Oh, wanna meet my other sons while you’re
here? And we can party!”
Other sons? Sons as in plural?
Shanks reproduced several times!?
Fuck. No.
“What did you want, child.” Mihawk said, ready to leave.
“I don’t know swords, so can you teach them?” Luffy said, pointing to the other two.
“What?” all three asked, dumbstruck.
“Captain, you can’t be serious!” Kuina yelled.
“We wanna take his title, Captain.” Zoro added.
“Shishi! Yeah, but I’ve taught you all I could about swords.” Luffy said, picking at his ear, “He’s
the guy who can teach you everything else!”
“No,” Mihawk said.
“We can take him down easily!” Zoro said hotly.
Then two children were lunging at him with Haki-covered swords and Mihawk’s world froze.
“These are mine now.” He said, arms wrapped around the struggling children, “I’ll teach you
everything I know.”
“Dahahaha!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LESSONS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Teach us everything you know!”
Law looked up from his book about torture (a gift from Luffy) in surprise. “What?”
“You’re like a super smart doctor, teach us everything!” Penguin requested.
“Okay, Ace, aren’t you more interested in setting people on fire than learning to be a doctor?” Law
asked suspiciously.
Ace shrugged, face red, “I thought it’d come in handy, y’know, when you leave we’ll need a
doctor around.”
Law smiled, “Alright. I’ll teach you everything I know.”
Teaching everything he knew was actually false due to the fact that it would be quite difficult to
teach them everything. But Ace was just as excited and ready to learn as Bepo, Shachi and Penguin
were, so it wasn’t difficult to get the basics down.
It was kind of nice having people to teach again, even if he’s technically already taught three of
them before.
Cora-san teased him about his smile for weeks, but Law knew the giant was just as happy to see it
too.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ AWE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Son, you were injured?” Whitebeard asked, worry in his tone.
“Injured?” Whiskey repeated, alarmed, “Why the hell are you just standing there, let me see!”
“Oh, no, Ace already patched me up!” Thatch laughed.
Whiskey shook her head with a scoff, just because an injury is wrapped doesn’t mean it’s properly
looked at. She marched over to the cook and sat him down in front of their father, snapping her
fingers so he would get the hint and remove his shirt.
“What’s wrong, yoi?” Marco asked when he saw the nurse’s eyes widen with surprise.
“Huh, it’s actually perfectly stitched.” she said, prodding at the wound, “And it seemed like he
cleaned it properly.”
“Yeah, he said it wasn’t the worst he’s had to work with!” Thatch said cheerfully. “He said
something about digging bullets out of people before and then...he sort of laughed about how he
was able to cauterize the wounds with fire...”
An uncomfortable silence.
“I don’t even want to know,” Whiskey sighed, looking around the deck, “Ace! Come here!”
The newest member of the Whitebeard pirates strolled over casually, a leg of meat already in his
hand. “Yo!”
“You stitched Thatch up? Tell me how bad the injury was and what you did.” the nurse ordered.
“Well, it was about a few inches deep, I had to check to see if he was poisoned, he wasn’t so I
cleaned it out and then stitched it.” Ace folded his arms behind his head, “I would’ve just burned it,
it’s easier that way if you do it right, but it was too close to his spine and could’ve damaged some
nerves so I stitched it with this,” he then pulled a cylinder from his belt, opening it to show its
contents.
“You seem to know your stuff,” Whiskey said, taking note of the scalpel, thread, the bag of pills
labeled as pain meds, and more that somehow was able to fit in the thing. “Did you learn
medicine?”
“Oh, yeah, I know all about it!” Ace said, beaming pridefully, “I’m a doctor, but I mostly stick to
fighting people!”
Marco blinked, “You’re a doctor?”

“Yeah! I didn’t get any traditional teaching or whatever and I’m not as good as Torao, but I do
know my stuff,” Ace bit into his bone of meat, “Aren’t you a doc too, Marco?”
“Yeah,” the Phoenix agreed slowly.
“Cool! Do you have any books on heart surgeries? I’ve been trying to study up on those but you
guys sort of burned my library when you kidnapped me.” Ace said bluntly, a grin on his face.
“Heart surgeries?” Marco echoed.
“Yep!”
“I’ve been interested in those too, I have plenty of reading materials.” Marco’s face felt strangely
warm and his heart was beating fast...
“Yay! Thanks Marco, I’ll stop by later tonight, kay?” Ace beamed, dazzling like the sun and
Marco breathlessly nodded.
“Who knew Marco had a doctor kink,” Thatch said when Ace walked away, starting a
conversation with a few of their brothers.
Marco died, just a little.
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter Thirty-five - Dragons, Fires, Red-Hair

P.S. We get a little Dragon action~ I wonder which one I'm talking about XD
Dragons, Fires, Red-Hair
Chapter Notes
We get a little Revolutionary Action here!
Enjoy!
Luffy: (20.5) 7.5 Law: (27) 14.5 Ace/Sabo: 10.5 Zoro/Sanji: 9.5 Corazon: 26.5
Shanks: 27.5
⊱ ────── {.⋅ DRAGONS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Monkey D. Dragon hasn’t been to Foosha village, his hometown, in years. He didn’t usually go
anywhere near the East, with his father known to stop by randomly to check on his grandson,
Dragon’s son.
Dragon has abandoned a lot for the Revolutionary Army and his beliefs, including his child.
Dragon has wanted, so many times, to go to this island and pick up his child, to be the father he
knew his son probably wondered about. But it was too dangerous, and he would rather die than put
Luffy in harm’s way. Being known as Garp’s grandson was already dangerous enough, let alone
being Dragon’s flesh-and-blood son.
But there were still days when Dragon’s logical thoughts would waver, and he would want nothing
more than to go back to Foosha and find his son. He should be seven by now, five years older than
the last time Dragon’s seen him. But Dragon had a duty, had a goal, and he couldn’t endanger his
son with that goal.
(One day, when Luffy was older, he could join Dragon.)
Stepping into the part of the island known as Grey Terminal, Dragon and his associates looked
around. They had intel that a Celestial Dragon was heading this way, and that the nobles of this
island were planning on burning the terminal to a crisp along with its people.
Dragon hated the nobles that thought they could just throw life away. It made him sick.
“This place sure is full of people,” Adair, one of the revolutionaries that left the boat with him,
muttered bitterly. She was one of their newer recruits, new to the darkness that came with the job.
“They’re really going to just…”
“Yes,” Dragon said bluntly, honestly. He’s seen them do much worse than burn a trash-heap filled
with people.
“Oh dear,” Ivankov hummed, but they knew just as well as Dragon did. Humans weren’t kind
creatures, but those with blue blood were worse most of the time.
“Oi! It’s one of them, scram!” someone near them shouted, fear in their words as they turned and
literally ran.
Everyone in Grey Terminal all jolted upright, shock on their faces as they started to busy
themselves with sticking to the sides or hiding behind piles of metal. For criminals like them to be
scared of someone to such an extent, Dragon frowned, that didn’t really spell something good for
them. He hoped they weren’t found out already, he liked smooth missions instead of rough ones.
“Hey, Straw-Hat’s just a kid!” A man scoffed, “What’s a little kid got you all so scared about?”
“That ain’t no normal kid!” another hissed, “Get away before he comes! He could knock your skull
in without you even seeing it!”
A kid? Dragon’s thoughts went to his son and he really wanted to turn to Foosha and find him, but
he kept himself standing in place. He couldn’t risk Luffy like that.
“He’s here!”
“A kid is causing all this commotion?” Inazuma asked curiously, sipping at his wine.
“Shishishishi~!” and then there was a kid running towards them, straw-hat covering shaggy raven
locks and a bag of what smelled like baked goods on his shoulder his smile wide.
Dragon felt his heart stop.
That was Luffy.
His son.
“Oi! I’m not scared of a little twerp like him!” the same man from before spat, pulling a knife out
and three men next to him followed suit.
“Toll, Snake, Dan, Sen, don’t be idiots, man!” someone shouted, “He’s part of the Monster
Quartet! Those kids can take your head in a second!”
But it was too late, for the four men were already walking in front of the kid no older than seven,
posture threatening. Dragon moved to take a step forward because that was his son. The boy he
loved more than anything and had to give up.
No one hurt his son.
“Ne, ne, who are you?” Luffy asked, peering up at them with an innocent smile.
Dragon was seeing red.
The main man, Toll, sneered, “You and your little group has been robbing us all dry! Now you
aren’t here with your bodyguards, we’ll end you!”
“Okay!” Luffy said cheerfully, grinning widely, “You can try!”
And then Luffy twisted, dodging the knife with ease, and then his leg fucking stretched and kicked
the main in the face, sending him flying.
“Shishishi!” Luffy snickered, landing onto the ground, his sandals slapping the dirt, and his smile
was still so bright. The three men growled, all of them lunging forward, and Luffy tilted his head to
the side, his eyes meeting Dragon’s and then they widened with terror.
Dragon took a step forward in time with Ivankov, but the three men and every criminal around
them suddenly dropped, frothing at the mouth. Conquerors Haki was strong in the area, controlled
as it flowed off of Luffy. Dragon’s breath held, shock widening his eyes.
Luffy had yet to take his eyes off of him, smile slipping from his face as he stepped over a thug and
made his way over. He stopped in front of Dragon, tilted his head back to stare up at him, and
Dragon noticed the way his hands shook.
“Is a Celestial Dragon coming?” he asked, eyes wide and voice innocent.
Dragon felt the breath leave his lungs.
“Yes,” he somehow managed.
Luffy lowered his head, Haki spiking and judging by his frown and the way the power wavered,
Luffy hadn’t been in control.
What on earth happened for his baby boy to unlock such strong Haki at his age?
Dragon didn’t know if he wanted to know.
Luffy dropped the bag next to him, hand moving to dig through his shirt before he resurfaced with
a baby Den-Den. He typed in a number quickly, and the snail started to ring.
“Pururu, Pururu, Pururu, Puru – click.” The Den-Den stood at attention, an angry expression
morphing over its features, “ – stupid cook, shut the hell up! No one cares!”
“Screw you Mosshead!”
“Hah!? What did you call me Curly Brow!?”
“Boys, enough!”
There was a scoff, and the snails eyes moved back to Luffy, “’ello, who is it?”
“Zoro,” Luffy said cheerfully and the snail instantly grinned.
“Sup Captain! Are you coming back, d’you need help? I’ve been wanting to fight someone!” Zoro
asked, followed by a ‘No, you can’t help, you’ll tear the stitches and then I’ll tear you’ from a dry
voice in the back.
“I need to talk to Torao,” Luffy said, grinning, “Now,”
The snail’s expression changed instantly, taking on a different face, “Luffy-ya,”
“Hey, Torao, did I ever tell you about the seagull who tried to take my hat?” Luffy smiled brightly,
hands shaking. He closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowed and seemingly concentrating on something.
“Fuck. Penguin, Shachi, go find Ace and Bepo’s group! Now!” Torao shouted, “Sanji, Zoro, stay
here and protect the hut, Cora-san, don’t fucking go anywhere! Luffy-ya, I’m heading your way
now!”
“Sabo,” Luffy said, opening his eyes, voice firm, “Find Sabo, he’s in High Town with Usopp.”
“Right, Sanji, you’re the fastest, go get Sabo. Nobody leaves the house when they get here,
understood?” there was confused and loud exclamations in return, “I’m getting Luffy, make sure
everyone is here by the time we return. Luffy-ya, I swear to everything if you be your stupid self,
I’m going to take your arms, don’t move a fucking inch! Click.”
“Shishi, Torao’s a worrywart!” Luffy said cheerfully, grinning up at Dragon, “The nobles will
probably hire someone to start the fire, I’d say Bluejam, he’s trash! Sorry for knocking everyone
out, that made your job harder, shishishi!”
And then the kid was grabbing his bag and turning swiftly and heading towards the forest.
“Wait!” Dragon was probably the most surprised at his words, but he couldn’t stop himself. Luffy
was in front of him after so long…and apparently, he knew and was wary of the Celestials in a way
no child should be.
Luffy turned to look at him again. “Yeah?”
Dragon couldn’t find anything to say, staring wordlessly at his son. Luffy smiled at him, “It was
nice meeting you, you’re my dad, right?”
Dad.
Garp told Luffy who he was!?
“You…know me?” Dragon whispered.
Luffy shi-shi-shi-ed at him, “I know all about you!” he agreed.
“Your dad…Drago-Boy! WHAT!?” Ivankov sputtered, eyes wide and jaw dropped as they looked
between Luffy and Dragon.
“Shishi! Hi Iva-chan!” Luffy chirped, waving at him happily, “I’m Monkey D. Luffy! I’m the
Pirate King!”
“HAAA! YOU HAD A CHILD!?” Ivankov cried in shock, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me!?”
Dragon blinked slowly, “It never came up?”
“The hell it didn’t!” Ivankov took a few deep breaths before turning to Luffy, “Hello, Luffy-boy!
How old are you?”
“I’m seven and a half,” Luffy said, picking at his nose and seemingly uninterested.
“You’re awfully young to have unlocked any type of Haki,” Inazuma observed.
Luffy smiled widely in return. “Ray-san taught me!”
“Luffy-ya!” a teenager rushed out of the woods from the other side, looking out of breath and
worried.
Luffy waved at the boy cheerfully, “You were fast, Torao!”
“Shut it! Damnit, do you know how worried I was?” the teenager was suddenly in front of Luffy,
taking the place of a rock, and wacked him in the back of the head, grip on his long sword tight.
“Owww, Torao~!” Luffy whined, holding his head with a pout.
“I thought you saw a Dragon and went to attack them like the moron you are!” Torao continued,
“And I didn’t use Haki, stop being dramatic, you are rubber!”
Luffy pouted harder, “Torao’s so mean to me! You’re the stupid one!”
“You’re the one– no, never mind, we need to go. Cora-san’s worried. Say goodbye to the
Revolutionaries.” Torao ordered, turning on his heel after a suspicious glare sent at Dragon.
“Shishi! Bye-bye!” Luffy waved at them, suddenly all smiles, and grabbed his bag, “Torao! I got
you chocolate since you don’t like bread! Oh and I grabbed a book about torture for you too ‘cuz
when I saw it I thought about you!”
The teenager tugged at his hat, ears red, “Thanks, Luffy-ya.”
“Shishi! Ne, ne, can I have your chocolate?”
A sigh, fond and exasperated, “Sure, Luffy-ya. Just don’t take my book.”
“Reading’s gross! You’re the one into torture anyways!” was the laughing response.
Dragon instantly turned around and held his heart, his son was too cute.
“Uh, Drago-boy, are you not concerned?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FIRE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“My God,” Rosinante whispered, horrified as he watched the smoke rise through the trees, from
Grey Terminal.
When Law had suddenly got a call from Luffy and looked terrified, barking orders while exuding
the presence of a leader, Rosinante had been just as scared. Slowly but surely all the kids were
ushered into the bandit’s hut, and all that had been missing had been Law and Luffy. Ace and Sabo
had tried to leave to find them, but it had been Zoro and Sanji who stopped them, saying it was
Captain’s orders to not leave the house and made sure they stayed, because even if Law ordered it,
it was Luffy who initiated it.
Law and Luffy returned a few, long minutes after that, Luffy chattering away but looking around
constantly, and Rosinante could tell his Observation Haki was stretched out. Law himself had a
hand planted on Luffy’s shoulder, eyes shadowed over by the bill of his hat but jaw set.
They had sat them down when they got into the hut and explained how the Revolutionary Army
was here and a Celestial Dragon was showing up the next morning. Luffy had said they should
expect a fire to break out soon, and Rosinante’s son hadn’t been wrong. By what Luffy said and
how Law reacted, it was like they were prepared for this, and that terrified Rosinante.
“I’ve never met Dragon before,” Law said from where he rested against Bepo, the Mink playing
poker with a handful of the Bandits and the Straw-Hat crew.
“D – D – Dragon is here!?” Rosinante sputtered in shock, coughing as he swallowed his cigarette.

“Yeah,” Luffy nodded, “He looked super surprised when he saw me, shishi,”
“Well, you are his son.” Law said nonchalantly, slipping his hat over his eyes as he always did
when he was getting ready for a nap.
“SON!?” Rosinante coughed.
“Eh, you know your dad, Luffy?” Sabo asked curiously.
“Yeah, he’s the most wanted man in the world,” Luffy nodded to himself, taking a long gulp of his
glass of milk.
“Eh?” Ace looked over; eyes wide.
Luffy gave him a knowing smile.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ RED-HAIR ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“So, you’re Anchor’s dad?” the Yonko said casually, as if he hadn’t just intercepted the
Revolutionary’s ship and boarded with a bottle of booze.
Dragon eyed him warily.
“Too bad, Dragon! I’m gonna marry that kid’s dad, so he’s my son!” Shanks said cheerfully.
Dragon raised an eyebrow, “What?”
“Yeah, Luffy adopted Corazon as his dad, and he’s amazing!” the Yonko gushed, “You can be
his…third uncle, though.”
Dragon blinked again, “…What?”
Chapter End Notes
I decided to make a Tumblr account~! I'll be answering questions and posting parts of
new chapters to all my fanfics, come say hi!
Up next: Chapter thirty-six - Blackbeard, Yami Yami no Mi, Rayleigh

P.S. We get Law and Luffy trolling the WB basically throughout this entire chapter lol
Blackbeard, Yami Yami no Mi, Rayleigh
Chapter Notes
Set a few days after Marineford! I had a lot of fun with this one XD One of my favorite
headcanons for this fic is Law and Luffy trolling people with their relationship, so look
forward to more of that lol
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (30-1) 17 Law: (37) 24 Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 20 Zoro/Sanji: 19 Corazon: 36

Shanks: 37
⊱ ────── {.⋅ BLACKBEARD ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Pops, we can’t just let Blackbeard get away with this.” Thatch said, frowning, “He went too far
this time!”
Ace nodded his head, “I agree, for obvious reasons.”
“Oyaji, we can take him down. He’s a traitor, and we shouldn’t have been so lenient.” Marco said,
voice bitter, anger directed to himself.
“I know, Sons,” Whitebeard said, and then louder, he declared for the people on the island (Luffy,
the Hearts, the Top-Hats, and the Red-Hairs along with the Whitebeard’s main Moby’s
inhabitants) to hear. “We will be going after Blackbeard and making him pay for his
transgressions!”
“Eh, that’s a waste of time!” Luffy said, drawing attention to himself.
“What?” Izou asked, scowling.
“Luffy, I know you’re usually right about these things,” Ace said, frowning and biting at his lip,
“But this is a Whitebeard issue.”
“I know,” Luffy said, frowning, “I’m just saying it’s a waste of time.”
“Are you saying I should just let a traitor do as he pleases with no repercussions?” Whitebeard
rumbled, Haki bubbling around him in warning.
“We’re going to kill him,” Marco agreed with his father.
Luffy blinked at them, “I’m telling you it will be a waste of time. You can’t kill someone who is
already dead.”
And…that caused everyone to pause.
“What?” Thatch asked, shocked.
Ace’s eyes widened. From what he managed to get Luffy and Law to share about their original
timeline, Blackbeard was a main threat to all pirates, and caused his brothers a lot of trauma.
Meaning he lived past Marineford.
“Oh, did you run into him?” Law asked casually, eyes alert as he glared at Whitebeard from under
the bill of his hat, watching his every move.
“Yep,” Luffy said, popping the p.
“Are you saying you…killed him?” Sabo asked slowly, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to work
around their baby brother killing someone.
(They all knew pirates killed, Ace has, Sabo has, Law most definitely has, he’s Law, but Luffy was
always the sunny innocent one. It was difficult to wrap his head around, Pirate King and mentally
older or not.)
“Well,” Luffy paused, looking thoughtful, “I kicked his ass and he’s dead if the Impel Down
guards didn’t decide to save him. So even if he is alive, going after him would be a waste of time,
shi~shi~shi~!”
Law gave Luffy mooneyes. Ace grimaced, it was still taking some getting used to, but he was
genuinely happy for his brothers.
“You’re telling me you beat him an inch from his life and left him in Impel Down?” Marco asked,
surprise raising his eyebrows.
Luffy frowned at all of them, “That’s what I said.” He grumbled.
“Gurararara! You’re a cheeky brat!” Whitebeard laughed loudly, “I owe you a debt.”
Luffy frowned, “No thanks, I didn’t do it for you.” He said simply, like the Whitebeard owing you
a favor was something that happened every day.
Everyone one around them all stared at the teen in shock, minus those who knew him.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ YAMI YAMI NO MI ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy turned to Law, leaning forward towards the surgeon and grinned, “Can we ask him now?”
“You’ll ask him even if I say no,” Law sighed, knowing you couldn’t keep Luffy from doing what
he wanted.
“Shishishi!” Luffy turned to Sabo and Ace, grin wide, “Sabo! Do you wanna eat a Devil Fruit?”
Sabo paused; eyes wide. Everyone paused to watch the interaction, Shanks leaning back with wary
eyes. He motioned for Benn, and the first mate understood, heading to the ship without a word.
“I mean, if it’s a good power, I guess?” the captain said, “I don’t really want to be a hammer like
all of you.” He said with a small laugh, smiling.
“You don’t have to eat it,” Law assured, “We have plenty of options, but we trust you with this
fruit the most.”
Sabo’s eyes widened and understanding dawned on him. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?” Luffy tilted his head to the side.
“Why not?” Sabo echoed, “That fruit is like – like,” he waved his hand, “You can’t be serious!”
“You don’t have to eat it,” Law repeated himself dryly.
Ace’s eyes widened, “You mean the Yami Yami no Mi?”
“Yeah,” Luffy picked at his ear, “I can always have Franky lock it up!”
Law grunted, “Yeah, or we can keep it on a private island. Seriously, don’t sweat it, Sabo.”
Sabo didn’t have to, but Luffy and Law would. Both of those options have already been thought
through and they were crossed out as too dangerous. Sabo was the one they trusted the most with
that fruit, but they could always have someone else eat it should it really come down to it.
Benn emerged; a small treasure chest wrapped in Sea Prism chains held under his arm. He handed
the box over to Law, who visibly avoided the chains, and then the key.
Sabo looked at the chest intently and swallowed. “I’ll eat it.” He said.
The chest was unlocked, the fruit handed over quickly, like Law couldn’t bear the thought of
touching it, and then Sabo raised it up to his lips.
“That tastes horrible!” he complained after he struggled to swallow the fruit.
“Shishishi!” Luffy cackled and Sabo smiled.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ RAYLEIGH ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Did Dark King Rayleigh just…come out of the ocean?” Marco asked no one in particular.
“Yeah,” Izou said, eyes wide.
Everyone watched as Rayleigh, the right-hand man of Gol D. Roger sauntered over to them,
dripping wet and nonchalant. Their eyes bulged out of their sockets further when the man greeted
the D. brothers lazily and ended his glad you aren’t dead, do that again and I’ll kill you speech
with a “Okay, Luffy, ready to learn that boulder-spear trick?”
“Hell yeah!” Luffy cheered, “But first I gotta go back to Marineford! I have’ta send a message to
my crew!”
“Alright,” Rayleigh shrugged, “You three brats joining the training?”
“With you and Luffy?” Ace snorted, “I’d rather die, you two are monsters.”
“Your training is kind of like running us into the ground and expecting us to not have a few broken
bones and then do it again,” Sabo added with a grin.
“I’m busy,” Law said simply.
“Shame.” The Dark King said, shaking his head, “Alright, Luffy, let’s skedaddle.”
“Okay!” Luffy chirped, “Bye Ace, bye Sabo, bye Dad, bye Mom!”
Shanks grinned cheerfully and everyone gaped at him, “I thought I told you to call me Dad!”
“Shishi! But Dad’s Dad!”
“Yeah, we have’ta call Shanks something else,” Ace agreed.
“Pops?” Sabo offered.
“Nah,” Ace shook his head.
“Father?” Law suggested.
“Nope,” all four chorused.
The brothers were quiet for a moment before they all snapped their fingers and pointed, “Papa…
Papa Shanks?”
“I say we call him Dad,” Luffy decided.
“We’ll find something eventually,” Sabo agreed.
“Shishi! Okay, I’m going now!” Luffy dusted off his shorts as he stood, and then he turned to Law,
beaming, “Bye Torao!”
And much to everyone’s shock, the teenager leaned down, captured the captain’s – his brother’s –
lips and their mouths opened, very obviously sharing a deep kiss with a lot of tongue. Tattooed
fingers held onto his chin, and the Surgeon of Death tilted his head, deepening the already very
deep kiss.
Uhhhhh…
“Yeah, see you soon,” Law agreed when they parted, obviously licking at his shiny lips, smirking
and obviously pleased with himself. They stayed there for a moment before Law pressed another
kiss to his lips, a hand resting over his chest. When he leaned back, Luffy’s lip stretched due to the
teeth holding onto it.
“Your body truly is fascinating,” Law murmured, smirking as he very obviously slipped his fingers
under jean fabric.
UHHHHH…
“Torao, you always say that,” Luffy said, snickering, “You’ll visit, right?”
“Of course,” Law said, and he pulled his hand back after a few seconds, “Get going now, little
brother,”
UHHHHH …
“Shishishishi! Yep!” Luffy turned after one last peck and skipped away, trailing after Rayleigh.
“Hey, Ray-san, I can’t swim!”
“I know.”
“How are we going to get there? There’re no Marine ships around!”
“I’ll drag you.”
A lazy smirk, and Luffy pouted.
“Luffy-kun, Rayleigh-san, allow me to assist.” Jimbe stood and followed after them.
“Yay! Jimbe, join my crew!” Luffy requested, beaming
“I’ll think about it,” Jimbe agreed.
“Uh, are we not going to talk about how he made out with his brother?” Thatch whispered to the
closest person, Haruta.
“Nah, I don’t think so,” Haruta whispered back, “I’ve dealt with enough mysteries and surprises for
the rest of my life with this crazy family.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Did you have to say brother?” Ace asked, looking green.
Law smirked, amused, and Shanks cackled.
“Dahahahaha! I can’t – did you see everyone’s faces?!” the Yonko laughed loudly.
“Why else do you think I shoved my hand down Luffy-ya’s shorts,” Law chuckled low in his
throat, eyes swirling with amusement as he gazed after where Luffy’s flailing arms could barely be
seen in the ocean. “Well, other than the fact that we’ve yet to do anything thanks to a certain
brother of ours."
Sabo gagged, Rosinante winced, looking oddly proud but conflicted, and Ace floundered, his green
hue intensifying.
Shanks wheezed, slapping Ace on the back.
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter thirty-seven - I Like You, Affection

P.S. This next chapter is before time travel
P.S.S. "I Like You" is when Law and Luffy got together~
P.S.S.S. "Affection" has sexual content
Tumblr: vallmo05
Twitter: Vallm05
Come say hi~
I Like You, Affection
Chapter Notes
I was sort of going for something sweet for this fic, and I ultimately did not pull
through. I had to add in a touch of angst no matter what lol I'm not sorry, this is who I
am XD
Enjoy~!
Pre-time travel: Luffy: 19 Law: 26
T/W: “Affection” has sexual content
I'm not good with smut but I tried my best XD
⊱ ────── {.⋅ I LIKE YOU! ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law barely kept his agitation from showing as he directed the submarine towards the Sunny. They
had managed to get Caesar back from Breed, but it had been a huge waste of time and frankly
unenjoyable. Chopper was in the back resting – still muttering about being dressed up in dresses
and bows, horrified – and Caesar was knocked out. Law didn’t want to hear his yammering, don’t
judge him.
The whole ordeal was over, and Law allowed himself to relax slightly. Mugiwara was too honest to
betray their alliance (unlike Law, he’s lied the entire time) so it wasn’t like Law had to worry about
the teenager suddenly attacking him.
“Ne, ne, Torao?” Law was surprised the other captain had even stayed quiet for that long.
“What?” Law asked bluntly, not even confronting the butchered nickname that was supposed to be
his name.
The Straw Hat captain turned to him, his whole body moving as he planted his hands between his
folded legs, staring at him curiously. Mugiwara was an…eccentric man. Always moving, always
energetic, quick to help anyone he called friend (unfortunately, Law fell within that category), and
he was kind of an idiot.
“Torao, did you have fun?” Mugiwara asked him, head tilting to the side as he observed Law with
wide eyes.
Law frowned, “Of course I didn’t.” hadn’t that been obvious? They needed to get to Dressrosa, and
they didn’t have time for playing cat and mouse.
Mugiwara looked confused, “But you were smiling, Torao.”
Law paused, frowning as he kept his eyes forward. He had not had any fun during that ordeal,
thank you very much.
“Shishishi! I had fun!” Mugiwara said cheerfully, smiling widely.
Law couldn’t help himself and asked, “How?”
“Well, Torao was there!” Mugiwara said, his tone basically saying ‘duh’. “I like spending time
with Torao!”
“Because you think we’re friends,” Law sighed.
“No,” Mugiwara said, surprising Law. The Warlord raised an eyebrow. “Torao feels different than
my friends.”
Law frowned, “What?”
“Well when I’m around Torao my stomach’s all weird, like I’m hungry, but I’m not hungry!”
Mugiwara said, beaming cluelessly, “My feelings for Torao are special!”
Law choked, staring wide-eyed at the captain. Didn’t he realize what he just said? How Law could
basically use it against him?
Mugiwara had yet to take that smile off of Law, and Law couldn’t look away. “Shishi! Torao, I
really like you! We should do what people who like each other do!”
“No.” Law said, “I have other things to focus on.”
Mugiwara’s eyes shined with challenge, “You’re going to be my Special Person anyways, Torao!”
“I said no, damnit!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Luffy-ya…” Law tilted his head back, staring up at the caged sky.
He had barely managed to swap Luffy with some rubble by him, and as of now, Luffy didn’t have
much time left until his Haki was back. Law himself had enough energy for about three more
Rooms before he had to conk out, and his arm was killing him.
“Luffy-ya, if we get out of here,” Law knew it was pointless to say this, Luffy was unconscious,
probably would be for the next minute or two. But he couldn’t help himself, “If we get out of here,
you should be my Special Person.”
“Shishi,” Luffy laughed weakly, eyelids parting to stare up at Law, blinking a few times. “Knew
you’d give in.”
Law frowned, blowing air from his nose, and shook his head.
He couldn’t find himself to be all that upset that he had given in so very easily.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ AFFECTION ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Torao,” Luffy breathed, jolting back, and Law paused, looking up at the captain curiously.
“Noooo, don’t stop!” Luffy whined, digging his fingers into Law’s shoulder.
Law huffed a breath, half amused, and let his fingertips trail down Luffy’s chest. The captain
pouted when Law stopped toying with the skin around his scar, with his chest, but didn’t outwardly
complain. They both knew they were low on time, an attack could happen any minute now, so they
knew they needed to be quick. Law wished their first time together didn’t have to be quick. He
would love to see how Luffy reacted to everything else Law wanted to do, but he couldn’t
complain.
Law covered his fingers in slick and moved to the main part, eyes widening with interest when
Luffy stretched without any complaint. Well, he is made of rubber. Which means…prepping Luffy
wasn’t necessary. Law looked up at Luffy, swallowing and Luffy nodded to him, leaning back to
flop onto the bed.
Law quickly moved off the floor, his knees cracking from how long he’s been kneeling, and
carefully made his way between Luffy’s legs. The Pirate King stared up at him, his face was
flushed, and he looked as eager as he did curious, his rubbery fingers pinching the skin of Law’s
forearm when the Yonko planted it by the younger’s head.
Law watched with rapt attention as Luffy’s back arched, eyes widened before closing, how his lips
parted but no sound left. Legs wrapped around Law’s hips, Luffy’s free hand moving to his lips,
muffling the loud whimper that left him when he shifted, testing. Law’s jaw flexed as he kept
himself still, and he released a long shaky breath as he gripped the bedding under his fingers
tightly.
“Torao, Torao move!” Luffy griped, his heel digging into Law’s back.
Law didn’t even complain about wanting to give Luffy time to adjust, simply doing as Luffy
requested. A hiss escaped his lips as he felt the drag of Luffy’s walls, and he thrust back in quickly.
Luffy yelped, eyes widening in what could only be a strange awe, and his grip moved from Law’s
arm to his shoulder.
It was after a few thrusts that Luffy was shouting, sinful and adoringly and addictive. “There!
Law!”
Law shuddered, gripping thin hips, and roughly assaulted Luffy’s prostate. The mighty Pirate
King, the man who’s stared down the strongest of enemies without flinching, was nothing more
than a shivering, wanton mess in Law’s hands.
Addicting. Luffy was addicting.
“Law! Law~” Luffy’s hand slipped, nails digging into the skin of Law’s arm and his eyes closed, a
groan tumbling past his lips, electricity traveling up his spine. Luffy looked curiously at him and
then at his arm, the one that had been cut clean through, and grinned.
Law grinned back, a bit more sadistically, and adjusted Luffy’s leg to sit on his shoulder.
And then the Sunny rocked dangerously, the sounds of explosions ringing into the captain’s
quarters and the two shared a groan that was less pleasurable and more frustrated.
And if Luffy kicked ass while literally showing his ass, it’s not like the marines could report that.
Their crews though? Horrified.
Chapter End Notes
Up next ~ Chapter thirty-eight: Reunion, Uncle
I didn't really edit this chapter, so if there's anything about it that's incorrect, plz let me
know~
Reunion, Uncle
Chapter Notes
I am so sorry XD I forgot to update, the chapter was edited and waiting and I just
like...forgot. If you follow my work, you've probably seen that I've been updating like
crazy and writing /more/ angst lol
I will try to keep up with this one from now on
Enjoy~!!
Luffy: (23) 10 Law: (30) 17 Ace/Sabo: 13 Corazon: 29 Shanks: 30
⊱ ────── {.⋅ REUNION ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“YOU STUPID RED HAIR MORON! WHY ARE YOU HERE!?”
“Hey Buggy!”
Buggy had been enjoying his day, his crew partying and having fun, when that red-haired moron
from his childhood (who was now a Yonko, go figure) decided to sail up next to him and act like
they were old friends.
They were not old friends!
Buggy can’t stand that stupid red-haired twerp! He’s the reason Buggy ate his Devil Fruit and lost
that treasure!
“It’s been a while! It’s good to see you again!” Shanks, the absolute moron he was, laughed
cheerfully, waving.
His cloak shifted and that’s when Buggy noticed it.
Buggy heard the rumors, sure. He ran a great information network, had eyes and ears everywhere,
and he had been one of the first to hear the rumor of Shanks losing an arm. But he hadn’t really
believed it because this was Shanks, the red-haired moron they were talking about!
But where his left arm should be, there was nothing but a tied off sleeve.
“What happened to you arm.” Buggy demanded, feeling the annoyance fade away as he stared at
his brother.
Because they weren’t old friends.

They were brothers, even if Buggy wanted to pretend they weren’t.
Shanks’ face softened as his grin slipped, and the man gave Buggy an almost contemplating look
before he grinned. “I was wrestling with a Sea King!”
“Liar!” Buggy barked before rubbing his forehead, “What d’you want?”
“Want to meet my kids?” Shanks asked.
“Kids!?”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ UNCLE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Buggy followed after Shanks’ ship for seven islands before they finally made it to Dawn Island.
Foosha was a small but quaint town, nothing flashy, and it seemed like the place Shanks would
stay at. Shanks had always been so unflashy.
The Red-Hair crew had gone off to do whatever, getting supplies, resting, or heading to the bar
with Buggy and Shanks. Party’s Bar was apparently Shanks’ go to, and the woman manning the
bar had beamed happily when she noticed them, greeting him as if she were an old friend.
“So, you got kids, eh?” Buggy asked when they were seated at the bar, mugs in their hands and
food on plates. “Thought you were gay.”
“I am,” Shanks grinned easily, “Ace, one of my boys, he’s cap’n’s kid.”
Cue rum getting spat out everywhere.
“WHAT!?” Buggy screeched.
“Yeah, I was surprised too.” Shanks nodded seriously.
“Captain had a kid?” Buggy breathed in disbelief, shaking his head, “Why didn’t we know?”
“He left the kid with Garp.” Shanks added.
Buggy stared at his brother in disbelief. Shanks nodded, taking a long sip of his drink. It was quiet
for a moment, Buggy’s mind whirling, and he sighed. That kid probably grew up hating himself,
and who knows when Shanks managed to get his claws into the kid.
“You helped him, didn’t you?” Buggy asked quietly, so out of character.
“I did what I could,” Shanks agreed, “Ace…doesn’t care for Roger much. I told him all about our
travels, and he doesn’t hate him anymore, but he still feels abandoned.”
That makes three of us, then, Buggy thought bitterly.
“Do you want to meet him?” Shanks asked, looking at him from under red lashes.
“The kid ain’t Cap,” Buggy said simply, taking a long sip of his drink as he reached for the
chicken leg on the plate between them, “I don’t want to know him because of that, if that’s what
you’re implying, Red-Haired Bastard! Captain was a gre…okay guy but his kid has nothing to do
with him or me, ya hear me?”
“I know,” Shanks grinned, “I met Ace through Luffy, he’s the youngest.”
Buggy rolled his eyes, “Who would’ve thought you’d be a rip-off Whitebeard,” he muttered dryly.
Shanks honest-to-God giggled, and Buggy felt a wave of nostalgia hit him. It was almost as if they
were back in the Cabin Boy’s dorm, sharing whispers and muffling their laughter. Seas, looking
back at those days, Buggy realized he missed them just as much as he hated them. When he was a
child, he hadn’t been abandoned by the only people he had ever called family, hadn’t watched his
father-figure’s body cool in chilling rain, had never been alone and left his brother.
Why? Why did they join the Roger Pirates? Why did they let them?
Buggy regretted joining them so much, some days.
“Buggy, I want you to be my kids’ Uncle.” Shanks said, pulling Buggy from his thoughts. “I want
you to be here…my brother again.”
And Buggy blew air from his nose, “Whatever, Red-Hair, I might as well give in now, you
stubborn bastard.”
And Shanks’ grin made something dark and icky that’s been with Buggy since the crew left them –
kids – alone with no regard for how they would live, ease away.
Because Buggy got his brother back.
Chapter End Notes
SO THIS IS BECAUSE BUGGY AND SHANKS DON'T GET ENOUGH

BONDING!!! I love Buggy so he's the best uncle with the '#1 uncle' mug and
everything!!
Up next: Chapter thirty-nine - Memories, Unconditional, Truths

P.S. So I had a comment asking if Ace ever remembers, and I said 'no' like a liar.
Memories, Unconditional, Truths
Chapter Notes
I feel that I could have done this chapter better but I had such a hard time putting my
thoughts to paper with this one XD
Enjoy!!
Ace/Sabo: 21, Luffy: (31) 18 Law: (38) 25
T/W: “Unconditional” has a semi-panic attack
⊱ ────── {.⋅ MEMORIES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace has seen a lot of things in his life, has heard stories he thought to be impossible but were
actually true, has done things in life that he thought would be absolutely impossible.
Ace grew up in the forest with his brothers, his father, the Bandits and friends and Makino. He
mastered Haki by the time he was fourteen, set sail and was offered a position to be a Warlord by
the time he was seventeen, and then he joined the Whitebeards by eighteen. By the time he was
twenty, he had nakama that would lay down their lives for him, even knowing who his father was.
After that, Ace got the shock of his life. His brothers were time travelers, they lived through what
could only be hell. And then he asked his brother something, and Ace found out that he too
sometimes sees things of the distant past – the one that has been changed by his brothers’ hands.
Ace was used to the random dream, ones that he now knew was of his past experiences, what could
have been.
Sometimes they were happy, memories of Luffy or the crew. Sometimes they were not so happy,
like Thatch being killed…But they weren’t anything Ace couldn’t handle! He was Portgas D. Ace,
the second eldest brother, grandson of Whitebeard, son of Corazon D. Rosinante and Akagami
(Corazon D.) Shanks, he could handle a few nightmares. Because that’s what they were,
nightmares. They weren’t real, not anymore.
(His brothers went through so much worse; how could he complain about a few experiences he
never truly went through?)
But…Ace never understood what it was like to die. His brothers did, they died before. From what
Ace learned, Luffy got his heat cut clean off his neck, and he still didn’t know how Law died – just
knew that his death was long and slow. His brothers knew what death felt like, but Ace didn’t. Not
before that dream.
That blasted memory that he didn’t know.

Ace felt his insides sear, burn to nothing. Felt a fist of pure magma pierce through his back, felt the
burn throughout his entire body. He felt his brother’s hands on his shoulders, felt the tears dripping
down a bruised tan face. Heard the screams of his nakama, heard the pleas from his brother.
He heard his own words.
“Thank you for caring about someone like me. Thank you…for loving me!”
And Ace screamed.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ UNCONDITIONAL ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Marco jolted when a scream reached his ears, turning sharply in his chair to look over to his lover.
Ace had fallen prey to a sleep attack about twenty minutes ago and Marco had carried him to their
shared room when he almost fell overboard. The first mate had settled into the desk in their room
and started to work through the reports while he waited.
He hadn’t expected Ace to wake up screaming loud enough for everyone on the ship to hear him.
“Ace, hey–” Marco jumped out of his chair, rushing over to his lover.
His lover who was breathing heavily, hands on his chest, eyes wide and terrified and filled with
tears.
“I – I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Ace wailed, scrambling back, his gaze moving to his chest, and he
looked at it like he was surprised at what he saw.
“Ace, it’s okay,” Marco said softly, walking to the bed slowly and sitting on the ledge, “Ace,
there’s nothing to apologize for.”
The tears bubbled over, streaking across freckled cheeks, and Ace bit his lip to stifle the sob that
tore through his chest.
Marco felt his heart break.
“Can I hug you, Ace?” He asked carefully.
Ace’s face crumpled, and he nodded, throwing his arms wide. Marco tangled his fingers into dark
hair as Ace cried into his shoulder, words unintelligible. There was a knock at the door and Marco
shook his head when Izou carefully opened the door, his eyes widening when he took in Ace. The
cross-dresser nodded, telling the others that gathered that everything was under control.
“I’m so sorry,” Ace said after a long moment, his breaths still erratic but calming slowly.
Marco pressed a kiss against his forehead, running his fingertips along a tattooed spine. “You
don’t need to apologize for anything, Ace.”
The hands that bunched his shirt up loosened their grip, but Ace stayed where he was. “I do,” he
said softly.
“Listen,” Marco pulled back slightly, just enough to see Ace’s tear-stained face, and he cupped a
freckled cheek. “Ace, it’s okay to feel things. I want you to feel things. You have nothing to
apologize for, Ace, I love you.”
“I love you too,” Ace said, lip trembling as he stared into Marco’s eyes.
Then he was pressing a kiss against Marco’s lips, careful and slow in a way Marco would allow in
that moment. Ace obviously wasn’t up for anything more than that and Marco would let anything
else happen at the moment.
“I need to call my brothers,” Ace said softly as he tucked his head into Marco’s shoulder once
more.
“Okay,” Marco agreed, “Whenever you’re ready.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ TRUTHS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Why didn’t you ever tell me,” Ace asked, voice rough, the moment the line went through.
“Tell you what?” Law asked blandly.
“Are you okay, Ace?” Sabo asked, concern in his tone.
“I died in Luffy’s arms,” Ace said, hand shaking as he held the receiver, “Why did you never tell
me?”
“Why did you need to know?” Law asked bitterly.
Ace felt anger flare before he forcefully smashed it down. He…understood why they wouldn’t
bring it up. Ace remembered how Luffy sounded, how his hold was desperate, and he didn’t even
remember most of his dream!
“Ace died in Luffy’s arms?” Sabo asked breathlessly, “Seas…”
“Luffy-ya,” Law said, “You don’t have to be here for this.”
There was something too quiet for the snail to pick up on, and judging by the snail’s – Sabo’s –
expression, Sabo hadn’t heard it either.
Law sighed, “Ace, we didn’t want to burden you or Sabo with that. Everyone we knew died one
way or another, piling that onto you two was unfair.”
“But we’re your brothers!” Ace yelled, “You honestly think we’ll complain? That we’ll mind? You
guys went through who knows what and I want to be here for you! Sabo does too!”
“Ace, honestly,” Law sighed.
“He’s right Law,” Sabo said, “We want to help you, but we can’t if you don’t let us.”
“We don’t need any help, we’re–”
“Thank you for loving me,” Ace said, and he heard a noise akin to choking, “Those were my last
words. Do you have any fucking idea how fucked that is?”
“Ace, this is exactly why we didn’t talk about it,” Luffy said, voice surprisingly small. “I don’t
want to talk about it.”
“Luffy,” Ace said, frowning, “Luffy, I want…”
“Luffy went into shock when Ace died,” Law cut in, voice sharp, “His mind broke down, and the
only reason he lived long enough to get to my ship was because of Jimbe. I did a fifteen and a half
hour surgery on Luffy, and when he woke up, he destroyed everything around him because he
wanted to find you, Ace-ya, do you honestly think any of us want to talk about that? You are alive,
we saved you, and that is enough for us.”
“That doesn’t stop any of that from happening,” Sabo said sharply, “You two, I understand that
you can’t just force this out. It’s a traumatizing process, and I respect that. But please know that
we’re here for you, okay?”
And later that night, if Marco found Ace in their shared room, looking more relaxed than he’s been
in weeks, smile light and shoulders seemingly missing a weight, Marco would smile.
Chapter End Notes
Up next - Chapter forty: Doffy, Warlord

Doffy, Warlord
Chapter Notes
SO! I went on vacation for a week and I didn't write anything during that time, so,
updates are late XD I'm starting college over the summer, a 6-week program atm, so
I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write during that. Updates might slip, just a heads
up~
Anyhow, enjoy!!

37
⊱ ────── {.⋅ DOFFY ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Doflamingo was once a God, a true God. One that held all the power he could possibly want in the
palm of his hand. That title had been taken from him by his own blood, and now Doflamingo
wasn’t truly a God.
Compared to these humans? Yes, Doflamingo was a God. Compared to those Celestial Dragons?
Doflamingo was someway between a God and a filthy human. He had power, but not the power he
deserved.
Doflamingo had once been an older brother. One day, that brother disappeared. Then, he came
back, taller, and stronger and silent. Doflamingo had accepted him with open arms because even if
Rosi has been gone for so, so long, they were brothers.
Family.
But Rosinante betrayed him. He took what was rightfully Doflamingo’s and fed it to that dying pest
and ran. Somehow, he even managed to get past Vergo without being seen. And then he went off
the grid with that pest, and even Doflamingo couldn’t find them until Trafalgar D. Law’s first
bounty was released.
And a few years later, a new bounty came out. One for the Yonko Red-Hair Shanks’ crew.
Corazon D. Rosinante.
Was his brother mocking him? Taunting him using Corazon’s name, using a D? Did he think
Doflamingo wouldn’t see the bounty? Wouldn’t see the coat, a dark red to meet his new captain’s
namesake instead of the black Doflamingo gave him?
Was his brother that bold now that he had a Yonko backing him up? Did he honestly think
Doflamingo wouldn’t find a way to ruin him?
A part of Doflamingo missed Rosi, the little brother that followed him everywhere and looked up
to him.
That Rosi was nothing like Corazon, the silent husk of a man that followed Doflamingo around
everywhere.
Most of Doflamingo’s memory of Rosi was of the boy crying, of him holding onto bruises or his
growling stomach or crying about the pain in his knees.
Doflamingo just wanted to be a good big brother, what changed?
(He knew what changed.)
(He had changed. His brother had changed.)
(One of them changed for the worst. Doffy changed for the worst.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ WARLORD ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Doflamingo wasn’t interested in Warlord meetings, but he was always interested in something with
the meetings. Normally, Crocodile was there, someone that Doflamingo always found amusing to
toy with. The man was cold and harsh, never giving into Doflamingo’s newest whim and it was
enticing.
When the war of Marineford started, with all the Warlords gathered together, Crocodile and Jimbe
(who was taking his captain’s place for the last few months for a reason that was still unknown)
had been absent. When asked into it, Sengoku had informed the Warlords that the Sun Pirates were
allies with the Straw Hats and that Crocodile was too close to the matter to be trusted. Both ended
up being locked away in Impel Down for the execution but would keep their titles as Warlord in
the end.
Doflamingo had scoffed, wondering why the hell it mattered if they were allies with those Straw
Hat pirates or not.
And then Crocodile fell from the sky with Straw Hat Luffy, fought and protected this boy like it
was the last thing he needed to do, and then fled with the Top-Hat pirates.
Doflamingo hated that child. The children that called Rosinante ‘dad’.
Monkey D. Luffy was connected to several bigshots. Dragon, Shanks, probably Whitebeard, the
Sun Pirates, Crocodile, the Top-Hats and the Hearts, and who knew who else.
“It has come to our attention that Monkey D. Luffy is also the child that has actively gone against
the Navy for approximately nine years now, the Cheshire Conqueror that currently has a bounty of
one-hundred-million.” Sengoku sighed deeply, looking way too tried.
Doflamingo’s smile widened and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
He had tried looking for that kid when the first bounty came in. He had asked the government
about him and learned that the kid used Conqueror Haki (well, from what the marines could
remember) and he had wanted to wrap his strings around the boy and use him. If Doflamingo had
managed that, he would’ve found Rosinante and that pest Law sooner.
“Hm,” Boa Hancock said, face flushed and nose in the air. This was actually the first time
Doflamingo’s seen her in one of these meetings when they weren’t required with the threat of their
Warlord status. “And what are you going to do about that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow and
scowling.
“We’re going to up his bounty,” Sengoku said, shuffling through his papers, “His bounty of four-
hundred million will rise to five-hundred and fifty million. Trafalgar D. Law, Rosi D. Sabo’s
bounties will rise by a hundred million and Portgas D. Ace’s by two hundred million.”
Doflamingo’s eyes narrowed from behind his glasses. “And what will the Navy do about that
Corazon D?” he demanded.
Sengoku stared at him intently, “That has yet to be decided.”
Not good enough, not good enough.
Doflamingo wanted to see his brother bleed.
(He wanted to see his brother, wanted to keep him by his side, like it was always supposed to be–)
“This meeting has been called to announce Fisher Tiger’s and Crocodile’s placement in the
Warlords are now revoked.” He cleared his throat, “The Navy will be filling those roles as soon as
possible. I recommend that you all get your acts together,” as he said this, everyone noticed how
his eyes were directly at Moria.
The Warlord scowled at him, and Doflamingo leaned onto the table.
He would find that pest, find that Monkey D. child, and he’ll make them pay.
Mark his words.
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter forty-one: Vinsmoke, First Kiss

Vinsmoke, First Kiss
Chapter Notes
This chapter has spoilers for the Whole Cake Island arc, so if you haven't seen that,
you should skedaddle XD
Enjoy!!
Zoro/Sanji: 15, Ace/Sabo: 16, Law: (33) 20, Luffy: (26): 13 Corazon/Shanks: 32-33
⊱ ────── {.⋅ VINSMOKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sanji was nervous.
He usually spent four months with Zeff at the restaurant, and then a month and a half at Dawn
Island with his captain. Zeff helped him improve his cooking and fighting, and Luffy always
helped him further his Haki, stamina, strength, and so on. This was the case with everyone in the
Straw Hat crew – Nami would stay at her island for a few months and come to Dawn, Usopp
would stay on his island for a while and come back, and so on.
This month, Sanji was on Dawn and should be getting Haki training with the other’s on the island;
Usopp and the brothers, but Luffy had said they weren’t doing that today. The captain had kicked
everyone out of the bandit hut, even the bandits, and was just sitting across from Sanji as he
prepared lunch.
Luffy has never done this before, and Sanji’s mind was running a mile per minute. What could
have caused this oddity? Was there something Sanji did? Did Luffy no longer want him to be a part
of the crew?
Sanji chopped the vegetables on the chopping block quickly, his hands shaking but unnoticeable.
He trusted this crew with his life; he knew that Luffy wouldn’t throw away Nakama like that, yet
his mind whirled. Even his own ‘family’ had thrown him away without a care, after all.
“Sanji,” Luffy finally spoke, voice neutral, and Sanji paused.
“Yes, Luffy?” he asked, and he couldn’t muster up his usual biting tone that he always had in the
kitchen, but he couldn’t muster the courage to look at his captain.
Sanji was nervous.
“I know,” Luffy said, Sanji paused his chopping.

His breath caught because there was only two things that Sanji has kept to himself since joining
this crew – this family. The first one Sanji could think of was something that wasn’t all that
concerning; nothing that would cause any issues. The other, however…
“Know what, Luffy?” He asked, his voice wavering and drip on his knife tightening.
Please don’t let it be what he thinks it is…
“Sanji,” Luffy said, and Sanji forced himself to look at his captain. “I know, Sanji.”
And Sanji felt like the floor was ripped out from under him. His hands shook as he set his knife
down, and he leant against the counter behind him, not daring himself to look at his captain.
“I…Luffy–” Sanji started, intent on clearing this up because he could not lose his family because
of his blood.
“I don’t care!” Luffy said, eyes blazing, “And you better not either, Sanji! You aren’t alone, and I
don’t care who your family is! One day they’ll come after you and you better let me help!”
Sanji stared.
“What do you mean you don’t care?” He asked, voice a whisper. “I’m from a family of assassins,
Luffy!”
“So?” Luffy challenged and Sanji roughly shoved at his hair.
Of course Luffy wouldn’t care…
“How did you even figure it out?” Sanji asked weakly.
“That doesn’t matter,” Luffy said, “Sanji, promise me you will let us help. You’re our nakama!”
“Luffy, we can’t go up against them!” Sanji protested, “They’re…”
“I’m the Pirate King,” Luffy said, tilting his head back, “If I can’t handle a few assassins, how will
I be the King of all pirates?”
Sanji bit at his lip, “Luffy…”
“You are my cook Sanji, my nakama, my family! I won’t let anyone make you cry!” Luffy
declared.
And Sanji felt tears drip down his face.
And Luffy grinned, laughing as he surprisingly pulled Sanji into a gentle hug.
(“My brother just knows things, so don’t get weirded out if he knows something he shouldn’t.”
Sabo had said, a few weeks after Sanji had been saved by them, “It’s just a Luffy thing!”
Sanji wondered how Luffy always seemed to know…)
“Thank you!”
“Shishishi, you’re nakama, Sanji. Don’t thank me.”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ FIRST KISS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
The cook seemed happier since Zoro’s last seen him, which was weird since there were no girls
around. Kuina was helping Makino down at the town, and at the moment it was just Sanji and him.
Well, Zoro was pretending to be sleeping since he didn’t really feel like talking to the cook and the
cook was busy preparing a meal while humming to himself.
Zoro didn’t understand what got the cook so happy in the first place.
“Oi, cook, what’s got you so floaty?” he asked, eyes still closed but he could tell Sanji jumped.
“None of your business, Mosshead.” Was the sneered response.
Zoro frowned but stayed quiet.
Sanji had come back from High Town a few hours ago (around the same time he and Kuina arrived
onto the island) with a bounce in his step and a bag of seasoning in his arm. If Zoro hadn’t seen the
cook make that trip dozens of times, he’d say that getting new cooking materials made the cook so
jolly, but he knew better.
“Tch, not like it matters.” Zoro scoffed to himself.
Sanji kicked him in the head, “Shut the hell up!”
“Make me!” Zoro spat, hand falling to his blades, and he glared up at the cook.
Sanji wasn’t even glaring, eyes alight with something Zoro couldn’t quite name, and he paused.
The cook sniffed pridefully, but kneeled down next to him, and offered the sake dish to him – the
sake dish he tested his meals with. Zoro squinted at him, and Sanji pushed the dish filled with what
looked to be stew in it.
Sanji was definitely in a good mood if he was having Zoro taste test let alone with his personal
dish.
Zoro wasn’t going to pass this up, so he leaned forward and grasped the cook’s wrist gently. The
flavor blossomed across his tastebuds, and Zoro closed his eyes, savoring it in a way he never
allowed Sanji to see.
“Tastes good, cook,” he murmured, running his tongue along the side of the dish to catch the last
of it.
Sanji stared at him for a moment, lips parted, and visible eye widened slightly. “Of course it is.”
He said, but it wasn’t said in its usual biting tone.
He sounded breathless.
Zoro bit back a smirk; good.
“I know what would taste better.” Zoro commented, and Sanji frowned deeply at him.
“What?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious, if a bit offended.
“You.” Zoro smirked.

Sanji sputtered, eyebrow raising and much to Zoro’s surprise, he laughed.
Zoro has heard him laugh many times, but never from something he had said. He felt his face heat
as he listened to the wonderful sound of Sanji really laughing; snorting adorably as he raised his
free hand to cover his lips. Zoro smiled, and leaned back, finally letting Sanji’s wrist go.
Sanji straightened to his full height, a grin still on his lips as he turned back to the stew he was
cooking. Zoro was content to watch him, eyes following the graceful movements as the cook
chopped more ingredients.
“So, what’s got you so happy?” Zoro asked again, pure curiosity in his voice.
Sanji didn’t say a word for a moment, and then when he did speak, it was in a soft voice. “Luffy
surprised me about something, that’s all.”
Zoro raised an eyebrow, “Must’ve been a good surprise.” He said, “He’s good at that, though.”
“Yeah,” Sanji agreed softly.
Silence enveloped them, but not a tense one. It was comfortable, even. Zoro closed his eyes, but he
didn’t intend to go to sleep.
“What would you say if I told you I’m from a family of assassins, Mosshead?”
“I’d say it doesn’t matter.”
The constant chopping stopped. “What?” Sanji asked.
“I’d say it doesn’t–”
“No, I heard you,” Sanji said, “But, why?”
Zoro opened one of his eyes, “You literally grew up here and on a floating restaurant, you’re
family ain’t got jack shit with you, right?”
“Have you ever heard of the Vinsmokes?” Sanji asked, frowning at him.
Zoro paused thoughtfully, “Nah.”
“I see,” Sanji said, and he resumed his chopping. After a moment, he was transferring the contents
on his chopping block onto a pan, “I used to be Vinsmoke Sanji.” He said.
“Doesn’t suit you.” Zoro said bluntly.
Seeing how the cook trembled when he said ‘Vinsmoke’, Zoro figured he was right.
Sanji laughed, “You’re right.” He said, “They’re going to come after me, one day.”
“Then we’ll fight ‘em off.” Zoro said, grinning, “We’re strong.”
Sanji smiled at him from over his shoulder, “That’s what Luffy said.”
Zoro looked at the cook. He took in the way sweat made his hair cling to his forehead, how his tie
was loosened, and his shirt unbuttoned at the top, how he had that shine in his eye – the one that
said he was happy – as he mixed his stew.
“You’re beautiful.” Zoro said.
Sanji paused. “What?”
“You’re beautiful.” Zoro repeated.
Sanji shook his head, but there was a barely-there smile on his lips.
“Can I kiss you?” Zoro asked.
Sanji twisted his hand, turning the burner on a lower setting, and he wiped his hands on a nearby
towel. His dress-shoes – one that had iron soles, Zoro knew from experience – made no sound
against the patchwork carpet Ace and Kuina put in some years ago, and he stopped in front of Zoro.
“Sure.” He said, grinning cockily, and kneeled in front of Zoro.
The swordsmen reached out, caressing the cook’s cheek before he leaned in and sealed their lips
together. There was no sparks or fireworks like the tales Usopp or Nami would tell when they
spoke about those novels they indulged in, just a strange feeling of lips meeting lips. The feeling
was nice, the pressure okay, but Zoro’s never felt anything better in his life.
Sanji’s cheeks were flushed when they pulled back, a bashful twist to his lips but his eye was
practically shining. Zoro leaned in for another kiss when the hatch of the treehouse opened and
Sanji visibly panicked, swiftly kicking him in the shoulder.
“Come on! I can’t leave you two alone for a moment!” Kuina complained.
“Sorry, Kuina-san~” Sanji cooed.
Zoro caught the cook’s shy, apologetic grin when Kuina wasn’t looking and he felt his heart soar.
That was one hell of a first kiss.
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter forty-two: Better, Sea, Whispered Honey

Better, Sea, Whispered Honey
Chapter Notes
This chapter is...something. idk if it's a good something XD
Enjoy!
“Better” and “Whispered Honey” Luffy: (23) 10 Law: (30): 17 Ace/Sabo: 13

Sanji/Zoro: 12 Corazon: 29
Second scene/“Sea”: Luffy: 20 Law: 27
⊱ ────── {.⋅ BETTER ⋅.} ────── ⊰
There were mornings where Luffy would sleep in until one of his brothers, nakama,
guardian/parent-figures, or Law shook him awake. There were mornings where he was awake
before they were and he would go out into the forest to train his Haki, to speak to anything that was
trying to talk to him, or even meditate.
And then there were mornings like these.
He couldn’t hear anything – for once everything around him was silent. Everything always spoke,
that was just what Luffy knew. Zoro’s swords spoke constantly, Kuina’s blade strangely loved
gossip, the wind was really annoying but still gave a nice chat, the trees like to sing, the animals
around them always chattering around something. All in all, everything spoke and Luffy got used to
it.
It was rare for the area around him to be silent.
It was also rare for memories of that day to rise up without him allowing it.
When Luffy turned himself in; he had been in a dark, dark place. Law had a few days left, tops,
everyone that he’s ever loved were either killed before his eyes or dead in general, and Luffy was –
he wasn’t okay. He’d never be okay, but he was better now.
Back then, years ago when his only company was the Sunny, the ocean, the wind, and Law, Luffy
had been ready to destroy everything around him and burn along with it. But as time passed, as
more and more pirates fell and the Navy grew more powerful, Luffy grew tired.
He had been exhausted, and he wanted it to end.
So he turned himself in, grinned as he declared his treasure theirs even though they’d never find it,
and blades dug into his neck, and his head…
He remembered the panicked beating to the heart in his chest, and his last thoughts were of how
Law was doing in that moment. He surely had to know what was happening – had to know the only
man he’s ever loved was dying at that moment.
And before Luffy died he realized he regretted a lot of things.
But he regretted letting Law switch their hearts the most because Law felt it. Law felt him die, and
Luffy had suddenly been terrified.
But it was better now; Luffy was alive, his nakama were here, Law was alive and healthy, and
Cora-san was towering over them like the worried dad he was, and it was so much better.
Luffy was so much better…so why wasn’t he okay?
Luffy gasped in a breath, but his lungs received no oxygen. His hands grasped his throat, and he
wasn’t sure if it was because he couldn’t breathe or because his head was literally cut off. It was
like he could feel those blades breaking through his skin again – like he could hear the crowd
screaming, hear the marines trying to shut him up.
Luffy died once before. He wasn’t scared of death – he had no real fear for losing his own life.
But the thought of reliving that moment, even in just a memory, terrified him.
And the might Pirate King’s eyes rolled back, body falling lax into the person behind him, and he
slept a dreamless sleep.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SEA ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Luffy, can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything, Torao.”
Silence enveloped them after that, and Luffy simply watched the sunset across the horizon. He
knew that it sometimes took Law some time to gather his thoughts, so he waited patiently.
“Do you regret meeting me?” Law asked suddenly and Luffy turned to face him so quickly that if
he had been anything but rubber, he probably would’ve pulled something.
“What?” Luffy asked him. Law dipped his head, refusing to meet his gaze, “Law, why would I ever
regret meeting you?”
“Luffy, don’t you see?” Law asked, voice soaked in desperation, “If you hadn’t been my ally, your
crew–”
“Law, shut up.” Luffy said firmly. Law’s jaw clicked shut, and his eyes widened. “I’ve never once
regretted meeting you or being your ally. Okay? None of this is your fault. It anything, it’s mine…”
“No.” Law said, “This isn’t your fault.”
Luffy laughed humorlessly, “I’m the one who wanted to be the Pirate King so badly.”
Law shook his head, “I’m the one that tricked you into going after Doflamingo.”
Luffy smiled at his special person, it was bland, didn’t reach his eyes. “Well, if I’m not at fault,
neither are you, okay?”
“Okay,” Law said, sighing through his nose.
(Neither of them believed each other – they would continue to blame themselves for years to come.)
“Hey, Law, can I tell you something?”
“Yeah,”
It was quiet for a moment, and Luffy smiled.
“I love watching the sea with you.”
Law looked at him, something shining in his eyes, an emotion Luffy couldn’t name but most
certainly felt, and Luffy’s heart flipped.
“I love watching the sea with you too.” Law murmured.
Luffy softened, reaching out to touch Law’s cheek. “We should watch it together more.”
“Yeah,” Law agreed, and he leaned in slightly, permission.
Luffy met him halfway.
(Just three months later, he’d be chained with Sea Stone, walking towards his demise.
But he could have this, now.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ WHISPERED HONEY ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“You had that memory, didn’t you?” Law asked the moment Luffy came to.
Everyone had been antsy all day since Luffy woke up, as little as his consciousness lasted. Law
saw the way Luffy reached up to touch his throat, and his eyes narrowed.
“Yeah,” Luffy said, voice hoarse.
Law bit his lip, looking away. “I hate that you did that.” He said honestly.
“I know.” Luffy said.
Law knew he probably wouldn’t get more than that, so he was surprised when Luffy spoke.
“I was so scared, you know.”
“Of being alone, right?”
“No.” Luffy shook his head, and finally looked at Law. He looked tired – too tired. “I was so
scared when I was dying because I realized you would feel it.”
Law closed his eyes, pushing away the memory of a heart stopping. He leaned back, resting his
head against the wall he was leaning on, and sighed.
“Hey, Luffy, can I tell you something?”
“Always.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
There was a pause.
“Luffy, we were lucky, you know. Getting a chance like this.”
“I…know.”
Law looked back at his lover and shook his head, “I always liked it when you whispered, you
know.”
“Really?” Luffy frowned curiously.
“Yeah, it felt like we were sharing a secret.” Law gave his lover a small smile. “I was really happy
when you told me that you wanted to watch the sea together.”
Luffy smiled. “We should watch it again.”
They weren’t going to be okay for a long, long time – if ever.
But they were better.
“Yeah, lets.”
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter forty-three: Training, Flying, Kisses

P.S. Finally get some Marco/Ace next chapter XD
Training, Flying, Kisses
Chapter Notes
I honestly forgot to post this XD
Enjoy!
Luffy: (31.5) 18, Law: (38) 25, Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 21, Zoro/Sanji: 20
⊱ ────── {.⋅ TRAINING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Don’t you have something else to train us with?” Kuina asked, leaning on her sword, “We
defeated the monkey you today. Twice.”
Mihawk has never been prouder of his children. “Wonderful.” He said dryly, swirling his wine
glass, “You’ve been training since midnight, eat something.”
Zoro frowned, “I’m going to go train.”
“There will be booze,” Mihawk said, and frankly he was worried about how little Zoro was eating.
Zoro turned around, walking back to the table, “Why didn’t you start with that?”
“I thought it was implied.” Mihawk told his son.
Zoro grinned, “Fair.”
Kuina rolled her eyes but grinned and slumped down next to Perona. “Who even cooks, though?”
Mihawk avoided that question like the boss he was. “Zoro, what is on your mind?”
“Meh,” Zoro said, reaching for the sake. “I need to catch up.”
Mihawk’s eyebrow rose, “To whom?”
“To Luffy,” Kuina said, “He’s always been leagues ahead of us, and he has a whole year and a half
of training himself with no distractions. I swear, he’s a monster.”
Zoro grinned, “I miss him though.”
“True.” Kuina said, grabbing a knife and cutting into her steak. “I’m still pissed off we couldn’t go
help save Ace.”
Mihawk grunted, “It’s not like there were already two Yonko and the Revolutionaries there or
anything.”
Perona watched the interaction with a frown, “Are you guys like family or something…?”
“Yeah.” Zoro said, pointing his fork at the Warlord, “He kidnapped us.”
“Adopted.” Mihawk said.
“Kidnapped,” Kuina grinned.
“When two children try to kill me with Haki covering their swords, I’m going to adopt them.”
Mihawk said, “That level of precision at such a young age was astounding.”
“Nerd.” Kuina taunted.
“No wine for you.” Mihawk returned.
Kuina gasped, scandalized.
“Zoro you haven’t eaten.” Mihawk said.
“I’ve eaten.” Zoro frowned.
“Judging by how quickly you finished your plate, I’d say you’re starving,” Kuina said, surprised.
“What’s wrong?”
Zoro grumbled something, leaning back in his chair.
Kuina raised a hand to cover her lips, “It’s because Sanji didn’t make it, right~?”
“Shut up, what’s the cook got anything to do with this?” Zoro complained.
Kuina snickered, leaning into Perona’s space, “Sanji and Zoro are totally together but he thinks I
don’t know.”
Perona looked over at Zoro judgingly, “I can’t see it.”
Kuina laughed, “Just you wait, you’ll see it one day.”
Perona looked away, cheeks pink, and Mihawk frowned.
His kids were getting so big!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Like this?” Luffy asked, kicking the boulder into the air before copying the movements Rayleigh
had done.
The boulder cracked and Luffy pouted.
“Hm, no, you have to hit around here, and then kick the center,” Rayleigh pointed, “And then
you’ll make a spear.”
Luffy nodded, determined, and wandered over to the next boulder, “Here we go, shishishishi~!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Law dropped down onto his bed with a sigh, limbs weighing tons. The feeling was similar to how
it felt when Law had been injected with Sea Stone and he didn’t like it one bit, but he could deal.
He’s been working on his stamina more than he had in his original timeline. His rooms were
already getting bigger and he could keep it up longer than he could when he originally was twenty-
five.
Law smiled despite himself and pulled at the blankets around him.
He missed his brothers and Luffy, but he’d see Ace in a few weeks. He could manage.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo yelped when his arm suddenly turned to inky dark smoke, the leg of turkey that had been in
his hand falling. He reached for it hurriedly, only for his other hand to turn to smoke.
“Rest in peace,” Sabo teared up, sniffling as he looked at his now ruined meal, that dropped into
the ocean.
“Captain, stop being so dramatic,” his first mate, Indigo, rolled her eyes.
Sabo sniffled, “I hate this fruit.”
“Then train!” the swordsman, Falan, barked at him.
Sabo sulked, “I am, I was just taking a break, my poor meal…”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“You are a monster,” Thatch gasped, laying flat on the deck and gazing up at the sky while he
drowned in sweat.
Ace laughed, “Thanks!”
“Not a compliment.” The cook protested.
“Ace, seriously, how did you get so much stamina?” Haruta asked, squinting.
“My brother used to make us run from the Lord Tiger,” Ace grimaced, “He used to hit the thing
when it lost interest and we would end up running around the forest five times before he moved us
onto Haki training.”
“Which…brother?” Izou questioned, eyes wide.

“Luffy,” Ace sighed, “Man I miss him.”
“Luffy,” the commanders and even Whitebeard repeated blandly.
“You mean the kid that was all smiles and singing and,” Thatch waved his hands around,
“Innocent? Well, not counting when he…left.”
“The guy killed Teach,” Namur added, “And he knocked out all the marines at Marineford. We
knew he was strong.”
“But he doesn’t sound like the type of guy to make teenagers run around he forest while being
chased by a tiger!” Thatch said in disbelief.
“We weren’t teenagers?” Ace tilted his head, “Luffy was about eight so…I was eleven.” He
nodded to himself.
“What the fuck is that kid made out of?” Haruta asked blandly.
Ace laughed, “Rubber!”
“Oh my God, he doesn’t see anything wrong with it,” Thatch cried dramatically, “He thinks his
childhood was normal!”
“I still don’t see how you have that good of stamina.” Izou said blandly.
“I’m sure it wears Marco out.” Haruta said, jabbing his older brother in the side.
Marco choked, eyes widening.
“What do you mean?” Ace asked cluelessly.
“I can’t even imagine how many rounds they have to do.” Thatch added, “Poor Marco.”
Ace tilted his head, looking very confused.
“We’re talking about sex–”
“Let’s not, yoi.” Marco interrupted.
“No, seriously, how many times do you go at it before you’re done?” Haruta smiled devilishly.
“Uh, we haven’t…” Ace trailed off, blushing.
There was a long pause.
“You’ve been dating for how long now?”
“Almost a year and a half.”
“And you haven’t gotten any?”
“Well, a few times?”
“Marco, you’re blue balling the poor kid!” Thatch accused.
Marco flushed, looking like he had no idea what to say. He squawked when Izou snickered.
“I mean, I’ve never had the want to before we started dating.” Ace rubbed his neck shyly, “But I
don’t even know where to start, so Marco usually leads it.”
“Oh my God, look at how innocent our Second Commander is!” Vista yelled.
Ace pursed his lips, “I’m not innocent!”
“Of course you are!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FLYING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“You want to take me flying?” Ace asked, smile wide and bright and Marco grinned.
“Yes, we’re near our next destination so I figured I could use some company for my scour of it.”
Marco said, “Care to join me, Portgas?”
“Obviously! You never let us tag along on your flights!” Ace cheered, leaning forward, “Go on,
change into a phoenix already,” he said, waving his hands in excitement.
Marco smiled and did as told. Ace watched in awe as blue flames took over his boyfriend’s body,
and reached his hand out, letting their flames mingle before Marco pecked him in invitation. Ace
clambered onto his now bird boyfriend, holding onto his feathers, and nodded.
Marco had taken him flying twice before, but Ace loves the feel of it. It felt so…free. He
remembered being slightly jealous of Marco’s ability of turning into a bird when he first went on a
flight with him – which he now knew was Marco trying to woo him.
Ace laughed happily when Marco did a spin, and he felt so warm.
He felt loved, and he will never get over how amazing that felt.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ KISSES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante stumbled back, bent awkwardly, and grasping at his husband’s cloak. His knees hit the
bed, and Shanks grinned against his lips as he pushed just that much more to have them tumbling
down onto the unmade bed.
“Sha – Shanks, wait,” Rosinante sputtered, and Shanks paused instantly, pulling back worriedly.
Rosinante dug in his belt and took out the knife strapped to his hip, throwing it without looking, the
pistol he had under his shirt following, albeit much more gently. He didn’t want to get cut in the
middle of foreplay, thank you.
Shanks grinned ferally, “God, I love you.”
“I love you too, come here,” Rosinante pulled his lover back into a searing kiss, fingers tangled in
deep red strands.
Rosinante’s hands fell to his tie as Shanks started to trail heated kisses down his jaw, fumbling with
the buttons to his shirt when his tie was undone. Shanks grinned against his neck when his hands
rose to tug at Shanks’ open shirt, cloak already falling from his shoulders by skilled fingers.
“I have no idea how you even do that,” Shanks breathed, “But I love it.”
Rosinante grinned, “A spy can’t show their entire hand,”
Shanks snorted, leaning back up to capture his lips in a slow kiss, his hand trailing down
Rosinante’s chest. “Have I ever told you how great you look with my Jolly Roger?”
“All the damn time.” Rosinante smirked, raising his hand to wipe at Shanks’ bottom lip, “You got
a bit of lipstick here, darling,”
“Oh?” Shanks purred, “I wonder where else I’ll have it by the end of the night.”
“That was terrible,” Rosinante snorted, “But I’m down for the challenge.”
Shanks smirked and didn’t complain in the slightest when Rosinante flipped their positions.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Ross, yes, like that, fuck!”
“Shanks!”
“Fucking hell, if you’re going to fuck use your Devil Fruit!” Benn roared.
“Shit, Shanks, wait, let me concentrate–”
“Fuck that, Ross, it’s just getting good–”
“No, wait, oh, Shanks!”
“I’m going to take your LASL Den-Den privileges for the next week!” Yasopp threatened.
“Seems like that worked,” Luck Roux deadpanned after a few moments of pure silence, turning
back to the kitchen, “I think the newbies are traumatized.”
Benn sighed, looking to their newest members – twins who wielded axes and a devil fruit
respectively – who looked like they wanted to jump overboard.
Benn did not blame them one bit; the first time he had the unpleasant experience of listening to that
he had considered going to a dive. He would have if not for the doctor of the ship – a short woman
names Sammy who was fucking feral when she had to fix people up when they do it to themselves,
like, I don’t know, diving into freezing water and getting hypothermia, Benn.
That didn’t stop him from thinking about it, though.
Chapter End Notes

Chapter End Notes
Next chapter: Forty-Four: Crocodile

Crocodile
Chapter Notes
Enjoy!!
Luffy: (24) 11, Law (30.5) 17.5 Ace/Sabo: 14 Sanji/Zoro: 13 Shanks: 30 Corazon: 29
⊱ ────── {.⋅ CROCODILE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Crocodile had been having a shit day before the literal Yonko of the Sea, Red-Hair-Shanks,
intercepted his ship as he made his way to Alabasta after joining a shit-meeting from the Marines, a
Warlord meeting that had been semi-mandatory if he wanted to keep his title.
“God, what do you want?” Crocodile sighed, not having any of the energy to deal with the Red-
Hair shit that he kind of befriended years and years ago.
Shanks grinned, “I haven’t seen you in so long! Let’s party!”
Crocodile denied but Shanks was a persistent asshole and soon enough the Warlord was stuck
having a bonfire with the idiot he was kind of friends with. They had met when Shanks was just
starting his own crew, taking on the Grand Line and leaving a trail of booze and bounties as they
did so.
They had stopped at the same island at the same time, Crocodile leaving the New World after his
humiliating defeat against that bastard Whitebeard (and that was all the man would ever be,
Whitebeard never Oyaji) and Shanks heading to it. The at the time rookie had taken a liking to him
for some strange reason, cheerfully invited his crew to party and the rest was sadly history.
“Say, heard you were announced as a Warlord,” Shanks said casually, looking at him curiously.
Crocodile grunted, lighting his cigar. “Yeah, what of it?”
“Nothing,” Shanks grinned, “Just surprised.”
Crocodile was surprised too, but it worked well. He could plan and he didn’t have to worry about
the Government turning on him. It was a win-win situation.
Pirates who were Warlords weren’t respected in the slightest – they were seen as government dogs
on the best days. Crocodile hated being allied with the government, as loosely as the term was
used, but he needed it to work with his plans.
“What have you been up to anyways?” Crocodile found himself asking.

“Hm?” Shanks tilted his head to the side, visibly confused.
“The New World is in the opposite direction.” Crocodile said blandly.
“Oh,” Shanks gave him a grin, “It’s a secret, but I have a few special someones in the East.”
Crocodile just grunted, not really interested. Shanks was his own person, it’s not like Crocodile
wanted to know about his personal life outside of pirating.
“What, you’re not going to ask?” Shanks whined.
“Why the hell should I?” Crocodile returned, raising an eyebrow.
Shanks pouted into his drink like the child he was.
“Oi, Chief,” Benn drawled, and Crocodile looked to the first mate as he dodged a stray sword
nonchalantly, “Corazon is on the Den-Den.”
Shanks glowed and Crocodile grimaced – gross.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Crocodile figured now was the time to bounce while Shanks was busy on the snail. He wanted to
get back to Alabasta as soon as possible, and leaving this party was probably second on the list.
Crocodile wasn’t the most social of creatures, after all.
“What do you mean Sabo got kidnapped?!” Shanks yelled and Crocodile froze.
“Luffy’s missing too! Ace said Law had to knock him out and we don’t know where they went!”
the Den-Den cried.
Shanks looked deadly. Crocodile figured he could spare a few more moments – no, he didn’t enjoy
gossip. Shut up.
“I’m still in the Grand Line, but Buggy should be nearby.” Shanks spoke, voice deadly, “Call him,
he’ll come help.”
“Shanks,” Corazon said mournfully, “Sabo was taken by his father.” Shanks cursed, and the Den-
Den continued, “Buggy can’t steal a noble child from his father and even if we did manage that,
they’ll come after Sabo much more!”
“Call Dragon!” Shanks said, “We can make it seem like the Revolutionaries took him, there’s
nothing they can do then.”
The Den-Den hummed thoughtfully, “That can work, I’ll call him right–”
“Cora-san! Law and Luffy are back!” a child’s voice interrupted. “They have Sabo!”
“What!?”
“Ah-ha…hey Cora-san…” another child said.

“Sabo, you aren’t hurt are you!? Come here, let me take a look!”
“Eh, I’m fine! Don’t cry, Cora-san!”
“Shanks,”
“Luffy,” Shanks pursed his lips, “You’re all okay, yes?”
“Yeah,” Luffy answered, “Don’t worry about us. Me ‘n Torao are strong.”
“Of course,” Shanks smiled softly, “I still worry. And I expect the story when I arrive, got it?”
“Yeah,” Luffy huffed, pouting, “Where are you?”
“We’re planning on heading to Usopp’s island,” another pipped up, “After what we did to the
nobles, it’d be best to lay low for a while.”
“What the hell did you do to the nobles?!”
“Shishi Torao made their house into art!”
“You knocked out the guy’s tooth.”
“I…I can’t decide if I’m proud or not.”
“Aw~ Ross, you’re a proud dad,” Shanks cooed.
“Don’t act like you aren’t.” the first child’s voice said.
“Are you calling me dad?” Shanks asked, sparkles in his eyes.
“N – No!”
“Ne, ne, we should probably leave before the guards find us.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty close to the hut.”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY’RE CLOSE TO THE HUT!?”
“Okay, okay, let’s pack!”
“I’ll go steal a ship. They took ours already.”
“Okay, be safe Torao~!”
“Stop being so calm Luffy, Law!”
“Shishishishi!”
“Okay, Luffy, we’ll meet you at Usopp’s. Seems our party’s cut short, Crocodile,” Shanks said,
looking over to him.
“Crocodile?” Luffy asked, surprise in his tone, “Like the Warlord?”
“Bullseye, Anchor,” Shanks agreed.
“Crocodile…huh, did he try to overthrow Alabasta yet?”

Crocodile froze, eyes widening, and he stared at the snail in shock.
No one knew of that plan. No one did, he just planned it out a few weeks ago!
“Oh, you’re trying to take over Alabasta?” Shanks asked curiously, “Neato,”
“Hey, hey, Crocodile! Be my ally!”
Crocodile would forever call this the worst day of his life.
(And he was lying.)
Chapter End Notes
Next chapter: Chapter forty-five: Differences, Family, Loser

P.S. Garp shows up in all of these ^^
Differences, Family, Loser
Chapter Notes
“Differences”: Luffy: (20) 7 Law: (27) 14 Ace/Sabo: 10

“Family”/“Loser”: Luffy: (31.5) 18.5 Law: (38) 25.5 Ace/Sabo: 21.5 Shanks: 39
Corazon: 38
⊱ ────── {.⋅ DIFFERENCES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Garp had noticed it instantly.
When someone hasn’t trained their Haki in the slightest, their presences were an even, low amount
that stuck to their bodies and didn’t mingle with the surroundings. Ace and Sabo’s Haki was wild,
held on a leash that spoke of being untrained to absolute perfection yet still trained. It lashed
around them, spiking off their bodies and spreading in a way that spoke of both Armament and
Observation.
Luffy’s Haki, however? It was refined, held tight and if Garp had been anyone else, he would’ve
been convinced that his youngest grandson hadn’t even started to train his Haki at all. It had an
easy flow to it, clung thick on his skin, but the air was charged close to him – it spoke of training.
Garp didn’t know how his grandsons even unlocked their Haki, let alone know what it was and
find a teacher on top of that.
But then there was Luffy. Luffy who had a darkness in his eyes that spoke of someone seeing the
darkness of the world, and for once Garp wondered if he raised Luffy right. He was still young; he
could still be molded into a fine marine, but Garp knew better.
Luffy’s Haki screamed freedom, and the life of a marine was anything but free.
Garp didn’t speak about the changes, he didn’t feel the need to. He acknowledged them, met
Luffy’s eyes and nodded to him, because he knew that something must have happened to his
grandson – something he didn’t know if he wanted to figure out – and all that mattered was that
Luffy was safe and alive and happy. Luffy had nodded back at him, eyes searching, and Garp
vowed he would be the grandpa they deserved.
Different or no, these were his grandkids.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FAMILY ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Garp had figured out where his grandkids were four months after Marineford. They had all met up
at an island that the Whitebeard pirates frequented – a nice little island that had no marine
presence.
They had been wary when they saw him, which had hurt in a way he didn’t really have the right to
feel offended by, but after he told them seriously that he hadn’t been there to cause any trouble and
truly just wanted to see his family, they had smiled and let him join their little fire in the forest.
Some time as the sun fell and the moon rose, Garp noticed how Law and Luffy seemed to gravitate
towards one another. Luffy planting his side against the older’s, Law raising an arm to hold him
steady as Luffy slept. Others might see this as a brotherly thing to do – because in the eyes of the
public, they were brothers. But Garp knew love when he saw it, and he his grin by chewing a bone.
It was good to see his family was doing well – moving forward and loving.
They spoke until they all eventually fell asleep. Law sharing tales Rosinante, Sengoku’s boy who
Garp might have forcefully adopted some weeks ago (which caused the tall man to gape and point
when he heard the news), Sabo of his crew, Ace of his love and his found family.
Garp wondered if there really could have been more he could have done. He knew there was,
there’s always something more you could do for someone. But he was so thankful that these boys –
his boys – grew up happy. That’s all he could really ask for.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LOSER! ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Garp, what the fuck is this?” Sengoku demanded, glaring as Garp wandered into his office.
Garp paused, looking down at the newspaper. He grinned, “Looks like our grandkids are kissing.”
He said bluntly.
Sengoku rubbed at his forehead, “I don’t even want to know.”
“They love one another,” Garp said. Assured.
Sengoku sighed softly, but a small smile eased his face.
“Also, you owe me two-thousand belli.” Garp grinned.
“What?” Sengoku sputtered.
“I bet that Law and Luffy were in love, you didn’t!” Garp laughed loudly, grinning, “Now pay up,
Senny! You’re the loser!”
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Forty-Six: Love, Loss

P.S. this one is sad XD
Love, Loss
Chapter Notes
I know, I know, another Lawlu chapter, I’m going to focus on the other ships I swear-
Also, I posted three chapters today? Magic lol

Luffy: 20 Law: 27
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LOVE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Loving someone wasn’t easy.
There were hardships, there were arguments and overthinking and hesitations. Loving someone
wasn’t as simple as simply loving them, no, it there were so many calculations, so many things that
needed to be thought of. Loving someone could destroy you or it could make you. Loving someone
was a weakness. It was stress and soft and terrible all in one packaging.
Loving someone isn’t easy, not for Law.
He was cold, uninterested, he wasn’t someone that anyone would look at and say I’m in love with
that man. That was okay, he didn’t need to be loved. He was okay with being alone, never having
someone to love. His only goal in life was to watch the world crumble, the hierarchy of the world
will dissolve at his feet. That was his dream in life.
And yet someone came along, took one good look at him, and thought I want to love this man.
Not I want this man, not a simple lust after an attractive individual.
Love. I want to love this man.
Law didn’t know when his infatuation turned into care or when that care turned into love. He
didn’t know when he started to look at him with distain to annoyance to fondness and then to love.
His feelings had shifted in Dressrosa when that idiotic captain wearing a straw hat carried him
around the city, putting himself into danger willingly because he liked Law.
And then that idiotic captain got angry on his behalf, Haki flowing off him and eyes dark as he
claimed that Law wasn’t going to die. That Law was going to be his and not just because he lusted
after Law or wanted something from him.
“I really like you, so we should do what people who like each other do!” Luffy had said, had
smiled and had been sincere. He liked Law, wanted Law because he wanted to hold his hand and
smile and laugh and just be together.
Law had requested to stay near the fight because in that moment, should that idiotic captain die, he
had wanted to perish with him. He normally wouldn’t have cared. He would have felt guilty for
bringing another person into Doflamingo’s strings, but he wouldn’t have wanted to die by there
side when he could have lived.
Maybe that was when it started: when his distain shifted to annoyance and then to fondness. When
his curiosity turned into infatuation and turned into care.
As they sailed towards Zhou, as he learned more about this crazy, idiotic captain, as Luffy smiled
and laughed and stuck close to his side and wanted to get to know him because he genuinely liked
Law, Law had found himself surprised that he wanted to know more about Luffy too.
When they separated at Zhou, Law knew without a doubt that along the way, he somehow fell for
the idiotic captain who was all sunny smiles and childish joy. When they met up again, there
hadn’t been any doubts left, if there had been at all, and when Luffy beamed, and kissed him, Law
found himself melting.
When the war started, as Luffy and his crew stayed close, as they lost people, Law had held onto
their love desperately. Luffy would smile, would say that Law was very special to him, would say
You can’t die on me, Torao. I still need you. I’ll always need you.
And Law…
Law died anyways. And so did Luffy.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LOSS ⋅.} ────── ⊰
There were so many things that Luffy wanted.
He wanted to sail the world, see everything with his friends and his nakama and his Torao. He had
wanted to be free.
Look at where that got me, he thought.
He smiled humorlessly as he looked down at the chains biting into his skin. The marines didn’t
have to wrap him in so many chains, Luffy’s sure handcuffs would’ve been fine. He wasn’t exactly
looking to escape, after all. Besides, the Sea Stone was heavy when he was under it’s affects. His
arms were wrapped in thick chains, feet locked in cuffs and legs harnessed, even his neck was
locked in Sea Stone.
He could break out of this if he wanted to.
He didn’t want to.
Law’s heart, the heart in his chest, was beating so slow. He didn’t have much time left and Luffy
was selfish in the way he didn’t want to live without him.
Luffy looked up when he heard footsteps, and he wasn’t sure what to feel seeing his grandfather
walking towards him, Sengoku by his side and two marines escorting them over. He knew Garp
wouldn’t break him out – not that Luffy would follow if he did – so he simply watched, not
wanting to say a word.
Garp had sat by as Ace kneeled on scaffolding, had made his friend hold him down so he wouldn’t
risk his job when Ace had been killed. Luffy didn’t have to say anything to him, he didn’t owe
Garp that.
“You really would have made a fine marine, Luffy.” Garp said, sitting down. Luffy noticed how
the words his grandfather spoke wavered, how the old man looked older than he ever seemed
before.
“I’m a pirate.” Luffy said, and his voice was raspy, unused. It wasn’t like he and Law needed to
speak a lot – they understood one another when Law was awake, words didn’t do them much, not
anymore. “I’ve always been a pirate.”
Garp looked down, and Luffy found it ironic how he wouldn’t meet his eyes when something like
this has already happened. First Roger and then Ace, and now him.
“Where is Law?” Sengoku got to the point; voice not unkind but firm.
“Where do you think?” Luffy asked, “Why do you think I’m here?”
Sengoku frowned, emotions playing over his face that honestly surprised Luffy. He seemed upset
about what Luffy had hinted at.
“I see,” Sengoku said, voice thick, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Luffy smiled, eyes dull, “No. You aren’t.”
If they were sorry for his losses, they wouldn’t have killed them in the first place. Because marines
were marines; brainwashed into thinking that their justice was absolute. That good people weren’t
good people if they wanted to be free and rose a black flag.
Luffy hated marines more than anything in this world.
“Luffy, I…I know I wasn’t the greatest grandfather,” Garp started and Luffy wanted to agree. He
didn’t. “I have no excuse for that. But seeing my own grandkid…I don’t want to see that. I never
wanted to see that. Damnit, why are you all so stubborn?” he asked desperately. “Why wouldn’t
you just listen to me?”
Luffy was happy with his life, even if a large portion of it sucked. He wondered if he would’ve
been better off never meeting his friends, never meeting Ace or Sabo. Never meeting Law.
Was it better to taste freedom and lose it or to never taste it at all?
Luffy wouldn’t change what he did. He didn’t regret meeting his friends, never regretted loving
them. He never regretted drinking with Zoro, laughing with Usopp, seeing Nami’s smile or hearing
Robin’s morbid jokes, or encouraging Franky’s newest cola cannon or listening to Brook’s songs
or listening to Jimbe’s tales. He never regretted being Ace’s brother and he’s never been happier to
know that Sabo lived, never regretted letting him back into his circle of family after a decade away.
Luffy’s never regretted loving Law.
Luffy’s never regretted being free.
So, if you had to ask him, was it better to taste freedom and lose it or to never taste it at all, he’d tell
you–
“I want to be free,” Luffy said, “The marines aren’t free,”

Garp shook his head, scowling but tears were starting to bite at his cheeks and Luffy knew he
should feel something, anything, but he didn’t. He was numb, the heart beating in his chest slowing
almost unnoticeably but he could tell.
Law was going to die soon.
“I don’t want to die.” Luffy said but a part of him did, “I don’t want Law to die, but he is. So I’m
going to die too.”
Sengoku closed is eyes, exhaling softly, “I’m glad he had someone like you.” He said, and Luffy
sensed no lie in his words. “We’re here to lead you to your execution.
A part of Luffy felt bad, forcing his grandfather to not only see this but to also lead him there, but
he was just so tired.
He wanted this to end already.
The chains clanked together as he walked, footsteps slow and his chin held high. The crowd
watched him in fear, the chains heavy on his body doing nothing to deter that, and Luffy smiled as
he started up the stairs.
After everything that happened, was this what he deserved? He led his crew down this path, he
didn’t even think of the consequences. He promised Zoro he would live, but it seemed he wouldn’t.
The heartbeat in his chest stuttered and sped up as Luffy kneeled, the chains on his body locking
into the metal of the scaffolding.
God – Law was going to feel it.
Luffy forced his smile to stay, looking down at the large video-transponder snail. Law wasn’t
watching this, but he knew. He was always so smart, something that Luffy loved about him – he
knows what’s happening in that moment.
Luffy wished he didn’t.
“Was it worth it!?” someone from the crowd shouted.
Luffy wondered, was it?
Yes, he thought it was worth it.
“The treasure, it was worth it, wasn’t it!?” another demanded.
“Where is it!?”
“What was the One Piece!?”
“Tell us!”
Luffy smiled, “My treasure? You can have it, if you can find it.” The blades rose, and Luffy knew
his life was coming to an end, “But you’ll never be able to.”
Blades cut into his neck.
And the mighty Pirate King took his last breath.

And then he woke up.
(The World would forever regret the day they wronged Monkey D. Luffy for everything would
burn to ash by his hands should he wish it.
And he would smile.)
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Forty-Seven: Robin

Robin
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (24) 11, Law (30.5) 17.5 Ace/Sabo: 14 Sanji/Zoro: 13 Shanks: 30 Corazon: 29
First update of four!!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ROBIN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Crocodile sighed as he stepped off his ship, raising his hand to pull his cigar from between his
teeth. Nico Robin stood stiffly by his side, but he didn’t pay her much attention as he walked along
the deck.
“Makino,” he greeted when he made it to the barmaid, “You look lovely.” He said blandly, but he
meant it.
The woman smiled at him, tucking a strand of her green hair behind her ear. Crocodile noticed
how she even dressed up a little, her lips painted a soft pink and her eyes lined with what he
assumed was some makeup product Corazon had probably given her. The Warlord smiled slightly
when he noticed how her green eyes zeroed in on Daz, and motioned for Robin to follow him as he
walked past the woman after another nod.
“Why are we here?” Robin asked him.
Crocodile grunted, “My ally is stationed here.” He said.
Robin bit at her lip, eyes alert as she looked around. She looked more alert as he led her towards
the mountain path.
“Which ally? I wasn’t aware you were allied with anyone?” Robin said.
“I am, unfortunately.” Crocodile said, not really meaning it. He’s long since accepted being Uncle
Crocy.
“Oh, Crocodile!” Corazon said in surprise, painted face lighting up at the sight of him as it did with
everyone – minus Shanks, his face lit up in an entirely different way around Shanks. “I heard you
were stuck in a storm, I wasn’t expecting you until a few more days.” He said, pulling a shirt that
said ‘doctor pain’ off a clothing line.
Crocodile smirked in amusement, “Where’s the brat?”
“Luffy’s out training his crew,” Corazon said, smiling in a way only proud dads could. “I’m
Corazon, it’s nice to meet you,” he said, looking to Robin.
Robin visibly startled before giving him a nod. “Robin.” She said.
Corazon smiled at her pleasantly before he turned back to Crocodile, “I got that order of cigars last
week, the bandits should have them.”
“If they smoked them…” Crocodile growled, and Corazon laughed at him.
“I’m sure they’re too scared to do that,” Corazon said, moving back to fold another shirt that said
‘arsonist in the making’. He paused, looking over to the right and frowned worriedly, “Seems like
one of the boys got knocked out, let’s hope they didn’t get another concussion…”
“That’s our cue.” Crocodile sighed, “Robin, this way.”
The walk was silent, and Crocodile didn’t mind. He still didn’t know what Luffy even wanted with
Nico Robin, but he knew better than to ask that kid anything when it came to things like this. The
kid was damn confusing, that’s for sure.
When they made it to the clearing, Crocodile was met with a rubbery fist to his face, and he barely
switched to sand in time to dodge a broken nose.
“Shishishishi! Sorry Uncle Croco!” Luffy chirped, ducking under a swing of Sabo’s pipe. He
sidestepped Ace, twisting so he leg rose to kick at the older boy, and Ace grunted when Luffy’s
sandal caught onto his shoulder.
Crocodile lifted his cigar back to his lips, and he looked at Robin from the corner of his eye. She
was staring at the scene in shock, eyes wide and taking in everything. It wasn’t exactly everyday
you saw eleven-year-old fight two older boys blindfolded and actually be on the winning side.
Luffy frowned thoughtfully, looking over to them as he punched Sabo, seemingly distracted.
“Robin?” he asked softly.
Crocodile grunted his agreement and Robin looked incredibly wary. Law shifted from where he
was watching the fight, Zoro and Sanji both unconscious by him and Crocodile assumed they got
into another fight. Ugh, children.
Luffy threw his arms out, grabbing Ace and Sabo, and his arms snapped quickly to right
themselves. Sabo and Ace cried out as their foreheads knocked together, and Luffy pulled the
blindfold off, staring at Robin with wide eyes.
“Hiya!” He said, grinning his wide grin, “Join my crew!”

Normal, Date
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (30.5) 17 Law: (37) 24 Ace/Sabo: 20 Zoro/Sanji: 19
⊱ ────── {.⋅ NORMAL ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Ace, what’s got you so happy?” Thatch asked, throwing his arm over his friend, grinning.
“My brothers sent me a letter,” Ace explained, grinning.
It had been a few months since Marineford, and thus a few months since the Whitebeard Pirates
met the infamous D. brothers even if they hadn’t really spoken. Thatch could say that they were all
good company and seemed like interesting individuals that he certainly wanted to get to know
better (and weasel embarrassing Ace stories out of), not counting the…surprising display of
brotherly love between the oldest and the youngest.
“Oh? What’s it say?” Thatch asked, peeking over Ace’s shoulder to catch a glimpse of the thinly
written words.
“I don’t know!” Ace chirped, “It’s from Torao, though, so it’s probably going to be about the
newest person he dissected or something,”
Which, totally normal.
Thatch laughed nervously, unsure if he wanted to read this letter or not.
“Let’s see,” Ace hummed, grinning as he lifted the letter up closer to his face, “Ace, I know that
I’ve been in a relationship for many years, but I’m not the best with dating advice. Luffy would
probably be your best bet, he’s very romantic when he wants to be. I’ll send him your way.
Anyways, there was this marine ship that came after my crew recently and he had a Devil Fruit
that let him control insects and now we’re stuck pulling beetles from Bepo’s fur. I suggested going
for a swim but Penguin suggested spraying him with insect spray. Long story short, Bepo caught
fire and now he looks like the time you accidently sneezed and lit a match at the same time when
we were kids.” Ace read under his breath and then he snorted. “Poor Bepo.”
Thatch squinted. It was a relatively tame letter if he said so himself.
“Oh this one’s from Sabo!” Ace said, ripping open the next letter. Thatch remembered Sabo being
a nice chat, polite and responsible but still the life of the party. So this letter shouldn’t be too bad–
Ace I can’t feel my legs. I finally convinced Smoker that we were totally serious, and he gave me
the best fuck in my life. I want to kidnap him. Can you kidnap him? I want to marry him, but he
said no because ‘I’m a marine and you’re a pirate’ bullshit.
I will pay you.
Sabo
“Your brother is…with a marine?” Thatch asked.
“Yep,” Ace nodded, “He’s been in love with this guy since he set sail. Good for Sabo!”
“I almost don’t want to know what’s in that letter,” Thatch mumbled when he saw Ace light up
about Luffy’s letter.
Ace! I got Rayleigh to teach me the boulder-spear trick and I finally got it down!! I can make
spears out of boulders!
Torao said you asked him about relationship advice, and he told me to tell you some tips, and I got
loads of them! Torao said you were having problems talking about what’s bothering you, and I’ve
never really had that problem because me ‘n Torao are super good with talking to one another, but
I can totally help! You just have to tell Bird-Marco what’s wrong and how you feel. If you can’t tell
him how you feel, then who will you tell? Me and Torao tell each other everything, and did I tell
you about the last time Torao visited? He stayed for a few days, and we hunted and when it was
his last night, he even watched the sea with me again! We haven’t done that in a long time. Oh,
and I totally found a new weak spot on him! He said I was super good with my mouth too, but he’s
always said that, but he even started to cry when I
Yep. Thatch has read enough.
Judging by how Ace folded the letter with a slightly…blank expression, he did too.
“Man, why do they have to have such a perfect relationship?” Ace whined suddenly, glaring at the
folded letter like it personally offended him, “They have amazing communication, and they can
like read each other’s minds and they have great sex! Like they’re totally couple’s goals!”
Thatch blinked. “Aren’t…aren’t they, uh, your brothers?”
Ace blinked at him, “Yeah?”
“That’s not weird for you?” Thatch asked.
“Well, it was weird at first, but they genuinely love one another.” Ace grinned softly, “So I’m
happy for them!”
Thatch hadn’t thought of it like that. That’s actually kind of sweet, the entire family really cared for
one another. It was nice.
“When we found out they were together, Sabo suggested we should have a foursome,” Ace
commented offhandedly. “He was so drunk he didn’t remember in the morning, so I’m not sure if
he realized who he was talking to, but it was hilarious.”
Thatch took it all back. This family was insane.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ DATE ⋅.} ────── ⊰

It took a while of convincing, but Ace finally managed to get the Moby to stop at a relatively
uninhabited island. He wanted to go on a date with Marco, and it was rare for them to indulge in
that want. Ace had a great plan. They were going to stop at an island that was known for having
very large animals who were very aggressive. Hence why it was lacking any human presence.
Him and Marco were going hunting!
It’s been so long since Ace has gone hunting, and he always had the fondest of memories of the act.
Him and his brothers used to hunt together, and it was like a bonding exercise. Now, he wasn’t like
Luffy and Law or even Sabo when it came to romance.
Law and Luffy liked to spend time with one another, it didn’t matter what they did or where they
were. Ace knows that their usual ‘date’ involved sitting with one another and watching the sea – he
had seen them do it plenty of times growing up but he only realized just how romantic their activity
was when he saw it again a few days after Marineford.
Sabo liked to play cat and mouse as a date. He would show up where Smoker was, tease him and
then they would fight and then a few hours after, they would meet up at some bar or tea-shop and
talk about their recent weeks – Sabo usually gushed about when he and Smoker held hands.
Ace didn’t really care for that cheesiness on dates, but that might be because him and Marco lived
on the same ship and saw each other every day unless they were gone on a mission. He didn’t
really know what it was like to be separated from his lover for such a long time, and that might be
why he didn’t really feel the need to ground each other – know that they were still alive like Law
and Luffy did – didn’t need to catch up on the months where they couldn’t speak in fear that they’d
be found out.
Hunting was something that Ace only did with people he trusted and loved, and he really loved
Marco.
Ace grinned as he grabbed Marco’s hand, shouting his goodbyes to his family, and jumped over
the railing, dragging Marco with him. His boots landed on the sand roughly, and he didn’t pause as
he rushed forward, beelining to the forest. Marco kept up easily, complaining about not being as
young as he used to be jokingly.
“Where are we going?” Marco asked when Ace paused.
“We’re going on a date!” Ace chirped, grinning.
“In the forest?” Marco questioned, looking around carefully, “Isn’t this the place with aggressive
beasts?”
“Yep!” Ace smiled, “We’re hunting.”
“Hunting,” Marco repeated.
“Yeah, Dawn Island has huge animals, so hunting was always a challenge to see how much we
could get,” Ace said, suddenly shy, “I used to hunt with my brothers, and I wanted to hunt with
you.”
Marco smiled lazily, “Okay, let’s do it.”
“Really?” Ace asked, and Marco nodded, squeezing his hand. “Great! There’s a huge lion in that
direction,”
Marco nodded, and Ace grinned as he led him over towards the beast.
“That’s fucking huge,” Marco said blandly when they laid eyes on the lion.
“It’s a little bigger than the Tiger Lord,” Ace mused, “We can totally handle it! Luffy could beat
up the Tiger Lord when he was seven.”
Marco looked up to the sky for a moment, “Your family is insane.”
Ace laughed, “Thanks, do you want to take it down or do you want to find a bigger animal?”
“Ace, Jesus, that thing is big enough to feed half the crew.” Marco said in shock, “You want to
find a bigger one?”
“Well, this is about us,” Ace pouted.
“Right,” Marco said slowly, “Let’s just take this one down.”
Ace grinned, “Let’s do it!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Ace, I think we have enough–”
“Nah, we need at least five!”
“Right…”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Thatch gaped at the animals that Ace and Marco returned with, “Who the fuck is supposed to cook
that!?”
“You’re the cook, Thatch!” Ace cackled.
“Nooooo,” Thatch whined, “Why would you do this to me?”
“Ace was being romantic,” Marco defended, and Ace grinned with a flush on his cheeks.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OMAKE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Why does Smoker not see how great we’d be?!” Sabo slurred, “Dad and Papa Shanks have such a
great relationship, Ace can’t stop rambling about Marco and now we find out that Luffy and Law
have literally been together for like eleven years! Why am I the only single one?”
“You need to get laid,” Law said dryly, Luffy cuddled into his side and literally feeding him –
making Sabo feel even more single because this is Luffy! Feeding! Someone!
“We should have a foursome.” Sabo sniffled.
Ace spat his mouthful of rum everywhere, coughing as Shanks wheezed, Corazon sputtered, and
Law laughed.
“Ne, Torao, what’s a foursome?” Luffy asked, half asleep.
“It’s when four people have sex,” Law answered much to Ace’s growing horror.
“Oh. Sorry Sabo, I only want Torao,” Luffy said, grinning.
“GET A ROOM!” Sabo and Ace chorused when Law grabbed the back of Luffy’s skull and licked
into his mouth.
“God, they even have drunk sex,” Sabo cried into his beer, “I want to have drunk sex with
Smoker…”
Sea, Crew Gathering, Loguetown, Grand Line
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (29.5) 16.5 Law (36) 23 Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 19 Sanji/Zoro: 18
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SEA ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy loved the sea. The ocean was his home, the only thing who has seen him laid completely
bare and weakened to nothing. The sea made good company when he could speak to her, had an
odd sense of humor, and actually didn’t hate all Devil Fruit eaters. She hated Devil Fruits in
particular, but she didn’t mind Luffy or Ace or Law – though she claims Cora-san was her favorite.
Luffy liked to talk to the ocean when he could. He always told her everything like he did with Law,
and the ocean understood. She was wise, always giving him the best tips and tricks and advice.
When Luffy finally set sail again, intent on going to the Grand Line and reconquering it, he had
two of his crewmates with him. Zoro and Kuina sat by him, their things packed and secured onto
the dingy they were using to get to the other islands. They were going to Usopp first, then Sanji
and then to Nami. Then they’d head into the Grand Line, stop by Drum Island to pick up Chopper,
then to Alabasta for some information from Uncle Crocy and to pick up Robin, and then they’d
head to Water Seven to pick up Franky and Brook and they’d continue their way into the Grand
Line.
“Shishishishi~!” Luffy beamed as the wind bit at his face, as the ocean murmured in his mind,
“We’re home!”
Zoro smiled and Kuina let out a small laugh, pushing her long hair back.
The sea wasn’t home to them like it was for Luffy, but he knew one day, they’d feel the same way.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ CREW GATHERING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Usopp was ready to set sail. He’s been waiting for this day for years, and he was so excited now
that it was finally happening. His mother had already thrown him a small farewell party, his father
present and grinning proudly. Usopp would miss his mother and his friends, of course, but he was
so ready for this. He even had a surprise for his crew. Well, Kaya and her family had a surprise for
the crew, but the point still stood!
Usopp can already see his friends’ faces when they see the Going Merry!
(Luffy’s smile would be a tense one, for he knew the Merry wouldn’t last.
He was so happy anyways.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sanji didn’t think about walking up to Zeff and pulling the chef into a hug. This man raised him,
taught him everything he knew, called him son. Sanji owed Zeff so much, and he would only repay
him by achieving his goal and living the best life he could.
Sanji grinned as he waved his family goodbye, hair tied back and a smoke between his lips.
“Who’s hungry?” He asked, knowing well enough, someone was always hungry on this ship.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
(They might have had to destroy a pirate worth twenty-million, making Luffy get a bounty in
return, but that was neither here or there.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Nami snickered to herself as she slipped onto the ship, her mother yelling about being safe and her
sister laughing loudly. She shook the wallets she snatched off the crowd in the air, grinning slyly as
Belle-mere grinned.
“That’s my girl!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LOGUETOWN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy gazed at Loguetown. He had mixed feelings about this place. It was where his journey truly
began, originally, but it was also where his life ended.
Luffy hated this place, he decided.
“Oi, don’t wander!” Nami barked at him, frowning deeply.
Luffy laughed easily, not a care in the world. “Zoro, you should go get the Sandai Kitetsu.” Luffy
said.
Zoro stared at him for a moment before looking down at his three blades. One was a gift from
Mihawk, a blade that was sturdy, light, and easy to swing. It had once belonged to a strong
swordsmen, known as Amai Katsutoshi . The other was one that Luffy had gifted him; Riki Yujo.
It was a black blade, after how much Haki Zoro’s flooded the thing with for all these years – it was
also the only blade that has managed to keep up with Zoro after all these years.
“You think?” Zoro asked curiously.
The last time he had tried to get the Sandai Kitetsu, the blade had been too strong for him.
Admittedly, he had been twelve, and Luffy should have thought about whether or not Zoro
would’ve been mentally prepared to wield that sword, but Luffy’s sure he’s ready now.
“Yep! Don’t get lost!” Luffy chirped, already bouncing off.
“You don’t get lost!” Zoro yelled back.
Nami sighed, shaking her head as she turned towards the shops, Kuina following Zoro and Usopp
following Nami.
Luffy was left alone, but it didn’t bother him at the moment. He slipped between people and
buildings before he made it to the center. There once stood an execution stand there – one where
the first Pirate King and later the second spent their last moments.
It wasn’t there anymore, and Luffy felt oddly relieved about it.
Law had destroyed it, cutting the thing down into several pieces before stacking it into art –
mocking the marines and the people who dared to glorify the scaffolding.
Luffy closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He rubbed at his neck, carefully feeling the skin. There was
no scar, no pain, no indent that anything wounded him there. But sometimes he could still feel it.
He felt nothing, right now.
Because the thing that haunted his dreams had been destroyed – made into art that mocked the
people who dared to glorify people’s death.
And Luffy has never felt more relived.

Fakes, New World, Queen
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (32) 18.5 Law: (38) 25 Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 21 Zoro/Sanji: 20
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FAKES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy blinked at the man who shoved a gun into his face. It had been a long time since someone
shoved a gun into his face and acted like they owned the world; not wary in the slightest. In his
first life, even the Admirals had been wary around him, even if they had been confident in their
ability.
Luffy didn’t like people acting all high and mighty around him. They could be prideful, could act
like they were above people, but not when they were using his name and couldn’t back up their act
of being better than people.
Law always told him he was the exact opposite of a pushover at times, when they had been in their
twenties and living like each second would be their last. He was relaxed, didn’t fight fights that
weren’t worth it in the end. But there were three extra additions to the band of fakes: Law, Ace,
and Sabo. Well, people pretending to be them.
Luffy didn’t like people pretending to be his family, creating a bad name for them and making their
crimes worse (which, yes they did do some illegal things, but they weren’t bad people).
He tilted his head back, let the hood fall from his head, and stared at the man unblinking. The
man’s eyes widened, and he suddenly lost all his prideful boasting, staring at him in absolute shock
and fear as Luffy’s Haki pressed onto him, not enough to cause him to lose consciousness, but for
them to feel the threat.
“Be careful,” Luffy said, eyes boring into the men pretending to be his brothers, his special person,
and his crew, “About who you pretend to be.”
He took a step forward as the four men fell, eyes wide and shaking.
Luffy wonders if Sanji started lunch or not…
⊱ ────── {.⋅ NEW WORLD ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy has gone to Fishman Island three times before. He’s gotten his ship coated and gone under
the sea a dozen times before.
It didn’t make the sight less beautiful.
Luffy smiled to himself as he looked over his crew, took in their changes. They looked a lot like
they did the first time around, and Luffy was surprised that he didn’t feel emotional about it. Zoro
had his eye scarred closed, Nami’s hair was longer, Robin lost some of her tan (which Luffy knew
she’d be trying to get back after he heard her tell something similar to Franky) Franky got bigger
and cooler, Brook changed his outfit, Chopper got a cool hat. Luffy noticed how Sanji had longer
hair than before.
In this life, Sanji always had his hair down to his shoulders – something he kicked Zoro over when
he started to let his hair grow. Now it was falling down his shoulders in light waves, a cigarette
already between his lips as he set lunch down onto the grass.
Luffy noticed how Zoro seemed to be unable to take his eye off of Sanji and he grinned.
(He was the same with Torao, after all.)
Kuina, however, changed the most. Maybe it was because Luffy never knew what she could have
looked like. Her hair was short – a distinct difference from the constant long-ish hair she sported
during her teen years and up – shirt a sheer white and unbuttoned at the top, pants a deep purple
and a Haori, a mixing purple and deep red, laid on her shoulders.
Somehow, even with all the changes, Luffy felt nostalgic. It wasn’t every day that a pirate crew
went to the New World, let alone for the first time twice. Luffy and Law were just different in that
case, though Luffy didn’t really mind.
They were stronger this time.
They were ready this time.
“Shishishishi! How was everyone’s training?” Luffy asked because he hadn’t in his first life. They
had gone under water and got into the trouble the Straw Hat crew always did. He had always
wanted to ask, but he had never found the right time to do so.
He hadn’t wanted to bring up Ace’s death, and their training was a distinct reminder that his big
brother was gone.
“Terrible.” Sanji deadpanned, a piece of twisted napkins in both nostrils as he hadn’t been able to
stop the bleeding whenever he looked at any of the ladies, and oddly enough, Zoro.
It was better this time around, but Luffy would tell you it was because Sanji was preoccupied with
ogling at Zoro’s abbs and replacing his tissues.
“It went fine,” Zoro said, leaning back and smirking. He had both eyes this time around, Luffy
wondered how he lost one to begin with.
He hadn’t ever asked…
“I learned a lot about the New World so I can navigate us safely!” Nami said proudly, grinning as
she placed a hand onto her hip, raising the other so they could see it. “This is the Log Pose that you
need in the New World, it points to three islands.”
“Oh?” Brook peered at it, “That’s very interesting, Nami-san, may I see your pa–”
Brook went flying, and Nami huffed at him. Robin giggled behind her hand, visibly amused.
“How about you, Robin?” Luffy asked, smiling as he leaned towards the woman.
“I learned quite a bit under Dragon-san and the Revolution,” Robin said, “Though, I hadn’t needed
much assistance in learning Haki. Thank to you.”
Luffy beamed, and Robin smiled back at him kindly.
“Did you know that there is an island in Paradise that has blood-sucking rats? Most die even if they
aren’t sucked dry.” Robin said, smiling.
“So morbid.” Usopp muttered. “Well, I got a upgrade on my ammo! I’m no longer part of the
whimpy group!”
“Great, so you can go first into our next battle.” Sanji smirked, pinching his cigarette between his
fingers.
“Well…” Usopp said, “On second thought, I’ll leave that to you guys!”
Kuina laughed, “I’m glad no one seemed to have changed too much.”
Luffy felt like the words had slapped him because everything was so different than it was the first
time around. Everyone, even him.
Especially him.
Because he was a ruined, sloppy work at trying to be his old self.
The world had ruined him.
But he was stronger now, and he would ruin the world in turn.
“How’d you get that look, Franky?” Chopper asked, stars still in his eyes.
“I ended up at one of Vega-Punk’s old places!” Franky grinned, “I upgraded myself a ton,
SUPER!”
“How about you, Chopper-san?” Brook asked…probably grinning.
“I ended up on a island with giant birds and humans that wanted to eat me,” Chopper laughed a
nervous laugh, “But they have great medicine! I learned a lot there!”
Luffy grinned, as he listened to his nakama talk, happy for the first time in a long while. Rayleigh
had left the island after about seven months, and while Luffy hadn’t been alone – not with Torao
and their brothers and their dads visiting and calling – he hadn’t necessarily been happy.
It was just too much, sometimes. Law said it was normal, Benn said it was normal, everyone said it
was normal.
But it didn’t feel normal and Luffy didn’t like it. He hated feeling useless, hated feeling weak,
hated feeling like–
Luffy hated feeling like he did before.
It wasn’t before. Not now, and as much as Luffy would like to forget before, he was who he was
because of before.
His nakama were happy because of before, he and Torao were in love because of before, Ace and
Sabo and Cora-san were all alive because of before.
Before hurt a lot, but so did so much now. So Luffy was…okay. He was getting okay.
“Luffy, how about you?” Nami asked, “After everything, it must’ve been difficult.”
It had been, it had been so difficult.
“It was,” Luffy said, and he smiled, “But it was worth it!”
Because it was, because they were here.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ QUEEN ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy laughed happily as he looked around Fishman Island. The Whitebeard Pirates were known to
protect this place, and they did a good job doing so, but a majority of the fishpeople here relied on
the Sun Pirates.
It had been such a long time since Luffy had seen all the Sun Pirates – or at least more than two –
at the same time. Fisher Tiger had visited him a few times after the war, and even before the war,
along with Jimbe and sometimes Hatchan and Adaline, depending on who was wanting to come
along as well as needed.
Luffy looked up when he felt Jimbe’s presence, and his smile stretched wider. “TIGER! JIMBE!”
He hollered, laughing.
“Luffy,” Jimbe grinned, accepting the rubbery hug with grace that spoke of years of doing so. “I’m
glad you’ve arrived, my friend!”
“Yes, we thought we had some time before we had to lead you down here.” Fisher Tiger said,
smiling, “But it seems you and your crew got here just fine.”
“Of course! I have the best navigator in the world!” Luffy said, and Nami blushed and fussed
behind him, visibly pleased at the praise.
“Luffy! You don’t have to say such nice things!” She laughed, beaming, “And you must be Fisher
Tiger, I found out we were in a alliance not too long ago, since some rubber-brained captain didn’t
tell us. It’s nice to meet you.”
Fisher Tiger blinked, obviously surprised since he had been so sure Nami wouldn’t like fishmen
(not after Luffy informed him that he didn’t like Arlong because Nami didn’t) but smiled anyways.
“It’s a pleasure.” He agreed, “Straw Hats, this is Queen Otohime, she wanted to meet you once I
told her about you.”
Luffy peered at the woman curiously, still wrapped around Jimbe like his life depended on it, and
grinned, “Yo!”
“That’s no way to talk to a lady, let alone a Queen!” Sanji scolded, kicking him, “Queen Otohime,
so lovely to meet you~!”
“Shut up, Curls.” Zoro scoffed.
“Oi! Shut it, Mosshead! It’s nice to have manners!” Sanji scolded, “And she’s a lady! Even more
reason!”
“Shove a sock in it.” Zoro drawled.
“Stop fighting you two!” Kuina scolded, knocking their heads together.
Sanji blushed darkly when their lips were forced together, Zoro’s face impossibly redder than his.
“Oh, how romantic,” Brook said, raising his hand to cover his mouth.
Luffy laughed loudly as Jimbe shook his head.
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter fifty-one: Infatuation, Love, Kissing

Infatuation, Love, Kissing
Chapter Notes
Luffy: 19 Law: 26 (pre-time travel)
Announcements at the end notes!!
Enjoy~
⊱ ────── {.⋅ INFAFATUATION ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Snow fell in thick flakes, dampening the coat Luffy had stollen, his hair, and sticking to his
eyelashes. He didn’t really mind the cold, though it made his body stiff and less elastic.
Adventures were more important, seeing the world and one day becoming the Pirate King (because
Ace knew it would happen, so it had to.) too.
This island was so cool! It had fire and ice. Luffy preferred the snowy part of this island as he
wasn’t very fond of fires, much less magma, but he never imagined running into Torao here. It had
been so long since he last saw the man who had saved his and Jimbe’s life, Luffy hadn’t even
thanked him before they saw each other again…
But now, all of Luffy’s attention was on Torao. On the way the man held himself as he walked in
snow easily, walking up the ledge near them, overlooking the island. He had changed from what
his memory provided, but it wasn’t a bad change. Luffy didn’t really care for the changes in people
mostly, especially not on people he didn’t even know, but Torao was different, in a way.
“Here in the New World, there’s two ways to live. Join one of the four Emperors, or go against
them. I have a feeling you’re going for the second,” Torao said, and his voice floated down to them
as he turned. His golden eyes were intense as they drilled into Luffy, and he found himself
momentarily stuck in that gaze. “I plan on going against the Yonko as well, so why don’t we make
an alliance, Mugiwara-ya.”
Why don’t we make an alliance, Mugiwara-ya.
Luffy had always wondered what had caused Torao to save him that day. He wasn’t the type to
read into people’s action, but neither did Torao seem like the type to just save some random pirate.
Luffy had been at his lowest when Ace died. Torao had seen it; how he broke and screamed and
raged and finally sobbed, becoming dull and almost lifeless for some time after that as he thought
back to his days with his brothers, when things were so simple and so happy.
Torao had seen how weak he really was, something that not anyone in his crew (minus Jimbe,
because that was going to happen) could say.
And yet, the man still asked him…
Why don’t we make an alliance, Mugiwara-ya.
Luffy felt his face warm, felt something in his stomach, and a warm, fuzzy feeling stretching across
his body.
It felt…nice.
“I purpose an alliance to take down the Yonko Kaido.” Law finished, and Luffy gazed at him,
feeling like he was seeing him for the first time.
Warm, Luffy felt so, so warm when he looked at Torao.
“Shishishi,” Luffy smiled, and his face felt impossibly warmer, “I was going to go after the Yonko
anyways! Let’s team up, Torao!”
Luffy wanted this feeling to last forever.
And it would, he just knew it.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LOVE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Love,” Luffy hummed, tilting his head to the side as he looked at Robin, “What’s that got to do
with my feelings for Torao? I don’t think of him like a brother.”
Robin smiled at him, “Love, Luffy, comes in multiple forms. Brotherly love is just one of them.”
She waved between them, “There’s the love for Nakama. And there’s also romantic love, it’s when
you care for someone, like how you care about Law. It’s more than a friendly or brotherly way,
yes?”
“Yeah,” Luffy pursed his lips in thought, “So I’m in love with Torao?”
“You could be,” Robin agreed, smile widening slightly when Luffy looked to where the former
Warlord wondered off to – to his crew.
“Okay, thanks Robin.” Luffy smiled, before waving and bouncing over towards the large house
where the Minks and Chopper were discussing medicine.
“How curious,” She hummed, “Luffy and Law, hm.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ KISSING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy smiled widely when his eyes caught onto Law and his crew. The Heart Crew seemed like
interesting people, especially the bear Bepo, but Luffy had eyes for Law and Law only at the
moment.
“Straw-Hats, meet my crew,” Law said, smirking and Luffy noticed the pride in his eyes as he
waved to the people all chattering behind him.
“Hey! Nice to meet you all!”
“Yeah, nice to meet you,” Nami said, smiling.
Luffy bounced forward, beaming, “Torao~ I wanna talk to you real quick!”
Luffy would normally just say what was on his mind, but Law didn’t like that sort of thing. Law
liked private things to be private and they’ve yet to talk about what Law said during Dressrosa.
Law looked over to him and nodded, “Yes, I had similar thoughts. You all mingle, now.”
“What, Captain!” The one with Penguin written on his cap whined.
“You can’t just hog him, we just met!” another added.
“We’re just going to talk about plans,” Law said dryly.
“One of us should probably come along,” Nami said, dusting off his dress as she started over to
them.
“No, I got this, Nami,” Luffy said, smiling as he grabbed onto Law’s elbow and stared to tug
impatiently. Nami gave him a doubting look but shrugged and allowed herself to get tugged into a
conversation with one of the Hearts.
Luffy waited until their crews were out of sight and blocked by trees before he grasped Law’s
hand. He knew Law wasn’t the type to show affection to anyone, and he would respect that even if
he wanted to shout out that their relationship was different, that their relationship was special.
Law looked over to him, “Careful with my arm,” he muttered, and Luffy frowned at the reminder.
Law had lost his arm because of Mingo.
“Are you okay?” Luffy asked, eyes wide as he gazed back up into gold.
Law nodded, “It’s fine.”
They walked for another few minutes, no words passed between them, before they stopped.
“Torao’s my special person,” Luffy started the conversation because he knew Law wouldn’t. “Am
I yours?”
The thought of Law not feeling the same way stung, and he wasn’t quite sure why.
Law stared at him for a long moment, “Why do you like me?”
“Answer the question, Torao,” Luffy pouted, “And then I’ll answer yours!”
Law rolled his eyes, “Yes, you are my special person. I like you. Happy?”
“Yeah,” Luffy said after a long pause because those words made him fuzzy, happy. “I like Torao
too.”
“Why do you like me?” Law repeated.
Luffy tilted his head before he looked down at their tangled fingers. “Torao believed in me, you
trust me, and you wanted to start a alliance with me,” he paused for a moment, “Even though you
saw how I was…then.”
“It wasn’t planned,” Law said, “You just showed up. But that doesn’t really sound like a sane
reason why you’d risk your life for me, at Dressrosa.”
Luffy looked back up at him, “I like you, you’re my special person. I like your voice and your eyes,
and I like your smile, and I think your Devil Fruit is super weird!” And then, quieter, Luffy added,
“I like that I don’t have to be strong all the time when I’m with you.”
Law inhaled deeply, slowly, and Luffy didn’t dare look away.
“I like you,” Law said, and then his face flushed pink, “I shouldn’t, you’re annoying, but I can’t
help but like you.”
Luffy smiled, “Shishishi, I’m happy!”
Law sighed, but his lips twitched up, “Yeah,” he agreed.
Luffy jerked back in surprise when Law dipped down, face almost touching his. They stared at
each other for a long moment before Law cleared his throat and looked embarrassed, face full of
shame.
“What was that?” Luffy asked, eyes wide and blinking, “Were you trying to headbutt me?”
“Was I trying…” Law gaped at him, “I was trying to kiss you.”
Luffy nodded slowly, “What’s that?”
“What’s what.” Law asked blandly.
“Kiss, what’s a kiss.” Luffy repeated.
“You…don’t know what a kiss is?” Law asked slowly.
“Obviously not, silly Torao.” Luffy huffed.
“I’ll show you then.” Law said.
His hand reached out, caressing Luffy’s cheek, before he leaned in slowly. Their lips brushed,
once, twice, before Luffy felt more than a featherlight brush, but pressure.
Luffy really liked kissing.
Chapter End Notes
Next chapter: Chapter fifty-two: Lazy

P.S. Lazy features CoraShanks!
A few friends of mine and myself made a discord server for our fics! Come check it
out here:
https://discord.gg/2aDD5YTUm9
Lazy
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (32) 18.5 Law: (39) 25
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LAZY ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Rosinante hummed to himself as he cleaned his gun, cigarette between his lips and the crew
bustling around the deck. It wasn’t everyday that they had lazy days, but they were frequent
enough that most of the crew learned to adore them as much as Shanks did.
Rosinante never had many lazy days growing up. There was always some training to do, some
move to perfect, always something to study or work on. Sengoku wasn’t a bad father by no means,
he was the best thing that Rosinante ever had because he was there and he cared, but he had been
busy and Rosinante had been lonely. So he had filled his time with enlisting into the marines,
training everything, and he found out that he was pretty damn good with a gun.
After that, it had been training his Devil Fruit powers, something he had ate when he was fifteen.
One of the marines he had trained with had found it, but hadn’t wanted to eat it. Rosinante had
been the unlucky one to take the first bite of the pie and he had ended up completely silent for four
weeks before he learned how to turn his fruit off.
It had been…traumatizing, being absolutely silent.
Like he didn’t exist.
(It scared him how much he had liked that idea.)
The man had been discharged, Rosinante had gotten a power that was great for spy work –
something being very helpful in his line of work which had been a sniper, then turned into a spy
once he mastered the art of calm.
Because of that, Rosinante loved lazy days, where he could just be.
Shanks grew up on a pirate ship, always busy, busy, busy, never taking lazy days or simply
enjoying an adventure, slow and long and fun. That was why the Red-Haired Pirates did everything
to it’s fullest, never half fasting anything. Rosinante knows that the way Shanks was brought up
was hard for him – especially by who raised him.
The Pirate King…Rosinante had no real opinion for him before meeting Ace and Shanks. With
Ace, Rosinante had been thankful because without Roger, Ace wouldn’t have ever existed. With
Shanks, it was an odd mix of anger and sadness.
Because the man didn’t ask to get sick, but he had left behind two boys who looked at him and
thought that’s my father. There were still nights where Shanks would wake up, reaching out for
something Rosinante couldn’t see, tears leaking from his eyes and his voice drenched with anguish.
And every time that anger at Roger’s crew, at Roger, grew and Rosinante was thankful that
Rayleigh was the only member of that crew he knew because he’d probably smack anyone else
upside the head.
(Not that he hadn’t kicked Rayleigh upside the head when he found this out, though it ended with
the Dark King and the Yonko talking about then and it made their bond stronger.
“He’s lucky to have you!” Rayleigh had laughed, a bruise stark on his forehead.)
“Say, what’s a handsome man like you doing all by your lonesome,” a smooth voice pulled
Rosinante from his thoughts, and he looked up.
Rosinante grinned at his husband, “Just thinking about a certain guy,” he said, dragging his
cleaning rag down one last time.
“Oh?” Shanks mused, “Someone I know?”
“Probably,” Rosinante drawled, “He’s strong, good looking, kind and caring,”
“Sounds like a pretty awesome guy.” Shanks said, sitting down next to him.
“Mm,” Rosinante grinned, “Or so Luffy says, I don’t really find my son good-looking.”
“Oh, you jerk,” Shanks nudged their shoulders together, laughing, “You had me going for a
second.”
Rosinante smiled, tilting over so his head rested atop red locks, “I was thinking about you,
though.”
“Good thoughts, I hope.” Shanks said.
“Always are,” Rosinante said softly, because it was true. He always had good thoughts about
Shanks because he couldn’t think one thing about Shanks that was bad.
Shanks was just so great, even with his flaws and terrible nature for partying more than should be
humanly safe, let alone possible. Rosinante loved him, flaws and all, and there wasn’t a single
thing he’d change about Shanks.
“I was thinking,” Rosinante said, fingers tangling with Shanks’, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen
the boys.”
“It has,” Shanks breathed, “Where should we meet up?”
“I was thinking of…” Rosinante inhaled deeply, steeling himself, “Dressrosa.”
Chapter End Notes

Up next: Fifty-three: Voice, Eat, Smile
Voice, Eat, Smile
Chapter Notes
Pre-time travel Luffy: 20 Law: 27
Bit of a t/w: Luffy isn't in the best of mindsets in this chapter. Just a heads up, there is
mentions of self-induced starvation, death, guilt, ect, ect.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ VOICE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy hasn’t spoken in two weeks.
Now, it wasn’t like there was much that needed to be said nowadays, not with no one left but them
five left. But silence and Luffy didn’t mix.
Luffy was loud, his presence was bold.
But after Sabo died…
They’ve tried everything to get Luffy to say anything, but it was clear Luffy wasn’t going to budge,
so they left him be. The only time he looked somewhat alive was when there was a marine fight or
when Sanji made food, the latter happening less now that people weren’t all that fond of feeding or
selling to pirates, especially them.
Law inhaled slowly, gazing at his lover before he glanced over to Zoro. The swordsmen was seen
sticking closer to Sanji recently, and it was clear that their relationship wasn’t all bicker and
fighting but something a bit more…friendlier, especially with Penguin holding their relationship
together.
It wasn’t worth hating each other when they didn’t have anyone left, after all.
The former Warlord, now former Yonko, made his way over to Luffy, and nodded his head
towards the general direction of the captain’s quarters. Luffy followed after him dully, silently.
Silence never suited Luffy.
The door closed behind them, and Law did the only thing he could think of.
“I’m absolutely in love with you.”
Luffy stared at him for a long moment, and Law smiled when a hoarse whisper met his ears.
“I’m in love with you too.”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ EAT ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Luffy-ya,” Law said, “You need to eat.”
“I promised I’d only eat Sanji’s cooking.” Luffy refused.
“Sanji’s dead,” Law bit out.
“I know.” Luffy said, glaring at the plate Law had placed in front of him.
“You’ll be dead too, if you don’t eat anything.” Law said, “So eat.”
“Sanji didn’t make this.” Luffy responded, “I won’t.”
“Luffy, please,” Law said weakly, “Please just eat.”
Luffy hadn’t taken a bite of food in days.
Law sat down next to the only person he had left, and he hated how weak he was. He hadn’t been
able to save Penguin, hadn’t been able to save Zoro or Sanji, the only thing he managed to do was
get hit with Sea Stone for Luffy.
(If he had known it had just been liquid Sea Stone, he would’ve let Luffy get hit with it. At least
then he could’ve been able to remove it with his Devil Fruit.)
“I can’t lose you too, Luffy-ya.” Law said.
And Luffy took a bite.
And he sobbed.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SMILE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy sat besides Law, placing their plates in front of them. Luffy wasn’t the best cook, but he’s
managed well enough as…everything has happened. He could cook basic things, and he was quite
good at making Law’s favorite Onigiri. Despite this, Law had been getting thinner recently – hasn’t
been eating as much recently.
A part of Luffy hated how he looked, how he lost weight so, so easily, was because of one reason.
The only reason for it was because he was dying.
“Here, Torao,” Luffy said, and he smiled because he had to.
Law liked his smile, so Luffy would smile.
“Thanks,” Law said, giving him a small smile, and his hand rose, grasping at the onigiri Luffy had
prepared for them.
Luffy caught the rice ball before it could drop and he hated how Law’s face contorted, how his
hand shook.
Luffy smiled, “Here, I can feed Torao.”
Law didn’t seem to like the idea more than he did, but he opened his mouth and let Luffy feed him,
complaining under his breath about how he could feed himself.
Luffy smiled.
Because Law liked his smile.
So he had to smile.
Smile, smile, smile, smile…
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter fifty-five: Fishman Island

Fishman Island
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (32.5) 18.5 Law: (38) 24 Ace/Sabo: 21 Zoro/Sanji: 20
Three updates again!!
Enjoy!!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FISHMAN ISLAND ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace grinned as he walked the path of Fishman Island with some of his crew and his two brothers
by his side. Luffy was going to arrive any day now. It was sort of a tradition between them brothers
to meet the younger as they arrived to the New World for the first time, though they all knew this
was far from Luffy’s first time at Fishman Island.
Law had done so for him, him and Law did so for Sabo, and now all three of them would be here
for Luffy.
“How much do you want to bet that Luffy’ll cause a war?” Sabo asked suddenly.
Law groaned, “I’m not taking you up on that.”
Ace blinked at a sudden realization, “You’ve already lived through this, so does he?”
“I think he mentioned something about a rebellion, yes,” Law said, looking over to them with a
frown, “He also threatened Big Mom for the first time here.”
Ace honestly didn’t feel surprised. He yawned, “Really? That’s mild for Luffy.”
Sabo snorted, rolling his shoulders, “Yeah. I thought he’d like, I don’t know, challenge every
Yonko to a duel.”
Law smiled at them, a slow and amused grin.
“Of fuck, of course he did!” Sabo laughed, throwing his hands up, “Why am I surprised?”
Ace shook his head, “That’s our Loof.”
“Hey! Ace! Sabo! Torao! Hey!” the loud shout and the slapping of sandals brought their attention
to the teenager waving at them, Queen Otohime herself and Fisher Tiger, Jimbe, and the Straw
Hats following after him.
Ace grunted when a rubber hand shot out, grabbing his shoulder, and grinned as Luffy latched onto
Sabo’s shoulder with his other hand, shooting himself forward. Law, who was in the middle of
them, sighed in fond amusement just before the impact.
“Luffy!” they all yelled, wrapped up in rubbery limbs.
“Shishishishi! It’s been forever!” Luffy laughed, letting go of the hug after a long moment.
Ace saw something pass through Law’s eyes when he laid eyes on Luffy.
“Feeling nostalgic?” Law asked with a hum.
Luffy laughed, “I don’t know what that means, but sure!” he agreed.
“What?” Sabo asked, looking between them.
“This is what Luffy-ya wore when he first headed into the New World,” Law explained, eyeing the
open red shirt their brother (well, and Law’s lover) wore.
“So he liked showing his titties like Ace?” Sabo asked teasingly.
“Oi, my tits are great, you’re just jealous.” Ace shot back, grinning.
“Smoker’s tits are the best,” Sabo said adoringly.
“I have to disagree.” Law said blandly.
“Yeah, Torao’s chest is great.” Luffy said, smiling.
“You look too wholesome for this conversation.” Ace said bluntly, eyeing his brother’s wide grin.
“Yeah,” Sabo nodded, “But tattoos are pretty hot. So I guess we can agree Law has some nice
boobs.”
“I don’t have boobs.” Law said, rolling his eyes, “Did you get here fine, Luffy-ya?”
“Yep, shishi!” Luffy bounced over to him, pressing himself against Law’s side, and Law smiled at
him.
“Ew, love.” Sabo scoffed dramatically.
Law snorted, “Jealous much?”
“Oh, did I not tell you?” Sabo asked, perking up, “Me and Smoker are finally dating!”
“Oh? Congrats.” Law said, though they all knew everyone was aware of the fact that the middle
child was dating his long-time crush.
“Jimbe, nice to see you.” Ace grinned when the other group reached them. He gave a bow to the
Queen, “Queen Otohime.”
Everyone began to chatter to each other, the crew catching up with the brothers.
Everyone saw it when Luffy and Law smiled tenderly at one another and shared a light kiss, but
they pretended they didn’t. Not really private privacy did exist, after all.
Chapter End Notes
Up next: Chapter fifty-six: Food, Fasting

Food, Fasting
Chapter Notes
Food: Luffy: (28.5) 15 Law: (35) 22 Ace/Sabo/Kuina: 17-18 Zoro/Sanji: 17

Fasting: Ace/Sabo: 18-19, Zoro/Sanji: 18, Luffy: (29) 16 Law: (36) 23
Spoilers for beginning of Wano arc in “Food”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FOOD ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Ace came to with rope wrapped around his body. The knots weren’t tied tightly, it would be very
easy to escape, even without taking his Devil Fruit into the equation. But the moment Ace became
aware, the first thing he saw were people eating their food – women, children, men, elderly.
Ace stayed put, watching as the people who looked obviously starved ate all the food from his
ship. His crew didn’t move, doing as he did.
He was lucky in that regard, growing up. He had people who loved him, food that he could easily
capture. People were weaker than he was at Goa Kingdom, they were easy to steal from. So even if
he didn’t manage to catch that day’s dinner, he and his brothers could easily run to a shop and take
armfuls of food.
Ace didn’t know what it was like to wonder when his next meal would arrive, going days on end
without a meal. As a D, he needed to eat more than other people. He had several snacks a day, ate
large portions, and if he didn’t eat for a few hours, he’d already be losing weight. Luffy was even
worse than he was, needing snacks every hour, need even larger portions, and if he went without
food for a few days, he’d be a bag of bones by the second.
Law ate less than they did, but Zeff always made him snacks and Ace once heard Luffy comment
that “Torao isn’t so slim, now!” which told Ace (if he really looked into it, because at first he had
been so confused as to what his brother was talking about) that Law hadn’t been eating as much as
he should.
As a D, Ace ate a lot. He didn’t know what it was like to not be able to eat for days on end, but
every year, Luffy would do something that drove him absolutely mad growing up.
Every new year, Luffy wouldn’t let them eat for an entire two days (and the fasting would end on
Ace’s birthday, so they would celebrate with a feast – after dropping him into the monkey pits with
a small meal). It wasn’t that bad, in the long run, even if you counted in that they were all D’s
(even Sabo needing to eat more before he even took the name D.), but the thought of not being
able to eat had made Ace grouchy.
Luffy would always smile, “You need to know how to last a while! You never know when you’re
next meal is, at sea!”
Law would nod along, like that logic made any sense. Ace remembered how he and Sabo would
get a stick to the head whenever they tried to eat something behind their brothers’ backs.
Ace could last a few days without food, D or not, because you never know when your next meal is,
at sea. These people needed that food more than he and his crew did – they could always fish if
they needed to.
The moment all the food was gone, all the villagers stuffed, Ace smiled and let flames bite at the
ropes. Everyone jolted, fear in their eyes as Ace stood and ripped off the rest of the burning ropes.
“Have you had your fill?” he asked, bending his knees and looking a young girl in the eyes.
She nodded hesitantly and Ace smiled.
“Now you’re craving something sweet, right? Where can I get some desert for you all?” Ace
ruffled the girl’s hair just as he used to for Luffy.
He needed to get some desert for these people, and pronto!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ FASTING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Ace hasn’t eaten in a day.” Thatch said the moment Whitebeard and Haruta looked at him, their
conversation slowing.
Everyone on the deck looked at the man in horror.
Ace was known as the Ship’s Garbage Disposal because he’d eat anything. He never let food
waste, like the cooks always insisted, and would eat ungodly amounts of food. When the kid didn’t
show up for breakfast, Thatch had assumed he was still asleep, but then Ace showed up after the
breakfast rush and only asked for water.
No meat, no food, just water.
Thatch had assumed he was sick, but let Ace be, figuring he’d eat lunch.
Ace didn’t show up to lunch.
Then he didn’t show up to dinner.
Thatch has seen him chugging water the entire day, and he didn’t show up to breakfast at all today.
So, yes, he was very worried because no one went hungry on his watch!
“He hasn’t eaten anything?” Marco said, surprised and visibly worried. “Is he feeling well?”
Thatch would normally tease Marco about how he always a huge Mother Hen to his very obvious
crush, but he was too worried to do so. “Yeah, I haven’t seen him eat anything. I’ve kept an eye on
him too. He even skipped his nightly snacks.”
The last time Ace didn’t eat something was when he first joined their crew some months ago, and
Thatch had tried his hardest to get the rookie to scarf down some type of nourishment. This was
giving him unpleasant memories of when Ace would only glare and snarl at him whenever he
dared to mention food.
“Oi, Ace!” Haruta hollered, and said commander looked over to them, pausing his walk.
“Yo!” the teen said cheerfully, waving.
He had a book about lungs in his hands, and Thatch almost teased Marco about it, but managed to
keep it in. Now wasn’t the time, he reminded himself.
“Thatch says you haven’t eaten anything,” Marco said worriedly, raising his hand to press it to
Ace’s forehead the moment he got close enough. Ace’s face flushed and he stared at Marco in
surprise, “Are you feeling well?”
“Y-Yeah?” Ace coughed, “I’m fine?”
“Then why haven’t you eaten, Son?” Whitebeard asked, eyes searching.
“Oh, did I not tell you guys?” Ace asked, tilting his head, “I’m fasting. Me and my brothers do it
every year.”
Everyone raised their eyebrows, “You fast?”
“Yeah, Loof started it,” Ace grinned, “He says it’s to build up our resistance because life at sea is
unpredictable! Law agreed so of course we had to do it. Huh, now that I think about it, I don’t
actually have’ta do it anymore.” Ace looked thoughtful for a moment, “We usually have a huge
feast on my birthday, after the fast. So I guess I’m still used to that.” He said shyly, rubbing his
neck.
“Your birthday,” Thatch said slowly.
“Your birthday is soon?” Haruta yelled, surprised.
“Yeah?” Ace tilted his head.
“Why didn’t you tell us!?” everyone yelled.
“You guys didn’t ask!” Ace laughed, “I’m turning nineteen this year!”
“Oh my baby, he’s so young!” Haruta pinched his cheeks, “Marco, you’re a cradle robber!”
“Cradle robber?” Ace asked, confused, “What’s that?”
Marco sputtered.
Art, Surprises, Luffy
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (32.5) 18 Law: (38) 24 Ace/Sabo: 21 Zoro/Sanji: 20
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ART ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Uh, what the hell is that?” Thatch asked, “Do you all see this too?”
Everyone looked at the oddly shaped Marine Ship that was floating past them, the thing stacked
oddly with people on it. The marines were screaming, their bodies looking weird.
“Does that guy have a foot where his head should be?” Izou asked, eyes wide.
“Oh, that’s Torao’s art!” Ace gasped from besides them, looking at the marine ship with stars in
his eyes.
“What.” The two commanders deadpanned. “Did you just call that art?”
“Yeah, Torao has weird taste in art.” Ace agreed, before he turned back to the marines, “OI,
WHERE’RE YOU COMING FROM!?”
“It’s the Whitebeards!” one of the…heads sobbed.
“No, we can’t deal with them! Trafalgar messed us up!” another cried.
“Trafalgar’s at the island over, go take care of him, not us!” the third yelled.
“Grandpops!” Ace turned to Whitebeard with a pout.
“Gurarara, head to the next island!”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SURPRISES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
The Moby Dick anchored at an abandoned island three hours later. The Polar Tang was bobbing in
the sea, above water, with Heart Pirates bustling about. Some were chopping at trees, others were
staring fires, some hunting, all chatting and doing something. The Whitebeard Pirates were given
waves, a few shouted greetings, but for the most part they were brushed off.
“Yo! Ace!” Penguin grinned brightly, a knife clasped in his hand and animal skin in his other,
“Just in time, we’re making stew!”
“Stew!” Ace drooled.
Penguin’s stew was honestly the best thing Ace ever ate growing up – though he’d never tell Zeff
that or he’d get a foot to the face and a “That brat still has a hundred years before he can cook at
my level!”
“Captain Law, the Whitebeards are here!” Ikkaku yelled, grinning as she planted a basket of
clothes in front of Jean Bart, who seemed very concentrated on sewing a large whole on a shirt
closed.
Law walked out of the Polar Tang after a moment, both crews mingling and Ace talking to Shachi,
assisting in starting the fire because, duh, he’s made of fire so it’s easy.
“Saw your art,” Haruta said plainly.
“Oh?” Law questioned, smirking slowly.
Ace rolled his eyes, “Yeah, it was strange even for you.”
“It was a present.” Law said, footsteps light as he walked over to him. “How’re you, brother?”
“Fine and dandy!” Ace chirped, “Bet I can kick your ass now!”
“Forty years too early for you to kick my ass,” Law drawled, and Ace snorted.
He always forgets that his brother is mentally an old man (though he was technically young when
the usual lifespan (for people who weren’t criminals and were healthy) was in the hundreds).
Ace grinned sharply, and Law sighed softly, handing his sword over to Bepo. His brother cracked
his knuckles, DEATH thick on his fingers and they stared at one another for a moment.
Ace shot forward, raising his fists, Haki tinting his skin.
A hand grabbed his face, Haki thrumming in the area, and he was slammed into the ground a
second later.
Law really was fast when he wanted to be…
“Damnit!” Ace grumbled.
“That was fast,” Thatch snickered, “Yo, Law, it’s been a while.”
“Yeah,” Law dipped his head in greeting, “We’ll probably need more food. I’ll go get some more
animals.”
“Oh, I’ll come!” Ace cheered, wiping at his bloody nose, and Marco sighed softly.
Soon enough a small group of Heart and Whitebeard pirates descended into the forest, bets floating
around about who would catch the most.
(Law and Ace did, obviously. They were an unstoppable hunting team.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ LUFFY ⋅.} ────── ⊰
They had been in the middle of cooking when the door to the Polar Tang opened and a boy walked
out, yawning, and rubbing at his eye with a long sleeve to a very familiar sweatshirt. Everyone saw
how Ace gaped at his younger brother as Luffy looked over to them.
“Ace!” he chirped, face brightening as he skipped over to them.
“L-Luffy!” Ace said in surprise, “I didn’t know you were here! Man, it’s been so long since I’ve
seen you!”
“Shishishi! Yeah!” Luffy wrapped him into a rubbery hug before looking at the stew over his
shoulder.
“Don’t drool on me, damnit!” Ace laughed, and Luffy pouted at him.
“I’m so hungry~!” he whined.
“Aren’t you supposed to be training with Rayleigh?” Ace asked the question on all the
Whitebeards’ minds and Luffy laughed.
“He wanted to go see Shakky and Torao picked me up for the week.” The captain explained, “I’ve
missed Torao, so it worked out.”
Luffy unwrapped Ace from his rubbery hug, and Marco watched as the teen beamed and skipped
over to Law, who raised his arm without looking away from his conversation with Vista. Luffy
snuggled into his side, Law’s arm dropping to wrap around his shoulder, and Ace sputtered.
“Oh my God, Law you didn’t even try to tell me Luffy was here!” He accused.
“Luffy-ya was sleeping,” Law smirked at them slowly.
“Yeah, Torao kept wanting another round!” Luffy laughed.
Ace sputtered, much like everyone else, “I didn’t want to know that!”
“So did Penguin,” Law said, shrugging.
“Law, what the fuck.” Ace said, glaring.
“Of course Peng wanted another round!” Ikkaku threw her hands up, “Do you know how much
money I lost to you all?”
“I wanted to win my money back,” Law said, and Luffy snickered at him.
Penguin laughed mockingly, and Shachi snickered. “Everyone knows that Peng is the best at
poker.” Shachi said, “That seems like your fault.”
“I hate you.” Ace said dully. “You worded it like that on purpose.”
Luffy smiled not-so-innocently, and Law had the audacity to wink.

Scratch, Straw Hat
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (20) 7 Ace/Sabo: 10 Law: 14 (set before Law time-travels)
Three updates again XD I think that I miscounted my chapters in the document that
holds this fic, so the number of chapters might go down one or two, just a heads up.
Enjoy!!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ SCRATCH ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy wondered, sometimes, what had caused him to time travel.
For the most part, Luffy liked to not think about before. Before was dark, bloody, and it made him
seize up. His breaths would quicken, and his vision would blur, his skin growing sweaty and
clammy, yet his body felt cold. But then that would burn, and then his body would feel like it was
flooded with molten lava.
He didn’t have his scar anymore, yet sometimes he could still feel the itch – the burn.
People have noticed, Luffy knew, that he would dig his fingers into the fabric of his shirt and itch,
itch, itch. Law – and Seas did it hurt to looked at Torao, but not his Torao – had even made Luffy
sit while he inspected his chest, trying to find a reason for why Luffy would scratch.
“It’s itchy,” Luffy would say because he always had and Torao had always understood, locking
their fingers together and requesting that he stopped messing with the scar.
This Torao didn’t understand, wouldn’t hold Luffy’s hand tenderly and worry. This Torao would
scowl and mutter under his breath while poking at Luffy’s skin before deducing it might be the
fabric of his shirt causing the itchiness. Luffy would smile, laugh, and nod, but his chest would
burn.
Because this Torao wasn’t his Torao.
This Torao fondly saw him as a nuisance, younger brother. This Torao hadn’t fought by his side,
hadn’t save his life and saw him while he was so, so weak.
(This Torao hadn’t woken up in the dead of the night, coaxing him out of a nightmare. This Torao
didn’t smile at him lovingly, caress his cheek with rough fingertips, kiss him tenderly like it would
be the last time to do so because for them it could have been.
This Torao was alive while Luffy’s Torao was dead–)

Luffy knew this Torao would never be his. And even if Law did love him, even if he did want to
lay himself bare, sharing all his secrets, even if he wanted to caress Luffy’s cheeks and smile at
him lovingly and kiss him like it would be the last time to do so, and even if he wanted to hold
Luffy, share whispers in the dead of the night because one of them couldn’t fight the nightmares by
themselves anymore–
Even if this Torao wanted to be his, Luffy wouldn’t want it.
Because this Torao would never be his Torao, would never have those memories.
Just like this Ace wouldn’t die in his arms, wouldn’t know what it was like to hate himself,
wouldn’t know what it was like to lose a brother.
Just like this Sabo would never know what it was like to lose his memories, wouldn’t remember
his life before it was too late and he lost a brother tragically, wouldn’t have to find the youngest
and thank him for living.
Ace and Sabo would always be his brothers, those experiences or not. They weren’t like Torao;
they didn’t need to remember to always be his brothers. Torao has always been special, and it hurt,
it hurt so much, but Luffy has survived, and he will continue to survive because they needed him
to.
Luffy would smile even as his chest burned and itched, and he would survive.
He’s always been a survivor.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ STRAW-HAT ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“You’re heading to Dawn?” Luffy asked the Den-Den in front of him as he swung his feet.
He had wandered down to Makino’s bar when he woke up. The sun had barely started to rise at the
time, and by the time he made it down the mountain, Makino had been awake and sewing a shirt
Luffy had instantly recognized as Sabo’s while eating her breakfast. She had smiled the moment he
entered, bright and kind and loving, and started breakfast for him even though Luffy could see that
she was worried as to why he was awake so early.
“I want to talk to Shanks,” Luffy had explained, smiling, and Makino had smiled at him and
handed him a glass of juice.
She had talked to Benn for a moment, laughing as she wrapped her finger around the cord, before
Shanks wandered over to the Den-Den. “We can talk later,” Makino had said kindly and Benn had
agreed with a smile.
(Talk meaning “gossip” in this case.)
That was when Shanks informed them that they were close to the Red Line – they’d be here in a
month or two. Rayleigh had apparently joined them, though he disappeared for a swim some
minutes ago, and Luffy had felt a twinge of affection when he thought to his old mentor – a man
who he thought of as nakama.
“Do you want your hat back?” Luffy asked, quiet.

The hat has been a part of him for almost twenty years, but he could part. He knew how important
the hat was to Shanks, so he wouldn’t keep that from him.
“I’m a great pirate now, I finished our promise.” Luffy added when the line went quiet.
“No,” Shanks said, and then he smiled, “No, that hat is yours, Anchor.”
And Luffy sniffled, because that hat was all he had left, in a way.
“I’ll take good care of it,” he whispered shakily, and Shanks laughed.
“I know you will, kiddo.”

Ope Ope no Mi, Nightmares
Chapter Notes
Ope Ope: Luffy: (20) 7 Law: 14 (before Law time traveled) Rosinante: 26
Nightmares: Luffy: (32.5) 18 Law: (38) 24 Ace/Sabo: 21 Zoro/Sanji: 20
⊱ ────── {.⋅ OPE OPE NO MI ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy had to hurry. His Observation Haki wasn’t the greatest at the moment, unrefined, untrained,
and it wasn’t all that reliable. He was simply using it to find that one painfully familiar presence.
Law had told him of this day, so Luffy didn’t need his Haki to be refined, perfect, practiced.
Snow crunched under his feet, breath fogged around him, and the cold bit at his elastic skin in an
uncomfortable way. Luffy liked the snow, of course, it was much nicer than fire but he was less
stretchy when he was cold. However, none of that mattered.
All that mattered was getting Law and Cora-san away from here, safe and sound.
Luffy wasn’t a hopeless optimistic, wasn’t naïve, anymore. He was harsh and broken. The world
had broken him down and he stubbornly built himself back up. He knew how the world – the
marines – were.
A group of three, no four marines were approaching his right. One more lagged behind, a small,
terrified presence nearby. Luffy’s jaw clenched, and he sped up, snow flying up as he hurried to
Law.
He knew this scene.
“Torao!” he shouted, tears falling from his eyes, and they were realer than he’d like at the moment.
He lunged at Law, taking him down onto the snowy ground just as the boy went to speak to Vergo.
“Torao I was so scared!” he sobbed, holding onto Law and taking the message from his hand.
Law sputtered, and he was weak, so very weak. Luffy hated it, hated it so, so much but it was
going to be okay. He was going to make everything better.
“Torao!” Luffy cried louder, blocking Law’s refusals easily. “Thanks Mr. Marine!” he sniffled,
pulling Law’s face into his chest, holding him there even as Law struggled weakly against him, “I
couldn’t find Torao, I was so scared!”
“I see,” Vergo said, voice calm but seemingly trying to hold a concerned edge.
“Gramps is already with the marines,” Luffy sniffled, pulling Law up, “We have to go! Bye Mr.
Marine!”
“What the fuck are you doing?” Law hissed weakly as Luffy pulled them away from the confused
Vergo.
“He’s with Doflamingo,” Luffy said quietly, “Where’s Cora-san, we need to get out of here!”
“Doflamingo,” Law sputtered, terror contorting his face, “You’re with Doflamingo?!”
Luffy blinked once, twice, “Vergo is? I’m not, I hate Mingo!”
Doflamingo hurt Law for so long, Luffy would hate that man for the rest of his life.
Luffy felt the spark of a presence he wasn’t familiar with coming from the direction Law had and
started to pull Law to it. Law tried to claw at his hand, cursing him even as he burned with fever, as
he grew weaker.
“Torao, I need you to trust me,” Luffy said, and he knew it was difficult for his lover Law to do so.
But he needed to get Law to calm down, get him and Cora-san off the island, and get them out of
there.
Law glared at his back the entire time, but Luffy led them to a giant man, black feathers
surrounding him and blood on snow.
He was alive, and Luffy would be damned if he didn’t stay that way.
“Shishishi! Hiya Cora-san!” Luffy chirped as the man’s mahogany eyes blinked open, “Let’s get
you out of here.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ NIGHTMARES ⋅.} ────── ⊰
When Luffy woke, he was pleasantly sore. His neck throbbed lightly, his back and hips twinging as
he moved. The pain wasn’t really painful, like he said earlier, it was a pleasant feeling.
It also wasn’t what woke him.
A harsh breath reached his ears, warmth hitting his skin, and Haki-infused fingers tightened on his
wrist as Law spasmed. That was what woke him up.
“Torao,” Luffy murmured, voice scratchy. He cleared his throat before continuing, “Torao, wake
up,”
He shifted slowly in Law’s arms, careful of making his movements slow and predictable. Law
might be asleep, but Luffy was no fool. They both were used to snapping awake and attacking
instantly, even after years of not having to do that to such an extent.
Law’s face was contorted in pain, his eyebrows furrowed and frown deep. Luffy hated to see him
like this, even if he should have been used to the sight by now.
“Torao, wake up,” He said gently, raising his hand to massage Law’s eyebrow like he always did
for Luffy when he was frowning too much. “Treasure, please…”
Law’s eyes snapped open, gold wide and eyes shooting around widely. He sat up quickly, breaths
coming quick as he looked around. Luffy carefully reached up, taking Law’s hands in his, and Law
looked over to him quickly, panicked.
“It’s okay,” Luffy hummed, rubbing his fingers in circles over Law’s knuckles, “It’s okay, we’re
okay.”
“Lu-ya,” Law said hoarsely.
“I’m here,” Luffy agreed, staring into the gold he adored so much. “I’m here, Torao.”
Law closed his eyes tightly, nodding jerkily. Luffy trailed his hands up Law’s arm, making sure
Law was aware, before cupping his cheek. Law leaned into him, breath stuttering, and Luffy lowly
pulled Law closer to him until Law was bent awkwardly, his face resting on Luffy’s chest and in
his arms.
This wasn’t exactly how Luffy wanted to spend his and Law’s few days together before they got
back to training and plotting, but he was thankful to be here when Law needed him.
It was quiet for a moment, the only sounds being Law’s harsh breathing, before Luffy started to
hum. He hadn’t ever heard the song before, the thing being something he made up during one of
those nights where Law had been asleep all day and he worriedly watching over him as the Sunny
rocked in the cave, he had hid them in.
The next morning, Law had asked him to sing it again, and Luffy obliged. They both found that it
was an easy way to calm Law down, much like Law just being present managed to coax Luffy out
of his own mind some days.
Slowly, breaths evened, grips loosened, and then Law fell lax in his arms.
“I thought I was getting better,” Law whispered bitterly.
Luffy let his head fall back, staring at the ceiling, and let his fingertips glide over the tattoo on
Law’s back.
Luffy was always so disappointed in himself whenever those thoughts rose – Law’s or his own –
because they never failed to remind him of how broken he was.
Luffy and Law were broken.
The world had ruined them.
But Luffy needed to be strong, needed to stay whole, because everyone needed him to. Law needed
him to be strong, and Law would always help him stay strong.
Luffy didn’t smile, didn’t reassure Law that they were getting better because they both knew it
would be false. Instead, Luffy held Law tighter and whispered just a few words.
“Torao is my precious treasure, no matter what.”
And Law choked, a broken sob leaning his throat, and Luffy held him.
Sometimes, they didn’t need to be strong.

Marine, Pirate King
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (40) 20, Law: (47) 27, Ace/Sabo: 23
⊱ ────── {.⋅ MARINE ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Sabo let his Devil Fruit rise, smoke taking over his back as he was shot at. He dashed across the
courtyard in of the marine base, grinning sharply as he parried an attack with his pipe. He had
places to be, Luffy was going to be at Laugh Tale tomorrow and Sabo would be damned if he
wasn’t there to see his baby brother become the king (again). But he also wanted Smoker to be
there with him.
The marines were guarding corrupt people and Sabo has seen this for years, but Smoker was just
having doubts recently. Sabo didn’t want to plan his lover’s future, didn’t want to whisper doubts
into his ears so he would leave the marines and be with him, so he sat back and comforted Smoker
when he needed it. But this morning, Smoker had called, and Sabo had been overjoyed to hear that
the marine wanted out.
“Smokey, darling!” Sabo sang happily when Smoker appeared in front of him, whisps of smoke
forming his body as their weapons clashed. “Are you ready to become a pirate?”
Smoker smirked at him sharply, “Never been readier.”
Sabo grinned, laughed, and struck quickly, knocking his lover out and hoisting him up on his
shoulder. “Too-dalo!” he saluted the marines before heading to the exist, cackling the entire way.
They could be together now, and he was so, so happy.
(He paused before leaping away from the marine base, smirking as he showed his claws and hit the
core.
The marine base rumbled and cracked and Sabo ran away from the destruction with a grin.)
⊱ ────── {.⋅ PIRATE KING ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy grinned as he looked at the paper, the title declaring his name as King of the Pirates loudly.
Around him, his family partied, drinks being poured, food cooking over bonfires, music, and
dancing.
It was something he hadn’t been able to experience the first time around and it felt bittersweet.
Seeing them all happy about achieving his and Robin’s goal, getting close to achieving their own
dreams, it was…nice. It was really nice. But he couldn’t help but wonder if this celebration
would’ve been similar to the one they would have had before.
But Ace would not be there, nor would Cora-san and all the friends they’ve made because of their
jump through time. Luffy smiled at the party; a part of him was glad that he never experienced one
before because this was all he would ever need. This was all he wanted.
An arm wound it’s way around his waist, and Luffy leaned onto Law. They were quiet for a
moment, Law sipping on his drink as Luffy munched on some meat on the bone, and even with the
party around them, it felt sort of peaceful. It felt like home, and it was nice.
“We did it,” Luffy said.
He didn’t need to explain that he wasn’t talking about becoming the Pirate King. Law always
understood what he meant.
“We did,” Law agreed.
We kept them safe, this time.
Because things were so different now. It wasn’t just Luffy and Law and their crews against
warships upon warships. In fact, there were no warships, there were no admirals, there were no
marines – all the ones presents being former ones.
When Luffy tilted his head back, Law met him halfway and kissed him. Their lips moved together
slowly, unrushed and Luffy could feel the love so much it made him feel like crying. Law was
okay, he was going to live just like everyone else will. Rough hands cupped his cheeks gently,
holding him like Luffy was something made of glass, like he wasn’t an Emperor of the Sea – and
he found that he loved being weak with Law.
“I love you,” Luffy said because he could, and because he wanted to.
“I love you too,” Law replied earnestly.
And that…that was all that they needed.

The End
Chapter Notes
Luffy: (40) 20, Law: (47) 27, Ace/Sabo: 23
So...wow. This fic has reached it's end. Wow. I honestly never thought it would get
this big; it was originally a one shot! But we all know me and my lack of control XD I
will be working on The Other Life a lot more now that this fic is completed (and my
Give me Chaos one only having one chapter left). I will probably make more fics for
this one like I had for The Other Us (I think it was called) so stay tuned!
There is a link to a discord channel I made with my friends in the end notes, come
check it out!
Enjoy!
⊱ ────── {.⋅ THE END ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Luffy blinked awake slowly, mind foggy and slow to process. The wooden roof that met his eyes
hadn’t been the one he usually woke up to – the roof of the Sunny in the Captain’s quarters. He
traced the lines in the wood with his eyes, yawning quietly.
In his arms, Law muttered something incoherent, twisting further into him, and Luffy twisted onto
his side. He wrapped his free arm around his lover, burying his nose into the unruly locks. The
island they were staying at was one of Law’s, a place that’s been under his territory for a while
now. His, Law’s, their fathers’ and their brothers’ crew were all stopping here, which had caused
quite the ruckus with the Navy.
Four Emperors and a crew with a captain called the Dark Emperor (who was the unofficial fifth
Emperor of the Sea) caused quite the concern for the world but the Navy had been smart enough to
stay away.
Luffy ran his fingertips down Law’s back, tracing the tattoo on his back before following the dips
of his spine. His lover hummed low in his throat, curving closer onto him, and Luffy smiled.
“Morning,” he said softly.
Law pressed a kiss to his chest wordlessly, eyelashes fluttering against tan skin.
“Good morning, Pirate King,” Law murmured a few minutes later.
Luffy grinned, pride puffing at his chest. This time when he had been named the King of the
Pirates, there had been no war, no eradication of the pirates. There had been a celebration between
all the Yonko – and the soon to be named fifth – that had kept the Navy from acting.
“D’you think Sabo’s gonna be named the fifth soon?” Luffy asked curiously, thumbing at a tattoo
on Law’s lower back – a straw hat.
“Probably,” Law said, “After what he did on the way here? They’d be insane not to.”
“Shishishi, right,” Luffy giggled quietly.
He had never expected to ever be at peace, even in moments like these, where he and Law could
simply be. He had never expected he’d be at peace with the world. But he was, now.
“Did you enjoy last night’s party?” Law asked.
Luffy smiled, “I say we should continue it today,” he said cheerfully.
“I like my liver, thanks,” Law said dryly.
“I didn’t mean that celebration, Torao,” Luffy said, grinning cheekily.
Law hit him.
They also didn’t leave their room for an hour, Law wearing a feathered collar and Luffy snickering
as he adjusted his cloak. His brothers gagged behind them, but life was good. It was so, so good.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“Torao,” Luffy whispered hoarsely, “One day, we should see the entire world together.”
Law smiled sadly, he was dying, they wouldn’t be able to do that, yet Luffy held his hand tighter.
“Yeah,” he said anyways, “We should.”
“Where are we headed, Pirate King?” Law asked, grinning at his lover.
Luffy beamed at him, “Lets see the entire world, Torao!”
End Notes
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, let me know~! I love reading comments :D
Thank you so much for following this fic <3
Twitter: Vallm05
A few friends and I have a discord channel, come say hi!
https://discord.gg/2aDD5YTUm9
~Vallmo
Works inspired by this Trouble!

one Cora-san has a date?! by justabisexualmess, About love, death
threats and family by justabisexualmess
Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!

The Life Before My Eyes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Life Before My Eyes

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Life Before My Eyes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Life Before My Eyes

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/36553846.

The Life Before My Eyes

And then he woke up.

I don't even know XD

See the end of the work for more notes

He found the One Piece.

They just had to find it.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

So…why was he looking at his brothers? His brothers as kids?

“The hell, Luffy?!” he yelled, Sabo stirring besides them.

“Oi!” Sabo barked.

“Luffy, why not?” Sabo asked instead.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“We were so worried!” Sabo added.

“Shishishi! Sorry!” Luffy smiled sheepishly, “They were in trouble.”

“Torao’s a doctor!” Luffy said, like that helped any.

“Torao is my responsibility.” He said, firm.

Judging by the kid’s deadpan, he noticed that too.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“Who is it?” Shanks asked, grinning as he was handed the receiver.

Luffy wouldn’t call unless he was in some real danger, he knew.

“Anchor, what’s wrong?” He asked in a rush.

“I time traveled.” The kid said, completely serious.

“What?” Shanks asked flatly.

“Executed?” Shanks choked. “What, why!?”

Shanks tried to understand the word vomit.

But, holy shit, Luffy actually did it.

“Okay,” Shanks swallowed, “And you called me because…?”

He was still processing, don’t judge.

“I need a favor.” Luffy said.

Shanks’ heart warmed, “I’ll visit soon, Anchor.” He promised.

“Let’s party twice as hard! Luffy’s promise was fulfilled!”

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“What’s Haki?” Sabo leaned forward.

Law frowned, “Why can’t you teach us all three?”

“Ha!” Ace smirked, pride in his gaze.

Ace frowned, “I can use that Haki?”

Luffy grinned, “Follow me!”

“Oi, you ate all the boar!”

“Just follow me!”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“Are you ready to learn!?”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Law wondered what his little brother always seemed to know.

“I’ve never seen it before.” He said plainly.

Ace snorted tiredly, “Luffy logic.”

“Luffy logic.” Sabo agreed.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“Hiya Zoro!” the kid chirped, beaming at him.

Did the kid just…

Zoro wasn’t any better.

“Zoro,” Torao, apparently, said, “Care for a spar?”

“Zoro, join my crew.”

“Why would I want a weakling as my captain?” Zoro asked bluntly.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“Shishishi!” Luffy threw his arms out, “Zoro is really strong!”

Zoro squinted, “And what is that?”

Law smirked lazily, shrugging, “I don’t see why we should.”

“I call dibs on the big guy!” Sabo said loudly.