This is a new series I created with the help of a friend I met at Ikkicon, tumblr name unusualjuggernaut. She's going to be drawing some cover art for each of the stories. I'm not sure if I want to separate all the stories or keep the series together in one since they're all supposed to be relatively short, like tiny arcs I guess. I dunno, help me out here. Anyway, it's going to be fun!

Credit to unusualjuggernaut for a good portion of the ideas for the series, as well as her art which I hope to put links to, the image for this story is from her.


He hadn't been on the island for more than five minutes and somehow he was already finding himself trouble, which was unusual for his usual stops. Normally, people stayed well away from him, as by now he was well known with a two hundred million Beri bounty on his head, and known for his absolute cruelty.

But for some reason, the people here didn't fear the name of Trafalgar Law, the infamous Surgeon of Death.

Correction, MOST of the people did, but they also seemed to be afraid of something else and THAT was the reason they avoided him.

Especially after he killed the annoying group of gangsters that dared try and steal from him.

It was completely their fault. He had been trying to gather information on when the Log Pose would set, and after learning it would be a solid four days before they could move on, he switched to finding a place for them to stay in and learning where they could buy the necessary supplies they would need, both to restock and for the course of their stay. However, as he was walking out of the inn near the docks, rooms secured, and on his way to check on his crew, about four or five – he didn't bother to keep count – random guys decided it would be smart to surround him and demand his money. He was about to snap that he would give them no such thing and was planning on just walking away when one recognized his face and decided they would try and take him down for the bounty, also spouting something about their boss having a grudge against him, he really didn't care.

As if a man worthy of two hundred million would lose so easily.

So, naturally, he killed them. Mostly out of annoyance for getting in his way and continually trying to order him around. A few witnesses, but he didn't really care…until suddenly everyone started avoiding him like the plague when before they were willing to at least comply with his wishes to avoid a fight. Even the inn keeper kicked them out and his men were disappointed to learn they'd have to stay on the submarine instead of getting warm beds for a few days. It got hard to get supplies as well, forcing their hand to threatening when people tried to shut them out.

"Jeez, what did we do?" Penguin grumbled as he leaned over the railing of his ship.

"Yeah, they were just fine with us before, if a little timid." Shachi nodded in agreement as he stood next to his friend. "Ya know, the normal way people act around pirates. Now suddenly everyone thinks we're going to kill them just by looking at them."

Nearby, Law wondered to himself if his earlier encounter with those gang men had anything to do with this new attitude. Was it really so surprising that pirates would kill people attacking them? Perhaps it was the way he killed them…most people did seem to find it disturbing when he used his ability on his opponents. He wasn't known for his mercy, after all. He was known for the exact opposite…but he hadn't really done anything worth kicking them out for. It was a quick death compared to most of his fights…so why was everyone suddenly so utterly terrified? If they were so scared of him, why would they risk his anger by avoiding him and not giving him what he asked for…Hell, he was even willing to pay since they had to stay for four whole days!

That meant they feared something else, not him. His actions must have brought about this fear; he just couldn't understand the reason behind it yet. The men he fought with were part of some gang…but again, he didn't bother to remember anything besides the fact that they were in his way. Perhaps this gang had a bad reputation here, and he had brought on something bad by attacking them. It was the only thing that made sense. So then, if they wanted their stay here to be at all pleasant, he better figure out what this gang was and deal with them so the people would stop avoiding them. Once they took out the threat, the people would go back to being timid but compliant.

He would worry about that tomorrow, though, as it was already late and he was sure the gang would be on the move at that time, making people even less likely to help him if he tried to get information, not to mention cause more trouble for him should they try to corner him again. Law sighed while in his room and ran a hand through his hair, wondering why this was happening to him now of all times. What would make some silly gang brave enough to stand against him anyway? Once a pirate reached a bounty of about fifty million, island gangs and bandits tended to back off from trying to fight them. He had two hundred million, so why were they so confident they could win?

In the morning, he had Bepo follow him as he went out to get information on this island's gang, wanting to stop the problem before it got too big. His loyal first mate carried his sword and kept an eye out for danger, though Law was hardly worried.

He met with little success, the people still steering clear of him. He managed to get some stuttered answers from a few before they bolted, and his annoyance was slowly growing with each failed attempt. All he knew was this gang kept their base hidden deep within the city further inland and was rumored to have connections with one of the Seven Warlords, making them untouchable. The latter part made him even more interested in this gang, wondering who would risk being connected to a gang while working for the Marines. Then again, it could just be something this gang made up to protect themselves…whoever the Warlord was would probably be furious to know someone was using their name for false power.

"Um, Captain." Bepo's voice made the surgeon pause, curious as to why the polar bear sounded nervous.

"What?" Law turned towards him.

"There are a few kids following us." A white paw pointed a little further back, Law following the point.

Sure enough, four kids were tailing them from a daringly close distance, just a few feet behind Bepo with confident smirks. Three of them were boys, one of them looking older than the others and clearly the leader, hair a dark brown and eyes sharp hazel, while the fourth was a young girl just a little younger than the leader by the looks of her, her hair in tight black curls and her green eyes glaring at them. One of the younger boys also had midnight black hair, short and messy, and his eyes were different colors, the left being blue and the right black. The youngest boy had still fairly boyish brown eyes and short, dark umber hair.

"So there are…" Law mused aloud, a little confused as to why these brats would be following him. What irritated him were their expressions, as if they knew something he didn't and could hold it over him to keep themselves safe. Not likely…but while known for his cruelty, he wouldn't go so far as to kill children. That rubbed him wrong several ways.

"Is there something you need?" He asked the kids calmly, hoping he could get them off his back quickly and be done with it.

"Nothing from you, pirate." The one he had assumed to be leader spoke up, lifting his head high with a haughty tone to match, further irritating the Surgeon of Death.

"Then why, if I may ask, are you following me?" Some of his annoyance showed through in his tone and Bepo gulped nervously, worried for the children.

"Not telling!" The girl stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, we've got our own reasons!" One of the other boys, the black haired one, added on.

Seeing as it wasn't worth his time and he really didn't care, Law sighed and continued his earlier path with Bepo close behind, the children tailing him from their same distance with little snickers and whispers. He managed to tune these out and focus on his task, a skill he'd learned over many years of having to deal with noisy people, but it was when he noticed people now avidly avoiding him that he got annoyed again. Because it was the kids they were running from, not him. They'd take one glance at the brats and flee from sight. What REALLY got to him was the few that spared a glance of pity, PITY, in his direction as they fled.

Why the Hell should they pity him?

Now frustrated, as these kids were making it impossible to gather information, not to mention were making people pity him, a pirate, Law stopped and turned briskly towards the small group. They jumped back a bit, startled by his sudden movement.

"Who do you work for?" He snapped, knowing the only reason people would for some unknown reason be worried for him would be because these kids were part of some group and their presence meant he was a target…perhaps of the gang whose members he killed, even, which improved his mood a bit. If he could get them to talk, he'd have inside information.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" The youngest child flinched back, before returning to his confident posture. "We're following you because we want to, pirate!"

"Doubtful." Law muttered, mostly to himself, but the kids seemed to pale a bit even as they kept their confident looking poses. "I happen to be looking for information, but unfortunately the townspeople seem to be afraid of me. I suppose it makes sense, me being a pirate, but I never knew I terrified them so much."

"It's not YOU they're scared of, stupid, it's our Boss!" The girl snapped back, apparently offended by his words.

"Oh?" Law smirked in his usual sinister way, having got his answer. The kids all stiffened in surprise and horror. "So there is a Boss? And who would that be?"

"W-We're not telling!" The 'leader' snarled. "Just know our Boss is onto you, Trafalgar Law! Boss is not going to let you leave this island!"

"And why is that?"

"Boss has got a score to settle!"

"Ah, is this about the men I killed yesterday?"

"Y-yeah, that's right!"

"Well then, I suggest your Boss come find me and solve the problem in person, not send a bunch of street brats."

Law turned away and ignored their complaining as he set a brisk pace, forcing them to practically run with how far his long legs carried him. He frowned a bit now that they couldn't see, coming to a few conclusions on his own. The kid had stuttered when answering the question about whether the grudge was because of yesterday, looking unsure even, as if he'd never heard of that particular fight. In that case the kid was lying and the grudge was for another reason, but being a high bounty pirate there was a great many things he could have done to piss someone off, so it didn't really help him narrow down suspects. Them knowing his name didn't help either, anyone who'd seen his Wanted poster would know his name and face.

"Are we going back to the ship, Captain?" Bepo asked in a quiet voice so the children couldn't hear.

"No, not with them. If I'm right, and I usually am, they're keeping an eye on me for their Boss. That leads me to think he's busy, or perhaps he wants to know where my ship and the crew are to use them against me."

"Ah, so we're not going back because then they'd tell the Boss?"

"Exactly." He held his hand out and Bepo dutifully put the sword in his waiting grasp. "In any case, they seem to be focused on me. You return to the ship and tell the others to dive out of sight, everyone should have returned by now."

"What about you, Captain?" The bear asked worriedly.

"Wouldn't be the first time I was on my own." The surgeon gave a small, reassuring smile and patted the bear's head. "I'll keep these brats off track and deal with the boss. Shouldn't take too long."

"Alright, Captain." Bepo nodded and hurried off.

"Huh, hey! Where are you going!?" The boy with multi-colored eyes snapped as the bear moved away.

Bepo muttered an apology and his head hung low, but he didn't stop walking. As Law suspected, the kids didn't follow, though they looked irritated by his leave. The doctor wondered if there was a way to earn the favor of the children, have them reveal secrets. He wasn't one for being overly nice, though, and it would definitely look suspicious if they knew about him. It was probably better to keep with what he was doing and trick it out of them with wordplay.

"So where is your boss exactly, if you're the ones following me around?" Law turned towards the children briefly.

"None of your business." The lead boy replied smugly.

"Ah, how loyal of you, not giving information while you keep tabs on me." The doctor smirked.

"Yup." The boy nodded, before he paled as he realized his mistake just as Law chuckled.

"So you ARE watching me for your boss."

"W-well, that was obvious!" The child countered.

"You could have just been following me to earn favor, a volunteer job, but now I know this boss of yours ordered you to, which means that whoever they are, they're busy with something and need to have me watched so I don't leave."

The children shuddered nervously, meaning he was spot on with his prediction. But like the leader had said, that was rather obvious; he was just confirming it as fact. The important information was still hidden, like who exactly was after him and why. That would take a little more work, as now they were onto him and his silver tongue.

For now, he would throw them off by pretending to ignore them. Through the smaller town at port he travelled, occasionally pausing to look at things at random and check to see where his followers were. The group never changed, always just close enough to keep up even with his long strides, not even the slightest bit tired. He gave them credit for the effort, they were tougher than they looked, but children couldn't resist the want to fall asleep at some point while he was an expert at staying up for hours on end, sometimes even days, without even trying. So, as the day grew darker, he found somewhere to lounge as he waited for his stalkers to take the bait.

He did try to get information out of them as they easily took spots nearby within speaking distance, but as he thought they remained stubbornly silent, not even bothering to answer him this time. He'd admit that irritated him a bit. He didn't like to be ignored. All he had to go off of were their reactions, the shift in their bodies when he mentioned a theory or if they scowled more than before with narrowed eyes. Anything to give hints that he was right. Children couldn't help their body language.

"Perhaps this Boss is just jealous of my bounty." Law mused as if to himself, his eyes darting over to see how they responded.

They scoffed and rolled their eyes. So no, this was not a jealousy issue, though if it had been he would have been annoyed for having his time wasted.

"I doubt they would be a problem to fight anyway." He added on to his earlier comment with a well faked sigh of annoyance, still eyeing them from under his fluffy hat.

They bristled, suggesting loyalty to this Boss, but wisely remained silent. However, he caught the flicker of emotion in their eyes that followed their brief anger, and it gave a whole new meaning to that anger; fear. They feared this Boss, and so they felt Law was being cocky for not fearing him too, hence the anger. Interesting. Was he in for a tough fight? Or was it just the minds of children easily scared? Clearly whoever was in charge of these kids were absolutely cruel, and with them being still now, he could see light scars peeking out from under their clothing. He frowned at that; beating kids? He may be a pirate but that was just wrong. Kids couldn't do anything; there was no point in hurting them. Well, he supposed it was so they did their job without complaints…like torture, which he was not below doing, just not on children. He disliked this Boss already and didn't even know who it was yet.

Wait, he had no reason to dislike this person because of a few bratty children following him around. Mentally grumbling to himself, Law stopped probing for information and just waited for the kids to fall asleep as he knew they would, thinking to himself to keep himself awake.

It took until a little after midnight for them to finally go out, the hours of sitting around doing nothing, waiting for him to do something, finally hit them with enough boredom that they conked out for a nap, thinking he wasn't going anywhere as he also had his eyes closed and wasn't moving.

Law smirked and stood, stepping over silently to the four sleeping forms all huddled together for warmth. He could kill them and get rid of his problem…but again, even he found it beyond heartless to slaughter kids, especially when they were sleeping and completely defenseless. He may be known for his cruelty, but he wasn't a demon.

He just left them a little warning instead before leaving to the sub. It was disadvantageous to be forced to stay at sea while they waited for the Log Pose, but they had no choice, as even when he attempted to threaten the Inn keeper to give them rooms, he gave any and every excuse to keep him out before just begging Law to leave so he could avoid trouble. Scowling dangerously, the surgeon was tempted to take the place by force, but he had two more days of hanging around this island and it was already bad enough, he didn't need Marines coming after him because he got upset. But at least now he'd lost his stalkers, smirking on his way back to the ship as he thought of the 'present' he left for them. He doubted they would bother him again, no matter how much they feared their Boss.


Here's my chapter commentary! So yeah, kids following Law around, Law trying to figure out the reason but deciding to just leave 'em. Will they take his hint and leave him alone or keep coming? Let's find out! Enjoy!