Chapter 1
Kidd and Law

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Eustass Kidd flinched and took a small step back away from his raging father, who quite reminded him of a snarling pit bull with rabies at the moment. His father narrowed his eyes as he picked up a large piece of the small, and now broken, plate. Kidd kept his eyes trained on his shoes like he used to do as a child. It's not like he meant to break it... He just stumbled and it slipped out of his hands. Why couldn't they have left and ignored him like they usually do? He is perfectly fine and happy when they both act as if he isn't there.

Well...That's what he tells himself at least.

Kidd is broken out of his small musings when he feels a sharp pain in his stomach. He gasps in slight pain and looks down to see a shallow cut, bleeding profusely and staining his ratty and old, once white, t-shirt with a bright red that would soon set and turn into a color more befitting rust.

His father had thrown the fucking piece of broken glass at his stomach.

"Get out of my sight you worthless vermin!" His father glared down at Kidd, who held his bleeding stomach. "We're going out. I'll properly punish you tonight." He winced at the ominous threat and nodded numbly.

At least it wasn't right then. "Get out of here." Kidd turned and sped out of the living room. His mother hadn't said anything the whole time, just sat on the couch and watched with her nose up in the air like some piece of high and mighty royalty. Puh-lease.

Kidd ran up to his small room and pulled out the worn, but well-stocked, first aid kit from under his bed. He tugged at his shirt and gave a quiet hiss when the blood caused the fabric to stick to his wound. He hesitantly looked down at the cut. It really was shallow and wouldn't need stitches (thank God). He sprayed it real quick with anti bacterial spray and wrapped a bandage around his stomach as the cut was quite long even if it was shallow. This whole time Kidd ignored the fading greenish-yellow bruises covering his torso.

'Fuck my life,' Kidd thought bitterly as he threw his bloody shirt into the overflowing hamper. He really should do his laundry today, it's not like his parents would. A sudden beeping sounded throughout the room and Kidd pulled his old phone out of his pocket to read his newest text. It was from Killer, one of his best friends.

Killer: 'Hey, I'm hungry. Wanna go to the Baratie in the East Blue District? I'm buying.'

Kidd gave a small smile. Killer always bought him food, he knew Kidd didn't have any money to spend like that. He wasted no time texting back.

Kidd: 'Sure. Pick me up? Don't feel like walking.'

Killer: 'Fine, get ready. I'll be there in 10'

Kidd: 'K, see you in a bit.'

Kidd set his phone down and changed into tight blue jeans with tears in the knees, put a navy blue shirt on and slid his steam punk square goggles onto his forehead to hold his long scarlet locks up and out of his eyes. Kidd and Killer loved going to the Baratie because of all the fights that go on there. Everyone in the whole of Blue Sea City called it the fighting restaurant. You would almost always see a fight there. Whether it be between the cooks, a customer and a cook, or even just the customers. It was fun to eat your food and enjoy a good fight as entertainment. Sometimes Kidd and his friends didn't even order, they just hung around waiting for a fight.

Kidd grabbed his phone as he heard a loud honking from outside. He ran out of the rundown house of which he lived in and jumped into the passenger seat of Killer's blue sports car. He closes the car door as Killer started speeding down the street and out of the South Blue District. They made idle chit chat like friends do during car rides.

"Heat and Wire are meeting us there," Killer said casually. He paused for a few moments. "I saw you parents' car leave as I pulled up...You okay?" Killer knew some of what happened when Kidd's parents were around,but he just thought it was only yelling and threats. He didn't know about the rest and Kidd didn't plan on telling him anytime soon.

"Yeah," Kidd grumbled. "I'm perfectly fine." Killer looked like he didn't believe him and wanted to press the subject, but didn't, much to Kidd's relief. Killer always knew when to stop questioning him. It was one of the reasons Kidd like him so much.

After an awkward 5 more minutes of driving, they arrived at the East Blue District's Baratie. Heat and Wire were at the entrance waiting for them and they all walked in together, being immediately accosted by the smell of delicious food and two of the cooks fighting like always. A nervous waiter sat them at a table and handed them each a menu as they, along with everyone else, watched the fight. Another cook with a peg-leg came out and kicked the two fighting in their heads with said peg-leg. They stopped fighting and grumbled as they retreated to the kitchen. Slowly everyone went back to their meals. The group of teenagers looked over their menus, quickly ordering their food. The waiter skips away and the small group is left alone at their table to talk.

"You sure you're okay?" Killer looks at Kid in trepidation as Heat and Wire stay silent. They, like Killer, knew some but not everything about Kidd's home life.

"Yes," Kid answered shortly. Killer nods and purses his lips in thought.

"Wanna go torment Trafalgar Law after we eat?"

Kid smirked evilly. Oh, how he loved to bully the scrawny little nerd. "You read my mind." Heat and Wire simultaneously rolled their eyes at the other two. They wouldn't join in the tormenting but they wouldn't stop it either. Hey, it was a good show.


Trafalgar Law was currently chasing after his, frankly quite enormous, pet Samoyed, Bepo through the middle of the Grand Line District. Bepo had saw something that intrigued him and had broken free of his leash...again. So now Law was chasing after his stupid pet.

'Fuck my life,' he thought as he gasped for breath while he ran. Finally, Bepo collided with something...er..someone actually. Law caught up to his not so little runaway and keeled over to catch his breath with his hands on his knees.

"You okay kitten?" Law didn't even have to look up to see who Bepo had collided with. Only two people called him kitten...

"Don't call me that, Ace!" Law looked over to glare at his best friend, who lay flat on his back with a seventy pound dog nearly crushing his rib cage. Ace just gave a cute little pout that could melt any cold blooded heart, well, besides Law's that is. Law gave a small, quiet sigh and nudged Bepo off of Ace before helping said person up.

"Thank you very much kind sir," Ace made a dramatic bow as if Law was some sort of Nobleman to which Law rolled his eyes at.

"Yeah, yeah," Law turned and the two of them started walking with Bepo just in front of them.

"So guess what the newest rumor around school is," Ace had an evil grin on his face as he walked besides Law. Law sighed and rolled his eyes. Ace always knew the best gossip around their high school. Heard a rumor? Ace already knew it an hour in advance.

"What's the newest rumor Ace?"

"Shanks, the English teacher, and Mihawk, the French teacher, are supposedly banging," Ace began to snicker and made a lewd gesture with his hands, no doubt imagining who would top in his perverted mind...It's probably Mihawk.

"Really?" Law was actually a little surprise. Shanks and Mihawk were polar opposites, kinda like Law and Ace. Well if they were friends then Shanks and Mihawk could be fuck buddies, or whatever they were. Ace nodded enthusiastically and looped his arm through Law's.

"Really!" Ace smirked and Law just knew his best friend had concocted an evil plan. "Let's see if we can catch them in the act tomorrow!" Law sighs. He should have known.

"Fine, but if we get caught I'm throwing you to the wolves." Ace gave a little cheer and fist bumped the air upon hearing Law's agreement to his oh so ingenious idea.

After leaving the Grand Line district, Ace and Law bade each other farewell and went their separate ways: Law to the North Blue District and Ace to the East Blue District. The sun was setting and Law couldn't help but admire its beauty. He just stood there, staring at the sunset till the sun had completely disappeared over the horizon. Why didn't he watch the sunset more often? It was so peaceful and graceful.

Law heaved a great sigh as he heard two sets of footsteps behind him, interrupting his thoughts. He took the quickest of glances behind him and swore like a pirate. Just great, it was the bane of his existence, Eustass Kid and his lackeys. Law nudged Bepo, who had laid down when Law stopped walking, and they began to run the remaining few blocks home, taking a few sharp turns to shake off the stomping footsteps that followed him. As soon as his feet hit the welcome mat on the front porch of his large house, Law was kneeling over with his hands on his knees again and gasping for air as Bepo panted beside him. He knew they wouldn't dare jump him in front of his house. Once his breath was caught, he walked inside but not before glancing back for a sign of Kidd and his friends. He could see them glaring from across the street under the light of a street lamp. He suppressed a shiver at how the light made Eustass Kidd's face even creepier.

Law took no more than two steps inside when he felt a solid something slam into him and lift him high into the air, crushing the air from his lungs.

"Law! My poor baby! I was so worried when you were late coming home! Where have you been?!" Law groaned quietly and took a much needed gulp of air into his lungs.

"Cora-san!" Law hated the slight whine in his voice as he spoke. "I just got distracted is all. I'm fine."

Said Cora-san was one of Law's two guardians. Cora-san, whose actual name is Corazon, and his brother Doflamingo adopted Law and another girl, Baby 5 (odd name, right?),from an orphanage when they were very young. Law didn't know much about his parents, just that they and his birth sister died from a rare disease known as Amber Lead. Law had a single picture of himself as a toddler with his parents and infant sister tucked away in one if his favorite books on the overflowing bookshelf in the corner of his room. He often found himself staring at the picture and feeling odd and unknown things about the family he couldn't remember.

Law was brought out of his thoughts when Corazon put him down and a more masculine voice spoke from the couch a few feet away.

"He is almost 18, Corazon," his second guardian, Doflamingo, spoke up. "He's allowed to be a little late."

"I wish he could stay my little black kitten forever though," Corazon gave a quiet whimper. And this was where Ace had gotten Law's nickname from. He had been over at Law's trying to study with said best friend when Corazon had called them for dinner, using Kitten in place of Law's name. Ace had thought this adorable and since that day had called Law kitten more often than his actual name. Law hated it at first but slowly grew fond of Ace calling him kitten. Don't tell him that though.

Corazon was a typical stay at home parent, making sure Law and Baby 5 had everything they would ever need. Despite him always being home, their house...okay more like a mansion...was so large they could avoid him completely if they tried. Doflamingo, on the other hand, was a VERY successful actor who would often leave for weeks at a time because of his job. Of course only Law's closest friends knew THE Doflamingo was one of Law's guardians. If everyone knew then he would never have a peaceful moment. Doflamingo was currently working in a historical romance, playing as the King of Dressrosa. He was actually leaving again the next morning.

A burning smell filled the air.

"Oh! My meatloaf!" Corazon went running into the large and well stocked kitchen to try and salvage his burning meatloaf.