Ten years later:
Twenty-six year old Trafalgar Law stood in his bedroom, enjoying the quiet. The sun had just finished its daily journey from east to west, and only the stars and the crescent moon casted their rays through the open windows.
For once, the earl's quarters were vacant; no servants in sight and not a single wisp of the run of a mill concubines that Doflamingo loved to send Law's way to humour him. Or at least that was the king's excuse for the unwanted visitors that sometimes waited for Law, no matter how much his teasing smirk suggested otherwise. Regardless, it had been an arduous day, and Law had been happy to find his rooms perfectly vacant of pests.
Had he not had dinner plans - oh the joy - Law would have been tempted to simply enjoy the peace while it lasted. But then again, peace was a relative term.
"Law, you need to tighten the knot or that will not hold until we make our leave," Cora chided fondly, reaching to fix the silver sash that accentuated the midnight blue robes Law was wearing.
The clothes were a tad too lavish for his tastes, but Cora had picked them, meaning that protesting was a losing fight all in itself. They weren't particularly uncomfortable, as could be expected of a garb that had been made out of silk undoubtedly worth more than a regular miller earned in a lifetime, but even still they felt stiff and itchy against Law's skin.
"Give it a rest, will you?" he grunted, brushing off Cora's helping hand. "I don't need you to tie a goddamn ribbon, Cora-san, I'm not thirteen years old anymore."
"Oh, don't remind me," Cora said melodramatically and smiled. "You were such a cute kid, running around with dissected frogs and pelicans and what have you. And look at you now."
Law rolled his eyes, swatting away a second attempt at tinkering with his waistband. "I was not. Please focus, Cora-san, this is an important event."
His adoptive father shrugged with mock indifference and crossed his arms, leaning back to look at Law appraisingly. Law let it slide and spared an absent glance out the window that faced the main yard, face set in a scowl. He could see the steady flow of guests trickling towards the castle's main entrance, heading towards the ballroom to celebrate the king's forty-second birthday.
Doflamingo had the kingdom's treasury at his disposal and an insatiable hunger for both luxury and power, so the party, too, was nothing if not overly extravagant. Law had been spared from the preparations on the most part thanks to his obligations as a healer and a diplomat, but he had heard talks of delicacies being imported from as far as Alabasta, among other places. What a fine waste of money.
Law took a step toward the door, intending to summon a page to escort them to the ballroom, but Cora stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Wait, I have something I need to tell you."
Law halted and turned back to his adoptive father, quirking a curious eyebrow. Cora was fiddling with his lighter anxiously, eyes darting from Law to the window and the party.
"What is it?" Law asked seriously, and something in his words seemed to make a crack in Cora's otherwise impeccable shield of decorum and sarcasm. Concern and apprehension flashed briefly in his eyes, and Law could practically see the gears turning in Cora's head as the tension drained from him. Cora shook his head dismissively.
"On second thought, it's nothing, really. We can chat later. But for now, we are going to be late, Lawsie," Cora said. "How about you take a look at yourself and we can get moving? I'll call someone to come escort us."
While he was left puzzled by Cora's odd behaviour, Law decided against prying more into it; they were in a bit of hurry after all, and his adoptive father had a tendency to be overly dramatic. He'd probably thought of a funny joke or remembered some story he'd wanted to tell Law, and then changed his mind.
So Law nodded and turned to check his reflection in the mirror. A tall man clad in the finest fabrics Dressrosa had to offer that was staring back at him, and Law thought that the guy looked incredibly awkward in the flashy formalwear. He let out a resigned sigh and nodded his approval.
"Yeah, it looks just as shitty as I expected," Law griped, "Let's just get this over with."
Cora patted Law on the back encouragingly and together the Earl and the Duke of Dressrosa made their way to the ballroom, escorted by two servant girls dressed in simplistic dresses.
As they neared the main wing and the ball room, the ceilings grew higher and higher, creating an illusion of limitless grandeur and opulence to the otherwise rather narrow hallways. The walls were shrouded in thick silks and gilded embellishments, and Law rolled his eyes as they passed a bronze statue made of the king.
He was rather used to the extravagance of living in the castle, but he made a point not to take it for granted, not when he knew what having nothing was like. While the people outside the castle's walls were by no means badly off, money could have gone to much better uses than frivolous ornaments.
The pages lead the two noblemen to the Great Hall, offering a polite and clearly rehearsed bow before gesturing for Cora and Law to step through a pair of large wooden doors, into the ballroom that served as the setting for Doflamingo's birthday celebration.
The room was filled to the brim with mingling royals, nobles and ambassadors with drinks in hand and smiles in place. Loud music and cheery chatter filled the air, mixing with the scent of incense and spices. Something was roasting.
Cora excused himself as soon as they reached the dance floor, reminding Law to find him later and saying something about having to catch up with the royals of Alabasta. Law saw him moments later sitting at a table with an admittedly dashing blue haired teen and a dark haired older man. The King of Alabasta, if Law was correct in his assumptions.
Law made his way past the guests, exchanging the compliments and pleasantries he knew were expected of him. He talked about trading treaties with a representative of Sabaody Isles, met with a lower level noble from the Drum Kingdom, and chatted with the blue haired girl who indeed turned out to be the crown princess of Alabasta.
Eventually Law figured that he'd stalled for as long as he could, and reluctantly navigated through the masses to greet the king.
Doflamingo was seated in a large, comfortable chair in the furthest corner of the room, facing the dance floor and the stage. He leaned back as soon as he saw Law walking up to him to offer his best wishes, and Law could practically feel the king's soft chuckles reverberating in his spine. The feather clad man waved him closer, golden bracelets clinking melodically against each other.
"Law, my boy, how nice of you to join us. Please, take a seat," he said, offhandedly gesturing for the healer to take a seat in the chair next to his own. Law abided him wordlessly, hiding a frown.
"You have been doing well, I hope? Enjoying yourself?" Doflamingo asked, not even bothering to conceal his blatant indifference to Law's affairs. Law scoffed and took one of the wine glasses that were offered to him on a stylized metal tray.
"I'm quite well, thank you," he said monotonously, rather fed up with the formalities he knew Doflamingo forced upon him for no other reason than to further annoy Law. The party hadn't even properly started and Law was already dead tired. "It has indeed been a lovely evening so far."
Doflamingo's grin widened - if that was humanly possible - and he gestured toward the people on the dance floor. "Sure seems that way. Tell me, kid, what did you bring your dear old uncle for his birthday?"
Law rolled his eyes discreetly. "You're not my uncle, not as far as your nightly escapades with Cora-san are considered. That would be fucked up on far too many levels, even for you."
"Oh, you wound me Lawsie, denying me so coldly, on my birthday of all days. My my, the balls on you," Doflamingo said and winked. "Thank the gods that I'm in a good mood today, and for that your uncle is such a kind hearted ruler. A lesser man might have taken offence, you know."
He laughed mirthfully, and Law watched in silence as the king waved a page to refill his cup with wine. The boy stumbled and dropped the tray, but the wine chalice floated in mid-air and flew straight into Doflamingo's hand. It looked like the goblet was held up by nothing tangible or discernible, but Law knew better.
Whereas every human possessed some amount of magic, be it constructive or destructive, no one had ever heard of a mage stronger than the King of Dressrosa. No one knew where he got his power, nor exactly how the man's magic worked, but all were aware of his strength nonetheless. It was only logical to be apprehensive of such an ability when the king was able to reduce his subjects into smithereens with nothing but his willpower, or to manipulate their movements with a flick of his wrist.
Living in a royal court meant leading a life filled with all things mystic, obviously, but the whole concept seemed illogical and pointless to Law. Magic was something he had never quite fathomed, or even wanted to. While he did have some magic suitable for healing, Law had always deemed the mystic to be nothing but a second-rate fairy tale business that was favoured by fools who lacked the tenacity to practice their trade.
While it was rather interesting to see Doflamingo manipulate the jesters' movements whenever he grew tired of their antics and boring tricks, Law had also seen the other side of the coin. He'd seen the bloody remnants of the usurpers trying to commit treason against the crown, and heard the screams of men being torn to pieces by something they couldn't even see.
Notwithstanding his complicated and slightly cold relationship with the king, Law, too, had to admit that he was truly a force to be reckoned with.
Doflamingo refilled both his own and Law's cups without ever touching the chalice. Law didn't need to see them to know that the crystal goblet was held up with near invisible strings.
"So, Lawsie, are you excited to see the rest of my presents?" Doflamingo asked, taking a large sip of wine. "They're preparing them now so that we can open the cream of the crop before dinner. Oh, I can't wait!"
"Yes, I'm sure we're all just dying to know what you've been gifted this year," Law deadpanned.
Doflamingo merely laughed and leaned from his seat to nudge Law's shoulder with his knuckles. Law scrunched his nose in distaste, smelling alcohol on the man's breath, but Doflamingo seemed undeterred by his aversion.
"Could it be that you're jealous of my party, kid, of all these important people and all this attention I'm getting? Poor, pouting Lawsie, all alone," he whispered merrily into to Law's ear. Law had to resist the urge to say something less than polite.
Doflamingo snapped his fingers. "Bring them out! I wish to see my new toys!"
The guests scuffled to find their tables, chattering excitedly, and Cora took seat on Doflamingo's right side, flashing Law a quick smile as he sat down. The heavy curtains in the back of the room opened slowly, revealing a stage with many veiled items of different sizes that had been gifted to the ruler of Dressrosa. Law was surprised to see that Monet, a green haired court member and Law's friend, had been given the task of introducing each gift.
At first, Law watched disinterestedly as Monet revealed a set after set of ancient books and maps, and read out loud the greetings each gift giver had left with the items. They were all generic, go-to-things to give to a man of Doflamingo's stature, and thus also beyond boring. Law traced the carved patterns on the wooden chair's handle absently, inwardly frowning at the idiot representatives of Goa Kingdom who had given Doflamingo the exact same set of sculptures three years in a row.
'How about using all that wealth to buy a personality?' Law thought and hid his smirk behind his wine glass.
A ghost of a smile remained on his lips as Law watched Monet reveal a series of beautiful paintings the King of Alabasta had brought with him. He could practically see her hands straining with the effort not to touch the frames, just barely stopping herself in time. Law rolled his eyes as Monet shook her head marginally and moved on.
Monet walked in many servants the king had been gifted with, and Law watched in distaste as Doflamingo eyed them from head to toe, undoubtedly assigning duties for them in his mind. He seemed to take a special liking to a petite redhead who was scowling the entire time she was onstage, glaring daggers at the shackles around her wrists.
Law had spent many years in the court, and over time he'd grown numb to the tribulations of those below him. But he could still remember the days when he was just a runt out on the streets with nothing to his name, before Cora had found him and taken him under his wing. Law would have been lying if he'd said he didn't feel a bit sorry for the redheaded slave.
"And lastly, an offering for our King sent by the most kind rulers of Sabaody Park, I present to you the highlight of the evening," Monet declared and whistled a low signal, letting the servants behind her know that it was time to raise the veil off the last present.
The members of the audience gasped in shock and astonishment, pulling Law's focus back to the present. Law's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth opened in surprise, albeit for different reasons.
In the centre of the stage, inside a big translucent cage made of enchanted glass, was a merman with dark hair and a radiant red tail.
Even though it had been a decade since they had last seen each other, Law recognised Luffy instantly. There was a starburst scar in his chest and a hardness to his glare that hadn't been there in the past, but he looked otherwise unchanged by time.
'What the hell are you doing here, Luffy-ya?' Law wondered and listened to Monet introduce the merman.
A teen of nineteen summers, captured by a group of slavers just outside Sabaody and sold to the auction houses for a pretty penny. It was a miracle that the kid had been bought by the royals of the island in the first place, considering how infamous Sabaody was for its lively slave trade, but Law wasn't complaining. This way there was hope for the young merman yet.
The Kingdom of Dressrosa had multiple active peace treaties with the fishmen, and taking the freedom of one of their kind would be an ultimate offence to the concord between the two groups. It would mean breaking all bridges that had taken decades to build, and worst of all it would anger Edward Newgate. And nobody wanted to incur the wrath of the King of the Seas.
"You can't keep him, you know that right?" Cora whispered to Doflamingo, unknowingly voicing Law's thoughts. Doflamingo merely waved his advisor off and smirked.
"But Roci, he's so pretty, look. He would be the perfect new corner piece for my chambers," Doflamingo said, licking his lips thoughtfully. "Would that not be an honour, in a way, for a fish to get a position so close to a king ?"
"I don't think the merfolk would see it that way, Doffy," Cora said irritably.
"Aww, don't be like that, blondie," Doflamingo whined and pointed at the merman who was yelling something inaudible behind the soundproof glass. "He's such a cutie."
"Do you have any idea what that would look like, taking a merman as a royal slave?" Cora asked accusingly, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. "Newgate isn't a man who'd let taking the freedom of one of subject's lightly. Keeping him is as good a declaration of war."
Doflamingo hung his head and rubbed his temples. "Yeah, I suppose. We shall do what you say, Mom, but the humans are mine and mine alone to toy with," he laughed, but he was clearly displeased.
Law suddenly felt a lot sorrier for the new acquirements than he had only moments ago.
Next to him, Cora sighed in exasperation, shaking his head resignedly. "Yes, yes, they're all yours. But play nice."
"I always do. Sheesh, you're such a fucking buzzkill sometimes, Roci," Doflamingo said dismissively and gestured a few of the guards closer. "Take the runt out of that box and put him in a room or something."
"Thank you," Cora said earnestly, casting a wary glance to the men tasked with freeing the captured merman. "I'm glad you could be reasonable here, Doffy, we really can't afford to go to war with the merfolk as we are now."
"We have the manpower, and they do have some real things of beauty to offer," Doflamingo mused. "And if my memory serves me correctly, Newgate and his flock are still recovering from the area wars from two years back."
"True enough, but so are we. And one doesn't start a war on a whim," Cora said warningly, crossing his arms.
"Please, if I wanted to go warring with Whitebeard I would have done so ages ago," Doflamingo chuckled. Cora didn't seem convinced.
Law followed the king's gaze back to Luffy, who was scowling at the guards who tried - and failed - to take the boy out of the water with no great finesse. Law huffed at the sight. Had the men not understood that the brat was no longer a slave but a guest? Moreover, had Doflamingo himself understood that, let alone accepted it as a fact?
It was unlike the king to go along with anything his advisor suggested this easily, and Law knew Cora was well aware of that as well. Law chalked it up to the impulsive king's many quirks.
He watched, brimming with silent amusement, as the guards finally managed to coax Luffy out of his cage - who knew mermen ate meat? - and Luffy followed them on his own, all but rolling onto a small trolley and letting the guards wheel him away. Law was bemused to see that the teen was still awkward as ever with his tail, although there was a certain level of control and skill to his movements that had been missing ten years ago.
Law smirked at the sight. Perhaps he would seek Luffy out before the teen would be sent back to his kind? He would quite fancy getting a new scale for his collections, for comparison. The old one was still sitting on Law's desk inside a small case, but it was far paler than the scales that covered Luffy's now full grown tail.
The rest of the night went by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Law found himself talking with the Princess of Alabasta after the dinner and speeches, and he listened with one ear as the blue haired girl rambled about the horrors of slave keeping. She seemed especially passionate about the redheaded girl Law had seen onstage when she had been given to Doflamingo as a present, and Law wondered if they knew each other.
"-and you must agree that it's a completely outdated and superfluous practice, Sir Trafalgar. Wouldn't you say so?" Vivi demanded to know, grimacing with repulsion at the mere idea. Law could only nod politely. He was too preoccupied with the princess' talks and thoughts about human trafficking to hear Cora's approach, and Law was slightly startled when Cora patted his shoulder.
"We'd best get going, Lawsie."
Law thanked Vivi for her company and excused himself with quickly exchanged good night's wishes, soon trailing after Cora back to his own quarters.
"It was a nice night, don't you agree?" Cora started, once the pair had gotten some distance between themselves and the party. "Did you try the turkey? I think it was quite good. The wine, on the other hand was a bit too sweet in my tastes, but Doffy seemed to like it."
"No, I didn't try it," Law said. "Do you really think Doflamingo's letting that merman go? Having him agree to it without a hissy fit was awfully fishy."
Cora's features darkened and he took on a grim scowl. "Yes. I thought it was rather odd of him as well. But don't worry, kiddo, I'll talk to him about it."
"Is that wise, or even necessary?" Law asked. "I'm sure he was just acting on impulse."
"Most likely, yes. But I wouldn't be a very good advisor if I didn't offer my guidance now, would I?" Cora reassured, flashing a lopsided grin. "It'll be fine, I know how to handle him. He won't cause any harm to our guest."
Law grumbled. "At least take me with you."
Cora let out a bellowing laugh. "Lawsie, if I didn't know any better I would say you're worried!" He wrapped an arm around the earl's more narrow shoulders, smiling brightly.
Law frowned doubtfully, and opened his mouth to try and counter Cora's claims. But his adoptive father only ruffled his hair and laughed some more, and Law soon forgot all about his apprehension.
It had been a surprisingly good day, and it almost felt like nothing could ruin it, not while Cora was still chatting happily next to Law and the corridors were filled with the slowly dying celebration's last tunes.
Law was still smiling when they reached his quarters and Cora bid him good night.
A/N: Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think ^^ I'll update again this weekend, I think.