I know I said I'd update weekly, but I'm going to be serious: I'm not invested in this story, like, at all, the only reason I'm posting it is because it's done, but this means that I… forget to update it, where as a general rule when I have chapters written ahead I'm incapable of waiting until the intended date before posting them. This means that, while I'll eventually get around to posting everything, it might take a while, because I never feel like revising the chapters. Sorry.


Chapter 4

Senor Pink had left sometime before noon carrying a suitcase full of money with him, a sort of compensation for the family of the doctor who would both heal Law and make the Young Master immortal. His family would lose him and his income, and the Young Master had said there was no reason not to be generous with someone who would do so much for them, and they had lots of money to spare.

Baby 5 was excited.

Law was going to be okay soon, and they could go back to playing, training and going on missions together. And he wouldn't die, which was the best part. Baby 5 had grown to really like Law over the years, even if he sometimes became angry and glared at her with that expression that made her think he actually wanted to kill her. But he was nice more often than not, even if Law would deny it was true.

Not today, though.

Law was the worst insomniac Baby 5 had ever met, but he usually managed to catch a few hours of sleep. It was easy to tell when he hadn't because his mood soured. Today, Law was cranky, the way he became when, under normal circumstances, he had spent two sleepless nights in a row, but Baby 5 guessed in his state one night would be more than enough to put him in that mood. He had snapped at Baby 5 to leave him alone during breakfast, and so she had.

Baby 5 was currently perched on one of the railings, trying to look over the rocks at the little village near which they had anchored and waiting for Senor Pink to come back.

She had been there for a little over half an hour when she spotted him approaching, accompanied by a man —who must be the doctor— carrying a little girl that didn't look very healthy in his arms, and a woman walking close to him. As they moved closer, Baby 5 realized they looked very nervous. And terrified.

They had no reason to be afraid. Sure, the doctor was going to die, but he had agreed to it and it would allow him to save his daughter. The Family wasn't going to hurt them, though. They would be safe while they were on board the ship.

Baby 5 called out to Senor Pink and waved, beckoning them closer. She jumped over the edge of the ship —the woman gasped and brought her hands up to cover her mouth— and landed on one of the most even patches of rock that made up this part of the coast. She ran up to the group and came to a halt next to the doctor.

"You're gonna save Law?" she asked, balancing on the balls of her feet.

The doctor, Baby 5 didn't remember his name, looked down at her, clear apprehension in his eyes —Baby 5 was good at identifying these kinds of emotions, she was very used to seeing all degrees of worry and fear on their enemies' faces.

"The boy?" he asked, and Baby 5 nodded. "Yes, that's… part of the deal," he replied, nearly trailing off halfway through the sentence. He looked to the woman, who Baby 5 guessed must be his wife, and they exchanged some sort of really charged look.

"Baby 5," Senor Pink called her, in that non-threatening voice he always used —and made him the nicest person in the Family— and Baby 5 nodded.

"Right." She skipped forward, waving at their guests. "Follow me, please."

She led them to the gangplank. The Family members rarely used it, mainly just to load some of the heavier treasure on board the ship, but they had brought it out figuring that their guests probably wouldn't be able to just jump to the deck.


Buffalo was bored. He had thought it would be interesting to see that doctor guy use the Ope Ope no Mi, but no, the Young Master had kicked most of the Family out of the main room, saying that the doctor needed as few distractions as possible. Right now, the only ones inside were the Young Master, Law, the doctor, his kind of hot wife and their little daughter. Jora had asked if it wouldn't be a good idea for at least one of the executives to stay, just in case, but the Young Master had said that he was more than enough security. Which was true, of course. The doctor was terrified, and it was hard to say how much of that fear was because he would die and how much it was for being here, with them.

Unfortunately, being kicked out meant that they had to entertain themselves.

"What the hell are they doing in there? It's been four hours!" Buffalo complained.

"Don't be silly," Baby 5 admonished him. "He has to learn to use the fruit, and afterwards has to discover how to heal first his daughter, then Law and finally make the Young Master immortal. You can't expect him to do that in an hour."

"It's been four hours, not one," Buffalo insisted. By now, they were the only ones who remained hanging around the door, everybody else had left to do other things at one point or another.

"So?" Baby 5 asked, shrugging. "Let him take time if he needs it. You don't want the Young Master or Law to get hurt because he hurried up and didn't notice something, do you?"

Buffalo huffed. He doubted that the Young Master could be hurt by that doctor, no matter how much he messed up, and Law was crazy, stubborn and scarily tough, even if he was half dead at the moment. He didn't bother to voice these thoughts, and stood up instead.

"Whatever. I'm bored, I want an ice cream," he said, walking away.

"It's winter!" Baby 5 called after him, but he just shrugged. Some snow wasn't going to get between Buffalo and ice cream.

He wasn't surprised when Baby 5 followed him. He could get her to pay, he realized. Law had the right idea in asking Baby 5 for money, though Law only did it when he didn't have any cash himself.

They had been told they could go into the village as long as they didn't draw attention to the fact they were pirates. Something about a small port with a couple merchant ships anchored in it at the moment that would make people think they came from one of them.


The greatest disadvantage of the Ope Ope no Mi, water and seastone aside, was the fact that using it drained its user's stamina, limiting how much it could be used to how much stamina the user had. Rayne was very clearly on the weaker end of the scale, nothing surprising, and he had to stop his efforts not long after he had got an acceptable hang on the power for what they needed it.

Rayne had politely declined the invitation to eat with the Family, and had instead retreated with his family and some food for the night. As long as they didn't leave the ship or he attempted anything stupid, Doflamingo didn't care what they did. Aware that this would take a few days, Doflamingo had told Jora to prepare a spare room for Rayne and his family to occupy.

They were eating dinner now, and the Family was asking questions about how things had gone, how similar was the actual power of the Ope Ope no Mi to the information they had gathered on it over the years, how long did they expect the job to take… Not only Doflamingo was answering, but so was Law. Law had never been the most talkative of kids, and as his condition worsened he had been talking less and less. Law tried to save as much energy as possible when he wasn't being stubborn, and he seemed to think conversation was one of the most unnecessary activities he could save energy from. And yet, he was talking now, responding to the technical questions about their observation of the Ope Ope no Mi.

There had been an idea dancing on the back of Doflamingo's mind since they had received news on the fruit, but now that he saw Law's obvious interest in it the idea took force.

"Law," he said, interrupting Buffalo's question about if being inside the fruit's dome felt weird. Everybody quieted down and looked at Doflamingo.

"What?" Law asked through a mouthful of fish. The polite table manners of an upper class kid Law had exhibited upon joining the Family had been long since abandoned.

"What would you say to eating the Ope Ope no Mi?"

Someone choked and started to cough, Doflamingo wasn't sure who because he was focusing on Law's reaction. Law's eyes widened in surprise, and something that might be interest shone in them afterwards before he frowned.

"That depends. Are you planning on having me make someone immortal?"

Doflamingo chuckled, amused by Law's ability to consider bad scenarios and their likelihood even when there was virtual candy dangling before his eyes.

"Not at all. But having our doctor eat the Ope Ope no Mi would be really beneficial."

Law considered it for a couple of seconds —to him, that was enough to have in account a few dozen scenarios, he also resembled Doflamingo in that— before he nodded.

"Do devil fruits really taste as bad as they say?"

He shouldn't have asked that, because he was subsequently treated to a collection of gruesome stories of just how horrid the taste of a devil fruit truly was. Halfway through it, Law stopped his attempts to force food down his throat and pushed his plate away.


Law watched in fascination as Rayne worked on his daughter, Lin. Rayne had pulled her apart with as much ease as he would a puzzle, asking her after every action if he was hurting her or if anything felt uncomfortable. By now it had become abundantly clear that while Lin knew she was onboard a pirate ship and was accordingly terrified about it, she had no idea of the price Rayne would pay to save her life. She would reassure him that she was fine, giggling even at Rayne's concern from time to time, and had not even once shown the slightest indication of worry for him, nothing that hinted that she knew more than the vague explanation Law had overheard a couple of times: that Rayne was going to help the crew with something in exchange for using this power.

Law had scoffed the first time he had heard the words, but hadn't said anything about it. He was making a conscious effort not to pay any particular attention to Lin past the mesmerizing operation that was being performed on her. She was tiny, bright spirited, with brown hair she had been wearing in pigtails until the operation, and was about to have her world thrown upside down. She was eerily reminiscent of Lami before the Amber Lead started to visibly take over her body.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Law pulled on the mask over his mouth and nose. They were in a sterilized room past the infirmary, and Rayne had insisted that if Law and Doflamingo wanted to witness the operation, they would have to put on appropriate wear.


The operation had taken hours. Rayne, aware that he would not have a second chance to check Lin's condition, had taken a painstakingly long time in making sure he had done everything he could for Lin. By the time the operation was over he was barely able to stand on his own. His wife, who had been waiting the entire time in the hallway, helped him walk, Lin mock-supporting him on his other side, as they went to the guest room.

Baby 5 had been in the hallway, too, and she called after them promising that she would bring them dinner later.

Law could barely walk as well. He had exhausted himself after so many hours of attempting to concentrate on the operation with varying degrees of success. That didn't stop him from complaining when Doflamingo picked him up. Like on previous occasions, he was ignored.

The three of them started for the mess hall.

"It's so sad…" Baby 5 said after a few steps, and there really was sadness in her voice.

"What is sad?" Doflamingo asked her in that voice that suggested he was only giving her half an ear while he thought of something else.

"The doctor. He's just saved his daughter, but he'll die before they can spend any time together. And his daughter… I'd feel guilty if someone in the Family died because of me."

Law wasn't looking at her, but he could easily imagine Baby 5 had looked up with big, round eyes at Doflamingo right then. Doflamingo slowed down and bent for a moment, probably to pat her head or something like that.

"Life isn't fair, Baby 5. But who is more important, doctor Rayne or Law and me?"

"You, of course!" Baby 5 replied immediately.

Law didn't listen to the rest of the conversation, his mind stuck in Doflamingo's first words.

Life isn't fair.

Unbidden, a thought that Law had pushed away halfway through the operation came back. The government had known of Flevance's fate for a century in advance, and they had known of the Ope Ope no Mi's existence as well. Yet nobody had bothered to try to use it to help.

No, life certainly wasn't fair. That was the worst understatement Law had ever heard.


When the time for his operation finally came the following morning, Law couldn't find it in himself to feel nervous or apprehensive about it. If it worked he would live; if it didn't Law would just be left to the fate he had resigned himself to years ago.

He was the calmest one about it. Rayne and his wife were scared of the consequences if Rayne somehow messed it up. Baby 5 was moving around nervously, wringing her hands, and had spent breakfast asking Law constantly how he was holding up. There were jokes around the table, mostly at Law's expense, but there was also an undercurrent of unease to them; over the last three years, despite his impending death, Law had become a part of the Donquixote Pirates, and he would go so far as to say some of them actually cared about his fate. Even Doflamingo was tense. It made sense, of course, because Doflamingo had a vested interest in Law and whether that interest would turn into something more or not would be decided today.

Law mostly ignored everyone, didn't eat breakfast himself as per Rayne's instructions and headed to their makeshift operating room with Doflamingo when it was time.


When Law woke up there was barely any light in the room. A look around proved that the curtain wasn't drawn over the window, it was simply night. Which was odd, because it had been late in the afternoon when the operation was completed, and Law had passed out right after forcing himself to eat something. He didn't feel as if he had slept just a few hours.

Then a dark shadow appeared over him and spoke in a bright, familiar voice.

"You're awake!"

Law had a sense of déjà-vu.

"Baby 5?" he asked.

Instead of a reply, there was the sound of hurried movement before the light overhead was turned on. Law immediately closed his eyes and covered them with a hand.

"Too bright!" he complained.

"Sorry," apologized Baby 5, but she didn't turn the light off. He heard her approach again.

"What time is it?" Law asked, removing his hand but keeping his eyes shut.

"I'm not sure of the hour, but dinner should be ready anytime now. You've slept for a day."

"Again?" he groaned. He cracked his eyes open, and a brown blur he knew to be his ceiling appeared.

Next to him, Baby 5 giggled.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm…" Law started his standard reply of 'I'm fine', but cut himself halfway through. Because he was fine, or close enough to it anyway. In comparison to how he had been feeling lately, he was great. He didn't feel like a giant nerve throbbing in pain anymore.

Law sat up abruptly, and regretted the movement immediately. He may not be in the same amount of pain he had been experiencing only yesterday morning, but he was still considerably sore. And dizzy. An entire day without food would have that effect, he supposed. It was when that thought crossed his mind that Law realized something very important: he was hungry. Law hadn't been hungry in what felt like forever. It was strangely comforting to realize his stomach was demanding food.

He realized Baby 5 was speaking and looked at her. He hadn't been listening, but it was easy enough to guess her words anyway.

"I'm fine," he completed this time, and ignored her dubious look. "Really. A little hungry."

Just as he had expected, that comment had her whole attention. Baby 5 moved back from the bed at once.

"Let's go get dinner, then!"

Nodding, Law shoved the covers off and climbed out of bed, stepping into the waiting slippers that he knew Baby 5 had placed there. He reached for the folded blanket on his bedside table, but stopped short of his fingers touching it.

He wasn't cold.

Leaving the blanket where it was, he followed Baby 5 out of the room.

Baby 5 chatted all the way to the mess hall, updating Law on everything he had missed. Very early this morning, Doflamingo had gone with Rayne and his family back to their house —a better option than leaving Rayne's lifeless body by the coast or carrying it across the village— and returned not too long afterwards with the newly formed Ope Ope no Mi in hand. They had set sail immediately and there had been an in and off party going on since then.

Everybody was present in the mess hall when they arrived, and all heads turned to look at Law.

"Look who's decided to join us!"

Greetings, questions of how he was doing and teasing comments overrode one another, and Law was left blinking, dumbfounded, at the crew. It was one thing to know some of these people cared, but it didn't make it any less odd to see a show of it. And aimed at him no less, when Law had made no real effort of integrating himself in the crew in the first place, convinced as he had been that he would die. It was easy to forget sometimes how the Donquixote Pirates were a family of choice of sorts.

Unsure of how to respond, Law looked around the room and spotted Doflamingo sitting at his place at the table.

"You don't look different," Law blurted out. There was a muttered comment that sounded like 'rude little shit' from Trebol, which was really a very normal reaction for him. The tension Law hadn't noticed in his shoulders lessened.

"Neither do you," replied Doflamingo, looking him up and down. "Will those spots disappear?"

Law shrugged.

"No idea. It's not like anybody has ever recovered from this before."


Dinner passed in a mostly normal fashion. The only hint that suggested something of relevance had happened was the boisterous cheer around the table, louder than usual. Law made the mistake of admitting he was hungry, and had to eventually threaten Jora so that she would stop pushing food at him. He may be hungry, but that didn't change the fact that he had spent a long time eating very little food. Law's definition of hunger was very different from Jora's. In fact, Law doubted that he would ever have been able to eat as much as Jora wanted him to, even at his healthiest moments.

After dinner, Law asked about the Ope Ope no Mi.

"I'll give it to you in a few days, when you've recovered a little," Doflamingo told him.

Law opened his mouth to protest, then remembered the fruit spent the user's stamina and closed his mouth. He wouldn't be able to use it until he had recovered somewhat.

"Besides," Macvise said, "you'll want to eat it before a meal, to get the taste off your mouth."


A week passed before Doflamingo placed the Ope Ope no Mi on Law's still empty breakfast plate.

Law looked down at the weird fruit, trying to prepare himself psychologically to swallow it no matter how horrible the taste was. Ignoring the stares fixed on him —every conversation had stopped the moment Doflamingo had put the fruit before Law— he took the fruit in both hands and bit into it.

Law's first instinct was to spit it out, but he forced himself to swallow, dropped the remaining fruit on his plate and grabbed the nearest bottle —thankfully milk and not something weird. He drank from the bottle in a mostly unsuccessful attempt to chase the taste away. There were chuckles around the table, and even some outright laughter.

"Law," Diamante started in a singsong voice Law knew never meant anything good. "You're not done. You have to eat it all."

Law glared at him over the edge of the bottle and stopped drinking to speak.

"I know that's not true. You get the power with the first bite."

Diamante frowned at him, and Law flashed him a quick smirk before reaching out for some real food.

To be continued