Chapter 4

In Which There is an Explosion

A week later after meeting the three wannabe pirate boys again, Law and Bepo strolled past the city gates, through Grey Terminal, and into Mt. Corvo's forest. The sky was overcast again with a typhoon moving north a hundred miles to the west. The smaller trees swayed in the wind, their branches creaking ominously. The deeper parts of the forest off the trail were dark and dreary. It was beautiful.

Law double-checked the map the old doctor had given him. For the past three weeks Law had been serving as an apprentice to a grizzled old doctor in Goa Kingdom. Dr. Adair Charles was rough around the edges and gruff with both his apprentice and his patients. But the man knew exactly what he was doing and recognized some amount of talent in Law.

Dr. Adair ran a small clinic in the outer city and limited his patients to the poor who could normally not afford medical services. It was the ideal place for Law to practice his medicine. Unlike doctors in the wealthy district, Dr. Adair treated a wide variety of illnesses and injuries. The poor never went to the doctor until it was almost too late and Dr. Adair had to perform what everyone else considered miracles. But Law knew better. There were no miracles in science.

One day a week, the clinic was closed. But while Dr. Adair rested his old tired bones, Law and Bepo were sent on a scavenger hunt for a herb with medicinal properties that grew on the southwest coast of Mt. Corvo. According to his medical encyclopaedias, Witch Hazel was used as a salve to disinfect a wound and speed healing while acting as an anti-inflammatory. Dr. Adair used it on young children with cuts and bruises and often sent home a small amount for continued use. Law never cared for painkillers and anaesthetics but he understood the necessity with sobbing, snot-nosed brats. He would rather watch them squirm, but that was a personal preference.

His companion huffed and pulled up the backpack that slid down his shoulder. He paused to squeeze his other paw through the second strap. It resulted in Bepo's arms sticking up as the straps pushed at his armpits.

"That doesn't look comfortable," Law mused. Although he normally enjoyed other's discomfort, watching his only friend in the world struggle pulled at something in his heart. He adjusted and lengthen the straps so Bepo could move his arms freely. "Better?"

"Thank you, Captain," Bepo said. Once upon a time, those eyes full of idol worship terrified Law but now he felt comfortable under his friend's gaze. Bepo believed that he could take on the world and win. He had started to believe that he could match up to those expectations.

"We should be close to the location," Law looked around at the foliage and fauna, noticing the subtle changes. "Do you remember the description?"

"Yes, Captain," Bepo nodded.

"Good, but just in case. We want a large shrub with stringy yellow flowers. Just a few branches should do since Dr. Adair wants to try growing them himself."

They walked a little further until Bepo stopped and stood up straight. His ears wiggled forward and his nose sniffed the air wildly. It was not a defensive position so Law relaxed his grip on the cheap katana he managed to procure illegally.

"What is it?"

"Boys. Here," Bepo grunted. Law did not acknowledge the new word but appreciated his friend's growing vocabulary.

"You mean the three idiots, right?" Law hummed at Bepo's nod. "They do live in the forest like a pack of wild dogs so that doesn't surprise me. Perhaps we're close to their base. Do keep your ears open for any sound of them. I don't want to test to see if stupidity is contagious."

They set to work and just after noon they had accumulated a decent pile of the herb Dr. Adair needed. The sky had cleared slightly with the sun forcing its way through the cloud coverage. The birds began to brave the weather and several of them were swooping over the sea searching for their next meal.

A break was needed after all the searching and the friends sat on the cliff with a beautiful view of the sea. Law could imagine North Blue just over the Red Line. But more than that, the Grand Line was waiting for him. It called out to his heart, begging him to return to its treacherous waters and islands of adventure. And at the end of the Grand Line was the mysterious island of Raftel where One Piece lay waiting for the next Pirate King.

"We'll get out there, Bepo," the bear followed his gaze to the horizon. "We'll conquer the Grand Line and be free."

"Together?"

Law smiled at how innocent the question sounded but to Bepo it meant everything. "Of course. I need the best first mate to watch my back."

A pink tinge spread across Bepo's nose. "Thank you."

"We'll find One Piece and I'll become Pirate King," Law smiled at the thought of the one man he knew would be proud of that dream. "But first I'll stop Doflamingo. Only after he's gone will I be truly free."

After a light lunch of onigiri, smoked fish, and pickled vegetables, Law and Bepo packed up for the trek back to the city. They were a half hour into their walk when the ground shook beneath their feet. Law glanced at Bepo but the bear was searching the woods with his ears and nose. So it wasn't an earthquake.

"What is it?" Law hissed at his furry companion when the bear wasn't quick enough to explain.

Unable to explain with words, Bepo ran off the path into the heavy foliage with Law on his heels. The ground trembled again beneath their feet and Law struggled to remain upright. Bepo stopped at the tree line and stared at the sight before him. The dark haired boy with the white spotted hat came to stand beside him, also in awe.

The three idiots galore were attempting to fight a giant grizzly bear. The scar over its eye and ferocious roar indicated the bear was in its prime and possibly one of the most dangerous creatures in the forest. The three bruised and bloodied boys were trying to swarm the massive bear. And they were fighting it with metal poles that looked like they were ripped from someone's shoddy plumbing.

"Their level of idiocy is amazing," Law mumbled in awe. He got excited when the bear almost decapitated the older boy Ace. Instead it managed to nick the leg of Sabo who yelled in pain. The boys struggled to get close enough to hit the bear even with all three working together. "I didn't know anyone could be so stupid. They have no chance against that thing with its adrenaline pumping like that."

"No," Bepo sighed. Wisdom of their fates glowed faintly in his eyes. "They die."

"I agree. So why aren't they running?"

Luffy managed to get caught by the bear's massive claws and smashed into the ground near Law and Bepo. He sat up rubbing his head and complaining about something. Cocking his arm back for a punch, Luffy threw his fist forward and Law watched in fascination as his arm stretched like a rubber band. He completely missed the bear and nearly hit himself in the head when his arm returned to its regular shape. The idiot had apparently eaten a paramecia Devil Fruit that looked to be rubber based. Law still considered him an idiot, after all, who knowingly eats a rubber Devil Fruit? What a useless power.

"What are you doing?" Law drawled, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Luffy jumped at the sound and whirled around to spot the two observers in the trees. "Hi Law! Hi Bepo!"

"What are you doing?" Law repeated, rather exasperated with the boy's short attention span and memory of a goldfish.

"Oh, fighting a bear!" Luffy smiled.

Law stared at the boy while waiting for further explanation. When none proved to be forthcoming he figured he should prod out the explanation. "Why are you fighting a bear?"

"To see who will be captain! The one to beat the bear gets to be captain on our pirate ship."

"I see … and what if you die?"

"We won't die."

"You will have your throat ripped out by his teeth first, and then he will gorge on your intestines while your body's still warm. Of course you will die."

Luffy stared at Law in confusion. "I don't understand."

The bear roared and with one swipe of its paw, Ace and Sabo were sent flying towards where Luffy, Law, and Bepo stood. Law brushed dirt off his hat and stared as all three boys struggled to stand.

"You're exhausted and much too weak to fight that bear. Why don't you save your energy and live to fight another day?" Law asked. Ace snorted when he realized who it was asking the question but Sabo did his best to answer through his gasping breath as he tried to stem the flow of blood from the wound on his leg.

"We don't … run … ever."

Law thought about the man who changed everything in his life. How much Cora-san sacrificed so Law could run away to have his freedom and fight another day. If he had gone after Doflamingo that day for revenge, he would've thrown away Cora-san's sacrifice for nothing more than pride. Pride could make a man stronger in many situations but it was more likely to be a man's downfall.

"There is no shame in running," Law said, but the boys ignored him.

They threw themselves at the grizzly again. But they were no match for the massive bear in their exhausted states. While their energy had run its course, the bear was still pumped full of adrenaline and hungry if Law was right. It looked a little like Bepo when he really wanted to eat some fish.

The grizzly growled and bared his sharp teeth. Saliva dripped down to the ground below and the bear tensed, ready to move in for the kill. All three boys were too exhausted to run. Once the bear was done with them, he would go after Law and Bepo next. Law justified his next action by telling himself he was just jumping a couple steps and solving the problem early.

"Room"

A blue sphere spanned out across the field, covering the three boys and the bear. Bepo was used to Law's powers, having watched at the teenager experiment with his abilities before. However, the other three humans and one grizzly bear were surprised to be enveloped in the humming blue sphere.

"What is this?" Ace yelled as the blue film passed over his exhausted form.

Law held up his hand with his index pointed towards the boys and his thumb sticking up. The bear, having lost interest in the strange dome, lunged at the three distracted boys. Ace and Sabo clued in fast enough to find time to scream.

Law flipped his hand. "Shambles."

The boys appeared behind Bepo and the grizzly lunged face-first into a rotted log. It roared in frustration and anger, locking its pitch black eyes on Law who was closest to him. In a way, Law could understand the bear's frustration. It had been minding its own business when three idiotic morons decided to attack it for no reason. Yet he had no choice but to eliminate the problem.

The katana at his hip slid from the sheath almost silently and he held it upwards in the air, ready to begin his operation.

"What are you doing with that sword so far away? You need to – " Whatever Sabo was going to say trailed off at the sight before him. Ace shared his astonishment and Luffy began babbling excitedly about fruits.

Law's katana slashed through the air with a grace neither boy had seen on the island. At first it seemed the boy was just warming up. But then the bear separated into three pieces, the head floated away from its torso and the legs remained quivering on the ground. The bear's sounds turned panicked as it noticed the unusual state of its body. Foam dribbled out of its mouth as it fell unconscious, unable to rationalize the situation. The bear lasted longer than some humans.

"I guess that makes me the captain," Law smirked at his own joke.

"Wha -? WHAT THE HELL?" Ace screamed out and scrambled back to his feet. That ridiculous pole was waved threateningly in Law's face. A small smear of blood was on the rounded end. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Remove that thing from near my face or I will decapitate you," Law drawled, not at all feeling threatened as his figurative operating table was still humming above them and his katana was gripped tightly in his hand.

"That was so cool! How'd you do it?" Luffy cheered. He knocked Ace out of the way in his enthusiasm and smiled brilliantly at Law. Once again, the boy from North Blue was taken aback by the familiarity of the smile.

It looked just like Cora-san's smile.

"I ate the Ope-Ope Fruit. I'm a modification man."

"Is it dead?" Sabo asked, his hands were putting pressure on the cut the grizzly left on his leg. At least he had some basic first aid knowledge and the blood seemed to have stopped seeping through his fingers.

"No, merely unconscious. I don't need to kill to incapacitate."

"Wow! Law is so strong! Join my crew!" Ace and Sabo's jaws dropped at Luffy's demand. Neither one thought he would be so quick to attempt to recruit the creepy new kid.

"What?" Law raised an eyebrow.

"When I get older I'm going to be a pirate captain. I want you and Bepo to be part of my crew. Ace and Sabo already are," Luffy nodded sagely, ignoring his brother's growing irritation.

"NO WE'RE NOT!" Both older boys recovered enough to whack him on the head with their fists, sending him face-first into the ground. Luffy spat out a mouthful of dirt and smiled at Law again.

"Okay, they haven't agreed. But you can be my first mate!"

"No," Law deadpanned. He turned and rolled his eyes at Bepo who shrugged in response. Neither one could figure out this boy.

"Aww, why not?" Luffy's hands reached out to grab Law's arm but a suddenly loud snarl from Bepo sent him backpedaling away from the boy and the bear. The boys were not the only ones surprised by Bepo's unexpected outburst of aggression, Law had not heard the bear make that sound in months. Being a weak pushover by nature, Bepo rarely could work up the nerve to try and intimidate something unless he felt Law was in danger. But he had crouched down into a tense, aggressive stance and continued to make that vicious noise from the back of his throat.

The other boys were babbling something about controlling his bear but Law ignored them. He followed Bepo's gaze to the dense foliage of the woods. Law raised his sword and solidified his stance with his other arm outstretched, ready to use his power. Something dangerous was obviously in there.

"Come out and show yourself," Law yelled into the forest. The younger boys had quieted down and were searching the tree line for whatever Bepo had noticed.

Finally, from the bushes emerged a tall man dressed in a long black coat with gold detailing designed in shapes of gears. His face was covered with a mask and goggles and his hair defied gravity like no other, sticking straight up. Law felt the blood drain from his face and his hands shook with tension. He knew this man well. There was no way he was ready to face this man yet.

"Look at you, Law," the masked man drawled. "Learning how to use your new power? You always were a fast learner."

"Gladius," Law hissed through gritted teeth. Gladius was one of the executives in Doflamingo's crew. Like almost all the executives, Gladius had the power of a Devil Fruit. He was a rupture man and was one of the crew members Law spent a great deal of time with when he was part of Doflamingo's crew.

"Hey! That's the guy from the fish shack!" The straw hat boy pointed a finger at the tall man but Law hardly noticed. All his attention had zeroed in on every little movement Gladius made.

"When you were captured by Garp the Hero, the Young Master almost gave up on you," Gladius stopped several meters from the boys. Bepo had shuffled over to stand in front of the younger boys who were still injured and exhausted. "But Vergo suggested that Garp was too soft hearted to bring you into headquarters. After all, thirteen years old is awfully young for an execution. Even if you are a pirate."

"You're a pirate?" Luffy gasped from behind him. But Law paid no attention to the boy.

Gladius continued as if the interruption had never happened. "So we considered the option that perhaps he would try to hide you. Where better to start looking than his home island?"

"What do you want?" His hands were stiff from the tension of trying to keep them from trembling and the katana's handle was slippery from sweat.

"As unfriendly as ever. I had expected you to be happier to see someone from the family." If they could see his face, a severe frown would be slashed across Gladius's face. "Is that anyway to speak to your teacher?"

"I'm not his puppet," Law snarled, his temper flared at the reminder of his former life with the Donquixote pirates. "I won't die for him."

Sharp, focused eyes narrowed from behind the tinted goggles. "What did Corazon say to you?"

"He told me enough. That Doflamingo wants the Ope-Ope Fruit because of rumours that the user can grant immortality."

"And Corazon was supposed to eat it, not you." Gladius removed his hands from his pockets and rested them at his side. The casual stance was meant to make Law relax but it did the opposite. From his marksmen training with the man, Law knew that the rupture-man never relaxed. "The Young Master was so upset to learn that his own brother had betrayed him. You do know that he was a spy for the Marines? You hate the Marines."

"Of course," Law swallowed down a lump in his throat. His memories of Corazon's last day alive were still vivid in his mind. The smell of the wooden chest he had hidden in, the sound of gunshots from a revolver, the feel of his chest gasping in silent cries. Nor could he ever forget Cora-san's apology to him, days after Law had stopped caring that the man worked for his hated enemy. He would never forget.

"The Young Master was so disappointed that you ate the Fruit instead. He had such big plans for you." The harshness in the man's voice softened but his stance didn't relax at all. "He's been considering ways to work around this little mistake. He really would rather if you lived, Law."

Doflamingo, the Warlord, was known as the Charismatic Devil. However, Gladius had never picked up his captain's charisma. Neither was he very good at lying.

Law narrowed his eyes and tightened his sweaty grip on the katana. "Don't lie to me – "

But Law never got to finish his refusal. A blast with the force of a cannon forced him reeling backwards. His shoulder hit the ground hard sending a shock of pain throughout his upper body. Several feet later he skidded to a stop and quickly assessed his injuries. His shoulder, although bruised and aching, had not been dislocated in his fall. Otherwise there appeared to be no serious injuries, just various scrapes and bruises. His throat was sore from accidentally inhaling a mouthful of dust.

The teenager stood up on shaky feet and assessed the situation. The other three boys had been in the radius of the blast but were not victims of the full on attack. All three looked dazed and confused as to how they came to be sprawled on the ground, surrounded by dust and chunks of earth. Bepo was near them, shaking his head to get rid of any dizziness. Other than Bepo, not one of the others would be able to run fast enough to escape.

"Teenagers," Gladius tsked through the dust, his shadow moved ominously towards Law. "Such temperamental beings."

Law couldn't respond to the comment as he was too busy trying to clear his throat of dust and debris. He shuffled backwards, away from the approaching Devil Fruit user.

"I remember how three years ago you came to us, desperate to destroy everything." Gladius stopped outside the cloud of dust and intertwined his fingers behind his back. The action set Law's teeth on edge, he felt like a weak little puppy cowering under a powerful rottweiler. But as much as he hated to admit it, he was weak and powerless compared to an experienced Devil Fruit user like Gladius.

"I still want to," Law snapped. His eyes narrowed in concentration. He would have to move fast to catch Gladius off-guard. The man had already entered his attack range. "Room."

Law swung his katana but Gladius had already ducked the attack and shot a counter attack right back at the dark haired boy. The blast hit a chunk of upturned earth as Law switched places with it, succeeding in getting a different angle. His next attack managed to take off Gladius's hand and forearm in a mixture of speed and pure luck.

He could already see the veins popping out in the man's forehead. Normally, Gladius was calm and collected, but his temper was explosive and dangerous.

"You little shithead," he growled, eying the hand that had floated away from him. "You've been practicing."

"Not really," Law smirked, although he wasn't as confident as he pretended to look. "I just had a good teacher." He was just stalling, anything to avoid getting captured and taken back to Doflamingo. He wasn't ready to kill the monster yet. He wasn't even strong enough to beat an executive let alone the captain.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Gladius tilted his head down and jumped forward, releasing a blast of energy right at Law's feet.

Although he managed to complete a switch with a rock at the far end of his sphere, Law still got some of the blast. His leg burned from the force of the blast and sent Law to his knees. The blue, humming sphere vanished with his loss of concentration.

"I can see you're going to be difficult about this, so let's try something different." Gladius raised his remaining hand and pointed in the direction of Bepo and the three savage boys. "Can you stop me before I blow their bodies to pieces?"

The vulgarity that Law's mind spewed would be enough to make a sailor blush like a schoolgirl. He was so focused on Gladius that he had forgotten about Bepo. The older of the three boys were yelling something and the youngest was screaming with tears running down his face. But Law could only focus on Bepo and his sorrowful gaze. His friend's eyes told him that whatever happened, he had already been forgiven. It made his heart catch in his throat. He couldn't do it. He couldn't take the chance.

Law tossed the katana several feet from him and knelt down into the dirt. He didn't say anything but threaded his fingers together behind his head.

"Well, isn't this surprising," Gladius mused. He bent down and picked up the limb Law managed to detach. "I never thought that you, of all people, would have a bleeding heart."

"Shut up," Law growled. He ignored Bepo's whimpering and focused harder at the ants running through the blades of grass.

"Such attitude. You should know better, Law," Gladius chuckled. There was a ruffling of clothing and the other boys started yelling again. Their voices merged into a melody of fear and panic. Law's head jerked up to find Gladius aiming his hand at them, the forearm already swollen with energy. "Perhaps I'll just kill them anyways."

"NO!" The scream tore out of his throat before he could fully comprehend the situation. Bepo and the other boys were scrambling away but they were too slow.

But so was Gladius, a large figure grabbed Gladius's head from behind and slammed him face-first into the earth. The explosion from his arm shot harmlessly into the woods and sent a flock of birds into panic.

When the dust cleared and the mysterious figure was revealed, Law let out a sigh of relief. It was an unusual feeling to be thankful to see a Marine. Even if he was an idiot, he was a strong idiot.

"Don't hurt my grandsons, you bastard," growled Garp the Hero.

Okay, so hopefully this speedy update will tide all you wonderful readers over for a while. I'm having a bit of a health problem which is irritatingly painful and driving me up the wall. My next appointment isn't for over a week but hopefully I can get something for the pain until everything is solved. Until then, I'm having too much trouble focusing so I'm going to take a two week break.

For the lovely reviewers without an account: your replies are here!

Guest (Jan 9): Yes indeed it was Gladius. Things actually went boom because that's just how Gladius rolls!

Yoo: No worries about the Spanish! I was just worried if Google translate might fail (it's happened before). Please, continue to write in Spanish. I also like the "what if" stories too!

Guest (Jan 15): Here! Is this soon? Uh, sorry. I think I did another cliff hanger … But isn't Bepo adorable?

Big thanks to everyone who favourite, follow, and read this story. You guys are awesome!

So, maybe try back in two or three weeks. But yeah, health problems. It's hard to control this stuff. I need a Chopper doctor. As sexy as Dr. Trafalgar would be, his bedside manners are horrible!