"Just a bit more, c'mon Torao. It's not that hard."
"You're one to talk. Are yours even halfway open yet?"
"Shishishi, nope!"
"Why do I even bother…?" Law muttered and resumed his task of unscrewing a bolt from where it was embedded on the sewer grate. "At least you have your hands free, Luffy-ya, this should be a walk in the park for you!"
"Don't you mean a swim in the park?" Luffy snickered. "And these are too tight, I'll break them if I pull too hard."
"We are trying to break the drain cover, you idiot," Law deadpanned. "If you think you can break it, be my guest."
"Oh, okay. I thought you wanted to keep it in one piece. It's a cool thingy."
"It's just a drain," Law sighed and shook his head exasperatedly. He supposed that merfolk didn't need sewers, and because of that Luffy's amazement at all things human was understandable in a way, but there had to be a limit. But even if there was, Law had no doubt that Luffy would continue trampling on it casually as ever, like they were playing a fun game instead of trying to escape with their lives. It was a wonder no one had strangled the kid before he ever reached his teens.
But, true to his word, Luffy slid his tail fin in between the bars and twisted, muscles straining, and the lid popped off with a resounding clang in no time. The merman smiled proudly. "There!"
"Nice work," Law admitted, smiling wearily. He hoped no one had heard the loud noise, but it was inevitable, really; one of the downsides of being a prisoner was that you were never truly alone. Time was of the essence.
Luffy seemed to come to the same conclusion, and he gestured for Law to go first without a word. They heard someone yelling in the hallway, far away for now but quickly closing in on the two escapees. Law shared a look with Luffy, urging for the other to keep his mouth shut, but there was a serious glimmer in the merman's brown eyes that wasn't easy to dismiss. Luffy held an air of responsibility and reassurance that hadn't been present just seconds before. Or maybe it had been there the whole time, and it had just taken Law this long to notice it.
Law found himself stepping inside the small drainage pipe regardless.
He landed knee deep in a mix of murky water, sludge and god knows what. Law frowned at the mess, hating the feeling of filth on his skin, but he had no time to dwell on the discomfort. The clamouring was getting closer, and Law could already make out his own shouted name alongside the word fish. The guards would be on them in no time, Law realised urgently, and mouthed a command to Luffy.
'Get the fuck down here already.'
He raised his cuffed hands to help Luffy down. The merman grinned approvingly, bright as ever and completely unbothered by the commotion. It would probably have been comical if the guards weren't right on their tail!
"Hurry up, Luffy-ya!" Law yelled, tugging on the merman's arm. Luffy nodded, getting the point, and started to drag himself down. He was only halfway down when the door to the cell slammed open and a lieu of burly men with grim scowls and hate in their eyes burst in. They were officially out of time and soon to be royally fucked.
"Torao!" Luffy gasped, taken by surprise as a pair of large arms caught hold of his fins and pulled.
Law grunted a curse and grabbed Luffy's hand, trying to get the merman free. Luffy grimaced in pain as he was forced to twist his lower body to get the guards off him, but they wouldn't budge. Law tugged hard on the teen's arm, making one of the guards tearing Luffy away from him lose his balance and his grip, but he was soon replaced by a new pair of arms and a new round of angry words.
More men and women piled into the small cell, shouting and raising one hell of a racket, and Law noted with a flash of panic that they could just as well follow them down into the pipelines, too. If only he could...
An idea took root in Law's shambled thoughts, and the healer smirked. It was unorthodox for his abilities, sure, but not unimaginable. "Luffy-ya," he hissed imploringly. "Can you shake those buffoons off your tail or not?"
Luffy wasn't listening. "Let go of me, you jerks!" he yelled, lashing out with his tail fin violently and finally managing to pull himself loose. He fell down unceremoniously, sending splashes of water every which way in his wake.
"Finally! Okay let's go!" Luffy said, already backing away from the drain, eager to escape. But Law only took some steps back, creating some distance between himself and the exit. The guards were crowding the small entryway to the sewers, trying to get inside all at once, and the confusion gave Law a few seconds to gather his thoughts.
He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. His magic was intended to be used for fixing people from the inside out, mending what was broken. But doing the opposite couldn't be that hard, right?
"Room," he whispered on a whim and opened his amber eyes to see the pipe walls collapse behind them, effectively entrapping the guards. He ignored their pained cries and turned his back on the cell.
"Yeah, let's get out of here," Law said, trying to appear disinterested by the whole scene even though he was anything but. That had been so-
"That was so cool, Torao!" Luffy exclaimed with stars of sheer awe in his eyes.
"Sure, if you say so," Law murmured, summoning some boredom into his voice to hide how pleased he was by both the praise and the havoc he'd wreaked. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite hide the small smile that curled the corners of his mouth. It only took a bit of concentration and some righteous fury, but soon enough the shackles around Law's wrists clattered to the ground, too; broken beyond recognition by an invisible force.
Luffy couldn't contain his excitement at all, babbling on and on about their valiant escape -or a complete strike of luck, as Law preferred to think of it- as they made their way further into the network of pipes that connected to the ocean. At least that was the theory Law was working off.
They had to lead to the ocean, he deducted, because what was the point of an enclosed sewer system with no exit point for waste disposal?
At the same time, Law was plagued with worry for Cora, but that was something he couldn't afford to wallow in. He couldn't let his thoughts wander when their pursuers could be waiting behind any corner. It was unlikely, but not out of the question, and Law would be damned if he didn't cover all his bases. Besides, with Luffy talking a mile a minute and clearly focusing on everything but what they were trying to do, one of them needed to keep their eyes on the prize.
"Torao," Luffy said, stretching the word into a small melody. 'A symphony for whiners, composed by a whiny brat who needs attention all the damn time,' Law thought and rolled his eyes. But he couldn't just ignore someone as clueless as Luffy, either. How he'd survived on his own was still a mystery to Law, and he had an inkling that without constant supervision Luffy's knack for finding trouble would introduce itself in a way that might easily give Law an aneurysm.
"What?" he said, more snappily than he'd meant to, but Luffy was undeterred.
"I think I feel a current, Torao. Should we follow it?"
"Yeah, I would think so," Law surmised. He hadn't noticed any change, but then again, he wasn't a merman. "Where to?"
"Just follow me!" Luffy ordered cheerily and swum to what was at first glance a random direction. Law trailed after him hesitantly, unsure of the kid's navigational skills, but not questioning him. The look on Luffy's face was certain, wiped clean of all doubt and uncertainty. And sure enough, once Law had walked beside the merman for a few minutes, he, too could sense a slight stream in the otherwise stale sludge.
"So, what do we do now? Did you send a message to Ace?" Luffy asked, out of the blue.
"To be frank, I have no idea," Law had to admit reluctantly. "I didn't exactly plan for this. But I did send that message to your brother, if that's of any consolation."
"Ah, good. He knows I'm okay then," Luffy smiled widely. "I was worried he might do something stupid! I can't wait to see Ace again, I wonder how long it's been..."
Law failed to mention that the message had wound up sounding more like a cry for help than reassurance. He wouldn't necessarily have used the word okay to describe the merman's current state, either, but he let it slide. "I would say it's been a bit over two months, assuming that you were taken a few weeks before you came here. That's not too long."
"I guess," Luffy shrugged. "But I haven't seen Ace in two months then, or Zoro or Makino or anyone."
"What, is my company not enough for you, Luffy-ya?" Law teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Luffy snickered at that, albeit the sound was but a watered down version of his usual confident laugh; diluted to a mere ghost of the original. "Of course it is, you're my friend Torao. I just miss them, that's all."
"Alright."
"I think the current's getting stronger here," Luffy mentioned when they came to a crossroad.
Law could feel the water flow accelerate, too, and he nodded. "This way, then. I can't wait to get out of this stink."
"Yeah," Luffy agreed, and they walked -swam- downstream with newfound vigour, the chance of finally getting out of the dim dungeons lifting their spirits. The current grew in strength and size until its swirls and splatters were visible even to Law's eye. He could almost make out light at the end of the tunnel when Luffy stopped abruptly, eyes widening in realization.
"Oh crap crap crap crap crap!" he muttered, "Torao, we can't go this way after all, it's too strong, we're going to be squashed! Turn back!"
It didn't feel that strong for Law until he tried to spin on his heels and head back. The tide pushed him back toward the exit, and Law cursed under his breath when a piece of lumber floating on the surge stole his feet from underneath him. He fell on his behind in the water. It was up to his chin even when he was sitting down, and by now the current was too strong for Law to even entertain the thought of getting back up again.
"I'm stuck!" he called out to Luffy, who was already a bit ways further back to the safety of the stiller water. Luffy looked back, mouth opening for a reply before he was silenced by a wave that hid him from Law's eyes for seconds that seemed to stretch on into nothingness.
Law was shivering from the cold, scrambling for a footing, a handhold, a sharp edge, anything.
And then Luffy was back by his side, eyes ablaze with determination. "Hold on!"
He took a grip of Law's collar and tugged the human along as he parted the water with his tail. All Law could see -whenever he managed to get his head above surface for a gasp of air, that was- was a glimmer of red and silver, and a fast approaching way out.
"Luffy-ya, no, it's too close!" Law gurgled.
"I can't pull you back, either! I could barely swim back myself!" Luffy yelled back over the roaring tides, and Law had only a second or two to catch his breath at the pipe's mouth as Luffy braced them against the walls with his tail. The storm he'd felt coming earlier was in full swing now, and Law had to blink the water out of his eyes before he could see through the downpour.
They were looking at a ten metre drop, at the very least. Law gulped and turned to Luffy; the merman's brows were furrowed, and it was clearly straining his strength just to keep them still. He was glaring at the waterfall with hard eyes, as if the tides were sentient and fully aware of the conundrum they had presented to the two escapees.
"Torao. We need to jump, I can't hold on for much longer!" Luffy panted, straining to keep them in place on the ledge. Law had no time to answer before the merman grabbed the collar of his coat and pulled Law into a dive.
Luffy hit the water first, his streamlined body cutting through the surface like a bullet. The healer fell far less graciously, but the tides Luffy had broken cushioned his fall and he somehow managed to hold onto what little air he'd had the time to gasp in.
The water was everywhere; in his eyes and in his ears and threatening to get in his mouth and lungs too. It was like the sea was toying with him, shoving and pushing and moulding Law into different shapes as if he was a ragdoll in a four year old's hold.
His mind grew foggy and his lungs burned for air, but Law was like a rock in the water. He couldn't move, utterly at Mother Nature's mercy.
And then there was a pair of strong arms around his waist, pulling him somewhere. Law didn't know where. He couldn't focus. He hoped he was being taken toward the surface - toward air - but he couldn't tell for sure. Blots and sprays of different colours stained his vision even behind closed eyes, and Law fought to keep his mouth closed with the last hints of his consciousness.
Law fainted seconds before they broke surface, instinctively gasping for air where there was naught but murky water.
"-rao! Torao!"
Law groaned, coughing bouts of saltwater from his lungs. "Huh?"
"Torao! You're alive!" Luffy exclaimed. Law gave no reply, clenching his eyes shut tighter than ever.
The world was spinning and his lungs were burning. Blood rushed in his ears, blurring out the sounds of wind and waves, and for a moment Law thought it was all a dream. His head was killing him, but Luffy's voice kept ringing in his ears, loud and piercing, rendering all hopes of returning to sandman's land null and void.
"Huh?" Law voiced, still struggling to find a balance between the dark spots trying to rob him of his consciousness and the unforgivingly cold splatters of seawater that kept him somewhat anchored to the present. Somewhat. He focused on Luffy's voice instead, giving up on equilibrium and achieving any resemblance of coherence.
Luffy was holding Law's head above the waterline, clearly struggling to keep the human topside with the air he so needed, but the storm made the task rather difficult.
Luffy poked Law's cheek, catching the human's focus. "Are you alive?"
"I'm fine," Law mumbled irritably, raising his voice so that Luffy could hear him over the howling wind.
"Shishishi, good. For a second I really thought you died!" Luffy chirped.
"Do you even know what a dead person looks like? How would you be able to tell?" Law scoffed.
"Hey! I'm not stupid, of course I can tell. Not my fault that you looked all-"
A large wave washed over the two, temporarily pulling Law underwater and effectively cutting off Luffy's words. Law would have panicked if it weren't for the merman's arms pulling him back up without delay, and Law gasped for sweet lungfuls of air the second he resurfaced.
The spindrift and the rain hit his face with enough force to make Law duck his head, and Luffy seemed none the wiser of Law's little dip.
"-zombie! And then I guess you woke up. How're you feeling?"
"What happened?" Law slurred, answering the question with one of his own.
"We jumped from that cave thingy into the sea. It's great, I can finally breathe! The sea is so nice, right, Torao?" Luffy babbled, exuding exuberance.
Law wasn't inclined to agree -the salt burned in his lungs and found its way into cuts and bruises Law hadn't even realised existed- and he deemed silence to be golden. He looked around, seeing Dressrosa as no more than a dot in the horizon, and cursed like a sailor. Of course the merman hadn't thought about finding land.
Hell, Luffy had probably had enough of solid ground for years to come, but Law was a human. He wouldn't survive out at the open sea, in a storm no less. He was already shivering from the freezing cold.
"What the fuck are we still doing out in the open like this, Luffy-ya?" Law snapped harshly.
"I was just trying to get away from that place?" Luffy asked, sounding a bit like a kicked puppy.
Law sighed. He'd never signed up for any of this. "I need to get to dry land, sooner rather than later," he said, hating the way his teeth clattered together as he spoke.
"Oh, right. Well, there was that boat we passed a while ago, will that do?" Luffy mused, cupping his chin without thinking -it seemed to be a recurring problem- and accidentally let Law slip off his hold, giving him another cold bath.
However, he seemed to notice the way Law's shivering grew more and more violent by the minute, and Luffy looked hesitant.
"Do you think you could swim to it on your own?" he asked breathlessly, and Law forced his eyes to stay open. If he squinted and really focused, he could just barely make out a ship far away at the vast ocean. It was at least a kilometre away, if not more, and Law knew that he would never make it to the ship by himself. He could hardly even feel his toes anymore, and the muscles in his legs were already cramping from the long swim.
He shook his head, forlorn and feeling a bit guilty for making Luffy do all the work even when the merman was clearly nearing his limits as well. He didn't want to be a burden.
Luffy sighed resignedly, shoving his straw hat off his face to float on the waves from the little string attached to it. Law saw him take a deep breath, centring and focusing himself, and then the merman set sail wordlessly, tired eyes firm in their resolve. And, like a salmon struggling to swim upstream, Luffy made his way to the small ship with Law in tow. Law was only half conscious by the time they reached it, chilled to his core, but he saw the ship through half lidded eyes.
It was painted white with a ram's head for a figurehead. A caravel, a small and poorly kept one at that, but Law couldn't have cared less about looks when he was so damn cold. Luffy pushed him aboard, and the human collapsed into a small pile of shivering limbs and goose bumps.
"It's fucking freezing," he carped, rubbing his hands together. He needed a fresh set of clothes, yesterday.
"Torao?" Luffy called out from the water, sounding utterly exhausted and unsure.
Law frowned, his breaths coming out in short pants. "What?"
"You have to…" Luffy trailed off; probably diving underwater, Law supposed. "You have to help me up, too."
"Yeah, yeah, in a bit," Law barked back as he coerced his weary muscles to work and pushed himself up, ignoring the fact that all he wanted to do really was to sleep for approximately five hundred years. He found a fishing net on the deck and snorted at the irony of it all. He did have some fishing to do.
Hoisting the merman up took time and energy Law didn't have, even though Luffy helped pull himself up the best he could. Law felt boneless by the time the merman was panting on the deck next to him, and Luffy wasn't fairing much better; the long swim and his injures were taking their toll. He gasped for breath, chest heaving.
Filled with equal parts reluctance -he was so tired- and eagerness to get as far from the chill as possible, Law headed inside with a mission to find new clothes before he would really freeze to death. He shook and shivered, but after some initial struggles Law managed to stumble down a hatch and into a cabin he assumed served as the crew's quarters.
Law grabbed the first clothes he saw that were in relatively good shape; a black overcoat and pants that were far from the likes of which he'd worn as a noble. But hey, it wasn't like he was one anymore. The garb was refreshingly mundane and practical, but most of all Law relished the warmth of dry clothes. He fought the urge to just fall on one of the hammocks, but Luffy hadn't looked so hot either and he was virtually stuck on the deck with no water, meaning that sleep would have to wait.
He found a blanket and a red cardigan lying discarded on the floor, and returned back on deck with hopes that they would be of some use to the merman. Law wrapped the coat tighter around himself, bracing himself for the inevitable cold, and trudged his way over to Luffy.
The teen was curled in on himself, shuddering and whining childishly. He was pale and sweating, and as far as Law could tell he was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. He couldn't blame the kid. It had been a rough day for both of them.
"Luffy-ya? In need of another nap, I take it," Law voiced tentatively. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Luffy said through clenched teeth in a way that screamed the opposite. Law's brow furrowed.
"You're still a terrible liar," he murmured and threw the blanket over the merman. Luffy clinged onto the warmth like a lifeline, and Law had to coax him inside with promises of food.
Only problem was that mermen weren't exactly lightweight, and Law didn't have the strength to carry him when it was a task just to keep himself upright. They found a compromise of the awkward and uncoordinated kind with Luffy dragging himself toward the galley with his arms and Law doing his best to support his tail. It wasn't elegant, and it most certainly wasn't comfortable for either of them, but it worked.
Luffy went straight for the fridge, still refusing to let go of the blanket Law had given him. The healer all but collapsed against the galley door, chest heaving with exertion and his skin was on pinpricks thanks to the lingering cold and the incessant ache in his side. He would really need to bandage himself up better, and Luffy probably needed some tending to as well, but the coat he'd found was big and soft and warm and he was so tired...
"Torao, can you cook human food?" Luffy asked from his new home right beside the fridge, unknowingly dragging Law back from the brink of oblivion. The human startled, blinking the sleep from his eyes.
"Wha? Uh, no, Luffy-ya, I'm not much of a chef," he mumbled.
His stomach growled loudly in protest, and Law idly realised that he hadn't gotten a bite to eat in almost twenty four hours. He was starving, and his mouth watered at the mere thought of a warm meal. And after Luffy had swum with him as dead weight for who knows how far, Law supposed he at least owed the kid a sandwich or a dozen. He certainly had the appetite. But Law could hardly even boil water, and Luffy could barely reach the stove, floor bound as he was, so they were more or less screwed food wise.
"That's a shame," Luffy said, mouth full of canned olives. "I'm really hungry."
"Yeah, yeah, let me see what we have here," Law replied and got up on shaky legs, dragging himself to the fridge. "How are you holding up?"
"Fine," Luffy dodged. Law didn't believe him. He found the kid some dried meat in the back of a top cabinet, and while the merman was distracted by the intricacies of opening a can, Law scrounged the helm for medical supplies. He found some disinfectant with needle and thread and a couple bandage rolls, and brandished pliers out of a pair of scissors. They would have to do.
"A-ha!" Luffy cheered as the lid popped off from the dried goods can, pleased with himself. He stared at the preservatives avidly. "Thanks for the food!"
Law shook his head at the brat's antics -seriously, he'd been about to fall asleep not even fifteen minutes ago, and he got this excited about a can of meat?- and plopped down in front of the fridge, too. His ribs cried in protest at the jarring movement, and Law was pleasantly surprised to spot a large bottle of sake on the counter. He took a generous swig and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, sighing.
"At least we're out of the water now."
Luffy hummed in agreement, peering inside the now empty can with a pout. "It's empty… But I'm still hungry."
"We'll find more. I haven't gotten a single bite yet," Law said and rolled his eyes. He took another drink before setting out the medical supplies in front of him. "You're hurt, Luffy-ya. Don't move, please."
"I just need more food," Luffy whined, but did as he was told nonetheless.
Law cleaned his tail and his back carefully, making sure not to aggravate the cuts further. He scowled in distaste; one of the larger gashes marring Luffy's tail had opened during their hasty escape, and was now full of mud and soot.
Law was rather sure that the myriad of lacerations in the teen's back weren't from natural causes. The idea that Luffy had been hurt because of one fraud of a king and men blinded by anger -fellow Dressrosans- made Law almost queasy, no matter how lightly Luffy would play it all.
"This is going to sting," he warned, and poured about half of the sake bottle's contents on the merman's scales and skin. Luffy hissed in pain and grit his teeth together, but for once he didn't whine or protest.
Law bandaged the cuts with practiced proficiency, putting gauze on the ones that didn't need stitches and running sutures on ones that did. Once he was done, they both leaned their backs on the fridge door, side by side.
Luffy's stomach growled demandingly, and the merman curled into a tight knot of famine and frustration. "I need meat, Torao."
"Yeah, I'm hungry too," Law said, fingering the sake bottle's mouth absently. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. "You're a big boy, get over it."
The fridge was empty now thanks to one ravenous pit of a merman, and Law was only beginning to realise how hungry he was. He checked the last few cabinets and found some mouldy crackers under the sink. He frowned at the food. It was surely a downgrade from the feasts he'd been treated to back in the castle, but it was food and they were starving. He took a bite of the first cracker, trying to focus on anything but the ambiguous flavour.
"Torao… I'm hungry."
'Well, shit.'
Law tried not to look at Luffy and the puppy eyes of doom he was sure the teen was wielding like a weapon. He tried. But in the end, Law just sighed and handed the kid half his crackers without even casting a glance at him. Luffy devoured his portion as soon as it was handed to him, while Law ate the last of the biscuits more slowly and washed the awful taste away with alcohol.
"Whose boat is this, anyway?" Luffy asked sleepily. Law shrugged.
"No idea, but I doubt it was just abandoned in the middle of nowhere. The anchor is down and there's fishing gear here and there. My guess is that the owner is out testing the nets with a dingy or something."
"So we're basically taking their food and clothes without permission?" Luffy mused, amusement glinting in his eyes.
Law didn't follow, but he'd learned to just roll with it when it came to the merman's babbling. "Yes?"
Luffy grinned. "So we're stealing?"
"By definition, yes. We're stealing. But we don't have much choice now, do we?" Law defended, surprised that Luffy would care about the morality of their actions to begin with. "What about it?"
Luffy snickered. "Shishishi, Torao, you do realise what this means?"
"That we're desperate and hungry? No, I don't."
"Well, we're out in the sea and we're stealing. We're pirates!"
"I don't think it works like that," Law deadpanned. He did kind of like that idea, though. Pirate Captain Trafalgar Law had a nice ring to it. "Well, fine, but I'm the-"
"I'm the captain!" Luffy cut in, sparkles in his eyes.
Law shook his head and scoffed. "No way I'm under you in rank, that's just ridiculous. I'm a captain too."
Luffy did a double take at that, his mouth hanging agape as he tried to find the right counter argument. Because Law was clearly the one being ridiculous. "That makes no sense, how can we have two captains and no crew?"
"Don't ask me," Law muttered. He offered Luffy a lopsided smile. "But we could always form an alliance between our crews?" he suggested.
"An alliance? Like a marriage?" Luffy asked, rubbing the back of his head in thought. "I don't want to be married, and no offense, but you'd make a terrible wife, Torao."
"Thanks, Luffy-ya…" Law said tonelessly. "What I meant, however, was an alliance. It means that we join forces against a common foe."
"So kind of like friendship, then?" Luffy wondered. Law resisted the urge to slap him.
"I suppose you could call it that…" he agreed, begrudging.
"Awesome!" Luffy decided and yawned loudly.
Law supposed they should be thankful to be still alive, but he didn't really have the energy to celebrate the fact. At least they were still breathing, free to recuperate for the inevitable coup d'état looming in the near future. Cora was still inside those walls, and Doflamingo no longer needed him to keep Law in reign. He was vulnerable, and Law's blood boiled just thinking about his adoptive father; trapped in that bed and the dregs of recovery, unable to defend himself. They needed to return.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Luffy wondered drowsily, almost asleep.
Law opened his mouth with a sardonic reply, because of course they would set sail toward Dressrosa at dawn. They needed to make their move against the corrupt king, that much was obvious. Except that it wasn't. And Law wasn't one for false assumptions.
"Nothing, Luffy-ya," he dismissed, swallowing the words he'd intended to say, but the merman didn't seem to notice. "We'll think about it in the morning, okay?" He said with a note of finality.
Never one to catch social cues, Luffy flicked his tail lazily to and fro, letting out a small, tired laugh. "You really don't have a plan, do you?"
Law snorted. "Do you?"
"Nah, not really. But all the best plans are made on the go," Luffy mumbled. He closed his eyes, and Law assumed he fell asleep soon after. And, as Luffy's soft snores filled the air, Law was left wondering whether or not the teen would return to Dressrosa with him.
Luffy had a home and a family he hadn't seen in over two months, so it was only natural for the kid to be a bit homesick by now. Reluctantly, Law had to admit that Luffy wouldn't necessarily want to go back with him when he'd only barely escaped with his life the first time. He might want to swim back home to see his brother and his friends. It was unreasonable to assume he would want to help Law, and the sudden realization hung over his head like the blade of a guillotine.
"What a fucking mess," Law murmured to no one in particular. He closed his eyes, hoping sleep wouldn't evade him for too long, and gradually relinquished himself to somnolence.
A/N: Okay, I'm sorry about the irregular updates, but I keep forgetting and I've been busy xS Please tell me your thoughts on the chapter and the story so far ^^