You know, I keep meaning to get to work on that next chapter for Scattered, but my brain keeps coming up with these little things that won't go away and let me focus. Stupidly wonderful brain. Anyway, this one comes entirely from the image of Law at the end, it had to be done... poor Law, I'm so mean to that dork. XD
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Oda Eiichiro.
Be Careful When You Drink and Teleport
Dressrosa had been exhausting for him. He needed a break, some quiet solitude to get his muddled thoughts in order. He thought facing Doflamingo after all those years wouldn't affect him, but it did. Memories long buried, though never forgotten, resurfaced and he had to face a stark reminder of why he so loathed his former captain.
At least it was all over.
Now on Zou after being forced to run immediately after the revolution settled, Law was hoping he might find a minute to himself before looking toward the war against Kaido looming on the horizon. Unfortunately, since the Straw Hat captain hadn't gotten to enjoy the festivities the rightful Dressrosa king had intended to bestow upon their saviors, the young man decided that Zou would be their chance to cut loose and celebrate. As much as he wanted to, Law couldn't find the energy to put up a fight against it, if anything it might be enough of a distraction that he could slip away without anyone noticing.
His crew had warmed up to the Straw Hats instantly from the way things looked, no doubt Nami's influence there. His men were far too weak to good looking women. Even still, he had honestly missed them, so their happiness and excitement over the alliance's success and their reunion was enough to set him at ease about his issues with the Straw Hats.
He watched the revelry from a distance early on, quietly drinking and enjoying one of Black Leg's delicious meals. As the night wore on, though, and his stirred memories continued to weigh on his mind, he took his chance to slip off the Thousand Sunny and onto the beach, wandering toward the port town without a word to anyone.
So caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice the concerned brown eyes watching him go.
"I'll have another, Bartender-ya," Law said as he slid his empty glass away. He sat partially slumped over the bar, his head resting in the palm of his hand as he stared down at the shifting cubes of ice melting in the glass.
He hadn't been there too long, maybe half an hour, slowly sipping away at drink after drink while lost in his thoughts. He kept the hood of his long coat up over his hat, this time not meant to be in disguise, not foolish enough to think he'd go unrecognized there, but rather to act as a barrier warding everyone to keep their distance from the sullen pirate captain. He even wore the sunglasses he'd borrowed from the Straw Hats on Dressrosa, hiding his eyes and the dark emotions he'd rather not show to anyone. He'd already shown more than he'd ever prefer to a crew and captain that by all accounts should be his rivals.
"I'll have what he's having," an all too familiar voice chirped up as he sensed the young woman slip into the seat next to him. He was doing his best to resist the urge to groan in annoyance at the interruption, but finally let it slip out when she spoke again. "Oh, and put it on his tab."
"Nami-ya," he practically growled at the girl who sat there completely unfazed by his bad mood. "What are you doing?"
"Exactly as it looks, I'm having a drink." He could hear her sly smirk as he slumped his head down a little further, the hand it was resting in moving to massage his temple and the impending migraine he was sure to have. "Also, I can't have you run off and get yourself into more trouble, stupid captain."
"I'm not as reckless and willful as Straw Hat, you should know I wouldn't do anything to draw attention." He frowned when she snorted and idly remarked with 'could've fooled me' under her breath, finally sparing her a glance. His frown deepened as he saw that she wasn't alone, the shock of green hair beside her immediately catching his eye. "And why are you here, Zoro-ya?"
"Nami said she was following you, guessed you were heading here for a drink. Put Nami in a bar, then trouble's sure to follow." Zoro's bored explanation as he sipped at his own drink had Law turning to glare at Nami. She didn't see it, as she was too busy glaring at Zoro herself.
"I don't want to hear that from the crew's resident alcoholic! Put you in a bar, and it's practically guaranteed a fight will break out!" She hollered at him, her hands balled into tight fists as her temper erupted.
"And I don't want to be lectured by the other resident alcoholic! Especially since the majority of those fights start because you picked the wrong pocket!" Zoro yelled back, the sudden sparks flying between the two surprising Law as he had rarely seen them fight since he allied with the Straw Hats.
"Oohh, now this hasn't happened in a while," another voice surprised Law as he jerked around to see a certain blond cook leaning over the bar on his opposite side, his tone telling him that their behavior had at one point been the norm. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. But…." Sanji trailed off to lean further over the bar and point a fiery finger toward Zoro. "Shitty Marimo! Don't you dare talk down to Nami-swan like that! She's nothing but a lovely and perfect flower, not a drunk thug like you!"
"What was that, crap cook!?"
Law sighed, taking his refilled glass of whiskey and tossing it back. Before a fight between the two men could break out, Law pushed himself up from his seat, hoping to escape and find another place to hide out.
"Wait a minute," Nami said, boldly grabbing his forearm before he could get away. "I'm sorry; we didn't mean to chase you off, Tora-o. Sit back down and have a drink with us. It's just the three of us, the others were still too caught up in their party to notice, and Robin said she'd cover for us if they did."
"Nami-ya, I snuck away because I wanted to be alone. If you three aren't going to leave, then I will." He said, glaring at her as threateningly as he could.
"Your glare doesn't work when you're wearing sunglasses, Law," she said flatly. She released her hold on his arm, though, and shrugged indifferently. "You don't have to talk, we won't ask any questions about what's bothering you. I can already guess, anyway. We just want to have a drink ourselves."
"You could drink with our crews back at the ship." He stated, even as he found himself retaking his seat and waving for another drink from the bartender. "So give me a straight answer, why did you three feel so inclined to follow me here?"
"I'm here for Nami-swan~!" Sanji's obvious answer was given first.
"Nami dragged me with her in case you got pissed off and tried to steal her heart or something," Zoro answered next with a shrug of his own.
Law turned to send a curious look at the navigator who appeared to have initiated it all. His brow was raised skeptically watching as she calmly finished off her drink, her eyes slowing sliding to him once she set her glass down.
"Because I don't think you should be alone right now." He frowned at her answer, confused about the concern she seemed to be showing for his wellbeing. Her eyes shot forward again, her hands idly swirling the ice in her glass. "As I said, I can already guess what has you so troubled, and I think the last thing you should be doing is drowning your sorrow and anger by yourself. I know firsthand that it isn't as cathartic as you first think it'll be."
As he stared at her in silence, carefully considering her words, he could feel Zoro and Sanji's stares on him, the two men waiting to see what he would decide. After a minute, he let out a long, exhausted sigh as he turned back to his drink.
"Do what you want."
Her reaction was instant as she beamed, jumping up from her seat to flag down the bartender. "Hey! Bring us three bottles of your best rum!"
"Oi, Nami, what're ya doin'?" Zoro slurred in question as he sent her a look that clearly said he knew what she was up to. Law was confused. Sanji didn't appear fazed in the slightest, and that had Law even more curious.
"What do ya think?" Nami said, grabbing one of the bottles the bartender brought them and slamming it down onto the bar in front of Zoro. "It's been a while since we could cut loose."
Zoro smirked, chuckling as he grabbed the bottle and popped the lid off. "Oh? Ya really wanna challenge me tonight? Bring it on, Nami."
"Not just you," Nami said, turning to Law with a grin on her face as she took another bottle and waved it in front of him teasingly. His brow raised curiously, he couldn't believe that she was dragging him into their game. "Come on, Tora-o." His face twitched at the nickname, glaring at her behind his sunglasses again as he heard Zoro chuckling in the background. "If you manage to outdrink me, I'll stop calling you that…. And even pick up the tab."
He stared at her, occasionally glancing at the bottle she continued to wave in front of him.
"What about Black Leg?" He asked bemused, jerking a thumb in the direction of the cook who hadn't been given his own bottle.
"Ah, the last time I tried to keep up with those two, it didn't turn out too well. Plus, I have to stay sober in case Nami-swan needs me to carry her back to the ship~." Sanji explained, swooning at the thought of Nami in his arms, cheeks tinted pink from all her drinking. It was a very pleasant fantasy that he lost himself in immediately.
"Don't listen to him, he's exaggerating. You can't possibly believe that a tiny woman like me could outdrink anyone." Her tone was far too sweet, far too innocent, as she leaned in toward him. He stared at her stoically as she batted her eyelashes at him. The snort of laughter from Zoro at her act confirmed what he already assumed; Nami was not to be underestimated. Still, he resigned himself to accepting the challenge, taking the bottle from her gently if only to keep her from nagging him.
"Alright, but you have to convince your captain to stop calling me by that name, too." He offered, at least trying to get a little extra out of the deal in case by some chance he beat her.
She laughed outright at that, not even agreeing to it as she turned to her own bottle. He should have known better, he doubted even she could get him to drop the name.
"Boys, let's have some fun!"
Things got a little hazy after that.
An hour or so into their contest, and Law was heavily regretting the decision he made to humor the woman. Nami and Zoro were both onto their third bottles of rum, while Law had managed to finish off two but slowed down rapidly after that and had barely made a dent into his third.
He was slumped back into a booth in the corner, his arms draped over the back, head lulled as he stared at the ceiling praying that the world would stop spinning soon. Sanji sat across from him, the blond happily watching as Zoro and Nami continued drinking, neither looking close to their limit. He knew they had drank a lot back on the ship, too, so he couldn't help but be amazed at their endurance.
Somehow the contest had spread through the bar, other pirates and locals looking to take on the navigator as she challenged everyone there. The sound of a head hitting the table and Nami's celebratory cry had him slowly turning his head to the table next to their booth. Nami was busily counting out cash, those greedy, belli filled eyes gleaming at every bill she was adding to her pile of winnings. He saw that her third bottle was finished, a fourth half completed, while Zoro seemed to be onto his sixth now.
He glowered when he was reminded that she had stolen his hat and sunglasses at the first sign that inebriation had gotten the better of him. She claimed them as her spoils of victory over the feared Supernova.
He swore he was going to strangle her for it…. Once he figured out which of the two Nami's was her.
"I wonder what her liver looks like," he idly mused aloud, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized her. "For it to function so effectively for her to drink that much, it must have some unique property."
"Oi, shitty doctor," Sanji's voice drew his lazy gaze to the opposite side of their table, forcing him to pick up his head a little more to stare at him, or more like the two of him, as he glared. "Don't you dare think about dissecting my sweet Nami-swan. If you want to study a liver then study Zoro's, I don't give a shit what you do to him."
Law found himself frowning at the remark, in his drunkenness his disappointment was clearly showing. He really wanted to dissect Nami-ya, though.
"Awww, what's got you looking so upset, Tora-o-kun?" Nami's teasing voice broke into his bout of sulking, and he immediately turned to glare at her, or try to, as she stood there grinning down at him. "Your ego wounded now that you've clearly lost to me?"
He raised a hand to her, his finger pointing with mild contempt. It hung there as his glare morphed into a thoughtful scowl, his slowed mind obviously trying to think up a response. For a moment he completely forgot what they were even talking about until he saw her attempt to suppress a laugh. His face hardened again, his finger jutting out a little farther, and he found his answer. "No."
She didn't hold back her laugh after that, the woman falling into the booth next to him and completely ignoring the irritated look he sent her.
"I want my hat back." He said suddenly, his hand reaching out with a great deal of care to try and snatch it from her head now that she was close enough he could make her out more properly.
"Why? I think I look cute in it." She pouted, easily ducking from his reach.
"That's beside the point, it's my hat." He scowled when she gave him a very amused look, his mind catching on a moment too late to what he'd just said.
"You just admitted I look cute." Her teasing caused him to grumble in further annoyance as he gave up on reclaiming his hat, and instead draped his arm over the back of the booth again, this time letting his head fall as he sunk down and tried to ignore her.
He heard her sigh, but he didn't dare look up at her until he felt something on his head again. He glanced up to see her leaning in closer, one hand returning his hat to his head while the other moved to pat softly against his cheek.
"Well if you're going to sulk about it, then fine, you can have your stupid hat back." He didn't get a chance to say anything more to her before she had hopped up out of the booth, calling for Zoro.
"Zoro! Let's do sake now!" She cheered, jumping up in a way that clearly got ever conscious male's attention onto her breasts, except for Zoro who was too busy scowling at her.
"Huh? Are ya tryin' t' take yourself out now, woman? Ya know you can't handle sake like I can." His words gained even more attention, possible challengers thinking they might have an opening to defeat her and win the large sum of money she'd acquired. Law only hoped that was all they were after; he doubted any of them could be stupid enough to take advantage of Nami in other ways, not when she had three fearsome pirates there to back her up.
"Wha' was that? Ya know damn well 'm far from my limit!" Nami yelled back, and that was when Law knew what they were doing. Nami was suddenly slurring her words, more than she had been when she sat down with him. Not only that, but her offense and anger at her crewmate's jabs didn't seem to be very sincere. Even if he's only seen a silent battle of wills between them, he still had an idea of what a real fight between those two looked like. This was far too tame.
It was another act.
He turned to look at Sanji for an explanation, hoping the cook would give it without being asked. He must have looked as confused as he felt because he got the answer he was looking for.
"I'm sure you've already figured it out, but Nami-san has a talent for hustling in drinking games, and when we first got to the Grand Line, Zoro easily picked up the role as her partner in these things. He knows how to play her game and keep things under their control the entire time."
Law nodded in understanding and turned his attention back to the pair now accompanied by more challengers. He saw Zoro had slowed down his pace, letting Nami catch up a little bit while warily watching the men crowding the table and cheering on the new challengers. Obviously he was keeping his guard up, and he could guess that Nami was just as aware as her partner in crime that night.
After a few minutes, he grew bored and let his head lull back again, his eyes shut to block out the spinning ceiling as he prayed that he'd sober up a little before they had to head back to the ship. Somehow he had managed to nod off, the alcohol and his wounds from Dressrosa making him feel sluggish and lazy, the comfortable booth lulling him into a peaceful respite. Usually he'd only drop his guard like that with his own crew, but the three Straw Hats with him were not to be underestimated; they wouldn't let anything happen to him.
The feeling of someone smacking his cheeks lightly and calling his name jerked him from his dreamless sleep, his eyes blinking up to see Nami's frantic face right above his.
"Law, come on, we need to get out of here. Fast. Do your bubble thing." She urged, her hands moving to his coat as she shook him slightly.
He blinked again, incredibly confused about her sudden panic, last he remembered she was happily drinking people under the table and stealing all their money. How long had he been sleeping?
"Huh?"
"Don't ask stupid questions, just do it!" She ordered, that getting his attention as he glared at her.
"Don't order me-" he sensed the gun shot just before he heard it, and with reflexes faster than most people would be after drinking as much as he had, he pulled the young woman toward him, wrapping her in his arms and ducking down. A scant second later the bottle directly behind her exploded upon the bullet's impact.
He was awake now, and very much inclined to agree with Nami's urgent pleas to leave.
Still cradling her head to his chest, he dared to peek up at the bar, finding chaos had broken out as Zoro and Sanji began fighting off people claiming the red head had cheated them, as well as a few claiming she had just flat out stolen their money. They were probably right, but that wasn't important at the moment.
"Room," he called out, surprising everyone there as they froze and looked at the now glaring captain. His lips turned into a scowl as he held his hand out. "Tact." All but he and the three Straw Hats suddenly found themselves flying up through the ceiling and roof, all of them hollering as they hung up high in the sky over the bar. With a hard motion of his hand, he sent them all crashing back to the ground, knocking most of them out.
He was surprised when his head started spinning again from the exertion. He was sobering up, but damn was he getting a killer hangover out of that night. He grit his teeth, putting all his focus into expanding his circle over the entire island and the docks that their ships were moored at.
With another flick of his fingers, he called his sword to his hand. He hadn't let go of Nami the entire time, hadn't even crossed his mind to and she seemed content to stay there as long as it meant she didn't die. Tightening his hold on her, he gave Zoro and Sanji a hard stare as he put more focus into what he was doing than he normally had to.
Another flick of his wrist and their group was aboard the Sunny.
He probably could have done a better job on picking where they landed, but at least they weren't in that ruined bar anymore.
He found himself landing on the swing, Nami in his lap practically clinging to him. He teetered there for a moment, the world once more spinning, but the woman recovered well enough to grab hold of the rope and hold them steady. Apparently the swing was moving, not like it made any difference to him.
Groaning above him drew his hazy gaze up to see Sanji had landed on the limb of the lawn deck's tree, hanging off it precariously after it knocked the wind out of him. A second later he slowly slipped off, landing at a very awkward angle in the grass below with an even louder groan.
Slowly casting his eyes around, he searched for the last member of their party, and was content to see Zoro had landed on the stairs. He had fallen back immediately after losing his balance at the abrupt change, and was now lying on his back twitching at the bottom, strangled coughing the only sound signaling his own pain.
The sound of Nami suddenly giggling brought his attention back to her, sending her a tired but curious gaze as she remained comfortably in his lap.
"Feeling better?" She asked, smiling knowingly at him the entire time, as if she already knew the answer to her question.
"Depends on your definition of better." He answered hoarsely, blinking as that spinning sensation returned coupled with a slight wave of nausea. He groaned and let his head sink against her shoulder, too tired to care about the intimacy of it.
"That bad, huh?" He could feel that she had one arm around his shoulder, it had been there supporting him slightly in their precarious position on the swing. Now she was raising it until it wrapped around his head, patting him comfortingly even though he was fairly certain she was still teasing him. He grunted in response, only eliciting more muffled laughter from her. At least the earlier party had ended and no one was around to see them, other than her two crewmates still knocked out from their rough landings. "Did you at least have fun and get your mind cleared?"
He shut his eyes at her last question, and then proceeded to scrunch his eyebrows together as he carefully considered it. "It was… amusing…" he answered, trailing off as he sunk further against her. He didn't answer the last part, the hum that echoed in her chest after told him that was answer enough.
He felt her pat his head again, this time softly, more sincere in her comfort, before slowly picking herself up off him. It was then he realized he had an arm around her waist still, the appendage falling away when she stood, hanging limp and useless without her body there. His head fell against the rope of the swing much to his annoyance; it was definitely not as comfortable as Nami's soft body. When he felt a touch on his shoulder, he peeled open one eye to look at Nami as she leaned down in front of him, smiling as she pressed a light kiss to his cheek, much to his surprise though he refused to show it.
"Goodnight, Tora-o," she whispered and pulled away again, leaving him to reflect on something very different from his past.
But first he had to deal with the fact his body was betraying him and he was headed for a hard impact with the ground behind him. Once Nami was gone, he lost the balance she had been giving him, and soon he was falling backwards. He landed with a hard groan, his legs still propped up by the swing that jerked side to side, and he just couldn't find the energy to move after that.
He was pretty certain that was the first night in his life he'd fallen asleep half fallen out of a swing, but surprisingly it was some of the best sleep he'd had since before he'd landed on Punk Hazard weeks before.
And he was also especially certain that he would never agree to drink with Nami ever again.
I'll laugh if canonically Law can't hold his liquor at all. I will absolutely laugh.
Oh, and for those that haven't seen it yet, the explicit continuation of chapter 9 is up on tumblr. Just check the LawNa tag, or if you would prefer, there's a link to it in my profile here so you don't have to search too much for it.
Now then, let's see if I can FINALLY get that chapter done!