Okay, I am so sorry that this took so long to get out. I got some serious writer's block for this story. I really did want to finish but I just couldn't get anything written down. So as writer's block works, I went off and found other things to do until I could get my brain working on this again. So I powered through just for you readers!

You may notice the rating has been upgraded from K+ to T. It's because of this chapter.

No review responses this time. They take so long to write out and you have been so patient already that I didn't want you to wait any longer. But huge thanks to everyone who has read, followed, and faved. Major kudos go to the lovely reviewers: SEllen23, mellra, Zelga Lim Li, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, angelrider13, ZabuzasGirl, xXHumptyDumptyXx, SilverLunaMoon, nighttempes, Fairy of the Friz, sargell30, mr, Catflower Queen, CursedRaven, the anonymous Guest, Smoochynose, Yandere Shoujo, FireOfTruth, MysticSilver05, SlowMercury, runnerup, LittleChomper, StarofJems, Wera, The Richmaster, CrazyAnimeForever, Thao, Trafalgar2002, and hellkiss. If you would like to chat, have a question or something to say, you are welcome to send me a pm. I'm faster at replying to a pm than a review. Which isn't saying much at all since I'm a terrible replier all-round. But I will try harder!

This may seem shorter than the other chapters but it's also lacking 2 pages of review replies! Please enjoy!

Chapter 11

In Which There is Guilt

"Vergo," Law spat out in disgust. He needed to check on Dr. Adair to see if the old man was still alive. But that much blood from such an elderly body was not a good sign. The slight movement of his chest was encouraging but the man wouldn't last long with that blood loss.

"It's Vergo-san you ungrateful ingrate," the man snapped. His face remained devoid of emotion even with the annoyance in his voice. "After everything Doffy did for you, you would still turn your back on him. He had high hopes for you. Saw you as his future right hand man. But look how that turned out. You do know how pirate traitors are dealt with, don't you boy?"

"Probably just as bad as the Marines when they find out that you're a traitorous spy." Law's hands were trembling on the old katana. He knew he didn't stand a chance by himself against Doflamingo's favourite crew member. Vergo was the first Corazon and one of the executives. If Vergo wanted to kill him, Law didn't stand a chance.

More likely, he wanted to capture Law alive and that's where he might have a chance to escape. However, even if he tried and succeeded to escape, Vergo wasn't likely to chase after him. The man wasn't stupid, he knew Law had made personal connections on the tiny island. That's why he waited with Dr. Adair at his feet. Law's survival instinct conflicted with his overwhelming guilt at bringing the monster on his acquaintances.

"But they won't find out, you stupid boy." A slight smirk curved the tall man's lips. "Because I'm going to kill you. With you dead, all loose ends will have been tied up."

"But if I'm dead, Doflamingo will have to initiate the search for the Ope Ope Fruit all over again." Law tried to keep his voice calm and steady to distract the man from the fear he actually felt. He was just delaying the inevitable. "The next time may not be so easy. After all, when a Devil Fruit user dies, the Devil Fruit can be reincarnated anywhere in the world. Doffy can't control where it will end up."

"You're placing a lot of importance on your life, fool. You're more disposable than you think." Vergo's shoes made a squelching sound in the puddle of blood. There was splatter on the bottom of his otherwise pristine white pants. He would have a difficult time getting the blood out of the material without it turning pink.

"Am I? Then I guess Doflamingo doesn't mind waiting a few more years for the Eternal Life Operation?" Law caught the tightening of Vergo's eyebrows.

"So you know of the Fruit's real power then? Good, that will make things easier." Vergo stepped over the doctor's unmoving body. "Then perhaps we can come to an agreement."

"What agreement? I thought you were going to kill me?"

"Oh, you will die, one way or another." The psychopath's lips twitched again. He was probably thinking of the various methods he could use to kill the teenager. Law had no doubt Vergo was even more experienced than himself in causing painful deaths. "But whether others die along with you is your decision."

Law felt the bottom drop out of his stomach like his intestines had just been pulled down by gravity. Vergo was threatening everyone he had ever come in contact with. The patients at the clinic, Hitomi who had just married the love of her life, the locals who gave him little trinkets and goods as he passed by, they would all be threatened. And if he looked deeper into Law's time on the island he would eventually track down the bandits in the woods and the three boys whose treehouse was where Bepo was supposed to be seeking shelter.

Aware that any twitch in his expression could give his fears away, Law schooled his face into the mask he used when doing medical work. Calm, cool, and collected was how Adair coached him to act like. Don't let the patients know how you really feel.

"What others? You mean my nonexistent friends?" Law emphasized his fib with a snort of amusement.

"I'm not a fool, you stupid boy." Vergo's tone didn't change although it sounded like he was trying to reprimand Law like a child. "You're not the same soulless and suicidal child who approached Doffy. You actually care. It's amusing, if rather disgusting."

"You are mistaken. I have no emotional connections."

Vergo's head tilted to the side and he studied the small teenager through his shaded glasses. "Gladius thinks differently. He insisted that you had befriended three boys and a pet bear. Considering your emotional attachment to other children, I don't consider it a stretch to think you care for others. It's a poor weakness to have."

"You have been misinformed." This was leading somewhere, Law was certain of it. Vergo was trying to make a point. He was trying to teach a lesson and Law wouldn't like curriculum.

"Have I? But I won't take your word for it." The pirate shoved his foot under Dr. Adair's body and lifted up so the dying man was lying on his back. The old doctor's head flopped to the side with surprisingly clear eyes staring straight at the teenager. "This was your mentor."

Adair mouthed silent words at Law, flashing a bloody mouth. Internal bleeding, Law's analytical mind supplied. He had already absorbed the words Dr. Adair attempted to communicate and acknowledged what the old man was trying to tell him.

The fake marine unsheathed his standard issue sword and raised it above Adair's body. The doctor closed his eyes and Vergo drove the blade into his heart.

Law's stomach twisted and his heart stuttered violently in his chest. His eyes couldn't turn away from his mentor. A wet and bloody hacking gasp was the last sound the old doctor made before his head dropped back to the floor for the last time.

"Room!" A scream of rage ripped from his throat and he raised the cheap sword to cut the monster into pieces. But he was just thirteen years old going up against an experienced fighter who had successfully infiltrated the marines. Faster than Law could move, Vergo's foot contacted with his stomach in a way that felt like every organ had just been turned to mush.

Wood splinted at his back as he slammed painfully hard into the wall and landed with a thump on the floor. It took everything in his power to fight through the pain and keep his Room operating. But the physical ache was enough to force him into a protective ball. His knees and arms curled around his stomach while Law fought to keep his meager lunch down.

There was absolutely no way he could beat Vergo in a fight. Gladius was only possible because there were other distractions for the man. However, Law was alone to face Doflamingo's right hand psychopath after he had just killed a defenceless elderly man. He needed to be very careful about his moves.

"Is that all you've got, Law-kun? I expected more from you." Each of Vergo's footsteps made the wooden floor tremble as he got closer. The sword was still clenched tightly in Law's hand which trembled out of a mix of fear and pain. "No matter I will enjoy this."

Vergo lifted a leg up in the air, covered in black haki. He truly meant to violently beat the teenager this time.

But the man's other leg of which he was balancing on was haki-free and vulnerable. If Law debated his next action too long, Vergo would realize his plan. It was better to act first and worry about the consequences later.

Law swung his katana and felt a slight bubble of hope at the clean cut he made in a diagonal line across Vergo's left femur. The man grunted and flailed awkwardly as his body slid off the leg's support and fell to the ground. Against any other opponent, Law may have hung around to smirk at the awkward movements. But the last words Dr. Adair tried to speak sounded in his head.

"Run, you idiot!"

So Law ran. Through the kitchen and out the back door. His feet pounded on the dirt and gravel road as he forced his muscles to put every effort into running. It wasn't more than 150 metres into his sprint when he turned a corner and nearly slammed full speed into a small body. As it was, he tucked and rolled across the gravel before springing to his feet.

"Law! We found you!" Luffy chirped with an excited wiggle. Sabo and Ace were resting their hand on their knees to catch their breath. Bepo was behind them and he perked up in excitement at the sight of his friend. "Your bear seemed really worried for some reason. So we came to find you."

Panic clawed at his throat. This was not what he wanted when he sent Bepo away. "No time to talk!" Law snapped and grabbed the front of Luffy's shirt in a fist to drag the boy behind him. The old katana still held tightly in his other hand. "Run, you idiots!"

"But Gramps said we have to stay so he can find us!" The straw hat boy garbled out something else but Law couldn't focus on his words. There was a loud crash and the sound of wood splinting from down the street where he just escaped from. Ace and Sabo yelled something at him but the blood was pounding too loudly in his ears to focus. He could feel the vibrations from their running footsteps trying to keep up and the comfort of Bepo's panting breath as the bear easily flanked his rights side on four paws.

"Hey Trafalgar! What the hell is going on?" That was Ace yelling from behind him. There was no time to explain. No time to say that because of Garp's interference, Law had brought his past to this quiet, redneck island at the far end of East Blue. How would someone even start?

After my surviving family and friends were all annihilated by the marines for being ill with a disease the World Government was well aware was happening but too greedy to stop, I kind of got a little mad. Like, crazy, psycho, unstable mad. I joined a pirate crew in the desire to kill as many people as I could before the illness took my own life and was getting on fine. Until one pirate - who was actually a marine spy infiltrating his older brother's pirate crew - had to go remind me that I was still a human with feelings and showed me so much kindness that he made me actually want to survive. He literally forces a highly desired Devil's Fruit down my throat which gave me the tools to cure my illness but wasn't enough to save his life when the captain found out and killed him. Now I'm running for my life because a high level member of my former pirate crew is a spy in the marines and he's found me because Garp just couldn't leave me alone. Also, he just killed my mentor.

Yeah, hard to express when you're running for your life.

"Don't stop!" Law snapped and tightened his grip on Luffy's rubbery wrist. Even over the blood pounding in his ears, he could hear Bepo's panting, Ace's breathless complaints, Sabo's gasps for breath, and Luffy loudly asking useless questions that Law studiously ignored. But even over all the noise, it was the calm, steady footsteps Law was most aware of. Each step was measured and without hurry, as Vergo knew exactly where Law was and which direction he was moving in. Vergo was in no hurry. He had haki and would be able to find the young teenager wherever he hid in the neighbourhood.

The objective was to get where Vergo would have a harder time beating the shit out of him. Some place where that marine uniform would be a hindrance. He needed to force Vergo to decide between his long-term mission undercover in the marines or capturing a traitor.

Luffy's wrist still held tightly, Law turned unexpectedly down a narrow alley. The change in direction had Luffy's rubbery body literally bouncing off the wall but the others were able to keep up. Vergo's pace didn't change.

"Law-kun, where are we going?" Sabo asked over Ace's grumblings in a politely confused tone. Law deemed it more acceptable to respond to.

"Somewhere a little safer." A few half empty sake bottles littered the ground around a popular gambling game with dice. It looked like whoever was playing got up and left so quickly they forgot to hide the evidence of their law-breaking. But why they would leave so quickly was a curious thing. The few guards that patrolled the working class neighbourhoods were easily bought off and lacked pride in their job. So what had scared them off?

He couldn't stop to think about it and instead jumped over the mess in the alley before turning down another alley shortcut. The homeless and scavengers that usually inhabited this particular covered alley seemed to have made themselves scarce, leaving behind their make-shift homes and meager possessions. Again, it was an odd scene but there was no time to wonder. They were getting close. Law could feel the buzz of energy and hear a rising murmur of voices from a large crowd of people. Vergo had apparently picked up their direction and caught on to Law's plan because his pace quickened. But he was slower in the unfamiliar alleys. Law still had a chance.

The alleys twisted and turned for several more meters as the four boys and a bear sprinted between the sooty and crumbling buildings. The smell in the alleys was overwhelming but there was no time to enjoy the scent of rotting food and human piss with a murderous lunatic quickly catching up.

"Finally!" Law gasped out when the alley opened up to the busy neighbourhood square. Used as a marketplace every day but Monday, the square was bursting with people. There were far more people than Law had ever seen before and he worried about making it quickly through the crowd. He adjusted his katana so he's be less likely to cut someone's artery unintentionally. He glanced back to the younger boys. "We need to get lost in the crowd."

Ace had sweat dripping down his forehead from all the running he had to do throughout the day. He did not look pleased to be taking more orders. "Why?"

"Because there's a psychopath who wants to kill me and he'll happily kill you too just for the fun of it. Now let's go!"

The crowd was massive with what looked like every person from the neighbourhood crammed into the square. At the far end of the square a few men and women were yelling and giving inarticulate orders. Getting through the crowd would require some serious maneuvering.

But something happened as he started squeezing through the small gaps between bodies. Whispers and murmurs rose up around him and the crowd pushed aside to let him through. Suddenly, the crushing crowd of people was a clear pathway to the center of the square. Friendly faces stared down at him and hands reached out to push him along. People were talking and murmuring in his ear but there was too much noise to focus on one particular voice.

The crowd closed in behind the boys and pushed and pulled them until the four boys and the bear were in the center of the crowded square. Luffy chirped out a loud question but Law ignored the content in favour of gripping Bepo's coarse white fur. A pair of soft hands grabbed his cheeks and pulled him into a crushing hug.

"Law-kun," Hitomi's voice breathed into his ear. She loosened her grip so he could pull back but didn't let him go. Her hands felt hot on his already warm cheeks. A hand wiped at his forehead and pulled back fingers smeared in blood and sweat. "Are you alright? You're bleeding quite a bit."

"It's nothing, I'm fine." Law tried to pull back but he didn't get very far before the nurse pulled him back. Bepo stumbled a little when he accidentally pulled on the bear's fur.

"We heard someone was hurting you and the doctor." Hitomi's new husband, a gentle hearted man by the name of Tatsuya who owned a glass working studio, hovered over her shoulder. Law had only met the man a few times before but he was always polite and treated the teenager more like an equal than a child. Furthermore, he doted on the hard-working nurse which certainly gained Law's approval. "The baker came running to tell us. He said it was a pirate dressed as a marine?"

"There was a pirate?" Luffy yelled but everyone somehow managed to ignore him.

"Yes … is that why you're all here?" Law glanced around at all the people hovering over him and the children. Stress lines pulled at their features and many of them held makeshift weapons nervously.

"We hoped to scare him off with numbers," a large, burly man Law recognized as the local blacksmith Hiroshi waved a large hammer. "Even if we're not the strongest ones in the room, we could at least slow him down until the real authorities get here."

"That's foolish!" There was no other way to put it. He couldn't understand or see why all these people would risk their safety and possibly their lives to help two insignificant people. "Why would you risk it?"

"Dr. Adair has served our community for decades when no one else would spare us a second glance." A tall, middle-aged woman Law remembered as Yuki stepped forward. She was one of several prostitutes that came in for regular tests and was unashamed of her profession. "It's called returning the favour."

Hitomi pulled Law's face back towards her. "Where is he? Where's Dr. Adair?"

A lump formed in his throat and Law tried to swallow it down but it was painful and revolting. He could feel their eyes on him, waiting and judging. They would hate him. He brought Vergo to this island, unintentionally leading to the death of their eccentric and beloved doctor. He was the cause of everything that went wrong and it was time to face the jury. Just because he had say it didn't make explaining himself any less terrifying.

"He's … He's dead," Law could feel the mood drop and the whispers started up again. He felt the inexplicable need to defend himself. It was strange because he knew he was responsible. "Vergo killed him. I swear, I tried to help Dr. Adair but he was too strong. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to get on with my life. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"The doctor's dead?" Sabo repeated and there was a sniffling sound from behind him when Luffy grabbed onto Ace's shirt.

"What do you mean, Law-kun?" Tatsuya frowned in thought.

"My Devil Fruit. He's after my Devil Fruit abilities … and revenge because I was once part of a pirate crew with him."

The whispers grew around him.

"But you're so young …" Yuki's too knowing eyes seemed sad for him.

"I was angry because I lost everything," Law glanced around at the people surrounding him. Ace and Sabo were carefully listening to his plea with Luffy still sniffling into his brother's shirt. The teenager found relief in Bepo's coarse fur beneath his fingers. "But I finally found something to live for and I left. Someone very important died so I could live. I just want to make him proud. I'm sorry."

People amongst the crowd exchanged glances but Yuki smiled in relief and Hitomi mirrored her expression. "Well, it's good to know little Law-kun isn't so perfect after all. Look people, not everyone is perfect. Sometimes people can make the wrong choice, especially when young and angry." Yuki turned her attention back to the bloodied and bruised teenager. "Did the doctor know?"

"I warned him before I even asked for a job."

"So he knew the risks and took a chance on you anyways. We can't blame you for that," Hitomi dabbed at his forehead with a cotton sponge and a kind smile. "The doctor made his own choices."

"He told me to run."

"He always was a smart man."

Raised voices sounded from the edge of the square where Law and his child followers had just run from. He could hear the anger and fear in the townspeople's response to who they were arguing with. But Law knew exactly who was stalking the edge of the town square. He could feel the killing intent.

Law reached out and grabbed Hitomi's hand. Without thinking, his nails dug into her soft skin and left a deep imprint. "He's here."

That's it for today! Writing that was a little depressing. I'm going to go watch cute dog videos on Youtube now. Please if you have some spare time to leave a review. I always appreciate reading what people think so far and what they think will happen. It's always interesting!

Cheers!