: : Twenty
Luffy finally lowered his hand from his eyes, mind ringing with an intense static. All he could think about was Sanji, and this interruption was only getting in his way. His body absolutely craved coming into contact with the other man, to smell him, hear him and feel him. His eyes were even experiencing the madness – he needed to see him badly now that he couldn't sense Sanji very well. It was very unlike something Luffy had felt before, but as far as he was concerned, his instincts were very reliable. He looked back at the island, reaching out to clutch the broken railing as he once again determined the distance. The others' attention were focused on the fishing boat that chugged quietly over the ocean waves.
Sabo furrowed his brow, then cupped his hands around his mouth. "We have children with us! There are innocent children on this boat - !"
"I brought them back so Sanji could have them!" Luffy shouted, causing Sabo to trail off with dismay.
"Uh, no we didn't," Ace muttered, looking at Luffy with a puzzled expression. The children were renewing their looks of terror, trembling in place at the mention. Ussop hurriedly tended to assure them they were not repeating their time as slaves, and that Luffy was just insane. "We brought them back because they needed safety – "
Luffy punched outward without warning, launching himself into the air. A mere moment later the boat began to slowly collapse against the water with tremendous cracking and snapping sounds that rang out over the water. Screams erupted from everyone onboard as Luffy arched through the air, heading straight for the point that agitated him the most. As far as he was concerned right now, the others didn't matter. What mattered was this infuriating alpha with his long, straight blade exposed while he used his free hand to slowly pull their boat apart.
Law only smiled grimly as the boat they were using slowly collapsed into pieces, coming apart at the seams. Both to leave him something to work with and to already agitate their panicked states. Ace, Sabo and Zoro were shouting aloud as they were forced off the deck due to gravity. His mind buzzed sharply with the appearance of another alpha threatening his omega, making it difficult to think freely. He blinked rapidly to clear the red coloring from his vision, knowing it was only rancorous madness in retaliation to a threat. Luffy was still in mid-air, careening through it like he was given flight abilities himself. His eyes were wide and beaded with the same sort of expression, Law noticed. He planned to use Luffy's untrained anger against himself, feeling he was the superior alpha here.
Stepping back, Law lifted his hand, capturing Luffy in mid-motion. He noticed he'd stopped the alpha's body, but his limbs stretched out in momentum. Luffy snarled savagely as he realized he couldn't move, but he continued to extend his fist with the momentum downward towards the fishing boat.
"Penguin, pick up the children and take them back towards shore," Law told the worried man next to him. "The others are to stay behind."
"You sure this is a good idea?" Penguin asked skeptically. "If I do that, I can't come back in time."
"It'll be fine. If they're true men, they'll find a way to survive without our assistance," Law assured him as Luffy's fist neared them with the striking force of an incoming bullet. Penguin gave him an impatient look. Law then deflected Luffy's fist off its trajectory course, and hopped off the boat onto the sure, steady surface of a portable platform the fishermen used to anchor their ships to.
Still with an unsure expression, Penguin nodded. He unhooked the platform from the boat, and then coaxed the vehicle away from Law. Over the surface of the water, they could hear the frantic, scared screams of the children that Franky and Ussop were trying to save. Law didn't give them a second look.
He tossed Luffy a distance away from anything that could give him footing, watching the teen flail in mid-air before extending an arm outward and catching hold of his stolen ship's mast. Looking to the right, Law saw the others floundering in the water. Ace still couldn't swim very well, but Zoro and Sabo were pulling him to the remains of the other half of the ship.
"As soon as I get out of this water," Ace shouted, almost gulping down the sea water that splashed up against him with Zoro's and Sabo's efforts, "I'm going to kick your ass! I can't wait to do it – it's been years! Gonna settle this man to man!"
"What a rotten tactic, Law," Sabo snapped, losing his grip on his brother. Ace sank, causing Zoro to dive in after him as Sabo kept himself above the surface to glare in Law's direction. "Choosing your battle where none of us can fight you fairly!"
"I don't ever recall giving any of you a chance to 'fight back fairly'," Law retorted with vague amusement. "Why should I give you that opportunity, now?"
"We went out to find you!"
"And kill me, yes, I heard."
"It wasn't to kill you," Sabo cried with exasperation, hitting the surface with a clenched fist as Zoro and Ace popped back up with loud inhales of air.
"Luffy is an alpha, now. I find that unacceptable," Law replied.
"Why don't you drop your powers and fight us hand to hand?" Ace shouted, wheezing and coughing in between words. "You wanna be a man? Act like one! Hiding behind your damn powers because you know you ain't man enough for the rest of us!"
"How are you talking so much shit while drowning at the same time?" Zoro snapped impatiently at him, struggling to pull Ace along while looking for suitable debris for them to cling to.
"But…I'm outnumbered," Law answered Ace, wearing a mocking expression of concern. "I'm terrified for my life, here. It is the only way I can protect myself."
"Dumb ass! You're just mocking us!" Ace cried.
Law glanced over to seeing Luffy launch himself once more in his direction. This time he had a part of the ship with him, flinging debris in his direction. Calmly, Law concentrated on the bigger pieces and crushed them in mid-air while judging Luffy's trajectory. He lifted his sword and sliced through air, careful of where he stepped. The platform wasn't that big – maybe twelve by ten feet, stained with water and fish innards. Floating easily with the use of large, red rubber buoys underneath. There was room to allow sea fishing rods to stand and a covered hole that allowed the fishermen to enter the water with to attend to the buoys.
The force he created with the use of his sword swept over the surface waters, ripping more debris to shreds and causing the three to hastily lunge away to avoid any impact. It also unsettled the very air Luffy was flying through, causing him to avert his direction with involuntary action. He reached out, stretching his hand to the mast once more and returned with a snap back in that area.
He howled with frustration as Law determined the expressions of the others. "Stop pushing me away, Law! I wanna kick your damn ass! You let me in! I will find a way to break in, goddamn it, just you wait!"
Penguin was pulling the frightened kids onto the boat, Ussop trying to be one of them. Shachi was holding the pair of men off with guns in both hands, causing Franky to pull back on Ussop with a snarl of words. Once the fishing boat began pulling away, Law focused on that section of the collapsed boat. The temporary engine Franky used was dismantled, forced to collapse towards the sea floor to prevent any ideas against him.
Franky turned in reaction, then lifted an arm. His hand shifted and maneuvered, revealing a set of gun barrels. His appearance, and the fact that he was embedded with his own weaponry, caused Law momentary distraction. Firing off at the floating alpha, Franky was then used by Ussop as a shield.
Law held up a hand, stopping those bullets in mid-air – then pushing them back towards the pair that screamed and hastily jumped ship. Wood cracked and sputtered into the air and water as impact rang out.
"LAW!" Sabo cried impatiently, hauling himself atop of a flat piece of board. He was unsteady as he sought a position that would allow him to stand. Ace struggled to join him, but he ended up tilting both Sabo and the board over, causing them to shout at each other furiously as Zoro shook his head with embarrassment.
"This might be easier than I thought," Law muttered with disappointment. "Perhaps I should've chosen a different sort of arena."
He looked up sharply once he realized that there was movement in the air. He looked up to see a small, cylindrical object explode overhead. He noted with his eyes narrowed that Ussop was the one to fire it, his slingshot held mightily in shaky arms. Ussop's goggles were pulled over his eyes as Franky held him steady in the water, sinking slowly himself. Both of them disappeared underneath the surface, only to explode back up with shouts and frantic effort to find something to cling to.
The object that exploded overhead billowed outward with a strong smoke cloud that dripped with pelting weight of rain. Law looked down at the platform and at himself to see that this rain was reddish in color, and it moved. He realized it was actually insect eggs of some type, and those things were crawling frantically around and on him. He made a face but didn't react as Ussop had hoped. He pierced the marksman with a glower so fierce that Ussop shrieked in reaction.
"That guy is impossible to beat!" Ussop screeched, seeing that his spider-egg smokescreen hadn't caused the alpha to react traditionally when pelted with the alarming ammunition. Ussop scraped at Franky's back with terror, Franky sputtering and flailing himself to keep his weight from pulling them under. "Help me! We're gonna die! I'm going to die! He's targeted me!"
"I'm going to die because of you!" Franky howled before sinking underneath the waves.
The smokescreen covered Law moments later, and he positioned himself to swing his sword again. He was able to clear just enough to see Zoro moving over the water himself, three swords drawn. Just above him was another moving person, but the smoke hadn't cleared enough for Law to see exactly who it was. But a corner of his mouth tipped with a smug smile.
Just like I anticipated, he thought, mentally patting himself on the back.
He lifted the waves around him with telekinetic force and pushed water forward to distract Zoro, then used his sword to catch the swinging metal pipe that nearly caught him in the head. Law flicked his wrist to capture the pipe's corner head and lunged to the left with a mighty swing to throw Sabo away from him. Without any stabilizing surface underneath him, Sabo cursed out loud with frustration before hitting the water, clutching tightly onto his weapon. Law had enough time to bring his sword back and capture Zoro's swing with the length of his blade against his two.
"This is dirty play," Zoro snarled at him. He tried not to grimace at the sight of crawling insects on the other man, his black clothes pelted with splattered eggs.
"Your forehead has grown in size," Law observed calmly before drawing a knee up to make impact with his body.
He then kicked the man aside, but Zoro stabilized himself with a somewhat impressive toe catch at the edge of the platform and shot forward at him again. Law had to defend himself, using both hands on the handle and moving fast to avoid being stabbed or sliced. Zoro moved quick, forcing Law back. He realized what difficulty he was facing in his opponent and knew he had to remove himself from the scene immediately. He teleported away, Zoro looking around with confusion once a piece of driftwood settled in front of him. With the smoke clearing away, Zoro caught sight of movement off to his left. He cried aloud with surprise to see the wave moving over him before he could evade it, being swallowed up into the sea moments later.
Law steadied himself on the piece of wood Sabo had been balancing on earlier, scanning the debris for any sign of Luffy. Ace sputtered at him from nearby, clinging to a piece of railing that looked ladder sized – allowing enough maneuverability for any skilled person to walk atop of. He jumped atop of that, watching Ace struggle.
"I'm going to wreck you as soon as I get my hands on you!" Ace snarled at him, shaking the piece of railing with both arms then struggling to climb atop of it as Law balanced himself delicately on the rungs. "Hold still!"
"Here, let me help you," Law said, lifting him up from the water by his cape and then whipping him around behind him. It effectively allowed him to hit Luffy in mid-trajectory as the alpha lunged at him once more, the two careening off into the water with tremendous splashes. Steadying himself, Law looked over the water logged group with utter amazement. Sabo was racing against the sea to reach his drowning brothers – Zoro was a good distance away but determinedly making his way to a piece of debris to catch onto, and the other two weren't in sight.
Before Law could feel any concern in that disappearance, the railing underneath him exploded upward with a sizzling explosion of heat, sound and water. He immediately teleported towards the large piece of ship that straggled above the surface, the mast slowly tilting downward towards the water. That explosion nearly caused Law to drop his sword, and he gripped it with some relief as he saw both Franky and Ussop shooting out from the water – the sight was absurd because it appeared that Franky was using some type of explosive fart to save them from drowning. He watched them arch high into the air with screams, and land once more in the water, sending debris over head while water splashed around them.
Soaking wet himself, Law glanced around the area for Luffy and spotted Sabo dragging both brothers to the platform Law had abandoned minutes ago. Law grinned lopsidedly, shoving the blade of his sword into the mast to allow him another method of clinging to it in order to stay above the water. He braced himself atop of the rim of the crow's nest.
"Is he just fucking with us?" Ace sputtered, once he was able to pull himself onto the platform, Luffy wheezing nearby as Sabo struggled to catch his breath. 'He's just fucking with us, isn't he? Argh, that makes me so much madder than I was before!"
Sabo glanced grimly in the direction of the older man, seeing him survey his work with a look of glee. "Admit it, Ace. He chose the arena, and neither of us has touched him just yet. He has the upper hand. Eventually, he'll get bored and end this quick."
"When we were kids, he'd just leave us behind while we were planning our attack," Ace muttered bitterly. "We'd be sitting in that forest for hours, thinking he was looking for us when he'd be back at the library, napping or something!"
"Ugh, that drove me crazy! Every time!"
"But we can't let that happen, now," Luffy snarled, rolling onto his hands and knees. "This time, it really matters!"
"What is his weakness?" Ace whispered, looking determined. The other two looked puzzled, taking in their surroundings with an obvious lack of knowledge.
"Dude is running around with Ussop's nasty bug bomb all over him. He never jumped at the sight of snakes nor did he react as we did to certain things that freak us out," Sabo muttered thoughtfully. "He was totally unscareable…"
"He has to be scared of something!"
"I know he hates water, but look at him! He's using it as his battleground!" Sabo couldn't help but look at the older man with admiration. Ace wouldn't admit it, but he was vaguely impressed as well. He wore a sneer, water soaked hair sticking to his freckled face.
"And he's not that string bean bitch that doesn't do anything manly or physical," Ace said bitterly, looking in Law's direction. "He's got some muscle to him. He can take some physical abuse and dish it out."
"It's his magic that allows him to do all this stuff!" Luffy snarled. "Somehow, we gotta do something about his magic!"
Sabo brightened up, lowering his voice. "His Room! The only way he can use his powers is if his Room were engaged! The fact that he can do all this stuff is because it's up, and that takes a considerable chunk of his concentration. If we can somehow manage to get in there and force him unfocused, we can pull him down to our level!"
"Then how do we do that?" Ace then brightened up himself, hitting the platform with a fist. He looked to Luffy. "How much have you eaten so far?"
Luffy managed to focus on that question, blinking with bewilderment. "Oh. Well, I ate – "
"Everything!" Sabo exclaimed angrily. "He ate everything we had on board! We're starving, Ace, what kind of question is that?"
"But was any of it gassy?"
Luffy's eyes widened with understanding. "Ace, there's no need to ask if I have gas in the tank. That's always there!"
"Then listen up, here's how we're gonna do it," Ace said with confidence, lowering his voice and cupping one side of his mouth. Afterward, Sabo looked bitter while Luffy looked delighted and then determined.
"We're men, now," he muttered, "and yet oh so young."
Watching them from a distance, Law shook his head ever so slightly. "Those morons are planning something stupid, I bet," he muttered to himself. He saw Zoro in position once more, soaking wet and determined to attack again. Franky and Ussop were struggling to stay afloat on some debris nearby, shouting at each other. Ussop was stressed at helping his cyborg friend, who clearly had trouble staying afloat.
All that truly mattered was getting rid of Luffy, who was an active threat to him. Law focused on the teen, who was looking in his direction with a spiteful expression. He hadn't changed all that much – he was just a bigger version of the kid Law left behind. But it filled Law's blood with rage to know that Luffy planned on taking over his spot. He seethed with venom and determination, lifting his free hand while bracing against the mast. The crow's nest was nearly fully underwater. The water below was bubbling around him – but he still had time to use the rest of the length of mast as a platform to keep him atop of the water surface.
He punched Luffy clear out of the water, which caused the other two cries of alarm at the unexpected gesture. Luffy whirled around in mid-air and shot his hands forward to reach for the mast. Keeping his eyes focused on the alpha, Law closed his fist, his powers pulling at Luffy's outstretched hands to re-direct him towards the water. He watched with fascination as Luffy's body stretched and adjusted according to the direction – if Law wasn't careful, Luffy could easily turn around with the other half of his body to use as a weapon.
"You coward!" Luffy shouted at him furiously.
That momentary focus was enough for Zoro to move, swiping mightily through the air while Ussop drew back his slingshot once he saw his chance. Franky sank with a gurgle as Ussop quickly reloaded and shot again. Sensing these two attacks, Law drew Luffy down towards the water surface, putting full force into it. Luffy screamed in frustration as he found himself directed into the water. Law then felt the incoming force of wind and physical strength in Zoro's attack, the water whipping up against him before the crow's nest exploded underneath him and cracked the mast. Law held tight to his sword and teleported away from that, to take to the floating piece of overturned hull nearby. The surface was slick and he found himself slipping over exposed mussels and seaweed. Ussop's shots detonated around him, a surprising amount of explosives shattering the air and causing his equilibrium to fail as booming impact knocked him off course.
Ussop had anticipated the change of direction – the kid could see things, which caused Law a momentary stumble in his confidence.
He cursed as he had to turn and catch onto the hull with desperate fingers, the piece sinking with his weight and twisting with his motion. Driving his sword into the wood, he managed to catch himself from falling into the water. He turned around to attack again when he realized Luffy had managed to whip himself away from the water with a weird rolling air attack. He teleported away from impact with a moment to spare, but emerged stumbling back to the cracked mast still visible above water as the hull exploded under Luffy's landing. Luffy whirled around and shot forward towards Law without hesitation, just barely flicking over the water.
Law grabbed hold of the mast with one hand, the sails torn and flapping uselessly in the wind and snagging onto the water to sink it and pull the mast down faster. Law snarled with concentration as he found himself looking at the scarred, callused knuckles of the inbound rubber boy. He jerked his head to the right to avoid impact, Luffy's body following moments later. Law kicked away from the mast, Luffy so close to him that Law could smell him. The moment they made eye contact, Luffy released a fart so foul that Law's senses immediately went into overdrive, and his temperament exploded. The smell was so wretched that Law mentally stumbled, instinctively covering his mouth and nose as he jumped backward.
From behind, Ace hit him with a boot to the back, knocking Law violently forward. His fingers automatically gripped his sword to keep it from falling into the ocean with the attack, grimacing under the surprise impact. Sabo was immediately there as well, both of them propelled forward with the weight of Zoro's assisting gesture as the swordsman settled onto the platform with a hard exhale, swords lowered as he watched pensively.
Before Law could brace himself, Sabo locked his own limbs around the older man's back, both of them slamming through the mast and breaking that. Ace dove after them, wrapping his strong arms around Law's waist and forcing the three of them into the water. They missed hitting the floating sail by inches. Luffy managed to snag what was left of the broken mast with panic, yelling as he came within inches of the water surface as the large supportive pole settled against the water with a splash. The sail fluttered and sank underneath the waves as the three men disappeared below surface.
"Did we get 'im?" Zoro called out, unable to see beyond the floating piece of ship that obscured his vision of the scene. Luffy scrambled up the rest of the mast to that part, looking over to seeing where the three had landed.
"I can't see them, but I know they're in there!" Luffy shouted back, looking with concentration into the water.
"Did we win?" Ussop called out nervously, lifting his head from the piece of debris he was floating on, Franky looking spent as he settled atop of what looked like the roof of the cabin.
Underwater, Law panicked. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move with the weight of the two determined men wrapped around him, and neither of them gave him any give. He absolutely trusted that they'd force him unconscious and not actually drown him to kill. He refused to let go of his sword, their combined weight forcing them to sink lower under the surface. He couldn't see their faces, their combined air bubbles and panicked flailing making it difficult to see anywhere around him. All the past memory of being in the water – Sanji's doing – caused Law's thoughts to scatter. He breathed in, gulping belatedly, then covered his mouth and nose against that. Unfortunately, it didn't help him any. He sputtered then choked, kicking instinctively towards the surface. Small movement helped, and despite the men clinging to him, he was moving towards the surface steadily with his superhuman strength.
Sabo's arms tightened around his neck and shoulders, then adjusted to fit securely around his neck instead. It was surprising he had that sort of strength at all, and Law briefly panicked under that gesture and his own terror at drowning made his lack of concentration fail. Ace's arms tightened around his waist, slowly pulling him back as Law struggled with his own mental downfall. Unfocused, he released his Room to divert attention on this.
Seeing the shapes of the pieces of boat ahead, Law swung his sword up mightily and focused his telekinesis on that. He thought about shoving the sword through the wood, and in reaction, pulled the three of them forward in that motion. They slammed into and through the wood with hard force, exploding out of the water and flying into the air. Luffy whirled around and followed after them, using his brothers' flailing bodies as weight support to propel him after Law. The man was uncentered, coughing noisily to expel water from his lungs and wasn't focused on Luffy.
"Gum Gum PISTOL!" Luffy shouted, shooting that fist towards him in what would be a sure impact to fell the older man back towards the island.
But instead of connecting with Law, he connected instead with Sanji, who took the impact full force. It knocked both of them through the air with an impressive effect that resounded throughout the area and caused the water surface below to ripple and blow outward. Luffy meant to hurt Law forcefully enough to break bones, and his entire superhuman strength was behind it.
Horrified to see that Sanji had taken that impact, Luffy's mouth fell open with shock. The force sent both of the pair flying a considerable distance away from them, slamming directly into the island's shallow waters.
"Agghhhhhh!" he shrieked with near panic. "Nooooooo! SANNNNJJJJIIIII!"
"What the hell was that?" Franky shouted, having only seen little due to flying water and debris.
"I think it was Sanji!" Ussop gasped with horror, lifting himself up to look in that direction. "He jumped into the middle of it!"
"Where the hell did he come from?"
In mid-air, Luffy panted noisily, shocked that he hadn't sensed the omega's interference. He couldn't sense him at all! But he drew his hand back, looking at it with a horrified expression. It trembled in effect, his entire being reverberating with what he'd done. Then he drew it to his nose, inhaling deeply, hoping to get Sanji's smell from that. He was furious when he only smelled Law and sea water, releasing a maddened howl.
"Did we get him?" Ace cried, popping out from the water with Sabo's assistance, both of them missing the moment. They looked back at Luffy as he howled, both of them wearing mystified expressions.
Luffy slammed back into the water at that same time, Zoro straightening up with a look of irritation as he looked towards the pair that finally hit the water away from them. He couldn't see their fates from their position, but he had to whistle low at the momentum and distance they'd taken from Luffy's most powerful punch.
"That's gonna leave a mark," he decided lightly, lowering his swords. He looked to the others. "Now, how are we going to get back?"
: :
Mihawk shielded his eyes against the morning sun as he observed the two sluggishly wading through the shallows towards the shore. In the distance, he could see that the group had commandeered the platform Law had used with Franky being used as the motor. Somehow.
"Is that man farting his way back to the beach?" he mumbled to himself incredulously, unable to accept what he was seeing. His head slumped forward as Shanks made his presence known, slapping the back of his head hard enough to knock his floppy hat from his flattened black hair.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" Shanks snarled at him viciously, looking to the scene with wide-eyed horror. He looked sloppy, as if he'd thrown on his clothes in a haste without coordination or effort. He was even barefoot. "What the hell is going on here? You did this, I'm one hundred percent sure of it!"
Gathering himself together, Mihawk straightened up and glared over at him as Shanks left his side and hurried to the shoreline to panic over the two clamoring towards the beach. "Damn," he muttered bitterly. "How is he still standing?"
"What the hell is going on here? What are you doing? What the hell happened out there?" Shanks shouted from the beach furiously, meeting the pair halfway and dragging both of them by their arms up to the sand. He flung one after the other into the dirt, face filling with anger. He noticed Sanji curling up to hug himself with a groan and Law looking guilty as he looked him over.
"Take him to the hospital," Law then ordered, rising sluggishly to his feet before looking back at the group approaching the island. Shanks was surprised that he was still clinging to his sword in all this mess. "I need to kill Luffy, first."
"You're not killing anybody! If you wanted to, you should've already did it out there!" Shanks snapped back at him, looking at Sanji again. "Your omega is wounded, tend to his fucking wounds! YOU! Asshole with the hat! Are those terrorists or friends out there?"
"Just stupid kids," Mihawk replied sourly, patting his hat back into place.
"Then go get them," Shanks snapped at him, seeing Benn, Lucky Roo and the others emerge onto the beach with sleepy expressions. Shanks turned to look back at the approaching group and was surprised to see that Benn had used his magic to draw them close enough to be identified. "Luffy! Sabo! Ace! Zoro! Ussop! Franky! Get your stupid asses over here, let me talk to you without having to shout!"
"You're already shouting," Mihawk complained, looking irritated.
"I wouldn't be shouting if I had known that something stupid was happening, you stupid alpha," Shanks snarled at him, inches from his face before stomping back to the shore.
He noticed Luffy preparing to launch himself at Law once more, the tattooed alpha's hand already curling up and sand erupting from the shore. Shanks used his abilities to force some calm into both of them, but it merely knocked their minds senseless. Sand fell uselessly back to ground and Luffy stumbled on his feet, hands to his head. The rest of the group staggered, and Franky sank underneath the surface of the water, platform shooting ahead of him while Ussop fell backward, unconscious. Zoro stumbled, hand to his head with surprise while Sabo grimly settled himself before diving in to retrieve the two drowning. Ace looked petulant, but he fell to his knees and braced himself before he could hit the platform surface.
"All of you, power down!" Shanks snapped over the restless sounds of the beach, his crew snickering or looking amused at the scene they watched. He caught sight of Law looking at Luffy with warning while Luffy glared at him, teeth bared as his stringy body tightened with renewed tension. Both of them were radiating such angry auras that it caused the area to vibrate a little underneath the strength. Birds took flight with panicked cries, and trees rustled gently with the renewed force in the air. Even the water underneath their feet seemed to bubble and quiver, seemingly ready to snap when they did.
Once they reached the shore, Ace happily hugged the dirt with relief while Zoro stepped off the platform with his swords sheathed, observing the scene with a frown. Sabo slowly dragged the other two behind him, straining with the effort. Lucky Roo headed out to assist him, snickering at the sight of Franky's exposed ass to the world as the cyborg stayed unconscious and Ussop nearly drowned with Sabo dragging him by one foot.
"I don't want him alive, Shanks!" Luffy snarled, glaring at Law. "I don't want him here!"
"Well, you have no choice in that matter, Luffy," Shanks snapped at him, reaching up to clutch at his cape with one hand and focusing intensely to keep them from reacting instinctively. Out of energy, Sabo collapsed against that power while Ace groaned noisily, Zoro staggering to his knees and barely bracing himself against the sand. Lucky Roo tossed both Sabo and Ussop over one shoulder and dragged Franky behind him out of the water while Benn looked over the other three with grave amusement.
Luffy strained to keep his focus, but it was a losing battle against the strength Shanks had. Law glowered at the teen, but even he felt weak in the knees against the overwhelming sensation the omega was forcing over all of them. Scattering their thoughts and weakening their will – forcing them to calm in spite of their agitated states.
"Both of you will take the suppressants," Shanks decided with a grievous frown. "All the suppressants, until you can accept the fact, Luffy."
"Never!" Luffy snarled, then looked to Sanji. His expression then twisted to sympathy. "Sanji! Sanji, I'm sorry!"
"Get up, you weakling," Zoro grumbled in the omega's direction. "You weren't hit that hard."
"Sanji! I'm so sorry!" Luffy cried in panic, intending on moving in that direction when Law stepped out in front of him with a snarl. "Get out of my way, Law! This is all your fault in the first place! You made me hit him, you were supposed to be dead!"
"I regret nothing," Law spit at him, flipping him off. "It's your fault in the first place for not understanding your place."
"My place is at his side! He's mine, I decided!"
"Moron."
"You lost this battle, and it was even at your own hand! You lost fair and square, you don't even deserve to live!"
"I didn't lose," Law replied evenly, determining the other alpha's position on the beach. Before any one of them could react, he drew up sand around Luffy and drove him deep underneath the ground surface, much to everyone's horror. Before anyone could stop him, he lifted and drove several very large boulders from nearby cliffs and a few trees atop of that particular spot. With the action, those standing around had to flee to avoid being pinned or hurt by flying debris. It knocked Shanks off his feet, concentration interrupted on holding their calm. Mihawk used his hat to protect him from the falling debris.
Ace shouted with panic upon seeing his little brother disappear under all that weight and force, Zoro's eyes widening with shock.
"I have you right where I wanted you," Law finished, smiling maliciously. "Everything was according to plan, down to the minute of this idiot's interference."
He looked over at Sanji with a light shrug. "Thanks, honey."
Sanji glared up at him with pain evident in his features, still hugging the tremendous, rupturing pain in his mid-section. He couldn't move, every breath he took similar to breathing in fire.
"Release him!" Shanks commanded of Law, looking at him with astonishment. "Let him go, you won, there's no need to kill him!"
"But there is. He's a threat. And I can't have threats interfering with my way of life," Law said simply, turning his back to him. Ace was on his feet to attack when Benn inserted himself between them, frowning at Shanks.
"I've buried him under several tons of weight," Law added. "If you can dig him back out within fifty seconds, then I'll stand down. But for now, I've given myself enough time to take my mate to the docks, where Penguin and Shachi should be unloading their children to the workers there. Then we'll be off. Thank you for your kindness."
"You're leaving?" Shanks asked, looking puzzled. "But - !"
"There is no life here for me. Now that I found my pair, I can move on with our lives and live elsewhere in relative peace." Glancing at the small hill of rock and tree, Law then said, "thirty six seconds left."
Before Shanks could say anything else, Law and Sanji were gone, replaced by plants that Shanks knew grew exclusively down at the docks. He looked to Mihawk, who gave a slight shrug, removing his sword from his back. With a couple of swipes, he lifted the debris from a smothering Luffy, then shattered every piece of matter into smithereens. Zoro gaped at him, utterly convinced he wouldn't be able to catch up to that alpha's abilities. Everything raining down on them were the size of small sand sized pebbles that still hurt upon impact.
Rolling slowly onto his side, Luffy coughed noisily. Ace hurried over, arm shielding his own head as he checked on his brother. Covered in sand, Luffy looked around with exertion. Not seeing the pair, he desperately climbed to his feet.
"Where are they?" he commanded of Ace, who had to shrug. Luffy looked to Shanks. "Where are they?"
"I don't know! Frankly, Luffy, haven't you considered that this is why they're fleeing? Law is threatened by you! Sanji feels threatened by you! I understand it's your instinct, but you can't allow it to cloud your judgement," Shanks begged him.
Luffy growled, clenching his fists tight. It took a few moments, but he was able to pinpoint the pair's location on the other side of the island. He stretched out for the tallest of trees away from them, Shanks leaping at him to try and stop him. But he landed hard on the dirt as Luffy slung shot himself up and over the mountain, intending on preventing the pair's escape.
Shanks hit the dirt with a fist. "Damn it! If he finds them, they're going to tear up the place!"
Mihawk walked over to his side and gruffly helped him to his feet. He wiped dirt from his mate's shoulders and back, tsking. "Have you no faith in the matter, Shanks?"
"I don't want to hear it! I'm pissed off at you for allowing this shit to happen!"
"It's going to happen sooner or later. Why not get it over with, now?"
Shanks glowered furiously at him, then was striding off. "Benn! Get me there, now!"
Once they were gone, Zoro joined Mihawk as the others recovered slowly around them. "Aren't you going to stop them?" Zoro asked glumly.
"No," Mihawk replied calmly. "I'm going to allow him to exhaust himself chasing after those children. It'll benefit my comfort when it's all over. Frankly, it astounds me that an omega's way of thinking is so…unlike ours. They're so hasty to make peace in the midst of war that they'd put themselves into danger to stop it."
Zoro frowned at him. "I think Shanks will be fine."
"It's not only Shanks I'm speaking of," Mihawk said sharply to him. He looked Zoro over then stepped back to get a better picture. "My, you haven't grown very much, have you? Or is it just your forehead that's gotten bigger?"
"Shut up!"
: :
Overseeing the two men work hastily to maneuver "the secret ship" from the cavern, Law waited until the sails were unfurled and the wind caught them. Due to his plan, he'd found the pair of men at the docks as they were releasing children to the workers there, and teleported them all back to the ship hidden away to throw anyone off if they were searching for them. He felt smug that his plan had gone rather smoothly, but he noted that he had to do better next time. The group had shown him all his flaws in battle, and Law would think about that later.
The island would be left behind them, and he looked back at it with apprehension. It filled him with regret that he wasn't here any sooner – there were so many educational opportunities he was missing out on. Perhaps there was somewhere on the mainland that would suit his needs, but those were spread out so far and wide that it would take exploring new areas on that continent to find them. Vast amounts of time wasted in that effort.
He looked down at Sanji, who was slowly sitting onto one of the cheery colored lounge chairs near the main cabin. Seeing that Penguin and Shachi had the ship under their control, Law hastened his step to Sanji and crouched down next to him to help shift his legs onto the chair. By the indication of Sanji's pale pallor and shaking hands, Luffy's punch had caused some damage. Despite his attitude, Law smoothed his messy hair from his face, tucking strands behind his ears.
"There's a medical bay on this tub," Law said. "Let me take you there."
"No," Sanji refused, gritting his teeth. He jerked his head from Law's touch, causing the alpha to look at him with irritation. "I want to watch the island as we leave it. Leave me alone."
"Then don't act like you're dying," Law retorted, rising to stand.
Sanji lowered his gaze to the island that still stood so bright and green against the ocean. The sight of the birds fluttering about, the green of the trees, the sight of visible roads and buildings – it was nothing like he'd seen on the mainland. It was a land of opportunity for many, a safe haven for children. It was the place where he'd grown up safe and secure, and the place where he'd went mad. It was where all his friends felt free and he met some pretty interesting people with stories unlike his.
The thought of returning to the mainland left him feeling smothered. He didn't want to go when he wasn't ready, yet he felt he hadn't a choice.
"Did you enjoy it?" he asked tersely, looking at Law, who hadn't moved from his side. "What freedoms and opportunities you had experienced here?"
"Yeah, whatever. It wasn't that big of a deal."
"You must be feeling pretty good, right? Nothing's going to ruin your mood," Sanji muttered bitterly. "Did you at least pack some suppressants for the both of us?"
"If I can learn to will them under my control, you can, too."
"…Right…"
Law suddenly attuned himself to his omega. He felt like he'd done something wrong, but in the midst of his victory, he couldn't understand what. "Why aren't you happy?"
Sanji watched the island slowly gain some distance behind them. The sails were up, fluttering and flapping noisily overhead as Penguin and Shachi worked together to successfully catch the strong wind. "We're just going back to what we came from. Why would I be happy?"
"I have a strong feeling you're not grateful for anything I do," Law snapped. "I saved you. Twice! From that life we were supposed to live and from that little fucker who wanted to claim you, whom you feared! And you're ungrateful for any of my efforts!"
Sanji bitterly tightened his lips. He swallowed noisily and looked down at his mid-section. "You're right," he mumbled. "I heap amounts of praise upon my alpha, who takes care of me, limb or life. No matter what, I can count on you for my life."
"There, see?"
"As for any sort of happiness…?" Sanji frowned up at him. "That's not something either of us will ever obtain."
Law stared down at him with a heavy, disappointed frown.
"The environment of which we grow matters, Law," Sanji told him lightly. "Human beings adjust and alter themselves and…I suppose it hasn't quite hit you yet that this is possible."
"I don't understand why that even matters. You got to run around free while I did all the work. You still will be able to do that."
"Over here, you could relax and breathe easy knowing you don't have to watch your back. You put down your sword. You didn't have to kill. All you had to do was follow a few rules and teach a few kids how to live. But in spite of that, you want to abandon all of that to return to a place that only shaped you into what you are, now." Sanji shook his head bitterly, clasping his hands over his stomach. "I knew settling here wouldn't satisfy you. I hadn't doubted your plans. But I refuse to give you children in that environment to grow up like us."
Law stared at him for several moments, then looked down at his mid-section. A strange alarm sounded off in his head, piercing his thoughts. He couldn't move, even as overwhelming panic and instinctive keening went off through his very being. He formed a Room and assimilated into his mate with a rushed gesture, assessing Sanji's injuries. There was heavy injury to his ribs, internal organs and reproductive sack that was enlarging and threatening to rupture. Sanji was deliberately prolonging emergency medical treatment.
They were down in the medical bay in moments, panic firing off in every fiber of Law's being. If he couldn't reproduce, then what good was he as an alpha? He didn't want children, but that was his nature – eventually, he needed to do so. And now that he could, his focus was breeding with his very willing omega. But if Sanji deliberately prevented that, what was Law supposed to do?
He turned away to wash his hands in the stainless steel sink and turned to examine the room for the proper tools and medicine needed to fix Sanji before the damage was too late. He noticed Sanji sitting up at the edge of the table, bracing himself against the edge. Staring at Law with determination, he burst into fire.
Law realized Sanji was going to abide by his word. Long ago, this kid threatened Law he'd do so. Law could cut him in half and remove his limbs to allow him room to work on him, but Sanji's defensive fire would prevent him from even getting close to him. He turned away from the sink, looking horrified.
Sanji stared mulishly back at him, gripping the edge of the table with both hands. The fire alarm went off as smoke and heat accumulated quickly within the room – which was equipped to handle Sanji's combustion. Law looked up at the water nozzles overhead, wondering why they weren't going off.
"I had them turned off," Sanji said in response. Law would have to ask him later who helped him with that, because right now, he couldn't get into that.
Then he looked at Sanji with shock once more as Sanji watched him stubbornly.
Panicked breath building in his chest, making it difficult to breathe, Law struggled to outwit Sanji at this moment but he couldn't think of a single thing. His instinct as an alpha, to protect his omega, was going into overdrive. He couldn't focus on a singular thought.
Gritting his teeth, Law felt his face and neck bulge with anger that reddened his skin. Seeing that he won, Sanji smiled slightly.
: :
Late that night, Law realized he was being approached. But there was no danger to it – just the approach of a man in the same house as him. He still couldn't hold back his expression of distaste as Mihawk settled down next to him. Both of them watched as Chopper and a few other nurses tended to Sanji gingerly, the omega under a comatose state to allow them to operate on him. Law had insisted that he do it, but it occurred to him that he knew nothing about operating on an omega's reproductive system. It was something he'd intended on learning while he was here. He was sitting in his own churning, broiling feelings of guilt, failure and disgust when Mihawk found him.
Clicking his tongue against his teeth, Mihawk muttered, "Omegas are so underhanded and repulsively manipulative. Why can't they just be straight forward and obvious about their intentions like us alphas?"
Law managed to tear his eyes away from his mate to look at him with a look of disgust.
"Oh, which reminds me, Luffy allowed himself to be doped up with suppressants within the alpha center to calm his rage," Mihawk added, "so Sanji could be fixed. Can they save it?"
"I don't know," Law muttered, looking back at his omega.
Mihawk watched the group maneuver about, steadily monitoring screens and abiding to Chopper's quiet commands. He was in a taller form, with longer limbs and outrageously cute medical gear. Law's fear for his omega was too thick for him to appreciate the sight of the monster. "Chopper is an excellent doctor. Very well versed in omegas. I feel confident in his tiny hooves."
Law froze because he could not imagine trusting a monster with a scalpel and stethoscope when all he had were hooves for hands. But here he was, watching the monster concentrate on repairing the damage.
"You wrecked the secret ship into the docks," Mihawk continued. "People are pissed…"
"The blame lays on Penguin and Shachi."
"You never would've cleared the wall."
"They were supposed to bring Nami," Law confessed slowly, "but she…was temperamental."
"Your omega saved your pitiful lives, and none of us feel grateful about it. Do we?"
Law grit his teeth, looking down at his clenched fists. Mihawk turned away from him.
"Disgusts me, too," he said, walking away. It occurred to Law that he was carrying a full bottle at one hand, Perona in cat form at his feet. He hadn't even noticed the damn cat sitting at the doorway, watching them like a statue herself.
: :
After hearing of the news, the group looked stunned. All of them were gathered in the detention center – Shanks was angry at them, but every one there was treating them like celebrities. They wanted to hear about their adventures while passing them cooked food and cold drinks from beyond the bars. Their cell was crowded with folding chairs and removed clothing that dried over available surfaces. Chomping down on every dish and snack they were given, they all ruminated on what happened.
Nami was in there as well, alerted to the news by the other teachers in the school. She was happy to see them all in one piece, alive and healthy but the other piece of news was frightening. She did feel relief that things hadn't gone the way they should've. It would hurt her if she wasn't able to say 'goodbye' to Sanji.
Ace leaned back in his chair, shaking his head with manly revulsion. "Sanji was always a sneaky piece of shit," he said. "I wanted to fight that guy, too. Always talking shit. Even when we were kids."
"Ingenious!" Sabo whispered, impressed. "But also very risky..."
"I guess if that's how you gotta hold onto a relationship, you better be sneaky about it," Zoro commented severely.
"That's still entrapment, isn't it?" Franky asked.
Nami frowned at all of them. "You fuckwads. Don't judge it so lightly based on your own moronic outlook on the matter. Those two can't help it – it's their instinct that forces them to make their decisions. Of course Law was protecting Sanji from stupid Luffy, who thinks nothing about holding back with his assaults! And Sanji can't reach Law with our logic because Law grew up in a shitty world where it's kill or be killed! Both of them have to manipulate each other in order to protect each other, and since Law couldn't see reason to stop himself from attacking you all, Sanji took it upon himself to stop the fight in the only way that captures Law's instinct! Law has to protect him – Sanji counted on that to do so. It was the only way and it's a shitty way to mock them the way you guys are doing."
"That's a sad way of living," Ussop muttered.
"It'd be even sadder if Law succeeded in pulling away from the island!" Sighing, Nami fiddled with her shoulder length hair. "Sanji did what he could to make his alpha see some reason and used himself. If it's anyone's fault here, it's Luffy's!"
The others thought about it for a few moments, then grumbled in agreement.
"They were able to save it at least, right?" Nami then asked Mihawk, who was steadily finishing his newest bottle. He was sitting outside of the bars, Perona purring on his lap. Zoro hissed at her, causing the cat to hiss right back.
Once he realized their expectant attention was on him, Mihawk looked over with a start. "I'm sorry. I wasn't aware I had to be included in a conversation that has no involvement with me."
"Were they able to save Sanji or not?" Zoro asked him.
"I wasn't paying attention to the matter. I was marveling at the way Law had his hair cut. Very precise lines. I wonder who his barber is," Mihawk murmured thoughtfully, running a hand over his own beard and goatee while the others looked at him with annoyance. "Oh, but yes, I did notice his omega was in surgery. He looked fine to me. I don't know, personally, if an omega is smiling while unconscious it means he's up to no good and I wouldn't trust him."
Ace tsked. "He's a sneaky little monkey. I'll never forgive him until I defeat him in battle."
Nami whapped his head with an impatient hand then looked at Mihawk. "He's going to be okay, I totally trust in Chopper."
"I'm sure he will," Mihawk said, insulted that he was second guessed. "He's not a weakling. Neither of them are. Law's strength and talent in his abilities are very strong. Therefore, his omega matches him in similar aspects. If Luffy had landed that punch on Law, he'd be fine. But it vexes me that Sanji had me toss him out to that very spot. Even if those two were very strong, they're not stronger than me."
"So, when you sent him flying in our direction, it was you who cut him," Zoro clarified. "All Luffy did was exacerbate the injury."
All of them looked at Mihawk with alarm as he suddenly realized he was the culprit. He stilled with the bottle halfway to his mouth then lowered it. Perona lifted her head to glare at him, ears back against her skull as her tail lashed. "Huh. Clever of him. Shifting blame to me. As if I wasn't already sleeping on the veranda because of my schemes…"
Nami shook her head. She the looked to the others. "All I ask right now is you don't go on any pissing detail while Sanji recovers. For the kids of the island, for Shanks' sake."
The group looked at each other grumpily. "But we have a score to settle," Ace muttered, picking at his nose.
"Yeah, we can't let that guy pick on us like that! He made us out into fools!" Ussop protested. "Made us look weak and vulnerable! I can't stand by and let him do that to us!"
"I don't have that big of a grudge against him," Franky said, ruffling at his Mohawk, "but I kinda do, now. He was willing to let me drown."
"I have no problem," Sabo said with a sigh. "I always thought he was a good person. I just got caught up in everyone else's problems."
"Don't act pious, you faker!"
"He's going to get it for calling out my forehead," Zoro muttered.
"Like everyone else doesn't!" Nami snapped at him. "Big forehead, no brains!"
"What? You're such a witch! We just got back and you're already yelling at us!"
"Yeah, Nami, what the hell are you doing in here anyway?"
"Get out! This is a mens' only matter!"
"Nami, look at the new additions to my muscles. I left here with a six pack and ended up with an eight pack…"
"It hasn't even been an hour since I came down here, and I'm already looking forward to when you leave," she huffed, rising to her feet and snatching her folding chair. "Don't go looking for Sanji. Let him approach you. I assure you, he isn't the same guy you left. He's better, now."
"God, you're so overprotective of that guy," Ace complained. "I'm starting to feel unloved."
Once she left, they listened to her clomp down the hall, heading for the main corridor out. The door slammed shut behind her, and every one of them gave each other looks.
"When should I tell her I dream about her every night?"
"Did you see the way she looked at me? She totally wants me."
"No way! She was breathing more in my direction! I could see her nostrils flaring every time she took a breath while looking at me!"
"I can vividly imagine her dominating me."
"Did you see us compare hands? I'm positive she was impressed with the length because you know what they say about big hands…"
"Shut up!"
"This is so embarrassing, you guys. There's more to life than stupid women…"
Mihawk glared over at them, Perona hopping down from his lap. They looked at him with tentative expressions as he pulled the iron door shut.
"I'll give you lot a night to think about the trouble you caused," he said. He ambled off, Perona's bell ringing out noisily as she walked with him.
Sabo then frowned, looking at the others. "The ship's gone, guys. If we're to show Sanji what we found…we're going to need to get along with Law to do it. He might be the only one to bring it back up."
All of them wore hard expressions, but came to an agreement with that.
Ace sighed noisily, leaning back in his chair once more. "Poor Luffy! I feel so sorry for him. All he talked about was Sanji. Maybe his hormones will somehow fall back into manageable order."
"I hope so," Sabo agreed fitfully. "Seeing him like that is frightening. I'm hoping for the best, though!"
Zoro snorted, giving them skeptic looks. "And you guys claim you know Luffy that well. Shit, I bet he's already broken out of the alpha retaining center and is making his way over to the hospital."
"Yeah right! Not under those suppressants! Dude falls asleep at the drop of a hat, there's just no way he'd do that," Ace laughed, giving him a look.
Little did he know, Luffy was sluggishly making his way to the brilliantly lit hospital in the center of the city, dazed and dizzy. All he could think about was getting to Sanji. He could feel him, faintly, and all Luffy knew was that getting to him was more important than sleep or reason. He kept sniffing the air, hoping he'd catch a whiff of Sanji's scent. His skin tingled and shuddered, reacting uncontrollably with his thoughts.
He'd get to Sanji, no matter what.
A/n: i did it! an explosive edit done just in time :D yay me!
Naghi-tan: it isnt over yet! as for their instinct origins - hmm, its not really related to an animal. just their own!
Guest: i think about it...maybe theres room but id originally planned for 23 chapters
Siriana2526: they definitely are -in sneaky, underhanded ways. Ahhh there choices are no ones reasonable choices. But they will eventually get along beautifully once law lets his walls down :D idk if I can manage another mpreg story lol! "Replica" wore me out XD
Greeny: they need to relax and it starts with the alpha unfortunately. Their bodies are definitely taking their sweet time adjusting! But I didn't want to write sex sex sex in an alpha/omega fic so this is how it goes...as for the science factor I'm pretty good at making fictional shit up! :D lol Luffy isn't finished yet! He's as stubborn as the other two so let's see how well it ends as I wrap this story up...