A/N: Thank you gOthiCkUrOcHo69 and Rosalix Archangel for following and favoriting!
I wholehearted agree with Law on the not wanting children part. *Shudders* I already told my mom and grandparents long ago not to expect any children from me. The exact reason why I would never write fics with marriage and pregnancies. While some girls actually dream about it, to me, both are too cringe-worthy.
With the discussion over, the two had silently prepared for bed. Law had slipped into the sheets beside her and listened to her breathing, hoping that it would help him sleep, but he seemed to have no luck with that. As the minutes ticked by, Law remained all too awake and alert, unable to get his mind to stop reeling.
For one thing, he couldn't stop thinking about Joker. He had to train himself to use the alias just so he wouldn't tense up and get a 'scary' expression on his face, as Bepo called it, but the trick wasn't working. He knew too well who used that alias, and his mind linked the name with the mental image too easily. He didn't know whether he was excited about getting closer to that man, or furious that Doflamingo would create a connection with his Lorelei, even if the pirate didn't intend to.
As time went on, Law only seemed to find more and more reasons to hate Doflamingo, to kill him and take revenge. He already knew Cora-san wouldn't like him taking this path, but it was too late. Far too late. He hated Doflamingo with every fiber of his being, and if it meant he could kill the man, he would throw away everything, and never regret having avenged Corazon. Whether he later regretted destroying his bonds or not was a different story, and he already knew for sure there were at least fifteen bonds he would regret severing. He just hoped things would never come to that, and that he would have enough options when the time came.
For another, the little piece of news of Lorelei's relation to the light haired kidnapper stunned Law. He knew the man had to be a complete asshole of a bastard, but to go this far… Was the man even human anymore? Law knew for sure that if he had a little human running around, even if it grew into a normal sized human, he wouldn't ever do such a thing. He might neglect it a bit, maybe run a few harmless experiments, but nothing that would scar it permanently or maim slash kill it.
Besides, the only person he would ever consider having little humans with was Lor, and even then, he was very reluctant. Law did not like children, and he was fairly certain Lor didn't either. Not to mention that the ocean and a pirate submarine was no place for children to grow up, especially in the first few years when they are oh so vulnerable and incapable of anything except drinking milk, sleeping, and pooping. Law shuddered at the thought.
Shanks' crew had immediately set off in search of their missing crewmates, but the Heart Pirates remained on the island. He wasn't waiting for the log pose to set anymore. Rather, he was waiting to come up with a plan to become a shichibukai, because the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the best course of action. Granted, it probably helped him more in the long run, but for now, they had less than a week for him to become a shichibukai, find Lorelei's friends, and rescue them.
If she gave herself up at the end of the week, it would give them more time to hatch a plan to save everyone, because Law seriously doubted that a man like Lorelei's father would oh so kindly return the two women when they got his cook. But… Law really did not want to let her go anywhere near that man. He didn't want to risk it. So that only left a five day time limit.
Law turned over in bed and groaned into his pillow, muffling the sound so he didn't wake the girl next to him.
Apparently it either wasn't enough, or she wasn't asleep in the first place.
"Law?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you still awake?"
In the faint moonlight he could just barely see her features as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before she stared at him with full alertness. He brushed the stray hairs out of her face before settling the hand on her waist and pulled her in.
"Thinking."
"About?"
"How to become a shichibukai."
She sighed. "Kill a whole bunch of people."
He made a face. "Sounds cruel."
"You're the Surgeon of Death, Dr. Heart Stealer," Lor deadpanned.
Law opened his mouth to retort, but paused, frowned, and shut his mouth with an audible snap. Dr. Heart Stealer. She had called him that before, even though it was more figurative than literal now. But he could give it a literal meaning again, and apply it to other people.
After all, nothing better than creeping out a whole bunch of marines, and what scares people more than having a beating heart in his hand?
But Law wasn't going to kill civilians. And killing a large number of marines wasn't the best way to get into their good books, not that pirates would ever make the 'nice' list. However, pirates killing pirates…
Now that was a thought.
"What's that smirk for?" Lor asked warily.
He blinked, surprised, until he felt his facial muscles in a very familiar position. So he was smirking, and rather sadistically at that. Well, it had been too long since he had shown people why he was called the Surgeon of Death, and why he was one of the Worst Generation.
"I have an idea," Law told her.
"Involving a lot of death, making people freak out, and manipulation," she nodded.
Law sent her a wounded look. "Now what makes you say that? You're hurting my fragile, sensitive heart."
"Tell me the day you get one, and I'll send you a congratulations present," Lor retorted.
"How cruel," Law murmured, but a smile curved his lips. "But I may just get one."
"Of your own?"
"Why would I want to keep something so disgusting? The only heart I need is yours," Law purred.
"Shameless flirt."
"Only for you~"
She sent him a level stare with a single brow raised, and he smirked. The smirk faded slowly as he wondered whether he should tell her about his plan and decide whether to let her come along based on her reaction, or leave her on the island as he went about the work. That kind of utter cruelty wasn't something he wanted her to see, even if she already knew too much about the world's brutality.
No, perhaps it was because she knew.
"Tell me," she said.
Well, that decided things for him.
"I'm going to collect hearts," Law said.
"Please tell me you're sending them to the marines. If you start a collection of living, beating hearts on the ship I swear I'm leaving," she deadpanned.
"Then you're not going anywhere."
She hummed thoughtfully, nodding. Law found her strangely calm about the issue. Maybe she was sleepy enough that it hadn't sunken in yet, but he had told her he was going to tear the hearts out of chest cavities, basically stick them into a crate, and mail them to the marines. Yet, as long as he didn't keep them, she didn't seem to care.
"How many?" Lorelei finally asked.
"How many do you think?" Law hadn't thought that far. What was the line between creepy yet dangerous and frightening, and batshit insane and a threat that must be immediately eliminated?
"A nice round number. Doable, but not easy," Lorelei said, and with the glint of curiosity in Law's eyes encouraging her, she finished with a mischievous smile, "A hundred pirate hearts."
