Can you tell that I am barely keeping myself from uploading ten chapters in a row because sheesh.
Trafalgar Law's arm aches when he sees Nico Robin, as it does whenever Law is forcibly reminded about that piece-of-shit vice-admiral that pull it off. It still remains one of Law's least favortie memories, but it is a hard thing to hate a man like Monkey D. Luffy, which means Law has to work really hard at it. Though not as far as attacking his subordinates on sight.
I knew you could put it back together, shishishishi!
Accompanying the former wanted woman is another one of Luffy's nakama, the sharpshooter if Law remembers correctly. He wishes he wasn't as familiar with these marines as he is, but their captain is too much of a piece of work for him to ignore. The Will of D will bring us another storm.
When Trafalgar Law had been younger, there was a moment in time when he and 8 other pirates coincided in the Sabaondy Archipielago at the end of the first half of the Grand Line, they were labeled The Supernovas. Law hadn't been worried about his notoriety. As famous as the Surgeon of Death was -he wasn't in the top three bounties at the time. Besides, Sabaondy hadn't posed a challenge for talented rookies since Marineford had been moved across the Red Line. Marine's simply had been unable to recover their imminent presence there and for the previous year it had been absolute chaos. Besides, in the landscape of Law's life, the marines were very low in the list of people Law worried about.
The Archipelago, which had been rampant with corruption before, had fallen completely out of the wagon. It was certainly the afterparty to the Grand Line's Pirate Paradise or so Law had heard. By the time he and his crew docked there though, the atmosphere seemed unusually pleasant and bright. There were whispers in the streets, but nobody seemed scared or particularly malicious.
Sorry, I can't let you do all that dismemberment you like.
He had heard, very vaguely that things had been changing in Sabaondy in the previous couple of months. That a marine base had been erected and a new squad had taken to patrolling the area quiet fiercely, but it wasn't until Monkey D. Luffy ripped out his arm in a single move that Law knew exactly how fucked the pirates in the Archipielago really were. Things wouldn't be the same in Paradise with the arrival of these marines.
A rockstar with mysterious abilities regarding souls, they said there is no hiding from him.
An archipelago-wide security system built by a man who had made himself a living weapon.
A spy who had thousands of eyes and ears.
A beast of the forest with an impossible eye for detail.
A cook who could pursue you from the skies.
A former thief with an unfailing nose for treasure.
A sniper who never missed his shot.
A swordsman capable of sinking battleships.
And the man who tied them all together, the Watchdog of Sabaondy Archipielago. Former protegé of Admiral Akainu and grandson of Garp The Fist.
Luffy had just made vice-admiral then, after something or other heroic in Fishman Island.
Law got away because of a complete stroke of luck, and his devil fruit managed to save his arm. He knows many of the Supernovas weren't so lucky. Famously, it had been the end to Eustass 'Captain' Kidd's journey -who had been the highest bounty on the island at the time. The Vice-Admiral's crew brought in 5 out of the 9 superpowers on the island, earning what would be Luffy's epithet in one go.
Devil Child and Sogeking, huh?
Law likes the reindeer better. He's always felt on edge around the archeologist, her own past hitting too close to home for Law. How a woman with a story like that can work for the marines he will never know, though Law himself isn't any better.
"Well, this is a surprise." Law greets, nodachi placed in his shoulder comfortably. Law leans forward in interest, placing the tumbler of rum he'd been nursing on the table, freeing his hands. Luffy and him might be on the same side now, but Law knows the unpredictable little shit a bit too well for him to let his guard down. Specially with the combination in front of him. (Not that there really are member's of Luffy's squad that you'd call safe, only deceptively so.)
"Traffy." Law's eyes immediately twitch at the nickname, damn that fucking marine. Robin smiles without remorse, her companion proves to be a bit more wary -looking around at Law's crew around the bar. Outnumbered is definitely a key word. Bepo's eyes are fixed on them, waiting for a signal from Law.
"Where's your idiot watchdog?" He inquires in curiosity. Not, mind you, that Law has any interest of running into Monkey D. Luffy if he can help it. It is just decidedly odd to see his tight-knit group apart.
"Impel Down." It takes real effort to keep the surprise off his face.
"Luffy has been set up for execution, based on the identity of his father." The sniper explains. Luffy's father? Law knew his grandfather was a marine as well. Luckily enough, he'd only seen Monkey D. Garp from afar. Law had never spared the missing link between them a single thought. Figured he was dead. Who could be notable enough for their marine-hero of a kid to be sentenced to execution? "You will get a summon to fight at Marineford any day now. We came to ask for your help."
"My... help?" Were these people crazy? They did know he was a pirate, right? And one who worked for the marines to boot? He's probably the person who would want to help them the least.
Sure, shishishi, I'll vouch for you.
"In exchange for something, of course." Nico Robin smoothly intervenes. "Say, accidentally taking out a Warlord during the commotion?" This time there is no hiding the absolute shock written all over Law's face, but in a couple of moments he smiles. His grin, although a happy one, is certainly fitting of his nickname. Unpredictable little shit indeed... He almost asks how they know about him and Doflamingo, but this woman had successfully ran from the entire world for more than two decades. Well, maybe something could be arranged.
"What, exactly, do you need?" The marines smile.
"I always figured his grandfather had just gotten through to him in the end." Shanks is bitter. It's moments like these that remind him that it doesn't matter how powerful you are, no one is omnipotent. He still feels like he should've known better, Luffy -even as a child- isn't the type of person to break a promises and as Shanks entrusted him his old captain's hat, there had been no doubt in his mind.
I'm going to be the King of Pirates.
"Did you regret it?" The swordsman asks, and his eye is piercing. Right now, it's focus on his empty sleeve. Shanks can see why Mihawk would take a student, if he'd been confronted with a gaze like that.
"Not for a second." Zoro seems content by his answer and chugs on the sake the Emperor has provided. "You've been with him since the beginning?"
"No, the beginning was in Marinford. Luffy was trained there." The man shakes his head, his tone sounds off. Shanks knows an omission when he sees one. "None of us were around then, but when Luffy made official, yeah. I was the first idiot to join his crew." Despite his gruff words, there's no regret in Zoro's words. "He bribed me." Shanks almost spits out some sake at the nonchalant statement, and he can see from the Pirate Hunter's amused glint that it had been on purpose.
Shanks takes a deep breath.
"If possible, I would like to know that story." The former marine smirks.
He's not sure how one story turns into several, but the more he listens to the clipped retelling of Luffy and his crew's adventures, the more Shanks laughs. Clearly, his little Anchor hadn't changed at all.
"I was surprised at the nickname." He tells Zoro, and he knows by the heavyness in his lids that it's later than he'd intended this little conversation to go on for.
"I think anyone who wasn't there would be." Zoro answers. "I shouldn't have doubted our ability to apprehend all the rookies, but it was still a little surprising." He's obviously referring to the infamous incident in the Archipelago, when Luffy's name became famous even amongst Pirate circles.
"I heard half of them passed through though, there's that Warlord for example." Zoro's still smirking.
"Yeah, Luffy let them go." The swordsman reveals. What? If Shanks thinks about it, it does sound like something Luffy would do, though he severely doubts his ability to guess why. "No pirate without his approval goes on to the New World, that's why they call him the Watchdog." It still felt odd to Shanks, the Watchdog of the Sabaondy Archipelago. "Most don't see it that way. Slave traders, rapists, conquerors, anyone who's in the sea for the wrong reasons... They'll never make it pass Sabaondy, Luffy's always protecting what it means to him to be a pirate."
Writing this, I couldn't help toying with the idea of writing a prequel about Marine!Luffy's run-in with the Supernovas on Sabaondy... damn that'd be cool. We'd really get to see Luffy and Co. as marines. Anyways, I hoped you liked this.
