A/N: Let's keep the ball rolling~
28. Patience Is A Virtue
Law pulls up to the remains of the Going Merry and parks his car in a slot a ways off. It was shaded by draping trees and bushes, hiding his vehicle pretty well in plain sight. If they needed to make a run for it, their getaway car was safe.
Luffy seemed on edge. Of course he was. Everything about this was shady as hell. Law reaches out to grab his shoulder.
"Hey," the surgeon says. "I'm here."
The teen swallows and nods, exiting the car. "I know." He doesn't sound as sure as Law would've liked, but an affirmative was an affirmative. He'd take what he could get.
The older sighs as he pushes his own door, slamming it close. Time to time, he forgets how stuff like this is second nature to him, but completely new to Luffy. Hopefully, it stays that way. The younger had no business dirtying his hands.
"Is that Zoro and Sanji?" Luffy squints off in the distance as he falls into step with Law. "I see a trail of smoke."
"Likely," Law follows his eyes to the pair of shadows in the darkness, under an overhang of teetering brick. "They said they were close by a bit ago. Shachi, too. I'm sure he's around here somewhere."
"What about the other two?"
"Penguin and Bepo should be swinging by soon. They get off from Flevance a little later."
Luffy hums thoughtfully, and doesn't further the conversation.
The Going Merry is but a shell of her former self. Law noted this quite literally- everything had collapsed inwards, leaving only select pieces of wall still standing inside. The brick that made up the outside of the building was crumbling everywhere. It looked like the aftermath of an awful apocalypse.
Burnt debris makes a crunching sound underfoot as Law and Luffy approach their friends. The pair stand leaning against the club, head to toe in black. Zoro's in shades, with objects that looked suspiciously like swords adorning his right hip, and Sanji's in fake glasses and...was that a white beard? Law didn't even want to know how the man had come to the decision to wear it.
Just further beyond them is Shachi's car. He parked amid a rather large pile of burnt wood and dirt, efficiently obscured to the unknowing eye. Law had to bite his lip to stop his smirk. Great minds think alike, as they say.
From the shadows of the dilapidated building, the blonde puffs mindlessly away on a cigarette as they approach. When he recognizes them, he grins.
"Hey."
"Hey," Law returns, eyeing their get ups amusedly. "What's with the outfits? And how did you even find the time to put this together?"
Zoro turns to scowl at the man on his left. "I told you this was unnecessary."
"Says the guy who brought his katanas," Sanji scoffs, pushing up the glasses on his nose. "All three of them."
"Oh shit, you can really use those?" Luffy suddenly speaks up. "I thought you said you were out of practice?"
The green haired makes a show of thumbing open the closest one and flashes pearly teeth. "My muscle memory has been treating me well."
A fellow swordsman. Law could get behind that. "Respect."
A car door slams to their right, and Shachi appears soon after with a bounce to his gait. Dark sunglasses cover his eyes, and a cap is pulled down low over his head. The look gives Law nostalgia. It's just like how he dressed back then.
As he approaches, he waves. "Where are the others?"
"On their way," Law answers, waving back. "They'll be here soon."
When the red head joins their cluster, Law nods to each of them in turn. "Thanks for coming on such short notice you guys."
Zoro shrugs, folding his arms. "This shit just better be good."
"Something tells me it will," the surgeon assures. "Call it a sixth sense, or a gut-feeling." Probably not the best thing to go on in this situation, but Law went with it anyway.
"Oh perfect," the green haired deadpans.
"So. What're we doing? I know we're keeping an eye out, but..." Shachi looks pointedly at the surgeon for explanation.
"I'm assuming there's someone in the rubble, waiting for us. Since they did say to meet here," Law slides his eyes over Zoro's shoulder and into the bleak chaos that once was the Going Merry. "We're going in to talk to them. If there's any funny business outside our range of vision, can you cover?"
A smile tugs on Shachi's face. "Of course."
"Wait, shouldn't Luffy stay out here, too?" the blonde asks, casting a worried glance over to the younger. "I'm sure it could be dangerous in there."
To Law's surprise, the teen shakes his head. "I think I want to go in. This person claims they know me, and that kind of creeps me out. I want to see what their deal is myself."
"And I'll be there." Law lets a wide smirk lift his features. "There shouldn't be an issue. This is just...extra precaution."
"We got your backs in case they spring guns on you," Shachi chuckles, sarcasm dripping from his words. The dancers against the building look at him incredulously. "Go on in, you guys."
The surgeon slips a supportive hand in Luffy's. "Shall we?"
Luffy exhales slowly, as if to prepare himself for what was to come. "Okay."
They step through the wall that Law had entered when he first saw the figures in the flames. Not that it was much different from walking onto the premises from any other area- the concept of walls had all but vanished, gathering in piles of soot on the ground. Everything on the inside is a charred black, and the stench of burnt plastic and wood assaults Law's nose as he gingerly steps past the barely standing bar. Below him, the ground is a war zone of glass shards and broken brick. Law squints as he carefully maneuvers through it in the waning light, making a path for Luffy to follow.
Further inside, facing the dance floor is a figure in black, sitting on the remains of the stage with a cloak drawn tight around their shoulders.
Law feels Luffy go stiffen beside him, and the older instinctively stands in front of the teen, a hand pushing him back. The surgeon regards the figure for a moment. They're unmoving on the blackened platform, one leg dangling off the edge, and another bent at the knee, with an elbow resting on it. At their arrival, the figure looks up.
"You're late," the figure says. A male.
"We get here whenever the fuck we want to," Law spits venomously. "Who are you?"
The cloaked figure sighs at his tone. "Calm down. I'm not here for any funny business. Promise." He removes his hood, and Law feels the teen behind him begin to shake.
He smiles tiredly at them. "I've had enough of that two years ago."
"You've gotta be shitting me..." Luffy breathes, stepping out from behind the surgeon. "Is that...really you, Marco?"
"Marco?" Law repeats, confused. Then his eyes open wide. "Oh my god, Marco from Marco's Coffee? You're alive?"
The blonde's smile grows dimmer. "Barely."
"I thought..." Law feels Luffy grip his arm for support as his knees begin to weaken. "When Ace was injured back then, the newspapers all said you had died."
"The newspapers spew all sorts of lies," Marco says softly. "I'm sure you've probably noticed that by now."
Law and Luffy exchange glances. They have.
"But for once, they were right. I was dead. Well, I was supposed to be dead."
"What do you mean, supposed to be dead?" Luffy asks slowly, clawing down on Law's arm.
"And if you weren't dead, then why the hell did it take you so long to show up?" Law narrows his eyes at the man suspiciously. He may have known Marco, sure, but he hadn't known Marco. To even label their relationship as 'acquaintances' was much too familiar. Plus, it had been two years. He has moved on.
Luffy however, knew him more personally. So of course he was going to give the cloaked blonde the benefit of the doubt.
"Law," the teen chides softly, pushing on his arm. "Give him a chance."
Marco jerks a chin towards the entrance. "Call for your buddies in here. I'm sure they'd want to hear this as well."
Law knits his brows, debating. "Why should I?"
"Because it concerns what happened to Ace and I." Marco's voice is low. "And in turn, what happened here, at the Going Merry."
Sabo was about to cry for the thousandth time that day.
Everything here screamed Luffy.
"Is this really his dorm room?" she asked, taking in the mess of clothing and bedsheets. "He's not here."
The blonde could only nod numbly. From the red blanket to the way things were thrown around the small space, to even the handwriting on abandoned schoolwork, it all reminded him of his brother. He feels his heart soar as he turns it over in his mind once more. This was where his brother was living. Living.
Before they left the hospital, Bartolomeo had given them the code and directions to his dorm room. He told them to catch up with Luffy, he's been sleeping away the day last he saw.
But he wasn't here.
The blonde walks over to his desk, his bed, his clothes, just looking, taking everything in. God, he wanted to see him. What did he look like now? Was he taller than him, or shorter? Does he still have that big goofy smile when he's happy? Does he still cry easy like back then?
Sabo is almost reverent as he goes to sit in Luffy's chair, marveling at the room. His brother was alive. The thought repeated over and over in his head, filling his entire being with happiness. As soon as he gets caught up with Luffy, he'd ask about Ace. Surely if Luffy was alive, then Ace must be too, right?
Koala leans against the doorframe. "...I understand this is really important for you Sabo, but you know Dragon's waiting on a report from us, right? It's been a while already...we really shouldn't keep him waiting much longer."
Sabo doesn't care at the moment. "I know."
The minutes drag on, and Koala remains respectfully silent as the blonde revels in the sights. The blonde places a hand over his heart and takes a deep breath. "I still can't believe he's alive. It's like a miracle."
"I can only imagine what that feeling is like," Koala says with a small smile. "I'm sure he'd be shocked to see you."
Sabo chokes on a relieved laugh. "I bet he's still a troublemaker like he was back then. Luffy, that guy, he always had some trick up his sleeve. But no matter how much of a pain in the ass he was, no one could ever truly get mad at him." His voice takes on an endearing tone. "His smile was contagious, I swear. And he was always this giant ball of sunshine. He was so innocent, and I wanted...I wanted to preserve that for as long as possible. But then the incident happened and I just..."
He slumps forward on the seat until his elbows rest on his knees, Koala's concerned gaze locked onto him from behind. Remembering what had happened to Ace, Luffy, and him made Sabo's heart ache with pain. It took them all by surprise. There was nothing they could've done.
When he makes no indication of finishing his sentence, Koala glides across the floor with feather light steps and squeezes his shoulder.
"Hey," she begins, eyebrows drawn together. "Luffy's here now. Not literally but...you know what I mean. Though you can't see him at the moment, he's alive. Just knowing that must mean the world."
Sabo swallows thickly, trying to reign in his emotions. He thinks of his brother, and a warmth spreads in his chest. It feels like his entire body is on clouds. "I want to see him," he whispers.
"I know, I know." Koala bends and tucks her skirt behind her knees. She tilts her head, trying to catch Sabo's eyes. "But since he's not here at the moment, let's visit Bartolomeo tomorrow and ask for his number, okay? That way, you can get in contact with Luffy without having to wait at his dorm again."
The blonde brightens and looks into his partner's eyes. "That's...a good idea, actually."
Koala stands, stretches out a hand to bring him to his feet. He takes it gratefully. "Of course it is, I'm full of good ideas."
Sabo makes a disbelieving sound as he pushes the chair back under the desk. The red head narrows her eyes at him as he makes his way out of the dorm. "Did you want to say something, Sabo?"
"I dunno. Don't you have a good idea of what I want to say?"
Koala exits and closes the door behind them, sighing. "That's not the same thing, Sabo."
"They're the same words."
"...I mean, you're not wrong, but-"
"But?"
Koala stares at him for a long moment. "...Never mind. I'd make more progress talking to a brick wall."
"What the heck?" Sabo raises a brow at her and has to focus really hard to keep his face straight. "That doesn't sound like a good idea at all."
One dangerous glare later, and the blonde is running down the hall for his life.
His giddiness from his visit had now mingled with fear as he dashed down the hallway, slipping into the stairwell beside the elevators. He takes the steps down two at a time, and just as he's making a turn for the second set of stairs, the door slams open above him. Koala stands in the frame, searching for his form. Once she finds him, she grins widely, and Sabo feels a cold shiver run down his back. He needed to go, and now.
As Sabo increases to going down three at a time, he feels his entire body hum with life. It propels his body onward with such energy that he even dares jumping down an entire flight of stairs. He lands without a hitch. Sabo really couldn't lie- the rush was kind of exhilarating.
"Get your ass back here!" comes the deafening roar from behind him, closer than it should be. Sabo feels his stomach drop into the ground.
...Okay, maybe that rush was just adrenaline. And it was telling him to move it, and fast.
"So." Marco looks up into the moonlit skies through the nonexistent ceiling. "Where the hell do I even begin?"
"For starters, who are you?" Zoro is no bullshit about things like this, and Law appreciated him greatly for it.
The men from earlier have come into the remains of the club, sitting around on whatever was big enough to support their weight. Law sat together with Luffy on a half burnt couch, Zoro and Sanji shared a seat on a large piece of broken wall, and Shachi sat on the ground. They all face the man on the stage, who looks down at them through the shadows of his cover.
"Sure, let's start with introductions. My name is-"
"He's Marco," Luffy interjects. "I remember this guy. He owned Marco's Coffee from a couple years back. Ace worked under him."
The older blonde grins warily at him. "He's right. I remember you coming in and distracting Ace to no end. Drove me up a wall."
Everyone seemed to quiet at the authenticity in his voice. He didn't seem to be lying, even with Luffy there to confirm his words.
The seriousness is back in his voice when he speaks again. "Things were good up until a point. Everything went to shit ever since I made a terrible decision."
"What'd you do?" Sanji scoots closer to the man, not wanting to miss any of his answer.
Marco's lips drew into a thin line. "I...decided to work for Kaido."
Law's hand goes to his pocket knife in a flash. "That name creeps me the fuck out," he seethes. He doesn't miss the tension that lines Marco's shoulders at the movement. Good. He better feel threatened. Law was taking no chances. "Every time that man is brought up, it's never with good news."
Behind him, Luffy pales. "Marco...why the hell would you..?"
Shachi makes a face. "Shit, isn't that the same guy who Luffy thinks killed Ace?"
The younger blonde turns to him in horror. "Ace was killed? He's been in a hospital for nearly two years! I thought he just passed away..."
"I'm referring to the guy behind the fire that put him there," Shachi continues, fleshing out his words. "Luffy thinks it's the same man, Kaido."
"And you worked for this guy?" Sanji was getting more and more enraged. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Zoro frowns deeply at Marco, thumb on the hilt of a sword. "You've got about five seconds to explain or I'm cutting you a new one."
Marco watches their exchanges cautiously, as though they were starving lions and he was a fresh kill. "You misunderstand the timing. When my cafe caught on fire, I was not working for him. But up until the day of the incident...I was. Technically." The man's expression crumples. "Being under that man was the biggest mistake of my life."
Law relaxes a hair, but only so. His hand still hovers over the knife in his jeans. "Then why did you join in the first place?"
"I was enticed by the money, and I shouldn't have been," Marco admits with a sad frown. He looked genuinely upset. "Running a business can be really tough on the wallet, and I just needed a break from it all. One day I go to a bar after a long day and there Kaido is. One drunk conversation later, I'm in the game."
He sighs from deep in his chest, a vain attempt to ease his agitation. "I was given a drug to distribute to my customers for 'testing'. He called them 'Phase One SMILEs'. At first I was dead set against it, but he threatened my life if I didn't comply. Since I already knew so much."
"'Phase One'?" Law furrows his brows. "So they tried to test a drug out before."
Luffy was watching the cloaked man in a new light, something akin to disbelief and betrayal darkening his expression. "...You were blackmailed."
Marco nods slowly. "Yeah. So I did as he asked. When customers would faint after they were drugged, there would be security there to take them away. Did it as discreetly as possible, and I'd always feed the staff some sort of lie. They knew nothing about it, after all. But there was one in particular who was starting to grow increasingly suspicious about what was happening."
"Ace," Luffy breathes. "Oh my god..."
"Out of all the people that worked there, I was closest to him," the older blonde turns sentimental. "We hung out outside of work frequently, and we were more friends than co-workers. If anyone was going to figure out what I was doing, it was going to be Ace."
"So he found out." The green haired's face is an unreadable emotion.
"He did." Marco responds sadly. "But by the time he found out, I already decided to quit the job. I wanted nothing more to do with Kaido or drugs or anything." His gaze falls to the debris below. "Everything went down a night when a restock of the drug was supposed to take place. We usually meet right outside the back door around midnight, where no one else would be there as we could do it discreetly. I decided to show up with the intention of telling the guy off. How I didn't want to be a part of their scheme anymore. Caesar...that was the man's name."
The surgeon freezes. "That was the name of the man I heard security talking about. Back when they thought they drugged me."
"He's the scientist who created the drug," Marco explains. "If Kaido's the brawn behind everything, then Caesar's the brains."
Shachi mutters a few curses. "They have actual smart people working with them, too?"
The older blonde throws him a dirty look. "The man's a wack job. He just likes making dangerous sedatives that fuck with your brain. Don't give him the gratification of calling him smart- he'll take it and run as he aims a gun at your skull."
Shachi closes his mouth.
"After we meet up and tell him I want to quit, I expected him to be mad or something, but this fucker, he laughs." Marco balls his fists in anger. "Fucking laughing. When I asked him what was so damn funny, he just laughed harder."
The fight leaves Marco. "Then he tells me. He had explosives rigged in the cafe in case 'something like this happened', and police could set them off at any given moment. I've been had the entire time."
"How fucked up," Sanji grimaces, blowing out a ring of smoke. "You were caught between a rock and a hard place."
"More like death by Kaido or death by explosions," Shachi mutters. "What shitty options."
"To make it worse, right after I heard that, Ace was..." Marco closes his eyes from the wave of emotion overcoming him. "I heard Ace's voice. From inside the shop."
Luffy tenses beside Law. "The last time I saw my brother before the incident was when he came home from work...god, he looked so out of it. Like he saw a ghost. So he really did go there in the middle of the night..."
"He probably discovered what I was up to somehow," Marco says. "I thought about it for months on end after. He must've learned about the restock and had come to stop me himself. Otherwise, why would he be there at the same time as the deal?"
The older blonde's expression grows pained. "When I realized he was inside, I panicked. The timing was terrible. But Caesar didn't care. He had the explosions set off anyway."
The men in the rubble go silent at the revelation.
"Doesn't that mean they...killed him by accident?" Shachi questions, tilting his head with a hand on his chin. "Since he just so happened to be there? Not that I don't put something like that past them, but..."
"No," Marco states firmly. "I have no doubt they were gonna go after him anyway, since he was so close to me. Probably thought he would find out the truth sooner or later. It was just two birds with one stone for them."
Law has to consciously control his breathing at the news. "It's just like Corazon..."
The teen rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I can't believe it. All this time, I thought it was just an accident."
There's a loud sound to their left, and the men all snap their heads to the noise. A man coughs in the dust cloud that rose from the fallen wall, wiping at the air furiously. Another appears behind him, holding a hand to his nose.
"This place is a disaster," the first grumbles.
"It didn't help that you fucking knocked the wall over, dumbass," the second retorts.
"I didn't know it'd give out so easily!"
Law has to peel his hands off of his knife and forcefully calm his rapid-fire heartbeats. "You're finally here. Scared us half to death, Bepo. Penguin."
"Sorry," the chubby blonde apologizes, a smile on his face. As he enters further into the rubble and feels the tenseness of the air, the smile slips. "What...did we miss?"
Shachi motions them for them to sit somewhere around him. "A shit ton. We'll fill you in later."
The nurse and doctor exchange curious glances before heeding the suggestion, regarding Marco curiously. Once they've settled, Marco clears his throat.
"To continue." He clasps his hands tightly. "Ace was in my shop when the explosions happened. As soon as I turned and saw the fire, I kind of lost it. I'll never forget that moment, I just felt this...overwhelming terror."
Bepo watches the man with wide eyes. "What the fuck did we just walk into..."
"When I turned back to Caesar, he was gone." Marco's words sharpen with anger. "I almost had half a mind to run after him, but Ace was in there. I had...I had to save him. So I went in headfirst to the building."
His fury melts away, giving way for distress. "I called authorities for help as I went through the flames to find him, following his voice. It took a bit but...when I did, I was so happy. But he was really messed up- burns everywhere, bleeding. I'm sure you could imagine. By then there were police and ambulances outside, so I helped him out there, and he was taken away. I heard someone screaming too, but I was in so much pain, I couldn't tell who it was."
"That was me," Luffy whispers. His world swarmed with water at the memory, and he sniffs, wiping his eyes. "That was me."
"I see..." Marco breathes softly. He runs a hand over his face, exhaustion hitting him like a truck. "As for me, I couldn't...go to the authorities to get help. Caesar did say police were in on it too. If I went with them, who knows what they'd do- likely kill me and say I died from my injuries. So I went back into the burning building, trying to escape through the other side. I heard people yelling at me but I didn't care. I had to get out of there. Soon as I went through the entrance, it collapsed behind me. I barely managed to escape out the back door with my life. Guess they thought I wouldn't be able to survive my injuries, because they didn't pursue."
"That's how they concluded you were dead?" Law grimaces, disgusted. "Awfully lazy of them."
"Jesus," Luffy breathes, whirling on Law, but the blonde waves off the comment. "I don't blame you. I was surprised myself when I saw the papers the following day. Suddenly, I'm just dead. It was a lot to take in. It also said Ace was injured, but I was unable to check up on him for obvious reasons. What...happened to him?"
Luffy curls into himself, unable to bring his mouth to open and respond. Law does it for him. "He slipped into a coma from that. Woke up a little over a month back, but passed away a week ago."
"Damn...I thought he could've pulled through." It's hard to ignore the slight tremble in his voice.
"Yeah," Luffy stares hard into the ground. "Me too."
"...I'm sorry, Luffy."
Luffy simply motions for him to continue. Nothing he said would really help, but it's the thought that counts. Marco watches him sympathetically, then sighs. "The incident scared the shit out of me back then. It was surreal. I needed to drink it off, so I called up one of my friends and went out to a bar...different one from where I met Kaido, by the way." He adds the last part at the frowns thrown his way.
"His name was Teach," he runs a hand through his hair as he speaks. "I was surprised he wanted to join me for a glass. We haven't talked in ages. Anyway, we're drinking, and he's approached by some red head. Real cute, short, flirty. Probably expected something, I dunno. But he ends up getting led away by her, and my drunk ass happens to trail behind him. They end up in some secluded room, and I'm peeking through the door, and he's getting arrested."
Sanji knits his brows and holds the smoke away from his lips. "What the hell? Why?"
"The people that were arresting him said they were the Revolutionary Army. From what I heard, he was a part of the drug scheme too, working under Kaido. I had no idea. It made my skin fucking crawl. It's like I couldn't escape it, no matter where I went."
"The Revolutionary Army's in this shit, too?" Law mutters, narrowing his eyes.
"What, you know 'em?"
The surgeon turns to his lover. "I've heard of them. They're this super underground group. They try to fix the fuck ups of government organizations- mostly police. They're like vigilantes in a sense."
The green haired eyes him warily. "...How the hell do you know that?"
Law gives him a close lipped smile. "I had an interesting encounter in my childhood."
Zoro's about to ask more questions but Luffy cuts him off. "Guys," he says softly. He nods over to Marco.
"So these Revolutionaries- a blonde guy, the red headed girl, and this green haired dude. They took him away in cuffs, and my heart just stopped. That easily could've been me. That moment is when I realized I had to lay low."
"Wait a minute," the surgeon interrupts. "The people you described sound awfully like some people I met in the hospital today."
"Oh!" Shachi lights up. "That couple, right?"
Law makes a sound of agreement, and Marco's eyes flicker to him. "Did you really?"
"Yeah, it's actually rather odd. Could you give more specifics?"
"I don't remember anything else about their appearance." The man slumps down, troubled. "But they're a part of the reason why I didn't show up earlier. I was terrified. Anyone could have remembered my connection to him and come after me because of it. I could get arrested by them like Teach, or worse, someone on Kaido's side could discover I'm alive and come to kill me. I was left with no options but to hide away all this time."
The space is blanketed in a silence so thick the surgeon feels himself choking.
"I...watched this place burn down, you know," Marco says so quietly that Law has to strain to hear. "As soon as I saw the flames I just..." He takes a deep breath. "I knew it had something to do with Kaido. It just had to. So I decided to stop hiding and fight back again. Which is why I'm here before you all now."
Shit. Law didn't even want to think about what Marco must be going through.
"But Doflamingo was the one in charge here," Sanji reminds the man. "So it's not just him?" The older blonde shakes his head.
"They must be working together. If Kaido came to me as the owner of a coffee shop to distribute the drug, then he definitely would've gone to Doflamingo as the owner of a strip club." He rubs his temples. "And if the police blew up my place...I had an inkling feeling they might have blown up this place, too."
Law feels his throat dry. "...They did."
"Like I thought."
"So…" Penguin voices. "What should we do next?"
Marco stares at him, debating his next words. "The Revolutionaries are working on this case, and those guys, they have endless resources. If we go to them for help, we might have a chance, but..." His eyebrows knit together. "No one knows how to get in contact with them."
"Didn't you just say you were scared of them?" Zoro raises an upturned palm in question. "Now you want to reach out?"
"I was, but not anymore," Marco responds. "Since I'm no longer with Kaido, they're our allies. Even if they want to detain me for my past with him, at the very least, they can at least help out you all."
"That couple in the hospital..." Law studies the ground, deep in thought. "That blonde and red head couple. It could just be coincidence, but I'll ask them. Worth a shot."
"Oh that's awesome," Bepo grins at the man. "Better than nothing."
Law returns the grin with a small one of his own. "They were even visiting my patient, a green haired man, mid twenties."
"Green? That's not a usual hair color." Sanji ignores the scowl Zoro sends him. "Luffy, doesn't your roommate have green hair?"
The teen blinks over to the younger blonde. "Yeah, Barty. I haven't seen him...in a while...now..."
The air seems to turn to ice around the surgeon. Hold the damn phone.
"Luffy..." Law begins, heart racing. "What's your roommate's name? Is it really 'Barty'?"
Luffy makes a confused sound. "What? I mean, that's what I call him. His real name is stupid long. Bar...Barto…"
The surgeon feels his eyes go wide. "Is it Bartolomeo?"
"Yeah, that's it! Shit, how'd you know?"
The news was making his mind explode. "Because that's the name that couple gave me when they said they wanted to visit him!"
Around them are loud gasps and sounds of shock. "Wait a fucking second, let's backtrack. Luffy's roommate is in the hospital?" Zoro stills, dumbfounded. "Since when?"
"Since early this morning."
"What the fuck..."
"Doesn't that mean he's a Revolutionary, too? If the other two are visiting him?" Penguin wonders, holding his head in his hands tiredly.
"This guy did say there was a green haired guy arresting his friend as well..." Sanji blows out another long drag.
Law pinches his nose. "Luffy only said 'Barty' around me- I never thought his name was actually longer."
Marco is quiet at the exchange, steadily taking in the new information.
"He was the crazy operation I was called in to do," the surgeon explains, turning to Luffy. "The man was shot twice and nearly fucking died. By the same bullets that shot Corazon, no less!"
"Jesus..." Shachi says under his breath. "I didn't know that."
"Shit, you told me that in the car...that was Barty?" Luffy seemed to struggle with the connection. "I can't believe it...god I hope he's okay..."
"That seems to do it. They're likely the Revolutionaries we're looking for." Marco jumps down from the stage. "This is the chance of a lifetime. We're gonna need to talk to them."
"Leave that to me." Determination filters through Law's words. "I can confirm all of this tomorrow. Bartolomeo is my patient, after all."
Marco nods in his direction. "Perfect. If we can get their help somehow, things can really make a turn for the better."
Sanji stands as well. "This shit makes my head spin." Zoro brings himself to his feet beside him. "As much as some of that might be because of that damn smoke, I feel you. This is getting more intense by the day."
"But unlike in your hospital room, at least now we have a lead. Somewhat," Penguin smiles hopefully. He dusts off his ass and turns to give each of his friends a hand. They take it and lift themselves up.
"Crazy how it's only been what, two days? Since this place went down," Bepo shakes his head. "And now it's like everything is coming to light."
"It really is..." Shachi agrees. "But we still have that one missing guy to worry about."
"Oh right, that Kidd dude? Almost forgot about him."
Sanji turns to the blonde doctor. "Kidd was trying to find information on Kaido when we lost track of him."
Marco's expression darkens. "Then he's probably been kidnapped by them. Assuming he's not already dead. The one thing Kaido hates is information leaks. So if your guy went asking around, I can imagine things didn't end well for him."
Law hears Luffy's air leave him from his side. "First Kaido killed my brother...now he's abducting people…" His dark eyes find Law's. "Doflamingo even..."
Killed Corazon. He didn't need to be reminded. It's all he thought of everyday.
The surgeon was passing off as calm as possible, but in reality, his brain was a battlefield. Maybe he was coming off as normal to others, but in reality, he was livid beyond words. Doflamingo had killed Corazon because he discovered the truth. Kaido had Ace killed because he discovered the truth. And even though Kidd could rot away for all he cared, the guy was still trying to help in his own way. And he got abducted. Who knows if the fucker is alive right now.
Never in his life had Law had such a desperate need to hunt down someone and exact revenge. And he's been around a lot of fuckers who were better off six feet under.
But patience is a virtue. Good things come to those who wait.
So he smiles emotionlessly. It's okay. His time will come.
"...Law?"
He's snapped out of his thoughts by the light tug on Luffy's arm. The teen was watching him curiously. "You had this...look on your face. Are you alright?"
The surgeon nods. "I'm fine. Just...thinking."
Luffy seemed uneasy, but didn't push. To their left, Penguin holds up a smart phone.
"Let's all exchange numbers. We can communicate easier that way, instead of talking in the ruins of burned buildings."
Zoro snorts, pulling out his own device. "Good idea."
"We can decide what to do after Law speaks to this 'Revolutionary Army'," he continues as people begin to gather around him. "If they've been investigating, I'm sure they know more than we do."
Law brings out his phone and turns to Marco, thumbing in his contact info. "I just hope these people are who we're looking for."
"I'm sure they are," the blonde returns easily. "It's too much of a coincidence for them not to be."
Luffy is quiet beside them. When Law nudges him to give Marco his number, he jumps slightly.
"You good there?" the surgeon asks softly.
"Yeah. I'm just...nervous I guess."
The blonde before him nods in solemn understanding.
Luffy takes a breath. "These guys... Kaido. Doflamingo. They kill without a second warning. I just hope nothing happens to us, or those Revolutionaries...or to Kidd."
Law purses his lips at the name but says nothing. Marco grimly takes down Luffy's phone number.
"We can hope, sure," he says softly. "But from my experience? Hope doesn't hold out all too well."
Kaido takes a large swig from his bottle of sake and throws it to the wall, smashing the glass into pieces. His anger was so palpable it shook the room with its ferocity, and Doflamingo watched him break down with an amused quirk of the lips. It's funny how their emotions had flipped from only a day ago.
"You shouldn't have told that man our plans," the larger man grits, slamming a fist on his chair as his eyes slide to the dark cell. "Now we'll have to expect interference."
The pink feathered man laughs loudly. "Oh, don't worry. It's not all that bad~ In fact, this actually helps us."
Kaido frowns in his direction. "What do you mean?"
Doflamingo leans forward in his seat, glasses glinting in the lights above. "That man who snuck in here yesterday...that was one of my stripper's little friends. And that stripper knows Law."
"Your brother's son, correct?"
Doflamingo nods, and the larger man stares at him. "Go on."
The blonde's smile gets wider. "If he lives after those shots, he's probably going to tell his friends, and in turn, Law will find out. He probably knows I killed my idiotic brother by now, so he'll come here for sure. They'll all come here, and we can end them in one big swoop."
Kaido contemplates the words. "Interesting. A trap, huh?"
"Yes," Doflamingo purrs, lips curling further. "And now that we have their buddy here-" He tilts his head to the iron jail on the side, "-we have insurance that they'll come. The man who snuck in must have seen him. This fool wouldn't have told the intruder what we were discussing if he didn't."
"What if they spread the word? There's nothing to keep them from spilling this to others," Kaido points out, fingers itching for another bottle. "Damn kid should've just kept his mouth shut."
"Oh, they wouldn't." The pink feathered waves off the words. "Who are they gonna go to? The police?"
A chuckle bubbles within him again. "They can't go to any outsiders- we've already got Akainu to lie to the press again. What can they say? 'I think Doflamingo kidnapped my friend and that the police burned down the Going Merry'? And that's even assuming they know what really happened. The police made me out to be a sad man who lost his business because of an unfortunate fire in the media. No one would believe some random kids' words over the words of the Police Chief."
Doflamingo leans forward, smirking. "There's nothing that intruder can do but tell his circle of friends, and lead them here on a suicide mission. We'll kill them all."
Kaido laughs boisterously at that. "I think you're even worse than me!"
"Perhaps," the blonde agrees, excitement humming throughout his body. "I just love when things fall into place. However…"
He turns to the red head in his barred confinement, who holds onto his upper left arm in crippling anguish. He was panting softly, on the brink of passing out from the pain. Blood had dirtied the entire left side of him, and his entire body was broken and bruised. To say he looked like shit was a vast understatement.
"...if you pull a stunt like that again," Doflamingo warns dangerously, "even I can't stop Kaido from ripping off your other arm."
Kidd makes a gurgling sound in the back of his throat and spits out blood to the side. The men before him laugh at the pathetic display, and Kidd closes his eyes, trying to shut out the pain. It doesn't work. If anything it doubles, and the red head groans, woozy.
"God...don't come, Luffy...please," Kidd murmurs to himself, clutching the remains of his left arm. Some underlings had tended to the wound, but the pain still left him damn near immobile. He looks up to the dark ceiling, hoping the teen somehow hears his silent plea.
"Please, don't. It's too dangerous."
A/N: Thank you for reading! Until next time~
P.S. Yes, Zoro and Sanji are wearing what they wore at Dressrosa. Yes, they might wear this again. *wink wink*
P.P.S. Shachi's also wearing what he wears in canon for his *disguise*