When Law returned from his time at the hospital he soon got caught by Leila in the kitchen. He let out a sigh. He had used his abilities too much at work that day, he was rendered exhausted and he didn't have the energy to face the argument about Bepo.

"I was waiting for you" Leila told him, not annoyed or expressing any evident emotion as she leant agains the kitchen counter.

"I never asked you to…" Law replied coldly. Leila flinched slightly as she felt Law trying to put up his walls and she scoffed, making him stare at her slightly. The pair stood in the kitchen, not saying anything. Leila was planning to tell him the extent of her past when he returned, but didn't expect him to return so late. All that time waiting had built her anxiety up to the point where she didn't know what to say anymore.

Leila moved to sit down at the counter and turned her attention to that day's newspaper. Law rubbed his forehead tiredly and let out a sigh. He moved over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, burying his face into her neck. She didn't respond much but let her hand rest on his arm naturally as she continued to read. Law felt his stress seep out of him as he hugged her tightly.

"Sorry, I'm just tired" He told her to which she nodded slowly and leant her head against his. Law turned her head to place a chaste kiss on her lips and she smiled at him slightly.

"What's wrong?" Law asked her, noticing that she wasn't completely herself. Leila showed him a newspaper bounty and Law raised an eyebrow, picking it up to read.

Leila Brady

'Red Princess'

Bounty – 200,000,000. Wanted Alive

Below the stated bounty was a picture of Leila, nonetheless. It was an old picture from a few years ago, she was around 17. Laws eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he observed the picture. She had her short hair and plump cheeks - her golden eyes giving her identity away immediately. Leila stared at the printed bounty emotionless, resting her head on her hand.

"It's the first time he's gone this far….he's actually printed me in the fucking newspaper" She scoffed, seemingly not believing it. "He's made connections with Morgans, of all people…"

Law stared at her with wide eyes. It was a sizable bounty, but he somewhat expected her to have one. What took his attention was the 'wanted alive'. It was highly unusual, along with the fact that she was actually speaking about it.

"Leila-ya…" He murmured, unsure of what to start questioning her with. She looked up into Law's eyes and she finally showed some emotions. He expected her to be crying, upset. But all that was there was seething, bloodlust anger. Her skin grew hot as her devil fruit abilities worked off of her emotions and Law's hair stood up at the back of his neck as he recognized her wrath. Within minutes of silence her horns had sprouted and her tail began to swish agitatedly.

"What was he thinking?" She continued to babble through her sheer shock, her eyes wide and furious. Law let out a deep breath as he let her have a moment to vent. After her continuous swearing she rested her head into her hand.

He pulled her into a hug, rubbing her shoulders as he tried to calm her. "Your wrath is showing, calm down."

"How fucking dare he" She spat out. "I'll kill him; I'll swear I'll kill him"

"Who?" Law questioned, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. He couldn't help but feel slightly wary. What was going on? Who was responsible?

Leila looked up at him once more, her cheeks flushed. "Xander Brady. That fucking bastard"

Law stiffened. It was a recognizable name to a veteran pirate. He was up and coming to the previous generation, towards the end he was deemed a threat but not much was known about his whereabouts now. He came from a rich noble family who met a dark end, unknown to the public and covered up by the Government. He began his own pirate crew known for their ruthlessness and pillaging of crews in the Grand Line but seemingly went under the radar one day. He appeared beside Gecko Moria, confusing many who were aware of his power. He had a bounty of 500,000,000 but was never actively pursued by the navy, seemingly due to old connections. Law stiffened and his expression grew dark.

"Do you want to explain?" He asked her seriously. She sighed, not even knowing where to begin. She began by telling him about her childhood. How her father took her to sea and the unfortunate events that followed leading to his death. She told him about how Xander had taken an unfortunate interest in her and most of what followed.

"I would have rather died…" She said darkly. Law stayed silent and listed to her attentively, gauging the situation. "I don't know why he did it. I was kept in a cell, barely alive. Xander would come and see me, satisfied when my will was broken. He tried to kill me numerous times. The only reason things changed is because of Perona."

Law thought back to her bountiful scars, the ones that laced her hips, the one across her chest. He remembered her saying they mostly happened when she was young – the knowledge that she was under the control of Xander Brady made Law's skin crawl. Inside, he was about to snap. He was furious.

Leila continued. "Perona was young as well, 9 years old and she had stumbled across the cells. I'm not sure why or how long she was part of their crew, but she was. She started to come to see me in secret, giving me sweets and making conversation. I barely said a word at first, I felt dead inside. Sometimes I thought I actually was"

"She got caught, of course." Leila let out a haggard sigh, struggling with the traumatic memories from her childhood. "But when Xander found out that I was actually speaking to someone he found it amusing, so he let her keep coming... deep down...I hated her. She would come and speak about herself, do my hair as if I was a play toy, go on and on about how Moria had taken her in out of the kindness of his heart…what utter bullshit". Leila laughed darkly, her eyes in pain.

"Do you still hate her?" Law asked tentatively, trying to urge her to keep talking. He wanted to know everything – he was afraid she would shut down any minute and refuse to talk. Leila looked up into his eyes and her devil features sunk back into her body. She thought for a moment but shook her head with a subtle smile.

"She's the reason I'm still alive, I don't hate her anymore – if anything she was like a sister to me in the end."

"Is that...where you got all your scars?" Law questioned.

"When I was 6, I became more defiant. All that time in a cell by yourself – you only think. I was angry, so so angry. Everything began to change that year. I began to think about escaping – thinking about how I could be released from the cells." Leila stared at the newspaper in deep thought. "I planned to gain their trust, mainly due to Perona persuading me. She begged me to just be obedient and live a happy life with them – though that was impossible for me. Eventually, I was let out of the cells but was kept near Xander at all times. One day, I tried to run but I got caught and beat senseless. I should have died."

Leila moved her top up above her hip, the grisly scar that she hated so much. "I was just a child… and he shot me".

Law's face darkened as she continued to tell him her childhood. Leila didn't give much away – she seemed so used to these memories that she was barely phased.

"Every time I got beat Perona would come to see me and bandage me up as well as she could. She didn't know what she was doing, she was just a kid. That's all the treatment I got"

Leila paused for a moment, her eyes glistening sligtly. "She couldn't keep me in good condition after I got shot, I was in and out of consciousness. She began to talk about a new Devil Fruit that Xander had captured. She said if I could eat that, I could live. But there was no way I could eat that - he wouldn't let me and honestly, I would have prefferred to die back then"

Law's eyebrows twitched at the familiarity of their circumstances.

"I don't know why...but Xander took me to a doctor. It was like a sick game to him - I was a toy who he wished would obey but took great satisfaction in punishing me when I wouldn't. When I was passed out Perona struck up a conversation with him - being the charismatic girl she was. She tried to persuade him not to hurt me anymore, not to kill me. She told him that regardless of my emotions, I would always be by his side"

"She did that to save you?" Law asked to which Leila nodded.

"It only made things worse though. I was frightened - from then on, I didn't act stupidly. I planned out everything, I never spoke out of line and I never tried to run. I just planned. Perona seemed satisfied, she would dress me in cute dresses and style my hair as if nothing had ever happened. Xander seemed to trust me more as time went on, although never 100%. Perona's words seemed to resonate within him, I would always be beside him and always within his grasp. In some sick, twisted way, he saw me as a daughter. As his 'princess'"

"So…how did you get your devil fruit?" He asked her

"As the years passed Xander liked me too much to kill me. I was dear to him, but that was part of the problem. When the news of the Satan Satan no mi was being rumored to be near Thriller Bark, the crew began to panic. This fruit could possibly be taken by some of the biggest pirates in the Grand Line. Law, what is the safest way to hide a fruit whilst having it under your control?" Leila asked Law, her smirk dark. Law didn't answer her. Leila pointed to herself. "Put it inside a person who you can forever control."

Law sighed as he rested his head in his hands, his mind was whirring. There were too many thoughts inside his head as he thought about the gravity of her situation. "That's why you were always running?" He asked Leila with his voice hoarse. Leila nodded darkly.

"He's always on my trail, always catching up to me. His precious 'daughter' has his fruit after all…"

"Do you know why I even stayed at Thriller Bark for so long?" She asked, to which Law shook his head. "I couldn't leave even if I wanted to. It's surrounded by water, where would I go? I tried countless times; I would have no way for the gates to open and I'm a devil fruit user…there would have been no way I could use a simple rowing boat to escape in the Grand line."

"That's why you waited until you found the Strawhats?"

"I begged them. If they hadn't agreed I would be dead"

The pair sat in silence as Leila unraveled everything. Her heart was hammering in her ears – it was the first time she had ever gone into so much detail about her past. She had put Law and his crew in immense danger even by being seen with them. "You understand now? Why I have to leave?" She told him sadly.

"I won't let you" Law confirmed, meeting her gaze seriously. He was calculating everything in his mind. He wasn't afraid, if anything he was just busy planning possible situations. None of them involved letting Leila go.

"This is too much…" Leila sighed as she felt her head pound. Law grabbed onto her arm

"Leila-ya, I won't let you go. We've got big bounties on this crew also, you don't have to worry about your safet-"

"For Gods sake Law!" She cried out in frustration. "I'm not worried about mine. I'm worried about all of you!"

Law stiffened at her outburst and saw her eyelashes moisten with her tears. She was finally at her breaking point.

"He has put a bounty of me in the newspaper…he's finally gone to that length" She enounciated her words clearly. "People are going to come after me; they'll catch onto my devil fruit. H-"

Law cut off her rambling by pulling her into his firm chest with one arm. He pushed the newspaper away and held her close to him as the she tried to calm herself.

"I-I don't know what to do anymore. I'm out of ideas" She confessed, clinging onto his top.

"Since he put the bounty out like that, it means he's desperate" Law evaluated. "Which means he doesn't know where you are and doesn't have many leads"

Leila's eyes widened slightly as she realized Law was right. "It's the water. I hate the water, he doesn't think I would go onto a ship" Leila said, her thoughts spilling out her mouth like an overflowing water jug.

"You do?" Law questioned, not noticing before.

"It reminds me of my dad, I just don't think about it much" She tells him hurriedly.

"Surely then, It would be safer with me because he wouldn't expect that" Law smirked at her triumphantly, despite her eyes looking like a deer in the headlights. Leila didn't nod or disagree, but stayed with her hand holding onto Law's top tightly. She had realized she had been talking for ages, spilling out her past as if she couldn't control it. Law didn't mind, if anything he was happy to know. To finally know what she had been running from, what she had been hiding.

Law could see that she would be impossible to reassure for the rest of the night. He just held her close, showing her that he was not going to leave her anytime soon, if at all.