A/N: I liked writing this chapter a lot.


43. I'll Wait


"So? How'd it go?" Buffalo asks.

"Shittily," Baby 5 huffs, plopping down on their couch with a hand over her forehead. "He wasn't taking a word I was saying seriously. Ugh, that guy is so annoying sometimes."

The two shared a house, small and quaint, just off the cusp of the city. It wasn't luxury by far, but it was home, and it was far closer to Law than any of her other siblings. Baby 5 thought it was fate that she discovered Law first through her proximity to him, so she could give him a proper heads up about the rest of their unruly family. Her brother thinks otherwise.

Buffalo snickers and eyes her with a smile. "You know how Law is. He'll do what he wants in the end."

"And yeah, that's the frustrating thing about it!" Baby 5 groans, kicking up her feet on the table. "After going out of my way to talk to him, too!"

"Not that I care much about the guy," Buffalo starts, "but I hope he takes you seriously. The others have already heard about Doflamingo's downfall. They're surely planning something."

"Exactly!" the woman says, pointing at him. "But right now, they're all over the country, so it might take a while for them to all come back around since Doffy's not pulling the strings anymore."

"...Was that a pun?"

"Maybe," she chuckles. "Those guys, most of them are idiots, so things like unorganized meetups always take forever. But when they do finally all get together..."

She pauses and shivers. "I really wouldn't want to be in Law's shoes then."

"Well, you did warn him," Buffalo shrugs. "What else can you do?"

Baby 5 sighs and relaxes further into the cushions of the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "I dunno. I just hope he'll be okay. It took forever finding him in the first place- I don't want that to all go downhill just because he wouldn't heed my words."

"It's only a matter of time before they find him, ya know," Buffalo reminds gently.

Her face crumples. "I know, I know. I just want to postpone it as long as I can." She thinks for a moment, silence stretching between them, then she speaks. "If those guys were smart, they'd strike now, when Law is down an arm."

Buffalo turns to her, wild. "He lost an arm?"

"No," she shakes her head, "it just was in a cast. I didn't mention it while I was with him, but I think he probably got it from fighting Doffy."

"Ah," he murmurs. "Well, regardless, a limb or two isn't stopping Law. You must not remember him well."

"I do," Baby 5 says defensively.

Buffalo raises a brow in her direction. "Law is a beast. And what happens when you corner a beast?"

Baby 5 purses her lips and doesn't respond. She's fully aware of how her brother acted when he felt like he was trapped in a corner. His epithet wasn't the 'Surgeon of Death' for nothing.

"I got it," she drones. "Can't I just worry over him? You know how Gladius and the others are."

Buffalo looks at her, then looks away. "I know how they are, too. But I also know how Law is." He chuckles darkly. "If anything, I'd be scared for them if they piss him off bad enough."


"Make sure to explore every last nook and cranny in this place!" Sabo calls out, pushing aside a table of broken beakers. "We have to try and find it!"

The Revolutionaries give him a salute and a chorus of "Yes sir"s before turning back to their work, plundering the already plundered science lab. Ever since Caesar mentioned the beginning experiments on the newest version of his drug, Phase Three, Sabo has only been given more and more work to do. From getting those poor enslaved workers from the factory proper care to figuring out exactly what the heck the mad scientist was working on in his free time, the blonde had many loose ends to tie up from their little excursion to arrest Kaido and Doflamingo.

Poor Luffy, he didn't even get the chance to properly say goodbye because he was so busy.

The area they were in was an underground version of Caesar's lab, located right below the one they destroyed a few weeks ago. It was smart on his end, having two labs. Sabo would've completely missed it had it not been for Koala's knowing eye as she explored the rubble. A broken latch embedded in topsoil, obviously broken into, that opened to reveal a wide staircase. Upon entering, Sabo and the others were even more surprised to find that the entire place had been ransacked. One might attest that Caesar packed his findings in a rush and scurried along, but an experienced eye with disasters could tell the difference.

The place had been robbed.

"Do your best guys!" Koala calls out, strolling towards him with a clipboard in hand.

Sabo gives her a small smile. "Any luck?"

"Only a little," she says, flipping through the papers. "So it turns out that Caesar, the bastard, was doing experiments down here for Phase Three. Apparently, this newer version of the drug isn't just supposed to knock people out." She looks up gravely. "It's supposed to damn near kill them."

The blonde feels his hackles rise, eyes widening. "What the hell was that crack scientist thinking?"

"I have no idea," Koala murmurs, flipping a few more pages. "But thankfully, it looks like he was only in the experimentation stage, and not in the manufacturing stage."

"Well," Sabo huffs, eyeing the soldiers searching the premises, "that's one comfort at least."

"True," the redhead agrees, "but according to our findings, it looks like he did manage to complete one sample of the final drug." She furrows her brows. "As if he wanted to test that, see if it works, then modify it or make more."

"And where is that sample?" Sabo asks quickly. "If what you say is true, it's much worse than Phase One or Two. We need to find and destroy it before it ends up in the wrong hands."

Koala winces. "But that's just the thing, Sabo. We can't find it."

Sabo surveys the broken mess of tables, punctured walls, cracked tubes, mashed buttons, and a vast array of other miscellaneous appliances, clearly destroyed in search of something. "So we were beat to the punch."

"It looks like it," Koala mutters.

"Any clues as to who could've been behind this?" the man asks. "And how did they even know there was something down here before we did?"

"I have no idea how they got information before us. But," Koala ventures, "we did find something strange near a glass case in the back. We think it held the sample."

Sabo hums knowingly. "Okay, shoot. What was it?"

"Playing cards," she says, frowning slightly. "A king of spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts."

"That's strange..."

"Yeah, and get this," Koala continues, "the one of clubs was crumpled, like someone beat it up. And the one of hearts..."

Sabo perks up. "Yeah?"

Koala worries on her bottom lip. "...It was torn in half."

"I wonder what it all means," Sabo wonders aloud.

"I don't know," Koala clutches her clipboard close, "but I have a bad feeling about this."


A Few Days Later

"Wow, are you sure you only got your arm broken a month ago?" Dr. Chopper asks, turning excited eyes onto Law's face. "It's a miracle it's healed so fast."

"Yeah, well," Law chuckles. "I'm just lucky, I guess."

"Alrighty then," the young doctor grins. "The nurse has already done the checkups, so it looks like you're all set to go! Give me a minute to go get some things to remove the cast with."

"You're taking it off for me?" Law marvels. "I thought you only did surgeon work."

The man shakes his head. "No, I dabble in other areas as well. Thought you'd want someone familiar to be doing this for you."

"True," Law mutters. "Well thank you, and take your time. I'll be here."

As Chopper leaves him be, Law's thoughts drift, as they tended to do. He's always been a fast healer. Maybe because his body has been trained for danger, and was so used to being on high alert that in the case he gets hurt, he heals quickly to prepare for what may come next. He looks down at his callused hands and flexes the fingers there one by one, feeling the strength that resided in them. He definitely still had his spark, and his body ensured he kept it.

Chopper returns then with a special saw, closing the door softly behind him. "Alright, let's do this."

He sits down and pulls the limb towards himself carefully, bringing the dull blade upon the cast with an experienced precision. Law watches him silently as the doctor saws the thickness off, feeling nothing but a slight tickle as he works. Once the cast pops off and the doctor pulls it away from the limb gently, cool air hits the sensitive, pallor skin, and Law exhales softly at the feeling.

"It'll need time to feel like normal again," Chopper cautions as he sets the saw down, "but I'm sure you know that already."

"Yeah," Law says. Chopper takes his arms into nimble fingers and moves it around, checking for any pain and to see if he retained a good range of motion.

"Not even any atrophy," the doctor murmurs, setting Law's arm back in his lap. "I'm shocked."

Law shrugs, "I've always healed really well. I don't know."

"I'll be frank," Chopper chuckles, writing something down on a clipboard, "neither do I. That's a good thing though, less work for you to do."

"I'm assuming I can't use it for the next few days?" Law ventures.

"Right on the money," Chopper affirms with a smile. He taps his pen against the clipboard rhythmically as he speaks. "When you get home, wash the limb with gentle soap and water. Make sure you're gentle." He stresses the word accusingly.

Law raised both his hands in mock defense. "I will, don't worry."

Chopper doesn't look convinced, but continues on anyway. "There aren't any scabs, so no reason to warn for picking them. Hmm, let's see. Soak it in warm water for twenty minutes a day, twice a day, for the first two days. Get the blood in there flowing well again."

Law nods, making diligent mental note of the instructions. The young doctor grunts in approval. "I say all this, but knowing you, you're gonna get back all your strength and muscle in a week tops. Your body is truly something else."

"Thanks, Chopper," Law grins. "You're a lifesaver."

"Y- Yeah, well," the young doctor stammers under the compliment, "I do my best. Now go and get some rest!"

"Alright, will do." Law practices various motions with his arm and he stands, getting the hang of the limb without the extra weight dragging it down. He leaves the office with a wave of his good arm, then shuts the door quietly behind him.

He sighs, eyes closed. He didn't even have to see to know that a certain trio resided right outside the door. Those fools just wouldn't leave Law to his ministrations by himself. "You guys off?"

"Nope," Bepo grins, "just wanted to check up on you and your poor arm."

Shachi touches the limb unabashedly, studying the pale, flaking skin. "Wow, it looks worse than I thought."

"Thanks," Law responds dryly.

"It's not gonna come out looking brand new, dummy," Penguin sighs, pulling on the back on the man's scrubs.

"Of course I know that!" Shachi snaps, "but seeing it and knowing it are different!"

"I just think you're dumb, Shachi."

"You better watch it, blondie."

"You guys," Law steps forward and places a hand on Shachi's and Bepo's shoulders, while looking at each of them in turn. The action puts some strain on his newly released arm, but nothing he couldn't handle. He hides his wince behind a solemn expression. "We need to talk. In private."

The air around the turns several degrees cooler as the seriousness in his tone comes across well. It makes them all freeze in their places, watching Law with wide eyes, minds whirling as they try to make sense of what exactly could be bothering the seemingly unshakable man. Penguin is the first to move, away from the others and down the hall.

"There's an empty break room that no one uses over here," he says, jutting a thumb to a room just around the corner. "Let's go in there."

"Perfect." Law starts for the area and motions for the other two to follow. They share a confused glance before complying, and with a quick stroll, they're situated in the break room by themselves, door locked, curtains closed.

Shachi crosses his arms and leans against a table. "So? What's got you all riled up this time?"

Law narrows his eyes at him. "Baby 5 visited me a few days ago."

That has the trio sputtering; Shachi choking on his next words, Penguin coughing into his elbow, Bepo struggling to get air. Law watches their reactions with pursed lips, then turns heavy eyes to glare hard into the ground.

"What...did she want?" Shachi begins coarsely.

"No, scratch that," Penguin interrupts, "how the hell did she even find you?"

"If she knows where Law is," Bepo mutters, more to himself than to the others, "does that mean that the rest of the family does, too?"

"God, I hope not," Law groans, running a hand through his hair. "And I have no idea how she found me. Just saw her one day standing outside Amazon Lily. It was the strangest thing."

Penguin turns and fixes him with a frown. "What the hell did she even want, anyway?"

"She came to warn me about the family, since I beat Doflamingo," Law recalls. "Turns out they aren't too happy about it."

"Fuck what they think," Shachi grunts, and Law turns to nod knowingly at him.

"That's what I told her, too. But she didn't seem to care." Law wrings his fingers in his hands, gentle because of the heightened sensitivity. "Baby 5 said she still cared about me, so she came to warn me about them."

"What could they possibly do now?" Shachi asks curiously. "They've lost all their clout. Seriously, she took weeks to find you just to warn you?"

"And we helped too," Bepo notes, scratching his head, "so why only come and warn you and not all of us?"

"I guess because we didn't take him out personally," Penguin mutters, "and Law has always been the special one in the family."

"You're probably right, Peng," Law grumbles. "She basically just told me to watch my back."

Penguin watches him carefully. "So she didn't mention Luffy?"

"No," Law confirms, feeling something cold settle down his back. "She didn't. It seems like the family doesn't know, but I'm nervous for if...for when they find out. Because then, they won't just come after me."

He doesn't need to say the next sentence for them to know what he's getting at. The whole ordeal leaves them silent, too strung up to speak. Law clutches the edge of a table, face falling as he thinks deeply.

"I need you guys' advice."

"Oh?" Shachi taunts with a smile. He shimmies up to Law's side and claps his shoulder. "The great Law wants the advice of us measly peasants?"

"Shachi," Penguin chides, "this is serious."

"Fine, fine," he relents, letting go of the man. He steps back and dissolves into a thoughtful countenance. Bepo remains quiet all the while, letting his words sink in.

"It's different from back then, Shachi," Law says softly. "Back then, it was just us four against the world. But now, I have more friends. Now, I have Luffy." He lets out a breath, thinking of the man's bright smile, his laughter, the way he would say Law's name. It makes something constrict in his chest. "I'm not fighting just for fighting's sake anymore. I'm fighting for Luffy. To protect him."

"How sweet," Bepo smiles affectionately. "You say Luffy's changed a lot, but Law, you have to keep in mind that you've changed, too."

Law hums at that. "I'm sure I have."

"You want advice? Then here's mine," Penguin sighs, crossing his arms. "If I were you, I would tell Luffy your side of the story. All of it. It doesn't make sense for you to start saying you want to protect him, but not tell him exactly from what."

"That makes sense, you know," Shachi seconds.

The red head tilts his head as he watches Law. "You can't hide our past forever, especially since it's catching up to you. You're gonna have to tell Luffy sooner rather than later, or it's not going to end well."

"I-" Law scowls and shakes his head. "I know, but I'm so scared. I'm terrified of what he's going to think of me after I tell him."

"He won't bat an eye," Shachi assures. "I'm sure of it."

"Are you sure about that?" Law challenges with an arched brow. "Do you know how many of my friendships fell apart because I let them know? How many people look at me differently when they realize? It's not as simple as you think, Shachi- don't forget, I'm a murderer."

The words fill the air, thickening it with the truth. It's hard to argue when they know he has a point.

Law looks at his hands. "I have a lot of sins from my past I have to atone for. Saving lives is the least I can do for taking them."

The trio is quiet as he speaks, letting the man have the moment to himself. "And to add even more fuel to the fire," Law goes on with a frown, "Koby of all people is alive."

It takes a few long seconds for the name to familiarize itself in their brains, but when it does, they all sport various levels of stunned shock on their faces. Bepo's jaw drops, neary unhinging from his face. "...Wait, that Koby?"

"From Rocky Port?" Shachi asks, his concern raising steadily.

"How the hell is he still alive?" Penguin hisses. He leans forward so his voice is only heard by those in the room. "I thought your shot killed him!"

"I thought so too," Law lours. "Now imagine the guy you thought you killed showing up in a doorway with your boyfriend's grandpa, very much alive. And your boyfriend knows the guy. Then you all go for dinner."

Bepo makes a face. "I'd be so uncomfortable."

"Yeah," Law agrees readily. "Exactly. But there's a good side to this- he doesn't seem to remember anything."

"Really?" Bepo brightens. "Then maybe it'll be okay!"

Penguin side eyes the blonde. "There's no guarantee his amnesia is permanent, Bepo."

"So what're you going to do about him?" Shachi asks. "Are you gonna-"

"Hell no," the surgeon scoffs. "I'm not touching a hair on his head. I'm just gonna avoid him like the plague if he ever comes around again. I don't do shit like that anymore."

Law huffs, leaning against his table. "The Law of that life died the moment Corazon adopted me. He wanted me to live a respectable life, free from the family's influence. He would feel slighted up in Heaven if I did anything to Koby."

"But if Koby isn't dead, then he could remember that day," Penguin warns. "And you said he knows Luffy, right? What if he tells Luffy about your past before you do?"

"Then the poor guy would really think badly of you," Bepo says.

"Koby would probably warp the narrative to make you out to be some awful sword wielding, blood spilling gangster."

"Shachi," Penguin turns to look at him, nose crinkling. "Dude."

"It's okay," Law mutters. "I wasn't too far off from that, after all."

"So what're you gonna do?" Shachi pushes, eyes worrying. "Tell Luffy yourself, or wait for Koby to do it? Because I remember how honest that guy is, once he remembers, he will spill in a heartbeat."

Law chews on his lip for a long, long time. Both options were shit. "Maybe this is what Corazon wanted to avoid," he starts with a sigh. "All the shit from my past coming back to haunt me one day. He thought that if I cleaned my image up and became someone respectable like a surgeon, I would be able to get over it. But damn it all, everything always comes back."

"So?" Penguin huffs. "What'll you do?"

Law looks at the three of them, flickering between them as they watched him for a response. Law is tense, but the answer comes out smoothly.

His confidence is but a front.

"I'll wait."


It's dark.

Moonlight shines through the open window as the private investigator rummages through his computer, frowning deeply at the screen. Koby, twenty-three years young, sat at his desk in the middle of the night, alone in his office as he researched a man that has caught his eye for all the wrong reasons.

He opted for searching after hours rather than during the day so that no one would be able to find his little personal use of work equipment. The computers and laptops here had access to databases and libraries inaccessible from any public domain. If Koby wanted info on any citizen in the city, this was one of the best places to find it.

However exciting researching knowledge on this man was, his nerves were beginning to wear thin. His heart pattered up a storm from the terror of getting caught, and his fingers trembled as they clicked away on links that gave him no information. He's been here for over an hour already, and he was no closer to finding what he was looking for than when he arrived.

He was searching for files on Trafalgar Law.

Koby knew in his heart that something was off with the man, from the way he carried himself to the way he interacted with him before, during, and after the dinner. The memory makes him shudder; he felt near mortification at sharing a table with the man, and he had just met him.

Supposedly just met him.

Something in his soul wants him far, far away from Law, and he needs to know why.

The scar on his head pulses as if on cue, and the man sighs, resting the marred skin on his palm. "I know, I know," he murmurs, exiting a couple sites that simply gave him medical information. "You're frustrated too, huh?"

Nearly every single link he was presented with had something to do with Flevance Medical, where he was employed. Congratulatory stories here, accomplishments there, even some links to medical exploits while he was in college. Law was as squeaky clean as they come, but it only made Koby more determined to find dirt on the man.

Koby has at least had an encounter with him before. He wouldn't feel so uneasy if it were just their first time meeting. He can't remember where they met for the life of him, but he knows it must've happened when he was seven years old. Sixteen years ago, around the same time he met Luffy.

It's the only time in his life that amnesia stole his memories from him, so it must've been then.

If he thinks hard enough to back then, he can briefly smell the salty tang of the ocean. If he focuses even harder, he can see misty streams of red in the waves.

Sighing, he clicks out of everything and shuts down his computer. He was only going in circles. There was limited information on Law from the PI's side of the database, but maybe, just maybe, the police would have something more. The two shared similar research materials, but had differences, after all.

He pulls out his phone and dials a number, bringing the device to his ear. It picks up on the fourth ring.

"Koby, dude, do you know what time it is right now?"

He glances at his clock. A quarter to one in the morning. "I know, I'm sorry. Listen, I have a really big favor to ask, Helm."

Helmeppo hums into the receiver, sleep ridden voice slurring his words. "What is it? Can't it wait till morning?"

"No, it can't," Koby says urgently. "Can you get me into the station?"

"But you quit though. I really shouldn't be letting you back in."

"Please Helm, I really need to look up a man."

The blonde is quiet. "Is it serious?"

"It very well could be," Koby nods sagely, though the other couldn't see him.

He hears a sigh on the other end, then the ruffling of a blanket. Koby cheers silently. He's won. "Then I'll be there in twenty," Helmeppo gruffs. "Don't forget to come through the back."

"Like I could ever," Koby grins, excitement bubbling within him at the prospect of getting police records in his hands. "Thank you so much!"

"You owe me for this, man. It's one in the fucking morning."

"Sorry!" he squeaks. "I promise I'll do something good for you later. Maybe breakfast?"

"Make it lunch and you've got yourself a deal."

"Fine. Lunch it is."


A/N: Thank you for reading! Until the next~

P.S. I still want to know what happened in the Rocky Port Incident in canon. Literally. What.