A/N: I've been waiting to write this chapter for a loooong time. TW: blood and gore.


44. Sixteen Years Ago


He was right. The police did have more information.

Ignoring the small sliver of annoyance at this revelation, Koby continues searching through the databases offered at his old desk, studying the information presented to him with a critical eye. Most of what he sees he already saw at the PI Office, but there were some other articles mentioned in passing. The man did have a record, albeit one of unrelated brevity, but yet, it was unavailable to him at the prior location.

It makes his lips twitch in annoyance.

He looks up from his findings to find Helmeppo staring at him curiously. Koby shrinks a little under the intensity of the gaze, fingers curling protectively around the mouse to the computer. "What is it?"

"Well," he starts, reluctance filing into the word, looking around. "Are you sure it's such a good idea to do this while other officers are here?"

"There's not a moment where officers aren't in the station," Koby explains simply, returning to the screen before him. He exits out a few files and carefully reads over several more he opens up. "Late at night is better than the morning. And we're in the back room. It's rare that anyone comes back here anyway, especially at this time."

The blonde casts a wary glance to the front of the small room, then to the dim lights in the distance signaling that they were not alone. "If you say so."

Koby sighs. "...Though I guess you're kinda right. It's risky since you guys are still dealing with that Akainu and Vergo situation. But they'll be too busy with that to bother with me."

Helmeppo doesn't look convinced, and the pink haired fixes him with a pointed look, brows arching ever so slightly. "Trust me, I hear you loud and clear. I want to hurry as well, but I can't find what I'm looking for."

"Who are you trying to look up, anyway?" the blonde slips, settling beside his former partner to look at the computer in conjunction with him.

"His name is Trafalgar Law," Koby murmurs, reading through a particularly lengthy article about his endeavors at Flevance Medical. "He's a twenty-six year old surgeon, but that's just about all I know about him."

"Is he a criminal?" Helmeppo ventures cautiously, face carefully construed into nonchalance. "He seems like a normal dude."

His scar throbs painfully then, and the investigator scowls at the feeling. "The computers aren't exactly helping with my case here, but yeah. Something along those lines, I think."

"What, like a murderer?" Helmeppo asks with a baited breath.

"No, no," he quickly remedies, "at least, I don't think so. It's more so something to do with me personally, and how I got this scar." He points to his forehead, and a flicker of confusion flashes across the blonde's face.

"Then shouldn't you look back to when you were what, seven, eight? How many years ago?"

"I know, I'm trying," he clicks furiously on the mouse, frowning as more high school records pop up on the screen, "but it seems high school is as far back as it's letting me go."

"Some files aren't computerized," a smooth voice interrupts, and the pink haired feels cool ice settle down his back and work its way into his bones. Frozen to the spot, he could nothing as a tall man enters their sanctuary, watching the two lazily. He smiles softly upon recognizing the former officer.

"Koby," Aokiji greets casually, as though he was a normal presence there at nearly two in the morning. He waves at them with his left hand, his right holding two thick manila folders. "Long time no see. How've you been holding up?"

"Vice Chief Aokiji," Koby breathes, heart jumping into his throat as he stands, saluting the man on instinct. He's always loved having the man as his superior, loved growing up with him, and suddenly he's assaulted with a multitude of emotions upon seeing him once again. He missed him.

The tall man closes the door behind him and strolls into the room. "No need to salute, you're no longer an officer, are you?"

Embarrassment floods his being, and red flickers across his cheeks as he releases the pose. "R-right."

"What are you doing here, Vice Chief?" Helmeppo questions, shock just as evident in his stance.

Aokiji scratches the back of his head, easy hand in his pocket as he studies them intently. "With Akainu gone, I've been left to pick up a lot of the broken pieces. They want me to take over the position, but I'm actually thinking of leaving the force."

"What, no!" Koby protests, slamming his hands on the table. "You can't!"

"But you can?" Aokiji asks with a soft smile. Koby falters as the older man laughs. "Don't worry Koby, it won't be for a while. But that's not why I came back here, to discuss my predicament."

He motions to the computer, and Koby looks at the open files on Law guiltily. "As welcome as you are in this building, I'm sure you're not here to take a trip down memory lane at two in the morning."

"...Right. I want to find files on a man from sixteen years ago," Koby says, heartbeat decreasing to a steady thrum against his chest. "But I'm not having much luck here."

Aokiji nods, humming as he goes to set the files down on a nearby table. "Sixteen years back? That's quite a while."

"Yeah," Koby sighs, "it is."

"What are you researching the man for?" he asks innocently.

Koby flickers down to the screen. "I don't know. I'm still figuring it out."

"I see," Aokiji murmurs thoughtfully.

"If you don't mind me asking, Vice Chief," the blonde begins, blinking down at the stack of papers that once occupied his hands. "What is that you're holding?"

The older man glances down to the folders, brows crumpling as if thinking of whether or not to tell the man. His expression clears as he reaches a decision, and he looks back up at the officer. "Files that were set to be destroyed by the former Chief."

That gets Koby's attention. He maneuvers around the computer desk and stares at the endless piles of papers stacked hazardously into the faded folders. "Why was he trying to destroy them?"

"They were the two criminals that he and Vergo were in contact with," Aokiji explains, setting the two files out in individual piles. They were blank, faded, and slightly eroded with age. "Names are Kaido and Doflamingo."

At the mention of the second name, Koby's scar gives a powerful jerk, and the man has to bite down a cry as his hand flies to his head, covering the heated skin. Helmeppo turns to him in concern. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah," he grits, narrowing his eyes to the latter folder. "That name, I've heard it before, too…"

Aokiji regards him, watching his various reactions without comment. The blonde swallows thickly and asks the question Koby desperately wants to, but can't; his throat has closed up, dried from the pain of his scar.

"Can we look at them?"

Aokiji clutches the folders possessively, lips pursed. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. What do you have to do with these men?"

Koby felt stunned to the spot. It was an accusation.

Of course, with the police station in the state of chaos it was in, anyone could be a spy or a double agent. But certainly, Aokiji had more faith in him and Helmeppo than that, right? Pretending not to feel stung at the fact that Aokiji could even think of that, he tries to remember that the man had a lot of his plate to deal with already, and Koby being there when he wasn't supposed to be was just extra things he added onto his list of crap to deal with.

"The man I'm researching," Koby begins carefully, ensuring he sounded as confident as possible, "he may have something to do with Doflamingo, the man you mentioned."

"How do you know if he is?" Aokiji continues, narrowed eyes losing some of its edge.

Koby vaguely gestured to his scar. "It hurts when I think about him."

The taller man blinks in confusion for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "Oh, is that so Koby?"

A bewildered flush colors his pale cheeks as he watches his former superior break down before him. "...Sir?"

Aokiji collects himself just as quickly, wiping a stray tear from his eye. He pushes the files over to the pink haired, who watches them in astonishment before looking up at Aokiji. The Vice Chief gives him a nod of approval.

"Sometimes, a gut feeling is what solves a case," he informs sagely, "and if that's your gut feeling, then I'm sure as hell not going to be the obstacle that stops you from solving your case."

"Thank you," Koby bids with a lowered head, hoping his gratitude could be relayed through the two mere words, "thank you so much."

"Of course," Aokiji waves him off, an easy smile curving his lips. "Just remember, the content is top secret. No going to the media or anything of the sort."

"I won't," Koby promises, taking the Doflamingo folder into his hands with gentle fingers. The thumbs it open and sees various files, records, documents, and reports all tucked away within the heaps of paper. As he silently flips through the folder, he feels Helmeppo and Aokiji watching him just as quietly, waiting for his big eureka moment, for the dawn of understanding to ride high on his horizon.

Finally, he pulls on a file with a large smiley face at the top, and the logo makes his scar throb dully. Frowning, he pulls the report out, the title of it reading 'Endeavors of the Don Quixote Family'. Stomach dropping, he opens the report and flips absently, looking for anything that could trigger a recollection of his memory.

That's when he sees it.

In the table of contents, chapter seven.

The Rocky Port Incident.

"Do…" Koby begins, voice nearly mute, hands shaking, "do either of you remember anything about a 'Rocky Port'?"

Helmeppo shakes his head. "I've never heard of it."

The Vice Chief remains frustratingly quiet, crossing his arms in defense and leaning against a table. Koby slides his eyes over to the man, who watches him back emotionlessly.

It makes something twist in his gut. "...Vice Chief?"

The man sighs from deep in his chest. "I was there in the aftermath of the slaughter," Aokiji finally relays in a breathy tone, running a hand down his face tiredly. "It's not a particularly fond memory of mine."

"The slaughter?" Koby inhales sharply, air stuck in his throat. He was having trouble getting it out, having trouble feeling, and all the while, his scar had taken up this consistent throb against his head that had morphed into a full on headache. Everything seemed to hurt all at the same time.

Aokiji lowers his eyes, nodding slowly. "I suggest you read whatever it is that's there, Koby. I would rather not explain what happened to that poor place."

"That...happened sixteen years ago, didn't it?" Helmeppo realizes with dawning horror. "Koby, what if that's-"

"Hold on!" He snaps, flipping the report quickly, trying to get to the page that could change his outlook on everything he's known about his life so far. His fingers trembled as he opened to the correlating part, and found with shocked horror various images of a desolate and ruined town, once white, snowy streets turned crimson with felled blood and clearly lifeless bodies. A ragtag crew stood at the forefront of one of the pictures, their clear leader sporting a red suit and a pink feathery coat, maniacal smile and tinted sunglasses gleaming even through the dated picture. A familiar man, then boy, stands in the front, wielding a gun and sneering into the camera. Another picture displays ruined buildings and several mounds of rubble. Yet another shows multiple piles of red stained bodies. Koby stares in open mouthed terror.

"What in the world is this?" he whispers. Behind him, Helmeppo covers his mouth with his hand and tries to hold back his gag.

Aokiji shoots him an apologetic glance. "That, my boy, is your trauma, subconsciously locked away under the guise of amnesia."

Koby turns to him then, so slowly it's antagonizing, eyes the size of discs. "You knew." The statement is made more a fact rather than a claim, and the taller man curls in on himself slightly, expression pinching in barely contained pain.

An admission of guilt.

"You knew I was involved with this somehow," Koby continues, stepping forward, anger bubbling within him. "You knew the reason behind my memory loss all this time. But you didn't say a word."

The man has enough shame to put his hands up in defense. "Listen, Koby-"

"What do you possibly have to say to that?" Koby rages, slamming his hands on the table. "How in the world am I supposed to look at these images and remain calm?"

"You had amnesia about the incident," Aokiji offers in defense, voice as hard, "I didn't want to be the one to forcefully rip that bandaid off of you. It's much healthier for you to remember on your own."

"Maybe, but not like this!" Koby wails, head beginning to take on a deadly throb. Images he's never seen before began flashing through his mind, random clips from a movie that he's scared to see. The smell of blood fills his nose more pungently at the memories, and his head begins to spin. He holds onto the table for support, swaying on his feet.

"Are you okay?" Helmeppo comes to his side and slings an arm around his shoulder.

Koby stares down at the file, still unread, and stares for a long time. "Rocky Port...I was born there, wasn't I?"

"Yes," Aokiji confirms, "and unfortunately, you're the only remaining resident."

"What does that mean?" the blonde snaps over his shoulder.

"It means," the taller man goes on remorsefully, "that everyone else was killed."

Koby can't bear hearing this.

He needed answers.

He calms his nerves as best he can and places shaking hands on the report. He slowly flicks open the first page and begins to read.


Sixteen Years Ago

A ten year old Law licked the blood from his lips and stood, staring down at the immobile body below him with a twisted sense of accomplishment.

"He's the last one, right?" Baby 5 asks, the eight year old shivering as she looks down at the corpse, still fresh with red blood, mouth unhinged in a soundless scream.

"Yeah," he responds, sheathing the sword used to down the foe.

"Thank goodness," Buffalo sighs, wiping blood from his face with a grimace. "Let's head back to Doffy. I'm sure he's worried."

They exit the room and soon the building, reveling in the destruction around them. No matter how many times Law encounters a scene like this, it was cathartic seeing buildings being laid to waste. After the death of everyone in his hometown, including his family, a feral rage had overtaken Law. He wanted to destroy everything, break everything, see everything fall to ruin.

Doflamingo had extended a hand to help his plot for mindless revenge. Law took it gratuitously.

He was welcomed into a family of misfits, each with their own sob story, and came to realize that he was not alone in his struggles. He met Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo here, all young boys around his age, all equally hardened with the stressors of Family life. He met the leaders, Diamante the Diamond, Trebol the Club, and Pica the Spade- they trained him, gave him the skills he would need to help the Family with their outings. It was here that he was turned into a killing machine, instincts honed to a tee, nerves worn down into little fibers until they didn't exist anymore. He moved not in reaction, but on instinct, quick and precise, like an expert surgeon to their patient.

Doflamingo had dubbed him the 'Surgeon of Death'. Law thought the name didn't fit.

He later met Corazon, who, for as much as he tripped over himself, never tripped Law up in his fortuitous honesty and selflessness. Law easily grew attached to the man, a beacon of hope despite the darkness of the Family's dealings. He was like a father to him, caring for his injuries, chiding him for his misgivings, guiding him to the right path as best he could, despite how much his efforts belied the family's.

"Did you finish killing them?" Doflamingo asks as they approach.

"Yup!" Baby 5 supplies happily.

"Good!" the blonde praises, ruffling a hand in her hair. "Now let's burn the place to the ground."

He pulls out a small device with a red button, and presses it down with a firm thumb. The family walks away as the building explodes, bursting into billows of smoke and flame. Shrieks from onlookers grate his ears as Law strolls from the building, taking great joy in the morbid aftermath of their excursion.

Ever since Law's entrance into the mafia-esque world of the Don Quixotes, he's partaken in the Family's every plunder and conquest. From kidnappings to robbery, murders to hostages, drugs to taking land, and everything in between, Law has done it all in the name of Don Quixote. The Family was his home away from home, his refuge, his strength. As much as they destroyed the lives of others, Doflamingo supported his with ease, lifting him up while tearing innocents down. It was a good system, and it worked well in their favor.

However, he was beginning to test his limits.

Doflamingo began going after bigger and more influential clients. His exploits became more daring, and more people died because of them. He began demanding even more money from those he stole from, and had his associates, Law included, put bullets in the heads of those who wouldn't- or couldn't- comply.

Law saw no issues with this, seeing as he thoroughly enjoyed the waning feeling of life crumbling beneath his fingers, the screams that would echo in his ear as he snuffed the life from them forever. It was sick, but Law didn't want to get better. Shachi, Bepo, and Penguin would watch on mercilessly as he followed Doflamingo's morbid orders to a tee, all eager to please, but not nearly enjoying it as much.

It's because of this that Law was different, he was special. No one else had his sadistic, murderous streak, and the Family appreciated that greatly. Corazon tried his best to work it out of him, but to no avail. Law was a maelstrom of vengeance, and wanted to exact it on anything or anyone he came across. One measly man couldn't change that.

So when Doflamingo offered him the mission to go to Rocky Port, Law was all for it.

"Rocky Port?" Buffalo repeated, shaking his head. "But it's so hard to get there! Ships always crash into the rocks."

"What, you scared?" Dellinger taunts, brows wriggling in challenge.

"Oh stop it," Señor Pink slaps the back of his head pointedly. The blonde yelps and holds his injured skull, glaring at the overgrown baby. "Doffy wouldn't be going there without a plan."

"Correct," Doflamingo drawls with a grin, long tongue lashing out to lick his lips. "I would listen to Señor here, Dellinger."

Corazon fixes his brother with a wary look. "What are you planning, Doffy?"

"This time," the blonde begins, maniacal smile widening, spreading his arms in a self-confident boast, "we're taking the whole damn island."

Diamante bursts into laughter, slamming the table with gusto. "Oh Doffy, you always seem to surprise me!"

"An island!" Pica chuckles to himself. "Now that's gonna be fun!"

Trebol nods dutifully. "Doflamingo is the man with the plan."

"He sure is," Viola grins, Sugar tittering away gleefully on her back. Lao G and Gladius exchange excited looks, smiling evilly at each other.

Law watches the adults in the room with dark, beady eyes. The smoking blonde behind him squeezes his shoulder knowingly, and he relaxes some. "Why are we taking it?" Law bites out gruffly.

"Because, little one," Doflamingo grins, "its rocky ports have an abundance of natural resources. The family that runs that town is filthy rich off of it."

Corazon pats out a fire that started on his shoulder, holding Law closer to him in his lap. "I don't like where this is going…"

"What then, Doffy?" Buffalo cheers.

"Yeah!" Baby 5 seconds, "then what?"

The blonde throws back his head and laughs to the ceiling, then lowers his gaze to his family. "We'll ask them for the entire island politely. We have manners, after all. But if they don't want to give it up…"

He curls his hand into a fist and pulls out a thumb, making a cutting motion across his throat, grin spreading ever wider. Law giggles at the motion, ecstatic at the fact that he would be able to get his hands dirty once more. Corazon frowns down at him but says nothing. Shachi, Bepo, and Penguin all exchange glances, then look to Law, who was smiling to himself.

"Knowing him," Shachi begins, a sullen tug to his lips, "there's gonna be bloodshed regardless."

"Yeah," Bepo shudders, twisting his hands, "what do you think Captain is gonna do?"

Penguin punches him on the shoulder just hard enough to hurt. "Stupid, stop calling Law captain! Doffy is the only captain here."

"Ah, sorry," the blonde apologizes, lowering his head.

Penguin sighs and looks at Law, maniacal smile soothed away by Corazon, who was whispering comforting words into his ear. "I don't know what Law will do. But you know how he gets when we have to plunder. I'm sure it'll be worse now that it's not just a building, but a whole island."

Bepo nods vigorously as Shachi groans. "We're gonna stick with him, okay?"

"If Doffy's fine with it," Penguin reminds them.

"He always is," Bepo counters, raising his head only slightly. "And plus, we're his friends."

Penguin knows, he knows it well. They've been through the wringer together plenty of times, brought back each other from the brink of death, helped each other out of precarious situations aplenty. But he can't shake the bad feeling in his gut about this one.

"I know. Let's just stick close to him when we arrive, okay?"

Bepo and Shachi make a sound of agreement in unison.

A Week Later

Doflamingo cackled as he held out the gun to the mayor's head, delighting in the terrible way his eyes bulged at the barrel, skin gone pale.

The ride to Rocky Port was a long, tiring one, but worth it in every way possible. As soon as the small, snowy island was in sight, Law felt his energy spike; he was ready to break and destroy as soon as the pristine dock came into vision, but a tense hand on his shoulder from Corazon told him to wait. They disembarked and had strolled through the place like they owned it already, citizens parting like the Red Sea upon recognizing their logo. The Family meandered right up to the municipal buildings, took swift siege of the main office, then presented the mayor with their unyielding offer. It's been nothing but tense silence since.

Law readjusted the death grip he had the mayor's son, forearm plastered around his neck in an unforgiving hold. Pink hair tickles Law's nose as the boy struggled in his grip, only slightly smaller than Law himself, but had just as much fervor. "Stay still," Law grunted, kicking his calves. With a soft cry, he falls pilant, and Law almost wants to sigh in relief.

Baby 5 and Buffalo had gone with a few of the adults to secure the perimeter of the building, and Shachi, Bepo, and Penguin each held their respective hostages around the room at a steady gunpoint. The place was completely locked down by the Don Quixote family. No one was getting in or out without their permission.

Pica and Diamante strolled up beside Doflamingo, acting nonchalant as they trained additional guns on the mayor of Rocky Port. He paled impossibly further.

"Let go of me! Let go of my dad!" the young boy screamed in Law's arms, so ear-splittingly loud Law almost had half a mind to just put a bullet in his skull and get it over with; but then negotiations would fall through, and Law couldn't do that to Doffy.

To Corazon.

"I'll repeat my offer once more," the blonde drawls in amusement, ignoring the boy and clicking off the safety. His savagery was evident from the cocky tilt of his head, the ease in his stance. He was taunting the man, daring him to do anything but dance in the palm of his hand. Everything was a game, and Law loved watching him play.

"You give me the deed to the land and sign everything off to me," Doflamingo makes a show of waving the gun to himself, "or you, your son, and this entire fucking town will find themselves riddled with holes or sliced up into pieces."

His voice turns light, airy. "Of course, the choice is up to you."

The man flails helplessly, looking between the men as defeat settles over his shoulders. He hunches forward, starting at the ground for a long moment.

"Koby...go get the town's paperwork."

Tears were streaming down the boy's face, fervent little rivulets that ran into a bared mouth. He shook his head hard, whipping long locks into Law's face. "No!" he protested with wild eyes. "I won't let you give away our town, dad!"

The older blonde fires a warning shot, and it embeds in the wall behind them. Law watches the situation sour with a lazy eye as the boy called Koby tenses in his arms, terror latched onto his straining muscles.

"I suggest you be a good boy and do as daddy says, Koby," Doflamingo warns darkly, the threat of his gun all too imminent.

Law lets go of him, and the boy coughs as he takes in lungfuls of delicious air, feeding his body the necessary meal he's been starved of. With a glare thrown in Law's direction- he scowled back with just as much menace- Koby squares his shoulders and faces Doflamingo.

"Don't touch my dad and I'll get you your stuff," Koby says bravely.

"You're in no position to be speaking to Doflamingo that way," Diamante grunts.

"Run along, boy," Pica urges, jutting his chin sharply to a door on the far wall. "And hurry back."

Doflamingo stares at him hard from behind thick rimmed shades. "You have five minutes. Go."

The boy frowns but scurries from sight, darting behind a door. When the resolute slam echoes through the room, Law turns to Doflamingo. "And if he tries to escape?"

"He won't," the blonde answers in passing, giving the man before him a long once over. "His father is here. They're too good of a family to abandon each other. I can feel it, because that's what I feel with you all."

"Aw, isn't that touching," Pica murmurs.

Doflamingo whips his gun to Pica's temple, a sly grin splitting his face in two. "Don't get too comfortable, Pica."

The man remains unnerved at the weapon pointed at him, and instead smiles fondly. "I won't, Doffy."

Diamante snorts, the loud sound echoing in the room. "That's what you get for being so-"

A shot rings out, stinging enough that Law has to clasp his hands over his ears to keep the sound from ringing about in his head. The hostages the other members held at similar gunpoint were screaming, struggling against their restraints, looking wildly about for the culprit. Upon realizing that the shot did not come from Doflamingo, Law frowns deeply, right with the others in finding the true perpetrator.

When he does find him, Law chokes back a laugh. There, in the doorway, stands Koby with a gun in his shaking hands, aimed at the pink feathered blonde.

The shot had, ironically, missed by a long shot, embedding in the wooden wall behind him. Doflamingo gives the boy a sickening grin as his gun clatters to the floor from his trembling fingers, horror dawning as he realized he missed.

"Now you've done it," Doflamingo spits venomously, grin widening as he raises his gun to the mayor's head. "I gave you fair warning."

"Dad!" Koby screams, absolutely terrified for his father as the barrel touches his forehead. He's frozen to the spot, holding onto the egress with a white knuckled grip.

The mayor faces his son as best he could with the gun pushed against his skull, fat droplets of tears falling down his face. "Koby, I love-"

Blood and skull splatters on the floor, spilling over to the slumped body and sullying the blonde's shoes. Doflamingo tuts at the mess, vaguely motioning for the others to off their hostages as well. Shachi, Bepo, and Penguin all pull their respective triggers, and sharp screams fill the air before they're abruptly cut off by the bang of the gun.

Law makes his way towards his boss, who smiles wickedly down at Koby, the only living boy left in the room. He shook something terrible, hands coming up to cover his face, tears unending from his young, tainted eyes.

With a chilling scream, he turns on his heel and darts from the room, sprinting outside and away from them. Diamante makes a move to go after him, cursing under his breath, but Doflamingo stops him with a smirk.

"He's going to get away Doffy," he says, a bit exasperated.

"I'm aware," the blonde grunts, pushing his lackey back. "But there are more pressing matters to worry about right now."

Doflamingo works dark, scheming eyes onto the two adults behind him. "The city needs to fall to its knees and die for me. You two, go out and do some cleaning up of its citizens. Let those on the perimeter know as well."

Understanding the horrible undertones, Pica and Diamante grin, nodding to each other before making their way outside. The pink feathered man turns to the children of the room then, smile growing ever wider.

"Law. Shachi. Bepo. Penguin."

The four grunt as their names are called, attention drawn away from the putrid stench of blood and ghastly remnants of bodies.

"You four, go after that Koby kid," he orders, pointing to the gun the kid dropped. "Grab that and get rid of him for me. You can do that, right Law?"

Law makes for the weapon, taking it into his sure, experienced hands, feeling the soft sheen of sweat on the grip from the sweaty palms of the other boy. He turns the weapon over in his hands lovingly, ensuring everything was in working order, that he had enough bullets for the job. When he's satisfied with his once-over, he turns back to Doflamingo and gives a single nod in assurance.

"Good," the man croons. "I expect you to get the job done quickly, Surgeon of Death."

Law scoffs at the name and rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Come on you guys, let's get this done and over with."

They're the last to leave the building and enter the chaos of the island. It's only been a few minutes since Doflamingo issued his order for the destruction of the city and its people, but the damage had already spread far and wide. Buildings were on fire. Explosions and gunshots sounded off in the distance. Dying screeches filled the air. Blood seeped in between the cracks of cobblestone from the fallen bodies in the road, tainting their once milky snow a dark crimson.

Law strolls down the street, dodging corpses with a skip to his step, eyes twinkling at the gore the Family conjured for all to see. The screams, sounds of swordplay, the firing of guns- it's all music to Law's ears, a welcome accompaniment to the heinous act he was about to commit.

Though Corazon wouldn't approve.

He never really understood why the man was in the Family if he was always so against Doflamingo's wishes. Surely he wouldn't even be contributing to the scourge of the city; likely doing quite the opposite. Corazon confused Law, but he still had such a special attachment to the man. So much so that his opinion deeply mattered to him. And Law knew that if he followed through on Doflamingo's orders, Corazon would be incredibly disappointed in him.

Law curses and swallows down his doubts. He wanted nothing but destruction, and wouldn't settle for less.

So then why was he starting to have doubts?

"There he is!" Penguin cries out. "Over there, by the ports!"

As if on cue, Koby turns around in the distance, a shriek erupting from his lips before he dashed off somewhere to the right.

"Fuck, he's running!" Law pounds after him, arms and legs burning as he exterts them to their fullest extent to follow after the young boy. "Let's get him!"

Fortunately for them and unfortunately for Koby, his turn leads to nothing but a harbor jutting out against the sea.

Law pants, recollecting his breath as he watches the boy through heavily lidded eyes. Koby had nowhere to run; it was either the rocky sea behind him or the gun in front of him. Law grins, a beast who cornered their prey. Checkmate.

"W-wait!" Koby holds out both his trembling hands. "I'm sorry! I'll really go get the deed, I promise!"

"It's too late for that now," Shachi intones with a snort.

"You should've gotten it the first time," Bepo shakes his head sadly.

Screams of rising panic sound from behind them before a barrage of bullets meet their ears. Law ignores the chaos and trains his gun at Koby, who has backed to the farthest part of the planks, looking down at the rough rocks that led out to sea. His lower lip trembles, rampant fear clutching at his throat.

"Please don't do this," he raises his hands, a sign of surrender. "Please. My dad...my father is dead." Tears flow freely down, mixing with snot, his face a mess of grief. "He's dead and it's all my fault. The least I could do is honor his last word."

Law fidgets with the grip, finger poised on the trigger. "You made a fatal mistake. You shouldn't have messed around with the Doflamingo Family." He thinks of the chase he had to give the boy through town, and levels the gun with a scowl. "Or me, Trafalgar Law, either."

"I'm sorry!" Koby wails, quaking as he stared down the barrel through a teary lens. "I'm so sorry! Please don't do this!"

A flash of Corazon's smile flickers through his mind then, and Law grits his teeth, begging his mind to banish the pure image from behind his eyes. He couldn't be messing up here just because he would disappoint Cora. He couldn't, yet his grip was unsure, his stance held doubts. The sounds of destruction loom ever closer, and his companions look back at the sight with fright.

"Shoot him, shoot him!" Bepo cries.

Shachi rounds him, watching his expression worriedly. "Law, you've got to hurry, there's no more time!"

Penguin crosses his arms. "You know Doffy's not gonna like this."

They were right. They needed to move if they didn't want to get wrapped up in the city's path of devastation. Law was taking entirely too long. Doflamingo's orders for dispatching someone usually took no more than a few minutes.

It's been upwards of ten and counting.

"I know, I know! Shut up you guys!" Law steadies the gun in his hands. It's the first time he's realizing just how heavy it is, just how cold. The metal nearly burns his hands as it points at the young boy. It's searing now, painfully hot, but he continues to hold it steady. The heat spreads down his hands to his arms, over his shoulders, and down into his heart.

It's the first time he realizes with a start what the feeling in his chest was.

Reluctance.

He couldn't do it.

"Law, come on!" Bepo says, exasperated.

"What are you doing, Law?!" Penguin demands.

Shachi gives his shoulder a pointed slap. "Law, let's get this over with already!"

He grits his teeth.

He couldn't do it, but he had to.

"I'm so sorry," he murmurs, steadying the metal in his hands.

Koby opened his mouth in a silent scream, and surely it's adrenaline that propels him forward on wobbly legs, surging towards Law in an attempt to stop his tirade.

The boy was an idiot.

He pulls the trigger, and the first shot grazes Koby's head. The pink haired screams, wretched, blood-curdling, and drops the floor, holding the torn open skin together as best he could. Blood spills over from between his fingers, and he looks up, ballsy enough to give Law a glare.

A coldness seeps over Law at the expression, withdrawing his previous emotions, and he fires again. This time it misses, but it scares Koby enough to go flailing backwards, stumbling over limbs and wood. Law walks forward, effectively cornering the boy once again.

"Goodbye, Koby." Law raises the weapon a third time, lowering it to the boy's forehead.

Koby scampers backwards, and misplaces his hand on air instead of wood. With a cry he's tumbles down and over the edge to the nasty rocks and sea below. Law tsks and fires his last bullet, reveling in satisfaction as he sees it scratch the wound from before, forming an 'X' on the man's head. Koby screams in pain from the wound before the waves swallow him, silencing him forever. Spindles of red greet them from under the waves, and Law grins to himself a job well done. He'd think about all the implications later. But for now, he was done.

"You think he's dead?" Penguin asks Law's back as he walks away.

"Yeah," Law nods, waving the gun at the sea. "No one is surviving that long drop into rocky waters with bullet wounds to the head."

"True," Bepo murmurs. "But Captain, what if he isn't?"

"Didn't you hear him?" Shachi frowns. "Law says he's dead, so he's dead."

The blonde casts a suspicious glance to the waves below. Nothing. "I guess so…"

The four boys walk away from their deed, satisfied at their endeavors, unsuspecting of the boy's death. What they don't hear is the terrified sputter for air, the pale arms that wrap around the wooden post at the base of the port. They don't notice the bloody pink hair plastered to wet skin, and the red eyes that burned from crying.

What they don't realize is that Koby is in fact very much alive, clinging to life by a thread, a blank look to his face as shock renders his memories useless.


Koby stared at the final page of the report, memories slamming into him with the force of a truck.

"He tried to kill me," he marvels to himself. "Trafalgar Law tried to kill me."

Helmeppo looks horrified, hand covering his mouth, jaw slack. "So you were trying to find a murderer."

"I didn't realize he…" Koby squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut out all the memories of his fellow townspeople getting slaughtered. It made bile rise in the back of his throat. He suddenly felt like he needed fresh air, that no matter how much he inhaled, it was never enough.

"Are you alright, sonny?" Aokiji asks gently.

"No," Koby cracks, shaking his head. "I'm not."

The man opens his arms, and Koby falls into them without a second thought, tears falling down his cheeks once again as he remembers his awful past. He clings to his former boss like a father, arms clutching around his middle, face buried in his chest. His throat scratches with the force of his tears, and his voice is raspy when he speaks.

"That's why I kept seeing the sea and blood when I remember that time," he whispers, sniffling. "That was me under the waves."

Aokiji holds him tight, not bothering to speak, instead acting as his silent pillar of strength. The blonde watches them with a pinched expression, biting his lip from worry.

"I remember now...I was found by a ship," Koby continues, wiping the tears from his eyes. "The ship needed supplies from the island. By the time they arrived and found me in the sea, the Don Quixote family was gone, and the town was in shambles. Everyone…"

He chokes on his words. "Everyone was dead."

The sentence hangs like a death threat between them, heavy and unforgiving. It makes something in his heart twist painfully, and he grips Aokiji even tighter. "They gave me first aid on the ship, but they needed to get to a hospital. They didn't stay at Rocky Port long. They departed from just as another ship came in."

"That must've been us," Aokiji says thoughtfully. "I remember that day. It was an awful sight to arrive at."

Koby releases the officer, a little embarrassed, but stands tall as he talks. "I don't know what happened to the Family, though. All I heard while recovering was that they disappeared."

"After that day, they fell to ruin," Helmeppo states. "No one knows how they fell apart so quickly, but their reign of terror ended that day."

Aokiji nods. "Correct. I have an inkling feeling it has something to do with a certain underground organization, but I have no proof."

"Organization?"

The man shakes his head. "Don't worry about it, Helmeppo. Koby, what else do you recall?"

"On that ship," he murmurs, deep in thought, "I met a boy named Luffy. I found him in a barrel." He chuckles softly at the memory. "He had run away from home."

"How cute," the taller man comments, a smile curling his lips.

He brightens at the memory. "Yeah, he made my recovery so much better. Luffy and I got real close during that short time back then. We even met again for the first time since not too long ago! He's just as wild as I remember him."

Koby hunches his shoulders, sighing as he recalls more. "After we returned to his island, Luffy was taken back home, and I was taken to a proper hospital. I was only there for a few days before I was discharged and told I was to go into Edward Newgate's orphanage."

"I know the story from here," Aokiji smiles.

Koby turns to him fondly. "I refused. I don't know why they listened to a seven year old, but they did. I said I wanted to join the force, to gain the strength to fight against criminals like Doflamingo, and they allowed it."

"That's why it feels like you've been here forever," Helmeppo wonders aloud.

"Yeah, it's because this place was quite literally my home," Koby laughs quietly, a soft smile lighting his features. "I grew up here."

With the story fully out and in the open, the air in the room shifts. It's a little more breathable, though harsh. Koby enjoys the silence, staring down at the floor as the weight of his memories fully bog down on him. His hometown had been attacked by the Don Quixote Family for selfish reasons. He had tried to run away after unsuccessfully threatening them with a gun. He had nearly died at the hands of a ten year old boy.

And that same boy was dating his childhood friend that helped him through his trauma.

"I've got to tell Luffy," he murmurs. "God, I need to tell him."

"Ah, the boy from the ship?" Aokiji questions. "Tell him what?"

"They're dating, Law and Luffy!" Koby sputters from his spot, head suddenly reeling. "The guy who gave me my scar and the guy who helped me while recovering from it are dating, and I doubt Luffy knows shit!"

"Your attempted killer and your friend are dating?" Helmeppo huffs out a sigh. "What a strange coincidence."

Koby purses his lips. "I know. I've gotta let Luffy know. It's my duty as his friend. Aokiji?"

The man looks up tiredly. "Yeah?"

"I'm gonna look up Luffy's file, see where he's employed." Koby tightens his fists until his nails form half crescents in his palms. "I'm going there tomorrow and letting him know."


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

P.S. One of my longest chapters in a while. Words just kept on coming lol.