Chapter 2
Principle of reality
A week later
I'll call you.
Kid froze and thought for a second before calling out to Wire nearby on the deck.
"Hey, do we have a Den Den Mushi here?"
His crewmate began to think for a few moments in his turn.
"Maybe. Perhaps in the hold."
"Go get it."
The man dropped what he was doing – DIY? - and did so. Meanwhile, Kid enjoyed himself throwing daggers at a Marine-shaped target with his devil fruit until his first mate came closer.
"Where's Wire?" he asked, looking around for him.
"In the hold" his captain casually replied, continuing his activity.
"What the hell is he doing over there?" Killer got annoyed.
"It's me who asked him to go get me the Den Den Mushi. Why, what did you have to tell him that's so urgent?"
His first mate pointed to the floor beneath their feet.
"The deck isn't gonna fix itself, Kid. It's been three times since this morning that you've sent the guys to do something else than what I tell them. We're never gonna make it."
Kid glanced at the smashed in pontoon, which the railing was hanging by a thread. He then smiled at the memory of their hasty departure a few days earlier.
After Trafalgar had disappeared, he had returned to his ship to find that his crew was literally going under the table after an evening of heavy drinking. It hadn't been long before Marines had turned up after their racket and Kid had had a great time, leaving traces of blood staining the ground and the bow and then draining into the sea. In the middle of the battle, he had accidentally embedded his huge metal fist in the front pontoon and since then, Killer was pouting.
It should be said that the captain had put him in charge of keeping the ship in good condition. Killer also had to take care of the crew and manage the food. In fact, Kid had delegated everything to him and the man could have complained but they knew each other better than that. Kid had no sense of organization and above all, Killer was the only man the famous pirate really trusted. For his part, Kid was guaranteeing stunts and finest hour in the midst of a never satisfied bloodlust. All in all, there was something for everyone.
"Still, it was fun" the red-haired captain remembered with a sneer.
"It was fun until you screwed up the ship" his friend quietly corrected him.
Kid shrugged and resumed his throws.
"By the way, we need to recruit" Killer added.
"Again?"
"Yeah. Two guys didn't make it after your last nervous breakdown and three more stayed ashore to get a chance of survival."
"You have to stop choosing them so weak, Killer" the captain noted.
"Yeah. And you, you have to stop wiping the floor with them."
"Not my fault if there's nothing to do on that fucking tub!"
His first mate ignored his remark and turned on his heels, letting his captain continue his activity. At least he wasn't destroying the crew during that time.
Two weeks later
Law slid his scalpel along the skin of the corpse's neck lying on his autopsy table before examining its internal color. He then grabbed the saw and activated it with a firm move. The breastbone cracked open and he took the expansion clamp to hold the rib cage open. He observed the lungs before removing and placing them in the organ scale to note their weight down.
"Captain?"
Bepo was knocking on the porthole to get his captain's attention from across the door. The surgeon lowered his mask and questioned him with a glance.
"Excuse me, Captain, but next island is in sight" he stated over the intercom.
Law nodded and put his mask back on as his first mate was walking away. He removed the clamp and slid the body into the cold room locker in his morgue. He took off his gloves, his mask and his sterile gown which he threw in the trash.
He looked at the culture of his samples and passed a few slides under the microscope.
He then took his notebook and wrote down the latest results. With a smile, he examined his first notes and finally closed his notebook.
After exiting, he quickly found Shachi and Penguin who were looking at the hysteria of the crew's first mate, sighing. He was stomping in front of the main airlock.
"What's going on?" the surgeon asked.
"I need to get out! I need to get out! I need to get out!" the bear kept repeating, seeming to be running out of air.
"He needs to get out" Shachi warily repeated.
"We're going to surface soon, Bepo" Law assured him. "Calm down."
"Sorry, Captain."
Law simply nodded before turning to his two other crewmates.
"I found it. Cryptococcosis."
Penguin loudly sighed as Shachi danced with joy.
"I told you! Gimme the cash!"
Penguin searched his pockets and handed a few crumpled bills to his crewmate who hastened to grab it.
"Why couldn't you search for two more days, Captain?" he grumbled.
"I'm sorry, Penguin. Skin lesions as well as the level of yeast in the cerebrospinal fluid were remarkable clues. However, I have to say that the organ damages from the initial sarcoidosis misled me at first."
Penguin sighed again. The Heats Pirates had given a corpse to their captain as a Christmas present. They had stolen it on the last island visited in a hospital mortuary and then started betting on how long it would take for the surgeon to discover the fatal diagnosis. They had even taken care to choose the body whose cause of death seemed the most improbable among those at their disposal but that was obviously not enough.
Although Law hadn't said anything at the time, no one had missed the glint of excitement in his eyes at the idea of the enigma he would have to solve. Since then, the young doctor at even reconsidered the Christmas' question with a lot more respect and he smiled more when he heard his friend curse between his teeth.
Finally, Jean Bart appeared at their side.
"We hit the surface and…"
At these words, Bepo uttered a shriek worthy of the greatest dramatic airs and he almost smashed the hatch of the submarine's airlock to finally breathe the pure sea air. Law quietly followed and took place not far from him to observe the island looming in the distance.
"Have you spotted them?" he asked Jean Bart.
"Affirmative. They must have arrived a few hours ago."
"Perfect."
'It's gonna be a real class act" Penguin rejoiced.
"Are you sure it'll work, Captain?" his first mate asked with concern.
"Of course" he replied with conviction. "Just in case, set up what we talked about if I'm not back in two days."
His crew nodded and everyone focused on their next destination.
After some shopping he had left at the submarine, the surgeon returned to the port. The air on this island was particularly cold and he didn't want to hang out unnecessarily. He pulled up the collar of his long coat with the image of his flag and lowered his cap further over his eyes to protect himself from the wind. He then noticed a small ale-house on the icy waterfront and couldn't resist the urge to go inside to warm up for a few minutes.
He had barely crossed the threshold when he felt an imposing presence behind him.
"What a nice surprise."
The deep voice behind his back sent an involuntary chill down his spine and he smirked as he turned around. His eyes fell on the massive, menacing figure of his rival and his skin bristled under his coat. With his smug look, Kid was both loathsome and delicious. The Warlord was then pleased to see that the other captain was staring at him with the same interest into his eyes.
"Eustass-ya."
"Trafalgar. Somehow I'd almost believe in coincidences."
"Why is that?" the doctor wanted to know.
"Cause we just found our Den Den Mushi yesterday" his counterpart told him with a smirk.
"Well. Fortunately, I didn't try to reach you before then."
"How come anyway? You said you'd call."
"But I never said when" Law reminded him, casually shrugging.
"True, but now that you're here, it's time to put things right."
"Still impatient" the surgeon noted with amusement.
"Yeah. And I didn't see crumbled temple on the way this time."
"The outside temperature is also to be taken into account."
With his nodachi caught between his arm and shoulder, Law rubbed his hands together, thoughtful, and the red-haired man thought for a few moments.
"Let's go to my ship."
The Warlord tensed up immediately.
"Not your brightest idea" the surgeon pointed out with suspicion. "If you ever had one before…"
"Stop playing coy" the other captain growled. "I don't trust your tin can, that's all. There's no air in there."
"Very well but why would I go on your ship in the middle of your crew where I'd be in enemy ground?"
Kid shrugged.
"I'll send them out for a walk if that's all it is. It'll be just you and me."
"Allow me to think about it first over a drink to warm myself up" Law suggested. "Besides, am I supposed to take your word for it when you say there won't be anyone?"
His counterpart rolled his eyes at such reluctance.
"Get your ass and I'll fucking prove it to you. And if you're not sure, you can always get away with your thing."
He did a vague motion with his hand and Law suppressed a smile.
"Okay, let's see this. But, Eustass-ya…"
"What now?" he got annoyed.
"Don't give me orders."
With these words, Law stepped out the door to go outside, leaving Kid wondering if he really wanted to start anything with this insufferable pirate.
Eventually, Kid had decided to follow the Warlord and in front of his ship moored on the other side of the port, he began to bellow.
"Where are you, you douche bags?! Get down here right the fuck now!"
A commotion was heard and the crew rushed out, Killer in the front line.
"Get the hell out of here for the evening, I don't wanna see you!" their captain yelled.
As his crew dutifully obeyed, Kid turned with satisfaction to the Heart's captain not far from him.
"Feeling better?"
"Not yet."
The man frowned and turned to see his first mate stride towards him.
"You're out too, Killer."
"What about him?" he said, pointing at Law with his chin.
"We need to be alone and he freaks out if you're here."
The blond didn't reply and walked away in his turn but Kid felt he wouldn't escape from a thorough interrogation on his return. Sighing, he finally motioned for the brown-haired man to approach.
"You piss me off, Trafalgar."
"You're the one who suggested it, Eustass-ya", Law replied with a smile.
The man mumbled before jumping on deck, and the other Supernova quickly did the same.
"Here."
Law cautiously took the glass handed to him.
"You didn't wanna drink? That's not poison" Kid sneered, watching him.
"I did not question the contents of my glass but rather its container", the surgeon sighed.
"Huh?"
The Warlord put his drink back down and rolled his eyes.
"This is not good hygienic condition" he showed him.
Kid's eyes widened before grabbing ahold of the glass to examine it.
"Damn, you're such a girl" he growled, swallowing the whisky in one gulp.
"This remark really is sexist, Eustass-ya."
"So what? You gonna start whining?"
Law shrugged and sat comfortably in the large armchair in the corner of his rival's room to gaze at his surroundings. This cabin was just like its captain: totally disproportionate. A huge unmade bed with dark sheets and woodwork carved in the effigy of its flag, a gigantic wardrobe, a cluttered dusty desk and piles of metal objects stuck all over the walls and ceiling.
"This is weird" the surgeon suddenly said. "I would have imagined your room with red wall covering…"
"If you say that because of my hair…"
"No" the other captain cut him short. "This is because red refers to blood and therefore to life. I would have thought that given your barbaric tendencies, the image would please you. Unless it is my own morbid impulses that I am projecting…"
The other captain got annoyed.
"Stop talking like you're a fucking dictionary, Trafalgar. It pisses me off."
"Would you have a slight feeling of inferiority, Eustass-ya?" Law pointed out with a mocking smile. "Hence the need to compensate probably…"
"This has nothing to do with it!" Kid barked, cut to the quick. "You're a pretentious bastard, that's all!"
Law sincerely thought the great Eustass Kid was going to sulk and he genuinely smiled for the first time. However, Kid didn't appreciate his reaction at all and his eyes flashed.
"Repel."
The belt and buttons on Law's long coat pulled him sharply forward and he was forced to stand up to keep his clothes from tearing. He frowned in annoyance and glared at his rival.
Delighted with the turn of events, Kid threw him onto the bed and rushed to keep him into the mattress. His muscles were much more developed than that of the other captain and he had no trouble pinning him. With one hand, he gripped his shoulder on the mattress and with the other, he put his hand under his sweatshirt between the open sides of his coat to feel his warm skin.
"Who's laughing now, o mighty Warlord?" he sneered.
Yet to his surprise, Law returned his predatory smile.
"Room."
Law made a small motion with his left hand and Kid found himself sitting in the armchair, dumbfounded, Trafalgar hugging tightly his hips with his knees. He had used his devil fruit to teleport by swapping places with the arm chair cushion.
"What the…"
The red-haired captain's hands clenched on the armrests.
"Take a deep breath, it will pass. You get used to it."
"Motherfucker…"
"It seems to me that you opened hostilities by deciding to do without my consent two minutes ago, didn't you?"
Still, Law got rid of his coat, then his sweatshirt and his tee-shirt which he slipped over his head, letting Kid to observe his tattoos. As he was coming to his senses, he followed the curve of each ink with his eyes and he couldn't help but notice how the black was highlighting the color of his tanned skin.
"Your things are weird, Trafalgar", he just said after a while.
Law leaned forward to sensually lick his lower lip and Kid jumped, this contact a little too intimate for his liking.
"What you doing?" he growled.
Law ran his finger over the wet lip and showed him the black of his lipstick that had dripped.
"Your look is weird, Eustass-ya."
The man rolled his eyes.
"You always need to get the last word, don't you?"
His rival nodded with a big smile and began to slide the large coat off the other captain's shoulders. For his part, Kid straightened a bit to help him, then flipped off the hat Law still had on his head with his hand. The doctor then ran his fingers over the weapons his rival was keeping at his waist.
"Why do you need these?" he asked with curiosity.
"The old ways are sometimes the best", he replied with a smirk while brutally grabbing his lover's buttocks.
Law slightly tensed and the victorious air of his rival increased.
"Did you think about condoms this time, Eustass-ya?"
Kid gaped at him. Holy shit. He had forgotten again. Law then stared at him for a moment before shrugging.
"I predict a slow and painful death for you. And not because of the One Piece."
With that, he slightly twisted to pull a small wallet out of his trouser pocket which he opened to grab the coveted object. His motions aroused the desire of Kid who quickly forgot his last words and he grabbed the piece of plastic with a quick move.
He then grabbed the body on his knees and lifted it up to throw it back onto the bed. He then tore his pants and underwear from his lover who almost fell on the floor under his force. Law straightened up to protest but was stopped by two fingers unceremoniously searching his private part. He clenched his teeth and glared at Kid who was smugly gazing at him.
"You're lucky, Trafalgar. Usually, I don't bother with that sort of thing."
"Ni-Nice to see you at your… best" he hissed in response.
He then fell back to catch his breath and above all relax. Brutality had never stopped him and it was fortunate because too soon, he heard Kid pull off his own pants.
"What are you doing?" Law asked, slightly raising.
"What you think?"
He put on the condom, cursing, and was about to finally get down to business when the doctor frowned.
"Who told you you would top?" he seriously pointed out.
"That's obvious", the red-haired captain sneered.
"No way", Law persisted, pushing him to get on his feet.
Kid's eyes widened.
"Where the hell are you going ?!"
He stood up in his turn to go after him and tried to grab Law by the shoulder but the doctor abruptly pulled away. Kid followed suit and violently pushed him. His strength made the surgeon tripped and he stopped himself falling by catching hold of the wall behind him.
"Come here", the other captain growled, coming closer.
The dark-haired man sharply turned around and gathered speed to jump on him, throwing him off balance. Kid fell back on the bed, Law on his hips, a smile on his face again.
"If you think it's gonna change anything" the Kidds' captain continued with a defiant glint deep in his eyes.
Law looked back at him and bit down his right shoulder, making his lover growl both in pain and pleasure. In return, Kid grabbed him by the hips and languidly rubbed at the surgeon who couldn't hold back a few muffled moans. Feeling Law relax in his arms, he pushed him back to the mattress again and rushed to enter him, feeling with pleasure the doctor's warm body stiffening as he was receiving him.
"It's about fucking time…"
Law forced himself to take deep breaths. To control the pain but also to contain the excitement he was feeling everywhere. He kind of liked this rough and threatening exchange. He loved the idea of standing up to the other captain at all times and he had a feeling Kid enjoyed their confrontation as much as he did. Above him, the other captain suddenly started to move and he closed his eyes.
"Room."
"Goddammit!"
The surgeon didn't open his eyes and only smiled victoriously, his pelvis moving over the manhood stretched out to the limit beneath him.
"Just enjoy it, Eustass-ya…"
With his back to the mattress, Kid scowled but he had to admit that seeing his enemy in low angle shot using his cock like a sex toy was one of the scenes he would want to keep in mind until the end of his life. So he put his hands on his hips to accompany him even more frankly and soon, he was lost in groans of pleasure in his turn.
Yet after a few minutes he dared to admit were delicious, he swapped their places again without the surgeon flinching this time. He wanted to show his rival he didn't surrender despite the pleasure that was contracting his whole body more and more regularly. Despite his rapid breathing, Law was still defying him with his gaze and a thin mocking smile was stretching his lips. Kid didn't know why but this image was increasing his desire for the Warlord.
He then felt his last bits of restraint break. The idea of submitting the surgeon of death was increasing his pleasure tenfold. Hearing him moan was strengthening his ego. His rival's body was a real call to lust under his cold and indifferent look. Too quickly for his liking, he surrendered to the pleasure and felt Law do the same a few seconds later.
Exhausted from their fight, Kid heavily rolled on the bed and closed his eyes to catch his breath.
Law stood up as soon as he was sure Kid fell asleep, as silent as a shadow. He walked over to the large wardrobe at the back of the bedroom and slowly opened it. He then ran a hand inside and groped around through moving shadows. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for and he closed his hand over it with a victorious smile.
He stuck the object into his jeans pocket and slipped it on before grabbing his other clothes. He could go now.
"You're in a hurry" the other captain suddenly growled, just opening his eyes. "You can't stand defeat?"
Trafalgar turned to him, a sparkling smile on his lips.
"I never lose, Eustass-ya."
With these words, he took the precious stone out of his pocket and Kid gazed at it, frowning his nonexistent eyebrows.
"Isn't that the pebble that disappeared on the last island we met?" he asked.
"Absolutely."
"I thought you couldn't steal it 'cause someone came before you?"
"No. That, is what I told you, my dear Eustass."
Kid sat up, visibly upset. He was feeling something important was escaping him when seeing the glorious face of the dark-haired man.
"See, I did steal it as planned but the Marines quickly turned up and it would have been inappropriate for a Warlord to be caught stealing an item supposed to be theirs" Law explained. "I didn't want to take the risk of losing this little gem so guess who I thought of?"
He brightly smiled at him before continuing.
"All I had to do was find a way to keep yourself busy while Penguin hid it on your ship and then have an excuse to go back when you had my treasure safe. By the way, thank you for that."
"You bastard…"
"Yes, I know, you didn't see that coming" the doctor frankly laughed.
"You planned everything from the start" the red-haired captain growled.
"Everything" the Supernova proudly nodded.
"And of course, that night, you weren't drunk and you didn't wanna fuck", Kid realized.
"I had to find some excuse to keep you away" Law agreed. "Killer-ya was watching your alcoholic crew so I had free rein."
"I knew you looked a little too enthusiastic not to be suspicious" the other captain said, frowning even more.
"Fortunately, you didn't listen to your instincts."
"How did you know we'd do this again, huh?" he brutally asked. "You got lucky on that one, Trafalgar!"
"Of course not."
The doctor leaned down to grab his jacket and his nodachi which he threw over his shoulder.
"To be able to come here you had to want some round two. Thanks to your impulsive nature, it wasn't very difficult."
"Dammit, you really are an asshole!"
Law burst out laughing.
"The best part is that you invited me yourself to come and dismissed your crew for me! I wasn't asking for that much!"
Kid was feeling utterly humiliated. The surgeon had manipulated him like a puppet and he hadn't suspected a thing.
"Don't be too upset. To be honest, I had more fun than expected."
With that, Law winked at him and headed for the door.
"Oh, one last thing."
The surgeon turned and pointed to the residue from the condom wrapping lying on the floor.
"I did your tests, you're clean."
"What?! When the hell did you do that?" his rival asked incredulously.
"When I cut off your hands the last time, I collected some blood" Law said, shrugging. "Remember that in my room, I do what I want."
"But then why did you let me put this thing?!" Kid fumed.
"Because I knew you would hate it" the other captain replied with a sadistic smile.
At these words, he turned away again and put his hand on the doorknob, ready to go.
"Wait a minute, Trafalgar! You think you can get away wit this?!" the other captain suddenly yelled, throwing himself off the bed to stop him.
The Heart's captain didn't even shiver and turned with a sigh to gaze into the eyes of the opposite one who was fuming a few inches from him.
"I'm gonna blow your head off, Trafalgar, and your medical skills will do you any good to sew you up!" he continued with all his threatening aura, violently gripping his shoulder.
"You won't do any such thing" Law quietly replied.
"What?!"
The doctor nodded to support his claims.
"If you do that, I'm going to tell your crew that you got screwed– in both senses of the word – by a Warlord."
"I can tell them what I want, they'll believe me" Eustass sneered. "And if you're dead, you won't tell anyone!"
"I would agree with you if you didn't omit a detail. My crew is obviously aware of what is going on and they have orders to send a detailed note of this whole story to the Grand Line newspaper if I don't come back very soon. So… do you think your ego will take this?"
Kid froze.
"You blackmailing me now?" he growled.
"Let me put it this way, my dear Eustass-ya" the doctor suggested. "I got my stone back, you let me go, I don't tell anyone anything and we still have a beautiful memory. Don't you think?"
The red-haired captain abruptly removed his hand from his shoulder.
"You'll pay for this, Trafalgar. I don't know how yet, but you'll pay. You can be sure of that."
Law smiled condescendingly and sent him a kiss.
"See you soon then."
With that, he stepped out the door, stepped over the railing on the deck, and smoothly landed on the ground before disappearing into the night.
Isn't Law the worst? Of course, that's how we like him but building a relationship with this attitude is quite challenging! Fortunately, this is a twisted relationship so…
Hope you enjoyed it.
See you soon.