LawLu Week 2022 Day-10

Theme: 10 Years/ Love Confession.

Chosen: Both.


"Was it love at first sight?" Mugiwara-ya's cook had asked ten years back, when the alliance to take down Kaido was over, and the idiot I loved was deep in sleep after slaying the dragon. Was it love at first sight? In the last decade, I often asked myself. Penguin and Sachi had occasionally mused in passing that I was obsessed with him. Bepo didn't agree, he had been inclined to believe, that Mugiwara-ya was the only person in this entire wide world who would accept me without any judgement. Bepo that fluffy bastard was correct, that idiot did indeed accept me with open arms, clueless of how vicious I could be or how twisted my revenge plan was.

The world believes I fell in love with this moron when I saw him break down the doors of The Human Auction House just to save his friend. There are countless cheap novels retelling the love story of the Pirate King and his husband, none of those bastardized tales are remotely true. He did arrive with a bang, he walked with purpose, and he punched that celestial dragon with fury. How could I not love him then? But I didn't love him that day, that day I was afraid of him. I was afraid of his recklessness, I was afraid I would lose him even before I could have a conversation with him. He was so young, that my heart panicked. A child one foot away from adulthood, his life was precious, he had no idea. It was worry at first sight.

Yet unknown to anyone, I had been waiting for him even before he arrived to Shabody. I had been waiting for him for months. Actually he had first arrived in my life, quietly, without the usual kaboom or kaaaang! It was one of those rare days when Polar Tang was floating aimlessly through the grandline, the crew was sunbathing, and Penguin and Sachi were drunk and hugging Bepo, who was having his siesta. The newspaper that had been passed around was crumpled, and his wanted poster had slipped out and blown away and settled inside the ship. When the sun had become too hot to bear, I excused myself to my room.

He was there, smiling at the foot of my door, 30 million berries! The highest bounty debut in East Blue, how did I know? I liked keeping an eye out for history and my rivals. I was on the high seas longer than him, unlike him, I had debuted with a single digit, a five million bounty. The more I ransacked the newspapers, the less I found about him. The World Government was trying harder every day to suppress stories about him. But words spoken were harder to restrain. Even before he reached the first island of grandline, his destruction of the Pirate King's execution platform had entered my ears.

Within months of his grandline debut, his name was buzzing in every Navy base, his actions in Drum and Alabasta were not unnoticed, he was a ticking time bomb the world didn't know how to handle. Yet I was in awe. Sachi captured former Baroque Works members; we made them narrate the events of Alabasta. We met civilians from Drum island, who had come to officially change the name of their Kingdom. There was a bit of Monkey D. Luffy in every story we heard. Bepo said my eyes glowed when I heard anything about him. Bepo had no idea what a moment of joy and sadness it was to learn that there was another person like me in this world. Though his bother Portogas was the first brazen D. I had heard of, Ace was soon under Whitebeard's command and became impossible to track. But when Mugiwara-Ya's bounty appeared, my heart skipped beats, another D. came into my life, a D. who had not hidden his name, a D. who was turning the world upside down. Another D., living breathing and smiling, a D. alive was an act of miracle. I was relieved to not be alone.

Cora-san didn't believe in destiny, he believed in actions. He had taught me not to leave things in the hands of fate, especially matters of heart; when I saw him in Marineford trying to save his brother, I knew he would fail. But I had to save him, if I couldn't bet his survival on anyone. It had to be me. I didn't want to be alone, and I knew he was going to be alone for a while, a D. alone in a world is a terrible thing.* I knew this best; no matter what I did, the thought of being alone in this world without him pierced my heart with a thousand cold needles.

It was not love at first sight, like the newspaper would claim decades later. Loneliness was like wandering on a tiny boat in a vast sea without any island in sight. It was gazing at the sun fondly but suffering because you knew when the sun went down the world would be dark again. It was not love at first sight; it was the fear of not seeing the sun again.

The world thinks he loves war, for the countless battles he fought, the kingdoms he destroyed, the pirates he defeated, the marine ships he broke down. Mugiwara-ya doesn't like war, he can't tolerate suffering. His methods are violent, but his heart is kind. Finding One Piece was tough, but being the Pirate King is a harder job. The remaining factions of the Navy still wanted him, the world had become a chaotic place when he blew up the Marijoes. His actions had consequences, and the consequences didn't stop attacking him!

Now that another enemy lay defeated at the bottom of the sea, my twin flame lay curled up on my lap. His arms bandaged, his nose covered up, his fingers bleeding, but that smile is still intact. We have been in a new alliance called romance for ten years, for ten years I have chased the high of his every whim, for ten years I have scolded him for being reckless. But for ten years I have loved him more than anyone in this world. He may be an idiot, but he was my idiot.

"Torao... are you crying?" Mugiwara-ya casually touches my cheeks with his battered hand

"No..." I grit my teeth.

"Torao! I am the Pirate King! How can I lose to those bratty pirates?"

"You may be the Pirate King, you are still an idiot." I flick his forehead.

"Shishishishsi! Toraooooooo... Don't sulk."

"You could've waited! I was on my way! When have I not answered your call for an impromptu meet up? This was a battle, of course I would come! Moron! After everything we have done! You still are trying to protect me?"

"I wanted to see you, and I wanted to defeat the enemy, are two different things. How dare I protect the Pirate Queen? Shishishi!"

"Monkey D. Luffy!"

"Yes!"

"As my partner and rival! You are not allowed to play recklessly with my heart!"

"I have never played..."

I didn't let him talk any further. I kissed him on his bruised lips. His lips were swollen, and I was confident they ached badly. After a few lame attempts at protest, Luffy grabbed my neck and kissed me back. When I was satisfied with kissing the daylights out of him, I broke free.

"Torao..." Mugiwara-ya grinned.

"What?" I barked.

"You know... you can just say you love me instead of scolding me."

"Shut up..."

"Come on! Come on! Toraooooo..."

"Why do you ask when you already know?"

"Because, I want to hear it."

"Mugiwara-ya..."

"Are you shy?" I nodded my head to his question. "Then I will say it! I love Torao! I love Torao! I love Torao so much!" I kissed him softly on the forehead and whispered back the words he wanted to hear into his delicious ears.

"I love you too, my Mugiwara-ya"

THE END


disclaimer: not my manga

*A D. Alone…*: I nicked it from GOT: a Targaryen alone in the world, a terrible thing.

And I had an amazing time this LawLuWeek! I hope to participate next year too! Check out the superb art works of the LawLuWeek 2022 on Twitter. My favourite art works came from Ciel KagamiCiel, my child MDATripleStar mda3star, Feru feruya_ and Lira lirasarchive. And do look into Sai's amzaing LawLu Domestic Doll Photographs at _traffluffy.