Hey everybody,

hope you're having a great day ;-)
This chapter is somewhat special to me. I wasn't planning on writing it, but just doodled a little bit, but then I liked it so I decided to keep it, and I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

So, see you next week^^

Chapter 18 - Deeds

"I still can't believe it. It should be impossible," Sengoku muttered, handing him a cup of green tea before putting a bowl of seaweed crackers on the table. "You still look exactly like you did back then."

"Well, not like that's longer a surprise," Rosinante replied grumpy, trying to guess the missing pieces of the puzzle, "of course I haven't aged for seventeen years. After all, the dead don't age."

"Rosinante...?"

Upset, he got up, drove through his hair, and paced through the room.

After Sengoku had finally believed him and they had spent a few seconds in an emotional reunion, they were now in his office on some ship that would take them to Impel Down. Rosinante didn't want to waste any time, he had believed Law had prevented him from talking to Sengoku because he would know what had happened to Law. But now he knew that Law had just wanted to avoid Sengoku blowing up his lies.

This meant that Rosinante's last chance for answers was his brother.

"Damn it!" He cursed loudly. "Like an idiot I let myself be taken in, let him outsmart me. I thought he was just afraid of facing you. I should have known that his devil powers are not able to freeze time. I knew exactly..."

"Rosinante." He interrupted himself when his foster father's strong hand grabbed his shoulder. "You said Law is in danger, that's why you're here."

He looked at the other and nodded.

"Law told me he kept me alive - in a timeless room, or so he called it - but that was obviously a lie. He lied to me and he knew you knew the truth, so he kept me from visiting you much earlier because his lie would have been revealed. My brother killed me."

Deeply inhaling, he dropped back onto the armchair and reached for his tea.

Sengoku settled down again as well, opposing him.

"And you say Law brought you back to life? That's impossible. His devil power may be able to grant somebody else eternal life, but even he cannot bring back the dead, even Law cannot do such a thing."

"Don't you think I know that? After all I was the one, who got him that stupid fruit back then. I know exactly where the limits of his power lie. But his power is not the only one that can play with life. There are certainly other devil fruits and he... oh no, he probably exchanged the eternal life for me."

Sengoku sighed.

"Okay, let me catch up for a second. So you say a year ago - " "Almost eleven months ago. " - okay, so about eleven months ago you came to your senses and Law told you he saved your life with his ability, but you hadn't aged and were unconscious or something."

Rosinante nodded.

"And after you understood all this and so on Law kept you from visiting me because he knew I was going to expose his lies immediately and now at one morning he was just up and gone and you think something happened to him?"

"I know he's in danger. I was always aware that he kept something from me, but the more I would have pressed him, the less he would have told me and I mean, he has been through several wars and had a traumatic childhood and youth, of course he would have his secrets."

"But that doesn't mean..."

"I made him a Vivre Card, he left it and took his sword; if that isn't an obvious message then I don't know what is. I told him the day before that it was about time to finally meet you and the next day he was gone. Whenever we talked about the future, he became absentminded and sad. I thought he was like this, because he was afraid I would disappear, but now I think he knew from the beginning that he wouldn't be there. It was never about me facing my past at some point, but that he had done something that would hinder him from ever being part of that future. The only thing that comes to mind is the most obvious: He has sold his power of eternal life for my life. "

The old man nodded and took a deep sip of his tea.

"Okay, but even if there was a devil fruit user who would be able to bring dead back to life, why are we going to Impel Down now?"

"Because I know only one person who might know who we are looking for."

"You're talking about your brother?"

"Of course, hardly anyone is as obsessed with life and death as Doffy. If there is a person who can do something like this, he knows. Maybe he was even the one who told Law about that power back when Law was still a child."

They looked at each other seriously before Sengoku shook his head.

"He's not going to speak. Since he's in prison, he has not said one helpful word to anyone. Law might have been able to provoke something interesting from him, but he refused to see your brother." He took a cracker. "Not that I could blame him. I was down there only once. Just to make sure de Flamingo was secured after he tried to break out once, and I never planned on going back."

Rosinante emptied his tea.

"The chance is slim, but I have no other option." He rubbed his face. "I didn't imagine any of this to happen this way, neither with Doffy nor with you. If Law just hadn't..."

"Just had not what?" Sengoku interrupted him. "Don't say you're angry with him because he's doing things on his own and putting his life at risk for others?"

"Yes, of course I am! I'm mad as hell! I mean, I can even understand why he would do such a thing, but leaving me in the dark, not even telling me the truth..."

"And from whom do you think he got that?"

"Excuse me?" He stared at Sengoku, who, unimpressed, took another cracker. "What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about the man who has given up his task and his life's mission to save some brat. I am talking about the man who lied to this child that everything would go well, knowing full well that his own brother would kill him. I am talking about the man who died to save the life of a moribund child."

He stared at the other in dismay.

"You're angry that Law leaves you ignorant while he gives his life for you? Do you mean after the one person he ever felt close to taught him exactly that you treat people you love this way?"

"What, but that was something..."

"Something completely different? Rosinante, please, he acts just like his great role model, you."

"Nonsense, I'm not his role model, I..."

I love you, little one.

It is obvious for me that I would always protect you with my life.

I know exactly what it's like to do things you will despise yourself for. I know what it's like to have to deny yourself and to lose yourself in the belief that it's the right thing to do.

I'm sorry I lied to you, Law, all the time we were together, from the very beginning, but I really didn't want you to hate me.

"Oh, damn it."

I'm sorry, Cora-san, but I can't just love you with the love of a child anymore, I haven't been able to for a long time.

Isn't that obvious? I didn't want to lose someone again who was important to me.

I spent the first 13 years after your death trying to figure out how to take revenge.

But my greatest fear is that you will leave me as soon as you find out what I have become.

"Oh, damn it!" He rubbed his face. "He does exactly what I did."

"Exactly," Sengoku agreed. "He saves your life in exactly the same shitty way you did back then."

"The difference is that he was a seriously ill kid and I'm twice that age and a former undercover agent." Sighing, he massaged his temples. "But that's at least something."

"Is it?"

He just nodded and rose again, strode through the room, like a horse eager to leave the stable.

"I suspect Law hasn't settled in this area so close to the Red Line for no reason and if I'm right and Doffy knows something, maybe it's not too late."

"What are you going to do?"

"I called the straw hats."

Sengoku looked at him with big eyes.

"I thought that whoever the enemy is, it certainly can't hurt to have probably the strongest pirate crew in the world on my side."

"You know the straw hats?"

"No, but I know they're friends with Law and as I understand it, they appreciate that term."

"They're on their way to Impel Down?"

"No, they wanted to go to Kaikkien Maiden one way or another."

"Oh damn it," Sengoku grumbled, "he may be Garp's grandson, but I really can't stand that guy."

Rosinante stopped.

"But they are Law's friends."

Now the other looked at him coolly.

"So? I can't stand Law either. The only thing that connects him and me is you. He's the reason I lost you."

"No."

Sengoku tilted his head slightly.

"Do you want to deny that you only died because you neglected your disguise because of him?"

"I don't. But I take the responsibility for my decisions, Sengoku, not Law. And while we're talking about bad role models, who do you think taught me that you have to save children from the darkness?" Rosinante turned away. "Law was like me, but I wasn't half as good as you. You saved me and raised me, you were like a father all the time. I, on the other hand..."

He took a deep breath.

"I, on the other hand, failed. Most of the time I was absolutely overwhelmed with him and didn't really know if I was doing the right thing at all. Yes, I saved his life, but believe me, I know exactly what price I had to pay for it. I left him alone in this godforsaken world, let him down, and thrown him at the cruelty of this world. I have disappointed you, betrayed my mission, failed to stop my brother. I have failed, I have failed in everything."

He could hear the other man rising and coming over to him.

"You know, I really can't stand Law. He's a cheeky brat, which he tries to hide behind false courtesy."

Rosinante did not want anybody speak ill of Law, but Sengoku continued.

"But I know how important you were to him and whatever he did, I'm grateful to him for you are standing in front of me now. I can't stand Law because you gave up your life for him, because I lost you for him. But it makes me happy to know that someone else loves you as much as I do. You deserve to be happy, Rosinante, so happy, and even though I lost you, tell me, was it worth it? Were you happy when you gave up the mission for Law?"

He couldn't stop the tears as he nodded to the ground.

"And were you happy the past year at his side?"

He buried his face in his arm and sobbed loudly.

"Yes! I was very happy."

Strong hands grabbed his shoulders.

"How can you even believe that you could ever disappoint me?" Sengoku's voice sounded warm and strong, very different from Rosinante, who could barely keep standing on his own legs. "You saved a life, Rosinante. The life of a boy whom the world had given up, and you saved not only his life, but also his soul. You made him the man he is today. A man who would do anything to protect his friends. How could you even think you could disappoint me? I'm so proud of you."

The tears ran unhindered down his face.

"But... but the mission..."

"Rosinante, I know who you are. You are a generous, kind person, I should never have let you go on this mission. It was cruel to send you after your brother, you must have suffered inexpressibly, to have to take action against your own brother, not only to see all the atrocities but also to carry them out yourself. But all the suffering did not make you cold and merciless, like so many others, but more affectionate and compassionate. You've always been a great soldier, but back then you proved you're so much more. In a world full of cruelty, hatred, and selfishness, you have always remained kind, loving, and selfless. I couldn't be prouder of the man you became."

But now the voice of the other also trembled.

"And I'm so grateful that I got the chance to tell you. No task, no mission, nothing in the world could be as important to me as that you are happy an alive, Rosinante."

His knees gave way and he slumped to the ground.

He had always known that at some point he had to face his deeds, had already known it back then and it had always floated over him like a dark shadow. Back then, and also during the past year, the guilt and shame of his failure – his willful failure – had eaten him up inwardly.

And now, at this hour, when he was about to lose his light in the darkness, Sengoku took the burden of his deeds off his shoulders and pulled him back to the surface.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in tears, "I'm so terribly sorry about all of this!"

Sengoku hugged him tight.

"You don't need to apologize for anything, Rosinante. I'm just grateful you're here now. I am just grateful you came back from your mission in the end. Welcome home, my son."