That chapter was really random. I just had that idea for the plot and then random stuff just kept poofing into the story so yeah. This chapter was random.

Disclaimer: Nope One Piece doesn't belong to me.

CHAPTER 7: The Angel's Cry

"God, that coffee tastes like heaven." The man with a green cap said to his friends.

"I know, right? Wonder if the hot chick at the counter will tell me the trick," another man replied. He had a strange black cap with flaps and a little penguin at the top.

"Maybe she did it. That's why it tastes so good."

The young chubby man with cropped white hair asked eagerly. "Is it really that delicious? Can I try yours, Peng?"

"Buy your own."

"Sorry."

"Will you guys stop saying so much nonsense? I can't read when you're being so noisily dumb. Maybe I shouldn't have come." The one who sighed this looked up from his book to glare at his friends with steel grey eyes. "Bepo, don't listen to these idiots. The coffee won't have better taste just because a pretty lady made it, Shachi. It tastes perfectly normal to me."

"Shut up, Law, you have taste bud issues. And a woman always makes food taste better."

"Coffee is a drink, not food." With that, Law returned to his book and didn't add anything more. Penguin sniggered at the dismissal, which was almost a daily occurrence. Shachi scowled and was about to attempt a smart-ass reply, when a loud squeal made them all turn. Even Law lifted his eyes from his book with a frown, since the screaming was about him.

"OOOOOOOI~ TO-RA-OOOOOOOO~" Before anyone could react, something bright red cannonballed into a surprised Law, who'd have fallen with his chair had Bepo not caught it.

"Oomph." He let out a muffled grunt, crushed by the red mass on top of him. "Mmmmphh."

"Oh, sorry, sorry," the red mass giggled. It let Law go, revealing itself to be a gorgeous young woman in a red cardigan with a straw hat on her head. "I was looking for you. Heart-ossan told me you were gone with your friends, but I didn't think you knew Nojiko's café."

Law finally looked at her, after catching his breath and retrieving his fallen book. "Oh, it's you. Who's Nojiko?" Knowing how short Luffy's attention span was, he wasn't really expecting her to answer, but he asked anyway.

"Oh, she's the owner of this café, the girl at the counter. She's Nami's sister. Hey, what're you reading?"

"Adventure book."

Of course she didn't give a damn about the book. "Are these your friend?" she asked, noticing the two idiots ogling her with hearts in their eyes. Law understood, but it didn't make it less irritating. She then looked at Bepo. "Hey, it's the cute one! What your name again?"

Bepo flushed red. "B-Bepo. Sorry."

"Why the hell did she say you're cute?" Penguin cried.

"Law! I was kidding when I said she was your girlfriend!" Shachi wailed. "Why do you always get the good stuff?"

They were completely ignored. "Torao, are they the ones who tried to flirt with Makino?"

"Yeah. That's Shachi and he's Penguin."

"Ohhhhh, Penguin, he's the funny guy who was there when I woke up!" Luffy remembered Law telling a certain Penguin to go away. She'd almost giggled at the weird name. "Is that why you have a penguin on your hat?" Penguin blinked confusedly. "I hope you didn't try to flirt with Makino again. You know, she rejected Ace, and he was one of the most popular guys, he's really smart and nice and hot apparently. I wonder why he's hot? Maybe he caught on fire?" The three friends (Law was too dignified for that) facepalmed at the comment she made.

"Seeing the burns he has, it does seem like Ace-ya caught on fire." Law added innocently. Penguin shot him a look that said 'this was way too creepy, even for you'.

Luffy grinned, not minding the implication on the gravity of Ace's condition. Though knowing her, she probably didn't even notice it. "Oh, so Ace is hot. They're right, then."

Shachi looked over his shoulder and said. "The hot chick from the counter is coming this way." Penguin looked too, while Luffy just stared at them.

"Are you talking about Nojiko? She's human, not a chicken. And she's not on fire." She said with her 'are-you-all-idiots' voice. Nojiko was chatting with someone from a nearby table and dragging — was that a chair behind her?

Law brought his cup to his lips. "Hot means handsome, Mugiwara-ya, or beautiful. If girls said Ace-ya is hot, that means they think he has really good looks. Same thing if a man says that about a girl." Luffy considered this.

"Ooooh," she said brightly, which made Law uncomfortable in anticipation of whatever she was about to say. "Then, Torao, does that mean you're hot too?" Law spluttered in his coffee, followed by Shachi and Penguin, though the two immediately began laughing at his tomato red face. They stopped when they got the most murderous death-glare ever. "So, what did you want me for, Mugiwara-ya?" Law asked. "You said you would rest these two days before the party. Litterally running into me isn't called resting."

"Mmh, Torao, I want to visit Ace."

Law frowned. "You don't need me for that. Just go to the hospital."

"They won't let me! And you work there, so I thought you could help me. You're the head surgeon, right? Please, I really want to see Ace. I need to see... You know." Luffy bit her lip, an infinitely sad look in her eyes. "It's my fault," she muttered, not bothering to explain to Law's confused friends.

Law sighed, hating the miserable and guilty expression on her face. "All right, all right. I'm coming." Although to be honest, he was mostly surprised that she actually remembered his position as head surgeon, and knew he had enough influence to help her. Yes, he was an important person in Hearts Hospital, since in addition to being the best surgeon, he also treated all kinds of injuries and diseases, and was considered one of the most genius doctors in the New World. Everybody in the hospital knew to respect him and his medical knowledge (and his temper), so he could be sure to have Luffy's request accepted. "I won't guarantee anything, though. It depends on his condition."

Luffy's face shone with happiness. "Yay! Thanks Torao!"

"Let me just finish my coffee first." Law didn't wait for her reply and returned to his book with his usual bored attitude. As much as he wanted to keep staring at that smile, his friends were present, and the smallest mistake could earn him months of teasing in addition to what he'd get for the comment Luffy made about his looks. Luffy hummed, ignoring Law's aggressive tone.

"Yosh, I'll wait. Nojiko brought a chair anyway. Thanks Nojiko!" The blue-haired woman indeed was next to them handing the spare chair to Luffy. Penguin and Shachi immediately started drooling over her. Nojiko giggled, not minding at all.

"I knew you'd be staying, Luffy-chan. Couldn't you be less noisy when you jumped on your boyfriend?" She chuckled again when Luffy's cheeks reddened slightly as she sat down. "Well, can't say I didn't miss you anyway, Luffy-chan. It's been very quiet without you around, and I'm sure everyone thinks that. That's why we're having that party, to make sure you're as troublesome as usual."

"Shishishi, I missed you too."

They continued chatting a while, Law ignoring them and reading his book, Shachi and Penguin occasionally butting in trying to flirt. Law was surprised when Nojiko suddenly addressed him, looking regretful. "So, you say you work at Hearts? Can you tell me how Ace is?" Law looked up from his book and studied her a moment, before answering.

"We don't know when he'll wake up, but he'll survive." He paused, and lowered his eyes back to his book. "He should, anyway."

Nojiko blinked, before giving a sad smile. "That sounds ominous. But I'm glad you're not sugarcoating anything." Law closed his eyes and took a sip of coffee.

"There's no point in sugarcoating. It won't help him get better. Being honest is more useful since it helps you know what to do. However hard the truth is, it's important to know it, and my job is to tell it." He gazed up at the women, his usually expressionless grey eyes filled with melancholy, saying sorry. Sorry for being so helpless. For being so useless as a doctor. Sorry for the truth to be so cruel, so painful, sorry for not being able to change it. Sorry.

Nojiko smiled softly. "You're right. I like you, I hope you're coming to the party." She walked away back to the counter.

He hated it when he didn't know how to save a patient. When he didn't even know if he could.

He hated that feeling so much.

Luffy grinned, reading him so easily. "It's okay, Torao. It's not your fault, you did your best. As long as he's alive, he might wake up. You never know!" She patted his hand. Law wished he could be full of joy, like her, so optimistic no matter what he went through, but hiding his pain made him become cold and antisocial. It didn't help that he had a general hatred towards the world. "So, are you done?" Luffy was quite impatient to see her brother again, to see his face even if he's unconscious, even if there's a chance he might never wake up. Law glanced at his drink.

"Yeah. Let's go, Mugiwara-ya." He picked up his bag, which was resting next to his seat, and stuffed the book inside. "Bye, guys." Bepo waved happily.

"Hey," Shachi called. He and Penguin weren't too happy with the fact that Nojiko ignored them and said she liked Law. Law and Luffy stopped and stared at them. "Hey, um... Mugiwara-ya? This party, what is it about?"

Luffy turned with a scowl. "First, you do not call me that. My name's Luffy. And you're not invited to the party. Only Torao is." She strode out of the cafe with a huff, Law following her with an apologetic glance to his friends. Well, as apologetic as he could get.

"Dammit." Shachi muttered. Penguin patted his back. "At least you tried." Bepo drank Penguin's coffee, oblivious to the moping of his friends.

Unknown to the group, a strange man had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation. The man took out his phone and dialled a private number you wouldn't find anywhere, the line so protected even the best wouldn't be able to track it.

"Hello? Is it you?"

"Yes, boss. I got some information."

"I'm listening."

"From what I heard, they're having a party in two days. The straw hat brat invited Law, so it's a perfect opportunity. I'm pretty sure the party won't be in Punk Hazard, most of the girl's friends don't live here."

"A party? In two days? And you're sure Straw Hat and Law will be absent?"

"Yes, boss. She specifically said only Law was invited. Seemed kinda mad at Law's friends."

"Good, good. Both of them gone, it just seems too good, but I know her. I know she would throw a party. Good job. We'll get ready. Continue to spy on them."

"Of course. Make sure to wreck the place."

"Shut up." The strange man could feel his boss's evil grin through the phone. "You don't get to order me around. I will do whatever I want. Fuffuffu. Now leave me. Don't call tomorrow, got it?"

"Yes."

The man ended the call and smirked devilishly. She won't be escaping this time, and dearest Law will be coming too. He was getting impatient to experiment on them.

Oh, this will be fun.

Mugiwara-ya was really fast when she wanted to. She was also much too energetic, Law found out very early. She was nearly running in front of him, and he could barely keep up with his long legs. Thank god this particular street wasn't crowded — knowing how Mugiwara-ya tended to attract attention, he had chosen to go that way, to avoid people and staring. She kept babbling nonsense the whole way, and it kinda irritated him, until he grabbed her by the collar of her cardigan and told her to stay by his side and stop skipping around. She pouted but obeyed, to his amazement. It was a good thing too, since she had no idea where she was going, and would've gotten lost if she were leading the way.

"Mugiwara-ya. Where are you going? The hospital's that way." Law grabbed her arm as she veered off to the right.

"Oops," she giggled. Law facepalmed (mentally, of course).

"So, wanna talk to me about Ace?" He asked as they passed a group of about a dozen punks sitting by the nearly desert street. Mugiwara-ya happily continued on her way, oblivious to the lustful stares she was getting. She was about to answer, when one of the thugs approached her.

"Hey, cutie, wanna have a drink with us?"

She looked up at him but didn't stop. The man was more than twice her bulk, and he didn't like getting ignored. "Oi, little girl! I'm talking to you!"

"I'm not little, you're the one who's big." Mugiwara-ya huffed. The guy didn't appreciate the reply, his face red with anger and embarrassment.

"Watch who you're talking to, girlie. I could easily beat your pretty face up if you annoy me. Your boyfriend too." Mugiwara-ya finally stopped. Law did too, watching silently. The bully looked him up and down with obvious disgust. The young woman put her fists on her hips and glared sternly at him and his group, her aura suddenly going from childish to very mature. "What do you want?"

"Why, I want a little fun with you, of course. You can ditch the skinny boy and we'll spare him."

"Go away. I'm busy." She released so much power the large man took a step back, before recovering and grabbing her shoulder.

"I said you should come with us, and it wasn't a request."

Law didn't even see what happened. Mugiwara-ya's eyes widened in fury and she simply disappeared. Then the man was knocked to the ground with terrible strength, and the petite girl reappeared next to Law, who was gaping at her. "Mugiwara-ya?"

She looked at him with a serious expression. "Can you fight?" Law nodded. "Good. Don't get hurt." The gang, who was until then watching a few meters away, jumped to their feet and attacked. Mugiwara-ya began to attack too, keeping most of the thugs away from her friend. Feeling guilty for leaving her with almost a dozen opponents, he defended himself against the two who came after him. Had he not been forced to have martial art classes by Cora-san, Law would probably have died. One of the men tried to punch him, and he dodged, giving a hard kick to his opponent's stomach. Law jumped on the thug's back and landed another kick to his neck, instantly knocking him out. The other man launched towards him, but fell over when Law tripped him (he wasn't that loyal in a fight), leaving the latter with an opportunity he took to bring the guy down. Law turned to Mugiwara-ya's fight, ready to help, and was left speechless by what he was seeing.

Mugiwara-ya was moving incredibly fast, so fast she was just a blur sometimes. She leaped over an opponent, using his head as a support to get more momentum, and almost flew for a second, then she started to spin while falling back down, again using someone's face to jump gracefully and backflip high into the air, delivering a kick on the next victim's face. Leaping high above them, arms spread, she looked like an angel. Once she reached the ground, giving herself one second in a crouched position, she rushed in, running, spinning, landing kicks and punches. Each time someone aimed to hit her, she dodged with terrible speed and beat that person up. When only one was standing, shaking in fear, she locked her legs around his throat, making him fall to the ground, and growled something he didn't catch, before punching his face. She then stood up like nothing happened and waved Law to come.

"Yosh Torao, let's go! Which way?" He scowled and didn't answer.

"Mugiwara-ya," he said, approaching her warily. "What was that? The fighting style feels familiar."

She looked at him, probably deciding whether it was a good idea to tell her secret. She sighed. "Of course you've been to Dressrosa. You went to the Corrida Colosseum, huh? Did you go often?" He nodded, not understanding. "Yeah, I'm sure you did. Your favourite fighter — it's Lucy, isn't it?"

Law frowned again. "How did you know?"

"Because only Lucy's fans know and love Lucy's fighting style so well, and you recognised it. It's what I was using."

His eyes widened with the realisation. She confirmed it with a somewhat sad grin.

"The Angel's Cry. I was fighting like Lucy."

Wow, that was my longest chapter yet, I got over 3k (but then, it's probably because of the terribly long author's notes). I'm kinda proud. It was ready Wednesday but then I wanted to re-read the chapter, so I waited. Hopefully you like it.

I can't believe Ace still doesn't appear. He's supposed to be a main character for heaven's sake. Well, next chapter?

And I know Law's a genius, but oh can he be thick sometimes.

Do you guys think you can guess who the strange man is? Since there's no description, except that he's strange... Well, you can tell me if you try.

Of course, any request, idea or comment, review or PM. Don't be shy.

Kadek8785: I bet that was really embarrassing for him. I mean, he's supposed to be the all-serious Surgeon of Death (do you even say all-serious? Whatever). I'm glad you understand about the writing, too. Thanks for your support!

12slytherin: I love how innocent Luffy is too. But I'm not sure how or when to make Sabo appear. I want to tho. I'll think about it.

See you next chapter!

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Connected Siblings