Chapter 21
Ida called exactly one week later, on the last day of March. Law had given her his number in case she needed to contact him quickly, but he'd informed her that she could catch him no sooner than evening.
"I could write to you, but I'm too excited," she announced right off the bat, and said excitation was clearly audible. Then, however, she asked, "You did get my letter, right?"
"I did. So, have you managed to contact Rosapelo's aunt?" Law guessed with pretty moderate enthusiasm.
"Not really, but..." He could almost hear Ida shook her head. "I'm going to tell you everything. I just got a call, and I had to contact you right away. It was Mrs Aila's sister-in-law who called me, that is Mrs Aila's husband's sister. It is her who got my letter. Mrs Aila died some years ago," she said in a lower voice. "She was badly wounded during a mission. Of course, I didn't ask about the details, but I learned she'd become disabled and started to suffer from neurological symptoms. Rehabilitation wasn't really successful. That's why she had to give up her work, despite being very respected journalist. Poor woman, she was bedridden, and the neurological deficit made it impossible for her to keep writing. Also, she lost her husband during the very same action; he was also a journalist. It's so sad, I'm under the impression that so many tragedies fell on her that it would be enough for several people..." now the nurse's voice rang with sorrow and honest compassion, although she must have encountered such things in her work before, as there were plenty of them in the world. "In any case, her condition only deteriorated, and she died after a few years of ailing. She had no children."
"It means that Rosapelo really has no relatives," Law said, although he couldn't quite tell what kind of emotion that knowledge evoked inside him.
"Yes, but Mrs Lise... that is, Mrs Aila's sister-in-law is ready to take care of him," Ida continued. "She told me she'd cared about Aila and tended to her during the illness. That address I wrote to..." she spoke the name of the town and the island, "It's where Mrs Aila's husband came from and where the two of them lived, as does Mrs Lise. Mrs Lise is married and has three sons, two of them still live with their parents. They are fifteen and sixteen, I don't remember their names. Mrs Lise works as a teacher. As far as I could tell, she's a decent and reasonable woman."
Law remained silent, trying to digest all the information. It's not that he had troubles following the thread... he just wasn't sure if Ida's revelation delighted him or the opposite.
"And she just wants to take care of someone she had never seen, just like that?" he finally spoke. "But Rosapelo isn't even her relative. He's a relative of her late sister-in-law who probably didn't even know he existed."
"I think sometimes blood ties aren't that important," Ida said. "It's true, Mrs Lise hadn't heard about Rosapelo's before, but she immediately believed in what I wrote in the letter. At least, she'd known about Mrs Aila's younger sister who'd stayed in her hometown. She discussed it with her husband, and they decided that if the boy was left with no family and they could provide him with home and care, then why shouldn't they. Their own children are almost the adults, and the two of them had steady jobs. Their financial situation is stable. As I said, it seems to me they are good people. Mrs Lise said that Mrs Aila regretted having no children on her own. Then, maybe Mrs Lise wants to see Rosapelo as her late sister-in-law's child and feels obliged to take care of him in such a crisis...? All in all, she didn't seem to know anything about the animosity between Mrs Aila and Mrs Irma. Maybe, in the end, Mrs Aila had never spoken ill about her sister. It's not hard to believe that. Time and distance heal all wounds."
Law knew all too well that sometimes blood ties were of no importance at all... but he still found it strange that a woman living halfway around the world was ready to invite to her home a completely unfamiliar teenager, and only because he was a nephew of her late sister-in-law. He just couldn't accept it without reservations.
"Law... are you still there?" he heard Ida's voice.
He gathered his thoughts. "I am... And what next?" he asked, although he doubted he really wanted to know it.
"Well, Mrs Lise said that she could quickly arrange it to come for Rosapelo. I informed her that he's in the hospital on Raftel. You mentioned that he's fine now and doesn't need any treatment...? That's what I initially told her, but I mentioned that I must make sure of it."
Now Law felt very confused. "Quickly?" he asked. "Which means what?"
"She could be here in the middle of April."
In the middle of April? That was two weeks from now, and for some reasons Law found it very distressing. Two weeks? Rosapelo would leave the Corazon Memorial Hospital in just two weeks? Such idea seemed completely unreal and entirely unacceptable.
He clenched his teeth and ordered himself to remain calm. That was what everything was about. Rosapelo's treatment was over, the boy had recovered and had to be discharged. That's why they'd searched his relatives. That's why Ida had contacted those people, who were his aunt's family. If there was someone wishing to take care of him... then that was the best thing, wasn't it...? Rosapelo wouldn't need to go to an orphanage, only would get foster parents and even siblings. After so many tragedies, he would again gain home, a place to regain his balance and make his daily life anew. He wouldn't need to live alone, which was never a right option for a child.
"Law...?" Ida's voice broke his reverie once more. "Shall I inform Mrs Lise to come here? Or does Rosapelo need a longer hospitalisation?"
Law suppressed a sudden urge to answer the latter question affirmatively. Yet, at the same time, he had the impression it was high time to end his acquaintance with Rosapelo. The boy had his own life, just like Law had his own. It was only natural that a patient left a hospital, and a doctor stayed. Sooner or later their ways would part... and 'sooner' was probably the better option here.
"She can set out," he said, and his voice seemed dull and devoid of emotion to his ears. "She can come here in the middle of April," he added... and, despite what he'd just thought, something akin to a message rang in those words, 'But no sooner!'
"All right. I'll call her immediately and pass your message. I'm glad Rosapelo recovered," Ida replied. "I'm sure he's tired of being sick and will be happy to finally leave the hospital. Okay, I won't take any more of your time. Have a nice evening!" she wished him and hung up.
Law sat with a receiver in his hand for a moment before putting it on a Den Den Mushi. He put his elbows on the desk and rested his forehead on the clasped fingers. Words, 'Rosapelo will surely be happy to finally leave the hospital' stung. But... why it shouldn't be exactly that? People weren't supposed to like being ill. For children, spending weeks or even months in hospital is a torture. Treatment should be as short, as quick as possible - and then back home. Back to normal life. Rosapelo couldn't be any exception. No-one should assume he enjoyed staying in the Corazon Memorial Hospital on Raftel.
Law returned to Ida's question if the boy were all right and no longer needed any treatment. Sure, Rosapelo had recovered after the boating incident; he also regained, to the extent necessary, his mental health. In this regard, his hospitalisation had had its effect. But, Law frowned even more, the cause of his frequent falls and fractures hadn't been found, and it made Law feel ashamed. He'd examined Rosapelo from head to toe. He'd used the Ope Ope no Mi to scan his every organ and to inspect every cubic centimetre of his body, and found no pathology, even though the wholeness of that case - sudden collapses resulting in bone fractures - seemed nothing else but pathology.
As a doctor, he should trust the results and accept that medicine could do nothing about it... but as 'the greatest doctor in the world' he just wouldn't have it. He didn't like the idea that the boy left Raftel when still subject to fractures. True, fractures rarely were life-threatening - and, except for the ship accident, Rosapelo had so far broken only his arms and legs - and they could be treated anywhere in the world, but there was a risk that with bones so fragile the boy would spend the rest of his life in a cast.
Could Law really let him leave Raftel... let him go away beyond the reach of the Ope Ope no Mi, despite not having found and eliminated the cause of those fractures? Or should he rather settle for the fact that according to his Devil Fruit the boy was as healthy as any teenager and the fractures were 'only' a bad karma and he would never get rid of them...? Taking into account all tragedies the boy had already experienced, it seemed unfair that he should carry such a burden, too. Law felt everything inside him protest against such an eventuality... but he knew all to well that fate was rarely fair. In any case, he had a nasty impression that even if he kept Rosapelo on Raftel another year or two, or five, it wouldn't have any effect, wouldn't change anything in the boy's situation. He shouldn't let his doctor's pride guide him, right?
It took him a longer while before he could occupy himself with his work again.
The next day, right at their morning meeting, he told the boy about Ida's phone. There was no point in hiding it... and, besides, it was best to get over with it. A surgeon's instinct.
"Where is that?" Rosapelo uttered having heard the name of the island where his aunt had once lived and where he should soon move to.
"More or less, in the first part of the New World," Law replied calmly and dispassionately, although the boy's obvious shock made him feel unpleasant.
Rosapelo said nothing. He lowered his head so that the brown hair almost entirely obscured his face, and he started to nervously pull the straps of his hoodie. Law could tell that the boy didn't like the idea - and was there anything strange about it? He'd suddenly learned that in some two weeks he was about to leave his homeland to start living halfway across the world... in the place he hadn't been aware of until now.
"It's not an April Fool's Day joke...?" he asked in a low voice with his head still down.
They were sitting in his room - Rosapelo kept staying in psychiatry, even though there was no longer any indication for that, but after such a long hospitalisation there would be no point in moving him to paediatrics or anywhere else - by the table by the window, warmed by the sunlight. The weather was still fine, and the nature responded even more to the spring. The air was full of insects; a black spider was walking on the window ledge, moving its all eight legs. The lawns in the hospital park were green, and the flower beds had turned even more colourful. The branches of the young cherry trees - a gift of the Wano Country for the Straw Hats and Law, the allies from the Last Pirate War - were covered with fair blossom. The benches underneath were occupied by the patients in condition to leave outside and the staff members accompanying them. Law liked spring - it was in such a blissful contrast to winter - although he wasn't very fond of the cherry trees themselves, for their falling petals made him think of snow. A warp he could do nothing about.
He realised he wished he had only such problems at the moment.
"You don't seem very happy about it...?" he said, and Rosapelo lowered his head even more. "You should be glad you recovered and can go-" He paused. He'd wanted to say, 'go home', but it wouldn't be so in this case. "And can finally leave the hospital," he said instead, although his hesitation couldn't have escaped Rosapelo's attention.
He noticed his words were unnecessarily crisp, but the truth was he had to persuade the boy into leaving Raftel... just like he'd spent the most of the previous evening and even some part of the night trying to convince himself of it.
"Can't I stay here?" Rosapelo muttered, his gaze still fixed on his knees.
Law frowned. "Here?" he repeated. "In hospital? Of course you can't."
The boy remained silent for a while before shaking his head. "On Raftel," he whispered.
Law suppressed a sigh. "How would you manage on your own? You're still a child, you must have a guardian," he said patiently. "You have no family here, so you would go to an orphanage. Aren't you glad to have found some relatives... in-laws..." He got confused about the terms that weren't familiar to him. "Well... people connected to your family...?"
"I'd rather go to an orphanage," Rosapelo whispered.
"You're not being serious," Law said in disbelief. "You don't even know those people...? I heard they are really nice... well, in any case, they seem all right. I understand that you can feel... hmm, anxious about moving to the far end of the world, but wasn't it your dream to travel...? Why shouldn't you consider it as a good occasion to see a nice piece of the Grand Line?" he offered in an encouraging voice, although his words seemed pretty phoney even to himself.
One blue eye flashed from under the fringe, and then Rosapelo lowered his head again. "But it's... awfully far," he said in a strangled whisper that made Law's heart wrench.
"If you don't like it there, you can return one day."
Rosapelo glanced at him again. "I can return?" he repeated.
Law shrugged. "Sure you can. In four years, you're going to be an adult and be able to decide for yourself.
"Four years..." Rosapelo whispered thoughtful, before his head dropped again. "It's awfully long."
Law felt like saying, 'It's just four years, it's going to pass in a blink,' but he bit his tongue. When one was a teenager, four years seemed like an eternity, so it would be no consolation at all. He had to motivate the boy with something else... if only he could calmly think about it... if only his heart wasn't pounding, and he didn't have a harassing thought all that just wasn't right. But he had to try. And then again and again. Until he did it.
"Pelo," he said in a serious voice, resting his elbows on the table and staring at Rosapelo's face, although in this position he could only see the tip of his nose. "I'm very sorry for what happened... I mean your mom's death. It's a tragedy that you'll probably never accept. I know that you don't want anyone else, for no-one can replace her, am I right? But no matter how we wish it, we can't bring her back. Children shouldn't lose parents, but when something so terrible did happen, they must be provided with carers. I understand well that you don't want to go to the strangers... to people you don't know and have never met. I understand that you'd rather stayed in the place you know instead of going to the far end of the Grand Line. It's here that you've grown up and lived for thirteen years. It's obvious you're attached to this land. But you have a chance to get a new home. Even if it won't replace the one on Vokzel, it will be a safe place for you in this difficult time. Those people already-" He hesitated, knowing that everything he'd say would be premature. "Those people already like you. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have made a decision to take you to their home. As far as I know, they didn't hesitated a single moment upon hearing you are all alone. Living with people who like you and want to take care of you is much better than going to an orphanage," he said with emphasis.
Rosapelo said nothing - he was sitting with his head down, pulling the straps of his hoodie - and Law suddenly wished Clione were here. Himself, he felt completely wrong person to explain such things. Above all, he lacked deep empathy that would enable him to put himself in the boy's shoes and approach the situation in another way than only logical. Because it was his tendency to approach any problem with logic that showed here. As there was no other option than moving in with the uncle's family - the late aunt's husband could be called that, right? - then the only thing to do was to accept it. Even if the boy considered such a change unacceptable, Law knew that any discussions with inevitable were pointless, and patting on the head wouldn't solve anything. It was the best to cut everything off quickly, that way it wouldn't hurt so much... although, at the same time, he realised it wasn't an approach that Rosapelo needed now.
"Can't I really stay?" the boy asked again as if he hadn't heard a single word of Law's motivational speech.
Law felt he was getting angry, but refrained from showing it. It wasn't Rosapelo's fault that he didn't want to leave here. "No, Pelo," he said gently. "No-one can stay in hospital for ever. You recovered, so there's no need for you to be here. We must discharge you."
The boy's head snapped up, and Rosapelo looked him in the eye, his gaze so sharp that Law almost started. He hadn't expected to be given such a look, although he'd already known that the thirteen-year-old could stare very intensely.
"What about my fractures?" Rosapelo asked straight. "Am I going to leave even though..." His voice trembled, and his eyes moved to the side, but he kept talking, although his voice was lower now, "Though you still don't... we don't know what's wrong with me? Even though you said you would take care of it?"
Law felt as if he'd been dealt a blow in the stomach, and his first thought was it wasn't fair. Only words, 'You, supposedly the best doctor in the world...?' hadn't come, ones he'd unconsciously awaited. But was it really not fair?, he asked himself the next moment. Even if the boy used it only as an argument to have his will - and Law couldn't but was impressed by his fighting spirit, for he was of the opinion that a man should rather fight than give up - he was only telling the truth. For the last week - and, in fact, much longer, since the previous autumn already - Law had been harassed by the fact he couldn't explain what lied behind Rosapelo's affliction. Only that...
"Pelo, I examined you with the Ope Ope no Mi," he said calmly, removing his hands from the table back on his lap. "I examined your organism, every little part of it. I spent days looking for the cause of your fractures, carefully and meticulously. But I couldn't find a thing. From medical point of view, you're perfectly healthy," he said with emphasis to convince the boy... or, actually, he tried to convince himself. "The Ope Ope no Mi is never wrong. If there had been anything wrong with your body, I would have undoubtedly found it."
Rosapelo pressed his lips in a tigh line, and Law almost felt sorry for him and his failed argumentation. He knew that if the boy had really wanted to hurt him, he wouldn't have stopped at the simple fact of negative diagnostics... His heart was still racing, and he was far from being calm he appeared on the outside. Nevertheless, he knew that only patience and composure could be of any help now.
"Pelo, everything will be all right," he said as the silence prolonged. "You've recovered, got back on your feet and decided to live. Accept what life is giving you now. It's not so bad. I know you will be fine. You're a wise and strong kid and have goals to achieve. You should focus on those positive things, like that good people want to give you a home and take care of you in such a hard situation. You're surely to face more difficult times, but if there's someone to help you get through... someone to support you, then it's much better than being alone, believe me.
Behind the window pane, a gull flew, maybe in pursuit of an insect, giving a cry that could be heard inside, too. Rosapelo didn't even stir; he was still sitting on his chair, hunched, with his head down. Soft hair fell on his forehead and eyes, which probably suited him the best in these circumstances. Law thought distractedly that he should have used the Ope Ope no Mi to cut it, just like he used to with his own hair, but it hadn't occurred to him until now... while now it was all too late to make such offers.
He clenched his fists. He felt confused, and his only sharp thought was that he had to persuade Rosapelo into leaving Raftel. As for anything else, he had no idea what he should think or feel. He wanted to stay here, but he also wanted to run away. He wanted it was Clione talking to the boy, but on the other hand he was aware no-one else but he - who had spent much longer with Rosapelo than the chief psychiatrist - should be here. Also, he felt angry - at Rosapelo and at himself - for all that was so hard and he didn't even want it. He hadn't wanted such a violent change in his daily life, but it had already happened, so all regret was futile, he knew that well. Also, he felt sad, for over the time he'd grown accustomed to spending time with that boy, and despite his work being disrupted by their meetings, too. He was torn between the wish it had never happened and gratitude it had. He realised that in last two months he'd experienced much more emotions he'd had during the preceding thirteen years, although he still couldn't tell if it was good or bad, which frustrated him in addition to everything else. However, it seemed to him that when Rosapelo left Rafel, his life - Trafalgar Law's familiar and predictable life - would go back to normal.
He didn't need anything else, right?
Finally, the boy raised his head and looked him in the eye again, but this time his gaze wasn't as penetrating as before. "Law-san... Do you really want me to go with that... that woman and live with her?" he asked in a low voice, almost a whisper.
Law stared at him in silence. Did he want? He had no idea. Actually, the thought of Rosapelo leaving might evoke some opposition... but his feelings were of no importance here. Well, if he could use that to convince the boy there was no other option... since there was no other option...
"I do," he said and, for some reason, felt like a total scum.
Rosapelo's face contorted with some grimace, but Law didn't manage to see it, for the boy lowered his head again and hunched even more on his chair. Law thought that despite all tragedies he'd experienced, Rosapelo had never seemed so sad before. Yet, he didn't feel like thinking of that impression... certainly not now.
"Everything will be all right," he repeated his own words, but they sounded flat and false even to his own ears, not like something to convince another person. But there was nothing else he could say in this situation. "Everything will be all right, Pelo..."
Everything should be all right, yet it wasn't, at least not now. After their conversation on April Fool's Day, Rosapelo said he didn't want to see him for now... asked Law to give him 'some time'. It sounded very mature, and Law would've undoubtedly felt satisfied with such a sign of composure in his thirteen-year-old patient if he hadn't felt like a total bastard at the same time. To know that he forced Rosapelo to do something the boy didn't want himself - even if it was the only sensible solution - didn't fill him with joy. Sometimes he made himself feel angry - for being forced to deal with a kid who didn't know what was good for him - but he realised that emotion was fake.
He had no idea how long 'some time' meant. At first, he hoped it meant one day, two at the most. He'd got used to the boy's company and now, unable to see him, he felt something was missing. Then, however, as Rosapelo still refused to see him, Law realised it was even better. Even if the boy resented him - which, frankly, was perfectly comprehensible and deserved - it only made things easier. It would be easier to part if they first loosened that surprisingly tight bond that had formed between them. When one spent several hours daily with another person - and in a slightly different relation than purely occupational - they started to consider that other man's presence as a natural. But, in fact, the two of them were a patient and a doctor, and that always meant just a fleeting acquaintance. That was why he took advantage of the situation and didn't try to approach Rosapelo. When the time came - very soon - they would say each other goodbye, and the boy would leave to his new life, and Law would stay on Raftel, where he'd been for the last thirteen years.
A week went like that, and then harsh reality diverted his attention. As it had been over two months since the previous cataclysm already, a new one just had to happen... and it wasn't about Shachi, Penguin and Jean Bart's joint birthday party in Roger Bay that probably half of Raftel population attended and that ended in a serious brawl, only about a real, tragic and shocking natural disaster, one that no-one could have expected.
Disasters were predictable at least in regard to their type. Natural disasters were often conditioned by geographical position or climate. If one lived by the sea, they could count on storm or tsunami. If one lived in the mountains, avalanches, rockslides and mudflows should be remembered. In another places, violent torrential rains or fires caused by drought could happen. Earthquakes could occur anywhere in the regions of high seismic activity. In case of the human-made disasters, they included traffic, construction or industrial accidents, among other.
Almost every of them had happened here in the last thirteen years, with the Corazon Memorial Hospital rising to the challenge, aiding in the rescue operation and protecting human lives. Still, they had never experienced a volcanic eruption - not because there were no volcanoes here, only because they were considered extinct. If the late Admiral Sakazuki alias Akainu were still alive, one may have thought it was him trying to have his revenge against the Pirate King, whom he'd hated with all his might, but his calculation was slightly off and thus he triggered a neighbouring island instead of Raftel. That incident was so abnormal and horrific that Law couldn't think of it in any other way than absurd-abstract, otherwise he would go crazy.
When everything was over, he decided in his typical sarcastic manner that it was a pity Straw Hat wasn't there; after all, Luffy loved volcanoes and he certainly regretted having missed the show on Tihxel. However, during the eruption and right after it, Law was focused solely on removing the danger and limiting the number of victims to absolute minimum; it was what governed his actions. On April 10, when the afternoon just started, and a day seemed perfectly normal, a sudden explosion was to be heard. It reached even Raftel, almost one hundred miles away, and it was clearly audible through the soundproof windows of the canteen, where Law was eating lunch. Probably no-one realised what that sound meant, for - let's say it again - volcanic eruptions didn't use to happen in this region, and initially a military attack was suspected. People understood what it was about only when more or less hysterical messages from Tihxel started to come, along with the calls for help, although it must have taken a longer while to grasp it, because the thought, 'No, it's impossible', was overwhelming.
Since it was a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions, threatening to destroy a population of a whole island - and affecting others, in the worst-case scenario - Law didn't hesitate a single moment to head out. He put aside the thought of providing medical help; now, it was all about the insane abilities of the Ope Ope no Mi - in other words, there was an occasion to play a superhero, although it was only later that he formed that phrase, too. With Straw Hat absent, he was the only person capable of doing something quickly. He was considered one of the most powerful people in the world, and it obliged. As soon as he got to know what had happened and where, he grabbed Kikoku (fortunately, he kept his sword in his room, despite never having used it in years), jumped into a hospital submarine and sailed to Tihxel at top speed, trying not to think what he would see there. On his way, he ordered that a rescue team was formed - six ambulances - and followed him, but he strongly commanded that the personnel was allowed to act only when there was no direct danger.
He reached his destination after half an hour; all neighbouring islands lied on similar distance from Raftel. The scenery he found there would undoubtedly convince a more sensitive person that the end of the world had started. People in panic ran to the sea, away from the volcano situated in the very centre of the island, filling the air with screams almost as loud as the explosion itself. The skies were covered by ash that obscured sun and cast a deep shadow at the area. It seemed it was dusk already, while the noon had only passed; the temperature was unnaturally low, even though a layman would expect something else during a volcanic eruption. The ideally regular cone overlooking the island was ejecting ash at the height of many kilometres, with lightnings flashing in the rapidly enlarging cloud over its peak. Volcanic bombs, too, were being spewed from the inside to fall on the fields, forests, towns and coastal waters; they destroyed everything uncompromisingly, without choosing their victims. On the edge of the crater, the very first tongues of lava could be seen; under gravity, they started to move down, leaving only the scorched earth. Yet, before they reached the human settlements, people would die burnt and buried by the pyroclastic flow from the collapsed eruption column.
Law activated his Devil Fruit the moment he landed on the land, covering the whole island and the whole eruption. (He didn't spare a single thought to the fact of shortening his life again, and by a few years at once; it didn't matter at all). He knew he had probably less than twenty minutes at his disposal, so it was the time limit he had to deal with the problem within. He wasn't able to stop the eruption itself - only the user of the Magu Magu no Mi could have any chances at that - but he could make its lethal product, all that was still hanging in the air, never reach the people below. He couldn't force the ejected material back into the volcano - since the eruption was still going on, it would be as effective as putting one's finger in the rubber hose and trying to stop pressurised water from flowing out - he had to teleport it somewhere, and 'somewhere' meant nothing else than 'to the sea'. But it was a risky operation that threatened to cause a huge tsunami, and a responsible person couldn't replace one danger with another. If he did, it would undoubtedly affect all neighbouring islands and claim much more victims than the eruption itself. Unless...
He pushed ROOM inside Tihxel to examine the magma chamber. He found it very soon, at the depth of slightly over ten kilometres. Like he expected, it was as vast as the island itself, which made his task easier. He shamblesed people that were already in the water back on the shore and created a 'protective wall' along the coast. Then, with numerous precise cuts of Kikoku, he opened long and pretty wide slits in the underwater ground that would become the side pipes of the volcano. He tried to do it as fast as he could in order to prevent the violent changes in pressure that increased the risk of tsunami, but he was lucky. Magma started to willingly fill those new vents and then, according to the gravity, flow on the seabed, moving to the lower parts of the ocean and away from the island. It resulted in the steam explosions, visible on the surface, or just bubbling of water, but most of all, it caused a sudden drop of pressure in the crater and stopped the overland eruption. The hazardous material, however, was still hanging over people's heads - millions of tons of volcanic ash of temperature nearing thousand Celsius degrees - and it had to be evacuated from here.
Law waited two minutes and when he made sure that the activity in the volcanic chamber calmed down - the flow of magma to the sea had done its job - he started to realise his previous idea that was forcing the spewed pyroclastic material back inside the crater. He could do nothing about the gases emitted, except for moving them in the higher parts of the atmosphere where they quickly cooled and dispersed horizontally with the air currents, mixing with the normal content. He hoped he wouldn't run out of strength. For now, he was holding well, but he knew that using the Ope Ope no Mi in a more intensive manner than medical depleted his energy supplies very fast - in the worst case, he would lose consciousness in fifteen minutes - while closing the volcano couldn't be far from the top of the scale of effort, to say nothing of keeping a ROOM as wide as a whole island. Yet, he'd rather not think of what would happen if the action of the Ope Ope no Mi suddenly stopped... besides, thinking was pointless; he should only focus on acting.
He had no idea how long it took - his gaze became dim, his ears were humming, and his breathing was even quicker - but finally the plume of ash vanished from over the volcanic cone and it became brighter again. Lava, flowing on the slopes, had been moved back to the crater - it resembled a bit throwing the earthworms to the well while they tried to get out of it and obstinately crawled over the edge of the curb - and the seawater extinguished all fires. Underwater, magma kept flowing into the ocean freely and there was no need to use the more difficult path through the volcano. The temperature of the coastal waters raised rapidly, but if Law had to chose between the human and fish populations, then there was no real choice at all.
He felt dizzy, and his body was getting weak. His strength was reaching its limit, and he realised he would lose consciousness in a few seconds. He returned to the earth - until now, he'd worked mid-air - and said to the nearest man in a perfectly calm voice, "I'm Trafalgar Law. I stopped the eruption, there should be no danger now. Pass it to the others and take care of the wounded. The rescue team from Raftel is on its way, receive them and let them work with your medical personnel. I would like to help, too, but unfortunately I'm not in a shape."
Then he sat down when he was standing and rested his back against something. Hoping to wake up again - he vaguely remembered he had something very important to do - he deactivated the Ope Ope no Mi and fell into darkness.
When he opened his eyes, his first thought was he'd dreamed about a volcanic eruption. Then he remembered that he never had dreams and the eruption had happened indeed... although it still seemed unreal and almost impossible to grasp. Well, it had occurred, and, judging from the fact he was still alive, no further disaster had followed. He blinked several times. The ceiling above was dim and unfamiliar, yet it brought to mind something well known. Maybe it was some smell, too, or some specific sound - suffice it to say he realised he was in the hospital. He guessed he was still on Tihxel, in its main town. A prick in his elbow told him he had been given a drip.
"You've come to, Doctor!" he heard a woman's voice, and when he turned his head, he saw a girl in a nurse's outfit sitting nearby. "Do you feel all right?"
"Pretty good, for a man who used all his strength fighting a volcano," he said with a crooked smile. "I waked up, that's what matters," he added with his typical irony.
The nurse seemed both delighted and moved. She smiled, although her eyes were glistening. "You saved us all... and I can only say 'Thank you'... Please, wait a moment here, I'm going to inform others you've regained consciousness, Doctor," saying that, she rose from the stool and left the room hurriedly.
Not even half a minute passed when Bepo appeared in the door. "Now you wanted to play a superhero," the mink said instead of a greeting, coming closer. "Not that I know what exactly happened, since every patient had their own version of the events..."
Law grinned at him. "I always wanted to do something like they did in the Germa comics," he replied, sitting up and putting his legs on the floor, before removing the drip.
Bepo rolled his eyes. "Everything okay?" he asked, sitting down next to him. "You slept for a day and a half."
"A day and a half?!" Law wouldn't be more surprised if the mink had said he decided to quit being a doctor and start a dance career. On the other hand... "Well, it was quite a... demanding job," he muttered.
"It's good you waked up," Bepo said in a neutral voice.
"Yeah."
They sat in silence for a moment, and then Law's stomach reminded about its existence with a loud grumble.
"Can you get up? We'll go eat something," the mink said.
"Sure. I'd love to," Law replied eagerly, standing up. He didn't even feel dizzy, although he'd unconsciously expected it.
"The drip won't feed you, after all."
"By the way, Bepo..." Law turned to his friend as they walked down the corridor. "You put me in the hospital?" he asked with a fake menace.
The mink shrugged. "It's a proper place for an unconscious person," he said. "And I wanted to keep an eye on you."
Law looked around. For a post-disaster time, the hospital was a stunningly quiet place. Well, it was night, too.
"Then, it's evening of the eleventh?" he made sure.
"Actually, it's already the twelfth," Bepo said, looking at his watch. "A quarter past midnight."
"Tell me what happened after I zonked out," Law asked. "Many fatalities?"
"Several dozen, mostly killed by the volcanic bombs," the mink informed crisply. "Injured go in hundreds, but fortunately the hospital was spared with all personnel. In addition, both shifts were in place when it all happened. We could start emergency treatment immediately."
"More of us came?"
"Sure, mostly from surgery and orthopaedics, but in fact every ward sent someone. It's normal."
"Even the Seven?"
"What a stupid question. They always send a relief team. What, you're missing Clione already?" Bepo asked with a taunt he rarely showed.
"No. I wanted to know if Clione got hysterical upon hearing I was here."
The look the mink gave him made Law almost blush. He didn't know himself where that remark had come from.
"It was a joke. And not very wise, too," he mumbled, pulling his head inside his shoulders.
"You say it," Bepo agreed. "Let's assume it just slipped after awakening. I don't believe I could ever see our dear psychiatrist getting hysterical... not even because of you," he added critically before looking at him askance. "By the way... You're not going to pick him up for being a superhero now, right...? I'm sure even he would find it an overkill."
"Very funny..." Law snorted. "I never picked him up."
Distractedly, he thought he hoped Bepo would never hear about how strange form the already strange relation of the director of the Corazon Memorial Hospital and the head of psychiatry had assumed during his absence. Although... was there anything in this world that would surprise the mink? Law asked himself the next moment. His friend, firm as earth itself and powerful like a mountain, had seen such things that most people wouldn't even think of. It was a good thing to have someone like that by his side.
The canteen was working even in the middle of the night, probably because of the state of emergency. Law got hot soup, a fish and rice bake, and lots of green tea. As they ate, they continued their talk about the damages on Tihxel and surrounding waters. Much to Law's relief, his manipulations hadn't caused a dangerous tsunami. Other islands had already provided food and sanitary aid; they also sent building materials and human resources to remove the damage and take the burden off the locals. The temperature of the ocean that had rapidly grown because of the magma outpour, had already dropped pretty much. Soon, new schools of fish and shellfish would come, unless the waters hadn't been contaminated with any toxic gases from the magma. Because of that risk, fish that had boiled couldn't be consumed, unless someone had examined the water. But it was no longer Law's worry.
"Any patients requiring the Ope Ope no Mi?"
"You better don't use your Devil Fruit anymore," the mink replied in a decisive voice, which was predictable.
"I'm all right," Law objected. "I slept a lot and recovered fully, I really did. Since I'm already here, I'd like to do something as a doctor."
"Yeah, taming a volcano was just a side job," Bepo sneered. "If you really must, there are several people in a critical state."
"Then, take me to them," Law said, finishing his tea and rising.
The mink sighed and got up as well. "One of these days you're going to work yourself to death," he stated.
"And what's wrong with that?"
Bepo raised one paw and patted him on the head. "I don't want to hear such things. You should live long and happily."
"Like in a fairy tale."
"Exactly."
On their way to the first patient, Law said, "In the morning, I'm returning to Raftel. I hope to slip away unnoticed, before any commotion happens. I have enough work in my place, I wasted a day and a half...!" he declared with a fake indignation that made Bepo roll his eyes. "What about you?"
"I think they won't need me here either, so we can slip away together, Mr Superhero," the mink replied.
Law smiled wryly. He still hadn't really comprehended what he'd done. If someone had told him he would fight the volcanoes, and succeed in it, too, he would consider it a rubbish. So far, his greatest feat had been cutting a mountain in a half, but it wasn't an achievement he was pride of as he'd clearly overdone it. But this time... Well, he'd managed to save a bunch of people... and the volcano had survived in its intact form, so maybe he could be satisfied...?
"I'm glad you're all right," Bepo said, and his words filled Law with warmth.
"I still have something to do," he muttered in reply, although he talked more to himself.
Parting with Rosapelo, that was to happen as soon as the day after tomorrow, would surely be easier than stopping the volcanic eruption.