Chapter 24

Family life was something Law hadn't been prepared for. Yet, after just one week he noticed that living together with Rosapelo came without difficulty; that realisation was followed by a question: why should it be different? Everything was going smoothly, and it was easy to yield to the illusion that it would always go and that their future was only bright. Law was like intoxicated with his new life, and even though his reason would occasionally warn him about complications that would undoubtedly come one day, he didn't spare those flashes of realism any attention. It could have something to do with 'never going halfway' that, since he'd heard it from Clione, wouldn't get out of his head. He used to give his best in everything he found important, and his life with Rosapelo was such thing.

He hardly ever wondered about the change that had happened in his existence, despite it being so tremendous that almost unreal. If someone had told him, just half a year ago, that when spring came he would form a family with a thirteen-year-old boy, he would have replied that something like that wouldn't happen even in a hundred years. He hadn't imagined himself to ever move out of his hospital or engage in something else than professional matters; not in this life or world. And yet it was exactly what had happened, and he accepted it without discussions.

Maybe it was about him rarely thinking of his decisions once they were made and realised, he just trusted himself on it... or maybe the reason was that the change had been so gigantic, so powerful that he couldn't grasp it, not yet, he just had to accept it and follow it as if it had been something imposed by fate and circumstances, not resulting from himself. Maybe he just didn't want to deliberate on his own actions, thoughts and feelings - all that had resulted in taking Rosapelo under his wing - for he feared the conclusion he might reach. He didn't feel ready to discover any new truth about himself, which would undoubtedly happen if he started to analyse deeper his motives behind that landmark decision.

Then, there were several reasons why he wouldn't talk with anyone about what had happened, only presented them with a fait accompli. Of course, such a behaviour was, in general, very odd and unusual - people normally informed their friends not only about starting a family, but also about much less important things - but Law had always been operating on different principles. (In fact, he considered himself someone socially impaired and thus standing outside the norms). Suffice it to say that it hadn't even occurred to him to tell the world - or even mention by the way - about suddenly having decided to adopt a teenage boy and make home with him. He'd decided it was only his business, and hadn't seen any need for the fireworks.

It hadn't crossed his mind that most people of Raftel - with emphasis on his colleagues and friends - treated him in a different way: as someone whose life, well-being and happiness they considered as their concern or just found interesting. It was likely that few people thought poorly of him for that privacy - either they were used to it or they believed that the greatest doctor in the world could do as he pleased - but they couldn't leave it without any reaction nevertheless. The authority he commanded was too big so that the others importunated him on the change and wanted to know the reasons - it was unthinkable that someone started inquiring about it during lunch, for example - but they could at least show him his support, and hence such a number of visitors on the flat-warming party thrown by the Straw Hats. In the end, apart from the Straw Hats, whom Law had briefly filled in on Rosapelo's story, skilfully avoiding to reveal the reasons of his decision, people had to settle with what they'd already known: that Trafalgar Law had started a family and moved in the house outside Roger Bay, and nothing else.

How his new daily life looked, then? He still spent most of the day in the hospital, but he slept at home, where he also ate breakfasts and suppers he would always come for between his duties: around seven AM, when the morning surgeries were over and Rosapelo got up, and around six PM, after he'd finished the new admissions. His schedule remained practically unchanged... except for one substantial modification: Trafalgar Law started to take one day off weekly.

Bepo commented on it for a whole month, Ikkaku cast him the looks as if he's grown another head, and Clione only nodded with understanding; only he was aware that Law couldn't do anything else. Rosapelo stopped protesting about Law limiting his work - work that no-one else could do - for him; his foster father had made him understand once more that he'd made such a decision and didn't mean to withdraw it, his tone indicating the complete unwillingness to discuss that topic. The local paper would write about it for at least one week. Some started to voice their dissatisfaction about the miracle-doctor disregarding the patients instead of fulfilling his mission and duty to the humanity. Those critics, however, were quickly shouted down by the personnel of the Corazon Memorial Hospital, supporting their director and reasoning that Trafalgar Law was a man like others and had the right to normal life, and their opinion was backed by the majority of Raftel and the Four Islands population, too.

Law, personally, didn't care about the opinions and beliefs of others, as he didn't feel obliged to anyone. All his life, save for some situations, he'd been acting just as he wanted and paid little attention to what others thought about him; why should he change his policy now? Nevertheless, he hoped that the voice of criticism wouldn't reach Rosapelo, for the boy was much more sensitive - one could say that, compared to Law and the freaks in his surrounding, he was a perfectly normal kid - and didn't deserve any mistreatment that he might experience because of his guardian.

For now, however, it didn't seem likely. Rosapelo went to school in Roger Bay and indeed landed in the same class with Monkey D. Ace, which filled Law with relief. Of course, it wasn't about the boy feeling lonely in a new place, only about more practical aspects: friendship with the Pirate King's first-born could become Rosapelo's strength, as he didn't have any supernatural powers or special abilities to protect himself from an enemy. (Well, as far as Law knew, Ace didn't have them either, but he could fight and inherited the instinct of helping his important people from his father). Only later Law realised he was thinking in martial categories, while the world had been at peace for a longer while. It was the time of normal people now, and the Devil Fruit users no longer utilised their abilities to fight only to help others. In this age, Rosapelo, a perfectly ordinary boy who liked to play football and read about travelling, had no reason to be afraid of anything.

Of course, Law didn't want to think of his foster son like a perfectly ordinary person and was more than willing to pick up his virtues and strengths. It soon appeared that Rosapelo could prepare very good breakfasts that Law rode home for so fast he left a smoke trail. (Since his foster son had voiced his displeasure about using the Ope Ope no Mi in situations it wasn't absolutely required, Law had equipped himself with a bicycle, and it was that transport method he used to cover the distance between home and work. In doing so, he started the cycling craze on Raftel and, which was quite absurd in and of itself, received the public praise from Admiral Kuzan, the greatest admirer of the single-track vehicles). Not only omelettes, eggs and sandwiches, but also porridge, congee and other milk soups, and even onigiri! As for the dinners, they would order them from the All Baratie: Roger Bay, but Law suspected it was just a temporary solution, for he'd discovered that the boy, in secret, used their fully equipped kitchen to practise real cooking. It appeared that, along with the books, Rosapelo had smuggled his mother's recipe notebook from Vokzel. The boy had skilled hands, so peeling, cutting and chopping came easy to him - just like all chores - and Law wondered if he should suggest him to take Sanji's cooking course or wait some longer with it. He hoped that the boy wouldn't shed too much tears over his mother's notes, only incorporate that part of her life into his own, instead. He knew from experience that it was the best way to honour the beloved person that had left for ever.

As for Rosapelo himself, the boy initially behaved like a guest in his own home - he clearly had troubles believing it was really his home - but it was the same with Law, so it wasn't hard to understand. When they installed themselves in their flat, put all items into wardrobes and cupboards, and performed the crucial modifications like hammering a nail for a clock, hanging the shelves in the future library and stretching the washing lines in the garden, it was only then that Rosapelo seemed to understand it was the place he could and should stay. And when he started to do the housework, just like he'd promised, something akin to confidence appeared in his gaze, filling Law with genuine joy.

Over the next weeks, Law could see it more and more clearly that the boy finally livened up and started to become his old self. Even though he'd recovered already during his long stay in the Corazon Memorial Hospital, it had required something more to restore his cheerfulness. He'd needed to be assured that his life had sense, since he hadn't believed that there was any sense in just living. He'd lost something he could never get back again, and it couldn't be changed, but Law had given him something else, something to help him ease the pain of loss. And that was apparently happening: every day they spent together seemed to make Rosapelo stronger and heal the wound in his heart, adding to his buoyancy. Law could still remember the words the boy had said during their conversation in the All Baratie: 'I'm happy,' and the memory filled him with warmth every time. One month ago, he wouldn't have believed that wronged kid to be ever happy again, and then it had appeared he could make it himself. It was amazing, shocking and, above all, good. And it was a reality he couldn't - didn't want to - turn away from.

That the boy's mood had improved could be seen with a naked eye. Rosapelo's stride became more dapper, his movements were more decisive, and his voice was stronger. He started to talk more openly to other people. Genuine emotions could be seen on his face; he started to smile and later laugh, too. Law was positive nothing more perfect than that laugh existed in the world, and he promised to do anything to protect it for ever. It didn't mean that bad times didn't happen at all, but, contrary to the situation from two-three months ago, Law no longer feared to confront the boy's bad mood. Now he tried to actively pick up and neutralise them, for everything inside him protested against leaving Rosapelo alone with his grief. Sometimes the boy would fall into dejection and despair, retreat into himself and lose hope. Sometimes he would blame himself for his mother's death again and consider his happiness as something bad. Sometimes he would ask, 'Why me?', and Law would remember having once asked himself about it, as he hadn't got time to ask Cora-san. And now some strange things happened, for whenever he would answer his foster son - putting all his love into ensuring him he was guilty of nothing and deserved to be happy - he was under the impression he was finally answering himself.

Law had spent two thirds of his life feeling guilty for Corazon's death, and his remorse had obscured almost all good that Donquixote Rosinante had done in order to save him. It had happened because Law hadn't let himself believe he'd had the right to be happy. Even if he'd known, deep inside, that Cora-san had wanted him to be only happy, his cold realism had made him consider accepting life and enjoying it as a wickedness. He'd decided he hadn't deserved it, having caused death of the best man in the world. He'd had no mean to atone or compensate his crime that he'd regarded to be the greatest sin, so he could only condemn himself. Doing so, he'd unconsciously modified the image of Corazon in his memory: he'd turned that angel of love into a vengeful god and believed that Cora-san must have regretted having died for him, for someone like him. Actually, it was a vicious cycle of self-accusations with a single conclusion: Trafalgar Law had been bad, a belief that explained, excused and motivated everything. That stance had been additionally emphasised by the fight with death that Law had taken on behalf of the humanity: even if he hadn't valued his own life, he'd believed that it was the most precious gift for anyone else - and since Corazon had lost it because of him, Law had deserved only to be punished. Such thinking had dominated his actions, and he long since had stopped thinking of it.

Now, when the fate had put Rosapelo on his way - the boy who had become his whole world and who Law would do absolutely anything for - Law couldn't help but returned to the events from twenty-six years ago... and threw doubt on what he'd uncritically believed in all that time. Could it be that Cora-san had just loved him - period, no discussion, love being the argument for everything...? Accepting it wasn't easy - actually, it might be the most difficult thing in his life - for his twisted conscience kept persuading him into thinking he couldn't compare Rosapelo and himself because Rosapelo was a good kid and nowhere near the monster Law had become when only ten years old... But when he managed to silence all those critical voices in his head for a moment, he could comprehend that Cora-san had never cared about the evil in him and had seen only a hurting child to be helped instead, one he'd felt for more than anything, and his love had been much stronger than Law's hate could ever be. In the result, Cora-san had done what he'd considered natural and in accordance with his feelings, and it was likely that if he'd been to choose again, he would have done exactly the same thing and without any regret - as the same Law would do now for Rosapelo: sacrifice his life if it were the only chance to save him.

Of course, it would take much longer until Law could believe it fully - after all, it was about something he'd been governed by for most of his life, and such beliefs used to grow into flesh and psyche - but maybe there was a chance for easing that feeling of guilt that gnawed at his happiness and kept repeating that someone like him didn't deserve it.

Because, recently, it became more frequent that Law had the impression he was happy.

In late-April, they received an invitation to participate in the renaming ceremony of the volcano on Tihxel. In the second round, the fierce battle between 'Mount Trafalgar' and 'Trafalgar's Peak' had taken place (much to Law's relief, 'Trafalgar Tip' had suffered the fate of other ridiculous submissions), with the former emerging victorious. Law heard rumours that there had been some brawls between the supporters of different names, but he didn't mean to believe it... even though anything could be expected of people living in the shadow of an active volcano. Well, he didn't intend to ever associate with them again - even less with the 'Mt. Trafalgar' - so he rejected the invitation, excusing himself with the work. However, when Rosapelo mentioned once and twice that he'd love to see a volcano - undoubtedly, a bad influence of Luffy's kids - giving him a begging look, Law's capitulation was disgracefully quick. His foster son rarely asked him for anything; since he'd voiced such a wish now, Law would be a wretch refusing him such a little thing.

After a month or so, he began to suspect that Rosapelo had him wrapped around his finger, although the boy himself was probably perfectly oblivious to that, and Law was the only one to blame anyway.

Rosapelo was a good and obedient kid. He never acted against Law's will; quite the contrary, he clearly strived to please him all the time. Law had a vague impression that a teenager should be much more... defiant? In the end, it started to worry him, and he asked himself if Rosapelo, after all, shouldn't hang more with the Pirate King's offspring, absurd as the idea was. As the time passed, though, he realised that such was the boy's character, and the attachment only added to it. In the ened, Law had to accept it and decide that he could've had it much worse - he could've met a real rascal - and yet the fate had smiled on him also in this matter.

After the ceremony on Tihxel - Law considered it a waste of time, and only Rosapelo's excited expression when the boy was staring at the volcano in the centre of the island motivated him to stay and keep responding with a wry smile to all oohs and ahs directed at him - their daily life continued, turning into a pleasant routine. Spring kept favouring them with sunny and warm weather, the flowerbeds covered with pansies, and several cross spiders wove their orb webs between the fence pickets. Rosapelo brought home an injured kitten that Law operated without blinking an eye and that complemented their small family. Rosapelo named him Tiger, that was Tora, and Law would find it quite amusing if he didn't turn around every time his foster son called the stripped creature. The idyll continued.

It was May when one day Law returned home for breakfast and, instead of omelette and tea, he found Rosapelo sitting on the kitchen floor and clearly protecting his right hand. Law didn't need any explanation, but the boy provided him with them anyway. "I fell from the stool when I was taking flour out of the cupboard," he said in an unhappy voice, unable to look him in the eye.

"Why didn't you call me?" Law scolded him and activated the Ope Ope no Mi. "How long have you been sitting here?"

"Just a moment. I didn't want to disturb you..."

"Silly boy, who else should you disturb if not your fa-... guardian?" He wimped out of saying 'father', even though it was what he was for the boy... But Rosapelo called him by his name, so 'father' didn't seem right. "Then, you could call the emergency unit, at least."

Rosapelo nodded and said nothing, and Law had a look at the fracture. At first, he couldn't believe it as, between the shoulder and the wrist, the boy's bone were broken in several places. He quickly healed the injury, and tension on Rosapelo's face faded when the pain subsided. The boy took a deep breath - he had been breathing pretty shallow before - and said, "Thanks," but dejection could be still heard in his voice. "I didn't want it to happen..."

"I bet you didn't," Law agreed, rising and helping him up, too. "I'd find it somewhat strange if you wished to be broken."

"I always give you trouble..."

"Now, Pelo. You're talking nonsense. You better take care of breakfast, I'm hungry," Law said, trying to divert the boy's attention from unpleasant thoughts.

The effect was, however, the opposite, as Rosapelo lowered his head even more and when he turned to the sink to wash the eggs, a painful 'I'm sorry' came from his direction, followed by a sniff.

Law scolded himself inwardly. How an idiot he was to have brought his son to tears when the boy had been feeling bad enough already?

"I'm sorry, Pelo. I shouldn't have said it," he rushed to reassure the boy, and when Rosapelo nodded, he added dryly, "It is I who should be apologising. I promised to do something about your fractures, and I still haven't. I'm mad at myself for that," he admitted and grabbed the kettle. "I'll make tea."

When the omelette was on the frying pan - with peas and carrots, judging from the ingredients on the table - and tea was being brewed, Rosapelo cast him a timid look. "But if nor for my fractures, we would have never met," he said softly and averted his eyes immediately.

"Are you happy about it?" Law muttered.

Rosapelo said nothing, but he nodded over the pan. 'If not for your fractures, your mother wouldn't have died, trying to transport you to Raftel during storm," Law thought, but, of course, he wasn't going to say it aloud. Nothing could be done about the past - another truth he'd 'discovered' in the last months - they could only accept it... and maybe it was really better to focus only on its positive aspects...?

"Fine," he stated, "but I'm going to do something about your bones nonetheless. And know what? I'll start tonight."

As Law used to put his plans into action as soon as possible, he indeed started to work on his foster son's skeleton as soon as this evening. He couldn't prevent the boy from falling down, so the only option was to make his bones stronger. So far, whenever he'd healed Rosapelo's fractures, he'd rebuilt the bone as it had been before the injury, but now he decided to change the strategy.

"Pelo, I'm going to increase the density of your bones," he informed the boy as they had eaten the supper, cleaned the kitchen and returned to the living-room, illuminated by the soft light of the lamp.

They were followed by Tiger, who sat down next to the stairs and started his evening grooming, pretending he wasn't interested with the two of them in the slightest and only occasionally glancing at either of them between the strokes of his pin tongue. Rosapelo was sitting on the couch, and Law on a chair, facing him. It made him remember the time they'd spent on psychiatry, in early spring, many moments that had strengthen their bond... but now he drove away those memories, for he should start strengthening something more substantial.

"I can't do it with your every bone at once," he continued, "for it's going to increase your body mass. If it happened suddenly, it would inevitably lead to problems with moving. That's why we'll do it in parts, so that you get accustomed to gaining weight. I'm sure you will manage because your muscles became stronger... especially during all that housework you do," saying that, he smiled. "What do you think about it? Will you be up for that?"

"Do I have any other choice?" the boy asked crisply, and Law thought that reasonable approach was something he really adored in the kid. "Just like you said before, I don't want to be broken all the time."

Law nodded. "I think we should start with your lower body. But I must warn you that the beginning will be a most risky, for you're certainly going to experience troubles with walking. But if we started with your upper body, the risk of losing your balance and falling would be even greater, so we must choose the lesser evil. That's why you must walk very carefully in the next days. No sport, no running, climbing, to say nothing of fighting, and instead constant vigilance by every step. Can you promise me that, Pelo?" he asked in a serious voice.

Rosapelo nodded and then frowned. "I don't fight," he said with some resentment.

"That's very good," Law praised him, refraining from smiling. "One thing less to remember. Of course, you can't chase Tiger either." He glanced at the cat - Tiger didn't even move his ear, for he didn't use to react to his name - then looked at the boy again. "And you will have to move downstairs temporary... I'm sorry, you probably only started to get used to your room, but we can't risk. Most of all, I'd love to keep you home, but you must move in order to adapt to your new weight. Later, it will be easier."

"I understand," Rosapelo answered, and he certainly did, for he wasn't a stupid kid.

"Then, let's get started," Law said cheerfully and activated the Ope Ope no Mi. "Lie down. I'll anesthetise you, and when you're awake we're going to assess the situation. It won't take long," he promised.

Increasing the bone density resembled passing a wire through the openings of an already tight sieve. He decided to start with Rosapelo's right foot, which meant almost half an hour of work, as there were exactly twenty-six bones in a human foot, and Law always did his job diligently. However, when he was done - every bone, from calcaneus to the distal phalanx of the fifth toe, became tighter - he hadn't felt the passage of time at all. Tiger had finished his grooming and was now lying on the pillow by the wall he often used to sleep on.

"Do you know which part I tended to?" Law asked when Rosapelo sat down on the edge of the couch again.

"Right foot?"

"Correct. How are you feeling? How does it feel?"

Rosapelo moved the said part. "Strange. Like you said, it seems heavier."

"No pain?"

"No... but the ankle pulls a bit."

Law nodded. The ankle joint had all right to act up; now it had to bear with the greater weight. "Now I have a task for you," he said, and the boy focused his eyes on him again. "I still have some work to, so when I'm off to the hospital, I'd like you to exercise that foot. You may sit or lie, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you get used to the weight. And don't get up, okay? We'll walk once I'm back, and I'll try to finish as quickly as possible. We'll arrange you the room downstairs, too. Can I count on you, Pelo?"

"You know you can," the boy muttered discontentedly, although his gaze was somewhat anxious.

Law tousled his hair with a smile and got up. "I'll be back as soon as possible," he repeated. "Do you need anything before I leave?"

Rosapelo shook his head. "I'll be fine," he assured him... or, maybe, it was himself he wanted to assure above all. "I'll be waiting, Law-san."

Law knew that people - especially kids - often did exactly the opposite that what they'd been told, but it seemed to him that Rosapelo was one of those rare cases who obediently listened to the 'older and wiser'. Of course, one day his foster son would do as he wanted himself, but for now Law could trust his common sense. Rosapelo knew what was good for him and obviously trusted the medical expertise of his foster father, who, by pure accident, happened to be the greatest doctor in the world. That was why, when Law returned home nearly three hours later, he found the boy where he'd left him, on the couch, and this time accompanied by Tiger, sitting on the rest.

Law decided to spare himself asking 'Did you get up?', for there was no reason to doubt the boy, and instead he said, "How are you? Your leg is fine?"

Rosapelo nodded. "I can feel the exercises in the calf," he admitted.

"So you've been busy," Law praised him. "What now?"

"I want to have a pee," Rosapelo muttered.

"Then go, but carefully," Law replied cheerfully and activated ROOM in order to prevent a possible collapse.

According to his request, the boy was clearly concentrating on taking steps and moving in general. Law knew that conscious controlling of muscle tension was exhausting, but there was no other way. He had to believe that Rosapelo would manage and the experimental treatment would be successful, with the side-effects limited to minimum.

"And?" he asked when the boy came back from the toilet. "How's walking?"

"Like you said, the foot is heavier, but I can walk anyway. I'll get used to it," Rosapelo assured him and started to slowly walk around the room.

"I think you will. What concerns me are unexpected situations when you'll have to move without planning. It's easy to forget you should be careful, and the catastrophe is ready," Law muttered, sitting down on the couch and stroking Tiger absently; the cat was following his walking owner with his eyes.

"I'll be careful, don't worry about it," the boy tried to convince him. "Fortunately, I'm not the most vigorous person in the world," he added with a great deal of self-irony Law had never heard before from him.

"Well, in that case it should work out well for you... But what about football? For some time, you can't play," Law said, hoping that he would never have to forbid Rosapelo from playing permanently.

"But it's not going to take long...?" the boy pointed out lucidly.

"A month... Not longer than one and a half. I'm going to perform these surgeries every three days, it should give you time to get used to the gradual weight difference. Of course, we'll slower down if required."

Rosapelo nodded. "It doesn't sound bad," he decided. "I'll manage."

Law smiled. "Speaking of the most vigorous people... How's school? Ace and his brothers don't cause too much troubles? Well, I haven't heard about the school being destroyed, so they probably keep it in check...?" he inquired.

"They know well that, if they caused problems, their mom would take them back home at once," Rosapelo replied matter-of-factedly, never stopping his walk. "And that's something they really don't want."

"So they don't pull pranks?"

"Of course they do... they just don't let anyone know it was them," Rosapelo said, and his eyes twinkled.

Law burst out laughing. "I can imagine that. What about you? You play pranks with them?"

"Me?" the boy asked with a fake surprise. "Well, maybe it did happen, once or twice... But it was nothing serious," he rushed to explain. "Once, in maths, I was keeping the teacher talking while Ace replaced the chalk for a piece of soap. But that prank didn't work out well 'cause the teacher didn't care about the swap, only kept writing on the table, even though it could be hardly seen... Maybe because his sight is bad. In the end, it was us who came off worse," he added moodily. "We had to borrow the notes from the kids in the neighbouring class."

"And the other time?"

Rosapelo beamed. "Senti persuaded us to set free all animals from the biology room. He felt bed about them being caged. They did it after school, and I was keeping a watch," he said proudly.

"Did it succeed?"

"Yeah... But some of them, instead of getting outside, crawled over the school, and we could hear someone screaming from time to time, upon finding a frog or a snake in the changing room or in the toilet. Or a tarantula in a drawer," he informed cheerfully, but then he looked at Law with anxiety and stopped. "I think I shouldn't do such thing...? Are you mad...?"

Law shook his head. "You're not doing anything bad. Things like that are normal for kids of your age, and they hardly harm anyone," he replied. He was glad Rosapelo had been accepted by Ace and into the group, although it seemed that, for now, he was more a helper than an active troublemaker. "As long as you don't put yourself to danger, everything is okay," he reassured him. "And the lessons... Are you doing well?" he kept inquiring as the boy resumed walking.

"It's okay... But I like geography, shop and PE the most."

"And the guys?"

"Ace is great in geography since he already travelled quite a lot. He's good in history and literature, too."

"Ace? Good in literature?" Law asked in surprise. He couldn't quite imagine the firstborn of the Pirate King devoted to reading.

"How to say it... He has a very good memory, can remember stories and words," Rosapelo explained. "He always discusses with the teachers, has language skills. It's a pleasure to listen to him. Everyone in class eagerly waits when he would read his essay."

"Who could have thought... What about Zeno and Senti?"

"I think Zeno likes shop and PE the most," came the quick reply, "but, frankly, they all do very well in PE. And Senti loves biology. He would only observe the animals all day. It's hard to get him out of the biology room... Anyway, it was hard when there were still animals there."

"I see that none of you is fond of maths and laboratory...?" Law said with a crooked smile.

"Well... Too many numbers and formulas," Rosapelo confessed in embarrassment, but then he added brightly, "Ace says that we must leave something for Faran, too."

"Right, Faran want to go to university and become a scientist," Law admitted, recalling his visit in Luffy's place and the ambitions of the five-year-old. "In any case, it seems that the school is fun...?"

Rosapelo nodded and kept talking about his educational experience, while Law tried to imagine it. Himself, he'd attended school only until he'd been ten, when his childhood and normal life had ended. Since then, he'd educated himself without help, which hadn't been difficult, owing to his intelligence and perfect memory. Now that he listened to Rosapelo's story, he remembered some scenes from Flevance, memories he hadn't recalled for thirty years. Yes, he could remember having had fun in school; he'd liked the lessons, admired the teachers and enjoyed studying together with his friends... but, in fact, it seemed to him that boy had been someone else. That Trafalgar Law would never had thought about becoming a pirate...

Listening to Rosapelo, Law didn't ask if the boy missed the school on Vokzel, one he'd attended for years. He guessed it was probably so, and it would take some longer before the boy got accustomed to the new place. When taking care of all formal business, they'd informed his old school that after a severe illness Rosapelo had moved to Raftel to live there permanently. The boy had wanted that his friends knew he was fine, after he'd vanished without a word for over two months. Law had been glad about it; it meant that his foster son minded other people again, which was the proof of psychological recovery.

However, it seemed that Rosapelo adjusted well to the new circumstances and Law shouldn't worry. Now that the sons of the Pirate King had accepted him into their group, there was no reason to be concerned. Law counted everything would go well and the only problem they would have to address was the boy's health.

"How is it?" he asked when Rosapelo had practically beaten a path in the living-room, Tiger's head almost got twisted off, and Law himself was near getting a nystagmus.

"Nothing. I mean, I have no problems with walking."

"What about your leg? Isn't it too exhausted?"

"It isn't."

"Good," Law said and got up. "But it's getting late, so we must install you downstairs. What about the room in the corner...?"

Rosapelo stopped and looked in the right direction. "Sure. It's empty anyway."

"Then, let's go," Law replied, then broadened ROOM to cover most of the house and moved the content of the boy's room to its replacement.

"The Ope Ope no Mi is a great invention," Rosapelo commented, opening the door to his temporary room. Tiger jumped inside before the boy managed to even step over the threshold.

"You bet," Law agreed. "But don't go inside, it's dark. Let me plug the lamp in first... Okay, it's done. The furniture are just like it was upstairs, but it's not so spacious here, so be careful. I don't want you to trip over the chair or the corner of the bed in the night."

"But I hardly ever get up at night," Rosapelo pointed out. "I will be careful, though."

Law nodded. "I'm afraid that 'careful" is going to be your second name for the next month," he muttered.

"I'll manage," the boy repeated with a smile. "Besides... Law-san, over the last year I really learned to move carefully. I know I can't do anything about those unexpected falls... but I at least try to limit those I could cause myself."

Law wondered about it. Before, it would have never occurred to him to think that Rosapelo could possess good motor coordination - recurrent falls resulting in fractures indicated rather the opposite - but now that he thought about it, he came to the conclusion it couldn't be excluded.

"Pelo... are you a good football player?"

Rosapelo looked at him in surprise. "When still on Vokzel, I was the best in the school team," he answered, and there was no conceit to his words, just stating the fact.

Law drove away the happy realisation that statement implied: that the boy had regained his normal self-esteem - after severe depression something like that was a good sign - and, instead, focused on the merit of that information. If Rosapelo was the best player, then he must have a perfect control over his body indeed. And the thought of depression brought to his mind another memory, one he really didn't want to remember: the boy, wearing only the hospital slippers, moving on the uneven surface of ice sealing the coastal waters. Of course, Law was aware that a man with an aletered mental status was capable of things that normally weren't possible, but that particular scene, too, indicated that Rosapelo could control his movements perfectly and had no troubles with keeping his balance.

He dismissed the unpleasant vision and focused his gaze on the boy again. "Then, it's probably like you say. You can move consciously and carefully," he said. "But I think that we must cut your fringe anyway."

Rosapelo wrinkled his nose - he really was fond of his somewhat messy hair - but didn't protest, only nodded. Law didn't wait any longer; with one wave of his hand, he cut the brown hair slightly over the eyebrows. The severed tips flied up and then started to slowly fall. Rosapelo blinked several times; a sudden lightness on his forehead probably needed a moment to get used to it.

"I cut it only little; they would grow back in no time," Law comforted him with a smile, although he didn't really feel like smiling. 'If cutting your hair could solve the problem, it would be too much happiness...' he thought. "I'm sorry, I still didn't remedy your falls," he added in a serious voice.

"But you're trying all the time," Rosapelo replied, brushing some short hair from his nose. "You're ought to succeed one day."

Law thought that such words had never comforted him so much before like now... but never before had he heard them from someone he cared deeply about. Rosapelo believed that Law could cure him of that peculiar disease that could cause him even a serious disability... Then, why shouldn't it happen? Who could heal him if not the greatest doctor in the world, the user of the Ope Ope no Mi...?

"You're right. One day I'll succeed," he repeated. "Thanks for your support, Pelo."

And Rosapelo beamed and said no more.