Chapter 30

August 1, that fell tomorrow and was Law's final day, came out by any means splendid. The weather was fine from the very morning; not a single cloud marked the azure sky, and soon it became quite hot, but the gentle breeze made it easy to bear with the temperature. Law thought that he was much more lucky about the day of his death that Corazon on Minion, but he quickly ordered himself to focus on different things. And he probably succeeded, for, in the evening, he admitted he'd enjoyed every moment with Rosapelo.

They went to the New Piece, that - with the weather so great and despite it being a weekend - wasn't really crowded today. Most of the Raftel citizens preferred to spend such a day on the beach or in their own gardens... and yet the two of them managed to run into the Pirate King's family, almost all Straw Hats and many hospital employees that happened to have a day off. Law was pleased to see Rosapelo talking with the younger generation, and he came to the conclusion his kid would manage. The boy had made many friends on Raftel, and they would undoubtedly support him if needed.

Rosapelo himself, however, didn't seem to enjoy the day as much as Law did. He appeared lost in thoughts, somewhat distracted and maybe even upset. When Law asked him about it, the boy would claim that he had fun, and would relax for a moment, but then he would get into his earlier mood again. Law suspected the reason for that was the surgery that awaited him; Rosapelo probably had high hopes for it, especially having been promised to that it would mean the definite end of his health issues. In the morning, right after waking up, he'd asked, 'So it's going to happen tomorrow?' Law's heart had performed some strange stunt in his chest before he'd realised that the teenager must have meant the operation. He'd confirmed, adding that today they could fully indulge in pleasant things, which had made Rosapelo nod and start to get ready for breakfast.

When they returned in the evening - warm, full and with new memories - Law was in great mood, although the same couldn't be said about the boy. Rosapelo, however, thanked for good fun, smiled once or twice, and then said he was dead tired and wanted to go to sleep. Yet, instead of going to his temporary bedroom - Law had just informed him it should be his last night in hospital - he kept standing in the doorway as if he still wanted something. It was a strange moment, and Law didn't understand its sense, but he instinctively knew that Rosapelo needed some confidence before tomorrow.

"Everything's going to be all right," he said cheerfully and smiled. The boy twitched and nodded, although he seemed to force himself to that. "Good night, Pelo."

"Good night, Law-san," the teenager answered quietly and disappeared in the next room, while Law sat down behind the desk to look through the notes about the Perennial Youth Operation, although he'd already memorised the procedure.

However, he didn't get to read, because after some five minutes the door to the bedroom was opened again, revealing Rosapelo, who still had his clothes on. The teenager spent a moment standing in the same spot as before, before walking to the coach to sit on its edge and clasp his hands.

"Law-san... I'd like to talk with you," he said and then cleared his throat, as his voice was quite raspy. "To ask you about something."

Law put down his glasses and moved his chair closer. The surgery was clearly on the boy's mind... "Then ask," he replied with a smile.

"How exactly did Corazon-san die?"

Law blinked, and his eyebrows went up almost to his hairline. He hadn't expected such question. Even if he thought for ten years, it wouldn't occur to him that Rosapelo might ask about that. It hadn't interested him for a year and a half. Since Law had once told him the story - when they boy had been still in psychiatry - they would never return to that. Sure, the teenager would ask about Corazon but never about that. Why today?

"Why do you want to know that?"

"I just want," the boy replied, shaking his head impatiently. "Won't you tell me?"

Law remained silent, wondering frantically about what he should do. Refuse? But why? There was no reason to refuse... but if he did tell the story, then it would be passed on, that story of tragedy but also of terrible beauty. The story of valour and unconditional love. The story of someone who had stopped at nothing to save another man. He felt warmth spread in his chest and wasn't able to suppress his smile. Corazon deserved it: to live in the memory of those who had never met him. If Law took that memory to his grave, then no-one would know the truth about life and death of Donquixote Rosinante.

He focused his eyes on the boy and nodded. After all, recently he'd been thinking quite a lot about the man who he owed almost everything to. "I told you that after my homeland had been destroyed I had joined the pirate crew in the North Blue," he started. "It was called the Donquixote Family, from the name of the captain. They were defeated almost fifteen years ago, and their leader was sentenced to life imprisonment in Impel Down. Corazon was his little brother, his real name was Donquixote Rosinante, but, being one of the top officers answering only to the captain, he was called with his codename, while we... the kids in the Family... called him Cora-san, although he treated us terribly, he could hit a person, kick or even throw out of the window out of the blue. Later, I learned that, in fact, he'd tried to discourage us, drive the kids away from the Family... See, Cora-san... Rosinante was really a Marine..."

"A Marine?!" Rosapelo called out, surprised.

Law nodded. He told what he'd learned from Sengoku-san: how Rosinante had run away from his brother as a little kid and had been taken in by the Admiral, to later join the Navy and go back to Doflamingo.

"He infiltrated the Family to spy on his brother. For many years, he provided the Navy with the intel that could help to catch the Donquixote Pirates, but it wouldn't occur to anyone to suspect him, as he was the captain's brother... Moreover, he was considered to be an absent-minded idiot and clumsy mute, whose only valour was his crazy strength. He was really clumsy... he had two left hands and legs, he was able to fall over even when sitting," he said, and Rosapelo's eyes turned round. "No-one sane would suspect him to be a spy, so he spent many years deceiving his supposed comrades. But when he took me on that crazy journey, they slowly started to understand he wasn't who they'd thought him to be for all those years," he added in a softer voice before turning silent altogether.

Like always, he felt pang of guilt in his heart. If not for him, Cora-san would... But such regrets were futile, they'd been completely futile for almost thirty years. And now he already knew why all of that had happened.

"On the journey to find the cure for your illness, right?" Rosapelo's voice interrupted his reverie, so he focused his sight again and resume talking.

"Yes. We visited probably all hospitals in the North Blue, but no-one could help me. Yet, half a year later we learned we could gain the Ope Ope no Mi." He went silent, thinking what words he should choose. "The leader of the Family wanted to get it, as it would give him almost unlimited power... He contacted us, wished that Cora-san returned and helped him during the operation. He also said that I could be cured from the Amber Lead Syndrome, so all the more reason for us to get back... At that point, he probably knew that Cora-san wasn't his ally, but even if he only suspected it, that situation could prove if Cora-san was loyal to him," he explained. "But Cora-san didn't want that the Ope Ope no Mi got in his brother's hands; he decided to snatch it and give it to me. He learned where the Devil Fruit could be found, and we sailed there, to Minion island, in the far north of the North Blue... I was already very ill, weak with fever, but somehow we managed to get there in time. And Cora-san really claimed the Ope Ope no Mi before his brother came..."

Before his eyes, he could see Minion again, covered with white, with the ever falling snow that deadened all sounds. A silent island that had been abandoned long ago, a island that had become the end and beginning for Law... although it had been only the end for Corazon. Corazon had lived only in Law's heart, in Law's hospital, and even in Rosapelo... 'His name, too, means heart,' he remembered, concentrating his gaze on the boy, who was sitting on the coach and observing him with his intensely blue eyes, clearly awaiting for the story to continue.

"Cora-san got the Ope Ope no mi with his bare hands even though he had to face the whole pirate crew," Law said. "And then he did everything to bring it to me. He was shot many times and then also brutally beaten, but he still protected me. He kept fighting in any way he could. When his brother finally arrived on the island and learned that what he yearned for had been stolen from under his nose, Cora-san still thought of the way to save me. You see, his brother sealed the island with his powers so that no-one could escape - he didn't want to let me escape since he could use the Ope Ope no Mi using me - but Cora-san outwitted him anyway. He made me hide in a treasure chest, convinced that the pirates would take it aboard their ship without even looking inside. Then he let himself be caught and deceived his brother that I was no longer there, that I was already beyond his reach, even though I was right there. There was only one thing that he didn't lie about: he revealed the truth about himself... about being a Marine and having spied on the Donquixote Family for years... That, of course, made his brother furious... and made him pull the trigger."

Rosapelo's eyes became wide again. "He killed his own brother?" he asked dully.

"Yes... just like he'd killed his father, many years earlier. He was a monster that wished only to destroy and didn't respect anyone, anything... that wasn't capable of any higher emotion, Pelo," Law said, recalling his recent meeting with Doflamingo. "You could even feel sorry for him, if he wasn't the most evil man that has ever walked on this earth. Apparently, all ability to love had gone to his brother..."

"It's not fair that the good one died and the evil one survived," Rosapelo stated, sounding very like a child this time.

"That's right, it's not fair," Law replied in a soft voice.

The teenager stared at him intently for a longer moment. He clearly wanted to say something; he opened his mouth several times, only to close them again. Law didn't rush him. He knew well that it wasn't easy to address such things, even though Rosapelo had once heard that story, albeit in a stripped-down version. He remembered that talk, from one year and a half ago... That time, the memory had shaken him and made him feel terrible pain... but now that the wound had already healed, it was much easier to talk about that, although still not without emotion. He realised he'd clenched his fists at some point. He relaxed them and wiped the sweaty hands on the fabric of his trousers, taking a deep breath and keep it in his lungs for a moment.

"How did you feel then, Law-san?" Rosapelo finally asked, clutching his fingers on his clothes himself. "You managed to escape... right? But how did you feel? "

Well, that was the least pleasant part of the story, and Law would gladly skip it, but he had agreed to this conversation... "I almost went crazy," he said outright.

Rosapelo's eyes, wide again, were absorbing him. "You said you wanted to die... right?" he asked in a lower but still distinct voice.

Law nodded. "I felt horrible. I felt terribly guilty. It was my fault that Cora-san had died. If not for me, he would've lived... I felt just like you've just described: that the wrong person had died. It was obvious I was the one who should have died, not him. After all, I was terminally ill... and yet it was the opposite."

The boy's fists on his lap clenched so hard that the knuckles turned white, but it was his only move, and he barely seemed to breathe. He was still piercing Law with the gaze of his blue eyes. "It must have been very hard on you," he said in a voice too calm to be natural, especially that he was sitting straight and tense like a string. "First, you lost your family, and then the only man who took care of you... and who... loved you?" Law nodded. "And who you... loved...?" One more nod. Rosapelo gasped for air. "It's no wonder you plunged into despair... Do you still think that? That it was wrong for you to live?"

Law shook his head and, unexpected also to himself, he smiled. "No," he replied with calm that filled him. "Now I can understand why he did that... why he'd decided to sacrifice everything in order to help me... I understand why he couldn't do otherwise."

"You understand..." Rosapelo repeated. He seemed lost in thought, but his next words were sharp as a razor and almost challenging, "And you would do the same thing?"

Smile vanished from Law's face as quickly as it had appeared. "What's wrong about it?"

The boy said nothing - for a longer while, he only returned Law's gaze in the dim light of the room - and then abruptly got up. "I'm going to sleep," he announced and made for the bedroom. "Good night, Law-san."

Law turned in the chair, following him with his eyes. "Pelo...? Wait...!" he called. "Why do I feel you're mad at me?"

The teenager slowly turned to him, his hand on the handle, and once more pierced Law with his eyes; now that he was looking down, the impression was even better than before. "I don't know," he said in a cold voice. "Maybe I think you should be more angry with him."

Law knitted his brows. "Angry... What? How could I be angry with him?" The very idea was absurd. "He saved my life... he saved not only my body, but also my soul. If not for him, I would've died there, in the Donquixote Family, like the most wretched criminal... I owe him everything."

Rosapelo snorted. "But he left you alone!" he called. "He abandoned a kid who had no-one else. How many years did you grieve for him? How many years it took for you to bounce back? You think that love can justify everything... even suffering? Why, it doesn't seem to me that you were happy after what you'd experienced... quite the contrary..."

Law felt he went pale. "Pelo, I forbid you from saying such things! There was no other way! I don't think he was happy to die... there, on Minion. I suppose he'd rather live..."

"You 'suppose'...? 'He would rather'...?" the teenager asked with obvious irony, but Law ignored it.

"Sure I was sometimes mad at him," he confessed, realising it. "But I'm well aware that no matter how mad I might be at him, it wouldn't have changed his resolve. It wouldn't have changed his decision. He did all that without asking my opinion," he muttered before shaking his head. "And then there was no point in being mad. I had to be reasonable... to understand that I couldn't change what had happened, no matter how I wished that... And thus I'm not having you talk things that insult his memory and question what he did. Let me remind you that, had it been not for Cora-san, I wouldn't be here now... And I couldn't help you."

"But..." Rosapelo started, agitated, but then he apparently bit his tongue, as, in the end, he said in a much colder voice, "Good night, Law-san. See you tomorrow."

Law wondered what it was the boy had wanted to say... Maybe, 'But you haven't helped me so far!'... Well, only until tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would help him in the best way, the most definite and reliable way... yet the teenager's words were still hurting him, especially that Rosapelo didn't seem to see anything wrong them.

"Pelo... Why are you saying such things? Why today? I don't like this conversation..."

"We're going to finish it in the morning, okay?" the boy interrupted him. "Now, I fear I could say something I might regret."

'I think you already did,' Law thought,

"Okay, Law-san?" Rosapelo asked with emphasis, looking him in the eye.

"Okay, we're going to talk tomorrow. Sleep well," Law said.

"You too," the boy replied in a quiet voice and slipped in the bedroom, closing the door behind. He didn't show again, and Law had no idea if he was relieved about it or the contrary...

He moved closer to the desk and put his elbows on it, then rested his forehead on his clasped fingers. His heart was beating at a disquieting pace, his chest felt heavy, and his mouth tasted like ash. Why had Rosapelo said that? Why had he chosen the words that caused pain? Normally, he was a kind person who never said things that might hurt other people... This day was so pleasant, too... devoid of any bad content until the evening. Why had Rosapelo ruined it?

Then, however, he realised that the boy had been in a bad mood since morning, and it probably had spoken up in the end. Besides... Rosapelo was fourteen, and it was the age that kids used to be irritable without reason and the smallest thing could make them explode. Even if Law hadn't expected the evening to turned out as it had, he shouldn't attach any importance to what had happened. He remembered the previous time that the boy and he had got into an argument, only one month ago... and what had it ended with: Clione's talk concluding that Law was a total git with inclination to overreacting, especially in interpreting other's behaviours... well, at least, Rosapelo's behaviours.

He breathed deeply when affection filled his heart again, soothing the earlier agitation, and then smile stretched his lips. He couldn't be angry with the boy. He loved him immensely and insanely, he obsessively admired him, every part of him, every trait of character, every gesture and action. He wanted that everything in Rosapelo made him happy... and he could forgive him anything. No, he didn't even think there was anything to forget. For him, Rosapelo was the greatest miracle. He was someone worth to die for, and without hesitating.

He was under the impression that something relating to this topic escaped his perception... that there was something he should profoundly think over... that he forgot some specific matter or consciously ignored it... but he decided it couldn't be anything important. His plan had been made, his motivation was pure, and his resolve was unwavering. There was no point in wondering about it; there wasn't even any point in reading about the Perennial Youth Operation again, as he knew it in every detail already. However, he realised he should leave some guidance notes to his personnel. He didn't want that panic spread in the Corazon Memorial Hospital; the facility should keep working, even without the Ope Ope no Mi. Maybe one day... when the next user would be born and decide to devote himself to medicine, too... this hospital - the best hospital in the world - would wait for him or her...? This vision wasn't bad... although Law didn't really feel like wondering about the future that didn't concern him...

He thought he had to make a will, too, to pass the house and all belongings to Rosapelo... even though an immortal man probably wouldn't need to bother his head about such things like living conditions. All of the sudden, that part of him ever curious and thirsty for knowledge spoke up, and he thought he wished he could see it... see with his own eyes the effects of that unique, miraculous operation... but then he remembered it wasn't possible. He had to settle with knowing that he could do it... and that miracle would last until the end of time.

When both documents were done - it had taken longer he'd expected - he decided to get some sleep. He could spend his last night waking, but he had to be at his best tomorrow. The Perennial Youth Operation demanded that one approached it with due respect - especially when it was to be used on their beloved person.

He fell asleep with smile.

When he waked up, the room was bright. His inner clock told him it was around eight. He was amazed by having slept until morning, but for some reason he felt terribly tired... devoid of energy, even. He turned his head and it seemed that simple move demanded all his strength. "What the hell...?" he uttered, but even his voice seemed weak.

Rosapelo was next to him. It seemed that the boy had slept sitting, resting against the coach, as he now raised his head to look at Law. Then he wiped his eyes and yawned. "Good morning, Law-saaaaa..."

Law blinked, staring at the boy's face just half a metre from his own, trying to understand anything. "Pelo... Why am I so-..."

He activated the Ope Ope no Mi... or, rather, wanted to do it, but nothing happened. He only felt something tickle him inside - he probably imagined it - and that was all. He couldn't reach his Devil Fruit. For a moment, he thought it was some sick dream, then tried again, and again... and then realised that impression was familiar to him. He'd experienced it not so long ago - actually, just one week ago - when he'd had the Seastone Cuffs in Impel Down.

He suppressed his panic and raised his both arms. On the right wrist, he saw a thin ring that certainly hadn't been there when he'd gone to sleep. It looked like a simple bracelet, but he knew right away he'd found the reason for his weakness. "What's that?" he asked although he didn't even need.

"A gift from me," Rosapelo replied without emotion, and then, when Law turned his head again and focused his eyes on him, he added, "I put it on you the last night, when you fell asleep," and now something trembled in his voice.

Law touched the bracelet with his left hand, but he immediately felt his fingers go numb. His both arms fell back on his chest. He stared at the ceiling; it was what he could see the best from this position. "It's made of Seastone," he said with calm he didn't really feel. Or maybe he did? It seemed he was in some torpor. Well, if he had that ring on himself for the whole night, it fully explained that state of physical and psychological inertness... "It blocks the powers of my Devil Fruit. As a gift, it's perfectly missed."

"Quite the contrary. I don't think there's anything more suitable in this situation," the boy said, and Law stared at him again.

"In this si-... What? Would you be so kind and take it off me, Pelo? If you put it on, than you should be able to take it off, too. I don't like such jokes."

"It's not a joke!" Rosapelo shouted. "Unless this is a joke, too?" He reached for something on the floor - his hand was trembling - and then put some paper under Law's nose.

Law recognised it came from the files about the Ope Ope no Mi... and this particular document contained the description of the Perennial Youth Operation. "You shouldn't have read my papers," he mumbled. "Even though I did left them in plain sight..."

"That is that miraculous treatment method of my sickness?! THAT?!" he boy yelled, waving the paper next to Law's face.

Law said nothing only closed his eyes. Then he mustered his all strength... and sat up on the coach, letting his feet down on the floor. "Such a ring isn't enough to stop me, Pelo," he said calmly, then opened his eyes again and looked at the boy, who moved back, his expression clearly confused. "Whoever was your informant, they forgot to warn you that Trafalgar Law isn't your average Devil Fruit user. Unless you didn't mention I was in question...? You know, I would be in trouble if you put it on my neck."

Even if Seastone had had the whole night to work and absorb his energy, Law was too powerful to let a stupid piece of mineral defeat him. He didn't need long to control his body again. Preparing for dizziness, he got up and then focused on staying on his feet. He was certain he could do it. When the room stopped spinning, he took one step towards the door, and then another... First of all, he had to get rid of this filth.

"Law-san, what are you doing...?" now Rosapelo's voice rang with obvious anxiety, and then the boy jumped to his feet. "Where are you going? Law-san?!"

Law said nothing; he didn't want to waste his energy. He knew where he was going: to surgery. There, he would have his hand cut off, which would remove the problem, and then reattached it with his powers again. He almost felt sorry for Rosapelo for that failed attempt... but now wasn't time for feelings; he had to focus entirely on his task. He opened the door and went into the corridor, then headed for the lift, while Rosapelo shot off right behind him. Law noticed that the boy was wearing yesterday's clothes... He probably had slept much shorter than he last night, he thought, pressing the button to call the lift.

"Law-san, you don't plan..." Rosapelo grabbed his arm, and now there was a sheer terror in his eyes. Maybe he'd understood what Law had meant about putting Seastone on his neck... Well, he wouldn't be given another chance. "Law-san! You can' do it! Stop it! Law-san, you can't...!"

Two heads appeared in the canteen doors, alarmed by the boy's raised voice. However, before either of them managed to react, Law said, "Everything is all right. I'll take care of it," which made the owners of the heads vanish from his sight again.

The lift wouldn't come; it seemed to be stopping at every floor. True, many people started working at eight, so he had to be patient. On his part, Rosapelo didn't stop tugging on his sleeve and kept calling his name. Law tried to ignore him as well as he could, which didn't prove difficult in this state of torpor... he only had to be careful that the boy didn't accidentally push him over. Just a little longer, just a little while, he told himself... He would soon get rid of that nasty thing and-

"What's happening here?" a painfully familiar voice came from the stairs, and Law, despite his numbness, understood his luck had run out.

They both looked that way to see - Law with stirring of anger, Rosapelo with hope - the head psychiatrist, who was observing them with perfectly calm expression and concentrated vigilance in his slate blue eyes. Right, Rosapelo's cries must have been heard one floor down, too... Clione had been probably getting in or out of his office and, of course, couldn't leave it be... Law felt like grinding his teeth.

"Nothing's ha-"

"Clione-san...!" Rosapelo called and, tears in his eyes, darted towards the psychiatrist. "He-"

Law had no idea what made him grab the boy's arm - probably some defence instinct - but the next second he knew he shouldn't have done this. Rosapelo, pulled back sharply, lost his balance and fell on the floor, and Law certainly didn't imagine the sound of cracking that could be heard. The teenager's face contorted with pain, and he went pale. Two tears tore off from his eyelashes, but he bit his lips and didn't even moaned. It was Law who moaned, squatting by him with a sudden anxiety grabbing his heart.

"Pelo... What-"

"I'm fine."

"Pelo, I must-"

"I said I'm fine...!"

It was obvious Rosapelo had got something broken, but the resolve on his face and his voice made it clear he wouldn't talk about it now. In the meantime, more and more onlookers appeared in the corridor, Law's secretary had left her office and was now observing the scene anxious, and Clione kept shifting his gaze between the two of them, trying to understand what it was about and respond accordingly. Law knew he had very little time until the situation spun out of control, he had to do something...

But Rosapelo was faster. When Clione finally took a step towards them, the boy grabbed Law's sleeve again and said in a very calm tone, "Come back... Let's go back to your office. Okay, Law-san?"

And Law understood that he could either insist on going to surgery department, risking that in the meantime Rosapelo told Clione about everything - he would certainly do - or do how the boy asked... and risk the conversation he didn't want and had tried to avoid. Those two options, both bad, fought inside him for a moment. He really wanted to get rid of that bracelet and be able to use the Ope Ope no Mi to heal Rosapelo's injury, but... He glanced at Clione, who'd stopped and didn't come near although was ready to do so - he must have long since realised something was wrong when Law hadn't used his Devil Fruit to help the boy - and then at the teenager, who was still sitting on the floor and breathing quickly without letting go of his sleeve.

He clenched his jaws... then nodded and got up, offering the boy his hand. "Can you walk?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," Rosapelo replied in a whisper and rose, only to moan and lean all his weight on Law the next moment. He had to have a broken leg. "Let's go," he said nonetheless, grabbing Law's arm so hard it was painful.

To Law, that dozen of metres they had to walk, seemed like an ordeal. Not because of his weakness but rather because everything in him wanted that he go somewhere else to get rid of that cursed bracelet on his right wrist that blocked his powers... making him unable to help his suffering kid. Yet, he'd made his decision and intended to stick to it. He felt Clione's piercing voice on his back, but for some reason the psychiatrist hadn't moved from the spot... He'd decided to give the two of them a chance to settle things, Law understood in a sudden realisation, although it didn't make him feel any better.

After a while that seemed an eternity, they reached the office. The moment Law closed the door, Rosapelo slid onto the floor with a moan. His eyes were full of tears, this time tears of pain that made Law's inside twist and his mouth fill with bitterness. He sat down next to the boy - actually, he slumped heavily on the carpet - and extended his hand.

"Take it off. I'll take care of your fracture."

The boy shook his head, pressing his lips tight, but then he sniffed.

"Pelo, don't be silly," Law said with the slightest note of impatience. "I want to heal your injury, and I can't do it now."

The teenager, however, shook his head again. His blue eyes were opened wide, but his expression was that of an obstinacy. "You can't treat me against my will," he replied in a breaking voice. "That's what's written in the patient rights."

"You're underage, Pelo," Law pointed out. "In this case, I can decide for you... if you don't know what's best for you."

"Not when the child is over twelve, mature enough and of sound mind, and can clearly express their will. In that case, it must be respected," Rosapelo corrected. "There's nothing wrong with my head... though I'm so scared I could go crazy any moment," he added more quietly and lowered his head, then wiped his tears rolling down his cheeks.

Law hunched and said nothing. He felt terrible - both in body and in soul... It shouldn't look like this. It was supposed to be happy, exalted and perfect... and now they were just sitting on the floor... one with his leg broken and the other chained up in Seastone and barely able to move. Once more, he tried to get the bracelet off his wrist, but the effect was the same as before, and he knew there was no use to waste his already depleted strength.

"Law-san... you mustn't do it," Rosapelo spoke again, sniffing. "You can't perform that operation... I refuse to allow it."

"Well, at present I can't, indeed..." Law muttered with irony.

The teenager wiped his eyes again and bit his lips. He remained silent for a longer while, trying to collect himself. "Why did you... why did it occur to you?" he asked in the end, and his voice was quiet.

"Because I didn't find any other way to make sure you'll be healthy," Law replied at once in a calm tone. "To make sure you'll live. I don't want you to die, and yet I'm scared all the time that it's going to happen any time soon," he said outright and added with emphasis, "You must live, Pelo. It's the only thing that matters."

The boy shook his head, his lips twitched, and his eyes filled with new tears. He covered his face with his hands and kept shaking his head, repeating, "No... No..."

"It's the only thing I can do," Law explained patiently, containing his emotions, although the teenager's despair made his heart wrench in pain. "I tried many things, but I couldn't help you. All that's left is that method, the best and most reliable."

Rosapelo lowered his hands. "You don't even know if it's going to work...!" he said faintly.

"It's going to work, and perfectly," Law replied flatly. "You read... what's written there. It guarantees eternal life to the person who undergoes it. Eternal life, Pelo! It means you'll be immune to every injury, every illness. You'll remain healthy, and no-one will be able to hurt you...!"

"What the hell will I do with eternal life?!" the boy called in a strangled whisper. "I don't want... I don't need it...!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Law rebuked him, knitting his brows. "Immortality is the greatest dream of humanity since-"

"So what that it wrote so?" the teenager interrupted him, irritated. His voice was still breaking, but anger seemed to give him strength. "Do you know that man who underwent that operation? Have you met him? Talked to him? They didn't write a thing about it. Not a single thing! Maybe it's only a fairy tail, some legend... some crazy fabrication that would lead only to one thing: death. You have no guarantee that it will work... that the effect will be as you assume...! And it that case..." he gulped, "you'll sacrifice your life in vain... And I'll be left with my illness and no-one will be able to help me... and I'll die for real, as no-one will be able to save me."

"That's not going to happen, Pelo," Law assured him. "And whatever I'll do, it won't be in vain."

The boy shook his head again. He stopped wiping his tears that were still flowing, and only occasionally sniffed and gulped, but he wouldn't lower his eyes. "I was so foolish... I thought I meant something... to you," he said in a quiet voice, and Law's heart filled with hot affection... and it was the first so fierce, so distinct emotion since he'd waked up with that cursed bracelet on his hand.

"You mean more than life to me," he replied, although his throat stung. "I'd die for you..."

"I don't want you to DIE for me!" Rosapelo yelled, and his tearful voice rang with anger again. "I want you to live for me... with me! Is it so hard to understand?!"

Law blinked... and then averted his eyes, for suddenly he couldn't bear the boy's gaze. "It's not like that... I wish I could... and I don't want to leave you... But there's no other way," he whispered in a pained tone.

"Oh really?" Rosapelo called, and this time there was an obvious sarcasm to his words. "And I think that you just want to die very much and nothing would stop you. You're using me as a very convenient excuse to kill yourself, Law-san! Nothing else!"

Law hunched even more. "No, you're wrong..." he objected weakly.

"Am I now?!" the teenager exploded. "It really looks so from my point of view. You claim you're doing it for me... but, in fact, you don't think at all about how I will feel about it. Not at all! You want me to spend the rest of my life feeling guilty? Or maybe even the whole eternity? Law-san, do you think I'll be grateful and happy if you die for me? You, of all people, should understand it! You're going to do the very exact thing Corazon-san had done to you! Is it some revenge for what you suffered yourself? Some kind of revenge on your fate... or him? He hurt you, made you despair for years-"

Law's head snapped up, when the anger from the last night overcame him again. Rosapelo could insult him, but not Corazon...! "You don't know what you're saying!" he called. "I won't listen to such things! Cora-san did nothing wrong, you can't blame him...! He fought until the very end, he didn't go there for death... he just had to choose it on the last turn...!" he shouted, clenching his fists and glaring at the boy... who didn't seem to care much about his rage.

"That's right, and what are you doing? You're offering yourself to death on a silver plate, you go like the cattle to the slaughterhouse without moving one finger to object. Yes, Corazon-san died like a warrior, and you?" Rosapelo reached out to touch his chest. "You, Law-san, you haven't even taken up the fight! You chose the most simple, the easiest way to escape the remorse, responsibility, and weight of living... Using the words, 'There's no other way' and 'I'm doing it for you'... you created yourself the occasion to finally leave! Now, deny it if you can! Well?! Deny it!"

Law stared at him in silence. He was looking at his tousled hair, at his face wet of tears and quivering lips... and eyes without a single shadow of doubt. Blue gaze was piercing him as Rosapelo wouldn't look away. Another warm surge filled Law's heart - along with pride he felt looking at that wonderful being that, for a little while, had become his son. How far had he gone from an uncertain boy to that young man capable of making his point in decisive words and demanding...! It didn't matter what he was saying, Law would forgive him at once. Now, too, his anger subsided as fast as it had arisen. He admired Rosapelo and knew he had to protect the flame of his life for all cost.

"You may call me a coward," he said softly. "You may call me whatever you wish... it's all the same, I don't care. I've always been an egoist and-"

The teenager made a sound of a frustration mixed with disbelief. "No!" he shouted. "Don't hide behind your egoism now... though you must be the only one to believe it anyway." Then his eyes narrowed, and he raised his chin a bit. "But if we are to compete who is more selfish... then how do you like it? If you do it... if you perform that Perennial Youth Operation, or what its name is, then let me assure you that I'll take my life right afterwards."

Law went pale. "You wouldn't do it," he whispered.

"Oh but I'll do," the boy replied, nodding with conviction. "You may be certain I'll do. I don't believe that being immortal would protect me from a... suicide. And that's something that I've already tried... haven't I?"

Law was staring at him with his eyes wide open, feeling as if he'd been hit... as if he'd been dealt a blow to his very heart. He clenched his jaws, and his fingers dug into the carpet. Oh, how wrong had he been, thinking that Rosapelo's words didn't matter... that he could ignore them... That, he couldn't ignore...! "Why...?" he asked in a dull voice.

The boy tilted his head. "Maybe because I'm not as strong as you are, Law-san...?" he said lucidly. "Because I won't be able to live with such a burden...? Even if you were given a gift - for it was really a gift, Corazon-san saved your life when you were terminally ill - my situation is different."

Seastone could no longer protect Law from emotions that jumped at him, causing pain, no matter how hard he tried to cut himself off from them. Despair, disbelief, defeat, frustration, anger - and all coming from love that got stronger with every passing moment. What wouldn't that kid see it reasonably? Why... "Different? Pelo, you don't understand-"

"No, it's you who doesn't understand, Law-san..." Rosapelo interrupted him and took a deep breath. "Trafalgar Law, how can you be such an idiot?! I am not dying!"

Law banged his fist on the floor. "But you could die!" he cried in despair. "Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, in one month...! Two weeks ago you almost died... If I hadn't found you in time, you would be dead now, do you realise it? And if it happened indeed, then I... I wouldn't survive... I'm perfectly certain of it! I don't want to see you suffering, Pelo. I want to do everything to- There's no price I wouldn't pay to save you, can you comprehend it, you silly boy?! Every parent wishes to save his child, even if he were to die! When it comes to choosing: you or I, then the choice is obvious!" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Since I was thirteen, I kept people at a distance so that I would never become attached to anyone and never lose beloved person again," he said in a lower voice. "But then I met you, and it just happened that I lost my head over you. I didn't want it, but now I can't imagine living without you, Pelo. Can you understand it? Can you understand how it feels to be someone who once lost all important people... and then, despite himself, despite all attempt, happened to love again...?" he whispered, looking at him and feeling his throat clench. "I love you... and that's why your welfare is of the highest priority."

The boy's eyes filled with tears again. "Why are you so sad about it...?" he whispered, and his lips quivered. "Just like the last time..."

Law blinked. "When...?"

"Then... at night..." Rosapelo sniffed again, but could no longer contain his sob. In spite of that, he kept talking, as if compelled... as if he'd wanted to throw out what had been tormenting him for some time. "And then... I heard you... I heard you... crying... That's how I... figured something was wrong... And then I found that folder... and read it... And understood that... that miraculous method is nothing else than- And I asked Franky to give me something to stop you... so that you won't-" He buried his face in his hands, and the crying shook his body.

Law reached out to touch him... but then he remembered he couldn't do it and withdrew his arm. He had to sever that bond, there was no other way... But Rosapelo had said that... No, Law had to convince him... as soon as possible... "Pelo, let's get this over with," he said quietly, although he was trembling all over inside. "Look, it's the best thing I can do for you..."

"No!" the boy took his hands from his face and glared at him. He was angry again, fury seemed to be radiating even from the tips of his hair... and Law thought distractedly that such moodiness, typical for teenagers, is wonderful, too. "It won't happen, I won't let you do it!" he cried out and then shook his head before looking at him again. "You're wrong, you're so wrong about it... Are you even listening to me? Have you heard a single word of what I said?! It feels like I'm talking to a wall... like my words doesn't matter at all..." He paused, and his eyes turned wide, with some guilt flashing in them. "Is it because I never told you... I love you, Law-san?" he asked in a softer voice, averting his gaze, but then he gulped and looked at him again. "I love you," he said more firmly. "I was... I am happy with you. When my mom died, when I was left all alone... You took care of me after I lost everything. You gave me home, wanted to be with me... You convinced me to live on, convince me that it was worth it, that everything would be all right... I didn't believe I could be happy again, and yet I was. I'm not going to give up on that happiness. Just like you... I don't want to lose you. Just like you, I can't imagine my life without you. I don't want you to die for me," he repeated his earlier words, and his eyes filled with tears again. "I don't want that you... die. There's no need for that...! You can't convince me that it's the only way, no chance...!"

Law averted his eyes... but the next moment Rosapelo grabbed him by the shirt and pulled towards himself, so that their heads almost touched and Law could feel his warm breath on his face.

"Law-san... If you kill yourself, I will never forgive you," the boy said quietly, pressingly and with complete confidence. "And I'll throw away the immortality because, without you, it will be a curse. So your... sacrifice," he almost spat out that word, "will go to waste." Then, however, he added in a more gentle voice, almost whispering, "But I'd rather... that it's not fear guiding you, only- If what you said... if you really love me..." He shook his head. "No, the reason isn't important. I just want that you live."

He took a deep breath, but he wouldn't let go of him. His eyes were focused, their intense blue filling all sight, and Law felt absorbed and paralysed by them. He wouldn't be able to budge, even if his life depended on it. He could barely breathe.

"You're not going to lose me, Law-san," Rosapelo continued, and his voice was now hard as steel, even though it wasn't much louder than a whisper. "I'm not dying. You know what's the problem here? You always want to do everything by yourself, you take all responsibility on your shoulders, while there are others... many people who wish... who could help you. I asked Franky to built some equipment to protect me from breaking my bones... And Clione-san is going to give me a psychotherapy because he suspects that my falls may be of psychogenic nature... And if needed, I can stay here, even ten years. I won't leave from your side, I won't risk any harm. I can even stay in bed. I'm ready to do it... and I will do it without a second thought, no matter how hard it might be," he declared and then moved away, releasing his grip and withdrawing his hand.

When the physical contact was broken, Law had a ridiculous feeling of loss, but Rosapelo was still holding him: with his eyes.

"What would you say, Law-san? Do we have a deal?" he asked. "Because it's not about the words... it's not about just saying 'I love you'..." he gulped, "but about proving it, too. And I'm ready to give up on everything my peers have so that I could have what they don't have: you. So you, too, instead of taking the easier way, show me that you're ready to make an effort. You promised... you said that there was no trouble we couldn't solve together. I believed that. I believed in everything I heard from you... starting from those first moments from the previous winter. You saved me, do you remember it? Only thanks to you... only because of you I decided to live. It didn't change. If I don't die, it's thanks to you. And if I die, then it's because of you as well." He breathed deeply. "What you say and what you intend... it doesn't match, Law-san. If you still want to that... then I'll never believe that I ever mattered anything to you. It'll feel as if you abandoned me because I was worthless."

Law twitched, as those words hurt him to the core. How... How could Rosapelo doubt it? "I love you..." he said helplessly, in despair. "Isn't it enough to die for you?"

Rosapelo shook his head. "It's far too little."

Law was staring at him in silence that was ringing with the words... and they couldn't be drowned out even by the ever faster heartbeat, pumping blood to his ears. He heard them, he'd heard them all, only... For the first time since the beginning of this conversation, he started to consider them... every sentence, every accusation, every request, every demand... He couldn't stand it that Rosapelo didn't believe him... but maybe... he had a reason for that?

Was there really no other way? True, Rosapelo wasn't dying, not now... It was just that his medical condition came with a risk of dying, and Law wanted to get around it... for he was scared of losing him. He was scared... no, he was terrified like never before that the boy would die. That terror would every day gnaw at his insides, and he could barely contain his screaming. But it didn't really have to happen now or anytime soon... If they were careful, the risk could be minimised. And if they could succeed, then only here, in the best hospital in the world, too.

Then, wasn't it really about Law... wishing to die? The words Rosapelo had said in anger were now echoing in his head... and sounding so familiar as if they were his own thoughts. Yes, he was tired of living. Yes, he felt guilty. Yes, he wanted to escape. He'd lived for three decades driven only by his desire to compensate for evil he'd never stopped feeling responsible for. He felt he shouldn't have lived... even less experienced happiness. He felt that his life would be worth anything only if he sacrificed it for something noble: if he gave it for someone else. Didn't it seem obvious to him that the only proper action was to say 'I love you' to the most important man and then go and die for him...? Just like Corazon had done, turning into the best role model. He respected Corazon, respected his actions and resolve... and had made his life into a memorial to the man who he owed everything to. Everything!

But wasn't Rosapelo right about that, too? Wasn't it that Corazon's death - even though it had saved him - had given him misery and despair that he hadn't been able to shake off for years... decades, even? He delved into his feelings now, brushed aside awe and rapture, admiration and gratitude, to find beneath them, somewhere deep down in his soul, also anger, disappointment... maybe even hate. For having been left alone. For having been given and then taken away. For having been hurt. And... yes, he'd thought it hadn't matched: that first Cora-san had told him 'I love you' and then had gone to be killed the very next moment. How could he believe him after that? How could he drive away the feeling he'd been, in fact... lied to? Sure, he'd covered all those negative emotions and regrets with logic and remorse, had taken and remembered only those good things, for - in order to retain his sanity - he'd had no other choice...

...but now he remembered that, when they'd been on their way to Minion to get the Ope Ope no Mi, that could save him... he hadn't thought at all about his survival. What had mattered was that Cora-san had been there, with him, keeping him safe, caring about him, being present... And when Law had waited for him, in fever and pain, fighting with death that had already tried to snatch him, then the only thing he'd felt was desire to see Cora-san once more... and fear that he wouldn't come back, that something had happened to him... And when he had come back, declaring victory and bringing salvage, then the only thing Law had felt was relief and immense happiness that he'd been all right... that he'd been back, once more by his side... and the Ope Ope no Mi could as well not exist...

Law remembered that his own life had mattered less than Cora-san being there for him. And he knew that, if he'd known what price he would have to pay for his own rescue, he would've rejected the Ope Ope no Mi and chosen to spend his final moments with the man who'd become his whole world. He would've protested until the very end, would've used every argument and every mean to stop Corazon, to protect him from dying...

Just like Rosapelo was now clutching at everything to protect him.

He focused his sight on the boy sitting before him and staring silently, still holding him with blue. His eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, his lips were pale, and his hair was tousled. He was exhausted and ill, and in pain, but above all he was suffering from fear of loss that - Law knew well - could ruin a man for the rest of his life, destroy something in their soul irrevocably, twist beyond repair.

Was it what he wanted for him? Was his own egoism - an effect of having been twisted - to speak up again? Yes, Rosapelo was right saying about the easiest way. How easy it was - when one was Trafalgar Law - to say 'I love you' and then kill himself... not think of consequences and settle with knowledge he'd done a noble thing... persuading himself into believing that, since he'd once survived himself, Rosapelo would manage, too... while, in fact, he would only be repeating the tragedy and prolonging that vicious cycle of love and death, instead of breaking it once and for all, even though it required making a greater effort. Now he could see clearly he'd wanted to be like Corazon but had never been even close. Cora-san hadn't gone to Minion to die, he just hadn't had another choice... but he, Law, simply tried to throw away his life, explaining it with someone else's good... yes, using Rosapelo as an excuse.

Maybe he didn't really love him... Maybe he'd always been that rotten substitute of a human that kept clinging to others and trying to see his own, better reflection in their eyes... using them to his own devices and preying on their feelings...? Maybe...

No.

Even if his love was so very imperfect, he didn't intend to deny it. It was selfish and possessive, full of anxiety and doubt, dominating and symbiotic, obsessive and immoderate... but it was real, for he couldn't help it. He loved Rosapelo and wouldn't be able to stop. Never.

He focused his gaze on the boy again, and his heart once more clenched with that hot emotion that was painful... but also so sweet...! In his mind, love and death had become entwined so tight he hadn't managed to separate him for almost thirty years... but was it already too late? Maybe it was still possible to forget about dying and just concentrate on loving? Maybe he could embrace happiness without thinking about paying for it? Because now that he was looking at Rosapelo, who remained silent and let him think of his choices... no, who was giving him the freedom of choice... now he felt that, in fact... he wished to stay...!

And once he allowed himself that thought... when he realised this wish... there was no return. Avalanche of impressions and images fell on him, rolling before his eyes and flooding his mind, almost taking his breath away but filling his veins with fluid energy at the same time... Oh, how he wanted to keep living with Rosapelo, whose presence made him so happy... so joyful...! How he wished their talking, joking and laughing together...! How he wanted to look at the same sky and hear the same screams of gulls, feel the breeze on his face and sunlight on his skin, taste salt in the air...! Take walks on the beach and spend evenings in their home with Tiger on his lap...! Visit the grave of his mother and meet people that had become important to them both...! How he wanted to help and support him in everything... share not only good but also bad times...! Stay with him as long as he could, maybe... maybe even many, many decades yet...?

Only hope could make it possible, hope that everything would be all right. Only hope could balance the risk that caused constant fear and stirred the urge... the instinct to end it once and for all. He could still do it, he was free... but if he wanted to be with Rosapelo, he had to accept that his freedom ended where the boy's freedom started. He knew he had to choose now... to decide if Trafalgar Law was someone to let fear guide him for the rest of his life... or rather find that hope and believe in future... But he wasn't sure... it seemed to him he was facing the most difficult choice ever...

Rosapelo seemed to read his mind and know his doubts - or maybe they were reflected on his face...? "Believe in yourself, Law-san," he said quietly, but seriously, with emphasis... and every word rang with love. "You've done so much good to me... why wouldn't it be so, from now on, too? I don't doubt you... I will never doubt you after what you've done for me... And believe in me, too. We'll deal with everything, together, so..." He shook his head, as if he thought he wasn't saying the right things. "You saved me, but don't do it halfway... 'cause it would mean that the last year and a half was pointless. Please... I beg you..." He stretched out one trembling arm and touched his hand, shyly, stealthily, but he didn't take it back. "Don't leave me halfway, saving me with one hand and giving me despair with the other. Do it better... better than Corazon-san."

Better than Cora-san? Law blinked, trying to comprehend it. Just one hour ago, such words would seem a complete nonsense... something utterly impossible... but now... He looked at the hand of the boy who was prepared to do anything to catch him and never let go, keep him, stop him from leaving and pull him close, for ever... That hand was like a bridge to the future, he should only take it...

He looked up and realised he couldn't see clearly; Rosapelo's face became blurred even though the boy was sitting right before him. He blinked, then wiped his eyes with an impatient gesture and looked at him again. His throat clenched, so he swallowed down, and then once more. His heart was beating hard and fast, as if was to jump out of his chest... probably of fear, for he was scared, so terribly scared of what he wanted to do... but his hand, as if it had a life on its own, moved up to squeeze Rosapelo's fingers...

"Is it better if I live...?" he uttered, knowing he would lost control of his voice very soon.

And Rosapelo only nodded. Two tears dropped from his eyelashes and fell on the carpet. He lowered his head... and the next moment he swayed as if he'd lost all his strength... but Law was already by his side, taking him in his arms and holding close to his chest. He buried his face in the boy's hair and hugged him as if he didn't want to ever let him go... as if he were afraid that if he did so, he would never find the right way... Way home.

'You'll have to wait a bit longer for me, Cora-san,' he said in his mind and then corrected, 'Well, maybe a bit longer than a bit longer... You'll forgive me that, won't you?' And then he decided he could say goodbye to Corazon for some time now. They would undoubtedly meet again one day, but now... Now he would spend his life with someone else... someone whose name, too, meant 'heart'.

Rosapelo was weeping quietly in his arms, and Law embraced him tighter. "I'm sorry, Pelo," he whispered when he could utter the voice again.

'Sorry' was a good start... but he couldn't be happy, knowing that he had to apologise again. But... now he realised the pressure the boy must have been under for the last two days. He recalled his own pale smiles that probably had only made Rosapelo's fear grow, reminding about that night crying... Those last hours together, filled with entertainment that the boy couldn't enjoy, for his fears would only get stronger... Only now he could imagine how Rosapelo had felt: that fear that everything could soon end... and that despair to do something, otherwise...

On his kid's shoulders, Law had put weight he should have carried himself... weight much too heavy, and yet Rosapelo had been strong enough to take it. He hadn't broken... he'd given his all to bear that trial, too, even though he hadn't deserved it. Of them two, Rosapelo had always been the brave one... the one who hadn't hesitated to take the challenge. He must have been scared to death... and yet he'd managed to draw up his line of battle and hadn't retreated even an inch. Law realised that, confronted with resolve of that exceptional teenager, he'd had no chance from the start... and that conclusion was followed by another: he needed him to get a grip. He, an adult man.

"I'm sorry I treated you badly again," he said, stroking his hair. "I acted like a total git again, without taking others into consideration... You were right about me. I'm a coward who wished to do the easiest thing and escape the responsibility, instead of bravely face my life and what it brings along... instead of fighting to my last breath. Pathetic..."

Rosapelo shook his head. "You are who you are," he whispered without looking up. "It doesn't matter, because it's you, Law-san. Even if you were the worst man in the world... while you aren't... It doesn't matter," he repeated, then raised his hands and clutched his shirt. "I just... want that you..."

"I won't do that, I promise," Law assured him fervently. "I won't perform the Perennial Youth Operation. I won't... I won't die as long as I can prevent it. But... Could you believe me? Will you be able to trust me once more?" he asked and wasn't sure of it at all.

But Rosapelo's personality was nowhere near as twisted as his own - although he'd been on the way to make it so - for the boy only nodded, and Law felt he'd been given a miracle again.

He shouldn't tempt the fate any more, he thought distractedly, embracing the boy even tighter. He possessed an amazing ability to sabotage his own happiness, which hurt not only him but also people he loved. It was high time that he took a full responsibility for himself, not counting on his kid to get him back on track every time... It was high time to understand that one day he might be not so successful. Now, although it'd been just a moment since making a decision, he already felt cold at the thought of what he'd almost done. And, again, he felt terribly grateful to the boy - to his insufferable, wonderful foster son - for his will to fight for him and never let him go... for keeping him here. He should spend the rest of his life, thanking him for that... although he suspected that the boy needed only his presence. It was how people who loved were constructed.

He noticed that Rosapelo's breathing had become slower and the boy's body had relaxed in his embrace. The teenager had fallen asleep when that horrible tension had left and the fought had ended, even pain wouldn't bother him... He probably had slept very little in last two days, afraid that once he waked up... Law clenched his jaws, realising his own cruelty once more... and then he took a deep breath to slowly let it out. 'You are who you are,' he remembered his kid's words. Maybe he should focus on them. They were a good starting point...

When he lifted his eyelids, the soft shadow was filling the room, and the sky outside was glowing with the afternoon light. He was lying on the floor; apparently, he'd fallen asleep at some point, too... Rosapelo was sitting next to him, leaning over slightly and observing him with greed, and his intensely blue eyes were shining like two stars. They became wider when he waked up.

Law reached up and touched his face. "Rosapelo..." he said in a sleep voice. When the boy knitted his brows, he added, "Pelo... The boy whose name means 'heart'."

The teenager nodded. "I know."

Law smiled. It seemed to him it had been ages since the last time he'd smiled. "Have you ever known?" he muttered, letting his arm fall down but keeping an eye-contact.

Rosapelo shrugged as if it hadn't mattered, but then his gaze became sharp again. "Can I stay?" he asked, but then he shook his head, realising he'd asked a wrong question. "Will you stay with me, Law-san?"

"I will," Law replied, still smiling. "I need you. Only you could knock my foolishness out of me. I'll stay. Even for the whole future... no matter how long it would be. The longer the better."

Rosapelo considered that answer and apparently didn't find any trick to it, for the next moment the corners of his mouth twitched and he nodded. "I think it'll be enough," he claimed, and this time his smile reached his eyes.

And Law decided to never forget this perfect moment when he felt there was nothing - really, nothing - he missed.