A Little Confusion
Law jumped back from Bepo's punch. Tapping his boots on the deck of the ship, he launched himself forward, swinging at the bear's head. Sweat dripped down his forehead and chest. His lungs pumped hard to bring in air for him. They had been going at it for almost two hours now. He gave a quick glance over at Lami. She was still where he had left her, right near the mast playing with several toys that Penguin had brought to her. He often wondered if Penguin bought those toys or stole them. The boy had said a few were his old toys that he wanted her to have. But the rest were obviously brand new.
"Hiya!" Bepo yelled before kicking at Law again.
Law brought his eyes back to the bear just in time to dodge it. He lunged forward with several punches of his own. Bepo managed to dodge them all. "You're good."
"Thank you," Bepo said. "My people have always been quick on their feet."
Their sparring continued until Lami's laughter made them stop. They turned their eyes to her.
"What?! What is that?!" Bepo asked when he saw four glowing orbs floating around the baby's head.
Lami squealed and clapped her hands in delight.
"Captain, do you know what that is?!" Bepo asked.
"No." Law walked over to his little one. He knelt down and inspected the orbs closely. There were four in total, one dark blue, one light blue, one green, and one red. He hummed in thought. "She's never done this before. Or at least not since I've had her with me."
"Do you have a guess at what it could be?" Bepo asked.
"A devil fruit maybe?" Law replied.
"You think someone mashed up a devil fruit and fed it to her?" Bepo asked.
"It's…possible," Law said while rubbing his chin. "But I have no idea why anyone would want to do that to a baby. They won't be able to control their power let alone know they have one. She wouldn't be able to comprehend it."
"Should we test her and see?" Bepo asked.
"Test her?" Law looked up at the bear. He was about to ask what he meant by that then it hit him. The only way they could test it was to put her in the sea. "No way! I'm not dumping her in the sea!"
"You don't have to dump her in the sea," Bepo said. "One of us could hold her for you and see."
"No! It's too danger!" Law said.
"I'm sorry." Bepo ducked his head.
Law sighed. "Don't be. I know you're only trying to help."
"It really is the only way to know for sure at this point," Bepo said.
"I know that," Law said. "But it's so risky."
"We'll keep a close eye on her," Bepo said. "And all we have to do it just place her in the water for a few seconds. If she grows tired then we know she has a devil fruit. It might be a safe thing to do."
"How do you mean?" Law looked up at him.
"Well, if she does have a devil fruit it's possible she can use it as a baby," Bepo said. "If she does we'll need to know that so we can be prepared for it."
Law bit the inside of his cheek. The bear did have a point. If she did have a devil fruit then it could cause problems for them when they sail out to see. He'd prefer it if they had sea prism stone. That way she wouldn't have to go in the sea.
"Hey!" Shachi called out before his head popped over the side of the ship. "We're back! And we brought lunch!"
"What's going on?" Penguin asked when he and Shachi made it to the deck. His eyes then noticed the orbs. "What are those?"
"We don't know," Law said. "They just showed up."
"We think she might have a devil fruit," Bepo said.
"A baby having a devil fruit?" Shachi crossed his arms. "Don't be stupid."
"It's possible though," Law said. "Someone could grind it up enough for a baby to eat."
"But they're suppose to taste really nasty," Shachi said.
"Well, they could have starved her before giving it to her," Penguin said. "Though the thought makes me boil with anger."
"We were talking about testing her before you got here," Law said. "Is there any sea prism stone on this island?"
"Not that we're aware of," Shachi said.
"Then how else are we going to…" Penguin started. "Oh no! We can't take her into the sea!"
"We have to," Law said. "We need to know before we set out to sea. If she has a devil fruit and it gets out of control she could hurt us or worse."
"But…" Penguin said. But he had no more words. What Law said made a whole lot of sense.
"So are we going to do it?" Shachi asked carefully.
"Yeah." Law nodded.
"We should eat first," Penguin said. He sat the picnic basket he was carrying down on the deck before sitting down himself. Opening it up he pulled himself out a sandwich and took a rough bite of it. "I hate this."
"You're not the only one," Law said. He sat down beside Lami. Her orbs faded away. Her eyes found his and she smile. His heart fluttered. She was so innocent. He hoped and prayed she didn't have a devil fruit. Or so he thought. Maybe her having one would be a benefit to her. She would have something else to protect her besides her fighting skills that he was going to teach her when she was old enough. He reached into the picnic basket and pulled out an apple. The juice flowed over his tongue when he bit down on it.
"I think it would be great if she had a devil fruit," Shachi said around his bite of his sandwich.
"Why do you think that?" Penguin asked.
"Then we'd have two devil fruits on our crew," Shachi said. "It would make us even more powerful."
"Then you eat it and keep her out of it," Penguin said. "It's already going to be hard enough with her on the crew. She's too cute. No one better try and have sex with her."
"Hey!" Law glared at his subordinate.
"Sorry," Penguin said. "I guess I'm getting a little head of myself."
"Who knew you had such a big brother attitude," Shachi said. "You're an only child."
"That doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of younger kids," Penguin said. "I actually happen to be very fond of them."
"Yeah, right," Shachi said. "That's why I always see you around them."
"I do like kids! It doesn't mean I don't since I don't go looking for them!" Penguin snapped.
Lami frowned at his loud voice then started crying.
"You made her cry," Shachi said.
"Ack! I'm sorry, Lami," Penguin said. "I didn't mean to do it."
Law picked Lami up and placed her on his lap. She stopped crying, grabbed onto his shirt, and sucked on her thumb.
"You're really good with her," Bepo said.
Law couldn't help but smile. He was glad he was doing find as her caretaker. Staring into his eyes he thought about what exactly he was going to be to her. He had the big brother thing covered thanks to his sister. However, his sister had their parents to do most of the work. He figured he was going to have to do that with his baby. He was going to have to be both her big brother and her dad. But which should he be more? A big brother? Or a parent?
"What's on your mind, Captain?" Penguin asked.
"I'm just thinking about what my relationship with her is going to be," Law said. "She needs a parent."
"Who says you can't be her parent?" Shachi asked.
"For one, I have no idea how to be a parent," Law said. "I only know how to be a big brother."
"Then be both," Bepo said.
"He can't be both!" Shachi and Penguin snapped.
"I'm sorry." Bepo ducked his head.
"I might not have a choice," Law said. "I'm raising her after all. So I'm going to have to be both. There are going to be times when she'll need a big brother. And there will be times when she'll need a parent. I just hope I can tell which is needed at the right time."
"Don't worry about it." Penguin placed his hands behind him and leaned back. "From what I can tell being a parent is a trial and error thing. All you really have to do is follow what your parents did."
"That might work," Law said. "Maybe I can find some parenting books or ask for advice while we're sailing the sea."
"I'm sure you can do that," Penguin said. "A lot of people are willing to give advice when asked for it."
Law nodded. He continued to eat, but the appetite he did have was long gone. Fear and worry replaced it. He didn't want his baby going into the sea. Devil fruit or no devil fruit the sea was a dangerous place. And she was just a baby. She was unable to swim or even try to protect herself if something went wrong. He hated that Corazon had forced him to eat his devil fruit. The hate didn't last long. If it weren't for that man then he never would have met her. "That's it."
"What's it?" Shachi asked.
"Her name," Law said.
"Is Lami," Penguin said. "We all know that."
"Her full name," Law said. "It's Trafalgar Corazon Lami."
"Corazon?" Bepo asked. "Sounds lovely."
"Yeah." Law smiled and nodded. The name fit her. She had become his heart, his reason for living. And Corazon had given him his own heart back by saving his life and freeing him from Doflamingo. He loved the man. So why not name his baby after both his sister and Corazon? "It's perfect."
The small crew finished up their lunch. By the time that ended Lami started crying for a bottle. So Law fixed her one then changed her diaper. "We should hurry this up. She'll want to take a nap soon."
"Right!" the crew said with a nod.
Law nodded back. He placed his baby in the carrier then descended down to the island. They walked away from the ship then down a small incline to the beach. He stared out at the vast water before him. His heart skipped a beat. Danger could be lying just under the surface and no one would know it until it was too late. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. She would be fine. He had his devil fruit after all. He could use that to safe her if it was needed. Plus she wouldn't be going out very far anyway. "So any volunteers?"
"I'll do it," Penguin said.
"Fine." Law reluctantly handed Lami over to him.
"Such a cutie," Penguin said when Lami smiled at him. "Let's go."
"Hold on to her tightly," Law said. "But not too tightly."
"I know," Penguin said.
"Don't drop her."
"I won't."
"Only go out a few feet."
"I will."
"Careful! Don't slip!"
"Captain! It's fine. She's going to be fine." Penguin glanced at his captain
"Fine," Law said crossing his arms over his chest. "Just do it."
Penguin nodded and stepped into the water. The sea flooded into his boots, wetting his socks and feet. He moved farther out into the water until he was about knee deep. He figured that would be deep enough. Kneeling down he carefully dipped Lami's legs into the water. He watched her face carefully for signs of tiredness. He saw nothing. So he lowered her even farther into the water until it was up to her chest. She smiled, squealed, and then started kicking her feet and splashing the water with her hands. He chuckled. "So it's official. You don't have a devil fruit."
Penguin stood back up. The water dripped off them and back into the sea.
Lami protested from being pulled from the water with a whine. Wiggling her small fingers she reached for the sea below her.
"No, no, Lami," Penguin said. "That's too danger for you to play in. We have to go back now."
Lami whined and continued to reach for the water.
"You better come back before you drop her," Law said. "She's getting to squirmy."
"Coming," Penguin said. He turned and headed back to the shore.
Lami whined again.
Penguin gasped in shock when her dark blue orb appeared beside her. It started to glow. The glow wrapped around her body. He took a step back with four steams of water shot up around him. "What the heck?!"
"What's going on?!" Bepo shrieked from the beach.
"Captain, what's happening to her?!" Shachi asked.
"I don't know!" Law said. "Penguin! Get her back to the shore! Now!"
"I'm trying!" Penguin took a step forward. Two of the streams moved closer, blocking his path. "I can't! She's somehow controlling the water!"
Lami squeal then laughed and then wiggled as hard as she could.
"Lami! Please, hold still!" Penguin said tightening his hold on her. "I don't want to drop you! How can you have so much strength?!"
Lami squealed again. Her glow increased. The water around them started bubbling around Penguin's legs.
Penguin screamed when a fifth stream came up from underneath him. He tipped backwards. The stream pushed him and Lami into the sky.
"Lami!" Law called out.
Lami looked down to the beach where Law's voice came from. She squealed again and reached for him.
"Someone help!" Penguin cried just before the water and the glow disappeared. He plummeted towards the sea. His heart slammed into his chest when he realized the water had pushed them far too high. It was going to hurt when they hit the water. He tightened his arms around her to shield her from the hit. "Don't worry! I got you, Lami! I promise you won't get hurt! Just hold on!"
"Room!"
Penguin looked around at the blue film that now surrounded him.
"Shambles!"
The hard sandy ground collided with his back. The air left his lungs in one rushing swoosh.
"Hey! Are you okay?!" Shachi leaned over Penguin's face. "Speak to me, Penguin!"
"I'm fine," Penguin said, the air returning to his lungs. "How's Lami?"
Law grabbed his baby from the man's arms. His eyes flew over her small body. He relaxed when he saw no harm had come to her. She smiled at him. "She's fine."
"That's good." Penguin sat up.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Shachi asked. "You kind of hit the ground hard."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Penguin said. "Nothing really hurts."
"Be sure to let me know if it does," Law said. "I'll give you a check up then."
"You got it." Penguin nodded.
Lami giggled again and kicked her feet.
Penguin chuckled. "Should have known you'd love it."
"But what did she do?" Bepo asked.
"I'm not sure really," Penguin said. "Her dark blue orb just suddenly appeared. It started glowing as well as her body. Then the water seemed to go nuts."
"Water." Law looked out to the sea. "I wonder…"
"Wonder what, Captain?" Bepo asked.
"If her orbs can control the elements," Law said.
"Why would you think that?" Shachi asked.
"Because of the color of her orbs," Law said.
"The color of her orbs?" Shachi tilted his head. "I'm not following you."
"Dark blue, light blue, red, and green are often the most common colors used to represent the elements of water, fire, earth, and air," Law said.
"He's right!" Penguin said.
"Do you think she can control the elements then?" Bepo asked.
"Considering what she did just now I'd say that's a safe bet," Law said.
"That would be crazy if she could," Penguin said. "The elements can be a powerful weapon."
"It can also be a dangerous one," Law said. "People will fear her. Scientists will want to study her."
"I don't think this is going to be something we can hide," Shachi said.
"Maybe we can just pass it off as a devil fruit?" Penguin offered.
"Possibly," Law said. "But then she would have to be constantly aware of her surroundings. We're human. She'll slip up at some point. And someone will see her."
"We'll just have to make sure she's never alone then," Penguin said. "One of us will always be with her."
Law nodded even though he knew that would most likely not be the case. If Lami grew up to be the rebellious type then they would be in some serious trouble. The thought already had him worrying over her and how he should treat her during that time. "Well, I'm going to give her a bath now and get her into some dry clothes."
The small group turned and headed back to the ship. Back up on the deck, Law entered into the ship and into the bathroom. He filled the tub up with warm water then took off Lami's clothes and placed her in the water. She smacked her hands on it and giggled. He smiled but carefully watched for her orb to appear again. It didn't. There was no sign at all of the orb she used a few minutes ago. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she didn't control the elements and what she did was something else. But what? It was clear that she wasn't a devil fruit user. So what was she? What was his baby?
His mind was brought back to her when her small hand patted his arm. He smiled again. "I'm sorry. Am I ignoring you?"
Lami patted his arm again.
"I guess I'm just a bit confused over you. You seem to have a gift but I have no idea what it is. Can you tell me what it is?" Law said.
Lami smiled.
"Maybe when you're old, huh?" Law asked. He scooped up some water in his hand and dumped it onto her hair, careful to not let it get into her eyes. Once her bath was done her wrapped her in a dry towel and headed for his room. He grabbed her a new diaper and a change of clothes before sitting down on the bed with her. Putting her new clothes on he picked her up and headed for the door. "Well, I can't wait to see what you have in store for me, my mysterious little baby."
Thanks everyone for the input. I'll let it flow and see what happens. Might do a balance of the two. A lot seem to favor making her his daughter. I guess no one's ever don't that before. Might be fun to try that since when he's 24 she'll be 11. Most seem to always want 'Harry' to be in a romantic relationship with Law. And yeah I know I have grammar issues. I try to watch that but I always miss something. I'll try to get at least one chapter a week up from now on but no promises. Sometimes it's just hard to sit down and get a chapter written.
