Broken Promise

Chapter Six

A heavy, flapping noise penetrated the thin fog in Law's mind. His eyes flew open and he scanned his surroundings threats.

Something black scuttled across his foot. Law instinctively jerked away and the dark form disappeared into a wisp. Law set his foot back down with a huff. He often saw shadows snaking around the room, which disappeared as soon as he turned his head. The rational, still-functioning part of his mind told him he was going into a meltdown.

He twisted onto his side and shouldered his way up into a sitting position, stifling a hiss of pain as his back muscles flared. He'd become overly reliant on them since his hands were bound behind his back. Every movement sent aches stretching down his body and he cursed himself for being so careless.

How could Law not have realised Monet employed some sort of ability? Perhaps not a Devil Fruit, but he should have at least suspected she was a capable fighter. After all, she worked for Doflamingo and hunted all the animals which replaced the subordinates' legs. That alone should have struck his attention and because it hadn't, Law had been careless and now he was stuck in this tiny vault.

The grey, dank walls were too close to him. Law's breathing shallowed and his heart rate sped up. He hated small spaces and being shut in, as it reminded him of the room he'd been locked in under Doflamingo's orders.

Dammit! Law shook his head angrily. This train of thought only incensed him. It only sent his anxiety levels rocketing, and making him behave the way they wanted him to—uneasy and skittish. He constantly checked the door, thinking he could hear footsteps echoing on the other side, reminiscent of Doflamingo's footsteps from all those years ago. If Law didn't sleep soon, his reflexes and judgement would be so impaired he'd be unable to escape.

Which was probably their plan.

The flapping noise came again and Monet's half-woman, half-avian silhouette flashed through the thick vault door. The air inside instantly became cooler, as it always did in her presence. Law's breath fogged before his eyes and he curled inwards to retain his body heat.

Monet delighted in flitting in and out of the room, the beating of her wings too loud and heavy to allow him to succumb to sleep. "Awake now?"

Law squinted at her, but his vision remained blurry. He closed his eyes for a second, but they were so dry they simply watered and stung. When he opened them again, Monet stood in front of him, wings spread out like an angel with a smile so gentle it almost shattered Law's barrier and sent him over the edge right there and then.

It was a smile he'd never been graced with before, and he couldn't even begin to describe what he would give to see that smile under kinder circumstances. Realising he was losing his grip, Law bit his tongue until the pain shot up to his head. Damned sleep deprivation. Since when did the War Lord Trafalgar Law care about a woman's smile?

Of course he couldn't give in. Not when he was within arm's reach of destroying the SAD production line.

Monet leaned down, so close that the tips of their noses brushed against each other. The cold air she breathed out tickled his lips and sent chills rolling down his spine. "The lack of sleep must be getting to you, especially since it's the fifth day. What's it like when we're not around?"

Law licked his lips and croaked through a dry mouth, "Peaceful."

"I meant the hallucinations. Surely we're better company." Monet gave a small, knowing smile.

"Don't think too highly of yourself." The monsters in his head didn't leave scars like the ones that hunted him so obviously they were the preferable company.

"Maybe you should take your own advice." Monet lifted one wing and brushed his hair from his forehead, behind his ear and back down to the curve of his cheek with a feather-light touch. "You're fraying at the edges. Weariness lines the creases of your face vacancy fills your eyes beautifully." Her amber eyes glinted in amusement. "You haven't changed a bit."

Law tried wrapping his head around her words, but fatigue slowed him down.

Monet chuckled and clarified. "I resided at the Don Quixote mansion when I was a child. I spent my time bettering my skills on the training ground, seeing as I don't have the brains that Joker prizes so highly. I was so wrapped up in training that I didn't pay much attention to others, but one person I always noticed was a little brown-haired boy behind a window, brooding over some book or another."

A cold hand choked the breath from Law's lungs and he fought to suck in air.

"He piqued my interest because he was the only one I never met face to face." Monet tilted her head in curiosity. "You were always inside, studying, and never bothered to look outside."

What joke was that? Looking outside was all he ever did when he wasn't forced to memorise passages about pharmacology or dissecting specimens. He could never tear his eyes from that wondrous blue sky, never stop craving its endless beauty, and he spent so many hours entertaining the idea hurling his heaviest textbook through the glass, or scratching it with his scalpels until it cut a hole to freedom. The glass was so flimsy it would have broken under the slightest touch. But fear kept him from trying.

"You were such a studious and obedient pet," Monet continued. "You didn't notice someone like me. You didn't have to cast your eyes over anything else, not when everything you ever wanted was lavished upon you."

Just remembering made his chest ache. He would have given anything to escape outside and eventually, he gave everything he had.

"Were you jealous?" Law tilted his head up to meet her eyes. "Did you not like it when Doflamingo paraded me around as heir to the Heart seat, when he barely cast a second glance at you?"

"You were unappreciative of what the young master gave you." The air grew chillier and crystals of ice fell from Monet's lips when she spoke. "Your aloofness maddened me beyond measure. You always thought everybody was below you. I remember how you made that little black-haired boy carry your books for you. He followed you everywhere like a puppy."

He still does, Law drearily thought.

"Karma has a way of coming back, doesn't it?" Monet sneered. "Now you're the one looking up at me."

"And it is truly a disgusting sight." Despite his situation, a snicker touched Law's lips. "Since you oversee SAD production, I thought you were one of Doflamingo's higher-up agents. But how can that be when you're so weak? You did ask me, the enemy, to make you stronger when you couldn't afford my services. It's no wonder you won't go far, Miss Monet."

A flush spread across Monet's pale face and she snarled, "How dare you speak so lowly of me!" She raised her talons high in the air where they hung threateningly, then the downward slash came.

Unable to dodge in time, Law twisted to the side but the attack never came.

"Monet!"

Her talons stopped right above Law's temple, and she reluctantly set her foot down before turning around with a smile plastered on her face. Vergo stood behind her, tall and imposing with his hands behind his back.

"Please give us a minute," he said. "Law and I have much to talk about."

"Of course," Monet politely said. She retreated outside, shooting Law a dirty look which he reciprocated.

Vergo raked his eyes over the room. Law felt his skin burn where Vergo's gaze settled on the sweat that beaded his brow. The bastard knew how much Law despised enclosed spaces, and must have deliberately told Caesar and Monet to use the smallest room they had.

"Doflamingo is quite happy that I can take you back to him. It's a cause for celebration, apparently."

Vergo's dry tone suited his equally dry words. He'd always been indifferent towards Law in front of others but when they were alone, Law felt the sting of his words and his fist.

"May he celebrate with fireworks and burn off his eyebrows again."

"Doflamingo wants to see his little brother. Stop being stubborn and return to the family."

Law twitched and glared up at the man. Vergo had no right to talk to him about family. "He's not my brother."

"He's always treated you like one."

"That's not how family treat each other." Law's next words dripped with venom, cold in his voice and bitter on his tongue. "I may not have a real family but I know they're not supposed to leave scars."

"You were disobedient."

"You were cruel."

"Doflamingo needed a doctor and you were a prodigy. He invested so much in you it'd be a waste to let you go. The Heart seat is still empty, waiting for you."

The thought of a space reserved for him made Law's stomach churn. The so-called reward of the Heart seat wasn't enticing, even though it'd been the goal he was forced to work towards as a child. The fact that it was still empty was remarkable—it'd been ten years already. But that just spoke volumes of how much Doflamingo wanted him.

"I've refused all this time. What makes you think I'll say yes now?"

"Because I know you're here to stop the production of SAD—it wasn't hard to figure out. All you ever do is trouble Doflamingo, isn't that right? If you agree to come back quietly, I will overlook this issue and prevent him from finding out. But if you refuse, I will punish you again."

Law's eyes fell down and he stared through his clothes to see the tattoos inked on his arms, chest and back. They covered up his scars to cover up his past. They were also a reminder to refrain from fear because he wasn't the same scared child.

"You never took discipline well, much like that child in Caesar's charge. I believe you're familiar with her—a girl with bite marks all over her hands. I noticed them when she was trying to hit me."

Vergo's goad couldn't have been more obvious. As much as Law told himself he didn't care about the girl, he couldn't deny there were parallels between their situations and as Penguin warned… it rang too close to home.

"What did you do to her." Law tried to sound noncommittal but his voice came out flat, too flat. How bad were the wounds Vergo inflicted on Ria? He knew too well just how cruelly Vergo dealt pain. Could Ria withstand Vergo's beatings?

"I found that rat sneaking around while I was trying to hold a private conversation with Caesar. Naturally, I had to take care of her. What if she riled up her friends and caused damage to the laboratory?"

"What. Did. You. Do."

"She's alive," Vergo said, "and you should be grateful for that, no matter what state she's in."

He reached into his coat, took out a stick of bamboo and slapped it against the flat of his hand. The bamboo darkened to the colour of tar, gleaming with evil intent and which sent shivers rocking down Law's body. "You will learn discipline again."

"It won't happen."

Vergo paused and considered the statement. "Then we will continue until your will breaks, or your body breaks."

The first blow smacked into the left side of Law's face, right on the cheekbone where it did the most damage. Law's head whipped to the side, his hat flying off and his cheek going numb seconds before the pain reared. Tears blurred his vision and he grunted, not wanting to give Vergo the satisfaction.

"You're keeping quiet this time?" The bamboo swung in a lazy circle between Vergo's fingers. "At least you've learned, screaming won't bring any mercies."

Law glared through the tears and snarled, "I won't beg ever again. I won't kneel ever again. I won't submit ever again."

There was no point, not when Vergo did not know mercy, and if it did not exist then there was no point begging. Why let his pride fall lower?

Vergo loomed over him, grabbed a fistful of his hair and wrenched upwards. Pain flared through his neck and Law hissed through his teeth, tasting blood in his mouth.

"You want to kill me." Vergo traced Law's jaw line with the bamboo. "I can see it so plainly in your eyes."

How long had it been since Law dreamed of crushing Vergo? It'd started off as a spark of hatred and no beating could stomp it out of him. If anything, Vergo's abuse fuelled his rage until it accumulated into the seething mass that burned in his chest.

"You're practically trembling," Vergo continued. "But is that from weariness, anger or fear? Be honest with yourself, Law. You hate me but you're also afraid of me because you know I'm one of the few people capable of hurting you. Like this!"

Vergo rammed the end of the bamboo into Law's ribs, throwing all his weight behind the attack. All that impact focused on such a small point drove deep into Law's body and he threw his head back with a snap, clenching his teeth to muffle the scream that threatened to rip itself from his throat.

"I mustn't be making you suffer enough if you have the sense to stay quiet." Vergo removed the bamboo and stood straight.

Law took the chance to suck in a mouthful of precious air. The moment of respite was paid for dearly.

Vergo's foot came from the corner of his eye, and smashed into his head. Law crashed into the floor face-first. He coughed, losing that last bit of air in his lungs and the last of the barrier that held everything at bay.

Unable to stop it, the tiniest whimper escaped Law.

"I didn't hear that." Vergo's footsteps shuffled closer, then Law felt weight on his fingers.

"No!" Law roared, thrashing. His fingers couldn't be broken! The bones were too thin, too fragile, and breaking them could mean permanent damage to the tissues and nerves. If that were the case, his hands would never be steady enough to operate again.

Vergo's foot halted, just putting enough pressure to hurt.

Law squeezes his eyes shut as the first waves of defeat crashed over his body.

"I will ask you one last time. Will you return to Doflamingo?"

The blue-grey tiles filled Law's vision and he spat a mixture of saliva and blood across the floor.

How did it turn out like this? He'd sat in paradise for almost two years, creating a plan and incorporating his crew's suggestions into it because they came up with schemes he could never even dream of. But for all of that, none of them factored this into the equation.

Of all the people that could have appeared on Punk Hazard, it had to be Vergo, the only man in the world that Law was afraid of.

Law's shoulders shook. It started off small but grew in intensity and coursed down his body until he convulsed with laughter, head thrown back and tears in his eyes. How utterly hilarious that his luck could be this awful. Perhaps it was karma after all, because Law could not logically think how this could have happened.

He bared his teeth at his captor in a wild grin. "I'm not the obedient dog Doflamingo thinks I am, and you know it. Why don't you stop pretending like you want to let me live, and just finish me off?"

There was no expression on Vergo's face, but Law knew underneath those sunglasses, the man's eyes glinted with malice.

"Such a pity," Vergo mocked. He drew back his first, index finger pointed straight. It darkened with armament haki, then slashed through Law's neck.

Law felt nothing. Then the first drops of blood fell and turned into a red river that gushed down his neck and soaked into his coat. He gaped, dark spots dotting his vision, and fell.

Through the haze, Vergo wiped the blood from his finger using a handkerchief. "Monet. I'd appreciate it if you cleaned this mess up."

Her head appeared around the door and she raised her eyebrows. "Eh… that's a lot of blood."

"I do apologise."

"It's not a problem. I'll dispose of the body and get one of the subordinates to mop away the evidence. You better report to Joker and get back to your station. We've had enough disturbances already and I would prefer it if we can continue working undisrupted."

"I understand. Thank you for your help."

Monet fluttered towards Law, and her wings patted his back lightly. The chains that bound his hands fell away and a smidgen of strength returned to him though it sapped out with the blood. With all the strength he could muster, Law lifted a hand and clamped it to his neck to stem the flow.

"You're still alive? How persistent."

She hopped on top of him, weight barely a burden, and dug her talons into his sides. Her wings flapped once then twice and Law's head arched backwards under gravity. He barely registered their flight through the laboratory and out the main exit, only gathering a vague inkling when the onslaught of gales and snowflakes cut across his cheeks.

Monet's voice dipped low against the scream of the elements. "What did you expect to accomplish in Joker's territory? You have some nerve to waltz in without knowing its dangers and planning accordingly. People say you're intelligent but I think you're a fool. You were doomed the second I laid eyes on you."

Law couldn't stop the blood from slipping through his fingers and without any more strength, he couldn't hold on any longer and let his hand fall. Droplets of blood fell down to be whisked away into the swirling white abyss below.

So this was it. Disappointment welled inside him, and he closed his eyes. How could he fail his crew like this? They followed him, believing that he could take them to the top, believing even now, on so many islands away, that he would return to them safely.

This was as far as he got in the New World.

Law's body hit water, and it rushed up to swallow him in iciness. He gasped, gulping water so cold it numbed his mind and body. The roaring wind disappeared, leaving a wondrous silence that washed everything away.

Tendrils of blood snaked towards the glowing surface and Law reached up to stop them but his arms would not obey.

Seawater.

Bubbles escaped his lips and with no air to sustain him, Law's eyes fell closed.

A.N.

I swear I'm still alive!

Thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday and good luck for my tests- I'm happy to say that I passed everything and have since graduated from university. Whoo-hoo!

Life's been a bit messy since then so I haven't been writing as much as I'd like to but now that everything's settling down, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things.

Thank you for sticking to this story- it makes me so happy to know you're still reading it :)