Disclaimer: Me: Yay, I finally own- Myself: No. I:I'll sue you.
Author's Note: I read from a fan theory that Kora/Cora-san's a D. Purely fan theory, so I borrowed the idea and made the Kora/Cora of my story a D. Shout outs to that person(I forgot who you are, I'm sorry! *hangs head with defeat*). Sorry if the other characters involved might seem out of character to you. Writing about them ain't my specialty(as well as writing Law... WHAT THE HECK? THEN WHY DID I WRITE AND STILL PLAN TO WRITE ABOUT HIM? Ugh, scumbag brain, make up your mind already! *taps forehead repeatedly*).
While writing this chapter, I noticed that I'm only focusing at Law's point of view about what happened thirteen years ago. I mean, the heck, I need to show Doffy-Doffu's(- WUT) thoughts and feelings about it, too! What if Kora/Cora-san was important to him, too- Oh my gosh. Oh. My. Gosh. *talks to self* That is brutally brilliant, *insert real name here*! But, nah, don't write that. We'll break the hearts of Doffy-Doffu's fangirls if we did.
Just making things clear: I am not intentionally(nor unintentionally) feeding off any relationshipper's dream of making them interact in this chapter. Lookit any way you want, just refer to sentence number one for clarification on my part. *points at the sentence before the word 'Lookit'*
Guest pharoah999: Wow, thank you so much for liking Chapter 8! *smiles brightly* Oh, I also hope that some of my ideas will happen in the manga. If it does, then Oda-sensei must adopt me right away... *grins sheepishly* Just kidding. I'm dying to know who Kora/Cora-san really is, and I do hope that Oda-sensei tells us now! Thank you again for liking it, and for reading and reviewing. Hm, you want an update? Okay, here it is. *smiles*
Today, everything you fought for will come to an end. I refuse to see him claim victory once more. I will not have him triumph over me, even if it costs me my life.
Gazing up at the Thousand Sunny as Strawhat Luffy's group sauntered off towards the city, Law gripped his nodachi tightly and tried to shake the foreboding feeling forming in his chest. When he first set foot on the island of Dressrosa, he fought all the urges of stomping off to Doflamingo's palace and dismembering the man right there and then. Even when the country's name was mentioned only in passing by one of the Straw Hats the night before, Law felt as if it wasn't one of his allies who was speaking. Memories of a certain strawberry blonde swordswoman and a once tall and intimidating yet gentle navigator plagued his thoughts, recollections that brought a painful tightening in his chest and he found himself barely able to stop his free hand from clutching the area where his heart is. No amount of the pleasant(in the Surgeon of Death's case, it was only the word he was able to use as description) memories he kept courtesy of the woman could bring him comfort nor stop the surge of bitter hatred rushing over him as he was reminded of his cause of his alliance with the gangly King of the Pirates wannabe almost every hour. When his mind permitted his thoughts to wander about a different subject, all he could think of were how was his own crew holding up in Zou, the risk that he would have to take if he were to send them a letter regarding their(his, he would stress with a grind of his teeth) plan, and - dumbly enough, he would think - the weather if he wished to stop going over and over about it.
On deck, he studied the map of Dressrosa again. Come to think of it, this will be the very first time he would set foot on the island. The trip to said country when he was still a kid was cancelled due to both weather and fate not being in their favor. He remembered the time when Doflamingo got struck by lightning. Law had to admit that the blond worried him sick that night. But he was still a child back then, a gullible child who believed and held on to every word that fiend think how his young heart would flutter every time Doflamingo cared, adored, favored, and called him little brother. How he would do anything to impress the older male...
Was the 'kindness' Donquixote Doflamingo showed him as a child just a farce?
With a start, he relaxed his hand gripping the map he was perusing. Law placed it on his lap as he sat down on one of the steps of the stairs on deck, gently smoothing the part of the parchment he unconsciously crumpled. Bepo's paw print stood out once more, bringing the raven-haired captain comfort the longer he stared at it.
He did not exactly know the first time he and Bepo actually talked. The latter looked downright intimidating back then, a trait that gave most people false impressions about him. But the first time Law set his gaze on the older male, he saw a timid and a genuinely kind man instead of the falsehood on his person being spread around. The raven-haired just woke up one day to being close friends with the shy navigator and truly felt that he was fine about it.
But then everything about Bepo changed a few days after he revealed everything about Kora to Law. The young Warlord closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to will himself to calm down. Who would've thought that calming down when you're so damn close to both your goal and to succumbing back to the pain of your past could be so damn difficult?
He should have expected that Vergo would spy on them in any way possible. He should have asked for Bepo to hide after the latter discovered that Doflamingo's right hand man found out about Kora's plans and reported it to his captain. And Law should have foreseen that with Bepo warning Kora about what Vergo did would bring the three of them harm.
The young Warlord angrily took his hat off and deposited it on a nearby table beside his nodachi. He hadn't realized that he made it in the cabin he was allowed to use temporarily while his alliance with the Strawhats was still effective. Almost lazily he took his shirt off and decided on what to wear as a disguise while they're in the island. While contemplating on what to wear, a soft knock on the door snapped him out of thinking. With a heavy sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose to stop his irritation and walked silently towards the door.
The sight of the Strawhat's archaeologist greeted Law as he opened the door. She was wearing a short, black dress, her chosen apparel for their disguise it seemed. Nico Robin gave him the littlest of smiles, either ignoring the fact that their 'guest'/ally was currently half-naked in front of her or she was just used to it due to their crew mostly composed of males. He picked the latter as an explanation and raised his eyebrows at the woman in a can-I-help-you look.
"Forgive me for the interruption, Trafalgar-san, but our... hostage doesn't seem to want to cooperate with us,"she told him, her small smile widening a little.
Law fought the frown that was threatening to make itself known on his features. Damn scientist...!
"Give me a second,"he muttered before grabbing the black coat Bepo gave him back in Zou. He put it on immediately along with his hat. He grabbed his nodachi after and made his way on deck with the archaeologist.
"If you don't cooperate, I, the brave warrior of the sea, Usopp, will dump you in the ocean!"came the long-nosed sniper's voice as Law stepped on deck. The Surgeon of Death watched and listened as the deranged scientist yelled a snide comment of his own at his current 'tormentor'.
Scowling, Law stretched out his left hand and used Room. At the sound of his voice, everyone silenced in an instant and watched as Law made his way to Caesar and swiftly used Mes to obtain the latter's heart before he could fight back. The young Warlord then summoned the mass of cardiac muscle on his outstretched hand before Caesar could retrieve it.
"Do whatever the Strawhats asked you, Caesar-ya, or else,"Law said darkly, showing the scientist his heart as a threat. When Caesar visibly shook and scowled with a hint of fear, Law smirked with satisfaction and stowed the heart in one of his coat's inner pockets.
"O-Oi, are we going now?"asked the sniper. Law nodded and turned his back on them. But before they leave, he had to make sure that if Doflamingo decides to do something funny in the meet-up, he would make the blond regret it. Ignoring the sniper's frantic screams, Law walked back inside the ship, pulling Caesar's heart out once he arrived on the Thousand Sunny's lower deck.
- X -
His crew were right: Dressrosa was indeed an interesting country, and in a rather weird way. The ostentatious palace stood on top of a tall plateau in the middle of the country, huge and majestic as if a being constantly watching over its citizens. The brick establishments were painted in bright and pastel colors, and to Law's slight surprise, mingled along with the citizens of the town.
The sniper of the Strawhat Pirates loudly and exaggeratedly displayed his surprise at the sight while the archaeologist, although sharing the same feelings with him, showed deep interest on the matter of the living toys's origin. Caesar, on the other hand, just stared almost indifferently. Law wondered if the toys started to exist sometime after Doflamingo began to rule the country. From a distance, the young Warlord noticed a jack-in-the-box toy gazing longingly at a pink-haired woman who was selling flowers on the street. Law watched with curiosity as the toy approached her and begged for her to remember him, but the woman politely claimed that she knew naught of the toy and shied away. Law remembered what Ellegy, his crew mate and archaeologist, said about the living toys of Dressrosa:
"The toys gave me the feeling that they were like us once,"said the archaeologist seriously with an air of certainty when he reported their progress in finding where the SMILE Factory was. "Like us humans. There's something terribly wrong with that country, captain. The toys make it seem like they're some kind of forgotten citizens of the country. There's one more thing. One of the toys mentioned fairies when we stopped by in a restaurant to gather information. Fairies... Captain, may I study the case of those so-called fairies of Dressrosa?"
The fairies didn't as much interest Law, however. He was more curious of the living toys. If his archaeologist's claim about them appeared to be correct, then, Law had an idea that this was a part of Doflamingo's schemes, the culprit behind the toys's origin being that of a Devil Fruit power. Unconsciously, he lifted his free hand and placed it on his chest, directly where the center of his tribal-style heart tattoo was. Curling his fingers partway as nails bit his exposed skin, the Surgeon of Death's eyes darkened behind the films of his sunglasses.
You're right, Kora-san. He will deceive anyone just so he could have what he wants.
"Is there a problem, Trafalgar-san?"asked Nico Robin, snapping the Warlord out of his thoughts of a woman long gone. Law dropped his hand and knitted his brows when he noticed the archaeologist staring at the tattoo on his chest.
"Nothing,"he simply replied and tried to ignore the interest in the dark-haired woman's eyes. He checked on Caesar and the long-nosed sniper behind him and almost heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing that the mad scientist wasn't even trying on giving them a hard time getting to Green Bit. Law inwardly smirked at the fact that taking Caesar's heart would tame the man into submission in fear of being killed.
Law's group turned in an alleyway to avoid much of the crowd. Even in their disguises, they still had to be careful and try not to catch too much attention. Thinking back at their arrival in town, Law then wondered why everyone was so calm when their king just abdicated the throne without reason and abandoned his post as Shichibukai.
Nico Robin stepped beside him after making sure that her crew mate will be fine without her aid in securing their hostage. "May I ask a question, Trafalgar-san?"
He glanced at her, an eyebrow raised at the curiosity in her smile. Law looked ahead and replied, "You're asking me one right now."
Behind them, Long Nose fought the urge to smack the Warlord square on the head. "Oy, there's no need for the sarcasm!"
Caesar scoffed, while the archaeologist lightly laughed her crew mate's remark off.
"But Robiiiin..."
"Che." Said Law.
The woman stifled her laughter, though amusement still danced in her eyes. "He is technically right, Usopp. I did ask if I could throw him a question."
Law gave her a 'why don't you ask already?' look. Curiosity overtook Nico Robin immediately, and she dropped her smile as her blue eyes wandered on the tattoo on his chest once more.
"Is there a story behind your tattoos along with the name on the back of your coat?"
Law witnessed the death of the most important person to him and spent years in perfecting the art of concealing his true emotions. He can also easily control himself from reacting properly to certain occurrences. If he was an ordinary man, he would've been struck dumb by the question and would stop walking only to be rooted on spot as his mind processed the words he just heard. Law wasn't, however, so he kept walking as if the archaeologist made an observation about the weather. He let the question slide like water off a duck's back but if there was something that Law could not stop, it was the tidal wave of memories that threatened to wash over him in full force.
Bepo was almost knocking at death's door when Law found him in the edge of the forest thirteen years ago. The raven-haired's friend informed him with much difficulty that Doflamingo found out about Kora-san's plan. Vergo beat Bepo to death but seeing his best friend crawl his way out of the forest, it simply meant that the Demon Bamboo did a poor job of dealing with the latter. Shaken at the sight of a battered person, and 'his' Bepo at that, Law let the naivety of a childhood almost lost strike him at full force and think that Bepo's beating would be enough.
Much to his horror, it did not.
Shortly after Bepo spoke to him, Doflamingo came and added more pain to thirteen year-old Law's wounds. The blond tried to finally kill Bepo, only for Law to plead for his best friend's, his only real friend's life.
That was a mistake on the raven-haired youth's part for Doflamingo actually enjoyed inflicting pain on Bepo, devastating Law on the process. He had to show that he was strong, though, for it was what Bepo wanted. So when his sadist for a 'brother' asked him to cry so he could change his mind and leave Bepo alone, Law refused again and again.
"That's the spirit," Doflamingo had told him, smiling evilly as he lifted a large hand to deal the finishing blow. When all hope seemed lost for Law, their savior came and blocked the attack that was meant to erase Bepo's existence.
Kora-san.
She came like a hurricane, withstanding the force of her superior's attack with her own strength. Her companion was with her, the woman's voice serious as she barked a command. Law helped Bepo on the polar bear's back and ordered the animal to leave, but Kora's words made him go and look after his downed friend(he had to admit that he lost thought of it, his mind a terrible haze).
Go with Navigator-ya and Pawsie. Make sure he lives, no matter what. I'd rather see a dead Pawsie than a dead Bepo.
That was what she instructed before they left her.
He remembered ending up back in Kora's house. How he tried to tend to Bepo no matter how futile it was. His best friend was fading fast, his body broken beyond repair. Like his mentor, Law would rather see her pet dead than his only best friend. And that was the first time he did it: He used Shambles in order to place Bepo's mind in Pawsie's body. Though his best friend's body died, he continued to live in someone else's. His only mistake was that he never, mainly because of fear and despair, removed the polar bear's mind out of its body. Bepo survived, but the trauma and injuries he received caused a condition wherein he thinks that he was a polar bear all his life and nearly act like one, though managing to retain a large part of his humanity. Law strongly suspected that it was due to his neglect in dispersing Pawsie's mind out. The trauma also caused Bepo to forget about the beating he received and his near-death experience. Law would never openly admit, but he was grateful for it. He did not want his friend to remember that he stood up to Doflamingo, a wrong kind of bravery that almost instantly killed Bepo.
And Kora-san?
Hours after they left, Doflamingo came in the strawberry blonde woman's home and threw the latter on the roof. The impact made the ceiling crumble, Bepo's former body getting buried in the rubble. Law did nothing, cannot do a thing, but watch as his mentor staggered in a standing position and stepped out of the wreckage that was once her humble home. She and Doflamingo clashed, powerful waves of Haki rippling everywhere. Law had never witnessed a battle so fierce, the combatants striking each other with equal force. He knew that Kora was strong, but he never thought that she could possibly fight Doflamingo head on and equal the blond's strength. She also seemed to have enough knowledge about Doflamingo's powers. Doflamingo may have drawn blood from her, but her attacks made them even.
Law could vividly remember the blood on her nodachi and the multiple lacerations and stab wounds on Doflamingo's flesh, ranging from shallow made when a slice was barely dodged and deep that marked a perfect hit. Kora had the same wounds on the same degree, too, made by the invisible strings from the blond.
Doflamingo only managed to mortally wound her by doing a dirty trick that involved Bepo, now in his new body, to hit Law hard on the head, the force of the jab more than enough to draw blood. It did not manage to knock Law unconscious, however, and his pained cry momentarily distracted Kora. That moment was what Doflamingo needed and he attacked, almost severing Kora's sword arm off its socket. With her weapon effectively dismantled from her mangled arm, the blond withdrew an intricately engraved pistol and shot Kora three times on the chest.
Due to the horrified and pained expression on Kora's face as she fell to her knees, Law concluded that it was not an ordinary pistol.
He could only watch as Doflamingo approached Kora's kneeling form and bent low to whisper something in her ear, her expression filled with extreme hatred and revulsion after he pulled away. The blond then gave Law one last look, telling him that he will meet the teen back in the island's HQ after finishing his business with the traitors. He then flew off, snapping Law out of his stupor and rushed to where another dying friend was.
When the two reached her, Kora quietly asked where Bepo was. Relief flooded her features upon seeing the navigator alive even in her companion's body. She asked for Bepo to watch over Law and keep the latter safe, and be his anchor to rationality in case the teen decides to take on Doflamingo for revenge. With death so close to her, Law wondered how she could still jest, only to be proven wrong for she was serious in her request. With her good arm, she then reached for her nodachi and gave it to Law, its scabbard "utt'rly wreck'd durin' da bout(Bastard flamingo!)!". Law refused at first, demanding for her to let him try and treat her while he still can. She merely shook him off, insisting that she could no longer linger and that her younger brother was already waiting for her; that she could not let her precious Aurum wait any longer. Her easy acceptance of death in the favor of reuniting with her deceased brother broke Law and he found himself crying, selfishly telling Kora how unfair she was for leaving him who still needs her. She simply grinned her usual carefree grin at him and thrust the nodachi in his hands. You got Bepo and your future crew, she told him. And that he has his future ahead of him. She closed his hand on her nodachi's handle with much difficulty.
"Carry your father's will and my brother's. Fulfill your dreams. Reach your goals. Be safe. Carry on eve if it hurts."
She dried his tears, smiling through hers as she locked him in a tight one-arm hug. He could hear Bepo sobbing somewhere behind him, but Kora's slowing heart beat was the only sound his mind processed. When her grip loosened, Law almost shouted with despair until she swatted him on the head and pulled away. He ignored the pain and supported her, laying her head gently on his shoulder. Her breathing became shallow and her crimson eyes started to glass over.
Law knew that look too well, and when Kora opened her mouth to speak, he stifled his sobs to listen intently.
"Law... c-carry my... No. Y-You don't have to. I refuse to give you a burden. But know this: You made me feel a-alive again. Law..."
Somehow, Law exactly knew what she wanted to tell him, and it further broke him. Three words that never needed saying. In the short time they spent together, he never thought that he would share with her a bond so strong, a bond severed by death caused by the person who raised him and he considered his brother.
A cold breeze swept the Caesar Hand-over Team(as they were dubbed), bringing Law back to the present. His grip on Kikoku tightened as it seemed to hum a sound only he could hear. The young Warlorld can already see her carefree grin before him, chiding little yet meaningful encouragements at his achievements.
Of course, there was a meaning behind his tattoos and the name on his coat.
She was mainly the reason behind them, as well as his crew being called the Heart Pirates.
Korazon, who carried the Will of the D. His sister by bond, the most important person in his life. His Kora-san.
With his trademark smirk, he looked at Strawhat's archaeologist as they reached the end of the alleyway and stopped in the busy streets. Behind him, Long Nose the sniper and Caesar admired the iron bridge before them.
"Trafalgar-san?"
Smirk still in place, he faced the group and gave Nico Robin the answer she sought.
"Of course there is."
Ellegy is an OC of mine and he will be the archaeologist of the Heart Pirates in my future story entitled ''Flos Ferri''. *shameless advertisment...*
Sorry if this chapter's short. I really just wanna update today(Last day of March. I... must... update...).
I'll explain further the reason behind my 'Just making things clear' section. Here in Recollections, Kora/Cora-san was the only woman Law ever looked up to. After her death, and meeting other women(NOT. THAT. WAY. Not romantically, either), he realized that she's really one of a kind. And for me, Law's asexual. I mean, yeah, he can admire women, their beauty, traits, and - dare I say it? - curves. But seeing them sexually? Nope. Wait, why the heck am I explaining this? And why did I see Trafalgar Law as an asexual? I mean, yeah, I'm a girl, and I'm terribly in love with the guy! So, why did I see him as-
Holy shite, I'm so fudging weird. *scratches head gingerly*
Currently listening to: Do It For Me Now by Angels and Airwaves