Trafalgar Law was not in a good mood. He hadn't been in a good mood since Corazon kidnapped him, in an attempt to find him a cure for his illness. Law had already come to terms with his impending death. So for Corazon to be so adamant about finding a cure really annoyed Law—especially considering how Corazon just dropped him on top of these blocks.
Now this stupid kid was just staring at him—what was the point to even wearing a cloak indoors? If there was one thing that this kid had done right, so far, it was tripping Corazon. The jerk deserved it, for dropping him onto those blocks…
"I said stop staring at me!" Law didn't like being stared at—that kid was probably staring at the white splotches on his skin. Probably wondering if he was contagious (which he wasn't). Law was already prepared for that sort of treatment…
What he wasn't prepared for, was a gentle poke to the nose by a tiny finger and an amused, "Boop!"
It was so sudden and so…random. Law's first reaction was to grab onto the kid's wrist…and almost instantly, he realized that something was up with this kid's skin. A ghostly white-colored palm, a metallic-blue back—Law had never seen something like this.
"Ahaha…" Nervous laughter came from the kid and, for a brief moment, Law caught a glimpse of white with a peculiar shape.
Maybe—just maybe—this kid was just as fucked up as he was. That was a somewhat comforting thought…then curiosity drove him to reach out towards the kid's hood with his free hand and very quickly, did Law learn that one should be cautious around strange children, when two rows of sharp teeth clamped down onto his hand.
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…
Shanks worried for Mako. He worried for her safety, considering how much of a troublemaker she was. And though it was a well-established fact that Mako was a little shit (just what was he expecting from someone he raised these past three years?), he still wished she wasn't the type to press her luck. Even after tripping a man for toppling her pyramid of blocks, she still had it in her to bite his kid, who probably deserved better treatment after getting dropped on top of the aforementioned pyramid of blocks.
Shanks prepared for the worst when the tall, yet clumsy, man stared at Mako as she chewed on the boy's hand. The boy was rather fortunate that Mako wasn't in a bad mood, because otherwise, he would have been crying by now, from pain. Mako's teeth were rather sharp…so it was up to her on how much pressure she was applying to her bites. It seems she was mostly in a playful mood.
"Uh…that means she likes him…?" Shanks tried to lighten up the mood, but then Mako's hood fell off and now Shanks was on the verge of panicking. After all, not everyone took well to Mako's fishman heritage. Of course, there always seemed to be a first time for everything, because the man started laughing and the boy just seemed so annoyed that he didn't even bother trying to pry Mako off his hand—which was a good thing. Mako had an on-and-off aversion to touch. Sometimes, she just hated being touched.
In any case, Shanks was extremely relieved for the lack of negative reactions to an unhooded Mako. Though, he would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised when the man suddenly asked him, "How old?"
"She just turned three." And that was how Shanks became acquainted with a man named Corazon. Quite an interesting fellow, that man was. They were the same age, too, though the same couldn't be said about Law (the name of the boy) and Mako.
Speaking of them, Law seemed to be having issues socializing with Mako. Mako was just fine, even if Law had presumed her to be male, which was an honest mistake, considering Mako's choice in clothing. Corazon got quite a laugh when Mako bonked Law over the head for his mistake.
"You little shit!" Law scowled at Mako.
"Ahahaha!" If there was one thing Shanks knew about Mako, it was that she practically embraced who she was. She knew she was a little shit and she was damn well very proud of it…so long as it didn't endanger her life.
At least, Shanks presumed, otherwise, he was going to have issues with Mako learning from her mistakes. Still, he was glad that she finally had a chance at socializing with someone who wasn't an adult…even if that someone was only nine years older than she was. Not that age was ever a factor Mako ever considered, as she always seemed to treat everyone equally…to a certain extent.
Mako had her favorites. And seeing how much fun she was having bothering Law, he might have just become one of her favorites. It was honestly something Shanks couldn't help but chuckle at—it was refreshing to see someone else be on the receiving end of Mako's mischief. Mischief, at the current moment, was trying to take Law's hat away from him.
"So what brings you here?" Shanks asked Corazon.
Corazon paused for a moment…then replied, "To find a cure for Law."
"I already told you that it doesn't exi—" Law got cut off when Mako suddenly covered his mouth with her hand, saying, "Shhh!"
It was enough to stun Law into total silence as he stared at Mako, who just patted his face in a manner that denoted that he was going to be okay. Law was baffled and Corazon seemed amused.
"She always like this?" Corazon looked questioningly at Shanks.
"She's unpredictable, I'll tell you that…but she means well." Shanks could at least assure that when it came to Mako. "So what is it that Law has?"
"Amber Lead Syndrome," Corazon said so casually, as if he wasn't concerned with the fact that Law had it.
Shanks felt as though he should know what Corazon was talking about—hell, it even sounded familiar. "Where have I heard that before…?"
"Ever heard of Flevance?" Corazon suggested.
"Flevance…" Shanks repeated. "Hmm…"
…
…
"Oh!" Shanks's eyes widened when he recalled the newspaper article he read two years ago, though…then he remembered what typically happened in newspapers. "Oh…well, I don't know where to begin."
Because Shanks had no idea what was truth and what was lie.
"Well, I'm here to get Mako checked out," Shanks decided to change the subject. "Little shit's pretty lucky for someone who hasn't seen a doctor since she was born…ain't that right, Mako?"
"Yes!" Shanks almost thought Mako was mocking him from the way she grinned at him with that smile of hers…
"So, considering how comfortable you are around Law, I can assume that Amber Lead Syndrome isn't actually contagious?" Shanks wanted answers and he decided to start it where it probably counted.
"It's not contagious!" Law sounded so angry when he responded.
And that was all Shanks needed to know…even though he had been asking Corazon. "Good luck finding a cure."
"Hope that check-up goes well." It was nice to see that he and Corazon were on good terms.
"Give me back my hat!"
"Ahahaha!"
Of course, Shanks couldn't say the same with Mako and Law…
Never change, you little shit…
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…
Everything seemed to be going well so far after the nurse had escorted Shanks and Mako to the doctor, even if it did take almost two hours for them to get called up… Then Mako's cloak came off and things started going bad. It began with a shrill scream coming from the nurse, and it quickly escalated when the doctor straight up told Shanks that the hospital's services weren't accessible to monsters. And though the doctor didn't say it, having used different means of wording it, Shanks could tell that doctor had been thinking it.
Shanks was always aware of the existing prejudices against fishmen. He was aware how strained the current relations between humans and fishmen were, even more so after the incident where Fisher Tiger burned down Mariejois and freed the slaves. Tensions have been high since that day, and yet…Shanks still couldn't help but feel shocked.
Because Mako understood the context of the doctor's words…she understood it clearly. And it hurt to see the little shit stop smiling there and then…because this was not the first time she had ever been called a monster. Knowing that and hearing the doctor trying to tell him to take Mako and leave was enough for Shanks to ram his fist into the doctor's face.
There was a sickening crack that came after the impact, follow by a spurt of blood, before the doctor collapsed in a pained, unconscious heap onto the floor. The nurse was scared out of her wits and started begging to be left alone, even though Shanks didn't have much of a bone to pick with her. He was more concerned with Mako, who just said nothing and stared.
Shanks's attention quickly shifted when the intercom suddenly sprang to life as an emergency broadcast (as it called itself) announced the discovery of a child with Amber Lead Syndrome inside the hospital. That alone was enough to turn the already nervous nurse into a blubbering mess. It didn't take long for Shanks to put two and two together, realizing that he and Mako weren't the only ones having issues with their doctor.
"C'mon, Mako," Shanks said as he lifted Mako off the swivel chair she was sitting on. "We're leaving."
"…kay…" was all Mako said as Shanks carried her out of the room.
Outside, in the hallways, chaos reigned as the recent broadcast induced panic amongst everyone inside the hospital. Shanks didn't bat an eye at what was going on, paying more attention to ensuring that Mako was covered up completely by her cloak. He didn't want anyone else staring at her the way that doctor and the nurse had. He just wanted to leave this place.
And it was on the way out that Shanks and Mako came across a crying Law. The poor kid was trying his hardest to choke back sobs as the people around him scrambled to get away. With what Shanks already had to endure when it came to seeing how others treated Mako, he couldn't exactly leave Law alone—especially with Corazon being out of sight.
…
…
This…this was why Law didn't want to go to the hospital. Screams filled the air, all of them coming from people who were afraid of him—who were afraid of contracting Amber Lead Syndrome, even though it wasn't contagious. Not that anyone would ever stop to listen. They never listened…
And even though Law had already come to terms with his imminent death, it still hurt to be treated like a monster. To have people visibly telling him to leave, to hear people yelling at others to get the gloves, gasmasks, and disinfectants—to talk as though Law didn't feel. And try as he may, Law could never stop feeling.
So when that red-haired man from earlier suddenly walked up to him, asking if he was fine, Law was visibly jarred. Amongst the midst of people try so hard to get as far away from him, here was this man, just kneeling down to his level so they were face to face. Law had mixed feelings about how passive the man had been to knowing he had Amber Lead Syndrome. Now…he was just confused.
He was even more confused when he saw that little girl staring right at him. He almost didn't see her, considering how much she was hidden underneath the cloak that was wrapped around her.
"Did they call you a monster, too?" The question was so sudden, but…Law would be lying if it didn't struck a chord within him. Then, without even saying anymore, the little girl suddenly pulled off her cloak and offered it to Law.
It was small and it probably wouldn't fit him, but…Law still took the cloak and tried it on anyways. "Thank you…Mako."
Mako blinked and then smiled. Because that was the first time he actually said her name.
…
…
Shanks was honestly glad that Mako was smiling again, though he still worried about Corazon's whereabouts. He wanted to leave the hospital, but he didn't want to leave Law behind. He especially didn't want to leave Corazon behind, because Law was Corazon's ward.
Fortunately, Corazon had rather great timing when he suddenly forced Shanks into a standing position and turned the redhead around. Shanks was rather stunned, being a good amount of height shorter than Corazon (he was tall), and Mako was slightly tense. Law seemed to at least be doing better, thanks to Mako's random act of kindness.
"Hey, can you do me a favor?" Corazon suddenly asked.
Shanks looked up at Corazon, wondering what it was the man was asking. "What is it?"
"Can you watch Law for a few minutes?" Corazon looked rather angry. "I have to destroy some ignoramuses."
Shanks blinked a few times and just nodded his head. "Sure. We're the fifth ship on the left on the main dock. Can't miss us."
It was only until after Corazon went on his way, and Shanks, Mako, and Law left the hospital, that Shanks realized he just became an accomplice when he and the kids watched the hospital burn.
"Well…if things don't go our way, we can expect an increase on our bounties, Mako," Shanks remarked, his gaze focused on the burning hospital.
"Ahahaha!" Leave it to Mako, to find humor in the situation.
"Bounties?" Oh, right…Law and Corazon probably didn't know that Shanks was a pirate. "You're pirates, too?"
Well, it looks like Shanks wasn't the only one keeping information to himself. "I'd say it's best I don't say anything until we get on the ship."
Today's events were certainly shaping up to be an interesting story to tell to the rest of the Red Hair Pirates.
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…
When Corazon finally arrived to the location of the ship Shanks had directed him to, it had never really crossed Corazon's mind that there was a reason the red hair and name sounded so familiar. It was just his luck to come across Red-Haired Shanks, who was presumed to be dead after an encounter with the Marines forced the Red Hair Pirates to enter the Calm Belt. It was also his luck to come across Nico Robin, who was currently supervising Law and Mako as the two interacted with each other.
"Well, if that isn't freaking conflicting…" Corazon sure had a lot of lies to tell if he wanted Law to trust him.
It was certainly an interesting sight, just seeing Law talk to someone like Robin, while the little three-year-old girl folded pink-colored paper. Corazon had only meant to pick up Law…but when he walked up to the three, he found himself being offered an origami heart by Mako.
"Corazón!" Mako smiled at him. "Heart!"
Corazon blinked, finding it rather peculiar with how Mako pronounced name. Of course, Corazon was just a codename, but it was still his name. And it was interesting that Mako was offering him an origami heart, because it was almost as if she knew the meaning of his name. It was unusual for a three-year-old to know a language other than the two most used by the world.
Kneeling down, Corazon decided to ask Mako a question after he accepted the origami heart. "How did you know my name meant heart?"
Mako stared at him for a moment, pondering over his question.
"I doubt she knows that language," Robin suddenly spoke. "She is still in the midst of learning this one."
"It shows—ouch!" Law immediately regretted his comment as Mako was quick to slap him on the cheek. "The hell?!"
Robin started chuckling. "You know, Mako is capable of hitting harder than that."
Law stared at Robin for a few seconds before rubbing his cheek. "It still hurt…"
"I made a heart because you're wearing hearts!" Mako finally decided to speak, pointing at the heart prints on Corazon's shirt. "You play cards?"
At this point, Corazon couldn't help but laugh. Mako was certainly the most interesting child Corazon had ever come across that wasn't Baby 5, Buffalo, or Dellinger. Speaking of Dellinger, he certainly came to mind whenever Corazon looked at Mako. It was not every day that people came across half-fishman hybrids, after all.
"So I see you've returned." Shanks seemed to have rather nice timing. "I assume you have questions."
"If they're the same as mine, then you're right," Corazon responded as he stood up to face Shanks. "It seems we both kept information from each other."
"Dahahaha!" Shanks laughed. "You certainly got that right! But before we start talking, may I ask a question first?"
"Shoot." Corazon owed this man big time for watching over Law.
"You need a ride?" Shanks asked. "We have plenty of room and Law informed me that it was just the two of you."
Corazon found his attention shifting to Law, who just tugged down on his hat to cover his eyes. "Are you always that quick to offer free rides to strangers?"
"I just assumed you might need some help getting away, after what happened at the hospital…" Shanks laughed awkwardly. "By the way, we need to leave now since we're 'dead' and we want to keep it that way as long as we can. It makes it easier on Robin."
Corazon could only assume, considering how much the survivor from Ohara was wanted by the World Government. It was risky, even being around Robin, but…it was just as risky for Law to be alone with Corazon on a boat that was at the complete mercy of the sea. It was something that Corazon had never considered until after he had entrusted Shanks with Law. Being on his own only made Corazon realize just how alone Law could have been, had Shanks and Mako not been there.
If something were to happen to Corazon while he and Law were out at sea…
…
"Well, I can't exactly turn down a free ride." And just like that, Corazon made his decision. He just hoped it was one he wouldn't come to regret.
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A/N So like…before anything, THE LINKS ON MY PROFILE AREN'T WORKING. Just stating it now, because people keep missing the update I've post on my profile about that. Man, I don't know about you guys, but I've been on this site long enough to know that it'll fix itself eventually.
That aside, yeah, more stuff happened and if anyone's wondering about the specific way Mako says Corazon's name, remember that the languages Mako knows are English, Spanish, and French (listed in the order of which she is most familiar and fluent in). Of course, the same also extends to me, but that's what you get when you're working with SI OCs. Anyways, Spanish is a language I've grown up speaking and the thing about it is that when it comes to words in Spanish, you're kinda inclined to say them the way they are pronounced in Spanish, meaning accents and rolling Rs.
What happened with Mako is that she had a slight slip of the tongue, reverting back to a language she knew in her past life. And I just wanted to highlight how difficult it can be to be in a world where the same languages still do exist. This is pretty much the reason why I feel an SI OC should never take chances speaking a language they knew in their past life in a world where it seems that language doesn't exist.
I think that's why it kinda irks me when I see SI OCs using a language from their past life as a secret language to teach others—like…do you have any idea how difficult that is? Not to mention, how much attention that attracts and again, why take your chances? You never know when you are in a world where that secret language could very well exist.
I'm probably just nitpicking things, but I digress. Anyways, Mako is still a little shit, but she's also quite sensitive. On an even more serious note, discrimination…it most definitely exists in the world of One Piece, and I sure as hell am not passing that up, because I took up a challenge when I made a half-fishman SI OC. And just recall the summary of this story.
It's one thing being born in the world of One Piece where corruption is an issue, as well as classism (oh man, does IT exist, ahaha!), but those issues just get even worse if you're not born fully human. Like, it's still bad being human, but considering the type of treatment fishmen and merfolk have received… Let's consider it this way. If that type of treatment (pfft, more like mistreatment) created enough hate and resentment that made a child into someone like Hody fucking Jones (Arlong was bad, but holy fucking shit, did he at least have his reasons), then it's pretty fucking bad.
Anyways, since it's like only been a year since the Fisher Tiger incident, you can expect tensions to still be high. I mean, look at what Law has to deal with when it comes to Amber Lead Syndrome, even though it's only been two, almost three years. That type of shit takes TIME to calm down. Shout-out goes to ChibiFoxAI for the contribution of the whole Corazon asking Shanks to watch Law and Shanks telling Corazon where to find the ship.
So now that I've mentioned Law, let's get onto the character everyone has been waiting for! Yeah, twelve-year-old Law…he's dying, Corazon's trying to find him a cure, and this is just the first hospital the two have visited. What does that mean? It's six months before Law finds out about how Corazon felt about getting stabbed…and it's also six months before they get the call from Doflamingo about the Ope Ope no Mi. So like…time is definitely a thing, ahaha, yeah…
Another thing, since those six months haven't passed yet, Law and Corazon aren't as close as they were then. So, at the moment, you can expect Corazon to be the only one showing concern for Law, while Law is still in his grumpy "I've accepted my death" phase. Of course, Law is quite easy to influence when he's around the right people. He's got Robin, who was also screwed over by the World Government, and Mako, who has to deal with racism and the fact that her parents are slaves (not that she knows yet).
Shout out goes to anonymous reviewer, Backseat Driver (love the name), for being reviewer #40 and to Polymon, for being reviewer #50. Honorable mentions go to TenraiTsukiyomi, Chiasmus, cifer66, and Daisy Field (love the name). Anyways—HOLY SHIT, we're at fifty reviews now? Sorry if I haven't replied to any reviews, but I've been sidetracked. Just know that I HAVE read all of them, and I really do appreciate that you guys took the time to review. Like, thank you. Though, I do have something I want to say before I move on…PLEASE do not tell me to update in a review.
Like, I can deal with the "I hope you update soon" and similarly worded things, but not, "Please update" and the like. I've already dealt with enough of that stuff with my GX fic, which has been on hiatus for a long time because people keep telling me to update or asking me when I'm going to update. And let me just say, to anyone who has read that fic, the more people ask me about updates, the longer it'll take me to finally update it. Please don't let this fic become tedious to work with, because I'm having fun writing this story. And when I have fun, that means more updates. The worse that can happen is that I feel burned out, which is what happened with that fic. So please just understand and just be a bit considerate…
So this A/N is getting a little too long for my tastes, so I'm just gonna end it here. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! It took me some time, but I finally got the hang of it! That's it for now, so until next time, everyone! KD out! XD