Disclaimer—One Piece and all associated characters ect belongs to Eiichiro Oda not me I just enjoy reading/watching it. Spoken dialogue belongs to him if it seems very familiar.
-unless otherwise corrected on this, I am making a lot of assumptions and know it. If anything is updated I will alter this to fit or mark it as AU.
-I have yet to hear back from someone who thinks they have found me a beta. Until then I will just continue to edit as much as I can and post. Any glaring errors let me know and I will fix them.
He turned it over in his hands. It was a breadfruit to all appearances. It fit cupped in one long-fingered hand, its rough hide abrasive against his skin. It was even a rich green, as breadfruit was, the brilliant almost blinding green of new leaves. There were two things that set it apart from its mundane cousins. First the thick stem was curled around itself like a corkscrew and second each and every little ridge had a dark green, nearly black, spiral on it. If one didn't know better the spirals could be mistaken for an infestation of some sort, worms perhaps. But that was far from the truth.
For it was those last two characteristics that were the most distinguishing and damning. They branded the fruit for what it was and told anyone with any knowledge that it was one of the most rare and sought after treasures in the sea.
The fruit of the devils, a double-edged sword hidden behind a thin veneer of fruit flesh. He thought swiping his thumb pad across the uneven surface absently.
Law let the ovular fruit roll from one hand into the other as he contemplated the choices he was now presented with. He was not one to act without some sort of plan behind it if he had the option. He had learned the hard way that jumping into something without prior thought would lead to his own destruction thanks to his temper and the occasional reckless impulse. It had been a painful and costly lesson to learn patience, but the acquisition had been invaluable to his future plans.
The cons of the decision before him came to the front of the internal debate first. This was also a learned process of thinking. Law had discovered that by reviewing the disadvantages of an issue before anything else he was less likely to be over tempted by rewards gained through unnecessary risk.
Firstly, he had no idea what power this thing would grant upon consumption. That was the game of chance each person who ate one took, unless they were lucky enough to find one of the cataloged fruits. Not that the books were always accurate, through either accident or design.
Second, was the loss of the ability to swim when he was a pirate. The world was predominately made up of ocean and thus this weakness was a bit of a put off. As much as Law enjoyed the rush produced by adrenaline, he didn't like indulging in blatant stupidly. It would only take one misstep to take a quick trip to the bottom of the ocean. Even with a large crew the chances of getting saved from a watery grave were not great a good portion of the time, with his crew of three, rescues didn't bare thinking about. And that was without being akin to an anchor in the water, or venturing into the Grand Line.
Third, he could just sell the damn thing and just make a profit off of it. Money of that sort would give him a good start on his career. This was almost a possible gain but it may be the only time he came across a fruit and if he sold it he would loose all chance at the power.
Then there were the pros.
He had it in his hands, one of the incredibly rare fruits that granted science-defying abilities. Powers that could range from being able to turn into a force of nature, an animal, or the ability to do things beyond the comprehension of imagination—all and only one, just a single bite away.
Law didn't even have to fight for or pay an obscene price for the fruit. He had been lucky enough to stumble upon it by chance. The odds of this were incredibly low. It felt almost like fate that the breadfruit should have found its way into his possession. He didn't believe in providence and divinity but fate and luck were both the staples of a pirate's life.
Thus it came down to the most tempting reason.
Power. Law knew his skills: his swordsmanship, being completely ambidextrous, his precise surgeon's touch, above all these his mind. But he was also painfully aware of his limits. He knew that out on the Grand Line and the New World he would need every advantage he could get. Especially as he was also playing a very dangerous game in attempt to undermine Joker, all while not to get caught in the act. Not to mention gain a foothold for himself in the world as a great name.
"Eh Law-sencho? What is that?"
Law's eyes flicked over to Penguin, one of the two new members he had picked up on Sitka Island. He and his friend Shachi were both terrible skirt chasers and overly dramatic in personality. However, they were both loyal and unexpectedly adapt at martial arts. The same martial arts that had made Bepo such a challenging opponent still made him a challenging and frankly dangerous adversary.
"It's a Devil Fruit." He answered tossing the fruit back into his other hand, his lips compressed into a thin line.
"What are you going to do with it?" Shachi asked. "Eat it?"
"Why would he eat it?" Penguin asked frowning at his friend.
Shachi cuffed him upside his head unsettling his black and white namesake hat, "Idiot! Devil Fruits give you superpowers if you eat one. They can be incredibly strong or really silly and useless. And you only get to eat one, cuz eating two makes you blow up, so if you are unlucky and get something lame as your power you are stuck with it forever. Plus you loose the ability to swim as the ocean hates your guts as soon as you take a bite of one."
"Ehhh? Wait! They are real? I thought that was just a story!" Penguin yelled waving his arms around frantically.
Their conversation soon deviated from Law and into a self-contained argument that lead them from the room in a noisy exit.
Law ignored them, but did not ignore the large shadow that moved over him casting his hands into darkness. He looked up seeing Bepo standing before him in his new, EYE-BLINDING-ORANGE! Of all colors, boiler suit. Law was the only one on board aware of just what the fabric covered.
As good a doctor and surgeon that Law was, and not matter how much he had been able to speed learn of veterinary medicine, he had been unable to completely undo the damage that had been done to the man-turned-bear. Bepo was still missing large patches of hair leaving his scared black skin exposed in several wide swaths. Law doubted that they would ever grow back and if it did it would not be the thick luxuriousness of healthy fur.
His fingers unconsciously clenched around the fruit in his hand, the short spines dug into his fingers, the pain grounded him for long enough to be drawn back to reality.
"Bepo?" He queried not knowing what had garnered his friend's attention.
The bear cocked his large head to the side as he looked at the fruit. He said nothing keeping his gaze focused on the green fruit in Law's hands. Bepo's nostrils flared taking in a scent Law couldn't smell and soulful dark brown eyes were uncharacteristically vacant and yet piercing as if he was seeing something beyond Law's understanding.
Law wondered if Bepo recalled consuming a similar—though very different—fruit. The artificial fruits Law had seen had been covered in concentric rings not spirals and were not as 'affective' as their authentic counterparts. There were times Law thought that Bepo was on the verge of remembering something more concrete of the time that he had been human, like at this moment, but so far there had been no positive signs of him recovering his personality.
The chained beast at the bottom of Laws soul made the choice for him, its raging roar overpowering any objections he had. A flash of anger surged to the surface choking Law in the red haze.
Revenge. It growled reminding him of twisted smiles, mocking laughter, and the taste of his own blood seasoning the pain from numerous beatings.
Yes. Law gave in knowing that he could weapons any power the fruit gave him, he had the intelligence and canniness to do so. And it would be a seemingly useless power that would make him the most underestimated.
Law took his knife from his belt and cut the fruit in half decisively but precisely and cut again until he had four even wedges. Taking one he lifted it to his lips and savagely took a bite out of the pale flesh covered in visible dark spirals mirroring the ones on the fruit's skin.
Later he would recall that moment and realize that there had been a noticeable change as soon as the skin of his lips and tongue had touched the flesh of the fruit. That he likely could have spat out the offending substance and still had the powers that came with it. That in that moment, he could feel the electric hum of chaotic energy flood through his blood and body like a hive of agitated bees.
That was later.
This was now.
And now all Law could think was utter revulsion.
Even the food that was more rot than edible that Vergo had fed Law as punishment for some slight was more palatable than this. Nothing Law had tasted before now could even compare to the flavor molesting his mouth.
It was complex and each layer to it made the whole experience that much worse. The flavors came in sequence, one after the other, and then wove into one unique and unforgettable horribleness that went past mere taste and into a whole other sense beyond the mundane five.
Bread. That was surprising, as breadfruit in appearance or not he had not expected the fruit to retain any characteristics of the plant it resembled. It was a Devil Fruit first and foremost, one in the shape of a breadfruit, not an actual breadfruit.
Blood. He could recognize that facet of the taste easily. He had partaken of that particular substance often. Both his own when he had been hurt and the many others he had cut down.
Brine. The blending of ocean and river in this case, so that the salt was not overpowering but all the more distasteful for the dilution. This was strange, as the consumption of a fruit would bind the eater from friendly contact with the sea and other standing water until their demise.
It was the last that was the thread sewing the others together and made them an unbearable overload of wrongness. It was saccharine and cloying, like a cheep whore calling out on the corner of the docks. But it was bitter as bile and regret, mixed with the oozing sour-sweetness of illness. It, unlike the others went beyond his mouth and filled his lungs choking him, drowning him.
In his struggles to regain his breath he swallowed reflexively unaware he had dropped the rest of the wedge in favor of clawing at his mouth and neck. It was if his subconscious realized better than his conscious mind of the anathema that he was undergoing.
Rot. Decay. Loss. Fear….DEATH.
His stomach churned in disagreement while the rest of his body was energized and alive in a way it had never been before.
Strong fur and cloth-covered arms folded themselves around him and restrained his hands from his face and throat. He strained against them but was soon able to calm as the taste dissipated to tolerable levels.
Feeling him relax, Bepo let him go.
"Are you okay Law-sencho?" Bepo's voice was quiet, afraid, once again the bear he had found all alone in a small dark room.
Unable to talk yet Law nodded. His jaw and teeth ached and he realized he had been clenching them together so hard that he had strained his jaw muscles. Law took a slow breath through his teeth and forced his mouth open slowly hearing his joints crack with audible pops. He flinched feeling the muscles spasm in protest.
"You're bleeding Law-sencho." Bepu observed quietly with worried eyes.
Swallowing, Law blinked and looked at his hands. His nails were speckled with flecks of blood and his face burned in hot bands where he had ripped at his own skin.
The ghost of the fruit lingered in his mouth making him want to vomit. Even thinking about vomiting made his stomach twist and overturn. Tasting bile Law swayed on his feet.
A dish was shoved under his nose and Law jerked backward with a stumble, Bepo's paw steadied him while the other held the offering.
"Here Law-sencho."
He took the offered sakazuki and drained the liquid, feeling the sake burn its way down his esophagus taking the flavor with it. He still felt sick, but the lingering scent and taste were gone.
"Better? Good!" The bear hopped excitedly on his tiptoes before dropping to a prone position on floor eyeing Law with a sparkle of wisdom in his eyes.
Law unsteadily lowered himself to the ground and leaned back against his friend's muscled bulk. He felt his stomach settle some with the reclined position. Letting out a shaky breath he leaned his head back against Bepu closing his eyes.
He was able to walk around unassisted in time for dinner. Shachi had cooked and Law mentally ticked down a memo to find a proper cook as soon as possible as there was no way that the current arrangement would work once they left the North Blue. There was too much that could go wrong out on the open ocean if one didn't know what they were doing with supplies. Being both captain and doctor of the crew Law could not afford to cover being the full time cook too, even if he was well aware of what foods were good to keep healthy or help treat illness. That and just because he knew what was good to eat didn't mean he could make it palatable. There was also the fact that between the four of them two could cook edible food and of those two only Law could work the stove without lighting himself on fire.
That had been an informative meal ending with sushi made out of whatever hadn't' been incinerated in the crossfire. It turned out that peanut butter-mayo-salmon with pickles and carrot wrapped in tortillas wasn't half bad if one added enough Tabasco.
This time, Shachi had made sandwiches, as they were difficult to make incorrectly and thus a safe choice. Food poisoning was not fun and stomach pumping even less so—something that had also been found out during the sushi episode. In retrospect, the wasabi and marshmallow with celery and sardines had not been a good choice for sushi makings.
Even with Tabasco.
Especially with the Tabasco.
Law picked his sandwich up and even as he bit down the smell of the bread hit him in the face like a hammer. The taste of the baked grain came a moment later with a vengeance. His violent response to get the offending food away from his person was admittedly a bit over the top, but he had not been expecting to have such a reaction and been unable to curb the reflex. The sandwich ended up splattered on the wall opposite in a bizarre piece of abstract art. Penguin and Shachi were stuck half way between horror and confusion and were frozen in somewhat comical wide-eyed poses. Bepo was humming delightedly while eating his sandwich, a large toothy grin stretched across his muzzle all the while ignoring his crewmates in favor of his meat-filled dinner.
Law blankly stared at what remained of his sandwich taking a mouthful of sake in attempt to get the taste purged from his mouth. His stomach, which had been settled, roiled in an unwelcome recap of only hours previous.
Taste aversion. His mind whispered the diagnosis without his prompting his internal index of maladies.
Even without eating bread, the flavor of the substance was now one that he could no longer palate. The taste was now engrained into his unconscious body, nerves, to be associated with spoiled and toxic food. As far as his body was concerned, bread was fatal to eat and would reject it as quickly as possible. It was not a response he would be able to control or train himself out of.
He knew at that moment he would never be able to eat bread again.
I can no longer swim. I will weaken at the touch of seastone. I have no idea what power I now have and if it will be enough of a trump card when I need it. And the taste of bread will forever make me violently ill. Laws thoughts were roiling even as he calmly partook of anything else on the table that wasn't bread or similar ignoring Shachi and Penguins inquiring eyes. The question is: was it worth it?
The chaotic energy danced just under his skin, impatient to be let free. It bubbled anxiously, almost trying to claw its way out of his body. He indulged it with a raised hand and a command.
"Room."
The film of the dome encased him and his enemies His sword drawn for only a instant cut through the mass of bodies, not physically touching them, yet ripping them asunder all the same. The energy twisting around Law was like a billion threads that only he could see and perceive, that only he could touch and control. He took them in his hands as a smile stretched across his lips; the chaos was nearly joyous and playful making him share in its game.
"Shambles!"
The world shattered.
Law stood in the middle of the dance, directing each move with the slightest tug of his fingers against the taunt strings of the spiraling spider web. He alone stood in the center of bedlam, the conductor of the symphony at the eye of the storm. Law began to laugh directing the orchestra with his hands twisting through the air.
With his hands he created.
With his hands he destroyed.
With his hands he manipulated.
With his hands he remade things anew.
With his hands he held death in his fingers.
The beast chuckled along with him, watching pandemonium unfold at their fingertips and answered Law's silent unanswered question with a pleased rumble and the rattling of chains waiting to break free.
YES.
Specific Notes (Sorry they are long today)
-Taste Aversion: Know it, hate it, respect it, and if you are unlucky enough to have had it happen, I feel for you. The short of it is that when you (or a number of animal species) take a bite of a food and you get really sick in a certain timeframe it is possible to form an inability to stand the taste of the food you ate before the response. This type of learning only takes one incident to happen and can happen on a significant delay but it is a potent reaction that doesn't really go away.
-The bread thing that has come to light in recent chapters was bothering me. So I thought of how such a thing could happen as bread seems to be a weird thing not to like to eat, as it is such a staple of the human diet. So I was left with three choices 1. Law just doesn't like bread because of taste or association (Occam's razor approach). 2. He is allergic and not going to admit it because that is a weakness (In character, but a bit petty). 3. He literally cannot eat it (Interesting). And me being the scientist thought…oh hey, Taste Aversion. And conveniently there is a fruit that tastes…da dada daaaah, like bread. My mind then jumped to the fact that Devil Fruits are supposed to taste terrible—maybe even bad enough to register a Taste Aversion response with the right person. And apparently this bad taste is universal but varied in reaction making this even likelier—we have seen several characters eat their fruits on camera and I recall Luffy took it like a champ but CP-9 not as much…I think. So in theory Law could develop a condition from eating his fruit but no one else we seen has or isn't talking about it.
-So what might the things taste like to get such a drastic physiological response? It has to be bad. We know that the fruits are transformed from a real fruit of the same variety thanks to the new chapters and the knowledge of re-spawning. So the first component of the taste is in fact the taste of the fruit—anywhere I have heard the flavor of these things mentioned I have yet to see this used and I like being unique. Second, brine. Brine is nasty on its own, its not the same as pure saltwater, for some reason the dilution actually makes it worse to taste. I personally will take a gulp of strait out of the ocean seawater, over brine. This is more symbolic than anything, a kind of "know your enemy" sort of deal. Third, so what is abhorrent on an evolutionary standpoint since Taste Aversion is related to that stuff…blood, yeah that indicates injury and not something exactly pleasant to taste. And thus we are brought to death. We are designed to not like rotted things. Death wigs humans and even animals out. So not a bad plan for something that is supposedly nasty. But what does death taste like? Simple answer…heck if I know. I know what rot tastes like though (bitten into rotten fruit and any plant-based alcohol is pretty much rotted/fermented…I know from experience both are pretty bad if you don't have the taste for the latter) and the smell is something I have been exposed to repeatedly. Sickness leads to death so it gets a special mention for contributing bitter and sweet sour to the menagerie.
-Wikipedia for the name of the sake dish. Under Sake Set.
-Weaponizing all DF: My personal opinion is that every single one can be weaponized. Somehow. You just need to be creative about it (Case and point LUFFY and Robin if you think about what their powers as they are and not how they are using them). Similarly, they can all be useless if you don't have an imagination or intention. Law wouldn't be nearly as dangerous if he wasn't already a surgeon…he is used to cutting people up and playing "god" in a manner of speaking. Scientific curiosity can be a very dangerous thing, look into the history of medicine alone and you will find that Law doesn't even touch some real word physicians in the creepy as hell and sadistic department.