silverfire113 Thanks for the comment, there will be a lot of Bepo and Law in the flashbacks.
The Richmaster Thanks for the comment, and like I had said more Bepo and Law in the next chapters, I love your idea about the pictures of the young Law, I will do it! The plot will thicken very soon, hope will like it!
Guest I always found it strange that Bepo is always saying 'sorry' and found it was a good opportunity to include it on the fic. Thanks for comment!
Thanks everyone who read, favorite and followed this fic!
So … to the chapter!
When Law was 18 years old, he earned the right to leave his bedroom.
Not that he had not tried to flee before, when he knew that he could leave the bedroom, that the doors and windows were open, he freaked out - he wanted to destroy that entire Palace.
But the shock of Bepo's departure left him without action, Bepo had left him with Doflamingo and this fact was too much for him, so much that it ended up killing his fury for a few months.
However his revolt and rebellion returned, but Doflamingo seemed to know that he was going to try to flee every single time.
"You're a smart boy, I know that, Law. I wouldn't keep you here only for your looks, why don't you use that intelligence of yours?"
At each attempt of escaping he ended up trembling with fear at what Doflamingo would do with it.
But Doflamingo never did a thing. He only looked disappointed, but not more than that.
"I have said it before, you are smart and can do better than that."
And again, again, again...
Until one day Law didn't attempt to flee, he instead explored the Palace and then returned to his bedroom.
He repeated this routine for days till he knew the Palace like the palm of his hand; in his explorations he met another girl, certainly a new family member - Violet, her name. Unfortunately they didn't talk to each other, Trebol was quick to say to her that he was off limits.
Untouchable, unspeakable.
And then came his long-awaited day - but he didn't ran away, he went to one of the biggest rooms in the Palace, where the executive chairs were and sat in the Heart's chair.
He stayed there and waited for Doflamingo.
"I see you finally decided to be smart."
And he smiled at the big man.
"I came to negotiate."
"Okay. And what do you want to negotiate?" Doflamingo asked with a huge smile.
"My freedom."
"I'm listening."
"I'm yours. I belong to you, I will not flee or resist, I just want to get out of the Pa..."
"... You will not leave this Palace ..."
"... I just want to be able to freely walk through the Palace and the flower fields. Without guards or eyes on me"
They look at each other for a moment and Doflamingo signaled for him to continue.
"That's all I ask. And as you gain confidence in me, you give me more freedom, but when and how much is your choice."
"Just it? Won't you ask for freedom? Won't you try to escape?"
"It is useless, you will always find me."
Doflamingo laughed, approached Law, grabbed his face and kissed him.
"That's my boy. I see a great potential in you, Law. Don't disappoint me."
"I will not."
"Don't betray me."
"I never will."
He wasn't lying, not to himself.
He knew it was useless to try to escape and he had seen that Doflamingo was untouchable, a force with which he had no chance against.
However, living under the same roof, eating the same food, sleeping on the same bed - he would be so close and so within Doflamingo's comfort zone that not even Doflamingo would be able to anticipate and survive his attack.
~~~~ PRESENT ~~~~
Bepo was there, Bepo was fine - those strangers had said it was okay, but Law couldn't believe in them, but in Bepo he could trust.
"Captain."
Law couldn't contain his smile and reluctantly he turned away from Bepo and looked around seeing several men in white overalls, all looking and smiling at him.
He didn't quite understand who they are and he looked back to Bepo waiting for answers.
"They were your crew."
"My crew? ..."
To Bepo there is no need to tell him what was happening, he knew Law better than anyone there, he knew how old Law was just by looking at him.
From the tattoo on his Captain's hands, Bepo knew Law had around 18 years old or he has 18 years old, the age he had when he negotiated his freedom with Doflamingo and if that was the case, Law would recognize something else besides him.
Bepo then took Law to where theirs submarine was; he wanted his Captain to feel more at home before they discuss the situation.
Getting there, Law couldn't believe in his eyes - a submarine! - And it wasn't just simple submarine, it was of the same model he had seen one of Doflamingo's buyers use.
He had said he wanted one but had no hope he would get one from the Warlord, but apparently Doflamingo gave one to him and it was yellow!
"A submarine ?!"
"Yes. Your submarine!"
Law looked at Bepo and at the submarine.
"How? Who?"
And Bepo confirmed his suspicions.
"Doflamingo gave it to you."
And Bepo was happy that Law didn't ask why, because he didn't know all the details.
~~~~ FLASHBACK ~~~~
He knew it wouldn't be so easy.
On the first opportunity Doflamingo tattooed his symbol on Law's hands and determined what kind of clothes he should wear.
These were Doflamingo's conditions.
He could only wear long clothes, his body was not to be seen nor admired.
He was the doctor for Family members; he helped Dellinger on his studies and listened to Baby 5 complaints.
He attended to every dinner and put up with the provocations.
His training returned; fencing with Diamond, hand to hand combat with Lao G and guns with Gladius, the rest of his education was by Doflamingo's account.
He also had to accompany Doflamingo in the negotiations; he was there to be showed off as if he was a trophy.
It was normal, routine; he had become apathetic about it.
Until one day he heard something that bothered him deeply.
It was a comment from a Family member, a low-level lackey, thinking that he wasn't paying attention due to the fact that he was with Doflamingo.
But he heard it perfectly.
He had talked with Doflamingo about how he liked the buyer's submarine. And that he wanted to sail the seas under the Doflamingo's flag in a submarine like that.
And the henchman said to his colleagues.
"There goes the bitch asking for gifts. And the worst of it was that he is going to get it. We who are really loyal rarely climbed up on the ranks, but that fairy just had to swing his butt to get everything he wants. If the Young Master leaves him alone with me I'll ..."
One of his colleagues tried to warn him. "Dude, shut up. If you get close to him, the Young Master will kill you. "
"Ah ... soon or late the Young Master will get tired of him. Why keep him around when the Young Master can have any woman he wants ..."
And his head got detached from his body.
Law walked to their direction holding the head, which was still alive; from the ground he made a stake and put the head there.
"None of you will come close to me, because none of you is worthy to share the same air I breathe. Now, if no one wants to have the same fate as this bastard it is better not to speak ill of me or the Young Master, behind my back. "
And in the next day he won the submarine as a present from Doflamingo.
~~~~ PRESENT ~~~~
Still admiring the submarine Law asked:
"Bepo ... what's going on here?"
"They didn't say anything to you?"
"They did, but I wanted to hear it from someone I know."
"Someone sent a pirate to attack you, but we don't know the reasons."
Law was thinking for a moment before ask Bepo to call the others.
And as strange as it seems, Luffy had respected Law's need to have a moment alone with Bepo - not that he didn't try approach the two and talk to them, but Sanji and the cook from the Heart Pirates were exchanging ingredients that smelled so good that it was proving to be impossible for him to resist.
Food first; Law second…Bepo was there after all…
This does not go unnoticed by Sanji who kicked him away when he tried to steal some food. He had fallen in the city a little far away from the submarine, but in the middle of the way back he met Nami and Robin, who told him that Law wanted to talk to them.
And that's how they ended up there, all together, except for Zoro that had leave in a search for Luffy and haven't returned.
"Let's start!"
"Shouldn't we wait for Zoro?"
"Forget the Marimo, no one asked him to leave."
And there they were, with the Law calling for a meeting - it was so familiar that Luffy felt thrilled, of course he slept two minutes later when the conversation become boring to him, but he tried.
On the other hand Sanji and Robin were super attentive, Robin because she was curious about the events and Sanji because he believe it to be important to know such information - not to mention that he would latter update Zoro about what happened.
"I think I know why they did this to me."
"This not an accident?" Asked Nami.
"I don't think so, I'm 18 years... I know that Doflamingo promised to me that when I become an adult ..."
"But you're an adult!" Said Usopp and Law rolled his eyes.
"... When I have 20 years, ok? ... Well, when I have 20 years old, Doflamingo believes that I will able to participate in the negotiations with other mafia families and most important negotiations with high members of the Navy and Yonkos . "
Everyone was surprised by that; Law had seen and talked to a Yonko, now it all made sense.
"They must be looking for some information of the government or the Yonko. I wonder who was the Yonko in question ... Kaido perhaps? "
Robin asked, and no one spoke, but both she, Sanji and Nami knew that such information could be very valuable for them as well.
But their joy was short-lived, after taking a drag on his cigarette Sanji raised an interesting point.
"Wait ... if you know something so important, why didn't you told us about it?"
Law was silent and looked at Bepo asking him to fill the blanks; after all, he didn't know about it and didn't know the circumstances that led him to do this.
"That's the problem ... Law fled when he was 20 years old."