Law wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck and studied the strange town. It was a cold night, the kind that bit at your skin and turned your breath into vaporous clouds. He'd never docked at an island quite like this one before, but it wasn't the exceptionally cold temperature that made the island unique.
Just beyond the cacophony coming from the ship behind him, Law could hear the rich sounds of festive music and pleasant conversation. Children laughed somewhere in the distance and bells chimed clear and beautiful over it all.
Dappled light, cast from millions of bulbs strung around buildings and trees across the town, ran up the dock and danced at his feet. He couldn't help but feel awed by the magnitude of the event, despite himself. Someone had wrapped every inch of surface in mesmerizing white lights that drew your eyes in until you weren't sure you could look away. At sea, the glow of the island lit the sky like a beacon hours before it was even a speck on the horizon.
"Amaaazing!"
Luffy jumped down and landed beside Law on the dock, bouncing on his toes in excitement. The boy's eyes were wide as they took in the sight. Unsurprisingly, his nostrils grew three times their normal size as he picked up a whiff of roasting meat. Before the Strawhat captain could take off down the dock, Law grabbed him by the scruff of his coat and held him back.
The rest of the crew made their way onto the dock, all looking equal parts amazed and confused.
"This melody is music to my ears," Brook examined, "but! Of course-"
"You don't have ears! Skull joke!" Chopper yelled.
"Chopper-san, my line…"
"What is this place?" Nami wondered, "it didn't register on the log pose at all…"
Chopper squeezed himself through his friends' legs to get a better look and let out a squeal of delight. The town looked beautiful from the sea, but up close you could see the strings of lights and hear the mellow music. It really was an unearthly sight.
"Wait, Strawhat-ya. We're not staying, so don't take off," Law said, holding on more tightly as Luffy struggled to break free.
"Well, you can tell him that all you want, but there's no way you're keeping him away from a place like this," Usopp grinned, jerking a thumb toward the town, "to be honest, I really want to check it out myself."
"Me, too," Sanji agreed, "I wonder what the food is like. It doesn't smell like anything I've tried before."
"And what's with the lights?" Franky asked, raising an eyebrow, "a setup like this must take a lot of energy to run. How'd they manage it?"
"It really is beautiful," Robin said, "I'd love to learn the story behind this festival."
"Festival?" Chopper exclaimed, "do you think they're selling sweets?!"
"Well," Nami sighed, coming up to stand in front everyone with a small sack clutched in her hand, "it looks like there's no helping it. We'll stop here and get what we need, then set back out again in the morning. Besides," a strange gleam lit her eyes as she looked back towards the town, "it looks like the clothes shops are open!"
"You can tell from this distance!?" Zoro, Usopp, and Chopper exclaimed.
"We don't have time for this," Law complained, glaring over at Nami and the others. Luffy stopped struggling once he realized Nami was about to hand out allowances, but Law hadn't loosened his grip.
To Law's great annoyance, the crew went on as if they hadn't heard him at all.
"I'll get the booze," Zoro said, sticking out his hand as he passed Nami. She tossed his share of beli to him, and called after him.
"I'll send someone to find you in the morning, so don't go too far!"
"And don't get on the wrong ship again," Sanji called after him.
"Shut up!"
Chopper, Usopp and Brook were next, each chatting excitedly about the first foods they'd try to find. Nami reminded Chopper that too many sweets would give him a stomach ache, and the pint-sized doctor sent a guilty little smile her way as he collected his coins.
Robin and Franky passed Nami, followed by Sanji, who spared a glance back at Law. Was that sympathy in the cook's eyes!?
"Hey, tell them to come back," Law growled, giving Luffy a shake by his coat.
"Huh? Why should I?" Luffy asked.
Nami turned and handed Luffy his share of spending money before walking up to meet Sanji.
"Make sure he stays out of trouble! Have fun!" She called over her shoulder.
"What!?"
Law realized a little too late that the crew had just dumped the job of babysitting their man-child captain on him. He gaped between the retreating crew and the rubber idiot who was grinning up at him excitedly.
"C'mon, Traffy! Let's go eat!
The streets were packed with shoppers, and the food stands were a mess of people waiting patiently for their orders. Luffy zipped through the crowd with surprising grace. Having had enough of chasing him through the crowds from stand to stand, Law grabbed him by the hand and yanked him over to a large clearing.
When they finally pushed their way through, Luffy's eyes went wide in astonishment. In the middle of the clearing, which Law now realized must be the town common, was a tree so impossibly large that he had to crane his neck back to see to the top of it.
The fir was dressed with lights and ribbons from base to crown, and at the very top sat a gigantic star, glowing warmly and blanketing the common. A halo of light emanated from it, and Law realized that this star was the light that had drawn them to the island in the first place.
"Look, Traffy! Look at the bottom!"
Law saw them. Surrounding the trunk of the tree was a sea of gifts, piled high in places, wrapped in papers of gold, and red and green.
"Who are they for?" Law wondered aloud. Was there a king on this island who threw himself a festival and demanded gifts from the townspeople? If that was the case, all the more reason for them to leave before they were noticed.
"Everyone!" A voice exclaimed from behind them.
They turned and found an old man, his back bent with age, grinning up at them. Like all the townspeople they'd seen, he appeared to be in cheerful mood.
"You've come at our island's finest season! This week we celebrate Luminose, the festival of light and giving!"
"Low moose?" Luffy cocked his head.
"Lu-MIN-ose," the man patiently corrected.
"Then those gifts-" Law began.
"Are for everyone who lives on this island," the old man interrupted, spreading his arms wide in an inclusive gesture. "Each year we wrap our closest friends and family a gift that will be meaningful to them. The thought is that these small tokens of generosity and love will act as a reminder that you are never alone, even in the darkest times."
"You do this every year, old man?" Luffy asked in amazement.
"That's right. You've come on the last night, which will end with a grand midnight feast and the exchanging of gifts! Our lights attract visitors from every corner of the sea! Their patronage to our shops and vendors make it possible for an island like ours, which is impossible to find using even an eternal pose, to thrive."
"Ok. I've decided," Luffy said, pounding his fist into his palm, "we're celebrating low moose, too!"
"Luminose!" the old man corrected.
Law sighed, pretty certain that the word 'feast' sealed that deal.
"First, I need gifts. C'mon, Traffy, let's go find some. Thanks, old man! We'll see you at the feast!"
"You spent over half the money Nami-ya gave you already. How do you plan on paying for gifts?"
"He didn't say they had to be expensive gifts. Let's go!"
The shopping district was less crowded than the food vendors, and Law wondered how anyone on this island was going to have an appetite after spending the entire day eating.
"What are we looking for now?" Law asked, walking hands-in-pockets beside Luffy.
"Dunno yet, I'll know the perfect gifts when I see them."
"Like those?" Law asked skeptically, looking at the bag Luffy was carrying.
After an hour of shopping, the contents of Luffy's bag was as follows: One round, fist sized rock. One old, metal hair comb. One pair of much-too-dark sunglasses.
"If you give Nami-ya a rock, she's going to throw it at you," Law warned, pretty certain that a rock was at the bottom of the navigator's wish list.
Luffy laughed but shook his head, "I know she'll like it!"
Suddenly, Luffy stopped short and stared into the display window of an antiques shop. Law glanced from the boy's round, surprised eyes, to the object they were locked on.
"Who's that for?" Law asked, assuming that Luffy had just stumbled upon another one of his random "perfect" gifts.
He saw Luffy put a hand to his pocket where the last of his money waited to be spent. Then, almost painfully, he drew that hand back up and made a tight fist of resolution.
"Nobody," Luffy said, turning to him with a smile and walking on.
Law's eyes lingered on the display window a moment longer before he turned and followed.
"Found him," Usopp called, dragging a glaring Zoro behind him. The swordsman carried a tankard tightly in his free hand.
The rest of the crew was already gathered at the base of the giant fir tree, all except Law looking confused by the summons.
Luffy grinned excitedly and stood akimbo before them.
"Alright! Everyone, I've decided tonight we're going to celebrate low moose!"
"Luminose," Robin correct with a smile, "I take it you heard about the feast, Luffy?"
"We're definitely staying for the feast," Luffy nodded seriously, "so I want to do this part early so we can eat for as long as we want!"
"What part?" Usopp asked.
Luffy grabbed a large, red sack from behind him and pulled it forward. He reached a hand in and pulled out a very shabbily wrapped parcel.
"Is that meat packing paper?" Law asked, looking over the ugly brown parcel. He'd wondered what Luffy had used for wrapping paper, but Law had left to run his own errand before Luffy had started wrapping.
"Luffy, how many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my-" Sanji yelled, but before he could say anything more, Luffy offered him the parcel.
"It's… for me?" Sanji asked, surprised.
"Yup!" Luffy grinned, watching expectantly. Sanji felt the rest of the crew's eyes on him and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. He bit back a remark about not accepting gifts from men, feeling better about the fact that from the size of that sack, Luffy had something for all of them.
He shrugged and started ripping off the paper.
"What is it?" Nami asked, peeking over Sanji"s shoulder. Sanji stared down at the gift, a large grin spreading across his face.
"For when we find it! You can take a picture and put it in there, so you always remember what it was like!" Luffy explained.
Law watched on in mild surprise. As bad a gift an old, empty picture frame seemed to be back in the trade shop Luffy purchased it from, the cook now looked down at it as though it were the All Blue itself.
From where he stood, Law could see the messy words Luffy must have added to the bottom of the frame while he was away: "ALL BLUE"
"Thanks, Luffy!" Sanji said with such sincerity that Law felt a little uncomfortable, as though he was intruding on a personal moment between friends. Luffy laughed happily and pulled out another gift.
When Nami unwrapped her gift, she didn't throw it as Law predicted, but instead held it up in admiration. The rock was smooth, round, and deep orange. It wasn't until he saw the look of pure love, so fleeting he should have missed it altogether, that Law was reminded of the mikan trees on board the Strawhat's ship.
"So your maps don't get blown away!" Luffy explained, but Nami was already nodding.
"It's perfect, Luffy! Thank you!"
And to Law (and Sanji's) surprise, she wrapped her captain in a tight hug.
Zoro begrudgingly accepted his sunglasses, their use made clear with the cook's help ("now that lazy shit head will never wake up") but Law caught him silently admiring the glasses when he thought no one was watching. He thought a look passed between captain and swordsman, but what it meant he had no idea.
Chopper happily exclaimed over his new step-stool, which was really just a discarded piece of one of Franky's projects that Luffy had painted pink and blue to match the little doctor's hat. It was just what he needed, he said, to reach the top shelf in the infirmary.
The others were equally pleased, and when Law thought the gift giving was finally through, Luffy drew one last gift from the bag and handed it to Law.
Law had no idea when Luffy had the chance to pick him out a present. He stopped himself from asking why Luffy had bothered gifting him something. It would only make an awkward exchange even more awkward.
And he knew the answer already, anyway. He'd been warned about this guy and his just-about-invisible line between ally and friend. As long as they accomplished their goal in the end, what Strawhat labeled him didn't matter.
He turned the gift over in his hands before tearing at the corner. All eyes were on him, none looking surprised that Law was included in this spontaneous burst of holiday generosity, and he knew heat was starting to rise in his cheeks at the unwanted attention.
Inside were a pair of thick, gray gloves.
"I noticed your hand was cold when we were holding hands!" Luffy explained, "and then you kept putting them in your pockets…"
"Holding hands?" Robin asked, sending Law a playful smile.
"No! I wasn't, I mean, we weren't-" Law started, anger flushing his face even worse than before.
"So now you can hold hands again anytime you want, right Luffy?," Zoro snickered, and Law was tempted to scatter pieces of the swordsman so far apart he'd never make himself whole again.
"What's wrong with holding hands?" Chopper asked innocently.
"Maybe we should start assigning someone to hold this marimo's hand so he doesn't get lost all the time," Sanji said before taking a draw of his cigarette. He blocked Zoro's attack but Nami's fist ended the fight before it even began.
"This is all great, Luffy, but if you had told us about this sooner, we could have gotten you something, too." Nami said, crossing her arms.
"Hey! That's right, it's not really fair, is it?" Usopp said, thumbing through the "Prankster's Book of Pranks" that had seen its fair share of owners.
Most pages had handwritten notes in various styles of handwriting, explaining changes they'd made, and sometimes their own original ideas. It was a one-of-a-kind find, and it was the second best gift he'd ever received.
The rest of the crew mumbled their agreement, but Luffy shook his head.
"You guys give me stuff all the time! Sanji gives me food, and Usopp tells the best lies. ("Oi!") Chopper shares his snacks and Robin reads me books. Franky builds the coolest stuff, and Brook plays the best music! And sometimes Nami even shares her miken with me!"
"She does!?" Usopp whispered, and Chopper shrugged in surprise. Nami blushed a little, but said nothing.
"So, it made me really happy to find something to give to you!"
"Idiot," Sanji muttered.
"You give us a lot, too, Luffy!" Chopper cried, wrapping his arms around Luffy's legs, "you deserve a gift just as much as we do!'
"That why we got you this," Law said, drawing a beautifully wrapped box from his pocket.
The Strawhats turned to Law in shock, and the Heart captain quickly looked away from them and scowled.
"It's only fair, so take it," Law growled, pushing the gift into Luffy's hands.
Luffy's eyes lit up at the colorful wrapping, and he tore into the paper with child-like enthusiasm.
Out from the box he drew a small, very old looking pocket telescope. The rim was worn and a deep scratch ran down the side, but those flaws didn't subtract from its beauty.
Luffy stared down at the telescope, rolling it in his hands. A small smile, as though he were remembering a time and a place far away from this one, played at his lips.
His silence caused Law to shift his weight on his feet anxiously.
"If you don't like it, you can take it back. You were looking at it so I thought-"
Luffy's arms wrapped around Law so tightly the surgeon gasped involuntarily.
"Thanks, Traffy!" He exclaimed, letting go to share his gratitude with his crew, "Thanks, everyone!"
Suddenly, a large bell began to chime, drowning out the sounds around them. It chimed twelve times, and the crowd calmly began to move out of the common as one.
"That must signal the start of that feast you mentioned," Brook said.
"Oh yeah! The feast! Let's go!" Luffy cried. He grasped his telescope tightly before disappearing into the crowd, not bothering to see if anyone was following.
Law realized the rest of the crew was staying fixed in place, all of them watching Law with a mix of strange expressions.
"Thank you," Robin finally offered, breaking the silence, "for finding a gift for Luffy on our behalf."
"That was a SUPER thing to do!" Franky smirked, striking one of his odd poses.
"I didn't even know he wanted a new telescope," Usopp mused, "we have newer ones lying around the ship."
"Maybe it means more because it was a gift?" Chopper suggested.
"How much do we owe you?" Nami asked, a little hesitantly.
Law turned his back to them and followed Luffy through the crowd.
"It's on me, just don't get used to it."
After the feast, and after Luffy had a chance to return to his normal size, the crew drowsily made their way back to Sunny.
Law and Luffy made up the rear of their procession, and when Law felt a hand wrap around his own warm, gloved one, he didn't pull away.
Behind them, the lights dimmed out until the island was dark and the last of the music faded away.
Luffy was holding the telescope close to his chest, like a child might hold a security blanket. Law realized that he, too, felt a great comfort in his new gift. The thought was absurd and embarrassing, and tomorrow he would swat it away along with any stray hands that tried to grasp his own.
The old man's words came to mind then:
"The thought is that these small tokens of generosity and love will act as a reminder that you are never alone, even in the darkest times."
For tonight, this was fine.
For tonight, even he could accept a reminder that he wasn't alone in this dark, cold world.
Merry Christmas, Shishiswordsman! This was written as part of OPSecretSanta2016 on Tumblr. I hope you liked it, I was very excited to write some holiday LawLu for you :)
Merry Christmas , everyone! Thank you for reading!