"Now, I hate to say it," said Bellemère, beckoning Law and Rocinante through the door, "but you guys are going to have to find jobs. This household can't accommodate the brunt of 5 people without at least a double income. I've got plans for you, Roci. Now, how old is Law?"

"Er…"stammered Rocinante.

"Really, Cora-san?" muttered Law. "I'm 12 years old, Bellemère."

"Then you're definitely old enough to be a part-timer," chuckled Bellemère.

"I thought you were like… six maybe seven," Rocinante admitted. Law could only sigh. His giant of a parent had no concept of age. In his eyes, shorter was equal to younger. It wouldn't surprise him to know that Corazon believed Nami to be the age of a toddler.

"Do you have any skills?" asked Bellemère, bending down to meet Law's eyes. Law decided not to mention that he was an expert in over 5 different areas of assassination and espionage.

"I'm not licensed, but I have thorough medical knowledge," answered Law, boasting only slightly.

"Impressive!" exclaimed Bellemère. Law was at the age where he could tell wether or not an adult was being dismissive. Bellemère was not. She believed him. This was strange. Even Cora-san was reluctant at first to believe Law of his medicinal talents.

"A prodigy, huh?" Bellemère hummed. "We have a village doctor who could use an assistant. There's no real formal school here, so we have to occupy your time with something. And you can earn some pocket money while you're at it!"

Law liked the idea. He missed the comfort of the hospital. It would be nice to throw himself back into something he loved so much.

"I'll talk to the man for you, alright?" promised Bellemère. "As for you!" she shot at Corazon. "You'll be under my watch. Kami knows the trouble you can get into without a good supervisor!"

Law snickered. Corazon glared at him.

"Yeah…" mused Bellemère. "You'd do quite nicely in an orchard. Mikans grow pretty high, and I'm tired of lugging around a step stool. If you can manage harvesting, maybe I'll even give you a letter of recommendation!"

Rocinante grimaced. The woman was going to work him to death.

"We'll eat out today," said Bellemère, "to celebrate!"

"Do you… have the finances?" asked Rocinante. Bellemère smiled and nodded.

"Those customers you brought in are top notch. They always pay for the best in stock. And besides, you guys look a little roughed up. You deserve a break, Roci."

"Thanks again for doing this Bell," Rocinante said, bending down to meet her gaze. Bellemère smirked at him.

"Anything for you, Roci. You know it."

"I guess I'm using up that favour from back when we were marines?"

Bellemère looked at him as if he were joking. Roci snickered and Bellemère swatted at him.

"Are Nami and Nojiko going to be okay with this?" Roci asked Bellemère. Nami had dragged Law to the orchard, insisting that he take a look at their precious mikans. Nojiko had followed closely behind, sighing at her younger sister's zealous advancements towards this stranger. Roci found it hard to believe that the girls would be ok with him and Law staying here.

"Oh, they'll be fine," Bellemère assured him. "Nojiko will be a bit tentative at first. She's always been the cautious type. But Nami will jump into it right away. She's the outgoing one." Bellemère smiled as if recalling a distant memory. "What about Law?" Rocinante frowned.

"He might be… I don't know…Angry? He's had a rough past, that one. I think-" Roci paused, choosing his words carefully, "I think he'll be very wary of Nami. His sister... Would be about her age now, but… She passed away several years ago. I don't think Law ever really had time to grieve for her…"

"Oh," Bellemère mumbled. It was the kind of revelation that could only elicit one reaction: shock. Roci grimaced. This was not the way to be directing this conversation.

"You know, Bell," Roci said, trying to lift the mood, "I never pegged you as the mothering type."

Bellemère laughed awkwardly, sensing the tense air and pitching in an effort to clear it.

"Me neither, but they're my babies, y'know?"

"How'd you come across them?"

"I got sent to a few places after basic training. We visited a really bad country, Roci. Corrupt, and war-torn. I was on the rescue squad, but got hit pretty badly. I was about to give up, but Nojiko… She ran up to me. And she had this tiny little baby in her arms. And they gave me hope. Cheesy, I know, but that's the story. You?"

Roci faltered. He… How did he explain the relationship he had with Law? 'Oh, you know, he tried to stab me, and I threw him out of a window and now we're travelling the world together trying to figure out a cure to this supposedly incurable disease'. Roci winced. He sounded insane, even in his own mind. Bellemère looked at him expectantly.

"My brother," Roci started, "He… Takes in these kids off the street and… Educates them." Doffy's idea of education was teaching Law the 5 best ways to snap a man's neck within 1 minute, but Bellemère didn't really need to know that… "Law's the last survivor from Flevance," Roci said. Bellemère's hands clasped together in front of her, a pious position of sympathy in the East Blue. Something she'd always done to honour their fallen comrades.

"His sister," she swallowed.

"Yes... Amber Lead disease."

"Oh god."

"When my brother took him in, our doctors projected that Law's disease would kill him in about 3 years" Roci sighed. So much for clearing the tension. "He was 10 at the time. We're travelling around the world now looking for a cure. It's getting worse, Bell. He… He has nightmares all the time. His mind is broken.. The spots on his body have started aching.. I.. I don't know what I would do-"

Bell grabbed Roci's hand and squeezed it, calming the man, who had started hyperventilating.

"I'm sure you guys will find the cure. Eventually. Until then, my home is yours."

"I really can't thank you enough, Bell."

"Bellemère!" Nami shouted, running into the kitchen, dragging Law behind her. "Did you know that Law knows navigation?!"

"I have to," Law said grimly. "Cora-san would get us lost and killed if I didn't."

"It's so weird Bellemère!" Nami said, poking Law, "Law keeps talking about this Cora-san person! Do you know him, Bellemère?"

"He's right there!" Law shouted, exasperated.

"I thought he was Rocinante," Nami said, looking to Rocinante for an explanation.

"Um," Rocinante started, not really knowing how to explain the whole thing. "It's a nickname, see-"

"You have nicknames for each other?!" Nami screamed excitedly. "Can I have a nickname, Law?!"

"No," Law said, frowning and snatching his hand back from her grasp.

"You're no fun!" Nami said, trotting off to look for Nojiko. Law gave Cora-san a dying glare. Cora-san shot him a 'We'll talk about this later' look, before turning back to Bellmère to discuss where they were going for dinner.

A.N.: Alright, finally, another update! I've been putting it off forever to finish some stuff with 'Happy Birthday', but I finally got a bit of free time. I honestly have no clue wether or not I will update 'Coffee Shop' until 2016. It seems a bit drastic, but I'm completely wrapped up. In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed! I'll try to update this fic. every other week if I can, now that I have a bit of space. Reviews, Favourites, and Subscriptions are welcomed and much appreciated!