Hi! You know, these chapters are getting longer and longer. This one is actually cut in half. It was supposed to be named "Son of a noble and son of a king", but the king part will be in chapter 6~!
ChunkyFunkyMunky: Nope, It's not gonna be a yaoi. If I wanted it to be I would write it with capital letters in summary. It's not like I don't like yaoi. It's just that I wanted this story to be not. I'm a bit sick of stories where the ASL dynamics is cotton-candy sweet. I'm trying to make it more like dark chocolate xD It's still sweet but also has it's bitter moments.
sarge1130: Ace thinks that he doesn't deserve friendship slash love and etc. but at the same time he just like Luffy doesn't want to be alone. His self-criticism is pretty much self-loathing. And yes, Ace did unleash his Haki. It was about to happen one way or another.
And now enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 5: Son of a noble
Law opened his eyes. His mind was still foggy after the events from the forest. It was the first time when he seriously used his ability. Saving Luffy's life was much harder. So far he could with ease operate only small wounds. It took a lot of energy to create Operating Room big enough to cover kid's whole chest.
He blinked a few times to let his eyes get used to the light. He was in Dadan's hut. With the edge of his eye, he saw two familiar characters.
He took the cover off as he sat up. Both Ace and Sabo turned around to look at him. Between was lying sleeping Luffy. The boy had a fever but he wasn't dying anymore. Or so it seemed.
"You're awake!" said Ace bluntly. The boy stood up and walked to Law in a bit aggressive manner.
"Asshole..." he started.
Law stiffed. Not from fear but confusion. What the hell was wrong with this Ace guy to act like this? Didn't he just save Luffy's life? Was he really having some serious problems or what?
Sabo only buried face in his palms.
"... thanks for saving Luffy's life, bastard!" he finally said and bowed.
Law's eyes widened unproportionaly.
Ace's face became red.
Sabo's head only shook.
"You're terrible at thanking..." he said.
The awkward silence lasted only three seconds.
"BHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed both oldest of them and the only blonde. Ace became even redder as they fell on their backs. He straightened up and crossed his arms. He glared at them, but his pout was adorable so they only laughed harder. After a second he joined them and the whole Dadan's hut was filled with giggles.
Their fun was interrupted by a weak groan of pain from unconscious Luffy.
They stopped laughing and looked at him. Law expression softened. He stood up. He still felt a little weak in his legs but it wasn't enough to overthrow him.
"Let's go outside." he decided. Two other boys only nodded their heads.
They went to the forest but not far from bandit's hideout. If Luffy woke up they wanted to knew it as fast as possible.
"So..." started Ace after a minute of wandering around. "You're a Devil Fruit user." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah..." said Law. While he himself once lived with a pirate crew which most members had powers of cursed fruits, he was sure that in Blue seas it wasn't so common... Then again, Garp was their grandpa slash caretaker so they probably heard about Akuma no Mi from the moronic marine.
"What's it's called?" asked Sabo "It was kinda weird out there." he wheeled a circle in the air with his hand as if he wanted to show the location in the forest were bear incident occurred.
"Op Op Fruit. It gave me a power of an operation room." he answered.
"While I saw it is a hell useful... it sounds kinda lame..." said Ace as he tilted his head.
Law smirked as he created a really small sphere in his hand.
"In this space, I can control almost everything" after 5 seconds the room disappeared "Unfortunately I'm not skilled in it yet." he shrugged.
"Really?" both boys were surprised. Yesterday display while looked hard was really impressive.
"But with Luffy..." Law interrupted Ace immediately.
"It really tired me. It was the first time I used it on any other person than myself."
Both boys were shocked. The day before he was brilliant and saved Lu's life yet it was his first try?
"I studied a lot but I never thought that..." Law whispered. "I was afraid that I would mess everything up out there..."
Ace looked at the older boy. He was looking down at his shoes as if they were about to tell him the mystery of the world. He looked miserable and he really shouldn't. He saved Luffy's life! Luffy! The one who have told Ace he wanted him to be alive.
Ace's fingers curled into a fist and before any of the boys could react he punched Law in the face.
'What the hell are you doing, moron!' thought Sabo.
At the same time, Law was massaging his burning chick.
'He's right. I could have killed Luffy and...'
"YOU IDIOT CREEPY-DALMATIAN!" yelled Ace "Stop acting like that! You saved Luffy! If not for you, he would have died!"
"But I'm inexperienced..."
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH TRAFALGAR OR I'LL SHUT IT WITH MY FIST!"
Apparently, Law was easy enraged when treated.
"You wanna fight, you bloody ape!" he shouted "Your punches are girly like flowers! It didn't even tingle!"
"Now you did it!" yelled Ace as he jumped at Law.
Sabo sweatdropped.
"They really aren't good at showing their emotions, are they?" he said more to himself.
He wondered how to stop them from killing one another. He certainly didn't plan on doing it with force. Don't get him wrong, he was strong... but not suicidal. He could fight equally with Ace but there was so way he would beat two such people... nope!
So he decided to do otherwise.
"Oh, Luffy you're up already?" he asked the void air.
Two moons stopped immediately.
"What, Luffy is up, where?"
"That little idiot is supposed to rest, not walk in a forest!"
Before any of them had time to realise Garp's grandson was not there, Sabo punched their heads with his pipe.
"Stop being morons, start being civil." he said in a stern voice as they muttered things like 'Damn you, Sabo!' and 'I feel like I lost some brain cells!'
"Anyway!" he decided to change the subject "I know why the moron over there..." he pointed with his pipe at Ace.
"HEY!"
"...is so worried about Lu, but I don't know much about you." his eyes narrowed as he looked at Law "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that you saved his life. You see, he's one of the most precious people in my life..." he sighed "You said something about sister..."
Law tensed. He wasn't sure if Sabo would remember it since barely two minutes later the bear attacked them.
"I... was born in Flevance." he decided to say.
He saw that it didn't tell Ace much but Sabo's eyes widened and flashed alarmingly as he looked at his white spots. Law for a second wondered how a boy that was born in Gray Terminal could know anything about the events from North Blue. He decided to continue as he sat down.
"It was said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Almost as glorious as Mariejois. It actually competed with Goa for a second place... Anyway, our people lived from mining Amber Lead. It was a white shiny substance that made the city shine as the whole buildings were covered with it. It was sold and gave our country big profits... but... we didn't know that it was poisonous... our royals hid this from us. Almost four years ago the whole city fell sick. Their bodies were covered with white spots that itched. The bigger they grew the weaker the citizens felt. It was a slow death with no chances to recover..."
He looked at boys in front of him.
Ace looked worried but there was no pity in his eyes. Good.
Sabo, on the other hand, was terrified. Law couldn't exactly blame him. Only a few people on North Blue knew that Amber Lead Syndrome was not contagious. It would be a miracle if Sabo knew about this little fact. So he needed to make him realise it as fast as possible.
"The World Government hid one more fact from us... That Amber Lead Syndrome was a sickness only dangerous for people who lived in Flevance for years!"
Both boys looked at him shocked.
"It's not pathogenic... At the beginning, we didn't have a clue about it. We all thought it was an epidemic, but it wasn't so. My father was a genius doctor and discovered that as we lived in Flevance the Amber Lead accumulated in our bodies. It shortened our lifespan since next generations were born with more of this shit in their veins."
Sabo wanted to curse something. Damn them! These people from the top!
Law eyes were now more melancholic as he continued.
"My little sister was the first one to fallen sick. The spot was so small... only as big as 100 berry coin. It was on her arm. Dad tried to do anything but then mum fainted. The white spots were on her head... probably because of her favourite hair pins... next were our aunt and neighbours... and then sister Angelica, the nun and all my classmates from school... Dad said he was okay but I saw him once in the bathroom... his whole chest was white... I don't remember when it all started for me... I was too focused on Lami... She was barely 6 at that time. She didn't even saw her seven birthday. Before... before all of that happened..." his eyes watered. It hurt so much. "She always smiled. She loved eating violet food and plum candies since purple was her favourite colour..." he swallowed. He didn't want to cry. It was an ugly past but past all the same. "I... I'm the only one to survive..." he whispered as he stood up. "Luffy is a lot like my little Lami. They both have this smile and happy attitude. I know he will never replace the hole in my heart but... I just wanted to feel like that again... like the older brother... but at the same time I didn't want to be near because it hurts so much! And when I saw him on the ground covered in blood slowly dying it was like seeing Lami dying again!" his voiced raised a bit in the end.
Sabo smiled as he put his hand on Law's shoulder. He didn't realise it before but 12year old was barely taller than him. While Law was strong, the sickness must have weakened him a lot.
"Don't worry... I'm sorry I make you remember all that" he said.
"It's okay..." Law sighed.
Ace smiled at him as he punched his back in a friendly manner. Law almost fell down because of the strength of the punch.
"You surely inherited moronic marine's inhuman strength..." he said in deadpan.
"Huh?" for a second Ace wondered what was Law talking about. "Shitty gramps is not my biological family." he said.
"Seriously?!" asked surprised Law. "But you and Luffy look so alike... I thought that you were cousins since you have different surnames."
"Nope~! Shitty gramps adopted me just after I was born. He... helped my mum."
Law knew something was off in this reason but decided not to voice it. After all, they all had their secrets that were not ready to show to others.
"By the way" Sabo looked questioningly at Law "If you don't want to tell us, that's okay, but... I heard that Amber Lead Syndrome was deadly... how are you still alive?"
Law smirked.
"Op Op fruit gave me the immunity to all sicknesses that were in my body during eating it. Currently, I'm working on removing the lead from my body mechanically. It will take some time but in a few weeks I'll be free of it." he said proudly as he showed them his right leg. They didn't realise it before but contrary to his whole body, this lag was the only one not covered in white spots!
"How did you do it?" they looked at him shocked.
Law took off his knife.
"Room~!"
A small sphere covered his pinky on the left hand. Law smirked as he cut it. Ace and Sabo yelled terrified but stopped immediately when they saw no blood! The devil fruit user put the knife away and spun his right hand. The white substance started flowing from the pinky and become a small ball the size of a pea. Then he connected his pointing finger and thumb and left pinky again rejoin the body. The operation room disappeared and ball of Amber Lead fall on a ground creating a small shiny white puddle.
Ace kneeled to look at it closely.
"And this shit is in your body?" he asked as he used the stick to touch the white substance. It was already solid.
"Yeah... but I'm gonna remove it."
"Who's gonna be my creepy-dalmatian then, eh?" said Ace teasingly.
"You'll find yourself another one." Law smiled in the same manner.
"Aren't you worried that it can kill some animals?" asked Sabo also looking at the puddle with interest.
"Nach! It's not enough to. In my body is the amount to kill two adults, so even if I spread it all in the forest it wouldn't hurt anyone... maybe a frog or mice but nothing big. Besides animals know it's dangerous so they won't touch it."
"Wait!" Sabo looked at him freaked out. "You have in your body an amount that could kill two adults?! How are you still alive?!"
Law shrugged.
"Good genes I guess. Dad always said that being a D is hell useful."
"You have a D in your name? Just like me and Luffy?" asked Ace.
"Luffy and I." corrected him Sabo.
"Whatever!" he looked at Sabo angrily "Isn't your name Trafalgar Law?"
"It's for short. The full one is Trafalgar D. Water Law"
"Your name is Water?" Ace laughed
Law only pouted.
"In my family, everyone has two names. It's a tradition. Dad was Beethoven Marcus and..." he didn't have time to end the sentence as this time it was Sabo that laughed.
"Your dad's second name was Beethoven?"
"Laugh as much as you want! These names are awesome!"
Sabo and Ace only laughed louder as they fall on the ground. Law's face was too much!
XxX
When Luffy woke up and discovered that Law and Ace were now 'bros' as he decided to call it, he probably was the happiest person on Dawn Island. And when he get to know about Law's powers, he had stars in his eyes.
From this day forward the three of them were leaving Dadan's hut and coming back together. Although Luffy was not to do reckless things that could reopen his wounds. He also couldn't train. Law was really strict when it came to treatment. The youngest didn't like it but he enjoyed it when Law and Ace were together. He loved how warm it felt.
As they trained it was obvious that both Ace and Sabo were equal while Law was much more skilled but lacked the strength. He was still much better and it took a lot to beat him.
On of these days, they decided to go and catch an alligator for dinner.
"Sit here, Luffy." said Law.
"Yeah. Since you can't swim, hammer!" nodded Ace.
Law looked surprised at Ace.
"He can't swim?" of course it was weird. When 93% of the planet was covered in water, most could swim perfectly!
Both Sabo and Ace looked at him as the realisation hit them.
"It's a miracle that you didn't hear shout it by now!" said Sabo as he smacked his forehead with his palm. Ace nodded in agreement.
"Lu is a Devil Fruit us..." nope, he had no time to end that sentence.
"GUM GUM..."
"Shit." muttered three boys as they saw Luffy flying through air shouting 'ROCKET' and landing on a head of one of the alligators.
XxX
"So... the Gum Gum Fruit?" Law asked. Ace and Sabo only winced. It was a simple formula:
Gum Gum fruit - "The Gum powers are awesome, not lame" - How did he eat it - Shanks - The straw hat - Shanks again - Higuma and his bandits - More Shanks - "I'm gonna be a pirate king" - Even more Shanks...
Luffy beamed happily and showed him his elastic cheeks.
"Yeah!" he said as he let his skin go" I ate it. It was awful, ya know!" he made face and Law only nodded. Op Op Fruit wasn't any better. "Now I'm rubber man! It's cool, right?! Ace says it's lame, but it's not!"
"It totally is~!" said Ace in a teasing tone and Sabo only laughed.
"Can I see it?" Law said as he grabbed a bit of Luffy's skin between his fingers.
"Yeah!" While Luffy normally didn't like it when someone played with his body like that, it was the first time someone asked it and Law was actually interested so he was too happy to care.
"Wow... that's actually cool..." he said more to himself.
"Really!"
Yep! Luffy was in heaven now.
"You're kidding, right?" asked Ace. He couldn't believe that anyone would think of rubber as 'cool'.
Sabo was also surprised. While he thought that it was awesome to have powers and Luffy was a first Devil Fruit user he had ever seen, he never took Gum Gum Fruit seriously.
Law looked at them surprised.
"His wounds are much easier to close in a short time. And it takes much more strength to make them reopen. Not to mention that his body can take high blood pleasure that happens for example after visiting Fishman Island that is 10 thousand meters below the ground. He also won't feel punches since his body is so elastic. Oh, and you can't break his bones! Of course it's awesome!"
Ace blinked surprised. If he said it like that... maybe rubber wasn't useless... still lame.
"See! Told ya, Ace~u!" yelled Luffy "Rubber is awesome!"
"'Useful' isn't the synonym to 'not lame'" he said as he showed him his tongue.
"You're just jealous!"
"No way!"
In the end, Law didn't hear about Shanks...
XxX
Remember that alligator that they caught (although Sabo needed to fish Luffy out of the river) as they ate the meat out, Ace took care of its skin. It was good quality so selling it was the best option. Goa then!
They explained to Law that one day they wanted to left the Goa Kingdom and become pirates. At first, he wanted to ask them why pirates, but decided otherwise. He himself would never become a marine since he had not to fond memories of them. After all the navy along with Government Army destroyed his homeland and not even Cora-san could change his outlook on them... well he did a little. He no longer thought of all them as heartless, corrupted killing machines.
At first, he thought that living the country as marines would be the best option for three friends, but... Garp. Yep, this one world explained everything. If the man was one's grandpa this person no longer wanted to do anything with Navy. Too much of traumatic memories. There were still scholars and sailors... but it seems that they had their own reasons and he probably will hear them in time.
To sell the alligator skin, they needed some cover. No one who paid good money would buy stuff from kids.
Luffy was sitting on Law's shoulders while Sabo on Ace's. As they covered each other in capes they looked like two rather small people. Good enough!
On their way, they beat some thugs and stole their money even if it wasn't much. After selling their product, they gained 20.000 berry!
As the noon begin, Luffy started to get hungry.
"Let's eat!" he whispered-shouted.
"Not a bad idea." said Ace "I know a good place with ramen!"
"Ramen?" asked Sabo. He never tasted it before.
"Is it good?" Luffy would be good with anything in the end.
"It was long since I ate it." agreed Law.
"Ramen it is!" nodded Ace and showed them the way. They came across a good looking restaurant. As they walked inside they were greeted by a waiter.
"Hallo, custome...?! Oh no! We're not serving your kind! Get out of here!"
Law clenched his teeth. He knew this kind of people. They were similar to this that didn't want to treat him when he alongside Cora-san visited the hospitals. The only difference was that the doctors did it because of fear. Here it was only disgust!
Before he could shout at them Sabo voiced himself in a manner of some rich noble.
"I would like to take the private room." He said and showed the waiter an emblem.
Law could barely see it but he knew. It was a royal herb. He wondered how on Earth could Sabo get it?
"Oh! Such an honour! Please come inside, your greatness!"
And suddenly they were so nice?! Law felt like puking.
As they sat in private room, Ace smirked.
"Good thinking, Sabo! This thing is hell useful!"
"Umm... thanks!"
Law looked at Sabo. Yep, the kid had some secret.
As they ate he couldn't believe how much Luffy ate! Ace didn't surprise him at all. His whole family ate like this. For him, things changed during White Uprising. They barely had food and when he had something good he always gave it to Lami. Ever since that time, he didn't eat as much. Sabo was a bit surprising. His dad once told him it was a D trial to eat a lot, although he never had time to explain it. Then again, maybe Sabo had a fast metabolism. Luffy on the other hand inhaled food even thought his body was so small! He decided it was because of his Devil Fruit. He remembered that Donquixote Pirates had always a lot of food on their plates since all of their members had powers. He himself started to ate more and more recently.
In the end, Luffy blew their cover. They decided to dine and dash as they run away.
"Sabo?" some man shouted after them. "Sabo! It's you! Where were you! Come home!"
And there was no way it was a coincidence!
XxX
"I'm a son of noble..." Sabo told them after Ace and Luffy made him. He didn't look exactly happy with it.
"So?" the three asked. Both Luffy and Ace picked the pinky in their noses.
"You asked!" yelled annoyed Sabo.
He looked down ashamed.
"The truth is that both of my parents are alive, I'm not an orphan and I didn't grow up in Gray Terminal... That man that was calling my name... It was my father."
Three pairs of eyes widened.
I'm sorry I hid it from you, guys..." he whispered.
"He apologised so it's okay, right?" asked Luffy innocently.
'Of course, he would react like that' thought Sabo 'It was Luffy after all.
"It depends on why he lied." said Ace as he crossed his arms.
He stiffed hearing that. Did Ace hate him? He was his first friend. He couldn't lose him!
Law only looked at him curiously and it only made his stomach make a turn. He remembered what royals did to Flevance.
"The reason why I ran away..."
He closed his eyes as memories hunted him. The family that never loved him and only cared only for themselves. The time where that damn brat, Prince Averey tried to stab him! The memories went through his head as he told them his story.
"...they never loved me. The loved only their status and themselves."
He sighed. It was hard to talk about that.
"If I couldn't marry the girl from royal family I was useless for them. Each day I was supposed to learn the etiquette and manners and every day they told me that I wasn't good enough. There was no place for me in that family. I'm sorry... It may offend you three, but if I was to choose to be an orphan or that people for a family I know what I would prefer. Nobels tend to think lowly about Gray Terminal but it's better than having your life planned from birth!"
The three friends looked at Sabo.
Law for a little second felt angry. He knew that both Ace and Luffy never knew or met their parents. While Mr Ape told him that both his mother and father were dead, the youngest didn't even understand that he had any. Law, on the other hand, remembered both. They were wonderful people and genius doctors. Losing them and Lami was probably the worst that ever happened to him. Hearing that Sabo would rather prefer to be an orphan made his blood boil. Fortunately, the voice from the back of his head reminded him that life wasn't always fair. It was brutal and violent. You see, even on the cleanest window is some dirt. After all, wasn't Flevance one? He knew he should trust Sabo's judgement and so he would.
Ace was angry. But not at the blonde but at himself. How could he not realise it before? His friend was always different than others, yet Ace never cared. He should see it before. In the beginning of their friendship, for two first years, every time Sabo went home he wasn't happy. It changed a year later and it was probably that time when Sabo decided to start living in Gray Terminal.
Luffy smiled. Sabo always had beautiful sky-sea-blue colour and today was the first day he ever saw it changed to an awful miserable grey blue. Sabo was much happier here and Luffy wouldn't let it happen again. Because Sabo was important.
Sabo stood up. He looked them in the eyes as he spoke.
"Ace, Luffy, Law! One day we're gonna sail through the seas. We're gonna leave this country behind to be free! I want to see it all, the whole world! And then write a book about every adventure I ever will have as a pirate!"
They laughed cheerfully hearing these words.
"You don't have to tell me that." said Ace as he walked to the edge of a cliff. Today the waves of East Blue were a bit less calm than normally as if they felt the storm of future generations. "I'm gonna become one! I'm gonna beat all other ones and become the most infamous one! It will be the sign that I'm alive! Even if everyone will hate me I'll leave my mark! I'll never run away and will never be beaten! Mt name will be known!"
Law punched his arm.
"First you need to beat me" he laughed as Ace stuck his tongue out. "I'll mess up with the world itself! And no one will be able to stop me from causing the storm!"
Luffy smiled even weight.
"Okey! I'm gonna be...!"
OMAKE #1
Baf Rikritsk was a leader of one of Edge Town gangs. He spent his time on robbing people and parting in bars. He loved to sow fear in hearts of poor and disabled. It was next typical day for Baf. He was sitting in one of the alleys when he saw his next victim. It was two really short men caring something big with them. Nice~! He smirked as he approached them with his gang.
"Okey, gentlemen, give us your cargo and we won't hurt ya." said Baf.
They didn't even flinch.
"Hey! Why are you not answering!" the bandit barked.
"Shut up, punk." said one man calmly and kicked him. Baf fell down on a ground.
"You bastard!"
"When you raid someone" the calm in man's voice changed to a bit teasing and too happy for this situation tone. It was alarming. "Make sure it won't backfire!"
The cape fell down. Instead of two short guys, it was kids!
And Baf knew them a bit too much.
Ace the kid of bandits from Mt. Corvo. The wildest little beast you could find in the forest.
Sabo the child of Gray Terminal. Some of his men still had bruises from two months then they met with kid's pipe.
Luffy, the newest addition to the monsterous duo.
And...
Oh no!
"THEY GOT ANOTHER ONE!"
A/N: About Law
I always thought that Law can see Devil Fruits as useful tools. He read a lot about them and so he know that there not exist a lame DF only lame users.
His eating habits are a bit different. I always thought that a regular D eat a last 3 times more than regular human and devil fruit users at last 2 times (it depends on a fruit). At the same time Law suffers an eating disorder because of a Flevance war and then he was deadly ill. Now he eats a bit less than a typical D.
I hope I made it clear why Law was angry at Sabo for saying he would rather be an orphan. Don't worry, he respects his decision~!
Trafalgar D. Beethoven Marcus: I decided to base Law's dad name on Beethoven since he died for lead poisoning and Marek (polish version of Marcus) Edelman the genius heart surgeon. I write about him in another chapter since Law from my story is also based on him.
20.000 Berry* For 50.000 B you can buy a low-quality sword and for 100.000.000 a second-hand ship so I guess selling the alligator skin for 20.000 is okay!
Okey. I think it's all!
R&R~!