Bath

Characters: Law, Penguin, Shachi. Rating: K. Warnings: None.

If there was one member of the crew that disliked bath time more than Bepo, it was Law. Unlike Bepo, whose bulk and fur demanded bathing, Law could usually get away with a quick shower to clean off, preserving hygiene while avoiding the indignity of almost drowning.

Sometimes, to his despair, there was no choice. Blood was notoriously difficult to scrub off without a good soaking, and while Law's fighting style rather intentionally avoided the substance, in a battle not everyone could kill without spraying blood everywhere (some pirates were total animals and Marines were rarely much better).

After every such battle, Law would stand and stare at his poor clothes – always grateful that as captain one duty he'd managed to successfully shirk completely was the laundry – until his arms were grabbed by Penguin and Shachi, who would frog-march him to the bathroom. As a devil fruit user, his crew had unanimously decided that he was not permitted to bathe by himself (Penguin and Shachi were particularly insistent, likely because of a certain event not long after forming the crew when Law hadn't emerged from the bathroom after an hour so they'd disregarded privacy over to concern to find him mostly submerged and losing the battle to keep his head above water).

When it had become clear to Law that this was non-negotiable, he had been firm in who, exactly, he would permit in the room with him. He trusted his entire crew, of course, but of the crew there were only three that knew everything, three that he was willing to see his body for extended periods of time (the white splotches weren't immediately apparent, and hadn't been for years, but the paler patches of skin were still there and the tattoos didn't hide them completely). Bepo's own hatred for baths left him an impractical choice, leaving Penguin and Shachi the only two allowed.

Sometimes it was only one of them, usually if the other had suffered an unlucky blow during battle, but often it was both, a task shared the same way they shared everything. Law suspected he wasn't the only one who preferred to keep reminders of the past close to his chest (water was a valuable commodity so baths were usually shared, but Penguin and Shachi would only share with each other and Law). Like him, they had their own childhood scars, lines and spots from bullet wounds obtained as children, before they knew how to fight back, to save themselves.

It was an unspoken rule that scars were never mentioned at bath time. Penguin and Shachi would coerce Law into the warm water, occasionally picking him up to dump him in if he was feeling particularly adverse – Law never Roomed away, realising that as much as he hated it and occasionally denied it, getting wet was a necessity and being childish about it helped no-one, least of all himself – before jumping into the water themselves, one either side. On particularly bad days, when the battle had been difficult and Law's stamina already depleted, he could do little more than sag against the side, relying on the pair of them to keep him above the water as they rinsed the blood from his skin. Other days he was less weary, capable of at least wiping the blood away himself.

If he ignored the bone-aching weariness the water brought – on some days an easier feat than others – those moments were almost enjoyable as he placed all his trust in his oldest nakama and lazed in the water, enjoying the warmth. Weighted down as he was, getting out unaided was impossible, but Penguin and Shachi had long since honed the art of noticing when he'd had enough. He never let a bath go on for too long, reluctant to be separated from the rest of his crew and the decisions to be made for longer than necessary. The times when someone was injured, a lucky strike from the enemy connecting, Law would only suffer a bath long enough to get rid of the blood before demanding to be helped out, determined to check on his injured nakama as soon as possible (initial treatment was always done before a bath, unless there was a risk of infection his abilities couldn't negate, but Law would never leave a recovering nakama for any longer than necessary).

Rarely, the injured party was Law himself, who needed the blood washed away before treatment could begin. Those were the days Penguin and Shachi never let go even for a moment, keeping him strictly upright and safe even as the water drained his strength. They'd treat the wounds then and there, too, if it wasn't too severe, supplies kept in a cupboard by the sink so Law didn't have to go far, didn't have to use his Room so soon after submergence.

Occasionally, injured or not although always when exhausted, Law found himself drifting off to sleep, lulled into security by the warmth and his nakama's presence. It was never a deep sleep – not with the danger of water ever-present, if subdued – but Penguin and Shachi would take extra precautions then, keeping movement to a minimum in the hopes that he'd sleep through extraction from the bath and subsequent dressing, to wake later in the comfort of his own bed. It usually failed, even their familiar presence not enough to defend him from the potential horrors of the water, but the effort was appreciated.

Warm and dry after a bath, Law would always admit that while he still hated the things, it could be far worse. At least he could trust his nakama would never let him drown.

Oda's confirmed that devil fruit users are weakened by submergence in any water, not just salt water, which immediately begs the question what do they do for baths? We know the Straw Hat fruit users go 'to hell with it' and bathe anyway (with the Sunny's bath, who wouldn't?), but Law's rather more sensible than most of them. This is also just an excuse to bring White Lead back into it, and allude once again to my headcanons about Penguin and Shachi (I'm fighting the urge to describe things like scars because we just don't know yet but we might later... not sure how much longer that'll hold out for, though).

Thanks for reading!
Tsari