Closure

Characters: Law, Brook, Heart Pirates. Rating: K. Warnings: None

"Excuse me, Trafalgar-san," a quiet voice murmured in Law's ear. He looked up from observing his crew intermingling with their allies to see the skeletal musician of the Straw Hats looking down at him. For a skeleton, Bone-ya's face was usually very expressive – uncannily so – but this time the skull looked as blank as it should.

Too normal for a Straw Hat. Law was instantly on guard.

"What is it, Bone-ya?" he asked, frowning when instead of giving an answer a single set of phalanges – second right, medial and distal, his mind automatically supplied – cocked in a silent request that he follow as the musician silently slipped into the surrounding trees. Looking around, Law determined that his presence wouldn't be missed and casually followed.

He found the skeleton sat against a tree out of earshot of the party, quietly picking at strings on his guitar. He didn't look up as Law approached, but gestured for him to join him on the ground. Law didn't, choosing to lean against the tree opposite him instead. Apparently that was good enough, as the musician finally began to speak.

"For perhaps obvious reasons, this is something I've never told anyone," Bone-ya began. Law's immediate reaction was to wonder why he was being told something so secret – surely his own captain would be a far better choice – but he held his tongue, knowing the skeleton wasn't finished, and undeniably curious. "However, Rocinante-san is very persuasive."

Law's breath caught in his chest, painfully tight. While he had never called the man by that name, it was a name he knew – a name the skeleton shouldn't.

"How do you know that name?" he demanded, completely failing to hide his distress. There was no yo ho ho or light-hearted response, as he'd half-expected, thinking it was perhaps a joke in incredibly poor taste. The skeleton remained solemn, his distal phalanges stilling on the guitar strings.

"He told me himself," he said quietly. "As you are no doubt aware, my fruit gives me an affinity with souls." Law had heard talk of that. "It does not just extend to the souls of the living. Sometimes, the departed choose to linger for a time." Law couldn't resist the urge to glance around, seeking any sign – any sign at all – of Cora-san. The disappointment when he failed brought a crushing weight to his lungs.

"Where… is he?" he asked, fully prepared to dissect the skeleton to find out exactly how the medical miracle worked if he broke into one of his yo ho ho's and declared it all a joke.

The skeleton did no such thing. His head twitched and Law got the impression that if he'd had eyes they'd have flicked somewhere. Due to the lack of an eyeball, he couldn't see exactly where the glance had been aimed and tightened his grip on Kikoku.

"I can make Rocinante-san visible for a brief period," Bone-ya told him. "It will only last for a few minutes, and understand that I will never do this again." The severe tone of the last words was lost on Law as the world fell from beneath his feet. He was glad he'd rested most of his weight against the tree behind him, as it meant he sank slowly to the ground rather than an all-out collapse.

"You…" he began, trailing off when he realised he didn't know what he wanted to say.

"Rocinante-san has asked if he can speak to your crew," Bone-ya continued. "But only with your permission."

To his crew..? Law frowned, trying to understand what that meant. Did that mean just his crew? Did Cora-san have nothing to say to him? Was Cora-san… disappointed in him? After Sengoku's words, it felt all too likely.

He stood, readjusting his grip on Kikoku, and strode back to the celebration.

Jean Bart was the easiest to collar, the large man watching the festivities from the sidelines. The ever-attuned Penguin and Shachi drifted over without prompting, snagging other crew members on their way. Bepo was the last to slip away from his conversation partner – Law assumed he had been discussing navigation techniques with Nami-ya – and join the trail into the forest.

Cora-san was waiting for them.

Idle thoughts flickered through Law's head; how he didn't have to kill the skeletal musician for a too-elaborate prank, didn't have to come with an excuse for pulling his crew away. An observation that Bone-ya was nowhere to be seen, but Law's haki located him a few trees over, out of earshot but close enough to maintain his ability. They were insignificant in the face of Cora-san was there.

"Who are you?" Shachi demanded, his voice not quite steady. He recognised him, Law realised, his own tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and unable to move. Penguin and Bepo too, from the way they moved closer to his side.

Cora-san broke into a huge grin, delighted about something.

"Just a ghost," he told them, approaching Law. His crew crowded around him defensively, Shachi taking point. "I've been gifted partial corporeality for a short time." The crew turned to glance at Law as one, only Shachi determinedly keeping Cora-san in his sights. Law nodded numbly at their silent questions – yes, he knew who it was; yes he'd known he was going to appear – despite the doubts that crowded his mind. Ghosts didn't just become visible, devil fruit or not…

The ghost took a step forwards, tripped over air and tumbled to the ground, his shoulder somehow on fire. Most of the crew jumped back, startled. Shachi almost landed on Law's foot. The familiarity of the clumsy actions soothed Law somewhat. If it was a copy, it was a very good one. The creator at least knew Cora-san.

There was a disturbing feeling of nothing resting on his head, and he glanced up to see a large, slightly translucent hand there, reaching over Shachi's head with ease.

"I wanted to thank you," Cora-san said to his crew, who were all immediately struck dumb. "Thank you for looking after Law! I know he's a brat, but you've stuck with him as his nakama, so thank you!" He stepped back enough to lurch into a clumsy bow, once again overbalancing and crashing to the ground – there was no sound, but while it seemed eerie to his crew, it was another refreshing sense of normal to Law. His shoulder was still burning.

Law was the one to break the dumb silence.

"I'm twenty-six, Cora-san!" he protested, forgetting that this was a ghost, or more likely than not an elaborate hoax, at the familiar fond insult.

"Still shorter than me," Cora-san retorted, clambering back to his feet as if to emphasis that Law was still nowhere near his height. "Still a brat."

At that the spell of silence was broken and the crew began to laugh. Law should have been offended – he never liked being the butt of the joke – but all he could think was that this was right, his crew and Cora-san ganging up on him in jest.

"We'll keep looking after him, don't worry," he heard Penguin quietly tell Cora-san among the laughter. The blinding grin he was given made Law's heart ache.

"I'll continue to leave him in your hands, then," Cora-san replied, as if Law wasn't close enough to hear them discussing him as if he were a child.

The rest of the crew, who had gradually quietened since Penguin began to speak, piped up with further reassurances, finally breaking their defensive formation around their captain.

Watching his crew and Cora-san interact, an event beyond even his wildest dreams, brought an unbidden smile to his lips. Law didn't think he'd ever felt so loved than at that moment, the people that meant the most to him promising each other they'd look after him.

Cora-san finally turned to him, reaching out to place his hand on his head again with the nothing weight.

"I'm proud of you," he murmured, talking too quietly for the rest of the crew to hear as he stepped forwards to envelop Law in an embrace. With nothing to touch, Law simply stood there, fighting the tears. All ideas of a trick, the fact that he was wide open for an attack, fled entirely as he stared at the all-too familiar heart patterned shirt in front of him. Cora-san really had been a giant of a man, hadn't he? "Now you can live free," the ghost continued, the feeling of nothing resting on Law's head again. He surmised Cora-san had rested his chin there.

They remained like that for several seconds before Cora-san pulled back, resting his hands on Law's upper arms. The nothing was minimal on his right, and he realised Cora-san knew about his injury.

"By the way…" Cora-san began, louder again, his smile briefly slipping. "Tattoos? Really?" Law gaped as his crew laughed. "And if you must have a goatee, at least keep it neat!" The idea of being scolded for his appearance like a rebellious teenager was unfamiliar and unwelcome, except for the smile that reappeared. "Take better care of yourself, okay?" Cora-san added softly, before turning back to his crew. "Make sure he does," he told them. They saluted – was that a Marine salute? – and chorused an agreement, matching grins on all their faces.

Cora-san saluted them in return, leaving Law speechless because yes that was a Marine salute – he sent a far-too-pleased Shachi a glare.

"I'll be off now," the former Marine said, turning back to Law. "Time's up. I'll be around for a little while longer, Law." His voice had dropped to a whisper, and the crew retreated out of earshot. "I can't ask Brook-san for this favour again, but I'll be here."

Law finally let himself hug the nothingness, reverting to the scared child in the chest for a split second before the ghost began to fade away.

"I love you," Cora-san whispered, his grin far less bloody than the last time. Law watched him fade to nothing, a lump in the back of his throat.

"I love you too, Cora-san," he whispered past it, his arms falling limply back to his side as Penguin, Shachi and Bepo led the rest of the crew towards him to wrap him in a group hug, as best as a group hug of twenty people could work.

Above the heads of his crew, he saw Bone-ya slip past, clearly exhausted and only staying upright with the help of his cane. Their eyes met – well, Law's eyes and Bone-ya's empty orbits – and Law gave a minute nod, which the skeleton returned.

Thank you.

Okay, so I was asked ages ago for Cora-san meeting the Heart Pirates, which was kinda hard to do because he's dead, so it was time to bring in the 'Brook can see dead people' headcanon, which seems to be reasonably popular, alongside my one step further 'Brook can make souls visible if he tries hard enough' headcanon (he can make his own visible, so I don't think it's too much of a stretch). I've been working on this for about a month, but if I keep fiddling with it I think I'll go mad, and I thought it would make a nice 50th oneshot (I never thought I was ever going to reach 50, but here we are). I know the 'Roci uses Brook as a medium to talk to Law after Zou' isn't a brand new idea, but I'm hoping I've added enough of a spin to it to make this particular scenario still new.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari