Perfect

Characters: Jean Bart, Law, Shachi, Penguin. Rating: K+. Warnings: none

Law knew. Jean Bart watched his captain enter the mess hall for breakfast, followed by an openly subdued Shachi who slumped at the nearest table as Law retrieved two plates of food and set one down in front of him before slipping into the seat beside him and draining a steaming mug of coffee in one go. Shachi picked at his own food with little appetite. It was the first time the ginger had been so open about his mental state since Jack, and Jean Bart was glad he'd managed to come to terms with it enough that he could.

Law's reaction was predictable – he was hovering, even if he was clearly trying to give Shachi the space the ginger wanted. His lower lip was red and sore-looking, as if he'd been nibbling on it, and the bags under his eyes were dark, betraying his lack of sleep.

That was why they'd decided not to tell him, although Jean Bart couldn't blame Shachi for surrendering in the end.

"Meet me in the infirmary," Law told him quietly as he passed them to wash up his dirty crockery. Jean Bart simply nodded, understanding that now he knew, from the looks of it after a breakdown from Shachi, he wanted to reassess their mental states. He would have done the same thing, back with his own crew long ago.

Penguin entered the room as he left, looking almost as tired as Law as he grabbed his own serving and flopped the other side of Shachi, promptly using the ginger's shoulder as a headrest as he lazily scooped up the food to dump it in his mouth with all the inelegance of a half-asleep man. It coaxed a small chuckle from Shachi, before Law reached around to rest a hand lightly on Penguin's back, just for a moment before it retreated.

Jean Bart headed straight for the infirmary, not wanting to add to Law's stress by not being where he was expected, even though his captain hadn't specified a time. Settling himself to sit on one of the beds, he regarded the spotless ceiling as he waited patiently.

It took Law ten minutes to arrive, looking pleasantly surprised to see him waiting as he headed straight for him. Jean Bart surrendered an arm to his captain for him to survey critically, noticing that Law had discarded the sling he'd been coerced into wearing a few days previously.

"How do you feel?" Law eventually asked, adjusting the bandages fussily. Jean Bart could see his uncertainty warring with his conscience and quickly realised that his captain was at a loss how to check mental states.

"I'm fine, Captain," he said bluntly, unsurprised at the disbelieving look he got in return.

"Don't bother trying to convince me nothing happened," Law said sharply. His shoulders were shaking slightly. "I know now." The guilt he felt for not recognising it immediately was palatable. Jean Bart reached forwards with the hand not in his captain's grasp to rest it on a quivering shoulder.

"It isn't your fault," he rumbled quietly, feeling the smaller man tense under his hand. "You had no way of knowing Kaido had other business with Zou. None of us knew, until it happened." Law bit his lower lip, nibbling it as it turned an even deeper shade of red.

"I should have-"

"No-one asked you to be perfect," Jean Bart cut him off, seeing the younger captain beginning to spiral into the same mental state he'd once held, a captain responsible for his crew. "There's no such thing as a perfect captain. You can't know everything that's going to happen, and you can't do everything."

Golden eyes focused on him, intent, and he knew Law remembered exactly who it was he was with, who Jean Bart had once been, before the tenryubito.

"I-"

"You think you should," he continued, not allowing Law to start to fight his corner. "You're responsible for the crew, so you think you should be able to defend us from everything. One of your decisions had unforeseen consequences and now you're shaken because you think that, somehow, it's your fault."

"If I hadn't-"

"If I hadn't chosen to leave that island the moment the log pose set, my crew wouldn't be dead," Jean Bart overrode him, shocking Law into silence. "If I hadn't decided the incoming marines were a threat worth fleeing from, we won't have ended up crossing the bows of a tenryubito ship." Law's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, failing to find words. It made him seem younger than usual. "Marines, the threat I knew was there. Tenryubito, the threat I didn't. I chose wrong and all my former nakama are dead." He removed his hand from his captain's shoulder, crossing his arms in front of his body firmly. "Doflamingo, the threat you knew was there. Jack, the threat you didn't. The difference is that we're still alive. Battered, bruised, but alive."

"I'm sorry," Law said, his yellow eyes never leaving Jean Bart's. "I hadn't intended to bring up the past for you." Jean Bart shook his head.

"I've had years to come to terms with it," he reminded him. "These last two years, as a member of your crew, have taught me a lot. The mentality of a crew, the fact that the captain doesn't have to be perfect at everything to be a good captain."

"I'm not a good captain," Law sighed, finally sitting down on a chair and propping his face up on his uninjured arm. "I couldn't even see how hurt my oldest nakama are."

"Because they chose not to show you," Jean Bart corrected, realising they had finally brought their conversation to the crux of the matter. "They chose not to show anyone. You think it was some sort of crew-wide secret, but none of us know how badly hurt they are." Law's eyes widened in surprise. "Physically, we know. We all saw it happen, but once it was over they pushed it down and took command of the crew again, rallying us all in preparation for your arrival."

"Idiots," Law grumbled fondly. "Stupid, self-sacrificing idiots." Jean Bart shook his head, even though he could see the smile tugging at the corner of Law's lips.

"They did what needed to be done in your absence," he said. "Now, they can heal."

"I don't know how to help them," Law admitted. Jean Bart leant down so he was properly at his captain's eye level again.

"You don't have to know how," he said firmly. "Just be the same you always are. I guarantee that's better than trying to twist yourself into something you're not."

Law didn't reply, and Jean Bart sat patiently as he waited for his captain to draw his own conclusions. He knew it was a difficult thing to face; as captain there was nothing worse than watching your crew suffer and be helpless to stop it. It was a belief he'd held himself for years, until joining the Heart Pirates himself.

Now he knew better; the captain was never useless, even if he felt it. The crew would always draw strength from their captain, no matter what.

Hours later, as the crew settled back into the mess hall for dinner, Jean Bart saw Law once again sat by Shachi's side. The ginger leant against him, head on his shoulder, and Law let him. On his other side, Penguin mirrored Shachi's gesture after several moments, utilising Law's other shoulder as a pillow, and Jean Bart watched the pair of them fall asleep where they sat, reassured by their captain's presence.

Like Brook, Jean Bart has the interesting distinction of having been both a captain and a crew member, which lends itself very nicely to being a liaison between the two points of view when Law's particularly lost.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari