Debt

Characters: Raizo, Law. Rating: K+. Warnings: mentions of torture.

Raizo tried to limit his company to the samurai. He wasn't a shy person, but he knew the Heart Pirates from when they'd arrived on Zou, before Jack had come. They hadn't been injured then, but when he'd finally been allowed out of the Whale Tree they'd been sporting similar injuries to the Minks, clear evidence that they'd fought alongside them. The guilt had yet to fade, so he hid himself away, not wanting to see what had become of the smiles they'd had.

He was surprised, in a way, when Trafalgar Law-dono – as Kin'emon and Kanjuro called him – entered the small storeroom he'd been using as a bedroom. They'd been at sea – under the sea – for several days, bordering on a week, with little interaction. Their alliance was tentative at best; Raizo clearly recalled the way Luffy-dono had made the call without consulting the other man.

"Law-dono," he greeted, wary of the man's sudden desire to seek him out. "Can I be of assistance?"

"I find tallying debts is usually a waste of time," the man said without preamble. "There are few people honourable enough to pay up, so it's easier and safer not to bother. Those with honour will pay up regardless."

Raizo was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. This was no idle conversation starter.

"What a jaded view on life," he commented in reply, thinking of the men and women of Wano, many of whom took great pride in their honour. The samurai in particular would rather die than tarnish it. As a shinobi, Raizo was less strictly bound to honour codes than most, but he still had his own that he adhered to.

Law-dono didn't respond to his words, folding his arms across his chest and facing him down with a piercing golden gaze from beneath the peak of his hat. Despite the colour, there was no warmth to be found in the look. His eyes were cold and calculating, almost to the point of hostility. It had been easy to forget, with the Hearts' friendly disposition and the tales from Kin'emon and Kanjuro, that their companions were pirates – the same social caste as the cause of all their nightmares – but as he met that hard stare, Raizo was suddenly reminded what, exactly, he was dealing with.

"My crew were tortured," Law-dono eventually said, and Raizo hid a flinch. He had suspected as such, but to hear it stated so bluntly was painful. "They had no obligation to you, but they refused to sell you out regardless." He disguised it well, but Raizo could sense the simmering anger beneath his skin. Those gold eyes were judging him, peeling him apart and searching for what had prompted his crew to such loyalty.

"I am in your debt," he acknowledged. Law-dono had been under no obligation to help them, and yet here they were.

"You owe me nothing," Law-dono cut in, and Raizo floundered, caught off guard. Surely the man didn't think he had so little honour?

"But-"

"You owe me nothing," Law-dono repeated, and this time Raizo heard the emphasis on the word 'me'. "I cannot say I would not have sold you out in a heartbeat if it would have spared my crew." Looking at those eyes, Raizo didn't doubt him for a second. Law-dono was a dangerous man. A dangerous man in whose domain he was currently residing. "My crew, on the other hand, you owe much to. Be sure to pay up."

Raizo was given no chance to respond to the thinly veiled threat before Law-dono left, shutting the door behind him and leaving him with much to think about. The man could not be fully trusted, but his loyalty to his crew was absolute. That was useful information to hold, although Raizo doubted Law-dono had blindly surrendered such potentially devastating blackmail material, in turn implying some element of trust. There was nothing simple about the interaction, Law's words and body saying one thing while the implications suggested something almost completely opposite.

He resolved to discuss it with Kin'emon and Kanjuro when they next returned. Both had spent far more time with the pirate and might be able to help unravel the mystery.

Later that evening he left the safety of his storeroom. To repay the debt – and he had every intention of doing so even before adding in the consideration that Law-dono's amicability towards the Kozuki Clan would improve if he proved his honour – he had to understand the depth of it. That required seeing and understanding the damage the friendly crew had suffered.

He found most of the crew in the recreation room, laughing brightly and playing cards. Law-dono was sat in the corner, book in hand although his eyes were looking over the top, notably softer than the hard gold that had pinned him in the storeroom earlier, watching his crew relax. Sat either side of him, on blankets piled high on the floor, were the pair Raizo recognised as the two that had been in charge on Zou, Penguin-dono and Shachi-dono. Both were fast asleep, heads resting against Law-dono's thighs as if they were comfortable pillows. Their clothes failed to reach their wrists, leaving the bandaging around them clear to see. More bandaging was faintly visible under the clothes.

Law-dono met his eyes, the softness melting away to leave the hard gold regarding him meaningfully. His left hand – the one not holding the book – slipped down for a moment, resting on Shachi-dono's vibrant hair lightly. The message was clear.

You owe them.

I'm back! I was asked a while ago if I remembered the Wano cast existed, and while I can't say I like any of them (Raizo being the only one I don't mind too much), it is true that they are there on the Polar Tang, so I thought I should probably do something with them.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari