Dagger

Characters: Penguin, Shachi, Law. Rating: T. Warnings: mentions of character death

A pirate was nothing without his weapons. Whether those be simply their fists and feet, or a multitude of blades, caring for them was often the difference between life and death. Penguin and Shachi were no exception, keeping their blades sharp and rust free. Both were weapons that didn't lend themselves well to subtlety, so the yagi and katana were often left behind on the Tang if they weren't looking to do anything more than information gathering, leaving them with the more subtle tools.

Both were physically fit, attributed to Law's strict regimes and frequent check-ups almost as much as their own training. Years of brawling, followed by a forced honing of their styles thanks to Law and Bepo, left them perfectly capable of fighting unarmed if the situation called for it, but despite that there was one thing neither of them would ever leave behind.

Tucked securely under the breast flaps of their boiler suits lay identical knives, small and easy to wield even for young, untrained hands. Despite being well cared for, their age was obvious in the way their hilts had been rewrapped several times, the simple wood underneath stained with blood that would never come out completely.

Those knives had several memories attached, many of them surprisingly negative. They'd almost killed each other with them, once, in an argument over nothing that had blown up to such ridiculous proportions that it had taken everything Law had had to stop them, confiscating the blades for a month afterwards because he'd decided they clearly weren't mature enough to handle them yet. Neither of them had disagreed, too shell-shocked at what they'd almost done to each other.

They were also the knives they'd used to perform their first kills, an emotionally-charged venture that had almost gone badly wrong and split the Heart Pirates before they'd even formed. There was an underlying guilt emitting from Law whenever the origins of the crew were brought up, despite the fact that both Penguin and Shachi had not only long-forgiven him for the event, but with enough hindsight had become thankful for it.

With such devastating events attributed to them, it could surprise people to discover that they guarded the weapons fiercely, even thirteen years later. No matter how quickly they needed to retreat, they would always make sure to retrieve them if they'd lost their grip during a fight (Law even helped on occasion, a Shambles materialising them in their hands even as they ran, or in his own to be returned later if they were too injured to accept them at that moment). At times their nakama liked those plain-looking knives to their captain's hat, a seemingly innocuous thing that they would never leave without.

What, then, was so special about the knives that they would go to such lengths to keep them and care for them? Why, despite the bad memories, would they never be separated from the blades they kept so carefully on their person at all times?

Well, that was simple.

They were the first gifts Law had ever given them.

There had been no grand ceremony, in fact there had been nothing at all, just two blades thrust at them with which they were expected to kill a pair of prisoners. Knives that had been dropped in disgust, only to be reclaimed later as they cemented their future of piracy in cold murder because it was us or them, and despite the cost, they wanted to survive. Law hadn't taken them back after, disappearing with them only long enough to clean them of the bloodstains before handing them back.

"For self-defence," he'd said, in a tone that clearly stated he wished it would never come to that. He'd shown them how to use them, though, giving them the sheathes so they could carry them around without risk of self-injury, and while they'd been useless he hadn't taken them back, simply treating their small cuts patiently as they learned.

Material gifts weren't common in the Heart Pirates. Excepting birthdays, anything they wanted, they had to get themselves, and that was what made those knives so special, because Law didn't give gifts, but he'd given them their knives all the same.

For those of you that were asking, my holiday was awesome. The weather was kind (no rain, despite going to a stereotypically rainy place) and I got to see a load of things in person that I'd only read about before.

Back to the fic, and I've been casually bringing up these daggers time and time again, so I thought it was about time I let them have a chapter of their own.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari