'Characters Unlocked!'

'Skill Unlocked!'

'Stage Unlocked!'

Hello dear readers! I would just like to say thank you for all the love and comments I have received so far, and I am so sorry for not posting sooner or regularly. I just want to tell ya'll I really appreciate the comments and I've been keeping track of them so far! Anyway I've dropped another chapter below.

Enjoy~

Chapter 9 ~ Blood Red and Gold

Luffy was sailing along the ocean, listening to the waves, the sea's overlapping whispers and stories.

'A rising emperor from the past, a fun one, loves to party.'

'Knowledge lost, island sunk, thousands lost lives.'

'Misplaced power in the hands of false gods.'

'Willful boy growing for more chaos in the future.'

The sea really loves drama, both good and bad. The ocean always goes with the flow, siding with no one. It was probably the reason why Luffy is free to do nothing, with no specific job.

'How are you today? Umi.'

Luffy blinked his eyes open, the sky was getting dark. Noting the brightening sky and moon.

"I'm good, my friend," he replied. Pushing the ocean's whispers to the back of his head.

That was when he noticed an odd bird cage - like structure from far away. It was surrounding an island.

Slightly curious, he decided to approach it. Besides, he promised Ace an adventure story so maybe this'll make a good one.

It was weird, the island is a winter one and there's these odd strings that encircle the whole place.

There seemed to be something going on there, since there were several swarms of very strong presences. It was weird, because this was the blues, even if it was the strongest blue.

When he reached the island, the cage-like structure had begun retracting, allowing him to enter the island.

Luffy wondered slightly how Ace would react to a snowy place like this, as he walked deeper into the island.

A large group of presences left the island by the time he reached the middle, while another group seemed to be waiting outside the island.

However, there were still two presences where he's headed, or maybe one would be more accurate.

One was of a weak kid, seemingly dying slowly. His presence was in despair and distraught.

The other was also dying but at a much quicker rate. However, his aura emits happiness and extreme relief.

Luffy, getting even more curious, walked further in. That was when he heard a boy's cries, begging for someone to stay with him, desperately.

The raven advanced slowly, emerging from behind the bushes. The raven stopped crying and stood protectively in front of the dying man. His body trembling but his eyes firm and defiant.

Luffy kept going anyway, until he stood in front and almost above the two of them.

Law couldn't believe it, Cora-san promised. He promised he would be fine. The blond said he loved him.

This man sacrificed his life to save him, endangering himself to retrieve the Ope-ope no mi. For him.

Law couldn't lose another person he loved, yes he loved him. He never got a chance to tell the careless blond.

Damn Doflamingo, his own brother, had shot him. Shot his own brother, three times. He hate him, hatehatehates the bastard.

He cried and cried, as he tried to stop the bleeding, but it was flowing non stop. With all his theoretical medical skills, it was useless. Even with the Ope-ope no mi, which he couldn't even activate, it was useless. He feels useless.

That was when he heard the bushes rustling, flinching and tensing.

Shit! Doflamingo's men couldn't have known he was still here. It would waste the blond's sacrifice, but he wouldn't, couldn't, leave Cora-san.

So he stood in front of the blond, even if he's unsure of what he could do in his extremely weak state.

That was when a strange man appeared, he wore a black cloak. His eyes were covered with bandages, and raven hair tied back. The man stood there, as if he's staring at him.

Is he blind? Is he harmless? At least he didn't think the man was Doflamingo's. A stranger? He relaxed a miniscule amount.

"Wh-who are you?!" He asked, arms up in defence.

The raven tilted his head a little, sideways. "Luffy, a passerby," he answered, unperturbed by the scene.

"O-oh," Law panted, before remembering the man behind him. "Cora-san! Cora-san, please stay with me!" He continued crying, trying to seal the man's wounds. The short relief from before disappearing instantly.

"No! Please, don't leave me alone anymore!" He cried with more desperation.

The man's pulse must've stopped, but Luffy could still sense his weak presence.

A part of him wondered why he cared, and that he should not interfere. Another part of his softened self, felt sorry for the seven year old boy that is about to be left alone.

Usually, he would've ignored this. But the kindness in him now, said otherwise.

Luffy got closer and kneeled next to the boy. But the boy kept crying non stop, holding the man tightly around his neck.

"Let me help," Luffy said, offering the boy a soft smile. Petting his head, or more like his hat, lightly.

Law didn't understand how he could help. Cora-san's dead. His pulse was gone, and he couldn't do anything.

The tears couldn't stop flowing down his face, blurring his vision. This was probably the second time he cried this much since his family died. But then he was distracted by the sight of the man biting his wrist, hard.

What's he doing? Is he trying to kill himself? How does that even help?

Even through his tears, he could see the man's thick red blood mixed with liquid gold flowing through his wound. He wiped his never ending tears, torn between sadness, anger, and confusion.

However, before he could process and even help the man. He shoved his wounded and bleeding wrist onto Cora-san's mouth, causing blood to spray around his mouth and drip down his slack jaw.

"What are you doing!?" Law yelled, his voice cracking from anger.

The raven didn't reply, nor budge when he tried to pry his hands off. Not even a little.

He was getting really angry when the raven finally took out his arms. It felt like a short amount of time had passed before the blonde blond woke up coughing.

"Ho- *cough, cough, cough*" the blond started, but ended up coughing from clogged blood.

Luffy swirled his fingers a little, vapour gathered into a ball of water in the air.

"Drink," Luffy said, as the water got close enough to the blond's lips.

"H-How? I was dying," the blond stuttered, once the water soothed the clogged throat.

Though Law didn't care how right now and launched into the blond's arms. "Cora-san! You died!" He cried.

"L-Law!"

"I l-love you too," the boy blubbered shyly into his broad shoulder, "please don't ever do that again!"

Luffy stood up and stumbled a little. Saving someone with his blood always weakened him. But he didn't regret it, somehow helping the boy made him feel 'nice'.

He pushed on, eager to go back to Ace before he got too worried.

"Wait!" The man called out.

Luffy looked over his shoulder to respond, "yes?"

"I'm Don Quixote Rosinante, I don't know what you did but thank you!" He rushed his sentence, "please! Can you heal Law too! PLEASE!"

"I'm sorry, but I can only heal one person for a period of time," the raven replied, truthfully. Healing the boy's disease would probably make him lose consciousness for a few days, which would be unfavourable right now.

The man visibly deflated in disappointment, his shoulders and face fallen as if burdened by an invisible weight.

"It's okay, Cora-san," the kid quipped firmly, "I have the devil fruit now, I can heal myself! It's a good thing he saved you…"

"T-thank you for saving him, mister," he continued with narrowed eyes, "how did you do that? What are you?"

Now that he was observing the boy, he was a skinny little thing with pale skin and white patches in random parts of his visible skin. There were also dark bags that looked like bruises below his, metaphorically and literally, dark eyes However, it did not conceal the clear curiosity and defensiveness from Luffy's observation.

The boy seemed to be carrying a heavy burden and darkness in him that may overflow if not for the tall blonde's careful company.

"Law that's rude!" the man reprimanded with no real animosity, "this is Trafalgar Law, he's- he's my kid," his voice gaining a firmer tone at the end.

Luffy now noticed how much taller the man was, when he stood up. Double of the siren's height, yet his head tilting up to face the blond did not diminish his presence at all.

"I-I'm not your kid," the boy muttered weakly, but Luffy knew he wasn't displeased. In fact his aura spiked in surprise and happiness.

"Luffy was it?" The man bowed, ignoring the raven boy's protest, "you can call me Cora-san, and thank you for saving my life!"

"No problem," Luffy replied nonchalantly, "but if the group approaching aren't your friends, you better leave now. I can only save a person once in their lifetime."

"What? What group?" Law asked, worry spiking.

"You have haki?!" Rocinante asked, surprised.

"Yes," the raven responded, "I'll be leaving now. Goodbye."

"Wait, w-where are you going?" the blond asked, "Can we tag along to somewhere safer? I know it's too much to ask this of you when you already-"

"Sure."

"-helped me and even brought me back to life," the man continued to ramble, "wait, sure?"

"Yes, sure, though if you two try anything, I won't hesitate to kill," Luffy informed, though he's actually a little weak right now.

Rocinante was beginning to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to follow an unknown and dangerous person. Though the person looked like a teen, he knew he's strong, but then he did save him just to help Law.

Law, on the other hand, didn't like the marines or Doflamingo. This man was definitely a better choice, he saw him smile before, and it was- warm and kind. Although, he would never admit it verbally, ever.

Besides, it's not like they planned to do anything to him after he saved Cora-san. Also, the man's wrist wasn't even treated yet.

At the end, Law dragged the hesitating blond along, following the raven back the path he came from, to the edge of the island.

Honestly I have no idea how to write an interesting summary or title, they sound so unrelated XD but I like it so yeh. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

(1699 words)