"This is it," Law announced. He stood side by side with Luffy, right where the tundra bled into the Eastern Blue Ridge.

The sun had just risen, leaving the trees painted in the pastel pink of early morning. Dew clung to the blanket of moss that covered the ground between the trees and the crinkled edges of leaves stained the color of fire. It was autumn, leaving the air chilled and the promise of snow lurking in store when the season changed.

Luffy breathed deep as he stood at the edge of the forest, his toes barely brushing the shade cast by autumn trees.

Law watched him from the corner of his eye. It was difficult not to. The way Luffy cherished the world around him was so… enamoring. It was impossible to see him as a God, not when he stood so peacefully, framed by fallen leaves as they twirled in circles about him.

When Luffy opened his eyes, they were brown. "The air smells so clean. I love the scent of the forest." The God glanced over at Law, a gaze of molten umber.

Law's breath caught in his chest. A ray of early light cast through the leaves and set those eyes alight just so. Law couldn't remember what Luffy had just said, finding himself enraptured. He hadn't seen the God's eyes turn that color since they'd left the village on the Mountain of One Thousand Suns.

It seemed his eyes only shifted when he was feeling particularly… human.

Luffy blinked, and just as soon as they'd changed his eyes were back to that chilling scarlett red.

"You still haven't told me where we're going," Luffy pointed out with a smile.

Law ripped his eyes away from the Gods. He was unfairly pretty. "Now that we've crossed the tundra we have to clear this ridge," Law explained. He adjusted his grip on his sword and marched onward into the forest. Luffy was quick to follow. "Our destination is located on the other side."

"Yes!" Luffy cheered, "This will be so fun!" He kicked through a pile of leaves, giggling to himself as he watched them scatter.

"You won't be saying that if we get snowed in at the pass," Law chided. "We need to haul ass or else we'll be trapped in the peaks once winter hits."

"Alright, alright," Luffy sighed. "We're all business, yeah?"

"Right," Law nodded. He sincerely hoped that meant Luffy would stop being such a difficult traveling partner. For no matter how warm his company had grown to make Law feel, there was nothing that would console his nerves if they got snowed in. This mission was already damned enough as it was. Dragging it out for three more months was only asking for trouble.

Wait…

Law stumbled as he hopped over a root.

Did I just call him pretty?

…

One day bled into two and two days bled into three. As it had on the tundra, time seemed to fly as Law traveled with the God. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Luffy got distracted a hell of a lot more easily now that they were hiking through the forest rather than crossing an empty tundra. Now there were trees and fallen leaves and birds and rabbits and squirrels.

Luffy was insufferable as always, but Law found that he still didn't mind. The travel would have been dull if the God had been silent the entire time.

It was a beautiful time of year, even Law had to admit it. The air was caught just between too hot and too cold; the breeze pleasant and the beating light of the sun diluted through colorful leaves. The underbrush was still clinging to the green from summer and spring, yet the leaves of the trees burned in orange and red. There was much more in the way of hunting and foraging amongst the trees, leaving the God and the Godslayer well fed as they hiked, though only one of them actually needed the nutrition.

Normally hiking through such a lovely area would have left Law peaceful and content, however lately his thoughts had been a muddled mess.

He didn't think that Luffy was pretty, that was ridiculous. Sure, he wasn't hard to look at… and maybe Law couldn't help but stare when Luffy laughed… and perhaps traveling with the God had painted Law's life in a set of dazzling colors that made him look forward to his inevitable death at a freed Nika's hand slightly less, but that didn't mean he thought Luffy was pretty.

No, that was crazy.

Luffy was just… a friend. A friend that had taught Law to smile again, and a friend that just so happened to make his chest flutter when he threw his head back in laughter… but nothing more than that.

"Think fast!"

Admittedly, as a man who had trained in combat for decades, Law should have had his guard polished enough to avoid the collision.

But alas.

The armful of leaves collided with his face, violently pulling Law from his thoughts as he tripped backwards and crashed onto the ground.

Luffy, the culprit, was doubled over with laughter as he watched Law claw leaves from his hair and attempt to regain his bearings.

"You were all zoned out!" Luffy wheezed, "I couldn't help myself."

Law rolled his eyes. "I hate you."

The Godslayer pulled himself to his feet and stalked past Luffy, trying to ignore the flush his cheeks had gained in all his embarrassment.

"Dammit, Law, slow down!" Luffy complained through incessant giggles. One would have expected a stampede of rabid forest animals, what with all the noise Luffy made as he rushed to catch up with Law.

"You're awfully immature for a destroyer of worlds," Law tossed his way.

Luffy snorted. "You just don't know how to have fun. Were you even listening to anything I was saying?"

Law frowned and tried to remember what Luffy had been rambling on about before he'd gotten so lost in thought. He came up blank. "You were talking about…" Law trailed off at a mumble.

The God rolled his eyes as he caught back up with Law, a forgiving smile on his face. "I was talking about the last time I crossed a forest. With my crew!"

"Oh, that's right," Law hummed. An unsurprising topic. The God had been regalling Law with wild tales of epic battles and ridiculous circumstances for weeks at this point. But it wasn't until recently that characters began to appear as he recounted his memories from before.

Luffy always referred to them by name, though Law had thus far failed to commit any of them to memory. He'd collected people, apparently. Before he'd become a God. Traveled the world with a mismatched pack of outcasts. His crew, as Luffy liked to call them.

It wasn't difficult to picture. Luffy was so bright, so friendly. Of course he'd have had friends hanging off his arms and following him to the ends of the earth. Law decided to ignore the bitter twinge in his chest whenever Luffy spoke of his crew. What was it, jealousy? Longing? Pity? Law decided not to unpack it. There was no bridging the thousand year gap between their pasts, after all.

"The forest was completely different from this one, probably on the other side of the world!" Luffy explained in a colorful tone. "There was snow everywhere, and the trees were covered in needles. We'd been traveling in circles for days because Nami was sick, and she's the only one who knows how to read maps and trace the stars."

Law hummed along, trying to picture it in his mind. Luffy lost in the middle of a snowy forest wasn't at all difficult to imagine. However the rest of these people were. Shadows that followed Luffy around, surrounded by vague names and what little context he had provided.

The God twined between the trees as he walked, his words echoing and fading as he spun his tale. "There was supposed to be a city somewhere, but I'm pretty sure we passed it like three times. We were all starving and freezing to death, and Zoro had been gone for days! I was carrying Nami on my back cause she couldn't walk, even though I was super hungry. I thought my legs were going to fall off!"

The scene in Law's mind changed. One shadowy figure was subtracted from the picture, lost somewhere off in the trees. The pack huddled around Luffy, who carried one shadow on his back, trekking slowly and hunched over.

"Then, right when I thought I was gonna die for sure, we found an unmarked village in the middle of the forest," Luffy continued. "We were saved! Everyone was so relieved. We busted into this one guy's house and walked right into his living room, it was hilarious!"

Law snorted. He could only imagine.

Luffy's tone changed as he continued, turning tense as he recalled tough memories. "Once we finally got inside we were able to see just how bad Nami's condition had gotten. We asked for the village's doctor, but they didn't have one. It was a Mortal village, and all the doctors had died out generations ago. The only person with any medical experience was a Devil who lived on the top of a mountain sixteen miles north of the village. She was the only one who could help Nami."

The God slowed to a stop, standing between the trees. Law came to a halt as well, glancing over his shoulder to find Luffy frowning as he gazed at his boots.

"It was weird. Back in the Age of Chaos, Mortal villages hated all Devils and Seraphim. This one wasn't any different, but all of their lives relied on the Devil woman who lived on that mountain. Even though they hated our kind, they forgave one woman because of what she could give them. If I hadn't been wearing a hat and hiding my tail under my clothes then the villagers would have killed me like. Just like Ace."

The wind stirred in the trees. The forest was silent.

Luffy's eyes were a storm of bloody red.

Then he perked back up, and the sudden tension in the forest broke. "But the villager guy didn't care! His name was Dalton, and he helped us even though he saw my horns and Sanji's wings. He pointed me in the right direction of the Devil woman's mountain. I picked Nami up and started walking. Usopp and Vivi stayed behind, but Sanji followed me. He couldn't stay behind while Nami's life was on the line."

The image was so painfully vivid in Law's mind. A wooden cabin on the outskirts of a Mortal village, a blizzard raging outside. A weak fire illuminating a group of shadows, with Luffy standing in the center.

"Did your friend survive?" Law asked, his voice distant as he watched the emotions swim across Luffy's face.

"Yup!" Luffy chirped. He snapped his head up and trotted to Law's side. "We made it to the mountain, saved Nami, and met Chopper!"

Law didn't know who the hell that was, but he didn't want to push Luffy to talk about it. He walked silently at Luffy's side, and refrained from asking questions when the God trailed off and didn't finish his story.

Telling Law about his past during the Age of Chaos always animated Luffy's words and filled him with a certain light. However, the edge of grief lurking in his voice was impossible to ignore. It was slight, hardly noticeable, but it was still there. Law didn't want to make him relive any more than he wanted to.

"What about you?" Luffy asked. His tone was tentative but curious.

Law watched his feet as he walked, kicking at the leaves with his toes. "What do you mean?"

"Do you have a crew?"

A… crew?

Law slowed a little, then quickly picked up the pace. The God was close at his heels. Always following. Always listening.

The closest thing Law had ever had to a crew, by Luffy's definition, would have been the other four Godslayers… but they were all long dead by now.

Eustass. Hancock. Bonney. Monet.

Names that were so familiar to him. Familiar like how the names of Luffy's friends were familiar to him. Only the other Godslayers couldn't be placed on the same level as Luffy's crew. No, not even close. They'd tolerated Law at best.

A million different memories flew past Law's eyes.

Arguing with Hancock. Constantly butting heads with Eustass. Struggling to eat a full meal without Bonney stealing half of it. Watching the rain with Monet. All good memories, warm ones. Law hadn't… hated the training. The companionship.

But he'd never asked for this life.

He'd never wanted it.

It hadn't been his choice.

So… no. The other Godslayers weren't Law's crew. He didn't think that he had one. There was only one person that might have qualified, but he was dead.

The two of them came upon a river. Its banks dropped off sharply, the grass on the edges slicked down with mud. The water was littered with rocks, dozens of them. Some large. Some small. The river water parted around them, so many tiny islands peeking up from the crystal depths. Fish darted against the current, struggling to swim as much as possible before the water would inevitably freeze and trap them beneath a sheet of thick ice.

"No," Law murmured, answering Luffy's question. He swiftly hopped from the bank onto a rock, stepping before jumping to another. A river easily crossed. "I don't have a crew."

"Really?" Luffy pressed, never one to easily drop a subject. He quickly hopped after Law. One foot landing on a rock, then quickly jumping to the next. "You don't have anyone waiting for you? No friends at all? Not one single person?"

Law landed on the opposite bank. "There's no one. They're all gone."

Luffy gasped lightly. When his foot hit the final rock, it slipped. Law whipped around, swiftly reaching out and grabbing Luffy's hand, steadying him before he fell. Their hands clapped as they collided. The God gazed at him with wide eyes and parted lips, still startled from his near introduction with the river. His grip was tight against Law's. His palm was warm.

Law hummed as he gazed at the foolish man that called himself a God. The words slipped past his lips before he knew what he was saying, "But now I have you, so I suppose that's better than nothing."

The God's jaw dropped clean open. Dark lashes fluttered, then his face burst with a wild grin. Luffy leapt onto the bank without warning, and Law could only watch in impending horror as he was tackled onto the ground.

He grunted as his head cracked against tough earth, the rest of him not faring much better. Luffy cackled as he collapsed on top of him, sitting heavily on Law's stomach as his elbows crashed into the grass on either side of his head. Once again, Law found himself lying beneath the God.

Only this time, those wild eyes were sparkling pools of molten brown.

Law's breath caught in his chest.

"Aw," Luffy cooed, "Are we friends, Law?"

"Uh…" Law couldn't find the words. He couldn't formulate a single thought, not with the God so close. The only thing he could think about was Luffy. His eyes; they looked almost green when the sun cast through them. His hair and his nose and the jagged scar beneath his eye.

He really is pretty, isn't he?

That thought was absolutely mortifying. Law could do nothing but sit in horror as his face stained a wild shade of pink.

Luffy cocked his head to one side. Law felt utterly trapped beneath his gaze. With a giggle on his lips, Luffy leaned downwards, and Law could have sworn that his heart stopped beating. His eyes were magnetized to Luffy's mouth.

The God took pause mere inches away, so close that the tips of his hair tickled Law's face. "So you admit it," he taunted.

Law dragged his gaze from Luffy's lips to where they were supposed to be, and the crinkle of amusement he found at the corners of those eyes made him feel like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Then brown snapped back to bloody red, and the moment broke.

Luffy somersaulted over Law's body to crash onto his back on the ground, his dark hair tangling with Law's in the grass. The God giggled to himself as he stared at the sashaying leaves overhead.

"I knew we were friends," he said smugly.

Law, still frozen like a damned deer in torchlight, released a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. He groaned most dramatically and dragged his palms across his face, begging it to stop being so red.

Luffy laughed at his expense, and Law knew that he was doomed.

Gods dammit.

…

Time passed like a breeze through the trees, and before Law knew it they were a month's journey into the Eastern Blue Ridge. They were making good time. Given another month they'd have the mountain pass behind them, home free to cross to the other side of the Ridge and make it to the rocky wasteland on the other side.

Now that they'd made it this far across the Ridge, the elevation had finally started to rise. They now traveled through the heart of the mountain range, following age-old hunting trails as they hiked higher and higher. Now the snowy tips of the pass were visible on the horizon, taunting them with their sheer size.

Though Luffy could have dwarfed them if he shifted to his true form.

With autumn now in full swing, the ground was coated in a kaleidoscope of colorful leaves. The trees were half bare and the underbrush long dead for the winter. The air was still warm, but the nights had grown cold. The creeks that snaked through the trees had turned ice cold, and there wasn't much in the way of wildlife.

Not that Law minded. The forest was more peaceful now, without the constant chirping of birds and rustling of small creatures. Luffy minded the sudden scarcity of meat, but his complaints weren't anything that Law couldn't handle.

Just as the ground settled under the carpet of fallen leaves, Law had grown accustomed to keeping Luffy close. The God was a welcome presence, a constant shadow. He was… a friend. Not that Law would ever admit that to Luffy.

Traveling with Luffy was comfortable. The companionship was something that Law had begun to deeply appreciate. To the point that he couldn't imagine going back to the way things were. Before he had met Luffy.

Law had almost forgotten that Luffy was a God at this point. No, to Law he was… so much more than that. He was warmth, he was happiness, he was what Law had forgotten life could be.

But not all people knew Luffy like Law did.

When Law saw the mark on the tree he decided to ignore it.

He turned to continue walking, but found Luffy knelt on the ground. The tail on the ground beside him coiled around his ankle.

"Luffy?" Law asked. He crossed the trail to approach him, to see what had caught his attention this time. What he saw sent a chill up his spine.

There, on the edge of the trail, was a small circle of stones. Some of them were stacked, forming an arc that grew taller in the center. There were small candles nestled against the stones, bundles of incense, and a bowl of rotting fruit. In the center was a small piece of parchment glued to the end of a stick.

Drawn in ink upon it was a hulking figure with flowing hair and gleaming eyes.

Scrawled in an artistic script were the words: "Nika" and "pray for a forgiving winter."

Luffy pressed his finger to the parchment, where the clouds surrounding the figure formed a large X. His other hand strayed to his chest, where a matching scar branded his chest. The scar marred his body but not his true form, Law had always wondered about that…

"That's me," Luffy said, his voice pensive.

He sounded confused, and rightfully so. Law would have reacted similarly if he'd stumbled upon a shrine to himself.

"Yeah. Most villages worship you in this region," Law explained. He knelt in the leaves beside Luffy.

Those dark brows were furrowed. His red eyes swam with a storm of conflicting emotions. "Nika. That's what you called me at first, right?"

Law nodded. "Nika. The God of the Sun."

Luffy hummed, his fingers tracing the prayer written across the bottom of the parchment. "I thought the Mortals feared the Gods. During the Age of Chaos my name was… hated." His face fell into a deep frown.

Law's hand hovered at Luffy's shoulder. He considered placing it there but refrained, choosing instead to knock his shoulder against Luffy's. It was strange seeing him so troubled. Law found that he always longed to cheer Luffy up whenever his smile fell.

"Mortals are strange," Law explained. "It's not that they stopped fearing you. If anything, that fear has grown over the centuries, and they now feel obligated to attempt to appease you through prayer and worship."

"Huh," Luffy scoffed. "That's weird." He flicked the bowl of rotten fruit, causing it to tip over and spill throughout the small shrine. "A bowl of fruit? Seriously? They'd have to leave me meat at least, then maybe I'd consider sparing their lives when the world ends or whatever it is they preach about these days."

Law snickered to himself, glad that Luffy was back to his old self.

The two of them left the shrine behind them, though Luffy chattered about it until nightfall. Apparently he was very offended that fruit was left in his shrines rather than meat. Oh, the troubles of a God.

All was well and good, and there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with stumbling across a shrine in the woods…

However, religious activity was a telltale sign of civilization.

It appeared that Law wouldn't be able to hide Luffy from the world for much longer.

…

Sure enough, after continuing for two more days the God and the Godslayer stumbled across civilization. It was a city called Kuri, nestled in the heart of the Eastern Blue Ridge. It popped up seemingly out of nowhere, an enormous scar across the land where the altitude dipped into a basin between neighboring slopes.

Luffy was beside himself when he saw the enormous cluster of houses, buildings, and patches of farmland. Law however, curled his nose and tried to come up with an excuse that would convince Luffy to skip over the city entirely.

Kuri was a Mortal city, as most civilizations were in this region. It had started off as a small trading town more than four centuries ago, where several trading paths crossed. As commerce grew so did Kuri, and it continued growing until it formed the massive city that Law and Luffy found before them.

There were no governments or nations in the Era of Peace. Those developments had been long since destroyed, razed to the ground by the Gods that had once terrorized existence itself. Human society consisted of small villages and towns, occasionally a large city like Kuri. Settlements were usually overseen by a local lord or a ruling family.

The largest of cities held alliances with one another. Their lords would work to stay on good terms, encouraging trade between their people… as well as agreed taxes on traveling traders and immigrants from other regions. And because all of the allied and powerful cities lied on trade routes, they were all interconnected.

Rumors, news, and commerce spread up and down the trade routes, connecting dozens of cities and thousands of people. Mortal society blossomed in cities like Kuri. Not that it didn't in small villages like the one on the Mountain of One Thousand Suns… it was just… different.

Law liked to avoid big cities like Kuri. Precisely because they were so tied up in the worst of Mortal society: the politics.

Skipping over Kuri would have saved Law a hell of a lot of trouble, but the second Luffy laid eyes on the place he was immediately determined to explore. Law didn't want to ruin Luffy's fun, so he took a deep breath and prepared himself for inevitable trouble.

…

"This place is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed. He darted through the streets of Kuri, seemingly determined to explore every single square inch. Law had to admit that the city wasn't horrible. No city was, he just didn't like the… extra attention.

Kuri was a beautiful place, it was undeniable. The streets were gridlike and organized, with the hustle and bustle concentrated in the center while residential areas clung to the outskirts, all of it embraced by rolling fields of farmland. It had taken all day to walk through the fields to make it into the city proper, and the wait had not disappointed.

The roads were paved with smooth stones. A river cut through the center of town, making for lovely bridges and gardens coated in autumn leaves. The forest had been torn down to construct the city, but some had been left sporadically; making for shaded streets and pretty scenery.

There were taverns and shops and inns, and multiple streets dedicated entirely to the traveling merchants that wandered up and down the trade routes. Caravans marched through the streets to set up shop, boasting wares from all corners of the globe. Kuri was nothing if not rich, and the amount of gold Law watched pass from hand to hand made his head spin.

Kuri was also crowded, with dense crowds hurrying up and down the streets and packs of children playing in the squares. Everyone was Mortal, which was typical of a city such as Kuri. The Mortal race made up the largest population, after all. Devils and Seraphim were scarce after being ruthlessly murdered for so many centuries, and were a rarity to see wandering the streets of a city such as Kuri.

Therefore, Luffy was somewhat of an oddity.

No one had tried to chain him up and burn him at the stake, which proved the progress made since the Age of Chaos, but that didn't make the glimpse of a Devil gather any less attention. Law doubted that Luffy was the only Devil the people of Kuri had ever seen, unlike the isolated village they'd left behind. His presence turned a few heads, but once again the Mortals left well enough alone.

Luffy was accepted amongst their ranks, and it clearly meant a great deal to him. He was able to parade through the streets with his head held high, tail trailing along after him and horns glistening in the autumn sun. With his former form at his disposal, the God was perfectly free to roam the city without a care in the world.

Law, on the other hand… was not so lucky.

He kept his held high and did his best to ignore the stares and the whispers, but there was no denying the uncomfortable prickle of tension that followed him wherever he walked.

The Mortals' eyes clung to his clothes and the sword on his back. They were oblivious to the God wandering their streets, but a Godslayer?

Law may as well have been the antichrist.

By the time they made it to the heart of Kuri, Luffy finally caught onto the Mortals' strange behavior. "Law, why is everyone looking at you like that?" he asked, hanging back to walk close at Law's side.

The Godslayer sighed as he fixed an elderly woman with a steely glare. She quickly averted her previously prying gaze and minded her own damn business. Law sighed heavily, "It's because I'm a Godslayer."

Luffy cocked his head to one side. "But how do they know that? Aren't there only, like, five of you?"

Law sighed again. He was bound to have to explain it at some point. "You know that these people worship you," he stated.

Luffy nodded along.

"You're a divine figure to them," Law continued. "But my purpose is to kill you. That makes me your enemy, and therefore theirs.

Almost as if summoned by Law's words, an angry man marched into Law's path and drew a sword on him. "You!" he cried out, "You're a Godslayer!"

The entire world seemed to still. At the sound of the man's cry, the crowd on the street stopped moving. Every person fell silent, and every pair of eyes turned upon Law and the man who challenged him. The crowd drew back from the two of them, forming a bubble of space in the middle of the busy street. Luffy watched on in confusion as Law was alienated. The God didn't like this tension in the air. This anger. He recognized it all too well…

"Well?" the man demanded, "I'm right, aren't I?"

Law stared blankly at him. He'd dealt with fools like this far too often to have cared at this point. Such was the nature of the life he'd been forced into. "You're correct," Law drawled. "I am a Godslayer."

The crowd flooded with hushed gasps and whispered words. Law's challenger stiffened, his eyes widening in an emotion caught between triumphant and terrified.

"I-I heard rumors about you!" the man spoke up. "They say you were traveling through Loguetown three months ago! Searching for the resting place of Nika, God of the Sun."

Gasps and surprised cries rang out. Luffy stiffened where he hovered at Law's shoulder. This random Mortal was attacking Law on his behalf… but why?

"Are the rumors true?" the man demanded once Law showed no sign of answering.

The Godslayer sighed through his nose and glared. "Your own rulers put me up to this. Don't get in my way."

"S-So he admits it! He is the one tasked with killing our Lord Nika!" the man shrieked. He swung his sword upwards, pointing it directly at Law's throat.

"Law!" Luffy gasped. He jerked forward, though what he would have done remained unknown.

"Stay back, Luffy," Law warned softly. He held his arm out, stopping the God's advance.

The raven listened, by some stroke of luck. He slunk backwards a couple of steps, a heavy frown on his face. He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Law asked the man. He slowly reached behind himself and drew Kikoku from where she lay across his back. The blade glistened under the late afternoon sun.

The Mortal man swallowed heavily as he watched Law draw his weapon. His own trembled in his hands. "I can't just sit back and watch you kill our Lord!"

Law's face fell. "As you wish."

With a guttural cry, the man charged forward. He had to have possessed some sort of skill. Law heard it in the way his blade hissed in the air.

But Law was better.

He ducked the blow effortlessly, and brought Kikoku down in a decisive arc. He stopped just short of severing the man's head from his body. Kikoku's blade just barely touched the back of his neck, yet a puddle of blood welled up. Deep red. Mortal blood always ran red.

The man stood frozen, trembling and hunched. The fight was over before it even began.

"Stand down," Law ordered. His voice was tense. He hadn't asked for this fight.

The man choked back a sob. "Kill me."

"Fine," Law said without emotion.

Kikoku came down, and the man's head rolled.

The crowd was silent. This outcome had been expected. One didn't simply challenge a Godslayer and expect to win.

As the man's blood soaked the street, the crowd began to move once again. Chatter stirred back up, though foot traffic parted around Law and the corpse like a water around stone.

Luffy was at his side in a heartbeat.

"Law!" the God gasped, clearly shaken. Law didn't blame him. Their time together had been peaceful and easy up until now. This was the first time that Luffy had seen him kill.

"Are you alright?" Luffy asked. Suddenly his hand was covering Law's, the one gripped around Kikoku's hilt.

The Godslayer startled, turning to face Luffy with widened eyes. This had been unexpected. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine." He never enjoyed killing, but he wasn't hurt or anything. He wanted to flick the sticky mess from Kikoku's blade but he didn't want Luffy to move his hand–

Luffy glared, "Why did that man attack you? Just because you're a Godslayer? Why does that even matter?" His hand tightened around Law's, his fingers digging into Kikoku's hilt.

As Law watched the storm roil in Luffy's wild red eyes, eyes that matched the puddle at their feet, he understood. The way Kuri treated Law reminded Luffy of the way he and his brothers had been treated as Devils in the Age of Chaos. He was… concerned for Law. He'd probably raze the entire city to the ground if Law so much as suggested it…

The thought shouldn't have satisfied him as much as it did.

"It's nothing like that," Law reassured Luffy, his voice soft and hushed. He covered the God's hand with his own, removing it from Kikoku's hilt. He flicked the blade clean and returned it to her place on his back, but didn't pull his hand away from Luffy's.

Law tugged Luffy back into the crowd, wanting to leave the corpse behind him. The city guards would clean up the mess eventually, but Law didn't want to be there when they arrived.

The eyes on him didn't feel as heavy, but the tension in the air had certainly risen. Now that Law had killed a man no one else would challenge him, but that didn't mean the people of Kuri hated him any less.

"I never asked for them to hurt you," Luffy snapped. He looked just about ready to turn the neck of the next person to look at Law wrong.

"I know you didn't," Law sighed. He took a risk and laced his fingers with Luffy's. "But don't blame them for it. They don't understand."

Luffy gripped Law's fingers tight, and didn't pull away. "I don't understand either," he huffed. He glared at a nearby tavern boasting tapestries of idols dedicated to himself.

"The Godslayer project has been ongoing for decades now," Law explained as they walked. "It was the Mortal leaders' idea to kill you in the first place, even though you were already defeated a thousand years ago. All the common folk know is that a certain group of people were selected to kill the Gods. They disagree with our cause but they won't give any real resistance because they respect their own leadership. Doesn't stop them from hating me though, and won't stop guys like that from trying to be heroes."

Very few still remembered the true history of the Age of Chaos. Those few consisted of dedicated historians, the leaders of some Mortal cities, and everyone who had been involved in the Godslayer project. The people of Kuri, however, knew nothing of the time before. All they knew was their God, and that a mythical group of people were rumored to be hunting him.

To everyone outside a select few, the Godslayers were little more than myths. It had been fifty years in the making, after all. The Godslayers were the equivalent of fairies or demons, rival mythical beings to the Gods in their eternal slumber… or whatever the fuck it was that the Mortals believed.

Law wasn't exactly brushed up on all the frilly, religious bullshit. All he was concerned with was the truth, and all the trouble he had to go through as the mystical enemy of an entire religion. To the people of Kuri, seeing Law was akin to seeing a ghost. He could only imagine the rumors that would stir up because of this…

This was why he'd wanted to avoid this awful city in the first place.

That man would have shit his pants if he'd known the truth about Luffy.

"Why didn't the people in that other village hate you too?" Luffy asked. "They worshiped me too, didn't they?"

Ah, that was another thing, wasn't it? It was exactly the reason why Law preferred small villages and towns that weren't allied and tapped into all the bullshit that spread through the trade routes like rot.

"Isolated villages like that one aren't aware of Godslayers or rumors from Loguetown or any of this in general," Law gestured to the enormous city surrounding them. "In this world, unless you live on a trade route, you live on an island in the middle of a vast, empty ocean."

Luffy frowned. "But that village was on a mountain, not on an island…"

Law sputtered and laughed at that. "It's an analogy, Luffy."

The God gazed at Law in surprise. He watched the Godslayer laugh with a certain wonder in his blood-colored eyes. When Law laughed, it was as if all the trouble from before suddenly melted away…

Such an odd sensation.

Luffy grinned up at him, his previous anger having lifted. "You have a nice laugh. You should do it more often."

This comment caught Law completely and utterly off guard, making his cheeks flush a faint red. "What's that supposed to mean?" he grumbled. "Don't say weird shit like that, it makes you sound a thousand years old."

Luffy cackled, "I am a thousand years old!"

Confused heads turned in the crowd, but the two of them didn't pay any mind. At least in that moment, they were the only people in the city of Kuri.