Chapter 1

Lyanna was wandering around whatever random town she'd found herself in. Honestly, she didn't know what island she was on or where she was in the world. It was taking all her strength to put one foot in front of the other, so she couldn't focus on anything else. She didn't notice, but people eyed her carefully as she trudged past them, watching to see if she would fall. Her skin was pale and dull from dehydration, and her face was gaunt with sunken eyes from lack of food. All she could feel was a crippling absence of everything, so food and water weren't a concern. A shell of her former self was all remaining of her. Only a ghost of the woman that used to inhabit the body.

It had been weeks since Whitebeard's death, and the world had lost all meaning. Whitebeard was why she had been alive for so long, and his territories and those he protected were an extension of him. As she watched the video and saw that one of the only important people in her life had died, it felt like her soul had left her body. She hadn't been able to eat, as grief had killed hunger, thirst, and a need for sleep. Marco was still alive, presumably, but she had no idea where the rest of the crew were, even with all her connections. She'd looked for everyone for a month, and came up empty, and now she didn't know where else to turn. Unfortunately, this left her to mourn on her own, alone, wherever in the world she had ended up. Lyanna desperately hoped everyone was okay since they had lost both the old man and Ace. They were all bound to be hurting immensely. Because they had fallen off the face of the planet, she couldn't get in touch with them. She couldn't have felt more lonely.

Most nights, she had been crying in some dingy room somewhere that she'd paid 10 or 20 belli for. Sometimes, she just slept outside or stared at the sky, trying to figure out who she could blame for this. Usually sleep was mostly filled with what ifs and self-depreciation. Why couldn't she be stronger? Then she could have at least helped in the fight. The Navy? They were just doing their job, and some pirates did need to be kept in check. The pirates themselves? They were supposed to press against authority and seek freedom and adventure. Was there a higher power responsible, a god or gods? She didn't know. Regardless, she was left on her own.

She hadn't done any work and had no intention of doing any while she could barely function. The only thing she had bothered to do was drink, and she had been doing a lot of that. Her purpose in life was gone, and she knew she couldn't do anything to protect Whitebeard's territory since she wasn't strong enough alone. The rest of the crew hadn't taken any action; some may have been taken over by now. Pirates were always on the front foot to get one up on each other. Everyone was still searching for One Piece, especially since Whitebeard's announcement that it was real had put wind in the sails of every pirate crew in existence and probably inspired some to set sail themselves. He surely knew the chaos it would cause amongst the pirates to make such a statement. Despite all he had achieved and his status as one of the greatest pirates in history, in his heart of hearts, he was just a regular pirate. She had seen more ships around than usual in the weeks since the so-called 'War of the Best'. Everyone seemed to be heading for the New World, and she figured she might have to do the same since that might be where her friends were. Despite her prodding, she hadn't heard of any trace of them, as if they had completely disappeared into thin air. Her own despair was causing her to slowly give up on tracking them down, even though she knew it was necessary. Maybe she could get through this if she had them all to grieve. Without Jozu, Vista, Izo, and most notably, Marco, she didn't think she could survive. Without them, she had no reason to live anymore. She was used to being alone, but being lonely was a different fight altogether; one she didn't think she could win.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't realise that a few people were following behind her. They were all dressed in orange boiler suits; one was a large white animal that would have usually grabbed her attention. Initially, they hadn't been paying attention to her, but they noticed her when she started to sway like she was going to fall as she walked.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's probably drunk."

"Is she sick?"

"Maybe she's injured."

They talked amongst themselves quietly, keeping their distance but hovering near enough to try and figure out what was wrong with the mysterious woman.

"Oi, what are you guys doing? We need to go back to the ship." One who was a few metres behind piped up with a low, commanding voice.

"But Captain. Shouldn't we help her?" The large white furry one spoke, turning to look at his Captain.

"It's not our problem."

No sooner had the 'Captain' dismissed the need to do anything than the woman swayed just a bit too far to one side and collapsed, face first in the dirt. Someone walking nearby was kind enough to check on her and yelled out to ask if anyone could help her. The men in the boiler suits looked toward their Captain, who just shook his head until he noticed something new about the woman.

As she'd fallen, her shirt lifted slightly, and his eyes narrowed at the partially revealed tattoo on her back. Even though he could only see half of it, the Whitebeard Jolly Roger piqued his interest. What was she doing here in the middle of nowhere by herself if she was one of his crew? The rest hadn't been heard from or seen since the War of the Best. Maybe they were around here somewhere?

"I'm a doctor." He spoke loud enough to calm the growing crowd before he realised it.

"Captain?" One of them asked as they watched him walk over with authority.

His crew turned towards him with jaws dropped and widened eyes, unsure what had suddenly changed his mind. He pushed past them, and they waited for more commands. Their Captain's abrupt change of mind surprised them, but they knew better than to question him; there would undoubtedly be a reason for it.

"Move." People cleared out of his way, and he reached her and knelt down at her side.

Now that he could see her face, he noticed how pale she was. Her pulse was dangerously slow, and her skin felt dry and dehydrated. Either she was very ill, or she'd been hurt badly. He couldn't see any visible wounds, cuts or bruises, but that didn't mean she didn't have something wrong internally.

"Bepo. Carry her to the ship."

Trafalgar Law stood up to his full height and moved aside for Bepo to pick up the unconscious woman. His accompanying crew members followed along silently as they headed back to the port where their ship was. Thankfully they had already gotten the rest of their supplies so they could go straight away, but they would have to wait until the girl regained consciousness since this could be her home. Maybe she had returned here after the War.

When they reached the ship, Bepo took the girl straight into the operating room, and Trafalgar got to work. As he examined her closely, he could see that she wasn't physically injured, but she wasn't in good shape. It appeared that she was malnourished and dehydrated, and her liver struggled to cope with all the drinking she must have been doing. She had nothing in her stomach, and her stomach acid was beginning to give her ulcers, and like he'd noticed, her skin was dry and cracked in places. It looked like she hadn't brushed her hair in weeks, and she smelt like a mix of dirt and rain.

Once she had fluids and a feeding tube, Law got his crew to stay with her while he cleaned up after the operation. They would have to keep a close eye on her because if she didn't show improvement in the next 12-24 hours, she would probably die from the lack of food, water and shelter. While operating, he had taken a moment to check that his hunch was correct. She did have the Whitebeard Jolly Roger tattooed across her back, and he wondered if he was right about her returning home after the War of the Best. It would surprise him if they had all split up, but it wasn't something that could be ruled out. No doubt Whitebeard's crew would be mourning the loss of their Captain and Second Division Commander for some time. He had seen the chaos and destruction at Marineford first-hand and what had happened to Luffy and Jinbe. Both of them had been inches from death, despite their strength.

Law went above deck and waited for his crew to tell her that the girl had woken up…