Shanks had lost people before, and had felt the familiar heartbreaking loss of his Captain, his Father, and all of his Nakama in one fell swoop. He remembers the day he watched his father's last smile, watched as the Marines took him from them all with a quick flick of a blade. But it was nothing to this, nothing to the sheer soul-crushing agony as he felt his son's heart stop, the heavy weight of a crown pushing down his shoulders like a weight once more...
I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry Dad. His sons' words repeating heavily in his head. It was the last time he would ever get to hear it, and it was said with such a broken rasp.
He could faintly hear his crew around him, could barely hear Benn calling for him as he pulled Luffy out of his arms and into his own embrace. Pressure began to build in his chest, behind his eyes, lodging in his throat and releasing with enough force that he could feel his teeth rattle… could taste the blood as his throat is ripped raw.
Shanks felt his Haki break and burst, draining him as something surged over it and all he did was clutch his son closer, curl further into his husbands' arms.
Luffy was gone… gonegonegone…
The ship rocked and sent them all sprawling, Shanks felt himself being yanked away as he slammed into floor with a gasp, vision tinting black as he desperately tried to grab Luffy once more. Panic surged up faster with his grief, bile lodging in his throat as he failed to find his sons hand, failed to find anything and when he finally managed to open his eyes, he couldn't help but blink.
He was in his cabin and not in the infirmary, he staggered to his feet in confusion, but his panic was running rampant as he slammed out of the door and into the wall as the ship rocked again. A snarl escaped his lips as he staggered his way down towards the infirmary, ready to scream at whoever decided to take him away from his son's body.
Except… the infirmary was empty and the yelling on the deck was not what he expected.
A wave of Haki washed over him, and it was familiar, familiar in a way that it shouldn't because the bastard has been dead for many years thanks to his… His eyes widened as he spun and rushed towards the upper decks, fury swirling and Haki crackling. His ship groaned under each step, hand snagging his sword as he stormed past his room, letting his Haki flow free into it as he finally stepped out on deck.
Confusion was thick in the air as his crew swarmed around fighting off the Beast Pirates, Kaido's laugh echoing in the air that only aggravated Shanks further. "What is the meaning of this!?"
"What's wrong brat? I thought you wished to clash with me to hold me off from Marineford." Kaido laughed at him, stilling the entire Red-Haired crew for a beat.
"Oh?" Shanks hummed, memories of this time coming back to him. He didn't know how, nor did he know why but he wasn't going to let this bastard delay him any further. "I do not have time for this! If you make me delay in helping my kid so help me… now… fuck off!"
For the first time in a long time, he let his Haki explode outwards, pushing all his grief and rage into the blast as he pushed it down on the Beast Pirates and Kaido. A loud crack could be heard as he watched Benn take a running jump, face twisted in a furious snarl as he slammed his foot into the rudder, snapping it completely. Lucky and Bonk Punch took a Mast each and crippled Kaido's ship completely.
Shanks watched as Kaido stared him down, eyes boring into him from the centre of his ship as his crew swarmed around him, hand coming up to hold them off from retaliating.
"You seem different Red-Hair, angrier. Your Haki stronger." Kaido hummed curiously.
"No, not stronger, I am just in no mood to play. I have other places to be and a war to join." He replied with a shark-like grin. "Now accept you won't be getting to Marineford and run along back home before opportunists decide to take your territory."
Shanks grasped Gryphon tightly in his hand, teeth gritted as he stared the Beasts ship down, waiting for Kaido to leave. Seconds felt like an eternity, an unsteady beat began to tick in the back of his mind, and it took a moment for Shanks to recognize the fact that it was the stuttering dying beat of his son's heart.
I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry… Haki lashed out with force, rocking the boats, and causing Kaido to flinch.
There was so much rage and grief twisted in that wave, it slithered up and choked him, burrowing down into his marrow with a vicious bite the likes he hadn't felt since Rocks. There was no more hesitation in ordering his men to leave, his eyes never leaving the gleaming fire that shone in those deep red eyes. Familiar… Danger… He would leave this fight for another day, but for now, he had many things to consider.
"Marineford. Now." Shanks ordered his men, voice still trembling with his Haki.
Benn strode forward, hand grasping Shanks's left shoulder with purpose. "We will get there in time this time, we won't let Ace die and we will make sure that crazy kid of ours doesn't suffer like he did last time."
"And give him a lecture," Shanks replied earning a snort from Beckman, but relieved that he wasn't the only one to wake up back in time.
"A lecture, this coming from you?" Benn chuckled, but it was half-hearted. "He won't know what hit him."
"Our son died Beck," Shanks murmured after a beat, eyes slipping close. "He died in our arms; I felt his heart stop… I felt his voice vanish and… and he crowned me again in his dying… Beck!"
Benn moved forward without care and pulled Shanks into an embrace, placing his lips against Shanks's scarred eye, none of the crew cared about their displays of affection but Benn usually held off on such things till they were safe in their cabin. "He's alive now, fighting a war but alive."
The words were repeated, growing firmer with each reminder to them both.
'ROOM'
'SHAMBLES'
The words ripped through the silent air an hour later, startling everyone as Law appeared on the deck, younger and angry… grief-ridden. "I do apologise for my abrupt arrival, but I needed to speak with Akagami no Shanks… this may sound crazy, but I've somehow come from th…"
"You don't need to tell us, we know." Beckman interrupted, holding his hand up for his son-in-law to stop. "Don't know how but the majority of the crew that was with us when… well we're all here and that's what matters."
The relief was palpable in Law's eyes, his shoulders slumping. "Thank fuck, this would make everything easier. Those who were on my crew at the time remember as well."
"What happened?" Shanks asked as Yasopp, Limejuice and Building Snake gathered the tethers tossed to them from Bepo, Penguin and Shachi so the Tang could pull Red Force faster.
Law frowned in thought. "I'm not sure… we were close to you when I felt Lu-ya die, I was desperate, threw out my room with the thought of trying to reverse it for just a moment so I could save him, and your Haki hit me just as I felt something snap… I think I awakened my gift. I think I sent us all back."
"Fuck, kid." Benn cursed as he jolted forward signalling Hongo to come over. "You need to sit. That was an excessive amount of power you used, and we know how much energy it drains you, did you let the others check you out at least?"
Now that they were looking, Law looked horrible, pale and skin sunken. His eyes were black as black could be and there were tremors in his limbs that shouldn't be there.
"I was hooked to a banana bag but then Bepo-ya told me we were close to the Red Force, so." Law petered off with a shrug, grimacing as Hongo smacked him and told Lucky to hurry and gather an IV bag for their resident idiot doctor. "I don't nee…"
"If the next words out of your mouth are 'I don't need it' then you 'ave another thing comin' to ya." Hongo snapped, giving the kid a dark glare. "We're headin' to get that idiot kid of ours who will need all the help he can get. So, sit down, shut up and take the IV."
Law opened and closed his mouth with a snap. He couldn't refute the doctors' words considering they were going to join a war and if… if Luffy needed help and Law couldn't do so because of his own stupidity and pride then Law would never forgive himself.
"Permission to come aboard!" Bepo's voice called out, followed by Benn's confirmation. It didn't take long for the Mink to reach his captain's side, his whole body sagging in relief when he saw the IV bag.
"The Tang is hooked up to the Red Force, Ikkaku is pushing the engines to the maximum to get us there faster Captain. Jean Bart is at the helm and he's directing us towards the currents the Marines use to hasten their speed." Bepo reported while taking note of his captain to report back to Penguin and Shachi. "Are you returning back to us or staying here?"
Law cast his gaze to Shanks who was staring back at him with an unimpressed stare and cocked brow. "I'll be staying here, when we get to Marineford I want all of you to stay on the ship."
"Captain!" Bepo exclaimed unamused. "We can fight too, especially for Luffy-san."
"We will need everyone on the Tang just in case we need to help with medical. If it goes the way it did last time, then Ace-ya and Lu-ya will need us." Law replied watching as Bepo's face went from a scowl to understanding and then a wince. "For now, you'll be in charge till the time comes, make sure everyone knows their roles."
It didn't take long for Bepo and Law to organise what needed to be done and who needed to prepare everything before he made his way back to the Polar Tang with haste, leaving Law in the hands of Akagami's very capable doctor and the crew. Law slumped back on the chair that he was forced to sit in while he watched the crew around him hurry to get everything ready. There was no way that Shanks was going to stop the war peacefully this time, not with their last moments from before fresh on their minds.
"Lu-ya will need to be looked at immediately," Law stated calmly, drawing the attention of Shanks, Hongo and Beckman. "He went through all floors of Impel Down, faced down each jailer beast and then took the full force of Magellan's poison. Not only that he also went under Emporio Ivankov's 'magical hormone cure' as you know the consequences of for over ten hours."
Shanks blanched at the information, he knew that Luffy had suffered a lot during the war as he had seen the aftermath of course and heard testimonials from allies but he didn't know what everything entailed… only those who were Impel Down knew the full extent of his sons suffering besides Law and no one wanted to tell him.
Not Jinbe, not Crocodile and especially not Buggy who could barely look him in the eye when asked. Now Shanks knew and fuck did it just break his heart and enrage him. This should never have happened in the first place if only Whitebeard listened to him but no! No, he didn't take Shanks at his word and now his son will suffer so much.
This time he won't be late, this time he won't allow that magma bastard to hurt his son again on top of the already excruciating pain he must have suffered.
"If I have to get him myself to you, then I will," Shanks stated matter of fact. "He won't be able to escape me."
Law sighed and cast a glance at the red-haired emperor. "He won't stop unless Ace-ya is safe."
"We will make sure Ace survives this time," Beckman replied darkly, fingers trailing over the butt of his rifle. "If that magma bastard tries to kill him again then he's going to be feeling every seastone bullet I have on my person. I'm sure Yasopp will join us in that regard."
"Oh, you bet!" Yasopp stated from the left, fingers pulling apart his pistols and reassembling them with ease, the seastone bullets sitting carefully in the open case by his thigh. "But my eye will be on Kizaru, I have a bone to pick with that asshole plus he will be the admiral most troublesome."
"Fair point, once Ace is free his fire will be able to deal with Aokiji's ice if Whitebeard can't crack it fully," Beckman replied as he moved to join Yasopp at the table to begin to check his own weapons.
Law hummed and turned his eyes towards the direction of Marineford, his heartbeat sluggish in his chest, each beat taunting him that it wasn't Luffy's. He had grown so unaccustomed to his own heartbeat, so used to Luffy's odd comforting beat. Would Luffy remember? Would he know of him besides the lone meeting they had in Sabaody which was only last week?
Something ached fiercely in Law's chest, the Luffy here – if he could not remember – would be so much like his husband but not. He wouldn't remember their shared traumas, failures, and victories, wouldn't remember the way they fell in love. It ached because Law didn't know if he could do that to Luffy, couldn't use all his future knowledge to make the bright sunshine that was Luffy to fall in love with him again and it broke him…
"All will be well Law," Shanks murmured as he took a seat by Law's side. "We won't let what happened last time…"
"Captain!" Lucky Roux's voice called out, drawing everyone's attention to the small screen the red force had. "I managed to get the snail to connect to the Marineford signal.
Every pair of eyes snapped to the screen, the senior officers instructing those below them to keep the ship in line with the Polar Tang before crowding around the area Lucky pulled the screen out of.
They watched as Luffy went toe to toe with a giant, his grin bright and vicious. Each member of the Akagami Kaizoku-dan and their Captain couldn't help but cheer as they watch their kid kick ass. However, that didn't last long as they heard the announcement for all to hear.
'If that wasn't bad enough, he's the biological son of the revolutionary, Dragon!' Sengoku's voice boomed out over the din, silencing the Akagami Kaizoku-dan immediately as their captain's haki skittered out in red sparks around him in displeasure.
Luffy's laughter rang out loud over the silence as he took down the giant, the grin wider than the previous one worn as he landed on the stomach of his downed opponent. Whoever had the snail recording all of this focused briefly on Luffy's face as he pulled his hat forward to shade his eyes.
Everyone watching held their breath and leaned forward to hear Luffy's reply. "My blood father may be Dragon… But you forgot one thing."
"And what is that, Straw Hat?" Sengoku was heard asking.
Dark red eyes peered out from under the hat, a grin full of sharp teeth and Shanks could feel his heart race. It was a look that his captain always had, a look that he had only seen Luffy wear once before. "My father, the one who claimed me… well… I come by his power and strength. I am the son of Red-Haired Shanks. Now give me back my brother!"
Shanks inhaled sharply, hope and pride roaring in his chest as he felt the wave of haki follow that hit him. Even from this distance, he could feel his son's Haki, all the rage and all the pride. Shanks knew that Luffy considered him a father, and never denied it when asked but Shanks didn't realise that Luffy had declared it for all to hear in Marineford of all places.
"He remembers," Law murmured; hands clenched tightly around the edge of the seat. "I managed to get the recordings off Sabo-ya last time and it was Whitebeard who took down that Giant, Lu-ya was facing off against Hawkeye then… he never announced you were his father… he… he remembers."
Hope bloomed within them all but something like dread began to pool in Law's gut as he watched the screen as it began to glitch and cut out, he saw the glowing red of his husband's eyes. "Shanks-ya, don't hesitate to stop Lu-ya when we reach Marineford."
Shanks frowned and tore his eyes away from the now black screen to face Law. "Why?"
"If Lu-ya remembers… if he does then he won't allow Ace-ya to die. He won't allow anything to harm his Nakama and those classed as Nakama of his Nakama. You didn't see his face just then, it's a look that's burned in my memory… it's the same look they captured when he sunk Mary Geoise back into the sea." Law replied desperately, panicked.
"Oh…" Shanks swallowed and turned his gaze towards Marineford. "Fuck."
Please Luffy, don't do anything reckless, please wait till we can reach you, son… I can't lose you again...
Author Note: GAHHH I didn't expect this story to have a mind of its own! Shanks and Law just wouldn't stop talking, I hope ya'll don't mind!