Luffy woke in intervals, glimpses of flashes of colour, voices muffled. Everything hurt with each awakening, his side, his back, numbed somehow but he could still feel it. A hollow in his head where it once felt full, almost too crowded.
He could hear whispers of something else, familiar, and tingling like Dawn but not. A muffled giggle, hushed like whispers between brothers late at night, quiet like the forest when a predator is around.
A slippery sound stretched and sweet. If sweet could be a sound. It reminded him of the treats Makino would make him on his birthday, a giggle, and a wink.
A beat of a heart, thumping, warmth and steady, it reminded Luffy of Hongo's steady hands, the stitches that itched on his face. A familiar constant confidence, surety and protection, a promise of healing.
They comingled together like a song, familiar with each other though they were separate.
}}Ah Liberating-Joy…{{ The voice of the ocean was louder in his ears. }}Awaken Liberating-Joy.{{
This time when Luffy woke it was to an unfamiliar room, a steady beep of something unfamiliar and the crashing waves. It sounded like home, but home was gone, gone because of him. Tears welled in his eyes and a lump formed in his throat. Makino and the bandits, the village all gone… Sabo's grave and all the mementos of his brothers… His dad's treasure… he failed so many people.
How would they ever forgive him?
How could he ever look in their eyes again and not feel shame?
How could he ever become King of the Pirates if he was so weak?
"Oh! You're awake!" A deep voice from the door had Luffy blinking in surprise. A strange stood, nearly hunching to fit in the frame, vaguely he remembered being held by a man shadowed by black feathers.
Swallowing he looked away from the man. "You saved me, I remember your feathers."
"I wouldn't say save, you were spat out on the beach and my husband got you… I held you as you called for your father." The man replied kindly before a loud clatter drew Luffy's attention to see the man had tripped and crashed into a table.
He watched as the man scrambled to his feet, drawing voices from outside closer but Luffy couldn't focus as the words finally hit. His throat burned with bile and shame at the mention of his Dad cause… cause he no longer held Shanks's treasure, no longer could return it to him like he promised when he became a great pirate.
Has Shanks tried to call? Does he know? And What about Ace?
Will they be mad at him?
Round and round the thoughts spiral once more.
"Cora-san, you should have called for me immediately when you noticed him awake." This voice was younger, closer to what his brother sounded like and when Luffy turned his head again he couldn't help but blink.
The man – teenager – that stood at the door was thin and had dark bags under his golden eyes. A spotted hat sat comfortably atop black hair, a sword rested on his shoulder, and he slinked forward reminded Luffy of the tigers hunting in the woods.
"My name is Trafalgar Law; I am your doctor." The boy stated and the closer he got, the more Luffy could see that several patches of his skin were lighter than the rest, peeking behind the dark ink of tattoos. "You've been asleep for a month now."
"A month?" Luffy rasped shocked, jolting up before falling back with a wince, hand going to his chest.
Law hummed and pinned the boy with a slight glare as he went to move again while grabbing the glass of water on the side table to get him to sip. "Easy, you'll make yourself sick and that's the last thing we want to happen on top of everything."
"Thank you Trafa… troga… Torao…" Luffy stumbled over the name before settling on Torao, wheezing a soft shishishi at the bewildered unimpressed look on the boys' face.
Stop distracting yourself… it won't work you know… Something eerily like Sabo's voice whispered in his mind, causing Luffy to sag.
A month, he'd been asleep a month.
"How bad was I hurt?" He asked after a moment, eyes glued on the roof. He'd been hurt plenty of times, Porchemy incident, the bear, his entire childhood thanks to his gramps. Though this might top it, never had he been so wounded that he had to sleep for a month and still feel it.
"You have scarring across your chest and down the right side of your face from fire, your lung was collapsing from debris, and you will have a scar across your back from the Sea King's teeth. I am genuinely surprised you don't have broken bones but I'm betting that's because of your devil fruit." Law explained, going further in-depth before he realised that he had lost the boy's attention halfway through.
Corazon stepped forward and placed his hand on Law's shoulder when he saw the irritation flicker across his son's face. "Be patient Law, he's been through a lot, it'd be overwhelming to a lot of people."
"You're right." Law sighed reluctantly, flicking his gaze away in what Cora-san would call a pout if he didn't value his limbs in their right position.
"Now, my name is Rosinante or Corazon, I'm this one's father." Rosi introduced with a wide smile. "I live here on Red Anchor Islet with my husband Katakuri, we're the ones who found you and called Law and his crew."
The name hit him like a cannonball, or a Fist of Love to the face. Of course, of course he was brought somewhere that would remind him of his family. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. His eyes slipped closed as the voices of the island whispered in his ears, the hum of the earth and the trickle of everything else. He could hear the fruits in the two people before him, one Paired and one not.
It was when he focused further, trying to find King that he realised something. His body jolted up, pained be damned as panic flared within him. He struggled to free himself from the blankets, he needed to get to the ocean, he needed to get there now.
"Idiot! You can't move yet; your legs won't be able to hold you." Law snapped as he stormed forward, pushing the boy back down on the bed.
"I need to get to the ocean; I need to get to King! He's worried! He's scared!" Luffy protested, still fighting the hold he had on his person. "Please, he didn't mean to hurt me! He was trying to save me; he just did what he was told!"
Cora-san and Law shared a look, confusion between the two but Law was curious. With a sigh, he summoned a Room and Shambled them to where Katakuri and Cora had found Luffy, where he was spat out by the Sea King.
The sand was turned into glass with the force of the Conquerors haki that was released between the kid and Katakuri, clumps of Mochi trapped in the heated sands, clumped in the sand in general. Blood was still splattered in some places, a feather here and there.
Luffy stumbled from Torao's hold and cupped his hands. "KING!"
The water churned as the name echoed in the silence, Cora's hands going to his guns while he moved to stand in front of Law, eyes widening as the Sea King that spat the kid out surfaced out of the water slowly, inching closer to the shore.
He jerked forward to grab the kid as he took a wobbly step.
"He won't hurt me he's my friend," Luffy stated as he shook off the hold. "See, I'm okay, I know you didn't mean to."
I'm sorry Little King, I should have opened my jaw wider, I didn't mean to catch you with my teeth~ King whimpered eyes downcast as he dipped his head.
"It's okay! Torao made me all better!" Luffy replied as he stepped forward once more, into the water and stretched his hand out to pat King on the nose. "You rescued me, you saved me."
Law blinked as he watched this kid step into the ocean, as he used his Devil Fruit in the Ocean. He wanted to know how, he wanted to know if this was because of the Ocean Blessing and the shimmering in his blood or if it was something else entirely. Was it the fruit itself? Or was this boy just something more? Yet, he was also speaking to the sea king as if it was talking in return.
A sharp inhale from Cora caught Law's attention and he turned to look up at the man. "What is it?"
"I think... I think this kid has the Voice of all Things, it's extremely rare and not even Fishmen or Mermaids can speak with Sea Kings like this." Cora explained slowly, hand coming up to light the cigarette hanging from his lips. "We need to know who this kid is Law; we need to make sure no one recognises him and that he's safe. Something tells me he's important and I won't ignore those feelings again."
The last time Rosinante ignored those feelings he ended up getting shot and nearly dying, causing so much pain to Law thinking he was dead for all those months he was unconscious and healing.
When King sunk back into the ocean, happier now and willing to keep to these waters till his Little King was ready to leave, till he was strong enough to face the challenges that lay ahead of him. He was safe with the people who resided here, his Mother telling them they were safe, that they were Blessed in their own ways.
Luffy staggered once King was gone, pain rippling up his back and sides where his skin pulled at the healing wounds. He desperately needed to eat to heal faster, whatever they had been giving him was not enough, it never usually took him this long to heal. "Meat… need Meat… Hungry."
At seeing the stumble Cora quickly rushed forward and caught the kid, curling his small frame carefully into his arms and tossing a look over at his son who was watching the boy and the ocean with calculating eyes. "Law, come on let's get something to eat."
Another Room and Shambles later they were back in the house, this time in the kitchen area. Cora quickly placed Luffy in a right-sized chair for Law to look over before stumbling to the kitchen to prepare food.
"Let me do that Cora-san!" Bepo's voice appears on his right causing Rosinante to stumble back, sending the pots scattering across the room. "sorry!"
"Cora!" Law sighed in exasperation. "Be careful!"
"Shishishishi." Luffy giggled softly behind his hand drawing Rosinante's gaze immediately and pulling a smile at his own lips.
Law sighed and finished fixing the bandages before helping up his idiot of a giant father. "Don't mind him, kid, he's clumsy and did not see Bepo there already, too tall."
"I'm not a kid! I'm…" A frown pulled at Luffy's face as he thought over everything. "I'm nearly sixteen! Or I am! Dates are weird."
"Still a kid to me," Rosinante stated with a grin as he was pushed into his usual chair by Law.
The grin turned serious and Rosinante straightened up till he was sitting at his full height, giving the kid his full attention. "While Bepo makes us something to eat, we need to have a talk. It's important, okay? We need to know everything so we can help you and keep you safe."
Luffy snapped his gaze from the decorations and oddly sized furnishings to the man before him, staring deep into his eyes, noting the sudden blink of unease. He could hear the Unsettled fruit in him whisper what their user was like, could hear every voice of thing in this house spill all the secrets.
This man was a Marine, an ex-marine married to a Pirate and running from his brother who had hurt him, who was hunting Torao whose Settled Fruit told him his own secrets. Luffy could hear everything and could feel their genuine worry, but still, he needed to be cautious, he didn't want to bring the Marines here, didn't want to bring whatever terrified them to their doorstep.
He didn't want to be the reason they died. Didn't want them to face whatever Dawn faced.
His eyes flickered down again, catching sight of something, a name, a familiar one. He pulled it close to him both of the papers and shifted away from the oldest one, the one with the news of Dawn. His heart picked up as he stared down at the image with blank eyes.
He knew he wasn't a good reader but no matter what Luffy knew his brother's names and shapes.
The words Portgas D. "Fire-Fist" Ace and Portgas D. "Bloody Gentleman" Sabo stood out in bold letters, the paper whispering their names and shaping their words below the image of the story, but Luffy ignored that. His fingers brushed over Ace's face and across Sabo's grin.
His brother was alive. Sabo…
Biting his lip, he looked away from the page and turned his attention back to the man who was waiting for his answer. "My name is Benn D. Anka."
Author Note: *Whistles innocently*