A week has passed since June's arrival in this reality.
A week has passed since she was taken as a willing prisoner by the captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar D. Water Law.
A week has passed since she had met Monkey D. Luffy and given him a cryptic warning in the hope that he would be able to prevent Ace's death.
A week has also passed since June made an absolute buffoon out of herself by accidentally getting shit faced on a glass and a half of something called 'Bad Decisions' and calling Law's hands "Eaths". The Hearts Captain had joked about this daily since then because he's rude.
And today was execution day.
A crowd of people stand in front of three large screens displaying three different angles of the execution site. The evacuees of the military town, Marineford, stand in rapt attention amongst the reporters and Sabaody locals as they count down until the event begins. The voices mingle and mix together creating a frantic, murmuring hum.
"Do you think Whitebeard will show up?"
"He's gotta be senile by this point, right?"
"Don't make any assumptions, the Navy have called in their heaviest hitters and forced the Warlords into active duty for this."
At the back of the crowd, hidden amongst the branches of the archipelago stood Law and June, waiting; the rest of the Heart Crew was spread throughout the tree around them. They watched a hundred thousand soldiers fall into rows, preparing for war. A fleet of ships positioned themselves around the crescent bay of Marineford and large cannons aimed strategically where the Navy believed their opponents would arrive.
The three admirals: Kuzan, Akainu, and Kizaru sat under the execution scaffolding, observing the bay below them.
Five Warlords stand on the wall between land and the bay: Kuma, Moria, Mihawk, Handcock.
Doflamingo.
June compulsively chewed at the skin on her bottom lip, low-grade anxiety filling her chest. Her mind screamed: none of this felt real, it shouldn't be happening. Over the past week she would have moments of derealization, creating a feeling of disorienting disconnect between her and reality. In this moment, it almost felt as though she was separated from the world around her. The wind on her face felt numbed, the voices in the clearing below her dulled. She counted her breathing.
In. Two. Three. Four.
Hold. Two. Three. Four.
Out. Two. Three. Four.
Pop.
June flinched, she looked forward to leaving Sabaody and hopefully never having to hear those bubbles again.
"You're going to chew through your lip if you don't let up." A low voice reached through her haze.
Without looking away from the screens, she addressed the Heart Captain next to her. June's voice was nearly a whisper. "Sorry, it just feels more intense seeing everything happen first hand." She opened her bag and grabbed a piece of gum then popped the stick into her mouth.
"I suppose I could understand that." Law tapped Kikoku against his shoulder in thought. "Are you sure they're all going to show?"
June remained silent, on the screen she saw a disheveled figure flanked by two executioners walk up the stairs and onto the scaffolding. The man lowered himself to his knees and looked solemnly out into the sea as the two executioners thrusted two blades into the ground in front of him, creating a steely "X" and marking him as already dead.
"Ace." she murmured.
June had only ever seen him through screens and pages and here she was, watching him through yet another screen. An impersonal barrier separating her between the impending war and the deceptively peaceful scenery of Sabaody.
She watched Sengoku walk up the stairs and grab a snail from a nearby soldier, his voice echoing for miles and into June's ears. "I have something to tell you all. Portgas D. Ace, It's about the great significance of his death today." Sengoku turned to acknowledge the kneeling man. "Ace, tell them all the name of your father."
Next to June, Law spoke, "Does this matter?"
"Unfortunately." She answered, her heart hurt for Ace at that moment.
Ace's voice whispered through the speakers, "My father is Whitebeard."
"No!" Sengoku roared.
"Yes, he is! Whitebeard is my only father!"
"We looked for you, everywhere, because there had been rumors gathered by Cipher Pol of a child on some island. We checked everyone. Mothers, children, babies born and unborn yet we could not find you. Somehow, your mother misled us and hid you for an incredible amount of time." Sengoku stared out into the sea, a look of quiet intensity within his eyes.
Sengoku continued on, "There is an island in the South Blue called Baterilla. That's where Portgas D. Rouge, your mother, was. To protect you, she held you in her womb for an incredible twenty months. Unfortunately, because of this, she passed away immediately after birth. A year and three months after your father's death: The King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger!"
Stunned silence, the popping of Sabaody bubbles.
June watched as the reporters below her jumped into action, snapping pictures and placing frantic calls; the crowd of onlookers yelled their disbelief at the screens.
She began biting her lip again.
"I see." June looked up to her left at Law who was speaking toward the screens. "They're also using him to try and end the era of pirates. But," he looked down at her, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "didn't you say you were from Baterilla?"
June swallowed nervously, "What a weird happenstance, right?"
Sengoku's voice brought their attention back to the screens. "You adopted your mother's name and it was two years ago that you took to the sea as the captain of the Spade Pirates. That's when we noticed you, Whitebeard too. He wanted to prevent his rival's son from becoming King so he took you aboard."
"No!" Ace shouted, "I got on that ship to make pops the next King!"
Sengoku huffed then glared down at Ace. "What a lie. Regardless, you being with Whitebeard protected you and we know that if you go free then you'll use your abilities to become the next King. That's why we have to execute you today, even if we have to go to war with the Whitebeard Pirates." A hundred thousand eyes were held in rapt attention on the scaffold, the world processing the information being laid before it.
A soldier ran up the steps and saluted Sengoku. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku! The Gates of Justice are opening without any orders, and we can't get in contact with the control room!"
June leaned towards Law, "That's Luffy."
"Of course it is." he sighed.
On screen, a fog began to roll in and from it emerged a fleet of pirate ships, forty-three in total. In the center of the crescent bay of Marineford, a large bubble exploded out, splashing water high into the air. Whitebeard's ship, The Moby Dick, flew out of the water and into the sky landing on the scene in a spray of seawater. Shortly after, three more Whitebeard ships emerged and the fleet commanders stood proudly upon deck.
"Clever, they coated their ships so they could sneak into the bay from underwater." Law mused aloud.
A jolly laugh echoed through the bay, Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate had arrived. "Sengoku! It's been a while, I sure hope that my beloved son is alright." June shivered at the thinly veiled threat behind those words.
Whitebeard threw his fists out to his sides, the sound of distorted shattering glass came through the speakers. Cracks formed in the air around Newgate, June's mind had a difficulty accepting what was happening in front of her as fact and not an illusion. She held her breath as she watched the sea rise high into the air on either side of Marineford; an impressive but insidious show of power.
Whitebeard called across the bay, "Give me one second, son; I'll be there to save you soon!" His crew cried out behind him.
The water appeared to seemingly calm.
The marines didn't notice the receding water line until it was too late.
Suddenly, a massive tidal wave towered over Marineford, threatening to drown the town in a tsunami's worth of water. In a flash, the waves turned to ice, creating large mountains made of sea. Within a blink of an eye, Aokiji had transformed the entire bay into an icy field, trapping the Whitebeard ships.
The war had officially started.
The Navy fired their cannons at pirates as they jumped from their ships to rush the army in front of them with a caterwauling cacophonous battle cry. The sounds of a budding war filled the air, June's eyes watered as the ice filling the Marineford Bay began to stain crimson with the spilled blood of soldiers and pirates.
June needed to see something other than the crimson ice on screen, she looked up to Law next to her. "He's up there." she pointed to the top of the frozen mountain, her voice sounded thin and unsteady.
Below the mountain, a blinding blue and golden light filled the bay as Marco the Phoenix blocked an attack from Kizaru. Beautiful wings made of azure fire spread across the stage as the smoke cleared.
"Who's up there?" How could Law manage to sound so composed in this moment?
"Luffy." She whispered. "His ship is frozen in the ice."
Third Division Commander "Diamond" Jozu lifted a glacier sized chunk of ice and threw it into the middle of the opposing army. Akainu stopped the attack with a magma filled punch, shattering it into thousands of pieces that melted before they even touched the ground. A horrifying shower of fire rained from the sky onto the Whitebeard forces.
June's breathing picked up as the sound of terrified screams echoed throughout the clearing.
The screens appeared to vibrate, the cameras picked up a large shadow approaching from a distance; a giant, with massive horns and an even larger sword. Little Oars Junior waded through the water before letting out an earth quaking roar as he lifted a Marine ship then tossed the vessel across the bay and knocked back the Marine's own troop of giants. Oar's deep, gravelly voice reverberated through the speakers. "I need to get to Ace, don't get in my way!" He walked on in an unwavering pace.
June trembled, "Law, I don't know if I can watch this." Her eyes seemed to be unable to stick to the screen, they trailed off to the side each time she tried to focus on the events unfolding before her.
Law stood undeterred, hands resting atop the handle of his sword that was currently planted on the ground in front of him. "You can and you will, because that is how you will show respect for the people who die there today."
She took in a shuddering breath and forced her vision onto the screens below her; her teeth clenched as she worked to steady her breathing.
In. Two. Three. Four. Cannons blasted, a group of pirates and soldiers who had been rendered into stone by Boa Hancock crumbled to dust. Dead.
Hold. Two. Three. Four. A group of pirates overwhelmed a section of soldiers, pulverizing the unit and bleeding them out onto the ice. Dead.
Out. Two. Three. Four. Kuma unleashed an Ursus Shock upon Oars, blowing away pirates and soldiers indiscriminately in the process. Doflamingo and Gecko Moria tag teamed the giant, Doflamingo severing one of the giant's legs with strings as Moria pierced his chest with a large, shadowed spike. Oar's body fell forward, unconscious, onto the wall separating the bay from Marineford proper and crushed a troop of Marines in the process while simultaneously creating a bridge connecting land and icy sea.
So. Many. Dead.
Only minutes have passed and it seemed like the number of dead and dying had tripled. There was no way June could have prepared herself for what she was witnessing. When she thought of Marineford, the fighting had been broken up by emotional character exposition and individual interactions; the seriousness of the content masked in bright colors and animated or hand-drawn lines.
This was real, these were people. Each person had an unseen history or family cut off prematurely by blades, explosions, and insane abilities.
June felt numb, dulled, unattached to her surroundings. This world can't be real.
From the speakers below, the Sabaody crowd heard the shattering of ice and faint, terrified screaming over the sound of metal clashing against metal and the shouts of men cut down where they stood. In the sky, over two hundred people and a stolen Navy ship descended into the middle of the battlefield.
Next to her, June heard Law scoff. "I guess you weren't exaggerating that crash landing."
June couldn't help but sputter out a laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. "One day you'll believe me when I tell ya things, Law."
She watched Luffy climb atop the destroyed Navy vessel, her heart clenched when she heard his voice ring out above all the noise. "ACE! WE'RE HERE FOR YOU!" From the other side of the battle Ace called back.
"Is that Crocodile-ya and Buggy-ya?" Law questioned.
"I told ya, Luffy broke into Impel Down and staged a massive prison break."
"Even after beating them, they followed him to Marineford?" Law was currently scowling at the screens in front of him. "Ivankov-ya and Jinbei-ya too?
June looked towards Law. "Well, yeah. I mean, what else could they have done? Stay at the prison? Hope for another escape vessel? But also, there's just something about Luffy that makes ya want to follow him to the end, y'know?" She looked back to the clearing, a new wave of nervousness and nausea cascaded through her; she hoped that her warning was enough.
They looked on as Luffy squared up to Whitebeard, the fighting stopped briefly as his voice echoed across the bay. "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates, old man!"
From beside June, Law murmured, "Straw Hat-ya is insane."
June giggled, thankful for the fleeting moment of levity, "I feel like ya gotta be if you're gonna be the King of the Pirates."
She watched Luffy leap off The Moby Dick and begin his all-out sprint across the bay; ducking, dodging, and punching his way through the opposition. He looked so desperate, so exhausted. June's teeth worried her bottom lip, mind screaming for him to keep running.
For over an hour they observed silently as the battle continued. For over an hour June stood stiffly, watching Luffy push forward a hundred yards only to be thrown backwards or sideways a hundred and fifty. For over an hour they watched as Akainu's plot to undermine Whitebeard from within his own ranks play out.
They watched Squard stab Whitebeard through the chest and Whitebeard in turn embrace Squard like a father comforting a terrified child.
Next to her, June could feel Law becoming antsy. "Whitebeard sold out his allies? What a load of crap, he wouldn't do that."
"That was Akainu's plan. He spun a tale telling Squard that Whitebeard would sacrifice his allies to save his own crew and Ace." she explained. On the screen, Whitebeard destroyed the frozen waves and invited his allies to flee before joining the throes of the war himself.
They were quiet for many moments before Law finally broke the silence. "What kind of man is Strawhat-ya?"
She thought for a handful of seconds, carefully choosing her words. June was sure this conversation could be a key deciding factor as to whether or not Law would choose to leave Sabaody to go to Marineford.
"He's extreme." She looked up at the Heart Captain next to her, his amber gaze remained trained on the screens ahead, watching the Straw Hat Captain fall from the rising Marineford steel walls which trapped the pirates within an icy bowl. "He can be extremely greedy sometimes but also extremely selfless in his actions. I've seen him lay down his life for a person he just met just because they bought him lunch. He can be extremely reckless but also extremely insightful, though most times I don't think he means to be the latter. He's extremely fearless, I think the only things that scare him are his grandpa and losing his friends and family. He's also extremely stubborn and doesn't break his promises."
"Extreme, huh." Law appeared to be deep in thought. "And how far do those extremes translate into a pirate alliance?"
"Well, without revealing too much too soon, if ya think of a pirate alliance as a promise then I guess you would have your answer."
"Yet another June-ya branded, unfulfilling answer." He smirked darkly and allowed his eyes to slide from the screens to meet hers. "I suppose we should be heading out soon then, don't want to show up too late to the party." From around them, there were answering affirmatives from the crew.
Law had already summoned a 'room' and placed himself and June on the ground before she had processed what he had said. He was already walking in the direction of the submarine when she stuttered out a confused, "W-what?"
He didn't pause to look back. "Come along, June-ya. Otherwise I'm going to drag you back to the sub and I bet you won't like that."
She jogged alongside Law to meet his long-legged stride. "I'm just surprised I guess. What convinced ya?"
"I've seen everything I needed to see and heard everything I needed to hear. What more do I need?" Law looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you'd be more excited, June-ya."
"Of course, I've always wanted to see a warzone up close and personal." She mumbled.
Behind them in the clearing, the screens went dark.
As soon as they boarded the Polar Tang, Law barked out orders left and right. The submarine was swiftly submerged and began its journey towards Marineford at a breakneck speed. June assisted Law in preparing the surgical suite by cranking the heat up, setting out medications, and under the scrutinizing eye of the captain, laying out his tools.
And in almost no time at all they had arrived at Marineford.
Adrenaline pumped through June in what felt like buckets as the Polar Tang began to rise to the surface of the bay. She nervously tied her hair up into a bun atop her head while she waited for the all clear to leave through the sealed door separating her from the battlefield outside; next to her, Law rolled and popped his neck.
She stared forward at the iron door, silently begging that her encounter with Luffy had been enough. June braced herself for the sights, sounds, and smells that would no doubt haunt her long after the Polar Tang departed from Marineford.
Please, Ace.
Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Plea-
"June-ya."
She slowly turned her head towards Law; her wide, terrified eyes met his composed stare. "Y-yeah?"
"You can do this, just focus on taking care of the patients."
An objective. June's wide scope narrowed and focused onto a single point. She nodded, perhaps a touch too frantically.
"Just like we discussed yesterday, you prepare Straw Hat-ya then take care of Jinbei-ya until I can get to him."
June took a deep, mind-clearing breath then cleared her throat. "Right, I can do this. And you'll be there the whole time, I'll be fine."
Law's eyebrows drew together and his lips pulled into a frown. "That's a weird thing to say."
Her head tilted minutely to the side as her expression pinched to mirror his. "Is it? I feel better knowing you're there."
There was a beat of silence before he responded, "Quit being an idiot." Law stated dismissively then turned back to the iron door in front of them.
June chewed on her tongue ring and reached out to gently tug on the sleeve of Law's shirt to get his attention again. "Can ya do me a favor? It's really unlikely that you'd see it if they're there, but if there happens to be any red beads on the ground can ya grab one?"
Law opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the intercom above them. Locke's voice echoed throughout the entire ship, "We're breaking through! Everyone, get ready!"
Behind her, she heard Bepo and Jean Bart shift their weight restlessly.
"I know I don't have a lot of room to be makin' requests, but I'd really appreciate it." June let go of Law's sleeve and refocused her gaze forward. "Although, I'm hoping that there won't be any to find."
The intercoms crackled to life again. "All clear to leave the sub!"
Law opened the steel doors and ran out onto the deck; Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, and Jean Bart followed three steps behind and looked to the sky. June stumbled behind them then braced herself against the steel door frame, posing like a starfish in the opening.
It was the smell that hit her first, gunpowder and the iron scent of blood intermingled with the sea salted air creating a nauseating combination that plastered itself into her nostrils. Next it was the sounds, the sounds of gasping and screaming cut short by a swung sword or exploding cannon; the noise of broken families and grieving loved ones. It was her vision that caught up last as June adjusted to the bright sun above her.
There was no way to explain what she saw other than carnage.
As the Whitebeard forces attempted their retreat, soldiers chased and cut them down in sprays of crimson that shone underneath the afternoon sun. A stunning field of rust-speckled ice spread out before June, individual crystals of frozen water appeared to glitter under rays of sunshine. It might have been June's brain working to dissociate from the horror before her but the first thought that danced through her mind was:
It's actually a really beautiful day today.
"There's no point in letting him die here! I'm a doctor, let me take care of him!"
Law's voice pulled her back, June's eyes darted to the sky where she saw Buggy hovering high above the Polar Tang with his arms wrapped around Jinbei and Luffy. Her heart sank when she was unable to spot another head of familiar raven hair anywhere near the ship. June swallowed the dread rising like bile in the back of her throat and smothered the feeling as quick as it arrived, burying it among every other fear and worry within her to address later. She focused her attention to the bleeding men dangling above the Polar Tang, Law's objective he gave to her was to care for the wounded.
"Who the hell are you?! Doctors don't carry swords!" Buggy yelled down, he wavered in the air as he dodged cannon fire. Ammunition whizzed past him, flying inches from Jinbei and Luffy's unconscious bodies.
Shachi ran to Law from the back of the submarine. "Captain! Navy ships are approaching off the stern!"
"Quit arguing with me, just hand him over! You're wasting time!" Irritation laced the Heart Captain's voice, this argument seemed to be going nowhere at a rapid pace. June looked over the nose of the submarine and saw Akainu continue his relentless approach towards Buggy; she needed to intervene.
June took a deep breath and shouted towards the hovering clown, "Buggy! You'll look really cool if ya hand 'em over! Your crew of prisoners over there will love it and you'll be their hero!"
Buggy appeared to consider her words for a handful of seconds, June could see his inner monologue going wild at the idea of the amount of praise and respect he would gain. He flew down in a flash and deposited Jinbei and Luffy into the open arms of Jean Bart and Bepo. "Fine! But be sure to tell everyone you know that Captain Buggy was the one who saved the day!"
"Quick! Get 'em in here!" June stood to the side as Jean Bart and Bepo ran past her, in the distance, she heard the sound of glass cracking. "Wait! Brace yourself on the wall!"
The group leaned against the walls in the anteroom between the two iron doors as Blackbeard used his stolen power to turn the world on its head. The ship lurched and shook as the water danced dangerously around them creating mountainous waves. June heard the sounds of screaming and wood splintering outside the metal walls of the submarine, she closed her eyes and forced her mind to imagine anything other than ships being crushed and people drowning.
The world evened out and June sprang into action, keeping her objective at the front of her mind helped ground her. She led Bart and Bepo sprinting to the operating room and nearly kicked the door open when they arrived; June took another deep breath and tried to channel the same energy she saw Law use to command his crew on the way to Marineford.
She walked towards the sink and spoke her first commands. "Bepo, Bart. Put 'em on the tables, remove their clothing, and cover 'em with the blankets. When you're done, Bepo, you can go back to Law."
While washing her hands, June began a string of orders to the Heart Crew. "Shachi, Penguin. Put 'em in the non-rebreather masks I laid out and crank the oxygen until the bags don't inflate or deflate anymore. After that, hook 'em up to the vitals machine."
She dried her hands and picked up a stack of nearby towels then marched to the center of the room. "Bart, Penguin. Since you're done, use the water in those bottles and pour it over their burns to help cool it down. When you run out, use these towels to staunch the bleeding." June placed half the towels on each bed and continued talking while she started her physical assessment on Luffy, beginning by checking the peripheral pulses and pressing his fingers to check his circulation. Pulses were thready, refill was sluggish; he looked half dead.
"Bart. With your towels, you're gonna ball 'em up and stuff 'em in that wound in Jinbei's stomach and apply pressure. And when I say pressure, I mean really lean into it. We gotta control the bleeding as best we can until Law gets here." June looked up at Luffy's vitals on the screen and frowned then moved over to Jinbei to perform the same assessment. Low pulses, high heart rates, slowed and labored breathing.
"Penguin, you do the same with Luffy. Really put pressure on his chest, he's a rubber man so he can take it. And don't worry about dirty hands right now, Law told me he can use his ability to scrape out any infection if we gotta. Shachi, bring me those IV start kits." Jinbei was much the same as Luffy, June hoped that Law was on his way down. As Shachi handed over the kits an image of a freckled face and raven hair intruded on her concentration, June shoved any thoughts of Ace into the back of her mind and forced her focus back onto the actively dying pirates on the tables.
She gracelessly opened the kits and began on Jinbei, she silently pleaded that she could find veins on him. "Shachi, I want 'ya to keep an eye on those vital sign machines and shout if anything changes." After a handful of tense minutes, June had managed to start two IVs on Jinbei and hook him up to fluids and a unit of blood on the IV pole; she jogged over to Luffy to perform the same.
Just as she finished connecting her first line, June felt the engines rumble beneath her feet. She suspected that they were quickly submerging and that Law was on his way to the operating room now. "Make sure they're secured to the table, this is gonna be a rough descent!" Law burst through the door as she finished inserting the second line.
As Law walked through the door and towards the operating tables, June updated him on everyone's status and what interventions they had managed to complete. He hummed in response as he hooked a mask over his ears and pulled on a set of gloves.
"Alright." Law looked between the two patients. "Jinbei-ya has been shot through the stomach and is barely alive, Straw Hat-ya has been severely injured and probably has more damage than we can see on the surface."
Law grabbed a scalpel and lowered it to Luffy's chest, June could see Law's eyes crinkle at the edges from a smirk he no doubt wore under his mask. "This should be very interesting, let's get started."
June has never seen more than two surgeries in her life but she was pretty confident that this had been a difficult one; even without the sea freezing around the Polar Tang as they frantically dove away from Marineford. For hours, Law stood at the tables and performed what June could only describe as miracles on Jinbei and Luffy using a combination of his surgical skill and Devil Fruit ability.
Throughout the procedures the Heart Captain spoke orders to his crew and June, walking them through interventions that he needed assistance with or directing them to an item he needed. At one point, June had helped hold the gaping wound in Jinbei's stomach open so Law could properly apply a retractor.
She was pretty sure she almost fainted no less than three times throughout the entire event.
When Law had finally removed his gloves and moved to the sink to wash his hands, June had seemed to be stuck in the middle of the room between Jinbei and Luffy; her head swiveling back and forth between the two and expecting to be ordered to complete another task.
Law hooked his fingers underneath the ear pieces of his mask and removed the article. "June-ya, come here."
She looked towards Law who was currently leaning against the counter by the sink drying his hands; when June didn't move he tilted his head to the side and repeated himself. On shaking legs she walked over to the captain, he felt a mile away.
When she stood next to him at the sink, June removed her own blood-saturated gloves and began washing her hands. Law leaned to the side to catch her eyes, "You did good today. You should get something to eat and rest, I'm going to need you back here later."
"Thanks." She bit her lip and clenched then relaxed her hands; she could still feel the give of Jinbei's burnt flesh under her palms. June looked up from her hands to the captain. "Law, did you see-"
June was interrupted by the crackling noise of the intercom, it was Shachi. "Hello crew! We're surfacing because a certain bear can't handle being underwater and decided to take it out on his crew mates by rubbing his fuckin' bear sweat all over them. Updates to follow."
Law threw his towel in a nearby basket then began walking to the door. "Maybe we should get some air too. Follow me, June-ya." He opened the door then turned around and waited for June to follow.
She picked at the bottom of her shirt nervously, dread and worry beginning to creep up from the depths of her chest threatening to strangle her. June removed her own mask and walked to the captain, she looked over her shoulder to Tsu who had replaced Shachi on the vitals machine. "Hey, Tsu. Thanks for watchin' 'em. Let us know if anything changes."
Tsu hummed an affirmative as the pair left the room.
June already knew who would be on deck when they arrived so she wasn't surprised to see Boa Hancock talking with Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo; Law however, seemed displeased.
"Tell me, how is Luffy? Is he ok?" Hancock's voice was laced with worry, June could see a film of tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"I did everything I could." Law answered monotonously, June slapped his arm with the back of her hand.
"You're an asshole, ya know that. You're makin' it sound like he's dead." June walked forward and craned her neck upward to meet Hancock's watery stare. "He's in critical condition but for now he's stable. We're gonna keep an eye on him."
Law walked up next to June and elbowed her in the shoulder. "He suffered quite a lot of damage and there's no guarantee that he will survive but just like June-ya said, we will monitor him."
June rubbed her shoulder then bumped his thigh with her hip, the Captain smirked.
A voice echoed from above and June smiled as Ivankov shouted down off the neighboring commandeered Navy ship to the Heart Pirates. "It's no surprise! Straw boy could barely even stand up at Impel Down!" Behind the Queen stood the loyal and fabulous subjects of Kamabakka Kingdom, singing Luffy's praises for releasing them from prison.
Ivankov dove onto the Polar Tang, June was impressed the Queen was moving around so swiftly considering the past few days. "I can't believe he pushed himself that hard. I guess that's how much he wanted to save his brother!"
June's breath hitched, the Queen continued. "It's terrible that despite everything, Ace died in front of his eyes..."
All sound faded from around her, she knew that she was looking at Ivankov but it was almost like she wasn't seeing anything; June could feel something welling up within her.
She needed to get away.
"June-ya."
Her vision refocused, although it seemed like her tears were blurring the edges, it felt difficult to breathe.
"June-ya."
She looked to her right and there was Law, he looked concerned for some reason. June wanted to answer him but it appeared as though she was having a difficult time speaking at the moment however, she managed to muster out a "Hmm?"
"Go back inside and rest for a bit, I'll find you later. But also," he stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a red bead. "One of these somehow managed to fly onto the deck and I grabbed it." Law offered her the bead and she accepted with a trembling hand, June knew what she should do with this.
"Thanks, Law. I'll see you in a little while then." June turned to face the Empress and Queen then waved. "It was nice to meet the both of you, I'll do my best to take care of Luffy." She turned around and walked back into the sub, June could feel Law's eyes track her as she disappeared down the steps.
June shut and locked the clinic door behind her. Her eyesight swam from the buildup of tears causing the room to appear blurry and distorted; her breath came out in quick, ragged gasps.
She felt like she couldn't get enough air.
Her fingertips began to tingle, her hearing muffled.
Could she have done more? Was there anything she could have done? Would things have been different if she had just told Luffy everything that would have happened, timeline be damned?
A list.
She needed to write that list.
On unsteady legs, she stumbled over to Law's desk and dug through the drawers until she found a blank sheet of paper and a pen then slammed the items onto the flat surface.
She tore off her glasses and roughly rubbed her eyes before frantically writing on the paper a timeline of events from now until Wano. For each arc, she wrote out every detail, small and large, that she could remember. Fat tears fell to the page, causing the ink to smudge.
June's eyes scanned the paper, reading the details over,
And over,
And over,
And over again.
So many of these events seemed to be set in stone, needed to happen. They all seemed to flow into each other, painting an epic hero's journey.
Inevitable.
Staring at her distressed and near illegible writing, June had a thought. She flipped the paper over with a shaking hand and started a new column: Things that don't make sense / Things that aren't explained.
June steadied her hand to a light tremor and began the list starting from Marineford.
Law saves Luffy at Marineford
Law learns what SAD is and what SMILE fruits are
Law learns about Kaido's involvement with Doflamingo
Rocky Port
Law decides to become a Warlord
Law separates from the Heart Pirates to go to Punk Hazard
Law initiates a Pirate Alliance with the Straw Hats to take down Kaido
She stopped writing; there was an obvious theme here. So far everything on her list was related to Law and his unexplained actions in the series; also almost the entirety of her list, so far, pertained to the two year gap in between Marineford and Punk Hazard.
June flipped the paper over again and read through her arc timelines. It was all about Luffy and the Straw Hats, everything was already laid out in a neat and orderly flow of events. It all seemed so certain and assured, almost like it was fate.
She turned the paper over again and read Law's side.
It was less certain. There were no definitive answers for anything, no absolute timeline of events that lead him from Point A to Point B. Law was an integral part to the Punk Hazard and Dressrosa arcs then even beyond that. However, when June really thought about the story of One Piece, the Straw Hats would have ended up at Dressrosa from Punk Hazard anyway because of Kin'emon and Momonosuke. Luffy would have ended up fighting against Doflamingo regardless of Law because of Rebecca. Everything about the Straw Hat's story was tied neatly together from one arc to the next.
While Luffy and the Straw Hats were main characters in the series, Law was a side character so it would make sense why his motivations and timelines may not be nearly as fleshed out. June placed the tear and ink-stained paper on the table. Staring holes into the list in front of her, she forced her tired, frantic brain to reframe how she was thinking about this whole situation.
In this world, what if she was unable to change the definitive but could influence the uncertain to impact the nearly assured future?
What if she can't change events like Ace dying or Luffy taking down Doflamingo but she can ensure that Law will be there and make his impact on the world around him. June thought about what led Law to make the decision to save Luffy. It really didn't make a lot of sense that he would go to Marineford to save him, especially since the Heart Captain seemed to have a general rule of not involving himself in matters that don't pertain to him unless he can somehow benefit from it. And, obviously, Law had not been thinking about potentially making a pirate alliance with the Straw Hat captain before June had even suggested it. June could argue that maybe he would have gone to Marineford after watching the broadcast, inspired by Luffy's actions and words paired with what he had experienced at the auction house, but that seemed life half of an explanation after spending so much time with the captain.
What if in this version of One Piece reality, June could be the context that was missing for some of the unexplainable, the less certain?
In every story, no matter how well built, there are always conversations and events that happen off-screen, so to say. What if that is where June is meant to operate? Less in the forefront and more in the background. That was a terrifying thought because that would mean she would almost be writing her own story based on what she knew would happen later.
And there was a chance that her actions would have a heavy impact on the more certain events but it might not completely cancel them out. Depending on what she does during the two year gap, Law may never end up in Punk Hazard and he might not be present at the events to happen in Dressrosa. This would of course change details of the Straw Hat's trip there, but the overall outcome would probably remain the same. This was all just theory and conjecture though, she couldn't be certain unless she tried to change a large event again.
Also, this is all assuming that there is even a reason why June was brought here.
Regardless of the reach of her influence, regardless of the "importance of a main character vs. side character" argument, it was so obvious that everything fit better with Law present. Over the past week she had grown attached to the odd captain and his mismatched crew. They deserved a happy ending and they deserved glory. And aside from all of that, June just wanted Law to reach his goal. After everything he had been through, the Heart Captain deserved that much.
And June wanted to help him, with everything that she had she wanted to help him.
If this was how the world was going to operate around her, she would need to continue to practice a certain level of diligence. She can't reveal information too early, she can't reveal the truth about herself, and she has to continue to direct Law as best she can.
June's head began to gradually empty; she allowed ambient thoughts to creep in and out of her mind. Like bubbles on the surface of a calm river, the thoughts flowed in and out of her consciousness. She never focused on one for too long and allowed them to flow downstream. Gradually, her breathing began to even out and the feeling of frantic anxiety in her chest ebbed away.
Until she thought of Ace again, that unrelenting, firestorm of a man.
A rogue tear escaped down her cheek. How can she mourn for a man she had never even met? She knew his story, but living in this reality it felt so different. It was foolish for her to think he would have stopped after Akainu's taunting. Ace was someone who died thinking he had "bad blood" and questioned whether he deserved to even live at all, Whitebeard validated his existence and provided an unconditional love that he craved.
The insult to his father must have felt comparable to a knife stabbed into his own heart.
She knew that she wouldn't be able to stop a war but she had hopelessly wished that she could have at least prevented Ace's death.
June stared at Law's portion of the list, absentmindedly scanning the points. Something about it seemed off but she couldn't quite pinpoint what was bothering her about it, June decided to revisit the list later when her mind was clearer.
She folded the paper and placed it in her pocket next to the bead. The piece of broken jewelry felt like a hundred-ton stone weighing her down. She stood up, replaced her glasses onto her face, and exited the clinic then moved across the hall to the operating room, her legs felt like lead and her eyes raw.
The first thing she noticed was that Jinbei was gone, she figured that he was above deck discussing plans with everyone to take Luffy to Maiden Island. She looked across the room to Tsu, "Hey, Tsu. Can ya give me fifteen minutes here then come back? I'm gonna clean him up."
"Uh, sure, June. Be right back then."
After he had left, June shambled over to the sink and filled a tub with warm water mixed with a dab of soap then grabbed a small stack of towels and washcloths and walked over to Luffy.
June pushed a chair next to his bed and took a moment to watch Luffy's chest rise and fall with his breathing, he looked so small and broken. She grabbed his right hand from underneath the blanket and began washing away Ace's blood from his palm and forearm.
"I know we've only met once but I'm pretty sure I've known ya just about my whole life, how weird is that?" She laughed humorlessly and blinked away a fresh set of tears threatening to fall. "Watching and reading One Piece was always the highlight of my week and when life was tough I would always find myself coming back to the same stories for comfort." When June had finished with one arm, she moved around the bed to clean the blood off the other.
"As many times as I've seen this, I can confidently say that nothing could have prepared me for today." She continued cleaning in silence then replaced the water and came back to the bedside.
June began cleaning his face and spoke again. "I don't think my condolences will mean much so I'll just say that I know you'll make it through this and the rest of your friends are waiting for you. The Straw Hats are gonna do so many incredible things, Ace will be so impressed!"
She sniffled then put the washcloth back into the tub and grabbed Luffy's hand. "You're gonna be King of the Pirates, ya know. I can't wait to see it."
June silently finished cleaning the unconscious captain then picked up his hat and placed it gently on his stomach, laying his limp hand over the top of it. "I have something for when ya wake up so I'll see you in a few days."
She stood up and paused on her way to the sink when she saw Jinbei in the doorway. "How long have ya been there?"
Jinbei shuffled towards the bed with a grunt, June ran across the room to assist him to bed. "Not long." he struggled to speak. She pulled the blankets over him once Jinbei had laid down then began connecting him back up to his IV lines. "Do you think he can do it?"
"Become King of the Pirates? Most definitely." June walked back over to her tub with rust-tinged water and finished cleaning her mess. "I wonder what it would be like to travel with him, something about him just screams 'Follow me! Anything is possible!'" she looked over her shoulder and winked at the former Warlord. "You should get some rest, I won't force a bed bath on ya right now but we should clean ya up later."
As if on cue, Tsu walked back through the door. "Hey June. Are you, uh, finished?"
"Yeah, thanks Tsu." She opened the operating room door and looked back towards Jinbei who appeared to be trying to sleep. "I'll be back soon." June whispered then allowed the door to close behind her.
June had disappeared after Law advised her to go rest. When they were on deck speaking with Hancock and Ivankov, her eyes seemed to have lost the shine he was accustomed to seeing reflected off them. She had been staring unseeing at Ivankov's nose and he saw the whites of her eyes begin to redden.
It had unsettled him for some reason.
Even before that, June had seemed lost after the surgeries. Honestly, Law had been impressed by her while they were in the operating room. She had put aside all the fear and worry he had seen plaguing her in order to treat Luffy and Jinbei. Law chuckled at the memory of hearing her voice carry through the hallway outside of the operating room as she commanded his crew through preparing the two men for surgery; it had delighted him to have someone aboard that he was able to work well with.
She wasn't experienced in trauma or surgery but June had been willing to throw herself into the middle of the chaos and provide care where she could. She had been open to instruction, quick to act, and that hopeless situation seemed more manageable with her present.
"Right, I can do this. And you'll be there the whole time, I'll be fine."
Her confidant voice echoed through Law's head; it had been an odd thing to say, and with such conviction too. It caused him to feel fuzzy around the edges much the same as he did the other day though Law couldn't exactly identify the feeling or why it was even there.
Shaking himself from his current train of thought, Law sat himself into his office chair; he wanted to take a short break and think over his plans before checking on Jinbei and Luffy.
Law relaxed his arms on the rests on either side of him, he first began processing what he had observed on the broadcast and at Marineford then speculated on what the possible implications of this monumental war would be. Law figured that he would need to ask June about Blackbeard and how he was able to use Whitebeard's power alongside his own. What were the implications of being able to steal a Devil Fruit ability from another person and how had Blackbeard even managed it?
Law's nose twitched; there was a smell stuck in his nose that he had noticed once he had left the operating room. If he were to compare it to something, it was almost coppery but with more complexity.
His mind meandered itself to what he and June would need to do to keep Jinbei and Luffy alive until they got to Amazon Lily. It would be complicated, and he would probably need to perform at least one more procedure before their arrival. But, based on how June spoke about the future, Law assumed that his patients would recover if they remained diligent in their care.
Luffy had already piqued his interest in the auction house, his sense of justice and complete disregard for the Celestial Dragons had impressed him. Law, of course, had heard about the Straw Hats declaration of war upon the World Government and when he had seen the captain punch Saint Charlos through the wall of that damned building, he could at least tell that their values were aligned. Law had believed they would inevitably cross paths again even if they happen to take different approaches to the problems set before them.
And then June had told him that they would form an alliance, that they would take down Joker and "accomplish great things". She stood with Law and watched Luffy challenge the World Government again by sprinting through Marineford to save his brother and Law couldn't help but identify with that desperate feeling.
He could begin to see his plans take shape, become reality. Luffy even had the name "D"; Law could hear Cora's voice echo in his ears.
The natural enemy of the Gods. The monsters who eat misbehaving Celestials.
Certainly, together they would be able to kick up a storm that would shake even the Gods in their heavens.
And Law would use June to ensure it.
Law rubbed his nose and leaned forward to rest his arms on the desk, his hands balled into fists. That smell was starting to bother him; he figured he should probably take a shower soon. He inhaled and tried to figure out why the smell was so disquieting to him when suddenly Law was hit by a wall of terror; he remembered.
It was the smell of burning flesh, blood, organs, hair piled high around him.
His neighbors, friends, classmates, family stacked in gruesomely tall mounds and lit by soldiers trying to contain a disease that wasn't even contagious. As far as he was aware, Law was the last one alive in Flevance and he knew he needed to escape before the soldiers chasing him could "cleanse" him.
And Lami.
Law was the older brother. He was the one that was supposed to protect her, his sick younger sister, and he had failed her. Tears began to bead in the corner of his eyes, Lami was dead.
They were all dead.
Law scrambled up the side of a boat, his short arms and legs trembling with effort and fear as he pulled himself over the railing. He landed on something soft and covered his mouth to hold in a scream when he realized that the ship had been filled to the brim with corpses. Their faces were pulled into permanent affects of terror. The white lead patches of skin painted onto each of the dead stood out ghoulishly against the orange light emitting from the city on fire.
He heard the sound of heavy boots approaching up the gangplank.
Law hid himself underneath the body of a woman in a puffy and unflatteringly green dress, the article of clothing worked well to help distort and conceal his form. Law controlled his breathing, inhaling as shallowly as possible in the hope that the guards walking on and off the boat wouldn't notice his movements. His eyes frantically scanned his surroundings, making sure that he hadn't been seen when he noticed the dead, terrified eyes of a man with wild, gray hair.
His mathematics teacher.
Law clenched his eyes shut, so tightly that he gave himself a headache.
"Law?"
That smell surrounded him, he was sure he would never be clean again.
"Law!"
A break in the chaos, the smell faded.
The visions cleared from his view and his eyes snapped up from his desk to see June across from him. She wore a look of understanding on her face, how could she be composed when the world was actively falling apart at the seams around them?
It honestly pissed him off.
His eyes tracked her as she walked around the desk to stand next to him; Law wanted to turn his head to look at her but his muscles seemed too stiff to move at the moment.
"Can you stand up, Law?"
His jaw clenched painfully. The muscles in his hands, which were currently balled into trembling fists on the desk in front of him, twitched. For whatever reason, his body just wasn't responding properly and it was making him exponentially more frustrated than he already was.
"That's fine, we'll go at your own pace. Just focus on your breathing for now." Her voice sounded muffled to his ears.
June moved closer to him and began rubbing her hands slowly, but firmly on his arms. Up and down, seemingly trying to ease the tension built up into his muscles. He gradually felt his arms loosen then she moved down to his hands, working them between her fingers. She forced her own into his palm and worked to relax the grip, eventually she held his limp hands within her firm grasp.
"I'm gonna pull ya up." Law was pissed, why couldn't she just leave and allow him to sort himself out?
June placed her hands underneath his armpits and gently, but firmly pulled him into a standing position. He stood stiffly, still having difficulty moving fluidly due to the tension in his legs. Law glared down at June who grabbed his hands gently and held them in front of her chest.
"I'm taking ya to your room, just keep your eyes on me, ok?" With every new order she gave him, Law felt a brighter thrill of irritation shock its way through his system.
She began to walk backwards, slowly, leading him around his desk and down the hallway to his room. He followed her robotically, his eyes never leaving her face. June spoke again, "I can tell you're pissed but can ya cool it with the glare?"
His legs relaxed with each step, he could feel June rubbing small circles into the back of his hands with her thumbs. That repetitive motion was a soothing point of focus that Law used to distract himself from the memories trying to beat down the door into the forefront of his consciousness.
His mind still felt like a thousand ton fog had settled over his awareness, it was difficult to think further than wanting to shout at the woman in front of him. June whistled an awed, low note, parting the fog wide enough for Law to hear her clearly again. "Man, I've had some nasty looks aimed at me on my unit but yours is exceptionally murderous; it's kinda impressive."
Law contemplated throwing her off the side of the sub later.
June led him to his bed and turned him so the back of his knees touched the mattress. "Sit."
He lowered himself down, eyes trained on the woman in front of him all the while. She placed Law's hands in his lap then lowered herself to her knees and began pulling on his boots.
"What are you doing?" Law croaked. His voice sounded strained and tense, his throat and jaw had yet to relax.
"My job." she had successfully removed his boots and set them next to her then tugged off his socks. "I'll take care of ya, just trust me for now." After tossing his socks off to the side, she kicked off her own shoes and sat behind him on the bed, back-to-back.
June mumbled from behind him. "I don't usually do it like this but ya seemed to respond well to physical touch last time so…" Law felt her lean more into his back, her warmth and weight were a comfort that he would never admit.
"Try and match my breathing, Law. You're still going too fast." He felt her back expanding and shrinking against his with each inhale and exhale in a slow, steady rhythm. Law focused on June's movements, steadily willing his breathing to slow until he was nearly matched up with hers.
"That's good." He could hear the smile in her voice, it irritated him that she was so composed when he felt so powerless. "I'm gonna give ya some instructions, ya don't hav'ta verbalize any of it but ya gotta at least do it in your head even if it sounds silly." June shifted a bit then cleared her throat. "Name five things you can see."
This sounded useless. Law couldn't fathom a reason why listing objects around him would be helpful when his mind was still screaming for him to jump into action; when his eyes could still see dead, burned, rotting hands covering his own. Law blinked rapidly to clear away the ghosts, he figured looking at something real and in front of him may at least keep the visions away.
His eyes darted around the room. He had difficulty focusing on one thing for longer than a fraction of a second but he did his best to compile a list: dresser, bedside table, coins, a book, June's oddly small shoes.
Law grunted when he had finished his task. He could feel June behind him take a deep breath then exhale, he followed; expelling some of the tension in his shoulders.
"Four things you can feel."
Law felt June tilt her head back and rest it on his shoulder blade; the weight of her warm back pressed against his acted like an anchor. His toes curled and stretched across the cold, hard flooring and he took a moment to bask in the difference in temperature from his back to his feet. Law could feel the weight of his hat pressing into the crown of his head, a familiar comfortable sensation. He could feel the amount of tension his muscles held and gradually began unclenching and relaxing.
June took a deep breath behind him, he followed.
"Three things you can hear."
Law slowly closed his eyes and listened to the ambient noises of the ship around him. The hum of the engines that lulled him to sleep at night, his own steady breathing. He heard June begin to softly hum an unknown melody that he strained his ears to hear. Law smiled and huffed a quiet laugh when she dipped a bit flat.
"Two things you can smell." she whispered from behind him then continued to hum.
He breathed deeply and first smelt the lingering aseptic smell of the cleansers he had used in surgery earlier. Law's eyebrows pulled together as he tried to suss out the second, more subtle, but familiar scent he was picking up on. Behind him, Law could feel June move off the bed and walk around to the front of him.
There it was, that smell. It had been stuck to his sheets and pillow last night but he could not figure out what the source was; now he realized that June had rubbed her scent into his bedding during her nap yesterday.
It was light and relaxing, honestly he had slept better last night with it present. She smelt like lavender but slightly different; in that moment Law realized that he would probably always associate the smell of lavender with June now. He took another deep breath, hoping to pull more of her scent into him. He felt more relaxed than he ever had in recent memory, as ridiculous as this process had been.
Law felt something hard touch his lips, it smelt like sugar. He opened his eyes and saw June had knelt in front of him again and was holding one of her suckers to his mouth.
"And something you can taste." June grinned when he opened his mouth to accept the candy, it tasted like strawberries.
Law's amber eyes lazily roamed her face. Initially, he had been irritated at her for ordering and dragging him around but now he was thankful that she had forced this process upon him. Law's gaze took in the dozens of short, frizzy, corkscrew curls that had escaped June's bun to frame her face and rest upon her neck. His fingers itched to pinch, pull, and release them to see if they would spring back into their original shape.
The dainty curl in front of June's right ear guided him to a constellation of freckles decorating the apples of her cheeks and bridge of her nose; Law vaguely wondered how many of those spots she wore on her face and if there was a discrete way he could count them.
His eyes dipped to her lips, they were full and slightly red from where she had worried the skin between her teeth. How many smirks and grins had he seen them transform into? How many sarcastic replies and expletives had he heard fall off her tongue?
He had an intrusive urge to lean in and taste one from the source.
The thought was quickly banished from his mind.
Law's eyes traveled up to hers. Large-framed glasses surrounded tired honey eyes and pink, tear irritated skin. "You were crying." he whispered around the stick hanging out of his mouth. That didn't sit well with Law for some unknown reason. In his mind, June was meant to snicker and snort, not wear that broken and worn expression masked behind a forced smile.
"Yeah, I suppose I was." She sat back onto the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest. "It's been a pretty long week and an even longer day. But what about you? How ya feelin'?"
Law's eyebrows pulled together in confusion at the way June had dismissed him and placed the focus back onto his condition. He stretched his legs outwards then relaxed them, bracketing the woman in front of him between his shins. "Better, surprisingly."
"Does this happen often?"
"Not usually but today seems to have been a special case." Law rolled his neck to further ease the tension remaining in his muscles. "I suppose you know why it happens though, as unsettling as that is to acknowledge."
June had the decency to look ashamed at least. "Sorry, I know that's pretty intrusive of me." She drew invisible patterns into the wood grain next to her foot. "But if it happens again, you can use that method to help out or I can give ya some other stuff to do."
"I think this'll be fine, thanks." As embarrassed as Law felt having shown a weak moment to June, he was thankful to have received her help and he supposed that having a psychiatric nurse see him wasn't the worst option if someone had to find him.
Though he wished it just hadn't been a person who was considered a prisoner aboard the ship.
June put her shoes back on then rocked herself up into a standing position. "I suppose I should leave ya to it. I just got done eating so I was gonna head back across the hall and see Luffy and Jinbei. I originally came in here to see if ya wanted to come but I think you should chill for a bit."
As she turned to walk away Law's mouth opened to speak, almost as if it had moved with a will of its own. "Wait."
June turned around and raised a single eyebrow. "Something up, Law?"
His mind worked to catch up with the action, he realized that he just didn't want her to leave yet for some reason. Law shoved his feet back into his boots then stood up, brushing past June to escape her questioning stare. "I'll go with you, I want to be sure that they'll be able to hold steady through the night."
After a beat he heard June follow after him through the door. "Of course, sure."
For the rest of the night while he and June worked on their patients between brief naps, Law caught fleeting memories of the scent of lavender stuck in his nose.
