Law POV

"I already know who you are!"

Her words were like an injection of ice straight into his blood. He froze instantly, stomach lurching painfully.

What?

He stared at her. It wasn't possible, she had to be lying. But just by the look of dread that crept over her face, and the way her trembling hand came to clamp across her mouth, it was obvious what the truth was.

She knew his name.

"I don't understand." His voice was quiet and flat. That's all he could say.

Rose had gone pale, her eyes blown wide. "I-I…" Her voice was quiet, and she couldn't seem to formulate a word.

Then finally, Law's brain seemed to catch up. Then, the fury came.

"You lied to me?" He hissed, stepping closer.

"N-no!" She stammered, breath coming quickly. "I overheard you, I mean, your crewmate th-through the door, he said your name-"

Shit.

It all started playing before his eyes; Rose telling the Marines that he was responsible for what happened on this island, him being stripped of his Shichibukai status, his plan to take down Doflamingo crumbling, Corazon never being avenged-

Shit!

He had let the most vital piece of information slip through his fingers. How could he have let this happen?

His feet moved at their own accord, turning to stride away towards the door. He barely registered the panicked blabbering of Rose behind him as he slammed the door behind him, adrenaline pumping hot through him.

She knew his name. She knew who he was. That alone jeopardized everything.

"Fuck." Law hissed angrily under his breath, striding down the hallway of the Marine base towards the control room where is crew was likely resting.

His mind was racing, combing through a hundred possible solutions, but one kept clawing to the front of his mind: Kill her.

It shocked him how the very thought instantly turned his insides cold, his grip on Kikoku tightening painfully, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. No. That couldn't be the answer. Focus. Stay calm. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind. This was something he needed to discuss with the crew.

He banged unapologetically through the door to the control room, and his crew mates gave a yell of surprise at the sudden intrusion.

"Law!" Shachi's surprised yelp echoed off the walls. "What the hell are you doing?"

Law turned his burning eyes on Shachi. There was no time to waste with pleasantries.

"She knows my fucking name."

"What!?"

Law paced up and down the room, teeth gritted painfully. His distress was gnawing away at his self-control. "She overheard us talking." He spat. It was careless, a stupid mistake that he shouldn't have made. What the hell do we do?

"That's...not good. Not good at all." Jean Bart muttered, and Law could feel his eyes upon his back. Heknewhis latest crew member was trying to decipher his thoughts. The rest of the crew watched on tensely, clearly at a loss for words.

"So...so what are we going to do?" Bepo asked anxiously. "It's jeopardised our safety!"

"I know that!" Law snapped, then scowled, immediately regretting the outburst. He was fully aware of how unlike himself he was acting – he was usually the calm one in situations like this – but his mind spinning in a way it shouldn't, trying to come up with a solution, but his brain wasn't working as clinically as usual.

Killing her is the cleanest solution.Why was this the only thing his mind was offering him right now? And why did the thought make his skin crawl? He'd done worse, hadn't he?

He took a deep breath, trying to regain composure. Now's not the time to lose your head. But it was harder than usual to hold it together. He felt the crew's eyes on him, felt their expectation. They weren't used to him showing cracks like this.

"I don't know what to do." He said, voice thankfully more measured than before. "But whatever happens, we have to make sure she can't tell anyone. The Marines cannot find out we were here."

A strained silence descended upon the room. Law's gaze flicked across the room, catching each of his crew's eyes as he tried to decipher their thoughts.

Bepo's ears were pinned back anxiously as he watched Law. Penguin and Shachi glanced at each other, body language tense and uncertain. Ikkaku was chewing on her lip in concern. Clione was scratching his head, staring down at his feet. Hakugan and Uni, with their concealed faces, proved the hardest to understand.

Jean Bart was watching Law with keen eyes, which unsettled him even further. The former pirate captain had a way of looking at Law which made him feel like he was being studied, and Law hated it.

Turning away with a frustrated sigh, Law pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed to think, but he couldn't focus. His mind kept circling back to it. Kill her. Again, *the notion made his gut tighten. Why was the idea so abhorrent to him? He'd killed to protect himself and his crew before, so what made her any different?

Why do I care?

After a long silence, a low voice broke the quiet.

"Well, there's only one way to ensure she doesn't tell anyone." It was Uni. All heads snapped in his direction, his meaning clear to everyone present.

Law stiffened in response, taken aback by Uni's bluntness. Whilst Uni was ever the pragmatic engineer to the Polar Tang, he rarely condoned something so rash, let alone outright suggested it.

"What?" Uni said, a little indignantly, looking around at the others, before turning back to Law. "I figured you were going to say it anyway, Captain? Even if it's unpleasant, it seems the only way we can guarantee we get out of here safely. She's a risk now-"

"No."

All eyes turned to Law then, and the fierceness with which he'd uttered the word. His heart thudded heavily in his ears, his chest uncomfortably tight, but he had meant it.

Still, he hated that Uni had voiced his own thought about killing Rose. It meant he couldn't ignore that the idea sent a chill down his spine, and that he had to make sense of the knot of unfamiliar emotions in his stomach.

I shouldn't be feeling like this. She's not my crew, I don't really know her. I shouldn't care like this.

It didn't add up. This shouldn't be about her - he should *be thinking about the risk to his crew, his plan, his revenge.

And yet…

Jean Bart's voice broke through his thoughts. "What's the problem, Captain? You've done worse to guarantee the safety of this crew."

Jean Bart was right, he had done worse. One hundred pirate hearts - still beating - delivered to the Marines in exchange for his Shichibukai status. Yet here he was, wavering over this one life. Why?

Bepo interjected then, standing up quickly. "We can't!" He looked at his companions, voice shaky but insistent. "You haven't met her. She isn't a threat, she's just an island girl who's found herself in an unfortunate situation. We can't kill her!"

Law glanced at Bepo, eyes narrowing. Has he gotten attached to Rose? The bear had always been empathetic, always had that softer side to him, but Law hadn't realised he'd started to care so fiercely about her. Then again, judging by Law's own aversion to the idea, maybe Bepo wasn't the only one…

"There must be another way." Bepo continued.

"Yeah, that seems a bit extreme." Penguin joined in. Clione made a noise of agreement, nodding alongside Penguin.

"I don't disagree," Jean Bart replied. "But I don't see another way that would guarantee our safety."

"I said no." Law said again.

The following moment was thick with a heavy silence, everyone's gaze trained on him.

"You seem unusually hesitant about the idea." Jean Bart commented, levelling Law a piercing gaze. "Have you developed a soft spot for her?"

"Of course not." Law bristled, agitated by the way the other pirate seemed insistent on drilling him for answers.

"Then why?"

Law began to retort, but his voice caught in his throat.

"I…" I can't kill her. His mind stalled, the realisation sinking in causing his cheeks to burn with shame. He couldn't admit this out loud. You're weak,the voice in his head hissed, and he gritted his teeth.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence as Law struggled to piece his thoughts together. He could feel the crew's eyes on him, waiting for an explanation. But he didn't have one. He didn't know why this felt so different, all he knew is it felt incredibly wrong.

"It's just wrong." He muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "She's not our enemy." He knew his answer was vague, but it wasn't a lie. He'd known since he carried her out of that dungeon that she was not a real threat to the crew.

Jean Bart was still watching him with that searching look of his, and Law had the urge to summon a Room and Shambles out of there. Instead, fists clenched and jaw tight, Law forced his gaze around the room to watch his crew. Did they see this as weakness? Pathetic?

Finally, Ikkaku's voice broke through. "Could we take her with us?"

Law had the same gut reaction to when Rose had first suggested the the same - not a chance. He couldn't risk it - she would just be a burden on himself and the crew.

He wasn't the only one who thought so.

"What, have her join the crew!?" Clione asked incredulously, turning to Ikkaku with a cocked head. "Surely you can't be serious? We don't know anything about her."

Uni seemed in agreement. "Yeah, how can we consider that when we don't know if she has anything to contribute to our crew?"

"Hey, it was just a suggestion!" Ikkaku held up her hands defensively, frowning at the two engineers. "I'm not saying that's what I want, but we can't leave her here, can we?"

Hakugan had remained silent the whole exchange, but he finally spoke, his mask's mouth set in a straight line. "I think Ikkaku has a point. What will the Marines think when they find their base destroyed, and this girl at the centre of it? They'll question her, and I'd bet that she'd tell them what happened here if it meant she got to keep her life."

Law hadn't considered this. Anyone with any sense of self-preservation would do exactly that - blab to the Marines and beg for their life. Would Rose be any different? He doubted it.

"So what, we'll just let this random girl join the crew?" Shachi sighed, rubbing his face in frustration. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Take me with you. Her voice played in his mind.

"There's another option." Law finally interjected. The crew fell silent, watching him with baited breath. "Rose asked if we could take her to the next island, and leave her there."

Penguin cocked his head. "She actually wants that?"

Law nodded. "Doesn't want to be left to the Marines."

"I suppose that's not surprising, given what you told us happened to her." Jean Bart's voice rumbled in the room.

The room fell silent, everyone contemplating it. After a pause, Bepo shuffled forwards. "I don't see a problem with doing that. It seems like the safest option for everyone."

Law glanced at his navigator. Whilst he was uncertain, maybe Rose's request actually was the one that made the most sense?

"I don't know." Clione rubbed the back of his head. "We don't know anything about this girl. How can we allow her on our ship?"

"But she won't be safe if we leave her here!" Bepo continued, still fiercely concerned for Rose's safety. He turned his big eyes imploringly to Law. "Please, Captain. You know we can't leave her here."

Law swallowed the lump in his throat. Fuck, why can't it ever be simple?

The crew began heatedly debating again, voices rising higher and higher in pitch and volume until Law couldn't bear it anymore.

"Enough!" He snapped. They fell silent in an instant, watching him with baited breath. "I've made my decision."

He desperately hoped it was the right one.

~ x ~

A few hours later, in the early hours of the morning, Law stood in front of the closed doors of the operating room where he'd left Rose. He felt a tension in his stomach as he prepared himself, but for what he wasn't quite sure.

He reached out a tattooed hand and pushed on the smooth white of the door. It creaked open, and it was dark inside. Law's eyes zeroed in on the medical bench where he was expecting Rose to be. But she wasn't there.

Instantly, his eyes darted to the medical trolley. The sleeping draught he'd prepared for her the night before sat untouched. Something else was missing from the trolley.

Law's eyes narrowed. Where was the scalpel?

That's not good.

"Oi." He called, quickly scanning the room, willing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Where are you?"

He heard the softest of scrapes on the floor, coming from the shadows behind the door. Law spun and saw Rose, eyes wide with fear as she stared back at him. Something was clasped behind her back.

Her eyes darted to Kikoku, which rested on his shoulder as usual. He heard her take a sharp, shaky breath before she caught his eyes again. In that moment, it was as if Law could read the thought as it crossed her mind*. 'He's going to kill me'.*

What happened next unfolded almost in slow motion. Rose started forward from behind the door, scalpel glinting in the light as she brought it towards Law in a white-knuckle grip. But she wasn't a warrior by any means - she was just a scared island girl, fighting for her life.

Moving instinctively, Law jerked sideways out of her way as she stumbled past him, and snatched her wrist. Before Rose had time to react, he used her momentum to push her towards the medical table. The sound of her wrist slamming down on the metal surface echoed through the room, the contact making her lose her grip on the scalpel as she gasped out.

"Stop-!" Law grunted, gripping her wrist tightly, but she wasn't done. Breath heavy with terror, her other arm came out in an attempt to shove him away. Her elbow caught him in the side with more strength than he'd expect of her, but it wasn't enough to even make him stumble.

Kikoku clattered to the floor as Law's other arm ensnared her body, pinning her free arm to her chest. She cried out in pain as her arm dug into her bruised ribs, but she continued to buck desperately against him. Law's own heart was pounding wildly as he wrestled her into submission.

"Fucking-" he hissed, forcing her down onto the medical table. "Stop."

"N-no…!" She said breathlessly, struggling underneath him, cheek pressed onto the table where she usually slept. Her high-pitched panting fogged up a patch of the cool metal in front of her mouth every time she puffed out a breath.

"Stop struggling," he repeated through gritted teeth, manoeuvring her so that she had even less room to wiggle. Her feet shuffled against his, still on the ground as her top half was pinned to the table, but her escape attempts were in vain. "Calm down."

"G-get off me…!" She sounded terrified, eyes blown wide and trying to catch a glimpse of him behind her. "P-please-"

"Why? So you can try and stab me again?" He hissed in irritation, gripping her wrist tighter. He couldn't quite believe she'd tried to attack him - he wouldn't have expected that reaction from her.

She flinched, breath hitching up in terror. Law glared down at her. "That's your plan? Tell me, what happens next? Say you are able to kill me - then what?" He goaded in her ear. "You're injured. You have no ship to escape this island. The rest of my crew is here, and they wouldn't take kindly to you killing their captain."

She heaved beneath him, trying to twist out of his grip. "I-if I don't escape, you're going to kill me!" She panted, voice high and trembling.

Something within him twisted with anger at her words. *"Right." He huffed derisively. "Because I'm a filthy pirate?"

Law didn't care if people were scared of him - in fact, he normally relished it. But Rose was trembling beneath him and looking at him like he was no better than one of the Marines who had raped her. Even after everything he'd done to help her? It pissed him off - he wasn't anything like that scum.

Rose's struggling was weak now, panting from exertion. "Y-you killed the Marines." Her voice was thick with emotion. "What makes me any different than them to you?"

I don't fucking know. Gritting his teeth, Law tugged her wrist to flip her over, forcing her to look at him. She made a winded sound as her back hit the metal table. Her eyes were wide with fear, pupils constricted as Law pinned both her wrists to the table.

"You think that I'm like them? That I'd hurt you?" He said bitterly through a clenched jaw.

A tear escaped her left eye, and she took a shuddering breath. "You're hurting me right now." Her voice was barely a whisper.

And then he realised the way he was subduing her. Hands pinned by his, he could feel her pulse beating wildly beneath the soft skin of her wrist. She was pale, sweat dotting her hairline. Tears were streaking down her face as she squeezed her eyes shut and twisted her face away.

Right now, to her, he wasn't any different to them. Restraining her like that, pressed close to her, it was obvious what dark thoughts were crossing her mind.

"Law," she choked out between sobs. His name. "Please, d-don't..."

Feeling something akin to disgust at himself, he immediately let go of her and stepped back. What am I doing? His palms were cold where he'd been holding her hands down.

Her eyes snapped open, and she shakily sat up, watching him with wide, wet eyes.

For a moment, Law couldn't find his voice, feeling shame burning at the back of his neck.

"I'm not going to kill you, Rose."

She didn't move, still watching him with her wide hazel eyes. "You…you're not?" Her voice was almost too quiet to hear.

Law shook his head. "No."

She still sat frozen. Her eyes glanced down at his sword, which lay at his feet. Sensing her apprehension, Law nudged Kikoku away with his foot so it was out of reach. "I mean it." He said, trying to sound reassuring, holding her gaze. "I won't hurt you."

She looked back up at him, tenseness fading somewhat but still looking bewildered. Her wrist was red where he'd grabbed her, as was her cheek from being held against the table, and he felt guilt twist inside his stomach.

Then her mouth quivered before she buried her face in her hands. A muffled sob escaped. "I'm s-sorry," she whispered. "I didn't want to hurt you, I-I just didn't know what else to do. I thought…I thought you were g-gonna…"

Law couldn't blame her for thinking he planned to kill her. Hell, some of his crew thought he would. It would be easier if I could.

After drawing a shaky breath, she looked at him, swiping her eyes to try and get rid of the tears.

Getting a better look at her now, she looked as exhausted as Law felt. Much like him, she probably hadn't slept since she told him she knew who he was, but probably for different reasons.

His eyes went to her wrist, which she was rubbing absentmindedly. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, sniffing. "Y-yeah. You just…scared me." She murmured.

Law looked down at his feet, guilt forming a ball in his throat - he'd gone too far.

"I…I'm sorry." It was hard to say. He rarely apologised. "I shouldn't have…restrained you like that."

Her eyes were wide, still wet with tears as he looked up. His apology seemed to have taken her by surprise. After a second, she blinked down at her fingers, which were twisting in her lap.

"It's fine," she whispered flatly.

A tense silence descended on the room. Law was watching her closely - whilst she seemed a bit calmer now, she was clearly still a bit shaken up. He felt the same, tension aching in his shoulders.

After a bit, Law cleared his throat. They needed to talk.

"Listen," he began, pinning her with a look he hoped belied his seriousness. "Your discovery of my identity has changed everything." She was watching him with furrowed brows. "The Marines cannot find out I was here. I know about the secret operation they're running here. I killed their men. They will hunt me down-"

She interjected quickly. "I swear, I won't tell anyone." She seemed earnest enough, but Law needed her to understand the full extent of the situation.

"Good, because this isn't just for my sake. This has also putyouat greater risk."

"M-me?" She stammered, a hand clutched anxiously to her chest.

Law nodded. "When you didn't know who I was, you had plausible deniability. But now you don't. If the Marines discover that you know who was involved with what happened here, it would be hard to convince them of your innocence. The Admirals are...unsympathetic."

She took a deep breath. "I…I understand," she said. "But…if you leave me here, then they will definitely ask questions."

"Yeah," Law replied with a sign. After talking to his crew, it was obvious what the best solution was. "Leaving you here isn't an option anymore."

She sat up slightly with a sharp intake of breath. "You…you're taking me with you?"

Law nodded. "The crew and I discussed it. It seems like the best solution for everyone." It felt so wrong to say - it was going against his better judgement, but he couldn't see another way around it.

Rose visibly crumpled with relief. "Thank you," she said shakily. "Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me yet. We're just taking you to the next island we come across."

She nodded. "That's more than enough." Then she gave him a wobbly smile so genuine, it disarmed Law in the strangest way. He felt something warm flicker in his stomach, but then it was gone.

"Even so," he continued after a beat. "What I said still applies wherever you end up. If you tell anyone, they'll hurt you, and come after me."

Rose didn't say anything for a second, just watched him, biting her lip. Law's eyes were drawn for a second to them, red against the nervous paleness of her skin. Then she took a deep breath.

"I…I know you don't trust me. I get why, but if I wanted to out you to anyone, I wouldn't have told you I knew who you were."

That…makes sense. But still, that didn't change the fact that he didn't truly know her, if she could be trusted.

Rose continued. "All I want is to get off this place. I don't want to betray you. I couldn't do that after…after everything you've done to help me."

The sincerity of her voice, and the way she was looking at him with her hazel eyes, caught him off guard, and Law found himself believing every word.

Again, the warmth stirred in his stomach as she held his gaze. There was a vulnerability to the moment that was oddly thrilling but also unsettling.

Law cleared his throat, breaking the silence and shifting. "You know this means you might never get to go home?"

She nodded. "I am. I…I want to see what's out there. You know, the real world." She said quietly, dropping her gaze to her lap.

On paper, it was reckless, naive and idealistic. She clearly had lead a very sheltered life before finding herself on Arashi, not just from the harshness of the world but also the truth of what lay beyond her island.

But despite all this, Law couldn't help but feel a strange sense of approval at her words. Her determination to make her own way in the world surprised him - she seemed like the last person in the world to succeed in doing this. She still made it here alive through the storm, Law thought. Maybe she would surprise him.

"How long until your ship is fixed?" Her voice roused him from his thoughts. "Will it be ready before the Marines get here?"

"Yeah, it should be. We're fucked if not." At this, Law glanced at the door. "That reminds me, I need to go check on progress. The crew have been working on it non-stop." Law then glanced back at Rose, who nodded.

As Law bent to pick up Kikoku, he said "I'll send the bear to check on you in a little bit."

She nodded. "Thank you. Oh…" Then she straightened, interest piqued. "Can you…can you tell me his name?" She asked tentatively, biting her lip.

Law bit back a huff of amusement. Whatever fondness Bepo felt towards Rose clearly wasn't one-sided.

"Bepo." Law replied, mouth twitching up in a smile as he straightened to stand.

"Bepo?" Rose repeated as if practicing it, a shy smile of her own playing at her lips.

"That's it." Law nodded before turning to leave. "Don't wear it out."

~ x ~ x ~ x ~

Hope you guys like this next chapter 3

I find writing Law very fun but very challenging at the same time. It's so hard to know if the image of him in my head & how he acts is out of character, but hopefully it's not too far off! Let me know what you think of his characterisation, and how I could make it more accurate in future chapters :)