Chapter 8: Law's Hard Day

Bright sunlight shone through the window while the outside world was unusually cold this morning—a sign winter was coming early. Luffy didn't immediately wake up, but his body did notice the chill in the air as he shivered before he burrowed his head deeper under his blanket. Once he was snug and warm, he continued sleeping while barely aware of the birds chirping and cars honking outside.

Wait, cars?

He didn't hear cars in the morning since their neighborhood was usually so quiet. Now that he thought of it, the bed felt different too though he wasn't sure why that was…? And why did it feel like the room was brighter than usual?

Luffy slowly opened his eyes only to be met with white sheets instead of his colorful pirate blanket. He blinked and immediately sat up, staring around in confusion. Instead of his bedroom, he was in a big room with fancy furniture he didn't recognize, and the bed…? It was huge! A lot bigger than his bed back home!

Luffy looked around with bright interest, not having a clue where he was and how he got there. What happened? He was sure he went to bed in his room last night? He remembered playing around with Ace before he tucked him in! So where was he and where was Ace? Luffy was more curious about this strange place than scared, but he could feel the urge to start crying out for Ace grow with every second.

He moved, kicking his blanket off, before his foot collided with something hard and looked down to see that some of his things were spread out at the end of his bed. He recognized his clothes, which he went over to pull on, and even spotted some of his toys there with him! He grabbed them, feeling a little better as he looked over his toy rocket with a smile before going back to wondering where he was. He opened his mouth, getting ready to suck in some air so he could call for Ace—sure his big brother was nearby anyway.

But just as he was about to shout, the door—which was open by a crack—was pushed open and a white, fluffy face appeared. Luffy's eyes widened in joy as he cried out ecstatically, "PUPPY!"

At his cry, the dog pushed his way in and leapt onto the bed to join him, wagging his tail as Luffy reached out and hugged him tightly, burying his face in the thick fur. He then said to the dog, though with his face squished against his fur so his voice came out muffled, "You're so fluffy, doggy!"

"His name is Bepo," said a voice and Luffy looked up, not recognizing the voice as the man was leaning up against the doorway, who was shaking his head like he had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

"Traffy?" Luffy said in surprise, recognizing the doctor and Law rolled his eyes.

"Trafalgar," he corrected as he entered the room, his hands in his pocket as he looked the kid over.

"Where am I? How'd I get here? Why are you here?" Luffy asked, looking around the room again, remembering his problem in that he didn't know where he was.

"This is my place. Your brother dropped you off here last night," Law explained as Luffy hugged Bepo like he was a stuffed toy before he elaborated, "Ace had—an emergency at work and couldn't find another babysitter so he dumped you off here."

"Really? When's Ace coming back?" Luffy asked curiously, feeling better.

"Hopefully, sometime later today," Law answered as he folded his arms. "He said that you were to be good and listen to me and he would reward you by taking you to a special festival in a couple weeks."

"Ohhhhh, okay, I understand," Luffy said happily.

"Good, I'm gonna make breakfast so try not to get in my way," he said grumpily as he left the room. Luffy blinked once in surprise before leaping up and following after him, looking around the neat, clean apartment with wide eyes.

It was a big place, with a lot of electronics set up that one would think came right out of one of those sci-fi shows. In fact, Luffy couldn't remember being in such a big house before now and he stepped into the living room with had several large windows and even a sliding glass door that led to a small balcony that overlooked the street below. That was when Luffy realized how high up they were and gasped at that before running to the glass to see just how high up they were in the air!

He could see for miles around and his eyes sparkled at the sight of the tiny people below him before gasping, "We're so high up! Is all this your house?"

"It's high up because this is an apartment, Luffy-ya," Law said in a disinterested voice as he began looking through the fridge to find some eggs, "I live at the top here but there are many other people here."

"Wow! That sounds like a lot of fun!" Luffy laughed at the thought of all his favorite people living in one building. He could play with any of them whenever he wanted! But the view took up most of his attention so he spent a few minutes staring out the window and down to the people that were the size of bugs and cars that were now the size of his toy cars. He giggled as he imagined an entire town full of bugs and how they would drive while going to work or school! He stood with his face pressed up against the glass as his imagination ran wild for a few minutes before he heard the sizzling of the frying pan.

At that, he went straight to the kitchen and pulled himself up at the counter to watch Law cooking up a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs. Luffy was already drooling over the smell of bacon and whining for Law to hurry. Law rolled his eyes and told him, "If you want to eat so much you can get some apples on the table."

He pointed to the fruit bowl that was just in arms reach and Luffy stared from him, to the bowl, and back again before he pouted.

"What?" Law demanded.

"I wanna eat meat," Luffy whined as Law rolled his eyes.

"You can have some but I'm cooking it, so you need to wait," he informed him, unable to believe he was explaining.

"Why can't I have some now?" Luffy asked with a tilt of his head.

"Because it's raw. Eating raw meat will just make you sick," he retorted, "Didn't your brother teach you that?"

"But it smells so yummy!" Luffy said as his legs kicked out as he impatiently waited. In the end, Luffy did grab an apple to munch on while following Law around the kitchen. He found it so interesting to watch Law cooking and started asking all manner of questions.

"So you live here?"

"Yes."

"Do you live alone?"

"Usually."

"Really? Does someone else live here then?"

"I have a little sister who says here when she comes to visit."

"Really?! Wow! Can I meet her?"

"No."

And it continued on like this the entire time Law was cooking. He couldn't figure out how to get the kid to leave him alone, or at least, keep quiet for a time so he could have some peace while preparing breakfast.

"Why's your doggy so fluffy?" Luffy asked as he kept petting Bepo as the dog seemed to enjoy the extra pets.

"His name is Bepo. And that's just how he was born," Law answered slowly, digging deep for patience.

"I heard dogs are really loyal! Is that true?" Luffy asked brightly.

"He's a bit of a coward, but I like to think if I was in danger, Bepo would jump in and save me."

"That's a good doggy then! He's so big! He looks like a big, fluffy polar bear!" Luffy laughed as he hugged the dog's neck, who just happily wagged his tail as he sucked up all the attention. Before he could continue to ask more and more questions, Law decided to give him something to do.

"Why don't you just play tug-of-war with his toy rope while I finish up?" Law offered through gritted teeth.

Luffy was more than happy to play with his new friend and nodded as Law pointed to a box full of dog toys for him to pick and choose from. Glad to have some peace, Law was able to return to making food. He had just finished moving the bacon to a plate and was making himself a cup of coffee when a toy ball flying right at him. It went over his shoulder and, with shocking precision, the dog toy landed into the half-full carton of milk that he was just opening—splashing milk everywhere—including on Law.

"Sorry! I'm really sorry," Luffy called as he came running in, looking upset at the mess.

Law felt his eye twitch as Law wiped his face, taking a few minutes to breathe before he snapped. He had to remind himself that he couldn't hurt the kid but it was far too early in the morning to be dealing with this. At that moment, Bepo was pawing at his leg, and when Law looked down, saw that the oversize mutt was drooling hungrily like how Luffy was.

Today was going to be a long day.

…

After cleaning up, Law placed a plate of food in front of Luffy as he went back to making a hot coffee for himself—checking his phone every few minutes in frustration. He wanted to call Ace but he didn't know what the situation was like over there and calling could cause problems. He knew how one guy of Whitebeard's crew ended up getting a phone call during a fight and it gave away his position so he ended up with a knife in the gut. He survived the wound, but since then, it was a rule to keep phones off or left at home before rushing into a dangerous situation like that again.

So far though, there was nothing, which didn't sit well with him.

"Traffy…?" Luffy began after he paused in shoveling more bacon into his mouth.

"It's Trafalgar," Law corrected dully, "Trafalgar Law. If Trafalgar is too hard for you to say, just call me Law."

"Okay Traffy," Luffy said agreeably as Law felt a muscle going in his forehead. But Luffy went on to ask, "What happened to Ace? He's never left me at someone's house like this?"

Law paused there, wondering what he should say. He had no idea how much Ace talked about his job, and the risks involved, at home. Though he had a feeling that it wasn't much given how protective he knew the man to be over his little brother. Law looked to the kid's innocent eyes and decided to tell him a fragment of the truth.

"The… headquarters where he works at was damaged recently so he went over to make sure that none of your friends are hurt," he said finally after pouring himself the coffee.

"There was an accident?!" Luffy gasped at the thought, dropping his fork, "What about Marco and the others? Are they okay?"

"A few minor injuries from what I heard, but no one was seriously hurt," Law promised, "If it was any of your friends, then we'd have heard about it by now. Just know that your brother is over there to make sure everything's alright."

"Really? That's good!" Luffy said, cheering up slightly before asking with a worried expression, "But Ace is okay? Right? You're sure?"

"Last I saw him," Law confirmed. "But so many people were rushing over there that he couldn't find anyone to stay at your house with you so he decided to bring you to me. Not sure why he thought that was a good idea…?"

"Because you're really nice?" Luffy offered and Law spluttered, coughing as he accidently inhaled coffee down the wrong windpipe.

"What?" he gasped as Luffy only giggled back and grinned at him.

The rest of the day continued… strangely, to say the least. After Luffy finished eating, Law told him to go and watch some TV while he looked over some files from work. He really had to go over the state of current funds and complaints from some of the other doctors and nurses—so he used this as an excuse to be given some quiet from Luffy.

As for Luffy, he did go and sit down to watch TV for a few minutes but he found the rest of Law's apartment to be irresistibly exciting that he had to explore a bit more. He wandered from room to room, save for the balcony, where Law was going over papers, and Bepo followed after Luffy. Luffy soon came to Law's bedroom, which was different from the rest of the clean apartment as it was filled with scattered books and papers. The desk in the corner was filled with so much paper that the stacks were nearly as tall as Luffy was, and the walls were filled with all manner of scribbles of notes and half-drawn sketches of various body parts and calculations.

Luffy found himself jealous of Law since he wasn't allowed to draw on the walls back home, and he looked over them before he turned his attention to the thick books. They were enormous—looking so heavy that he wondered if he could even lift them? He was suddenly convinced that they had to be some fantastic story books and he wanted to look through one. But since the tower of books was so tall, he couldn't reach the top one so he had to take the one from the bottom…?

…

Law had just finished setting aside one of the many files he had to sign when he heard the banging of something heavy falling and he felt his stomach drop as he immediately got up and rushed back inside. He sprinted to his bedroom where he found the books that he had been sorting through last night, now laying all across the bedroom floor.

"Luffy-ya!" he yelled as Luffy flipped through the book he pulled out with a frown.

"What kind of books are these?" he asked in genuine confusion, "There's no pictures in them!"

Law couldn't top himself from slapping himself in the face from this mess as papers fluttered in the air sadly.

It took a few minutes for him to usher Luffy out so he could pick everything up—despite the boy offering to help. Law knew that his room may have been a mess, but it was an organized mess and now he knew where nothing was! He could only sigh as he set his precious books aside and stacked the papers into a sloppy pile—knowing that he'd have to sort over them soon to figure out where they went.

As he did that, he suddenly heard Bepo barking from the living room. Law ignored it at first before he realized that Bepo wasn't the type of dog that barked for no reason. His mind raced as he tried to think what this could mean and that was when it hit him! He left the door to the balcony open!

He all but tripped over himself as he ran back to the living room where he spotted the kid out on the balcony and was leaning over the edge as he tried to wave down to the people below him. Law had to make a mad dash and grab the kid before he did something stupid like tumbling over the edge.

He made sure to give the kid a good telling off before he brought him inside and locked the door.

This kid was gonna be the death of him.

*That afternoon*

After the incidents from earlier, Law realized that Luffy was much more likely to sit in one place if he had something to do. So he collected the various activities that Ace packed before he set Luffy in front of the TV with his favorite cartoons and a box of crayons. Thankfully, this seemed to be enough to keep Luffy from turning his apartment into a playground so Law decided to keep this going for as long as he could.

Law had already cleaned up the mess and was back to getting through the many complaints from his staff at the hospital at this point. Occasionally, he would up and watched how Luffy had his tongue out as he focused on drawing the best picture he could of Bepo, whom was snoozing next to him. Bepo seemed to become Luffy's new favorite thing in the world and he had already drawn two pictures of the dog—which looked more like a bunch of weird shapes and colors put together—but he was being quiet so Law wasn't complaining.

Not that it lasted long because soon enough, Luffy started singing happily to himself:

"Oh, the islands in the south are warm...
And their heads get really hot...
They grow-a pineapples...
They grow-a coconuts...
And they're morons!"

Law smacked his face at that, really hoping that he wasn't stuck listening to that song all day. At that moment, his phone rang and he answered, ready to snap at Ace, before he heard the voice on the other end.

"Oh, it's you," was all he could say in answer, "No, sorry. I'm not sure I can meet with you today. Unless you have another place that's close by…?"

Law was silent for another second before nodding and agreeing with what the person on the other end said, "Alright, I can make that work. I know it must be important since you don't normally choose to meet in person."

Luffy didn't notice this exchange at first as he went onto the next verse:

"The islands in the north are snowy...
And their heads get really cold...
They're very chilly-chilly...
They're very willy-nilly...
And they're idiots!"

"Luffy-ya! Be quiet for a minute!" Law said as Luffy looked up curiously before Law went back to the phone and said, "Sorry. No, don't ask. Somehow, I got roped into babysitting."

He was silent for another minute before he rolled his eyes.

"Go ahead… get a laugh outta that. Yeah, someone was crazy enough to drop their kid off with me for the day. Believe me, I didn't beg for the opportunity," Law said in annoyance before adding, "I'll see you soon."

Law groaned in exhaustion as he hung up and looked to Luffy, who was watching with bright interest.

"Good news," he said, "We're going to be meeting a friend of mine at the park. Get your coat if you wanna come."

"Really? The park?! Yay! Wait, is Bepo coming too?" Luffy asked, not wanting to leave the fluffy dog behind.

"Yes, he's coming," he said in a grumpy voice as the dog wagged his tail like he knew what they were saying, "Go get your coat."

Luffy bound up and went running back to the guest room to pick up his coat as Law could only rub his eyes, feeling exhausted already. He wished Lami was here, she was much better at kids than he ever was and he knew that the two would've become fast friends. Then again, maybe that was a good thing since he figured she'd want to see Luffy all the time and, in his experience, less is more.

Luffy soon came running back with his coat and mittens on, his eyes lit up as Law took him downstairs and to the front of his building, wondering if he should use the energy to walk or just get a ride there. He looked over at Luffy, who was happily petting Bepo and realized that this might help wear the little guy out and decided to take the chance of just walking there. He told Luffy this, after making sure Bepo's leash was on correctly, but he barely took more than a few steps before realizing that Luffy wasn't following him.

"What?" Law asked in annoyance as Luffy held out his hand to him.

"You need to hold my hand," Luffy informed him as Law choked.

"What? No," he said as Luffy frowned back.

"Ace won't let me cross the street without holding hands!" he informed him.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Law said as he started to head off again. He only managed to make it a few feet before he looked back to find Luffy standing there with another pout.

"Come on! We're gonna be late!" he snapped.

But Luffy folded his arms and refused to move; fully intending to make this into a battle of wills.

*Half an Hour Later*

Law just shook his head, unsure how he got into this. Seriously, why was he listening to a little kid?

"See?" Luffy asked him happily, swinging their linked hands, "Isn't it fun to hold hands?"

"Quiet," he growled back as Luffy hummed contentedly to himself.

Luffy had refused to move, fully intending to make them late if Law didn't give in. Law tried though. God, did he try to get the kid to move but no amount of bribery or threats could get the stubborn runt to budge until Law had no choice but to give up and hold his hand out. The second Luffy saw that, he leapt up from sitting on the cold sidewalk and took his hand as they crossed the street.

By then, Law was convinced that Luffy didn't need someone to hold his hand while crossing and was just being a jerk for no reason.

Either way, Law was just glad the kid was moving again; though he prayed that no one he knew would see him holding hands with a random kid like this. He had a reputation of a 'Surgeon of Death' so he didn't think he could recover if any of his friends saw him right now. Thankfully for him, the park that he agreed to meet his acquaintance at was close enough that the torture was soon over. It was a different playground from the one that Luffy usually went to since it was filled with more playground equipment—though there was no giant pirate ship to play on, funnily enough. Still, Luffy was excited to test everything out and was happily running in place as he waited for Law to let Bepo off the leash to play.

"Alright, we're here, go nuts," Law said as he let Bepo off and Luffy happily went running after. It was late enough in the afternoon that there were precious few people around and so he let them run wild as he took a seat on a nearby bench. He watched Luffy chase Bepo as the dog ran circles around him, and waited, wondering what he was to learn from this meeting.

He pulled out his phone, frowning a little more at how much time had passed since Ace left. What was going on over there that he hadn't thought to check in by now?

Ah! He spoke too soon for he realized that he got a text a short time ago from Ace:

Sorry for not updating you. It's still pretty chaotic here. I'll be back to pick Luffy up as soon as I can. Please continue to look after him for me.

Law frowned at that, wondering just how bad things were that he couldn't leave right away. Still, Law made sure to respond with a death threat and a middle finger emoji, as was appropriate, before he leaned back on the bench. If nothing else, he was relieved to see him wearing Bepo out today as he watched Luffy chasing Bepo through the swings.

The kid was a major pain, but he had to admit that watching the runt running around like nothing could be more fun than to chase a dog across the cold playground was entertaining to see. He strangely felt some of his own anxiety fade as he listened to the kid laugh and trip on the ground while chasing Bepo—all with a big grin on his face. Law even felt himself chuckle slight before he breathed out a puff of air, watching how his breath could just be seen before disappearing upon the wind as he turned his gaze up to a clear blue sky with barely a cloud in sight.

…

It was a little while before another pair showed up. A man with a young boy, around Luffy's age, and the two stepped pass the chained fence before noticing Luffy trying to run up the slide. To Law's surprise, Luffy was the first to notice them and he let out a cheer of excitement as he waved.

"Zoro! Hey Zoro! Whatcha doing here?!" Luffy called out excitedly as he spotted the green-haired boy. At the sound of his name, Zoro looked up, looking momentarily stunned to see his friend before Luffy bounded over to them.

"Luffy? What're you doing here?" Law heard the boy, Zoro, ask as Luffy stopped right in front of him with an even bigger grin. Law was too far away to hear them after that but Luffy seemed to be explaining what was going on before tugging Zoro along to join him in playing. The boy's father just stood there watching with his expression oddly blank before Zoro gave in and followed Luffy to the jungle gym.

Law didn't bother to move after that as he waited, passing the few moments by watching the boys explore the playground. After a few minutes, he could hear the sounds of boots crunching the frozen grass as the man approached. Law was sitting on one end of the bench as the man took a seat at the opposite end without any form of greeting.

For a few long seconds, neither of them spoke—didn't even look at the other—as they listened to the boys laughing. Eventually, the man finally said something to break the silence.

"So that's the Luffy I've heard so much about," he said a disinterested voice spoke up as Law turned his head to observe him as he explained, "He and Zoro go to the same school together. He usually has something positive to say about him when he gets home. Though he has mentioned that he talks a lot."

"From what I've seen, he's right," Law confirmed dully.

The man arched an eyebrow as he asked, "Also… he said that he was brought here by 'Traffy' today. Traffy?"

Law groaned at that, running a hand over his face. This kid was seriously gonna ruin his reputation at this rate.

"I told the kid to just call me Law, but noooooo… he insists on Traffy?" he snarled before adding in a threatening tone, "If you tell anyone else…?"

"He called me Hawky when I introduced myself," he offered with a shrug and Law felt the corners of his mouth twitch as he fought a smile.

"My lips are sealed," he promsied, "Seriously though, it's been too long, Mihawk."

Dracule Mihawk nodded once he also leaned back, taking out a small knife and began to whittle away upon a small piece of wood before agreeing, "Yes, it has been. Sorry for calling you out here on such short notice."

"No, it was good timing," Law said as he jerked his head to his son's playmate. "The kid's older brother showed up at my dorr last night and begged me to keep an eye on him. I assume you heard about someone being bold enough to attack Whitebeard's turf?"

"I heard about it this morning," he confessed. "No one knows anything about who did it or why. But I'm curious to see how this will work out. But Ace… I know that name. One of Whitebeard's newer recruits?"

"He already has a nickname around these parts," Law confessed, "Fire-Fist. Fire-Fist Ace. That kid over there is his little brother. And he loves him more than anything else. A real trouble-maker that one. I'm exhausted and I've only had him for half a day so far."

"Yes, I've heard a great deal about Luffy. Apparently he and Zoro first met when they got into fight at school," Mihawk with a hint of amusement in his tone. "That's good for him. Taught Zoro a bit of humility that first day. He's much better behaved and I've heard less complaints about him than before. Perona's glad she's not being called in as often."

"You let her get him? I figured most parents would show up to pick up their kid in person when they hear they got into a fight," Law pointed out.

"Most parents aren't the head of dangerous organizations like I am. I'm willing to bet that there would be more than a few who would panic if they saw me," he answered back unconcerned, "Truth be told though, only a few know of my relation with Perona and Zoro."

"I suppose that makes sense. After all, it was a bit of a surprise to hear a rumor that you were suddenly being a father of two overnight," Law informed him. "Some even think that an enemy of yours is spreading lies like that around to bug you since you aren't the type to go around having relations and end up with one kid, let alone two."

"Is that what they've been saying about me over the last couple years?" Mihawk asked in a bored tone.

"Pretty much. But I heard from a reliable source that the truth is that two kids broke into your manor one day and you didn't have the heart to kick them out," Law informed him with amusement.

"Something like that," Mihawk chuckled, finally cracking a smile. "Truth is I was away from home for a time. I returned only to find a preteen girl and a baby having set up shop there."

"Do I wanna know what happened?" Law asked curiously.

"According to Perona, she was sent to a foster home after her father died. She was there for a few weeks before she met Zoro when he was a baby," he answered back, "She thought he was cute and took him with her when she ran away from the foster home. Not sure how she ended up in my manor after that though. I did ask but she told me to mind my own business after she had the gall to tell me that she was a guest and I wasn't being a very good host."

Law laughed at that and asked, "She really said that?"

"From that moment on, I knew she had what it took to survive in a darker world," he chuckled to himself as he paused to look up to Zoro, who was chasing Luffy around the playground while Bepo barked at their heels. He then added, "As for Zoro, he's still young, but he has potential. I'm quite curious to see where he will go from here. I'm glad that he finally met someone who can keep up with him. That temper of his has gotten him into trouble several times and I would've hated to find another school to take him. Getting kicked out of two kindergartens in one year would've looked bad."

"You planning on Perona taking over for you?" Law asked curiously, having only met the strange girl a couple times before.

"I think she can handle it," he confessed, "She's a bit zealous but that should fade as she matures… hopefully. As for Zoro, I'm not certain yet. He could try to run the family business with her or set out on his own. We shall see. That's far off into the future."

The two sat there for some time as the boys continued to play, eventually just rolling about on the ground as they wrestled before Mihawk asked, "I don't think what I did was that odd, given that they were still just children. From what I was told of you had a certain… soft spot for kids, yourself."

"Quiet," Law grunted as he closed his eyes. The truth was that he wasn't good with kids, but when it came to his little sister Lami…? That was a different story. He could still remember that awful day when he received the news his parents had died in a fire. Both his parents had been doctors and even from when he was a kid, he knew that he wanted to follow in their footsteps and become one as well. He was considered to be a child progeny when it came to studying the human body and he was already reading advanced medical books by the time that he entered high school.

But then came the fire that burned his parent's hospital to the ground.

He had just picked up Lami from school and were at the house while waiting for their parents to come home—maybe picking up dinner for them on the way back. Lami was playing with her dolls in the living room while he was reading one of his father's medical books when he got the knock at the door. He could still remember opening it to find himself staring at a pair of grim-looking police officers and knew something was terribly wrong.

Lami had still been an elementary school student that day and he was getting ready to finish High School early when they learned that they're parents were dead. He remembered holding Lami all night as she cried for their parents while he could only stare ahead, wondering what was going to happen to them from that moment on.

Again, his past wasn't a secret. The news spread over the city what happened to the doctor progeny, and so he wasn't surprised Mihawk heard of this news.

"That must have been hard," Mihawk said as he paused, his knife still on the little wood as he continued to carve what looked like an animal.

"I suppose. Though it could've been a lot harder," Law shrugged. "I was only a few months away from eighteen so I was able to prove I could take care of my sister during those months of fighting for custody. I got to see Lami all the time and she knew how hard I was working to make sure we stayed together. I used my parent's life insurance, as well as the money I got from selling the house, by getting a small apartment for the two of us, as well as worked part time for a little extra spending money as I studied. It took me a bit longer to finish college than I originally planned, but I was able to make it all work out."

"Is that why you felt such sympathy for Fire-Fist when he came to you for help?" Mihawk asked as Law looked over at him in surprise. "I also heard a little bit about Fire-Fist's situation. Is there a reason why you were so willing to help them? You saw no profit in for yourself at the time, I'm sure?"

"Who told you that?" Law asked as he tried to think back to a moment he may have accidently mentioned that to him.

"That old man Whitebeard tends to talk when he gets drunk," Mihawk answered with a shrug as Law rolled his eyes.

"I had it easier than those boys did," Law confessed, "Ace was still just a kid himself and he was stuck looking after a newborn. Still, I'm impressed he came as far as he did on his own for Luffy-ya's first few years without something major happening."

"Joining Whitebeard seems to have caused as many problems as it solved for them though," Mihawk offered, "At least, from the overwork I've been hearing over the last few weeks."

"Don't think I haven't noticed. I even warned Fire-Fist that he may be getting in over his head here," Law sighed, "Still, beggars can't be choosers. I learned that lesson a long time ago."

The two fell silent again as a few birds chirped overhead and the boys were now chasing Bepo around—even Mihawk was surprised at how easily Luffy pulled the normally-stubborn Zoro into his game.

"Still, I doubt that you wanted to talk to me in person other than to catch up," Law said finally, ready to cut to the heart of the matter. "What was it that you wanted to talk to me about? It must be serious if you were willing to come all the way out here to say it in person?"

"Yes, and since you already know what happened on Whitebeard's turf last night, it saves me from having to explain that part?" he asked and Law nodded.

"Ace told me only a little what happened when he dumped his brother off with me," Law informed him dully, "He didn't stick around but he did say that someone set off some kind of explosive that damaged the Moby Dick. They assumed that it was some upstart gang members trying to target the old man, which seemed the most likely cause but something doesn't seem right to me. This was far too sudden to pull off without some kind of planning. I've seen some coordinated thugs in the last few years and this seemed far too put-together for some newbies were behind it. At least, from my experience. If some new trouble-makers were behind it, they were either reckless beyond words… or just stupid to risk all of Whitebeard's crew coming down on them."

"That is what I thought at first as well," Mihawk confirmed, "But if you ask me, this was far too coordinated to be an accident or done by some amateurs."

Law looked over at him before he finished with, "I believe that someone with a lot of power is behind the attacks. Not only that, I think that I have a good idea to why the gangs have been in such disarray lately."

Law arched an eyebrow in surprise as he waited to hear what he had to say next.

*Later*

"Luffy-ya," he called out, getting Luffy's attention when he looked up and over at them, "We need to go."

"Awww," Luffy whined, not wanting to leave his playtime with Zoro.

Law and Mihawk has spent the last hour discussing things and it left Law with much to ponder about. But he knew that now was a good time to head back since the sun was slowly starting to sink to the horizon. It would be dark soon and he rather be home before that.

"Your brother may be on his way by now, hopefully," he said as Luffy suddenly brightened up at the thought and went skipping over as Zoro followed sullenly behind him.

Law looked to Mihawk and told him, "Thanks for telling me of all this. I'll be sure to warn all those involved."

Mihawk nodded before he reached into his pocket to pull out a small notebook and pen. He wrote something on it before handing it to Luffy, where the kid saw a string of numbers on it.

"Take this," Mihawk informed him. "If you want to speak to Zoro, you can call him at that number at any time."

"Really?!" Luffy asked good-naturedly before jumping up and down in excitement.

"In the meantime, you'll see Zoro again at school on Monday," Mihawk reassured him. He even tilted his hat towards the kid before telling Zoro they were to go. Luffy, meanwhile, turned back to Law, who was already leashing Bepo up, and frowned when Luffy held out his hand for him to take.

Law growled at him but he knew he had no choice but to take the kid's hand since he knew that it was just a waste of time and energy fighting it. Mihawk actually chuckled at the sight as the two left in a hurry. He glanced down at Zoro, who just growled back as if to say, 'Don't even think about it' before he walked away, as stiff as a rod, forcing Mihawk to follow in amusement.

Meanwhile, Law thought more and more about what Mihawk told him and he was deeply concerned at these sudden developments. He would be sure to explain it all to Ace when he came to pick the kid up. Speaking of which…?

"I miss Ace," Luffy said suddenly, sighing a little in sadness as he looked up to the sky.

"You and me both," Law sighed, looking forward to having his apartment to himself again.

"I'm worried about him," Luffy went as they crossed the next street, "He's been gone for a long time."

"Yes, I agree, I'll be sure to try and call him when we get back," Law promised and Luffy seemed content with that answer as they hurried.

They returned just as the sky was darkening and Law had made a quick dinner for Luffy before the kid went back to asking him question after question. Law didn't know how much longer he could take this and was silently praying that he just go to bed.

"Luffy-ya… how about you go to sleep now?" he asked, trying to stay calm but desperation was leaking through his voice.

"Huh? But why? It's not my bedtime yet," Luffy pointed out.

Law glanced at the clock and saw that it was still only six. Damn, how much longer was Ace gonna make him wait? His patience was running low at this point as he reached deep to try and stay calm before explaining, "The sooner you go to bed, the sooner your brother will be here to pick you up."

"But I like spending time with you," Luffy informed him happily.

Law wasn't able to come up with something to answer to that, honestly stunned by such an open response. Not that he was giving up just yet as he coughed and informed him through a tight voice, "Kids need their sleep."

"Hey! I'm not a kid! I'm a man!" Luffy declared proudly as he continued cuddling with Bepo, who panted with a big grin on his face.

Law arched an eyebrow at that before answering, "Then a real man knows when they must sleep. Otherwise, they don't become strong."

"That doesn't work! Wait, does it?" Luffy asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I'm a doctor so I know these things," Law said as he started sending yet another threatening text to Ace, hoping that the idiot got the message.

It began as another show-down between the two as they glared at the other, wondering who was going to give in this time. In the end, Luffy folded his arms and grumbled, "Fine. I'll go to bed."

Law let out a sigh of relief, but his victory didn't last long because Luffy added, "If you tell me a story first!"

"What?" Law demanded, "A story? Why should I?"

"I can't sleep without a story," Luffy informed him as though this was common knowledge and Law was being silly not knowing that much.

"You can survive without a story for one night!" Law retorted.

"Ace tells me a story every night!" Luffy countered, "So I need a story!"

"Well, I'm not Ace!" Law went on. This kid was seriously pushing his luck. Why the hell should he obey a child like this anyway? When he was a kid, he didn't need a story every night! There were days he didn't even sleep!

"No," Law said as he tried to block the sudden flood of memories that came back when he was a child.

"Why?"

"I said no."

"But…?"

"It means no."

"But you said you want me to go to sleep?" Luffy pointed out.

"Then close your eyes and try," Law answered. Luffy glared at him, but he fell back on the couch with his eyes closed. It was a blissful silence for all of a full minute before…?

"Traffy!" Luffy whined and Law felt a muscle going in his head again.

"What is it?" he asked as Luffy sat back up.

"I need a story! I just can't sleep without one," he whimpered and Law made the mistake of looking at the kid's pleading eyes and he gave in.

"Fine, but what kind of story? I don't know any good ones," Law snapped, speaking the truth in that he didn't know any good stories. At least, no stories that would be appropriate for a child anyway.

"Ooooh! Tell a story about an adventure!" Luffy told him.

Well, that was vague. What the hell was he supposed to come up with that?

"Alright," Law groaned as he took Luffy back to the guest room, saying that he would be sleeping here for now. Luffy climbed up and was already snuggling under the blanket as Law sat at the end of the bed, casing his mind around for inspiration. Bepo settled at his feet, and that was when Law had an idea.

"This is a story about Bepo's homeland. He comes from someplace far away," he began slowly.

"Really? Bepo's homeland?!" Luffy gasped, his eyes already bright at the thought, "What kind of place is it?"

"An ancient, thousand-year-old city in the middle of the jungle," Law made up and Luffy was instantly on the edge of his seat as he moved in closer.

"Where's the city?" he asked.

"Upon a phantom isle," Law came up, going back to his favorite ghost stories.

"Phantom? Is it haunted?"

"No, it's call that because it's constantly moving from one place to another."

"How?! That's sounds sooo cool! But how does it move?" Luffy asked in wonder.

"It's on the back of a giant elephant," Law informed him, having no idea where that came from.

"That's even cooler! What's the elephant's name?" Luffy asked.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes! It needs a name!"

"Fine, it's Zunisha," he answered, the name randomly popping up in his head.

"But how'd they get water and food if they're on the elephant's back?" Luffy asked.

"Because the elephant sucks up water with its trunk and splashes all the water on its back," he answered back like it was the only obvious solution.

"Oh, that makes sense. But wait, why are they on the elephant's back?" Luffy pointed out.

"Who's telling this story?" Law demanded as Luffy shut up to listen. Law continued on with the tale of the adventures that Bepo had to go on through this mysterious land that was constantly on the move across the vast ocean. To Law's astonishment, the kid's eyelids were already drooping as he began to nod off. Law barely had to draw breath as he talked about the jungle full of talking beasts that lived on the elephant's back, and before he knew it, the kid fell over on the bed and started to snore.

"That was all I had to do to shut him up?" he whispered to himself as he watched the kid sleeping. He threw the blanket over him as he quietly got up and snuck out of the room, so grateful for the silence around him. He went off to his own bedroom and collapsed, already half asleep himself when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

He groaned, pulling it out, silently hoping that it was a spam caller so he could yell at someone to vent his frustration. But he was relieved to see Ace's name appear on the screen.

"You better be telling me you're on your way," he warned Ace, not even bothering with saying 'hello'.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving now," Ace's voice answered back, sounding exhausted, "It was a nightmare of a mess to clean up. But enough about me, is Luffy alright?"

"He's fine. I finally got him to go to sleep," Law said with a sour tone. "How do you keep up with this kid? It's only been one full day and I have more energy at the end of a 16-hour shift where I've been performing surgeries after being on my feet that entire time."

"Power naps through the day," Ace answered back and Law could hear the smile in his voice. "Anyway, I'm glad to hear that he's doing okay. Vista is giving me a ride so we'll be there to pick him up in about twenty minutes. Again, thank you so much for this."

"Did you find out what happened?" Law asked curiously.

"The damage to the Moby Dick was pretty bad, but thankfully most of it was superficial," Ace answered back. "Marco's already contacting some acquaintances to come in as soon as possible to fix it all—which may be a good opportunity for renovation, according to Thatch. Anyway, about ten people were injured all together and some will have to spend a couple days in the hospital for observation while the rest of us were investigating the damage and trying to see what caused the explosion."

"Did you find anything?" Law asked, sitting up slowly.

"We found some clues that suggested that it wasn't an accident, but that only told us what we already suspected," Ace answered back. "Oh, hold on. I'm getting into the car right now. We'll be there soon. We'll tell you more in person."

"Alright, because I have some things to tell you about too," Law informed him, "And not just about the fact that I think your brother is a menace to society."

"Hey now, he's a pain, but he's my pain! I'm the only one who gets to insult him," Ace warned. "But yeah, we'll talk soon. If Luffy wakes up before then, tell him I'm on my way."

Law hung up, so glad that this day would soon be over. He got up to make himself a cup of tea, just desperate for something to keep him calm before he had a breakdown.

*Later*

They were a little late in arriving thanks to the traffic, but Law soon heard the knock at the door and was there to answer it before the third knock.

"I'm half a mind to kill you for this," Law told Ace, who just rubbed the back of his head with an awkward laugh. Law's eyes scanned over him and saw that he had soot smudged over his face and clothes while his eyes were bloodshot, like he hadn't slept at all since he last saw him. When he walked in, Law could pick up the slightly smoking scent of fire clinging to him as the large man, Vista, followed behind looking just as exhausted.

"Sorry for the late night intrusion," Vista said politely. "I promise we'll be out of your hair soon. We appreciate you for your help."

"Save it," Law retorted as he pointed down the hall and told Ace that Luffy was still out like a light. Ace let Vista and Law talk as he headed to the room, feeling like he was about to collapse with exhaustion.

Yet the moment he stuck his head inside and saw the little boy fast asleep, he suddenly smiled and let out a worried breath he didn't realize he had been holding till then. He looked Luffy over, subconsciously checking to make sure that he was still in one piece. Luffy must've played hard today since he wasn't even aware of Ace being there as he snored, his foot kicking out slightly as he had a big smile on his face as if dreaming of pleasant things.

"Hey buddy," Ace said gently, feeling relaxed to see Luffy's peaceful face. It looked like Law had already packed up all of Luffy's things in the little pack since it and Luffy's coat was at the end of the bed, waiting for him. Once he was certain he had all his belongings safely packed away, he carefully moved Luffy up to a sitting position so that he could pull his brother's arms through the coat sleeves. Luffy was so deeply asleep that he didn't wake up even as he was moved around like a doll being dressed up.

Ace could only chuckle at the thought as he scooped Luffy up once he was ready. The second he was in Ace's arms, Luffy instantly cuddled closer as he buried his face against Ace's neck as he continued snoring. Ace left the room even as Bepo whimpered around his feet and followed him back to the front door—where Law was shaking his head at what Vista was saying.

"The damage sounds bad," Law said as he approached.

"It could've been worse. No one died, so we should be grateful for that," Vista answered with a tired sigh, running his hand over his face. He then looked up when he heard Ace approach and he smiled slightly as he asked, "Is the little man in one piece?"

Ace smiled back, rubbing a sleeping Luffy's back, who was still out like a light.

"What'd you two do today? I normally have to jump through hoops to wear him out," Ace asked as Law looked annoyed, a slight hint of pink in his cheeks.

"Never again," he warned, "I meant what I said. I am not an emergency babysitter. You best find someone else because I'm not doing this again."

"Right, right, sorry," Ace muttered, feeling bad that he was teasing when Law had just done a big favor for him. He then said with much more sincerity, "I promise, I'll figure something out. It's just that none of us ever expected something like this to ever happen."

"We're gonna be looking for whoever did this," Vista vowed with a frown, "Things were quiet there for a while, so we made the mistake of letting our guard down. It won't happen again."

"Yes, you better stay alert because the sooner you figure this out, the easier it will be on the rest of us," Law said before rubbing his face and telling him, "I also ran into an old… acquaintance of mine earlier and I feel that there is something you should pass onto your boss as soon as you can…?"

*Later*

Vista was nice enough to give them a ride back home, with Ace holding Luffy the entire way as he and Vista talked more about what they found out.

"Kidnappings? Someone is going around and kidnapping those who have any connection with criminal activity? Why? What's the point?" Ace asked as he shook his head.

"That's what Law said," Vista nodded grimly, "I know that he and Mihawk go back over the last few years, though I can't say I know the full story behind that. All I can say is that if Mihawk believes this, then it has to be true. Law told me about it while you were getting the little man, said that he heard it from the man himself. The reason why things have quieted down for a while there is because there've been kidnappings going on to the gang leaders throughout town. People are being targeted and just vanish without a trace. They, along with several big names, have already disappeared and no one's seen them since. Those gangs soon fell apart without someone to lead them."

"I guess that makes sense, but why does Law think this has to do with whoever was dumb enough to bomb the Moby Dick?" Ace asked in confusion.

"It sounds like whoever is behind the kidnappings was trying their luck with Whitebeard. Everyone knows that he's the one who really controls things in this city and with him gone, they probably think that they can take over," Vista shrugged. "It seems that they're looking for Pop's weakness. Someone whom he would care enough to do whatever they commanded if they had them. Who knows? Maybe the attack was just them staking things out?"

"They sound way more dangerous than the thugs we usually deal with. Looks like like someone with a lot of brains is behind this," Ace frowned at the thought as he carefully shifted his position to be more comfortable without disturbing Luffy.

"Yes, that's why I'm starting to wonder if it is another gang at all," Vista frowned, which didn't look right on the man's face.

"Wait, if it's not another gang, you aren't thinking…? Wait, Marco said something about how there were some of the higher ups in with the authorities have been acting more reckless than usual… you don't think they could…?" Ace began before Vista shrugged.

"Hard to say. The pieces are pointing that way, though. Especially since this was a move that was far too well-planned to have been a random attack," he answered back. "We didn't even find a trace of anyone setting off that explosive, save for the footprints at the side of the building. It'll be tough to confirm it all though since we're pretty much on our own. Thankfully, Pops has some leads that we can follow. Still, we need to be better prepared from here on out. I'll make sure to pass all this on to Pops and the others when I get back."

"You think that they're the same people behind the kidnappings?" Ace asked worriedly.

"That's what I'm thinking," he said with an air of grim acceptance, "We still haven't pin-pointed who's behind this, but I'm thinking that someone is targeting gang leaders by resorting to kidnapping family members. If nothing else, it'll be sure to get their attention. But until we can confirm anything, you should get some sleep, you look ready to drop."

"I feel like it," Ace sighed, looking forward to getting home and just sleeping. He leaned back in his seat, fighting against his drooping eyelids as he seemed to be shifting in and out of a doze. In fact, he believed he had fallen asleep because the next second he felt Vista shaking him awake. He blinked in confusion before remembering where he was and saw that they were just outside their house.

"Home, sweet, home, am I right?" he asked with a grin as Ace felt himself sag with release at the welcoming sight.

"Thanks for the ride, Vista," Ace said as he opened the door after making sure Luffy was still asleep.

"Don't worry about it," he promised, "You earned the day off. I'll contact you if we hear anything. You and your kid just relax alright?"

Ace rolled his eyes good-naturedly at him before he got out and carried Luffy back to the house. He felt light-headed and dizzy from fatigue when he opened the door and kicked off his shoes as his vision started to spin around him. Knowing he wasn't going to be conscious for much longer, he just dumped the bag and their coats on the floor—promising himself to pick it up in the morning—before making his way longingly to his bed.

He was so worn out, in fact, that he didn't even have the energy to tuck Luffy into his bed. Instead, he carried him to his own room and collapsed, hugging Luffy close before he used the last ounce of strength he had to throw a blanket over the two of them before drifting off the instant his head hit his pillow.

(Aww, writing a day out with Law was a lot of fun. I think it was good for them both though I think that Law isn't going to be volunteering to become Luffy's new babysitter anytime soon. Anyway, in the next chapter we will find out more what happened after Ace left Luffy with Law before we head off to the festival and see how they're able to handle the rides and games that await… including a surprise guest appearing.)