Tide of Fervor

by CheezeGrater

Post Dressrosa, some spoilers. Tears splinning from her eyes as she whispered "I can't get the battle out of my head.." He reassured, stepping closer. "You don't have to hide from me, Mugiwara-ya." Follow Law and Luffy through struggles, adventure and love.

The Battle of Dressrosa was finally over, just speck in the distance as they floated away. The

sun hung low on the horizon, casting golden rays over Barto's ship as it sliced through the

waves. The two crews bustled about with their usual chaotic energy, laughter mingling with

the sounds of the ocean. Yet, amidst the vibrancy of the deck no one noticed the straw hatted

captain sneaking away from the party.

Monkey D. Luffy stood at the stern, her trademark straw hat casting a shadow over her

downcast eyes. At the front of the ship was half of the Straw Hat crew—Zoro was polishing

his swords, Franky and Robin talked about the recent battle while Usopp spun exaggerated

adventurous tales to Bartos crew—they wove a lively tapestry, oblivious to the emotional

storm erupting within their captain.

Roronoa Zoro finally noticing Luffy's silence. "Hey, Robin! Have you seen Captain?"

"Leave her be, Zoro," Robin interjected, her voice laced with concern. "She has a lot on her

mind." She turned her attention to Franky, before a quick glance around looking for her.

The ship bobbed on the waves, the vibrant vessel against the endless blue. After climbing on

the railing facing the sea, She thought back to the harrowing moments of the battle in

Dressrosa while slightly crying—the sight of Law collapsing, bleeding and arm missing.

Those images played on a loop in her mind, dragging her spirit down with every repeated

cycle. The laughter around her rang hollow, leaving only the echoes of fear and helplessness.

"Mugiwara-ya?" A soft voice broke through her thoughts. It was Trafalgar Law, leaning

against the railing a few feet away, the evening sun casting a warm glow on his sharp

features.

"Yeah?" Luffy croaked, attempting to sound normal but failing. Her voice was barely a

whisper, lost among the shouts of his crew.

"Are you okay?" Law pressed, stepping closer. The usual edge in his tone softened, instead,

there was an earnestness in his voice that made Luffy's heart ache. "You haven't spoken to

me since…" His words drifted away, lingering in the air.

Luffy clenched her fists and bit her lip, feeling the tide of emotion swell within her.. Why

couldn't she shake the memory of Law crumpling under the weight of battle? "I'm fine!" she

shouted, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

The silence that followed was deafening. The Straw Hats and the other crew carried on

around them, but for Luffy and Law, time seemed suspended. Law stood firm, refusing to

back down. "You don't look fine, Mugiwara-ya. You're not fooling anyone."

Luffy winced, overwhelmed by the raw honesty in Law's tone. Her mind raced, battling

against the urge to open, she inhaled deeply, fighting tears.

"I..I," she finally whispered. The vulnerability in her confession shattered the armor that she

had freshly built around her emotions. Tears spilling from her eyes as she whispered "I can't

get the battle out of my head.."

Law's expression shifted—softening into something unexpectedly tender. He reassured,

stepping closer. "You don't have to hide from me, Mugiwara-ya."

In those few words, a bridge began to form between them, tethered by shared fears and

unspoken bonds. Despite the chaos of the world around them, in this moment, Luffy felt less

alone.

After staring out at the oceans for a few minutes with Law's presence next to her, she

whispers "Torao?

Laws face was unreadable and he humms back to say that was listening.

Her shoulders shake and she keeps silently crying. "Can I… can I have a hug?"

Laws eye soften as he turns to her "Of course, how?"

Luffy turned her back to the ocean, flipping around on the ledge. Biting her lip, opens her

arms and finally looks at him with red rimmed eyes. "Please".

As Law steps towards her, she wraps her arms around his torso and puts her ear near his

heart. While he wraps his arms around her shoulders and puts his cheek on her head.

They both silently watch the sunset. After a while, Law finally felt her shoulders stop shaking

he hears her whisper repeatedly like a mantra "his heart he's alive"

Law closes his eyes and vividly remembers how she was after the war; her brothers death, her

mental health and her scream when she finally woke up, left out a deep exhales instinctively

tightening his arms around her. And mutters just loud enough for her to hear "I am alive.

Thank you for carrying me and helping me beat Doflamingo.",

Luffy sniffles and let's out a shaky exhale she mumbles "how's your arm?"

Law considers her question honestly, running a hand up and down her back "It's getting

better, have most of my feeling back. It's just sore."

Luffy tightens her arms around him and sniffles "Torao?"

Still running his hand up and down her back "Yeah, sweetheart?"

She mumbles in his chest "I don't.. I don't know what freaked me out more" she clutches the

back of his shirt staring out in the ocean as she mumbles more cautiously "seeing you.. seeing

you dead or you missing.. you missing your arm. I.. I think that's why I can't get it out of my

mind.. I keep blaming myself for almost failing… for.. for.. for letting it happen.. happen

again"

Law closes his eyes and placed a small chase kiss on her head "I'm sorry, I understand now

how much that impacted you. But please Lu-ya, please, don't blame yourself. You saved me

and so many others in Dressrosa. May I ask you a question?"

Luffy closes her eyes and melts into Laws embrace. After breathing in his distinctive scent

and listening to his heart for a while longer she mumbles "Yeah?"

Law rests his chin on her head and looks out into the ocean, "I get that you feel this way

because of what happen two years ago" he feels her tremble and retightens his arms around

her "but what I would like better insight on is, why do you feel this way about my arm?"

Luffy lets out a shuttered breath "can .. can you keep a secret?"

Running his hands up and down her back "Of course Lu-ya, I'd never tell anyone anything

we talk about."

She fiddles with the back of his shirt and mumbles "To.. Torao.. uhh.. can we .. can we

actually talk about this inside? I.. I .. I think Barto gave me Captains quarters?"

He presses one last chaste kiss on her head and mumbles "Wrap your legs around me

Mugiwara-ya" as soon as she finishes. Law mutters "Room" scans the ship and "Shambles"

them right in front of the bed in the main quarters. He takes a few steps and sits comfortably

on the bed, his back to the wall propped up on pillows, with her sitting on his lap still

wrapped around him "Is this better Lu-ya?"

She wordlessly nods and gets comfortable in his lap almost straddling him. After a few

moments she unwraps her arms from his torso and wraps them over his shoulders and starts

playing with the little hairs sticking out of his hat. She whispers in his ear, "Are you.. are you

sure you want to hear this.. it's.. it's kinda long?"

He rewraps his arms around her waist pulling her closer, "Yes Lu-ya, you don't have to hide

anything from me, I want to learn more about you."

She takes off her strawhat and places it on the bed just in eyesight, lets out a shaky exhale

after rewrapping her arms around his neck "when.. when I was a kid from around age one to

six.. I .. I didn't know my brothers yet until later.. but Gramps.. Gramps, he left me with the

villagers of Foosha to raise me. It's on an island in the East Blue called Goa.. So.. so I grew

up lonely. No one.. no one.. wanted me.. as a..friend" she feels a few tears slip "none of the

town kids wanted to be my friend and called me a freak or monster. I think.. I think that's also

why I value my nakama so much."

Law closes his eyes, presses his lips in a thin line and continues to rub his good arm up and

down her back "that's terrible Lu-ya, I'm sorry"

She pressed her face into his neck and continued not commenting on what Law said,

"Gramps.. he would come by once a year.. maybe .. maybe twice for marine training. I.. I

never wanted to be .. be a marine. I sometimes stayed upstairs at the bar, Mak..Makino ran, it

was called Party's Bar. But.. but when I was four.. Gramps came back .. he came back and

told me I was .. was too old for her help. So he made me stay in a.. a small shack outside of

the monkey den in the forest.. I would need to fight monkeys to leave or enter.. Makino, she

would sometimes would let me stay with her but she was afraid of the mayor or someone else

telling.. telling Gramps I was there so.. so I wasn't allowed often. But if I couldn't catch or ..

or steal food for myself, she would feed me."

Law has to keep himself from exploding. Just how could someone treat her like this, he asks

himself. He pressed another kiss to her temple "Oh, sweetheart that's terrible"

She rests her head on this shoulder, feeling herself get butterflies everytime he kisses her

head and continues "when I was six, I was coming back into town from the forest wearing

my favorite white shirt that had an anchor in it. I saw" she slightly giggles "I saw a pirate

ship getting close to docking.. I was always fascinated with pirates so I ran. I ran so fast to

the port." She giggles again "As soon as the captain got off, I just started spewing questions

at him. He just full bellied laughed and said "Well, Anchor, if you can show us a place to

grab a beer I'll answer your questions" so I brought him and his crew to Makino. She was

hesitant at first, but after he bought the first round up front, she relented. He started retailing

stories of his adventures. I loved them so much."

Law smiles slightly "what happened next?"

She giggles again "I spent the whole evening hanging out and listening to stories from the

crew.. but before they left the bar for the night. I decided I needed to find a place to stay so I

could be closer to hang out with them tomorrow. So I wished them a good night and I snuck

back down to the docks.." giggles again "and found a storage area under the docks to sleep

until they left town"

Law mind blanks for a second, slightly alarmed "you're telling me you slept under the

docks?"

Luffy nods her head "yeah." She giggles again "so the next, I think, week or two, I slept

there, hung out with them when they were at the bar and stole some produce and sometimes

ate at Makinos. since I didn't have time to catch anything in the forest. One day, I was

hanging out on the beach, a little ways down from the docks and the first mate sits next to

me.. I don't remember what we talked about but he.. he invited me to come eat lunch with

them on their ship." She full bodies laughed "Torao.. Torao it was so cool. I got to each so

much for the first time in a while and..and they showed me all around the ship!"

Laws mind was spinning but couldn't help me smile "I bet you were so happy"

Her faced lights up in her typical sun smile "Yeah! I was so happy!" Her smiles softens "but

you know since they were pirates, they needed to leave in a few days, I begged them to take

me with them. Back then I was so sad but the captain promised me he would be back in a

week or two" she lets out a soft sigh as she readjusts on his lap, putting her head on his chest

(one arm behind his back and the other on his other pec) "so after they left.. I went back up to

the forest, and set up my traps to hunt again. Also while they were gone, I snuck a blanket

down to my place under the docks too just in case they returned."

Law readjusts his arms around her waist, "what type of food did you try to catch and did they

come back?"

Luffy drools a little "some of my favorite, crocodile and boar. I only started being able to

catch bears and tigers after I met my brothers. But yeah" as she softly grins "they came back

and they stayed for a few weeks, same routine as before but I spent half the nights by the

monkeys and still hunted. But I think like two or so months being with them it changed" she

left out a huff "A mountain bandit group beat me up when I was out collecting traps. I was

like waddling back to the shack to try and you know, fix myself up. And all of a sudden the

first mate finds me.. uhh.. now thinking back I think he might've used obeservation haki. But

he asks me what happened and I just being me, I told him it doesn't matter, because no one

has cared before." Her voice trails off.

Law closes his eyes and has to keep himself from visibly reacting. He tightens his grip on her

and reminds her, "Now you have your crew, me and so many others that care about you. You

aren't alone anymore, Lu-ya."

Luffy let's out a huff and presses her forehead against his chest "Thank you, Law"

Law's eyes widen, blushes slightly and presses a kiss to her head "No problem Luffy. But

what happened after the first mate found you?"

She lets out a soft laugh "So Beck was like we care and please let me help. So he picks me up

and I tell him to just go to the shack because I know I have stuff there. So" giggles "he has to

cross the monkey pit." She hides her face in his neck "We fight a fight over the first aid kit

because I'm like I always have to do this. And.. and I end up crying in his arms and just tell

him everything; living in the shack and under the docks, my meals, how the kids bully me,

how no one really cares," she smiles softly "Once he finally fixed me up, he collected the few

items I had and he carried me back to the ship."

Laws eyes soften "I'm glad to hear you finally had someone there for you"

Luffy giggles again and looks up at him "Me too!" She pressed a kiss to his chest. "So I got

to sleep in the room with the Captain or Beck sometimes. They taught me how to read and

write since I didn't know how yet. The Captain had me checked out with his doctor and I got

put on a meal plan. I also got to actually eat without hunting for myself all the time." She

giggles again "There's a few times I took them hunting" She wipes a tear "Story for another

time. But yeah, they'd leave sometimes and I just go back to the shack again."

Law's mind was racing. This group of pirates stepped up when no one else would, they gave

her a safe place to feel loved, taught her how to read and write. He can't help but smile and

mumble out, "this group sounds incredible, I'm glad you meet them."

She fiddles with the back of his shirt again and "so I think a few months passed with them

coming and going. And than they were back in town with a small chest, we were all hanging

out at the bar." She huffs out "and the same mountains bandits as before came in talking crap

saying they needed free booze and such. Makino said they were out. Captain offered a bottle

of sake and" she gets quiet "… To.. Torao?"

Law scrunches his eyebrows downward and replies "Yeah?"

Luffy plays with the back of his shirt while before herself to readjusts fully straddling him,

she sits back on this thighs to give him a pout "Promise to not make fun of me"

Law looks at her amused, takes one of his hands to cup her cheek, used the pad of his thumb

to clean her drying tears "I promise sweetheart, can't promise I won't laugh. But I promise"

Luffys looks into his eyes for a few seconds while cuddling into his hand. She gives him a

shy smile and goes back to his chest and give a huff. "I understand the reason now but back

than I was mad.. Captain offered him a bottle, the bandit smashed it over his head getting

glass everywhere. After they left, the crew was laughing and in the commotion.. I was still

mad.. so I .. uhh.. opened the chest they had.. and.. and.. found this pretty purple fruit and

took a bite out of it"

Law froze, blinked a few times "Your Devil Fruit?"

Luffy gives a little laugh "Yeah"

Law smirked and did a soft huff of a laugh "that's actually pretty funny. So how did they

react when they figured out you ate it?"

She shudders and grabs a blanket and wraps around them, giggles again "Captain was so

mad. He kept trying to get me to spit it out. But I was already rubber." She giggles again "so

that night they threw a party for 'Anchor that will remain an anchor'."

Law lets out a soft laugh. "At least they could joke about it after the heart attack you must of

caused them"

Luffy smiles blindingly again "Yeah! I'm glad they didn't freak out more. I got spanked once

by them and I really .. really.. didn't want that to happen again." She shudders at the end.

He let out a startled laugh "they spanked you?!"

Luffy full bellies laughs "only one time! Uhm.. I might have done something even stupid for

me." She giggles into his neck and quietly says "you'll yell at me and probably spank me too,

if you find out what happened." She turns turns red and hides her face in his neck

Law has to stop himself mentally from going there, especially with her on his lap like this.

He refocuses but now he's more than a little intrigued "You can't just tell me that. You have

to tell me that story, Im intrigued."

She huffs and sits back up to face him while biting her lip. "Remember how I said I used to

always ask them to take me with them?"

Law nods and says "yeah"

Her gaze goes down "so one day, I was determined to prove to them I was tough enough"

He laughs a huff "Lu-ya, you were literally 6."

Luffy rolls her eyes and crosses her arm "I know that now, but they were the like first people

that actually made me happy so" her gaze drifts to her strawhat "I don't know, I just always

want to always be with them, ya know?"

He gives her a small smile, his arms readjusted to her waist rubbing small circles with his

thumbs, "I do understand that. I felt the same way with Cora after a bit too. But you

mentioned you wanted to prove to them you were tough enough, what did you do?"

She gives him a small smile while fiddling with the front of his shirt "so I.. uhh" she turns

red, finally looks into his eyes and blurts out "stabbed myself if face"

Law freezes. Full body, mind screeches to a halt freeze. After about ten seconds, he finally

catches up. On instinct his hand cups her face, thumb brushing over the scar just beneath his

thumb. "This was from that? You were so close to your eye."

Luffy closes her eyes and gives a little shishi laugh, she than grabs his wrist and kisses his

palm. Finally reopening her eyes to look at him, his face slightly flushed pink, and gives him

a small small laugh again "Yeah, that's why they spanked me." she giggles again after falling

back onto his chest.

Law looks down at her with a soft look and an even softer smile, he softly mumbles "I

definitely get that now:" He chuckles slightly "So what happened after you got your Devil

Fruit?"

Her mood slightly sours, she shudders against his chest slightly "well they helped me

understand how it works, the basic rules about Devil Fruits and such. But then the crew left

again on a shorter trip.. so I moved back to the forest. After a few days.. I decided to go back

and visit Makino" she closes her eyes and fiddles with his shirt a bit "guess who I saw when I

got back in town?"

After he felt her shutter, he absentmindedly started running his hands up and down her back.

He thinks for a second before it clicks "The mountain bandits?"

"Yeah" she says in a quiet voice "They somehow found out about my devil fruit or

something, I just remember them circling me and screaming about selling or killing me for

profit." She presses her face into his chest "The.. the leader finally got me on the ground with

a sword to my throat I .. I also remember Makino and the Mayor begging.. begging for my

life."

Law presses another kiss to her head "it's okay Lu-ya, you're safe now. You have to don't

have keep talking if you don't want to."

Luffy gets butterflies and blushes slightly again. She takes a few moments to recollect

herself. "That next moment amongst all the yelling, Captain.. Captain's voices calmly rings

through and stops all the conversations. One of the bandits.. pointed a gun at his head." She

lets out a slight huff of laughter "I'll always remember this, he.. he said "guns aren't for

threats they are for actions" Than one of Captains men's just kills the bandit with the gun."

His mind is reeling with all this new information. He stokes his hand through her hair "What

happened next?"

She fiddles with the front of his shirt "Captain.. Captain told the bandit "I don't care what

reason you have, I won't forgive anyone that hurts my friends."

Law's mind starts piecing together every war and battle she's been a part of. He finally

understands why she always goes so far for everyone. He doesn't interrupt but is definitely

listening to all the details.

She huffs again "The Bandits.. the bandits all rush to take down the crew… But" she giggles

again "Beck he just beat them all with the butt of his gun" She frowns slightly "in the chaos,

the bandit.. the bandit that was still holding me down.. he .. he set off a smoke bomb and

kidnapped me"

He holds her tighter and presses a chaste kiss to her head.

Luffy take a few moments to calm down. "The bandit that had me.. he took me .. he took me

to the ocean on a small dingy. He just planned to kill me." She lets a few tears slip "He.. He

paddled out and then he .. he threw me in the water."

Law continues to run his hand up and down her back "That must have been terrifying for

you."

She lets a few more tears slip and cling onto him, "The water.. the water started to shake than

a .. a sea king.. a sea king came out and ate the bandit and boat." She trembles slightly "than

it.. than it turned towards me." She chews on her bottom lip "it lunged toward me, I thought..

I thought I was going to get eaten"

He holds her tighter and mumbles in their hair "it's okay sweetheart"

She lets a few more small tears out "the next moment, I'm in someone's embrace… it wasn't

until I opened my eyes.. I saw.." she trembles again "I saw Captain had swam to save me but

.. but " she lets out a small chocked sob "he .. he.. the sea king.. ate his.. his arm."

Law can perfectly picture what she just described, he can finally wrap his mind around the

trauma it caused. he briefly closes his eyes and pictures Cora-san and softy states through

clenched teeth "he sacrificed part of himself to save you"

Luffy chews on her bottom lip "He kept saying it's just an arm.. but I know.. I know he was

just .. just trying to get me to .. to calm down." She sits back on his thighs and grabs her hat

"than.. they stayed for a few more weeks for Captain to get stronger." She fiddles with her hat

"the day they finally left for the last time"

His gaze locks into the hat but doesn't interrupt.

She keeps playing with her hat "I promised him, the next time we met.. I'd gather a crew

stronger than his and be the pirate king.. He left me.. he left me with his hat and told me it

was a promise and to take care of it."

Law's mind was bursting with new information, but he couldn't help but tease "He sounds

incredible, are you ever going tell me who the captain and crew where?"

Luffy turns bright red and hides her face in his neck and giggles slightly and teases back

"you're smart, I'll give you one clue. When.. when we started our alliance, who was the one

person I told you we couldn't go after yet."

He freezes and his mind goes back to a week or so ago and breathes out "Shanks"

She nods into his shoulder "Yeah. Told you, you were smart"

Laws feels like he can't grasp reality "Emperor Akagami no Shanks did all that for you?" He

questions again

Luffy leans back to look in his face and giggles and kisses his cheek "Yes, silly Torao, though

he wasn't an emperor yet."

He short circuits, from the information and than a kiss on a cheek. After a few seconds he

turns blushes slightly, he looks in her eyes "Thank you for tell me that Lu-ya. I understand

why you act certain way in situations now."

She blushes slightly and chews on her lip "To… Torao.."

He files her story into his mind and can help but be intrigued but her current adorable

expression, he softly responds "yeah?"

She hides her face in her hands "would you.. would you ever.. want to .. want to" butterflies

erupt in her stomach and blush spreads down her neck and up her ears "kiss me on the.. on

the lips?"

To be continued..

King Tide

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

In the dimly lit cabin, the silence stretched, pressing down on Law. Luffy's question, so

simple, hung suspended in the air like a fragile, shimmering bubble.

He could feel the weight of it, the vulnerability radiating from her, mirroring the vulnerability

he himself was now acutely aware of within his own heart. His mind, usually a fortress of

logic and calculated strategy, was now a battlefield, a chaotic clash between the carefully

constructed walls of his emotional defenses and the overwhelming tide of unexpected

emotion.

He thought back to when he first saw her, between her bounty poster and the reports of what

happened in Enies Lobby. He knew he wanted to meet her.

Then he quickly remembered Sabaody, seeing her in person for the first time and recounted

his emotions when she crashed into the auction house. He was already transfixed with her

before he even knew it himself. Then she defined societal reason and punched a Celestial

Dragon without a second of doubt, it changed something pivotal within him.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he also thought about how he charged into the War of the Best

for her. Even though he knew he couldn't mentally heal her after the loss of her brother,

physically he knew he was the best for the job. How he spent constant hours of surgery

making sure she was stable.

He had always prided himself on his control, his ability to dissect situations with ruthless

efficiency, to maintain a distance that protected him from the messy complexities of human

feeling. He had built his life on that distance, on the calculated precision of his actions, the

unwavering focus on his goal.

But now the main goal he planned for the last decade was finally reached, he remembered

Sengoku's parting words when leaving Dressrosa.

"Don't try to find a reason for someone's love"

So here he was, unraveling, undone by a simple question posed by the most unpredictable,

beautiful and vibrant person he had ever encountered.

Law blushed slightly, while his heartbeat wildly in his chest, he smirked and teased "Come

on, don't hide yourself like that. Where's the usual confidence from the future pirate king?"

Luffy blushed traveled down her chest while she bit her lip and pried her hands from her face

"I.. I.. " she chewed on her lip for a few more moments while staring at him "this.. this is

different, Torao."

His eyes soften, he tilted his head and nodded "it is different"

She closed her eyes and let out a huff. She curled back up in his lap, her face in his neck and

whispered "you're .. you're you." Her vulnerability at an all time high "and.. and .." a few

silent tears falling from her eyes "and I'm just me."

He ran his hand up and down her back and closed his eyes. Mentally stunned for a few

moments, he drew his eyebrows together "what do you mean 'just you'?"

She let out another huff and drew her lips into a straight line. Mentally trying to regain some

control. She reminded herself she was safe here. She clenched her teeth together while

clenching her fist, she exhaled through her nose.

Law sensing her distress, hugged her close to his chest and kissed head "It's okay sweetheart,

I understand. It's getting pretty late too, I think we have one or two days until Zou." He kisses

her one more time on the head before resting his nose on her hair.

Luffy relaxes on him, her head back on his chest, and her mind flips to the crew members

waiting for them, "Torao, are you ready to see your crew again?"

Law kisses her head one more time before resting it against the wall and truly thinking about

his loyal crew, Bepo, Sachi, Penguin and the rest. When he left them, he thought he was

going into a suicide mission. He tightened his arms around her instinctually, "I am, they

might be mad about this alliance" he chuckles slightly and shakes his head "but I think we

have a solid plan to win"

She giggles and rolls her eyes "Oh, you and your plans"

He smiles, looks down at her then smirks and starts tickling her sides. She rolls off his lap

and lands with her back to the mattress just full body laughing and wheezing but he doesn't

relent as he kneels over her.

After about a minute, he stops and he takes in her face as she catches her breath. With the

limited light in the room, he catches small tears clung to her beautiful eyes slightly rolling

down her dusted pink cheeks. He looked down to her lips that have been calling to him since

her question. His chest tightens as he looks at her completely guard free expression. He tries

to mask his emotions and knees back up to get off the bed.

Luffy still catching her breath, looks at him and lets out an airy breath "To..Torao?"

He stood at the side of the bed still slightly crouching over her and mumbles back, "Yeah?"

She clews on her lip, "Would.. would you stay.. stay for the night?"

Law, slightly startled, confirms with her "Are you sure?"

She nods her head, with her blush growing, "Is that.. is that okay?"

He smirks, does a slight nod and starts taking his shoes off. After he climbs back into bed,

barely has time to get comfortable before he feels her clinging onto him and putting her head

on his chest again above his heart.

He loosely wraps his arms around her and kisses her head and whispers "Good night, Lu-ya."

She kisses his heart and sleepily says "Night, T-ro"

He doesn't have time to say anything else before he hears her start to snore. He looks down at

her face pressed against his chest one more time before he closes his eyes as well. He makes

one final promise to himself before succumbing to sleep that he will do everything in his

power to keep her smiling.

—-

Law woke up from the best sleep he's had in months by feeling something wet spreading on

his chest. He froze slightly before blinking a few times to adjust to the light now filtering

through the window before looking down and a small smile tugged at his lips.

Luffy was completely out of it, faces squished against him as she drooled.

He always thought she was the most captivating woman he's ever seen. But seeing her like

this, experiencing her like he did yesterday, something warm settled in his chest.

Law knew, with a certainty that defied logic and transcended reason, that he had found

something truly extraordinary, something worth risking everything for.

He was pulled out of his musings from a loud knock at the door, Bartolomeo's voice cut

through "Luffy-sempai breakfast is ready!" Before his footsteps faded back away.

Luffy stirred slightly, eyes still closed and mumbles "meat?"

His eyes still fixed on her face, runs his hand down her head "yeah, Lu-ya, time for food"

She sits up, rubs her eyes before looking down at him and smiles loudly shouting " Torao,

Breakfast!"

He chuckled slightly at her and sat up as well "I'm going to head to the bathroom and I'll

meet you there, okay?"

She slightly bites her lip and shakes off her quick disappointments. After finally putting his

shoes back on, she gives him a quick hug, not even giving him time to hug back. She

mumbles into his chest "okay Torao" before quickly heading out of the room.

Law stood there for a minute, reflecting before he shook his head before heading out of the

room as well.

—-

When Law finally made it into the galley, it was a cacophony of activity, he scanned the area

before walking over and grabbing himself a cup of coffee. After taking a sip, he looked back

at the table trying to find a place to sit. Only one seat open, he chewed on the inside of his

cheek before taking the left side of Luffy, her right side taken by Zoro.

Finally noticing someone sitting beside her and grinned, syrup still clung to her cheeks,

"Good Morning Torao!"

He gave her a small nod still focused on his coffee, he mumbled "Morning Mugiwara-ya"

before taking a long sip of his drink.

Luffy just turned back to her food, trying to hide the disappointment in her chest.

He started addressing the room, "We should be at Zou by tomorrow morning, our current

plan is—"

Tuning out of conversations around her as she ate, she thought about last night. She started

questioning and second guessing, did he even care? Did he just not want me to mess up the

alliance by being too emotional? Did I just force him to listen to me yesterday? Was that the

only reason?

She closed her eyes trying to hide how they started to get misty, she ate the rest of her food as

quickly as she could before rushing out of the room.

Law noticed her sudden departure and frowned slightly before continuing on with the plan to

the remaining crew that was still there. In the back of his mind, he acknowledged that

something was wrong.

—-

After walking outside, she looked around the deck while taking a deep breath of fresh air, and

strolled over to Robin who was reading in a sunchair with a cup of tea next to her.

"Robin!" She shouted, trying to keep up her regular energy.

Robin looked up from her book before she smiled softly "Morning Captain, didn't see you

much after the party got into anything fun? Like gutting the rival crew?"

Luffy plopped onto the chair next to her and rested her head on her shoulder. Her stomach

churned, she sighed and said "Just reflecting on the fight and recovering." She closed her

eyes trying to get back into her adventurous self, locking away her emotional side again,

"What do you know about Zou?"

Robin closed her book in her lap and observed her Captain. Her usual spirit felt more

subdued. She reminded herself, Luffy would tell her or ask for advice if she needed to. She

tapped her chin, "Zou is actually on the back of a massive elephant named Zunesha. Several

old records date it back over 1,000 years."

Luffy looked up at her, still resting on her shoulder and smiled "A massive elephant, that's so

cool." Before her smile flattered slightly, she mumbles "Hey, Robin?"

Robin noticed her change of behavior before rubbing a hand through Luffy's hair. Her gaze

locked ahead, "yeah?"

Luffy kept her eyes closed and chewed on her lip, fighting the battles of her emotions. She

wanted to be honest with Robin but right now, right now she just needed normalcy, she

quietly whispers, "Can you read to me?"

She picked up her book and started reading it quietly out loud, after a few pages she looked

down and saw her captains asleep. She tried to think of anything that could've made her

Captain act like this. Worry turned at her before she picked back up her book.

—-

After finishing the logistics of the next 24 hours, Law made his way finally back on deck and

looked around for his bubbly alliance partner to finish their conversation from last night. He

slowed his steps and paused, she was curled up next to Robin, he didn't want to disturb her.

They were at the start of something new, that thought, both terrified him and liberated him at

the same time. He really didn't want to mess this up.

He thought about the risks – the potential disruption to his plans, the vulnerability it would

expose him to, the uncertainty of the future. The Heart Pirates, his loyal crew, had become his

family, and the thought of disrupting that delicate balance filled him with apprehension. He

had always placed the needs of his crew above his own, viewing his own emotions as a

potential liability.

But with Luffy, he felt… differently. He didn't want to keep his emotions separate, he wanted

to share them, to merge their worlds in a way he'd never considered possible.

He spent countless nights after the war thinking about her, now there was a possibility for

more. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and sighed.

He knew they needed to talk but refocused his attention on the crew's health. He was the only

doctor on board and with the recent battle, he wanted to make sure everyone healed properly

so they could fight Kiado.

Putting back on his mask of indifference as he silently made his way over to Robin. In a

gentle voice "Nico-ya, I'm just checking injuries from Dressrosa, how's your back?"

Robins slightly started before she looked up at him, "Doing quite well actually, still a bit sore

but nothing serious." She waved her hand, blinked, before looking down at Luffy, her voice

dropping "But she's been off since we've left so I'm not sure about her."

Law's mind halted, face remained blank, and forced himself to sound nonchalant "Im glad

you're healing fine." He momentarily looked down at Luffy. He wanted nothing more than to

bundle her in his arms "Let me know when she wakes up and I'll do a check up on her" He

looks around the deck "I'm going to try and find Nose-ya and do his check up as well" before

walking away.

She looked after him for a moment, he was always a mystery to her, before returning back to

her book

As he strode away, his mind was a battlefield. He finally understood that his carefully

constructed defenses had served their purpose for decades, protecting him from a world that

had been unkind. But those defenses were cracking and he needed more time to think.

—

A few hours later, slowly waking up, Luffy pressed herself next to the heat source on her

side, eyebrows crushing in confusion and mumbles quietly almost to herself "T…T'ro"

As she finally woke up after a few seconds, she remembered this morning and her feelings.

Before she even cracked her eyes open, she forced herself to put her emotions back under a

shield of defenses. She remembers the whispers from her childhood calling her a burden and

unworthy. She refused to be a burden to anyone on this journey. Finally relaxing, plastering a

smile on her face that was slightly strained, she cracks her eyes open.

Robin heard her mumble for him but just catalogued it in her questions for later. She looked

down to her young captain, the person that challenged the world government for her. Robin

vowed a long time ago that she would do anything for the young lady. She knew something

was troubling her, but she didn't know what yet. She smiled slightly and said in a low voice

"Have a good nap Captain?"

Luffy rubbed her eyes and sat up and giggled slightly "Yeah, thanks!" She looked around at

the slightly crowded deck trying to think of something to burn some time.

While looking around, she thought back to the training with Rayleigh and chewed her lip. His

voice rang through her mind,

"Use your emotions to power your haki"

She huffed before turning back to Robin, "Have you seen Zoro?"

Robin nods towards her and says "I'll find him, one second" then closes her eyes and uses

her devil fruit power to scan the ship. After a few seconds, she states "He's on the upper

deck"

Luffy jumps to her feet, smiles and shouts "Thanks, Robin!" before slingshotting herself up

towards him.

Robins smiles and giggles behind her hand before standing up to refill her tea.

—-

Luffy lands on the upper deck before bounding over to Zoro, who is napping against the wall

and shouts in her usual exuberant fashion "Zoro!"

He cracked his eyes open and watched as she bounced over to him. He straightens back up,

slightly smiles at her, and greets back "Hey Luffy!"

She finally stops in front of him and questions him with a tilt of her head "Can you help me

with something?"

Intrigued, he can't help but nod "Sure cap, what's up?"

She huffs, smiles and crosses her arms "I want to work on my observation haki more and I

was hoping you could do what Rayleigh did to help me."

Zoro finally stands up and tilts his head at her "What did he do?"

Luffy smiles brightly at him "I don't know if you should use your sheathed sword or if we

should find another stick." She looks around before looking back to him. "I would have my

eyes closed and he would try to hit as I worked on dodging him"

He appraises her, they barely talked about what everyone did for training when they were

separated for two years. But he knew how much value it held to keep up strength. He nods to

her "No problem, I think my sword should do fine." He looks around and sees no one else up

there with them "Want to do it up here?"

She jumps up and down while raising her fist in the air and shouts "Yes!" She giggles again

before moving a few feet towards the side that faces the ocean and sits down.

He follows behind her cracking a small smile "Do you want to use my bandana or do you just

want to close your eyes?"

She full body laughs and giggles with delight "Ohhh I get to borrow your bandana?! Yes, yes

yes!" She turns around to face him with a large smile.

Zoro chuckles at her reaction before taking it off his arm and tossing it to her and warns

"Don't ruin it."

After she catches it and turns back around while tying it to her head, she promises "I won't!"

He undoes the Wado from his belt and asks "Let me know when you're ready."

Luffy vibrates in her place while mentally preparing herself for a few moments before

nodding her head and shouting "Let's go!"

For the first few minutes, Zoro begins trying to gently smack her in the head while she

dodges effortlessly. While doing so, he thinks back to when he first met her; their duel

dreams forging a bond between them that has reflected on every interaction since.

He picks up the pace, swiping and stabbing, trying to get a single hit on her. He's always

been impressed with his Captain, battle after battle she's proved herself invaluable to their

crew. He couldn't see himself following anyone else.

As the sun started moving down the horizon, their training continued. He only managed to

knock her a few times over the last few hours. He realized her breathing was getting heavier

and finally stopped and said "Let's get a drink and we can pick back up."

She lays on her back panting before pushing the blindfold up on her forehead and looks up at

him and giggles out "that was fun!"

Zoro put his sword back in his belt before offering her a hand to get back up. As she finally

gets to her feet, they hear from the lower deck someone screaming "Dinner!"

Luffy turns toward him before biting her lip "Can we eat up here?"

He looks at her while gripping the hilt of his sword, puzzled by her question, and chuckles

"Sure Cap, Rooster would never say no to you regardless. Do you want the rest of the crew or

just us?" As he starts walking to the stairs.

She runs after him and thinks "I'm fine with just Zoro plus I want to train something else

when we get done but first! Zoro Food!" And runs ahead of him and she hears him slightly

chuckle behind her.

As bounded into the kitchen, she started stacking her plates. She knew the food wouldn't be

as good as Sanjis but it was needed to get her energy back up. With three plates stacked high,

she leaves the galley, walking down the hallway to get back to her and Zoros spot.

She notices a tall figure entering the end of the hallway and all the insecurities from this

morning flood back to her mind. She walks faster, gives him a small shaky smile and a quick

nod before leaving him as fast as she could.

Law stood there after she fled wanting nothing more than to follow her. All he wanted to do

today was talk to her but between his check ups, planning and her disappearing he hadn't had

the time. He shakes his head and keeps walking hoping that they served something that

wasn't bread.

—

When she finally got back to the upper deck, she sat down with her feet over the railing and

watched the sun dip casting majestic colors over the ocean. Her plates laid out next to her,

she's lost in her thoughts as she absentmindedly eats.

Luffy thinks about the first time she met Law. How she was entranced by his kind golden

eyes to how he helped her after the war. Her chaotic feelings she's never felt before muddled

together with self doubt.

After grabbing his own plate, Zoro made his way back to the spot. He finds her lost in her

own mind not even noticing when he sits down next to her. He finally clears his throat "Hey

cap?"

She jumps slightly and turns towards him, and says around the food in her mouth "yeah?"

He observes her unusual behavior, knowing that she was probably hiding something. Taking

a bite of food he asks "Didn't see you after the party last night, everything you okay?"

She signs before taking a few more bites of food. She knows out of everyone on her crew,

Zoro could always read her like a book. She mumbles out around a bite "yeah, I'm okay, just

thinking."

Zoro laughs hard "Oh that's scary!"

Luffy nudged him with her elbow and joked back "Oh come on! I can think" and she hears

him snort and mumbles out avoiding his eyes count "sometimes"

He laughs some more before continuing to eat. "You mentioned earlier you wanted to try

training something else when we got done. What do you have in mind?"

She swallows quickly before giving him a bright smile "Oh! Armament Haki! I'm still trying

to figure out how though" she chews on her lips "we are going up against Kiado next, ya

know? I remember Rayleigh being able to punch things without touching it" she sighs "I

want to be able to do that."

After finishing up what's left on his plate, he leans back on his palms and considers her

requests. While looking up at the sky, he thinks about their options and the future battles, he

shakes his head "I can't believe we are going after an emperor already, seems like just

yesterday we were on a small dingy in the East Blue"

She finishes the rest that's on her plate and thinks about what he just said before lying on her

back looking up at the technicolor sky. She giggles "we just floated around before we got

Nami".

Zoro lays down next to her and snorts "Remember when that bird tried to eat you?"

Luffy smiles brightly "Remember how we scared Usopp when we first met?"

He full belly laughs "He was shaking like a leaf!"

"Was not!" Usopp cried out, scaring them both.

Startled, they both sit up and flip around to watch, Robin and Franky following him up the

stairs, before both of them lean against the railing behind them.

After the three of them make it to their location, Franky asks "What are you bros talking

about?"

Zoro and Luffy share a look before giggling, She answers between laughs "Just talking about

when it was just the two of us after I first set sail."

Zoro nods still laughing softly "yeah, I mentioned to her how it's crazy how we are already

going against Kiado"'

The three newcomers exchanged amused glances before finding themselves comfortable

sitting on the deck as well.

Robin, always the curious one, "I've never heard the story on how the two of you actually

met." While the two others nod their head in agreement.

They share another glance and Luffy laughs while Zoro slightly blushes. She jokes "Hey

Zoro, where did I find you?"

He clears his throat before side-eyeing her "You know I helped that girl" he sighs before

focusing on the three infront of them "I was tied up in the courtyard of a marine base for

thirty days without food for helping out a little girl and pissing off the Base Captain's son.

Luffy shows up a few weeks into my punishment, blackmails me and I've followed her

since"

Luffy gasps "I did NOT blackmail you!"

Zoro snorts "So what else would you call it? They were going to execute me! She gave me an

ultimatum, die on the sticks or she'd give me back my swords and join her crew".

Robins taps her chin while Franky and Usopp laugh.

Usopp says between giggles "Remember when she asked Sanji to join and she refused his

refusal?"

They all laugh, when they calm down Franky and Robin share a look. She winks at him, he

shudders and yelps. Soon enough they start sharing a variety of highs and lows about their

travels together.

—-

Long after the moon and stars lit the sky, the five Strawhats continued their conversation.

After sharing another laugh, Robin intervened "The King of the Beast is ahead and we still

need to climb Zunisha tomorrow. I think we should start heading to bed soon"

Luffy who has already been nodding off for a bit, yawns and stands "Good point, Robin" she

smiles at her loyal crew before walking off "Good Night!" Walking down the stairs she hears

a variety of night captains.

After climbing under her covers, she closes her eyes and wishes Law was here. She huffs and

turns on her side, she reminds herself that it was just an alliance and that she still has her

lovely nakama. She can't wait to see the rest of them tomorrow. She snuggles into her pillow

for a few more moments before falling asleep.

—-

Leaning against a tree facing the back of the ship with a book in his lap, Law found himself

between reading and facing his own racing thoughts. When the sky finally became too dark

to read properly, he huffed and stood up.

Looking around the now nearly empty deck, he pondered where his allied captain went.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he started walking to the cabin Bartolameo let her borrow. He

knocked softly on her door "Hey Mugiwara-ya, you in there?"

Silence.

Resting his head against the door he huffed under his breath before standing and summoning

"Room" and transporting himself inside the room only to freeze at the sight in front of him.

Looking at the bed, he found her curled into a ball deeply asleep. He couldn't help but take in

her figure, her long eyelashes that brushed the top of her adorable cheeks. How her hair

scrunched up to how her fingers gripped the blanket.

He closed his eyes and told himself to stop being a creep.

As much as he wanted to pull her back into his arms like the night prior, he couldn't bring

himself to climb into the bed. After a few minutes of deliberation, he decided to lay down on

the floor just a few feet away.

With Kikoku resting under his head, he closed his eyes. A small smile tugging at his lips as

he thought about how he'd see his crew tomorrow before sleep took him under as well.

—

The morning sun cast light through the window rising Luffy from her less than ideal sleep.

She grumbled slightly, eyes still closed as she walked to the in suite bathroom.

A few minutes later, she emerged after getting ready for the day, only to stop in her tracks

and stare at the figure on her floor. She crept closer to him and crouched over him.

Luffy always considered the stocic man handsome, but seeing him in this relaxed state sent

butterflies dancing in her stomach. She observed his faint white patches on his face, to his

facial hair and then to his earrings that always complimented his eyes.

Chewing on her lip, she couldn't help but question, why was he here?

Slightly annoyed, she poked his cheek, "Hey Law, it's morning"

She watched as his eyelids fluttered before his eyebrows scrunched together. Consciousness

finally catching up to him, he cracked his eyes before blinking a few times.

He sat up and yawned before looking at her with an earnest impression "Morning Lu-ya, we

need to talk about—" Only to get cut off by the boat lurching dangerously a few times, both

of them sharing a bewildered look before racing out the cabin.

To be continued…

Chapter End Notes

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I struggled with some of the plot but I think figured out.

Let me know what you think also what I should change or edit.

Thanks for reading!

Zou Doubts

When they reached the deck, they heard screams as the boat rocked again. Looking around,

Luffy jumped in excitement and screamed "IT'S HUGE!"

Law side eyed her, smiled softly and said "Zou's at the top"

She spins around to her crew, abandoning Law to his prep, to see how they are holding up.

Zoro and Robin look intrigued while Usopp is screaming and Franky is looking at the Sunny

in the distance.

She runs up to Franky and ask "Do you think anyone's on it?"

He hums "Maybe, we should check before we head up."

Luffy jumps up and down "I can't wait to climb it!"

Usopp screams at her that she's crazy.

After scrambling over to the Sunny and realizing it's empty, Kanjuro created a small dragon

with his powers to help with their journey. With a rough start, they began climbing Zunesha.

Half way up, they start to hear screaming. Luffy, from the front, looks up just as a stray

monkey hits her in the chest. It throws her off balance and falls off their ride hurling into the

ocean below them.

All the members of the Strawhats try to grab her as she falls past. Law grabbing a peddle

from his pocket opens a room and puts her back in place before the others can catch up on

what he just did.

Luffy, confused for a few moments, twists around to look at the others behind her. It takes a

few seconds until she locks gaze with Law, he smirks at her and winks. Rolling her eyes, she

huffs and turns around.

The rest of the half a day journey goes by without much incident.

During the ride, Law couldn't help but keep thinking about and watching her. She was just

captivating to him. He admitted to himself, he was intimidated in a way. He's never felt so

strongly about a person before, well besides his crew. He couldn't wait to have a private

conversation with her again and finally kiss those perfect lips.

—-

By late afternoon, they arrived at the top. Luffy being impulsive, immediately split up from

the group and rushed ahead. She heard screams behind her but they could never stop her from

an adventure.

The half of the Strawhats plus Law began to explore at a more acceptable pace. Reaching the

outside of the city, they couldn't help but notice the damage as questions began to filter

within the group.

In the forest, Luffy was found by some minks before some flooding started. With some help,

they finally reached solid ground. Shortly after, a small group of humans walked up to her

and asked about Law. She told them their Captain was here and she'd send him to them, if

she found him.

Meeting up with the others at the gate, they were escorted into the private property. Nami told

them that Sanji left the crew but she would never let them unless they truly wanted to. She

could see the distressed reaction on Zoro's face as Nami cried into her shoulder. The group

decided to postpone the raid to go retrieve him from Big Moms territory.

Leaving the Strawhats, Law began to use Bepos vivre card to find him. He shook his head

when he finally exited the gate, he was worried. Not only about Kiado, but now she was

going after another emperor. He knows she's strong and resilient but couldn't help a pang of

anxiety work his way to his bones.

—

When the reunion party geared up, Luffy was left puzzled, she hadn't been able to properly

talk to Law all day. She huffed eating another piece of meat. She looked through the crowd

trying to find courage when she spotted Nami.

She always felt Nami was more beautiful than her. She constantly had Sanji and other guys

willing to bend over backwards for her. Maybe it was jealousy or envy, she regarded in the

back of her mind.

Luffy ate another chunk of meat as an idea formed in her head. After she made up her mind,

she stood up from her table of endless food and made her way slowly to her.

Nami was in the middle of a drinking contest between a few minks, Zoro and a few members

of the Heart Pirates. Walking up behind her, she whispered in her ear in a reluctant voice,

"Nami, can you help me with something?"

Twisting around she found an unique and out of character emotion in her Captain's eyes. She

nodded towards her and turned back to the others and announced "I'll be back to kick your

asses in a minute, try catching up while I'm gone!"

She laughed heartily before leading Luffy away from others. Once out of ear range, asked

"What's up Luffy?"

Fiddling with her fingers and biting her lip. This was the first time she's been honest with

anyone about her current situation. She already made up her mind but now she needed to

execute it. She stammered out "I.. I.. well can you.." crossing her arms "just this once.. can

we maybe have a girls night? I really.. well I'd like to try and have you dress me up and

maybe.. maybe wear some makeup?"

Nami's jaw drops before jumping up and down "No way!" A giant smile bloomed on her face

"I've been trying for years! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Finally grasping the situation but still equally

elated "Do you want it to just be us two or can we invite Robin?"

Luffy hummed, she didn't know, she only planned to ask Nami. But maybe Robin's

intelligence could help her understand her emotional side better. "If Robin wants, she can

come too."

Smiling brightly and grabbing Luffys wrist, they weaved through the crowd of people. They

found Robin chatting with Franky and a few of the Heart Pirates. Racing up to them Nami

exclaimed excitedly "Robin! Come with us!"

Robins turned towards the shout. She looked between the two, Namis excited face and Luffys

shy and reluctant expression. She couldn't help but be intrigued, maybe she'll get answers to

some of the questions she's had about Luffy's strange behavior. Nodding back and she stood

up to follow.

They walked in silence as Nami led them to the cabin she's been staying at for the last few

days. Once inside she pushed Luffy into the chair in front of the vanity. She turned towards

Robin, "We are giving Luffy a makeover!"

Luffy rolled her eyes and mumbles "I said just this once"

Robin chucked slightly and answered Nami,"She's finally letting you dress her up? I'm glad

you found me so I wouldn't miss the monumental occasion."

NamI squealed again "I'm going to start on her makeup, can you pick out a cute outfit out of

the closet?"

With splitting up the tasks, Robin made her way over to the wardrobe. Shuffling through,

questions begin to arise in her, she couldn't help but ask, peaking at the younger girl's

reflection in the mirror "Lu, what's with the change of heart, we've been trying to get you to

do this since we met?"

She watched as her face begin to blush. Luffy stammered out still nervously fiddling with her

fingers "I..I.." she huffed "Can you.. can you keep a secret?"

Both Robin and Nami exchanged curious glances. She replied back "Of course, Captain"

before both of them went back to their respective assignments.

Biting her lip, mentally preparing herself as Nami worked on her foundation. "When.. when

we left.. left Dressrosa, I had a hard.. hard time forgetting about the battle. On the.. on the

rooftop" she closed her eyes "before.. before Law lost his arm.. Doflamingo.. he shot.. shot

him. He wasn't moving. I tried to shake him. Dof.. Doflamingo kept saying he was.. was

dead." She mentally shook her head to clear the image a few stray tears slipped from her eyes

"So when I.. I finally got time to actually think about it.. on.. on Roosters boat. It.. It.. it

reminded me.. reminded me so much of.. of A..A..Ace."she left out a choked sob.

When Nami first saw the stray tears, she set down the makeup she was working with and

shared an alarmed look with Robin. At the sob and she pulled Luffy into a hug not having the

right words to express herself.

Carrying a pile of clothes, Robin walked up to the hugging duo. Setting the pile on the bed

and closed her eyes for a few moments. None of them were there for their Captain when she

faced off in the war, none of them knew the mental toll it impacted her with. They could only

guess as they've all been through personal loss.

After Luffy calmed down, she sat back in the chair, the others still listening to every word she

said "I needed some space.. so I snuck away from the party." she bit her lip again and blushed

Robin begins to sort through the outfits she found while also looking through the jewelry.

Nami started reworking on her hair and make up.

She continued "I was crying at the back of the ship and." she blushed more "and Law found

me. He.. he hugged me until I calmed down"

Nami and Robin share another look both slightly smirking.

Huffing "We talked for a long while. I told him a lot of stuff that I haven't even told you guys

yet." She crosses her arms across her chest

Robin couldn't help but smile, a mutual crush? A relationship between captains, how cute.

Luffy lowered her voice "He kept calling me.. calling me Lu-ya and .. and.." she quietly

whispered "and sweetheart.. and .. He also… he also.. kept kissing me on the.. on the

forehead"

Nami tried so hard to keep from squealing. This was adorable. She's never seen her Captain

interested in anyone before. Stare grabbed some eyeshadow and teased "So what happened?"

Rolling her eyes and uncrossing her arms "It was.. I guess.. nice? I don't know. I'm confused.

We spent the night.. cuddling and talking in the cabin Rooster let me borrow. He was..in a

way.. different? More relaxed, I guess" she closed her eyes when Nami asked her to do so

"but the next morning..the next morning he went back to av..avoiding me. I.. I don't know"

she chews on her lip "So I keep just thinking that he.. he only wanted to calm me down so I..

I wouldn't mess up.. mess up the alliance."

Both the other girls' minds halted at that. They've never seen their Captain so self conscious

before. Robin asked "so that's why you were so upset and asked me to read that morning?"

Luffy huffs and nods "I'm just tired of thinking about it.. I just.. wanted to feel pretty.. that's

why I decided to.. to ask Nami"

Namis mind was still racing and she promised herself if Law ever makes her feel like this

again, they were going to inform the boys. She looked at Robin and could see the same

sentiment in her eyes as well. She promised "We will make you look beautiful! Robin, what

color did you decide so I can match the makeup?"

Robin smiled softly and pointed to a laid out outfit next to her on the bed. "Will this work?"

A large smile blooms on her face "Perfect!"

A short while later, Luffy stood in front of the mirror and couldn't help but smile. She's never

looked like this before. They picked out a maroon fitted babydoll dress, black kitten heels

and a simple black necklace. She also had ombre red lips and a light smokey eye. She spun

around and giggled before hugging both of them and whispering "Thank you" before looking

into the mirror one more time and announcing "Ready to go back to the party?"

—-

They walked out of the cabin chatting softly with each other until they reached the table that

they picked Robin up from earlier. The others were still sitting there. Franky looked up and

his jaw couldn't help but drop, he quickly recovered and shouted "SUPER!"

Luffy blushed as the others in his group looked up at his reaction. There were a variety of

reactions; some bewildered, some shocked and others with heart eyes.

Nami, ever the opportunist "Let's go show the rest!" before dragging her back through the

party.

She laughed and followed her. She couldn't help but feel better. The whole Sanji and Law

situation could wait a night. She felt amazing and laughed while spinning in a circle. "Thanks

again Nami!"

Her Captain looked radiant right now. She hasn't seen her smile like this since they met back

up but she couldn't help thinking back to their conversation from earlier.

What the fuck was Trafalgar doing that night? Her Captain is going to be the Pirate King!

She's not going to let some asshole fuck with her.

Finally walking back up to her table, she saw a few people passed out. There was two heart

pirates and Zoro left still drinking. She ran up and exclaimed "What a bunch of light

weights!"

Zoro laughed and turned around to reply only pause at the sight of his Captain. He's only

ever seen her in a tank top and shorts, never makeup. Smiling "Stunning, Lu! But yeah they

passed out fast."

Luffy only stopped spinning when she spotted the two with Zoro. Staring at them, she tilts

her head. "Were you at Sabaody?"

They look at each other. To them it's crazy, she only remembers them from Sabaody. But

their Captain made them go into a war to rescue her, and spent two weeks making sure she

didn't die. They also spent countless hours in surgery with her and Jimbei. She also wrecked

the ship when she woke up.

"Uh my name's Penguin and this is Sanchi" he finally stammers out.

She giggles and kicks her heel into the ground, biting her lip "I haven't said it yet, because..

well we haven't had the time." She walks up to them and slightly bows. Remembering

Makinos lessons, looking them in the eye "Thank you for ya know? The war and stuff. No

one has told me any details but thank you" before walking back over to Zoro and Nami.

"How many sakes have you had Zoro?"

Zoro laughs and nods at his Captain for the respect. "Stopped counting at eight, these guys

are at four. Want one?"

Luffy laughs and shakes her head "No, thank you. Nami, am I dropping you off here or are

you going with me to meet the others?"

She grabs a bottle and chugs it before grabbing another "Lets go! I want to see Brooks

reaction!"

They left the group and began walking through the crowd, many stopping to compliment her

outfit. She felt on top of the world, it was a perfect mood booster that she needed.

A few hours later, she was in the middle of dancing with Nami, Chopper and Ikkaku when

she spotted out of the corner her eye Law watching her. Biting her lip and a boost of courage,

she started slow dancing and moving her butt in a provocative way. Spinning a few times, she

stopped facing him and winked.

—

Law spent the evening checking up on his crew and informing them of what happened on

Dressrosa. He didn't mention to any of his crew about his situation with Luffy. He felt like it

was too personal, they haven't even made anything official yet.

As the party roared to life around him, Law found a perfect place to sit near a tree at the edge

of the crowd. He didn't really expect to fight Kiado when he proposed to work with the

Strawhats. Now he knew they needed a game plan with the alliance expansion that included

the Minks and Samurai.

Reading the book in his lap about the history of Wano, he heard cheering and hollering.

Looking up to see what the noise was about, he couldn't help but pause and appreciate the

sight before him.

In the center of the crowd was Luffy, but not a Luffy he's ever seen before. Her vibrant smile

as she spun in circles was radiant. His heart started beating louder. He was entranced, she

looked beyond beautiful. Her makeup made her face look godly while her outfit was

magnificent and fit her body like a glove.

He felt some drops leaking out of his nose, absentmindedly brushing it only to notice its

blood. He blushes deeply at the realization, forcing himself to look back at his book. A few

paragraphs later, he huffs under his breath and looks back towards her. He watches as she

starts to move her body in a way that makes some heat head south before she turns and looks

at him and winks.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he knew she was going to kill him. Tilting his head to the side,

he beckons her over with a single finger.

To be continued..

The Gamble

The reunion party on Zunesha's back was in full swing.

Under the vast, star-studded sky, the back of the large elephant was transformed into a lively

celebration. The air was filled with laughter, music, and the scent of exotic fruits turned into a

sea of color and comradery against the lush green of the forest.

Luffy saw Law's gesture and was curious but she needed help to battle it. Holding up a single

index finger, telling him one second, she turned back to Nami and tapped her on the shoulder

to get her attention. "Nami" she hushed quietly.

Nami who was dancing with the other girls turned towards the tap, she was then was faced

with a distressed look on her Captain. Even in the face of the world government and

countless enemies she's never seen this look before. "What's going on Lu?"

Luffy bit lip, suddenly becoming nervous, "Uh.. Law.. he wants me to go talk to him."

Namis eyes widened, still extremely protective after what she found out earlier. But she knew

this was a pivotal moment that her Captain needed to experience for herself. She lightly

encourages back "Go talk to him, but don't let him walk all over you. We're all here for you."

Then she jokes "if you need us to beat him up for you just let us know."

She giggles back at that remark and hugs her trusted crew mate. She whispers into her hair

"Thank you again for everything" before she starts walking away.

She didn't know what Law wanted to talk about. To her it seemed like it was another

discussion about plans so she reluctantly agreed because she didn't ruin the alliance and be a

burden. Even though she wanted more with him, she couldn't risk her wants with what

needed to be done. Her anxiety started to get the better of her, she crossed her arms and bit

her lip as she approached him.

Tilting her head as she saw him stand up, trying to sound nonchalant "What's wrong Law?"

His heart froze, he's never heard her act that way to him. Shes only ever called him his actual

name that night, he felt some of his hope die out. Bracing himself mentally, he gestured for

her to follow him further away into the forest.

She huffed, she just wanted to keep partying and have a night where she didn't have to worry

about fighting or plans. But reluctantly she followed him not before turning back to Nami one

more time.

Walking in silence, the woods were a symphony of rustling leaves and distant animal calls.

Law led Luffy deeper until the sounds of the party faded away.

Luffy leaned against a tree, arms crossed, getting slightly irritated "What do you want to

discuss Law? Is it about the Minks and Samurai joining? Because I still think it's going to be

better that they work with us."

Law was left completely baffled. He still couldn't get a read on her, he turned his head

slightly away for a few moments. Looking back and into her eyes, he scrunched his eyebrows

together "What did you just call me?"

She had always been drawn to Law, his intelligence and calmness always soothed her. But

she had never acted on these impulses, still unsure of how he felt about her.

But now, she was left confused "Uh Law? That's your name. Trafalgar Law."

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest matching her stance "What happened

to Torao? You've never called me by my actual name until leaving Dressrosa."

She huffed looking at the ground trying to collect her thoughts. This wasn't the conversation

she expected to have and she didn't know what to think. She closed her eyes trying to not cry

but her broken voice was still there "I .. I shouldn't have burdened you on Rooster's ship."

Finally looking back to him "I've been made aware.. that.. that you only comforted me so I

didn't mess up the alliance. So I apologize, I crossed a line. You keep saying we aren't

friends and I shouldn't keep trying to force you." She pushed off the tree. "Can I go back to

the party now?"

Law's eyes widened and his mind screeched to a halt. He ran a hand down his face "Is that

really what you think?"

Luffy shrugged, "I mean, it's the truth."

Stepping closer to her, his voice dropping "Actually, it's not."

She froze, looking at his face, trying to not get her hopes up she whispered back unsure "It's

not?"

He shook his head and closed his eyes momentarily trying to gain some courage. Looking

back at her "It's not and it hasn't been." He decided to just tell her the truth "I have.. Lu-ya,

I've liked you for years, since Sabaody. You" he huffed "You intimidate me, you're beautiful

and radiant. You could have any other other person and I'm not—" only to be cut off when

she hugged him.

As he was talking, her face started turning a deeper and deeper shade of red. She crossed the

distance and wrapped her arms around his torso pressing her face in his chest. She mumbles

"T..Torao..doesn't hate me.. "

Stunned for a few seconds before he wraps his arms around her shoulders pulling holding her

close. He tells her into her hair, "Lu-ya, sweetheart, I could never hate you. Yeah, you are

annoying sometimes but that could never turn into hatred"

Luffy tightens her arms around him, her heart beating wildly in her chest, still muffled by his

shirt "So.. so I'm not.. not a burden?."

Law pulls her back, with his arms still around her, he pressed his forehead against hers. He

looks into her eyes and promises "You will never be a burden to me, Monkey D Luffy" He

slightly blushes and admits shakily "I'm just" he bites his lip "scared. I've never felt so

strongly about someone before. But I'm willing to take this leap into this unknown adventure

however you want."

Her eyes lightly misted, she whispers back, still uncertain as if she's not allowed this "Are

you sure?"

He stands back up, readjusts his arms around his waist and smiles "I've never been more

serious."

She squeals slightly and hugs him again. Her face in his chest she bit her lip. "Torao?"

Running his hand up and down her back "yeah?"

Luffy flushes red "Can you… can you.. uh.. call me sweetheart again and uh.. kiss me on the

forehead?"

Law's heart beats fast in his chest and blushes, but he immediately kisses her head "You're

adorable but of course, sweetheart"

She can't believe it. She closes her eyes and lets herself melt into his embrace. This is so

surreal to her, still uncertain "Are.. are we.. uhh .. da.. dating now?"

He thinks while resting his chin on her head, it feels incredible now that she's back in his

arms again. He hums "I'd be honored Lu-ya but let's make a plan." He hears her giggle and

he rolls his eyes and smiles "Let's not tell our crews yet and I'll take you on a proper date

when we meet back up in Wano, how does that sound beautiful?"

She immediately got butterflies in her stomach and looked back up at him. She smiles

brightly at him before she kisses his cheek and snickers softly when she realizes she left a

lipstick kiss mark there because she's not going to tell him. Her giggles turn into a full belly

laugh, she's just overjoyed and shouts "Yes!"

His eyes soften at her, she truly looks radiant smiling like that. Looking her up and down "I

love the dress on you by the way" he shakes his head after kissing her forehead again "You

look incredible."

Luffy blushes and shyly smiles "Thanks. Maybe I'll let Nami dress me up again." She looks

back at the direction of the crowd "Can we go back? I still feel like dancing."

Law chuckles under her breath and hugs her close to him onece more "Of course,

sweetheart."

She remembers something that she wanted to ask him earlier. Stepping back from his

embrace, she bites her lip "Can I.. ask a favor?"

He tilts his head, intrigued, he nods "Sure, what's up?"

Fiddling with her fingers "I know.. I know you'd probably don't want me to do this. But I

already told your two hats guys, the next time.. uh .. the next time you have a crew meeting

or something, can you invite me for a little while so I can thank them for helping me during

the war?"

As much as he wants to protest, he can't say no to her "No problem, we will probably have

something like that tomorrow before you leave. I'll give you a heads up, does that work?"

She smiles brightly at him "You're the best Torao!"

After a few more minutes of hugging, they venture back to the party sharing laughs with each

other. At the edge of the crowd, Luffy hugs Law one more time before bouncing back to the

dance floor where she still sees her friends.

Shaking his head and chucking under his breath, he can't get over how full his heart is. He

looks across the crowd and sees Bepo laying down chatting with a few of his crew. Grabbing

a bottle of sake first, he strides up to them, interrupting the current conversation, and sits

down leaning on Bepo "We are all set to head to Wano tomorrow after Mugiwara-ya and her

bunch leave to Big Moms territory"

After taking a swig of his drink, he looks around and realizes it looks like they are all trying

hard not to laugh, he snaps "What?"

Penguin and Sachi share a look and giggle. Penguin teases "Oh nothing, Captain"

Law narrows his eyes at them "If you don't tell me, you're staying dismembered until

tomorrow" he moves his arm "Room"

Sachi shrieks "Captain.. you.. uh" he sends a panicked look to Penguin

Bepo rolls his eyes "You have a kiss strain on your cheek! Sorry"

Law immediately drops his room while turning bright red. He closes his eyes, god damnit

Luffy, but he can't help but crack a slight smile. He huffs and wipes his cheek before taking

another long sip. Looking back at his crew, he narrows his eyes "You tell no one, understand

me?"

"Yes, Captain!" The three announce then share a look.

The four of them fall into a steady conversation about Zou and what Law missed while on

Punk Hazard. He can't help but adore his crew, but a few times an hour he still looks across

the crowd to Luffy.

He can't believe that's what she thought the last few days. He's going to have to prove to her

that he's in this for the long run and means it.

—-

After leaving Law, Luffy bounced across the dance floor to the group she left and smiled

while shouting "Nami!"

She turns to the shout of her name, her Captains is in a better mood. So she doesn't have to

strike Law with lightning yet "Did everything go okay?"

Luffy full body laughs, still feeling light after their conversation, she hugs her friend and

whispers in her ear "Yeah, I'll tell you more later. But we are going on an actual date when

we get to Wano." She pulls away so she can watch the reaction on her face.

Nami's jaw goes slack for a few moments, then she suddenly squeals, jumping up and down

"I'm so happy for you! But yes, Robin and I'll need more details otherwise I'm going to

charge you!"

After a few hours of dancing around the fire, the crowd begins to die out. Nami already

excused herself to go drink with Zoro again. Luffy looks around and spots Law leaning

against his bear with his eyes closed.

She thinks about it for a few moments, she really wants to spend more time with him before

they split. Making up her mind, she walks up to him and sits quietly next to him leaning up

against Bepo as well. After a few minutes, her eyes start to get heavy and she rests her head

on his shoulder.

When he felt something on his shoulder, he peaked his eyes open and looked over. A small

smile pulls on his lips, he mumbles "Lu-ya?"

She jumps slightly and immediately sits up "Sorry Torao!"

Law shakes his head and wraps his arm around her, pulling her back in, "It's no problem

sweetie, did you have a fun time?"

Getting comfortable against him, she nods and giggles "Yeah! But now I'm tired and hungry"

He picks up a few rocks from the ground and side eyes her "You just want meat or anything

else?"

She blushes, "Uh.. just meat."

He slightly laughs back "Figures" before he mutters 'Room' and a few seconds later, he

hands her two plates "Here, now you get to stay next to me and eat" and winks at her.

Luffy smiles brightly at him, like she just found the One Piece. She kisses his cheek again,

this time not leaving any lipstick, "Thanks Torao" between bites "You're right" while leaning

against him "I am comfortable here and I didn't want to get up."

Law watches her eat while enjoying her presence next to him. He kisses her temple and

teases "Thanks for leaving that lipstick earlier, the boys laughed at me"

She turns red, avoids his eye contact and says in the most disbelieving tone "I have no idea

what youre talking about Torao"

He rolls his eyes, snorts and lightly tickles her side "Ohh sure you don't"

She full belly laughs, after calming down and finishing her food, she curls up by his side and

rests her head on his chest. "I never realized how soft your bear is."

He wraps his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close "His name is Bepo, but he's great.

I'll have to tell you the story of how we met one day but since then he's been a loyal

companion and a wonderful nap spot."

Luffy yawns slightly "Tell me now, come on. It's only fair, I've already shared an

embarrassing story with you."

Law looks down at her sleepy face pressed against him, he can't help but feel grateful. He

whispers just loud enough for her to hear "After Cora died, I had to flee the island I was on. I

was still a sick kid since I just ate my Devil Fruit. I landed on a place called Swallow Island

in the North Blue. After a bit of exploring, I stumbled upon poor Bepo here getting bullied by

Sachi and Penguin. So guess what I did?"

She lightly laughs, her eyes closed "Beat them up!"

He kisses the top of her head "Exactly, I took Bepo with me back to the residence I was

staying at. He was only nine at the time. A few days later, we saved Peng and Sach when they

got attacked by a boar. Ever since then we've been traveling together."

She pressed against him more, "How old was Torao?"

He takes a second to mentally think back "Uh.. I think about thirteen or fourteen. I'm not too

sure."

She humm into his chest "That's a long time"

He nods his head "It's been more than a decade with them. I don't know where I'd be without

them."

A few seconds later, he hears her start to snore. He chuckles under his breath and mutters "I

knew this was going to happen"

Bepo, who has been awake for the whole exchange, can't help but blink a few times to stop

the tears. He's never seen his Captain like this. He's happy for him, if Luffy makes Law

softer and more unguarded, they'll gladly accept their relationship.

He thinks back to what Law said about him, his heart beats loudly and quietly whispers so he

doesn't wake Luffy "Awee Captain, you really do love us"

Law, who forgot about him being too tied up with Luffy, twitches slightly, he says back "Of

course I do, silly bear." He watched her face for a few more moments "Bepo, do you know

where an empty cabin is that we can sleep in?"

He thinks while looking at the buildings on the other side of the clearing "I'm not sure

Captain, I'd ask Nami. Sorry"

He curses under his breath. "Stop apologizing, I have another idea" He gently reaches into his

pocket to grab a small notebook and pencil and scribbles out a note

'Where should I put Luffy to bed? She's asleep next to me. -TL'

He opens back up a room and swaps it with an open bottle of sake that Nami had in her hand

and takes a drink out of it.

A few minutes later, he watches as Nami walks up to them less than sober now. She silently

coos at the sight of them when she gets close enough. He follows her finger as she points

"See the one on the top right, there's a room at the back you can rest in. Can you get her there

or should we get Zoro to carry her?"

He shakes his head at her, "No I got it, is there clothes there she can change into? I don't

think she'll be comfortable sleeping in this."

Nami gushes in her head, he's being so considerate. "Yeah, I think some of my clothes might

be in that room and also her clothes from earlier. Feel free to use any of it." She looks at him

more sternly, "Please take good care of her Law. She's got a big heart"

Law smiles slightly at her, he knew he was going to get some type of shovel talk from the

Strawhats at some point. He looks down at the sleeping girl on his side. "I promise I'll do

everything in my power to make sure she never loses her charisma." Than he looks back at

Nami in her eyes "If I mess up, I'll personally let your crew kill me in the most brutal death

possible"

She smiles and nods at his terms "I'll hold you to it. Have a good night" and she leaves back

to her spot.

He sits there for a few moments to finish the sake that he stole. "Bepo, I'll see you guys in

the morning. We will have a meeting before everyone departs."

Bepo nods and lets out a yawn "Good night Captain, I'll let the others know."

Readjusting her in his arms, so he's carrying her in a bridal style, he slowly stands. He nods

once more to his second in command before opening up a room and shambling them away.

—

Once inside the dimly lit room, he sets her down on the bed before kneeling down and gently

taking her shoes off. Looking around, he spots a pile of clothes near the closet, ruffling

through it he finds a pajama set that has a tank top and shorts.

Before he changes her, he walks into the bathroom to relieve himself and get a warm cloth to

clean her makeup off. Exiting the bathroom, he slips off his shoes and sits next to her on the

bed.

He really doesn't want to wake her but it needs to happen, gently shaking her shoulder "Lu-

ya, sweetheart" he repeats a few times until he sees her eyelashes flutter open.

She yawns slightly and rubs her eyes "Torao?"

Mentally he can't get over how adorable she is. "Yeah sweetie, it's time for bed but you need

to change and wash your face first."

Grumbling slightly, she sits up "Where are we?"

He bites the inside of his cheek, "Nami said to take you here, when I asked where you should

sleep."

Luffy, still half asleep, nods "Okay" She blinks a few times "Where are my clothes?"

Law gestures to the pile next to him "She additionally said you could use some of her clothes

so I grabbed some pajamas for you, also a rag to clean your makeup off"

She smiles at him with her eyes still closed and grabs the clothes and stands up. Not even

bothering walking into the bathroom and starts stripping, only down to her underwear before

she opens her eyes fully to look at Law. She shyly smiles at his red face before redressing.

He watched as she stood and took her dress off, he was fully expecting her to still be wearing

a bra. But lucky for him, she wasn't. He tried to steady his breathing to stay calm but he

definitely felt his face heating up and blood rushing south. He reminded himself that he was

beyond lucky to have found such a wonderful woman.

Finally setting back on the bed, fully clothed in the outfit Law picked out. She picked up the

rag and looked at him "Can you help me with this to make sure I get it all fully off?"

He grabbed the small towel from her "No problem just stay still for a second" over the course

of the next few minutes he meticulously wipes it away. Setting the cloth on the floor, he

kisses her cheek "Gorgeous as always. Ready to go back to sleep now?"

She nods then bites her lip "Torao?"

He paused as he was getting the blankets and pillows ready, "yeah?"

She blushes "Can.. can you sleep shirtless?"

Now it's his turn to blush but he takes off his shirt as she requested. A short while later, they

climb into bed with her curled next to him again. He kisses her head that's resting on his

chest, "Good night sweetheart"

Luffy mumbles back, already being soothed to sleep by the best of his heart "Night Torao"

He closes his eyes after he finally hears her finally fall asleep. He thinks back to the events of

the day, feeling grateful and at peace for the first time in a long time. Being back with his

crew and having her in his arms, he falls asleep with a smile on his face.

—-

Law woke up slowly to a soft feeling on his chest, he cracks open and watches her gently

trace the tattoo on his chest. More rested than he's been in a while, he faintly speaks

"Morning Lu-ya"

After being entranced for so long, she jumps slightly and turns her head to look at him, face

red and shyly smiling "Morning Torao, did I make you up?"

He shakes his head before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest and

closes his eyes again "No you didn't wake me" he pokes her side before tickling it slightly

and teases "But I know why you didn't want me to wear a shirt now."

After laughing ontop of him, she props herself up so she's above his face "Oh do you? Maybe

I didn't want you to get overheated." She smirks

He chuckles, he can definitely get used to waking up like this with her. Still smiling softly,

"that's probably true too. You're like a little heater" he kisses her nose "Do you know what

time it is?"

Her cheeks flush slightly pink, she doesn't know what she likes more his forehead kiss or that

one he just did but either way her heart beats wildly "No clue, but I'm starting to get hungry"

as she finished saying that her stomach growled loudly so she hid her face in his neck and

whined "Torao, hungry"

Law kisses her head once more "We should probably get changed and go meet up with

everyone else, sweetheart."

Luffy huff, not wanting to leave the moment but she knew what he said was true. They had a

long day ahead of them. She hugs him awkwardly and breathes in his scent one more time

before sitting up. "Okay Torao" she gets off the bed to find her clothes.

A short while later, they leave the room prepared for the day, Laws arm draped over her

shoulder. Walking down the hallway and outside, he warns "Please be careful when we're

gone, I know you want your cook back. But you are going into an Emperors territory"

She rolls her eyes and leans into him and teases "I know. I have to make it back to you, you

promised me a proper date and a fight with Kiado after all."

He kisses her head one more time, his heart picking up "Glad you didn't forget." He pauses

"Oh, I forgot to tell you after breakfast I'm going to have a meeting with my crew since you

wanted to join. But first let's go get some food before your stomach starts eating itself." He

hugs her one more time before releasing her.

She turns to him with a bright smile and hugs his chest "Thank you Torao." Before she starts

running towards the smell of the food.

Law chuckles at her actions while shaking his head and follows her at a steady pace. He can't

help but feel like this is a dream.

—-

Breakfast was a lively affair with the Minks, Pirates and some of the Samurai. He can't help

but appreciate the familiarity they are already showing to each other. Looking across the

room, he can't keep his eyes off Luffy, he will miss her laugh and company when they are

separated.

Shortly after the meal ended, he gathered up his crew at the edge of the clearing. Before he

starts, he looks around and tries to spot her as she disappeared with her crew.

He turns back to his crew and starts laying out his plan stating they will be taking half of the

Strawhats with them to Wano and to make sure they feel comfortable even if the Polar Tang

will feel slightly more cramped for the journey.

Prior to ending the meeting, "There's two more things we need to do before we depart. We

will watch Mugiwaras group disembark and she wants to tell you guys something." He huffs

and reaches down and grabs a rock before muttering "Room" and swaps her in place next to

him.

Slightly disoriented, she looks around, not expecting to be interrupted with her conversation

with Zoro and spots the group in front of her. She turns and smiles brightly to Law "My

turn?!"

Law huffs slightly and nods "Go ahead"

The group is looking at her confused while sharing side glances with each other.

Luffy walks into the middle of their semi circle group, gets down on her knees before bowing

until her head reaches the ground "Thank you all for two years ago. I don't know all the

troubles I caused you during that time" she sits back up and looks at them all slowly in the

eye, while hers were slightly misted "But if it wasn't for you guys and Law, I would've never

made it back to my Nakama. I owe you all a great deal and appreciate you all tremendously."

They all slightly drop their jaws, besides Penguin and Sachi, some of them are even sniffling

slightly. They never expected this from her. Bepo immediately moves and scoops her up in a

hug. It turns into her wrapping her arms around all twenty plus of them.

Before long, her group is standing at the edge of the massive elephant ready to leave. She

looks back at the individuals surrounding them, she spots Law out of the corner of her eye

and makes an impulsive decision. She runs up to him "Torao come with me for a second, I

need to ask you something." Before running away from the crowd.

Intrigued, he can't help but follow her. They get slightly behind the foliage before he turns to

her "What's wro—" only to get cut off with her lips tentatively touching his.

Taken by surprise it takes a few moments for him to reciprocate. Law's hands move to cup

her cheek and one moves to her waist while returning the kiss. He dreamed about this for

months, her lips are so soft and careful.

She breaks the kiss and smiles at him "I needed to do that, who knows when I'll see you

again."

He chuckles "One more for good luck" and kisses her only one more time, even though he's

now addicted to the feeling.

They meander out to the others, Law is still slightly dazed from the kiss. She runs toward her

group, putting back on her backpack before stretching her arms around the group going with

her and shouts "Bye! Leave Sanji to us!" She jumps off the side of Zunesha and yells one

more time "See you all in the land of Wano!"

The remaining group screams, Law can't help but chuckle, she never stops amazing him. He

shakes his head trying to forget about her perfect lips, but he knows that's going to be an

impossible task.

To be continued…

New Kinship

After leaving the back of Zunesha, Law relaxed, finally being inside his submarine again

after over a year. The bright yellow ship cut peacefully underneath the waves, but his mind

was stuck between two things, Luffy and the goal to take down an Emperor.

Sitting at his desk, he wrote half hearted plans into his notebook, but one question stuck at

the front of them all: what should he do to make a perfect date for her? He needs to make it

special but he doesn't know what to do.

Leaving back in his chair, he closes his eyes and thinks about everything she has told him.

Biting his lip, half an idea comes into mind. Springing from his chair, he starts searching for a

person that might be able to help. Winding through the corridors, he spots her in the empty

library.

Taking a seat beside her, "Nico-ya, may I ask for your assistance on something?"

Intrigued, she closes her book and focuses on him "That depends on what you're asking for"

He bites the inside of his cheek "I know you have some connections to the underworld,

would you be able to help me get a den den number and a location on someone?"

She looks at him, like she's trying to crack a puzzle, "I might be able to, but I need more

information before calling my contacts."

Law looks around to make sure no one is listening before he answers in an uncharacteristic

way for him "I'm only telling you this because I trust you to keep a secret, understood?"

Robin nods "I understand, I'll keep your confidentiality"

He huffs and slightly blushes "I promise Lu-ya before she left that when we met up again, I'd

take her on a proper date" he looks away from her "She mentioned to me some key people

from her childhood that I think she'd be ecstatic to talk to them again. Maybe I could surprise

her with that?"

She giggles slightly under her hand. They are so adorable, a date? The moody surgeon is

truly surprising her. "What people are you trying to contact?"

He leans back in the chair, crosses his arms across his chest and looks ahead "That's my

issue, one is heavily guarded and the other is on an island in the East one in the

East Blue is called Makino" He bites his lip nervously "Maybe this idea probably won't work

after all."

She tilts her head to the side, considering his request "Don't give up yet. The East Blue

person may or may not be feasible with my connection with Revolutionaries." She taps her

chin, trying to think of all the people in her Captain's past that she knows about but coming

up blank "I'll try to help you find the other person as well, but I'm unclear on who you might

be referring to."

Law glances at her out of the corner of his eye "Do you know the story about her hat?"

Robin pauses and thinks a bit before she shakes her head "No, only that I was made as a

promise to someone."

Looking back ahead and he sighs "Well thats the person, I'm just trying to get a location on"

running a hand down his face "I know they are in the New World but I'd like to talk face to

face before getting his number."

She turns to face him "Law, I can't help you unless you tell me a name and after I call the

revolutionaries I might be able to give you a location of them."

He looked down at his lap, still uncertain. I would mean being in contact with three of the

four Emperors at the same time, it was a huge risk. He huffs and turns to her "It's Akagami

no Shanks"

If she was shocked or alarmed by the news, she didn't show it on her face. She simply

nodded "Understood. I suspect that you already analyzed the risks of reaching out to him?"

Law rolls her eyes at her "Yes but I just want to make Lu-ya happy."

Robin gives him a small smile, she could tell he was smitten with her Captain. "Give me a

few hours to reach out to Koala and I'll find you."

He stands and thanks her before walking back to his cabin to get back into planning. He

realized he would truly do anything to make sure she stayed smiling and happy. But also

can't stop worrying and hoping she remains safe while dealing with Big Mom.

—-

Finally calming down after falling to their ship, Nami set the course for Big Moms territory.

It was the next day that she finally had a chance to talk to her Captain and have a

conversation about the behavior at the party.

Sitting on her bed in her and Robin's room she asks "What happened with you and Torao

after meeting him in the woods?"

Luffy blushes slightly and turns her face away "..nothing"

Nami huffs "Come on, you told me you'd tell me later. I need details."

She bites her lip for a second. "Well I thought he only wanted to talk to me about the

alliance.. So I kind of yelled at him for disrupting my party"

She gasps "No way! Why did you think that?"

She crosses her arms "He only talked to me about our goal the last few days so how was I

supposed to know he wanted differently?!"

Nami laughs "So what did he say after you yelled at him?"

She hides her face in her hands and giggles slightly "I kept calling him by his name.. Law not

Torao and he got kind of mad that I kept doing that.. so.. it let us to an honest conversation"

Nami rolls her eyes playfully "What did he say?"

Luffy finally looks at her friend "That he.. that he has liked me since Sabaody." She blushes

more "He told me that he was scared because he's never felt like this about someone before.

He also said he's willing to take this at any pace I'd want."

Nami gasps "And what pace do you want?"

She fiddles with her fingers "I just want to be around him more and get to know him better. I

really like cuddling with him.. I don't know why but he makes me feel" she looks around the

room "safe?"

Nami squeals "You are so cute! I know you spent the night together did you get up to

anything fun?" She wiggles her eyebrows

Luffy blushes more, "Nooo. We only kissed on the lips right before I left."

They spent the rest of the evening talking about relationships and love. For Luffy it felt

wonderful being able to fully talk about it. She was confused for so long about Law but now

she knows it's heading in the right direction.

—-

Half a day and several cups of coffee later, he hears a knock at his door. Curious, he stands to

answer it only to see Robin there with a notebook. He invites her in so they can continue their

private conversation.

Standing in the middle of the room, he crosses his arm "Did you find anything out?"

She smiles at him and hands him a page "Yes, actually. We are lucky Sabo, Luffy's older

brother, was nearby. Apparently after he regained his memory, he visited Dawn and received

Makinos' number."

Law looks down at the neatly written digits at the top of the page "I appreciate that, thank

you. What about the other contact?"

Her smile falters slightly "That one was more complicated to get. There have only been

sightings of Akagami, he is known to not stay in the same place for too long. Luckily for the

last month or so he's been jumping between two islands which aren't too far from our

location. I noted those on the paper I handed to you as well. Additionally, as rumors state, he

does not attack unless you attack first."

He nods his head "Thank you again for the help. I don't plan on fighting him, especially with

us dealing with the other two Yonko right now." He looks at the paper one more time, while

thinking before asking "Would you Strawhats be okay with me dropping you off in Wano?."

Robin nods at him and smiled ominously , "Hope you meeting him won't cause your death. "

He smiles slightly "Thank you again" he walks to the door. Once he mumbles closed the door

and alone again he mumbles to himself "I'm going to have a meeting with my crew ."

After she leaves, he spends a few minutes, sitting on his bed just looking at the page she

handed him earlier. He is glad Robin was able to help him but he can't help but feel nervous.

He sighs deeply, resting his head in his hands, he still remembers her scream when she woke

up after surgery. If this small gift will make her smile, even if it is meeting the in-laws. At

that thought he froze and ran a hand through his hair. He huffs one more time before walking

to the kitchen with the page neatly in his pocket.

—

Whole Cake Island was a catastrophe.

Right before arriving, with no food on board, Luffy ended up poisoned by eating a toxic fish.

Then when they finally reached Sanji, he started attacking and verbally abusing his Captain.

It wasn't until later that night, away from his abusive family that they talked.

The group came up with a solid plan to ruin Sanji's arranged marriage the following day.

With the group resplitting up for the execution, Luffy finally felt some of the stress leave her

body.

—-

After dropping off the group in Wano with explicit instructions to hide and not cause any

fights or trouble. It was just past three in the afternoon, when Law pulled the paper from his

pocket. He looked at it for a few more minutes before reaching for his private encrypted

DenDen and dials

PURPURPUR fills the silence of his Quarters.

It take a few more rings before he hears a friendly woman's voice

"Party's Bar, Makinos Speaking. How may I help you?"

He sighs relieved that it was the right number.

"Hello, my name is Trafalgar Law and I was calling to speak to you—-."

He gets cut off when he hears a gasp on the other side of the line.

"Trafalgar Law! The same one that's in an alliance with our Lu?!"

He chuckles slightly at her excitement

"Yes ma'am. I obtained your information from Sabo-ya and decided to make sure this is the

correct number. I was going to surprise Lu-ya with a call to you. She has expressed to me

how much you meant to her. Would you be available for a call in a few weeks?"

He hears her sniffle

"You sweet boy! I'd love to talk to her! Would it be okay if Dadan joins the call too?"

He racks his brain for that name but comes up empty, he'll have to ask her later about it.

"That's no issue at all, I'm sure she'd be glad to hear from her too"

He hears a knock at his door and a muffled "Captain the island is spotted"

He turns back to the den den

"It was a pleasure talking to you Makino-ya. But something came up and I'll call you back in

a few weeks."

"Talk to you soon, sweet boy. Be safe" and she hangs up.

He smiles slightly, she was really pleasant, he hopes his interaction with Shanks will go as

smoothly. He grabs a folder that he copied last night wondering if they'll even want it.

Exiting the room, he walks to the bridge where Bepo greets him with a report "Captain, we

are ninety degrees east of their location. We will have to walk through a small stretch of trees

to reach them. Jean Bart agreed to remain hidden after we departed"

He nods to Bepo "Thanks for the help, Bepo."

A little while later and a quick shambles with his power, the two of them where on the beach.

Quickly looking around they could tell they island was uninhabited, he sighs and begins to

lead them through the foliage.

—

After about twenty minutes of walking in silence, Law could see a man shorter than him with

spiky red hair running up to them. He paused making the other stop as well.

With an angry look on his face the man asks "The Boss sent me, are you here for a fight?"

Law raises his hands in a placating matter and shakes his head "No sir, we just came to have

a civil conversation with him about his Anchor"

He studies his face for a moment more than the other behind him as well. They looked

familiar but he couldn't place them. "Stay here, I'm going to inform the Boss then I'll be right

back" before he runs back to where he came from.

They exchange uneasy glances but no one makes a sound. Law closes his eyes and hopes this

will go well.

—-

Rockstar runs back into the area of the party and up to his first mate and Captain "Boss, I

located the group you sensed."

Shanks breaks his conversation "What did they have to say?"

He catches his breath after running "It was only two individuals but the leader said he wasn't

here to fight. He did relay something else that was confusing though" and tilts his head

Beckman lights a cigarette "And what did he say?"

He looks between the two of them "He mentioned that he just wanted to talk to you about

your Anchor? But I'm don't know what that means"

Beckmans eyes widen and shares a look with Shanks who looks equally surprised. "No need

to be confused, we understand his message. Treat them with respect and bring them here"

Rockstar nods at them before running back in the woods.

Shanks turns his second in command and laughs "Well it's definitely my daughters friends if

they know that nickname."

He shakes his head "I'm curious on what they want though."

—

Law sees the same man running back towards them, hoping that they've come to an

agreement.

The man stops before them and pants for a few seconds to catch his breath "The Boss said he

understood your message and to bring you to him."

He nods back before following the man. A few minutes of walking in silence. They can hear

chatter when they arrive closer to the treeline. Once breaching the beach, he could see dozens

of people littered around, some turning to the commotion of the man with him. Walking

across the sand, Law finally sees the Yonko and swallows a lump in his throat.

He watches as Rockstar approaches the man of the hour that's facing away "Boss, the group

you requested is here."

Shanks turns towards them. Intrigued why the rookie was here and makes his way up to the

group and laughs slightly seeing the polar bear flinch. His eyebrows draw together before he

addresses them "Why did you come out here, Trafalgar Law? Were you not in an alliance

with Straw Hat?

Even if he's slightly intimidated, he's here for a goal "Would you believe me if I told you that

she's doing something crazy so I'm babysitting half her crew?"

He laughs again "Crazy's her middle name that's for sure" he leads them to a small fire pit,

"Relax. We have booze and some food over there" he points about twenty feet away the

laughs "You can have some as long as you share stories of Anchor"

Law nods in thanks. "We have plenty of stories about her." He watches his friend walk to the

table to grab drinks."I also brought you a gift, I don't know if I should give it to you or your

doctor but I made a copy of her medical file."

Shanks eyes go wide and slightly mist and he whispers "No way.." he looks around. "I'm

going to grab Hongo, make yourself at home"

Shortly after he leaves, they sit on the logs looking around. Bepo meekly asks "Captain, are

you sure this is a good idea?"

He watches the Yonko drag a man with a blonde bun back to them "We aren't here to fight,

only to ask a few questions and maybe share some information with a potential parental

figure."

Shanks laughs deeply from what he heard the rookie say "She's my daughter!" He nearly

yells

Bepo flinches but doesn't say anything but Law cracks a small smile. He's glad his instincts

were correct. "She definitely talks about you like a father as well. Between you and Beck" he

teases and smirks "You might have to fight him for the title"

Shanks gasps and turns to his first mate who is walking up to the group "BECKMAN YOU

WOULDN'T DARE!"

Beckman drops into a chair around the fire, lights a cigarette and smirks "Who knows Boss, I

think she might love me more. If it wasn't for your precious hat I'd think I would be the

favorite."

Shanks smiles wildly and grabs his stumped arm "It wasn't just a hat."

Hongo take a seat a few feet away from Law and introduces himself "I'm Hongo, the

Akagami Pirates main doctor. I heard you brought our Anchor's medical file?"

Law bites the inside of his cheek and pulls it out of his jacket "I would recommend reading

this privately. There is imagery and a detailed report of all incidents since leaving her home

island.

That includes multiple pages on what needed to be done post war two years ago."

He gently takes the file from him with a solemn expression "You have no idea how much this

means to us. Can you give me a shortened verbal report of what happened?"

Beckman focused back on the two doctors "Trafalgar, I only saw her unconscious before she

went aboard. What did you do about her wounds?"

Shanks takes a seat next to Beckman and takes a long sip out of his drink "We tried to be

there earlier but we had to stop Kiado from showing up" he shakes his head

Law knows this will be a hard conversation for them and him but it needs to be done. He

braces himself and takes a drink for some liquid courage "We had both Jimbie and her in my

surgical suite. I immediately focused on her while my team worked on the other individual."

He closes his eyes briefly before taking a deep breath "You all know how she arrived in

Marineford with the escapees from Impel Down, correct?"

Beckman and Hongos eyes shadowed slightly. Shanks grips his cup a little tighter and nods

"We've heard some recounts of it but not the full details."

Law noticed some of the other senior officers joined them but continued "While being there,

she received a major poisoning that Ivonkov told me she treated with her hormone fruit, but

on my table I found there were still traces in her blood." He watches as some of them flinch

"Working on her chest wound from Akainu, her vitals began to drop and the surgery took a

major turn. Would you like me to continue?"

Shanks arms are slightly shaking and nods "She's my kid, I need to know"

Law looks at the rest of the group, some are already ashen and bluntly states "Her heart

stopped twice, multiple of her organs were in failure. There is a detailed list in that file. It

took me 14 hours, with the help of my Devil Fruit and a near full blood transfusion, to clear

any trace of poison and to get them back in working order."

Beckman curses under his breath and sees out of the corner his eye is Captain silently crying.

"We always hoped it wasn't that bad. But how was her recovery?"

He sees Bepo shaking his head besides him "She was in a natural coma for two weeks. That

gave her internal organs time to heal. But, she still had her chest wound and her mental state

to deal with."

Shanks balls his hand into a fist "This whole situation pisses me off. I warned Whitebeard

about Teach and Ace. Not only did Ace die but my daughter got pulled into the traitors

mess."

Lucky Roux takes a bight out of his meat "What happened when she woke up?"

Law closes his eyes and shakes his head for a few seconds "She immediately screamed and

busted through the top of my submarine onto land nearby, destroying the roof. That scream is

something, I think I'll remember forever. It took the help of Jimbie talking to her for her to

calm down. Before they could come back out of the forest though, the old man showed up. I

gave him instructions and care advice than we left."

Yasopp blinks and tilts his head "Old man?"

Law laughs slightly "We were in the calm belt and Silvers Rayleigh just swims up to us."

Shanks belly laughs "I can definitely see him doing that. Trafalgar, how did you meet

Anchor?"

Law smirks "On Sabaody. Watched her do something magical and we ended up fighting

marines together."

Beckman can't help but notice the boy has such a fond tone when he talks about her. "We

didn't hear any reports or anything from Rayleigh, what did she do?"

Law looks at them all and in a deadpan expression he blurts out "She punched a Celestial

Dragon."

They all screamed "WHAT?!"

Law laughs "The best part is the Strawhats took down two more too. It was the show of the

century."

Shanks looks at him like he grew a second head. "She's always been crazy, glad she has

people in her crew as insane as her too." Before finishing off his bottle but as he goes to stand

Law held out a new bottle to him "This is another gift I have for you, it's one of my favorite

local brews from the North Sea." He shakes his head "But her craziness keeps surprising me,

even with her latest mission."

Shanks accepts the bottle "Thanks, this is delicious, Beckman from the North Blue too."

Beckman lights another cigarette "We haven't been back in years, what island were you

from?"

Bepo freezes and looks at Law.

Law closes his eyes momentarily and looks at him again "Ever heard of White City?"

Beckmans eyes widened and nodded "Yeah, but all reports stated the only people to survive

were the Nobles."

Law takes another drink "That is correct, my family was part of that destruction. I found a..

less than ideal way to leave but I was still infected by the disease."

Shanks stares directly at Law, his mind whirling with the new information.

Beckman bites his lip and takes another drag "How did you cure yourself?"

Law taps the side of his drink "It's a long story of betrayal. Luckily, my adopted dad who

worked as a spy found my Devil Fruit. I spent almost a year after his death cutting the dease

out."

Shanks' eyes start getting misty and in a broken voice he asks "How old were you?"

Law takes a long drink "I was 10 during the Buster Call. I got my Devil Fruit when I was

13."

Several of the gathered group curses. While Bepo gathers his Captain in a large hug.

Beckman still looks solemn but he decided to readjust the conversation "That must have been

terrible, but fortunately you made it out. Thank you for sharing with us. You mentioned

Anchor doing something crazy again, what is she up to?"

Law nods at him for changing the subject "Stealing her cook back that was kidnapped."

Shanks looks between the two of them "Who stole them?"

Law chuckles "Big Mom, she's on her way to her territory as we speak."

Shanks looks bewildered. Beckman shakes his head and chuckles as do some of the other

members.

The next few hours the group settled in retailing stories of their adventures. By late evening

after the officers left to go mingle with others, it was on Bepo, Law, Shanks and Beckman

left around their pit.

When Shanks finally asks the question that's been on his mind since the rookie arrived. "Why

did you come here Trafalgar?"

Law, who was several drinks in, blushed slightly, "I wanted to surprise Lu-ya. I know you

have your promise with her. But I was hoping that maybe she could at least speak to

Beckman via Den Den."

A large smile blooms on Beckmans face "I'd love to! I'm sure Lucky and several of the

others would love to speak to her as well!"

Shanks sulks "I'll at least listen to the call."

Law chuckles, the rest of the evening was spent with hearty conversation. Prior to leaving

they exchanged contact information and promised to call in a few weeks.

It wasn't until they sailed away and he finally laid down in his cabin that Law began to relax.

He closed his eyes and dreams about a beautiful face and sunny smile.

—

After finishing her fight with Katakuri and escaping from the territory, Luffy laid against the

railing watching the sea.

She's glad they made it out safely, but her body is sore and abused. She chuckles slightly

knowing Law will likely be upset by its condition. She can't wait to see him and be in his

arms again. She smiles shyly and wonders what he planned for her first ever date.

To Be Continued…

Old Bonds Reunite

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

After climbing the dangerous waterfalls and arriving on the beach of Wano, Luffy was on a

mission to find her crew members. As she looked around she couldn't help but feel a sense of

excitement and anticipation. The stories she had heard about Wano were filled with tales of

adventure, danger, and mystery.

Not even having time to reorient herself, she was ambushed by some of Kiado's men.

Throughout the small scuffle, she realized a small girl trying to protect her animal friend.

When the small fight was over, Luffy learned about the small girl named Otama. The girl

invited her to her housing and it wasn't until after she ate the small meal did Luffy realize this

was the only food the girl was allowed for a while.

Otama passed out from malnutrition and the girls guardian explained to Luffy that she was

waiting on a man that promised to return and save them, a man named Ace.

Luffy made a vow to Otama, the man and her late brother that she would do anything to save

this terribly corrupt country.

Riding the younger girl's pet into town, they ran into Zoro and more of Kiados men that were

easily defeated.

After curing Otama, the three of them chatted on the side of the street, Luffy regaling tales of

her adventures on the high seas. Otama listened with rapt attention, her eyes shining with

wonder and admiration. She had only ever met a few people like Luffy before, someone so

full of life and excitement.

Luffy learned that Otama was an orphan who had lost her parents to a terrible illness, leaving

her all alone in the world. She could see the pain and loneliness in her eyes, and it tugged at

her own heartstrings.

—

It had been weeks since Law reunited with his team in Wano, he meticulously set up a base

high in abandoned Oden's castle.

A few restless nights, Law admitted to himself that he missed the chaos and laughter that

Luffy brought with her wherever she went. The Straw Hat captain had a way of making even

the most dangerous situations seem like a fun game. Law found himself reminiscing about

their past adventures and longing for the day when they would reunite.

As Law was laying under the shaded building in the late morning, a few of his crew members

ran up to him with urgent expressions on their faces. "Captain! Captain!" they shouted

breathlessly.

Law blinked in surprise, wondering what could be so important that it warranted such a

frantic reaction. He sat up irritated. "What is it?" he barked out impatiently.

Still catching their breaths, they pointed to the town below, "It's Luffy! She's in the land of

Wano finally!"

Law's heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name. He knew it was a dangerous place,

filled with powerful enemies and treacherous terrain. But if Luffy was here, then Law knew

he should go mediate any trouble she was bound to cause.

As they stealthily made their way into the village, Law couldn't help but feel a mix of

emotions churning inside him. He was thrilled at the thought of seeing Luffy again, but also

worried about the dangers that awaited them.

After a little bit of searching, they finally caught wind of a familiar source of chaos and

laughter. Following the sound, they stumbled upon a bustling village square, where a group

of familiar faces were causing a ruckus.

There was Luffy, surrounded by villagers and Law couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Despite the dangers and obstacles they had faced, Luffy remained carefree and joyful as ever.

It was a sight that warmed Law's heart and made him realize just how much he had missed

her.

—

Luffy sees him out of the corner of her eye and butterflies erupt in stomach. She runs up to

him and screams "Torao!"

Law barely has so time to react and turn towards her before he's enveloped in a rubbery hug

which he immediately returns "Lu-ya"

She stands back in front of him "I missed you! Did you have fun while I was gone?"

He wraps an arm around her shoulder pulling her back in close. "I missed you too sweetheart.

Something like that, how did your trip go?"

She gives him a wide smile "I got Sanji back!"

He gives her a kiss on the head "I knew you could do it. I made some plans for us later, is that

okay?"

Luffy looks up at him and blushes "You were actually serious about that?"

Law smirks at her "I'm always serious about my plans and you " and winks

She gives him a small shy smile and hides her face in his chest "Toooorrraoooo"

He wraps his arms around her "We have to go up to Oden's Castle after we get done here to

meet the rest of the crews but than I'm whisking you away after lunch."

She kisses the middle of his chest "I can't wait!"

The two pirates, after breaking apart from the others, began the trek to the top of the hill

where Oden's castle lies. As they crept through the shadows, their hearts pounding with

adrenaline, Law couldn't help stealing glances at her when she wasn't looking.

Suddenly, Law paused, his hand on Luffy's shoulder as he pointed towards a particularly

ominous grave marker. Law couldn't resist the opportunity to tease his fearless companion.

"Are you scared?" he whispered, a sly grin playing on his lips.

Luffy scoffed, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes as she scanned the landscape.

"I'm not scared of some old graves" she retorted, but there was a tremor in her voice that

gave her away.

Law ended up scaring her anyway by revealing to her graves of people they've already

experienced on their journey.

When the crews finally reconnected and lunch was served, Law told the group to stay hidden

for another day and to not get into any more fights.

—

After shambling them into his Polar tang and they land in the central hallway. Law turns

toward her "It's just us abroad, I'm going to set a course. Do you want to help me?"

Luffy turns to him with a big smile "Really?!"

He wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her close and begins walking to the control

room "Absolutely, then we have several hours until our destination. I'm going to put it at near

full throttle so we don't have any issues with time. I also have a few surprises for you."

She looks up at him with puppy eyes "Surprises?!"

He smiles slightly at her enthusiasm "Those have to wait until later. As much as I trust

Chopper, I still want to give you a health check up too." He takes a seat at the control center

and Luffy hesitates before taking a seat on his lap. He smirks at her "Oh what is this?" But he

still wraps an arm around her waist.

She hides her face in his neck "Just wanted to be close to Torao"

His smirk turns into a smile and kisses her temple "Is that so?"

She nods in his neck and breathes in his scent while he adjusts the course. After a few

moments he announces "It's all set" but makes no move to leave yet.

She bites her lip before sitting back up and looks at him. She moves her hand to play with his

sideburn, her eyes dart to his lips and back to his eyes. She whispers "handsome torao"

His eyes soften, he cups the side of her face and uses his thumb to swipe her scar. He kisses

her lips briefly "Let's do a brief tour"

Luffy shakes her head, pulls his face closer by his sideburns before ramming her lips to his.

Closing her eyes she melts into him, their lips moving in sync. She wraps her arms around his

neck keeping him close.

Law smiles slightly into the kiss. Her lips were soft and not coordinated at all but wonderful.

He adjusts his arms around her and using the arm around her waist, he shambles them into

the Captain's quarters. Sitting down more comfortably on his bed now, she was still perched

in his lap. As much as he'd like to continue, he forces himself to break the kiss

He looks at her flushed face, he gives her one more kiss on the forehead. "Short checkup time

baby, what fights did you get into when you were away?"

She blinked a few times "Uh I fought.. the mochi man.. that one was fun. I want to fight him

again."

His eyes soften, she's always been so fearless "What happened during that one?"

She rolls her shirt up to show him her stitches "I was perfecting my haki with him but then

his sister struck me so he hit me with his spikey thingy. TORAO! He stabbed himself with it

in the same spot. It was crazy"

Law's hands tense to examine it "That's honorable. May I touch the stitches?"

Luffy nods her head and focuses on his hands. She realizes he's so much larger compared to

her. She crunches up her eyebrows and places her forearm against his for a size comparison.

He looks at what she's doing and smiles. "You're lucky you heal so fast. Chopper's stitches

remain clean and infection free; in a few days they should be ready to be taken out."

She kisses his cheek "I have the best doctors looking after me."

He blushes slightly, "I'll need to get more information from Chopper to help clear my worries

though. What would you like to do while we wait?"

Her face flushes "More kisses?"

His arm on her waist pulls her close. He can't get over how adorable she is. He places a kiss

on her nose then her forehead and teases "Was that what you wanted sweetheart?"

Luffy huffs and pushes him on his back onto the bed. She crawls over his body, knees on both

sides of his torso and attacks his lips with hers.

One of his hands moves into her hair, he uses that to guide her and he swipes his tongue over

her plump bottom lip. He hears her gasp allowing him access. Her mouth is so warm and

perfect. He can feel himself get slightly hard thinking with that train of thought.

She cautiously moves her tongue with his, she uses her hands to push open the top of his

gown to feel his toned figure. After a few moments, she feels light headed and breaks the

kiss. Gasping for air, she drops her body weight on his and lays her head on his chest.

When the kiss finally broke, Law's heart was wildly beating. He's kissed a few people in his

life but nothing compared to her. He wrapped a loose arm around her, and after a long silence

he asked barely audible "Lu-ya?"

Finally opening her eyes, she sees this tattooed chest. She smiles and hums back enjoying the

peace, she gently uses her fingers to start tracing the lines.

He pecks her ontop of her head "I want you to make a choice. You can have one of your

surprises before we land or you can have both when we get back."

Listening to his heartbeat, Luffy's eyelids begin to drop. "Back but seepy t-rao"

Law smiles down at her and tightens his arm around her. "Take a nap baby, I'll wake you

when we dock."

He hears her start to snore a few moments later. He closes his eyes momentarily, thinking

about how perfectly she fits in his arms. He's beyond grateful that he gets to see and

experience her like this, soon after he falls into a slight doze himself.

He wakes up to beeping, blinks his eyes and slowly rolls her off him. He takes a few seconds

to cover her up and walk back into the control center to dock. He decides before he wakes

her, to pack his bag with a few bento boxes.

Walking back into his room, he pauses at the sight that greets him. Her sprawled out on his

bed and cuddling with his pillow pulls a genuine smile on his face. He kneels over her and

pushes a strand of hair out of her face "Lu-ya, sweetheart. We're here"

She whines and blinks a few times "Here?" She mumbles out.

He laughs slightly "Yeah, I think you'll appreciate where we are. We have a bit of a walk so

get up and use the restroom before I shamble us on land"

Luffy stands up and stretches, before running to the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror,

she feels excited and anxious wondering what he has planned. She readjusts her shirt and hair

before meeting Law back in the hallway. Jumping up and down "Ready Torao?!"

Law smiles at her and pulls her close and opens a room and teleports them to the bright

shore. "You've never been here before, when we get closer I'm going to blindfold you for

your first surprise. Is that okay?"

She bites her lip nervously, "I trust Torao"

He chuckles, "I promise you'll like it."

She huffs and starts skipping next to him as they hit the trail. They walk in relaxing company

with small commentary from her at the beautiful scenery.

He stops just before the clearing, he can see in the distance "Baby. it's time."

After he makes sure she can't see but is comfortable, he intertwines their fingers and begins

walking again. Every few steps, he brushes his thumb over her knuckle. Finally when they

reach the structures, his heart stings.

He allows himself a few moments of staring at them before he softly whispers to her "Lu-ya,

take it off"

It took a few blinks for her eyes to adjust before she registered what she was looking at.

Luffy's eyes widened in surprise as she stared breathless at the duel stone markers that are

Ace and Whitebeard's final resting place.

Tears welled up in Luffy's eyes and sobs racked through her frame, Law wrapped his arm

around her, offering silent support as Luffy processed the flood of emotions that washed over

her.

For a long time, they stood there in silence, only the sound of the wind between the trees, the

distant crash of the waves against the shore and her cries. Eventually, Luffy knelt before the

grave, her hands shaking, reaching out to touch the stone.

Law watched on, his heart aching for the pain he knew Luffy carried inside her that matched

similarly to his own. It was both heart-wrenching and beautiful, a reminder of the depth

beyond Luffy's usual sunshine character.

As the sun sank lower in the sky, Luffy spoke for the first time. Her voice was barely above a

whisper, but Law could hear the pain and longing in every word.

"I miss you, Ace" Luffy said, voice breaking. "I wish you were here with us, sharing in our

adventures, laughing and fighting by our side. Sabo and I will never forget you" She chuckles

wetly "He even got your devil fruit. I'll never stop loving you, my wonderful older brother.

I'll keep your promise to Otama and free Wano. Look out for me."

Tears streamed down Luffy's cheeks, and Law felt his own eyes welling up with emotion.

Law felt honored to see a side of Luffy few ever saw.

Law silently pulled out the bento boxes and they shared a meal in front of the gravesites.

It was early evening when Law took Luffy's hand and led her back down the path towards

their ship after she told her brother she loved him one more time.

They finally made it back to the beach, just as he was about to use his powers again, she

wraps him in a large rubbery hug and whispers in his chest "Thank you, Law"

He wraps his arms around her shoulders and pulls her close "I'll give you the log pose for

here too. If you ever want to come back." He kisses her head "Ready to go back on board?"

She nods into his chest. Her emotions are still raw and she feels exhausted and vulnerable but

strangely liberated.

—-

Remaining docked off the coast, they cuddled back into his bed for another half an hour when

Law breaks the silence "Sweetheart, do you want surprise number one or two first?"

She thinks for a bit but mumbles back "Uhh.. two?"

He chuckles slightly running one of his arms up and down her back and uses the other to

open a 'room' and brings two pieces of paper and his encrypted denden to them on the bed.

He hands her a page "Call this one"

She sits up on his lap and gives him a confused face but still complies with his request.

PURPURPUR fills the space between them before friendly familiar voice answers

"Party's Bar, Makino Speaking, how may I help you?"

Luffy wiggled with excitement and shouted

"Makino?!"

They hear hear her chuckle

"Lu! How are you doing sweetie? Dadans here too. One second."

They hear shuffling on the other end and a rougher woman's voice

"You brat! Stop scaring us half to death."

She smiles brightly at Law, her heart full before answering

"I'm doing great! I made an alliance to take down Kiado and I also went on a date with Torao

today!"

Makino replies shocked

"You're growing up into a fine woman. I'm so proud of you. What did you do on the date?"

Dadans voice picks up

"He better treat your right, otherwise, you have a whole arsenal of people that wouldn't stop

until he's six feet under."

Luffy leans into Law getting comfortable again

"He's great and really handsome too. Plus he took me somewhere today that" she bites her lip

"I've wanted to see for a while."

Makinos voice softens

"He seems like a thoughtful young man, what did he surprise you with?"

Law wraps his arms around her, grounding her. When she finally whispers

"He took me to where they" she chokes a little "buried Ace. They have this massive stone

monument for him next to Mustacheman's."

The line goes quiet for a few moments before they can hear Dadans barely contained crying

"That reckless brat. Whenever we are out hunting and pass your guys' old treehouse, I always

think about him. Did you know your grandpa showed up here after the war?"

Law and Luffy share a bewildered look and she shakes her head

"No. What did he want?"

She huffs into the line

"Proper punishment maybe, but who knows what goes on in his crazy head. I beat the shit out

of him in the middle of town for abandoning his family for his duty."

Luffy closes her eyes, snuggling closer to him

"I get it, I always knew he'd take their side when it came down to it. I mean, he always

screamed at us to be marines growing up so why would that change now?"

Makino brokenly replies

"Screw the old man, you always have us on your side. Tell us more about your crew?"

She smiles brightly

"Well there's —-"

Over the next hour or two, she recounts their exuberant adventures with her loving and loyal

crew. Stories from high above the clouds to deep below the water, every battle and tragedy,

every laugh and cry.

Halfway through, Law steps out to prepare dinner for them in the galley. Between chopping

and cooking the meal, his mind wanders back to the day, her cries and her laughs.

Searing the meat, still lost in his own thoughts, he nearly jumps when arms wrap around his

stomach. "Dinner is almost done." He turns around to face her, leaning against the counter

next to the stove, he wraps his arms around her waist "How'd the call go?"

Luffy smiles brightly at him "That was amazing Torao! Thank you, thank you! I haven't

talked to them in years!"

He smiles at her "May I ask you a question?"

She vibrates in place, still smiling wildly "Sure Torao!"

He huffs through his nose "Whose Dadan?" And turned back to stir the pan as not to burn it

She uses this opportunity to jump and sit on the counter "She's a mountain bandit back home.

After Shanks left, Gramps forced me to go live with them. That's where I met Ace and Sabo.

Ace lived there with her since he was a baby but he was so mean to me when we first met."

Law's eyebrows draw together "He was mean to you?"

She bites her lip, thinking how to describe it "He.. well.. a lot of people from High Town

always told him. He shouldn't have been born because of who his dad was. So he was angry

at the world, I guess."

He thinks about that for a few moments "How did you become siblings?"

She kicks her feet back and forth "Well some pirates tortured me because I wouldn't tell them

where my brother's treasure was. They eventually saved me though." She chuckles slightly

"Ace kept yelling at me calling me a cry baby. Eventually, I told him something I learned

before meeting Shanks and Beck."

He faces her again "Which was?"

She looks into his eyes and bluntly states "Being alone is more painful than being hurt."

His eyes soften and let her statement fully sink in. He takes a spoonful of his dish and holds it

out for her. "What do you think?"

Her eyes have stars "It's delicious, Torao!"

Law chuckles slightly and kisses her cheek. His heart and mind are whirling but content for

the first time in years.

They sit in the kitchen eating out of the pan, sharing laughter, stories and small chaste kisses.

—-

When they finally made it back into his Captain quarters to relax for the night. Law has her

curled up on his side and whispers "Sweetheart, do you want your other surprise?"

Luffy nearly molded against him, blinking a few times "There's more?"

He kisses her forehead once again "Only one more" he grabs the items off his side table, his

denden and the other paper and hands it to her "Call this one now."

She rests the body of the snail on his stomach and dials. Curious on who else he could

ambush her with.

PURPURPUR echos between them before a gruff voice answers

"Red Force, Benn Beckman speaking, state your business"

Her jaw drops, she quickly looks between the snail and Law's face a few times. After a few

shocked moments she finally breaths out

"..Beck"

They hear him slightly chuckle

"Is that my anchor?"

She sniffles slightly

"Yeah, I missed you Papai."

They watch the face on the snail pause for a few seconds

"Missed you too Anchor. What trouble have you been causing today?"

She leans into Law still holding on to the receiver

"Torao took me on a date. Guess where he took me? "

The hear some chatter in the background before he asks

"Who's Torao?"

She gives Law a small shy smile

"Uhh, Traf.. Traro.." she huffs "Torao Law"

They hear him clear his throat as Law wraps a loose arm around her

"You mean Trafalgar Law?"

She smiles brightly at the device

"Yeah that's what I said. But guess where he took me?!"

They hear a different voice in the background

"He's not the worst person she could be with"

Becks voice becomes audible again

"A buffet full of meat or did you start a new revolution?"

She laughs

"No revolutions yet! He took me to see Ace's grave, Papai!"

They hear more chatter in the background before he answers

"That's very kind of him. Luckys here begging to talk to you"

She gasps

"Tio Lucky?!"

A more cheerful voice voice comes through

"Anchor! Have you been eating enough?"

She giggles

"I have the best cook! His name is Sanji!"

They hear them laugh

"He better be feeding you all the meat."

She drools

"Meat"

A different voice cuts through the line

"You better be listening to your doctor Monkey D Luffy!"

She shrinks against Law and shyly smiles at the phone

"I promise" and whispers "sometimes"

The line barked back

"What was that young lady?!"

Law chuckles at her reaction and says

"I'll make sure she listens to both her doctors."

Everyone on the other side of the line laughed.

Over the course of the late evening, cuddled on the bed, Law and Luffy shared comradery,

exploits and incredible expeditions with the group on the other side of the line catching up on

the last decade apart.

—-

When the line finally disconnects, he scans the deck and observes everyone drunk milling

around before he turns to Shanks who is staring at his drink like a child and mocks him

"Boss, you know you could've talked to her too."

Still looking at the pattern of his mug "Maybe next time" and finally looks at his first mate

with narrowed eyes "Papai"

Beckman throws his head back and laughs "She'll always be the crew's kid." He walks past

him and pats his shoulder "And we will always be Anchor's Dads."

Shanks finally cracks a smile "It was good hearing her voice again"

—

Back under the surface of the water, her heart full and grateful, she climbs on top of Law and

kisses him with all the passion she can muster. She has an idea to make the day even better

and show him how appreciative she truly is..

To be continued…

Chapter End Notes

I cried writing when they reached the top of Sphinx Island.

End Notes

Yes, I used details from some other stories on here.

Let me know what else you'd like to see or any corrections you'd like me to make. Hope you

enjoy

Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!