Work Text:
“We need you to go after Luffy. Make sure he’s okay” is what Nami said.
Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid is what Law heard.
“And why would I do that, Nami-ya?” Law drawled asked the Strawhat navigator. “Why can’t your crew go after him?”
The look Nami gave him suggested that he was deeply stupid, and a moment later when she was yanking him down by his collar to look in square in the eyes, Law had to admit that maybe he was. No one purposefully spoke back to Nami. Not unless you wanted to get the beating of your life. How the woman had learned to use Haki inadvertently when dealing with the ruffians on her crew, Law would never know, but unless he used his Room to Shambles the fuck out of there, he was in for it.
“Because,” she said, tone sweet enough to rival Chopper’s, “Someone has to make sure the Pirate King isn’t creating catastrophe wherever his heart leads him, and as the only Yonko present, I’m pretty sure that job falls to you.”
Behind Nami, Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette, clearly torn between wanting to smirk at Nami’s fearsome threat, and wanting to attack Law for his close proximity to the orange-haired woman.
Law thought about his options. Ever since Luffy had reached Raftel, things had been pretty peaceful. See, the Strawhat Captain had totally blown their plan in Wano, and somehow his venture to retrieve Sanji on Whole Cake Island had led to a furious Big Mom entering the fray as well.
And yet, with Strawhat’s insane fortune – because the man only had good luck if he had any luck at all – that had worked to their advantage. Big Mom and Kaido had fought over trying to kill Luffy, and took out many of each other’s forces. Not only that, but Big Mom’s toughest general – one Charlotte Katakuri – had literally defected at one point in the battle, causing several of his siblings to join the Strawhat’s alliance. Between those factors, the addition of Hawkins and Kid and Drake’s newly liberated forces, and the Minks and Samurai, the two Yonko had gone down in a blaze of glory.
Only Monkey D. Luffy could have pulled it off. The only man crazy enough, lucky enough, fearless enough, strong enough, and loud enough to have somehow brought together such a motley alliance had done so without even meaning to, but more because “he just felt like it.” And Law could only shake his head and try to not notice the corners of his mouth uplifting as he turned down more offers to join his fleet.
Of course, these denials went unlistened to, and instead as the Strawhats neared Raftel, Law found himself fine with the idea that somehow, through all of this, he was willing to put his life on the line for the rubber captain to achieve his goal. Seems like more members of the Worst Generation had agreed. Kid. Drake. Hawkins. Bege. Jewelry Bonney showed up with the Revolutionary Army.
Blackbeard was there until the end, trying to beat them all. But Luffy had a bone to pick with him, and if Law knew anything, it was that Luffy never gave up. The damn fool would fight to the very end. And that’s what had happened.
The Navy had come in full force. But all the allies Luffy had made along the way showed up. Crocodile showed up, and somehow wound up fighting alongside Princess Vivi from Alabasta. Warriors showed up from Sky Island on their strange flying boards. Shipwrights from Water Seven. It was almost unreal how many of the Dressrosa Alliance had brought their own allies. All for the sake of Luffy.
Several of the Marines then defected! Law almost laughed aloud as he and Smoker took on Kizaru, and Law shouted at Smoker, “I thought fighting together was a one-time thing!”
Smoker had only given Law a brief side-glance, clearly also remembering their joint battle against Vergo. “Don’t get used to it, pirate,” he said, morphing into smoke as a beam of light shot towards the both of them, effectively ending the conversation.
Law saw that, nearby, Bepo and Penguin and Shachi were fighting alongside a young Marine with pink hair who kept yelling about how he would achieve his dream, but he wouldn’t compromise his morals. Tch. Luffy infected everyone with that enthusiasm, now that Law thought about it.
Luffy had taken out Blackbeard, backed by Shanks. It turns out darkness cannot hold a candle to the light, and while Blackbeard’s abilities were the most fearsome of all, Luffy’s willpower was stronger. And the Blackbeard pirates sank to the bottom of the sea in their fight against the Worst Generation and specifically the Strawhats.
Finally, Garp and a newly-arrived Aokiji had actually struck the winning blow against Akainu – not killing him, but incapacitating him, as the Sunny surged forward, towards the One Piece.
And somehow in the end, once Luffy had reached that island, everything had calmed down. No one quite knew why they were fighting anymore. The Navy underwent some big changes, reinstituting Aokiji as Fleet Admiral, and ousting their extremist views once the truth only Ohara had once known was made public knowledge.
Luffy had offered Shanks the infamous hat back, and Shanks told Luffy to keep it to start a new generation: "You'll know when the time comes," he had said.
And Luffy had been deemed the Pirate King, and Law and Kid were made Yonkos in the place of Big Mom and Kaido. And all had been well.
All had also been kind of boring. Law didn’t hate it. He got a lot of reading done. He’d joined a book club. Nico Robin was in it, as was Jinbe. Surprisingly, Killer from the Kid Pirates was super into the book club. He liked to have all his discussion questions lined up and ready to go. Law had also taken up training other doctors. He had begun writing some research papers on cardiothoracic operations. Turns out he was basically the world’s most foremost expert on hearts nowadays, go figure. But all and all, there wasn’t much to do.
Which is probably why Mugiwara no Luffy had run off, without his ship, without his crew, and without so much as a message as to where he was going.
Which brought Law back to the situation at hand. Which was Nami about to bash his skull in as her temper rose with his lack of response. “Ah,” he grunted, trying to stave off the impending meltdown.
“Good,” Nami said, releasing Law as she turned. “He shouldn’t be too hard to track, considering you can basically teleport quickly from one place to another, and our only enemies are wannabes who really can’t hold a candle to the real thing.”
There was one thing Law didn’t understand. “Why did he leave without you all, though?”
Nami stopped near Sanji, and they shared a look. “We don’t know,” Sanji said.
“But you’re worried,” Law went on.
Nami finally huffed, realizing they couldn’t pull one over on Law. “Look, Torao. Something’s up with him. I don’t know if he’s sick, or what happened, but he just kind of straight up disappeared. But not before telling all of us how much we meant to him, and how much he loved us, so…”
“So you’re worried something is wrong and he isn’t telling you,” Law surmised. Shit. That was certainly a Luffy thing to do. Not that he would know what was and wasn’t a Luffy thing to do, thank you very much, Law told himself.
Nami nodded. “And Chopper is off helping the native population here with that pox that’s going around –“
“I get it,” Law said. “Fine. I’ll go.” And that’s how Law’s quest to find Mugiwara no Luffy began.
X
It wasn’t hard to find the rubber captain. He left chaos in his wake wherever he went, both before and after he was named Pirate King. Law found him on a beautiful spring island, having beaten up some bandits that were terrifying the locals, and thus they had thrown Luffy a feast for being a savior.
It was at this point that Law had found Luffy, stuffing a gross amount of meat down his throat, shouting that he refused to be called “a hero” because “heroes shared meat” and he “wasn’t gonna share any meat.” And Law huffed out what could only be called a laugh, but he refused to acknowledge it.
Instead, Law used his room to swap out an adoring fan getting a little close to Luffy with himself, and he leaned on one arm as he watched the younger man eat. “You know, Luffy-ya, you don’t have to liberate a nation every time you want dinner.”
Luffy immediately began choking, and Law handed him a glass of water, and all too soon Luffy’s grabby hands were reaching out and looping themselves around Law several times, making him feel like the trussed up pig currently over a fire nearby. “Torao!” he shouted. “What are you doing here?!” Luffy paused. “Did you want some meat too?”
Law shrugged. “I wouldn’t say no to food right now. I’ve been traveling for the past three days looking for you.”
Luffy tilted his head. Cute, a traitorous voice in the back of Law’s mind insisted, but he pushed it down. Deep down. “But why?”
Law sighed. “Because you ran off and I was sent to get you. So let’s finish up here and go back to your crew, all right?”
“Neh, fine, Torao. But first, try this!” And with that, Luffy was trying to stick food into Law’s mouth, and Law found it prudent to grab Kikoku and remove Luffy’s head from his body. Of course, the other captain found this hilarious, even as the locals screamed, and Law shook his head.
The night wore on, and Law found himself enjoying a drink or two, and at one point, with Luffy’s body warm against his own, he realized he was a little drunk. Oh well. He was bound to have a terrible hangover come morning, but they could begin their journey back to their joint crews at least.
“Torao, I gotta use the bathroom,” Luffy shouted as Law fell to the side, huffing indignantly. Annoying, Law thought.
An hour later, Law had had another drink, and several glasses of water, before he was finally reached out his observation Haki and realized that Luffy had given him the slip.
X
Law had found Luffy quickly on another island. This time a summer island. The heat was almost unbearable, and Law was forced to wear his sleeveless vest. It was times like this that he had to second-guess wearing pants, but he couldn’t bring himself to wear shorts like Strawhat. It just wasn’t him.
By the time Law caught up to Luffy, the younger man was sprawled by a large waterfall, surrounded by half a dozen children who were screaming. Law teleported Luffy over to him, and Luffy sat up, ready to fight, until he saw who it was. “Oh. Torao! There you are.”
“I’m not here to play hide-and-seek with you, Mugiwara,” Law spat out, hot and tired and annoyed. “I’m here to take you back. I promised your friends. And I don’t break my word.”
Luffy only smiled, like he knew that Law was all bark and no bite. “I know, Torao. I know you’re honest, and good.”
Law pulled his hat down over his eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Shishishi, but it’s true!” Luffy said, and he stood up, pulling Law closer. “Look at this.”
With that, Luffy led him over to a small path of boulders that led directly beneath the waterfall. In the depths of the fall, it was much cooler, and the sound of rushing water was pleasant to say the least. Law looked out at the fall, a beautiful rainbow of colors painting hues over the cavernous pathway inside, reflecting on both men as they stared at nature’s beauty.
“Bet you didn’t know what was hiding underneath that fall, didja, Torao?” Luffy asked. “Sometimes you have to look a little closer to find the treasure.”
And as Law stared at Luffy, he let out a soft smile. “That’s certainly true, Mugiwara-ya.”
X
Law fumed. After the waterfall viewing, the two had explored the island a bit more, until Law had found himself face-to-face with a particularly large swarm of wasps. Somehow, he and Luffy had been split up in their attempts to flee, and Law was starting to wonder if the little bastard had actually been more clever than he’d ever let on all along.
Law found him again. Luffy made a getaway. Law chased his quarry. Luffy had given him the slip again, and again. Every time Law found him, Luffy would show him something new. A festival of lights, or a sacred spot on the top of a mountain. A local legend that turned out to be something more. Law wondered why Luffy was doing this. Why Luffy was still running. Why Law was still chasing.
In one town, Luffy had somehow managed to cause a ruckus that convinced half the population that he was a god, and half the population that he was the devil, and as such, it was not hard to find out where the rubber man was. Turned out he had been given a free room in an inn that was a fan, and as Law used his Haki to sense where, he gave a grim smile. Finally.
It hadn’t been a good night. Law was cold. It was so dark. Law knew the nighttime well. How it crept into fragile minds. How it stoked loneliness, and despair. And it clawed at him, gripped at his already-fraying heart.
He was soaking wet. It had been raining nonstop, and Law was ready to pass out. When Law approached the Innkeeper, an old woman with smile lines on her face, he asked for a room, and was told that unfortunately, they were booked for the night.
And yet Law knew Luffy was here, so he didn’t want to go somewhere else, lest the rubbery menace sneak away while Law was elsewhere. And if Luffy had a room, and a free one at that, then that was perfect. Law used his ability to teleport into Luffy’s room, where the latter was already curled up under the covers on the bed.
Law placed his hat carefully on the dresser beside Luffy’s. He shook his bangs out, trying to dry them as quickly as possible. Law took off his jacket, but left his pants on, and as he put a knee on the bed, it dipped, and Luffy’s nose crinkled cutely before he blearily opened his eyes. “Torao?” he whispered.
“Shh, yes. It’s me. Go back to sleep. We can talk in the morning,” Law said, settling down next to Luffy’s warmth. The bed was a queen – certainly big enough for two. But of course the second Law lay down, he found himself being grabbed by those two rubbery arms, and brought close to the younger man.
Law struggled at first, but his resistance lasted only a minute before he settled down, resigned to his fate of cuddling. And it was nice. Luffy nuzzled into Law’s neck, and maybe it was Law’s exhaustion speaking, but did the Pirate King slot in perfectly beside him?
“Torao…” Luffy spoke, quiet, but his voice clearly permeating the pitter-patter of the raindrops hitting the window outside. “You’re wet…”
“Hm,” Law said, corners of his mouth tilting up as one of Luffy’s hands came up to wipe his wet bangs from his forehead. And if he snuggled into Luffy’s arms, no one would know, including Law himself, who was quickly falling into the warm embrace of sleep.
“G’night, Law,” he might have heard, but who could say.
The next morning, Law woke up to the sun shining through the window, and he stretched deeply, grateful for such a good sleep, when he realized he was alone in the bed. Luffy was gone, with a small scribbled note beside his hat: See you soon!
And as vexing as the red-vested captain was, Law found an increasingly alarming feeling welling up within him. Because even though it was annoying to chase after Luffy, and it was annoying to keep getting bested, Law had woken up this morning and realized something: ironically, he was excited to give chase.
X
That feeling was quickly quashed when Law found himself on a spooky island that was apparently haunted. Law didn’t believe in ghosts, but he would be remiss if he weren’t wary of places that common folk didn’t linger. There was always some truth behind each legend, and Law didn’t want to know what it was about this place that caused some people to dwell on the past.
He knew Luffy was somewhere nearby. He could feel him. He could –
“Law?” Law spun around, mouth falling open in shock as he stared at…
Cora-san. “C-Cora-san?” Law asked, voice barely a whisper.
Suddenly, Cora-san turned, darting through the woods, and Law found himself sprinting through the brambles after him. Wait…
But why would Cora-san run from him? Law bent low, scooped up a pebble, and tossed it –
Before he traded places with it using his Room, and suddenly he was right there with Cora-san. Cora-san grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his teeth shining, when Law suddenly realized he was standing on the edge of a very dark lake. “Come with me, Law,” Cora-san whispered, beckoning as he walked into the water. “I’ve missed you so.”
“You’re not real,” Law ground out, eyes tearing, breathing becoming increasingly labored. “You’re an apparition.”
“I’m real to you. And I want to bring you home. Home with me,” Cora-san implored, stepping further into the lake.
And Law found himself taking steps closer. Cora-san was there. Law had defeated Doflamingo. He’d become a Yonko. And what more did he really want? What more was there to life? And here was Cora-san, the one person who had loved him unconditionally after his parents had died. Even when Law had stabbed him, and pushed him away. Even when he was told over and over what a monster Law was. And Cora-san still loved him. Law wanted that.
“Yes, that’s it. Come with me, Law…” Cora-san beckoned, and Law took more steps, starting to feel languid as the lake floor quickly dipped, and Law found himself in water as deep as his armpits. And still Cora-san waded out before him, calling out to him.
Law took one more step, and then realized the floor had dropped further. And he was drowning. Part of his mind clawed at him. Shouting this was wrong. That this wasn’t supposed to happen. But it was too late now. This was the end. And at least the last thing Law would have seen was Cora-san’s smiling face. And he almost imagined Cora-san reaching out, grabbing his hand, as if taking him into the afterlife…
And suddenly, that hand yanked, and Law found himself gasping for air as he flew out of the water and slammed hard into something else.
Law turned on his side and spat up water. It was disgusting, murky lake water, and it took several minutes, and then a quick Scan to ensure that most of it was out of his lungs. Eyes burning, chest heaving, Law finally took in his surroundings.
It was Luffy, and they were on a small boat, and the small captain was looking at him, a grimmer expression than usual settled on his face.
For a moment, neither said anything. They just stared at each other. Finally, Luffy broke the silence. “I saw Ace,” he said, voice quiet.
When Law said nothing, he continued “He told me he was proud of me. That he loved me. But he was trying to kill me. He… he tried to get me to walk off the side of a cliff, actually. But real Ace knows that wouldn’t kill me.” Luffy laughed. “I guess it was too good to be true. Real Ace would have told me he could still beat me first, anyway.” Luffy looked down, and Law found himself disturbed by the sadness evident in the younger man’s expression. “And he’s dead. He died in front of me.”
Law found his eyes tearing up, and he quickly looked away. With that, Luffy rowed them back to shore. The two of them slowly found their way out of the forest, and onto the boat that Law had arrived on. No one said a word.
Later, as the two of them ate a small dinner (at least according to Luffy standards), Law sat staring at the fire, his sword leaning against him. “I saw… I saw Cora-san,” he ground out. Luffy looked over at him, curious. “He was a man who tried to save my life. When I was young.”
Law found himself explaining about Cora-san, everything between the man catching himself on fire, to all the hospitals that turned them down, to the very night when Doflamingo killed him. He realized towards the end of the story, he was crying, and at one point, a smaller hand came up to pat the tears away. Law looked up in surprise, and saw Luffy looking at him with a serious expression.
“You almost drowned, Torao,” Luffy said.
“You walked off a cliff,” Law spat back.
For a moment, neither talked. “I wouldn’t have done that before,” Luffy said quietly.
“Before what, Mugiwara-ya?”
“Before I reached my dream.”
And Law found that he knew exactly what Luffy meant. Now that they had achieved their goals, what else was there? “My Nakama are strong,” Luffy smiled. “They don’t need me anymore.”
“That’s not true, Mugiwara,” Law protested, but Luffy shook his head.
“They love me, and I love them, but they don’t need me. And I’m the Pirate King. I’m free. The world is free. And now… I’m just looking…”
“For something,” Law finished, and Luffy nodded. “I understand.”
And Luffy locked eyes with them, and Law felt something pass between them. “I know you do, Torao.”
And Law realized this was what ailed Luffy. The thing that so worried his Nakama. But while Law was perhaps the greatest doctor in the world, he couldn’t fix a broken heart. He couldn’t give someone a reason to live.
That night, they looked up at the stars, and told stories. Sabo had once told Ace and Luffy a tale of a hero named Hercules who took down a creature called a Hydra, whose brave act was commemorated in the stars by Cancer the Crab. Law told Luffy that he thought all those stars were really just burning balls of gas, so far away it was unfathomable. Luffy laughed, and Law found himself grinning as well.
And night became morning, and Law slumbered quietly as Luffy got up to sneak back to his own boat, but not before sneaking a kiss on the older captain’s cheek.
X
“Mugiwara-ya. You’re so annoying,” Law sighed, finding Luffy shivering in his wet clothes. They were on a winter island, and of course a blizzard had swept in. And the moron in a red vest was wearing just that – a red vest, shorts, and sandals. So here he was, perhaps a victim of frostbite, as Law carried him into a nearby cave.
It was a bit damp, but it would do. Law quickly set to work lighting a fire. Once it was lit, Law turned around to see Luffy still trembling uncontrollably, his lips starting to turn blue with cold. “Tsk,” Law said, but he was beginning to feel worried. He had to get the younger man’s temperature up, and quickly.
He took off his clothes, and laid them on the ground before carefully stripping Luffy’s wet clothes from him. Law gently urged the young captain onto the ground before the fire, and quickly wrapped himself around him, hands running over the hard planes of Luffy’s arms and torso. Just to generate body heat, he told himself.
Soon enough, Law felt Luffy’s temperature begin to rise, and his lips took on a more normal pink hue. And Law turned Luffy so his back was to the fire, and his front was facing him, and he wrapped his arms around the smaller captain and entangled their legs, humming a slow lullaby his mother used to sing in Flevance.
When Law woke in the morning, he realized that Luffy was awake, and he was pointedly looking… down. Law followed his gaze, and… Ah. Shit. Morning wood wasn’t anything unusual for most people, but for Law, it rather was. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a healthy sex drive. It’s just that he was quite picky about his preferred partners, and he didn’t get around to thinking about sex too much, what with being a Yonko and all.
“Torao,” Luffy said, and Law’s eyes snapped back up to his.
Law swallowed. “Are you feeling better, Mugiwara?” Law moved to disentangle himself so he could Scan Luffy, but the other captain had no intention of letting him go. “I need to check on you –“
Luffy suddenly reached down, hand softly touching him there, and Law swallowed his words. “Please,” Law breathed, and Luffy moved to retract his hand until, “Don’t stop.”
“You make me… feel funny, Torao,” Luffy said, starting to stroke - pace unsure, but getting more confident. Law couldn’t help it as his hips bucked forward, into Luffy’s fingers. “When I look at you, I feel… nauseous. Like I can’t even eat. But I’m not sick, I don’t think.”
Law panted, eyes locked on Luffy’s. It was intense, and Law wanted to look away, to run away, but he couldn’t. Not yet. “And when you’re not with me, I miss you.”
“Then why… hah… do you always… run?” Law asked, hand snaking around that tempting body in front of him to grab an ass cheek, hard, as Luffy stuttered in his efforts. But only for a moment.
“Because you chase me,” Luffy breathed out, pumping faster. “And I like it.” He laughed, that little shishishi, echoing throughout the cave.
Law reached down and grabbed both of their now hard erections, using his larger hand to cover Luffy’s smaller one and wrap them around both lengths. As Luffy followed Law’s lead and began bucking to and fro, they stared into each other’s eyes until they both came, breathing hard, breaths mingling.
And in the end, Luffy leaned forward, laying a very light kiss upon Law’s lips.
And Law thought to himself, fondly, Mugiwara-ya. You’re so… annoying.
X
The game of cat-and-mouse continued. On the next island, Luffy left clues with various townspeople about where he was, but disguised his Haki as best he could, and Law found himself actually excited to talk to strangers to find the straw-hatted captain.
The island after, Law had had to a group of rookie pirates hoping to take down both the Pirate King and a Yonko, and Luffy had refused to help, trying instead to get away. When Law finally caught him, he pushed the younger man against a wall, sealing his lips with a bruising kiss, to which Luffy eagerly responded, before pulled back and asked, “Are you flirting with me, Mugiwara?”
And if Luffy tilted his head and grinned with all the brilliance of those burning balls of gas billions of miles away, Law certainly would never admit he thought it was cute. “Maybe. Do you like it?”
And Law answered by grinding their hips together.
X
On the following island, Law found Luffy on his boat, in his bed. Law crawled in, and immediately Luffy began to pepper kisses up and down his face, until Law found himself laughing and pushing Luffy to the side. “Stop that, you menace.” But they both knew he didn’t really want that.
That night, Law and Luffy became one, and for the first time, Law found himself completely and utterly happy. There was nothing in the world other than Luffy. And suddenly, with the clarity of the most azure blue in the sea, Law knew. “I’m in love with you,” he breathed, looking at Luffy, almost afraid to see the reaction.
But Luffy only smiled, a soft, delicate thing, eyes shining. “Torao. Law. I’ll love you forever,” he promised, “Until the world crumbles, and the stars burn out.”
And Law believed him.
X
In the morning, Law fully expected Luffy to be gone.
Only, he wasn’t. He was still there, still in Law’s arms, and still snuggled up so close that he could feel the other’s heartbeat.
Law swallowed. He found himself holding Luffy tighter, and with a groan, the rubber captain came awake. “Torao?” he asked.
“You’re still here,” Law marveled.
Luffy smiled. “Let’s go home today. Back to our Nakama.”
Law sat up a little. “You want to go back?” A cold chill gripped his heart. Did Luffy want this to end?
Luffy nodded, lacing his fingers with Law’s own, as if he could sense his lover’s anxieties. “I was lost. But then I found what I was searching for. Something to make me go on. A new dream. You.”
Law surged forward, kissing Luffy, tongues only briefly touching as their lips meshed together, feelings unspoken dancing through the softest touches.
“Thank you for finding me,” Luffy whispered.
And as Law pressed their foreheads together, he smiled, ready to return home to his crew and friends. “No, Luffy,” he said. “You found me.” A new dream sounded good.