Chapter Text
There were a great many things running through Trafalgar Law’s mind as he directed the Tang towards Marineford. There was the fact that Doflamingo was there. There was a haunting smile. A single shared initial. There was logic yelling at him, telling him that what he was doing was foolish and reckless, that he was being an absolute idiot. And yet something drew him here, something that also happened to be the same reasons he was yelling at himself.
The farthest thing from his mind, however, was soulmates.
Of course that would be a given. Soulmates were uncommon after all. Uncommon enough that you could go your entire life without knowing anybody who had one. In fact, many people had even voiced that they hoped they would never meet their soulmate. That those who did have one were unlucky, at best, and unfortunate at worst. However, nobody truly knew just what made a soulmate, only what bonded them. Was everybody born with one, but never had confirmation that they did, or, was it something else entirely? Even in this world filled with awesome and bizarre powers, such a phenomenon was still very much unknown.
Which was why Trafalgar Law did not even think of such a possibility when his submarine breached the waters, his voice calling out to the warzone to leave Mugiwara to him. That he was a doctor. Because, even if he had conquered the war against death time and time again as he pulled his patients from that door, it was his job as a doctor – as a surgeon. So of course he felt so far removed from the legends that were soulmates.
His movements were well-rehearsed as his patients lay on his operating table, their bodies stained red from more than just blood as black burns littered their skin. The Tang may be on full speed away from the warzone now, ice hot on their heels, but Law paid it no mind as he garbed up, as he prepared his operating theatre and his patients for surgery. In the back of his mind, there was a smile, a ridiculous, overdrawn smile, a voice most-likely deteriorated by age whispering… His crew was scrambling around him, but Law merely followed the protocols before Shachi’s voice rang out:
“Captain — we only have one bag of the universal blood type!”
Of course they did. The Kuma Squad and Admirals had put quite a dent in their medical supplies after all.
Law knew that most of the blood on Mugiwara no Luffy was probably Ace’s, and that there was more than just Akainu’s work encumbering the rubber body. While the Warlord, on the other hand, had taken the brunt of the blow and was bleeding more profusely. After a sound of irritation, Law made a decision. “Give it to Jinbei and test both of their blood types.”
He didn’t elaborate what to do afterwards, because that much was obvious.
“Aye aye Captain!”
Instead, Law concentrated on stopping the bleeding, because that, too, was very much important when dealing with blood loss.
Performing intensive surgery on one patient was hard enough, but now he had to manage two? It took all of Law’s concentration as he juggled both of his patients, moving from one, to the other. He could hear his crew working in the background, could hear them figuring out their blood types, (which, coincidentally enough, were the same, and the same as his. So, they should had enough of F blood type in stock, they typically had it in surplus) and scrambling to get the appropriate bags.
And, then, the next moment, something shifted. In a split second, the sound of a still heart echoed into his theatre. His crew sounded muffled, blurred, as if they were underwater, the world tilting, and the only pinpoint of clarity was that sole note screaming out.
Mugiwara no Luffy.
And, just as Law reached out, electricity summoning to his fingertips, the world
F
A
D
E
D
.xxx.
“—a doctor!”
Trafalgar Law’s form lurched forward, and he had to catch himself on the railing of his ship. The sounds of war were screaming in his ears, but the only thing that Law could hear was a distinct sound of a heart monitor.
—What
What just—
Mugiwara was—
“Mugiwara!”
Mugiwara was in the clutches of Buggy the Clown – again – and—
Oh.
Oh fuck.
Nononono.
This wasn’t happening!
“Shit.”
The curse left his mouth, and while the pieces were clicking together, Mugiwara didn’t have time for that.
“Room. Shambles.”
Adrenaline was coursing through his veins, but Law ignored that for now, scrambling to find the bags of F blood. Time. Time. Time. They didn’t have time. He could hear his crew rushing down the halls and into surgical gear while Law was hooking the two injured pirates up to the bags of blood. He ignored their prods and surprised remarks, and karma be damned but Law found himself focusing on the young supernova first. As he took a deeper scan, he began to realise the extent of Mugiwara’s injuries, and another curse left him. Jinbei could wait – his injury was mostly cauterised anyway. Luffy. It was Luffy who was at death’s door and if Law didn’t do something about it quick—
Luffy would—
.xxx.
Law found himself sitting next to Luffy’s bed, a bottle of hard liquor in his hand, trying to absorb what the absolute fuck just happened. One moment, Mugiwara was flatlining on his table, and the next he was repeating the very words he had said moments ago, declaring to the battlefield that he was a doctor, to leave Mugiwara-ya to him... Of course, Law had been quick enough to grasp the reason for it, but it did not mean that the ramifications of it had sunk in yet. Law had heard the stories, had heard the tales, had grown up wondering – as any child would – and secretly hoping. Of course, that was all before the Amber Lead had taken hold of his life and thrown it into shambles. Before Law had been poisoned – both metaphorically and literally – to the point where it didn’t matter anymore. Because, what was the point of having a soulmate if you weren’t going to live past thirteen anyway? (Because nobody could save him, not even—)
A bitter laugh left his throat and the morbid thought of what if? punctuated his mind. What would have happened if Law had known Luffy as a child, if Law hadn’t cured himself? (Of course, Law knew the answer to that question: nothing. There was nothing anybody could have done to prevent Law from contracting Amber Lead poisoning. No force, extraordinary or not, could have saved him from that death. Nothing. Law had been infected the moment he had been conceived, and Mugiwara hadn't even been born yet…)
Law shook his head and took a swig from the bottle. In the heat of the moment Law did have enough sense to act on the knowledge that was given to him, (he didn’t have any other option) did have enough adrenaline running through his system to push through, but now? Now Law was sitting here, dealing with the aftermath of it all. Mugiwara was his… Mugiwara had… and because he had, because Law was right there—
‘Having a soulmate, it’s tragic, isn’t it?’
‘Having a soulmate? It’s not a blessing, but a curse.’
‘I hope I never meet my soulmate.’
‘Can you just imagine if you failed?’
‘If you didn’t save them?’
‘If you had to watch them die, not once, but twice?’
Luffy had died in front of him, and Law had been thrown back in time to prevent him from dying.
(Once, only once, did Law find himself truly hoping to have a soulmate. Eleven years ago, trapped inside of a chest, because if he did then he could—)
How? Why? He had only interacted with Mugiwara once before this. He only came here because—
And yet, somehow, they were bound together.
Fuck.
.xxx.
The more Law thought about it, the more he realised:
Nobody had to know.
And, why would they? Sure, maybe Law’s actions were a touch questionable, but to extract the wounded when they were in his reach was logical enough. And, he could just say his ability allowed him to know what blood type the two of them were. (Or, that he did a quick test while the rest of the crew were scrambling to catch up with him – they would never be the wiser.) And, while the legends did state that the one who was rescued would remember their death upon being saved—
What exactly did Mugiwara have to remember? He was unconscious the entire time. That and, if Mugiwara pressed, Law could always deny it. Tell him it was probably just from the trauma, or the medications he was given, or even merely a dream.
People lived just fine without knowing who their soulmates were, why would Law have to act any differently? (Besides, it wasn’t as if his life—)
This bond between them? It didn’t matter. Why should it?
Law had more important things to do with his life than chase around his soulmate, after all...