Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The hair thread of land slowly slid into the horizon line, the dinghy that small Law sat in with no issues, seemed much too tight for the large figure with who he shared it. Other than the crescendo of movements of the small boat on the sea waves, Corazon could have played the part of an excellent statue, but with a long puff of his cigar, and the slow ticking of his eyes looking across the map- the man relented this illusion- crinkling the map into a pocket-sized tissue.

Law no longer asked Corazon where their next destination would be, he was adamant on dragging Law on a wild goose hunt for a cure that didn't exist- for an ill boy that shouldn't exist- so he had rarely tried to talk at all despite wanting to say many things at this moment, and wished those words could turn into physical daggers as he furiously spat every profanity in his lexicon until Corazon- with his furiously outlandish feathered black coat- turned into a pincushion. Instead, every time that Corazon opened his mouth, Law felt he was the one being punctured by the stupidity that fell through that painted pair of lips. Corazon obviously felt Laws’ glare, because he had no qualm in looking up at him with an unwavering confrontation- but obviously, he was no mind reader.

“Bathroom?”

...Nor did he possess the normal capability of reading the mood.

----

The dinghy arrived at the next Island, Corazon brushed across with the dinghy in tow, easily pulling it onto the sand- and stopped when it was comfortably settled amongst the pines that fringed the coast.
Like a koala refusing to leave its tree, Law did not move from his perch, Corazon would have to pick him up as usual.
A long and low sigh left Corazon, this defiance had become routine- and Corazon was beginning to think Law enjoyed becoming a handbag as he made a grab for the back of the boy's sweater. Maybe he was wrong, because as soon as he began to walk- Law began to scream and shout things Corazon wasn't even sure whether they were coherent words anymore.

They continued on through a dense jungle, until Corazon reached a stone step, half of it seemed to be smothered in red weeds and blue thorn flowers- a great indication that he was close to the respite he needed. They still needed to climb quite a fair bit, the humidity and dimming of the day slowly catching up to the both of them- Law had slowly begun to quieten. Corazon continued up the steps with wide gaping strides, easily towering over the thorned weeds, and taking meticulous care in avoiding the particular steps that seemed to slope inwards as though moulded by years of heavy feet- every now and then Corazon would let out a little giggle, and Law a sharp curse with ‘Bastard! Stop doing that!’, as Corazon would ever lightly trip (on purpose of course) his knee a bit too low to the ground and 'allowed' the brambles and blue horns catch on Law's leg.

‘Just checking you are still alive Law is all’.
Ah, bad joke, Corazon recoiled mentally. ‘Sorry.’

‘Shut up'. Law snapped before falling sullen again.

Corazon stepped over the final stair, and with good measure, arched law over the step so his feet met the clearer stone ground platform on the other side. Law investigated the location Corazon had trudged them to, it was not another hospital, as Law had come to anticipate every time they reached a new Island- instead what he met were ruins, of something long gone, the skeletal arches that seemed to stretch towards the sky, bridges coiled in between them, toppled pillars, some jagged at their tops, indicating that they too were once massive structures. Spiralled arched windows decorated the structures, some with entrances, some without, and glints of lapis lazuli seemed to stick to surfaces in small clusters. Strange ball-like chandeliers hung from the stone structures, and when they caught the sun as they slowly turned by a warm, light breeze, Law could see three ambiguous faces within it- or perhaps he was just perceiving a pattern of something that wasn't there.

Entangled within all these structures were plants- alien forms, some curled into spirals, and others sprayed like overused bristles on a brush, floras splayed their lush colours in a firework display amongst the ground and walls, some so large, that law felt he would be eaten by them if he ventured to close. Despite the enigmatic display, Law hadn't moved from his spot, because a few meters away, beneath the towering ruins, was a chasm. They had climbed high enough, for Law to realise that they were precariously high.

‘Where are we?’ Law conceded.

‘Well I suppose this part was a garden once’
Corazon was crouching down so that his reply to Law was soft and hushed.

‘Why are we here?’ Law whispered back, surprising himself at his imitation.

Corazon seemed to contemplate the question for a moment, before standing tall again and wiggling his finger at Law to walk towards the garden with him.

Law realised that despite his defiance to be commanded as a dog, that he trusted Corazon more than the gregarious flowers around him, so he followed.

Corazon had laid himself onto a small patch of overgrown grass, body heavy on the now flattened weeds, their ends tinged like tea-stained paper, evident that the summer months- with their long days and warm evenings had begun tinging every surface in a yellow hue. Law stilled and slowly crouched into a half-sit, Corazon had closed his eyes to rest- and Law was left there to the growing sounds of the crickets' chorus.

The night was arriving, and yet- the air was still warm. Law sat still but was not calm, it was a foreign emotion for him to be at ease- never were the screams of his burning hometown of Flevance, with the crescendo of bullets, and heavy boots silent- and now with his mind forced to be blank, his body forced to do nothing, no assignments given to him from the Donquixote family, or even the back-and-forth squabbles with Corazon were there to distract him- Law was forced to sit still and in a place that wanted nothing- that did nothing- it was a dead place and Laws’ fingernails slowly picked up their pace in grinding across his white blotched legs, the contact of hard nails on the skin leaving deepening streaks.

Movement at his peripheral and Corazons' heavy hand was suddenly on his.

‘Why are we here corazon?’ Law repeated, legs slowly curled into his chest, One leg bouncing insistently as if it would detach from his body any moment and run ‘What is the point?’.

Corazon shifted his long legs, and crossed them, bracketing Law between them, his hand still placed over his.

‘The point, Law?’

Laws’ breath was shallow, there was nothing here, just ruins, foliage, Corazon and a great big hole in it’s centre.
There was nothing here with them that was an immediate threat, nothing to pull Law’s attention from himself.

‘There's nothing here, everything has already gone, why are we just sitting on a pointless island doing nothing!’ Law no longer cared about hushed voices and singing crickets. The small, tired boy stood up, arms stiffly reaching to push Corazon back and paused when he saw a small smile on the large man's face.

‘Would you have rather gone to another hospital?’ Corazon's smile grew wider even when Laws’ fist connected with his stomach.
‘I wanted to take you somewhere different- I don’t know what happened here, it is a very old place, and its’ history is a little uncertain- I heard that the very first devil fruit was said to be found here- but not on a tree- They are never found on trees or bushes- isn't that strange, Law? The fruit was said to be found near that chasm there, and next to it was a pair of shoes.’
Law’s mind fell into distraction at Corazon’s tall tale, oblivious to the large hands that shakily folded him onto their owner's lap, brows knitted into a frown- Law’s mind was reeling through logical explanations like it was a mathematical equation- Not liking the suggested hypotheses.

Law followed Corazon's gaze to the chasm. Now that it was night, Law could almost trick his eyes into seeing a pair of shoes next to the large hole. ‘I remember Doflamingo saying that when a devil fruit user dies, that same fruit will always be reborn. So if it takes a person to die, for the fruit to appear, and they don’t grow from a plant, how did the first one ever come about in the first place?’ Law blinked at the feeling of weight atop his head, the boney point of a chin, and locks of blonde hair briefly curtaining at his forehead.

‘No ideaaaa’ Corazon drawled. ‘So many mysterious things in the big wide world aye Law? Ah! but curiously this island is where I found my nagi nagi fruit too!’

‘That explains nothing, only that the island is even more pointless’ Law droned, slouching heavily against Corazon, making sure to jut out his elbow ever so slightly.

Corazon tugged on a small tuft of Law's hair that just about peaked out from under his spotted hat, earning a small bite to his hand. For a while they sat in a bizarrely comfortable stalemate- familiar touches- neither particularly kind nor painful. Corazon let go first.

‘Don't become blinkered by bitterness and power law, It's on these small pointless islands where you find the most unexpected things.'

Corazon felt the slump of the boy's teeth retract from his hand, replaced by the plop of a forehead hitting it instead.
Law had fallen asleep.

Corazon shifted his tiny passenger to his side, stretching the sleeve of his feathered coat under the boy's head, and pushing away a blue thorn flower, pricking each finger in the process.

Once he finally settled himself down, making sure his toppling to the ground did not awaken law, he made a final glance to the side where a set of pillars bracketed a space where a mysterious Poneglyph sat- invisible to enemies in faraway seas.

Turning away, he instead fell asleep to a rare calmness carried in by the breathing of the small, sickly boy instead.

Chapter Text

Law watched as their small boat drifted towards the end of the earth, in a few moments it would tip over the horizon and be lost to the sea beyond it.
Whilst Law stared passively, Corazon was tight-lipped, with his arms sagged in front of him.

Corazon had forgotten to tie down the dinghy to the tree tightly enough, and the unexpected high tide had taken the opportunity to steal their small boat during the early morning- If the sea was to take advantage of anyone it would be Corazon, as clumsy as he was.

Law dusted off the sand from the tops of his plimsolls and decided that it was time to knock Corazon out of his wallowing, with a kick to the shin.
Corazon yelped.

‘Well?’ Law crossed his arms like a parent waiting for a confession from a misbehaved child. Corazon pushed his sunglasses aside to rub at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

‘Nothing we can do now, We move inland and find a town’ he said between a long intake of breath before breathing it all out in a sigh.

Law was not happy, Corazon could feel metaphorical daggers being stared into his back. The Island they found themselves on was not a particularly populated one, and Law had let out a particularly loud 'huff' when he had told him that the town would take them a few hours to reach on foot.

Law skidded down the grassy slopes of the Cauliflower hills, Known for their strange boar-headed sheep with ratty curls, often meandering through the equally curly-looking trees and flowers hunting for truffles. Whilst Law slid down the steep slopes somewhat ungracefully, Corazon took it one step further. A black-feathered mass spun past Law like a charcoal-grilled tumbleweed, along with muffled screaming. It fumbled to a stop at the bottom of the hill, a fair distance away, long legs splayed in front of him. Law could make out the faint sound of strained laughing.

“Law tuck your head between your legs and roll down”. Corazon shouted.

“You are out of your mind! Don’t even try to pretend you did that on purpose!” Law yelled back, crouching down slowly to place his foot carefully on where he deemed it safe enough to maintain a respectable upright position when climbing down.

“Law, I’ll catch you!” Corazon had somewhat outstretched his arms, though they still dangled lazily, His sunglasses were long lost and Law could see a pair of smiling, waiting eyes staring up at him. “Sometimes we just have to roll with it Law, can’t keep your feathers prim and proper all the time”

“No! I don’t want to look like an idiot! And who are you calling prim and proper!’. Unaware of the curly mass moving behind him, Law briefly felt the grazing of teeth atop his dome-speckled hat. Ducking too fast, his foot made a wrong turn, and with a sudden yelp, trip and tuck, Law began to roll down the hill.

“I’ve got you Law!” Corazon crab-stepped towards the direction of the tumbling boy, like a paddle about to receive the ball. “Got yah-ahh!”.
Law’s tiny body spiralled right between Corazon’s legs, the unexpected turn of events left him staring in a momentary pause, before dashing after the rogue boy.

Law was embedded within a tangle of cushioned hair, an earthy scent prodding at his nostrils, followed by a lazy ‘baaaa’.
He pushed himself off the sheep which continued to grind away at its breakfast before slowly turning to look at Corazon who had followed with a sluggish jog behind him, Law’s hat in hand- now with a mouth-shaped hole on its top.

“Nice catch,” Corazon told the sheep. Once Law staggered back to his feet he kicked the man’s other shin.

They had almost reached the town by early evening, One more hill and the town would be in their sights. As he reached the seventh peak, Corazon was beginning to feel the slant in his steps, and a heaviness on his body, aided by the little hitchhiker who now sat on his shoulders. By the fifth hill, the fatigue had set in and Law was unable to walk any further, and Corazon had unabashedly continued to walk on by himself. He had forgotten for that brief moment, that Law was still a sick child, even if at times he acted like a grumpy old headmaster in a tiny-child-sized package. Corazon retraced his steps and lifted the boy onto his shoulders swiftly before Law had peeped any protest.

The setting sun left streaks of purple mist on the pink-tinged sea, and silhouettes of ships upon the hazy waters looked as though they were sailing through clouds, Corazon nudged a shoulder upwards. “Law, Look,”. Law made no sound of acknowledgement, and Corazon began to descend the hill towards the Town of Gull’s head. Only the tell-tale pull of the tassels on his hat hinted that law was still conscious. Had Corazon been gifted with eyes on the back of his head, he would have seen the young boy having leaned his body back with his head tilted upside down, soaking in the setting scene, every last drop.

Chapter Text

Law sat watching fish mongers help sailors pull in their prey upon the banks- seagulls the size of dogs sat hunched on nearby roofs like contraband sellers with high collars, but did not come any closer. Law suspects the large man with shark teeth, gills and bloated body staring back at them whilst holding a spatula had something to do with it. Law had never seen someone with such features but caught himself from staring too long, he and Corazon weren’t exactly the pinnacle of ‘conventional-looking’ either.

Corazon said he needed to check on something, letting Law have some respite as he sat on the low seawall, watching the residents of ‘Gulf’s head’.
- A small town sandwiched between the curled-pointed mountains and the sea. A town so small you could walk from one end to the other within an hour or two. A pointless Island, Law lamented. But he couldn’t deny the small pang of calm he felt, being on an island where pirates, hospitals and the world government seemingly lay no presence on.

Wind tousled his bare head, his hat sat next to him miserable with its large hole. Law felt a shadow cast over his right side, an old-looking man had taken a seat beside him, opened a newspaper, and with a frown upon frown, began to read. Law turned his head to his left, just to confirm that there was indeed, still a few miles of possible space for the man to have sat instead of right beside him. Just as he suspected, there were miles of unoccupied wall to his left, he then slowly leaned back, carefully looking past and around the bulk of the man next to him, and to his not-so-utter surprise, the wall stretched empty to his right as well. So then why, with the opportunities of space that the wall provided, why would this old man with a flower around his head decide to sit right next to him? Law suspected he may be a tad touchy regarding his personal space, however, he was also a rightfully cautious individual.

Law waited, the man continued to read uninterrupted, so he slowly shuffled away.
A few meters away now, Law turned back to the fishmongers, who were setting up their stalls, along with a few arriving vendors from the town.

Schlick…

The sound of a turning a page bolted Law’s head back to his right.
The old man was once again sitting right beside him, Eyes downcast onto his newspaper.

Heckles raised, Law let out a cough.

The man licked his forefinger and turned the page.

“Ahem!” Law coughed louder a second time. Though it was still met with silence from the man.

As Law began to ready his fisted hand to his mouth to attempt his next cough, the man beside him, with a slight shift with his head, turned a glare towards him.

“Don’t you know it is rude to interrupt someone when they are reading”.

Law lurched and stood, the fist which was readying a cough now turned to a pointed finger towards the man.

“Me!? What do you want old man!? Why are you sitting next to me when you can sit anywhere else on the wall”.

The old man continued to glare at the young boy,

“…”

“…”

“…”

Law began to shift his feet, he swore he could feel a small cold breeze waft through him, and it was not from the direction of the sea. “What are you sta…”

“You know, it is impolite to want something from someone before offering an introduction about yourself first” The old man’s eye anchored on Law.

Reluctantly, Law began his courtesies, the quicker he got this over with the quicker he could end this charade. “I’m..”

“…Crocus. I am 61 years old, Born a Gemini and my blood type is AB. I am here because an old friend of mine is unwell, and in this town, there is a native, bioluminescent shrimp which are known for their unique properties in helping to neutralise the build-up of acidity in the stomach. As he is unwell, I felt it unwise for him to travel, so I am here to collect it in his stead.”

Law stared at the man for a moment, then slowly looked up to the sky. A single cloud floated above them. For a moment Law almost felt himself smile, In his momentary pause, he pictured this carefree, solitary cloud suddenly swelling into a black storm cloud, launching a jagged bolt of lighting at the old man so that only the smallest speck of ash remained. But, as Law realigned his emotional faculties and returned to reality, the small, white, puff of cloud merrily drifted away. He took a deep breath, then looked back to the old man.

“I am Law, and I am waiting for my… friend.”

The old man looked back to his newspaper.
“Ah that’s good, so you are not alone”.

“Why would that matter?”. Law sneered.

“This is a trading port town that marines often frequent, an out-of-the-way respite post before they restart their missions. I wouldn’t stay here too long if I was you- you look like the kind of sort to attract trouble. Also, as a doctor, It’s hard to ignore a sick kid when I see one.”

Law paused. Marines came here? Law spun to look about him, there were no uniforms, or blue markers on white sails- not a single marine in view. But if what the old man said was true, Law needed to tell Corazon quickly, that they could not linger here. They could not attract the attention of Marines whilst they were away from the Donquixote Family. They were vulnerable, and Law was hardly fit to fight if he came face to face with a brigade of marines.

But wait, did the old man just say.…

“You’re a doctor?”

“Retired.”

Law felt his heartbeat in his ears, uncertainty filled his thoughts. Up to this point none of the doctors he and Corazon had met had offered a hand. As soon as they learned of Law’s origins, their helpful facades crinkled into sneers and screams. Law could not take any chances, if Corazon was here at this moment he would….

No.

Law was not deluded as Corazon. There was no cure, and he was not about to risk a marine ambush because a doctor decided to sit a bit too close to him.

“Well then, I best be on my way.” Crocus stood, folding his paper under his arm. The man looked at the young boy, his head had turned downwards. “This sea is truly riddled with marvellous and mysterious things. I hope they fished a lot of those shrimp”. He lifted a hand in a lazy wave “If you pass the Grand Line one day, come by Twin Capes. You can then introduce yourself to me properly”.

The old doctor walked on towards the coastline now riddled with market stalls, fish, vegetables, crafts, and Law could even make out the strange shark-man from earlier, cooking up some skewered birds over a grill.

Crocus had disappeared into the crowd, Law lost sight of him and his gaze drifted to the sea behind. He watched small nameless ships in the distance sail towards the horizon. The small signs of people running about the rigging, Laughter and shouts tapering into the distance, as those sailors began to embark on their next adventures into the blue void. Law felt his now wet shoes being lapped by ocean waves. He hadn’t realised he had walked so close, ankles submerged by the sea. There had been a pull towards it despite a more rational voice telling him to cease his daydreaming.

He heard a crash and a “Oof!” behind him which snapped him out of his reverie.

Corazon had returned. Unscrambling his long limbs, he wiped the sand off his face and slid his smile back into place, Lifting his pointer figure towards the direction of the houses along the coastline.
“I found somewhere we can stay for the night.”

Law hesitated.
“Corazon, this is a marine trade port, Marines come here. We need to leave.”

Corazon’s finger seemed to turn rigid for a moment and then curled back down. “How do you know that?”

“A…local” Law looked back to the market stalls and Corazon followed his gaze unperturbed by Law’s previous concerns.

“You want to get something nice to eat?” Corazon smiled, “I heard the seagulls here are really good, how about some seafood?”

Law stood still for a time, the sea seemed to have washed his thoughts away from him, they were still chasing the ships that he had been watching earlier. After a moment he felt a light brush of black feathers against his cheek. Corazon's large coat reached the ground, now drenched by the waves as he crouched next to Law.

“I scouted the town when I was gone. There are very few marines here, and most are small-fry taking a vacation. No one who would cause us any trouble, I promise”.
Law looked to Corazon, who looked back with a small smile.

“Fine.” Law walked towards the market, passing the seagull grill and pastry wagons decisively, watching closely for any old men with flowers atop their heads, and towards the stalls with smaller, less intimidating nourishments.

Corazon pouted as he trotted after Law, they passed stall after stall until one, in particular, forced him to freeze. He whipped a hand to grab at Law from the scrub of his neck. Lifting him In a bout of enthusiasm, Corazon smashed Laws's cheek to his own with a finality of, “There! Let's get those shrimp rice crackers!” Law didn’t have the heart in him to tell him ‘no’, as he watched the large man dance towards the stall before accidentally falling face-first into the plate of freshly fried crackers.

- - -

After the kerfuffle at the market. Corazon had taken them (and a sack of smashed crackers) to a small tavern by the name of ‘The Bloodybelly’. Law briskly kept close to Corazon as they entered and strode towards a staircase, they passed marines and civilians sitting amongst the bar and tables, their backs to them completely aloof and undisturbed by the feather-coated man and the small young boy at his heels. Corazon had procured them a small loft room (the only room) for the night.

Upon realising there was only one bed Law commandeered it with gusto. Stretching his legs across it as far as they could go in order to dissuade any thoughts Corazon may have that they would be sharing it tonight. It was his fault for getting a room with only one bed with marines lurking beneath them Law thought.

He now sat on the hard bed, body pressed against the corner of the wall, where it met the room’s corner.

Corazon was sitting on the floor, back leaning against the side of the bed frame, shoulders hunched, head arched forwards. He was working on something. Strewn before him were Papers, a flickering lamp, maps, a small red notebook and Laws hat, which he was mending. Law watched as Corazon moved between shifting through the documents he had laid on the floor, and then back to his sewing, every now and then he would scribble in the tiny notebook- Or perhaps it just looked tiny in comparison to Corazon. Corazon was a large man, even more so when sitting in such a small room, and of course Law, who was also very small. But as they started their journey, Law never felt afraid by his sheer size, how could something so big feel so unthreatening now that Law had spent more time with him? He felt anger bubbling, but as to why he was not soo sure, and that only made him angrier.

“Why are you thinking so loudly?” Corazon spoke, voice quiet, yet it still rumbled the noiseless room. The barkeeper of the BloodyBelly had ushered everyone out and retired for the night and the nearby waves were the only sound that could be vaguely heard from outside. This was a sleepy town after all. “What’s on your mind Law?”.

Law felt exposed and felt for easy words with a loud snap “I’m dying, that’s what!”.
That wasn’t it. Surely that is what he should be angry about, the world government and the extinction of his home and their actions propagating his death. But there was something else nagging in Law, and for a moment that made him uncertain.

Corazon turned back, lifting his arm back to plop Law's fixed hat back atop his head, he spoke in hushed tones. “We will leave tomorrow, and continue searching for a hospital and cure. You are right Law, no more dawdling”.

“There is no cure.” Law whispered back. Law pulled his spotted hat over his eyes, teeth clenched as he tried to fold into himself, embarrassed. He felt moisture on his cheeks and could taste salt at the edges of his lips.

Corazon jumped to his feet in alarm “Law? Wait. Um, What??”. In his scramble to stand, Corazon slammed his head upon the roof, leading a wood beam to collapse, it hit the floor, and with it lifted a floorboard. The lamp that sat at the other side of said floorboard, suddenly seesawed, flipping the lamp into the air neatly atop Corazon’s feathered coat. With a splutter, Corazon raced to the window in an attempt to put out the flame. Law paused from his crying and watched on.

——

After the ordeal, Law had pitied Corazon and allowed him on the bed. The large goofball had beamed at law with his ugliest of smiles and splayed himself across the bed, promptly falling asleep. Law tried his best to manoeuvre himself in a way where there was minimal contact with the man, it was cold in the room and Law wanted the thin cover that lay on the bed. However once realising that Corazon was sleeping atop the bed cover, Law slumped sulkily in defeat. Corazon shifted onto his back mumbling something or other about ‘cookies’ and ‘missing a goat’.

Law could not sleep, his mind still raced, He needed a distraction. Clambering between limbs, law looked towards the papers scattered on the floor. The large map was littered with red crosses, all of which were of past hospitals that had visited. A poorly drawn shape encircled an island, this sat flush against the ‘calm belt’, the current-less sea where very few ships could cross. As Law stood, he saw the red notebook on the floor towards the window.
Picking it up required both hands.

He peered behind his shoulder. Corazon still lay asleep.

He sat on the window ledge. Fingers hesitated at the corners of the notebook. Would Corazon mind? He briefly thought, but then talked himself into thinking ‘Why should I care?’.

Law open the book, and inside he saw…

…scribbles.

Law let out a sigh, flicking through the pages. Page after page there were indecipherable scrawls. He could not make out a single word. Occasionally there was a poor attempt at a drawing of a smiling dog, or a supposedly human-shaped muffin. But nothing alluded to something eligible. What horrid handwriting, letters melded into each other, and there were even strange apostrophises, made-up letters and squares in places which made no sense to being there. Again and again, Law closed the book and stared out the window instead.

The sea at the edge of the island glowed. He remembered the shrimp that the old doctor at the port had mentioned. Law wondered how their bodies produced the glow, what would they look like when dissected, and what mysteries would he uncover about their biology. Perhaps he could recreate it and use it as a lamp, one which even Corazon could use without setting himself aflame. He smiled to himself and then yawned.

Slipping from the ledge he returned to the bed. With heavy Limbs and eyelids, Law carelessly collapsed just under the giant man's shoulder, he kicked the man's arm aside to make room for himself under it, fitting perfectly between the little space he dug himself. Law soaked up the warmth. He could smell the singed feathers from the coat beneath him, mixed with something akin to the sweet sea, and old parchment paper. It was Corazon as Law had come to know him, at a level of familiarity he felt inclined to ignore. But Law had begun to know Corazon by scent, by sight and by his clumsy attempts to care for him. He felt the heaviness return, a tightness in his chest, and that lingering anger …with himself.

“I want to keep travelling the seas, I want to see more and more, there are so many things out there I don’t know, but I want to see them all… with you...” Law pressed his face into the coat, hand clutching the black feathers, in an attempt to smother the words.

“…I can’t do that if I die.” Law could not shake off this frustration. His fingers drifted across the black coat. At his realisation of what he said Law hastily looked up. Corazon was soundlessly asleep, head turned and chest rising and falling in quiet rhythm.

Law watched the man with an unfocused gaze like a sputtering projector, he could see a man with a long lab coat dressed over a boneless figure draped across the end of his bed. Law had learned young that his father liked things orderly and clean, meticulous in his cleaning of tools and clothes. ‘Cleaning heals the mind, it allows you to move forwarded clearly, and be ready for the unexpected’ he would tell Law. But sometimes, his father would have nights where he would fall asleep before he had a chance to finish preening himself. Exhaustion would come early and yet he would still trudge up the stairs to say goodnight to Law, never making it back to his own room. He would fall asleep, crumpled on the end of Laws’ bed. Law appreciated that little imperfection. It was in these moments he felt content, those unexpected moments when he would wake to find him there. Like a little hungry robin at dawn, he would clean the lint of his father's coat before he awoke.

Corazon’s coat was far wilder, and yet Law watched his fingers begin searching, from sand grain to dry twig, removing each piece mechanically. Corazon was not his father of course, and yet- for a moment Law was reminded what it was like to have one.

Completely unaware of the silently smiling man hiding his tears and sobs with his devil fruit.