Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Ace.”

“Yeah?”

“You have the army after you, no health, and you’re falling out of a crashing plane.” Sabo recounted without looking up from his book

“Yeah, I know, Sabo—“ Ace hissed

“It’s a bass fishing simulator, Ace.”

“I know!” His brother snapped “It just— it just happens! It just fucking happens!”

While Ace jammed frantically on the buttons on his controller, their youngest brother bounded through the apartment, grabbing random items and dropping them into his backpack. His Straw Hat securely on his head as always.

“Luffy, out of the way. I’m trying to box this grizzly bear here!” Ace said as he darted in front of the TV “Oh shit he has dynamite!”

“Where are you off to, Luffy?” Sabo asked

“I’m meeting Zoro and some other guys at the gym. We’re gonna race stuff on the treadmills and then we’re meeting the others at the park for waterpistol war games!”

“Sounds like fun. Do you need a ride?”

“Nah, Traffy’s giving me a lift.”

Sabo raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name. “Which one’s Traffy again? Is he new?”

Luffy just smiled and chuckled “Traffy’s not a Straw Hat. He’s my boyfriend.” Just as he said that there was the sound of a horn honking outside. “Oh that must be him now. See you later!”

He took off in a hurry leaving his brothers so stunned yet panicked they only had time to exchange looks to confirm, yes, they had heard him correctly before racing after him, tripping over each other as they went. They got to the balcony (none of them had any qualms about jumping off of it as a shortcut when need be. And sometimes just for fun) just in time to catch Luffy hopping on the back of a motorcycle. The driver noticed them and turned, letting the two get a good look at him.

He was several years older than Luffy was. Hell, he was several years older than they were. Various tattoos poked out from his clothing. He had deep bags under his eyes and a generally grumpy, unpleasant demeanor. Luffy waved cheerfully to them, which they returned awkwardly. The driver flipped them off and sped away with their little brother in tow. The brothers were left in stunned silence staring at a dust cloud.

“Since when does Luffy have a boyfriend?!” Sabo exclaimed as they returned inside.

“Don’t look at me. First I’m hearing of it.” Ace responded. “Ah, crap. The lava shark ate me while I was gone. Well, guess I’ll try to beat my high score.”

“I’m just so surprised. It seems so unlike Luffy.” Sabo said, sitting down next to him in a bit of a daze.

“I know what you mean. He’s never shown any interest in that romance stuff. When I told him me and Deuce were friends with benefits he thought the benefit was meat.” Ace recalled “And, in a sense, he was right. Ow!”

Sabo dug his elbow out of his brother’s sides and pulled out his phone. “What’d he say that guy’s name was? Traffy? Not much of a lead but I’ll see what I can dig up.”

“What do you mean I can’t use my bazooka at the fishing pond? Why would you give it to me if I can’t use it?” Ace yelled at his video game. “Oh shit it’s the fuzz!”

“Hang on, do you think that was Trafalgar Law?”

“Maybe. You know him?”

“He’s a heart surgeon at the hospital. He made headlines a few months back by exposing one of Joker’s organ trafficking operations. Saved me and my co-workers a lot of trouble.” Sabo explained, scrolling through his phone. “Let’s see… he has several degrees, practices multiple forms of martial arts, a regional chess master. Seems intelligent, patient, and disciplined. What the hell does Luffy see in him?”

Ace shrugged as he hijacked a tank “Heck if I know. Honestly if it wasn’t for Hancock, I wouldn’t think he even knew what… a boyfriend…is.” He finished the thought slowly as a realization dawned on him. A glance at his brother told him he’d realized it as well.

“You don’t think-“

“This is Luffy we’re talking about. It’s definitely possible.”

“Yeah. I wonder if someone’s playing a prank on him.” Sabo posited

“He is pretty gullible. Remember when we told him to eat the raw fettuccini at the Olive Garden?”

“Or when you told him the world used to be black and white before we invented color?”

“Or when you told him the stars were baby moons?”

“Or when you told him you were immortal?”

“Man, I feel bad for that Traffy guy. He’s gonna get in some real hot water if Luffy’s going around calling him his boyfriend. Especially with how big the Straw Hats are getting.” A moment passed before Ace spoke up again. “Wait, what if that’s what’s going on? What if he's just using Luffy for his name? I’ll kill him. Where are the fucking grenades?”

“Oh for god’s sake, just go to your settings and tie them to a button. Clearly opening your inventory every time isn’t working.” Sabo replied. He seriously had no idea how Ace got into these messes in a fishing game “And anyway we shouldn’t do anything drastic right now. We don’t have enough information to be sure of his intentions.”

“Should we ask Luffy about it when he gets home?”

“Oh god no!” Sabo exclaimed “What if, on some off chance, they actually are dating? Then we look like idiots for needing that explained after he just called Law his boyfriend. Do you want to look like an idiot in front of Luffy?”

A stone cold expression settled on his brother's face as he allowed his character to die in a moment of horror imagining that. To be an idiot in the eyes of one’s little brother was humiliating enough but when that little brother is Monkey D. Luffy of all people it takes on a whole new level of humiliation. Ace turned to face him, now very invested in the precariousness of their current situation.

“What do we do then?”

“Let’s just invite him out to dinner with the three of us. We’ll keep an eye on how he and Luffy behave and it should be pretty obvious whether they’re dating or not. And we can figure things out from there.”

Ace nodded and grabbed his phone but then realized “Wait. We don’t have this Traffy guy’s number.”

Sabo just tapped away at his own phone “I’m working on it but it’ll take a minute.”

Instead his brother shrugged “Eh, I’ll just put the word out in the Whitebeard group chat. We’re all over the place, someone might know him.”

Law had finally managed to slip away from the crowd of both Straw Hats and Hearts screaming at a particular fruit to stay on a treadmill the longest. No, he was not annoyed that the orange he’d bet on had lost first. He just wanted to grab a coffee. Was that such a crime? Anyway he took the opportunity to check his phone and found it had very much blown up.

Texts from everyone practically everyone he knew and quite a few people he didn’t drowned his notifications. 

You’d better watch your back, Law. I hear Fire Fist Ace is looking for you!

Damn, what’d you do to piss off a Whitebeard Commander? 

And here I thought you were smart. RIP. 

What’s this about you dating Fire Fist Ace’s little brother? You know he’s notorious for not shutting up about how much he loves him, right?

Better sleep with one eye open tonight, Law!

Law groaned as he read through the texts, ignoring and deleting most of them. Luffy had mentioned he had two older brothers but it seems he could’ve mentioned one of them was a fuckin’ Whitebeard Commander.

He sighed, thinking of the unwanted attention this could bring. Luffy had been playfully calling Law his boyfriend for a couple weeks now. Law had tried to discourage him from this several times. That had never been the intention for their relationship and Law knew how it would appear to others. But it was obvious the resistance (and occasional flustering, he can admit) on his part only made the joke funnier to Luffy and he simply would not stop. Clearly, word had gotten back to his infamously hot-headed big brother, and he was looking for a fight.

He glanced over at Luffy. His attention was entirely on cheering for that stupid pineapple that was somehow still in the running. Looking at his face lit up with excitement, Law felt an unexpected rush of frustration and resentment. So Fire Fist Ace thinks he can throw his weight around and decide who his brother could date huh? And, what’s more, he thought Law was some coward who would buckle before his name and violent tendencies.

As he was mulling it over, and growing angrier and angrier the more he did, he got a call from yet another unrecognized number. Despite obvious reasons not to, he made it his policy to answer every call he received as many of his underground contacts used burners frequently and he could never be too careful.

“Yeah?”

“Hello.” A pleasant voice said “Is this Trafalgar Law?”

“And if it is?”

“Nice to meet you, Law. I’m afraid we weren’t able to be properly introduced this morning. My name is Sabo. I’m Luffy’s older brother.”

Law bit the inside of his cheek. The one who was always away for work?

“How did you get this number?” He grit out

“Oh, I had one of my coworkers at the Revolutionary Army steal it from your work. I needed to speak with you as soon as possible.”

The Revolutionary Army? Sabo? Fuck, don’t tell him.

“You wouldn’t happen to be the Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff, would you?” he asked, already pinching at the bridge of his nose

“Oh you’re familiar? Good. That should save us some time.” Sabo confirmed as Law held back a sigh as he realized his problem with Ace was about to be double the trouble.

“You’re invited to dinner.”

Chapter Text

It was Sanji who recommended the restaurant. A new Korean Barbecue place the next town over where Luffy could eat all the meat he wanted. Well, as much as he could stomach. Well, an awful lot more than at a typical restaurant. Not to mention the restaurant was still so new the staff wouldn’t know to fear them as soon as they entered.

Law had chosen a smelly sweatshirt and unwashed skinny jeans for the occasion. He had an ugly flower bouquet squashed in his storage box. He intentionally arrived twenty minutes late, making a noisy spectacle of himself on his motorcycle. He was ready to make a terrible impression.

He’d have to walk a slim line tonight. He needed Luffy’s brothers to believe they were dating (and there was nothing they could do about it) but he didn’t want Luffy to get the wrong idea. Flowers seemed romantic but they didn’t necessarily have to be. Especially a bouquet as ugly as this one was. He’d have to play things by ear a bit but he had planned for all kinds of scenarios. He was ready to handle whatever the night threw at him!

Except… where was Luffy?

Where the hell were any of them?

He checked inside. The staff confirmed the only empty table in the place was the one reserved under Sabo’s name but they were clearly agitated by something and weren’t very helpful. He checked around back. He triple checked the address, time, and name of the restaurant. He was in the right place. But the only person waiting by the entrance was some guy in his thirties smoking a cigarette.

“Your date stand you up, kid?” He asked gruffly

“Shut up!” Law snapped.

Were they so offended he was late they left? Without even trying the barbecue? That didn’t sound like something Luffy would agree to.

Shit! He thought he’d calculated carefully enough. He wanted to piss off Luffy’s brothers, not Luffy himself. As much of a headache as the Straw Hats were, they were also an invaluable resource. He would need as much manpower as he could get when it was time to take on Joker himself.

As he stood on the street, mentally analyzing all his plans and trying to adjust them for Luffy’s potential absence, an obnoxiously loud noise grew closer and closer eventually making it impossible for him to think. As it grew closer he recognized it was actually two sounds. One was a motorcycle engine in desperate need of a new muffler and… was that Katy Perry? Unfortunately, the cyclist turned into the restaurant’s parking lot, not slowing down but instead seeming to stop all at once as he drifted into his parking spot next to Law’s own motorcycle. Law’s attention was so fixed on the cyclist, and his not at all impressive trick that Law could totally do too, that he didn’t even notice he was towing a person on roller skates behind him until they were being whipped towards him at high speed from the drift and yelling “Look out! I don’t know how to sto-“

“Straw Hat-ya!?”

The next moment he was on the ground, stars dancing around his head. He heard the sounds of winces of sympathy and poorly contained laughter. Luffy was sprawled on top of him, not looking any worse for wear himself. As the younger man went to get up, clumsily paying no mind to how he was pressing into Law’s sore and bruised body, he recognized him and his face lit up.

“Traffy!” He exclaimed excitedly, as if he hadn’t just body slammed him at 40 miles an hour. How the hell he kept his straw hat on his head after all that was a mystery Law would never know the answer to.

“Sorry we’re late!” A blond man with a scar over his left eye, Sabo, came over, looking genuinely apologetic. “Ace got into a drag race on the way over here and we missed our exit. We didn’t even realize for 30 miles.”

“But I won!” The other one, who’d been driving, chimed in. His motorcycle had the word Striker painted on the side. He must be Ace.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Sabo agreed, fond but a bit exasperated.

“It was really fun! We were going so fast!” Luffy added. He still hadn’t gotten off of Law entirely and it was at that moment he realized how close they were and what position they were in.

“Straw Hat-ya.” He groaned, cheeks coloring in spite of himself “Get off of me.”

“Oh! Sorry! Sorry!” He said. He rolled off of Law and let him get to his feet but stayed sitting and worked on getting his rollerblades off. “Land skiing is fun but I’m not very good at stopping yet.”

“I keep telling you, you have to stick your leg out.” Sabo said, handing him a pair of flip-flops

“You make it look easy, Sabo.” Luffy complained

“Land-Skiing?” Law asked

“There’s not enough room on the Striker for three people. So Luffy rides behind on skates. Like regular skiing, but without the snow.” Ace explained

“Uh… right.” Law opted to ignore the hundred or so replies he could’ve given to that. Like why wasn’t a side car considered. Or that that did not actually resemble skiing at all. “So, you’re Ace. And you must be Sabo. I’m Law, Luffy’s new partner.” He’d chosen the term carefully

“Pleasure to meet you.” Ace said, tipping his cowboy hat “Thank you for waiting for us.”

“Oh no! All your flowers got smooshed, Traffy.” Luffy said, noticing the limp pile of stems and petals he was still clutching. And Law realized with horror they thought he was the one who’d been left waiting, probably with perfectly nice flowers.

“Uh…”

Luffy plucked from his hand a sunflower that had survived the crash better than the others. “I’ll keep this one. It matches my shirt.”

Indeed it did. Huh. And here he’d chosen this bouquet specifically because he thought it was ugly.

“You should wear it in your hat.” Sabo suggested

“Okay!”

Law went to throw away the flowers and noticed the other man who’d been having a smoke outside moving towards the other three with a dark look on his face as he reached into his jacket.

“So you’re Chief of Staff Sabo, eh?” He pulled a gun out from his jacket and pulled the trigger.

But he didn’t hit anything. Sabo had stepped in, grabbed the hit man’s wrist and forced the gun above his head where the bullet wouldn’t hit anyone. Then the revolutionary swiftly adjusted his hold on the assassin, put a hand behind his head for extra leverage, and spun him into the building’s brick wall, face first with such velocity Law felt the impact through the concrete sidewalk.

“How do I look?” Luffy asked, the sunflower sloppily affixed to his favorite hat.

“Like Eliza Doolittle.” Ace said, bopping his little brother’s nose, which earned him a sunny smile.

Sabo slammed the would-be assassin to the ground now and sat on him to keep him pinned. His face was covered in blood, his nose bent a different way now, and he was missing a tooth. His gun skittered across the cement and landed at Law’s feet.

“Luffy, go get the duct tape from the Striker.” Ace said, sitting next to his brother on the man, earning a groan of pain from the extra weight. Luffy obliged easily, especially for Luffy.

“You’d think they’d get better over time.” Ace commented, tapping his knuckle against the man’s bloody cheek.

“Well, think of it this way, with every hit man we put in the ER their resources get that much thinner. And we’ve put a lot in the ER by now.” Sabo explained.

“So what do we do with it?” Law asked, aiming the gun carefully at the assassin under their butts, just in case he tried anything. Doflamingo had taught him that if one failsafe was good, two were better. What’s more, he had a strong suspicion Sabo might’ve been behind this whole botched assassination attempt. He’d known men who would do such a thing before, anonymously hire a crappy assassin with themselves as the hit only so they could crush them in a show of strength. The clunky methods the man had used, likely hearing of Sabo’s reservation but not knowing what he looked like until he answered to that name and not factoring in his companions at all, further reinforced this theory. And he wanted to call his bluff.

“Hmm. I prefer not to use guns if I can. Too loud and flashy for my tastes. Ace, you want a gun?”

“You know I can’t handle the kickback.” Ace half-whined.

There was a moment where all three silently realized the other option and unanimously agreed against it.

“Why don’t you just keep it, Traffy?”

“It’s Law.” He said dumbly. He’d planned to introduce that idea himself and to receive pushback about how untrustworthy he was. Perhaps they wanted to make a statement about how little they feared him?

“You revolutionary bastard!” The man croaked from under the other two men “Even if I fail to take you down, someone else will!”

“I got the duct tape.” Luffy said, returning.

“Perfect timing.” Sabo said.

They gagged the man with dust tape and together Ace and Luffy tied him to a nearby tree, just wide enough he could reach his arms around uncomfortably. He couldn’t use his arms or reach anything on his person. Sabo took a photo of the man’s face and sent it to his contacts while Law patted his pockets and found his phone, wallet, and keys.

“Looks like his name’s Ray Penburr. A low ranking government official.”

Sabo sighed “Oh, don’t tell me you’re just a fanatic?” The would-be assassin couldn’t respond but his eyes were both furious and terrified. Sabo sighed. “Well, someone’s already on their way to pick you up. Guess there’s no point in calling them off now. Maybe there’s some decent information on his phone. I just hope this isn’t a total waste.”

“Can we go in already? I’m hungry!” Luffy said

“Yeah. Good idea.” Ace agreed and with that the three brothers turned and headed into the restaurant. Leaving the man who’d “tried to kill” one of them beaten and tied to a tree. A fate Doflamingo would have considered less than a slap on the wrist. God, it was so obvious what they were trying to pull when you knew what to look for.

“W-Wait!” Law called, deciding to try and call their bluff again “You’re not really just going to leave him here like this, right?”

The three looked confused, as though it hadn’t occurred to them to kill the man who’d tried to kill one of them. To Law’s surprise, it was Luffy who pipped up. “Yeah, actually there is something else.”

Law held out the gun despite his shock, only for Luffy to dart past him and pants the man.

Ace and Sabo erupted into laughter.

“You’re right. I like that better.” Sabo approved.

And the three of them went into the restaurant, leaving a stunned Law scrambling to stash the gun in his storage box. Swords and knives were one thing, they had a certain leeway, which is why he preferred them. But you had to be an idiot to carry a gun into a crowded restaurant.

“—Always over-air condition these places.” Ace was complaining when he re-entered the busy restaurant.

Perhaps it was a good thing the staff was so distracted and agitated because they probably would’ve lost their table by now otherwise.

“So, Traffy, how did you and Luffy meet?” Ace asked as they finally took their seats.

“Again, my name is Law. But, Straw Hat was a regular patient of-“

“Traffy saved my life!” Luffy interrupted cheerily

“Really?” Sabo asked

“Mm! I was hurt really bad after that fight with Akainu. I don’t really remember most of it but I guess Jimbe took me to Law who patched me up.”

“Patched you up?” Law repeated, offended “You make it sound so trivial. I’m the surgeon of death, for crying out loud. People don’t come to see me like that unless they’re already got a foot in the grave with nowhere else to turn. You would have died in the hands of any lesser doctor.”

“I know.” Luffy confirmed, he was smiling but his tone was firm and serious “But I had you so I’m okay.”

Law was taken aback. It was true that surgery had been what piqued Law’s interest in Straw Hat Luffy. It gave him an up close look at near-inhuman constitution and resilience. A peak at the asset he could be to him. But the way he acted after the fact, as if open-heart surgery were a trivial concern, always caught him off guard. He either had extreme faith in his ability to survive or extreme faith in his companions to keep him alive. Law was a man who saw people walking the line between life and death every day but Luffy was like a tightrope walker at the circus. Walking the line with such confidence and reckless abandon it was as entertaining as it was terrifying. 

He noticed Ace and Sabo watching them closely with serious and concerned expressions. Given Luffy’s habit of neglecting to share important information about his life, he wondered how much of this story they knew.

“I see.”

“So that was you, huh?”

“Shishishi! Yeah, he was great!” Luffy added “Law must really like hearts. His office is full of them!”

“Straw Hat-ya!” Law hissed, unable to keep the heat from rising in his face.

“What? It is! Hearts and Sora merchandise!”

“Straw Hat-ya!”

Ace and Sabo were laughing across the table and making no attempt to hide it. Law wanted to sink into a hole. It wasn’t a lie. He’d loved Sora! Warrior of the Sea! since he was in grade school and the series had been an escape for him during some of the worst years of his life. He used to hide a Sora comic book and a flashlight under his blankets at Doflamingo’s hideout. And the hearts, well… he was a heart surgeon after all. That’s what he told people, at least. But in any case he didn’t want it to be the first thing people knew about him!

Eventually Luffy’s brothers settled down and turned to him with a smile. “Thanks for looking after our little brother.” They said at the same time “Jinx!”

Service was slow and Ace kept complaining it was too cold but once the meat arrived, it was a different story entirely. The brothers approached their meal as one part shoveling as much food in their mouths as they could, one part stealing food from their brothers, and one part slapping or stabbing another brother in the hand when they tried the same thing. And somehow they still found time to talk and joke and laugh and spray food from their mouths (which always seemed to go in Law’s direction) and pound their fists on the table and sword fight with butter knives and generally make a huge racket.

At one point Ace fell asleep in the middle of the conversation. His mouth fell open, full of half-chewed food. Law would’ve assumed he’d fainted but his snoring and snot bubble suggested otherwise. His brothers didn’t bat an eye. His plate was picked clean in seconds. Merciless.

It became clear the reason for the slow service was one particular party in the corner booth. At the head of the table was a middle aged man with a terrible handlebar mustache. They must’ve been VIPs or something going by how the staff was waiting on them hand and foot and leaving the rest of their patrons under-attended.

“Hey Traffy! Aren’t you gonna eat anything? You haven’t even touched your bread.” Luffy asked.

“I don’t have much of an appetite.” Law confessed, “And I don’t like bread.”

“That’s weird.” Ace said, snatching the roll from his plate and biting into it as Law watched, gripped with furry. He didn’t say he could have it!

“Are you sick or something?” Sabo asked.

Law grit his teeth. He hated that question. Under the table, his knuckles turned white.

“Excuse me, sirs!” A frantic looking waitress interrupted before he could respond “Could you please keep the noise to a minimum? You are disrupting the other guests.”

“But we’re having such a good time!” Luffy protested.

“Yeah! This place is great!” Sabo agreed.

“Can we get more short ribs?” Ace asked.

The waitress blushed “I-I’m happy you think that but… Listen, we have some VIPs here tonight and they’ve requested that-“

“You mean that corner booth that’s been glaring at us?” Law pipped up.

“Yes!” The waitress squeaked, she was speaking in a quiet but insistent tone now, not wanting to draw too much attention. “And we have to keep them happy or we’ll all be in big trouble! The man at the head of the table told us he is a member of the Whitebeards!”

“Really?” Silence descended upon the table as Ace craned his neck to get a look at the man in question. Obviously, he didn’t recognize the man by the way his face slowly twisted around in anger.

“Sir. You can’t go over there. Sir!” The waitress pleaded but to no avail as he marched past her.

He hadn’t taken off his jacket throughout the whole meal, but he tossed it to his brothers now. “Careful, idiot! There’s a fire pit in the middle of the table!” Sabo said, catching the jacket anyway.

“Oh dear. I’d better call an ambulance.” The waitress said, skittering off.

“Does that mean no more short ribs?” Luffy pouted.

“We’ll go somewhere else for dessert, Luffy.” Sabo promised. They’d each already eaten their weight in beef and pork. Where the hell they put all this food, Law had no idea.

“Should we do something?” Law asked as the first pained cry sounded throughout the restaurant.

“Nah, he’d just get annoyed with us if we got involved now.” Luffy said.

“He’s defending his father’s honor or something like that.” Sabo explained with a roll of his eyes “He’s so lame sometimes.”

Luffy chuckled his agreement and the two picked off the last of the heaping platters of meat while Law kept an eye on Ace’s brawl. It was hard not to with the sound of blows landing and people crying out in pain and dishware breaking. Ace really had made quite the spectacle of himself. And he definitely kept looking back over in their direction. Almost like he wanted to see if they were watching. Was it possible this had been staged too?

Other patrons were fleeing past them in terror. Luffy was gnawing on a raw noodle from the centerpiece while Sabo was trying to hide his laughter behind his hand.  Once Ace had ripped off half the man’s awful mustache he apparently was satisfied and made his way back, being sure to step on his unconscious body as he went. It was good timing too because the sirens for the ambulance (and probably the police, of Law were to guess) were getting close.

They had to dash from the restaurant in a hurry and it wasn’t until they were several blocks away that Law realized none of them had paid.

Chapter Text

They ended up at a hole in the wall bar somewhere. Law had suggested a nicer looking place they’d passed on the way, Makito’s or something, only for all three brothers to wince in unison and inform him they could not go there, expressions bordering on shameful. He shuddered to think.

“This is Pop’s territory, so no one should bother us.” Ace said as they dismounted in the parking lot. 

“For now.” Luffy said “But this is Jimbei’s neighborhood. It’s going to be my terrority soon.”

“Yeah, dream about it.” Ace replied, flicking his little brother’s temple for good measure “You still have to go through me and Pops first. You can’t even stand up to Joker yet.”

“I will kick Joker’s ass! Then Kaido! And one day I’m coming for Whitepops too!”

“Yeah right! I couldn’t even beat him so there’s no way you can!”

“Yes, I will!”

“No, you won’t!”

“Will!”

“Won’t”

Next to him, Sabo sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically before stepping between his brothers. “Alright, that’s enough. As long as someone is protecting the neighborhood, I don’t think Jimbei’s complaining. Though Luffy’s territory has been expanding lately.” He added with a knowing look in Law’s direction. “I expect you have Law to thank for that, Luffy.”

With the change in scenery Law was ready to resume his plan with even more vigor “I’m certainly helping him spread… something.” Oh god. Kill him.

Fortunately (or maybe a little unfortunately but definitely mostly fortunately) he’d spoken just as they crossed the threshold into the sticky, dark, loud interior of the bar and it didn’t seem the brothers had heard him.

Recovering, Law placed a hand lightly on Luffy’s shoulder. “First drink tonight will be my treat. What do you want?”

The younger man tilted his head in consideration and it dawned on Law he had never seen Luffy drink before. “Hmm. I want a Mai Tai!”

Law had to disguise a choke of laughter as a cough. He ordered a whiskey for himself and, out of habit, drank half of it in one gulp. That’s when a good idea struck him.

“Uh, you’ve got something on your… here.” And he found himself wiping at a bit of dirt on the corner of Luffy’s mouth that wasn’t actually there. Their faces were very close and Luffy’s eyes were wide at the intimate gesture but he didn’t say anything. Law glanced out of his peripheral to see if his brothers were watching and saw Sabo sipping on a Long Island Iced Tea. 

“Thanks for paying Traffy!”

“I didn’t mean it for you!” Law snapped

“Didn’t Koala tell you not to get drunk tonight since you have that meeting in the morning?” Luffy said “You’re gonna get chewed out.”

“Nah. She said not to show up hungover. She never said I couldn’t get drunk.” Sabo corrected as he sipped his large cocktail. “Say, where’d Ace go?”

As soon as he said it, a bit of commotion rose up from the corner, above the already quite rowdy atmosphere of the bar. They turned to find Ace riding a mechanical bull the bar had set up and doing remarkably well.

“Should’ve seen that one coming.” Sabo remarked “Anyway, Traffy, you didn’t talk much about yourself at dinner. What do you do for fun? Where did you grow up?”

Law really didn’t want to admit he unwound by cyberbullying Big Pharma executives and posting on online Sora forums and he couldn't admit to being from Flevence without opening that nuclear can of worms. Instead he opted to focus on the darker aspects of his childhood. If Sabo wanted play intimidation mind games, he should know Law could go toe-to-toe with the best of them.

“My city was destroyed by a war. I managed to escape the slaughter by hiding under a pile of bodies being sent out for incineration. Then I sought out Joker, looking for the strength and skills to take my revenge and kill everyone in sight. He took me in and hand-groomed me to become his successor one day. Now I’ve turned on him and am hoping to kill him one day instead.” As he spoke he progressively slid his hand closer and closer to Luffy’s, hoping to send a subtle message of possessiveness to his brother as he revealed how dark his past truly was. It was possible this would raise questions later but he could always blame it on the alcohol if he had to. But Luffy turned away at the last moment as the Bartender handed him his Mai Tai. Complete with a curly straw.

“Huh. Neat.” Sabo said

Law hated this man.

“What’s my dad doing here?” Luffy chimed in.

“Oh, shit.” Sabo downed his cocktail with a panicked fervor Law had yet to see on him. Law  scanned the crowd and easily found the cause. People were instinctively giving a wide breath to the tall, intimidating figure with a tattoo over his left eye who had just entered the bar. His face wasn’t well known but Law kept well informed. That was Sabo’s boss, the most infamous and heinous criminal in the entire world, Dragon.

Sabo pointed to his brother, “You didn’t see anything.” Luffy nodded but Sabo’s expression wavered nonetheless, surely he was familiar with Luffy’s inability to keep secrets “Ah, fuck. Okay, he probably just wants to get the assassin’s phone and shit. Never would’ve guessed he’d come himself. Just… stay here while I talk to Dadgon.”

“You mean Dragon.” Law corrected

“That’s what I said.” 

For the first time all night, Law was left alone with Luffy. But he doubted it would last. Clearly this night wasn’t out of curveballs to throw Law’s way.

“Where is your dad? All I see in that direction is Dragon and Sabo.”

“Yeah.” 

“Huh? What are…” The realization somehow dawned on him slowly and hit him like a brick wall at the same time “Your father is Dragon.”

“Yeah. Weren’t you listening?”

Law smothered a scream of frustration into only a sigh. Did he ever mention a famous relative beforehand? But he knew Luffy was too brazenly, absolutely honest to be lying. 

More importantly, he knew Dragon’s arrival was as much a surprise to Luffy as it was to Law. Which meant someone else had arranged for him to come here. Was the whole family in on this ploy? Well, maybe Law had some leverage of his own. If he approached with Luffy in tow, and if he played his cards right…

“Don’t you want to talk to him?”

“Nah, he doesn't like it when people talk to him when he’s working. Besides, he’s pretty shy.”

Law raised an eyebrow. Well, whatever. Luffy’s relationship with his father was really none of his business.

***

“Okay, the rules are simple.” Law explained, twirling a dart around his finger, an array of alcoholic beverages on the table next to them “10-20 is half a beer, 30 is a whole beer, 40 is a cocktail, you have selected Pina Colada, and bullseye is a shot. The better you aim, the harder it’ll be next time. First to 300 wins, if you barf you’re automatically disqualified. Got all that?”

“Sure!” Luffy said with that look of cheerful cluelessness that Law knew meant he didn’t “But is it okay if I play without drinking?”

“Wha– It’s a drinking game. The whole point is to get drunk!”

“I know. But I’m not in a rush to get drunk. I have more fun watching everyone else be drunk than being drunk myself.”

Law blinked. It hadn’t occurred to him that Luffy didn’t enjoy alcohol. Now that Law thought about it, for as many wild stunts as he’d seen this idiot pull, he dosen’t think he’s ever seen him intoxicated. He’d heard it said some people got drunk off of life itself. Maybe Luffy was just one of them. Go figure. 

“Heh. More for me anyway. First to 500 then?” He took a shot for himself “I’m warning you I’m a pretty good shot.”

“Yeah. But I’ll still beat you.”

Luffy was a horrible shot. Pretty soon the area around the dartboard was deserted after his strays embedded themselves in the wall and tables and more than one poor patron’s drink. It was miraculously lucky he hadn’t taken out someone’s eye. But Luffy was still a stubborn, competitive brat who didn’t know how to quit and kept demanding rematches. Law quickly had to drop the pretense of playing to get drunk as well for the sake of his liver. But he found he didn’t mind. He was too busy laughing at the next disastrous attempt. He started giving himself ridiculous handicaps and still mopping the floor with his opponent. 

It wasn’t until Luffy left for the bathroom and Law was left on his own for the first time all night that he realized he’d actually been having fun. As much of a pain as Luffy could be, there was something to be said for his entertainment value and his contagious cheerfulness.

That was when Ace plopped himself next to Law, a tell-tale redness to his cheeks.

“Hey Traffy!” he said cheerfully

“I keep telling you, my name is Law.”

“That’s a weird name. What is it short for Lawrence or something?”

Law stiffened. How did he know!?

“You know, Traffy, when we were kids Luffy was really set on getting a pet.” Ace started rambling on without prompting “And, you know Luffy, that was a disaster waiting to happen. So we told him no, of course. But, you know Luffy, that wasn’t going to stop him. So he starts trying to sneak these animals in. It didn’t work, obviously, he was terrible at it. Tried to convince us he’d taught himself how to make his farts sound like barks. Well, you know Luffy.”

“Is there a point to this anecdote?” Law asked, Ace seemed not to hear him

“Oh, man, he was relentless! Cats and dogs but also rats, lizards, snakes, spiders, one time he spent four hours trying to catch a pigeon. These really disgusting, pathetic things. Don’t know what he saw in them but I guess Luffy has always had a thing for strays.” A sudden look of intensity crossed Ace’s face “Mutts. Bastards. Scum. He’s got a soft spot for the dregs no one else wants, I guess.”

Law’s knuckles turned white. He was so angry he couldn’t speak. Clearly he was these gross, undesirable creatures Luffy somehow found love in his heart for. The veil on the metaphor was so thin it wasn’t even there. What would it take to get it through these assholes' thick heads that they couldn’t scare him off? Apparently when simply trying to intimidate him hadn’t worked Ace resorted to insulting his character personally. And perhaps it shouldn’t have stung like it did but it wasn’t the first time Law had been called these things. 

He managed to open his mouth to respond, though he wasn’t sure what was about to come out of it, when Sabo returned and whispered something in his brother’s ear. Ace made a face like he’d smelt something bad and rolled his eyes. Yet another dig at Law’s expense, no doubt. Law forced himself to look away and noticed Dragon had disappeared from the premises. 

Unfortunately, that meant he didn’t notice the man approaching him from the other way until he felt a bottle break on his head.

“I remember you!” The old man screamed, fear clear in his voice as cold beer mixed with a bit of warm blood and seeped into Law’s clothes. Suddenly it seemed the whole bar was watching them. Even Ace and Sabo only looked on with confused surprise.

Law remembered him, too “Dr. Keene?” Was all he could say, starting at him like an idiot with all the rest

“You! You should be dead! Are you some kind of ghost!? A demon!?” The old man raved “Out! Out White Demon! How dare you come here! Have you no shame! To expose all these people to-”

Law saw red. He kicked the old man in the stomach so hard it sent him flying into the brick wall behind him. Law had grown since he’d last seen the doctor and now he loomed over him with a look of pure hatred and fury in his eyes.

“Do I look dead to you?” he said in a dangerously calm tone “I would be if you had your way, wouldn’t I?”

“Of course!” The doctor said without shame “You carry White Lead Disease! You can’t be allowed to–” 

Law grabbed his head and smashed it through a table, sending the old doctor painfully to the floor. It was too late though. He’d said the magic words. The bar was already humming with panic. White Lease Disease wasn’t as well known in this area and not everyone knew to run. But word was spreading fast. Law did his best to block it out but he’d seen this scene enough in his life he could predict what was happening without even seeing it. Some would try to gather their belongings while others scolded them and said they’d have to burn everything. Some were calling the authorities. Some were covering their noses and mouths. All avoided stepping near him.

The old doctor grabbed a broken bottle and stabbed upward with it furiously, trying to finish what he’d failed to do years ago. Law kicked it aside easily and stepped on his chest. Keeping him pinned.

“I was dying!” he said, vaguely aware he was screaming “I was sick! Poisoned! Scared and dying!” He was raining down blows on the pathetic old man, his knuckles staining with red “And you refused to treat me! Is that medicine? Is that healing? I wasn’t even a human being to you!”

He didn’t know why he was yelling. What the point was. As if it would make this monster feel a bit of guilt. A bit of compassion. He knew it wouldn’t. He knew he was proving himself the monster they said he was. People were starting to flee in earnest now as he beat an old man bloody and unconscious on a sticky bar floor. 

Eventually he stood, breathing heavily with dripping knuckles. But he didn’t feel any better. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Luffy between his brothers, watching the scene with a look of confused innocence. As Law watched, he tried to take a step forward but Sabo pulled him back as a large woman darted by. And some tiny part of Law, a part he couldn’t identify, shattered.

Luffy didn’t understand what was happening. But he would soon. Just the thought of that, of Luffy looking at him the same way everyone else had when they’d learned, was unbearable. He felt exhausted suddenly. He was tired of this charade and these thickheaded, asshole brothers.

He walked out of the bar, the crowd parting before him.

Chapter Text

Law wandered aimlessly for a while on his motorcycle. Between the alcohol and his emotional state he really shouldn’t have been driving but he had no inclination to do anything else. No place he could think to stop sounded appealing. Nothing he could think of to do would be satisfying. He felt like a shark. Like if he stopped moving the waves of emotions that had been hitting him would prove too much and he would drown. All the same, when he saw it in the distance he knew he had to go and stay with it awhile. It was like it was calling to him. And that’s how Law ended up sitting on a park bench in the middle of the night, staring both into nothing and at the twisted-double heart sculpture at the same time.

He remembered it all so clearly. The doctors and nurses dressed in white, in their sterile white rooms, screaming in horror at the sight of his white skin. Wounds reopening and multiplying in real time. One hospital after another at a relentless pace that had Law begging for mercy. He used to go to sleep cursing that reckless fool for making him go through it all.

It took him so long to understand the kindness he was doing to him. The love he had always shown to Law in his own foolhardy way. Careless, idiotic, relentless love.

He’d sounded so much like him just now at the bar. He wondered if he would’ve been proud.

He was lost in thought, but after last time he didn’t let himself get so far gone he wasn’t aware of his surroundings. So he noticed the two figures approaching him. But without the energy to flee again that didn’t do him much good.

“What do you want?” He said aloud. Ace and Sabo were not dismayed.

“You took off in a hurry back there.”

“Dude are you okay?”

Law couldn’t help the bitter laugh that came from him even though he didn’t feel it. “That’s rich coming from you.”

They had the audacity to look confused. Law laid it all out plain for them, he was all out of patience to let them hide behind false innocence. “You assholes have been trying to chase me off all night. Well you got what you wanted didn’t you? I don’t know what you’re playing at coming after me now but just leave me the hell alone!”

After a second of quiet Ace leaned slightly towards his brother while keeping his eyes on Law “Are you following this?” He said in a hushed tone not nearly quiet enough to be effective

“I was hoping you were.” Sabo ‘whispered’ back

“Oh cut the crap!” Law snapped “With your dumb posturing and fake assassins and that stupid story about how Luffy’s got a soft spot for scum!”

“What are you talking about?” Ace raised an eyebrow “I didn’t say a single word about you in that story. I didn’t even get to the part where we had a funeral for his pet rock so he wouldn’t find out we—”

Whatever he was going to say was cut off suddenly by Sabo clamping a hand over his brother’s mouth with a look of sheer panic on his face. He looked back to Law and forced a laugh “Ha ha. Ignore him. He’s still a little drunk.”

That may have been true but Ace suddenly looked sober as ever as he face started turning blue under Sabo’s grip. He was quickly running out of air.

Law ignored him “And you with your stupid whispering about me like I wasn’t even there. You were plenty transparent so don’t bother hiding it now.”

“Huh?” Sabo tilted his head, trying to recall, his grip loosening enough for Ace to finally pry his hand off his mouth “Oh that! I was just letting Ace know Gramps got wind of you and Luffy and apparently he’s on the warpath. Something something worthy of my grandson something something. It’s nothing for you to worry about. It’s so cringe.”

“Super cringe.” Ace agreed

“Yeah, Dragon’s trying to keep him off your back but if Garp the Fist is one thing—“

“Don’t do it.” Ace warned

“It’s a pain in the ass.” Sabo finished, immediately ducking to avoid his brother’s right hook. He successfully avoided the blow but couldn’t quite dodge the sweep kick that sent him kissing pavement.

“Garp the Fist is your grandfather?” Law asked, unsure what else to say. He was resolved to force Luffy to go through with a 23 and Me after this was done.

“Well, Luffy’s specifically but yeah.” Ace replied

“He’s got this weird notion that he can tell us what to do with our lives and make us be… what’d he call it?” Sabo asked, getting back on his feet

“Responsible and productive members of society.” Ace said

“Yeah boring! That’s it!” Sabo confirmed “God, he’s such a drama queen.”

“You’re telling me. Remember when he showed up at the Moby Dick to tell off Pops for ‘kidnapping’ his grandson. I could’ve died.”

“Oh that’s nothing on the shit he’s pulled with Dadgon and me.” Sabo did a high-pitched mockery of Garp the Fist’s voice “Sabo, you can’t blow up the embassy. People work there. Nyenyenen.”

Ace chuckled and then seemed to remember Law was there. “Anyway we just came to give you the heads up but in any case don’t take Gramps too seriously. God knows it’s the only way to have fun when he’s around. And we’ve made an art of ignoring him. Luffy’ll show you the— “ he made like he was going to put a hand on the shorter man’s shoulder and then realized he wasn’t there when it didn’t connect “Sabo, where’s Luffy?”

The blond brother looked around “Oh shit! I knew I was forgetting something!”

A realization dawned over Law slowly, revealing a reality that was more baffling than he could have predicted “You really weren’t fucking with me at all, were you?”

“Hm? Oh, trust me, when we decide to fuck with our brother’s boyfriend, you’ll know.” Sabo promised.

“But what about… You really don’t care about me dating Luffy? Even when… I…  I’m… What is going on here?!” He finally settled on. 

“Why would we care about that?” Ace said “What? Are you stupid or something?’

“It’s Luffy you should worry about.” Sabo added “He’s the one you’re dating.”

Law floundered for a second. He kept opening his mouth and sounds that were not quite words came out. He had no idea where to start. He was starting to hyperventilate. The brothers saw his sputtering and exchanged glances, coming to some unspoken agreement. Moving in unison they took their seats on either side of him in as blatant a boxing maneuver as Law had seen. He wasn’t wrong about that. He couldn’t be. Not about—

“You know he’s not going to stop, right? Luffy, I mean.” Sabo said gently, interrupting Law from his thoughts and forcing him to pull himself together and pay attention. His face burned. Joker had trained him better than that.

Law sighed, he just wanted this whole situation to be over with “Listen, we’re not dating! We’re not even friends!”

The brothers burst out laughing. Ace clapped a hand on his shoulder “Keep telling yourself that!”

“It’s bound to work eventually!” Sabo agreed, struggling to smother his giggles.

“Wha—”

“I mean if there’s one thing Luffy knows how to do is take a hint when he’s not wanted!” Ace agreed, clutching his side.

“Oh, he’s so agreeable! A great listener!” 

“And he’s good at so many things! A delight to have around!”

Both brothers were red in the face with laughter at this point and Law was irritated and exhausted and had no interest in sticking around for the rest of this conversation. He tried to storm off but as soon as he stood he found both his arms seized and his body yanked roughly back into his seat. It didn’t come as a shock but it did strike Law that this was possibly the first intentionally threatening thing they’d done to him all evening.

“To tell you the truth, Traffy,” Ace said, expression impossibly serious after the one he’d worn just a moment ago “Luffy’s a major pain.”

Sabo nodded sagely in agreement “He’s selfish and impulsive and so goddamn stubborn. He does whatever he wants with no regard for the consequences and lets everyone else pick up after his messes.”

“I have no idea where he gets it from.” Ace said

“He gets it from you idiots!” Law snapped 

“You’re his partner, right Traffy?” Sabo asked as though he hadn’t spoken “I’m sure you’re familiar with the sort of trouble he causes. Tell me, how do you imagine someone like that ends up the leader of a crew as talented and tenacious as the Straw Hats?”

Law stiffened. If this were anyone else, he probably would have accredited at least part of his success to the power of his brother’s reputations. But not Luffy. And not just because he’d neglected to share his family’s identities with him. Luffy simply wasn’t the sort to skate by on family prestidge. He never could’ve gotten to where he was if he were. The Straw Hats were a group of some of the most renowned geniuses and fighters in the world and there wasn’t a weak-willed one amongst them. They would never bend to the whims of some brat who hadn’t thoroughly earned their service. And besides, no family ties could make a diamond out of a lump of coal. He knew that well enough. 

“It’s by being a stubborn asshole.” Ace answered for him “Once he’s decided he wants to be your friend that’s it. No matter what you do he’ll just keep coming back until one day you wake up and he’s wormed his way past your defenses. He’s made practically every friend he’s ever had by sitting on their chest and refusing to take no for an answer.”

“Present company included.” Sabo added with a fond smile

“Well, you were soft on him from the beginning.” Ace retorted, earning him a flick to the temple. 

“Seriously though, we legally can’t let him in our kitchen. There was a lawsuit and everything.”

“And he literally can’t lie to save his life.” 

“And he really is very dumb.” Sabo added “So when he mentioned having a boyfriend, we just wanted to make sure there wasn’t any miscommunication, y’know?” 

“But it seems you two are on the same page. So..”

They got up. They turned and walked away, leaving Law stunned. Then Ace stopped, and looked back at him, like a final thought had occurred to him.

“Law.” he said, a strange look in his eye “Luffy won’t be far behind us. I can count on one hand the number of people he hasn’t had to fight to win over. You’re a rare breed. Don’t forget that.”

Sabo grabbed his brother by the arm and led him away, Law caught him saying something about getting an address but couldn’t be bothered thinking about what on earth they were about to do. He felt like the entire world had rotated 45 degrees except for Law and now he had to learn to walk on it. He couldn’t stand, because he’d be so dizzy he’d be forced to sit again. What… just happened?

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Law.” A deceptively cheerful voice spoke from a perpetually smiling mouth “Corazon is my precious, biological, little brother. If any harm came to him I would have no choice but to raze the earth in vengeance.”

The other man next to him rolled his eyes. Law noticed but dismissed it as a vaguely annoyed or embarrassed younger brother shying away from his older brother’s declaration of affection. The result of alien family values and the desensitization to violence that came with their lifestyle.

“I will never understand how that beast and I come from the same kind-hearted mother and father."

“Don’t worry, Law. Doffy and I are brothers by blood. He’ll be pissed but he won’t kill me.” Cora-san assured him with a look in his eye that almost made Law think he believed it “I love you!” 

With that he slammed down the lid and locked him inside

Luffy plopped down next to him. His weight knocking into him with the force of his inertia. He was panting and must’ve run all the way there after being left behind.

”Here.” He said simply and Law felt something pressed into his hand. 

 It was the sunflower he’d taken and stuck in his hat what felt like an eternity ago. The one Law had brought for him. It wasn’t in good shape then and now it was even worse. The florets in the middle had been plucked, leaving an empty spot that roughly resembled a heart.

Law huffed “What are you doing? Making a corny romantic gesture like this?”

Luffy stared at him blankly “Huh? Who said anything about it being romantic? I just know hearts make you happy for some reason!”

Law’s face grew warm. That was… true.

”Your brothers were here earlier. I think they went west.” 

After all he’d seen of how close the three of them were, he half expected Luffy to jump up and chase after his brothers. But he just gave a hum of acknowledgement and stayed where he was. Leaning against Law and looking up at the stars. Comfortable and content.

Leaning against him. Law stiffened. 

“You’re not…” Law couldn’t finish the sentence. He leaned away, trying to put as much distance between them as he could “I… I thought Sabo would’ve told you.”

Luffy blinked “He did.” He slid down the bench and closed the distance “You were poisoned right? Does it still hurt ever?”

A sound that might’ve been laughter escaped Law without him allowing it. It occurred to him Ace and Sabo hadn’t exactly kept their distance either. No one since Doflamingo had understood the nature of White Lead Disease without Law having to painfully convince them first. 

“All the time.” He said “I have to take a special medicine I invented myself every day or else it will become active again and kill me.”

“Oh, is that what that white stuff you sniff sometimes is?”

“No, that’s cocaine.”

“Oh.” Luffy said and went back to staring at the stars “Did you know one day the stars will all grow into moons and there will only be little specks of black in between them? I wonder what that will look like. Well, Ace will see it since he’s immortal.”

Law chuckled “You’ve got a good family, Straw Hat-ya.”

Luffy smiled wide and chucked his agreement “I know. I’m really lucky.”

There was once someone else in Law’s life who caused him nothing but trouble. Someone who wouldn’t be chased away or stray in his path once he’d decided it. Who didn’t care how cruel Law was to him or others or how desperately he tried to abandon his humanity and drown in the comfort of despair. Someone who was stubbornly, recklessly, relentlessly kind.

His beloved Cora-san was dead now, but the very fact that Law drew breath and his heart pumped and worked as intended was a testament to his legacy. Was this love? This emotion stirring in his chest? He didn’t think so. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t valuable, and worth protecting.

“You are anything but.” Law countered and wrapped an arm around the shorter man. Luffy smiled and rested his head on his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

And, for now at least, that was all he needed.

Three Weeks Earlier

“Well, you’ve certainly made an incredible recovery, Mr. Monkey.” The young good looking doctor said, glancing up from his file to eye him with a curious, intense gaze.

He looked like he wanted to say something else but his expression soured as the bespectacled, green haired secretary poked her head in.

”Dr. Trafalgar, your presence is requested in pharmaceuticals.” She told him politely but curtly “I believe your 2:30 is scheduled to be wrapping up soon. Whenever you get a moment.”

The doctor frowned but nodded and got up all the same. “Still though, I must advise caution going forward. No matter how resilient you are, you only have one heart. You must take care of it. I’m prescribing an antibiotic just to be safe. Good day.” He scribbled something on a piece of paper and tossed it Luffy’s way before ushering just out of his office and disappearing quickly down the hall with the bespectacled woman. 

Luffy frowned. He didn’t understand most of what the doctor had told him during the appointment. He should have brought Chopper after all but most of his friends were busy with an emergency situation that required their attention. Looking down at the piece of paper and realized it was actually two pieces of paper. One was a small form with something he couldn’t read scribbled on it and the other was a small pink sticky note in the shape of a heart.

Can’t talk here. Meet me at Albert’s Coffee House at 3:30.

An hour later Luffy found himself sitting across from the young good looking doctor, sipping on a sugary coffee drink he’d bought for him. It was snowy outside and they sat by the door, where icy winds kept blowing in. Despite the busy coffeeshop, they had plenty of privacy.

”What did you want to talk about?” He asked.

The doctor had dark eyes that studied him with confidence “I want to discuss forming a partnership.” He said.

Another icy blast blew through the door but Luffy felt his cheeks go warm.