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"Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace."
- “On Friendship” by Khalil Gibran
To be fair, Law supposed, he had been warned.
He had been warned again and again by various members of the Straw Hat crew that their captain had a different view of alliances than he did. They’d given him knowing looks and made enigmatic promises that seemed to border on threats that Luffy would do what he wanted—what he needed to.
But Law was so ensnared in his plot to take down Doflamingo—the culmination of more than a decade’s worth of planning and his own likely demise in the process—that he hadn’t listened. “All he needs to do is follow the plan,” Law had snapped in response, only to receive uncomfortably knowing looks in response.
In hindsight, sitting on the deck of Bartolomeo’s ridiculous ship whose name he refused to acknowledge, Law finally understood what they meant. For Luffy, an alliance meant friendship. And for Luffy, friendship meant everything. Once Luffy, in his idiotic wisdom, had decided someone was his friend, he would do anything for them. He had taken one look at Law’s plans, thrown them away, and somehow still gotten to the core of what Law had wanted all along.
Watching Doflamingo go crashing through the ground in defeat while Luffy floated victoriously above in the sky had loosened something in Law’s chest. As he used the last of the energy he could muster to make a shaky Room to catch his ally once he’d started falling back to earth, Law could only describe that feeling as being something softer, gentler than he’d remembered feeling in a very long time.
And now, Law sat to the side, watching with bemusement as these other pirates offered Luffy a fleet—a fucking fleet—of 5600. He’d say it was unbelievable, but even the short time he’d spent with Luffy told him that this was just the way the world shaped itself around this boy; somehow, Law had dragged Luffy along on his revenge mission under the guise of an alliance to defeat an Emperor, never expecting to leave Dressrosa alive, and now Law was alive, Doflamingo was in Marine custody, and Luffy was gaining a fleet.
The D. will bring a storm indeed.
Meanwhile, Law was doing his best to ignore a creeping itch under his skin, something unpleasant twisting behind his breastbone as he watched myriad pirates pledge themselves to Straw Hat Luffy. An alliance meant friendship, and Luffy was the type to look for friends everywhere he went.
Law might be Luffy’s first alliance, but he would undoubtedly not be his last. Someone with Luffy’s ambitions would need many allies, and strong ones at that. There was nothing special about Law; he’d proven that clearly enough by failing to take down Doflamingo and forcing Luffy to risk his own life to end Law’s living nightmare for him. Naturally, he would want—
“No.”
Law blinked in surprise along with the other pirates on the ship as Luffy declined the offer. Law frowned. Luffy had said yes to him almost immediately on that hill on Punk Hazard.
“But why?” the pirates demanded, and Law found himself leaning forward to hear the response despite himself.
“It’s so cramped!” Luffy replied, pulling a face before zeroing in on the food Bartolomeo’s crew had been preparing.
Cramped, Law thought, insides twisting as the other pirates yelled at Luffy, demanding he take them under his command. Of course. Luffy had made an alliance with Law under a pretext and nearly died for it. And now he didn’t want to take that risk again, no matter how obvious the benefit to him would be.
Shame burning the back of his neck, Law retreated from the scene. He’d already been on the perimeter of the gathering, so he doubted anyone noticed him—except maybe Nico Robin; that woman noticed everything—and headed for a quiet spot far away from the excitement. He dropped to the wooden deck and rested his back against the railing. Setting Kikoku next to him, he looked out at the sea and did his best to drown out whatever was happening on the other end of the ship, his thoughts drifting to a few days earlier.
In the aftermath of Doflamingo’s fall, as they had gathered in the former toy soldier’s cabin to escape the eyes of the Marines, after Law had done his best to play doctor for the motley assortment of combatants with weary hands, he’d collapsed onto the floor next to the bed Luffy had been placed in. He was in and out of it for the next day and a half, his waking moments filled with lingering exhaustion and sharp pain, but in his lucid moments, he forced himself to stay awake long enough to check on everyone’s condition before falling back into the beckoning arms of unconsciousness.
It was on the second night in the cabin that Law jerked awake in the middle of the night, the sound of gunshots and cold of falling snow receding into the darkness as he fought the pain in his arm and chest to sit upright. Immediately, his gaze turned to the bed next to him; he could hear light snores coming from it, which soothed some of Law’s lingering worry. Still, Luffy had expended a lot of energy and taken a lot of blows for Law’s sake. Law needed to bear the responsibility of making sure he recovered.
With a groan, Law managed to push himself to his knees then, using the bed frame for support, pulled himself up to sit on the edge of Luffy’s bed. For a moment, he just looked at the younger captain. He was sleeping peacefully, no sign of strain or pain. Then he opened a Room and performed a quick Scan; he was satisfied to see Luffy’s injuries were healing and there were no signs of infection. The Room blinked out, and Law slumped, drained from just that simple action.
“T’rao?” Law started when a sleep-heavy voice murmured his name. Luffy was blinking heavily at him. “What is it?”
Law shook his head. “Nothing. Go back to sleep, Straw Hat-ya.”
Luffy made a dissatisfied noise, and that was all the warning Law got before a rubbery arm stretched out and Law was pulled down onto the bed next to Luffy. Law most definitely did not yelp as he ended up on his left side, facing Luffy. The other captain looked a bit too pleased with himself as Law glowered.
“This is more comfortable than the floor,” Luffy said.
And, damn him, he was right. The bed wasn’t that big, and the mattress was clearly old, but Law couldn’t help but melt into it after spending the last two days on the hard wood floor. His eyes slipped shut, lulled by the promise of more comfortable sleep, but he jerked when he felt a soft touch on his right arm. He pried one eye open to see Luffy studying the heavy bandages with a strange look on his face.
Law opened his other eye. “What—”
But Luffy just shook his head and took his hand back. He snuggled back into the mattress, and Law was suddenly aware of how close they were to one another. He tensed, but Luffy didn’t seem to notice as his eyes slid shut.
“M’glad you’re here, Torao,” he murmured before his breathing evened out in sleep.
Law’s own breath caught in his throat, and, once he was sure Luffy was asleep again, he rolled onto his back. Why? he wanted to ask. Why did you save me? Why do you care? But his thoughts slipped away as exhaustion pulled him under once more.
“There you are, Torao!” Luffy’s voice pulled Law from his reverie, and he looked up to see the other captain walking toward him, a grin on his face. “I was wondering where you were.”
“Why?” Law asked before grimacing at the petulant response.
“Hm?” Luffy asked, flopping down against the railing next to Law, twining his fingers together and settling them behind his head. “Because I wanted to see you.”
Law raised a cynical eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you be with your adoring crowd?”
Luffy grimaced and made a frustrated sound. “They just drank the sake anyway, even though I don’t want a fleet!”
Law stared at Luffy’s annoyed expression for a moment before letting out a laugh. Despite his spiraling thoughts, he couldn’t help it.
Luffy startled, looking at Law in surprise. “What?” he demanded.
Law’s lips twitched at Luffy’s indignation. “Sounds like they gave you a taste of your own medicine.”
“Eh?”
“You always do whatever you want, right, Straw Hat-ya?” Luffy nodded, and Law, on instinct, reached over and flicked Luffy in the forehead. Luffy yelped and frowned at Law, rubbing at the spot, though they both knew Law hadn’t actually hurt him. “Sounds like they did what you usually do.”
“Bah,” Luffy muttered, turning back to look at the horizon alongside Law.
“It’s not everyone who gets the chance to lead a fleet of thousands,” Law felt the need to point out. Any other pirate…
But, Law supposed, those pirates wouldn’t be offering their loyalty to just any other pirate.
Law himself hadn’t asked any other pirate to be his ally. He hadn’t rushed into Marineford on instinct to save any other pirate.
It had been Luffy.
“What would I need a fleet for?” Luffy retorted. “I have my nakama.”
“The New World only gets more dangerous from here. Kaido will be out for our heads with Doflamingo arrested.” Law grimaced as he spoke. He’d dangled the idea of taking down Kaido to get Luffy to agree to the alliance but had never fully planned to actually take the Emperor on; at best, Doflamingo and Kaido would take each other out while Law watched, and at worst, Kaido would kill Doflamingo after Law’s death.
Now… now they had an entirely different reality to work with.
“We’ll get him,” Luffy said confidently. “I don’t need a fleet for that. Besides…” He trailed off, cheeks turning pink.
Law tilted his head curiously. Luffy, for all that he seemed an open book, was proving more difficult to read than Law could have expected. He had no idea why he might be blushing, of all things. “Besides?”
Luffy for quiet for a moment before he turned back to Law and practically blurted, “I already have an ally. I have you, Torao.”
Law’s eyes widened slightly at Luffy’s vehemence. “Straw Hat-ya…”
“I have the best ally, and we’re going to take down Kaido together,” Luffy went on. “You and me. I don’t need a fleet when I have you and my crew.”
Law felt his own face warm. Luffy still wanted to fight alongside Law after he’d seen Law at his lowest in Dressrosa, had seen the monster who had shaped so much of who Law had become and still wanted Law as his ally.
“You don’t have to, you know,” Law said haltingly.
“Hm?”
“Continue the alliance,” Law clarified. “After, well.” He waved his uninjured arm in the direction of Dressrosa’s receding coastline.
Luffy’s eyebrows had furrowed. “I don’t understand. Why would I not want to continue being allies?”
Law gritted his teeth. “I brought you here under false pretenses.” At Luffy’s blank look, Law took a breath and said, “I got you involved in my own persona vendetta when all we agreed to do was take down Kaido. And then, I couldn’t even…” Law swallowed and absently touched his bandaged arm. “You had to fight him yourself.”
“Torao.”
“You would have every right to end our partnership after this,” Law went on. “You shouldn’t—”
“Torao.” Law blinked and cut himself off as Luffy grabbed his good arm and squeezed. “I don’t care about that. Mingo was a bad guy, and he needed to go down. Even if you weren’t my ally or nakama, which you are,” he added when Law looked like he wanted to protest, “I would have fought. Mingo couldn’t keep getting away with hurting people. Not the people in Dressroba—”
“Dressrosa.”
“—not Rebecca, and not you.” Luffy punctuated that with a poke to Law’s chest, and Law winced.
“But—”
“Didn’t you just say I always do whatever I want?” Luffy continued, bulldozing over Law’s protest like he did Law’s plans and Law’s protests. Law swallowed and nodded, suddenly feeling small under Luffy’s intense gaze; for all the walls that Law had built for himself over the years, it was like Luffy could see right through them to his core. It was unnerving.
Luffy trailed his hand down Law’s arm until it reached his hand, and he squeezed it. Law’s skin tingled in the wake of the other captain’s touch. “I want to continue the alliance, Torao.” Then he grinned, and the spell was broken. “I told you, I have the best ally.”
Law took a breath and allowed himself to lift his lips into a weak smirk. “Well, if it’s that important to you, Straw Hat-ya, we can continue the alliance.”
“Shishishi,” Luffy chuckled, “good.” Then he flopped back against the railing and started humming a tune Law vaguely recognized as being from the skeleton’s repertoire.
Yes, Law reflected as he sat there alongside his allied captain, he’d been warned that Luffy’s idea of an alliance would be different than his own.
But maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing after all.