Chapter Text
Law was a practical man. So when he started feeling unwell for no glaringly obvious cause, and then it proceeded to worsen by the day, he went to his coworker.
Going to his coworker was the obvious choice; Law worked in a hospital. One of the best hospitals in the country. And like the hospital, Law was one of the best surgeons in the country.
So Law went to see Penguin and Shachi, who were more surprised to see Law ask for help than anything. But Law was miserable these days; he had deteriorated quickly, feeling heavy and lethargic, sore and aching everywhere, losing what little appetite he had and struggling to fall asleep even more so than normal. Any more of this and it would start affecting his performance in the operating room, which could not be allowed to happen.
"I don't know what to tell you, Law; we've run every test we can think of; there's nothing physically wrong with you." Shachi explained, flipping through the charts in his hands. Penguin nodded along.
"Everything is the baseline for you; no changes, nothing new. It's like these symptoms aren't even there." Law glared at him, making him hastily add, "Not that we don't think you aren't experiencing them, it's just we don't see anything from our side."
"Dammit." Law sighed, rubbing his face with his hands tiredly.
"The next step would be having you meet with a psychiatrist," Shachi continued, looking up from the charts in time to see the nasty look Law shot him, "Which we all know you aren't going to do." He finished, resigned.
"Maybe take a few days off, get some rest; relax a little bit." Now Penguin was speaking as a friend, not a doctor. He looked imploringly at Law. "When was the last time you gave yourself a break?"
Law didn't answer, mostly because he didn't know.
"Look, at least go home early today, get some food in you and go to bed early tonight. Doctor's orders."
Law rolled his eyes, but gave up arguing. Arguing with Shachi and Penguin was always more trouble than it was worth.
Law finished up his paperwork from his last surgery, checked on his patients a final time, and clocked out at a reasonable hour, if not as early as Shachi and Penguin were hoping. He left the hospital and set down the street; his apartment was a short 10 minute walk away. Every step wore him down, the exhaustion of the past couple weeks weighing on him.
He kept his head down, and therefore didn't see the person standing in front of him until he'd just about run into them. He stared down at sandaled feet for a moment, eyes slowly dragging up to see the dirty jeans shorts and red t-shirt, finally meeting big, round eyes hidden under a straw hat. The expressive eyes of the young man (more of a kid, really) blinked up at Law owlishly, wide and curious. Then they looked over Law's shoulder, staring at something Law couldn't see.
"Um…" Law said, leaning away from the kid, who had leaned in closer. The kid slowly reached his hand up towards Law's face. Law stepped back, not sure what to make of the situation, but the kid just kept on reaching, hand going for Law's shoulder. Suddenly, a pale hand clamped down on the wrist of the hand reaching for Law, and tugged the boy back. "Luffy!" A bombshell of a redhead hissed, dragging him away from Law. "I've told you not to just–" She sighed frustratedly as the boy began to protest. She turned to look at Law. "I'm sorry about that; he didn't mean any harm."
"It's fine, I guess? Nothing happened anyways." Law shrugged, still confused. The redhead smiled gratefully at him, turning back to the boy and grabbing his ear to scold him while dragging him down the street away from Law. The boy tried to look over his shoulder at Law, but eventually gave up and allowed himself to be dragged away. Law blinked, baffled by the exchange, before surrendering to the comforting thought that some people were just weird, and headed home.
-
Law in fact, did not feel any better the next day, or the day after. He’d started having migraines to the point where he couldn’t concentrate, and therefore had opted to take a couple days off of work to try and get a handle on things.
“And Shachi and Penguin can’t figure it out?” Bepo asked over the phone, as Law made himself a simple dinner of eggs and toast, not quite feeling up to anything more elaborate than that. Law had his cellphone between his chin and shoulder as he worked, and listened to his adoptive brother chat away. “That doesn’t bode well, Law. What if you have some super rare, incurable disease?” Bepo worried, beginning to ramble. “Those two are some of the best doctors in the country! I mean, you have to be in order to work at your hospital, But still! What if–”
“Bepo!” Law interrupted, weary of all Bepo’s ramblings. “It's not some deathly, incurable disease. There would be signs of my symptoms if it were.”
“Then what is it?” Bepo demanded.
Law sighed. “Shachi and Penguin think it might be the result of mental strain.” he grumbled.
“Have you seen a psychiatrist? What did they say?”
“No, I haven’t seen a psychiatrist.”
“Why not?”
“You know why.”
“Law.” Bepo scolded. Law bit back a groan as he rolled his eyes.
“Look, don’t worry anymore about it, okay? I’m going to spend a couple days off, collect myself, and I'll be back to normal in no time.”
Bepo was quiet on the other end of the line for a beat too long as Law waited for him, stepping away from the stovetop and settling down at the counter to eat. “Have you talked to Dad about it?” He asked quietly.
Law sighed. “No, I haven’t talked to Dad about it. You know him; he’s worse than you. All he’ll do is worry.”
Again, Bepo didn’t say anything for a moment. “Okay; I trust your judgment. But if it doesn’t get better, either you talk to a psychiatrist or I tell Dad. It can’t hurt you to do so, Law.”
“Fine, fine.” Law agreed. “I’ll talk to you later. Let me eat in peace.”
“Love you too, jerk.” Bepo quipped, hanging up before Law could get another word in. Law plugged his phone in and ate his eggs and toast in quiet contemplation. Going to see a shrink would be the last option; he didn’t need anyone telling him what he already knew about himself and then trying to fix it. Maybe he’d go for a walk after dinner, clear his head a bit. Surely some fresh air couldn’t hurt him.
-
Law wandered the backstreets near his apartment with no destination in mind. He walked past small shops long since closed for the evening, and ignored the shadows of people in back alleys and hidden around corners. The sun had long since disappeared as well, and the city lights lit up the dark streets as best they could. Law let his mind wander just as his feet did, even though his body still felt heavy and sore.
Thinking about everything and nothing, Law didn’t notice it at first as he turned down a dark alley. It was partially obscured around the corner, and looked like a large dog, except it had no fur, instead replaced by gray, oozing skin that looked to be falling off in places. It was standing over a pair of legs also obscured by the corner, clad in running shoes. Law stared at it for a moment, struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. Then it looked up at him, though it had no eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, before the thing opened its mouth full of twisted and jagged teeth to reveal a jaw that went all the way down its neck, creating one long and horrible maw. It screeched and awkward sort of howl, one that grated on the ears and echoed long after it had finished. It stepped forward on paws with joints much too long, making them look almost like hands. The thing charged forward, its paws making wet slapping noises on the concrete.
Some primal instinct got Law’s feet moving before his mind caught up. He twisted on his heel and ran the way he came, not able to think of anything else other than to run. The wet slap slap slap slap of its humanlike paws got louder as it screech-howled again. From somewhere further away, more screech-howls answered it. Law’s heart pounded in his chest as he rounded the corner, struggling to keep his feet under him from the sharp turn. He looked up in time to see a human figure running towards him. It was the strange boy from the other day, straw hat tied around his neck and sandaled feet pounding on the cement. He looked at Law for a moment before focusing on the creature behind him. Law hoped the boy would turn around and run too, but instead he only picked up his pace. They passed each other and Law skidded to a stop –to grab the boy or face the thing he didn’t know– and watched as the boy got close enough to the charging thing for it to leap at him, it's terrible maw open wide. The boy swerved out of the way, spinning to face the creature and bringing his fist down on its head. The thing went flat against the ground and the boy brought his heel down on its head in an axe kick, before stomping down again and again until his foot was caked in a black ooze, and the creature’s head was mush and the body had long since stopped twitching.
His chest heaved as he looked up at Law and said, “You gotta get out of here.” Law stared at him numbly, not sure how to respond; not sure if he could respond. As if to make the kid’s point, another three of the creatures came around the corner, screech-howling at the sight of the boy standing over one of their comrades. The boy bounced on his toes, turning to run at Law, grabbing Law’s wrist as he ran by and dragging him along with surprising strength. “No time to chit chat!” The boy declared, and Law struggled to keep his feet under him as he ran behind the boy.
They ran down alleyways, the boy seemingly picking their direction at random as the braying behind them came closer and closer with every twist and turn. The boy rounded another corner, letting out a laugh as he almost crashed into a tall blond man and a broad shouldered green haired man.
“Luffy! What did you do this time?” The blond yelled, immediately focusing on the threat behind them, glancing at Law briefly.
“I was minding my own business–” ‘Luffy’ began, dragging Law with him behind the two men.
“Bullshit!” The blond exclaimed, not looking back. The green haired man pulled out two of the three swords on his hip, one in each hand as they stood between them and the charging creatures.
“I was!” Luffy defended.
“Get that guy out of here; he’s in the way!” The green haired man hissed as flames began to lick up the raised leg of the blond man. If Law had the time to process any of what he was seeing, he’d be concerned. As it was, he had no time to piece things together as Luffy laughed again, saying, “I’ll leave those guys to you!” And dragged Law behind him again.
They kept running as sounds of the clash rang behind them, but Law was unable to look back without losing his balance. The boy led him around some more, leaving Law gasping for breath. “H-hey! You! Straw Hat! Slow down!” His unwell state made this much running painful, not to mention his reeling mind at what he just saw. Luffy slowed down to a stop after looking around carefully, releasing Law’s wrist to let Law lean against the brick wall and try to catch his breath. Law glared at the boy and hissed, “What the fuck was that?”
Luffy shrugged, a loose grin still about his lips. “Abyssals.”
“And what is an ‘Abyssal’?”
Luffy shrugged again. “They come from the Abyss.” He stood straighter, “The stuff of nightmares and legends; where everything is dark and forgotten.” He said, sounding as if he was reciting something.
“Thanks, that answers all my questions.” Law rolled his eyes, frustrated. His head was pounding now, and he clutched at it subconsciously, squeezing his eyes shut tight. When he opened them again, Luffy was standing right in front of him, leaning in close and looking at Law’s shoulder in thought.
“You’re in lots of pain, right?” Luffy asked, looking at Law’s shoulder intently.
Law scoffed. “Obviously!” He snapped.
“Let me just…” He drifted off, reaching up to grab at Law's shoulder. Law leaned away, pressed against the wall as Luffy’s hand closed around the opened air above Law’s shoulder and tugged. A ripping sensation surprised Law as the boy pulled harder on the air above Law’s shoulder, now using both hands. The ripping sensation stung painfully, and Law cried out despite himself. Then Luffy flung backwards a step. Instantly, Law felt better than he had in weeks; his body felt light and didn’t ache, and the pounding between his ears eased off immediately. Law stared at the boy who held up his hand, holding… nothing. Luffy stared at the empty space in his hands and said, “You have to leave this realm now. There is nothing left for you here.” He explained to thin air, continuing, “I’ll help you.” He placed nothing on the ground, then stood up and clapped three times, keeping his hands together on the final clap and muttering under his breath. Law watched, baffled, when suddenly a bright light emerged from where the boy had placed nothing, and it grew to consume all of Law's vision. He cried out, closing his eyes to the light but it only got brighter. He dug his heels into his closed eyes, yelling out in pain but the light only continued to shine behind his eyes. There were rough hands on his shoulders and back and a voice calling out to him, but Law’s ears were ringing and he couldn’t hear what they were saying. And then it stopped.
Law blinked open his eyes, gasping. Luffy was kneeling in front of him, confusion in his big eyes. Law was on the ground, not sure how or when he got there, but again, he suddenly felt fine. He sat up straighter, looking around wildly.
“Hey, are you okay? What happened?” Luffy asked.
“You tell me!” Law snapped, knocking Luffy’s hands away from him. “You rip something from my shoulder, talk to thin air, then a bright light just–” Law was cut off as he watched a translucent person float by, barely sparing them a glance as they continued down the alley. Law blinked at them. “Did you just see that?” he asked, voice low, staring after the figure as it disappeared into a wall.
Luffy looked over his shoulder, confused. He looked back to Law, brows knitted together. “See what?” He asked.
“The-the person! They were translucent and they were floating and they went through a wall!” Exclaimed Law, bordering on hysterics. Law was a practical man; he didn’t believe in anything if there was no proof of it. So the idea of seeing something that Law could only call a ghost had never been on the table. Luffy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“You saw the spirit? Have you always been able to see spirits?”
“What? No! I’ve never seen anything like that in my life!”
Luffy sat back on his heels, thinking hard. He pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and started typing as Law struggled to keep his breathing under control. Then another person drifted by, just as translucent and gravity defying as the first one, this one lounging about in the air as they floated down the street and around the corner. Law bit his tongue to keep from crying out. Luffy put his phone away and looked at Law. “Okay, you need to come with me.”
“What? No way! I am not going anywhere with anyone. I am going home–” Law flinched as a small creature ran by, a bulbous, green, two legged thing wearing nothing but a loincloth.
Luffy watched him curiously. “You really can see them, can’t you?” He asked, bewildered. “You couldn’t a minute ago.”
“Yeah no shit.” law hissed, rubbing his hands through his hair. He wished he’d brought his favorite hat; he could use the comfort of something, anything familiar. His whole world had been flipped on its head and now it was full of monsters and ghosts and who knew what else.
“Come on then, you! We gotta meet up with my crew.” Luffy stood up, grabbing Law’s wrist and pulling him along once again. Law found he didn’t have much fight left in him, and allowed himself to be dragged along by the boy. The only protest he could voice was “My name isn’t ‘you’, it's Trafalgar Law.”
“Okay, Torao!”
“Not even close!”
-
It was a simple train ride a few stops down the line to get where they needed to go, and had been one of the wildest trips Law had ever been on. He wondered if he’d been slipped some hallucinogens and was currently high as a kite. It was the only explanation he could conjure up. Law stared out the window like a child, face pressed up against the glass as creatures of all different sizes, shapes, and colors roamed the streets next to unknowing passersby. Things he didn't even know the name of, or how to describe. Things made up of scales or feathers or fur or something different all together. Even in the dark of the night Law could see them all.
Luffy didn’t say much, watching Law experience it all quietly. He typed away on his phone, presumably texting someone, and Law watched him in the reflection of the glass. “So you can just… see all of this, all the time?” Law asked. Luffy nodded, looking up from his phone.
“You have to be born with it; you can’t teach it or gain it later in life.”
“‘It'?”
“The Sight. You either have it or you don’t.” Luffy explained, going back to his phone screen with a shrug. Law chewed on that thought for a moment.
“Which is why I need to come with you; because I’ve gained the Sight.” Law surmised. Luffy grinned at him.
“This is our stop; come on Torao.” Luffy stood up, grabbing Law’s wrist again and tugging him to follow.
“Still not my name.” Law pointed out.
Luffy ignored him.
Luffy dragged Law down a residential street, easily ignoring all the weird creatures and spirits that passed them by. Law tried not to gawk at every sight and flinch every time one came too close to him. Then Luffy turned up the walkway of a massive three storey house, brightly painted in a gaudy yellow and red, looking more than a little worse for wear with boarded up windows and patched up siding. “Uh…” Law started, not keen to go inside. Again, Luffy ignored him, dragging him up the front steps. The kid really was deceptively strong.
Luffy burst the door open, yelling “I’m hoooome!”
Voices from further in the house cut off and a woman yelled back “Don’t be so loud! What if the neighbors complain again?” The door shut behind them without anyone touching it, making Law jump a little, but Luffy paid it no mind, only laughing at the comment.
Law looked around the front entryway and living room in bewilderment. Never before had he seen a place so full of stuff. Bizarre weapons decorated with thin scarves and veils and metal hoops lay about on the sparse furniture. Where there wasn’t a loveseat or table, there were stacks upon stacks of books, some looking old enough to crumble if you touched them. Law thought he had owned a lot of books; he had a wall full of medical sources and papers back at his apartment. But there were books lining the walls, stacked to the ceiling, under the couch and on the table. In between all of that were jars and glass cases of the most bizarre specimens Law had ever seen.
Luffy tugged on his hand and got Law to follow him past the living room and into the kitchen and dining room, where a motley crew of people were waiting, all standing around a stack of pizza boxes on the counter. Luffy lit up at the sight of the pizza, releasing Law from his grip to get his hands on some food. Law stood in the doorway, uncomfortable in this crowd of new people. The kitchen was spotless compared to the rest of the house, with top of the art appliances and impeccably clean countertops.
Law scanned them each of the strangers in front of him warily, taking in the beautiful raven haired woman talking with a massively broad shouldered man with shocking blue hair done up in a gravity defying style, And the bombshell redhead from the other day holding a pizza box above her head and fighting off Luffy’s grabbing hands with a yell. A large barrel chested man watched on in quiet amusement, and a long nosed man tinkered with some mechanical contraption on the dining room table nearby, next to a kid looking even younger than Luffy and wearing a silly looking pink hat, who eagerly bounced in his chair and chatted excitedly to the man. A tall, thin man with an afro laughed nearby the pair, gently tuning a violin.
Law could do nothing but take in the sight.
“Luffy! At least wash your hands! You’re covered in black ichor!” The redhead was saying, bravely fending off a hungry Luffy. She lost in the end, and let Luffy eat with a disgusted look on her face.
“It’s not the first time, Nami; it won’t be the last!” The long nosed man called over his shoulder without looking up. Everyone nodded in agreement, laughing. The front door opened and shut again behind Law, and he turned in time to see the two men from earlier that night come trudging in, all but pushing Law aside and barely acknowledging his existence as they joined the group.
“You couldn’t have waited? I could have whipped something up in no time, that would taste better and be healthier than pizza.” The blond man scoffed, turning his nose up at the boxes. The green haired man had no such qualms, and reached for a slice. The Blond slapped his hand away and said, “Wash your hands you brute! You just came back from a hunt!” The green haired man narrowed his eyes at the blond, hands drifting to the swords at his side.
“Zoro, please just wash your hands.” The redhead said tiredly, pushing herself between the glaring men. The green haired man clicked his tongue, but did as he was told.
Luffy came bounding over to Law, carrying a box of pizza, and said, “Torao, want a slice?”
This seemed to be the que everyone was waiting for, to finally acknowledge the stranger in their presence. Law had felt their stares from the corners of their eyes while he stood there, but they had seemed content to ignore him until Luffy acknowledged that he was there. They all fell silent as Luffy looked at him expectantly.
“No thank you, Straw Hat.” Law uttered, conscious of everyone’s stares.
Luffy shrugged, stuffing more pizza into his face. He turned back to the rest of the group and exclaimed, “So Torao couldn’t See, but then something happened and now he has the Sight. So I brought him here so he could join my crew!”
The group groaned and the long nosed man sighed into his hands. “I’d worried it was something like that.”
“Straw Hat, I’m not joining anything, I just want to know what’s happening to me.” Law protested. Luffy looked up at him, cocking his head to the side.
“You were being possessed by a spirit, and it made you feel bad. I removed it and helped send it to the other side, and now you have the Sight. What more do you need to know?”
Most of that sentence was news to Law, who said, rather dumbly, “I was possessed?”
“Mm-hmm,” Luffy said through another piece of pizza. “Spirit of a dead cat sat on your shoulder, sapping your life energy. I removed it and sent it to the afterlife. I even got a reward from it.” He dug into his pocket, balancing the pizza box precariously in one hand. He pulled out a red animal collar with a golden bell on it from his pocket. He gave it to the redhead, who examined the bell carefully.
“Real gold,” She declared after a minute, setting the collar aside. “Not bad for a pet; nice job Luffy.”
“If you’d just let me help Torao the other day then–”
“You can’t just exorcize every spirit you come across, especially if they are attached to a normal person.” She argued. Luffy opened his mouth to argue back but the woman waved him off. “Anyways, the problem now is what to do with Torao.”
All eyes were back on him. He cleared his throat. “My name is actually–”
“Dr. Trafalgar D. Water Law; surgeon at Heart General Hospital. Aged 28, born October 6th.” Said the raven haired woman, smiling at him in a way that unnerved him.
“How did you–”
Her grin grew. “Magic.” Law blinked at her.
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
She only grinned some more. Law looked back to Luffy, desperate for answers. Luffy only laughed. Law sighed, rubbing his face with his hands before looking at the group imploringly. “Look, I really don’t know what’s happened to me, but if we could just… reverse it so I can go back to my apartment and forget this ever happened that would be great.”
They all exchanged looks with each other.
“The problem is Torao,” The redhead started.
“It's Trafalgar.” Law cut in tiredly.
“The problem is Torao,” She pointedly ignored him, “Is that we don’t know what’s happened to you, let alone how to ‘reverse’ it.”
Law’s stomach plummeted and he buried his head in his hands. “This is ridiculous. I’m dreaming; I have to be.”
His voice was muffled by his hands, but still someone who was probably the swordsman said, “Some shitty dream you’re having then.” Law looked up in time to see him get elbowed in the side by the redhead.
“Look Law,” said the blond man, “Why don’t you come sit down, I’ll make you something warm to drink, and we can go over the night’s events together and try to figure this out, okay?” Law nodded tiredly. He had no idea what time it was anymore; he’d left his phone at home and didn’t wear a watch. He was exhausted from the past few weeks of apparently being possessed by a dead cat, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept. That and the come down of the adrenaline rush of running for his life from monsters from some ‘abyss’ thing, and having his complete world view turned on its head, he felt ready to drop dead.
The young boy at the dining table piped up, “Actually Sanji, I’d like to give him a medical examination first, see if there’s anything outwardly wrong with his body.” The blond nodded in agreement.
“Good idea, Chopper. That will give me some time to whip up something better than pizza for our guest. Law,” The blond turned to Law, “Got any food allergies?”
“I um… can’t eat bread.”
“So no gluten?”
“No, I just don’t like bread.” Law muttered, too exhausted to even care whether or not he sounded childish. The blond only nodded.
“No bread; got it. Chopper; He’s all yours.”
The young boy hopped from his chair and hurried over to Law. “My exam room is this way!” He exclaimed, a proud note in his voice. Law was skeptical, and looked to Luffy for reassurance, which Law was learning to be a silly endeavor. Luffy looked unconcerned, focused on finishing up the pizza, attention drawn away from Law for the time being. Law was starting to think Luffy didn’t look all that concerned about most things.
The boy led Law down a hall lined with doors branching away from the commotion in the kitchen area and opened one of the doors and turned on the lights. Law was surprised to walk into a small but brightly lit examination room with state of the art equipment, looking tidy and well tended. The young boy sat on a swivel stool by the desk, typing on his computer. The boy’s sneakered feet barely touched the ground.
“Take a seat on the bed there, Torao.” He said, gesturing to the examination bed in the corner of the room. Law did so, too tired to protest the use of the nickname. Or anything, for that matter.
The boy came rolling over to him. “My name is Tony Tony Chopper, but you can just call me Chopper. I’m going to do a general exam on you, see if there’s any new symptoms or abnormalities about you since you gained the Sight.”
Again, Law was skeptical; this kid was playing at being a doctor? And he expected Law to just… go along with it? “My name is Law, not Torao.” law managed. Chopper smiled at him.
“Okay, Law! First I’m going to start with your vitals…”
Law’s worries were quickly extinguished the minute Chopper started his exam. Law could tell that despite his age, the boy had been trained right. He was professional and confident in his movements, speaking quietly and explaining everything he was doing to Law and what he was looking for. Law couldn’t have performed a better examination himself; in fact, the kid was probably better, as Law was never trained as a general practitioner.
“So I don’t know your medical history, but according to you, there’s nothing unusual about you. I’ve also checked your life energy; it's a bit lower than I’d like thanks to that spirit but it will recover quickly, especially now that you’ve gained the Sight.” Chopper explained.
“How so?”
“Seers have a higher affinity for the other side, making them recover quicker from physical and spiritual injuries. Since you can See, you should be in the same boat. Plus, I can feel your life energy replenishing itself as we speak.”
“That doesn’t make much sense.” Law argued.
Chopper laughed. “It’s not as exact a science as modern medicine, I’ll admit!”
A knock sounded on the door, and Chopper stood up to open it to reveal a pale forearm growing right out of the floorboards. It waved at them and pointed down the hall towards the kitchen, making Law yelp in surprise. The hand seemed to laugh at him at this before disappearing in a flurry of pink flower petals.
“Food’s ready!” Chopper said, completely unfazed.
“What the fuck was that!?” Law demanded, shooting to his feet. Chopper blinked at him for a minute before smacking his hand to his forehead.
“Sorry, Law; that must have scared you! That was one of Robin’s magic abilities. Oh, I guess you don’t know which one is Robin, do you? We will have to introduce you to everyone!” Again, that didn’t answer Law’s question at all, but he was starting to learn that he’d never get a straight answer from anyone in this strange house.
Law followed Chopper back to the kitchen and found everyone crowded around the dinner table with a feast of snacks laid out in front of them, each of them eating like they hadn’t just finished off four large pizzas half an hour ago. Luffy especially, was eating with abandon. He tried to reach a dish across the table, and was unable to do so. Frowning, he brought his hand back then punched it forward, and his arm stretched to grab the dish and come flying back to him. Law stared in disbelief, and watched as the green haired man punched Luffy on the top of the head. “No abilities at the table, Dumbass!” Chopper, not noticing Law’s state of utter shock, just tugged him forward and situated him between himself and the large dark haired man who was eating politely despite the chaos around him. Chopper dug in, happily piling his plate high. Law stared at the spread in front of him, not sure where to start, or if he was allowed to.
The large man at his side nudged him gently and leaned down to speak lowly under the rambling of the crowd around the table. “Don’t be intimidated; this was all for you originally. Sanji just tends to go overboard sometimes. Good news is that it always gets eaten around here. Help yourself. I’m Jinbei, by the way.”
Law nodded, sitting a moment more as he gathered himself, and dodged reaching limbs to grab something –he was in too much of a state to really know what it was– and put it on the plate in front of him. He ate it, not really tasting anything, but knowing it to be high quality food nonetheless. As he ate, Chopper leaned over and pointed to each member at the table, matching names to faces. The blue haired man was Franky, and Robin was the raven haired woman next to him. Usopp was the long nosed man on Chopper’s other side, and Brook was the tall older man with the afro next to him. Nami was the redhead on Jinbei’s other side, Sanji was the blond next to her and Zoro, the green haired man, sat next to Luffy, who sat at the head of the table.
For the amount of food on the table, it went remarkably fast. Soon enough, dishes were being put away and Sanji was handing out drinks.
“What do you need, Law? Coffee, tea, something harder?” Sanji asked, holding a bottle of sake out. Zoro walked by and snatched it out of Sanji’s hand, popping off the top and drinking it straight from the bottle. Sanji sighed, like he was used to it, and focused back on Law.
“Coffee is fine. Black, please.” Law said, and Sanji nodded, bringing a piping hot mug over. Law leaned into the welcoming heat of it as soon as it was in his hands gratefully.
Everyone settled around the table again with their drink of choice, and Law noticed Luffy was drinking a beer. Law wasn’t sure he was even old enough to drink, but didn’t think pointing it out was the best move on his part. Law watched Sanji take a plate of food out of the fridge, unwrap it, and set it down on the floor in the corner of the room. Law couldn’t keep his mouth shut about that one. “I don’t think that meal is suitable for a pet.” He explained. Sanji looked at him, humor twinkling in his eye.
“We don’t have any pets; this is for the house spirits.” he said with a wink. Law didn’t know what that meant, but didn’t quite feel like asking, either.
“Okay, let's go over tonight’s events.” Nami declared, curling up in her chair to get comfortable. “Luffy, you go first; tell us what happened, and then we’ll hear from Law.”
Luffy sighed dramatically, leaning back. “I did!” He huffed. He counted the events on his fingers. “I was on a hunt with Zoro and Sanji because of the Abyss Break in the area when Zoro wandered off. Sanji went to go find him, when I sensed an Abyssal in the area and ran to go find it. I ran into Torao who had found the Abyssal first and was running from it. I got rid of it, but more came after us, so we ran away and bumped into Zoro and Sanji. I left the Abyssals to them and ran away with Torao. When we stopped, I exorcized the cat spirit, and Torao fell to the ground. Then he was fine and could See. Then I texted everyone and brought him here. The end!” He threw his hands up in the air.
“Law is fine physically, and his spirit is recovering just fine at the speed of a seer.” Chopper added, sipping his juice.
“That confirms it, then; Law, somehow, is now a seer.” Nami declared.
Everyone digested that for a minute. Zoro leaned forward over his sake and asked, “Oi Torao, how about you? What happened to you?”
Law swallowed. He figured being as honest as possible was the best choice here. “I went out for a walk. I accidentally ran into the… Abyssal and it was–” Law’s eyes went wide. “It had gotten to someone before me. I saw their legs and it was standing over them.”
Sanji waved him off. “We found her. She’s dead, Law.” He said, matter of factly. “Abyssals aren’t from this plane of existence; they need energy to sustain themselves, and humans are ripe with the stuff. Sucked all the spirit or life energy right out of her. She was dead in seconds.”
“What about the body?” Law asked.
“We left her in a place she’ll be found soon enough, if she hasn’t been already. It will probably be reported as a heart attack; having your spirit forcibly removed that violently usually results in a heart attack and organ failure. It's not what kills them, though.” Sanji explained. Law nodded, picking over the information carefully.
“What happened next?” Brook asked. Law focused back on his story.
“I ran. Straw Hat killed the thing, I think, and more came around the corner, so we ran, running into those two,” He gestured to Zoro and Sanji. “After we got away, Straw Hat grabbed the-the cat spirit, I guess, and placed it on the ground and clapped three times, muttering something under his breath, when suddenly a bright light consumed my vision. Even when I closed and shielded my eyes from it, it shined in my eyes painfully. Then it was gone, and I felt fine, and I could See.”
Everyone thought over Law’s story carefully. Usopp was the first to speak up. “Luffy, what kind of exorcism did you do? How could you mess up something so simple as sending a pet to the other side?”
“I didn’t!” Luffy squawked. “I clapped three times, once to center myself, once to center the spirit, and once to center the energy around us, keeping my hands sealed to complete the circle! Then I said the Rites and used a little bit of my energy to send it to the other side! There was a small flash of light like normal, and the collar was left as a reward. I picked it up and then noticed Torao on the ground in pain.”
Robin hummed. “The flash is usually invisible to non-seers. I’ve never heard of one witnessing the flash and then being blessed with the Sight.”
“More like cursed,” Usopp muttered, and Chopper elbowed him. “What? I’m being serious! We all grew up being able to See, but this is stuff out of fairy tales for Law! Just look at him; he’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown!”
“He can also hear you, you know.” Law scathed, glaring. He was not on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Usopp didn’t even have it in him to look apologetic.
“Maybe it's temporary,” Jinbei offered. Nami hummed in agreement.
“It might wear off after a good night’s sleep.” She checked her watch. “It’s 1:00 am now. Law, you can stay in the guest room tonight.”
Immediately, Law was on his feet, shaking his head. “No, no, I’m heading home.”
“You can’t!” Chopper protested. “What if something happens to you, like a delayed reaction? We need to be nearby just in case.”
“Besides, you’re at higher risk of attack now.” Usopp shrugged.
Law looked at him. “Attack? From what?”
Franky piped up, “Once you become aware of the other side, the other side becomes aware of you, bro.” he explained. “Even if your Sight is temporary, your awareness won’t be. You could be attracting things from the other side for the rest of your life.” Law sank back into his chair, burying his head in his hands and resting his elbows on his knees, defeated.
“Besides,” Zoro started, “The captain wants you to stay, so you’re staying.” He said with finality, like that was the best argument yet. Law looked up at him.
“Captain?” He asked. “Like, your Boss?” The group nodded at him. “Okay then, let me just… talk to your Boss, or Captain, or I don’t know, High Magician or whatever.” The group looked at each other. Then they all let out a chuckle or straight out laugh. Law blinked at them, not getting the joke.
“You can’t try to reason with our captain.” Zoro chuckled.
“Why not?”
“By all means, try!” Sanji was saying, wiping a tear from his eye. “Isn’t that right, Luffy?” Everyone looked to Luffy, who was wearing his usual big grin.
“I say Torao is staying, so he’s staying!”
“Aye aye, Captain!” The rest of the room chorused, smiles on their faces. Law looked at Chopper in disbelief.
“He’s your boss?” Law asked, incredulous. Chopper nodded.
“It's suitable you’ve taken to calling him Straw Hat, Torao; we’re the Straw Hat Crew after all!”
-
The spare room turned out to be one of many on the second floor, the grand staircase continuing up to a third floor above. “There’s also an attic and a basement,” Chopper explained when Law pointed out the unusual floor plan. “Franky and Usopp worked hard to renovate the place; it was originally a hundred year house booked for demolition. No one wanted it because it was rumored to be super haunted. It still is –haunted, I mean– but they mostly leave us alone now. That’s the trick you know; if you don’t acknowledge them, they’ll usually ignore you.”
“So I just have to pretend… not see them?” Law asked reluctantly. Chopper nodded.
“I mean, if they are clearly coming after you, defend yourself obviously… although I guess you can’t really, can you? You should just stick with running away.” Chopper decided. Law knew better than to argue. If any of those things he saw outside came after him, he didn’t delude himself with the idea of fighting back. “Anyways, the house is warded, so nothing can come and go without our permission; it really is the safest place for you right now.” Chopper tried to comfort Law of his (coerced) decision to stay the night.
Chopper opened the door to a room with a bed, side table, and just as full of stuff as the rest of the house. Books and glass cases of bizarre specimens lined the walls and random scarves and metal hoops and weapons were scattered about. But the bed was clear of objects and looked like clean sheets had been put on recently. “Sorry about the mess; we don’t usually have guests that stay the night or aren’t accustomed to seers.”
“Do you all live in this house?” Law asked.
“Yep!” Chopper confirmed. “We work and live together as a crew. It's a common practice in the Underworld– Seer society.” Chopper elaborated.
“So there are more of you?”
“Tons and tons! But explaining the Underworld isn’t something you can do quickly, and you look like you’re ready to drop. We’ll take everything slow, okay?” Law wasn’t sure he had the patience to go slow like Chopper suggested, but he kept that thought to himself. “Bathroom is at the end of the hall. If you need anything, someone will be downstairs in the kitchen all night long; we are basically nocturnal. I’ll come check on you in a couple hours. Sleep tight Law!” Chopper disappeared out the door, closing it behind him. Law stood in the room blankly for a minute, before turning to the bed. Sitting on the foot of it was a set of folded pajamas and a brand new little travel kit of toiletries. A little note was set atop of it and said simply; 'Use as you please.' In a looping script. There was also a doodle of a little skull at the bottom, and Law wasn’t sure if it was a signature or a threat.
Once Law crawled into bed, he resigned himself to a night of racing thoughts and unanswered questions. Yet the minute his head hit the pillow, the exhaustion of the night took over and he fell into a dreamless sleep within moments.
-
A knock on the door woke him up, and he sat up in an unfamiliar bed, struggling to get his wits about him as he looked around the bizarre and unfamiliar room. His mind raced as he remembered the previous night, and he groaned to himself; a part of him really had hoped it had all been a dream. Hushed voices argued outside the door for a moment, and then the door burst open and Luffy came running in the room, jumping up onto the bed. “Torao! Torao!” He called excitedly. “Can you see this?” Luffy held up a small, green, bulbous creature with the face of a frog that struggled against Luffy’s fingers in a futile attempt to escape.
Law pushed the grotesque thing away, saying, “Get that thing out of my face!” Luffy, surprisingly, did as he was told, and bounded back to the doorway.
“See? I told you his Sight wouldn't go away!” Luffy exclaimed. Chopper squeezed through the door as Nami hit Luffy on the backside of his head.
“I told you to wait until Chopper checked him out first!” She walked into the room with a sigh. Chopper sat on the side of the bed and looked at Law with big, curious eyes.
“How are you feeling, Law?”
Law sat back and thought for a minute, assessing himself. “Fine. No new symptoms, nothing changed from last night. Feeling more rested, I suppose.” Chopper nodded, and checked his pulse before pulling out a stethoscope.
When he finished, Chopper nodded with a smile and said, “No problems that I can find. How’s your appetite?”
Honestly, Law was still full from last night, but that didn’t seem to be the answer Chopper was hoping for. “I could eat,” he said after a moment, making Chopper beam.
“Great, because Sanji got excited about having a guest and is cooking up a storm again.”
“Come down when you’re ready, Law, and we’ll tell you what we found out while you were asleep. Unfortunately, it's not a lot.” Nami said, smiling ruefully at him. She grabbed Luffy who was passing the poor creature in his possession back and forth between his hands like a toy ball. “Come on, get that thing out of here now before you forget about it and leave it in the house.” Luffy whined, but allowed himself to be dragged away, waving at Law as he disappeared back through the bedroom door. Chopper stood up to follow them, giving Law a bright smile as he left.
Law fell back on to the bed, staring up at the ceiling. If he looked close enough, it looked like there were different symbols drawn on the roof, but he didn’t recognize most of them. There was a bit of the Greek alphabet in there, along with roman numerals, but most of them remained alien to him. Law tossed the blanket to the side, gathering his clothes and heading to the bathroom with the travel kit in hand.
Law emerged downstairs a few minutes later, following his nose to the kitchen. The spread on the table was just as impressive as it had been the night before, every breakfast food under the sun a part of the display. A cup of coffee was placed in his hands by Sanji as he walked by, telling him that there was plenty more where that came from and to help himself to the coffee pot. Law planned to, and enjoyed the first few sips as he lingered by the door. Everyone in the kitchen seemed to have been waiting for him, because the minute he walked in, they all went to the table, apparently sitting anywhere they could fit. Law joined them, watching everyone dig in without preamble, leaving Law behind as they instantly started arguing and chatting away. Law didn’t think he would ever get used to the chaos; meals had always been a pleasant but quiet affair for Law growing up, both before and after he was adopted.
Everyone ate, someone occasionally asking Law how he had slept or how he was feeling, or if he could pass the waffles, thanks, and Chopper was eager to ask about his job. The boy had stars in his eyes as Law talked about the hospital, but Law kept most of it censored, as surgery wasn’t usually a good topic to discuss over meals; according to his dad at least. Law didn’t see the problem with it.
The food was gone at an alarming rate, and dishes were cleaned and put away by the whole crew, making the job go by quickly. Law tried to help, but only found himself in the way of their well oiled machine and was waved away to go sit down. The only other one still sitting down was Robin, who had crossed her arms and sprouted hands all over the kitchen to help put away plates and cutlery. Law watched, fascinated, making Robin smile at him. Law was too amazed to be shy about it.
Everyone settled back around the table with fresh coffee and tea and juice, except Zoro, who had already found the booze, and Luffy called the meeting to order by declaring, “Torao can still See; I tested it.” He sounded rather proud of himself.
Nami sighed but nodded along. “Chopper gave him the all clear, so there doesn’t seem to be any side effects. The problem is that we still don’t know how it happened. Robin and I looked into it all night long; there’s nothing to indicate that witnessing an exorcism can give someone the Sight.”
“If it isn’t the ritual, maybe it has something to do with Law,” Usopp suggested. “Maybe it was like a delayed awakening that needed a bit of spiritual energy to kick in. Torao, do you have anyone in your family that might have been a seer or had magic?”
Law shook his head. “My parents were doctors, not sorcerers, before they died. And I don’t have any living relatives on either side of the family, so I have no one to ask.” Law explained, pretending he still didn't feel a small ache at the mention of his parents.
“But seers and non-seers have always been mixing, and they’ve always produced kids that either can see or can’t; I’ve never heard of someone gaining the Sight later in life.” Brook was saying.
Everyone sat in silence for a minute, and Nami slapped her palms against the table, pushing herself up. “Well. I guess this leaves us with only one choice; we’re going to have to make a trip to the night market.” Everyone cheered at the words, leaving Law in the dark once again.
“You’re going to a market? How is that going to help?” Law cut in over the buzz of excited conversation.
“It’s not just any market, Torao,” Luffy said, laughing. “It's where seers across the world gather.”
“Is it nearby?” Law wasn’t sure he wanted to go at all, let alone on some long trip with this crew of people. Everyone laughed at his question.
“It’s not even in this realm of existence!” Chopper exclaimed.
“Then how do you get there?” Law asked, alarmed.
Luffy laughed again, a wide grin on his face. “We catch a ride on a shooting star, of course!”
-
Law was a practical man, so he didn’t invite people to his apartment if he could help it. It was more of a hassle than it was worth; having to be a host that matched people’s expectations, providing food, drink, and entertainment for hours on end, and then having to clean up after everyone had gone… the idea did not appeal to him in the least.
Yet here he was, standing in his apartment after what felt like a week but had really only been a night, watching as Luffy of all people bounced from one end of the apartment to the other, poking and touching and moving all of Law’s stuff.
“What’s this, Torao?” And, “You have almost as many books as we do, Torao!” Or, “It's so clean, Torao; how do you find anything if it's all put away?”
“Because everything has a place, Straw Hat,” Law sighed, giving up and letting Luffy run wild. Law grabbed his phone which was still plugged in on the counter where he’d left it before his walk last night. He had a new message in his group chat with Penguin and Shachi asking how he was doing, and a message from his dad asking to get together for lunch soon. Law didn’t have the energy to answer either, and dropped the phone back on the counter, looking over his shoulder to see Luffy looking at the few framed photos on the mantle.
“Who is this?” Luffy asked, pointing at the one picture of Law, Lami and his parents on family vacation shortly before they had died.
“None of your business. Let's just get this over with.” Law ushered Luffy away, who kept staring at the pictures. Law thought back to why he was here with Luffy.
“A shooting star? What does that even mean?”
Nami waved him off. “You’ll see soon enough. I will need a couple hours to get ready. Everyone; might as well make this trip count and bring anything you want to sell while we’re there.” She sat back in thought for a moment and looked at Law. “Torao, do you have a suit?”
Law did in fact have a suit; he had multiple, for all those fundraisers for the hospital he was forced to attend. When he’d asked why he needed one, Nami had simply shrugged and told him, “Dress code.”
Law started rifling through his closet and looked over his shoulder to Luffy. “Tell me again why this ‘night market’ is a black tie event?”
Luffy shrugged, throwing himself on Law’s bed, rolling around as he buzzed with energy. Just watching him tired Law out. “Seers take pride in their work, and want to show off to each other. I don’t really get it, but Nami gets really mad if you don’t dress up. Something about the reputation of our crew.” Luffy threw his hands up in a ‘what are you gonna do?’ gesture. Law sighed and banged his head against the doorframe. He really shouldn’t bother expecting answers from Luffy. He was starting to wish someone else had come with him instead.
Truthfully, he wished no one had come with him at all, but everyone had been against that idea.
“Why do I need a babysitter?” Law demanded. “I’m a grown man, I can take the train back to my place by myself.”
“Not right now you’re not,” Zoro took a gulp straight from the bottle. “You’re about as defenseless as a baby seer right now. Who knows what you might attract.”
“I’m not trying to attract anything.” Law argued. Jinbei shook his head.
“You’re broadcasting your life energy right now, and the more you get riled up, the more it sends out signals. You’re ringing the dinner bell for all sorts of nasties. Until you learn how to control your spirit, you can’t be left alone outside.”
“For better or worse, you’re stuck with us Torao,” Usopp said somberly, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “We are responsible for you now.”
Law didn’t need protecting. He didn’t need anyone to be responsible for him. Even in this ridiculous, lack-of-common-sense situation, he didn’t need anyone.
But Luffy had decided he wanted to come with Law, and no one was going to argue against their captain on Law’s behalf. So Law was left with Luffy for company on the trip home. He supposed he was grateful he didn’t jump out of his skin every time a supernatural creature got too close, but he also supposed he should be worried with how quickly he’d adjusted to the Sight.
Law threw together an overnight bag and packed a couple days of clothes, as he had been told in no uncertain terms that he had to stay with the Straw Hats whether he wanted to or not. Zoro had appeared to be looking forward to Law’s protests, hands drifting to his swords in either warning or worse; preparation. Law was frustrated, but he also knew deep down that he was out of his depth and needed these peoples’ help.
Didn’t make him any happier about it though.
“Torao, are you ready?” Luffy yelled from somewhere in the apartment. Law didn’t know when he’d snuck back out, and Law followed the sound of his voice to find Luffy with his nose in the fridge, reaching for everything he could get his hands on. Law slammed the fridge doors shut, Luffy just barely getting his hands out in time.
“What are you doing? We ate like, an hour ago!”
“But I’m hungry!” Luffy protested.
“How? You ate like half of the food at breakfast by yourself!”
Luffy crossed his arms, pouting. “Seers use up more energy than regular people; we need more fuel!”
Law wanted to call bullshit, but he’d also seen things be done that your average human body cannot do, so he wasn’t entirely sure if seers had the same physiology as non-seers.
Did that mean Law possibly had different physiology now?
Law shook his head; he’d have to corner Chopper and ask all his questions at some point in the future, preferably sometime soon. But now was not the time, because Luffy was reaching for the fridge again.
“Let’s just get back to the house,” Law sighed, feeling worn out. Luffy cast another longing glance at the fridge, then turned those big, pleading eyes on Law. Law clicked his tongue in frustration. “Fine! But there’s nothing to eat in there; we will stop somewhere nearby on the way.”
They drove back to the house in Law’s car, as Law had refused to take the train again; he felt safer in the familiar security of his own vehicle where no creatures could wander in on accident.
They stopped for fast food on the way, where Luffy ordered way too much food and ate it all before they even got back to the house, which was a short drive away. Law more or less remembered the route they’d taken by train considering he’d spent the whole time staring out the window and found the neighborhood easily enough. It wasn’t hard to find the house either, its towering, ramshackled form sticking out like a sore thumb in the suburban neighborhood.
Parking in front of the house, Luffy was out the door before the car had completely stopped and was flying up the steps. He disappeared into the door, letting it shut behind him. Law sat there for a minute, debating making a break for it, letting his forehead fall to the steering wheel. A moment of deliberation resulted in the fact that he was already in too deep and really should work with these people to find a solution, and he took a steadying breath before climbing out the car and grabbing his bag and suit from the backseat.
He walked up the steps and reached for the door, only for the handle to turn and it open before he could reach it. He expected to see someone there opening the door –maybe Chopper or Nami, or even Sanji– but no one was there. Law stepped inside carefully, looking around and seeing no one in the entryway or living room. The door shut behind him by itself, and Law blinked at it. “Um, thanks?” He spoke to thin air. A soft, childlike giggle fluttered in his ears for a minute. Normally, Law thought he’d be at least weirded out by the experience, if not straight up freaked out, but something about the voice was calming, kind and gentle, and about as far from threatening as possible.
Someone behind him laughed lightly, and Law whirled around to see Robin standing on the staircase. “Merry and Sunny like you.” She said with a smile that didn’t creep Law out for once.
“Who?”
“The spirits of the house. Imagine it like the house’s soul.”
“Houses have souls?”
“Kind of. They are more like personified energies. A consciousness of the house.”
“That’s not a comforting thought,” Law admitted. Robin laughed again, walking towards the kitchen.
“Drop your stuff off in your room and come down, we have some things to go over.”
Law did as he was told, leaving his stuff on the bed and wandering back to the kitchen, which was empty save for Robin. Robin sat at the table, a stack of books at her side. Hesitantly, Law sat down across from her.
“Where is everyone?” Law had never seen the kitchen so empty; it had always seemed to be a hub of activity. Robin hummed.
“Collecting their rewards and materials for the night market.” Law waited for her to elaborate. “Whenever we complete a job, be it an exorcism or a hunt, we get rewards that we take to the night market for sale and trade. Sometimes it's from the souls that we help to pass on, or from the people who hired us to hunt a creature. Sometimes we don’t get hired for jobs and exterminate creatures that can and will cause harm to people and collect resources and materials from the bodies. Not all bodies stick around after the creatures die though, so it's not a very lucrative way to do business. Like the Abyssals from yesterday,” She explained. “They prey on humans so they can’t be left alone when they break through to our realm, but no one pays us for dealing with them, and their bodies dissolve after a short while once their heads are either removed from the body or otherwise obliterated, so we don’t get anything from hunting them.”
Law remembered the way Luffy didn’t stop until the head of the Abyssal was completely crushed, and nodded. “Is that the only way to kill them?”
Robin grinned. “You pick things up quickly.” She reached over to the stack of books and slid them toward Law. “These should answer some of your questions and give you a better idea of the Underworld. Read them at your leisure, though I suspect your curiosity will be a good motivator.” She stood up, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You can read them wherever, but if you want some peace and quiet, I’d suggest reading in your room. We’ll come get you later and help you prepare for the night market.”
“Right. Which we are going to get there… By shooting star.” Law said pointedly, hoping for some answers on that front. Robin just smiled at him over her shoulder and disappeared down the hall. Law sighed, reaching for the books. Some of them were tomes of text, bound in leather and hand written on papyrus or parchment. Others looked like mass produced printed copies of modern books, and a couple of them were illustrated children’s books.
Law was no stranger to hours upon hours of research, so he gathered the books and headed upstairs.
-
Law started with the children’s books as they were the quickest to read, then moved on to the modern books, skimming through them before reaching for what he was most curious about; the massive tomes and grimoires, he learned they were sometimes called. Law learned quite a few things, some that he had already gathered himself and some that were new to him.
For example, there was a clear defining line between those with the Sight and those without it. You either had it or you didn’t; there was no way to gain it later in life, or lose your Sight if you had it, save for going blind. And while intermixing had long since been accepted by the greater community, there were still ‘pureblood’ families who believed in preserving their abilities through only partnering with other seers. Not that the Sight was strictly a genetic thing; many people were born with the Sight while having non-Seeing parents, and the vice versa occurred where sometimes a non-Seeing child was born to Seeing parents.
The term ‘seers’ was an overarching term applying to anyone who had the Sight. Not every seer had magic abilities, though. For some, seeing the other side was the limit to their abilities. Some could learn or gain magic abilities however, through different rituals or secret tomes. One of the children’s books was a cautionary tale about children who tried to gain unique powers through a forbidden ritual they had found, only for the spell to go terribly wrong and they were cursed to spend the rest of their lives in the shape of animals or objects, never to regain their true forms. It was also said that trying to gain more than one special abilitiy always resulted, without fail, in death. Law thought about Luffy’s ability to stretch his body and Robin's ability to sprout body parts like flowers, and wondered if they were the result of successful rituals.
There were many subgenres of magic users, from witches, who used the boons of nature to cast spells and perform miraculous feats, to conjurers, sorcerers or warlocks (They all meant the same thing) who used the energy in the things and places around them to create different phenomena. Law thought of Sanji’s leg licking with flames, and wondered what kind of magic resulted in that effect.
There were also necromancers; seers who used either blessed or cursed weapons to fight against the other side. Zoro’s swords probably fit best in this description, but Law wasn’t completely sure.
Law also learned a little about something called the Underworld Government; a unified authority in charge of all of seer society. Supposedly, anyways. The thin book was more of a pamphlet than anything, about the glory of the Underworld Government (and some vague mentionings of an absolute authority called the Celestial Dragons) and seemed to be mostly propaganda. It mentioned something about Marines, who acted as the police of the Underworld, and how to apply to join them. Something told Law none of the Straw Hats were Marines hopefuls.
The book had been scribbled in with a neat hand pointing out all the flaws in the logic and directly calling bullshit on some of the claims and statistics. Law had never been interested in politics, supernatural or otherwise, but he wondered where the Straw Hat crew fell on the issue. It might be important information to know.
A knock on the door interrupted his musings, and Jinbei came in, carrying a leather bound book and a plate of onigiri. “Lunch time, Torao,” He declared, moving to set the food on the end table. “How’s the reading coming along?”
“Fine, thank you.” Law reached for the onigiri, and took a bite. He noticed there were only two, and wondered if that had been on purpose; if Sanji had noticed Law didn’t eat much at meal times. Jinbei tossed the book in his hands on the foot of the bed and said, “Well, I’ve got something to add to your pile.” He sat down on the floor with a heavy thud as Law reached for the book, wiping his hands on his jeans before touching it.
“What’s this one?” Law asked. It had no title or author, and was tied closed with a leather strap.
“It's about controlling your spirit. Seers inherently have more spirit or life energy than normal people. They need to, because they use their own life energy as fuel for spells and rituals. Right now, yours is going wild because you don’t know how to control it.” He gestured for Law to join him on the floor. “I’m going to teach you the basics.”
Turns out it was basically a form of meditation, which Law had done a lot in his teen years because his dad had thought it would help with his ‘anger issues’ and ‘destructive tendencies’. Jinbei’s rumbling voice guided him through the meditation, helping him observe the space his body was occupying and the room around them. Law found he could see the room around him with perfect clarity even with his eyes closed, and even see himself. When he looked close enough, there were swirling lines of light under his skin going this way and that, crossing over each other in a mess of tangles and knots. Looking at Jinbei however, he could see the strings of light traveling like veins in Jinbei’s body, neat and orderly and flowing calmly. He tried to imagine that effect with his own body, pleased to find they slowly began to untie themselves into something akin to order.
“I’m impressed, Law. You’re a natural at controlling your spirit.” Jinbei had told him when they finished.
“Thank you for your help,” Law said sincerely. He felt comfortable in his body in a way he never had before. It was like he hadn’t realized he wasn’t sitting quite right in his own body his whole life.
“You’re not perfect yet, but keep practicing and no one should be able to tell the difference.” A knock on the door interrupted them, and Usopp poked his head in. “Hey Law, Jinbei; Sanji is ready with dinner, so come down soon before Luffy eats it all.”
Jinbei laughed, “Then we’d better hurry!”
Curiously, Law imagined the lines of light flowing through Jinbei’s body again and found he could suddenly see them in both Jinbei and Usopp, the energy working perfectly in their bodies. Law’s was still tangled up in areas and didn’t form smooth lines yet, but it was definitely better than before. Law blinked again and it was gone. He caught Jinbei giving him a knowing look. “Come down when you’re ready, Law; I’ll save some food from Luffy for you.” Jinbei said, leaving with Usopp and closing the door behind them.
Law tried it a few more times, pleased to note he could see life energy everytime he focused, and even while practicing seeing it without mediation, the strings of energy seemed to smooth out some more. Deciding he’d taken enough time, Law grabbed the plate that his lunch was brought up on and left the room to return it to the kitchen.
He walked down the hall to the staircase and jumped back as two little yellow hooded and translucent children barely coming up to his knee in height ran past him, giggling as they went. They ran around him in a circle once before disappearing down the hall, taking their laughter with them. Law blinked, recognizing the laughter as the calming giggle from earlier that day, and again felt no hint of threat or sense of fear beyond the shock of seeing the sight he just had. “House spirits, huh?” He muttered to himself, heading down the stairs.
Dinner was the same affair as it always had been. Law picked at his food, having eaten more in the past day than he had in weeks. The cleanup was just as swift as always, matched only by the speed at which the food was eaten. Then everyone settled around the table with their after meal drink of choice, Luffy drinking juice this time instead of alcohol.
“I’m ready to go, thanks to Sanji and Franky helping me with the ingredients needed for the trip.” Nami was saying, sipping on a fancy fruit drink Sanji had carefully made for her and Robin. “We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning; this will give Law some more time to get his spirit under control and give everyone a chance for an early night for once. Good job on spirit training by the way, Jinbei.”
“It was all Law; he’s a natural.” Jinbei laughed, waving the praise off. Everyone looked at Law and nodded approvingly. At the topic, Law focused on everyone’s life energy, seeing them all clearly. They were all smoothed out and organized in their body, even Luffy’s. When he looked close enough, everyone’s energy flowed differently in their bodies, and the tracks they carved in the body was different for everyone, a bit like a fingerprint.
“I’m going to go train for a bit then,” Zoro announced.
Sanji stood up, a challenge in his eye. “Stand to go for a couple rounds, Mosshead?”
“Any time, Dartbrow.” The two wandered out the door, bickering the whole time.
“Well, I’m going to do more research on the Law situation, see if there’s anything we missed. Robin, you coming?” Robin nodded.
“I’ll join you ladies as well!” Brook sang, standing up and leaving the room with them.
“Hey Luffy! Want to see Franky and I’s latest project?” Usopp asked. “We can show it now, right Franky?”
“Super!” Was Franky’s answer. Chopper jumped up and down.
“Me too! Me too!”
“Might as well see what all the fuss is about!” Jinbei guffawed.
The five of them wandered off, Luffy and Chopper bouncing with energy. Law was left alone at the table, and found he really didn’t mind. He enjoyed the peace and quiet, content with his own company. Then he remembered the book Jinbei had brought him, and curiosity won out in the end. He went back upstairs and settled in for a night of reading and maybe some more meditation, undisturbed.