Work Text:
Physicians Journal
Entry 45
Holy Month, day 17, year 301 of the Blue Circle
Shortage of moonshine. Sick in the lower city need more ointment. Saved two children from certain death. Such stupidity. You do not insult the King in front of his henchmen and get away with it. Stocks were full. Fruit was wasted. Not good.
Castle is in an uproar. Servants are panicking. Sachi said there are gambles involved in the Roaring Seagull.
They are coming.
***
“Have the Corazon seat, my arse! Like he doesn’t know I’d rather poison myself with lead than become one of his slobbering shoe lickers on the Council,” Law muttered darkly under his breath, eyeing the ongoing procession of nobles from an alcove on the far east of the courtyard.
Bepo, who was standing a step behind him, regarded him with a look.
“Should you really speak of treason where so many can hear you, Law?”
“The word ‘treason’ from your mouth makes the ears in the walls tingle much more than me calling Doflamingo an arse.”
“Sorry..”
Law grunted and cautiously poked his head out of their makeshift hideout, keen eyes passing over each and every face he registered among the arriving guests. They were expecting their immediate neighbours, of course. But this was a rather unprecedented onslaught. Despite the knee-deep snow and dangerous routes full of bandits and whatnot, there were envoys from not only every angle of the Grand Ocean but also as far as the Big South Sea. Royal families with their knights and pages, their servants and stableboys, all crowded the innermost circle of the courtyard. This was where one Donquixote Dolamingo’s men, Vergo, was located, talking with the King of Drum, Vapol. The classic meet-and-greet in Dressrosa. Nobody could avoid the overly large limbs of that particular man and his tendency to carry pieces of his food on him in the most ridiculous of places.
Law visibly cringed when King Vapol clapped Vergo exactly three times on the forearm and called for his two manservants to carry him in their arms the rest of the way to the chambers assigned to them.
“Succession,” said Law, “breeds the worst royal stock. Selfish, arrogant, witless cowards.”
But sometimes, rarely, it bred gems. He eyed the envoy bearing the familiar sigil of the sun. Despite being covered completely with layers upon layers of rick cloth, the women and men were exquisite, chinzel cut, and surprisingly pale for the desert Kingdom they hailed from. Their Princess, still a child by his standards, was sparkling like a sapphire in the moonlight. Bright, glowing, happy.
"The Princess!" Bepo oohed next to him. "Very pretty. Are you going for her then?"
"It would work, and I wager it would get the desired effect, but no," Law remembered the late queen, Titi. She had only ever been kind to him. He knew from word of mouth that her daughter was just as kind, if not reckless. He wouldn't ruin her life like that. She deserved better. It wasn’t like he had no other option.
"Well, you have to choose someone, you know. Doffy will have your head if you or Katelyn refuse to comply this time.”
Law bit his lip in anger. If only it were that easy. Every single person in Dressrosa knew what exactly their King wanted from his wards. After all, it wouldn't be the first, second, or third time he'd tried to force political marriages on their heads. He had offered a substantial dowry for Katelyn, or Babyfive, as she liked to be called, and a royal promise that any child she bears will never go hungry. As for Law, he was offered the most prestigious Corazon seat, which, in public, meant the innermost important circle of advisors to the King. In private, it meant taking the role of the spymaster, one that has been dormant for more than two decades now. Gratifying, really, with the previous owner buried in an unmarked grave with a royal dagger through his heart, and the most recent apprentice failing after a year and being demoted to a regular officer who entertained greedy purple-haired pig-Kings.
And didn’t Trafalgar Law just fit like a glove for that, with him being the Court Physician who had dealings with Rosinante in the past?
Dealings, right. Of course.
All things considered, being that close to Doffy would make the execution of his lifelong plan easier. But he did not want to give Doffy the satisfaction of a win. He was not going to marry someone who’d bring even more power and influence to the King of Dressrosa. No. He always found a way out. This time wouldn’t be any different. Just more…drastic.
Law smirked to himself, watching a gaggle of servants in rather ridiculous tall hats run after their two Princes.
Babyfive, on the other hand, was all for a wedding. While she had a rather unfortunate habit of falling in love with anyone who said anything about needing her, Law knew she wanted real love. The love she found inked into the pages of her storybooks she still read at night. Pity too. While she had suitors, oh so many of them too, all of them were ordinary folk, bakers and stableboys, and blacksmiths. The lucky ones were run through with the royal sword by the royal hand itself. Some were left to rot in the dungeons. Exactly one, the son of a Lord, was chopped to pieces and given to the hunting dogs as dessert. Doffy wanted her to wed a Prince and only a Prince. This was an occasion she - and Doffy, of course - had to use.
The Grand Yule Jousting Tournament was reinstated after 50 long years of bloody wars and genocide. All in good faith that the ruling hands will stay friendly or, at least, cordial to each other. So in the purest Yuletide spirit, King Doflamingo’s wards were given ultimatums. Choose a royal they wish to be wed to, or conform to one he himself chooses if they fail to provide. Babyfive, he knew, was actually excited, with all that ocean of handsome royals she had this time round.
Law, however, was most definitely not excited. He would still do it, of course. Nobody wanted to be married to an old wart that was more than thrice his age and smelling of mould. No, he would choose, of course, but he would do it gloriously and on his terms.
"You're planning something, aren't you," Bepo rounded on Law, arms crossed over his large chest. "Listen, just pick a nice Princess. That way at least your future wife would be your choice rather than the King’s. I know he told you he was going to drag one by the hair and you'd be married before your name day! Probably to a troll too, if you fail to present a royal Princess as your betrothed to the court in two days. Just…look, what about that one?" He gestures to the envoy on the left. The Princess, very obviously in the middle of the circle of men that stood protectively around her, sat upon a pony. Her puffy dress matched her puffy hair perfectly. She was adoringly cute. Her sharp nose - a unique trait shared with her people - made her stand out. Still, she wasn't what Law was searching for. Plus, there were things he could never get behind, despite them being considered the norm.
"She is a child, not even twelve summers old," stated Law flatly. "I'd rather my partner was at least past the age of majority."
"Right, right, you'd never..uh..sorry, Lord Trafalgar." Bepo bowed deeply, shoulders slumping. He received a glare in return.
"Sorry."
Law grunted and went back to his observations. A proper Princess was out. Marrying out of love was out. That bullcrap could go shrivel up in Doffy's chamber pot for all he cared or go fester in Baby's pinky pink unicorn nightmares. He had a plan. Weak plan, sure, but a plan nonetheless. After all, he’d do whatever it takes to weaken Doflamingo as King. His choice will do the opposite of ‘strengthening our borders and expanding our power without going to pointless wars’, and it would be glorious. After all, Doffy had said ‘choose someone royal, I don’t care who’. His mind wandered to the pink-haired kitchen girl, slaving away under the cruel rule of the one who overthrew her grandfather over a decade ago, and her aunt, the only living relative who was used as a bed warmer for the King himself, to be at his feet whenever he wanted. Rebecca would probably agree to a betrothal. He’d technically still obey Doffy and make her life a little bit more bearable, at least. Help her escape if that was what she still wanted..
He eyed the northern alcove in the courtyard, bustling with their own, Dressrosi servants and stableboys, busy with the influx of horses and humans to feed, dress, clean, and entertain. Their knights were there as well, bossing around pages and strutting like peacocks, showing off their perfectly shined chest armour and mighty thick arms. Law spied Knight Diamante doing exactly that, trying to impress the Snake Queen, Boa, and her entourage. Not that they were paying any attention though. All thirteen of them, the Queen, her youngest sister, and, from what Law remembered, her personal guard, were staring off in the distance. At the gates.
He turned to his manservant, best friend, and as far as he and a select few people were concerned, his own little spymaster. “Bepo, which envoy is missing?”
The larger man squinted a little, beady eyes passing over each banner and coat of arms.
“It seems Dawn Kingdom has yet to arrive.”
Law swivels around to stare at him. “Dawn? Dawn Kingdom all the way from East Blue? Really? The one Doffy barely tolerates?”
“Yes, sorry..”
“The one that barely tolerates Doffy?”
“Well, word of mouth says that the Princes vehemently dislike Donquixote Doflamingo and his rule.”
Law stares.
“Why on Earth did they come here then? Doffy would go to war willingly, himself, before he let me of Babyfive choose someone from their court.”
Bepo scratched his head. “Well, only the youngest Prince is coming. Him and his loyal knights, I think. Or guards. And servants too? I’m not sure. My contact from Zou who is close to one of their apprentice physicians told me that King Dragon didn’t want any of his children to come at all. He actually forbade it, but the youngest Prince sailed anyway. I don’t know the details, but the fact is that whoever is with the Prince is loyal to him before the King.”
The gears were already turning in Law’s mind, this way and that, snapping and whirring. It was the perfect opportunity. Too perfect, in fact, but maybe his guardian angels were looking out for him from the Heavens. It was decided. Dawn Kingdom was an option much much worse than Rebecca Doldo of Dressrosa. And..
Law cackled, tugging his puffy hat over his eyes.
“Law,” said Bepo. “Tell me you’re not thinking of-..”
“That’s exactly what I'm thinking, Bepo, old friend. This will be glorious!”
“Law, Dawn Kingdom doesn’t have a Princess. It has three Princes. Who are male. They don’t have, the, er, you know”— he gestures vaguely to his chest area and cups the air pointedly a few times — “ those. They have” — he points at his crotch —“you know!’
“Yes, Bepo, I know perfectly well that males lack female reproductive organs. I AM a physician, you know. I helped Ikkaku deliver her baby not even a fortnight ago, for heaven’s sake,” Law huffed out. “And, as a male myself, I am confident I know what we are equipped with.”
The courtyard was becoming more and more active. The footprints etched in snow blending into one large inexplicable mess with all the running around and stomping that was going on. The party from East Blue was nearing, judging by the noise levels and the excited squeaks that echoed from Princess to Princess across the grounds.
“My choice being male is the perfect icing to the perfect cake I shall bake. Doffy said to choose a royal from a visiting Kingdom, preferably with a powerful army and stature,” he adds pointedly. “This Prince fits perfectly. Plus, he’s a man, I'm a man. Neither of us will want anything real. It’s all a farce I want to play in front of Joker. I’ll just have to convince this Prince to play along.”
Bepo blinked for a few long seconds before his mouth dropped into a perfect circle.
“You can’t be serious! That will be so scandalous, Doffy will throw you into the oubliette for months! Plus what are you even going to do to him? Bribe?”
Law waved him off and focused on the scene unfolding in front of him.
“Never mind that and take a look at this. They are all excited. Why? Is this Prince popular?” Law said, watching as the parties from Alabasta, Ryugu, Torino, Wano, AND Amazon Lily — the man-hating Kingdom ruled and populated by females only — huddled closer to the main gates, their collective volume going higher and higher as the noise from just outside rose to match them. Vergo and Diamante both had left their charges and were focusing on the gates as well.
“Well, I heard very tall tales about him. Something about an enormous goldfish and how it ate his ship? Also tales of giants and flying in the skies… Sorry.” Bepo lowered his head again in his typical pose of utter submission.
“What a load of rubbish. That sounds more like what Baby reads. Do they really tell such fairy tales about this Prince? And stop that, Bepo how many times do I have to tell you…”
“But I-..” whatever Bepo wanted to say was cut short by the horn blown in welcome to the newest arrivals. The envoy from the Country of Dawn, Goa Kingdom finally passed through the gates. The simultaneous roar of ‘Luffy’ and ‘My love’ and ‘Lu-chan’ from the majority of females in the vicinity nearly deafened Law.
“Very popular with the ladies, I see,” said Law faintly. He watched Boa bodily throw herself at someone in the middle of the group with a gusto she kept for beheading men who stepped a toe in her island Kingdom. “Queens too, then” Law ground out, suddenly annoyed. If this Prince was this perfect, it actually ruined the image of his rebellion against Doffy. He needed this Prince to at least be a bit the opposite. Shaking his head, he dragged Bepo stealthily across the maze of guests, closer to the newcomers. He had to see what his hopefully future ally was like. And plan the appropriate wooing he would do. After all, he could bend any woman to his charms, surely he could work the same magic with a man. How hard could it be? A promise here, a bribe there. Everyone had a price.
They crept through voluminous layers of clothing, clang to carriage walls, moved to walk in step with a line of servants, and nearly fell twice in suspicious mud puddles of slosh that used to be crispy snow in the early hours of the morn. They even had a run-in with the Queen of Snakes — luckily she was being dragged towards the castle, away from his potential ally, and didn’t recognize him at first glance — before they made it close enough to properly see the envoy.
And see they did.
The party was incredibly small, for an envoy from a Kingdom with such a reputation. Law counted 10 of them. Two females, seven males, and one child. Interesting. He eyed the one with a rather impressive physique. Covered in chain armour that was cut off at the arms, he showed off his bulging muscles for the world to see. With his skin a shade or two darker than Law’s own and his rather unique colored hair — Law wagered some convoluted dye made from pigment harvested from what was most probably seaweed — he cut a rather unique figure. The three swords, carved remarkably similar to his own, hung loosely from his side. So he was a swordsman and by the build and loose posture this man had on his horse, Law knew he would be a worthy opponent in a duel. Handsome and dangerous. Law licked his lips.
“Is he the Prince, then?” He whispered to Bepo. The latter shook his head and looked around.
“I don’t know what the Prince looks like, but that’s definitely Roronoa Zoro, the outlaw Pirate Hunter that disappeared a few years ago in East Blue. His swords and hair give him away. I had no idea he was in the inner circle of the Dawn Kingdom.” Bepo looked around, carefully eyeing every single one of the guests. “They say the youngest Prince wears little to no clothing, has a tattoo on his arm, and wears some kind of a thing on his head.”
“Crown? A circlet?” The Royals really loved their little crowns. Even Rosinante wore their late mother’s diadem on odd days.
Bepo shook his head and pointedly eyed Law’s fluffy white hat.
“He wears a hat?” deadpanned Law. Interesting. He scanned the rest of the party, easily ignoring the huge man wearing too much blue for Law’s liking and the tall pointy blonde, currently murdering his lungs with that weed pipe wedged between his teeth. There was one clad in the royal knight regalia, who wore a strange hat and something covering his eyes over the traditional helmet. His skin was even darker than that of the green man’s. But, perhaps, the most prominent feature of that particular man was his nose. Long. Very long. Law wrinkled his own nose.
“Can’t be him, right?” asked Law, wondering where he would go with woo-ing that particular specimen. “You said he wears little to no clothing. That right there is all the clothing you can imagine and more.”
Bepo hums thoughtfully. “Maybe. Rumours can be exaggerated, no?”
“Tru–”
“SANJI, MEAT!” Came a very loud scream from the very back of the procession, cutting Law’s retort like butter.
“Shut up, shitty Cap–..Highness!” Ground out the blonde pipe smoker.
Law’s eyes widened. So he was riding at the very back. The third Prince of Dawn Kingdom and the only biological child of King Dragon. This was it. This was the man he was going to publicly announce as his. He squared his shoulders. It was time to meet his temporary destiny.
Law watched the blonde - Sanji - jump down from his horse with the grace of a royal ballerina and start ravaging in the sacks tied securely to his horse’s saddle. After mere seconds, he pulled out a cloth bundle bulging with - Law assumed - meat, and trudged backward. The rest rearranged themselves in two chaotic lines and opened a path for the last rider. Law held his breath as the Prince gradually rode into view. The sun was very conveniently shining directly on him. He looked a tad bit godlike, all bathed in golden sunlight like that.
Law waited with bated breath as the sun hid behind a stray cloud. The sunny aura vanished, leaving behind a short, well, boy, dressed in what Law could confidently describe as his underclothes only, and that was an exaggeration in on itself. He was slouching on his horse without care for decorum and stature. His obsidian hair was falling over his forehead in short spikes. It was caked with mud and leaves and god knows what else. And to top all that off, a worn down, incredibly ancient-looKing straw hat adorned his head.
The perfect Prince that all the ladies in the courtyard were throwing themselves over.
Law felt his eye twitch in irritation. Bepo awkwardly apologised somewhere next to him. While, yes, he didn’t exactly require an 'a la Lancelot Du’Lac' kind of Prince, he did NOT want the extreme opposite either.
Just his luck.
He resisted the urge to run to Rebecca and beg, when he was the Prince viciously bite into an enormous chunk of meat right there in the courtyard, wipe his mouth with the back of his hand and enthusiastically dig into a nostril all in the span of mere minutes.
“Law, just…choose another someone. A, cleaner someone? Like, Germa has three Princes you can choose from! Or a Princess? They have those too.” whimpered Bepo next to him.
Law really wanted to agree. It made sense in every single logical way. But something kept him firmly rooted and staring in morbid fascination as Prince Luffy enthusiastically licked his fingers clean.
Then those eyes snapped right where Law and Bepo were standing.
Law gulped, throat suddenly dry.
"Bepo, we're leaving," he manages to say in a surprisingly steady voice and scurries off, head held high and hoping against hope the etiquette lessons drilled into him from infancy would not net him trip over his own feet in haste. His manservant followed dutifully.
***
Physicians Journal
Entry 45
Holy Month, day 17, year 301 of the Blue Circle
Note: The choice has been made. All I need now is a plan.
“Do you need help with that?” Asked Bepo, holding the correct tools of the trade in his hands, pose perfect, and head tucked to his chest in a perfect bow, just like he was trained to do for more than a decade by Law’s side.
“No. Not today. But do leave those here.” Law stared at the rough fur rug that adorned the stone floor of his chambers while Bepo fluttered around him, arranging everything that he would need on a small wooden stool beside him.
“So, did you get the information?”
“Yes. He has two weaknesses. First is his family and loved ones. Apparently, he’ll murder in cold blood if it’s their wellbeing on the line.”
Law nodded. That made sense. Though, for the life of him, he couldn’t quite see where this Prince Luffy would find the strength to fight with. He certainly didn’t look like he could outsmart his opponents delicately, or have the raw strength himself. For all Law could see, the Prince actually looked underfed and slightly malnourished. Definitely not your peak royal physique. Maybe he had his right-hand man do the work for him. Someone like Roronoa.
“Interesting. What’s the other one?”
“Meat.”
Law turned to him incredulously, a single eyebrow raised in disbelief. “Meat?”
“Yes, sorry. Yes. He appears to love meat above all else.”
Law blinked a couple of times and simply stared at his manservant. Sure he’d seen the Prince devour a good chunk of it, not even an hour before, but really? “Meat? That’s the second big thing you found out about this Luffy?”
“Sorry!” Bepo shuffled his feet from across the room rather awkwardly, given his size. “It’s..like an obsession. He doesn’t just eat it. He appears to live and breathe it too. I overheard the maids from the Kuja Kingdom complaining that Prince Luffy apparently loves meat more than he loves their queen. I don’t know if he loves the queen, to be honest, sorry, but meat, apparently, is very high on his love list.”
“What–”
“And Kabu, the stableboy that minds Diamante’s horse, heard how Princess Vivi herself was regaling stories upon stories of the banquet Alabasta hosted a couple of years back, all in a grand thank you to the young Prince himself.” Bepo moved to the logs stored by the hearth. “Apparently, the head cook nearly had a stroke from all the cooking she had to do, and they had a really severe meat shortage after that for almost two seasons.”
“What?”
Bepo nodded firmly at the fireplace he was crouched in front of and dropped two more logs inside. With a careful blow and a poke, the dwindling fire roared back to life, warming the room.“Do you want me to close the windows?”
A breeze let itself be known with a rather vicious onslaught of snowy air directly at Law’s back. He hid a shiver and slouched lower, hiding from the winter weather in boiling warmth.
“Not needed.” He waved the question off and hummed. “He doesn’t look like he eats much, but…hmm, he must really, really like his meat, eh.”
Bepo grunted in agreement and poked the fire. It flickered merrily. “Yes. Apparently, he loves it more than Doffy adores his weird pink feather coat.” And their King never takes that thing off. It’s almost part of his skin.
“Flamingo feathers. Ghastly thing, can’t see why he wears it.”
“Law, you have a black cloak lined with the same feathers..”
“Bepo! That’s different. Those are black. A respectable colour. And a neutral quantity!’
“Of course it is. Sorry.”
Silence descended upon them. The cold wind directly to his back and the warm flames bathing his front were an interesting contrast. Law kept replaying the little he remembered from the encounter outside. The piercing eyes, the sheer nakedness of the man-child in the middle of the holy month, the way he devoured that meat. Animalistic, worse than a commoner, with drool dripping down his chin…
Law felt his face burn against his will.
“Bepo. Leave”
Said man turned his head toward him, a clear question on his pale face.
“Now.”
“Yes, sorry!” With that, Law’s only friend within the castle walls scurried away and shut the door behind him.
Left alone, Law groaned and fully submerged himself in water, which was still rather hot from all the flaming rocks placed by its sides. The stool full of his oils, scented soap, his beloved bristle brush, and a towel, softened by time and use, seemed to mock him. All this luxury and his mind wouldn't settle.
Going after any of the Prince's current company was plausible, of course. He had season upon season of experience in sabotage and double-crossing. For Cora’s sake, he had a cabinet full of toxins and poisons of various effects he could use any second. But no. It was slightly dangerous. Which, in on itself, was a thrill and he would pull that off with that idiot mechanic genius from the Kingdom St. Briss, Kidd. That redhead loudmouth could use a few of his draughts, for sure.
But no. This Luffy…He intrigued Law. And this was actually a perfect way to get out of any potential marriage. It was too good. Surely, bribing someone with their favourite food, especially if he did love it that much, would be the best option. No strings - aside from meat - attached and a promise of mayhem, which, if going by those rumours Bepo mentioned earlier in the courtyard, might just be an incentive enough for that unwoo-able looking specimen to consider.
Interesting.
As a plan started forming in his mind, Law’s grin grew. He grabbed his scented soap and leathered it into his favourite brush. It was the perfect plan. First, he would.. Yes, a piece of clothing? Hmm, what would Babyfive do? Hmm.
He started scrubbing his arms with vigour, leaving behind pinked skin, covered in white bubbles and leaving behind a unique blend of smells. Oak and honey. Perfect.
He would also need the perfect timing. And what would that be? He laughed out loud as he vigorously scrubbed his head, running long fingers, free from the constraints of gloves, a tattooed ‘death’ running through locks as dark as the coal at the bottom of his hearth.
Ah yes, tomorrow. He’d start preparations at the earliest hour. Meat. An item of clothing. Mayhem.
He dunked his head down in the water, enjoying the minute inability to breathe and marvelling at the weaknesses of his own body.
Everyone had a weakness. And he was going to exploit this Luffy for his own gain. If anything went by plan, tomorrow, at the Festival of Light, the Jousting Championship of the Four Seas would be memorable for all. And what’s even better? It would kickstart his lifelong ambition.
The round cross, a mockery of Donquichote Doflamingo’s own, very royal crest, stared at him from the back of his palms. A promise.
Yes.
But first, meat.
***
Physicians Journal
Entry 46
Holy Month, day 18, year 301 of the Blue Circle
It is time.
Law sat primly in his designated space, exactly one row in front of and five seats across from the King’s royal lounge, next to Babyfive, both of them dressed for the occasion. He could physically feel the King's steely gaze boring into him. At least he had the comfort of his favourite hat and the feeling of protective shelter it gave him.
“Law..” came a low growl from behind him, sending rather unpleasant pinpricks across his skin.
“Relax, Your Highness. I shall announce my Chosen just before the tournament starts.”
“Oh? Before?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Don’t make me sad, little Law. You know what happens to people who do.” Donquixote Doflamingo smiles widely, closed lips stretching as far as the lines around his eyes. “Right Katelyn dearest?”
Babyfive turned her head back, her freshly painted eyes and wine-red lips a stark, rather dashing contrast to her pale skin. “Of course, Doffy.”
She looked beautiful, as always. A lot of the men were already eyeing her. Law shared a fleeting glance with her as she turned back and faced the line of knights and their squires, half already on the battleground, half still busy in the tents. He needed to wait until they all came out, as was customary, to greet the host, take the noble oath of no unsavoury tactics, and maybe get a special something from the ladies.
Babyfive was anxiously clasping a delicate scarf of the rarest purple silk, embroidered with her initials. She was going to present it to a knight of her choosing, as a token of her affection and her wish for him to win. As would most other ladies of the court. Or, alternatively, the knights themselves would go to a lady and declare their fight for them. It was all rather sickeningly romantic for Law's taste. Now, in the eyes of the guests, such a gesture might not truly mean anything, but everyone in Dressrosa knew what it would mean for the lady Katelyn. She was choosing her future husband. And Doflamingo would later do anything to make the match happen.
As for Law, he was required to say his own Chosen’s name after the tournament. Doffy probably thought it would even be during the banquet, with a very obvious invitation to dance and a kiss on the back of the hand.
Heh. Like Law would play by the rules.
He kept tapping a rhythm with his foot with every knight that came forth from their respective tent, all geared up in shiny plate armour. Waiting, waiting…
__
“Law! Where are you going?” hissed Babyfive as he finally rose to his feet. All he did was grin ruefully at her, and sweep a casual glance across the crowd of royals and nobles seated around him as he walked down the wooden steps and onto the battlegrounds. The King and his whole entourage were watching him.
“Doctor Trafalgar! We are going to start, it’s dangerous out here, please go back to your seat!”
“I know, Dellinger.” Law grinned at the young man and leisurely stepped to where his Prince was standing, tucked between Roronoa and the Long Nose. “I forgot to do something. I’ll be quick, don’t worry”.
As he neared, just like last time, the piercing obsidian eyes snapped to him. Law felt his cheeks redden without his consent. Again.
Oh no,
That stupid idiot was even stupider than he thought. Because the only piece of armour he was wearing for a jousting tournament was a helmet! The rest was in tune with his clothing the day before – a blue shirt embroidered with what looked like sunflowers, heavy blue trousers, ripped at the knees, and sandals. SANDALS in the middle of the Holy Month. Sure, he had added a cape. What for, Law had absolutely no idea because that wasn’t going to save him from being skewered by the sharp end of a lance and ending a bloody pulp in the snow. Curiously, despite having a head covering, his straw hat was on his person, hanging from his neck on a thin thread. Interesting. And stupid. And incredibly idiotic.
Well, it was too late to turn back now.
“Your royal highness, Prince Luffy,” he started, putting on his best smile. Long Nose tensed next to him, tightening his hold on a truly peculiar contraption of wood and questionable black substance. Roronoa was side-eyeing him like a wolf.
“You’re the guy from yesterday. Why did you run? You've got a funny hat.”
“I–”
“Where’s your bear?”
“Who?”
Luffy, in all of his helmeted and caped regalia, gestured his hands all over and grinned boyishly. Wide and free. “You know, the huge bear guy behind you!”
Law felt his eye twitch. “Bepo? He’s not a bear, as much as he may look like one, idiot. He’s a human just like you. Although, I’m starting to doubt your legality in that.” Well, there went cordiality out of the very first window. This Luffy was impossible to talk to.
Long nose snorted and half turned to tuck his breathing appendage in the wide shoulder of a truly enormous man with vivid blue hair. How did Law not notice that particular specimen yesterday again?
The Prince was still staring at him unexpectedly. As was the crowd. He could almost physically feel burning glares at his back. Strangely enough, they were coming from all over the place, not, as he assumed, from the royal Dressrosi booth. Oh, right. His Luffy had a fanclub.
“Right, er. Bepo’s here, watching the proceedings. Listen –” Law leaned close to the boy, so close they were almost nose to nose. “–I need a favour. I’ll give you a lot of meat, any kind you want with any seasoning our country can provide if you do.”
Luffy bumped his nose on Law’s rather aggressively and narrowed his eyes in seriousness rather uncharacteristic for all the time Law had seen him. What if meat wasn’t a good enough reason to..
“You’ll give me meat? Why? What do you wanna do?”
Law lets out a breath he was holding in and powers on. Time was ticking. “I’ll give you something, just wear it on you, visibly, while you fight.”
“Like what the girls did? Why?”
Damn, for all of him looking and behaving like an idiot, he was surprisingly sharp. He needed to say something to make it appealing, something smart, come on Law…
“He wants to marry me off for political gain and more power. Lock me in this cage of a kingdom for the rest of my days, which I assure you won't be long if he succeeds. It is something I’d rather not happen. It’ll complicate my plans. I’m going to usurp the King. But for that to happen, I need today to be in my favour. A single win that will be the turning point. And I need your help with that.”
NOT THAT. Why, just why in the name of the Devil King did he say the truth he kept under wraps for so long?
Luffy simply hummed thoughtfully for a few agonisingly long minutes. The crowd's noise was getting bigger and bigger, as was Law’s dread. This was a bad idea. He should have done something, anything else! He subtly turned around and indeed, there in his periphery, he could see Doffy actually getting up from his seat. Time was up.
The Prince had apparently seen that too, as his gaze shifted to where the King was standing, tall and dangerous, his pink feathered coat billowing with the wind.
“Let's be allies, Monkey D. Luffy.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Wait Luffy, this is kind of creepy…”
“Oi, Luffy!”
“Now wait just a second here, you cree–”
“Luffy! Remember what Nami sai–”
“Okay.”
Law let out the breath he was holding and grinned. He then, rather theatrically, pulled out a neckerchief, yellow and black in design, embroidered with his initials, carefully leaned down and in full view of the court, guests, knights servants and all, tied it around the naked bicep of his chosen Prince.
The crowd roared.
“Win for mea-”
The shrieks of horror from all around deafened his voice and with a grin, he turned around, intent on getting back to his seat. But before he moved a single step, a bony hand grabbed his arm and turned him around. Law found himself staring at Luffy again. Said Prince, however, pointed to the neckerchief around his arm indignantly.“This won’t do.”
“Wha–?”
“It’s fake. I don’t like it.” The shorter man, young as he was, pouted like a five-year-old child. He then took off his helmet, revealing messy locks to the cold outside, and pushed it at him. Law grabbed the – frankly heavy as hell – armour piece before it fell on the ground on instinct. And as he did, he felt a hand yank his own hat off. He stared unblinking as Luffy plonked his very own spotted white fluffy hat on his head with a satisfied grin.
“This will do.”
And with that, the Third Prince of Dawn Kingdom returned to his comrades, leaving a hatless Law with a golden helmet in his hands, standing rather foolishly in the spotlight, much to the delight and mirth of, well, everyone.
As he neared his seat, the eye of every single person was jumping from him to Luffy and back. He needed to compose himself, get back to the plan. He found Bepo staring at him in horror from the corner of his eye. Perfect. Just perfect. And his beloved hat was now in the hands – or head– of a foolish, meat-loving, naked-walking, short, royal asshole.
Before he sat down, under the collective glower, awe, disgust, and rage of the royal family, he turned to Doffy.
“I have chosen my future fiance, my King. My heart has taken a fancy to him.” He declared with the most sincere face he could master, ignoring how empty his head felt. Babyfive was giving him very obvious what-the-hell-Law-you-bastard-he-will-skin-you-alive looks. The grounding of Doffy’s teeth could shatter steel. Resolve hardening, he declared loudly for all the gossiping eyes to hear, even down in the dungeons.
“I can see myself with no other. He’s just so..charming. And, since he is of royal blood, the purest blue of all the seas, I have no fear. He has the wealth, the power, which he shall prove –can he even win this, oh dear Sea God– He is just perfect!”
“We’ll talk about this later, Law,” said Doflamingo, his toothy smile bigger than half his face.
Ah, well, there was no going back anyway. Law grinned a bit stiffly and plonked heavily on his seat. Babyfive poked him in a manner he assumed she thought was discreet.
“Law!” she hissed at him. “Are you out of your mind! What are you even playing at?”
“Nothing of much importance, you know, just trying to fix my bleak future. Just like you.”
“Me?” Her affront made him roll his eyes.
“Yes.” He glanced at the far left corner, where a few knights in full, proper knight regalia, and just as many squires fretting under their feet were gathered. “You gave your favour to the heir of the Happo Navy. That’s just as bad as the Dawn Kingdom, you know.”
To absolutely no-one's surprise, she blushed a deep red. “He is just so—”
Flirty? Adorable? Kisses the ground she walks on? Because he sure wasn’t handsome.
“—mean. He rejected me, you know. Three times. And he was so..nice about it too like he knew I was f-…Well, you know! And now I want him. To want me,”— she lowers her voice so much that Law has to lip-read the next part “—even if it means leaving Dressrosa for good.”
Law swallows any retort he had in mind and simply grunts.
“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests of Dressrosa,” Dellinger began somewhere far away from them. “We welcome you on this wonderful eve of Yule, to celebrate our growing friendship and bonds with The Grand Jousting Tournament of the Four Seas!” The crowd roars in delight. Wine starts getting passed around. Sweets and other snacks that had already made their way in were already being replaced with bigger, better, tastier, and strangely, much more colourful delights. Law trained his eye on the Dawn Kingdom. Luffy was seated on his horse. Quite large and rather bull-like. But majestic nonetheless. Four of his companions were also atop their own steeds, getting settled not by squires, but by the rest of the envoy. Even the two gorgeous ladies.
A horn blew a few times, signalling the start at the same time as Dellinger announced, “Let the games begin! And may the best knight win, right? Knight Diamante?”
The Dressrosi citizens’ voices boomed out of the battlegrounds, screaming for their beloved First Knight. So loud, in fact, that you could almost see the mountains surrounding their kingdom quake. Sir Diamante smiled loudly and waved for a solid two minutes before the horn blew again and all the contestants were forced outside of the jousting lane, all but the first two, whose names were announced swiftly and cordially.
Let the game begin.
***
Late into the night, Law found himself ambushed in the very same alcove he was hiding in the day prior by the person he himself had been actively stalking. Snow was peppering the skies outside. Yule was upon them. The year was turning and so was his life. Monkey D. Luffy had found him.
“Bear guy!”
“I—”
“Where’s my meat?”
“Here. In the castle. I’ll have it delivered to your rooms by midnight. And my name is Trafalgar Law.”
“Tura-Tora-farla ..Torao then.”
“Wha— NO. Trafalgar Law.”
“Hey, Torao. You know what I know?”
“What?”
“I get to have more than meat.”
“What.”
“It’s cos you gave me this,”—he fingered the neckerchief—“and this,”— he poked Law’s snowy hat that was tucked snugly atop his own frayed straw hat.
“No. You took that. As a token.”
“Yes. Maybe. It was important to you. Right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m giving it back then. Cos I did my part. And I want my reward.”
“Your meat will—”
“Yes, yes. Meat’s important. Thank you, you’re great! But I mean my real reward. Not for this,”—he gestured to the neckerchief again, still tied quite snugly across a still naked bicep—“but for this.”
“This..”
“I want my real reward. If you’re not giving it to me, I’m taking it.”
“You can’t just—”
Minutes pass, or were they hours? To the snow dancing merrily across the darkening sky time meant nothing.
“Our alliance is over, Straw Hat—”
“It’s not over till I say it’s over. We haven't even started yet. We’re taking down Flamingo. I have a bone to pick up with him.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“No, but he pisses me off. And he hurt Rebecca and the nice Soldier.”
“How do you even know them? Wait, no. You’re a royal, you can’t go assassinating other Kings in their own countries without any repercussions! Are you out of your–”
“Sure I can. I may be the Third Prince, but who cares about that? Have you ever been to Dawn? Neither my brothers nor I care much for the throne. Wait Sabo might be a bit, but truth is— ..here come on I’ll show you! Hurry up! Aren’t physicians supposed to be good climbers? Chopper is!”
“Hey—”
“We came on a ship.”
“Yes, idiot, like almost all the envoys. The maps show islands, not enormous contine—”
“That’s our ship. Look. Come here, look left, there with the big lion head!”
“That’s your ship?”
“Yes, shishishishishi.”
“But the flag…”
“I know, it’s cool, right? Usopp drew it for us two years ago when we sat sail.”
“So you’re..”
“Yep. Pirates. Free to roam the world as we see fit.”
“B-but your kingdom!”
“Screw it. Screw monarchy. Screw Flamingo and Crocodile and Morgan and Moria and stupid Vapol..”
“Pirates. You are a pirate. With a crew.”
“Yep!”
“I—”
“Our Robin has some really interesting information, you know. About Mingo.”
“Can’t be better than what I have, Stra—”
“What’s your big, big plan again? Let's do it.”
“I— …fine! Alright, let's do it, you crazy idiotic, self-absorbed pirate prince who keeps on interrup—”
Heh, you could say that the snow melted with that particular interruption, or that its flakes fell in rather curious patterns, or that the last rays of the sun bathed the tiny alcove in a pink-ish light. Was it a trick of the eye, tired from dilly dallying all day, then drying up watching knights in armour bash each other to death, tearing up at the royal feast that would have fed the country for a solid year had it been rationed and given to the poor? Nobody quite knew.
But one thing was for sure. When Trafalgar Law later entered his rooms in silence, cheeks blazing red, eyes blown wide, and hand covering his lips, let's just say his oldest friend and future navigator, if, no, when their plans succeeded, was quite at a loss of words himself.
***
Captains Log
Entry 1
Holy Month, day 27, year 301 of the Blue Circle
Cora-san, today we set sail from the eastern harbour of Dressrosa. I have a crew of four, including myself. But no matter, we shall find more crewmates on the way.
He gave my life a new meaning. Taught me what it meant to be free as the sea. So I took his own purpose as mine. We’ll meet again. And once we do, I shall endeavour to steal his precious hat and take what is mine.