Chapter Text
The cool breeze seemed to calm the dark haired man’s nerves. He wasn’t sure if taking on this job was worth it. Usually, he tries to stay out of political affairs, but something called him to the Kingdom once he received their letter of aid. The East Blue was an area that him and his crew have never traveled in, and being that they would have an extended stay in the Kingdom, crossing off a location from his bucket list sounded like a great opportunity. Law had read about the Goa Kingdom previously in the paper, the King not having good rapport with their lower class citizens and other Kingdoms. However, with his failing health, his eldest son was in talks to succeed the throne soon. Yet there wasn’t much information on the heir apparent.
He was curious who this unknown man was, another perk of taking on the job for him. The mysteriousness of the heir piqued his interest. Would the Goa Kingdom be in a better place or turn into outright chaos once he becomes King? There had been talk of the youngest son, Stelly, who apparently is a spoiled brat. A boy who seemed to get anything he wanted and gallivanted around, spending money galore wherever he went. There was even word of him being seen with multiple high-class women from Goa and other Kingdoms, yet none to be wed. The Queen on the other hand seemed to just be in it for status and fed into the youngest’s affairs. Moreover, she was someone who cares much about appearances. With a family that had so many terrible words for them, how was it there was nothing on the heir?
“Oh, here you are, Captain.”
A voice from behind Law snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see his navigator and closest friend joining him on the bridge. A rather large mink with a pure white fuzzy coat wearing a bright orange suit, a huge smile across his muzzle. “I checked your room earlier and didn’t see you there.”
He walked closer to Law, standing next to him at the railing of the submarine. In the distance he could spot the island coming in the horizon, expecting to make their arrival in about 30 minutes. “I’m so excited to finally see the Goa Kingdom! I’ve heard their food is amazing!” Bepo couldn’t help but jump a bit in joy. In the corner of his eye, Law could see the sparkles in his crewmate’s eyes and drool from his mouth thinking about the meals they will soon have.
A groan escaped Law’s lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Bepo. We have a job to do. One that you wanted us to take so badly.” He turned to fully look at the man as he crossed his arms. “We’re almost to the port. We should let the rest of the crew know.”
Bepo simply grinned, looking down at Law. “I already let them know! They're currently preparing last minute packing and the ship for docking.”
Law let out a small grunt of acknowledgement. He wasn't surprised that some of his crew was so last minute, and he could guess the main culprits were Shachi and Penguin. His only hope was that they can all survive their time here mentally. Turning back to the ocean, Law could see the docks and Town Center of the Kingdom coming more and more into view. He took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and slowly exhaled as he calmed his own nerves.
Arriving at the docks, the crew is greeted by a tall, well-kept man with a large white curled mustache and black tailcoat suit, as well as, a handful of other men. “Welcome to Goa Kingdom, Sir Trafalgar Law. My name is Gibbon, and I am the Head Butler of the castle.” He bows to the crew with a grin before beckoning them to get onto the awaiting carriage. “Your bags will be sent separately to your prepared quarters. I greatly apologize ahead of time. The Queen wished to meet with you today, but she has a few things to attend to. As for Prince Stelly, he is currently… busy .” There was a slight wince in his smile on the last word, which he tried to hide well. Law decided to let it go, however there seemed to be someone else missing from his brief introduction.
“And what of the Crown Prince?”
The man’s brows raised in shock at the mention, like he wasn't expecting questions on the heir. “I apologize, Sir Trafalgar Law. Prince Sabo is currently abroad attending to affairs in Alabasta. We expect him to arrive in the coming weeks if all goes well.”
He pauses for a second, raising one eyebrow questionably, “Would you like me to set up a meeting with the Crown Prince once he returns?”
Law felt a twinge of disappointment, but didn’t expect much of a greeting at all from anyone of the family or staff. “That won’t be necessary.”
With that, the butler bows as they enter the carriage and are whisked away toward their quarters on the castle grounds. Penguin and Shachi were glued to the left side of the carriage, staring out the window at the sight of the dock behind them as they started to reach the Town Center. Citizens hustling and bustling around to multiple shops, bakeries, and café's amongst the cobblestone streets. The two kept pointing out different locations and cute girls they spotted with each other.
Ikkaku pushed the two aside when she spotted a shop that intrigued her before they entered High Town. There were still shops and café’s in the area, much fancier than those in Town Center, which were still nice but much more modest. Elegant mansions graced each side of the pristine streets, different from the cobblestone they were first met with below.
“Captain, we have to explore the Kingdom once we have free time.” Her eyes sparkling as she made note of another two shops that caught her eye.
“ If we have free time” Clione mumbles under his breath, hope still in his voice. Despite the excitement of the crew being in a new area, they knew this wasn’t a vacation.
Arriving at their quarters, they were surprised at how their bags arrived before them, as well as the butler they had previously met, never spotting another carriage nor the butlers passing them on the way to the castle. “Welcome sirs and madam. We have a team that will be attending to you during your stay here. Do not be afraid to let them know if you have any requests, questions, or concerns.” He held out his hand palm up to fully welcome the numerous butlers and maids that stood behind him, all bowing to the group. “Once you are settled, His Highness, King Outlook III, requested your acquaintance at your soonest convenience.”
Law knew that meant immediately. “There’s no need for that, I can meet with the King now.” He turned to his crew with a nod as a signal that he will meet alone with the King while they settled in. He knew the fight over who gets what room could take some time. Gibbon seemed relieved by that and began to walk outside the hall, holding the door open for Law to exit.
“That is much appreciated. Please follow me.”
The walk was long, having to cross the gardens in order to make it to the entrance. However, once they made it to the castle, Law’s eyes widened at the sheer gaudiness of the decorations. Extravagant? Yes. However, it felt like there were clashing styles. Some decor was classy yet modern, surely costing a lot, but not flaunting its wealth, while most felt as if they were furniture for a dollhouse. As if it was what a child would think royal decor would be. He scrunched his face in disdain for the clashing colors and tacky wallpaper in some hallways they passed. What he did find odd was that the more modern decor matched the guest house they were staying in.
Soon they reached doors to what Law assumed was the King’s quarters. Gibbon knocked on the large oak door and waited a moment. “Your Highness, Sir Trafalgar Law has arrived as requested.” There was another moment of silence before the door opened to show another butler and maid in waiting, ushering Law inside. The head butler followed suit, but stayed by the entrance. Inside the room, Law spotted the King sitting in bed with a sunken face, looking like he was on his last leg.
“Ah, Trafalgar Law, thank you for coming to my aid.” The King stared at Law with a serious expression as he eyed him. As he began to open his mouth, a violent cough took over him for a few moments. Law could see the handkerchief he placed to his mouth was now covered in fresh blood as he brought his hand down. The butler rushed over to hand the King a new handkerchief and tossed the old one into a bin nearby.
“Not a problem at all, Your Highness.” He bowed until the King ushered him to sit at a nearby chair. The maid rushed over to start pouring a cup of tea for Law as he crossed his legs and cleared his throat before speaking. “My team and I are grateful for your hospitality. Each of us will be scheduled around the clock to attend to you with different treatments and medication. First, we will need to get some blood work done for you today. Then we will need a few days to a week to run tests and get medicine and treatments together.” He studied the King as he explained his rehearsed introduction. The man showed little signs of expression, possibly due to the toll his sickness had on him, which made him hard to read.
Mid-speech the King raised his hand to gesture Law to stop. “While I appreciate the information, I am looking to be treated as soon as possible and quickly. Not weeks, or months.” He let out another flurry of bloody coughs into a handkerchief that the butler again promptly swapped. “I would hope that you would find a way to hasten the process.”
Law’s eyebrow twitched as he forced a smile. “Understood, your Highness. I will make sure that we expedite the process as much as we can.” He left the tea cup in front of him untouched as he stood from the chair, taking out a small kit from his pocket. “A few of my crew will arrive later today to run tests, but I‘ll be able to do blood work now.” the King scoffed, but allowed him to do so. Law grabbed one of his tourniquets, needles, and multiple tubes from the kit as he started to clean the King’s arm.
“You’ll feel a slight pinch.”
3 weeks had passed swiftly, but with major exhaustion from the constant rotation of checking on the King. King Outlook III had demanded that the crew rush their developments, which led to many sleepless nights and little naps during the day. Rarely had any of the crew even left the castle grounds. Being confined to either the King’s quarters or their makeshift lab in the guest house. The only thing keeping them somewhat alive and sane was the staff offering meals on their own whim. Making sure the crew ate despite their busy schedule. The crew had started to grow somewhat close to the castle’s staff, the maids often chatting about rumors they had heard while the butlers would share more information of their time at the castle, giving further insight into the Kingdom and its royals.
There did seem to be something common about their stories, talking highly of the eldest son, Sabo. Most of them talked about how he would often help them, sometimes carrying boxes or even helping in the garden. It almost seemed like he was also staff versus the Prince, let alone the Crown Prince soon to take the throne.
Despite the liveliness the maids and butlers had brought lately, Law’s already dark circles somehow got worse and started to rub off on the rest of his crew. “Captain, I think we should adjust the dosage of his evening medicine and possibly add another to his set. He seems to be having trouble with coughing fits and spit ups more then.”
Ikkaku stood next to Law as he read through some of the notes from the morning check-in. He took off his glasses and sighed, “We just upped them the other day and his afternoon treatment today, if he’s still having this issue in two more days, then we will revise. We will also need to run more tests to further diagnose this.”
“I can start further research with Hakugan now.” With a nod of acknowledgment from Law, Ikkaku left the room.
Law relaxed more in his chair, closing his eyes to get some rest from how hectic it had been since they arrived. His room became more of an office, with multiple stacks of papers scattered about. The bed only being touched on 2 or 3 nights since their arrival, usually him resting at the desk or on the couch.
He had briefly met Queen Didit on one of his check-ins when she entered the room stressed to talk about arrangements for an event not far off. However, she kept her visit short, probably to see if he finally had keeled over yet and if Law and his crew were even doing their jobs. Usually she was off having tea or gossiping with other nobles until recently. Lately, she had been more active in the castle by adding new extravagant decorations to the main areas. Maids running around with new table clothes and tableware while being yelled at to order new flower arrangements for the hall became a common occurrence. Everything needed to be perfect, that she even had Jean Bart carrying in new, heavier items into the castle. Despite Law’s rejection, the King ordered the crew to help the Queen in everything, starting to feel less like medical staff and more like butlers and maids of the family, to his disgust.
His quiet time was interrupted when Bepo rushed through the doors panting. “Captain,” he could only make out at first through heavy breaths, “Penguin and Shachi need you to join them for the King’s afternoon check up. He’s again refusing to take his meds unless you were there accompanying them.”
Law sighed as he took a moment to gather himself before getting up and heading out the room. “You would think he wouldn’t need me to always be there by now.” He sighed as he rubbed his temples. “Tell Uni-ya to also come along. I'll meet him at the entrance after I wash up.” With that, Bepo rushed out of the room to look for the other crew member.
As Law left the quarters with Uni, they made their way into the garden, which was currently being worked on by many groundskeepers and gardeners. Much more than usually out. They knew Law and his crew well by now, and had all exchanged brief greetings with him. A distant sound of horses galloping caused everyone to freeze for a moment, eyes looking down towards the entrance gates. Suddenly, the staff scrambled to move toward the main road in anticipation for the oncoming guests, huge smiles on their faces. What he expected wasn’t a carriage, but rather four people on horseback galloping towards the castle.
As they approached, he could get a better look at them. There were two rows of two, each on their own horse rushing toward the castle, yet keeping perfect formation. The first two were both men with short dark hair, followed by an orange haired girl and a blonde man. All looking to be in noble wear, though the blonde stood out amongst the four with a white cape over his shoulders and gold chain accents.
The gardeners all bowed as they passed by and happily greeted the group. To Law’s shock, the group of four stopped their travel as the man in the back got off his horse, approaching one of the shrubs that were just pruned.
“Amazing work as usual, Hiba.” the man said with a bright, cheery smile.
It felt like Law had just witnessed the sun incarnate with how bright his smile was. Feeling the need to shield his eyes.
“And Julia, I hope the family is doing well! I hope you are all not working too hard today.” The blonde continued to exchange pleasantries with the staff until the woman, still on her horse, cleared her throat.
“Sabo, you know how His Highness gets.” She hopped off her horse and walked up to the blonde with a huff. She placed a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around to face him toward her. “If we don’t hurry, we will never hear the end of it. And I can not deal with another 3 hours of being chewed out for our lack of respect.” Her grip increased on the man’s shoulder as she spoke, clearly irritated.
But wait, did she say Sabo?
Law’s eyes widened back to the blonde in shock. The man of mystery had finally arrived and was standing just a few meters from him.
The man only chuckled as the other two men in the front laughed along with him. “Oy, Koala, you know how fast we are on the move.” The wavy black haired man with freckles smirked at her as she rolled her eyes. “His Highness can wait a few more seconds.”
The blonde only looked innocently at her, pleading to let him continue his talks here.
“Stop giving me those sad, puppy eyes. You know that won't work on me.”
Sabo clasped his hands together with another pleading look. “Pl-” but he was cut off when Koala pulled him back to his horse by his ear, turning to do a slight bow to everyone. The blonde seemed helpless to the woman, apologizing to the workers as he was dragged away.
“Let's go. Now.”
Koala glared at him and the other two before hopping back onto her horse, Sabo following suit with another apology on his face. This time, more directed at Koala. They all gave a last wave to the groundskeepers and gardeners before heading back toward the castle.
Law stared off at them, silent for what felt like a few minutes before Uni came into his field of view, shocking the man.
“Earth to Law, we need to get going, too.” Uni crossing his arms, failing to hide his intrigue while staring at his Captain. He started walking ahead toward the castle with a smirk.
“You won’t be able to see the Prince if you're that slow.” he said with cheekiness.
“I’m not sure what you’re on about.”
“You want me to act like you weren’t staring in awe at the Prince?” Uni chuckled.
“I think we’ll need to get your eyes checked once we go back to the guest house.” Law said seriously. Uni almost shivering, knowing he didn’t mean a typical check-up.
“Whatever you say, Captain Heart Eyes.”
Something triggered in Law as he began to chase Uni toward the castle, yelling after his crewmate and slinging curses at him. If he wasn’t so sleep deprived, he would have grabbed him faster.
Soon they arrived at the grand entrance of the castle, yet none of the party from before was anywhere to be seen. Just the usual hustle and bustle of the maids running around. They spotted Jean Bart once again carrying in tables to the ballroom, with three maids and Shachi following suit by him.
A sigh came from Law’s lips, at first, not feeling Uni’s eyes and smirk boring into him from his right. Law could feel the veins in his forehead about to pop, reaching out to grab his crewmate by the collar when the head butler appeared next to them, startling the two.
“Good Afternoon, Sir Trafalgar Law, Sir Uni. Please allow me to accompany you to the King’s quarters. It's becoming awfully hectic lately due to the Queen preparing for the ball.” He guided the two up the stairs and down the hallways toward the King’s room, a route Law knew all too well by now.
“A ball?” Law questioned looking at Uni who also shrugged.
“Yes sir. The Queen is preparing a party for Prince Sabo, and now that he is back, we’re putting finishing touches together.” He could see they were both still confused and for once, Law saw the man break his usual kept together nature with a small chuckle he tried to mask as a cough. “The party is this coming weekend, a masquerade. I received word that the King wanted to attend, and to make sure that all of you were in attendance in case anything were to happen.”
Uni’s eyes lit up. The crew had been working tirelessly 24/7 that the thought of going to a fancy party for a night woke him up more. He couldn't wait to dance the night away with the rest of the crew and finally relax, enjoying the delicacies on display. He looked excitedly at Law, who had a slight scowl on his face, making his own lose its excitement for a bit. Law wasn’t the type to really care for parties, especially at a large scale.
“Sounds good. We will be there.” Uni quickly blurted out before Law could say anything. He covered Law’s mouth before the man could object and smiled. “Thank you for the offer!”
The butler sighed with relief and returned to his stroll toward the King’s room.
“May I ask why the rush for the ball?” Law piped in.
The butler smiled at Law, “The Queen usually loves to host parties every once in a while, however…” He stopped his walk, once again. “The King and Queen are mainly using this to announce the Crown Prince’s engagement.”
“Engagement? He’s not engaged currently?” Uni questioned, finding it odd.
“Unfortunately not. His past possible fiancée’s have always refused to marry him.”
It felt strange, as everything they had heard lately and recently seen of Sabo showed that he was a kind, caring man. Was he secretly a tyrant behind a facade? The maids only speaking highly of him to not lose their heads? Law hoped he could speak to the man soon to see for himself.
“Sorry to delay you from His Highness, we can speak of the ball later.” Gibbon picked up the pace this time, almost in a brisk sprint, as the two followed suit.
They were once again face to face with the door to the King’s quarters. As usual, he knocked and announced his and their presence. However, this time when the maid opened the door, Law and Uni noticed it was not just the King and Penguin in the room, but also the Queen and Sabo who had paused their conversation. Sabo sat at the coffee table across from Penguin, drinking from his tea cup, while the Queen was mid pacing the room. The stress se exuded clouding the aura in the room, almost zapping the oxygen from it.
Penguin also looked to be stressed, but trying his best to keep calm. No doubt from the way the King continuously talked down to them as if they were simply ants beneath his boots. Relief hit him as he saw his captain and crewmate enter the room.
“Sir Trafalgar Law as requested.” Gibbon bowed as he announced the man. The King scoffed as he looked at Law and Uni.
“Took you a while to get here. Your subordinate here told me the medicine has changed for the afternoon. I wanted to make sure he wasn't trying to poison me.”
Law could feel all eyes on him, judging him. He glanced toward Penguin, who was still at the coffee table tensed up, medicine sat on the table between him and Sabo.
Law walked toward the table, grabbing the medicine and turning back to the King. “ Penguin is only giving you the upped medication we discussed previously. I assure you that poisoning would have happened by now if we tried.” He reached out toward the King and placed the contents into his hand.
“Take them now. You're overdue, and we wouldn't want you to miss a dosage and get worse before the ball.”
A chuckle came from the blonde as the King was handed a glass of water by a maid. Putting the pills into his mouth and chasing them with the liquid.
“Now dear, you must get better for the party. Even King Seki of Lulusia are joining us.” The Queen finally piped in, walking toward Sabo with frustration.
Her tone shifted from a fake, loving tone, to something more demanding. “And you. You will not embarrass either of us. Especially those ruffians of yours. Keep them in line, Sabo.”
“Of course, of course. But it is my party, no? I feel like we should be able to eat all the food we want.” He smiled playfully with slight mischief as he shrugged. “I'll make sure we’re better than perfect, just for you.”
He looked at Penguin with a nod as he rose from his seat. “Now, I'll be off. It was great chatting with you, Penguin.” He bowed at the man, who started to scramble to get up and reciprocate with a deeper bow.
As he made his way toward the door, he stopped to look at Uni, then to Law. “I'm sorry I can't properly chat with either of you again, but I hope to see you at the party.” His eyes lingered on the doctor for a few moments, giving Law time to finally get a better look of the man.
There was scarring along the left side of his face, around his eye and down his neck that was slightly covered by his wavy blonde locks. His eyes were huge, almost puppy-like, but with so much fire and darkness behind them. Law felt drawn to him, almost magnetic, and it caught him off guard. He never felt such a strong interest in someone before, especially just meeting them. He wasn't sure if it was because of the pain hidden behind those eyes, or the fact he seemed to light up a room from the energy he exuded. Law wanted to dissect him, like a frog, wanting to know what lies beneath the cheerful exterior he showcased and what had led to his scarring. It didn’t seem treated until many moments after the initial burn.
“Of course, don't be afraid to chat with me next time you see me in the garden.”
A devilish smile went across Sabo’s face, and for once Law felt his mouth open in shock, snapping him out of his thoughts. Of course the man would have noticed them, but he didn't expect such a brazen confrontation. Before Law could even reply, Sabo gave his last bow, placing a top hat onto his head as he exited the room.