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Law was grateful that he’d gotten half an hour between when he arrived at the party and when Luffy and his friends showed up. While he’d developed a tolerance for Shanks’ youngest ward, the boy still drove him crazy. And while he was able to avoid them a while longer, he knew it was only a matter of time before—
“Hey Traffy!”
Speak of the devil—no pun intended, despite his costume.
“Don’t call me that,” Law snapped on reflex. “What do you want, Luffy?”
“Just surprised to see you here, that’s all,” Luffy replied. “You don’t seem like a costume party kind of guy.”
“Shachi and Penguin dragged me along” Law grunted before gesturing to his sweater vest. “And I still don’t know who they made me dress as. I know the party’s theme is either indie games, horror games, or indie horror games—not sure which.”
“Yep, that’s why my friends and I came as Bendy characters,” Luffy said cheerfully. “Except Ace—he wanted to go as Showdown Bandit, even though Sabo said nobody would recognize him.”
Law looked over at where Ace—who was dressed as some kind of cowboy marionette—was sipping from a glass of punch while half-listening to Usopp—dressed as some kind of cartoon dog or wolf, he wasn’t entirely sure which—going on about those ‘creepypasta’ things he liked to read. Zoro (wearing an outfit similar to Robin’s, albeit without the ‘deformed face’ makeup and with a shirt rather than a dress) and Nami (dressed as some kind of cartoon angel) were also listening, the two asking questions on occasion. Glancing in the other direction, he caught sight of Sanji and Chopper—who looked to have dressed as similar versions of the same demonic-looking character (Chopper’s was admittedly scarier-looking, interestingly enough)—up on the auditorium stage helping to set up the karaoke machine.
“Don’t know why he even wanted to wear that costume anyway--that game only got one chapter before things ground to a halt.”
Law gave a start—he hadn’t even noticed Sabo (whose costume was similar to Usopp’s, but with what looked like a mechanical arm) had come over. “And how exactly do you know about that game, if it’s so obscure?”
“Because it was made by the same guys who made Bendy,” Sabo answered with a half-shrug.
“OK, everyone! The karaoke machine is officially on!” announced Franky from up on stage. “Got plenty of SUPER songs for you all, so have at it!”
“Does he have to emphasize the word super every time he says it?” Law asked as the blunette stepped off the stage, straightening the cardboard projector on his head.
“I asked him once, and he said yes,” Luffy answered. “You wanna do a song, Sabo?”
“Not ’til the end of the night,” Sabo said with a laugh. “I talked Shanks into letting you, me, and Ace close the party out with Build Our Machine. Assuming you don’t conk out before then, that is…”
“Sabo!” Koala had entered the room and was waving in their direction. “Guess who brought extra snacks?”
“Ah, excuse me.”
With that, Sabo turned and headed over to join her, leaving Law alone with Luffy again.
“Hey, you wanna do a song, Traffy?”
Taking a look over at the karaoke machine, where Shanks was finishing up the first song of the night, Law gave a shrug. “What the hell? Why not?”
And so, after Perona, Brook, and Vivi each had a turn, Law found himself on the stage with Luffy, a sizable number of the partygoers crowded around to hear them sing. He’d noticed that many of the songs that had been sung that night were by the same artist. Not that he didn’t like said artist—Zoro had stumbled across the guy’s music while trying to remember the name of a song used in a video game, and before long, he and a good portion of the apartment complex residents and their friend circles had been hooked, Law included. It was mostly that he was doing the song with Luffy--the teen was just so sunny, and it was kind of irritating. Still, it was extremely hard to hate him, and those who did automatically ended up on the ‘do not trust’ list of everyone in the building. Law even broke the wrist of one guy who trash talked Luffy, though that was at least partially because the jackass implied that Law had feelings for someone who was 7 years too young for him.
The music started, snapping Law out of his thoughts. He shook himself briefly before taking a breath and launching into the song.
“Like a wolf I’ll prowl and prey on the darkened ones, bring me fate.
I’ll crawl through the devil’s lair, I set my sights on a broad escape, it’s not too late.
Well the inky man is coming, passed the solitary summon, I’m the bait.
I’ll make my up and over and out, canvas large, I’ll crawl about, don’t get loud!”
Nobody’s laughing, he thought to himself. Good sign.
“They say I’m the man in the middle, play a fiddle
For my life long endeavor to find myself.
They don’t want me finding out the truth, the inconceivable house with a roof.
Take it to the top, the lord he stomps, but I said…”
“Leave me be, for I’m but one within the blackened sea.”
Mentally grinning at the few voices from the audience singing along, he launched into the chorus.
“You don’t know me,
But I know you,
I’m not one, nor two, nor three.
You can sing it right, but there’s no more symphony.
Well I’ve got this army,
Now let’s party,
This ink is all the same body!
All bark, no bite, no winning this fight.
You made me think I’m a clone, but I am me!”
He paused for a moment, holding up a hand when Luffy made to move forward, before singing a post-chorus line.
“Your mind tricks won’t deviate me, I’m the wolf.”
Luffy stepped forward with his own mic, grinning before he started the next verse.
“Mark your spot, the sign a devil’s comin’ in hot, don’t be afraid.
If the day has cometh when those claws will plummet,
Danger of failure thwarts my remains.
Well maybe I’ve got nothing short of brains and no more promise, I’ll prevail.
And your wicked trail is doneth, got you cornered,
No more running, testify my traits.”
Law turned and pointed at Luffy.
“If I cast away the shadow, I’ll survive."
Luffy did the same, mirroring Law.
“Sure but if death awaits,
It’s all inevitable,
I’m a pinnacle of the night.”
“If I find my exit, I’ll defend it.”
“But exits are for chumps, donchya know?”
“Leave me be, for I’m but one within the blackened sea.”
Law stepped back slightly as Luffy sang the chorus.
“You don’t know me,
But I know you,
I’m not one, nor two, nor three.
You can sing it right, but there’s no more symphony.
Well I’ve got this army,
Now let’s party,
This ink is all the same body!
All clamp, no plight, no winning this fight.
You made me think I’m alone, but I am me!”
As they started on the bridge, Law looked out at the audience. He knew full well that most of the building’s residents acted like he was some kind of sulking loner type, but he wasn’t unwilling to indulge in a bit of harmless fun every now and then. Usually, said harmless fun involved his graphic novel collection or streaming a show with a close friend or two, but when the situation called for something else, he could accommodate, and he did actually enjoy some of those activities.
Gesturing to the audience to join in (which some of them did), he and Luffy sang the final verse.
“Leave me be, for I’m but one within the blackened sea.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Yeah, I know you."
“But I know you.”
“Know me?”
“I’m not one, nor two, nor three.”
“You can sing it right, but there’s no more symphony.”
“Well I’ve got this army,
Now let’s party!
This ink is all the same body!”
“It’s an endless tale, only I prevail.”
“You made me think I’m alone, but…”
“I am me!”
The audience broke into applause as they did the outro, and as they stepped off the stage, several of them offered high fives or fist bumps. Luffy accepted a few with the enthusiasm of a rockstar at a concert, but Law only returned one fist bump, and that came with what felt like a small burst of static, causing him to yelp and pull it away.
“Ow, damnit!”
“You okay?” Kidd asked—he’d offered the fist bump.
“Fine,” Law grunted.
Shrugging, Kidd walked off in the direction of the refreshment table. Law glanced back at the stage, where Ace had started singing—if he had to guess, the song was related to his costume—before moving to head in the same direction, only to stop upon catching sight of what looked like a fake hand next to a plate with a half-eaten slice of cake. He rolled his eyes.
“He’s not gonna fall for it, Buggy.”
Reaching down, he picked up the hand, only to nearly drop it in shock. It felt way too real to be a prank hand, and he swore one of the fingers actually moved. Nonetheless, he hastily took it over to where Buggy (who looked like he was hiding one of his hands) was having a discussion with Crocodile and unceremoniously dropped it onto the clownlike man’s lap before making a quick retreat into the hallway. Breathing heavily, he looked down at his hands.
Where the hell did Buggy get that hand?
And why were Law’s fingers suddenly tingling?