Chapter Text
The Thousand Sunny swayed gently on the open sea, the chill of Punk Hazard still lingering in the air. The chaos of the island had finally quieted, leaving behind the low murmur of voices, the creak of wood, and the noise of the waves hitting the cascket as long as they went away of that big confusion.
On deck, Nami leaned against the railing, gazing back toward the fading outline of the island. She could still see, in her mind’s eye, Tashigi kneeling beside the children they had rescued, her gloved hands smoothing over their hair, her voice soft but firm as she promised their safety. A faint smile tugged at Nami’s lips.
— I just can’t say no to a female marine, — she murmured, almost to herself. — Especially when she’s taking care of kids like that.
Law was nearby, leaning casually against the mast with his arms crossed, his eyes seemingly fixed on the horizon. He caught the words but didn’t turn his head. The way she’d said it sounded oddly… suggestive? Flirting with a marine like that just after going through all of that trouble, what was wrong with this crew?
He decided to ignore it by now. It’s not his problem to interfere anyways.
Later, the kitchen was crowded beyond reason. The smell of freshly cooked meat mixed with the faint tang of seawater clinging to their clothes. Straw Hats and their new allies filled the room, loud enough to make the walls tremble.
Luffy was shoving meat into his mouth at a speed that seemed physically impossible, while Franky was loudly debating mechanics with Kin’emon, who clearly understood none of it. Chopper was excitedly explaining something to Zoro, and Brook’s laughter rang above it all.
Law sat at the end of the table, elbow on the wood, hand resting against his jaw, watching the scene like an anthropologist observing a particularly strange species. Thankfully, some of the strawhats seemed to be more quiet at least when feasting, but the messy caused by the other ones was enough to make even the most sane person in the world go nuts in a heartbeat.
He exhaled slowly. — You people are incredibly noisy, clumsy and weird,— he muttered, glazing into Nico Robin’s calm grin across the table — How can you take it?
She laughed softly as a response, laying down in her hands with the amount of sanity Law could only dream to have.
— You get used to it.— She said, — It can be a delight to experience some fun after spending most of your life burried in sorrow and darkness.
— Damn — answered Usopp by thheir side — Can we stop being that much depressive? I though that was my role, Robin .
It was indeed understandable for Nico Robin to act like that, it was understandable even for him to enjoy some happiness now and then, though he would never submit to let that much of his guard down for someone like...strawhat, who was just now happilly eating a whole fucking seabeast chunk of meat as if it were a marshmellow.
— I bet so... — he proceeded — I for sure could expect this to be the case of your captain, I’ve been responsible for him after the war after all, but are you all like that all the time? I mean, even flirting with random marines isn’t something I’ve ever seen pirates of your caliber do.
The conversation was turning just around them, but at this moment it seemed to have gotten the attention of the navigator, who gave Law a weird look around the kitchen. Everyone, confused over the climate break, happened to turn to their guest too.
— Who is flirting with marines?— She asked, as digging up to a good gossip, as if Law wasn’t just talking about her.
—…What? — Luffy mumbled through a mouthful of food.
Usopp tilted his head, then snapped his fingers. — Oh! Wait, are you talking about what Nami said earlier? About not saying no to female marines? — He burst into laughter. —You’ve got it all wrong, man. She said that because her mom was a marine! It’s not like she was trying to hit on Tashigi or anything.
Nami, who got closer to understand what was going on, grinned and joined the laughter.
— Wait, I was the one supposed to be doing this? Oh crap, thats gold! Though, for the record, Tashigi is cute,— she admitted with a shrug, — just not my type of woman.
— Not royalty enough, huh? – claimed Usopp, getting a slap in the face right the moment after.
— Oh, shut up! – the navigator complained, although she didn’t seemed offended even for a bit.
Law blinked at her, processing that. – Your mother was a marine? Thats quite interesting. — The noise of the room faded in his mind.
Kin’nemon was surpringly the one to say something about it, he leaned forward slightly, as trying to escape Franky’s conversation and kept on.
— How does someone with a marine for a parent end up becoming that big of a pirate?
Robin, sipping her tea, set her cup down delicately. — Careful with your words, Kin’nemon-san — she warned, her smile faint but knowing. — The world can be cruel in ways you might not want to drag into conversation.
He met her gaze for a moment, then nodded faintly. — True… but I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not asking for the whole story, just... — he hesitated, searching for the right words, — I was curious.
There was a brief stillness at the table.
Nami tilted her head, her earlier grin fading into something softer. — Well, is not actually that surprising, she was a common soldier, never got to be captain or anything, and she retired after adopting me and Nojiko, so she didn’t serve them anymore. I just don’t know why is my story with the marines this interesting. I mean, Luffy’s grandfather is a vice admiral.
Law’s eyes drifted to the table, the shadows under them deepening. — I guess that is because, with no offense, you are quite normal for this universe. If you had come to me right now to tell me your captain’s mom was a literal gorila, I wouldn’t be surprised.
— No offense taken — she asnwered.
— Grandpa used to say she was a cold lizard bitch — Luffy continued, as if Law hadn’t just insulted his whole family line — So I always imagined her as a gigant aligator.
— I thought you were about to ask if you had a mother, like that time in water seven with Garp — Zoro mentioned.
— Don't be stupid, Zoro. Everybody has a mother, how could they come to the world if they don't.
— Well, if that's the case, everyone should have a father as well. How could you even think you don't have one!?
— Of course not, the mother is the one who gives birth, you moron! Why would she need a father to do it, she only needs a doctor or something.
— You can't be serious...
— Forget about the birds and the bees for a moment! Dude, what the hell is even your Family... — murmured Usopp, but the strawhat boy just rolled his eyes coming back to eating.
— Meh, I don’t know, she never showed up anyways so why the bother.
— Luffy, what the heck, thats actually SUPER sad — Franly gasped, finally bringing in to the conversarion
— Yeah. — Chopper murmured — You know that as your doctor, you can talk to me about everything, right?
— Uhm, about what?
— Y’know, how your feeling and stuff...
— I’m now feeling hungry. Is that so?
—Oh, Luffy, C’mon!
Sanji, leaning against the counter with a cigarette, finally waved a hand in front of Chopper’s face.
—Oi, reindeer, give it up. Talking feelings with Luffy is like trying to teach a brick how to do math.
Chopper puffed out his cheeks indignantly. —I’m not giving up.
— Trust me,— Sanji cut in, exhaling smoke and gesturing toward Luffy, who was already halfway through a fourth plate, —this is a lost cause, mon chéri.
Kin’emon, perhaps grateful for the distraction from Franky’s incomprehensible rant about cola-powered ship upgrades, sighed deeply.
—It is… nostalgic, hearing of a mother’s place in one’s life. Momonosuke’s mother, she had a warmth even in the darkest winters. She would…— He trailed off, a faint, wistful smile tugging at his lips before shaking his head. —Forgive me, old memories.
Nami tilted her head, her own expression softening. —No, I get it.— She leaned back in her chair, fingers idly playing with the handle of her cup. —My mom... Bellmere-san, she was like that too. Tough as nails, but warm and fair.Is honestly progres that I can talk about her like that without getting much sad, her death wasn’t very pretty, per say.
Law’s gaze flicked toward her briefly, but she didn’t notice.
— She never taught me to hate the Marines,— Nami went on, her voice steady but carrying a trace of fondness. —She was a Marine after all. And even after she retired to raise me and Nojiko, she always said the world wasn’t black and White, that there were bad ones and good ones, just like anywhere else. So I guess she would understand the reasons for me to become who I am today.
Robin’s eyes glimmered faintly, as if cataloguing the words.
— Good marines, huh.. — Law murmured to her attention.
Nami smiled faintly. —I’ve met some of the good ones since then: Koby, Luffy’s friend, Tashigi, of course. Even Smoker, though he’s… a bit of a headache.
—That’s putting it mildly,— Zoro muttered.
—And,— Nami continued, —back when my mom was still serving, she had this very close friend who happened to also be a vice admiral. They were close when they were younger in the cadets training I think. He’d call her from time to time, even after she left the service, whenever he was in the middle of something important and needed advice. Nojiko and I Always thought it was… weird, but he trusted her judgment.
Usopp’s eyes widened. —So your mom was basically a secret Marine consultant?! That’s some new News.
—She wasn’t in charge of any marine secret operation or anything, it was only this guy. She called it ‘just helping an old friend,’— Nami said with a shrug. —Said he was one of the few people who never treated her differently after she left her career and adopted me and Nojiko. Though Genzo would like to say that he was just a lonely man playing with her feelings.
Law had gone still at the mention, his cup halfway to his lips. Something about the image of a secret female marine lodged in his mind uncomfortably, dragging up a face from years ago.
Before he could dwell on it, Luffy slammed a fist on the table. —Hey, maybe that vice admiral was Grandpa! He was friends with everybody,— he added proudly.
—Or maybe,— Sanji said dryly, —your grandpa was just everywhere bothering people.
That earned a round of laughter, except from Law, who remained silent, eyes lowered, as if the room had suddenly gone very far away.
Usopp leaned forward across the table, balancing his chin on his hands. —Okay, but why did you even bring up this vice admiral guy? Sounds like you actually liked him.
Nami chuckled. — Not me. Bellmère always used to talk about him, and I clearely remember how much happier she used to get whenever she recieved his upcalls. She swore he was one of the good ones. Said he’d been born into a wealthy family but walked away from it all, lived a much harder life afterward and apparently suffered a lot because of it. She told me he never regretted his choice, though.
Brook tilted his skull thoughtfully. — Yohoho! Choosing a life of hardship over riches… that’s very romantic. Or very foolish.
— Exactly what I said when I was little,— Nami replied, smirking faintly. —I told her it was stupid to give up being wealthy, especially for us since we used to be quite poor. She just laughed and said, ‘One day, you’ll understand.’, but when I was little, the only thing I could think was that she was making up those backstories just to try to mascarade our current situation.
Robin smiled knowingly. —And have you understood?
Nami hesitated, then shrugged. —Maybe. Nojiko would probably explain it better… but we never met him, not really.
Chopper tilted his head. —So what happened to him?
—Well,— Nami said, swirling the tea in her cup, — there was a time when his denden calls started to get a longer time, and she wouldn’t have them in front of us anymore. We weren’t stupid kids, so we knew something must have been going on. Bellmere told us he’d called after a mission. Said he needed somewhere safe to bring someone who was traveling with him and she agreed. Told us to be polite and get the door if they ever passed by while she wasn’t there but…— She trailed off, glancing toward the table. — One day, the calls just stopped and he never came.
—That’s sad,— Chopper murmured.
—Probably for the best,— Nami added. —I don’t know how strong he was even as a vice-admiral. I mean, we’ve met some weak vice admirals before, look at Smokey as na example. If he’d shown up with another person, maybe Arlong would’ve had more people to terrorize. Still…— Her eyes softened slightly. —Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like having someone else living with us, perhaps he was strong and could have saved us too, things might’ve been… different.
The table fell quiet for a moment, the clatter of dishes in the kitchen filling the gap.
Usopp leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. —Crazy, huh? Just think, if that guy had shown up, your whole life could’ve been completely different.
—Yeah,— Sanji agreed, lighting another cigarette. — Sometimes the smallest coincidence changes everything.
Robin’s voice was softer. —A meeting delayed… or a meeting that never happened.
Nami gave a small laugh. — Maybe. But even if my story had bad parts… it still led me here. To my crew, to all of you. So I’m happy now.
The warmth in her words seemed to settle over the table, everyone smiling, nodding… except Law. He was unnervingly still, his eyes lowered to the untouched cup in front of him, shoulders rigid like he was bracing against something no one else could see.
Zoro glanced at him sideways. — You’re awfully quiet, Surgeon.
Before Law could answer, Luffy leaned forward eagerly. —Hey! What about this vice admiral guy? Think we’ve fought him before? Do you really think he is strong?!
Nami blinked at the sudden shift in energy, then shook her head.
—I don’t know. Bellmere never talked about his fighting, skills or told us his actual name. She just called him ‘Rosi.’
The name hit Law like a punch to the chest. His fingers tightened around the rim of his cup before he set it down carefully, almost too carefully.
The voices around him blurred, Luffy speculating wildly about how Rosi could’ve taken on a Sea King barehanded, Franky wondering if he maybe got lost in the way to Nami's island, Chopper asking how would he look like.
Law pushed his chair back, the sound scraping louder than he meant it to.
—I’m going to… get some fresh air.
No one stopped him as he stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind him. Out on deck, the night air was cool against his face, but it did nothing to slow the rush of images, of the woman’s voice over the Den Den Mushi, the warmth in her laugh, the thought of people waiting in a small house at a remote sea… and Cora-san, smiling despite the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Rosi.
— Rosi, — He could hear as Luffy repeated, trying the name out like it was a new snack flavor. —Sounds funny, bet he’s strong.
— Or old,— Zoro said dryly. — He was already a grown man when Nami was a brat, c'mon.
— I'm not THAT old, dipshit!
—No, no,— Usopp jumped in. —With a name like that, he’s gotta be mysterious. Like a lone wolf-type vice admiral with a tragic past!
Brook strummed a few chords on his violin. —Yohoho! Perhaps a romance on the high seas?
Chopper’s eyes shone. —Or maybe he’s a doctor too!
— Keep dreaming,— Sanji muttered, shaking his head. — If he was still around, we’d have heard about him. Probably retired ages ago.
Robin said tragically. —Not all stories leave traces behind, or happy endings.
And oh, how he wished she was wrong for once in her life.
Law leaned both hands against the railing, head bowed as the ship rocked gently beneath him. The sound of the kitchen chatter was muffled now, replaced by the soft rush of waves.
"—Bells… I need a favor."
He could almost hear Corazon’s voice again, hoarse from exhaustion, a trace of a smile in the way he said her name, even after passing through all they’ve been. The faint static of the Den Den Mushi was still vivid in his memory, even though he was barely awake from sickness to actually hear it.
"—I’ve got a boy with me... shit, Bells he is so young! He… can’t stay where we are, it’s not safe and no one would be willing to taking us ior even just him in because of a... condition he has. I remember you said your island was quiet, so I thought that maybe..."
"— A condition? Rosi, is that something that would bring any trouble to here? Y’know I got my girls now..."
"— It won’t! Trust me on that one, Bells, please, I wouldn’t have asked for such a thing if I wasn’t dead serious."
"Bell-mère’s laugh had been warm, but it could be described as teasing for unatented eyes. "
"—What, the great Rosi needs my help now? Fine. Bring him by, you know I could’t say no to you. You’re so Lucky that I could never say no to a child in danger either, your big clums, I’ll make sure he’s safe. But you better owe me one, mister...."
"—I already do,— Corazon had replied, and for a moment, just a moment, he had sounded lighter, almost like a whole diferent person."
"— You’ve promised to arrive her eto visit ages ago, Rosi. — Bells had said — Are you sure....this mission of yours. isn't......just please..."
"They kept on talking, Cora-san expression becoming more and more darker as the woman spoke, part os him wanted to get up and slam the denden mushi on the floor mid conversation, but Law was already too passed out of sickness to do anything, and besides, he never had the chance to ask."
That visit never happened. And now, standing on the Sunny’s deck years later, Law realized how close they’d come to a different life. How much Cora-san had come close to a peacefull life for himself, away from the government bullshit, RETIRED, along with friends, shit, to a new Family, to rasing two little girls.
But no, He had to appear to mess things up.
He closed his eyes, forcing the memories down, but the ache in his chest lingered. It was strange, after all these years, to hear — Rosi — spoken again by someone who didn’t know him at all. Who never had the chance to meet such a lovely man.
Cora would have had a real home, a real Family, alway from those Doflamingo’s creeps.
But no.
You came along.
The thought rooted itself deep and ugly. — He could have had that life. He deserved it, but even though you dragged him into your mess. You were a problem he couldn’t ignore, you were the reason.
His chest tightened, his breathing went shallow. The world felt too big and too close at the same time as he tried to regain some conscioussness over himself.
You killed it for him. You killed every chance he had to rest.
As a doctor, he recognized the pattern instantly — the rapid heartbeat, the tingling in his fingers, the narrowing of his vision. But damn he know that this knowledge was useless now, he was trapped in his own body, watching the walls close in.
All he wanted was to protect you and now he’s gone, and you’re still here. Parasite.
The deck shifted under him, or maybe it was just him swaying. His hands were gripping the railing hard enough to hurt, but it didn’t feel like enough to keep him steady.A small voice cut through, hesitant.
— Law-dono?
Momonosuke’s wide eyes were fixed on him, wary.
—Are you… alright? You look..— He stopped mid-sentence, panic flashing across his face before he turned and bolted. —Help! Someone! Come quickly!
Footsteps thundered closer.
— What happened to him?...
—... not looking good... are you sure this...
—Torao! Hey! Can you hear me?....
The voices were already fading, as though someone had stuffed cotton in his ears.
Chopper’s words were slow, warped, as in a blurr view he could feel him getting closer, following the medical protocol he knew damn well —...breathing too fast… slow… okay?
Robin’s touch felt far away, her voice like it was coming from underwater. — Focus… voice… safe…
Even Luffy’s tone had lost its energy. —...wrong?...attack?...
The sounds were slipping out of reach, muffled by the thud of his own heartbeat. His vision tunneled, shapes becoming shadows. And then, through the haze, he found her ....Nami, standing just behind the others. She wasn’t confused or panicking, wasn’t teasing. Her brow was drawn, her eyes sharp with something that looked almost like she knew.
That look hooked into him like a harpoon.
His knees buckled, the deck rushed up to meet him.
The last thing he saw was her expression, the last thought burning through the static in his mind:
…I’m so fucked.