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Law sat up with a gasp.
“Traffy? You okay?”
“Just give me a minute,” he sighed.
“Nobody’s going to hurt you anymore,” Luffy said firmly.
“I know,” Law said. “I know.”
“…Sorry it took so long,” Luffy said.
“You didn’t know where I was. No trouble.” He glanced at Luffy. “Don’t feel guilty.”
He knew Luffy did. Knew Luffy blamed himself for what went wrong at Wano even though Law made the choice to play bait so the others—and Kid with his information—could escape Kaido and regroup.
He’d expected to just warp himself away, only to get a seastone bullet through the shoulder, knocking out his Room while he’d frantically tried to pry it out and he’d ended up in Kid’s cell.
He’d been fine. His goal in life was fulfilled, Kid was going to warn Luffy with what he knew, and Kaido would lose because of it. Law hadn’t cared if Kaido killed him.
Kaido, though, apparently had experience with Ds. He knew Law didn’t fear death. So he’d done one better.
Law winced when Luffy’s hand ran down his back.
“Sorry,” Luffy said.
“Don’t be. Just…just a little startled.” Law relaxed as Luffy began gently rubbing circles between his shoulder blades. He ignored Luffy’s fingers brushing over the rougher skin of the brand that ruined his tattoo.
Kaido knew Law’s bounty was big, but the Marines would never pay it to him. But the Op-Op fruit, especially in the hands of someone who could use it…there were certain people who’d pay a hell of a lot for it and didn’t care about the seller. Like the fucking World Nobles.
It wasn’t like they could break him. Law broke a long, long time ago and nothing they could do to him compared to Flevance, to losing Cora-san…
That didn’t mean weeks of physical and psychological torture, all while seastone blocked his powers, was fun. Or incapable of leaving some…issues. Like nightmares. Panic attacks. And such.
But he’d had those ever since Flevance so, hey, no big deal.
No big deal.
“You’re okay, you’re safe,” Luffy said quietly, arms wrapping around Law from behind. It was to stop Law from shaking, he realized belatedly. He’d been shaking. Again.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Luffy’s grip tightened a bit.
There was the guilt again. Law hated everyone acting so damn guilty—Luffy for not finding him sooner, Sanji for getting caught and “distracting” his crewmates from Kaido, Zoro for listening to Law and grabbing Kid and running instead of staying with him—when it wasn’t any of their fucking faults, Law had a stupid idea and Kaido beat him for it.
Law shifted, pressing them back down with his head on Luffy’s shoulder. “Remind me what you did to him.”
“Which him?”
“The one I wasn’t there for,” Law said. He didn’t need a reminder of what Luffy did to his “master.” Or the new Admiral when they’d tried to intervene. He’d earned his new 1.2 billion bounty all right.
“Not sure why, not much to say. I kind of gave him a heart attack,” Luffy said, shrugging.
Law snickered. The unkillable Kaido, impervious to physical damage…brought down by pissing off the future Pirate King so badly that the wrathful wave of Conqueror’s Haki had stopped his heart dead.
What a way to go. At least Drake and Apoo had gotten defeated after battling their hearts out against Kid and Zoro, taken down to avenge Hawkins. But Luffy had been so angry once he’d found out…Kaido hadn’t stood a chance after that.
Law took a deep breath. Things were already moving on from his rescue, no rest for the wicked in the New World. Shachi was mixing tattoo ink to match Law’s skin and current ink to cover the brand permanently. Kid and Killer, the only remnants of their crew, were going to hang around for Big Mom since Kid owing Luffy’s crew his life meant no aiming for Shanks before Luffy and Kid really wanted to fight an emperor.
Law was trying to plan it out for everyone, unsure of how well he could guarantee holding up in a fight itself just yet and so contributing his best in other ways. While any Mink not named Bepo or Carrot had gone home, Marco was sticking around since apparently Weevil was aiming for Luffy as well—seriously did everyone want a piece of Law’s boyfriend now? There was that asshole Blackbeard too! Annoying…
Law smiled as Luffy shifted and tugged him closer. Right now it didn’t matter. Right now, there was nothing outside this room, this quiet. Right now he was just the boyfriend of the soon to be Pirate King, not a weapon or a monster or property but simply an adored partner, someone World Nobles, Admirals, Emperors, and Warlords would fall for the sake of.
Right now he was safe.
Right now he was free.