Archive of Our Own ^beta

Law has been in the Grandline for months and knows one thing. What Cora-san told him is most definitely not something people know.

When Cora-san had told him to hide his name, he had assumed that people would be hunting him down like a rabbit. That they would hunt down any D. But the more he learns, the more confused he becomes. Oh he doesn't doubt that what Cora-san has told him is right. He has definitely gotten enough proof for it. He will admit that it has also motivated some of his actions.

Because Law had had no plans to enter the Grandline just yet. The only D he had been able to track down was Monkey D Garp and Garp was a monster of a man. One who brought down another D like Rocks and rivaled the Pirate King. He was also, unfortunately, a Marine and hence not someone Law wanted to be near at any point.

However, three years ago, Law felt his jaw drop when he reads about a warlord being brought down.

By Portgas D Ace.

A D.

Who soon became a part of a Yonko's crew.

This was when Law decided to hone his own crew. He didn't think they were ready to enter the Grandline yet and so it took them years. All the while Law waited to meet the only other D he knew was alive and not a Marine. Things changed though when did enter the Grandline because in his hands was now the definitive proof of yet another D.

Monkey D Luffy.

Also from East Blue. Just like Portgas D Ace and Monkey D Garp.

Maybe the Ds from East Blue were the ones that Cora-san had meant because Law definitely did not feel like he fit the criteria. Maybe East Blue was considered the weakest Blue because the Ds there just didn't give anyone a surviving chance.

And Monkey D Luffy was close and yet far.

Because, unfortunately, Law had taken a completely different route. Or at least he believed he had. Even if Straw Hat was on the same route, there was no telling where he was in the route. So he hoped that they would cross path at Sabaody.

Then, three weeks ago, Law almost expected to see his own name in the newspaper because within a span of a single fucking week, there were four different Ds breaking every norm though only three Ds were ever printed.

The headlines chronologically went as follows:

"Straw Hat" Monkey D Luffy destroys Ennies Lobby. Claims the Demon Child as His Crew Member

Garp the Fist chases down Monkey D Luffy at Water 7. Fails When the Ship Flies Away.

"Fire Fist" Portgas D Ace Captured. Whitebeard's Second Division Commander in Marine Custody.

Marshall D Teach the New Warlord: The Man Who Single-handedly Defeated Fire Fist.

The first headline breaks every single perception Law has of this world. The second headline finally connects the dots for him that Straw Hat and Garp are somehow related. The third breaks his hope just a smidge. The fourth fills him with fury. He doesn't like what Teach has done. The story that unfolds is disgusting enough but there is also an added betrayal.

Law will admit to himself that he has built up the D in his own head. So seeing one betray another is maddening. He also fervently remembers what Cora-San had told him. There is a big storm coming, with all four of these men creating shockwaves.

When his destruction of a marine base is also mentioned in a small column by the end of the week, Law cannot help but wonder if it is a sign of the impact he will have on what is to come.

While walking to the auction house, Law hears about Fire Fist's execution and feels his hope crumble to dust. He is taken aback by just how much faith he had put on a man who is, by all accounts younger than him and is soon to be dead. However, that is not the only thing he learns during his walk.

Gecko Moria has soundly been defeated by Mugiwara no Luffy. The pirates that whisper this were apparently once Moria's hostage but are now singing Straw Hat's praise. He also learns that all Supernovas apart from from Mugiwara no Luffy and Pirate Hunter Zoro are at Sabaody. If the Straw Hats were indeed in Florian Triangle then they'll be here soon enough.

And Mugiwara no Luffy definitely did not take a conventional route. Because Water 7 is not even on the same route as Drum and Drum did loudly confirm that Mugiwara no Luffy had been there. Law knows that fact only because he has been mourning the tragedy of the medical kingdom for a long time. He had been glad that Straw Hat helped him.

Law was also kind of jealous because he could have gained so much by freeing Drum himself. Nevertheless, there is a war coming and three of the Ds are most definitely involved in this. He wonders what he and Mugiwara no Luffy will do in the upcoming days.

Had it been any other crew, Law is damned sure he wouldn't have given a fuck. But it's the Straw Hats who are being led by a pirate whom Law is quite invested in, especially after Fire Fist's capture. He is extremely interested when the number of Straw Hats in the auction house keeps increasing one by one. That can't be a good sign, especially since none of them look happy or even neutral. Belatedly, Law wonders if this how they had looked when they had decided that Ennies Lobby needed to become history. Ironic because Nico Robin was a historian. He will admit he has some pre conceptions about the Straw Hats.

Given his own hatred towards the Celestial Dragons, Law has always felt that Ds must be champions of freedom. There is a very good reason that he despises Marshall D Teach though he doesn't think he can explain it to anyone. But Straw Hat fits everything he had imagined then some. So he is quite taken aback when the Cat Burglar fucking bids on a mermaid.

He almost felt shattered but then he looks at them and sees the disgust in their eyes. Even on the face of Cat Burglar who seems to be hiding it the best. They hate it, that much is obvious. Pirate Hunter's hands keep moving from one sword to another while Black Leg is tapping his feet constantly. The blue-nosed creature is fiddling with his pocket and the blue haired man(?) has his arms crossed and mouth set in a firm line.

They hate it here, Law realizes.

There's no apathy in them that he knows fills him. No dark amusement that Eustass is chuckling with. No neutrality that Killer is full of. Not even the discomfort that his own crew is showing.

There is anger and disgust.

There is the kind if anger that brought down a monumental Marine outpost and destroyed Gates of Justice.

There is anger and disgust.

And yet they stand back. Law wonders if it's because of a plan or if they are waiting for their captain to come and make a decision. It's when Monkey D Luffy crashes down that he gets it. The Straw Hats may have a plan and they may wait for the captain's decision, but there is something much more. For all that each and every Straw Hat in the Auction House seems exasperated by the antics of their captain, they look at him like a lost man looks at the North Star in North Blue.

Law realizes that Straw Hats are no freaks of nature. They are as normal as they get. But it's under their captain that they can do what their heart truly wants. Even Pirate Hunter had been seemed somewhat aware of the reality of the world and importance of plans. But with Mugiwara no Luffy in front of them, they can let go of every reservation and fear.

Can truly do what they actually want to do.

Which makes them monsters.

And what a storm Mugiwara brings in his wake. For all that the Auction House is silent, Law can feel his heart speed up. Can see somewhat intelligent nobles recognize and pale at just who stands in their my midst. Eustass Kidd may have a higher bounty, but he has gained it the normal way.

Monkey D Luffy has brought down storm with his every step that Law is aware of and there is much he still doesn't know.

He has heard strange rumors from Alabasta and Jaya. Has learned that all of Water 7, the criminals and the while collars, rallied behind a seventeen year old.

Frankly, Law is pretty sure somebody has fucked up with Mugiwara's bounty. Because bounty should be counted by the cost of destruction and Ennies Lobby had been invaluable. It had certainly not been worth only a measly 300 million berries. But then again, why accurately tell the danger of the storm when you can put your head in the sand. Unless of course you remember what Ennies Lobby was, is, and will always be.

So yes, Law is rightfully curious about what Mugiwara will do next. The octopus man pleads Mugiwara to not do anything dumb, and without even looking at Straw Hats, Law knows that this particular request has fallen on deaf years.

The gunshots that follow feel like a thunderbolts touching down before a storm that has yet to start. Has yet to start because Mugiwara has yet to make his actual move. He wonders what the pirate will do.

Will he yell aloud his convictions despite the life threatening danger? Unlikely as it is, will he actually listen to the fishman's sane but heartbreaking request?

In no way in hell was he prepared for Mugiwara to actually punch a Celestial Dragon. With one punch, the storm finally touched down. And while Law has always remembered what the Celestials thought about the family of D, he finally felt like he also understood it deep in his bones.

Law can feel a pout forming on his face and quickly wipes it away. It's petty and he hates it. The screen mocks him and he's ready to break it no matter the consequences.

Mugiwara no Luffy has just dropped down from the sky for reasons unknown. All the four Ds that he knows are fucking involved in this mess directly, with three being present at Marineford and the newly made Warlord missing when he should have actually been there.

That Garp is Fire Fist's adopted grandson was baffling. He also felt his respect for the man rise immensely and had felt genuine sympathy for him. Garp may not be locked in a crate but Law has been in his place and he knows how helpless the man must feel.

All if his analytic theories had went out the window when Mugiwara dropped in. What the fuck was he even doing there?

Scratch that, Law now knew five Ds. Three of whom were from the same fucking family and agents of chaos. He was also forced to wonder if Cora-san might not forgotten his childhood lessons somewhat. Maybe the saying was not about Ds but Monkey Ds. Even those who were only adopted.

Because that made more sense. He had already told his crew to make way to Marineford. They likely thought he was making plans.

Law has no plans. Frankly, his intervention might actually fuck up all his plans. But goddamn it there were now five Ds involved and he wanted to be there too!

It is at Amazon Lily that he learns about a D he has known all along. Gold... Pardon.. Gol D Roger's son is dead and has left a storm just as deadly as his father did behind him.

Silvers Rayleigh had been helpful. He had also cemented his thoughts from Sabaody.

Even among the D, Mugiwara was storm of his own because the First Mate of the Pirate King had not even offered to tutor his Captain's son. Either he hadn't known or hadn't wanted to drag the Second Commander in the type of danger that he ultimately lost his life to. Mugiwara though was already marked and Law left him behind in care of a man that has seen more of the world than anyone else.

Law also feels a shudder run down his spine at the events of the past few days. He would not be much surprised if Monkey D Dragon was somehow at Marineford. Blackbeard had certainly been able to hide himself so why not the shadowy leader of the Revolutionary Army.

It might also explain the ruin that was the Marine Headquarters given just how many Ds were involved in the war.

For the first time in years, Law yearns for something more. He yearns to be able to do follow his heart in the same manner that he did at Marineford, at Sabaody.

He realizes that he has fallen into the same trap as every damned Straw Hat and their allies. Mugiwara no Luffy is no pirate. He's a storm. A storm that takes away all reservations and throws caution to the wind, even sweeping the other Ds in his wake.

More than anything though, Law feels a hollow loss at Mugiwara's wretched grief. Law hasn't told anyone, not even the Dark King, about the mutterings of the young pirate.

He hasn't uttered a word about the wretched whispers of Sabo-ni-chan.

Of pleas to Ace-ni-chan to not leave him like Sabo-ni-chan.

Of pleas to Jiji to save Ace-ni-chan. To not leave him alone.

Just before the surgery, Law had felt jealous of Fire Fist at some level. Had felt jealous of him to be able to save his younger sibling. And yet, Mugiwara's pleas made him wonder what would have happened to Lammy had it been him who was dead. The world is a much more cruel world to young girls. And his beloved sister had never had a mean bone in her body. Even when he had his parents, Law had been serious. Had been steady.

Lammy was everything good in this world and looking at Mugiwara, Law can't help but feel that his sister might not have escaped the pain that he himself lives with everyday. He would still put down his life for her, but if that meant that she too would live through things that he did then maybe, maybe... Law doesn't know what he would do.

And yet, in the wake of this death and tragedy, Law leaves the calm belt with less weight on his shoulders and a yearning for freedom that he has never felt before.

He has avoided Mugiwara and any news about him like a plague but Caesar takes amusement in cackling about every single detail.

Apparently, Dragon had destroyed many unethical experiments that Caesar had been pursuing. Naturally, the mad scientist hates the revolutionary and his son with a passion. This is why Law knows about the mess at Sabaody. The apparent liberation of the Fishman Island and Straw Hat's much awaited entry into the New World with a reckless and open challenge to a Yonko.

Law wonders what it's like to live without thinking about consequences, remembers Marineford, and promptly buries the thought in his brain.

He wishes his powers worked on thoughts.

Law does take solace in the fact that Punk Hazard does not register on a Log Pose. He takes solace in the unplottability of the two weathered island as he turns around after jumbling up the G5 unit.

And he promptly wants to punch himself because that right there? That's Monkey D Luffy in flesh.

Before Law can even attempt to retain his sanity, consequences start leaking out of his brain as he is tempted by the possibility of ending this charade at last and taking the last step.

Even as Mugiwara and the fucking Princess-turned-Pirate-and-back-to-Princess try to free him, Law ends the alliance and yells at them to go away.

He wants Mugiwara away from here and it's no sacrificial plan.

Law finally understands the depth of Doflamingo's obsession with life. He won't kill Law, chained as he is to the Heart Chair. Law can bide his time and create another plan. For that he needs to think and weigh the consequences.

Which he can't do because Mugiwara no Luffy makes him and everyone else forget about consequences.

Because since he has come to know this damned pirate, Law has been tempted at every turn to fuck everything and head on straight into the mess. Had Law stuck to his plans, he would have still been in Punk Hazard. He had indeed stuck to his plans for two years, knowing that Marineford was a mark against his application for Warlord.

But nooooo. Here comes Mugiwara no Luffy with a storm in his wake and Law threw everything into the wind and dover right in. He knows he can salvage this if the damned pirate would just go...

WHY THE FUCK IS HE ON MUGIWARA'S SHOULDER?????

It is official. Law has given up on consequences.

Really, the last shred of care he had went up in flames when the fucking Admiral stopped his attack because the citizens, for some damned reason, swarmed to save them.

It had been a gradual process see. Law had been fretting over consequences of everything while pretending to be asleep when in stepped the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.

AKA Sabo.

Who Law is pretty sure is the dead brother he had seen Mugiwara shed pained tears for.

The story that unfolds is horrifying and yet Law understands every bit of it. For all that Sabo had only known Luffy for a few months, he was willing to throw all his years in the Revolutionary Army for his brother. Which, frankly, was what Law had also been doing for the last many years. Because he had known Cora-san positively for about six months and negatively for...

Law is not happy about the realization that he had hated Cora-san for a longer time than he had cared for him when the man had still been alive.

But that absurd story did make him wonder if worrying about what might happen next was truly worth it. Because here is he was, alive and recovering, while Doflamingo was on his way to Impel fucking Down...

He hopes they built the prison back up in a better shape than what it was before Mugiwara had destroyed it all to save his brother.

His aversion towards consequences had become deeper when he realized that he had to travel on a fan ship with Mugiwara's fans. And they definitely did not know what consequences were since they decide to form a fleet even when the dumbass man ythey want as their head honcho refuses. Violently.

So yes, when he sees the meteors stop and the blind man smile, Law decides to truly say goodbye to consequences.

It helps him in Zou.

And in Wano.

It also obliterates him when Blackbeard catches up to him.

He realizes that the reason he and everyone stopped caring about consequences was because somehow, Mugiwara was there.

As Bepo takes him away, Law curses himself because hadn't he seen Mugiwara no Luffy himself when consequences became real? When the carefree captain has walked through two different hells and yet lost his brother? To the same man that directly helped destroy a Yonko's crew and took down Fire Fist. But then again, perhaps it was not about things turning out for the better. It was about giving it your all.

It's too fucking bad Law realizes that when his crew is scattered, his ship is destroyed, and his navigator has become a drug consumer.

Vegapunk's announcement makes him itch more but Law is more concerned over what the fuck is happening on Egghead.

He has his pride, as a captain. But there is a war coming. One that been brewing since Sabaody.

Since Marineford.

But ultimately, Law decides to, once again, follow his heart. He knows his crew will agree, scattered though they maybe.

"Get ready. We'll set sail to Elbaph."

"Captain?"

"It's time. There will be a Pirate King and I'll be damned if I'm not there to see it."

"You don't mean to..."

"No. I have no interest in it. But the first ally of the Pirate King, why I think that will be quite a position to have in the new world that is set to rise."