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"Captain." Shachi announced during the few seconds of interval in the operation while the other crewmate changed shifts. "The Whitebeards called."
Trafalgar Law barely lifted his head, he was monitoring his patient closely. "Not now. I'm busy."
"Aye, aye, Captain." Shachi said, turning away.
A few hours later, after the operation was over and both patients were finally stable, after Warlord Boa had interrupted them with a Navy Ship scare, and after the Captain had had time to wash up and eat, the watch officer came to him to report.
"The Whitebeards called again," Bepo said, "it was Marco."
"I hope you told him I was working on keeping both his allies alive!" The Captain grumbled. He was not that surprised that the losers of the war could have casualties that required more specialised capacities than the ones their crew had. But he was astonished that Marco would insist, knowing he was already working for them in a way.
"Yes, Captain!" Bepo nodded happily, glad to have anticipated Law's reaction. Then he frowned. "But what he was saying didn't make sense. He was speaking in codes and references as usual, and was being extra careful in case outsiders were listening in, but he was clearly implying that we had their former second division commander, Fire Fist Ace, on board."
Trafalgar Law's blood turned to ice in his veins.
Had the Phoenix lost his mind in his grief? Or was he searching for any scapegoat and they were the convenient ones?
This was why he didn't do nice things usually. No good deed went unpunished indeed.
"Do you want me to call them back?" Bepo asked, ever wanting to be useful.
"No." The Captain said slowly. "For the moment, if they call again, tell them I'm busy with my patients."
He needed time to analyse the situation, to plan for possible actions and to very carefully devise an answer before he could return this call.
Hours turned to days as they waited on Amazon Lily for Strawhat Luffy to wake up.
The Whitebeards had tried to call again, their demands as cryptic as ever, even if on the last call they had remembered to inquire after the Strawhat.
To which, Penguin had answered that he had still to wake and his survival wasn't yet guaranteed.
Well... that hadn't changed much. Luffy was awake but his survival would depend on the state of his wounds after his rampage.
Fate would decide.
As for himself, Trafalgar Law still didn't understand the former Emperor's crew insistence.
If the goal was to set him up as a scapegoat, they didn't need to insist on getting him on the snailphone that frequently.
On a whim, in exchange for the sword he had left by his patient bedside, he had grabbed the Straw Hat he was currently toying with while he mulled over the complex problem of what exactly he should answer to Marco.
Evading a dying and disbanding crew as they were picked on by greedy up-and-comers would not be that difficult if necessary. But he didn't want a potentially immortal bird having a personal vendetta against him.
A small burn on the inside of the hat caught his eye, and he turned it over to look more closely. In response a sudden swoosh and light illuminated his face.
The Straw hat was on fire.
On fire!
It was, and yet not. It was aflame, but not burning.
Suddenly, Law thought he now knew what the guy must have felt like, in the story, the one he had heard as a child. Except he was not faced with divinity, but a Logia.
Fire-ya was surviving in the Straw Hat.
This was why Marco was calling so insistently.
Couldn't he have been a bit clearer? Law thought resentfully. It would have helped him not worry so much!
It was such a relief, such a marvel.
Carefully, he inspected how the fire was intertwined with the straw, already considering he could possibly transfer it to a more practical support.
A commotion was heard nearby in the water, and Law interrupted his musing to prepare for a potentially more immediate danger.
After all, Fire-ya had waited this long on the hat, he could wait a bit more.
But it was the Dark King, Rayleigh, come to take care of Strawhat Luffy. Since they were not in immediate danger, Law took up his analysis again.
He called a Room, detaching a lantern from the Tang's side and bringing it to his hand. He opened the flap under the curious gaze of both his crew and the Dark King.
"Is that my Captain's son?" Rayleigh asked, as the fire, unnaturally slowly, crept from the hat to the wick, then pulled back, leaving the straw intact behind him.
"It is Strawhat-ya's brother." Law answered. Rayleigh's presence unnerved him.
Both his patients were alive, up and about, and he apparently had one more to take care of now. So that was what he would do.
"All hands, get on board!" He called, then. "Make ready for our departure!"
As his crew scrambled, Rayleigh asked again. "May I tell Luffy?"
Law shrugged. "His brother is not yet saved, but we'll do what we can."
Rayleigh nodded. "Safe trip, then, young man."
Law didn't answer, merely inclining his head, then boarded the submarine with the lantern in hand, the Strawhat lying forgotten on the grass.
"Where to, Captain?" Bepo asked.
"Away from the island first, then back to the Grand Line." Trafalgar Law stated. "When we are there I'll call the Whitebeards back."
"Captain!" Uni interrupted them. "Marco's calling again!"
"Speak of the Devil." Law smirked, and stood to go take the call.
In the lantern, the light was dancing, Law chuckled and took it with him.
"You are a hard man to get a hold on, yoi." Marco greeted him.
"I had patients to take care of." Law grumbled. It would have been so much easier if Marco had been clearer in his request and not given him such a scare. "Your allies, thanks for asking."
"Aye." Marco sighed. "Sorry. How are they?"
"Alive for the moment." Law said. "With a reserve on the Strawhat's survival."
In the lantern, the fire flared, and Law chuckled.
"What?" Marco inquired.
The snail's smirk was amused upon answering. "Someone here clearly disagrees with the prognosis."
Marco inhaled sharply. Was this the confirmation for his past days of incertitude and fear?
"So you have him, then-yoi?" He breathed out hurriedly.
Law took his time to answer.
"I left the Straw Hat with his owner and Jimbei at a safe location. If you give me a meeting place, we can arrange for an exchange for the stowaway."
Marco deflated in relief, before tensing again at Trafalgar Law's sinister next words. "I'll be asking for a price in blood."
"What?!"
Law was clearly enjoying his confusion.
"F type, at least six blood bags. They depleted all my reserves. I'll spare you the rest of my expenses."
Marco was still very confused, but at least things were looking up. "Yeah, we can do that-yoi. Hang on, I'll give you coordinates and send you a guide there."
They would gladly pay any such price. Anything to keep their hope alive now that they had it again.