Chapter Text
Lady Sailor was still a mystery to him.
He has heard her say countless times how she couldn't stand pirates, heard her say they were scum in plain capital letters, firmly believing they were the problem with the world. Such a dumb woman, blind and naive like a child, uttering stupid words at her heart's content.
He hated dumb people.
It made his skin itch with irritation, and his wish of just sending her away, locking her somewhere distant, reached alarming levels every time they met. Keeping her far away from him so he couldn't even listen to her obnoxious voice and look at her annoying face.
Her closeness and her extremely unpleasant kindness always angered him. No one could be that selfless out of sheer purity of its own heart. Law didn’t believe in altruism; people weren’t like that.
But he was like that with you, wasn’t he?
Either way, there she was, trying to help him, supporting his battered body, wiping the blood from his wounds. Why was she there ? In front of him, brows furrowed in worry, lip crushed by her teeth in full focus.
"I don't need your help, woman," he stated without a drop of sympathy in his voice.
She glanced at him from out of the corner of her eyes, wariness dancing in them, "Your injuries say otherwise, Trafalgar."
Her tone was always bossy and condescending; she posed herself so high and mighty, like she had any strength to do so. The contempt in her voice was reflected in his own twist of mouth. They couldn’t care less about each other than they do. But she was still there , worrying for someone who she’d rather see dead. And Law hated this fake attitude of supposedly noble people.
~Because we ain’t noble, are we, kid?
He gritted his teeth, shrugging her off and scowling at her fucking audacity. So she wanted to play the smart ass? He knew he couldn't even stand properly, having to lean on his own sword, but he'd rather accept Strawhat-ya's help than hers.
She glared daggers at him, the defiance she always bared pridefully present in every tiny part of her face, thinking that she could play the predator when she was clearly the prey.
"I'm just trying to help, you stupid pirate. Can you stop being so stubborn?" She asked with no sympathy as well, sharp syllables as a cut from a blade. It didn't faze him if that was her intention; it required so much more to force him to lose his shit.
So far, the Strawhats were the only ones with the full skills to achieve that feat.
Law straightened to his full height, easily making her raise her head, watching the hesitation flicker in her eyes, but no word left her lips.
“I don't think it's wise to challenge me, Lady Sailor. You seem to forget how easily I can overpower you.” His tone was cold enough to make her recoil, the threat palpable in each word. She thought she had any authority outside her small and foolish world? That wasn’t how things worked.
"I'm not afraid of you, Trafalgar," and he saw how she balled her fist and clenched her jaw. That was a woman who didn't seem to be able to hide her emotions; he had seen her laugh wholeheartedly, copiously cry and sob like a kid, put her life on the line for the sake of others without a second thought. In the most calculating and cold part of his brain, he wished something awful happened for her to realise that the world out there didn’t do any good for these types of people. He knew that better than most.
~We can show her, Law, We can be the ones to break her.
He frowned while staring at her annoying face; his train of thought would always derail when he wondered about her actions.
Why did Cora-san act like that too?
"You're hurt. It's visible. We need to find a place to stay for now. We need to rest so I can get back to my men and you to the Strawhats and your crew. For that reason alone, can't we just give in and call a truce for the rest of the night?"
She was right. He knew she was. Law wasn’t a fool, not with the overthinking he did over every little thing, plans he had for every situation. They were far from the others, all of them scattered, and he had the displeasure of being separated along with her.
Her. The woman he had no intention of getting to know better but that had been present in their battles more and more. To top it off, the Strawhats developed a soft spot for the annoying marine and her superior. Although Smoker was a key piece in all of this revolution, he still had no idea if the Lady Sailor would fit somewhere with all her hesitation.
~I thought you had learned how to survive, boy. You don't need this little bird, but you can definitely use her.
Law closed his eyes just for a moment, anger bubbling up inside as usually happened when the demon came to the surface. No. He didn't need her. Not really. There was nothing she could offer him but worried features and brows knitted together in a futile attempt of decoding him.
You can't, woman. Don't even try.
~Oh, but isn't that what you actually want, kid? Someone to finally feel sorry for you?
That's why he hated her. The more he spent in her vicinity, the more she brought the Joker to torment him. The more she brought the images of a childhood that had a chance to be good with the only person who ever cared about him. A kind and brave man, who was so clumsy that it never failed to make him laugh.
All he wanted was to be far away from her and find his way back to the most obnoxious crew he had ever met. They must still need his help; he gave his word he would back them up.
Law turned on his heels; the hurt in his ribs—some were broken, he could feel it—was a bit unbearable, but he could manage it. He had been through worse; all of his many tattoos were a reminder of it.
He couldn't even take two steps before a small hand with a firm grasp caught his wrist.
For fuck's sake. If I kill her right now, maybe I can tell them it was an accident?
He tried to shrug her off once again, ready to resume his path, but her hold told him he wasn’t escaping. His body was clearly tired and hurting; he didn't seem to even have enough strength to get away from her clutch.
"Trafalgar, if you take one more step, I'll have to take extreme measures."
~Oh, the kitty thinks she can bite. Gonna let her?
Extreme measures. He was shocked, really; what could that little bird possibly do to make him stop? But the shock was soon gone, and the sudden urge to laugh was stronger than him. That was good! She was going to take drastic measures if he didn't do what she wanted. Fucking hilarious, he thought.
The fucking nerve. It's finally time to teach her a lesson.
He gripped the hilt of his sword and imagined how good it would be to slash her into equal pieces and leave her behind for someone to find buried in the snow. He could even picture the chaos it would make.
But he couldn't even enjoy the image he conjured up in his mind when he felt the world spinning and his ribs hurting like it was about to explode. In seconds, everything was upside down, the snow freezing his face and the serious semblance of the annoying woman above him. Unforgiving and impassive before everything turned black. The characteristic sound of Haki was the last thing he remembered.
Very impressive, Lady Sailor, I’ll give ya that...