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He was sinking, and ironically, because of the fruit she had given him, Corazón's last and most precious gift.
He couldn't move, and his eyes drifted toward the sunlight, which was diving into the water as if to save him.
And for a moment, it seemed to him that those rays took on the smiling face of Luffy, throwing themselves at him to save him.
"Silly pre-death illusion." Law thought as only his blood rose to the surface, while he continued to sink.
He closed his eyes, and at that moment, an old childhood memory resurfaced in his mind.
"Big brother, will you read me the story of the jade mermaid and the golden cracks?" Lammy asked between coughs, while the disease continued to devour his delicate little body.
"Okay, I'll read it to you!" Law exclaimed as he opened the book to the most worn-out spot, having read that story to his little sister a million times.
And if it could bring relief to his sister, he would read it a million more times.
"Once upon a time, there was a mermaid with a fish tail made entirely of jade. She lived in her castle in the depths of the sea with other sea creatures, her friends. The mermaid loved to rise to the surface and let her jade tail shine in the sunlight.
The sun loved the mermaid's company so much that it saved its best rays.
One day, her tail attracted the attention of a sorcerer, who, using his black smoke, began tearing pieces of jade from her tail to steal and sell them. The mermaid screamed in pain, which attracted the attention of her companions, who, however, were defeated by the sorcerer.
All except a white whale with black eyes, who managed to rescue the mermaid."
"Captain, don't die!" Bepo screamed as he grabbed Law and began swimming with tears in his eyes, while the remains of the submarine sank along with Law's consciousness as he closed his eyes.
When Law opened his eyes, he realized he was no longer in the water, but in a soft bed with sheets that smelled of oranges and the sea.
He raised his head slightly and saw Luffy's smile appear before his eyes, which seemed like a mirage due to the fact that he had drunk too much salt water and lost too much blood.
"Are you real?" Law asked, reaching out to touch Luffy's face, who immediately pressed his face against it.
"It's me..." Luffy confirmed with Law, who began to stretch out his cheek and then let it go with a slap, which elicited a groan from Luffy.
Law, hearing the rubber sound and Luffy's moan, knew it was real, but it didn't relax him, and he immediately tried to free himself from the covers and get out of bed.
"Bepo, where is he?" Law looked around as he tried to stand. "Where's the rest of my crew?" He remembered the submarine exploding and his crew members being swallowed up by the sea depths.
"Bepo is under Chopper's care and is resting now." Luffy replied as he forced Law to stay still in bed. "We tried to search for your crew, but we only found the remains of your submarine..."
Luffy pushed Law into bed once again, just as he had done with him when Ace died. He was so desperate that, despite the surgery still fresh from his injuries, he wanted to stand up and go look for his dead brother, screaming and crying.
"What happened?" Luffy asked, wanting to know all the details.
"Teach attacked us and defeated me..." Law muttered under his breath. "I failed to protect my crew, and if it weren't for Bepo, I'd be dead by now..."
Law forced himself to stay in bed, his hands clawing at the sheets, and he glanced at his hair, miraculously intact after the battle.
He didn't have the courage to look at the vivre card and discover that everyone was dead, and that he had once again failed to protect what he loved.
First his family, then Corazon, and now his crew.
"I'm such a failure..." Law thought as he clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, and Luffy remained strangely silent.
Then Luffy spoke.
"I think your crew is still alive." Luffy spoke in a serious tone. "I bet Teach captured them because he wants the Ope Ope. He's attracted to specific devil fruits, and you told me that fruit can grant immortality."
Law looked at Luffy, amazed that he hadn't considered that possibility out of desperation, while Luffy had made a reasoning that gave him hope.
"Maybe they're still alive..." Law thought as he let go of the sheets, feeling a slight relief as the anxiety and sense of failure continued to haunt him.
"Once you've recovered, we'll go get your crew back from Teach, you'll see!" Luffy lay down next to Law and used his arms and legs to hug his partner tighter.
"And you'll make sure he heals before you attempt that, right?" Law said those words before kissing Luffy's forehead, and he heard him chuckling silently.
"You held me down in bed when my wounds were still raw..." Luffy exclaimed, returning Law's kisses. "Without you, I wouldn't be here with my crew trying to make my dream come true."
"At least I managed to save you..." Law muttered softly, closing his eyes. "I'm not that much of a failure."
"And you'll save your crew too, and we'll help you, and that's a promise." Luffy promised, and after giving one last kiss, he too closed his eyes to fall asleep.
Law only managed one last kiss on Luffy's lips before sinking back into a long sleep.
He was fortunate that in that dark depths he found Luffy welcoming him with his light.
The mermaid cried for her friends and her destroyed tail, but just then the sun set upon her and began weaving its own rays, which mended the mermaid's tail with what remained of her jade.
The mermaid's tail now shone with jade and golden rays, and with that new tail and the sun's support, she defeated the sorcerer and freed her captured friends.
The sun swept away the last black clouds, and the tail of jade and golden rays became the testimony of the union between the sea and the sun.
"The End."
Law looked up and saw that Lammy was sleeping, with the usual grimace of pain, but with a smile plastered on his lips. He imagined his little sister was dreaming of being the mermaid from the story, and after placing the book on the bedside table, law leave the room in silence to let her rest.
"This time I'll be able to save someone, and that's a promise," Law thought as he snuggled closer to Luffy, who continued to cuddle him even though he was asleep.
Thinking of Lammy's fairy tale and Luffy's cuddles, Law dreamed of freeing his crew and setting out once again to discover the truth.