Chapter Text
Only slaves believe a meritocracy rewards hard work; the driving fantasy for those who are too sharp to believe in the God of Liberation. Wise enough to know there is no savior, foolish enough to believe they can become their own.
“If I am a good enough slave, perhaps it will prove my worth, and I will be granted freedom.”
Subhuman intelligence. An expert performance only proves that they were meant to be slaves, to those who see them as such.
The actual meritocracy they live in rewards value; and value is in birth, not action. Blood belongs to the chosen, the sweat and tears to the inferior. How could they ever be of worth, when they do not understand what their true purpose is? It is not labor, it is not subordination.
Their true purpose is to add meaning to value. The valuable merely reap the rewards of their effort. For how could one be important, if there was nothing unimportant? How could one be rich without the poor? There are no absolutes in this world. There is only reference. Lives are determined by relativity.
Bloodline purity, inherent superiority–these are farces. This realization was Law’s salvation, the crossroads of his humanity, the only reason he will not become the ruthless, soulless shell that is his brother, believing himself a god simply because he stopped believing in them. Why would he follow their morals when all he wanted was their worship? Religion was not to be mentioned in his presence.
The ten years Law had spent believing in this foolish meritocracy made the truth humiliating, and made him absolutely furious at the man who taught it to him. How could Corazon wait until now to tell him? How could he let him spend so long not just perpetrating cruelty, but reveling in it?
So furious that Corazon could only regain his trust by example, standing up for one of his brother’s concubines and having the servant pay the price with their life. If Corazon had told him the truth any younger, Law would not have been able to hold his tongue.
There are still times Law resents him for his humanity; it often feels like a curse. Ten years of believing he had infinite power, only to find out how powerless he was, unable to intervene as he watched the Celestial Dragons around him establish their dominance on their slaves, the very people responsible for giving them their so-called “superiority”.
But if Corazon hadn’t, then Law wouldn’t have been able to connect with the most breathtakingly human person he’d ever met, a bundle of fire that warms rather than burns, emblematic in empathy and love, a single life alone that justifies their entire vile species’ presence.
In the East Blue is yet another island who provides immense value in its imperfect and gritty nature. Goa Kingdom is a common degradation target of the Celestial Dragons, an excellent scapegoat to call worthless trash and contemplate burning it down just to get a good laugh at a party.
Never would anyone have imagined it would one day attract some of the most powerful and prestigious figures of the World Government in troves, Celestial Dragons included. The exact reason wasn’t explained to Law–a fourteen-year-old–besides rumors there was a treasure of immense historical value hidden there. Enough so that Doflamingo had taken his family there to search for themselves, rather than send mindless grunts or for-hire mercenaries as many others did.
And that is how the young prince found himself spending a summer there. An obligatory nuisance, brought only because he was too young to be left alone. A concern for their kingdom rather than his safety, Law quickly realizes, as he has been left unsupervised while the adults attend to something of value. Heartless, mouthless value, that doesn’t bleed or cry or eat or want or think.
There is one thing of value in Goa village, besides this supposed treasure. The qwot-qwot fruit; golden, round, plump, and sweet. A delicacy that may only exist in memory, hunted down by the Celestial Dragons with no regards for the impact it had on the small village’s economy.
Law is no more immune to the rebellion of teenagehood than any other his age, and he had taken to believing anything the Celestial Dragons enjoyed must be worthless. But the qwot-qwot are different; Corazon loved them. So there really is no other choice. Law will bring their seeds back with him. Corazon will spend every day surrounded by their trees.
Determination is the soul of accomplishment, and after two long weeks searching in the dangerous, animal-infested forest, Law has finally found one. High up in the mountains, even higher up the tree it has sprouted on. It’s taken another two weeks to finally reach it after numerous failures and sprained ankles. But now he’s here. It’s in his reach. He just needs to stretch a little further and—
SWOOP.
His fist is full of prickly pines and nothing more, the qwot-qwot snatched before he could stop his attempt to grab it. Not by any monkey or some other pesky animal. That was a human hand.
But how? There’s no one else on this tree and the ones next to it aren’t high enough–
A little heeheehee from behind him catches his attention.
At an impossible distance for such thievery,on a branch too precarious to be safely sat on, is, indeed, a young boy. Twelve-years-old at best and already having descended past humanity. A skin of dirt and bruises and dried blood like the child would drown in a bath if he tried to clean himself. Matted black hair that is almost impressive in its ability to have rat’s nests despite being so short. A straw hat and white tank top and black shorts that are so tattered and worn down it is as if they were made this way. Defective from conception.
It only emphasizes how inappropriate his smile is, bright and shining a near-reflective white, offering the only opportunity to stare at the sun without hurting your eyes. It is invaluable, only marred by how painful it is to look at the rest of him. There is a tenacity in him that Law knows must never be seen by his brother. There is no greater sin than being stronger than Donquixote Doflamingo, and for a boy so young to have such undeniable potential, a quick death would be mercy.
“Gotta be faster than that,” The boy teases, waving the fruit as if this is some sort of game, as if the fruit is the worthless part of this kingdom. Law is certain the boy values his own village and its inhabitants. That opinion alone would lower him to a slave in the eyes of his peers.
“That’s mine! You saw me reaching for it,” Law hisses, grateful there are no witnesses for how quickly he debases himself to this child’s maturity level.
“Hmmm…you didn’t call dibs, sooo…” The kid is painfully sincere, as if that would have legitimately warded him away, a talisman for whatever devilish hole he called out of.
“I don’t need to resort to such ridiculous measures,” Law is willing to resort to even more pathetic ones, however: pulling rank. “Do you know who I am?”
“Hah?” The boy tilts his head like Law is the uneducated one between them. “How would I know that? You didn’t tell me your name.”
“I am Prince Trafalgar Law of Dressrosa,” Law knows there is no one–not even this practical animal–who does not know of Dressrosa or of their presence on this island.
And then he gets the answer to how his fruit was stolen.
With his sinless, empty hand, the boy’s arm stretches an impossible length, crossing the distance between them with an expectant, open palm.
“I’m Monkey D. Luffy!” The boy is again painfully sincere, as if he actually believes Law was simply introducing himself rather than establishing his status. “And I’m going to be King of the Pirates one day!”
And like the disgusting pirates who pillage and stake claims to things they could never possibly own, the boy takes a large bite of the qwot-qwot in his hand, mannerless like a beast, juices spurting everywhere and dribbling down his chin. It is devoid of malice, chewing with an open-mouth and a dumb, innocent look on his face, as if the possibility this would anger Law has not occurred to him at all.
“You–you bastard! H–”
Anger is unbecoming and opens the door to weakness; his brother has ingrained this in him, and yet, Law forgets that when his hard work is negated by someone of absolutely no value. And his grip comes with it, losing balance and falling down the top of this tree.
A possibly fatal height for someone of his age. What a pathetic, humiliating way to die. Hopefully, they will not discover his body. If they did, they’d surely cover up the reason for his death regardless. Or erase him entirely.
The recoil of impact bounces his body up and down, but it comes with no pain or discomfort. He opens his eyes to find the ground, only inches from him, devoid of his blood or guts or broken bones. The feeling of a hand, impossibly warm for how artificial a texture, graces along the back of his neck, a grip evidently tighter on his collar than Law’s grip on the tree.
“Bahahaha! You totally almost died!” This alleged Monkey snickers as he drops Law into the dirt, landing next to him. “Don’t tell me this is the first tree you’ve ever climbed! Kinda sad for a prince.”
All this effort to catch him, only to drop him in mud rather than help him up. The boy may truly have less intelligence than a rock, or perhaps completely lack the ability to connect one thought to the next.
“Just what do you think a prince does?” Law grumbles, brushing the dirt off his expensive clothes and hopefully taking the panic of having to explain why he’s so dirty with it.
“Dfuno,” The boy mocks him, talking with his mouth full of the qwot-qwot he is devouring, slowly, savoring it more than the immense psychic pain it is causing Law. “Cool things.”
“Like climbing trees?”
“Well, why would you be doing it if it wasn’t important?”
Fair enough.
“I should have your head for stealing that,” Law hisses.
This boy may completely lack the ability to feel fear.
His face does not change in the slightest as Law stomps into his personal space, as if Law’s threat means nothing, nor does the difference in their size or status as he looms over him. It is dreadful that the proximity only makes the child’s long eyelashes and big doe eyes easier to see underneath the dirt. It would be better if the boy–Luffy–wasn’t pretty. That’s a terrible reason for the rest of the world to find you valuable. It never ends well. Those who ease the eyes have no use for tongues or hands.
It will be best if Law speaks nothing of their encounter, he decides. The fruit theft will have to go unpunished.
“Heh,” The boy only seems amused by the threat, taking a fighting stance. “If it’s a fight you want, let’s rumble!”
“I–well, I’m not going to personally take your head,” Law retorts, as if that’s still a possibility.
“Huh? Why not?”
That’s his concern?!
“You’re kind of a pussy, Torao.”
“Exc–what did you just call me?”
“A pussy. Y’know, like, a lame–”
“Not that,” Law has never spoken to a more exhausting person in his life. “After that.”
“Oh, Torao,” Luffy’s mischievous, fighting smirk returns to that sun-bright smile, and Law has to look away; it feels deceptive, like a trick or spell to get his way. A very effective one. “It’s my nickname for you. Your name is too long, gahhh, I’ve already forgot it.”
“Forgotten it,” Law corrects, the boy chewing too loudly to hear him anyway.
“I dunno why you’re so mad about this fruit. I thought princes can get whatever they want. Why else wouldya wanna be one?”
As if it is a matter of desire.
“Not when what they want is thought to be extinct and incredibly difficult to find,” Law hopes this will snap some sense into Luffy. At this point all he wants is for the other to show any recognition of what he did. Why exactly his validation matters to him is a mystery Law does not want to solve.
Recognition tastes much like rejection when it’s underneath a laugh. Law would go so far as to say it’s a guffaw.
“You’re kinda stupid for a prince.”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s plenty of qwot-qwots around,” Luffy’s tone isn’t demeaning, like his laugh led Law to expect; it’s…excited? His smile matches such an impulse. “C’mon, I’ll show you!”
And then he does the unthinkable. An action so forbidden, so heavy with the promise of immediate execution, that Law almost retracts his hand out of fear that Doflamingo will see them from miles away.
He grabs Law’s hand, tugging it slightly.
A commoner. Touching a prince–a Celestial Dragon! As if it is the most inconspicuous, worthless act in the world, not even requiring permission to do so.
It is even warmer than when it was holding his collar. It is like looking at his smile with his skin. His cheeks heat up like the bright sun he is holding in his palm. Law tells himself he does not wretch his hand away to avoid a display of cowardice. The grime on Luffy’s hand mars Law’s immediately, mud spreading to his skin like a disease, and it makes him shudder.
An even warmer smile pops into his mind. Corazon’s. He would love to see Law holding hands like this. It would make him proud.
The reason for the qwot-qwot fruit’s enduring secrecy becomes evident as Luffy leads him along an increasingly more dangerous path, one that eventually stops having a trail of any sort. They have to crawl over large boulders, jump over fallen trees, some obstacles so humanly impossible that Luffy has to use his likely Devil Fruit powers to help Law overcome them. The journey there is a map crafted uniquely by his guide, locked in his head, no sheet of paper to share to anyone else. It feels privileged in a way princes often do not, to be privy to this secret.
They do not reach their destination until sunset, but it is worth it. An entire grove of qwot-qwot trees, abundant as if they are unaware of their value, seeing themselves as another unremarkable part of nature. It evokes the same tender, awestruck feeling as staring at the boy who is still holding his hand, a truth so unquestionable that Law does not feel the slightest bit of shame for having such a vulnerable thought.
Luffy sees the relief and excitement on Law’s face and smiles, a soft, satisfied heh, as if Law’s expression is enough of a reward for him. So blindly trusting, not once considering it could be dangerous to show this secret place to Law. That decides it, then. The thumping in his heart has nothing to do with the qwot-qwot trees.
Value is relative, and right now, those trees serve as slaves do. A lesser value in contrast to the boy next to him. His desire to take a treasure home with him shifts to Luffy instead. Oh, how he would love to package him up instead of some seeds. Maybe he could learn how to smile like him. That would make Cora happier than a fruit ever could.
If Law was ten-years-old, then he would have done exactly that. Beyond realizing now that it is cruel and wrong to treat another human like that, Law is also sharp enough to recognize that inherent to Luffy’s captivating charm is the freedom and madness that leads him to be covered in dirt and cuts and bruises while still overflowing with trust and brilliance. Law has only ever seen those aberrations on people as a consequence of abuse or misconduct, but the boy wears them as if he is more whole for having them.
This boy would make an excellent Celestial Dragon bride, but he makes a far better human.
“Thank you, Luffy. You have my apologies for my earlier rudeness.”
“Huh? I don’t think you were being rude. I took something you wanted.”
So he did understand the entire time!
“We can still fight about it if you want, Torao.”
“Something tells me you want to fight about it.”
“Sure do!”
Law does not indulge him. There is only so much he will be able to explain away, and wounds in addition to torn and dirty clothing might be too far. Besides, even with all his military training, Law’s gut tells him he would lose.
It’s not as humiliating a thought as he would expect.
The best excuse he comes up with is that he’d been looking for the treasure himself. His nerves are unjustified, as his King-brother seems entirely uninterested in his whereabouts. The search must not be going well.
With there being no limits to his freedom here, Law sees no reason to stop himself from spending the rest of the summer with his new vagabond friend. It is like Luffy has the magnet-magnet fruit rather than whatever has given him such elasticity, drawing Law to him as if his heart was still covered with steel. That shell broke down on their second day together.
The dirt and grime and animal remains never become easier to swallow, nor does Luffy’s idea of fun become more appealing. The boy spends an unfathomable amount of time outside, like he has never seen civilization. He may be the first commoner who would find swapping places with Law to be absolute torture, who would prefer to be a slave than a prince. Despite his disinterest in their activities, Law never regrets how they spend their days. As long as it is with Luffy, then there is more meaning behind it than any behind castle walls. There is no doubt in his mind that Luffy is the only thing in this kingdom–in the entire East Blue–that cannot be found in Dressrosa; not even in Marie Geoise. Bound by morals preventing him from stealing Luffy away, their time together makes Law want to stay behind.
With their combat abilities combined, the rabid beasts in the wilderness do not impose on either of them. There is, however, very real danger in the form of Luffy’s older brother, Ace. His threats pose a far greater threat than even Doflamingo’s, because he means every single one of them. Most of his accusations are understandable–anyone would be concerned by a Prince of Dressrosa taking interest in their politically helpless younger brother–but ultimately incorrect. Law has no difficulty brushing those off. Other accusations are…more challenging to dismiss. Training for a future of Machiavellian politics has made him an expert liar, but that doesn’t stop him from being afraid Ace will somehow find out that Law has, in fact, developed a romantic affliction for Luffy.
Even if he believes Law does not, it doesn’t matter. Ace will hover around them regardless. It makes alone time with Luffy into a rare commodity, but thankfully the desire to have some is mutual. It only takes a few weeks for Luffy to clue in that Ace is joining them for reasons other than personal enjoyment. And what immense irritation that jerks from him, the only time Law has seen Luffy truly upset, and it’s with his over-protective brother whom he loves more than anything in the world–so much that even in Law’s wildest fantasies where he and Luffy are somehow together, he still concedes that he will share his heart with his brother.
In truth, Luffy’s concerns with Ace’s behavior primarily lie in being babied, rather than a desire to spend time with Law in solitude. But that want is still there, even if secondarily. Law will take what he can get.
It takes a month and two weeks for Luffy to reveal a truly surprising fact: he does have a line when it comes to hygiene.
After getting a torso full of boar snot on him, Luffy finally declares they should bathe mid-day. It’s slightly irksome, every one of Law’s previous requests to do so have been treated as whining, whereas Luffy is making a decision, not a request. Law has half a mind to push back on Luffy’s desires simply out of principle. But he holds his tongue–Law will never deny an opportunity to rub off all this hooligan besmirchment.
Nudity long stopped being shameful for Law, if it ever was. There are only so many times you can be dressed or bathed by people who will not look you in the eye before it becomes as bland as being clothed. Luffy shares this sentiment, clearly, as he begins stripping even while still walking towards the river and talking about his favorite topic–the pirate who inspired him to become one himself. It’s a miracle he does not trip and fall into a watery grave. He moves nonchalant, uncaring, without hesitation, as if he is not the ungraceful creature known as Monkey D. Luffy.
What is lacking is any consideration that he should at least make mention of his surprising body, rather than leave Law unprepared and caught off guard.
He had heard of people like Luffy–women with penises and men with vaginas–secondhand, a rare but present topic of conversation between Doflamingo and party guests. There is never any disdain for them, but–like most people Celestial Dragons spoke of–there is certainly dehumanization, speaking of them with an odd fascination, as if they should be put in a zoo.
Law has already made up his mind that Luffy belonged anywhere but, and this does not change his mind in the slightest. He is, unfortunately, unable to stop himself from staring. He is fourteen, after all, at the peak of puberty, and it has been quite some time since he has seen a cunt. The women in his life stopped being so casual in their nudity around him when he was around eight-years-old. And this is the first time he’s ever seen one on someone he was already attracted to.
The typically airheaded Luffy decides to be perceptive now of all times, at least partially, catching Law staring. It is unclear whether it is better that Luffy seems oblivious as to why, given his confused expression, or worse, because it only prompts him to turn directly towards Law, putting his body on even further display.
“What?” Luffy asks, skeptical, before looking down and patting his body. “Do I have something on me?”
“N-no, sorry. I thought so, but it appears I was mistaken.”
“Ah, okay. Damn. I was hoping there’d be a leech or tick or something cool.”
Oh, how thankful Law is for Luffy’s natural pull towards the least sexual possible commentary, as it ruins any excitement stirring in his loins. That doesn’t mean it isn’t charming, and Law cannot suppress a laugh as he starts to bathe himself.
SPLASH
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Luffy does not have the patience to bathe in peace, and quickly starts spraying Law with water, hands stretched out into fans so that he can do so in even more copious amounts. Such behavior is so juvenile and improper that Law has never done anything like it, not even as a babe.
It feels freeing to do so now.
The summer comes to an end far too quickly.
Most parties who have come to search for the treasures have abandoned the quest, and Doflamingo has also reached the end of his patience. They are packing up their belongings now. It will be days if not hours before they leave.
That makes his time with Luffy, lying on the dirty, old, slightly moldy floorboards of his treehouse all the more valuable. It makes his hands shake. It makes his voice almost imperceptible. He’s had weeks leading up to now and still has not made up his mind.
Should he tell Luffy how he feels? If he is rejected, the humiliation will at least be short-lived. He will never have to see Luffy again after this. Or should he keep quiet, allow their relationship to end as an unequivocally happy affair, one that Law can cherish and return to at his darkest times?
He is staring, but that has become so common that Luffy does not comment on it most of the time now. The only time Law has to regulate himself is when Ace is around, which, thankfully, he is not at the moment.
“Hey,” Luffy whispers, even if they are alone. It makes sense why he would choose to address his staring now. The boy saw their ship packing up this morning. He is aware their time together is rapidly dwindling.
“What is it?”
“When will you come back?”
It’s like a blade to the gut. A question Law did not prepare for.
“I…I don’t know,” It’s not completely a lie; Law would have never imagined they’d come here at all. “I don’t think my brother has much interest in this place any further, Luffy, if I am to be honest.”
“Okay,” A simple answer, for a simple boy, whose feelings are often too complicated, his mouth too verbose, for his reply to feel as benign as it sounds.
The silence between them is oddly comfortable, if not tainted with a maddening longing.
“I can visit when I am older, and more independent,” Law offers. “When I am not at the behest of my brother’s whims.”
“Mm,” Luffy doesn’t seem satisfied with that answer. “But I won’t be here forever. When I’m 17, I’m going to leave. Be a pirate.”
“Right.”
The silence is more tense.
“But…I think we’ll find a way,” Luffy turns his head towards Law for the first time, finally more interested in him than the bugs crawling on the ceiling. “We’ll find each other again. That’s what friends do.”
His smile finally hurts more than looking at the sun. Law never wants to leave. His faith in the universe died long ago with the last person he loved, and his feelings for Luffy have only hacked its remains into smaller pieces.
It’s settled, then. He should leave their relationship as it is. Unsullied. Perfect.
“Hey,” Luffy is whispering again. “Does Torao want to kiss me?”
What? What did he say?
“I-I’m sorry?”
“Ah, okay. Never mind.”
“No, Luffy,” Law’s hand is gently on his cheek, turning his face back so he can look him in the eyes. “I just want to make sure I heard you correctly.”
“I asked if Torao wanted to kiss me.”
Has he underestimated Luffy’s emotional intelligence this entire time?
“...How did you know?”
Luffy’s cheeks turn into a mirror of Law’s own, instantly deepening into a red blush, eyebrows hiking up like they’re going to merge with his hairline.
“I didn’t,” Luffy shuffles closer. “I asked because I want to kiss Torao.”
Oh.
Law has already kissed several people at this point in his life–who would say no to a prince? But met with the opportunity to do so now, he feels as nervous as his first time, if not more so. All his experience is forgotten. The only thought his brain can muster is–
“Have you ever kissed someone before, Luffy?”
The boy shakes his head, his characteristic boisterous, brave, braggart nature replaced with something more demure, hesitant, shy. It is like a new color has been invented. It is more beautiful than any Law has ever seen.
“Can I kiss you, Luffy?”
A nod.
You can do this. You can do this.
Luffy closes his eyes. Waiting, anxious. Law cannot close his own, he cannot risk missing his lips. It must be perfect. It must tell Luffy he loves him because Law knows he is too cowardly to put it into words.
He can feel Luffy’s breath on his own, he can taste his lips before they touch, he can–
“Well, well. I never would have thought I’d find my dear little brother in such a disgusting place,” Never has there been a more terrifying voice. “Although I suppose it makes it less surprising that he’s about to lay with filth. Who knows how I’d react if I hadn’t a chance to prepare myself?”
Law knows he should pull away, distance himself immediately, but his body and his world come to a complete stop. Not that it matters. There’s no hiding it. They’ve been caught. Doflamingo saw him.
How they were found here is not a matter Law can even concern himself with. He can’t even be concerned with whatever consequences he will face for this. It will be mere punishment for him, but all he can think about is how Luffy’s death is becoming imminent, his brother dressed in a black coat, scythe in hand.
What do I say? I must take all responsibility. Perhaps if I act like Luffy is a mere passing toy, a slave to take home with, Doflamingo will understand. He takes beautiful filth for himself all the time. He might even be happy to see me behave more like h–
So caught up in how Doflamingo might punish them for what has already been, Law does not even consider how there is nothing that has ever posed a greater risk to Luffy’s life than himself.
“Who the hell are you?!” Luffy springs up without hesitation, a confrontation planned from the moment Doflamingo stepped inside; his words were clearly ignored, not hearing that Doflamingo called Law his brother, the only clue that this is a man he maybe, maybe should not bother.
However, Law doubts that Luffy would have cared about that regardless.
“This is my treehouse! You’re not allowed here unless you–”
BAM.
Impatience has never loved a man more than Doflamingo, and the sneer on his face as Luffy falls to the ground is one of consideration, wondering if he should add desecration as a Third. He’s distracted by the cling cling as the bullet ricochets off Luffy, the shot at such close range that the bullet had nowhere else to go, as if it had just bounced off him.
“Disgusting, disrespectful animal,” Doflamingo hisses, before returning to his brother. There’s no remorse at what he’s done, nor is there ignorance that this was his brother’s first love. In fact, he revels in the devastation on Law’s face. Law must be unrecognizable; he has never known a feeling this intense or torturous, and he is sure his expression must be just as distorted and unbelonging of this world.
“I was considering flaying off your palms or maybe taking a hand in exchange for allowing you to keep your pet, but…” Flippant as ever, Doflamingo begins to step down the ladder, waving Law along, not a single thought paid to Luffy’s body. “I suppose killing it is enough of a punishment. Come on, Prince Trafalgar. I have had enough of this cesspool of an island.”
The last thing Law wants to do is leave behind another of his loved one’s bodies, another Doflamingo has taken for him as if they had no value. Doing so to Cora had felt like abandonment, like leaving behind how much Cora had meant to him.
But he knows, just like he knew then, that expressing any more sentiment for a person who Doflamingo has decided deserves no further attention would only make it worse. The image of Luffy’s body being paraded around Foosha Village is enough to make Law want to wrangle Doflamingo for his weapon and shoot him with it. So it would no doubt provoke the villagers who raised this boy–or even worse, Ace–to give Doflamingo an excuse to burn them all down.
There is perhaps some mercy from the Heavens that only Law seems to believe in any more, Luffy’s body having fallen forward so that it covers the blood spilling from him, as if there is none at all. Enough pressure on the wound that Luffy’s skin has yet to pale. It is a small but meaningful comfort; Luffy will always look as full of life in every memory Law revisits, even the one of his death
If only Luffy had bled out before Law left him. If only he had to face a blue, exsanguinated, lifeless corpse that day. Then maybe all of his memories would have been too painful to revisit, and Law could have moved on.
Instead, he has developed his own form of seasonal melancholy. Only in the winter is he calm; he is irritable in the spring, dreading the season that follows, and he is spiteful in the fall as the after effects of its predecessor still linger. Those emotions, of course, all pale to the ruthless and vile beast he becomes in the summer. Driven less by hunger and more by rage towards himself; how could he not hate the man he has become? Doflamingo, the man who took Luffy from him, is happiest with Law in the summer. Neither of them miss how it is, perhaps, the most insulting way to memorialize Luffy’s life, to behave like the man who ended it.
Less a consecration than it is a desecration.
A contradiction rather than an evolution. Despite how he seems to venerate Doflamingo in his assimilation to his cruelty, it is all driven by longing for the boy he disrespects. Dissatisfaction, finding every subsequent summer offensive in how it fails to even approach the perfection that he experienced in Foosha Village. It is a reminder that this life has little to offer him anymore but daydreams of revenge that he will never have the courage to seek and a resurrection that he no longer has enough faith to believe in.
The nature of his misery is not lost on him. It is self-inflicted–a problem entirely in control–and yet that knowledge prompts no desire for Law to even attempt change. There is a world where he is happy, where he successfully forgets Luffy. Numerous people have overcome more loss and greater trauma without the endless resources of royalty, but something being achievable does not mean it is desirable.
The same can be said for all the many potential brides that have been offered to him. Some are shallow and repulsive enough that he feels justified in his refusal, but others have been intelligent, kind, and even understanding that Law will never be able to devote his full love to them, that they will always have to share it with the unliving. They are an undeniable, shining key to a happier life, as beautiful and illuminating and influential as the moon, a mere circle that has been a muse for countless forms of art, and for good reason.
And yet, despite vastly preferring the night to day, Law would still rather stare at the sun.
His marriage woes have never been a priority to his brother. Law is far from being the next in line for the throne, a fact that, if anything, benefits him greatly. It means he is non-threatening to Doflamingo
Though, Law would be a fool to think his harmless and familial nature is the actual reason Doflamingo puts so much value in his life.
That reason is why, when Doflamingo calls him to the throne room without explanation, Law is filled with both dread and relief that all of this might be coming to an end. The walk to the obligatory, perfunctory room that becomes more extravagant with every year that Doflamingo grows bored is too loud for Law’s liking, the only sound his own boots clacking against meaningless tiles, meant for meaningless politics, for meaningless people, who believe they have more meaning than the sun or moon or earth itself.
“Ah, there he is! Trafalgar, you kept me waiting,” Doflamingo leans back in his throne, casual and smug but without homicidal intent. That’s rare when it comes to his spontaneous summons. Law both relaxes his shoulders and balls his fists.
He never knows what he wants out of his life anymore, for it to change or perhaps to end.
“What can I help you with?”
“Can’t I desire my darling little brother’s company for reasons other than utility?”
“Of course you can. I am honored if that is the case,” Law puts extra emphasis on the if.
“Well, Trafalgar, the real question is what I can help you with.”
Staring down the barrel of a gun is less terrifying than unprompted grace from Donquixote Doflamingo.
“Is that a question for me to answer or one that has already been answered for me?”
Of course it is already answered. Generous older brother or not, the one thing he never wants from any of his family is their input.
“It’s made me quite sad to see the sorry state of your marriage–or lack thereof,” Doflamingo feigns compassion, the only way he can ever remotely approach such emotion. “So, I decided I would find you the perfect spouse. One I know you could not refuse.”
With a snap of his fingers, large, nameless toys bring in a large, gray box, carried like a palanquin rather than cargo. In the context of a future spouse, the gesture would make sense, if not for the fact that there is no carriage on their shoulders. Rather, it is a container–a cage, to be exact. The type used for shipping large, exotic animals rather than a proper bride.
“Ha, ha,” Law has long stopped masking his displeasure around his brother, who only welcomes it. “Too picky with humans, so you have brought me a beast.”
There’s muffled thrashing and roaring from inside the cage; although Law cannot make out what creature it is between the thick walls, he can recognize the undeniable undertones of anger, indignation, and vengeance. He did not know animals could feel such sophisticated emotions.
“Why, not at all,” Doflamingo waves a dismissive hand, before sincere irritation waves over his face, the slightest twitch of an eyebrow. “This was merely the means we had to resort to in order to finally acquire him. You sure have an interesting taste, brother.”
Approaching the cage for a closer look, or a better hear, makes Law feel progressively weak before he can press his ear against it.
This cage is made of sea stone. A very unusual, wasteful use of such a precious material for an animal. Either Doflamingo has found one that had consumed a Devil Fruit, or this really is a human.
“Would you like to see him?”
Law can only nod. A nasty premonition he cannot properly visualize swimming in his gut like dead fish.
With great caution, as if traumatized by what lies inside, the dolls unlock the container. The four walls unfold, like a collapsing gift box, revealing the present inside without having to risk dragging him out, even when presumably safely restrained in sea stone handcuffs.
It is truly an unimaginable sight.
“Let me out of here, you bastards, so I can kick your sorry asses!” Even matured by five years, the voice holds the same fire and passion and fight in it that Law wished would never be heard by his brother. “I don’t know what you want from me but you’re gonna regret putting me in this! These cuffs can’t stop me!”
That’s the end of his intelligibility, defaulting to growls and GAHHHs and other displeased noises that are much more befitting of the animal Law initially assumed he would be.
“Luffy,” Law is quiet and hesitant, too afraid to approach, as if he was a terrifying beast that might bite him if he gets too close. And that is the last thing he wants to do. Law would want nothing more than to run before he is spotted by Luffy, before the boy can associate him with the worst possible thing anyone could do to him: imprisonment.
Yet, he is as frozen as the last day they spent together.
“I must say, I am quite impressed at how feisty you are, even with those cuffs,” Doflamingo teases, stepping close without any hesitation, Luffy snapping his teeth at him. Quick enough that he almost successfully bites him.
This earns him a punch to the face, closer to a cannon hitting him than a fist, impact loud enough that the passersby outside come to a stop. Luffy’s head bounces back, expression unchanged, as if it didn’t happen at all.
The cuffs are still too much for him, ultimately, and he’s too slow to stop Doflamingo from roughly grabbing his jaw by the hinges, keeping his mouth slightly open but unable to bite or close.
“You’re quite a fearless thing, don’t you remember what happened the last time we met?” Doflamingo snarls in his face, like he’s meeting Luffy at his level, animalistic and untamed, baring his teeth as if some alpha male logic would apply.
It does not.
“Hah?” Luffy briefly exchanges anger for confusion, tilting his head so perfectly him that any thoughts Law had about this being a doppelganger vanish. “What are you talking about? I’ve never seen you in my life!”
Sugar, who has so far been watching out of curiosity in the corner, covers her mouth as she giggles. It’s been a long time since they’ve seen someone so bold.
But Law knows Luffy is being genuine. His penchant for irritating people is completely natural, unintentional.
“I’m the one who shot you,” Doflamingo reminds him, saying each word slowly, impressively enunciated despite doing so behind closed teeth. “In your little treehouse. Five years ago.”
“Hmm…” Luffy ponders this sincerely. “...Nah, nope. I think you’re thinking of someone else.”
Sugar laughs loudly this time. Oh, how Law envies what she’s allowed to get away with because of her “age”.
While Doflamingo’s veins bulge, mind racing through all the options for tormenting Luffy for such embarrassment, Luffy makes his situation worse by looking at the room and seeing the one person who wants anything but to be seen.
“Oh, hey Torao! I knew we’d see each other again.”
Goddamnit, Luffy! Have you no tact?
That is, evidently, not something he has developed remotely in five entire years. Recognizing Law after treating Doflamingo like a disposable, unremarkable blip in his memory is possibly the worst thing Luffy could have said. It has put both their lives at risk.
It’s humiliating, watching his death be weighed as a fleeting desire in his brother’s face, something he would forget in a week, maybe two. But then a much more sinister thought occurs to him, and Law regrets ever fearing what might have been a mercy.
“Oh, you recognize Prince Trafalgar. How convenient,” Doflamingo follows Luffy’s gaze. “Your exoticism has plagued his mind like a disease ever since you two met. A boy with a cunt? You don’t see that every day. If you’re lucky, he’ll keep you to himself, although small thing that you are, we have plenty of suitable display cases at the ready. That is out of my control, however. The cards lie in his hands. You see, he is the one responsible for bringing you here. ”
Of course.
Of course this is all some form of torture for Law. There’s undoubtedly another reason for Luffy being here, deeper and darker and political that Law hasn’t figured out yet. But forcing Law to marry him is likely petty revenge against them both. Only Doflamingo would take someone surviving his sloppy assassination attempt as a personal slight.
“Wh–Torao?” The objectification of his body has little effect on Luffy, Doflamingo once again ignored. The only thing that matters to Luffy is the man who would never want this for him.
It would be pointless to look away from the betrayal and hurt on Luffy’s face, no matter how much Law wants to. He can hear it in his voice regardless. This is the least he can offer Luffy; there is nothing the boy hates more than cowardice.
“It’s true,” Law lies, because he knows there is no other option. This is the outcome Doflamingo has wanted the entire time, and it is one he would have gotten, one way or another.
Complete silence. Preferable to listening to any more heartbreak.
After his eyes flicker between the two of them, expecting more than just those two words to such a profound bombshell, Luffy only grows more infuriated.
“Do you two think I’m stupid!?” Luffy lunges at Doflamingo again, and receives another brutal, pointless kick to the gut. “It’s obviously this feather guy’s fault I’m here! Torao would never do this to me.”
Luffy looks back at Law, apologetic, understanding, like he’s more concerned about his suffering than his own.
“Torao is too kind for that.”
Sugar laughs at that. The rest of the present family do, too, all restrained so that none are louder than their King. It is humiliating, a reminder of how far Law has fallen since their summer together. Luffy could not care less. His selective hearing filters out any extremely valid criticism to be had for Law.
“Your innocence must be part of the appeal,” Doflamingo presses a boot on Luffy’s nape–larger than his head, maybe equal to his torso–shoving his head onto the ground. “You are no longer in Goa Kingdom, nor will you ever be again. The sooner you accept your fate as property, the better. Although, something tells me you will have to be broken in. And quite brutally at that.”
Doflamingo motions for a servant to bring the key to the cuffs. Release is not the blessing that Luffy thinks it will be. It is a test designed for him to fail, and Law has no faith that Luffy will defy expectations and actually think for once. This entire situation is designed to emphasize how much of a rabid animal he is compared to the rest of this civilized bloodline, making sure he knows from the moment he has arrived that he is lesser than them by design.
“It will be better for Law if you break quickly,” Doflamingo’s attention turns entirely to his brother, more dangerous than any energy he’s given to Luffy thus far. “But if you were to ask my preference, I hope you will be a stubborn one. If my brother takes too long, I’ll have no choice but to finish the job myself.”
He leans close to Luffy’s face, taking in a deep breath of the boy’s furious huffing as if it was perfume.
“And I love a good breaking.”
“I’d never ask you shit!”
Law cannot concern himself with the consequences of repeatedly insulting Doflamingo. Luffy will have to answer for some of this himself. But they will ultimately mean nothing to the test that Law has quickly realized is also his own. There is no end to his King’s cruelty and he was a fool for having assumed that his torment would be as simple as Luffy being mad at him.
They both know Luffy will not break easy. They both know Law will once he has Luffy with him again, only for Doflamingo to take him and ruin him beyond repair.
However, a small voice in the back of his head whispers. If there is one spirit too strong for Doflamingo to break, it would be his.
Law does not know if that is a good thing.
Everyone’s bodies become progressively more tense as the servant kneels to unlock Luffy’s cuffs; they know he will run, and it will be a game amongst them all to see who can catch him. A secondary prize. The real mission, of course, will be to make sure that Law is not the one who does.
His family all prepare themselves, taking positions like a predator about to start a hunt. Law has a Room put up before that key even clicks, then it does, then he’s free, Luffy’s free, what direction will he take, what–
SLAM.
Sugar does not laugh this time.
How could Law have been so foolish? When, if given the choice, would Luffy ever choose flight over fight? The boy hates futility, and he’s not dumb enough to think he could escape.
And Law can’t fault him. It almost feels like punishing an animal for behaving on instinct. There was never any future where Luffy does anything but kick Doflamingo hard enough that it nearly throws him to the ground.
“Shambles.”
It might be a death wish, the excuse that he moved Luffy away from Doflamingo’s attack to spare his King the effort of punishment is flimsy and unbelievable. Even Luffy can probably see through the lie.
But Law also knows the one thing he could do to atone for ruining his brother’s fun, and that is, once again, give him what Doflamingo always knew what he would get.
Law does not hold onto Luffy once he has him in his arms. He simply cannot, not to save face, but for function. His hands must be free if he is to pull out his sword and slash Luffy across the chest, making him bleed as Doflamingo had intended with the bullet so long ago.
Just like with Doflamingo, Luffy stumbles but does not fall. Unlike with Doflamingo, Luffy does not retaliate for the harm Law has brought him. So Law slashes him again. And again. Luffy does not fall. He does not retaliate. He says nothing.
“Is this it, then?!” Law shouts at him once Luffy finally falls to his knees, pale and heaving like each breath is only opening his wounds further. “You’re this easy to break? This obedient already?!”
There is no obedience in him. It takes strength to choose a beating over pride, and Luffy’s spirit is only stronger when he looks Law in the eyes.
“I won’t fight you, Torao,” Luffy spits out blood between words. “You’re my friend.”
Never has anger ever gripped him like this. Its target unknown. A mirror would bring him clarity.
“You’re going to regret that.”
All the pain in his heart, his heartbreak, his selfish heartbreak, as if he is the victim here, is transplanted to Luffy as he cuts his literal heart out of his chest.
This is for the best. It will save us both time if he realizes the monster I have become.
Most people scream when they see their beating hearts in someone else’s hands. Luffy does not. He is silent. Shocked, yes, that much is obvious. But he still looks at Law the same way he did on the first day they met, once they reached the hidden grove of qwot-qwots.
Complete, unquestionable trust.
Doflamingo cannot recognize a feeling he’s never seen nor had, so he misinterprets Luffy’s quiet stillness as defeat. That is the qwot-qwot to him, delicious and plump, licking his lips as if there are juices trailing down his chin.
“Excellent, excellent. I’d expect nothing else from dear Trafalgar. Do we need to handcuff you again, or will you behave now?”
Doflamingo, never, ever willing to miss an opportunity to flaunt his own power, puts a hand on the back of Luffy’s neck, even as his family tenses from the perhaps unwise act. But Luffy allows him, letting Doflamingo’s long fingers wrap around his entire throat like the neck of a chalice, so that the slightest squeeze makes it hard for him to breathe.
Luffy doesn’t answer until he looks back at Law, trusting him over his own impulses. Law knows better than to show any reaction, to give away even the smallest nod or hint that might imply he’s in cahoots with Luffy’s belief in their relationship.
In absence of any sign, Luffy goes with his gut. He continues to trust Law despite there being no evidence. One summer, five years ago, is all the proof he needs.
As if it is the most painful part of the day–and it very well might be–Luffy slowly nods, knowing better than to look at Doflamingo and betray his still-defiant expression.
“Good.”
Doflamingo does not believe for a second that Luffy has been tamed. He is thrilled by the boy’s attempt at lying. Law can smell it on him, a musk of depravity.
“Well, then. Let’s get you all washed up, shall we?”
Servants immediately begin scrambling to prepare a bath for Luffy, looks exchanged as they all argue to not be the ones assigned to him.
“In the meantime, Trafalgar, start thinking about what you want for your wedding. A new family pet is always worth a celebration.”
Family should be antithetical to danger, but in Doflamingo’s tongue, it is an undeniable threat. This marriage is not the true reason Doflamingo has brought Luffy here, and no vows or rings will ever mean Law has a greater claim over him than his King.
Their monogamy will be nothing but a tool, dangled over his head for obedience. To erase any doubt that Doflamingo will one day reap the ultimate benefit of the Op-Op fruit.