Work Text:
SUNNY.
Law wasn’t entirely sure what he’d expected the Strawhat crew to be like. Even though he’d briefly seen them as a group in Sabaody two years prior, he hadn’t gotten a chance to size them all up properly. He knew “Pirate Hunter” Zoro, “Black-leg” Sanji, and “the Devil of Ohara” Nico Robin by reputation and by their wanted posters, but the rest were mostly unknown to him until after he’d joined them on their way to Dressrosa.
Luffy himself was somehow both completely predictable and a total surprise at the same time. Even before they’d met, Law had heard that the captain of the eponymous Strawhat pirates was a wildcard, and meeting him in Sabaody had confirmed the rumors. But what the few minutes they’d spent together fighting the marines outside the slave market hadn’t prepared Law for exactly how wild Luffy would be.
There was a naïve, yet knowing quality about him, and he could quite literally bounce between two extremes – excited to calm, boisterous to introspective, full of energy to fast asleep. And somehow, it all fit him perfectly.
His ship fit him perfectly, too. Not too grand, but not tiny either; and agile, built for both strength and speed. The Thousand Sunny was extremely conspicuous, as many pirate ships were, but in her own way. “The Ship of Dreams,” the robot shipwright called her. And she was the stuff of dreams indeed.
Lion’s paws for anchors. A grass lawn with living trees and flower boxes instead of decking. A swing. A slide. A crow’s nest with walls and roof, complete with curtains in the windows. A thousand-gallon fishtank. A raised bathhouse with a built-in sauna. A sofa and sun umbrella on the fo’c’sle.
Law had thought the Sunny was nothing short of silly at first, but he was proven wrong the second she got into trouble. She was tough. Tougher than his own submersible, the Polar Tang, maybe, and the Tang was solid steel. And the Sunny – the Sunny could fly.
She’s not unlike her captain, he thought. Or her crew.
He had known the Pirate Hunter, Black-leg, and the Devil of Ohara by reputation, but in person – they were different. All the Strawhats were, really.
The resident musician was none other than Soul King Brook, who as it turned out was an actual skeleton, and wasn’t simply a man in the habit of wearing a full-body costume for his stage persona, as Law had assumed. Brook was apparently also an amazing swordsman, had a horrible sense of humor, did not tolerate jump-scares well, and had a penchant for panties.
The Strawhats’ shipwright and architect of the Sunny was a seven-foot-tall behemoth who absolutely refused to wear pants, and was more machine than man, by the looks of him. Law never would have guessed that Franky had apprenticed under the man who had built the Oro Jackson, or that he might have posed any kind of threat to the World Government other than being too loud, both visually and verbally. Then again, the cyborg had a soft side, as well – he was the first one to burst into tears at hearing a sad or bittersweet story.
At first, Law had thought that the ship’s surgeon was a human who’d eaten the Raccoon-Raccoon fruit or something, but he’d gotten it backwards. The manically cute little creature was a reindeer who’d eaten a Human fruit, granting him his ability to transform and fight when necessary; the intelligence to study medicine and learn about the dangers of consuming too much refined sugar; and one other hallmark of humanity: the insufficient willpower necessary to stop himself from dumping half the sugar bowl in his tea and shoving his mouth full of sweets anyway.
Usopp, alias Sniper King, the sniper and tinkerer, was a little enigmatic, too, in the sense that he wasn’t enigmatic at all. The kid wore his heard on his sleeve, always half-joking and half-serious, scared of both everything and nothing. Law knew that on a crew as small as the Strawhats, every man had to be more than worth his salt – perhaps Usopp made up for his conspicuous lack of courage with wits, or mechanical skill – but whenever anyone needed a hand with anything that day, Usopp was the first to offer his.
Even though Nami was known at large as the cat-burglar of the crew, she was actually their navigator and more than half of their common sense. Nami had had a little bit of a reputation, too. They said she used to run with Arlong in the East Blue, and Arlong was a monster. Law had expected Nami to be a hardened criminal, a professional sexpot, the sort of woman who used charisma to get by. She was charismatic, but not in the classic cleavage-and-curves kind of way. She was warm and bubbly and feisty, the kind of girl who was both too smart and too sure of herself for most people to handle.
Then there was Nico Robin. The Devil of Ohara, who had taken down five Navy vessels as a mere child of eight. There had been a time when Law had coveted that sort of power – he still did, at times – but of everyone on the Strawhat crew, the picture everyone painted of Robin was the most inaccurate.
She had a cool quiescence about her, but she wasn’t the ice queen Law had expected. She smiled at her crewmates, her friends. She made conversation with them that went beyond just small-talk. She laughed. Later, she tended her flowers. And when Momonosuke came up to her and asked her what varieties she was growing, she knelt down next to him, smiled, and spent a good half-hour showing him, answering his questions, letting him reach out and touch her work, even allowing him to pick a few and tuck them behind her ears.
The Devil of Ohara has a flower garden. And it’s beautiful.
Black-leg Sanji was a surprise, too. Law had heard that the Strawhats’ cook was kind of an asshole – and he was – but again, all it took was five minutes on the Sunny and Black-leg already had tea and sandwiches made for the whole crew – Kin’emon, Momonosuke, and Law included.
The remarkable part wasn’t the food – although it was miraculous in and of itself – it was the way Black-leg brought it out to his crew. He brought each person on board a tray all their own, each one unique, each one arranged with an easy elegance.
He knelt down to offer tea to Robin and Nami while the girls sat on the lawn, and climbed all the way up the figurehead wile carrying a plate of drumsticks, rice, and mango juice for Luffy. He described all the new types of food to Kin’emon before the samurai nodded, shouted a brief Itadakimasu! and dug in. He had cut all the vegetables he served to Momonosuke and the little reindeer into fun shapes, and served the Soul King an extra glass of milk with his tea service.
And when Law had blurted out that he didn’t like bread – not even that he couldn’t eat it, just that he didn’t like it – it had only taken Black-leg an extra three minutes to pull together a plate of the best goddamn rice balls Law had ever had. And Law hadn’t even been sure the cook had heard him.
The man didn’t just make lunch, he served it. And he served it with an incredible amount of care and grace.
After everything, after plotting a course for Dressrosa and discussing plans, after finishing lunch, Law spotted Zoro plop himself down under one of the trees on the main deck. One of the best and fiercest swordsmen alive, a demon in human form, sat propped up against the tree, slipped his arms out of his kimono, stretched, yawned, and promptly fell asleep. Deeply asleep. Like, nose-bubble asleep. Perfectly tranquil, his legs in the sun and his head and shoulders in the shade; his scarred, bare chest rising and falling gently with the tides.
Law couldn’t help but think to himself, How vulnerable he is. He must really trust them.
Not a minute later, Law was proven right. Luffy had abandoned the figurehead, the “captain’s seat,” as he called it, and strolled over to where his first officer was snoozing. Luffy walked out of his sandals, took off his trademark straw hat, and flopped down into Zoro’s lap.
Almost unconsciously, Zoro’s arms wrapped around Luffy, and Luffy’s arms wrapped around Zoro’s. Luffy wiggled around a little, making himself comfortable, and Zoro moved his legs to accommodate. Luffy tucked his head under Zoro’s chin, and Law could have sworn that the swordsman placed a brief kiss on Luffy’s untidy black hair.
In another minute, Luffy had fallen asleep, too.
No words were spoken between them. They just fit.
They all did. They all cared for each other so, so much.
Night fell and Law was still in his spot on the bench at the bottom of the foremast. It had gotten chilly again. The Strawhats had put their coats on. Law didn’t have one. He crossed his arms and pulled the brim of his hat down, hiding his eyes.
The chest pain wasn’t horrible. The phrase moderate to severe myocardial contusion kept floating around in his brain. From a medical standpoint, he knew that he should be in sickbay. He should be on a heart and BP monitor, he should be getting oxygen and fluids and bedrest, and if he were a patient on the Polar Tang he probably would have ordered an Echo for himself – and that was all just for diagnostic purposes.
But he wasn’t on the Tang and he didn’t have the time. This was only the halfway point. He couldn’t afford to wimp out now. They’d get to Dressrosa, either drop off Caesar or not, based on Doflamingo’s call, regroup at Zou, and then they’d be alright. He’d be back on the Tang, he’d have his equipment, his stuff, his crew. His friends.
He only had to hold it together for a few more days.
Chopper stopped parading around the deck and approached Law. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Law said unconvincingly.
The little reindeer frowned. “You’re breathing pretty hard. What happened?”
“Nothing,” Law lied. “Just a little chilly.” The reindeer didn’t react. Law tried to stare the creature down, but it didn’t work. “What do you want, raccoon?” he snapped. “What’s your damage?”
Chopper’s face was hard to read. “You’re hurt,” he said simply. “I know you fought that Vergo guy back on the island.”
“And?”
“Your injuries haven’t been treated.”
“Again, and?”
“I’m a doctor, dummy!”
“Well, so am I, and I say I’m fine!”
The shouting must have drawn Luffy’s attention. “Oi, Torao!” he called. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong,” Law repeated.
Luffy pulled a face. “Woah, were you just runnin’ up and down the stairs or somethin’? ‘Cuz you seem out of breath.”
“I’m just cold, that’s all,” Law said.
It was Luffy’s turn to frown. “Nah, that’s not it. What’s the matter, Torao?”
“Right now, it’s you two bugging me!” he shouted. “Would you just leave me alone already? We’re gonna be in Dressrosa in the morning and I don’t know about you goof-offs, but I need some rest.”
“Okay,” Luffy said. “Then you can sleep in my room.”
Law almost panicked – Luffy was an idiot, but inviting him to sleep together in the captain’s quarters was way too forward, even for him – and then he remembered that the boys on the Sunny shared a berth. All Luffy had done was invite him into the bunk room.
“You built a futon into the boys’ room, right, Franky?” Luffy called.
“Sure did, brah!” Franky replied. “Actually got a couple of ‘em. The table in the seating area can fold into the floor, and all those cushions turn into a bed! It’s super-convenient!”
Luffy smiled. “Alright, let’s have a sleepover!” he declared, parading off to the dorms. Franky followed to help set up the beds, and Law got up to go inside with them and finally get out of the cold.
He had only taken a few steps when his head began to spin. He felt his legs give out from under him. Orthostatic hypotension, he thought, fuck, and his face hitting the chilled, dewy grass of the Sunny’s main deck, and then nothing.
He woke up inside one of the Sunny’s many cabins. Someone had gotten him undressed and placed him in a warm, soft bed, propped up on pillows and with a heavy quilt pulled up to his shoulders. The doctor, he presumed, had placed an IV in his left arm and was giving him saline. Minor cuts and scrapes had been bandaged up.
He turned his head. He saw a desk and cabinets full of textbooks and medical supplies. He was in the Strawhats’ sickbay. It wasn’t as sophisticated as the one on the Tang – hell, most hospitals weren’t as well-equipped as the OR on the Heart Pirates’ flagship. But the Sunny’s sickbay was cozy, just enough room for one bed and a swivel chair.
The little reindeer doctor was there, grinding something up with a mortar and pestle. And, surprisingly enough, so was Luffy. Right there at his bedside. “You alright, Torao?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m alright now,” Law said, shifting to prop himself up. He was still cold and dizzy, and it still felt like he’d been hit square in the chest with a cannonball.
Chopper made a “Tsk!” noise and brought over a tray of pills he’d prepared. “Doctorine was right,” he said. “Other doctors really are the worst patients.”
“What’s a doctorine?” Law asked.
“Just the scary old lady who taught Chopper doctor stuff,” Luffy said.
“Scary old lady?” Law was suddenly very skeptical of whatever prescription the reindeer had brought him.
“I was trained by Doctors Hiruluk and Kureha of Drum Island,” Chopper explained. Now those names rang a bell. Where the crap did Strawhat find these people?
“That’s a pretty serious pedigree,” Law said. “How long you been practicing?”
“Independently, about two years,” Chopper said. “But I did the equivalent of a residency for five.”
“That’s more training than most humans get,” Law remarked. “Impressive.”
“And I know it’s more training than you got, you big dumb-head. Because I know better than to run around with a pretty severe myocardial contusion, acting like everything’s fine.”
“And how’d you diagnose that?” Law asked.
“I told him,” Luffy said. The Strawhats’ captain was uncharacteristically stoic. He placed a hand on Law’s arm, looking at him with a mixture of concern and – something. “Why didn’t you tell us you were hurt so bad?”
“It’s not important,” Law said.
“Yeah it is,” Luffy replied. “That Vergo guy squeezed your heart really hard. And he did it a bunch of times. I know it hurt, but I thought you got better.”
Law almost laughed. Or, at least, he might have if he’d had the strength to. “I’m good, but I’m not that good, Strawhat.”
And there it was again, that look, like Luffy was seeing him and seeing through him and beyond him all at the same time. “I know,” Luffy said, somber. “It doesn’t matter how tough you are. Even the toughest people out there can still get hurt.” Was this Luffy’s version of contemplating mortality? What in the world had brought this on?
Chopper climbed up onto the bed next to Law and gave him the medications he’d prepared. “This is for your blood pressure,” Chopper said, pointing to each tablet in turn, “this is for pain management, and this is a sleep supplement. You probably already noticed, but I also got you a banana bag for overnight.”
The door to the sickbay opened suddenly. “The hell is a banana bag?” said the cook, as he swept into the room carrying a tray of soup and – was that liquor? “That thing you’ve got in his arm? Doesn’t look like a banana to me.”
“It’s called that because it’s nutritious,” Chopper said.
Sanji pulled a face. “Like hell it is. Here, this will get you back on your feet in no time. It’s the New Kama Kenpo Get-Well-Soon Soup. No extra sodium so it’s heart-healthy, starchy vegetables for energy and greens for vitamins, served at just the right temperature so it warms you up without burning your tongue, and it’s guaranteed not to upset an already delicate stomach.”
“Aww, Sanji, that’s really thoughtful – wait, is that booze?!” Chopper shouted. “He can’t have that!”
“It’s a hot toddy!” Sanji retorted. “It’s only got like half a shot of liquor in there! He’ll be fine!”
“He still can’t have it!” Chopper yelled.
“It’s a nightcap!” Sanji said. “Hasn’t the man suffered enough without you trying to take away his drinking privileges?!”
Law wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or thankful. The food was generous, but he felt like a little kid, sitting there with people arguing over him.
A knock came at the infirmary door. “Now what?” Chopper snarked, opening it to reveal Nico Robin holding an armful of books and a sweater.
“Sorry, is this a bad time?” she said coolly.
“Nah, but it’s definitely startin’ to get crowded in here,” Luffy said, sitting down on the bed next to Law’s feet to make room for Robin to come in.
She smiled and asked, “Feeling any better, Trafalgar?”
“I was a second ago, but now I’m not so sure,” he said, only half-joking.
Robin giggled – she giggled. “I know what you mean,” she said. “The crew can be a little much to handle at first, but they mean well. Anyway, I thought you might like to borrow a book or two while you’re on bedrest. I don’t know what you like, so I brought you some of my favorites. We have Beri, Beri, Who’s Got the Beri – that’s sort of a crime thriller – I know it sounds super corny, but it’s actually really clever – I have Across the Calm Belt – that’s a romance adventure – well-loved by single women in their thirties everywhere, if that gives you an idea of what that one’s like – let’s see – Lady Luck and Loaded Dice – historical fiction, if you can believe it, and it’s incredibly well-researched –”
Chopper interrupted her. “Robin, he needs sleep. He’s not gonna have time to read all that.”
“Especially since I left my reading glasses on the Tang,” Law said. What was that? Was he making excuses to avoid hurting her feelings? Why did he care if he offended her?
Robin only smiled more broadly. “That’s okay, I’ll leave them here. You can borrow them as long as you like, Law. And here, I think this sweater might fit you. I’m just sorry it took us so long to realize you didn’t have one with you.” She placed the books on the small table at his bedside, beside Sanji’s soup, and laid the sweater over his lap. It wasn’t especially feminine or masculine, and it actually looked very warm.
“Thanks, I guess,” Law muttered.
“You’re welcome,” Robin said. “Come on, Sanji. You heard Chopper, he needs his rest.”
Sanji flashed a confident thumbs-up. “Of course, Robin, my dear! I can only hope that the soup I made brings him half as much joy as your selfless gifts, my love!” Robin treated Law to one last smile before turning on her heel and leaving the cabin, Sanji swanning after her.
Before the door could close, though, a cybernetic leg shot out and caught it. “Woah! Not so fast, brah!” Franky opened the cabin up again and he, Usopp, and Brook squeezed inside.
“What part of He needs to rest don’t you dummies understand?!” Chopper said.
“Hold on, Chopper! We’ll just be a second!” Usopp assured him. “See, me and Franky were brainstorming and we realized something. Sickbay doesn’t have a call button!”
“Why the hell would I need a call button?” Law said.
“In case you need somethin’ while you’re in bed!” Franky said. “Usopp and I just whipped this up, see?” Franky opened his massive hand and presented Law with a tiny figurine of a transponder snail with a single pushbutton on its back. “You just push that there, and all the other snails on board will play a sound, and then we’ll know you need us!”
“Chopper’s right there,” Law protested.
“He is now,” Usopp said, “but what if he needs to get up and go to the bathroom or something? You’re in a delicate state! And in the medical world, the mere seconds it takes to finish a pee break could mean the difference between life and death!”
“It’s not that serious,” Law said through gritted teeth. “Really. I’m stable.”
“You don’t get to decide that!” Chopper scolded. “You have terrible judgment!”
“Fine, fine, I’ll take the stupid thing!” Law said, taking the miniature snail from Franky and placing it next to the books and the soup.
Luffy started rocking back and forth on the bed. “Woah, is that like a little mini transponder snail? Can I have one too? And can mine be red and have a tiny little straw hat on it?”
“We made this for Torao, man,” Franky said. “He needs it ‘cuz he’s sick. You’re not, so you don’t get one.”
Luffy deflated a little, but he nodded. “I guess that makes sense,” he said sagely. “That’s really cool!”
Chopper turned to Brook. “And why are you here?”
“To offer my services as a bard, good sirs,” Brook said. “It’s a little too late in the evening for a lullaby, and too early for reveille, but perhaps I could play you a ballad? Something sweet and familiar to send you off to dreamland. Any requests, Master Trafalgar?”
“I don’t. Need. A lullaby.”
“Oh, I know!” Brook said. “How about The Flowers of Minehonna?”
“No, thank you,” Law said emphatically.
Brook finally seemed to take the hint. “I – well, that’s alright. The sounds of the ship at sea are their own kind of music, aren’t they? Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho. In that case, I’ll take my leave. Gentlemen?”
Brook, Franky, and Usopp all left the cabin together.
“Finally,” Chopper sighed. “Okay, let me get you some water for that medicine I’d like you to take.”
“I hope it’s not as gross as the stuff I had to take last time I got sick,” Luffy said. “I think I was nine or ten and I got a cold, so Dadan made me this really yucky medicine with frog eyeballs and bees’ wings and stuff –”
No sooner was the water in Law’s hand than another knock came at the door. “Hello? Are we too late?” It sounded like Nami. Before Chopper could protest, Luffy stretched his arm out and opened the door. It was Nami, and she had Momonosuke with her.
“I hope we didn’t wake you,” Momonosuke said.
“Nah, Torao’s awake already,” Luffy said, retracting his arm. “What’s up?”
Momonosuke paused, and looked up at Nami for reassurance. She gave him a thumbs up and nudged him into the room. “I – I made this for you, Sir Law,” Momonosuke said, pulling a tiny paper scroll out of his sleeve. “To speed your recovery. Please accept this.”
Law took it from the small boy and unrolled it. It was a wall scroll, finely made and decorated, but inscribed with messy, childish characters, the ink too heavy in some places and too light in others, lines veering off where they ought to have stayed straight.
“You made this?” Law asked.
“I did!” Momonosuke said. “And my father helped with the kanji.”
“What does it say?”
Momonosuke turned pink. “Demons Go Away and Leave Law-hakase Alone.”
Law blinked. “You know I’m not sick because of demons, right?”
Momonosuke turned pinker. “I know – but my father said that sometimes men of science overlook these things! So I wanted to make sure that you were safe, just in case there are any demons.”
Nami giggled behind her hand. This was getting to be too much.
“Thanks, Momo,” Law said. “I’ll, uh, I’ll hang it up right here, okay?”
Momonosuke beamed. “Excellent! I’m so glad you like it – I’ll tell my father, and he’ll be happy to hear that you’re taking your health seriously!”
Nami was laughing silently, so hard that she was almost in tears. But she managed to hold it back when Momonosuke turned to her and took her hand, leading her away. “Night everyone,” Nami called over her shoulder. “Don’t stay up too late, boys. We’ll be at Dressrosa tomorrow afternoon.”
The door closed behind her and all was quiet. There was no more knocking, no more surprise interruptions. Law was finally able to take the medicines that Chopper had prepared for him, let the reindeer take his radial pulse, blood pressure, O2 saturation, and temperature.
After all was said and done, Chopper left the sickbay for the night. “He’ll be okay for now, Luffy,” said the reindeer. “I’ll come back in a few hours, okay? But if you need me before then, don’t wait to come and get me!”
“I won’t!” Luffy said. “Especially ‘cuz it’ll give me a chance to use Franky and Usopp’s new invention!”
Law caught the exasperated look on Chopper’s face. “Don’t worry, doc,” he said. “I’ll keep him away from it.”
Chopper sighed again, said his goodnights, and headed to the boys’ dorm.
Luffy and Law were alone.
Strawhat got up off the bed and placed Sanji’s tray on Law’s lap. “Better eat it before it gets cold. Sanji hates it when people waste food.” Law ate while Luffy found a tack and hung up Momonosuke’s scroll. “Isn’t Sanji’s cooking the best?”
It was exceptional. Everything about the Strawhats was. From their courage to their character, their ideas, their inspiration, and the way that they were all just so, so exceptionally kind to one another.
Law began to wonder what karma he’d cashed in, meeting the Strawhats right when he had needed them most. Maybe it was the D in his name. Maybe it was the D in Luffy’s.
After Law was done, Luffy took his plate and brought it back to the kitchen, which was surprisingly well-mannered of him. “Sanji said I have to bus my own dishes if I’m not eating in the kitchen,” he explained, plonking back down on the edge of the bed. “Anyway, ready to get tucked in?”
Tucked in? Tucked in? “What’re you talking about?”
“You know, like,” Luffy made a sweeping motion with his hands. “Tucked in.”
Oh, God. “I’m good, you don’t have to do that.”
Luffy ignored him. He stretched his arms up to the head of the bed, fluffing the pillows beneath Law’s head and pulling the quilt back up to his chin. “You comfy?” Luffy asked.
“Yeah,” Law said.
“Good,” Luffy grinned.
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
“You can go to bed, now, Strawhat,” Law said.
“I know,” Luffy replied, obviously not getting the hint.
“In your own bunk.”
“I know,” Luffy repeated.
“So why are you still here?”
“’Cuz you’re on my ship,” Luffy said. “And since I’m the captian, it’s my job to make sure you’re safe.”
“I am,” Law said. “You can leave, Luffy. Go make sure Cesare hasn’t broken out of his cuffs or something.”
“I don’t need to. Zoro’s watchin’ him. He’s keepin’ an eye out for Mingo, too.” So that’s why the swordsman hadn’t made an appearance with the rest of the crew. “Him and Kin are gonna take turns stayin’ up.”
“Alright, then. Sounds like you’ve got all your bases covered.”
“Sure do.”
“So, good night,” Law said.
“’Night, Torao,” Luffy echoed, but still he sat there at the end of the bed.
Law couldn’t help but doze off. The sleep aid and pain meds the reindeer gave him must have been decent. It was better than being in pain all night, though.
As he was drifting, within those few minutes that bridge consciousness and sleep, he felt Luffy’s weight shift on the bed. He adjusted the blankets again. He placed a gentle hand on Law’s forehead. He hummed contentedly.
Law had fully expected to have to go into this thing alone. If it weren’t for the Strawhats, he’d probably be freezing, hungry, clinging to life on a raft or some driftwood off the coast of Punk Hazard – that is, if he’d have been able to escape the island at all. But here he was, safe and warm, well-fed, and, much to his surprise, in the company of people who seemed to care about him.
He began to think his plan might not have to be a suicide mission after all.
Law was grateful. He almost couldn’t believe it, but he was. He’d needed help, and the Strawhats had risen to the occasion – and not just with the alliance thing. It would have been easier and more convenient for them to have left him on the deck after he’d passed out – maybe prop him back up and drape a blanket over him – but here he was, here they all were, safe and at peace with each other and the sea – even if it was just for a little while.
They just were.