Chapter Text
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
— “Late Fragment” by Raymond Carver
The celebration of Luffy becoming the Pirate King had been going on for what felt like days, though Law knew it had only been hours. In the wake of the Straw Hats, aided by the reunited Hearts, finding Laugh Tale, the allied crews plus the Straw Hat Grand Fleet and other friends Luffy had made along his trek through the Grand Line had come together to party. The gathering had turned into something like a festival with games and even small rides put together through the joint efforts of Franky, Usopp, Ikkaku, and Uni. Food and drinks had been flowing since before sundown, and once the sun had set, the fireworks had begun.
Law had warned his crew to be careful—he wasn’t going to be reattaching any lost limbs for drunken idiots—but otherwise he’d left them to enjoy themselves. He’d never been one for parties, but he couldn’t begrudge his crew this chance to unwind and celebrate, especially after everything they’d been through at Winner Island and after at Hachinosu. For his part, Law had been content to sit off to the side, watching the goings on and nursing a drink; outside looking in was his preferred location at most gatherings since he didn’t particularly enjoy the loss of control that came from getting drunk, and drunk people grated on his nerves.
Bepo had joined him after a while, and though Law had encouraged him to join the others, the mink had claimed he was tired and wanted to rest. Law had seen right through the excuse but hadn’t called him on it; Bepo had been particularly protective of Law since he’d nearly died after Winner Island, and Law, though he’d never admit it out loud, found the attention comforting. Bepo had always been a grounding presence in Law’s life.
It was after midnight that Law first decided enough was enough; he was happy that Luffy had accomplished his dreams and was proud to have been there when it happened, but his nerves could only take so much chaos. Bepo was dozing behind him, and Law gave his friend a fond pat on the side before pushing himself to his feet. Before he could take even one step, though, Luffy—clad in that blue coat he’d first worn on Wano that had made Law’s breath catch in his throat—was suddenly there, all warm, raucous laughter as he wrapped his arms around Law.
It said something, Law thought absently, that nothing about this situation surprised him, but he wasn’t willing to dig any further into that right now.
“Shishishi, Torao isn’t leaving, are you?” Luffy laughed, his eyes reflecting the bright lights of the party.
“I’m tired, Straw Hat-ya.”
Luffy pouted. “But it’s not a party if you’re not here.”
Law snorted. “I don’t believe that for a second. You can party without me. You should,” he added at Luffy’s put out expression. Law had no idea why Luffy was so determined that Law should stay, considering how little Law had actually participated in the celebration—this one or any of the other parties Law had been subjected to while allied with the Straw Hats.
“It’s not the same without Torao,” Luffy argued. “You’re my ally. You should be here.”
“I’ve been here—” Law started.
“I wouldn’t be here without you. Please stay? Just a little longer?”
“Fine,” Law sighed—because he was a weak man, unable to say no when Luffy was looking at him so softly, like Law’s presence was the most important thing in the world to him.
Luffy immediately brightened. “Great!” But when Law tried to return to his spot leaning against Bepo, Luffy tightened his rubbery grip with a mischievous grin and tugged Law toward the center of the party.
As Law was pulled into the crowd of revelers, he found drink after drink being shoved into his hands as Luffy whisked him around. When they ran into Zoro and Nami setting up a drinking contest, Nami tried to bully Law into joining, but Law managed to beg his way out by promising to bet on her. When Zoro made a face, Luffy vowed to bet on him. Luffy laughed and whooped as his nakama downed drink after drink, but Law came out ahead on that bet.
As Luffy pulled Law away from bar, the first notes of “Bink’s Sake” floated across the night air. Luffy’s eyes widened, and he grabbed Law’s hands and whirled him around with a joyful laugh before pulling him so close that their foreheads were nearly touching.
“Torao’s smiling,” Luffy whispered.
Law blinked, feeling his ears go pink—and not just from the alcohol, though he could feel that making his head fuzzy. “Am I?”
“Shishishi, yes,” Luffy replied, reaching up slowly to rest a hand against Law’s neck. Law shivered at the touch, though Luffy radiated warmth. “I like it when Torao smiles.”
“I…”
Then there was a loud crash somewhere in the distance, and both Luffy and Law looked up as drunken cheers broke out for whoever had caused the damage, breaking the spell. Law swallowed when Luffy looked back at him with a sparkle in his eye, but he let Law’s hand go, as though he knew Law had been pushed enough for the time being.
By the time Law made it back to Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were slumped against the mink. Law dropped down into the space between them, eyes shutting for a moment as he relished the comfort of having his closest friends safe and back with him, savoring the warmth of these incredible people at his sides and back, before opening his eyes once more.
Without meaning to, Law’s gaze immediately sought out Luffy amidst the crowd. The new Pirate King was twirling around with Chopper now, the little reindeer completely pulled off his feet as he giggled, eyes screwed shut against dizziness. Luffy was also laughing, but when he caught Law’s eye, his expression softened. Law’s neck tingled where Luffy’s hand had momentarily rested, and he absently reached for it before dropping his hand when he realized what he was doing.
Law had definitely had too much to drink.
Shaking his head, he leaned further back against Bepo, allowing a small smile to pull at his lips when Bepo murmured something about fish in his sleep. Law let his eyes slide shut, content for the first time in… well, a long time. He must have dozed off, though, as he was pulled back into semi-wakefulness some time later by nearby voices.
“So, Mr. Pirate King, you’ve conquered the Grand Line. What comes next?” someone called.
“Shishishi, I’m going to get Torao to marry me!”
There were laughs and wolf whistles, and Law squinted his eyes open; thanks to the alcohol in his system, the words were taking longer than usual to register. Once they did, though, he rolled his eyes, certain Luffy was teasing him. In the time they’d known each other—a little over a year now, though to Law it felt like a lifetime—Luffy had never shown any romantic inclinations toward anyone…
He thought briefly of the touch on his neck and “I like it when Torao smiles” but immediately shook it off. It didn’t mean anything. This was Luffy—the man who had the world’s most beautiful woman in love with him but had no interest. He loved the sea and adventure, sure, and he loved his nakama—something he considered Law, much to Law’s chagrin at times—but in love? Impossible.
Besides, Law wasn’t about to be anyone’s queen, pirate or otherwise. He snorted a bit drunkenly at the thought before calling, “You’ll have to catch me first, Straw Hat-ya.”
Rather than the amusement Law was expecting to hear in response, though, there were gasps and even some cheers. Next to him, Penguin and Shachi both inhaled sharply. Law fully opened his eyes then and sat up with a frown. But when he met Luffy’s eye, Luffy was grinning widely like he’d already won something.
“You’re on!”
“Congratulations, Trafalgar!”
Law huffed in annoyance, his grip flexing against the mug of coffee he’d been nursing since he’d pulled his hungover ass off the ground, careful not to disturb his friends, and made his way through the piles of sleeping pirates to the kitchen. It seemed like every few minutes, someone else was offering congratulations, and he had no idea why. His head was also throbbing, his insides were queasy, and his mouth was cottony; he was not in the mood for whatever this was.
“Morning, Captain,” Jean Bart said quietly, taking a seat next to Law. He had his own cup of coffee, the mug dwarfed by his large hands.
Law hummed in response as he shut his eyes and took another gulp of coffee. Jean Bart’s company was welcome; the man knew how to be quiet and read a room.
“Congrats on the engagement,” someone called in passing.
Law opened his eyes and muttered under his breath. Next to him, Jean Bart was chuckling quietly. Law glanced at the other man out of the corner of his eye, briefly wondering if he needed to reassess his earlier judgment of his company. “What?”
“Nothing,” Jean Bart replied, though there was still a small smile playing at his lips. “It’s just an unusual reaction to receiving well wishes.”
“I don’t know what I’m getting congratulations for,” Law grumbled.
“Captain,” Jean Bart said slowly, “you realize you initiated a pirate betrothal with Straw Hat last night, right?”
Law stared blankly at Jean Bart for several beats, trying to make the words make sense. Even with several more gulps of coffee, the words still didn’t come together in a way that Law could parse logically. Finally, he shook his head. “No,” he decided. “I am too hungover for this nonsense.”
Jean Bart chuckled. “The Betrothal Chase is a longstanding courting tradition between pirates.”
When the punchline didn’t come, Law finally realized, “You’re serious.”
“Very,” Jean Bart replied, smiling distantly. “I oversaw a few chases in my time as captain, though I never took part myself.”
“What… does it entail?” Law asked, curious in spite of himself.
“Tradition tells us that because we pirates are a greedy sort, any pirate who wants to marry another must take what they want.”
An ugly feeling twisted in Law’s chest at that, mind briefly going back to Doflamingo’s possessive tendencies and his desire to take and own and Cora-san once telling him, “I don’t like the way he looks at you.” When he was younger, he hadn’t really known what that meant, but when he’d found himself chained to the Heart seat, Cora-san’s words had come back with startling clarity.
Jean Bart must have read Law’s reaction because he quickly assured, “Nothing like that, Captain.” Then the larger man winced. “Well, it may have started like that,” he acknowledged. “But no longer. These days, the Betrothal Chase is just what it sounds like: a pirate who wants to marry another must first catch the object of their affection in a chase. It’s more a game than anything—a bit of sport for those courting and the crew.”
“The crew?”
Jean Bart nodded. “The pirate being chased gets to set the rules of the chase. The crew is often brought in as part of the game on both sides of the chase.” His eyes twinkled. “Sometimes the chase is over in minutes as the chasee puts up a token resistance while in others it can take weeks, covering multiple islands. Either way, there’s usually a big party to celebrate afterward.
“The most famous Betrothal Chase was between the previous Pirate King and his beloved,” Jean Bart continued. “Rouge led Roger on a chase all the way through the Grand Land back to her home island in the South Blue before she let herself be caught.” He smiled slightly, glancing at Law. “And I guarantee Portgas D. Rouge didn’t do anything she didn’t want to.”
“So, last night. When I told him that he’d have to catch me…” Law said haltingly, his hungover brain sluggishly processing what he was hearing.
“You set the chase in motion,” Jean Bart confirmed. “Sorry, Captain.” He grinned. “Or, should I say, congratulations?”
“Fuck you,” Law muttered without any heat, and the other man laughed softly. Law was quiet for a few moments as he considered what he’d learned. “There’s no way Straw Hat-ya knew all that, is there?”
For his part, Law hadn’t exactly spent much time contemplating pirate traditions—especially not those related to pirate courtship. His focus had been on becoming the best doctor he could and mastering his Devil Fruit while plotting to avenge Cora-san. Romance had never even been on his radar, especially when he hadn’t expected to live beyond confronting Doflamingo on Dressrosa.
(Law’s experience with romance was limited almost exclusively to what he’d witnessed of his parents’ relationship before Amber Lead had overtaken Flevance. He’d been too young to give much thought to their marriage back then, and now he’d never have a chance to ask what their first date had been like or who had proposed to whom.)
But if Law had been unaware, then wasn’t it likely that Luffy was, too? That maybe this whole thing was just a misunderstanding, the whim of a newly crowned Pirate King? Maybe this whole clusterfuck could be salvaged.
“Hey, Torao!”
Law started hard, spilling coffee over the rim of his mug and onto his hand. He cursed and immediately opened a small Room to remove the steaming liquid from his skin. He glared up at Luffy, who was watching him with amusement. Law’s ears burned from embarrassment that he hadn’t noticed Luffy’s approach, and he used his free hand to tug his hat down.
“Straw Hat-ya, about last night—”
“I’m so glad Torao accepted!”
Law glanced up at Luffy from beneath the brim of his hat, and Luffy was grinning widely at him, though his expression had gone soft again as he looked at Law. Something inside Law’s chest tightened, and he glanced away again, completely out of his depth with what to do with that.
“I wasn’t sure…” Luffy trailed off for a moment, and Law frowned at the sudden hesitance in his voice. He peered back up at Luffy, and the other captain had a surprising dusting of pink across his cheeks. Law blinked in surprise. Was he… blushing?
Luffy cleared his throat. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the chase!” he said, voice rising again. “Torao’s so smart, I know it’ll be good!”
“How did you even know about that?” Law hissed, hunching in further on himself. It seemed like he was the only one who didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into the night before. And if there was one thing Law hated (besides Doflamingo because fuck him), it was not knowing something.
“Hm? Oh, Shanks told me about it! Roger had one with Ace’s mom, and Shanks was there for it. There was a big party after and everything. Shishishi, it sounded like so much fun. And now I can’t wait to have one with you!”
Thankfully, Law was saved from having to respond by Chopper calling for Luffy. The other captain gave Law a cheeky grin before stretching his arms and vaulting off in the direction of his crew. For a moment, Law sat stunned.
“Captain?” Jean Bart finally prodded, which kicked Law’s brain back into motion.
Law jolted to his feet, suddenly feeling jittery, anxious energy itching beneath his skin. “I need to think.” He lifted a hand to open a Room and shambled himself back to the ship.
“Hey, Captain?” called a familiar voice alongside a tentative knock on his door.
Law sighed. He was lying on his bed, knees bent and one leg crossed over the other, his arms crossed behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He was absently tracing the lines of paneling with his eyes; he was still getting used to the differences in the Polar Tang 2.0 (or, as Shachi, entirely too pleased with himself, had taken to calling her, the Pollar Tang) since they’d rebuilt the ship in the wake of Winner Island.
The combined efforts of the Hearts’ and Straw Hats’ engineering experts and their contacts for supplies in Wano had gotten the job done remarkably quickly, considering the complexity of the project. The new Tang was an upgrade in nearly every way mechanically, but Law would always miss the original—the one gifted to four boys looking to find their way in the North Blue, the one that had watched Law grow from an angry, broken teenager into a one-time Warlord and rival of Emperors.
“Come in,” Law called. He wasn’t going to get rid of his friends without dealing with this whole shitshow, no matter how much he just wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening.
The door opened hesitantly, and a moment later, Bepo’s head poked in. “Law?” When he saw Law on the bed, he stepped inside and was soon followed by Shachi and Penguin. The latter two looked a bit worse for wear from the night before, and Law couldn’t stop his lips from twitching at the pathetic sight. Unlike those two, Law had taken painkillers and drained several glasses of water when he’d gotten back to the ship, so his hangover was finally, blessedly, starting to recede.
Law pushed himself into a sitting position and, taking pity on his idiots, headed into the bathroom; he grabbed a bottle of painkillers and filled two glasses with water before coming back into the room. He put the bottle and glasses down on his desk and raised an eyebrow at his guests before sitting back down onto the bed. Shachi and Penguin made grateful sounds and rushed over to the desk, quickly downing the medicine and water. Once that was done, they all turned back to Law.
“So,” Shachi finally said, breaking the silence. “A Betrothal Chase.”
Law groaned and flopped back onto his back, throwing an arm over his face. His thoughts had been running in circles since he’d spoken with Jean Bart earlier that day. And then Luffy’s revelation that he’d known exactly what he was doing…
“Am I the only one who didn’t know about that?” he muttered.
“I didn’t,” Bepo said, sitting down on the bed next to Law’s hip. Law used his free hand to pat the mink’s leg in silent thanks.
“How long have you been a pirate, Law?” Penguin snorted.
Law pulled his arm down from his eyes so he could glare at Penguin, but the asshole didn’t even have the decency to lose the amusement in his expression. Law pulled his arm back over his eyes and muttered, “I’ve had other things on my mind.”
“Ah yes, revenge,” Shachi said solemnly.
“And medicine,” Penguin added.
“And the Straw Hats,” Bepo said, causing everyone to wince. Somehow, despite the two crews being allies for more than a year, their alliance still earned a place high on the list of Law’s stressors.
“It’s not like this shit is written down anywhere,” Law said petulantly.
“No,” Shachi agreed, also sounding amused; Law thought he was showing remarkable restraint by not cutting his friends into pieces. “But it’s the sort of thing you just pick up after a decade and a half on the sea.”
Law flipped Shachi and Penguin off, but the two just laughed because they enjoyed Law’s misery.
“Seriously though,” Penguin said once the laughter had died down. “What do you want, Law?”
Law blinked in surprise and sat up again to find his three oldest friends watching him. The humor was gone, and they were all watching him without any judgment.
“What?” he asked intelligently. He must still be a bit hungover, he decided, as his brain struggled with what to do with the sudden change in mood.
“Do you actually want to marry Straw Hat?” Bepo asked.
“Straw Hat might be a lot,” Shachi said, “but he’d never push you into something you didn’t want.”
Law opened his mouth to snark that Luffy almost exclusively did that, but if he was being honest with himself, he knew that Luffy only pushed him if he really needed it. Freedom was Luffy’s highest ideal, and he wanted all his loved ones to be free to make their own decisions. If Law really didn’t want to go through with this, all he had to do was say so, and Luffy would respect that.
So, what did Law want?
“I…”
He thought of Luffy’s hand on his neck again and the softness in his expression as he said, “I like it when Torao smiles.”
He thought of waking up in the Sunny’s infirmary after Winner Island, Luffy at his bedside with his hand in Law’s and righteous fury crackling just beneath his skin; according to Bepo, Luffy had sat sentinel at Law’s bedside nearly the entire time Law was unconscious in the infirmary.
He thought of Luffy finding him sitting on a balcony at the palace during the celebration in Wano and sitting down next to him; they’d watched fireworks and passed a sake bottle between them, their shoulders just brushing with each pass.
He thought of falling asleep against Luffy’s shoulder on the deck of Bartolomeo’s monstrosity of a ship on the way to Zou and sleeping blissfully dream-free—and once waking up to the feeling of Luffy’s hand carding through his hair.
He thought of sitting on the floor next to Luffy’s bed in Kyros’s cabin, body wracked with pain, only for Luffy to wake up in the middle of the night and pull Law up into the bed with him before curling up against him like a satisfied cat. “I’m glad you’re alive, Torao,” he’d murmured before drifting back to sleep, and Law had frozen.
He thought of Luffy’s tired and relieved face once Doflamingo had fallen and Law had used the last vestiges of his energy to shamble him from the sky down to the rooftop. “We did it, Torao,” he’d said. “I told you we would.”
He thought of Luffy’s wide, open grin as he’d seen Law for the first time in two years on Punk Hazard and the sudden surge of warmth that had flooded through him after months of nothing but cold.
“I don’t know,” Law finally said, dropping his gaze to the floor.
If he was being honest with himself, he’d started falling for the other captain sometime after Dressrosa, but he’d known how dangerous feelings like that could be, especially when they were for someone who would never return them. While sailing with the Straw Hats, Law had watched Luffy flit around his crew, throwing arms over shoulders, his smile wide and laughter loud for everyone that he counted among his. Law knew he wasn’t special, so he’d locked those feelings down as tightly as he could and tried his damndest not to acknowledge them.
“I care about him.” Even that admission took a herculean effort to extract from his chest. Law could feel rather than see the looks his friends were exchanging over his head. “But marriage?” He shook his head. “I doubt he really even wants to be married. It’s just one of his fancies that he’ll get over.”
And if Luffy changed his mind after Law allowed himself to want this, to open his heart in a way he hadn’t dared in a very long time, well, Law would be ruined.
“Captain…” Bepo began.
But Law kept talking over the mink. “Besides, you guys are my top priority. I’ve already been such a selfish captain. My focus needs to be on the crew. I won’t do anything to jeopardize you.” He swallowed, his hands tightening into fists as Blackbeard’s laugh echoed in his ears. “Not again.”
“For such a smart guy, you can be an idiot, you know that?” Shachi said after a moment.
Law blinked and looked up. His friends were all looking at him with varied expressions of exasperation. He wanted to duck under his hat, but he’d taken it off when he’d laid down. “What?”
“We just want you to be happy, Captain,” Bepo said. “If Straw Hat would make you happy, then that’s what we want.”
Penguin and Shachi nodded, and for a moment, Law felt his argument die on his tongue. Not for the first time, he wondered what he’d done to deserve such good friends. And really, shouldn’t that be enough? He had the most amazing crew, and he was so damn lucky they’d all survived to be with him now. They’d wanted him back even when he’d left them behind on a likely suicide mission. And they’d welcomed him back as though he still deserved to lead them after that.
After everything, these were the people he needed to put first; it was his responsibility as their captain to look out for them over his own wants and needs. And while he knew the Straw Hats were good people to whom he had trusted his own life and the lives of his crew on multiple occasions, there was something about the idea of marriage—of linking the two crews so tightly—that felt… dangerous.
But then Law thought of Luffy’s face earlier that morning.
“I’m so glad Torao accepted! I wasn’t sure…”
“I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the chase! Torao’s so smart, I know it’ll be good!”
“I can’t wait to have one with you!”
Even if, as Law suspected, Luffy didn’t really feel that way for Law, if this was nothing more than a passing whim of the new Pirate King, Law wasn’t sure he had it in him to just turn him down and see the disappointment in his face.
There had to be another way.
And that’s when Law remembered what Jean Bart said about the Chase between Roger and Rouge. If Law went through with the Chase but made it long and difficult, then Luffy would have time to realize that this was not something he wanted after all. They could call it off without hard feelings and go back to the status quo.
The status quo was safe. The status quo was something Law could handle.
Law took a steadying breath and met his friends’ eyes. “I know what I want to do.”