Chapter Text
It’s been a couple sessions since Luffy started training with Law but it only takes two for him to get accustomed to fighting once again. Not surprisingly, he’s always been a fast learner.
His calves burn as he stamps across the Fields. A large boulder emerges and hurls towards him with lightning speed. He throws his body to the side into a roll, breaking his fall swiftly. Sweat from his palms almost make him slip as he scampers back to his feet, quick to not lower his defence for even a millisecond.
Before he learnt from his brothers, he learnt from nature. He learnt from the grizzly bears with crimson-stained snouts, the sharp-eyed sparrows and the foxes in burrows. Before he learnt to fight, he learnt—
Bepo lets out a snarl, baring his triplet set of fangs with an ominous rumble. Luffy can’t help the animalistic sound he returns. He lunges forward, propelling his legs against the ground into a tall leap. The vantage point in the air gives him a bird’s eye view of the meadow, shrinking the mountainous white hellhound ever so slightly.
—to hunt .
Bepo’s middle head raises its jaw and opens wide — a gaping maw of saliva and sharp teeth. It almost catches Luffy off guard. He falls straight into the beast’s awaiting mouth. Darkness consumes him and his arms instinctively reach for stability. He ends up hanging precariously onto one of Bepo’s large fangs. With a swing, he thrusts his leg forward and aims a snappy kick at the roof of Bepo’s mouth.
The wet cavern surrounding Luffy trembles and with a mighty howl, Bepo spits him out.
Luffy drops to the ground with a splat. A distance away, Bepo shakes his snouts as if to will the pain away. His ears droop and his eyes are squeezed shut. Luffy blinks owlishly up at the sky.
A calm voice eventually greets his ears. “You’re in good shape.”
Law steps beside him, looking down at the spreadeagled boy. His head is haloed by the muted luminescence of aquamarine fog. White puffs of light held up by tall stalks brush against his torso.
As Luffy’s chest rises and falls, Law observes him quietly. Spring, he thinks, is crueler than he recalls. In contrast to the imagery of vibrant wildflowers, the sun-filled land too becomes the ideal hunting ground for predators aching for fresh blood after a season’s worth of patience. He hadn’t fully realised that until he saw Luffy in action.
“Don’t get complacent. You’re still far from ready,” Law warns.
Luffy laughs out loud, eyes crinkling into crescents. The whispered voices around him slide across his skin like a gentle breeze. He heaves himself to a sitting position, cheeks sore from how hard he’s smiling. He’s forgotten just how much fun sparring is. Even now, his adrenaline-fuelled heart continues drumming rapidly in his own chest, still eager for another round.
His heart.
It’s strange to think that there’s now a foreign artery nestled comfortably within his ribcage — a piece of Law inside him at this very moment. Is Law’s heart racing alongside his too?
“You can take a short break,” Law says dismissively. “There’s still more to learn.”
Luffy hops to his feet and bounds over to Bepo, who is still grieving over his latest injury. He perks up when he notices Luffy approaching, his large fluffy tail already wagging enthusiastically. Luffy gestures for him to come closer and instantly, three dog heads lower to meet him at eye level. He sinks his fingers into his white coat and gives him a good rubbing.
“Good fight today!” Luffy praises as Bepo leans into his touch happily. He barks in agreement.
They’ve naturally become fast friends over the past few weeks after so many rounds of sparring; Bepo took a liking to Luffy’s jubilant energy and Luffy happens to like big dogs.
Law watches all of this happen with barely concealed disgruntlement. He murmurs something under his breath that sounds an awfully lot like “Of course he gets along with the dog.”
The ears on Bepo’s left head twitches and he turns to lick Law’s face, leaving a trail of slobber on his cheek.
Frowning, Law pushes his nose away. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Luffy breaks away from Bepo’s soft fur. “What’s next?”
Law wipes the saliva off his face with undisguised exasperation. “Combat aside, you also need to brush up on your divine powers. And that’s not even counting the comprehensive history of Olympus and the world.” He counts off his fingers as he lists them out. “It‘ll be easier for you to study as long as we break down everything into different eras—“
“Study?” Luffy parrots, aghast. His jaw drops into an open-mouthed frown. “That’s so boring!”
“It’s necessary,” Law insists. He folds his arms. “How else do you expect to catch up when you’re already so far behind?”
Luffy shakes his head vigorously. “We should do something more fun. We should—“ He gasps, eyes gleaming as he’s suddenly struck with an epiphany. “We should go out!”
Law frowns. “What?”
Luffy skips towards him, a wide grin plastered on his face. His body vibrates with excitement. Instinctively, Law takes a step back. Bepo, who lost their attention, decides to rest his head on his paws for a breather.
“Up there!” Luffy emphasises his point with both index fingers raised. “I always come down here. So let’s hang out upstairs for a change.”
He’s always had to make the effort to visit the Underworld, but since recently, they’ve just been cycling through the same haunts. A change of scenery would be a lot more interesting! He’d get to tour Law around his beloved home and introduce him to all his favourite places.
However, as swiftly as Luffy sounded the idea, he was quickly shot down — as if on reflex.
“No.”
Just one word.
Luffy tilts his head. His arms droop back to his side. “Why not? You can’t leave?”
He thought that Law would at least take a moment to consider it. In fact, he can already see the imaginary crows in Law’s head — which Luffy has dubbed a very real and integral part of his thought process — milling around.
“It’s not that,” He retorts. It seems like he doesn’t want to entertain the conversation any further.
Of course, Luffy’s not having any of it. With a hum, he takes a step forward and bores his eyes intently at the other. Truthfully, he’s a little curious about what kind of strange excuse Law has thought up in his head this time.
In response, Law looks subtly uncomfortable — no, Luffy’s noticed this behavioural pattern often enough. Not uncomfortable, guarded . A funny guy, he is.
He thinks too much, Luffy muses. But wasn’t there that one time that Law invited Luffy to hang out? It was such a blast! They did so much stuff together!
He cracks a smile. What was the word that Torao used?
Oh!
Luffy takes Law’s wrist, eyes alight with reinvigorated fervour, and squeezes gently. The corners of his eyes crinkle as his grin stretches to the bulbs of his cheeks. “Torao, let’s go on a date!”
Law blinks. His pupils shrink unto themselves. Unknowingly, his lips part, forming an inaudible vowel.
Then suddenly, Luffy finds his surroundings transformed. Gone are the Fields of Mourning and back are the familiar sights of green grass and the ever expanding blanket of flowers. An echo of a finger’s snap lingers faintly in the air.
He flops awkwardly onto the soil.
Huh?
The sun still looks high in the sky. It’s earlier than the usual time Law sends him back.
He jumps to his feet and brushes the dirt off his calves. Absent-mindedly, he stretches his arms over his head and bounces his feet to prepare for the run home. Foosha Village is just a stretch of forest and mountain away.
Maybe Torao got busy, Luffy ponders. Strangely, his heart seems to be thrumming rapidly inside his chest. He’s not even started running yet. There’s no reason for it to be acting this way.
Then, a funny thought crops up in the corner of Luffy’s mind. It makes him let out a breath of laughter.
Maybe it’s not his heart. He cricks his neck one last time before starting his journey proper. His footsteps feel inexplicably lighter. Maybe it’s someone else’s artery.
“So that’s what happened.”
Luffy swings his legs back and forth as he briefly recounts his experience. A dark fragrant aroma wafts from the opposite end of the polished wooden table, following a rising trail of steam. Across him is an elegant porcelain cup, rimmed and intricately hand-painted with gold powder. Luffy’s seen that design in Sanji’s kitchen before.
A delicate hand curls over the handle as Robin stirs the cup with a tiny spoon.
“Interesting,” she comments.
She raises the cup to her lips and takes a sip. Her satisfied expression leaves Luffy curious. Every time he visits the library, Robin, the sole librarian, always has the same hot drink on her desk.
”Coffee,” she said, ”or at least, the closest thing to it. ” Somehow, she’s also managed to keep Luffy from trying it.
It’s not uncommon for Luffy to visit his other Underworld friends before his training sessions. However, it’s the first time — second time? — he’s been immediately accosted and whisked away. Now he sits inside a multi-tiered dome room, filled with rows upon rows of towering bookshelves stuffed with leather-bound book spines. They all circulate around the center in whimsical spirals.
After savouring the coffee on her tongue, Robin sets her cup back onto the saucer with a clink. “As far as my memory goes, Lord Hades has never left the Underworld,” she says.
Luffy tilts his head. “How far does your memory go?” he asks.
Robin smiles serenely. “It’s not wise to ask a woman her age, Persephone.”
“Really?” he asks bewilderedly before adding a remark as an afterthought, “and just call me Luffy.”
The others have gotten around to calling him by his real name one way or another — sans Brook, who slips up from time to time — but Robin has always been silently stubborn. It seems like no matter how hard he insists, she doesn’t budge on her name of choice. He doesn’t get it at all.
The curve in her smile deepens. “Do you not like being Persephone?” In the deep waves of her ocean blue eyes, her dark pupils swirl like whirlpools, like a temptation seeking to entrap those naive enough to pry further.
Rather than not liking… he ponders.
Luffy remembers having a similar conversation with Zoro before when they first met.
“How’s it being a God?”
“Weird,” Luffy had responded. “I don’t like it.”
“Not a fan of being worshipped?”
“I just want people to talk to me normally. I’m Luffy. Not Persephone.”
He’s not stupid. There’s plenty of things he’s been forced to acknowledge since the moment he stepped foot into the Underworld. Uncomfortable truths that poked holes in the sheltered bubble of his little home.
Even as he explores the plains, the valleys, the rivers and caves around him, it seems that the hole he desperately tries to climb out of only sinks deeper. The world that exists outside of him is far more vast and mysterious than he could have ever imagined. He walked on a dune of sand and foolishly believed that he’s traversed a desert.
Perhaps that was just another layer of protection that his brothers caged him in.
He’s always been assured in himself and the people he loves. He hangs onto his brothers, because for most of his life, they were all he had. And that might have been his downfall — too scared of being alone, he was afraid of losing the love of the only two people who would give it to him.
Being Persephone meant widening the gap that already existed between him and everyone. It meant the secrets hidden between white lies. It meant deceit from family. It meant a prophecy that wants him dead.
But now, he’s made a promise to Law — earth-shattering enough to bind their bloods and organs. And more importantly, he’s made a promise to himself, of which he’d sooner die than break. So, to be more accurate…
“I like it,” Luffy says simply. “I like Persephone.”
Because being Persephone means befriending life from the earth to sky. It means discovering the Underworld. It means finding new people, places and things to love. It means a fighting chance.
He toys with the string of his straw hat.
Robin’s smile remains fixed on her face, never twitching nor faltering. She picks up her coffee and gently swirls it. “Then there’s no problem,” she says genially. She raises the cup to her lips.
Luffy brings his elbows onto the table and rests his chin on his palms. His legs, which had taken a pause earlier, resume swinging back and forth. “But it’s different,” he says, “You say Persephone differently.”
Robin’s hand pauses in its tracks. The cup stills before she can take another sip. Gradually, she sets it back down. “…Differently?” she asks.
Luffy sticks out his tongue. “Yeah! Everyone was weird like that too.”
Her eyes close to form crescents on her smiling face. Her hand still rests curled around the handle of her cup, but she doesn’t move to drink. “Could you explain what you mean?”
Hmm. It’s just a feeling he has. He hadn’t really thought too hard about putting it into words so it takes a moment to construct a meaning in his head. “It’s like you’re…” He mumbles and purses his lips in contemplation. How can he describe it?
Then, his eyes widen dramatically.
“It’s like secretly eating a rice ball!” he exclaims with a snap.
“Oh?”
“You want to eat it but you don’t want to get into trouble. So you just eat a little bit of the rice outside. But in the end, the filling inside doesn’t get eaten. And you don’t actually know what it tastes like.”
Luffy concludes his explanation with a self-satisfied nod. “When everyone calls me Persephone, it’s like they just want to eat the rice outside.”
This food analogy is making him hungry. Should he ask Sabo for rice balls once he gets home?
For a moment, Robin’s expression is stagnant. Then, she covers her mouth and breaks into laughter. Her voice is as melodious as the morning birds and her hair sways with the tremors. Luffy doesn’t quite understand but he perks up at her visible happiness.
As her laughter quietens, she makes eye contact with Luffy once more, her blue eyes tranquil like still waters. “Do you know the origins of my name, Persephone?” she asks.
Luffy blanks. What a funny question.
“Robin is Robin,” he says.
“I meant my title.” She picks up her coffee cup again and this time, she takes a long sip. The steam has long faded into faint wisps over the course of their conversation. “Us spirit guides — those with special roles and positions — have two names.”
Luffy hums. He always thought it was a little dumb. What’s the point of two names? That’s so complicated.
Robin has never introduced herself. But he knew her real name before he even met her. Sanji likes to speak dreamily about the dark-haired beauty that occupies the library. His deft hands put extra care into preparing a tray of petite sandwiches while a pot of coffee boils on the stove. Luffy hadn’t even known a library existed until then.
But once he got to know Robin, he took a liking to her and ever since then, her name has properly cemented itself into his brain.
“As you know, deceased souls lose their memories down here.” Robin says calmly. “We too were no different. We were once human. But for a long time, I didn’t remember that.”
Luffy doesn’t understand what she’s trying to say, but it’s the most he’s heard her speak so he lets her be. She smiles and shakes her head. “Nevermind. I was told to bring you here for a different reason,” she says, brushing the topic aside.
A hand mystically appears on a nearby shelf in a flurry of cherry blossom petals. With unnerving accuracy, it plucks out a book out of millions. Through a seamless series of sprouted arms, the book gets passed all the way down to their table. Robin receives it without batting an eye. She gracefully flips the book open and the pages flutter.
Robin’s eyes lower to the book in her hands, but her attention never strays. “We’re here to study.”
“Study?” Luffy gasps like he’s been betrayed. Agonised, he deflates and slumps forward on the table. The movement makes his chair screech against the floor. He lets out a long-winded groan.
“Noooooooo,” he whines.
Robin doesn’t say a word. She simply flips to the first page. Then, she lays the book on the table and slides it gently towards Luffy.
Still hunched over the wooden surface, Luffy’s view is extremely limited but he catches a glimpse of vibrant colours and inky brush strokes. Curious, he raises his head a little.
On the open pages, Luffy sees a pitch-black abyss like a night sky. Then in the center is an explosive firework of pigment, drawn to mimic a supernova, surrounded by various cartoon characters. At the top of the spread is a sentence in large round text: “The world started with the Primordial Gods!”
Luffy’s eyebrows jump to his hairline. The characters all have colourful clothes and wild hairstyles. They look funny.
Interest piqued, he sits up properly and flips through the pages. Similarly, they are all filled with bright and colourful pictures. Luffy can roughly understand a bit of the plot — seems like there’s a lot of arguing? — but mostly, he’s enjoying the illustrations, especially the cool fight scenes.
As he’s admiring a drawing of a castle in the clouds, a delicate hand cuts through his line of vision. Its index finger is pointed straight at one of the characters — a humongous muscular man with a white moustache in the shape of an inverted crescent. Luffy looks up at Robin wordlessly.
“Banana,” Robin says simply. “His moustache is shaped like a banana.”
Luffy’s mouth falls agape. “Ah! You’re right!” he shouts. How did he overlook this?
They continue like this, with Luffy reading the picture book and Robin occasionally piping in with a new observation.
“This one! It’s a pineapple!” he giggles as he points at a blue phoenix — the orange flames on its back and head are bizarrely standing upright. It seems like once you get down to it, everyone in this book looks just like a piece of food. He flips to the next page expectantly but shockingly finds it blank.
It’s over? he muses, somewhat disappointed.
Robin smiles. The coffee cup is almost completely drained. She takes the book in front of Luffy and closes it properly. Some of the pages are a little bent from the force and angle at which he was holding them, but she pays it no mind. Once again, through consecutively-sprouted hands, the book gets passed down and returned to its rightful place.
“We’ll meet again like this soon,” Robin says cordially.
Beaming, Luffy nods eagerly. “Okay!”
Like magic, a hand sprouts from the table with a cleaning cloth and begins wiping it in earnest. Another pair of hands lift the coffee cup so that the surface beneath it can be cleaned too. Even as Robin expertly uses her abilities, she remains unfazed.
Are we done already? Should I go see Sanji? Luffy wonders.
All this thinking about food really isn’t doing good for his stomach. Of course, Sanji still hasn’t let him take a bite of anything in the kitchen, but it’s still worth a shot, isn’t it?
He’s ready to stand up when suddenly, Robin speaks again.
“One last thing,” she murmurs, “I still haven’t answered your question.”
Question? Did Luffy ask something? He scrunches up his nose trying to recall. He doesn’t really remember.
Robin laughs lightly at his confusion. “It was implied,” she says vaguely. She takes one final sip of her coffee, leisurely finishing the drink. When the cup comes down empty, she continues with a smile.
“If you truly want to go to the surface with Lord Hades, then just ask again.”
“Ask again?” Luffy echoes.
“Yes,” Robin affirms, tapping a fingernail against her porcelain cup. It tinkles with every rhythmic tap. “I don’t think he will say no a second time.”
Her knowing blue eyes meets Luffy’s.
“After all, he even changed your study plans.” She winks slyly. As soon as she finishes speaking, she leaves the empty cup and rises gracefully from the table. Her heels clack against the floor as she walks away.
Luffy’s eyes can only follow her movement cluelessly.
He’s home today.
It’s nearing the end of July and temperatures are high. The sweltering summer sun is particularly unmerciful this year. Of course, Foosha Village typically has its warmer and cooler periods but the perfect skies have never quite been so hot before.
Luffy rests his chin on the window sill and flaps a paper fan at himself. The weak air barely does anything to cool his sweat-slicked skin. His tongue hangs out of his mouth, hoping to catch even a stray breeze.
“It’s too hot…” he complains loudly, “I’m gonna melt…”
He hears Sabo’s chiding voice from inside the house. “Sitting at the window isn’t going to help either.”
He turns his cheek to look at his brother, who’s sitting peacefully on the sofa reading a newspaper. Somehow, in this weather, he’s still wearing long-sleeved clothing, which is insane and immediately invalidates anything he has to say.
“Why do you still dress like that?” Luffy asks.
“Aesthetic,” Sabo replies succinctly as he turns a page — torn, because Luffy’s fan needed materials. Luffy sees him frown a little at whatever he’s reading.
It’s at that moment that he’s turned away that he suddenly feels something slimy press against his neck. He shrieks and falls so far back he almost rolls over, hitting his head on the hardwood floor. His legs flop on the ground with a thump.
A shadow casts over him and Luffy looks up to see Ace smugly leaning over from outside the window. In his hands is a big net of fish.
“Ace!” Luffy cries out petulantly, one hand slapped over the back of his neck. “That was mean!”
Ignoring Luffy’s cries for vengeance, Ace tosses the net through the window and jumps through, nimbly landing on his feet.
Sabo makes a disgruntled face as he stares at the expanding dark stain on the floorboards. “You’re making the floor wet.”
“Aren’t you both too ungrateful?” Ace sighs, shaking his head. “No one’s asking about my haul?”
“Woah food!” Luffy forgets his past grievances immediately and stares starry-eyed at the flopping mountain of fish. They’ve never bought this much fish before! Various seafood ideas immediately pop into his head and his mouth starts to salivate.
“Took you a while to notice,” Ace mutters. He redirects his attention to Sabo and smirks. “Guess who struck a great deal at the market? ‘Cause of the weather, they cut the price to sell everything before it went bad. This whole pile is half the cost of our usual,” he announces proudly.
“Congratulations,” Sabo hums. “You were tricked into buying their whole supply.”
“Oi.”
Sabo laughs. He folds his newspaper and sets it aside before shooting Ace a teasing look. “Kidding kidding, we’ll have a good dinner today.”
Ace grumbles to himself, still a little displeased. He looks down at Luffy, who’s sitting on the floor and drooling all over their fish. Luffy’s tank top, which he’s only just put on this morning, is already drenched in sweat. Ace nudges him with his foot.
“Hey.”
Luffy peers up like a forlorn kitten, though his pupils gradually drift back to the fish with magnetic-like attraction. Ace digs through his pockets and unearths a shiny coin.
With a flick, it hits Luffy square in the temple. He makes a wounded sound but instinctively catches the coin before it clatters on the floor.
“Get a cold drink or something,” Ace orders, “You look close to death right now.”
Sabo clicks his tongue. “Don’t say that.”
Luffy looks in wonderment as he holds up the coin between his fingers. Its metallic surface catches the sun’s rays and glares back at him. Beaming, he springs up onto his feet.
“Yahoo! Thanks Ace!”
He immediately sprints out of the house. As the door slam shuts, Ace hears the sound of metal falling and a cry of surprise. With a feeling of deep resignation, he shouts through the door.
“Don’t lose it!”
The muffled “okay!” in response doesn’t give him much faith.
Shortly after, Luffy acquires a bottle of apple juice.
He leans against a wooden fence — a broken one, propped against the side of the store he just visited. There’s a pleasant shade here, carving a small dark corner away from the sun. He sits, legs crossed and feet together, leisurely rocking from side to side to the rhythm of his own gravity. The weeds tickle the exposed skin of his calves and curl under his weight.
He’s painfully aware of the fact that half of his body is still in view of the window from his house. Every now and then, he feels a gaze pointed at him.
He takes a swig of his bottle. The sweet tartness refreshes his tongue for a blissful second, but does little to sooth his hunger.
If only I had more money! He laments internally.
To be fair, the owner probably would’ve kicked him out before he could buy anything more. She looked pretty frightened, as per most of the villagers’ reactions to him.
Moss creeps up the base of the fence post, painting its wooden skin an earthy green. Luffy goes to take another drink, only to notice the bottle is already empty. Instead, he puts the glass bottle to his cheek, savouring the remnants of its chill.
He glances ahead, where he can make out a glimpse of the shimmering blue sea down the hill. Distantly, he can imagine the sound of crashing waves and the taste of salty sea air. It won’t hurt to visit the docks, right? The wind is always cooler there since it’s unobstructed by the tall windmills around.
He chances a glance towards the house window and sees his brothers busying themselves with dinner. Previously, he would’ve just gone home and begged his brothers to take him, but the past few weeks of sneaking around has made him more daring.
As light as a feather, he abandons his bottle and scampers down the hill.
The docks are quieter than usual, not a single ship in sight. Nonetheless, there’s still a few fishermen battling the heat in the open sea. Kokoro is nowhere to be found either, so she must be taking the day off.
Luffy skips down the docks to get farther from the coastline. When he reaches the end, he toes off his sandals and plants his feet on the wooden planks. Instantly, he yelps from the scalding heat.
“Ah! Hot! Hot!”
He dances on his soles for a few seconds before seeking solace back on his sandals. This time, he decides to shuffle closer to the edge and carefully manoeuvre himself to a sitting position. He removes his sandals and hangs his legs over the edge. The sun continues its relentless assault on his skin, yet his toes just barely skim the surface of the sea.
It’s not enough.
So he jumps into the sea with a splash, spraying crystalline dust all around him. Relief washes over him all at once as the cool waters engulf him. Since he can’t swim, he decides to stay close to the pier. With one hand, he holds onto the wooden legs and floats in place. He hums an eccentric tune.
The water reminds him of the time he jumped down a waterfall in Elysium.
Torao would like the ocean. We should go together sometime, he thinks.
“—you did what?”
Suddenly, he hears a rowdy conversation overhead. He peeks over the side of the pier to see a trio of kids walking down. He faintly recognises them — they like to follow Usopp around.
They seem to be talking normally until the boy in the center says something. Whatever it is, it’s unintelligible to Luffy, but it makes all of them burst into laughter. One of them laughs so hard that he missteps and falls over into the water. Luffy feels the ripples rock his body.
This somehow makes the joke even funnier, because the laughter restarts with renewed vigour. There’s wetness on their cheekbones and the two boys on land are leaning against each other to support themselves.
Luffy ponders, was the joke that funny? Admittedly, he’s a little curious now.
“You’re— so— dumb,” one of the kids says intermittently between wheezes.
After some recovery time, the kids on the docks work together to pull their submerged friend up. They shriek with every stumble off balance.
Luffy laughs a little as he watches them.
There’s a strange feeling that comes with seeing other people having fun.
Like he’s just watching from the bottom of the sea. A sunken shipwreck with its hull mournfully lies pointed towards the surface, as if the blue of the ocean could replace the sky, even for just a second.
Very strange.
All of a sudden, he hears a loud splash.
A hand yanks the back of his shirt forcefully. When he turns around, he sees Ace with his eyebrows furrowed and lips twisted in a nasty scowl.
Too distracted by the boys, Luffy must have missed the moment Ace stepped onto the docks too.
“Ace!” he greets with a wide grin.
“Dumbass! You can’t even swim and you still decide to go into the water?” Ace snaps. He glances at the wooden leg that Luffy was holding onto — already greening with algae.
“You should join me!” Luffy says jubilantly, oblivious to Ace’s anger. “Let’s play before we go— woah!”
Ace climbs back onto the pier with one hand still latched onto Luffy’s shirt, firmly dragging him back onto land.“We’re going home,” he announces.
“It’s hot at home,” Luffy tries to counter. He pouts as he gets lugged like a sack of flour. His ankles jerk with each ridge of a plank as they slide across.
“Deal with it,” Ace says. Along the way, he snatches up his sandals too. It’s clear there’s no room for rebuttal.
As they pass by the trio of boys, Luffy’s gaze can’t help but linger.
Their laughter still rings in his ears.
The next visit to the Underworld can’t come soon enough.
“Tora-oooo” Luffy calls sweetly, dragging out his vowels. He hops onto Law’s desk and peers at the ever stone-faced ruler of the Underworld. As he tilts his head, his fringe sways to the side, falling over his wide eyes. His bright smile doesn’t falter even as Law subtly glares at him.
“I’m busy,” Law says curtly.
It’s one of those days then. Luffy rights his posture and nods to himself. He leaves his gift — a pretty salvia — on a concerningly large pool of flowers. Sometimes, Law gets caught up in work and they don’t do any training. It seems like he has to work harder to make time for their sessions.
“Then I’ll accompany you!” he declares. He starts to kick his legs back and forth and on reflex, Law moves his papers to the side. His handwriting remains impeccable despite the shaking, not a line out of place.
“Aren’t you meant to be in the library?” he asks with a tinge of displeasure. He must be aware of their schedule. Maybe he arranges their study sessions for days he’s not free.
“Robin and I finished early!” Luffy replies cheerfully.
Today, they read another picture book. This time, it contained a whole bunch of castles and temples, with knights and kings. The characters didn’t look as cool as last time but they still had funny moustaches.
Though, speaking of Robin…
“I don’t think he will say no a second time.”
Should he try it?
“Hey, Torao,” Luffy stage whispers. He shimmies closer to the edge of the desk, hoping the proximity might help in his persuasion. He looks at Law with expectant eyes.
Law, who has long since learnt that ignoring Luffy will lead to nowhere, glances at him with a sigh.“…What is it?” he asks.
Luffy whips his head around to make sure no one’s looking before leaning in. Law incidentally angles his head a little for Luffy’s benefit.
“Let’s go to the surface together,” Luffy whisper-shouts, like they were exchanging confidential information. His grin widens. “No one will know.”
Law retreats with a scoff. He focuses back on his work immediately. “Of course people would know,” he says dismissively.
It’s not a ‘no’!
Luffy pounces on the opportunity before it can slip away. “But it’s just for a day! We won’t be gone for long! And you can just finish everything when you come back!” he releases a barrage of points in rapid-fire succession. As he talks, he leans closer and closer.
His momentum is interrupted when Law flicks his forehead. “You’re too close,” he says irritatedly, “and do you really think I can just stop work for a day?”
Before Law can lower his hand, Luffy clasps it with both his palms. He channels his best puppy dog eyes — the kind that works on Ace and Sabo sometimes — and pleads with all his heart, “ C’mon Torao, please please please! It’ll be fun, promise! And Shachi can help out instead!”
Shachi, last he heard, had been assigned to Bepo grooming duty as punishment for the trick he pulled the last time. It seems like he shouldered most of the blame from the incident. Luffy hasn’t really seen him around in a while, but he still spots traces of his presence — white fur and puddles of slob scattered in the hallways. Nami’s been more peeved as of late thanks to that.
He sends a silent prayer as he passes off the burden.
Shachi, I believe in you!
Law’s expression is still frowning, but he doesn’t seem to be as resistant as before. “…Are you ever going to give this up?” he mutters.
“Nope! Never!” Luffy singsongs. He squeezes Law’s hand and feels a wave of appreciation at the familiar warmth. Faintly, he can sense it twitch within his palms.
Law wordlessly looks away. Still, even without eye contact, Luffy can see the gears in his head turning. He waits in anticipation. He doesn’t like being patient, but he’s been forced to practise the more time he spends with Law. The fact that he’s gotten this far is already a good sign!
At last, Law slides a palm over his face and lets out a deep, guttural sigh. “Under a few conditions,” he relents.
But Luffy isn’t listening. He’s already let go of Law’s hand and pumped his fists in the air. “Yahoo!” he cheers loudly.
He jumps off the desk and runs a circle around the throne room through sheer adrenaline of his hard-won triumph. When he ends up in front of Law again, he plants his hands on his shoulders and shakes hard. The aggressive motion knocks his straw hat off.
“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go now!” he shouts.
Law grabs his wrists to halt his movements. “Stop it and listen to me,” he demands. His grip tightens. “Or we’re not going anywhere.”
He glares at Luffy, threatening him to make another move. Then gradually, he lets Luffy go. In response, Luffy loosens his hold on Law’s shoulders and mimes locking his mouth with a key. For extra measure, he throws the key away too. His giddy smile is still glued to his face.
From Law’s expression, he doesn’t seem to buy his obedience.
“Three conditions,” he states while holding up his fingers. “First of all, I will choose where we go. Which means anywhere with people or nature is not allowed. It’s too risky.”
Luffy pouts but eventually nods his head. Boring.
“Secondly, don’t split off. It’ll be inconvenient for us to return if you get lost.”
Luffy nods again.
“And lastly—“ Law clicks his tongue and his forehead creases deeply. His eyes drift to an unknown corner in the room, deliberately avoiding Luffy’s eyes. “—this is not a date.”
Luffy laughs out loud. That’s it?
He readily agrees, “Okay!”
“Follow these conditions very closely.”
“Yup!”
“I’m being serious.”
“Got it!”
Law sighs once more before muttering something unintelligible under his breath. Then, he brings his fingers to mouth and blows. A low melodic whistle fills the air. In a flash, a crow materialises into existence. The red ribbon around her neck trails behind her like a comet. With a caw, she lands obediently on Law’s shoulder.
Luffy narrows his eyes once recognition kicks in.
“Bird,” he says bitterly as he reunites with his arch nemesis. Kikoku juts her beak out and squawks haughtily back at him.
Law ignores their back-and-forth. “Kikoku, tell Shachi to take over while I’m gone,” he says. After a brief contemplation, he adds another sentence. “The fate of his punishment will depend on the quality of his performance.”
Kikoku trills and bows her head. Just as quick as she came, she flaps her wings and soars to the ceiling, vanishing in a puff of black mist.
Law arranges the papers on his desk, jogging them together to keep them neat and organised. He also picks up the straw hat on the floor and presses it back onto its owner’s head. Luffy instinctively grabs the brim with both hands.
“Stay close,” Law says quietly, “we’re leaving now.”
Luffy grins and nods.
Before he can say anything more, he hears a sharp snap and a near inaudible command of “room”. Promptly, a familiar cloud of shadowy smoke envelops his whole body. A weightless sensation overtakes him before his feet find solid land once more.
When he opens his eyes, he sees a white city, devoid of any people.
The road they’re standing on is paved with smooth stone, occasionally mottled with large patches of dirt and deep cracks. Occupying both sides of the street are magnificent houses painted in colours so pure they almost seem white. Old broken lamps line the pavement, a few, still in-tact but most, completely shattered.
Luffy scans his surroundings, hoping to spot even a single head of hair. “There’s no one here?” he comments. Without looking, he takes another step forward and almost trips over a small crevice. He stumbles but swiftly rights himself.
“Not a single living soul,” Law confirms. He walks straight ahead, adeptly avoiding all the hidden cracks like he’s lived here all his life. Luffy scurries to keep up.
They stroll silently down the street while Luffy surveys the area, taking everything in with the curiosity of a wide-eyed doe. The further they walk, the more dilapidated the buildings become — missing structures, busted windows, charred marks and sometimes just irreversibly demolished. A thin fog blankets the city, making the houses and street lamps look just like hazy visages. There’s an unmistakable gloom that shrouds the entire city, only exacerbated by the grey skies looming overhead.
Ghost town, Luffy thinks, even the houses look like ghosts.
They eventually stop a distance away from a large arched bridge, presumably once made of chiselled polished stone. It hovers over a river, now murky and carpeted with fallen leaves and twigs. A large gap splits the bridge, permanently separating the town in half.
“What happened here?” Luffy asks worriedly. He gazes at the bleak scenery, voice trailing off when he notices that a dark blotch on the ground looks far too dry and coppery to be dirt.
Law, who has been taciturn this entire journey finally opens his mouth. He’s had a far-off look since the moment they arrived. “This is Flevance,” he says detachedly, like reciting a tall tale from a storybook, “Once a wealthy and flourishing kingdom before it became wrought with disease and havoc.”
Luffy doesn’t respond. The more time he spends in the Underworld, the more familiar he becomes with the concept of death, and the baggage of grief it drags along like an extra limb.
It’s at that moment that he spots something strange in the river water — something floating? Driven by morbid interest, he walks over to the railing bordering the river to take a closer look. He only catches a glimpse of pale blue when a large hand obscures his vision.
Warmth courses through his body — blazing like hellfire. Luffy can only make out minuscule gaps of light in between fingers amidst the darkness. He blinks and feels his eyelash brush against chafed skin. It sends tingles down his spine.
On reflex, he reaches up to unblind himself but his hand gets pulled back down.
Warm. It’s really warm.
“There’s some things that you can live without seeing,” a deep voice warns lowly next to his ear. Luffy can almost feel the rumble from their proximity. His heart skips a beat. It feels like it’s bouncing around his chest cavity, rattling his ribs so hard it sends reverberations throughout his entire body. At any second, it’ll burst right out of him.
“We’re going to walk away,” The voice says definitively. It lapses into silence before the sound presses closer to his ear for confirmation. “Got it?”
Oh, he can really feel the vibration now.
Dumbly, Luffy can feel himself nodding. His mind buzzes with white noise.
“Good,” the voice says.
They both take a step back together. In the odd atmosphere, each footstep sounds more thunderous than the last. Luffy’s lungs force him to take a breath. The tightness in his chest becomes the only thing to remind him of its necessity.
After a silence that lasts far too long, Luffy takes another step back only to bump into Law’s chest. They’ve stopped.
The hand leaves his face, inviting cool air. Blotches of colour appear in his blurred vision as his eyelids flutter open. It takes a moment for his eyesight to recover, only to realise they haven’t walked that far from the bridge.
That whole experience… was weird.
Regretfully, he’s still puzzled by what lies in the river. Despite his unsated curiosity, he obediently keeps his head low. Though the longer he stays here, the more he might end up looking anyway. The stone pavement is looking more uninteresting by the minute.
Perhaps Law is aware of this because he immediately starts walking in a different direction. Luffy follows hastily.
Still, he can’t hold down his inquisitiveness.
“What’s in the river?” he asks. Knowing is different from seeing, right?
“Bodies,” Law admits. He doesn’t bother hiding the truth. “Many of them were disposed of in the river.”
“Oh.”
Luffy falls silent. A heavy feeling weighs down inside his chest, like a rock sinking into deep waters. Something deeply tragic and indescribable has taken place in this city. The evidence is all around him.
His gaze falls on the God walking ahead of him and the broad back that seems to shoulder the weight of the world.
But still, Torao must have loved it if he decided to come back here, Luffy muses.
He loved this place so much that he came back even after it’s become a husk of its former self, a corpse that only keeps rotting. So it must have been a truly spectacular country.
“Hey Torao!” Luffy prances forward to catch his attention. He links their arms together. “Which part of this place is your favourite?” he asks with a grin.
Law startles. Perhaps he didn't expect the question, or he just never considered it before. He remains silent, but Luffy knows he must be properly thinking it through.
“…The hospital,” Law confesses. His voice sounds distant.
Luffy makes a noise of wonderment. “I’ve never seen one before, we should go!” he exclaims.
Foosha Village has only ever had a small clinic, manned by an old doctor. It only has one bed and all the equipment are either half-broken or outdated. It’s the reason why Usopp’s friend, Kaya, had to go seek treatment somewhere else. Funnily enough, ever since she’s returned, he’ll sometimes see the young blonde girl bumbling around the clinic too.
Law’s lips form a tight line. “It’s not much of a hospital now,” he says warily, “there’s no point in going.”
Luffy tilts his head. “But it’s your favourite, right?” He doesn’t understand the hesitation.
Law shakes his head. “Regardless, it’s not a place worth visiting.”
“Let’s just go anyway!” Luffy insists.
Law sighs. “Fine.”
The residential houses in their path gradually morph into skeletal remains of grandiose buildings, reminiscent of a city center. Luffy spots a large open space a distance away from their route. Erected in the middle is a crumbling fountain — its shape and design awfully familiar to Luffy, who’s already seen such a structure multiple times.
Law notices his gaze and decides to answer the unasked question. “That fountain was sponsored by a philanthropist. He was a particularly devout believer of Mnemosyne, the Goddess of memory and remembrance. The fountain was made in her symbol.”
Luffy smiles as he thinks of its place in the Fields of Mourning. He feels like he’s just uncovered another of Law’s secrets.
The hospital, as it turns out, is located close to the city center. And Law was not kidding about it. Where the hospital should have been is now a mounting pile of debris. A fragmented rooftop structure lays submerged in the mound like it’s being eaten alive.
The courtyard is in no better state. Most of the flowers have already withered and the hedges have overgrown into untamed blobs. Thick roots sink their fingers into the pavement crevices and moss crawl over the ground. Perhaps, due to the large greenery, the hospital remains also shows signs of flora. Vines creep up the walls of the stone walls, smearing a vivid colour on the otherwise muted debris.
Luffy and Law stand at the entrance, leaving a wide expanse of grass between themselves and the site of tragedy.
“I told you,” Law huffs. He folds his arms as he stares blankly at the view. “There’s nothing to see here.”
Luffy, however, remains unperturbed. He looks around and spots a plot of land just beside the hospital, cordoned off with rusty ivory fences. Though, what lies beyond the fence has been barricaded by overgrown leaves. Luckily, there’s a small entrance open at the side.
“What’s that?” Luffy voices out as he bounds over.
“Oi, don’t wander off,” Law calls out.
Not listening, Luffy reaches the entrance and peeks through. On the other side of the wall are several rows of graves, neglected to the point of disrepair.
Ah.
A cemetery.
Law, who catches up to Luffy slowly, doesn’t look particularly surprised. “It belongs to the hospital,” he explains, strangely knowledgeable, “for the unclaimed patients.”
Luffy’s mouth forms an ‘o’. He strolls in, observing the headstones as he walks past. Most are already fractured and unreadable. Dead petals litter the graves, accompanied by a blanket of fallen leaves. There’s only one headstone that’s survived, its name nonetheless buried under tough grime. Luffy stops there and Law does too.
Neither bird nor insect make a peep in this desolate city. None speak a word for the dead and forgotten.
“Did you know,” Law breaks the silence, his gaze forlorn towards the sea of gravestones, “that many people don’t know how to differentiate the God of the Underworld and the God of Death?”
Luffy blinks questioningly. He hadn’t even known there’s such a thing as a God of Death.
“I govern the Underworld but that doesn’t mean I personally put souls to rest. Nor do I carry them to the afterlife.” Law chuckles to himself bitterly. “But sometimes humans lose their memory and reason. So more often than not, on their deathbeds, they do not pray to Death.”
His grim smile hardens. “They pray to me.”
Cold, deafening silence.
“Another lesson, Mugiwara-ya,” he says dryly, “Gods are often born where they are needed the most. But sometimes, they may not even know what they were created for.”
He doesn’t continue after that. Luffy doesn’t even know how he should respond. They turn to leave the area, having interrupted its sanctity long enough.
It’s at that moment when they suddenly hear a loud thud, followed by an ear-splitting screech. The noise is alarmingly foreign in this uninhabited city,
They whip their heads instantly. Luffy’s eyes widen as they land on a boy with pink hair and round-frame glasses. He dons a white and blue uniform, though his clothes already look stained from the dirt.
The boy, having fallen to the floor, scrambles backwards hurriedly. Trembling, he pulls a sword from his side and holds it in front of him protectively. His eyes gleam with unshed tears. “G-ghosts! Stay back!” he yells shakily.
“Who’s that?” Luffy asks, looking to Law for answers.
Law stares unamusedly. “No idea.”
“Don’t come any closer!” the quivering boy shouts. His voice cracks in the middle of his sentence. His sword doesn’t look particularly intimidating either, with the way it wavers every time he shuffles back a little further.
Law narrows his eyes. “It’s better to leave now before he suspects anything—“
Luffy’s already walking up to the boy. “Hey, who’re you?” he blurts out.
“ Talking ghosts!” the poor boy cries. He looks like he’s on the brink of passing out. Hysterical babbling starts to fall out of his mouth as cold sweat rolls down his face. “I’m not going to live to see tomorrow. No way no way no way—“
His nonsense gets cut off when Luffy punches down his scalp.
“Ack!”
The boy whimpers and reaches up to cover his head. Rubbing the sore spot, he raises his watery eyes. “…Why did you hit me?” he asks, voice low.
Luffy shrugs. “Just because.”
He was noisy.
The boy seems to make a mental connection between the physical sensation of the punch and Luffy’s corporeality because in an instant, the fogginess in his eyes clears up and his sword clatters on the ground.
“…Y-You’re not a ghost,” he realises.
Luffy makes a small hum of acknowledgement and puts his hands behind his head in a lackadaisical manner.
The boy’s shocked expression turns into one of confusion. He gawks at Luffy from head to toe, taking in his casual clothing and nonchalant behaviour — he looks just like an ordinary boy. So what’s he doing in a ghost town like this?
“Then… who are you?” the boy asks cautiously. There’s a steely undertone in his voice that wasn’t there before. His hands latch back onto his sword handle, poised to attack at any moment.
Luffy grins. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet ya!” he greets. He nods his head towards Law, who flinches at the unwanted attention. He’s still standing a distance away, pretending to be uninvolved. “And that’s Torao!”
Law closes his eyes momentarily, as if willing himself to calm down, before approaching the duo at the cemetery entrance. The leaves and twigs crunch quietly beneath his feet. He doesn’t utter a word.
Stunned by Luffy’s sunny attitude, the boy is rendered speechless. He takes a moment to collect himself before resuming the conversation, wariness forgotten. “I’m Coby… a Marine trainee. Branch 153. Marine code 05130,” he recites on autopilot as he looks between the suspicious individuals in front of him.
When he meets Law’s cold eyes, he flinches and decides to settle for the lesser of two evils. “Um… what are you two doing here?” he asks, looking exclusively at Luffy.
“We’re—“
Luffy looks to Law, whose arms are folded and lips are sealed, but there’s a look in his eyes that promises chastisement if Luffy misspeaks. Strangely, it looks like he doesn’t intend to talk at all. What a weird guy.
Hmm… what is it that Torao said last time?
Oh!
Luffy claps his hands. “We’re not on a date!”
He hears a choked sound from behind him. Meanwhile, Coby’s expression grows more befuddled than ever before. The word “date” seems to have struck a nerve in the young boy nonetheless. Blushing, he clears his throat and tries to figure out how to react.
“Um… then Mr Luffy and Mr… Torao? U-Under the authority of the Marines, I’ll need to ask you to leave. This country is in the no-entry zone so trespassing is strictly forbidden!” Coby says assertively. He sheathes his sword back into his scabbard, having determined no threat. His moral compass doesn’t allow him to point weapons at innocent civilians.
“How come?” Luffy asks.
“How come? Uh…” Coby’s previous confidence dissipates in a flash. He rubs the back of his neck as he stumbles over a coherent explanation. “Well it’s— it’s dangerous?”
“There’s no one here,” Luffy points out.
“There could be wild animals?”
“No animals.”
“Poisonous plants?”
“Nope.”
Coby sighs like he’s decided to give up. Law gives him a sympathetic look.
“Listen…” Coby mutters, twisting his fingers into the fabric of his shirt. He looks around nervously before beckoning them to come closer. Luffy takes a few steps forward and bends his head down. Meanwhile, Law remains where he’s standing. Coby seems to accept the small victory for what it is.
“Something bad happened a long time ago.” He whispers the word ‘bad’ like it’s taboo. “It even got the Navy involved. And now this country is out of bounds. I’m not really supposed to be here either but my platoon had a mission near the neighbouring kingdom’s borders and they dared me… to stay here… for an hour…”
Looking relatively embarrassed, Coby’s voice tapers off. “…I’m just a trainee so I couldn’t protest.”
His shame eventually makes way for melancholy as he looks around the ruined city, gaze lingering longer on the gravestones. Just a short patrol around and it’s obvious for anyone with eyes to see that devastation consumes and permeates every nook and cranny of this land. He must be uncomfortable.
“I just…” Coby chews on his lower lip before opening his mouth again. “It’s so terrible, when I think about what might’ve happened here. I… I wanted to pay my respects before I went back,” he finishes softly.
There seems to be something more behind his words.
He lowers his head meekly and Luffy notices the fern leaf sticking out of his pockets. Coby must have picked it up from the courtyard before coming to the cemetery, limited by the lack of living flowers around.
His lips stretch into a smile. His opinion of the boy has slightly shifted. “I see! Then let’s go together!” he says cheerfully.
They walk back with Coby to the only intact headstone. He performs a standard prayer. With his hand over his heart, he bows deeply before putting his hands together. It’s reminiscent of the villagers back home, who tend to mutter a quick prayer before menial tasks.
A long period of silence passes before he raises his body and lays the fern leaf on the grave. He must have had a lot to say.
Luffy sneaks a glance at Law and sees a thoughtful expression on his face.
Coby looks back at the duo with a wobbly smile. “Um, thanks for accompanying me and… I’m sorry for assuming you were ghosts.” He scratches his head awkwardly. “I need to get back soon, but you two should also leave this place as soon as possible!”
He waves farewell. The expression on his face is still hesitant, but a vast improvement nonetheless as compared to when they first met. He’s about to leave when an unexpected voice cuts in.
“The Marines didn’t do this,” Law says quietly.
Coby halts in his tracks. He turns his cheek, revealing his wide shaken eyes.
Law continues as if nothing happened. “Though the Marines bear the weight of countless crimes, they were not the perpetrators. It was the disgust and paranoia of their fellow humans that led to this country’s ceaseless destruction and eventual downfall,” he states matter-of-factly.
He’s a step away from the grave, and to the untrained eye, it’s almost nigh impossible to see the fallen leaves at his feet shrivel and crinkle into dust.
“So don’t carry a guilt that isn’t yours.”
Coby takes a moment to digest his words. Law doesn’t speak, simply allowing him time to process.
Finally, Coby snaps out of his reverie. His shoulders sag and his smile turns more genuine. A weight in him visibly lightens. It was hard to notice how rigid he was until he relaxed.
“I appreciate you saying that but…” He exhales. “I still need to do better. The Marines failed to protect the people here so it’s up to me to fulfill what they couldn’t do.” His voice carries a strength that supersedes the boy’s scrawny stature, but speaks far more about the size of his spirit.
“I want to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. It’s the only thing I can do for them.” He looks at the intact headstone, then to the hundreds damaged ones around them. It must bother him that he can’t pray to them all.
This guy is a lot better than I thought, Luffy thinks. He’s been watching the exchange silently, albeit a little confused, but he can acknowledge that the previously pathetic boy has a lot more courage than he gave him credit for.
Grinning, he jumps into the conversation. “It’s not the only thing.”
There’s something Kokoro said to him from what already feels like ages ago, when he just started to figure things out. And it was reassuring, because it was already something he knew how to do, something he’s always trying to do. He just never really had it put into words.
Coby looks at him curiously.
“Live without regrets,” Luffy says confidently with a wide smile. His bright eyes meet Coby’s.
Coby blinks, then lets out a small laugh. “…That’s also true. I won’t forget that.”
Eventually, he decides that he’s spent too much time away from the crew. With another sincere apology, he goes to leave the cemetery for good. At the entrance, he smiles and gives one last hesitant wave.
Luffy waves back earnestly.
Law hasn’t moved since the conversation, seemingly lost in thought. His eyes are lowered, resting on the vibrant fern leaf lying lonesomely on the grave bed. It’s still fresh and it will be for a few days more. But for Law, who’s witnessed this unchanging landscape for a long, long time, the presence of this little plant — as insignificant as a grain of sand in an hourglass — is beyond anything he could have ever dreamed.
If he had not visited today, he may have never known. In fact, he never planned to return to the surface at all — pathetically, it might have been an attempt at atoning for his sins.
Just another strange miracle that Monkey D. Luffy brought into his life.
“Torao?” Luffy calls. He pokes his finger into Law’s cheek, digging deeper the longer it takes for him to respond.
Law returns to his senses and bats his hand away. The troubled feeling in his chest vanishes to make way for irritation. “Stop it,” he mutters.
Luffy laughs cheekily. He tugs at Law’s elbow. “Let’s go already! We haven’t seen everything yet!” he declares.
They stumble out of the cemetery just like that — with Luffy bulldozing ahead and Law being forcefully led by the arm. The fern leaf shuffles weakly in the weak burst of air they leave behind. Laughter rings in the desolate city, and flora continues to grow from the wreckage of the ruined hospital. With a silent blessing from the God of Spring, they will outlast even the earth’s end.
Luffy spends the next hour roaming around the city with Law. Sometimes, they stop at other buildings and sometimes, Law steers him away from certain paths. Luffy fills each moment with mindless commentary and questions about the places they visit. No matter how odd or specific, Law answers each and every one dutifully.
The grey skies make their presence known again with a rumble. Law startles at the sound. Luffy inspects the colour and formation of the clouds with a cursory glance.
“Ah. It’s going to be a big one,” he remarks casually.
Law frowns to himself, but otherwise doesn’t respond.
On their route back, they incidentally pass by the river again. Luffy averts his gaze on instinct, but pauses when he discerns a familiar sound. His ears twitch.
Now that he thinks about it, many a time when he encounters a river in the wild, they don’t just exist on their own. Especially since his hometown is a coastal village, the trail will often lead back to…
He perks up. Immediately, he breaks off into a sprint.
“Oi! Mugiwara-ya!” Law calls in alarm.
His voice soon fades into the background the further Luffy runs. It feels like his feet barely touch the ground. It’s only his single-minded focus that propels him relentlessly quicker and quicker. Glimpses of the murky river remain in his peripheral vision as he dashes down the road.
The feedback from his divine senses feel more overwhelming the longer he concentrates, but he’s determined not to let the sound escape him.
He takes a deep breath and lets the world fall silent. Erasing his other sensations and amplifying one. Just one.
The sound of wind. The sound of birds. The sound of crashing. The sound of receding.
Something crunches under his feet and it snaps his vision back into focus. Instantly, he finds himself on a golden coast line. His favourite blue horizon gazes back lovingly from afar, glistening amidst the tides. He exhales, almost breathless. The corners of his lips curl.
He knew he’d find it here.
A hand snatches his wrist from behind with a vice-like grip and Luffy recognises it instantly. He spins around with a smile.
“Torao! You made it!”
“You… idiot! ” Law barks, panting in between words. He looks vexed beyond belief, only dulled by his rosy cheeks, red from exertion. “Are you incapable of listening to anything at all?”
Luffy giggles to himself. “But you managed to follow me!”
“Only because you ran off. Fuck, I should’ve just let you wander into trouble yourself.”
Luffy frowns. “That’s against the rules, Torao. You can’t split off.”
“You— “
Their conversation is interrupted by the rolling beat of deafening thunder. A strong gust of wind blows over and the ocean waves shift unsteadily. As Law’s cloak billows wildly behind him, a droplet of water hits his cheek. It forces him to finally take a good look at his surroundings.
He glances up just in time to see the pattering of raindrops twinkle on the surface of the sea — a vast and limitless space, so unlike the foggy landscape of the Underworld. The biting gale washes over his skin and it feels so foreign as compared to the humidity he’s lived with his whole life. Static-like noise fills the air as the drizzle escalates into a downpour, beating down on land and water.
Grinning, Luffy takes Law by the hand and drags him closer to the shore. His eyes are also fixated on the same view.
“I like the sea the most,” he remarks. “All the bad feelings go away at sea.”
Law shuffles along with the grace of a newborn fawn, surveying the world around him with disconcerted eyes. Their feet submerge into wet sand and leave footprints as they walk. When they reach the edge of the shore, the ground below their feet seem to inhale and exhale with every receding tide.
But Luffy continues to walk further. He steps into the freezing sea, letting the tumultuous waves crash over their ankles and the sharp chill sting their skin.
They stop walking when the water reaches their calves.
Luffy breathes in the sea air giddily.
The treacherous sea would be a glaring warning sign to anyone with common sense, but to Luffy, who only laughs in the face of danger, this was just another exhilarating moment of his life. His straw hat flaps uncontrollably behind his neck. His drenched clothes, which stick to his skin, drag slightly with the waters. Rain trickles down his cheeks and drips profusely from his unruly hair.
Thunder rumbles ominously once more and this time, Luffy laughs for real.
“Isn’t this fun?” he yells to be heard over the storm.
Law looks at him as if he’s unrecognisable.
“You’re insane,” he whispers, and his words are swept away with the wind.
He’s still reeling from the harsh cold, the soaking rain, the turbulent sea, the raging thunder, but he’s equally mesmerised by the droplet that traces the curve of Luffy’s smile, and it’s only the magnetic back-and-forth of the choppy waves that keeps him from trying to get a closer look.
Foolish. Naive. Reckless.
Blinding.
Luffy was right. All bad feelings do go away at sea.
They spend too long at the shore. This is mostly fuelled by the fact that Luffy accidentally loses a sandal and they waste far too much time trying to retrieve it. In the end, there’s no winning against a stormy ocean, especially when the rescue team consists of a God who’s only experienced it for the first time, and a boy who can’t swim.
This means that Luffy is forced to run back home dripping wet and half-barefooted. He hadn’t realised just how late it is, especially since he’s so accustomed to the Underworld’s distortion of time.
In his haste, he accidentally crashes into a hard body. Stumbling, he face-plants onto the ground. He sits up and winces, spitting gravel out of his mouth.
“Ouch…” he murmurs.
“…Luffy?”
Luffy whirls around and sees a long-nosed boy, similarly rubbing his shoulder with a wince on the ground. Usopp’s eyes reflect surprise more than dismay from unexpectedly running into him. Having recovered from his disorientation, he takes in Luffy’s disheveled appearance.
“Oh man, what happened to you?” he says with a frown. “You look like you just went scuba diving.”
“I—“ Luffy mouth pops open, before remembering that his brothers might actually strangle him for being super duper late .
“Next time, Usopp!” he spouts as he jumps to his feet and brushes the dirt off his clothes. “I need to go now!”
In no time at all, he’s back on the village path, zooming speedily between the houses and leaving a dust cloud in his wake. Usopp can only stare with barely concealed confusion.