Chapter Text
The plump seal sun-baked on the sea ice, a mound of snow nearby. Doc Q and Stronger flew past, circled a few times through the crisp Arctic air, and then went back the way they came. The mound of snow moved. Amazing that the lopsided horse could keep in the sky, Bepo thought. He seemed on death's door with every flap of his moulting wings. A few giant petrels trailed after the horse and Blackbeard physician.
Speaking of moulting, the fur and skin of the animal next to him dissolved gradually, revealing inked flesh unique to Trafalgar Law. The hands, the forearms, the upper arms, the chest, the back, the fingers. Some correlated to the spots of his baby pelt. He let people see the designs, but he didn’t let many know what they were, but he showed them all the same because he did not want to forget where and who he came from.
The World Government, Doflamingo, could wipe out his people, but what Law carried with him went with him. He disguised the markings on occasion—like fleeing from an Emperor of the Four seas—for inverse reasons, like now. It'd be better if Blackbeard didn't notice him.
Sea water, draining him of every power, meant he couldn’t safely take largha seal form that often, but Law never lost the skill to transform. It was safer for Bepo to carry him in human form at the moment, though. Flippers didn’t have a great grip on fur, despite the nails. Not when Law was exhausted, but the blubber would protect him from the cold, as would the ability to hold his breath for a longer period of time. Bepo would make sure they alternated.
Fortunately, Doc Q and Blackbeard were not the brightest bunch of that crew, and the brightest hardly seemed to care, so hopefully another shiny ship (well away from their crew) would catch Blackbeard's attention, and Law and Bepo and the Hearts could regroup.
Jean Bart had wished for the good health of the Hearts, and it’d take some time to regain it, but they would. Bepo slipped another Sulong rumble ball down his throat. He knew he couldn’t overextend—Chopper had warned against it, and they weren't sure of the side effects—but Elbaf wasn’t far, and he didn’t think Blackbeard had an alliance with the giants. Maybe they’d find refuge. They’d been lucky so far.
