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Chapter Text

Outside the auction house on Sabaody Archipelago.

Law swiftly minced the fifty or so marines in his corner of the battlefield. Turning his head, he discovered his fellow supernovas had also dispatched the other marines in just as abrupt a manner. A large slave caught his eye during this brief lull in the fight. He was a former pirate captain named Jean Bart. Upon the man accepting a place on his crew, Law released his bonds with relative ease. 

As he turned to leave, he heard a weak pleading from one of the other slave posts. “Please! Don't leave me here! I'll die!” His golden eyes met the harsh gaze of a young woman, not much older than he. He noted the darker color of her cuffs. Sea Prism stone.

“Can you fight, woman-ya?” He asked lazily. Her teal eyes dulled, and she lowered them slowly, shaking her head. 

Law didn't have time for this right now. He let out a small huff of annoyance, and turned away again.

“I thought you were supposed to be a great doctor.” It was barely a whisper, but it cut Law to his core. He sighed. This is stupid. I’m probably going to regret this. He tossed a pebble toward Jean Bart.

“Catch! Shambles!”

Jean Bart grunted in surprise as the cuffed slave now lay in his grasp. He tenderly tucked her against his chest.

“Now, let's go! Before the admiral arrives!” Law charged through the islands, crew at his heels.

♡~~~~♡

A young woman sat in the grass outside the auction house, leaning weakly against the post that restrained her. She had been a slave for several years, resigned to her lot in life. She knew she probably wouldn't live much longer in her condition. 

There was motion in front of her. She glanced up to see hundreds of marines surrounding the building. Something big must've happened inside if that many were called out. She turned her attention to the doors as they burst open suddenly, revealing three unique-looking individuals. They appeared to be arguing about something. She ignored the short one and the bulky one, and focused intensely on the tall, lean man. His hat looked familiar.

As he approached the marines, he raised his hand and a blue film spread out from him. His sword swung once, and then he was surrounded by several chunks of wriggling flesh. There was no blood. With the threats apparently neutralized, he stalked closer to where she sat. For the first time in years, hope rose in her chest, but was quickly dashed as he walked past her, stopping in front of the large slave behind her. 

With another blue glow and slash of his blade, the man was freed. She saw them turn to leave. This was her only chance! She had to get out of there. She yelled out, hoping her voice was loud enough to reach him. “Please! Don't leave me here! I'll die!”

He turned toward her, and she matched his golden gaze steadily. His lips were moving. ‘Can you fight?’ Despair gripped her throat as she shook her head, and let her gaze drop. He was a pirate. Of course he didn't care about her condition. More to herself, she muttered angrily, “I thought you were supposed to be a great doctor.” 

Exhaustion started pulling her down. She couldn't tell if she imagined the blue glow or not. She was suddenly surrounded by warmth, but felt chilled to the bone. Her eyes closed on darkness.

♡~~~~♡

A brief encounter with a warlord-but-not-a-warlord later, and they made it back to the Polar Tang safely. As they hurriedly submerged, Law appraised his crew's injuries. Shachi had a sprained wrist, and some of Bepo's fur had been singed, but no one was seriously injured, thankfully. After patching the crew up, he turned to his new charges. Jean Bart was still cradling the woman in his arms.

“I'll need to run a full physical exam on both of you. Who wants to go first?”

Jean Bart turned his gaze from the woman and looked at Law. He said softly, “I think you should check the girl first. She passed out on the way here. And she's very warm.” Law glanced sharply at the woman lying in the man's arms and cursed, eyes wide. His breath caught in his throat. He hadn't noticed before.

Large, white patches covered most of her skin. A sheen of sweat covered her furrowed brow, and her breathing was shallow. He raised a shaky hand to her temple. She had a high fever. That wasn't a good sign. 

He took several deep breaths to calm his rapidly fraying nerves. “Penguin?” 

The young man was immediately by his side. “Captain!”

“Ready the room for surgery.” Penguin hurried off quickly, briefly noting the rare panic in Law's eyes. He knew it took a lot to rattle their captain.

♡~~~~♡

Sweat lingered on Law's brow as he focused all his attention and energy on extracting the white poison from this poor girl's body. He had only performed this particular surgery once before, on himself, several years prior.

Thoughts rose unbidden in his mind. A city of white. A city of smoke. A white landscape, stained with red. He shoved them away, practically glaring in concentration. He could think about it later. For the time being, he just had to save her life. Needed to save her life.

♡~~~~♡

He collapsed into a chair, his work complete. His tired eyes landed on the clock. He had spent the last 14 hours eradicating that filth from her system. He looked back at his patient, taking comfort in her steady heart rate, and even breaths. He didn't even register that his eyes closed.

Flevance, the normally pristine city, was now chaos incarnate. Houses blazed with fire, shots rang out, and screams echoed through the air, as he ran desperately through the streets toward the hospital. He was too late. Flames licked at his heels, as he stumbled through the halls, coughing. His parents’ office. Two unmoving forms. The infirmary. A small charred corpse.

Law awoke gasping and choking on nonexistent smoke. He took long, ragged breaths, thankful for the cool, filtered air of the submarine. As his eyes slowly focused, he realized he had dozed off in the infirmary chair. He checked his patient's vitals, satisfied they were still stable, and buried himself in paperwork. His office connected to the infirmary for just this purpose. He needed to distract himself. He couldn't sleep now. Even just closing his eyes held images from the past. 

Over the course of the next few days, Law spent almost all his time alternating between the two rooms, as her fever slowly dissipated. He anxiously scanned her body three times a day, making sure he didn't miss even a speck of lead.

Chapter Text

Ikakku knocked gently on the infirmary door and entered, carrying a plate of food. She eyed the untouched plate from lunch and sighed deeply. “You need to eat, Captain.” 

Law's heavily bagged eyes avoided her gaze. “Not hungry,” he muttered. Ikkaku just sighed again, swapped out the plates, and left, closing the door quietly. There was no point in arguing with the Captain when he got like this. She hummed. Maybe she'd send Bepo by later to try to get him to sleep. 

Law reluctantly poked around at the food. He could see a slight char on a few of the veggies. The steak looked like a chunk of charcoal. A slight smirk played upon his lips. Shachi must've been on cooking duty. 

His patient's eyes flew open, and she screamed.

♡~~~~♡

She ran as fast as her legs could take her, blocking out the sounds of sobs and screams around her. The Sister had told the children to meet at the North gate of the city. She told them that some nice soldiers were going to help them to safety and treatment. 

Penelope was late to the meeting spot. She clutched a doll to her chest. She knew it cost her time, but she couldn't leave it behind. She was rounding the corner to the North Square when the shots rang out. Her body froze, as one by one her classmates were mowed down before her eyes. 

Someone yanked her back around the corner before she was spotted. She looked up into the face of her kind, old neighbor. His face was streaked with blood, dirt, and tears. “I'm sorry. This is all I can do.” He hit her temple with the rock in his hand.

She awoke to the smell of blood and burnt flesh. Her body was trapped beneath several unmoving forms. She screamed, clawing at arms that held her down. Desperate to escape the charred smell. After a moment of struggling, her screams halted, as she felt the vibrations of someone talking. She couldn't hear the words, but she realized her damp cheek was pressed against a warm chest, from which the vibrations were emanating. Strong arms encircled her torso, and slow, soothing circles were being rubbed on her back. She leaned into the comforting embrace and her sobs slowly subsided. 

As her head cleared, the previous week came back to her. She pushed away suddenly in panic. “Who are you? Where am I?” Her throat was extremely dry. She squinted, trying to focus on the lanky man in front of her. Her vision was still slightly blurry, so she couldn't tell if he replied or not. The tall figure came closer, and she could see him better. It was the man from the auction house. He held out a glass of water, expectantly. She sipped it slowly, keeping her eyes on the man in case he spoke.

♡~~~~♡

Law did not expect his patient's sudden outburst. She started screaming and thrashing about, eyes open, but unfocused. He held her down, to prevent her from injuring herself or from accidentally ripping out her IV. He quickly realized she was having a nightmare/panic attack. He didn't really have experience with providing comfort, but he tried to copy whatever Bepo did for him when he had nightmares.

He clutched her head to his chest, while rubbing circles on her back. “It's okay. You're safe. I'm right here. You're okay.” He just repeated the words over and over. He supposed it worked because she stopped screaming, and her body relaxed. As he loosened his grip, she suddenly shoved his chest away, causing him to stumble backwards slightly.

“Who are you? Where am I?” Her voice came out as a whisper, thin and scratchy, unsurprisingly, given her extended bed rest. 

His dark, sunken eyes blinked slowly, and he ran a tattooed hand through his tangled hair. “I'm Trafalgar Law. You're on my submarine.” She continued squinting at him, unmoving, and he wondered if she was even fully conscious. He grabbed a cup of water off the table near him, and stepped closer to her, offering it. She took the water, and sipped it slowly, focused attentively on his face.

He repeated himself slowly. “I'm Trafalgar Law. You're on my submarine.”

He noticed that her eyes were focused on his lips. She then smiled. “I'm Penelope…just Penelope. Umm…can you take these off, please?” She raised her hands with a jangle. 

“Ah.” He had made the decision not to remove the cuffs earlier. Some devil fruit powers could be unpredictable or dangerous, especially while submerged. He crossed his arms with a slight frown. “That depends. Will you bring harm to my crew?”

“Only if they try to harm me first,” She tried to pull her eyebrows into an over exaggerated scowl. Her attempt at acting serious failed, as her lips still tugged into a grin.

Law smirked. “Very well. Room!” The infirmary filled with blue. “Shambles!” Clank! The cuffs landed beside her, and her pillow fell on her lap.

Penelope looked at him, shocked. “How did you do that?”

Law just waved his hand, dismissing the Room. “I'll tell you about my Devil Fruit if you tell me about yours.”

She nodded quickly. “Deal. Mine's not very interesting though.” She held up her hand, which turned that familiar white again. Law's throat tightened. “I ate the lead-lead fruit. That's why I needed the cuffs removed.”

Law nodded slowly. It sort of made sense now. Her fruit was a logia-type, which meant her body was immune to the effects of lead, as long as her powers were active. “Mine is the Op-Op fruit. I can control and manipulate everything within my Rooms, even on a cellular level.”

“Good thing you're a doctor, then.”

“Yeah. Good thing.

Penelope felt a sudden pang of hunger. Law must've heard her stomach growl, because he started slightly, and he said, ‘I suppose we should probably get some food in you.’ 

Law glanced at the clock. It was late. Most of the crew was sleeping. “Can you walk?”

“Probably.” She slid her feet hesitantly to the floor, and her knees immediately buckled. Law wrapped an arm around her to steady her. “Just lean on me. It's okay.” He led her through the dimly lit corridors, forcing himself to walk slowly for her sake. It took him three times longer than usual to reach the dining hall.

 Law sat Penelope at a table, while he warmed up some broth. She was still recovering, and hadn't eaten anything solid in several days. He placed a bowl in front of her, along with another glass of water. “Eat slowly.”

She crossed her arms when he took the seat across from her. “What about you? I saw the plate in the room. You need food, too.”

“I'm not hungry.”

She pouted. “I won't eat unless you eat, too.”

Law grumbled to himself, but stood up, quickly returning with his own bowl of broth, almost slamming it down. “There. Happy?”

Her eyes sparkled as she grinned at him. “Immensely!”

Then there was silence, as they both sipped their soup, but not for long.

Penelope sighed wistfully. “I wish I had some bread to dip.”

Law's eye twitched. “There's no bread on this sub.”

“Whyever not?!”

“I don't like bread.”

She smiled to herself, and finished drinking her broth. Law took their bowls to the sink to wash, and returned with a mug of coffee in his hand. Penelope's gaze was taking in the mess hall's entirety. 

“Now then, let's head back to the infirmary so I can give you a proper physical.”

She noticed too late that Law was back and his lips were moving. “What?”

‘I need to give you a check-up.’ She nodded. He used his Room to transport them back, not willing to go through that excruciatingly slow walk again. He'd send someone to retrieve the chair and pillow later.

Penelope gnawed on her lip nervously as Law donned a pair of gloves. He went through the routine. Eyes, ears, mouth, heart, lungs, reflexes.

“Everything looks and sounds good. Okay, shirt off.”

“What!?”

“It's a physical. I have to assess your entire body. Shirt. Off.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, Dr. Tra-fal-gar.” She put extra emphasis into each syllable of his last name. She didn't catch his momentary look of surprise as she pulled her tattered shirt over her head.

Law quickly regained his composure and started examining her chest, which had surprisingly few marks, considering she had been a slave. Then he asked her to turn over. He held back a gasp. Her back was heavily scarred and pitted. The dragon claw brand lay between her shoulder blades, but what caught his attention was the smaller brand just below it. A smiling face with a line through it.

Law froze, fists clenched. Why? Why her? First Amber Lead, now Doffy? 

“L-law?” Penelope asked tentatively, head turned to look at him. “Is something wrong?”

He blinked a few times as he realized he had been zoning out for several minutes. He gave her a strained smile. “I'm fine. Just tired.”

“It looks pretty bad, doesn't it?”

“Yeah. Nothing's infected, though.”

“That's good.”

“Yeah.” 

“...”

Law sighed. He couldn't focus. “I'm going to let you get some rest. I'll finish your physical tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

He left without another word. As soon as the door closed, he shambled himself to his quarters, and sank to the floor, clutching his hair. He stayed there until morning.

Chapter Text

Penelope stared at the closed infirmary door, as she pulled her shirt back over her thin frame. That was…odd. As a famous pirate doctor, Trafalgar Law should be fairly familiar with devastating injuries. She didn't know why her traumatized back bothered him so much. She didn't buy the ‘just tired’ excuse. He had looked shocked and…angry? She shrugged and closed her eyes. He'd probably scold her if she didn't sleep, as hypocritical as that may be. Her fitful rest was filled with memories. 

14 years old

“Fufufufufufu!” A large hand gripped her chin, turning her head to each side, admiring her white patches of skin. “I can see why Trebol brought you to me. You'll make a fine replacement, until the boy comes back home.” He laughed again, and turned, twitching his fingers. “Come, doll” She felt her legs move against her will as her body followed him deeper into the castle. Hot tears streamed down her face. She couldn't do anything.

She awoke to phantom laughter. She curled into a ball and buried her face in her hands. She would never forget that laugh.

♡~~~~♡

Ikkaku slowly closed the infirmary door, when she realized the other woman wasn't responsive to her calls. Law also wasn't there, which was weird, because he had barely left the girl’s side for days now. She told Penguin to keep an eye on the infirmary, while she went in search of Law. She beelined for his quarters first. He usually holed up there for days on end. She knocked on his door, and heard a loud thunk, followed by a slight groan. “Captain? Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” came the expected response. She didn't believe him, but it was better than silence. 

“I think the woman's awake, but she won't answer me.”

There was some shuffling, then he opened his door. He looked even more disheveled than the previous evening. “I'll take a look.”

He hurried to the infirmary, and saw Penguin standing outside the door. Penguin raised an eyebrow at Law's appearance, but said nothing. As he entered the room, he saw Penelope curled up, facing the opposite wall. That's probably why she didn't respond to Ikkaku. He gently touched her shoulder, retracting it when she flinched. 

♡~~~~♡

Penelope lay curled up for a while, unable to rid her mind of that demon's laughter. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and flinched away, twisting into a defensive position. Her eyes focused on Law's form, and she relaxed, breaking into a grin. “Oh! It's just you.”

An eyebrow raised. ‘Who did you think it would be?’

She swallowed and, noticing the two figures behind Law, she shook her head slightly.

He nodded in understanding. ‘These are Ikkaku and Penguin. They're members of my crew.’ The two figures stepped closer and smiled. 

She smiled back. “Hi. I'm Penelope.”

The female, Ikkaku, looked her up and down. ‘I'll be right back!’ She rushed out the door, returning several minutes later with a bundle of clothes. ‘These should fit you, hopefully.’ 

Penelope beamed at her. “Thank you! That's so kind of you!” Ikkaku looked flustered by the exorbitant praise.

The three of them suddenly started, and Penelope, confused, looked at Law for explanation.

♡~~~~♡

A bell rang, causing Penguin, Law, and Ikakku to all jump slightly. “LAST CALL FOR BREAKFAST!” The voice rang throughout the sub. Law saw Penelope looking at him questioningly. He noticed that she didn't react to the bell. He smiled slightly, mentally adding another note to his leading suspicion. “Are you hungry?” She nodded and slid off the bed. She was a lot steadier on her feet than the previous night. Law still offered an arm to lean on regardless, which she took. 

Ikkaku and Penguin exchanged a look. Law wasn't usually this kind to non-crew patients. But, he had been acting off ever since this girl entered the sub. Something was different about her, maybe. They both shrugged and followed them.

Uni was about to put away the leftovers from breakfast when the Captain entered the mess hall with a malnourished woman wearing rags of clothing. He started putting together a hefty plate of food. She looked like she needed it. 

Law left her at the table next to Ikkaku and went up to get something for her to eat, surprised when Uni thrust a large plate of food into his hands. “For the young lady,” he muttered, and turned back to the pots. Law returned to the table, setting the heavy plate down as gently as he could. 

Penelope looked shocked. “All this, just for me?” Law felt a tug in his chest at that. When was the last time she had had a proper meal? He caught her eye and nodded encouragingly. She teared up and whispered, “Thank you.”

She ate her food methodically, one category of item at a time, working her way counterclockwise around the plate. She ate all of her bacon, then all of her eggs, then the sausages, followed by the rice. She took a sip of orange juice in between each section. The green bell peppers were left untouched. It took her an hour to finish eating. She sat back happily, truly full for the first time in over seven years. When she realized the others were still sitting there, though, she became self-conscious. She shrank into her seat. “Sorry I took so long.”

Ikkaku gave her a side-hug. Law lifted Penelope's chin, so she could see his face. ‘It's okay. You don't need to apologize.’ Then, he turned to Ikakku. ‘Could you show her around?’ She felt Ikakku nod. Law's eyes returned to her. ‘I suggest you take a shower, first. It'll make you feel better.’

“What about you?” Penelope asked. 

‘What about me?’

She grinned. “Have you looked in a mirror?”

Law ran a hand through his greasy hair and grimaced. ‘I suppose you have a point. Well, I'll leave you guys to it.’ A blue flash later, and a pen dropped into his empty seat.

Ikkaku grabbed her by the hand and stood up. ‘Come on! I'll show you where the showers are.’ Then she dragged her out the doors with a small wave toward Penguin.

Penguin sat there dumbfounded. If he had tried to suggest the Captain should take a shower, he'd be on toilet cleaning duty for a month. He went to go find Shachi and Bepo.

♡~~~~♡

Ikkaku stopped by the infirmary to grab Penelope's change of clothes before leading her down a ladder to the second floor. “This floor has the bathrooms, and the crew's quarters, as well as the engine room.” She turned to Penelope as she finished her sentence.

‘...engine room.’ Penelope bit her lip. Should she tell her she was deaf? She was usually good at faking it with lip reading, but obviously if she can't see their face, she can't read their lips. “I'm sorry, but could you repeat that? I can't actually hear you.” She tensely waited for the other girl's reaction.

Ikkaku stared at her for a few seconds before she smiled. ‘That explains a few things. I said this floor holds the bathrooms, the crew quarters, and the engine room.’ 

Penelope visibly relaxed and returned the smile. She wasn't going to get shunned again. At least, not by Ikkaku. “So, which way to the showers?”

‘Over here.’ She took the left corridor. As they passed the first door, Ikkaku turned her head. ‘Boys Rooms.’ Penelope nodded acknowledgement. The next doors were the bathroom, then the showers. Ikkaku held up a finger. She went in first and returned with an ‘All clear. I'll keep watch to make sure none of the guys interrupt you.’

“Thank you.” The shower room was minimalistic, which made sense on a submarine. She set the clothes on a wooden bench, and noticed a pouch sticking out of the bundle. It held a bar of soap, along with shampoo and conditioner. Ikkaku is so kind. She turned the temperature to luke-warm, and basked in the water stream. It felt so good to wash off the months of grime on her body. She watched the soapy, filthy water swirl down the grate as she rinsed out her hair. 

There was a pile of folded towels beside the bench. She quickly dried off, and wrapped her hair as she dressed. Ikkaku had given her a pair of blue capris and a simple gray t-shirt, along with underwear and a bra. They fit nearly perfectly. She placed the toiletries back in their pouch, gathered her old ‘clothes’, and rejoined Ikkaku.

She held up the rags that once adorned her frame. “What should I do with these?”

‘Do they have sentimental value to you?’

Penelope laughed. “Not at all.”

‘Then we can dispose of them. I'll show you to our room now.’

“Our room?”

‘I'm currently the only female on the crew, so you'll be bunking with me, as long as you're okay with that.’

Penelope beamed at her. “That seems wonderful!”

‘Alrighty then. This way.’ They continued around the corridor to the very next door. 

She gasped as she took in the space. It was amazing! There was a bunk bed against the wall, a small dresser and desk, a full length wall mirror, and a shelf with books, Books! She was speechless. Ikkaku looked concerned. ‘Are you okay?’

“This is…this is the best room ever!” 

Ikkaku, not sure what to say to that, deflected instead. She fished out a brush and comb from one of her drawers. ‘Let's take a look at your hair.’ She set the desk chair in front of the mirror, and Penelope released her hair from its plush prison. Without the previous layer of mud, her hair was pure silver, except for the bottom four inches, which were black. Ikkaku’s eyes shone as she took in the silver locks. ‘There are lots of tangles and split ends, but it's beautiful. I'll try my best to brush it out, but you'll probably need a trim at the very least.’

Penelope nodded. “I understand.” Ikkaku began carefully working out the knots. When she was satisfied, she pulled out a pair of scissors. ‘I'm going to start trimming. Do you have any preferences?’

She cried as streams of silver were cut from her head. That feathered devil forced her to stand in front of the mirror and watch. He chopped all but four inches of hair. Then, her body was lifted into the air and hung upside-down. Her eyes squeezed shut. She could feel a comb work through her hair, and a few minutes later, cold water on her scalp. Her body was righted, and something was placed on her head. She peeked open her eyes. Her long silver hair was now short and black, and a fuzzy cap with black and white spots sat on top. 

Penelope took a deep breath. “If you could chop off all the black, I'd like that.”

Ikkaku could tell there was a story behind it, but figured it was best not to ask yet. She set to work trimming Penelope's hair. Without the black, it came to just above her shoulder. She also added some layers to remove some of the damage from the tangles. ‘Better?’

“Much better,” she sighed. “Thank you, Ikkaku. For everything.”

‘That's what friends do.’

Penelope's eyes widened and she began to cry. “We're friends?” With a nod and a lump in her throat, Ikkaku pulled her into a tight embrace. They stood there for several minutes, before Penelope broke away, sniffing and wiping her eyes. She grinned. “I'm so happy!”

Ikkaku blinked away her own tears. ‘I should probably clean up the floor.’ She gestured to the hair, grabbed a small hand broom and swept it into the trash can.

Chapter Text

Penguin cornered Shachi, at least. Bepo was busy navigating. “I'm telling you, it's weird. This girl, Penelope, she's been on the sub for less than a week, and Law's being nice to her. She’s not even part of the crew, yet!”

“It can't be that bad, man,” Shachi replied. “She was a slave. Maybe he's just trying not to trigger her.”

“Dude. She told him to take a shower. And he did.”

Shachi blinked a few times. “Okaaay. That is weird.”

“Penelope’s with Ikkaku right now, so Law's alone. We need answers.”

“Right.”

They walked towards the Captain's quarters with a purpose.

♡~~~~♡

Law was drying his hair when he heard a knock at his door. “Just a minute!” He threw on some jeans and a t-shirt, and opened the door. Two of his best friends, Shachi and Penguin, stood there. He frowned slightly. “What?”

They pushed him back into the room. “We need to talk, Law.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “What is this, an intervention?”

“You're acting weird, and we want to know why,” Shachi stated.

“Weird how?”

Penguin spoke up. “You're being really kind and friendly with a girl that's only been on our sub for 5 days. That's weird for you, man.”

Ahh. That makes sense. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know I only met her, but she feels close, personally, and somewhat familiar.”

Penguin and Shachi exchanged a look. “Why?”

He looked into each of their eyes. “She has Amber Lead Disease.”

Their eyes widened with surprise. Aside from Bepo, they were the only ones on the sub that knew about his past. Shachi gave a low whistle. “Well, damn.”

Penguin shook his head. “Dang! How is she still alive?”

“She apparently found the lead-lead fruit before the disease could claim her life.”

The three sat in silence for a moment, then Penguin spoke up again. “Oh, yeah! Bepo wanted me to tell you that it's safe to surface now.”

“Right. It would probably be good to get some news. Tell him to prepare for ascension.”

The two saluted with a “Yes, Captain!” before hurrying out of his room and down the corridor.

Law laid down on his bed, staring at his ceiling with a frown. Am I really being that noticeably open with her? Thankfully, he only had to tell Shachi and Penguin half of her connection to him. There's still Doflamingo. The warning about ascending echoed throughout the Polar Tang. Well, time to find out what's been happening since Sabaody. He dragged himself off his bed, slipped on his yellow hoodie and his boots, and headed for the hatch.

♡~~~~♡

Ikakku heard the announcement over the comms and informed Penelope that they could go out on the deck soon.

Penelope shook her head. “No, thanks. I feel safer down here. But, if you want to go get some fresh air, I'll be fine.” Her eyes shone. “I can read a book.”

‘Okay. If you need extra security, there is a lock on the door.’ She left Penelope to her reading.

♡~~~~♡ 

It was sunny up on the deck. Most of the crew took the opportunity for fresh air. Law saw Ikkaku without Penelope and made his way over to her. “Is she okay?”

He didn't need to say who.

“She's fine. She's reading on her bed. Said she felt safer down there.”

He gave a nod. Makes sense.

Within an hour, a news coo landed on the railing. Law paid it and shook out the paper. He scanned the front page and swore loudly, causing a majority of his crew to look in his direction. He shambled himself to the helm. “Bepo! How far are we from Marineford?”

“Five or six days. Why?” 

He paced back and forth. “We'll be pushing it, but we should get there in time,” he muttered, not answering the mink's question.

Bepo grabbed Law by the shoulders and shook him slightly. “Why would we go to marine headquarters!?” He immediately stepped back and ducked his head. “Sorry, Captain.”

Law sighed, and handed him the paper. “This is why.” The front page announced the public execution of 'Fire-Fist’ Portgas D. Ace, one of Yonko Whitebeard’s top commanders. “This is practically a declaration of war, and I want to see what happens.” He didn't tell him that the warlords would most likely be there, too, and if there was a chance of Doflamingo getting wiped out, he needed to see it with his own eyes. Not to mention, something big always occurs whenever a ‘D’ is involved.

“Aye, aye, Captain!” 

Law walked over to the speaker system. “Everyone return below deck. We'll be descending soon.”

♡~~~~♡

Penelope was into her sixth book when Ikkaku returned to the room. She looked up, curious. 

‘We're descending again. Captain hasn't told us where we're going yet, but he seems to be in a hurry," Ikkaku 

"Well, I'm not part of the crew, so I'll try to stay out of the way.” She buried her nose back in the book, shutting herself off from the world.

That was a reaction Ikkaku didn't expect, and there wasn't anything she could say, with her ignoring her like that. She left to go find some lunch, instead. She had chores that kept her preoccupied for the rest of the day. 

At dinner, Penelope arrived late, nose still in a book. She grabbed a plate, sat in a far corner, ate quietly by herself, dropped off her empty plate, and slipped out of the room again. The book never left her face for a second. Ikkaku noticed Law's eyes kept drifting to that corner throughout dinner.

Likewise, over the next few days, Penelope made herself scarce, only appearing at mealtimes, and always with a different book.

Two days before their arrival at Marineford, Law called a crew meeting.

“In a couple of days, we'll be headed into a potentially very dangerous situation. We're going to Marineford.” He let the crew shout and yell for a while before holding up a hand. They quieted instantly. “One of Whitebeard's top commanders is up for public execution, and I expect Whitebeard himself to make an appearance. We will not be directly engaging in this war. Just bystanders. No one, I repeat, no one is to leave this submarine while we are there. Dismissed.”

That seemed to settle most of the concerns, and the majority of the crew went back to their tasks. Shachi, Penguin, and Ikkaku remained. 

Shachi spoke up first. “Why do you want to watch a war?”

Law shrugged. “Could be interesting.”

Knowing that was the most they'd get out of him, Penguin and Shachi started to leave, but stopped when they heard Law's question.

“Ikkaku, how's Penelope doing?”

She looked frustrated. “Honestly, I don't know. She's been ignoring everyone. I can't even ask her anything because she blocks her eyes with those books.”

Penguin, still lingering with Shachi, interjected. “Why does she need her eyes to answer a question?”

“Because she's deaf.” Law and Ikkaku said at the same time. 

Penguin's jaw dropped. “But she talks so well.”

“She probably wasn't born deaf, so she learned how to speak as a child. It most likely took some effort to maintain her fluency after losing her hearing. She also seems to have highly advanced lip-reading skills, which is why she can hide it so well.” Law said. 

“Anyway,” he continued, “with a decisive war so close at hand, I'd rather wait until after the event to talk with her. I don't want her to get stressed about it. However, if anything changes with her, let me know immediately.”

“Alright, Captain.” Ikkaku nodded and left.

Penguin and Shachi still stood there, processing while Law returned to his quarters.

Chapter Text

The day of the execution arrived. When they slipped under the gates of justice, they could already see chaos in progress. Law had attached a video den den mushi to the tip of their main mast, so they could observe the battle from just beneath the water's surface.

It looked like Whitebeard's entire fleet showed up. It was a battle of epic proportions, all for the sake of one man. Then, all hell broke loose. Straw-hat suddenly fell out of the sky, fought his way to Fire-Fist (who was apparently Gol D. Roger's son), and somehow freed him. A loud wail echoed across the battlefield. One minute they were racing to freedom, and the next, Fire-Fist was dead, and Straw-hat was catatonic. Jinbei was now carrying Luffy, and their trajectory was headed towards their sub.

Law made a split second decision. “Surface!” He raced to the hatch, and opened it as soon as they cleared the surface. He saw a clown hovering above holding Jinbei and Straw-hat. “Toss them to me! I'm a doctor!” The clown didn't need much persuasion, and dropped them onto the deck immediately. Law could hear a few of his crew behind him. “Take them below!” He took one last look around. A straw hat was tossed to him and he caught it reflexively. 

They dove quickly, barely escaping Aokiji's ice blast, and Law began surgery on the raven-haired teenager. The hours stretched on. Eventually his vitals stabilized, and Law turned his attention to Jinbei, whose wounds, though severe, were not as lethal. With both of them as fixed up as possible, Law could finally scrub all the blood off his body in a scalding shower. Then he crashed on his bed, trusting that someone would wake him, should anything happen.

A few days later, they surfaced, just to be greeted by the warlord princess, Boa Hancock. She demanded to know of Luffy's status, and insisted they take shelter at Amazon Lily. A small area of beach was partitioned off, since men weren't allowed on the island proper. 

“Aaaaaaaacccccceeeeeee!!!!!!” A couple days after they arrived, an ear-shattering scream broke the air, as Luffy shot out of the sub and raced into the forest, followed calmly by Jinbei, who said he'd handle it. Meanwhile, Dark-King Rayleigh, of all people, leisurely swam up to the island and said he was looking for Luffy. Law handed over Luffy's hat, and noped out of there.

As they submerged, Law took a deep breath. That was definitely not how he expected the last couple weeks to go. Mentally, he needed a break. He told Bepo to navigate to the nearest spring island. 

♡~~~~♡

They found an isolated cove on the north side of the island and spent the next few days recuperating. Most of the crew, including Bepo, took the opportunity to swim in the tranquil waters. Law, for obvious reasons, remained on the deck, lounging in a shaded hammock.

On the second day, Penelope joined him on deck, to everyone's surprise. She plopped in a chair next to him. “I'm glad that's over. That was traumatic,” she said cheerily.

Law had to take a moment. First, he had barely seen or heard from her in over two weeks. Second, she was acting like she knew exactly what had happened. And third, the sunlight glinting off her hair was extremely distracting. The shock must've shown on his face, because her smile faltered, and she began rambling.

“I probably shouldn't have holed up the way I did, but I was so excited to be able to read books. I read through them all about twenty times.” She frowned. “A couple weeks ago though, I could feel hundreds of people outside the sub. Some were scary, but most were in agony, inches from death. Then there was blinding pain from multiple sources, and I think I passed out. When I came to, everything had faded away, but two unfamiliar, powerful, but faint presences remained on the ship, and I could feel the crew's panic. Then, everything settled down for a while before a spike of absolute despair and anguish came from the powerful white one, and it left the sub quickly, as the powerful blue one left as well.” Penelope took a deep breath. “I'm just glad it's over.”

Law blinked a few times. He knew a bit about Haki in general, but had never encountered observation haki on this scale. He immediately felt guilty for not warning her about the war beforehand. He decided to tell her now, so she could match the events to her experience. He told her about everything. The outcome of the war, and what had happened with Jinbei and Straw-hat. Then he asked her about her Haki.

‘How long have you been able to sense people in this way?’

“It started when I was about 10, but it wasn't as strong. It seemed to sharpen after…” She paused.

‘After you lost your hearing?’ Law supplied, and she nodded, relieved. He already knows. Of course he does! He's a doctor.

“I lost my hearing two years ago, courtesy of Do-Doflamingo.” She said the name in a whisper.

Law felt his anger bubble at the name, but tried to keep his face neutral. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

Penelope glanced across the sky. “Yes, but not here, not out in the open.”

Law nodded. He understood her reasoning. It was the same reason his ship was a submarine in the first place. ‘We're only staying here for one more day, then we'll submerge once more. We can discuss it then.’ He paused, gathering courage to broach the next topic. ‘C-could we talk about…Flevance, Nellie?’

She beamed at him. “Of course, Law-kun! When did you figure it out?”

‘Only those from Flevance have Amber Lead Disease, then at dinner after you washed your hair, I knew. There was only one silver-haired girl in our class, and that was you. How long have you known?’

“I've known you were alive for several years, but that story can wait for a couple days.” She said, eying the sky again. “I recognized your hat at the auction house, though.” She suddenly giggled. “Remember when I stole your hat and hung it from the steeple at school? Sister Daphne made me clean the blackboards for a week!”

Law scowled. ‘Hey! That wasn't funny! You poked a hole in my hat!’ Then, his shoulder's bounced slightly. ‘My dad stitched it up with sutures.’

“You got me back with that frog, though.”

Law threw his head back in a full laugh. Several of the crew in the water looked up sharply in alarm. ‘Your face was hilarious when you found it in your lunchbox!’

“Didn't your parents ground you for a week?”

He wiped away a tear, still grinning. ‘Yeah, but it was worth it.’

Penelope's smile fell suddenly. “I wish I could hear your laugh.”

Brought back to the present, Law's demeanor sobered. ‘How did you escape the massacre?’

“Old man Tom. He knocked me out, and I woke up under a pile of corpses. He saved my life. You?”

‘Similar, but I chose to hide under the corpses myself.’

“I waited five days before I dared to move. When I dug myself out, the marines had already gone. All that remained were corpses and ash. I was starving, so I ate the first food I found. Luckily for me, that white apple was actually a devil fruit. After that, I made a shelter in the most stable structure left, which was the hospital.” She started crying. “L-law, I-I found Lami and your parents, and buried them.” Law pulled her into a tight hug. His body was trembling. He didn't need words to convey his current thoughts.

♡~~~~♡

On the opposite side of the deck, Penguin and Shachi were hanging off the edge of the sub, heads poking up just enough to watch the two on the deck. 

“What do you think they were talking about?” Penguin whispered.

“I couldn't begin to guess,” Shachi replied. “They went through, like, 10 different emotions there.”

“I don't think I've ever heard Law laugh like that before.”

“Me neither.”

They dropped back into the water to gossip with the crew. They all agreed to stay off the deck for the time being.