Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“…Ro!” A distant boyish voice rings out. It reaches its intended's ears. Finally. “Hey, Zoro! Did’ya hear me? Wait. Zoro, you’re leaking!”

Blearily, Zoro blinks and wipes the stream of booze trailing from his mouth to chin, dripping on the wooden bar slab. Plink. Plink. Plink. 

Slowly lifting his head as the setting sun shines into his eyes, he’s blinded. Against the fading sun’s haze, he can only see the striking view of a brown and red straw hat gleaming like a halo around its owner’s head. Red frills and blue shorts materialize next as two full-chest scars forming a thick, keloid X impress upon his gaze. 

A cross. 

As his vision clears, two doe-brown eyes curiously blink back at him, causing something deep and soulful to stir and melt within him.

“Huh?” Zoro grunts a bit dazedly. He’s unsure if he drifted off into his own inner world or if he was just drunk.

“I said…” the loud, raspy voice drawled, “I want you to top me.” 

Pushing the straw hat off his crown, the dark-haired man casually repeats his proposal like he’d only requested something as inconsequential as a pirate-hunting swordsman being the first mate on his pirate ship.

Okay, so it wasn’t just the quality Wano saké he’d been guzzling all evening messing with his hearing. 

Zoro had heard his captain right the first time. “Huh?” he repeats, dumbfounded— even for him. 

“I don’t know what you’re not getting?” the spry guy frowns and makes a circle with one hand and raises his index finger with the other, gesturing his desired action with his fingers. “I want you to stick your di-“

Zoro sputters out the rest of the alcohol in his gullet. “Oi! Luffy! Okay, I get it! Stop!” he scolds his oversharing best friend, a hair above a whisper. Zoro didn't know why, though; no one could hear them way up here. 

They're in the Thousand Sunny’s crow’s nest, Zoro's private lair in the sky when they were at sea. It's just twilight, and the sky is kaleidoscopic watercolors of pinks, oranges, yellows, and blues. That meant the rest of the crew was in their own corners of the ship doing whatever it was they did for alone time. 

Jinbe stayed at the helm day and night.

Brook was yodeling at breakfast about a new Soul King song he needed out of his skull. So, he was probably off doing that in the Aquarium Bar.

Franky had been banging away in his Weapons Development room, tinkering with something or the other all day.

Robin's reading another thick book on the deck. (Zoro could see her from way up here.)

Chopper had been locked away in his lab since lunch, too excited to finish eating, developing the new medicines he had been itching to restock.

Shitty Cook was definitely in the kitchen, where he belonged. Zoro's stomach won’t stop grumbling from the smells of dinner wafting from below.

Usopp's probably...well, Zoro didn't really know where Usopp was or what he did in his free time. (Besides inventing sniper stars or whatever he called them in Usopp's Factory, he guessed.)

Nami's catty ass started taking long, hot baths just before dinner in the private bath she sweet-talked Franky into making when she happened upon the crow’s nest’s second-floor schematics. Hopefully, scrubbing off all that witchery and greed that clung to her like sand and sea salt.

And then there’s...

Luffy laughs. 

His cheerful tone clings to Zoro’s reddening ears like warm earmuffs. "Zoro's squeamish!" Zoro frowns at that, his cheeks tinting rouge just a bit. Luffy never fails to leave the guarded swordsman feeling so exposed under his observant gaze--which, in Zoro's embarrassed opinion, happened a lot. Maybe Luffy was secretly using his Observation Haki on Zoro.

Yeah.

He shoots Luffy a sharp glare. "I am not!" he rebuffs through knit eyebrows, refilling his wooden mug with the half-empty saké bottle on the bar counter. The red tint in his ears has now flushed down his entire face. He averts his gaze to the three swords leaning on their hilts beside the free weights rack on his right, hoping Luffy won't notice. 

“Zoro’s blushing,” Luffy playfully sings. 

“I am not!” But he can’t bring himself to meet Luffy’s all-knowing eyes. His focus is instead drawn to the polished wood beam floors. He could still smell the fresh scent of the Adam Tree bark. Franky had done a hell of a job constructing a second-floor dojo studio space with a fully stocked minibar just for the swordsman.

Luffy snickers through his teeth. " Shishishi," his boyish rasp punctuating the wide open space that was Zoro’s personal man cave. Well— and Luffy’s.  

Wherever Zoro was, so would Luffy be. 

"Yeah, yeah," Luffy dismisses Zoro's fib with a cheeky grin, much to Zoro's chagrin. The younger man never takes his anger seriously, especially not when it’s because Luffy’s flirting flusters him. Zoro didn’t like that Luffy liked to poke at him in ways that rattled Zoro's brain when he finally stopped. It was so annoying. But also... not?

Luffy's frontside is pressed against the tall windowpane, in his favorite spot in the crow's nest, staring through the unobstructed view of the open seas all around, overlooking Sunny's bow. Always looking forward, Luffy was. Always seeking the next adventure beyond the horizon. It was why Zoro enjoyed following him. With Luffy, all that mattered was the present and the future. With Luffy, Zoro could leave the past behind without fear of tomorrow.

When Zoro was with Luffy, he was free. 

Luffy looks back at Zoro like a child marveling at his favorite toy, his under-eye scar scrunching ever so adorably against his smooth face. His sunkissed complexion glistened in Zoro’s dull gray eyes, its radiance competing against the orange-dipped sun and the wide, shimmering blue sea— and Luffy was winning. 

To Zoro, Luffy always looks beautiful. Against the sunlight. Under the moonlight. At all times.

Luffy’s clear, round gaze holds Zoro’s face with youthful expectation. That sparkle in his eyes that he gets when he’s just discovered a new adventure seizes the air in Zoro’s lungs and squeezes something swollen beneath his rib cage. 

Luffy stretches his tanned, rubber arms across the large room to reach around Zoro’s broad shoulders. Not many people could wrap him up like that. After two years apart, Zoro was no longer a lean guy like his captain, but the gesture... It makes him feel wanted. It's weird.

But, also…it’s not? 

Zoro found Luffy’s to be the most comforting touch imaginable. Strong. Warm. Caring.

“S’kay?” he quietly, longingly asks. Why he wants this so badly, Zoro has no clue, but it’s the tone in his voice, how it turned down low and rumbled with excitement, and it’s the mix of emotions sending Zoro's belly swirling with all the alcohol he's consumed. That’s right. It’s the alcohol that’s making him seasick, that makes him wonder how he could possibly resist the man standing in front of him like a king. 

“Luffy.” It’s all he can breathe. The name that changed his life. The name that saved him from an unspeakable death. The name that he called for recognition, reassurance, and respect. Luffy. The last prayer Zoro made before he slipped into drunken slumber at night, sometimes with Luffy already snoring in his arms, but especially during all those lonely, brutal, and beaten nights on Kuraigana Island when he missed his captain so much it made losing his eye hurt much less.

Luffy.

Zoro downs the entire mug in one shot to the head, mulling over the patiently waiting man’s unexpected solicitation.

Topping Luffy? Huh… that just didn’t sound like a good idea. Though, Zoro can’t say he’s ever given it much thought before now. Sure, it crossed his mind when he met the nosy rascal while tied to a cross, awaiting certain execution on Shell Island. It’s not every day an independent guy meets a short king who’s not overcompensating for a goddamn thing. But it's been four years since his savior unbound him from his death sentence. Since then, he’s learned much about his captain and closest friend.

Like how Luffy is the only man that Zoro couldn’t dominate, and that’s what Zoro liked so much about the short man and his lucky straw hat. They'd fought and sparred over the years, but never as a true power struggle. Just as a test of strength and will— iron sharpening iron.

Yet, Zoro couldn’t deny that there was always something alluring about Luffy. So much so that he was the only man Zoro never wanted to beat. He couldn’t imagine overpowering his captain, even as strong as he had become for the smaller man. He'd gotten stronger to protect Luffy, not to best him. Luffy was his north star, and being the moon in Luffy’s world was more than enough for Zoro. If he compared it to anything else in his life? 

It's everything.

Besides, he’s grown to prefer it this way, being Luffy’s number two. It's become his life’s greatest honor. He knew his training was all in preparation to be the King of the Pirate's Lord Commander. Zoro had all the time to take charge and power to be the strongest swordsman on the battlefield in front of their enemies after Luffy told him the plans. He would lay down his life protecting Luffy.

Being Luffy’s number two wasn’t submissive then. 

So when they started having sex, Zoro was more than satisfied receiving his captain, allowing Luffy to take the lead as usual, even when the latter had no clue what he was doing. It was fine to him because Luffy was a fast learner when he had a purpose, and Zoro liked his enthusiasm whenever he found his rhythm when trying new things. He always does. Zoro had followed Luffy through more than enough harrowing events that being by his side, in battle and in bed, was as natural as breathing in the blade. For Zoro, trusting Luffy and letting go of all his fears about the risks involved was easier than breathing itself, simply because he knew who he was fighting alongside and the badass life they shared. 

But Zoro enjoyed being submissive to Luffy in his bed.

In the ship's lounge,

the bathhouse,

in the crow's nest,

on the deck's lawn,

in the captain's quarters…

In Luffy’s favorite hammock. 

Sex was simply another manifestation of their partnership: Luffy led, and Zoro followed, willfully obeying his captain’s orders even when they were just best friends fucking around. Time well spent when bored or, occasionally, horny. 

It's not romantic in any way, is what he told the creepy cook in exchange for five bottles of wine from the cellar. That’s not what Zoro and Luffy did with—or even wanted from—each other. It was more like a tactile stim that eased Zoro's touch-deprived body and answered a silent prayer within him for connection and intimacy. And yeah, Curly Brows might've pointed out that Zoro only wanted that from, er-he meant, with Luffy, leaving Zoro wondering for a whole day if the chef was pulling his leg or not.

That isn't romance.

But it did make sense for them. Luffy provided all that without emotional strings attached, threatening his agency or autonomy as a pirate and a swordsman. The balance was the closest thing to unconditional love Zoro had in his life, and Zoro rather reveled in how fiercely Luffy trusted him. That’s why, when they started exploring BDSM together, per Luffy’s random suggestion after their victory against Kaido, it only made sense for Zoro to agree to keep their dynamic further intact. He knew before their voyage together began that he was in it, all or nothing, but Wano solidified some things in the swordsman’s brain that made him more committed to Luffy’s leadership than ever. 

Zoro prided himself on many things. Swordfighting, his astronomical alcohol tolerance, his training regiment, and how he was very good at taking orders from Luffy—and no one else. So, even if Zoro didn’t know Luffy’s reason—or where the space cadet of a sea captain even picked up the idea—from his perspective, it made sense that BDSM was another way for them to strengthen their bond. Sex was just another battlefield between bodies, wills, and minds: maintaining verbal communication, aligning positions and strategies, and reading body language. They complemented each other so well on the battlefield that it was easily the same in bed. 

Or was it the other way around? If he were honest, it didn't matter either way to Zoro. All that came of their sexual relationship was the reminder that in Luffy, Zoro had both a trusted partner in piracy and bomb-ass sex. Besides, Luffy remained an eager sex partner, if not impatient, just as he was a captain, but never got too aggressive when things got rough from the thrill of whatever sparked the session. So, he never thought to ask Luffy what he thought of their friendship.

Or if he was dissatisfied with their current arrangement.

That bothered Zoro; the possibility was too astute for him to process while drunk. This was Luffy he was thinking about! Things like this were never that deep with him. They never actually spoke about their feelings. Well, Zoro didn't. Luffy was a speak-before-think kind of feeler. Maybe he took that for granted?

But when was Zoro supposed to give it more than a fleeting thought if Luffy never said so? When they were fighting enemies every other week or when they were fucking every other night? When, even though Zoro follows Luffy’s orders without a hitch, Luffy never bosses Zoro around as his captain? An order, a command, wasn't bossy. They did what they had to do beside and inside each other. Still, they were always playing their roles— captain, first mate.

But as his Dom…?

Well, Luffy became another person. 

A switch flips on in Luffy that Zoro cannot explain. Still, he likes it.

Whenever Nami forces him to talk (because she's nosier than Usopp's nose concerning crew gossip) about the reason they have sex and engage in kink play, she always teases him, says it's love, and that she knew it all along, and they should make it official and blah blah blah. But no. He doesn’t buy it. So Zoro usually ends the conversation right after her first rubber sex joke. The jokes never irritated him because they were never funny. It's just what Luffy and he share feels more stable and compatible than boring, romantic love. To reduce it to that, to water down quality booze like that felt… wrong. Disrespectful to their hard-fought pact of trust and hard-won bond of friendship.

So, why did Luffy want to switch it up now? Zoro can stop himself from getting lost in his thoughts. What does this mean? He feels his heart race, and he pulls his bottom lip to keep from biting it off.

“Zoro! Zorooooo…” Luffy's playful voice snaps him back to attention. He looks to where it has traveled. Luffy leans his body against the fridge door, tearing a chunk of flesh off a monstrous drumstick. He looks puzzled but open. Always a clear cup. “Hey buddy, are you okay? You keep getting quiet,” Luffy pouts like a spoiled brat—he is a spoiled brat, Zoro huffs—pulling his rubber neck low enough to meet Zoro’s pensive gaze on the bar counter. 

Zoro couldn’t raise his eyes to meet his best friend. “You’re kidding, right?” he asks through slurred, confused speech. Maybe he shouldn’t have downed that fourth bottle so fast. But the second Zoro’s brain caught up to his question, he instantly sobered up. It was a ridiculous question. Luffy never asked for things he didn’t want. It was the one constant that—apart from his unwavering loyalty to his friends—the center of their crew’s universe offered: Honesty. 

Luffy’s eyebrows dipped and arched, gazing at Zoro, puzzled. Zoro knew why. “So… Is that a no, then?” Zoro could sense the disappointment threatening to coat Luffy’s tone, but when all Zoro did was slack his jaw like a fish out of water, still trying to wrap his head around Luffy’s ask, the latter rushed out, “It’s no pressure, of course! I just thought I’d ask because you’re the only one I trust to ask this of…and w are fucking each other. Oh, that came out wrong—I mean, you’re the only one I’m active with, so I-”

Luffy was blubbering. Nervous. It was cute, but—

Zoro hiccups. Since when did Luffy get nervous? And around him, at that! Zoro slowly lifts his chin. The look on Luffy’s face…

Wild, bright, and insatiably excited.

It reminds him of their reunion in Wano. Many moons ago, when Zoro saw that long-missed smile, the polluted wasteland outside of Bakura Town became a lush garden.

Still. 

“It’s an…” Zoro started, hesitating to finish his sentence. A comment from Luffy robs Zoro’s attention and quiets his doubts. 

You’re the only one I trust…

That’s right. Luffy trusts him. Probably as much as Zoro trusted Luffy- no. That was impossible. Zoro trusted Luffy with his life. More than life itself, actually. More than any god he didn't believe in. There was no way Luffy’s trust in him could compare to how much he trusted his captain. Zoro could not imagine that at all.

Okay…

Finally, his confidence rises, and his lips part, though a lump of anxiety rolls in his throat. “...I’ll…think about it,” Zoro said stoically. But his heart was racing a nautical mile a minute. 

How bad could it be?

“Yeah?” Luffy gasps, snapping onto Zoro's back and bouncing with glee. “Shishishi!”

His joyful smile swallows half his face whole, which is now pressing against Zoro's cheek, clinking Zoro's three gold earrings together in his ear.  “Zoro is the best!” He ruffles Zoro’s hair with the bone of his palm. Good thing his buzzcut had grown out. It doesn’t hurt, but Zoro winces and groans anyway to conceal his blush. 

He swallows the frog forming in his throat—the sensation of Luffy's imprint pushing against Zoro's spine and the joyous laughter bubbling up from Luffy's throat is just too much for Zoro to handle. He hadn’t even said yes but by the feel of him, Luffy already knew Zoro's answer anyhow.

This is just how they worked: Luffy presses. Zoro acquiesces. 

Zoro sighs in resignation, silently regretting his hasty decision. His stomach flips and then churns at a sudden but fleeting thought:

This would change everything between them, wouldn’t it?

⚔️🪢

TO BE
CONTINUED

Chapter Text

Monkey D. Luffy— the boy who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, the King of the Pirates, Emperor of the Sea, Nika, the Sun God reincarnate, and number-one threat to the Five Elders, the World Government, and all their pathetic puppets, the Marines…

Was bored out of his fucking mind! 

He sat atop the smooth lion's head of the Thousand Sunny’s figurehead, overlooking the New World’s shimmering, pure blue waters that promised endless adventures, the sun's sweltering heat beating down on his hat's brim and brow when an intrusive thought became his best idea of the day. 

It'd been quiet seas and clear skies for six days. No Navy, no enemy pirate ships to sink, no bounty hunters to toy with, or a single land mass in sight. Not even a troublesome storm to speedily furl the sails for. With no action to give him the dopamine hit he lived off of for nearly a week, Luffy's head was aching from under-stimulation, practically melting away from it. He groaned and leaned his cheek deeper into the heel of his palm, sitting cross-legged on top of the sunflower lion figurehead. This was torture. Plus, if he had to hear the dumb, obnoxious caw of another aimless seagull one more time…

Then—

OH!

The most brilliant idea hit him like a bolt of lightning!

Don’t get him wrong (or let Nami overhear if you do); he enjoyed the Thousand Sunny sailing smoothly across the open seas in peace. He lived for the quality time spent with his crew as regular people and did not have to fight for their lives at every turn as much as the next captain. But he was a pirate— the Pirate King— and they hadn't touched land in over a week. So, Luffy was itching for a new adventure! His body's boundless energy needed to move really, really fast and play hard, whether it was a spooky adventure or a serious fight, and have lots and lots of fun while doing it.

No, he was not a child who didn't know how to enjoy the quiet things in life, but he was very restless. All this pent-up energy spiraled and coiled within him, and there was no way to release the tension that had been building in him for some days because he didn’t know what was causing this jitteriness apart from being stir-crazy. Still, it wasn’t like this was the crew's first long stretch of log pose-enforced sailing.

Which was why he was preparing to risk his death for an adrenaline rush. 

What if he actually could touch seawater and be immune? Dive straight into the glassy surface overtook his senses. His blood rushed through his ears and fingertips like an ocean current at the mere thought, making his heart flutter with the thrill of the unknown. If he could defeat all the Emporers and the World Government and become a god among men, maybe conquering this part of the sea would be next! The sadistic game of life or death was more Big Mom’s thing, but the thrill of teasing himself between the two was better than staring at the sea and sky blur into nothing against the horizon. It was like watching paint dry. 

Speaking of Whole Cake Island… 

Luffy was hungry. He's so hungry that his heart burns. His stomach grumbled like a spoiled brat, demanding he pay attention to it, too, daring him to ignore its protestations. Ngh! I could really go for a bite of that weird biscuit guy’s shortbread.  

The soft citrus fragrance of Nami’s tangerine grove caught his nose more than once since he’d perched on his favorite spot on the ship. He’d inconspicuously snagged two an hour ago and was tempted to take a few or more, but he’s no fool. The last time he swiped an armful of fruit because of the sweet and sour scent tickling his nose, Nami punched him so hard that his regrown tooth still aches for its old friend. Then, she fussed for days that he’d cleared half the season’s harvest. He didn’t care about being hit but knew he'd hit his pestering quota for the day. He had done just about all the bothering, teasing, and not-really-helping each crew member that he could get away with without suffering bodily punishment. 

(Not that he would’ve minded some pain. Feeling pain would be more exciting than this.)

As he said, Luffy was boooored. 

So bored, he stretches a long, slender finger down Sunny’s eyes—covering it at first so the good girl wouldn’t be implicated as an accomplice—then down her nose, past her bottom pointy orange rays, right up to the sea’s glistening surface. The sea beckoned, calling him like a long-lost lover with an allure he couldn’t resist. 

The waves lapped up and down his eye-line like a hypnotic temptress daring him to take the bait, even if he knew the risks if he did, even though he couldn’t swim and would surely plunge to his death. 

Which …he considered… wouldn’t be the first time, so, hey, why not?

 An adrenaline rush tingled in his mind and traveled down to his extended index finger,

Just the tip…

“Luffy! Dinner!” 

Luffy heard that, and nothing else mattered anymore. The intrusive thought, the oceanic bait, the adrenaline-fueled impulse… POOF! Everything within him, from his rubber finger to his silly senses, snapped back to attention. Had his boredom-induced suicidal ideation distracted him even from hunger?

Yeah, he needed to find something more stimulating to do on the ship, and quickly!

"YES! TIME TO EAT!" Luffy’s stomach growled in a standing ovation. He remembered he was hungry. Starving. Famished. Teetering on the edge of a low blood sugar crashout.

He bounded himself to the deck without a second thought. However, the Thousand Sunny ’s face sighed in relief as he clamored away that her captain’s impending death by lack of impulse control was saved by the insatiable cravings Sanji’s food provided. 

But there was another hunger that had settled in his heart, clenching and burning through it like it sometimes does, like it's hungry, too. Famished. But he couldn’t explain it to save his life; this phantom gnawing over his chest that ran deep and left him feeling empty like he’d been fasting for days. Starving for something more than what's right in front of him. He rubs his belly with his left hand and his chest with his right to ease the throbbing ache in both. 

His cook, a tall blonde in a navy blue suit, leaned against the kitchen doorway, looking as cool as a sea cucumber. Luffy didn’t know how the man could cook in a three-piece black suit in this heat. Luffy was only in his straw hat, shorts, and sandals; the heat still made him feral. Hence, the sudden impulsive desire to end it all by touching seawater. A curl of smoke, matching his curly eyebrows, wafted from the cigarette dangling from his lips as he grasped the doorknob. “I made your favorite,” he proudly announced.

"Hm?" He grinned in confusion but wouldn't complain about anything Sanji cooked. “Thanks, Sanji! You’re the best!”

Sanji nodded with the ghost of a smile, dusting off his lapel. “Right back ‘atcha, Luf.” At that,

Luffy didn’t have a favorite—not a favorite food, thing, place, or single person. Favorites put unnecessary rankings and hierarchies on people and things that he didn’t see the point in respecting—not when all people and all things could bring him something favorable at some point, and his life and crew offered him enough. He was greedy, not foolish.

But none of that mattered more than Sanji’s cooking. Nothing in the entire New World compared to it—trust him, he had eaten his way through enough of the New World to know by now.

His jaw dropped at the sight. Sanji laid out a bountiful spread of various types of meat prepared in different ways across the banquet table. Saliva gathered in his mouth, nearly spilling onto the kitchen floor. 

Luffy totally ignored the hot vegetable and salad bar on the service counter and ran to his seat. “MEAT!” he shamelessly drooled. 

OK! He lied. 

He did have one favorite thing: 

This. 

Grilled, barbecued, roasted, baked, smoked, and fried lay before his gleaming eyes. “MEEEAAAT!”

"You're leaving a drool trail," Usopp deadpanned, looking back at the slimy trail leading into the dining hall. 

“Luffy! Close your mouth before you drown us in your spit!” Nami groaned from her barstool, eating at the counter where Sanji had already delicately arranged her dinner plate. 

When Sanji swatted his arm with a pair of tongs, his arms had already stretched across the kitchen for a plate and piled half of the table. “Damn it, Luffy, calm down, alright,” Sanji snapped. The chef moved down the table with an empty plate, slowly filling with mounds of food. “Here! Eat!”

As the crew ate, they talked about random and ridiculous things:

Chopper and Usopp were thrilled by Franky's new robot designs but teared up in protest when Franky mentioned they couldn't see the new blueprints yet. "It's not ready yet, little bros! Gotta be patient because it's gonna be SUPER!" 

Nami lectured Sanji about something pervy he had done. "Sanji, you perv! How dare you do that?" Robin smiled as if she enjoyed the reprimand.

Zoro teased Sanji, "Once again, the shitty cook can't even seduce women with his shitty cooking. What a punk bitch."  

Brook sang a new song that clashed with the fighting atmosphere as he tried to break up Zoro and Sanji, "Shut your dumbass up, Mosshead! I'll reduce you to ashes right now! Flambé!" Jinbe merrily laughed at the whole scene, holding his jiggling belly.

And every conversation left Luffy giggling in stitches.

He stretched back to take in the view, filing it away in the mental captain’s log he kept about all the reasons he loved his crew. Luffy loved how they were full of life in their unique ways, how their personalities clashed like siblings, and how compatible they were. He loved that they could trust each other with anything because they went through everything together—unwavering loyalty. 

Luffy liked that their memories were forever interwoven, knotted on the fishnet of their seafaring adventures together, and his most cherished memories were connected to his favorite people. His crew had created enough core memories of friendship, fighting, and fooling around to bury the painfully seeded core memories of their childhoods under twenty thousand leagues under the sea. They'd suffered alone, but now, the Straw Hats thrived together. 

His eyes drifted between the nine friends turned family as Usopp and Chopper wept and begged. Franky crossed his arms and shook his head. Sanji groveled at the two gorgeous women's feet, apologizing as Nami rolled her eyes. Robin watched serenely amused as Brook sang, and Jinbe smiled like the crew’s jolly gramps... 

Until they landed on Zoro's silent, solid frame as he settled in his seat with a detached stare into a refilled barrel mug. The stoic swordsman looked beat. His body was still bandaged with the wounds from their last tussle with an enemy pirate ship. He’d cracked a rib and nearly punctured a lung, but tough as nails as he was, Zoro didn’t bat an eye when Chopper told him it was too soon in his recovery to return to training. 

But Zoro’s permanent scowl looked different under the warm and bright lights of the ship’s dining room. He looked tired in a way it occurred to Luffy he’d never seen. His sharp, gray eyes were blurred and distant, not because of drinks. No, Luffy knew his first mate well. A quiet storm was brewing in Zoro; a nearly imperceptible sadness swayed behind Zoro’s detached stare, one that could easily be hidden behind if blamed on drunkenness’ haze. 

But Luffy knew better. He sat and stared at Zoro in contemplative silence, the gears in his head turning, wondering what was on the swordsman’s mind. The man did not look happy or at peace with the frown lines etched into his forehead and the fatigued corners of his eyes. His shoulders hunched over like a bent bow, his expression a placid resignation to whatever was on his mind. He did not look relaxed. He looked bothered. Like he needed to take a huge dump but was too backed up. Luffy wondered if that was what it was. If he asked him what was wrong—

Would Zoro tell him the truth?

For all his bravado and battle sense, and unlike himself, Zoro was actually a very shy guy.

Then, Luffy got curious. When was the last time Zoro did anything for fun? He tried to recall the last time he saw his best friend laughing full-bellied and carefree, the way he used to do all the time before they came to the New World. That confident, shameless laugh made Zoro clutch his stomach and knock his head back as he laughed with his whole throat and mouth until tears streamed down his tightly shut eyes. 

When was the last time Zoro had a good time? 

Luffy couldn’t recall. Nothing recently. Nothing outside the battlefield. 

He cracked at that realization. Zoro is stressed. The weight of everything they had endured, all they had fought for and accomplished in the years leading up to Luffy becoming King of the Pirates, and now the hardships and challenges that had arisen from his achievement of that goal and his ascent as the king of the seas would wear anyone down. Even Luffy had his share of silent sufferings he didn't tell his crew about. He never wanted to burden them with that level of vulnerability; it didn't seem right for a captain to do. His crew had to believe in his strength and unshakable spirit if they were to trust him through the storms of their voyage.

But, amid all the warm laughter and camaraderie of his found and chosen family, one thing was evident: Luffy had been a neglectful captain. He had not paid closer attention to the emotional well-being of his crew. Luffy usually saw himself as being highly in tune with his crew’s emotions, no matter how expressive or elusive they might be. He may not be book-smart like Robin, Chopper, or Traffy, but he knew people. He trusted his gut when reading others, and he was rarely, if ever, wrong about his first impression of someone. Robin called it "emotional intelligence," and the phrase clung to Luffy like glue and made him beam with pride. He was intelligent, although, he much preferred to call it 'emotional smarts' because smarts made him think of farts, which always makes him snicker, but also makes him think of how emotionally constipated Zoro looked right now. Like he was full of emotional farts.  

See? He is smart!

That's why he couldn't stop staring at Zoro, and the longer at his crew's swordsman, the more he couldn't help but knit his brows in frustration. How had he missed the signs before? Something was up with Zoro, and it wasn’t like him not to have noticed much sooner. As his First Mate, Zoro represented Luffy's responsibility as captain to care for his crew; however, Zoro was now struggling with something in silence. The thought left him reeling from shame and embarrassment. 

This wasn’t his Zoro. The stoic, disciplined man who said very little but once upon a time laughed a lot.

That was his fault.

Luffy huffed— a breath more of frustration than his restlessness. He was becoming irritated with himself and began shivering, a quiet hum of fury-fueled determination buzzing through him like an electrical current. He’d been failing his first mate. That could not be how he allowed things to carry on. He wouldn't allow it! How could he have been so bored that he missed his swordsman’s silent suffering?  

He blinked, bringing Zoro’s drunken image into clear focus, and leveled a sharper gaze until Zoro noticed he was being watched. The older man shifted in his seat and slowly blinked out of his daze until their eyes met. Luffy’s silly ass could not take the heavy staring moment they were locked in seriously for too long and flashed a goofy, lopsided grin at his best friend. Luffy snorted at Zoro flicking him off. 

He slowed his chewing down as they locked eyes. It was an innocent staring contest. A game they’d played a thousand times. Luffy got up from his seat, face filthy with meat grease, gorging his final smoked turkey leg in one tear, and casually approached Zoro.

Without looking up from his mug, Zoro scooted over to make room for the lanky younger man. Luffy slid beside him at the end of the bench. He gently headbutted Zoro's shoulder. It was one of those rare evenings when the sea breeze was warm and airy enough to see Zoro in a white henley shirt, like he used to wear all the time in their early days on the Going Merry. The paler cream shade on his suntanned shoulders made his tanned demarcations more prominent. Zoro glanced at Luffy skeptically from the corner of his eye, still drinking.

"Hey!" Luffy said low, the glint in his eyes conspiratorial.
"Captain," he grunted between gulps. Unbeknownst to the man in the straw hat, those wild storm-gray clouds that replaced those blown pupils of his swirled against Zoro's resting scowl and instantly disarmed its target.

"Whatcha doing?" Luffy sang. He followed Zoro’s piercing gaze down to his lips. 

“Oh. Hehe! My bad, I’ll clean up.” He clumsily licked his lips and wiped his mouth with his sleeve while he ignored Nami, who ordered him to use a napkin, Luffy, for crying out loud! He lifted his head back up, still beaming as the sun descended. 

Zoro raised the eyebrow of his open eye. "What does it look like I'm doing, Luffy?"

"Gettin' shitfaced drunk!" Luffy belly-laughed as Zoro's face flushed. “Aw, c’mon, cheer up, Zoro!” He wrapped a long arm around Zoro's neck and pulled the swordsman's head down to his shiny lips until Luffy breathed over the shell of Zoro's ear. "Wanna go fight and stuff?" He released his first mate to get a better look at his expression. Luffy's grin grew wider as he watched Zoro start to chug the rest of his drink. The swordsman slammed the mug on the dining table and returned Luffy's enthusiasm.

"Uh, fuck yeah!" Zoro whooped. 

They stormed out of the dining hall. Still at the counter, Nami shook her head resting on her knuckles and sighed. "Those idiots." Sanji groaned in agreement. Robin tilted her head, demurely smiling into a thick book as if she knew something they didn’t, sweetly hummed. 

"I think they're cute."

SHING!
SMACK! SLAP!
SWHIFF! THUD!
"GUM-GUM GATLIN!" POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!

“Luffy, you’ve gotta use the training sword, not your fist and feet!” Zoro said through exerted breaths, striking at every fist and arm coming his way. WHACKWHACKWHACK!

“Awww! But it’s not fun fighting if there’s no real danger!” WHIP! SNAP!

Dodging a terrifyingly swift Gum-Gum Rocket, Zoro spins out of reach before doubling over, cradling his stomach. “W-Wait!” They’d been sparring in the crow’s nest for half an hour when Zoro finally called for a timeout. Apparently, the excess booze and the rocking of the ship against the ocean waves were sloshing his stomach around. He crouched over, one arm and finger outstretched in a silent request.

Luffy took an amused and wobbly step back, snapping his arms back to his side. Sweat dripped off his forehead, and his pants heaved in short, quick breaths out his mouth. “Don’t tell me you’re about to barf ‘cuz I’m winning, Zoro!” Luffy teased. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his arm and barreled toward his friendly opponent.

"WHAT?" Zoro glared, slashing a wooden sword with all his might diagonally at Luffy. “No, you're not! I just…need a minute,” Zoro’s voice retched. His gag grew violent by the ship's sway.

Luffy started, voice dripping with teasing concern, “Uh… Zoro? You look like shit, buddy. Do ya' needa stop…”

"N-" By the time Zoro fixed his lips to deny, he was retching up his dinner and half a belly full of booze into the waste bin; he was cackling at Zoro’s state of affairs. 

“Oh my god, Zoro! I thought you could stomach a fight tonight! But I guess I was wrong!” 

Then, it just turned into a humiliating laugh-fest starring Luffy, mocking Zoro’s pain, rolling around in hysterics, and buying front tickets to the comedy show at  Zoro’s shameful expense. “There’s no shame in losing to the best.” 

Zoro moaned into the half-filled bin and grimaced at Luffy’s shameless delight in his misery.

⚔︎

Luffy's night was back to boredom. With Zoro passing out from all the drinking he did at dinner and sparring they did after dinner, he knew there would be no waking him in that state. Plus, it was best to let him sleep when he wasn’t on night watch. Safer for all. 

Unfortunately for Luffy, he was on watch duty, and since—according to Nami and Usopp—it was a tough and fearless 'Pirate King' turn in the rotation, Sunny was in good hands, and no one else needed to stay up with Luffy and keep him company because everyone wanted to do their own thing tonight. No one wanted to be bothered, and Jinbe was out for a long swim.

That aching, gnawing hunger in his stomach and chest had faintly returned, too.

His night would not have changed if Luffy hadn't overheard the crew's couples talking in the aquarium while he was on night's watch. Usually, he wouldn’t care about their lovey-dovey relationship talks, but again, he was bored. 

So, he decided to eavesdrop instead. Yeah, it was naughty, but whatevs. And sure, he could ask to join them, but Luffy didn’t want to pretend to be fully engaged and expected to contribute to the conversation. He wasn’t a virgin; he just wasn't interested in romantic talks about relationships and didn’t care to know the intimacies of his crewmates’ lives in that regard. That’s how he noticed that the ship’s aquarium tank was running low on delicious Sanji dishes. 

But the conversation took an unexpected turn, and Luffy's attention eavesdropping on his crewmates immediately returned. When he heard Robin divulge to Nami and Sanji that Franky was sexually in bondage, his curiosity was piqued. He tried to imagine Robin tying Franky up in a flailed position and laughed until his stomach hurt. 

Oops, he said to himself, covering his mouth and hoping he didn’t tip them off to his presence. If he wanted to learn more without revealing why he was interested, he’d have to be very still and very quiet. Something he struggled with remarkably— Luffy wasn’t good at being either without misbehaving somehow.

“Kink play has done wonders for us. It reminds me of my captivity in Enies Lobby,” Robin said as if it were a fond memory.
“Of all the reminders?” Nami asked, put aside by her friend’s flippancy.
“Yes. It’s become a surprising source of escape and release from that trauma. The resistance and struggle for freedom are enticing.”
“Plus, it’s super fun doing bondage play with this sex kitten!”
“Is that so, Franky?” Sanji leans forward. “Don’t tell me, Robin, my la fleur loves to be tied up?”
“Actually, Sanji, Franky does the bending,” Robin giggled. (To which Luffy rolled his eyes like, Duh!) Franky proudly nodded, arms crossed, beside his girlfriend. "But yes, chains and whips excite me."

Luffy was barely putting two and two together, but imagining Robin tying Franky up made him snicker. He knew bigger didn’t mean stronger, and he’d been in and seen them both in combat enough times to know that size didn’t equate to sexual dominance. So, as easy as it was to envision Franky bending over with his wrists tied and ankles chained, it was hotter to think of Robin bossing the giant cyborg around. He could see himself as Robin in that situation.

His dick twitched. 

"We even make it a game," Robin added.

His dick twitched some more. A game? Luffy loved games. Pirating was basically live-action roleplaying through life. Still, why was this turning him on? He didn't think of sex often enough to understand kinks, though he could acknowledge he had a high libido; someone very knowledgeable about such things informed him that's why he was so hyperactive. Once Luffy learned what both things meant, he believed it because when sexual advances confronted him, his primal senses went haywire. But sex wasn't something serious to him; it was just a natural progression of physical events. Laughter and Nami's thoughtful hum distracted him from the pull in his gut he just felt. 

“You two may have convinced me. BDSM sounds like the only thing that could release all this pent-up tension I've got. Vivi and I tried something risque a couple of years back, but it was more awkward than kinky.”
Sanji swooned, heart eyes floating around his head. “Nami-Sweet! Whenever you’re ready, I’m already waiting!” Luffy was sure his advances would go ignored, but his eyes widened in fascination when he heard Nami genuinely reply, "I know, Sanji. You always are." (What did those two have going on?)
“Aw, yeah?” Franky perked up. “What did you two do?”
“Yeah, you’ve piqued my curiosity as well, Nami.” Robin leaned forward, resting her hand on her chin.
“Well… It all started…” Nami leaned forward.

But Luffy did not want to hear about Nami fucking.

He’d heard enough when Vivi was voyaging with them.

He slid his stretched body back to his post on the tree swing, frowning into his barrel mug of spiked apple cider. But why would he be interested in bondage play? When Luffy considered it more—which wasn’t for very long, he came up with two things:

Firstly, the thrill of that specific kink play got him excited because it sounded the exact thing a pirate should be doing: learning to get out of tight spots and even tighter sailor’s knots. 

B) Now, who could he do it with? It would have to be someone down for rope play without it becoming a big deal. He remembered Hancock propositioning him for sex once upon a time, but she wanted to engage in another kink, though— snake play. Which sounded cool; playing with snakes was always fun, as was swinging around and tying up. But for some reason, this didn’t feel right to bring to her. She always got very whiny and stiff around him and might turn him into stone by accident or something. Then what would he do?

He sighed, his heart tightening as if gripped by an invisible hand.

He missed Traffy.

What they had together was special.

And fun.

Luffy groaned, the frustrated huff failing to calm a new, warm blend of desire and disappointment pooling deep within him. He would've gone to him if Traffy were still on the ship. As a fellow captain, he would’ve been fun to tie up and have his mischievous way with…or to submit to, just for a night. Luffy’s history with Traffy was not something he let his mind linger on too much nowadays. They’d shared moments that made Luffy’s stomach twist, chest tighten, and heart clench if he lingered on them too long. 

Law had been Luffy’s sexual awakening, never having considered losing his virginity before he forged an alliance captain on Punk Hazard, so while he didn’t need sex, he did enjoy the sensory rush and high Law’s fingers and hands and body sent coursing through his nervous system. He also learned quickly that he absolutely liked being slutted out by the surgeon so skilled with his fingers that the very memory of things done to him months again still sent shivers down Luffy’s spine and dried his throat. 

Bondage play is the exact thing they would have done together in his captain’s quarters during their lengthy alliance. Luffy pursed his lips, frowning at a missed opportunity. They'd done something similar using Traffy's Devil Fruit powers, playing games and forcing each other into silly secret challenges that made Luffy feel alive in another way.  It was nothing for the Surgeon of Death to summon his devil fruit powers, activate a 'ROOM', and then dismember certain parts of their bodies for a few minutes to hours. They shared several sweet, quiet moments, days, and nights that would get raunchy and raucous if not for the precision and silencing effect of Traffy's abilities and Luffy's unnatural pliability. 

Luffy’s body began to tingle.

Sex with Traffy made sense. It came with an ease and comfort that freed Luffy to lean into their passionate romp sessions even more. Luffy always craved non-sexual touch. Traffy craved touching people under particular circumstances, and Law always let Luffy touch him. Plus, their friendship held an implicit understanding of trust proven multiple times. He absentmindedly stroked the scar on his chest. Yeah, that level of trust made it easier to have fun whenever the mood struck. 

But Traffy was different. 

Their time together was different.

Luffy didn’t really do the whole “analyze your feelings” thing, as well as Robin, Nami, or even Chopper, did; working through the knots of complicated feelings wasn’t in Luffy’s wheelhouse. Still, he could admit to himself that a deeper, quieter need opened a bottomless, insatiable pit in Luffy when he thought about Law—even if he still didn’t understand it. 

What Luffy felt about Law was… different.

Even if he couldn’t put his finger on why, and no longer had any way of figuring it out with the other captain. After their alliance officially ended, their close friendship became confusing in ways neither of them could reconcile within themselves well enough to talk about like grown men before Law and his crew dove underwater in his submarine in the opposite direction of the Sunny’s charted course. 

So, while things weren’t complicated between them, they'd grown distant in the weeks since the two captains last saw each other, and Luffy had no clue when their ships would cross paths. After all, there was an entire ocean stretching across the firmament between them.

But he could still remember the fun times with Traffy, right? 

His hand traveled down while he closed his eyes, his mind slipping into his lewdest memories with the captain of the Heart Pirates. His legs pump back and forth and lift him forward and higher on the swing. The sea current blew a strong breeze through the deck. Luffy’s straw hat is tossed off his head as a ripping wind blows through his hair, and his hand mindlessly rubs his crotch over his shorts. His cock comes alive from the sensation. Or maybe the visions dancing in his head of Law. he couldn’t be certain. 

He slipped his hand down his waistband, his jaw slacking in pleasure as he swirled the angry head of his cock, pearling beads of precum, thinking about how much fun he and Traffy had, his arousal instinctively chasing the tiger of the older captain’s addictively skillful touch. Pressing his thumb over the leaking tip of his cock, squeezing and stroking his growing hardening. Luffy explores himself, slicking his precum down his shaft to ease the friction in his hand, moaning as he rapidly jerked into his hand, chasing that pleasurable white-hot swelling in his gut, idly wondering what the grumpy grouch of a surgeon was up to right now.

(Somewhere across the New World, off the coast of a nondescript island, Trafalgar D. Water Law’s jaw sets and eye twitches. He stills his hand while performing a difficult emergency surgery, shivering as he tries not to sneeze.

“Captain? Are you coming down with a cold?”

His groin suddenly aches. His cock suddenly throbs. “How odd…” the surgeon murmurs. And wildly inappropriate while a patient lies unconscious on the operating table. He flushes with shame and groans under his breath, shuddering to regain his composure and to adjust his stubborn member, then gets back to the life-saving work.)

But Law wasn’t here. The realization crashed like a ice bucket of seawater over him and instantly softened. 

Luffy sighed and wiped his hand on the side of his shorts. Gazing up at the stars that bedazzled the night sky, Luffy’s thoughts around this new kink drifted from the edges of his mind to clouding his entire mind’s eye as he reached his release. 

He hummed wistfully. Who would be fun to play with?

He contemplated this more deeply than he ever had about anything that didn’t relate to his usual interests—food, fighting, and fun. Maybe it was because he was still lost in an old experience mixed with this new fantasy, or maybe it was because he wanted to think this through first for a change, but he thought really hard about this because if he played his cards right, his time could be filled with all three at the same time.

Then it came to him. 

(Because it was also the only option that made the most sense when he reflected on it for more than a split second.)

“I know!” He bounds to his feet, a giggle of inspiration bubbling up his belly, chest, and throat.“Zoroooo! Zoro, wake up! I got a brilliant idea!”

⚔︎

Luffy was having fun.

He was having fun with Zoro, but that was nothing new. Ever since that sunny day they met, Luffy has been having fun with Zoro. That's why he was the only crewmate it made sense to try this with. To be honest, Luffy was surprised at how long it took him to even consider his first mate in the grand scheme of their adventures. Zoro was always there, right by his side when he wasn’t getting lost, and his ultimate ride or die on the crew.

In the beginning, it started off as plain old vanilla sex. Exploratory, experimental. Per Zoro's request, they were testing the waters of their shifting bond and levels of intimacy. It was another level in their friendship that, Luffy's not gonna lie, was a little awkward to adjust to at first. Of course, Luffy was all in, eager to be opened up and bold to do what he wanted, but Zoro seemed more reticent, more willing to let Luffy take the lead and be told what to do.

Zoro was tentative, nervous, and pensive when they started playing like this. Luffy figured it was because, before they crossed this threshold, their friendship never crossed his mind to perceive Zoro as a sexual being. It wasn’t like Luffy was a walking sex pamphlet himself, but he didn’t think Zoro would be interested in exploring his sexuality until he asked. It dawned on him that, while Zoro was his best friend in the whole world and he could acknowledge he was handsome and attractive, Zoro had no interest in any of that. Luffy couldn't count how many times some gorgeous woman or handsome man approached Zoro during their travels, whimpering wet over how much he oozed sex appeal. And while Zoro himself often made the most raunchy and outlandishly kinky sexual innuendos to his opponents during intense battles, the guy gave off zero sexual or romantic energy any other time. It was even a running BINGO game about how many times and in what rude ways Zoro would reject a romantic advance thrown his way during their adventures.

But Luffy knows how intriguing the chance to fuck rubber is to horny pirates, how good fucking a rubber body feels.

He knows how good fucking him feels.

So, Luffy wasn’t expecting Zoro to agree right away. He was ready to be his pushy, persistent self until he got his way—not to beg; he’s still the captain, still the Pirate King, but he was fully prepared to be... persuasive. 

However, Zoro said yes so fast that Luffy’s still not sure he ever finished asking the whole question. That's why Luffy fully expected Zoro to bring the same enthusiasm and have more desire to chase his own pleasure. But it was a... bumpy start. Zoro was nervous a lot, sometimes too nervous to perform, and every time he couldn't get up, he sulked for the rest of the day for "letting Luffy down." No matter how much understanding and patience, no matter how much encouragement and how many smiles he gave Zoro, the man remained too stuck in his head. Too scared to let go.

Finally, a few games, sessions, rounds, attempts, and weeks into their exploration, they found their groove. As the awkwardness of fucking their best friend just for fun began to subside, things began to get fun as they explored more, to try more (all by Luffy’s request). But even then, Zoro always agreed without hesitation, and Luffy began to realize that underneath all his stoicism and sleepiness...

Zoro was a freak. 

And that shit turned Luffy on. It reminded him of the way still waters run deep. Zoro’s allure was that he was down for whatever. 

So, fucking for fun became their newest and favorite way of passing the time at sea: find a quiet spot on the ship and make a lot of accidental noise while fooling around, or, when they pulled up on a new island to stretch their legs and stock up on supplies: eat, explore, fight, then fuck. 

Being in control of his swordsman’s fate, leading him into the dark of sinful pleasures like this with only Zoro’s trust in Luffy as their lighthouse, ratcheted up the excitement when sex was involved. They understood each other on another level, and Luffy liked that. 

A lot. 

But Luffy never forgot his mission. He still asked Zoro questions about how he was doing. He still made sure he wasn't missing any telltale signs of his friend crumbling under the weight of silent suffering. He made sure their games were full of communication, carefully tucking in his emotional check-ins with Haki training lessons and the occasional drunken swordfights that led to no real conversation but a few drunken sex nights. And while Luffy liked how they could communicate through touch: sparring, fighting, hugging, and cuddling, just touching someone made him feel alive, like someone had his back in multiple ways, places, and times. He liked the way Zoro ate food off his body and shuddered and squirmed under him when Luffy ate off his body. He liked their Haki competitions and how he didn’t take much to overpower Zoro. He liked that the more he and Zoro explored this side of their friendship, the more Luffy could feel their bond changing the rhythm of Zoro’s heartbeat, deepening their trust in each other. It reminded him that life wasn't just a game to win or lose but real and fleeting and worth fighting for with the people he cared about. His dream required sweat and blood, but he now knew he needed more.

To be free. To be pleased. To be satisfied. 

The sun was high and blaring down on the Thousand  Sunny's deck as the guys sat around the deck, fishing together to refill the ship’s aquarium. It was too hot to do anything more than sit on the railing and hold their fishing rods, hoping for a nice catch.

“Luffy really decked that seabird!” Usopp cackled as he sat on the railing, kicking his feet up to shake them overboard wildly. He rolled onto the grassy deck and jumped up to reenact the swift defeat.

“I know!” Chopper whimpered. “I felt so sorry for the little guy! I had to tend to his wounds before he took off.” But before Chopper could finish his pardons, Usopp swept him off his feet to join him as he replayed how sheepish Zoro got when the bird feathers got in his hair and eyes and Luffy laughing in hysterics, tickling him, whimpering and batting invisible bird feathers and impossibly wiggly rubber fingers away. 

"Shut up!" Zoro barked. "I'm not afraid of no damn bird feathers or ticklish. It's an irritating sensation, alright? Now, knock it off and fish, or else the shitty cook won't have anything to cook!"

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me."

"Well I'm such a shitty cook, why the fuck do you want them to fish, huh?"

Zoro shrugged was an impassive mug, eyes still on the ocean depths. "A man's gotta eat."

Sanji rolled up his sleeve and leaned forward, pressing his forehead right up to Zoro's temple "Why I oughta!"

Zoro yawned. "You're not gonna do shit because you're chickenshit." A disrespectfully sleepy blink followed, adding insult to injury. Sanji was so close to pulverizing that insolent dumbass!

"Oooh," Luffy drooled. "Chicken! I'd love some chicken! Sanji! Make me a chicken!"

Straightening up and diverting his anger to Luffy, Sanji bared his teeth. "We don't have any chickens on board, you moron. You know that! That's why we're fishing!"

"Oh. Right. Maybe I should capture another seabird," Luffy said, unfazed.

"NO! No more bird sneak attacks, Luffy! I can't take witnessing another one!," Chopper pled with water doe eyes.

“Yohohohooo! Maybe next time that seagull will see a different goal in the future. Get it? Sea. See. G—”

“Yeah, Brook, we get it, man. You don’t have to explain all your puns, you skeletal cornball,” Sanji gruffed, smoking his last cigarette in his pack. He struck his gold goddess lighter. “Besides, that happened two days ago, and we still haven’t caught any good fish!”

“Or sea kings,” Franky shouted from the jet ski he had bobbing atop the water.

"Why can't we just get Jinbe to catch fish for us? He's the best swimmer in the crew!" Luffy reasoned with an agonized whine. "It's too hot and the fish ain't bitin'!"

"Because it's racist to ask him to do that," Sanji said, not so impatiently. "Besides, we're pirates and pirates are fisherman at heart. We can fish for food ourselves."

As the crew chatted about their fishing woes, Luffy yawned from the overbearing heat draining more of his strength as the minutes slowly stretch on. The fish were still not catching on any lines. He blinked through drowsy, bored, half-lidded eyes, hoping that a damn sea king would hurry up already so that Sanji could cook up a mean sea king bowl for dinner. The water was a hypnotizing mirage of comfort to the chaotic chattering of his crew. He slowly turned his head to the right. Zoro sat beside him just as unbothered by the ruckus, and for a terrifying second there, Luffy thought the man had actually fallen asleep sitting on the railing! He was just about to poke Zoro to see if he was awake when something caught his attention that dispelled his fear. 

Luffy leaned over, pressing their shoulders together firmly. Lowering his voice just for Zoro, a wicked grin danced across his sunkissed face. "So, you are up," Luffy giggled under his breath, a teasing sparkle squinting through his eyes as he glanced down Zoro's front. Dazed and confused, Zoro turned his head to look down his shoulder at his captain. “C’mon," he calmly ordered.

A blazing fire of desire and mischief met his gaze, igniting a matching one in Zoro's lower belly. Zoro had always understood the look in Luffy’s dark eyes, able to decipher their meaning whenever Luffy stared at him; no explanation was necessary. That need in Zoro, unleashed by Luffy’s captivating black holes, was staggering. As a trained stoic, he was fully aware that he could easily lose himself in that deep abyss if he didn't practice restraint. 

Zoro prided himself on being this close to his captain. Fighting King in Wano was when it really struck him down to his soul that this man, this small, magnanimous, reality-defying force of nature of a man, was his best friend. A man he wanted to follow to the ends of the world. To the end of this life.

So, Zoro also knew that mischievous tone in his best friend’s voice by now. It was low, husky as if Luffy had just finished smoking a joint. But it was also laced with something more— an unfettered arousal doused in authority. and moved on autopilot from then on. He blinked once at the younger man grinning beneath his straw hat, dropped his fishing rod onto the deck, and hopped off the railing, as silent as ever. 

“Shishishi,” Luffy snickered through his teeth. “Zoro’s always ready for Playtime.”

Crimson reddened his cheeks while Zoro turned his eyes away to the fluffy cumulus clouds floating serenely over the distant waters, juxtaposing the storm arousing deep within him. “Shut up," he grumbled under his breath. Luffy did not, but he did keep his teasing to a whisper as he led Zoro to the captain's quarters.

“Hey!” Sanji casually called from over his shoulder at the railing by the helm, not caring enough to look back at them. If he had looked, he would have noticed Zoro following Luffy like a faithful dog, as Luffy gleefully bounced into the dark hall, carefree and full of excitement. “Can one of you two bozos grab a pack of smokes from the kitchen on your way back?”

Neither bozo heard a single word.

⚔︎

The captain’s quarters aboard the Thousand Sunny was a spacious yet cozy room tucked deep in the ship’s interior—too far away from the center of the action for Luffy’s taste. Rich, dark Adam’s Tree wood covered the floors, and the sparse walls only decorated with Luffy’s Wanted posters collection kept the stuffy room’s neutral scent of a grounding pine strong even in disuse. The room was stuffy, with no windows in the bedroom, but the ocean blue reflective light from the half-panel aquarium glass moved across the room’s dark walls and surfaces. Thick animal fur pelts scattered on the floor and kept toes warm and cozy even when the aquarium’s temperature was adjusted for different climate zones. Even with the crew still milling around the ship at their most quiet, the captain’s quarters provided all the privacy they needed, thanks to Franky randomly soundproofing the room while making some ship repairs after a nasty cannonball fight with some bounty hunters. Of course, the Straw Hats won, but when Franky was patching up the Sunny,  all he could keep wailing was, “But at what cost?!”

However, its owner barely used the room. It was a forgotten storage closet for Luffy's barest necessities, like his basic wardrobe and clean underwear. 

At first, Luffy scoffed at the soundproofing, adamant he’d never need it, so it was useless. Usopp and Sanji agreed, but for different reasons, snickering and teasing him that he'd make real use of it. (Luffy didn't get the joke for a couple of reasons.) 

For Luffy, it felt like a wooden coffin floating to the bottom of the sea after getting bored staring at the fishes or vibing to the trippy way the water and light moved through the room. As a Devil Fruit user, that visualization just didn’t settle well in his body, so the wide, well-made bed with four bedposts, a down-soft comforter, and an even softer mattress stood warm and inviting in the center of the room like a womb.

When Luffy did spend time in it, it was when he felt too exposed and vulnerable to be seen as his crew's captain, and he didn’t want them to see him as weak. Those rare moments came when he was too raw to be around others, or he'd passed out in long food comas induced by munchies, or when he felt so lonely and touch-deprived that he just wanted to be swaddled like a wanted and loved baby held until he dozed off. Since he didn't like feeling that insecure and helpless, he rarely came to the only place on the ship where he could be so in peace.

But now Luffy was damn glad he didn’t give it away to Chopper to use as a patient recovery room. He now valued the privacy.

The click of the door locking was the only clue Luffy had that Zoro had entered the room after him. Dust motes floated through the stuffy room, their presence illuminated by the warm lamps dotting the walls and the cool, deep aquamarine reflections bathing it. Being located in the ship's innermost section, the room experienced less sway from the current compared to the men's quarters. However, if someone stood still long enough, they could sense Sunny's gentle, soothing rock, reminiscent of a womb in utero. 

And that's exactly what Zoro was doing—standing silently by the door, absorbing the dim room that seemed to glow and float as if it were underwater. 

For Zoro, the captain's quarters was not another forgotten room tucked deep in some obscure part of the ship. It wasn't just extra storage or a place to get away from the annoying noise and incessant chatter of the crew. It was Luffy's space that no one could claim, much like how the Crow's Nest was for him, but official. But even more, it was intimate. The dark wood furniture and soft rugs made the space warm and cozy, though it was dusty and hardly ever used, and provided a kind of intimacy that Zoro couldn't pay for even if he weren't in so much debt to Nami. However, it clearly reflected Luffy's personality: among the towering stacks of heavy storage crates were the softer aspects of his life, such as his WANTED posters and his cherished collections of bugs, beetles, rocks, and seashells. The room carried his scent, a mix of sea salt, sunshine, and coconut, with his sweaty clothes spilling over from the hamper into a chaotic heap on the floor. In Luffy's captain's quarters, all the elements that define Luffy came into sharp focus.

This also meant that anyone summoned to the captain's quarters would be under Luffy's sharp focus because the sun illuminates the darkness and shares its light without grudges.

And that's what Zoro cherished about being invited into this private space with his captain. The unspoken yet hard-earned trust to be allowed into this dark room and share in the sacredness of this quiet space that served as a shrine to Luffy's leadership and character. Zoro had his full attention in here. It was the intimacy Zoro craved the most, the closeness with his best friend that he yearned for, where no one else existed in the world but the two of them. Just as it was in the beginning when their story first started. It offered him an unparalleled sense of comfort and tranquility, a steady anchor amid the pirate life's tempests.

Yet when Luffy turned around to check if he was really there (he was so quiet), he was met with a dark, brooding glare.

Luffy wrinkled his eyebrows. Zoro was acting weirdly faster than usual when they started to play. This time, Luffy hadn't even introduced the game, and Zoro's face was unreadable as he stood by the door like he had a stick up his ass, not like someone ready to play another one of his captain’s wildest games. "Zoro, what's going on with you?"

Zoro's blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

"You're standing there like a bump on a log with a nasty scowl on your face, and you've been acting really weird lately. What's wrong?"

Without hesitation, Zoro flatly answered, "Nothing's wrong, Luffy."

Luffy narrowed his eyes skeptically. "You're not stressed?" Luffy leveled a hard, unblinking gaze on Zoro.

"No. Just sleepy. So, let's hurry up and start so that I can take a nap." He was anxious as hell, though. Just because he craved being in such close quarters with Luffy did not mean it didn't make his pulse quicken with nerves. After an endless minute of Zoro trying not to twitch under Luffy's soul-stirring gaze, Luffy stretched an arm and played with Zoro’s dangling earrings. With a sprite chuckle that tickled Zoro's heart more than he could explain, Luffy relented. “OK!” He believed Zoro.

Zoro's lungs took in a deep, shuddering breath; he didn't realize he'd stopped breathing. Luffy's excitement, on the other hand, was now washing over the room in crashing waves, adding a tension that raised the stakes in Zoro's mind. There was that hot spring of arousal pooling in the root of his groin again. He smirked. He liked that. Even though he was doing this for Zoro, he was just as horny, and now that he'd found exactly what he’s been looking for, for over a week, he was boundlessly energetic.

Walking to the dresser opposite the bed, Luffy casually rummaged through the top drawer and pulled out two thick twine ropes and a half-finished bottle of sea moss lube that Chopper concocted for "the horniest pirate crew of all time!"

“I found some spare rope around Franky’s workshop,” he explained, approaching Zoro, who had yet to move an inch or take his eye off his captain. “And I want to play with it.” His large doe eyes innocently flicker up to Zoro’s face. “Will you play with me?” It was a simple enough question, Luffy knew, so simple that he could hear the answer in Zoro’s voice. 

Zoro nodded and grunted, his throat thick with arousal, his pants too. “Yuh,” barely came out as more than a choked-out breath. Nodding, Luffy began approaching Zoro, wrapping and unwrapping the ropes around his wrists to feel the itchy fibers against his smooth skin, enjoying the rough irritation and red marks they left behind.

“So, I gotta tie you up with this rope to the end of the bedposts.” Zoro’s eyes grew wild. Luffy paused and raised a cautious eyebrow. “Is… that too much for-”

“No! I can handle it,” Zoro insisted firmly, his toes curling without his control.

Luffy's eyes flickered down to Zoro's strained crotch, and he chuckled, letting the bite in Zoro's tone slide as arousing considering the roles they played. He was pleased and impressed by the assertion all the same. “Awesome,” he continued with an amused grin. “But only your wrists. I wanna see how tight is too tight for it to restrain."

The eyebrow Zoro's sealed eye arched. "Restrain me? Why?"

"To keep you from touching me,” Luffy said as if he'd just told a nice stranger his full name.

Zoro frowned, growling through a flurry of confusion and annoyance plaguing his expression. Pulling off his green coat, he pouted, “Why can’t I touch you?” from behind Luffy as he led him to the foot of the bed. Zoro grumbled as his scowl grew. "You love to be touched."

Luffy agreed, "I do," unfazed by Zoro's frustration. Beckoning Zoro with his chin, his eyes lingered over the swordsman's brawny, scarred chest. "But you get very quiet when you start touching my scars. And being silent is how you lose this game."

Zoro's gaze grew distant as he tried to process Luffy's words. They sounded chaotically unlike him. For Luffy to deny someone's gentle touch was practically unheard of! He was always invading someone's space, hugging, clinging, curling, snuggling, cuddling up to someone on the ship for body warmth, for skinship, for any kind of physical touch that made him feel alive. Touching Luffy made Zoro feel alive, especially Luffy's chest and under-eye scars. The scar he saw winking at him in the blinding sunlight the day his life changed and the scar that he couldn't be there to prevent on the day that Luffy's changed.

Now Luffy was telling Zoro, Do. Not. Touch.

Either.

He nearly overlooked it. Nearly. Zoro hardly recognized the delicate tugging of a fine thread within his core, initiating the unraveling of something he was unprepared for. A quietly menacing fear exposed a concealed insecurity he was sure he hadn’t felt just ten seconds prior. But he had noticed, and it was there. 

Lost in thought, Zoro didn't notice when Luffy began to move around the captain's quarters, but he felt a familiar sparking shift in his friend's demeanor.

“Puppy," Luffy softly declared. Zoro's head snapped up. "Sit.” Luffy points to the middle of the bed’s wooden footboard, and without hesitation, Zoro moves to his place. It was out of his control. Luffy's commanding but coaxing voice cast a spell on him, and Zoro's long muscular legs carried him over to where he was told. He sat, broad legs crossed before Luffy.

"Good puppy," Luffy purred while sitting cross-legged on Zoro's thighs and gently stroking his cheek with his thumb. The heat rose and bloomed in Zoro's chest over the praise. Luffy calling him good and puppy made his cock preen awake under his captain's always-bare ankle. Amused, Luffy pursed his lips, watching the emotions ripple across Zoro’s face as he bound him, teasingly wiggling his toes over Zoro's hard length without care. "I want to test your control,” he declared, as if it were obvious, and began to wrap the ropes around Zoro's wrists.

Luffy found it difficult not to find Zoro's face, which was all helpless and pathetic, adorable when they played like this. Not just the strong, damn near invincible swordsman he was out there. But the loyal and obedient servant he played in here. Zoro's frown lines softened when they played together, and he wasn't so damn serious during those times. Or drunk out of his mind. It was more or less what Luffy had asked of him when he proposed BDSM play and their dom/sub roles started. Yet, their bondage sessions were repeatedly delayed or suddenly cut short due to minor interruptions or pressing ship issues that demanded their immediate focus.

But it was the perfect boring day to do bondage play. 

Luffy was thrilled. “And mine, too,” Luffy added in a low, husky voice, still stroking Zoro's cheek with smooth, soothing glides. His voice dripped with demand and desire, and it made Zoro’s heat burn hotter through his core. 

"Knees up," Luffy's tone sharped with intention. and Zoro immediately listened. Admiring his best friend's face, he stroked Zoro's rigid jawline, slowly tracing the sharp bone structure with his index finger and etching it into his memory. He could feel the flutterings of Zoro's heart in his pulse even without Observation Haki. They had nothing but time to spare, but it would take all the self-control he could muster to drag this game out. 

"Use your words, Zoro, or it's no fun," he scolded with an airy giggle. His eyes drifted to Zoro's bobbing through with a mischievous glint. Deliberately rolling his eyes.

"Ah-Uhm," Zoro swallowed, panting out his words between shallow breaths. "Y-Yeah. O-OK."

"Look at me," Luffy instructed. Zoro's eyelid flew open, and Luffy felt a chill run through his body as Zoro watched him tighten the ropes, his beady gray eyes dilated. Was it wrong of him to find Zoro's pathetic look and shallow breaths cute? To find how helpless Zoro looked so pitifully nostalgic that it turned him on? "Try to break free without your Conquerer's Haki." Zoro instantly obeyed, a fire sparking in his scowling eyes like he was...angry he couldn't. How weak and undeserving of serving the King of the Pirates he felt!

But Luffy only grinned and tugged at them some more to ensure they were secured to his satisfaction. "Good. Do you remember the safe word?" (Luffy asked Robin in confidence about all the particulars so that he wouldn't get carried away doing his own thing...as he was wont to do, and she emphasized the importance of reminding each session). Zoro nodded, eyes dilated.

"Say it," Luffy ordered like a drill sergeant.

Sorry didn't skip a beat. "Gum-Gum."

"Great! Let's begin." Luffy pulled out a long feather from his shorts pocket and waved it in the air. "I plucked it off a seagull while fishing. Had to wrestle it for stealing my fish," he chuckled, slowly straddling Zoro's lap to sit with his legs crossed. 

"I know. I was there." But Zoro regarded the feather with suspicion, not realizing Luffy had other plans for fighting that seagull. Zoro hadn't noticed him plucking or pocketing the feather either. “What’s it for?” he asked cautiously.

Luffy giggled with a mischievous glint in his eye, a wide smile stretching across his charming, boyish face. “I’m glad you asked! It’s for punishments!”

Zoro’s eyes bulged, and his throat instantly dried. He tried to work his throat muscles to breathe, but Luffy’s punishment, on top of being tied up by the wrists, kind of left his tongue heavy and his mind-melting. He started shifting under Luffy's hold.

Then, the mood shifted in a snap. "Puppy, wait,” Luffy instructed, his voice dropping low as he leaned closer. Zoro still instantly as Luffy's warm breath came dangerously close to Zoro’s ear, speaking so low that Zoro’s surprised gasp almost made him miss Luffy’s last word. "It's time for the first part of our game."

Zoro did a double-take, side-eyeing his captain. "W-What's the game this time?" Zoro panted. His broad chest shuddered and collapsed with his words. Luffy, who'd gotten caught up playing with the soft feather through his fingers, fixed his eyes on Zoro.

"Hm? Oh! We're going to play Truth or Dare!"

Zoro's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. His breathing was shallow. "With... ropes and a feather?" he deadpanned.

"Yup!" Luffy replied brightly. "I have a question for you. If you lie, I’ll tickle you." The casual shrug Luffy gave, with his palms up and flat, was all Zoro needed to know. This would be unadulterated fun for Luffy and bittersweet torture for him.

Zoro groaned, not wanting to miss his final moments of say-so. "Luffy… I hate—"

"I know!" Luffy laughed loudly, remembering how he had to subdue him with his arms and Conqueror's Haki earlier when he tickled Zoro just for fun. "That's why it's a punishment. Oh, don't make that face, Zoro," Luffy cheekily pouted. "It’s gonna be fun, I promise! I won't use too much Conqueror's Haki if you get out of hand this time, either." He held up a hand as a vow, his face pulling into an exaggerated solemn frown.

But then, just as Zoro is about to protest, he winked. It was a ravenous glint that drew up the corner of his pursed lips like he was revealing a little secret. "But, you don't seem to mind passing out in my arms, now do you?"

The look on Luffy's face sent a shiver up Zoro’s spine. Zoro didn’t mind. 

But that glare in Luffy’s eyes was trouble. "Let's make a deal, hm? I'll even use some Gear 5 Haki as a reward if you're a good boy," he coaxed in a sultry note. "But only to subdue you," he strictly clarified.

Zoro went rigid, his mind slipping back to the few times Luffy's made Zoro's body and mind melt under the enveloping, chest-caving weight of his awakened Conqueror’s Haki. It made blood rush to his head, thinking about how filling and engulfing it felt to be punched and embraced by such unyielding power. How soft and comforting the intense pressure was on his body. How it felt like he was being buried alive but resting in peace. If he could choose one way to die, that would be a sweet death.

His hips bucked on their own under the anticipation of Luffy’s promise and the smaller man's solid body weight pressing down, securing Zoro to the floor and to him. Luffy's weight felt like a smooth boulder sitting on Zoro's midsection, and he'd just barely shifted on Zoro's cock when he mentioned using his Conqueror's Haki, a rare reward in the games they played. Only when he earned them.

So, the hip-bucking was not supposed to happen.

A slightly shocked gasp escaped both their mouths as a sharp gaze glint took over Luffy's expression, boring into Zoro for his transgression. Luffy's grip around Zoro’s waist tightened as he slowly searched Zoro's face, a salacious grin hooking his full, soft lips. "Impatient already? Am I boring you? Wasting your time?" Luffy's eyelashes fluttered against Zoro's as he purred under his breath.

Zoro furiously shook his head as Luffy rocked his hips forward and back on Zoro's lap. and whispered his first Dare. "I dare you to remain as still and silent as a samurai while I dry hump you," he commanded, his moaning voice an erotic pitch as he rutted painstakingly slowly against Zoro's awakening bulge.

Zoro's breath hitched. "A-And if I don't?" he barely managed to ask between hisses of controlled pleasure. Luffy’s mischievous eyes grew dark as pits as a wicked grin stretched across his round face.

"Then, I'll punish you." Luffy lightly slapped the side of Zoro's thigh with an open palm coated in Armament Haki.

But it was enough. To drive home the point, the slap stung in a sharp, tantalizing way against Zoro's pant leg, smacking his skin and rippling through his body. He could feel the willful vibrations in the muscle fibers in his buttocks and chest, like its strategic purpose was to turn Zoro on enough for his body to act against his and Luffy's will. Luffy wasn't playing fair.

Zoro's soft gasp was all Luffy needed to hear to rut even deeper and grind his hips over his groin, lightly trailing the feather down Zoro's neckline and shoulders. "Look at me," Luffy firmly commanded. When they made eye contact, Luffy ground deeper, slower on Zoro's lap, leaning forward to suck his lips as he quickened his pace. Luffy closed his eyes, leaving Zoro to watch alone as the kiss became clumsy and desperate on both sides. Luffy kissed Zoro with abandon, licking, drooling, nipping, nibbling, and sucking as if Zoro was an edible statue.

And Zoro ran himself ragged to match his captain's pace without breaking any other rule.

Feeling the warm dampness forming between them, Luffy stopped all actions. He pulled back, and the flicker in his eyes made Zoro wince. "Punishment," Luffy simply announced. 

"What?" Zoro stammered, trying to steady his breathing and eyeing the feather closing in on his face.

"Punishment," Luffy repeated.

"W-What? Why?!" Zoro grunted. His brain was fuzzy at the edges as his frustration crashed against his arousal. “What did I do?” Luffy caressed his burning cheeks but said nothing as he began his feather torture down Zoro's chest. Lazily, he dragged the feather down the swordsman's chest, swirling the fine hairs over the notched grooves, the stitches left behind by the massive scar stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip. Zoro's chest quaked. Luffy pressed a firm hand against his chest to steady it, but the hot touch of Zoro's heart slamming into his chest and Luffy's palm made the captain take pity. 

He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Because you didn't stay still. You broke the rule," Luffy calmly informed him with an innocent gaze, as if he'd just told Zoro that he got lost again. 

It came out as a rugged, desperate plea, "B-B-But you break rules all the time."

Luffy could barely contain his snorting laughter. "Yeah, in other people's games. Not my own." He was no longer looking at his first mate. Now his eyes are following his hand's lead up Zoro's right arm until it lands in his hairy armpit. Luffy lightly shakes the feather over Zoro's pubic hairs, and Zoro’s reflexes yank at the rope. 

Luffy's eyebrows raise in wicked curiosity as he glances at Zoro with a mischievous sparkle. "OH? Is that what we're doing now?" 

Zoro quickly averts his flushing gaze. "Sorry," he mumbled.

But it's too late. 

"No need to apologize. Your punishment has already been decided,” Luffy’s soft and affectionate tone betrayed his actions. He wasn't sure if it was the sound of his voice that did it or the feather now tickling Zoro's chin down to his Adam's apple, but Zoro chomped at the air like a captured sea king between their faces.

Luffy didn't flinch, but his dick sprang to life, precum leaking through his shorts. He burst out laughing. "Is that your way of asking for a kiss, puppy?" Zoro whimpered a pathetic whine in agreement, cheeks dusting rosy in embarrassment. Luffy’s expression softened, and his pupils grew wide with amusement. The sound was answer enough. 

"Aw, how cute!” He swiftly pecked Zoro’s nose and clicked his teeth pitifully. “But that's not my game." 

Zoro’s breath caught in his throat. A shudder rippled through Zoro’s shoulders when Luffy’s teeth latched onto the sensitive flesh after dipping his head into the crook of Zoro's neck. He bit down, ensuring his teeth left their mark before his tongue licked and his lips sucked on his prey with gluttonous satisfaction. It wasn’t the feather, but the torture still rippled through Zoro’s body with sweet pain.

“Alright, puppy. Your turn to pick.” Luffy pulled back, his voice dripping with molasses. “Truth or Dare?” 

As the sensation of Luffy’s mouth, tongue, and teeth lingered like a sore wound on Zoro’s hot skin, his eyes were too glassy, and his brain was too glitchy to process another dare so soon.

“T-Truth,” he nervously chose. His throat worked overtime to swallow shallow breaths through a dry mouth.

Luffy swirled and shook the feather ever so lightly, barely touching Zoro’s arms down to his restless, exposed chest, almost as if he didn't care about the thing or how it was leaving chilling goosebumps along Zoro's hot flesh or that the touch felt like a phantom itch that he couldn't reach to scratch, and it was driving Zoro crazy.

Luffy sighed as if releasing a sad thought with the lingering exhale. “Zoro, are you happy?” Luffy's innocently curious tone was in teasing contrast to the bittersweet torture Zoro was enduring. He wanted to scream, to whimper, to shake his trembling legs and release the pressure building in his choked-out dick. But he couldn't focus. 

The question caught Zoro completely off guard. He couldn’t process it. Not while Luffy’s sparkling eyes genuinely searched his face as if peering through a looking glass. Not while the soft, boyish rasp of Luffy's voice tickled his heart with such a blunt question. Luffy cares about me.

The thought alone, the warm way it floods his senses as Luffy's gentle, caring voice washes over him in an onslaught of feelings he couldn't name or want to admit, causes Zoro’s pelvis to buck like a mechanical bull. Again. 

Before Zoro could even regret his body’s natural reaction, Luffy had already begun tickling Zoro’s armpit and sides with agonizing slowness. As Zoro hissed and forced his body to steady itself, Luffy latched back onto the love bite he’d left on Zoro’s neck and bit down harder, slamming his bottom down on Zoro's groin. He sucked the taut flesh beneath his first bite mark and began rocking his hips, his thick cock rubbing against Zoro’s tented crotch. 

The slow, grinding friction coiled a thin wire of heat around a spindle in Luffy’s pit; a white-hot venom shot through his extremities. It felt good. It was fun teasing Zoro in this way. 

But it was not enough.

“Answer the question, puppy,” Luffy demanded, a deep growl in his throat. The feather tickling did not stop and Zoro shivered and twitched with each delicate brush like he was trying to hold his pee. His brain static-shocked. His body stiffened. His tongue flicked to wet his chapped lips. But he finally found a way to connect his brain and tongue thought to speech.

“Y-Yes, Captain.”

The submissive pitch in Zoro’s breathy voice made Luffy groan as he rutted against Zoro slower, deeper, harder. He loosely put his arms around Zoro’s shoulders, arching his neck and back, the flood of arousal washing over him as he rolled his eyes shut, considering if he believed his answer. His gut told him the answer. 

Luffy could not be denied. He could tell by the endless slip of drool coming down his friend’s slack jaw that he was winning. He could end this game in no time, or he could drag it out to get the truth out of Zoro. 

So, of course, he dragged it out!

“I don’t believe you,” he breathed like a puff of cloud smoke in Zoro’s ear. But he still took Zoro’s lips into a compassionate kiss. 

Zoro stopped being atheist once Luffy awakened and learned about the Sun God, Nika. He stopped being agnostic when he finally witnessed Joy Boy in the flesh on the battlefield against the Seraphims. It made his toes curl and spine tingle as a warmth spread throughout his body, just being in Luffy’s presence in that form. It made his heart beat to a rhythm that he never thought possible, and he would still be alive to remember that sublime feeling. 

Who else could he worship after that?

That same warmth spreads throughout Zoro’s chest when his brain registers a new touch and snaps him back to his present reality. Luffy’s waddling him. One long arm has coiled around Zoro's torso so snugly, while both his legs did the same around his waist. He’d even grown in size to be bigger than Zoro so that he could cradle the man’s broad shoulders with ease. The warm gesture felt more than Zoro had the words to describe. It was more comforting than restrictive… intimate. He could taste the languid way Luffy’s awakened Conqueror's Haki seeped into his body like strong liquor, depressing his heightened nervous system. 

He wanted to lean into it, to relish in the moment’s warmth and his undying trust in Luffy and figure out what he could say to please his captain, but a faint ghost of fear snatched his thoughts.  

No. It would ruin everything. He will reject you. 

A cool sensation rushed through Zoro’s chest. Zoro cleared his throat. “I promise I’m happy to be here with you, Captain.”

It wasn’t a lie. It was the truth he was ready to share. 

But Luffy huffed, immediately sensing the shift.

Slowly unwinding his hold from Zoro, he gave his right cheek a feather-light kiss as the actual feather aimlessly toured the other side of Zoro’s calmer, albeit still slightly trembling, body. His fingers twitched, and the rope’s fibers twisted deeper into his sensitive skin.

But the rest of Luffy’s assault remained relentless. He refused to stop touching some hot and highly sensitive part of Zoro’s body with that damn feather and those wet, soft lips brushing against Zoro’s neck, lips, and earlobe. 

Luffy's tongue licked Zoro's slightly parted lips. “Are you lying to me? Hm?” Luffy patiently asked in a terrifyingly sweet voice into his mouth. It was a question with no answer Zoro could coherently answer because one second, Luffy’s tongue was lightly flicking Zoro’s earlobe, teasing and dragging across the three gold studded rings on his earlobe while talking. The next, all Zoro could hear was the gentle clinking of Zoro’s earrings like chimes. 

It was like the devil whispering his darkest truths and revealing buried temptations into him, and Zoro began to malfunction. But Zoro didn’t know what else to say! He was happy to be alive right now, to be pinned and tied under his captain’s merciless will.

“I-I’m not—” Zoro needed to breathe. He needed to calm down. But Zoro didn’t want his captain to stop. He knew Luffy wouldn’t stop his relentless assault, kissing, sucking, or grinding on a very weak, very helplessly drooling Zoro anytime soon. He was melting! “Mmnh-hahh-Luffy! I'm—telling—t-the truth—Ahhgnhhh—hahhh! Captain!” Zoro whimpered under the tickling, wincing at the overstimulation too intense to call pleasure. He hated being tickled. But he loved how much attention Luffy was paying to the feather. 

To him.

And despite his efforts, the swordsman was failing miserably to remain still. The ropes rubbed against his flesh as if trying to start a fire, but he was too distracted to find the ripping sensation on his skin painful. Instead, the raw and itchy feeling both anchored Zoro in his body and heightened his euphoria. His mind was glitching, and his chest was heaving as visions of another kind of heat and bondage flickered and flashed in the background of his mind. 

But the strong and indomitable man kept one eye fixed on Luffy, even though tears brimmed at his waterline and a glazed expression held them in place. He didn’t want to blink, lest he miss a single second of his sweet torture from the one person who could reduce him to nothing but a puddle of his own lust. Drooling would feel like dropping a sword into the ocean’s black abyss in the midst of battle. 

He would not miss this moment to receive one piece of his beloved captain’s full attention. He aimed to please.

Still, he was but a weak, wretched man under the shadows of the Sun God. He knew wouldn’t be able to outwill Luffy’s dominance over his senses. "Ngh! Luf- haaaa-ahhh'mgonnac-cum!" Luffy flashed him a stern glance, still feathering his sensitive spots, and Zoro completely forgot what he was saying when he stared back.

The command was sharp, instant, and absolute. 

"No.”

Zoro’s brain stuttered at the denial. “Hh-I-Huh?”

Dropping his voice in a tone so low and husky that the most embarrassing squeak squeezed out of Zoro’s throat, “I said no. You're not gonna cum. Then the game will be over," Luffy whispered onto Zoro's cheek, damp with sweat and wet with tears. “That would earn you a punishment, wouldn’t it, Zoro?” Luffy reminded him.

The combination of the threat to his nervous system and his body’s hypersensitivity to Luffy’s hot breath on his burning flesh shot an arrow of sharp pain through Zoro’s cock, as Luffy proceeded to lick and suck Zoro's ear, rolling and thrusting his tongue in and out of his ear canal at an increasing pace. Zoro’s throat worked to suppress the thrill that his pulsing heat could not contain. 

Feeling the warm wetness of Zoro's precum pooling between them, Luffy chuckled, clicking his tongue in playful chastisement. “Did you bring your toy just for show and not to share?” Luffy pouted like a brat who always got his way and knew it. “Awww… but I thought friends shared their toys with each other, Zoro?”

An agonizingly light ghosting of the feather made a hiccup of precum spurt out of him as he jolted. Unbothered, Luffy swirled the feather's edge around Zoro’s tip and grazed down his shaft until they touched the rubber ring snugly, gripping the base of his dick, gently tickling his balls with the feather. Zoro’s stomach flipped between exhilaration and dread. Suddenly, like a sharp, shooting hangover headache, he remembered the moss green cock ring currently constricting blood flow in his throbbing dick.

He wore it, per Luffy's orders, so much nowadays that he'd grown used to the rubber ring's constriction. It wasn't difficult since Zoro had long since mastered his will over pain tolerance in his swordsman training. The cock ring was more like wearing his haramaki around his cock base at this point. He glowed at the thought that wearing the ring was an endurance test to prove to Luffy that he could withstand anything to remain by the King of the Pirates' side. Only cumming on his captain's orders felt like the ultimate expression of his faithfulness and loyalty to Luffy.

But not at this excruciating second.

Right now, Zoro feels like he's at the crossroads of death by dick implosion. The bursting sensation was worse than anything he'd experienced, and he thought he was going to rip his slit in two from pissing himself when it hit him like a sharp blade that Luffy hadn't let him cum in three sessions. He'd lost all three games and the agonizing realization that this might be session four brings tears to the swordsman's eye.

Luffy’s eyes widened with innocent expectation as if he wasn’t torturing Zoro with his own ideations of filthy fun. Waiting for an answer as Zoro's dick throbbed like it had a heartbeat of its own. Slowly rubbing and gripping his balls while rocking his hips, the friction between their thighs intensifying the surges of pleasure washing over them as Luffy held Zoro by the waist with his legs coiled in a death grip. 

Luffy was tormenting Zoro's crotch with his ministrations, and it was clear to Zoro that he could not end the game so easily. Luffy was not going to let his fun end so soon. But he could tell Zoro was tired of being edged.

So, he stopped—

For a second.

Zoro's breath hitched at the sudden emptiness of sensation. He whimpered from the cool hollowness now filling him where he wanted Luffy. Luffy leaned in to search Zoro's sharp gray iris, blown wide, looking like he was on the edge of bliss or snapping.

Luffy snickered, "You ready for more yet, Zoro?" Zoro's piercing gaze is begging for his release, to cut through this mounting pressure of ecstasy like a sharp blade, but he can do nothing but nod through whiny whimpers that sound more pathetic than if he were to just outright beg. His jaw slacked like an ancient ruin—Luffy smiled at the sight—he’d been the one to ruin him. Zoro was under Luffy’s complete mercy.

Luffy’s eyes glowed red for just a flicker of a second. He grinned in satisfaction. 

He was winning. 

Slowly resuming a deep roll of his hips, which elicited a strained whine from Zoro’s mouth,  Luffy ordered, "Truth."

 Zoro groaned, keening under Luffy's touch. Releasing his grip around the swordsman’s waist, the smaller man dropped the feather and slid down Zoro's lap and in between his legs. Zoro needed water. His throat was so dry. The heat emitting from his body was burning him from within, but Luffy’s sunkissed skin was scorching his senses to ash. He was on fire.  His lungs had completely forgotten what to do. He needed air! 

But he still spread his legs to welcome him as Luffy’s cool hand traveled up to the waistband of Zoro's haramaki. "Whatever you wanna know, Cap," Zoro huffed. He pulled it back, then slid his hand down to the waistband of Zoro's pants until he found the throbbing heat he'd made weep this way and that.

Rolling a slick thumb over the dribbling wet slit, Luffy looked at Zoro slumped and laid out, wrists limp against their ropes, face glazed in bliss. "Are you enjoying this?" He growled the question as he ran his thumb over Zoro's swollen head like it was a marble in his hand.

"Y-Yes," Zoro choked.

"Do you feel good? Right now? All over? Overall?" He brought his hand back up and lewdly licked it with an expanded tongue before wrapping it around Zoro's shaft.

Zoro gritted his teeth. The pressure not to move, not to cum, not to touch Luffy but to think clearly enough to answer his captain was burning him the fuck up! " Mmnnhh- Yes!" he barely managed through a moan.

He lightly tugged at the hardened flesh before he found his piston rhythm, relishing in how. "You want me to keep ticklin’ you?"

Zoro’s brain screamed no, begging for release from the overstimulation. But his mouth had another opinion. "Y-Yes."

Luffy gave him an impressed grin as he continued to suck and lick and slurp. He rolls his eyes over this pathetic mush of a man with amusement batting against his eyelashes, taking in the sight of Zoro unraveling from a feather and a head rub. Zoro whimpered under Luffy’s sinfully adorable gaze. "Really? What changed?" He could see Zoro reaching his climax. He could feel it twitching against the back of his tongue.

"N-Nothing.” Zoro shivered. “J-Just. Touch me. Anywhere." His breathy submission filled Luffy’s gut with a pool of white heat. Luffy loved that all it took with Zoro was that he would ask, and Zoro would be down for anything. Whatever. Wherever. 

So it bugged Luffy that he was being so stubborn about what was bugging him! Luffy chuckles to himself. Zoro could be such a tough nut to crack. He could press the issue later in other ways, but right now, Luffy just wanted to help Zoro chase his nut. “OK. You can close ‘em now if you want.”

Luffy pulled Zoro’s pants down to his knees and crawled into the open space between his thighs. He marveled at the heavy thud Zoro’s cock slapping on his lower belly made. It was long and slender, with veins that ridged his shaft and followed a finely crooked path and heavy when erect. He grabbed it, snickering low, his mirthful eyes flickering between the swordsman and his weapon. “Hey, remember the first time I saw you hard and asked why you don’t call it Four-Sword Style ?” 

The question broke the building tension like a tree branch, and they fell forward, bursting out laughing. Their chests rumbled together in a fit of light giggles as Zoro’s entire body relaxed from the nerves threatening to wash him adrift. 

So when Luffy began to smoothly spread Zoro’s leftover leakage around his flustered head before he dipped his head to mouth Zoro’s balls, Zoro welcomed it. He still didn’t know why Luffy wanted to play with him like this, but as Luffy’s hot, slick, and wide tongue started rolling around his throbbing, sensitive flesh, Zoro’s mind went blank. 

Who gives a fuck, right? His primal brain reasons, twitching as Luffy applies a stronger sucking grip around Zoro’s slippery cock. It was the right amount of pressure to make Zoro harder and pathetically whimper. 

"Nggghh! Hah-hah!! ” Zoro moaned breathlessly as he tried to laugh out this new wave of arousal as more of his precum spilled forth but forced himself to remain still as Luffy milked him through his orgasm when his eye flared open and saw Luffy glaring up at him.

“Yum, you taste good, Zoro," Luffy muffled as he licked up the shaft and swallowed Zoro’s wet head whole, licking and sucking on it, savoring the thick and salty flavor. Zoro tasted so good that, for a moment, he thought about how he planned to lick melting ice cream off of it just like this. Zoro shuddered, sweat dripping down his temples and his thighs shaking on Luffy’s sides. His Haki, a feeble tremble rippling, snapping beneath his skin. 

Luffy’s own neglected cock burned against his thigh, furiously demanding attention. But it wasn’t about that right now. He wanted Zoro to clear his mind, to chase his pleasure first.

Luffy's praise sent a shockwave of electricity through Zoro's body. Zoro gasped and shook his head in surprise. Was he dreaming? Did his captain really just call him a good boy? It made his heart stutter and skip as an uncontrollable rush of pride and overwhelm burned his belly with hot desire. A faint crackle pulsed through Zoro as the captain grabbed his first mate’s narrow hip bones and gripped them to steady himself as he leaned his head further down Zoro’s cock and went bonkers. Zoro’s heartbeat quickened as he watched his captain’s head roll and bob while going down on him without any shame or restraint, making Zoro’s head spin. It wasn't his first time receiving a blow job from Luffy, but damn if it didn't bring him to the edge of sanity each and every time. When Luffy's soft, plump lips were around his first mate's head and Zoro's cock was in his captain's mouth, he could feel nothing but his wet and hot desires and fantasies of living like this for the rest of his days, sleeping with his cock warmed by Luffy's perfectly rubber-made mouth every night, taking him far, far away from everything…

But Luffy.

Luffy hollowed his cheeks and bottomed out on Zoro’s dick and took one slow and deliberate suction, his hand gripping the base, and Zoro snapped.

Luffy was enjoying how limp and blissed-out Zoro looked. He could feel the man’s larynx rubbing against the ridges of his hardness, and it made him quiver with excitement. "That's it. Good boy, squirm for me, okay?” Luffy's muffled voice vibrated through his warm mouth over Zoro's sensitive skin before he increasingly bobbed his head up and down each time, his hand following in the salivated wake, increasing his pace. He sunk a finger down to Zoro’s entrance and eyed him for consent.

Zoro arched his back and bucked until the bedposts shook where his wrists were bound, the rough fibers sawing his tough skin back and forth. The sensations were too much. Too much stimulation. Too much pleasure. Too much pain. Too much LUFFY. He couldn't hold back as Luffy repeated the action, shouting a choking babble of unintelligible gratitude. “TH-ahhh-nnnk-YUH—Captain—fuhh-ckkkk-me-mmnnhh—yes!" Zoro babbled between hitched breaths and lifted his knees and hips, thrusting for more friction and pleasure, but Luffy didn’t push his finger in. Zoro’s mind glitched. “Hohh—Y-YES.”

Still bobbing, one hand stroking and guiding his lips on Zoro's base, Luffy grabbed the lube bottle and popped open the lid. He took Zoro down his throat to his hilt so that he could free his other hand to squeeze a generous glob of the cold green gel and rub it in until it melted into a warm oil. He dropped a few globs of gel right on Zoro's tight entrance and swirled it with one of his lubed hands until it oiled and Zoro hissed from the sensations of the temperature change. while the other went back to stroking his cock still in Luffy's mouth.

Luffy slowly slipped a finger into Zoro's clenching hole, the muscle initially protesting the intrusion, but Zoro released a long, full moan when he broke through. He twisted and whirled the digit around the tight, hot pocket of flesh. He could feel Zoro's walls clenching and puckering around his finger. The slick warmth he met made Luffy shudder with excitement. He giggled unabashedly, "Aw, that's cute! You’re using your Haki to resist me, Zoro," Luffy petulantly warned. But then he bubbled out more snickers. "Shishishi, stop, Zoro! It tickles!" Fluidly, he entered and exited Zoro’s entrance, whispering playful questions to Zoro that the older man could not find the words to answer. 

"Is it because you're so tight, hmm? Trying to control yourself?” Luffy's playful scolding only made Zoro tense up. "Why, when you know you can't overpower me, Zoro?" he said with a sickeningly sweet condescending tone, tilting his head, patiently sliding a second digit in, and slowly spread both fingers out, scissoring Zoro’s warm flesh apart with a patient exploratory ease fingers became wetter and stickier. He dug deeper and went faster, now with enough slippage and room to add a third digit, itching to bend his fingers and press his playmate’s prostate as he did. 

With every delicately intrusive thrust, Luffy questioned Zoro. It was mind-spinning how calm and attentive Luffy was being. Zoro didn't know what to do about Luffy's uncharacteristic patience while torturing him with that damn toe-curling, spine-tingling, heart-fluttering feather other than shiver beneath the surface, his feeble yet uncontrolled Haki slipping out in more erratic pulses.

Paying the silent trembling no mind, Luffy shook his head, pushing his straw hat off his head as if confused or stuck on a problem he needed to solve. “Ah! Still too tight,” Luffy lamented. He grazed Zoro’s prostate again for shits and giggles and pulled three fingers out to their tips, and the grown man mewled and keened when Luffy pressed in deeper, more forceful. Luffy frowned. “Zoro? You okay?” His voice was warm with concern and disappointment as the swordsman's weak Haki turned from an afterthought's tickle into a grating irritation. 

Zoro frantically nodded, gripping the edges of the bed sheets until his knuckles cracked. “Mmph-hmm,” he whined.

Luffy looked at his sticky fingers in Zoro’s sore hole, sea moss oil trickling down his back thigh. He shook his head again, pulling his fingers completely out, and looked up at Zoro’s trembling face, never-ending trail of tears."You're lying again," he sang like a monster in the shadows. The watery blue reflections of the aquarium added an otherworldly glow to the mischievous glint in Luffy's wild, dark eyes. “Tch. Nah. This won’t do.” 

Zoro’s chest quivered as a fragile gasp escaped his lips; his head darted over his shoulder to look at Luffy, his expression wild with confusion. “Why?” he could barely breathe.

Luffy’s Observation Haki washed over him, and he sensed a flash pulse of Zoro’s heart rate spiking in his chest. “You’re not ready to be fisted yet. You’re not relaxed enough. Look, you’re crying! And that’s no fun,” Luffy puckered his lips into a bratty pout that held no real anger behind it. 

It only served to taunt Zoro. “Cap—?” Zoro gasped and lost his breath as Luffy hoisted Zoro’s legs over his shoulders and tucked his head between his butt cheeks, smoothly, swiftly. He was lifting Zoro by his toned, narrow hips and spreading his ass apart, kneading the smooth, firm flesh with both hands. Luffy smirked while touching and grabbing Zoro’s cheeks, his strong and smoother rubber skin digging his fingertips and nails deep into Zoro’s burning skin, leaving curved nail indentations sure to bruise beautifully.

Luffy tilted his head from left to right, his expression softening with patience as he glanced up at Zoro. “I wanna make you feel good, and you don’t feel good, do you?” He held Zoro’s shaky knees steady.

“N-N-ahhh!” Zoro squirmed as he tried to admit his shortcomings to his captain and rutted his hips at the sensation of Luffy’s hot, slick tongue pushing against and then past his rim. He could feel the saliva mixing with his natural lubricant and hear the loud, shameless smacking and sucking. It was all too heady. Zoro shut his one eye tight. 

Luffy simply watched Zoro come undone from over his eyelashes. Witnessing and feeling and being the reason why Zoro, the world’s best swordsman, was writhing on his tongue and moaning so erotically made Luffy cocky. He’d given up on getting Zoro to open up what was on his mind. Now, Luffy wanted to stretch Zoro’s tight, inviting hole open and impale the swordsman.

“Uhnn! R-Right…there, Cap-Mnnh-hah! ” Zoro panted as his blood boiled in his veins like hot water. His toes curled with every twist and roll of Luffy’s wet tongue inside him. He could feel the hot wringing of some thread in his lower belly threatening to snap, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t until Luffy told him to. That unspoken understanding made Zoro’s heart flip and Luffy’s stomach growl. 

Luffy began taking his time to eat and enjoy his meal for once. Running his hands all over Zoro's firm, round ass felt like rubbing a stress ball. That made Luffy mirthfully hum as he continued his ministrations on Zoro's rim.

An endless stream of saliva dripped down his tongue, savoring the tight muscle around his hot tongue, moaning as he sucked and licked Zoro’s precum like it was melting ice cream off a cone in the dead of summer; Luffy was unbothered by the irregular rocking of the wooden frames and bed springs beneath them disjointing his tempo. Zoro could do all he wanted until Luffy was done. 

“Ungh—mmhnnn!—ye-yes! Captain! Ss-So-FUCK-Luffy-KING!” It's all incoherent drooling babble of Zoro losing control, and Luffy preened in the praise. Hearing Zoro moan out "King" renewed his fervor. The panting, bouncing, and chasing made the game more fun. "Ugghhh, Captain!" Zoro's deep, rich voice drawled out from the bottom of his throat as Luffy dragged his nails up Zoro’s hard, wide back and scratched down from his shoulders to the small of his back like he was carving a message on stone, marking him in a way only Luffy could, in a place only he was allowed. It was exhilarating and excruciating, and Zoro didn't know how much more of the overlapping waves of pleasure and pain he could endure without release. The cock ring now felt like a nail puncturing his firmest flesh. “G-Guh-!”

His tongue felt like lead in his throat as his heart thrashed against his chest. The ropes. Oh, the ropes had become tiny armies of ants marching and burning at his flesh, and while Zoro could withstand hellish pain, he couldn't resist Luffy.

Luffy slid his tongue deeper harder into Zoro’s tight hole and sucked his puckering pink entrance again and again. The moans were rushing waters now pouring forth from Zoro's slack jaw and loose tongue.

Luffy was proud of his restraint. He loved when Zoro called him 'captain' when they played together like this. He never asked him to do so, but as he ate Zoro's ass unceremoniously, sloppily, not caring about how raw and red his sub's wrists were to the touch as he held them bound by his own strength above the man’s head, the breathy rhythmic chanting was sending Luffy over the edge. All he could hear was how wrecked Zoro sounded and how good he was feeling from all the praise. 

“G-G-!” Zoro was on the brink of bliss turning into torment, but Luffy was none-the-wiser, losing himself in Zoro’s moans and the pleasure of pressure sucking on his tongue. "Zoro, you taste so good, sound so good. Ahh-hahh!" Luffy felt the tight buildup of heat coiling in his gut, threatening to spin itself tighter into itself, daring him to let it all break loose as he came so close to the edge that his skin burned with passion. So he thrust his tongue in and out faster, each relentless tonguing was more intense, quicker, and wetter than the last. He was unbearably hard, but he wanted Zoro to get there first. This game was for his pleasure, and whoever came first lost.

Zoro clenched his thighs over Luffy’s ears, squeezing tighter, and Luffy was grateful to be made of rubber. So he didn’t hear Zoro’s pleas past the sweet sound of Zoro submitting to pleasure in his ears, though he was concerned that if Zoro squeezed any tighter, the oxygen flow to his brain would cut off, and his head would pop. But the feeling was an exhilarating head rush that had the opposite effect than he had hoped.

Suddenly, he felt too confined in the room. Too confined in his body. Too restricted in his lungs and by his wrists. 

Then, he was floating. Having an out-of-body experience that mirrored the night terrors he began having after Thriller Bark, where he could see himself reliving Luffy's pain. After he lost his eye, the visual from the left side. But the agony is different this time. As much as it was still for Luffy, it was inflicted by Luffy's hands pleasuring him, and that made it even more degrading and delicious, and it drove him mad because, how earth-shattering would that orgasm be? To release all of the pent-up tension and attention of this level of intimacy would feel like he's in some heaven he's starting to believe in right now. But all Zoro could do was watch himself from some other plane of existence. 

A sharp, piercing snap jerked him back to his senses. “GUM-GUM,” he barked.

Luffy instantly snapped his tongue back, slid back, and opened his hazy eyes, almost like he forgot Zoro was there, wiping his mouth and chin with his arm. “What? You don’t like that?” he genuinely asked. Their eyes met, concern in Luffy’s, panic in Zoro’s.

Zoro feverishly shook his head, chest heaving like his lungs were seconds from bursting. “Mnnnhh—too stim—ulating,” he managed to say between shallow breaths. He helplessly fanned the sex-stuffy air with a limp arm before it slumped on his chest. 

They had the same awareness at the exact same time. “Punishment.” Luffy sounded so serious Zoro’s chest caved. Only one of Zoro’s arms remained tied.

“But I was saying the safe word,” Zoro slurred. He sounded dizzy, and that made Luffy giddy. 

He was winning!

Luffy nodded like a professor accepting a reasonable answer. “And I stopped. I controlled myself. But you didn’t. You used Conqueror’s Haki.  So, punishment,” Luffy snarled with mischief in his tone. His dark, pooling gaze twinkled as he started to tickle Zoro’s nipples with the feather, licking his head until the feather tip took over his tongue. He stood up, shaking his head. “No more fun for you.”

“I’m sorry for failing you, Captain.” Zoro gazed over his eyelashes, eyes alert and locked on Luffy like prey caught in a trap. Luffy returned a more sinister gaze as if this was all a part of his game plan. 

“Then, prove it, puppy.” Luffy took a step over. His short and solid frame overshadowed Zoro’s vision. “Dare,” he hoarsely demanded. He could sense that wall he’d seen in Zoro’s eyes time and time again rising high, and he had already made it his motive to knock those walls down. He stepped forward until his crotch was barely brushing Zoro’s nose. “I dare you to let me fuck your face.”

Zoro moved so fast that Luffy nearly needed Observation Haki to catch his free arm wrapping around his waist. His large free arm gripped Luffy’s buttocks until Luffy was sure he would bruise from the pressure points. Zoro’s mouth and nose locked onto Luffy’s denim crotch, a lewd and long sniffing session followed by him rolling his tongue over the stiffness beneath the worn-in material. Luffy's scent was intoxicating; the sharp tang of his irresistible natural musk and fresh droplets of sweat intermingled with the faint coconut fragrance of his all-in-one body wash and shampoo, along with the saltiness of the sea breeze, seeping like smooth liquor into Zoro's nose until it settled in his bones.

“You’re so fucking slutty, Zoro,” Luffy rasped with glee, knocking his head back and clawing at the sitting man’s hair. “Pull it down,” he ordered and hissed when his cock touched the cool air a second later. He stretched his hand to untie Zoro’s right wrist and pulled him in by the waist to kiss him hard. Possessively. With teeth and biting and pressure that should’ve torn skin but only left Zoro’s lips swollen and hungrily spit slick.

Then, simply Luffy threw Zoro on the bed like he was idly tossing a sack of potatoes. Seeing Zoro flop on the bed like a rag doll put a sadistic image in his head that he did not hate, but it struck a nerve. Luffy had never asked Zoro what he wanted to do; they just did what his desires led him to try. 

So as he watches Zoro bounce on the mattress, face tear-stained, eyes half-lidded, and a scowl on his lips, Luffy wonders what Zoro was getting from following his orders like an obedient dog. Is that what he wanted to be? Submissively doing as he said? Is that what Luffy wanted from Zoro? To feel like he wasn’t in control at all? It made him angry. It made him feral.

“Truth.” Zoro’s leveled his gaze on Luffy, burning with frustration and arousal. “Tell me what you want.”

Zoro’s shallow breaths began to hitch into soft gasps. He was so tired of being pent-up that he couldn’t think straight. What did Luffy want from him? He blinked slowly, mind in a daze. 

“H-h—” Zoro’s throat caught, anticipation building in his groin to a pounding ache. The sharp sting of raw skin triggered a fractal flashback that he was not coherent enough to place. But the few logical brain cells he had left lodge the fragmented memory somewhere deep inside him for a future time. 

But Zoro still didn’t know what to say. What did Luffy want? What did Luffy need?

His head was dizzy, his heart was warring, and his lungs were unable to function when Luffy tilted his head with an amused lilt grazing against his rough voice, “OK… Truth: Do you need the safe word right now?” 

Zoro’s attention snapped back from wherever it'd wandered off to; he didn’t know when he got lost in his thoughts. The languid movement of the aquarium’s water and blue light made everything in the dim room narrow in until all that Zoro could see, feel, or think was Luffy.

He swallowed thickly, finally catching his breath, and shook his head. “N-Nah, Captain,” he grunted, intently watching Luffy’s arms for his next move. 

Instead, Luffy leaned his face until they were ear to ear. “Then, tell me what you want.”

It was that tone Luffy used whenever he knew he was about to win a fight—rugged, arrogant, unyielding—that he was using now, and the commanding roughness of it so close to Zoro’s ear tipped the heat pooling in Zoro’s loins closer to the edge.

“I want—I want you to—tell me what to do,” Zoro confessed in breathy spurts, his eyes squeezing tight.

So, it was what he wanted, to submit to Luffy. Challenge accepted, Luffy pushed him down to the bed by the shoulders and straddled his face. “Then, Dare,” Luffy pressed. “Take all of me, puppy. No gagging, no whimpering, no whining, or passing out when I use Haki.” 

Zoro gulped for the last time before his tongue was weighed down by Luffy's thick and heavy member. It’s sliding against the roughness of Zoro’s tongue and slicked with his saliva, and Zoro can feel the Armament Haki of the fucking King of the Pirate depressing his tongue and pushing against the roof of his mouth, throbbing, growing, hot, and slipping down his deep throat. 

If he could, Zoro would’ve instantly cum.

Once his dick was fully inside Zoro’s slick mouth, Luffy reached back to jerk Zoro off, amused to feel his head already weeping for attention and relief. Luffy grinned, eager to help.

Was it bad that, as he thrust his hips and jerked his wrist, Luffy felt a great electrical pulse of erotic power from being in control of someone as big and strong and indomitable as Zoro? Or that dominating Zoro until they were both putty in each other’s mouths and hands turned him on so much that it made his heart skip playful beats.

No. 

A sharp force pushed against him with such intensity that, for a second, Luffy was fully prepared for it to suck his soul right out of him. 

But it’s just Zoro’s hot, big mouth filling up with his cock and proving him right. He shuddered, and a slip of drool dropped down his chest. He was still wearing his vest. (Why?) Zoro had Luffy’s soul in his mouth, Luffy’s life at his mercy, and all the hot orifice did was turn Luffy the fuck on. He grew until spit dribbled and leaked around Zoro’s mouth. 

Luffy slid off his vest in one fluid motion. “I’m gonna start moving. I won’t be gentle,” he informed, voice low and raw with desire. 

But it was Zoro who took the lead. Pressing against his clenched cheek, bobbing his head, pushing Luffy’s length deeper down his throat until Luffy’s cock was buried to the hilt. Luffy gasped out a trembling groan. 

Luffy rubbed Zoro's hair with both hands in fast circular motions before pressing on on the wall to brace himself as he left the other on the back of Zoro's head, firmly guiding the man to take him in deeper. Luffy groaned low and long, “Mmmph-Zoro...Ahhh! Yeah, I like that. Deeper." a lewd string of drool dropped atop Zoro's head, still keeping them tethered to each other as his hand cupped the back of Zoro's head firmer. "Fuh-Fuck-SHIT!” Luffy panted through the white-hot waves of arousal crashing down his chest as Zoro sucked his girthy cock faster with his hot mouth and strong jaw, hollowing his cheeks as he softly moaned around his captain's dick.

Luffy leaned forward, bottoming out before sliding in and creating a fluid tempo that fell out of sync as his pace increased, faster, deeper. Before either man could stop himself, Zoro was squirting precum on his thighs and gagging on Luffy’s hot, ceaseless release, milking him more, swallowing his salty seed in satisfying gulps as they rode out their orgasms entangled in hair and bare flesh until Zoro was only licking Luffy's twitching head.

A loud, wet pop slapped through the stuffy air.

Luffy dropped to his knees to meet Zoro at a hazy, blissed-outeye level. "Fuck! That felt good." He crashed their lips into a sloppy, greedy kiss. “I wanna taste,” Luffy growled, and he tipped Zoro's head back by his chin, slipped his tongue further down Zoro’s throat, and left the swordsman breathless as he kissed his cum off Zoro's lips and around the inside of his mouth like he was licking a bowl clean. If that wasn't overstimulating enough for Zoro, who could no longer feel his lips or hear himself silently cry for mercy, Luffy started twisted Zoro’s taut nipples until they were rock hard. 

Without a word, Luffy dipped his tongue to Zoro’s perky right bulb so that Zoro could see him suckling his spit-slick nipple with ease. Mirroring Zoro’s motions on his cock on the dark pink nubs, sucking and flicking harder at the encouraging whimpers and mewls slipping from Zoro’s swollen red lips. “This is how your tongue felt on my dick when you were sucking me off.”

“Hnghhh, Captain! It-It’s too stim-st-stimul-ahhh,” Zoro huffed until he lost his breath. Luffy stopped and slid back, hooded eyes looking like lust personified locked on Zoro’s pouting, crimson face as his hands slowly trailed their own path down Zoro’s rippling, sweaty chest. His flesh was hot to the touch. 

“You see, this was the part of the game I was looking forward to playing while you were tied up. But since you wanted to be a bad boy, it won’t be as fun,” Luffy teased, voice dripping with need. He flipped Zoro on his stomach like a sheet of paper. “Don’t cum before me,” Luffy warned.

Zoro instantly understood: this was a rule, not a dare.

Zoro looked back at that damn feather reaching Luffy’s hand again. "Truth," Luffy said as if he was already in the middle of a conversation. Zoro's heart raced. He thought the game had ended. How were they still playing this game when his brain and body were so spent?! The gentle tug of Luffy spreading his cheeks broke through his panic.

"What's on your mind right now, Zoro?" Luffy's warm breath brushed right against his clenching entrance, punctuating soft kisses on his inner thigh as he asked. The question and the tone were innocent enough. Simple, even for Zoro, to answer without a second thought. But it was the light blows of hot air against his thighs and spread cheeks, raising the fine hairs all up his back, that was his undoing. A torturous tease, Luffy was being!

Zoro's heart was hammering against his lungs; his lungs were tightening against his chest, his chest was constricting his windpipe, and all Zoro could manage to say were incoherent babbles that were supposed to be words of… well—

Zoro couldn’t remember what he was thinking or wanted to say anymore.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Luffy's hot tongue slipped back into Zoro's stretched hole, stretched wide, exploring his inner walls, stretched long until he was deeper than he'd been until he found the hot button that caused Zoro to lose all sense of himself, space, and time, and Luffy pressed, tickled, and abused Zoro's prostate.  

His body reacted with a mind of its own.

A white-hot torrent shot through his body and out his convulsing dick.

Rolling his tongue around the clenching walls, Luffy slipped off Zoro’s cock ring from his slick shaft and placed it in Zoro's wet mouth. Instinctively suckling the rubbery ring, Zoro mewled and drooled from the pressure relief, ready to explode just off of that. "Mmmnnahhh! Captain!" he cried in tearful appreciation. Luffy's spit dribbled down Zoro's sore and sensitive hole, mixing with the lube still leaking out of him, clenching to it for dear life, anything to have more of Luffy back inside him, eliciting humiliating whimpering cries from Zoro.

Luffy looked at all the spilled food on the bed. “Look at me. I wanted to eat that, but now you wasted it, so..." Zoro’s eye flickered between the swirling black oculus of dark desire in his captain’s eyes and the mess he'd made beneath himself. "Dare you to lick it up. Lick it all up. Then, we start again.”

Zoro began to drag his tongue over the hot slime, trying not to gag, fuming that he enjoyed the way he tasted so much and was so turned on by the fact that he'd licked up every last drop like it was the only thing to drink that his hips bucked involuntarily. Again!

Luffy’s voice was tight with frustration now, and his eyes were sharp to get his point across. “Now that you’re unbound, you’ve left me no choice: if you break another rule, I’m subduing you.”  

Zoro’s heart was a thick, beating lump in his throat at the threat. A threat that made his dick pearl precum like a necklace. “Nnn-ugh, Luffy!” he wheezed, tears streaming down his face. “Please,” he begged through broken breath, tears mixing with his sweat and snotty nose.

Luffy understood his plea for more, and pulled Zoro’s hips up by his under thighs, gripping the tensed muscles and hairy flesh, and dragged him forward, lining his already weeping cock’s head against Zoro’s pulsating hole seeking purchase. Luffy placed his lips onto Zoro’s puffy rim for a long, slow, and deep tongue kiss. His lips sucked as his tongue pressed through the tight barrier and stretched further, deeper in, until he found that treasured cluster of hot nerves. Luffy hummed in delight. Slipping his tongue out and his thick, glossy mushroom head aligning right at Zoro's rim, groaning with husky desire in his low, growling voice that was on the verge of unleashing all his strength without any restraint, he giggled, a feather-soft tickle lifting from his throat, as he gradually pushed in and filled Zoro's hole to the hilt. Their jaws dropped open at the same time but only Luffy could muster the strength to speak, though his voice broke into a gasp at the end.

“Yeah, Zoro, take that. Just like that."

Luffy leaned back once buried deep inside his swordsman, his best friend, his first mate, and marveled at how easily he sunk his length into Zoro’s wet, hot fluttering walls. How willingly Zoro opened up to him.

A warm welcome.

⚔︎

Zoro didn’t last a full two minutes before his head was lobbed over to the side as he came in unending white ropes of his seed all over his chest and Luffy's bed.

A lazy and warm smile had spread across Zoro's unconscious face as the hot, sticky cum glued them together and cooled down. 

Luffy cleaned Zoro up as the swordsman slept soundly on the bed; with soft eyes, he took his time caring for him. Zoro looked so soft and vulnerable, and Luffy found himself thinking about how he wanted to take care of him like this more often. Make Zoro feel good like this more often. Luffy wiped down the evidence of their fun, still sticky and trailing down Zoro’s bare chest, with a warm washcloth and gently dabbed his puffy hole, grateful that it had stopped leaking his release. He pressed a cool towel over his first mate’s head the same way he’d done several times when he was sick in the past.

He tucked Zoro into the clean side of the bed, draped a thick quilt over his high shoulder blade, crouched beside him on the edge of the bed, and planted a gentle kiss on his heavy eyelids, forehead, and lips. 

Gently stroking his hair as he watched him sleep, Luffy couldn’t help but find Zoro to be an adorable, peaceful sleeper.

Luffy could see from the faint sunlight streaming in portholes through the aquarium glass that the sun was still up, but he was exhausted. Using Conqueror’s Haki in a confined space, on one person while others were milling about, wasn't difficult in the least. It was warring with Zoro mentally and emotionally that drained him. It wasn't like them. And Luffy didn't like it, especially when he felt hornier the more they explored BDSM. Yes, he would use just enough of his Haki on Zoro to maintain control over him, but that didn’t stop him from wanting Zoro to feel like his equal. Zoro was his first genuine friend and partner in life and crime. He wanted them to be on an even playing field because that's how he viewed their bond. He knew he could simply play the "Captain's Order" card and make Zoro tell him what was bothering him, but it wouldn't be genuine.

Or right.

Or fun.

Zoro needed to feel safe enough to let down his walls on his own. To open up about whatever was troubling him and tell Luffy what was going on. He knew his swordsman. The man was more stubborn than tungsten. He wouldn't budge on his pride or willingly show vulnerability. The relentless static resistance of Zoro's Haki battling against him before Luffy subdued him barely grazed the edges of Luffy's mind, but he still noticed.

He knew it’d be a fight warring against Zoro’s inner turmoil. Luffy’s heartbeat drummed at the challenge. 

Cuddling up to his best friend, cherishing the warm and supple feel of their bodies pressed together while idly scratching the crown of Zoro's soft, dense green hair and ready for another adventure, Luffy drifted into a deep sleep, confident he’d figure everything out in time.

He fell asleep with a soft, determined grin, his dreams focusing on doing everything he could to support his best friend as he faced his struggles, certain they would overcome whatever it was. Together.

⚔️🪢

TO BE
CONTINUED

Chapter Text

Luffy was not having fun.

Nearly two months into their sex games, Luffy started thinking he’d bitten off more than he could chew, which was unnerving for the glutton in more ways than one. Even worse, he didn’t know what to do about it either.  

Somewhere, at some point in time, fooling around with his best friend, Luffy had missed something important. He hadn’t the slightest clue what it was, but what had started as an impulsive attempt at curbing his boredom and exploring a new kink with Zoro just for fun quickly spiraled into a full-blown Luffy-Fixes-Zoro project. 

It was like the chill-tempered, fun-loving, whole-face laughing, down-for-whatever side of Zoro that Luffy had always cherished vanished during their scenes together. His visible eye would become so dazed and distant, his body so limp and unresponsive, that Luffy began to feel gross, like he was using his friend’s body like a sex doll, because he couldn’t reach his friend's mind when he was in that state. It was odd, like a switch flipped off or something in the swordsman, and deeply unsettling to experience in real time.

However, Luffy was no closer to figuring out what he had overlooked or how to help Zoro relax than he was to climaxing his damn self, and he was growing more confused with the tension by the day… and night. He figured, though, that if he could learn what Zoro was going through, he’d understand why Zoro was shutting down when, well… he shouldn’t be. 

(It’s not lost on Luffy that his plan to have fun with no strings attached with a crewmate was tanking. It’s why he never wanted to mess around with his crew. He’s the captain and is responsible for every member of his crew’s well-being, and he would continue doing whatever it takes to ensure his crew is safe and sound. 

But this time he was thinking with the wrong head, so don’t blame him for having impulse control problems; if that means his impulses on how to do so remain ungovernable even to his own rules, then so be it!)

Because here’s the thing: Luffy did not expect Zoro’s response to their bondage play.

Everything seemed to lock Zoro up from performing— everything. His playmate either got too worked up and came too soon, even with his cock ring on, and then became so closed off that it would make him clam up for the rest of the session…Zoro’s attention would suddenly split, vacillating between completely detached from his body like a scarecrow or rag doll, and so acutely present that he became rabid.

Luffy hated it when Zoro became docile; Luffy did not like treating a man he loved and respected like a sex doll. But rabid Zoro was the real threat. In that state, the swordsman was ungovernable, ripping through the thick sailor’s ropes like a madman, gnashing and snapping his teeth at Luffy like a caged animal. His body would tense his muscles so taut and locked up like he was holding his breath, making Luffy nervous that it would be his undoing. 

Then suddenly it would switch too fast for Luffy to control the scene, though he always did… eventually. Zoro would become too loose and overly excited, like the blood in his veins had been replaced by adrenaline. While Luffy was all about wild and reckless fun, it was scary and always required an immediate end to a scene for his safety. 

As these episodes progressed, and Luffy began to connect the dots while he had time to think as Zoro slept and he cleaned him up during aftercare, Luffy’s gut kept landing on the suspicion that the shy swordsman was hiding— 

No, repressing… something.

Anyway, now they’d run out of lube, rope, and hope after thirteen unsuccessful scenes, and Luffy was mentally exhausted and sexually frustrated. He wasn’t a quitter, but damn! 

He was at a loss. 

Zoro was sending mixed signals about his level of interest in bondage. Each scene they had was different and started with Zoro excitedly playing along, teasing him, and even suggesting the game they played. That should’ve been fun and carefree enough to keep Luffy bouncing on his toes. 

But it wasn’t. 

It was just intense. The teeter-totter between eagerness and reluctance before and during their rope play and the mood swings that came with it gave Luffy whiplash and left his mind reeling, confused about how to approach Zoro and meet the man’s unspoken needs. 

Then, as soon as Zoro orgasmed and the ropes were unbound from his wrists and ankles, it was like nothing happened.

Upon waking, Zoro suddenly reverts to his reserved, laidback self and forgets how he bucked and lashed out, scratching and biting at his scene partner like a wild animal enchained for half the scene. It was as if he hadn’t been an active participant or even present. Then, fell into something of a drunken stupor on the spot. So, Luffy stopped playfully punishing him with his Conqueror’s Haki. He didn’t need it. 

Something was not right. Something wasn’t working, something wasn’t clicking between them, and that was so unlike them. That bothered Luffy most; he was very accustomed to and deeply appreciated his and Zoro’s near-telepathic understanding of one another. Their friendship was built on sharing one pea-sized brain cell with two times the heart and soul, and the simplicity had always been easy and comforting to rely on. They were so in sync on the battlefield, and even when they were horsing around on the Sunny, cracking jokes, it was surprising to him that he kept slamming up against this invisible wall.

Not for nothing, what was blocking Zoro from being present and answering basic questions with his own voice was starting to kill the vibe. So Luffy decided to get to the bottom of it before it did. 

⚔︎

It was time for Luffy to shave Zoro’s face. The weekly ritual occurred after dinner, before the crew settled into their nighttime activities. That tiny window of quiet time where the captain and first mate bonded over the intimacy of careful touch, the soft feel of shaving cream, a sharp barber blade, ship business (and gossip), and cool blue aftershave in the ship’s bathroom. 

None of the other crewmembers knew what Luffy and Zoro discussed while shaving, but they assumed it had to do with ship operations and swords or stuff that none of them cared about being a part of— not even Sanji or Usopp. Whenever the crew saw them cradling the supplies and marching down the hall to the bathroom together, they left their Captain and First Mate to their own private devices. 

The scene in the moonlit bathroom was tranquil. The gentle rocking of the ship’s hull mirrored the quiet sloshing of the steaming water filling the bathtub. The wind howled a light tune against the windows and walls, the buzzing hum of cool lightbulbs swinging on their line, and the steady, rhythmic dripping of water from a sink faucet on the side as a comfortable silence settled between the two men.

In the stillness of the night, the gentle crashing sound of the waves against the ship's hull and the moon's silvery light streaming through the portholes spotlighted Luffy's supple moon face as he sat bare-chested and cross-legged on Zoro’s lap in the communal bathroom. He carefully applied a generous amount of shaving cream on Zoro’s cheeks, upper lip, and chin. Although it was a messy application, typical of Luffy, when he started shaving Zoro's face, he infused each stroke with a surprising amount of care, his busy thoughts flowing freely alongside the rhythmic glide of the cutthroat razor on Zoro’s skin. With his mind focused on one thing, he spoke candidly.

“Zoro, you seem so out of it. Where do you go mentally when we’re playing?”

Zoro's gaze slid to meet Luffy's. It was such an awkward moment for him. "I don't know," he shyly replied. As tension built in his chest while he contemplated the question, the blade glided smoothly against his skin and hair, providing a soothing background noise to think about what to say. 

He had nothing.

The captain took the silence as his chance to continue. “You seem distant. Like you’re back on Skypeia or something,” he commented through snickers, keeping the conversation lighthearted.

Zoro furrowed his brow, puzzled about the origin of the question and the direction of his shave session. This was usually the rare moment each week when Luffy didn’t say a thing other than the occasional soft command as he shaved him, allowing Zoro to sleep during the ten minutes of comfortable silence they both enjoyed. He shrugged, not pausing to think. “I don’t know. Why, Captain?”

Luffy scraped off a smooth line of shaving cream with the shaving blade from Zoro’s left sideburn down his jawline and wiped the foam onto the towel covering Zoro’s bare chest. 

“Hey. Don’t Captain me right now,” he scolded, but his voice maintained its natural whimsy.

“...Okay? Why, Luffy?”

Luffy couldn't lie. “I’m curious. I’m worried about you,” he gently admitted.

Zoro let out a quiet grumble from the back of his throat. The soothing green environment of the bathroom and Luffy's calm demeanor eased his anxiety. However, after spending enough time with Luffy, Zoro had learned to interpret his myriad expressions, and it felt strange to witness Luffy's serious side, even if he was doing well to appear unfazed. Yet, Zoro knew better. He blinked his right eye and looked up at Luffy, anticipating the inevitable revelation. 

“What’s to worry about?”

Luffy washed and wiped the blade clean with the washcloth. “That you’re not having fun!”

“I am...” the swordsman remarked, with a wry smile.

Luffy’s face lit up against the shadows of the aquamarine bathroom. “You are?!” He excitedly dipped the shaving blade into the clean cup of water beside him. His energy surges, hoping for an emotional breakthrough, but he remains steady despite the mounting urge to bounce. “What’s been the most fun for you?”

Zoro shrugged again, searching Luffy’s sharp, expectant gaze for whatever his captain wanted to hear. “I dunno. All of it?”

Luffy leaned in, gently gliding the blade beneath Zoro’s jaw. “All of it? Are you uncertain?” Luffy asked with keen curiosity. 

Zoro shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Luffy, what are you tryna get at here? Are yah done shaving my face yet? I’ve got a nice bottle of saké waiting for me on the deck.”

“No! I’m still working, so stop moving before I nip you,” Luffy snapped, pressing his muscular thighs on Zoro’s lap to still him.

“But you’re the one trying to make me move!”

“I’m tryna know what’s on your mind!”

Zoro paused, pressing his lips together, containing a laugh. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head back to face Luffy’s frustrated pout fully. “What’s on my mind? What are you, a shrink?” he teased, obnoxiously missing the point. 

"You're playing dumb on purpose, Zoro!" Luffy had never thought about killing a crewmate before as he gripped the shaving blade with enough strength to snap the steel into clean halves and shouted, “Don’t tease me while I have a razor this close to your jugular,” Luffy threatened.

“Feisty! I like that, ” Zoro sincerely laughed in Luffy’s face. Remnants of shaving cream splattered over Luffy’s face.

Wiping the foam from his face, Luffy replied flatly, “What?” 

Zoro continued to laugh, unaware of the tension he was creating between them. “I’m just saying, don’t tempt me with a good time!”

Luffy’s hands fell to his sides. “Are you being serious or sarcastic right now??”

“I don’t know, you tell me, Captain,” Zoro egged him on. “Death at the hand of my captain by razor blade sounds like poetic justice for a swordsman, don’t you think?” 

Luffy climbed down with a huff and a stomp. He was trying to remain calm and casual, but Zoro’s playfulness was starting to annoy him because it was rare that Luffy was serious. And right now, he was being as earnest as they come.

His bare feet hit the tile floor with a hard, pissed off smack. He threw the razor in the cup and his hands in the air, exasperated by how Zoro killed the low-pressure, vulnerable environment he was trying to curate. He’d put so much thought into the conversation he planned for this moment.

FINE. Not a lot, but he thought about it enough, and he even volleyed a couple of vague “open and honest” questions with Robin to ensure he didn’t put his foot in his mouth. His mistake was that he forgot who he was talking to. This wasn’t a serious conversation with emotionally mature adults, like Robin or even Jinbei, who could handle more than one feeling or complex emotion at a time. He forgot Zoro was a moron. “Ugh, forget it! I’m done!” he grumbled and skulked to the sink to wash his hands. 

“Wait, with my shave or the conversation?”

“BOTH,” Luffy snapped and stormed out of the bathroom. He’ll have to try again another time when he doesn’t want to strangle his best friend. 

“But what about my aftershave?” Zoro whined, still seated comfortably at the sink, unaware of how badly he just screwed up. “It’s the best part,” he shouted after Luffy’s hunched-over, retreating form. 

The door swung open with a heavy thud. “Slap it on your damn self!” he shot back, then slammed shut with equal strength.

⚔︎

Luffy’s nightly cuddle party had just begun, and Luffy's bed in the captain’s quarters was abuzz with chaos. Arms and legs bumped, hair and fur tangled together. Huffs and groans, complaints and apologies filled the room as the Straw Hats present battled for the most coveted spot: 

“I wanna sleep beside Luffy!” Usopp whined, his body slumping into a tantrum in an oversized brown sloth adult onesie. “I didn’t get to last time!”

“Yeah? Well, tough shit,” Zoro shut down with a harsh finality in his tone, picking Usopp up and tossing him to the foot of the springy bed.

“Hey!” His head snapping up in humilation, Usopp gasped like he’d just been bitchslapped. “But I was here first! I should be the small spoon! Plus, I’m smaller than you two,” he whined, waving an accusatory finger between Sanji and Zoro. 

Chopper clapped his hooves and jutted one in Usopp’s face, just between his nose bridge. “What does that gotta do with anything, Usopp?” the small reindeer sneered, his squeaky voice pitching higher with every word, “No one is smaller than Luffy than me!” Chopper protested, “So by your rules, it should be me!”

“It means,” Usopp rolled his neck to emphasize his weak point as the other three men scowled at his pathetic display of manipulation, “My neck hurts really, really bad and I think I’ve come down with I-wanna-be-little-spooned-by-the-Captain-itis!”

Sanji, Chopper, and Zoro deadpanned their friend in disbelief. 

“What?”

“That is the dumbest reason—”

“Nuh-uhn! No way, it does not!”

Luffy was sitting in shambles in the center of the bed, laughing hysterically as his head hit the headboard to punctuate the silliness of the men fighting like hens. “You guys are silly! That doesn’t even make sense, Usopp. You should feel honored to be your captain’s big spoon!” he teased through hysterical cackles.

“I am,” Zoro chimed in, disregarding the mumbling accusations of him kissing Luffy’s ass and sidled up to a patiently waiting Luffy, who was giggling away, his back resting against the headboard. He patted the spot to his right and left before folding his arms in his lap, “Shishi! First come, first served,” he announced and watched the storm unfold before him with an insatiable laughter that made the competition all the more lively, at least to him. His crew steals glances at him, ready to snap at him for making light of their tension, when a smile so warm that it seems only to spur the argument over who will get to snuggle up to the Sun God even more, touched the captain's lips.

Luffy watched the scene unfold like a personal comedy show, his heart swelling at the mayhem, not because of the fight over him—he wasn't that self-absorbed—but because his crew felt like home. He cherished this reality, finding comfort in the delightful chaos of his chosen family, who relied on him to protect them from the anxieties, fears, and nightmares that had developed during their two-year separation, each in their own way. His weekly cuddle parties started to help some shyer crew members feel safe seeking his comfort after a frightening thought or nightmare. They have now transformed into a regular crew ritual. Luffy loved the physical affection and closeness; if it brought his crew emotional security, he was more than happy to oblige all nine crewmates to sleep with him each night. Even Nika stirred with joy inside him during cuddle parties, and few earthly pleasures matched the chaotic warmth of his crew's closeness. His crew were his babies, and he committed to always caring for them. 

His smile grew as he observed Sanji putting Usopp in a firm headlock. The chef did a good job of making Usopp’s nose turn red to blue to purple. “You idiot! Let Chopper be the little spoon! He’s the crew’s baby!”

“No, he’s not! He’s the crew’s doctor,” Usopp choked out in defiance. “Luffy’s the crew’s baby!” The technicality caused many faces to fall in confusion. Chopper was, in fact, the youngest Straw Hat pirate.

One of Chopper’s hooves shoved deep into Usopp’s stomach. Not a punch, but if the reindeer doctor wanted to stab Usopp, Usopp would’ve been stabbed. “THEN WHY DO YOU WANT THE BABY TO SPOON YOU?!”

“Because I’m a big baby, too!” Usopp crooned.

“You’re ridiculous, that's what you are!” Chopper pouted, shoving his other hoof dangerously close to Usopp’s flaring nostrils. 

 Luffy could only laugh. It was common for crewmembers to argue about who got to sleep where during slumber parties, but this didn't start that way. Less than an hour earlier, Luffy and Zoro had been practicing various knots using a flat bedsheet because Luffy thought it would benefit the swordsman's anxiety. Suddenly, his door burst open, and Usopp entered, sniffling about another nightmare featuring Luffy. Sanji followed closely behind, wracked with a fresh wave of guilt for how he had treated Luffy during the Big Mom incident—something Luffy had long since forgiven. Meanwhile, Chopper strolled in, his eyes heavy with sleep, just looking for a cozy hug.

“Guys! Stop arguing and just let Luffy decide,” Zoro finally shouted after having comfortably slid beside Luffy in bed. 

All eyes land on their captain. Luffy rapidly blinked, caught off guard by the sudden full attention on him. “Huh?”

“Tell us what to do—where to sleep, Captain,” Zoro said, low and playfully obedient, as if this were setting up one of their BDSM scenes. 

That tone from Zoro threw Luffy off even more. He slowly side-eyed the bare-chested man sitting beside him, like it was his bed too. He was suddenly inspired to do exactly that. 

A wicked glint flashed over his eyes. “OK!” Luffy clapped, excitedly barking orders for sleeping arrangements while everyone rushed to obey and settle into place. 

“Zoro, on my right. You’re the little spoon tonight—” 

And Chopper wept. A deep whimper of disappointment rattled through his furry frame.

Luffy gently stroked the tiny reindeer’s head, the thick, soft fur feeling heavenly between his fingers. “Chopper! Don’t cry. You’re sleeping on my chest.” Chopper wiped his tears and hopped on Luffy’s chest so fast that the sudden impact knocked the wind out of Luffy, who only giggled at the reindeer’s joy.

“Okay, next. Sanji, you’re my big spoon.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Sanji drawled, satisfied with his position.

“And what about me, Luffy?! ” Usopp whined on the verge of tears. 

“Usopp, sleep between my legs.”

“WHAT?” Everyone screeched.

“Yeah, choose a thigh, anyone, I don’t care, and let’s all go to bed before I get too hungry to sleep. Then I’mma be hangry…” Luffy’s eyes darkened and glowed red with divine threat. “And you won’t like me when I’m hangry.”

Usopp squeaked and jumped between Luffy’s legs, nestling his head on Luffy’s plush yet firm left thigh. “G’night, Captain!” he chirped, coiling his arms around Luffy’s bare left thigh. His head swung up to look at Luffy. “You’re wearing underwear, right, Luffy?” he queried with the most wobbly, uncertain voice Usopp had.

“Of course not!” Luffy erupted into laughter, dispelling the previous tension and soothing all slumber party attendees into a peaceful slumber, all but Zoro.

Zoro was wide awake, and mentally, he was a mess. 

He thinks Luffy’s upset with him about something, but he can’t put a finger on it. 

Each bondage scene with Luffy left him flustered and confused. He didn’t know what to do without Luffy’s direction, and it made him feel helpless and horny. Helplessly horny. 

But it was also something else. Some deep emotional itch irritated the recesses of Zoro’s awareness, demanding that he pay attention to it whenever the ropes wound around his wrists. But it felt threatening, whatever it was. It wasn’t something Luffy was doing, at least Zoro didn’t think it was intentional; Luffy wasn’t like that. But Luffy being the channel for this gnawing feeling did not help matters. 

But the second Luffy tugged at the binding, checking it for the last time, Zoro’s mind went—

Blank. 

It was like he would go to a hollow place inside himself, watching from the outside while his body enjoyed the pleasure. He trusted that Luffy would never seriously hurt him, and sometimes it felt so good to separate like that and relax. Was this how it felt to be taken care of?

Loved?

No–no, no.

Zoro feverishly shook his head over Luffy’s pillow. The thought made his hackles tingle with fear and anxiety he could not explain, as Luffy’s soft, even breaths tickled his neck. Zoro’s stomach flutters from the closeness—it’s so intimate and innocent that Zoro can’t help but to cherish it. Luffy’s steady, comforting presence worked even while the Pirate King slept. His top arm unconsciously slaps over Zoro’s chest and clings to his arm, anchoring Zoro in a rubbery cocoon. 

Zoro preferred not to dwell on it. Instead of thinking, he snuggled close to Luffy’s comforting warmth and steady presence, willing himself to forget that anything was wrong or off between them. It was easy; having committed to the daily practice of silencing all unnecessary noise in his mind, Zoro regarded fear and anxiety as mere distractions. He believed that straightforward thoughts led to decisive actions. And that’s how Zoro fought—facing his opponents head-on.

He shifted his back closer to Luffy’s chest and relaxed until his crowded thoughts slowly settled to sleep. 

⚔︎

Luffy awoke to the rhythmic sounds of steady rain pattering down on the ship’s deck. The moon hung high over the Sunny, leaking its silvery light through the aquarium’s glass window, bathing his darkened cabin in soft, aquatic moonglow. He could sense that they were safe, the ship steadily swaying on the open sea under Jinbe and Nami’s expert guidance.

Zoro stirred slightly against Luffy’s chest, just a subtle toss and turn, but it captured Luffy’s dazed attention. Luffy looked down with contentment that relaxed his battle-hardened features and smiled. He seemed so gentle in Luffy’s arms, and a swell of affection for his first crewmate and friend filled his chest. He really was fortunate to have found Zoro first. So to express his gratitude, Luffy, full of warm love and a deep respect for his best friend, leaned his head to kiss the sleeping swordsman’s temple. The delicate touch roused him closer to Luffy’s chest, but Zoro remained asleep. Luffy’s lingering gaze wandered down the broad shoulders and strong arms until they fell to Zoro’s hands, which gripped his right arm tightly, like it was a life jacket in a ferocious storm. That wasn’t shocking or unfamiliar; Zoro often slept with Luffy clinging to his arm like a baby sloth.

What was unsettling and unexpected was the creeping sensation of unease in his stomach as he observed Zoro’s body language. Luffy felt his stomach twist into a tight knot, recognizing the vulnerability Zoro fought so hard to conceal while awake, now exposed in sleep. Zoro had his knees tucked around Luffy’s thighs, his back arched like he was curled up in the womb. If only Luffy could express the energy radiating from Zoro. 

He lay there, watching Zoro as if it were their first mate for the very first time. Sleep began to fade from his eyes, yet Luffy felt lost on how to proceed. His strong intuition always pierced through defenses, and he trusted his instincts when reading people; however, psychoanalyzing Zoro was a different challenge. 

If Luffy had to liken Zoro to a book, it wouldn’t be boring, but it would be hard as hell. Once Zoro raised his guard, he became nearly impossible to read. Understanding Zoro felt more like deciphering a Poneglyph without Robin; it may as well have been scribbled in invisible ink. So, although he sensed something troubling Zoro, he didn’t know how to unravel it without being forceful, which was very tempting...

But, imposing his Conqueror’s Haki on Zoro for answers didn't feel right. As his captain, Luffy needed to figure out how to assist Zoro with his issue when Zoro was ready to open up about it.

But that didn’t mean Luffy couldn’t probe and push the emotionally constipated swordsman. 

Whenever he asked Zoro questions during aftercare, the man of very few words said even fewer, much to Luffy’s ire. Worse, he could feel Zoro’s muscles tense up thanks to his Haki. But that meant nothing if Zoro didn’t speak his truth. 

The thought came unbidden.

What would Traffy do?

Wait, why would my silly brain think about him right now? 

Why would that, of all things his brain could think, come to him right now? But Luffy couldn’t resist the temptation to entertain the thought even briefly, because he likes thinking about Law.

But I can’t even imagine what Traffy would do in this situation. 

It’s not like he’s much of a people person, to begin with. 

I highly doubt he would’ve started fucking his crewmate for fun.

He'd probably end it now to stop losing control of the situation.

Yeah, that sounds exactly like Traffy!

But that's so boring!

Then again, he did start fucking with me during our alliance. That’s sorta like the same thing, right?

Usopp lifted his head and whined through his sleep haze, eyes still closed. "Luffy! Keep it down! Or else, the food monsters're gonna find us hiding!" Then the sniper's head dropped like he was snapped from his stupor back to sleep, snoring louder than Luffy was. Luffy didn’t mean to let out a loud, frustrated groan. Trying to think like Traffy was pointless, and—he rubbed deep circles over his heart with the pad of his palm—it hurt. He was just as much in the dark about Law as he was about Zoro and had even fewer means to uncover the truth about the surgeon pirate, having no way to reach him; they hadn’t spoken in months. The mere reminder of their time apart twisted Luffy’s stomach with an unnameable emotion that pained his chest and left him restless. 

Suddenly, the bed became uncomfortably hot. He felt irritable and itchy in his oversized nightshirt, the cotton sticking to his damp skin like adhesive tape. His head throbbed from the weight of too many serious thoughts. He desperately needed some fresh air and space. 

He slowly loosened Zoro’s toddler grip on his limbs. He pulled back the covers, the cool air immediately sending chills down his overheated body, only to be met with Chopper’s cute figure balled up into a neat, fluffy ball between his legs. He must’ve rolled off his chest and kicked Usopp out of his spot.

He sat up, not wanting to stir Sanji on his left—or Usopp, now wedged snugly between him and Sanji like lettuce in a sleep sandwich—but he had to get out of there for some fresh air. He petted Usopp on the head and nimbly climbed over Chopper, quietly padding out the door. 

Thinking alone was getting them nowhere, and the pent-up energy started making Luffy cranky. So cranky, he decided to confide in Robin about what to do. Luffy could trust Robin with anything. The ship’s historian’s advice was always spot-on and stayed between them. Luffy also knew that if Zoro found out he’d talked to Robin about his… predicament, Zoro would be very upset and humiliated and wouldn’t want to play together anymore.

But he owed it to his thrill-seeking, fun-loving nature to find a playful way to resolve things and keep it lighthearted with Zoro because, truly, the older man was quite shy beneath his tough exterior. They hadn’t even gotten to the exciting aspects like impact play yet—something Luffy had been bouncing on his feet to explore.

So he decided to talk to Robin. She was also on the night watch tonight, and Luffy appreciates how much the ship's scholar respects him when he asks stupid or silly questions about the crew. He genuinely doesn’t know much, and while he doesn’t care about being picked on, it was nice to learn without judgment. Robin always gives him that. 

He found her in the library—no surprise there; she’d taken up the role of ship’s librarian; though Luffy’s never heard of a pirate librarian, he thought it suited Robin’s personality and love of learning well. 

“Hi, Captain,” Robin greeted him calmly from the top of the bookshelf ladder as he entered. Her eyes sparkled with joy at seeing him, which made Luffy blush. “Can’t sleep?”

“Hi, Robin,” he replied in a sing-song voice, pouting. “No…” He looked around the library, which was beginning to fill with books, and noticed the piles on the floor that Robin was organizing using her Devil Fruit power. “Got a moment?” he asked sheepishly, scratching his cheek scar with his index finger. 

“I have all the time for you, Captain,” she said with a soft, kind smile. Her slender, elegant figure gracefully climbed down the ladder. On the last step, Robin looked at Luffy with a gentle, curious sparkle in her eyes. “I’m in the mood for a cup of tea. Would you like some hot cocoa, Luffy?” 

“Yes, please!” he chirped, plopping down on one of the plush wine-red sectionals. Robin nodded with a serene smile and left without another word.

⚔︎

Robin wore a listening smile as Luffy recounted his sexual adventures and frustrations with Zoro. She was well-informed of her captain’s sex life; Luffy had previously confided in her for sex advice when he started exploring things with Law. The frustration in Luffy bubbled over as he ranted and rambled until he finished off his hot cocoa, topped with whipped cream she made for him. He slammed the empty mug on a reading table and sighed deeply, “Whew! Whatta relief gettin’ all that off my chest!”

Humming in thought, Robin replied, “That is indeed quite a predicament,” she stated. 

“You get me!” he wailed. “I don’t know what else to do to get him to tell me what’s going on in that empty brain of his!”

She tapped her index finger against her chin. “If it’s empty, nothing might be going on at all,” she quipped, raising a subtle brow in jest.

“Oh, you know what I mean! Zoro’s head isn’t empty. He’s a moron but not dumb. ”

“I agree. Though I wouldn’t consider him a moron, either.” Robin quickly switched gears before Luffy could continue them down the path of questioning their crewmate’s intelligence. “Have you considered trying something different? Maybe switching it up?”

Luffy’s brows pinched at the new idea. Sitting cross-legged, he folded into himself, his chest pressing to his lap. “Switching it up, how ?”

“By letting him take control of a scene for a change. Let him call the shots while you follow his orders. It might help him be present enough to talk.”

Luffy scratched his head, not feeling the solution Robin was implying. “So… I sub?” He frowned. He shook his head feverishly, not liking the sound of that. 

The idea of being the submissive one didn’t sit well with him. Luffy was the boss. Even when he wasn’t on top, he was still in charge. His hand pushing out and shaking, his adamant voice pitching higher with each word. “I’m a power bottom at best, Robin. I’m not gonna be submissive!”

He snorted a cheeky scoff, placing his hands on his hips to emphasize his dominance. “Would Zoro even like that? Are you sure that’d get him to open up to me?”

Usually, he would instantly accept Robin’s advice, but he felt she was missing the mark this time. He also had nothing to hide, or uncover, so what would be the point of Zoro domming? 

Almost as if she could read his thoughts, Robin, who knows more than she shows, was thoughtfully considering her choice of words. She knows both men and was confident that Luffy was still unaware of Zoro's feelings for him and the significant impact the carefree, affectionate captain has on his first mate. While Luffy might be the sole member of the crew oblivious to the swordsman’s feelings, it wasn’t her place to disclose such personal information, nor did she wish to share an intimate secret that wasn't her own.

She replied cautiously to Luffy to avoid any trouble, keeping her calm as she said, “If you’d like, then yes. This way, you'll understand his experience in that role and empathize better when he gets lost in his thoughts.” With a warm, understanding smile, Robin asked her captain, “Do you want to be an impatient or an empathetic Dom?” Luffy looked at her, feeling her question gnaw at his mind and twist his heart. Her knowing gaze met his, offering no indication of which path to take. He was impatient about many things, but he didn't want to push or rush Zoro. 

As he solemnly shook his head, reflecting on how unpleasant it would be to be rude to Zoro, Robin, the perceptive social savant, calmly remarked, “You could also remain the Dom and just allow his desires to dictate the scene’s direction as the Sub.”

Luffy squinted as he tried to come around to Robin’s suggestion. He didn't want to hurt Zoro. He only wanted to keep things simple, but sensed it was time for serious thoughts. However, forming a real plan to penetrate the stubborn wall that Zoro had built around his mind would prove incredibly challenging. Luffy hummed in reflection—he did like a challenge. “I’m gonna have to think about this a bit, Robin.” 

Robin’s eyes subtly sparkle with amusement. Always the patient confidant, she spreads her arms like lotus petals and gently nods, her smirk suggesting understanding. “Take all the time you need, Captain,” she gently encourages in the specific, patient maternal tone she reserves for Luffy—only for Luffy.

Robin knows he would never admit it, but her captain still craves a maternal figure. 

She wonders if he even knows.

Robin doesn’t know anyone who has kept their inner child so close and intact, alive and brilliantly pure for so long as Luffy. It fascinated the archaeologist how much of the world her captain had explored and experienced to be so young, more than most people his age would dare imagine, let alone accomplish in their lifetimes. He was still so innocent, so pure-hearted in many ways, and in need of guidance in other facts of life. 

So Robin has unofficially and informally christened herself in the big sister role for Luffy. As an only child and orphan, Robin’s heart beats evenly when she thinks about how good it feels to be a part of a siblingship.

They both cherish their private conversations, and she also opens up to him because Luffy can be highly emotionally intelligent when one-on-one. She can’t help but want to cuddle and counsel her captain, guiding him to his own decisions when he comes to her for help. Robin will always help Luffy.

They settle into a comfortable silence, Robin reading a book while Luffy curls onto her lap for a nap. He no longer remembers what made his brain hurt so much as Robin’s soothing presence lulls him to sleep.

The archeologist studied her captain’s soft, cherubic features as Luffy slept peacefully in Robin's lap. She found him so beautiful and precious in the way that the first beam of sunlight was after a dark, frosty night. And she wondered if Luffy knew how much he meant to his entire crew. 

The library door swung open with Franky's prominent, affable figure looming at the threshold. He's about to say something flirtatious, if not downright debaucherous, to the fair maiden when suddenly one of her Devil Fruit hands cups his mouth. Her middle finger easily slipped into Franky's mouth, silently encouraging him to suck it.

As Robin's hand quietly placated the shipwright, she looked down and swept Luffy's hair from his eyes with a gentle hand stroke. "Luffy, sweetheart, I'm heading to bed now. Would you like me to carry you to yours?"

Luffy's eyes fluttered open, thick with sleep. A childlike smile, teetering embarrassment, and comfort flushed over his face as he shook his head. "No, I can take myself," he softly replied. He thanked Robin and walked out of the library, feeling confused yet more determined than when they had spoken. He entered his cabin quietly, ensuring not to disturb his crew members who were soundly sleeping and snoring. Luffy climbed back into bed, reflecting on his conversation with Robin, but soon realized he had no time for thoughts before he drifted back to sleep.

⚔︎

The next morning, while peering through the looking glass after breakfast, Luffy had the brightest idea!

A mountainous island that looks to host a bustling city and lush sunflower fields, enclosed by its mountain range sprawling across its seaport, comes into view. 

"I see land!" he exclaims, cackling with overwhelming relief. 

Maybe they have a sex shop!

He thinks he can explore some comfortable binding options for Zoro. Maybe even pick something out with Zoro. No, it would be more fun to make it a surprise for Zoro— a reward. Positive reinforcement always worked on him!

After dropping anchor an hour later, following Nami's strict rules for the ship's protection and Luffy and Zoro's brand of recklessness on land, they all pull sticks to decide who takes the first day's shift for watching the Sunny when they disembark. They'd be in Dressrosa for three days, just enough time to rest, restock, and revisit old friendships.

Nami sighed, a bit relieved to not have to suffer through more cabin fever and to finally get a chance to shop 'til she dropped with Robin. She spoke as she handed the rest of the crew their island allowances, “Alright! Zoro. Sanji. Try not to kill each other, okay?”

Sanji looked stabbed in the heart, spinning to Nami's side, “But, Nami-dear! I cannot lie to you, my sweet, and promise you that!" He turned and snapped at, "Usopp! Switch sticks with me so I don’t have to die of boredom for the next six hours with this blockhead!”

Usopp shuts it down instantly. “HECK NO! I'm God Usopp to these people! I need to stretch my legs, and Franky and I have plans to find a Pro Tools shop.”

Tossing his short stick overboard, Zoro sauntered past his squabbling crewmates. “Uhhh… yeah. I should probably go with Luffy, anyway. So, he doesn't get lost,” he said, following behind Luffy's quickly retreating form. The scoffs and taunts that trailed him didn't bother him at all.

Luffy stopped dead in his tracks, sweat dropping down his brow, and whirled around to push Zoro back. “No!” He winced at Zoro’s confused frown, ignoring the rest of the crew's questioning glares, his lying face threatening to break loose and betray his alibi. “I-I mean, I’ve got an errand to run and should probably go... do that. ALONE. Hehe.” He turned and bolted.

“Luffy? Running errands?!” Nami deadpanned. "Sanji, I pick you up a case of your favorite cigarettes and deduct it from your interest if you stay." Sanji yipped but Nami kept her focus on Luffy, narrowing her eye scrutinizing her captain's obvious attempts at hiding something. "What're you hiding Monkey D. Luffy?" Nami demanded.

Cheeks puffed out and lips pinched tight, Luffy defends himself, “Yeah! I run errands! And this errand is a big surprise for Zoro, so he can’t come, but I can’t say what it is yet. And he'll get lost, which is why he should stay back, and I’m just gonna go right now, sodontfollowmeOKSEEYALATER!”

He didn't even wait for the slick rebuttal at the tip of Nami's tongue or the questioning protest brewing in Zoro's chest before he stretched his arms to a steeple in the center of the island town and flung himself off and far away from the Sunny and Zoro. 

As the crew looked on in disbelief at their captain sailing through the sky, his red vest billowing in the wind, Zoro could only grunt, confused, “Oh—‘kay? ...I guess I’ll take a nap," he reluctantly conceded.

Nami was annoyed but glad not to deal with a restless Luffy all day. “Did he even say when he’ll be back? Because I know he didn't hear me say we only have three days to look for him if he wanders off and gets into trouble.”

“Which he absolutely will,” Franky chuckled. Robin, standing beside him, nodded with a slight, knowing smirk.

"Yohohohoooo! Should we be worried?" Brook looked around, tugging at his ruffled collar.

Chopper sighed and turned on his hooves, shoulders hunched, strolling towards the med bay to check the medical supplies inventory, already preparing for the worst when Luffy finally returns.

Usopp nervously looked between them on the deck. “Yeah... should one of us trail him then?”

“I will,” Zoro said too eagerly, clutching his swords at his waist. 

“No, didn’t he just say that you specifically shouldn’t follow him, Mosshead?”

Zoro rolled his eye and squared up on the chef smoking his last cigarette. “Yeah? And?” He glared, asking for a fight. 

“And,” Sanji snapped, annoyed even to be addressing this dumbass, “It sounded like Captain’s Orders to me, dumbass.” 

It was like a switch flipped off in Zoro’s head. He turns on his heel and heads to his post in the Crow’s Nest. 

“Zoro? Hello? So now you walk away from conversations without so much as a goodbye? You brute! You Neanderthal! You lack home training! One day I'll knock some into your empty moss head!” Sanji shouted at his back with a shaking fist.

⚔︎

Practically radiating with excitement to check out the sex toy inventory, Luffy bursts into DreXXroXa, the oldest adult entertainment store in the Land of Love and Passion. The rickety and weatherworn wooden door flung open, nearly shattering under Luffy's careless strength. The entrance bell rattled with too much force for him not to come across as excited to be in such a pervy place. Even he had to admit his entrance was a little creepy.

He felt like Sanji.

“Sorry,” he laughs, not embarrassed, and shrugs at the shopkeeper sitting behind the cash register. 

The middle-aged shopkeeper doesn’t even look his way. Unbothered, he sighs, “Yeah, whatever. Just know—you break it, you bone it.”

Luffy squints, not understanding why he’d bone something broken. “Huh?”

The shopkeeper rolls his eyes, exasperated, as if having a customer in the empty shop is a burden. “You break it, you buy it, man.”

Luffy deflated.

The store’s interior is more... dated than he’d prefer—shag carpet that looks like it’s never seen a day of vacuuming, the fluorescent lighting flickering erratically is both too bright for a sex store and too hazy to provide a quality shopping experience. There’s a stale sexed-out stench that reeks of loneliness and crusty spunk. All the adult posters and videos on display looked like historical mating footage from a bygone era. Luffy quickly lowered his expectations about what pleasure items it would have to offer with each step. 

He wishes he could remember the name of the adult store he visited the last time he was in Dressrosa. But this shop was next door to a greasy burger shack he popped into for a spontaneous lunch, so why not? The owner recognized Lucy immediately and fed him all he could eat. The problem was that Lucy's return had drawn too much local attention, forcing Luffy to escape from the shack's back door. He didn't need the honest people of Dressrosa knowing about the Pirate King's bedroom antics.

He also knew Zoro would try to track him with his Observation Haki. So, the crowd would become too obvious. At least he was far enough away from the center part of downtown that if Zoro did decide to try to follow him, he’d get too lost to find him in time anyway. So this filthy, slutty adult shop would have to do.

He roamed the aisles with purpose but without an actual item in mind. But more often than not, Luffy was giggling uncontrollably at the outrageous sex toys—so many monsterfucker dildos!

His tongue stuck out in concentration, his brows knitted as he read through the models and fine prints, when an impossibly familiar voice tickled the hairs on his neck. He's too caught up in his private playtime of an epic sword-fight between a grotesquely green alien dildo and an outrageously orange octopus silicone tentacle to notice before a rich, velvety voice rumbled behind his shoulder, its warm breath lightly brushing his ear, asking, “Luffy?!” 

Both surprised and pleased, Luffy's laughter halts and calms into a sly grin as the low, sultry tone on his back naturally entices him, exuding confidence as much as allure.

Luffy could sense the subtle hint of relief and joy weaving through his name, making him jump for multiple reasons:

It was an unexpected run-in, for one... 

"What are you doing here?"

OK! He knew this was coming, alright?! His Observation Haki had been active since he spotted Dressrosa. He'd felt this aura the instant the Sunny dropped anchor. So, secondly, he was testing a little pet theory that had been itching his brain for a while. But! He had not anticipated the fun starting so soon, and hearing this voice, his favorite voice, say his name, not his nickname, thrills him.

Somebody was in a good mood today! 

Luffy spun around and wasted no time wrapping his arms and legs around in a tight hug, “Traffy! What are you doing in a sex shop in Dressrosa?” Luffy leaned his cheek against Law’s bare, muscular chest, under an unbuttoned, black-spotted yellow linen shirt. He nuzzled into Law’s warm and familiar scent—smoky, minty, fresh, and evergreen. "You look stoned out of your mind," he giggled, slugging his arm. "Without me? No fair!"

As if no time has passed between them, they effortlessly return to their familiar rhythm, their chemistry palpable.

Law casually slid the hat off Luffy’s head, taking in the beautiful sun-kissed face beaming at him. A fond smirk playing on his face, he gently pulled the clingy Monkey back to get a better look at the adorable younger captain. "I am," he confessed, amused.

Searching Luffy's beaming smile like he'd just discovered the One Piece, Law boldly ruffled his hair like it was his own. Luffy wouldn’t mind.

He was right; Luffy didn't.

He reveled under Law’s strong and confident touch, leaning into its soothing, grounding warmth. As Law’s fingers began threading through and stroking Luffy's soft and wild hair, and scratching his scalp like they had all the time in the world, Luffy realized he was touch-starved. 

And hungry.

Law dug into the front pocket of his denim pants and fiddled with a small, sealed sachet, extracting a gummy candy. Placing the squishy treat between his teeth, he softly grunted for Luffy to bring his face closer. Luffy gazed into Law’s warm eyes, their usual sharpness crinkling at the corners. His long, wispy lashes fluttered, and his heart hummed at the way Law’s gaze ensnared him, a balmy, nostalgic energy passing through the charged, shared air like the sky before it rains at sea. Luffy moved with purpose, his lips eagerly pressing against Law's as his tongue playfully nudged the cannabis gummy from Law's clenched teeth. It's not really a kiss; it's too quick and competitive for that, but the electricity sparking between their briefly touching lips disarms them both. Law is left with his mouth agape, the candy long gone, but his lips still slightly parted for an invisible treat. Luffy slurped and smacked on the chewy blueberry flavor in a fuzzy daze. He felt giddy all over. Neither was truly sure what to make of the energy behind that not-kiss. Luffy tried to move on externally while his core burned with a randy fire inside. Law chose to remain calm and focused on Luffy's original question.

“We’re here to restock on supplies as the Log Pose resets,” Law says, way too sexy to be talking about cargo runs. A sudden, unexpected thrill surges from his toes through to his heart. It latches onto his beating organ before shot-putting that electrical current straight to his dick. He leans closer until their noses barely touch, his voice dropping to a velvety tenor. “I know it’s your territory and all, but what are you doing here?” 

Luffy was too excited to act casual. He leaned into Law's warm breath, wantonly brushing against his lips again, gentle yet deliberate this time as his soft and calloused fingers scratched Law's scalp like he did his. Luffy's fingers felt like butter melting into a warm dinner roll, moving through Law's thick, unruly hat hair. He'd ditched his favorite hat today for a baseball cap, but he knows not to tell Law that. Law hates bread. “Us, too,” he sighs slowly, and it occurs to him that he's taking his first deep breath of the day. 

“I’ll probably pay Rebecca and Kyros a visit at some point, but I’m trying to be lowkey. Don’t need the extra attention right now.”

Law flashed an incredulous smile. “Is that why you’re in this ridiculous get-up, Straw Hat?” Law vaguely fans his hand around Luffy’s front, referring to the obnoxious disguise Luffy’s sporting.

The big sombrero with a red strap around its wide brim, round rose-tinted sunglasses that leave nothing about his large doe eyes to the imagination, the orange beaded necklace that gleamed under the skeevy lighting like polished marble, and a thick, long black mustache—it all sticks out like a sore thumb. If Luffy is aiming for blending in during his time at Dressrosa, he was sucking at it. 

Luffy fakes a pout while pulling at his unbuttoned shirt, snickering, “What's wrong with my outfit? You know you like it, Traffy! Don’t lie,” he teased good-naturedly. The short-sleeved navy button-up shirt with red and yellow suns patched all over hung off his toned shoulders with ease. Law works his jaw as if he wants to make a snarky comment, but he can’t deny how good Luffy looks in the cheesy tropical shirt. He couldn’t resist him in it either, Luffy looks so damn good in patterns and prints. But Law couldn’t possibly admit that to Luffy. He stuffs his crush on the younger man as far down as his heart will allow. All the affection Luffy has shown him in the little pocket of time was just Luffy being the regular old touchy-feely self. Nothing more. 

For his part, Luffy only had one thought: I want to jump Law’s bones in the center of the pervy store aisle. To take Law, to be taken by Law—it didn’t matter to him. He just wanted Law touching him all over his body, desperately exploring and devouring him wholly. 

Law’s sharp jawline was calling out to him for more wet kisses as he rubbed the bare, tattooed skin beneath his hands mindlessly. Under the harsh fluorescent lights, Law’s pale, two-toned pigment patching his skin and contrasting with the thick black tattoo ink looked like creamy and delicious cow spots, smooth to the touch. Law’s chest, barely covered by his mustard shirt, reminded him of soft-serve ice cream with hot fudge, and Luffy dared to lick it. 

So he does, laughing with delight when Law stiffened and shuddered under his slick touch. “Mmm! You still taste like salted caramel!”

Law's frozen beneath Luffy’s bold and burning licks and kisses trailing from his collarbone to his jawline until his tongue lightly tickles Law’s earlobe. 

“So, you’re spending your time in a sex shop? I forgot you’re such a perv!” Luffy lies with a wicked grin. The first time Luffy entered an adult sex store was with Law. That night they bought several toys and edible goodies while smacked out of their minds.

“Says the guy I met already in here,” Law quips back, leaning on the shelf displaying sexy costume kits. A sexy nurse uniform must have been on top because an image wrapped in plastic of an old-school nurse’s white hat with a red trim and red cross stood perfectly perched over his head. Luffy barely contains a giggle because the image of Law dressed up as a sexy nurse invades his vision and makes his toes curl and cock twitch. He refuses to look down and acknowledge the growing bulge in his pants.

“Well, yeah, I know I’m a freak. You made me this way!” he giggles with a wanton growl, teeth grazing Law’s lower lip.

Law tilted his head back playfully and hummed a long, teasing note of disagreement, trying his best to remain calm and unfazed by Luffy’s sensual taunts. He slid his hands down Luffy’s backside and grabbed his ass, unapologetically squeezing the plump skin. He was tempted to spread them wide and have his way with those tight holes he missed so much since they were the only customers in the store. “Um… That’s not how my memory recalls things.”

“Pshhh! Yeah! I’m sure!”

Law inclines his head to the front door, a very Law-looking-at-Luffy grin dancing across his warm eyes. “I’m buying some sex toys for Bepo. He’s too scared to do it himself.”

Luffy’s eyes bulged in disbelief. “What? No way! Mister Bear uses sex toys?! Bepo be fuckin’? EW!” he shrieks incredulously. A rumble builds in his tummy and bubbles into his chest and throat at the mere thought of the shy white bear humping in the snow. This time, he couldn’t contain his laughter, "HAHA OH MY GOD, THAT'S SO GROSS AND HILARIOUS!"

But it’s cut off by Law waving a translucent container in his face. “I’m joking," Law chuckled, his golden eyes glinting with amusement, as he nodded towards the bottle. "I’m here to buy lube.”

The mood shift is immediate. Luffy stopped. His lips twitched, then pursed into a petulant scowl. He averted his gaze, a possessive red tinted his cheeks, though he didn't hesitate to ask, “Who’s the lube for, Law?”

Law’s lips tremble at how cute Luffy looks when he’s jealous. He stifles a quiet laugh as Luffy’s chubby cheeks puff out like the brat he is. For some strange reason, Law doesn’t want to this time. He’s so surprised by his lips and voice when they don’t hesitate to tell Luffy the truth. Although he considers teasing his former boy-toy for a fleeting moment with a white lie about his string of foreign lovers or circular questions that lead nowhere, how can he, after Luffy's bossy rasp said Law’s name like that? Like his name rightfully belonged to the Pirate King?

“For me,” Law admitted with a faint hint of blush dusting his cheeks. 

Luffy bounced on his feet and closed the hairline distance left between them. Then he did something so bold, so damn brazen, that even though Law realized they were probably in the most appropriate public place to do it, he still could not believe the audacity of the younger pirate. 

Luffy splayed his hands against the rough denim covering Law’s crotch and cupped it with a possessive grip that both caught Law off guard and instantly gave him an embarrassing hard-on. The older pirate chokes a suppressed groan and jolts into the delicious sensation.

Right into Luffy’s trap. 

Luffy giggled in his throat a low purr as he felt up Law, reveling in the older man swallowing a needy groan while growing in his grasp. With that keen battle sense of his, he captured Law with his free arm as he slowly kneaded the base of his palm against Law’s groin. Luffy’s head snapped up, a mischievous expression darkening his face as his smoldering gaze locked onto his friend’s melting gold eyes. 

Onto his treasure. 

“Good! Still my banana,” Luffy teased, pouting with a quick, rolling squeeze and a quick peck on Law’s lips. Luffy, mindful not to push his boundaries too much with the kiss, though he really wanted to take down the sexy surgeon in the middle of that pornographic aisle, chose against his impulses. Not yet. He didn’t want to scare Law away. 

Still, it was so audacious. So cheeky. So bratty…

So damn, adorably Luffy...  

That Law just about came right on the spot. He hated how easily the younger, bolder pirate could unravel him with just one look, with just a playful grope or pat. Luffy’s rough touch was so hot and unexpected that it ignited a fire so wild inside Law’s belly that he was confident there was a growing wet patch in front of his light blue jeans. Of all days to not go with a dark wash or black! He’s never been so grateful for his penchant for wearing long jackets year-round. 

He forgot who he was pursuing. Dammit! He’s so damn pathetic! So far gone! 

It hasn’t even been five minutes in the younger man’s presence, and Law was already wet just thinking about Luffy, risking it all and reconsidering his plans for the day and his goals for the rest of his life, all because Luffy is standing in front of him. He’s such a loser! On the verge of jizzing all over himself off of a fucking hand rub in a p-no shop by his crush. It’s such a typical Luffy move that he should’ve expected it, yet Law finds his will already bending backwards under the sheer force of Luffy’s… well, everything.

Get a-fucking-hold of yourself, Trafalgar! He berates his dirty, filthy mind. And, no, it doesn’t help that the King Of the Pirates is also boldly gripping Law’s cock in the middle of the aisle like it belongs to him.

“Straw Hat…” Law seductively warns as he stares with those fierce, blazing, darkened eyes. But he doesn’t move away from Luffy’s brazen behavior, now growing in confidence, his mischievous smile never leaving Law’s melting face. 

Low and unbridled with lust, Luffy teased Law as he slowly, deliberately rubbed his hand along the stiff shaft pressing against the thick fabric, “You still like this, right, Traffy?” He flicked his tongue at Law’s lower lip, and Law reflexively chased it, his warm eyes glazing over with want. The titillating invasion of his privacy confused Law; he didn't know if he wanted to pull away to maintain his dignity or lean into the debauchery.

It didn't matter.

Luffy's reflexes were quicker than his high thoughts and sluggish body. He snapped his tongue back into his mouth with a teasing giggle, instantly making Law feel he was being spirited away. Leaning forward until his lips are flush against the shell of Law’s left ear and the older captain can feel the wicked grin spread across his face, Luffy playfully whispering, “Ahhh… looks like you do. Too bad there’s nothing you can do about it,” he sighed, feigning despondency, pouting like a big baby—like Law’s big baby. 

“But I’m sure you’ll find something to do about that when you're alone," he teased in his warm, velvety way. I’m sure you’re busy. It’s been so long, Traffy! I don’t know your schedule anymore. You have things to do, I have things to do…we could both have things to do…together…but you like to run away…” He trailed off, a wicked glint in his eyes as he gave Law a sidelong glance to catch his drift. He wants Law to remember how much he missed him and how he’s been missing in the past year since Law left their alliance, leaving him. It still burns in his heart to think about that night, so Luffy doesn’t. Instead, he teases Law’s senses, testing his consistent inconsistency to see if the former ally is still weak for him in more ways than one. 

Luffy remains a constant contradiction to Law, and the seasoned surgeon misses the challenge of being kept on his toes by the free-spirited captain. “You’re still a damn greedy monkey, Straw Hat!” Law chokes out an impressed laugh to suppress the hot desire licking at his core. This kid's daring spirit about everything drove Law mad, to the point of obsession. It’s why he had to get away from Luffy before he completely lost his mind… and his heart.

The black eyeliner on Law’s waterline and sleepless nights rimming his under-eye call out to Luffy. He can tell the doctor hasn’t slept because his dark circles have deepened. But the exhaustion only adds to the surgeon’s sex appeal to Luffy. His intense gaze is protective, smoldering Luffy like a blazing hearth and kindling some core element of himself only Law can ignite in him. 

“It can be for you, too… if you want,” he says barely above a whisper, tugging the hair at the nape of Luffy’s neck, eliciting a soft, sweet moan from the Emperor. The invitation is low, dripping with lust, and loaded with promises of a night full of met desires. Luffy licks his lips. That aching hunger growling deep within him again. “We can get a new toy, too. If you want.”

Luffy’s not new to this. The 'if you want' is a siren call specifically crafted by Law for him; he knows this. It’s always been Law’s beckoning call for Luffy—an enticing snare of lust and desire and the freedom to pursue his most debased desires without apology because, in the end, they both know—

Luffy always got what he wanted.

Good thing, too, because Luffy has completely forgotten what he came into the sex store for. The dark look in Luffy’s eyes hinted at Law. He chuckled under his breath and inclined his head to glance at Luffy. “Hungry?” 

Luffy winked, leading the way out of the store empty-handed. “Do you even hafta ask?” 

However, Law hung back to quickly Shambles the bottle of lube…plus a few more into his cabin…and a small gift for his little lover. Then he switched out a couple of berries for a pack of cigarettes and put them into the snoozing store clerk’s pocket.

⚔︎

Luffy cannot stop snorting out his laughs. He and Law sit across from each other in a pizza parlor’s booth. They’d been playing a silly confessional game Nami had the crew stuck on for weeks called, We Listen and Don’t Judge, and all of Law’s confessions were so out there, Luffy knew he was pathetic for how he could harbor such strong feelings for such a perverted DORK. 

“So–So–So wait a minute—" Luffy is wheezing through his throat and nose as he struggles to get his question out. “Y-You mean to tell me–” (wheeze!) “–that’s why you were so mad at me for telling you to move the samurai in Wano? Because–“ (snort-wheeze!) “ The way I screamed your name made you HARD?” Luffy could hardly breathe, let alone stop himself from sounding like a squealing pig. He also couldn’t stop the relentless tremor shaking his body from how hilarious Law’s confession was. 

Pasión Pizza Parlor was a hole-in-the-wall establishment at the edge of the slums that looked like it had seen better days but had still been well maintained to remain warm and inviting. The worn-in red leather upholstery adorning the tight booth seats and barstools served as comfortable cushions for quiet conversations over a hearty homemade meal or a quick, greasy snack. The mouth-watering aromas of savory, sweet, and smoky scents from quality meats, fresh herbs and vegetables, and rich and spicy tomato sauces overlap, wafting a satisfying warm current through the air, mingling with the sizzling roar of food baking above an open flame. 

The source of such rich flavors and tantalizing sounds? The wall-length ancient brick oven serves as the centerpiece of the restaurant. As they wandered the outer town of Dressrosa city proper and the bright yellow sun began to set into a sultry orange hue, the pizza parlor’s decadent aroma caught Luffy’s nose, suddenly having a craving for melted cheese, and they followed his nose to this nondescript location at the farthest edge of town. 

Law hates bread, but it’s really anything for Luffy.

Like the sex shop, from the outside, the restaurant looked markedly out of place for Dressrosa’s usual passionate and clean rebuild of stores and buildings: misshapen and unevenly stacked cobbled stones, the restaurant’s wooden sign hung askew from atop the doorpost, its letters fading from time and torture, and most concerning, there were no windows apart from the small porthole at the top of the thick, wooden arched front door, but neither pirate captain was scared or worried about being in danger this far out when Luffy burst through the door with the enthusiastic strength of a hungry, raging bull, screaming at the top of his lungs, “ITZA PIZZA TIIIIME!!!” 

The heat from the roaring oven, paired with the dim ambient lighting, served as the perfect backdrop for a cozy reunion. A relaxing, romantic atmosphere settles over the nearly empty dining parlor, its focal point the odd pair of pirates tucked intimately away in a corner booth at the far end of the restaurant. There were barely enough customers in the restaurant to call it a busy day, and being more than capable of fending for themselves and each other, they had no reason to hide. Luffy loved hiding in plain sight. With Dressrosa as his territory, he enjoyed stretching his legs and breathing after such a long sail. With no fighting action at sea, he felt staticky, teeming with boundless kinetic energy he needed to burn off. And what better company to have while doing that than his Traffy? What a fucking treat.

As for Law? 

Oh, Law was just happy to be there. Elated. Transported, okay? He felt like the dashing protagonist in those cheesy pirate romantasy novels his crew likes to read for their weekly crew book club, sitting across from his crush in a dark, cozy restaurant at society's edge. And quiet as kept, Law fucking loved it. 

There was no place on the Grand Line, in the New World, on earth that he’d rather be.

So, while he schooled his face to project a calm, though not apathetic, confidence in front of Luffy, internally, he was bursting at the seams, screaming at the top of his lungs many impulsive thoughts:

I can’t believe it.

I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE IT WORKED! 

Luffy finally took the bait.

I can’t believe I’m finally here right now. 

I really did it! Good job, Law. You didn’t chicken out this time!

Wait— no, this can’t be real. Nice romantic things like this don’t happen to me. God, good things like this don’t happen to me.

Am I alive? Did Blackbeard really finish the job, and this is one of those near-death experiences I've read in medical journals? No, that’s ridiculous, Law. You know you are very much alive. Depression and anxiety mock you every day that you’re alive.

So, I must not be awake. Yeah, that’s it. This is a dream. Because I know that Monkey D. Luffy is not sitting practically thigh-to-thigh with me right now!!??

He’s so fucking pretty. Aw, fuck! My heart! He’s so damn cute! 

DAMMIT, LUFFY! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO ADORABLE?

YOU’VE MADE A MESS OF MY HEART. YOU KNOW THAT, MY SHORT KING?

I need you to touch me! 

Kiss me! Fuck me! Choke me! Stuff me! Breed me! Ravage me!

RUIN ME, LUFFY. 

RUIN MY LIFE!!!!

Oh shit, our knees just bumped! EEK!

But none he’d dare confess to Straw Hat.

But, unbeknownst to Law, he and Luffy secretly reveled in this serendipitous time alone with his crush. Their wood and leather, savory and sweet bubble of privacy away from their crews, just them two— a captain and his savior—like it was their impromptu tryst. In a way, it was.

Nobody, not even them, knew what this heat and inexplicable chemistry between them was, or what it all meant. Law labeled it escapism; Luffy was simply chasing it.

“Ohhhh, Traffy!” Luffy drawls dramatically, “That is the most ridiculous–“

But Law isn’t having it. He glared at that cheerful bozo’s face, ready to set the record straight once and for all—or else he knew Luffy would never let him live it down. NEVER. “Hey! I did not say it made me hard, you dingbat! I said it turned me on! So don’t go calling me ridiculous!”

But Luffy cannot hear him over his belly laughs. The man is crying. As real tears tumble down Luffy’s overstuffed cheeks, it took everything in Law not to curl up on the sticky floor and Shambles himself with sediment under the earth. He could not believe that this chaotic man was who he’d fallen for.  

“Ri-“ (wheeze!snortsnort!) “ Ridiculously cutest thing I’ve ever heard! You were sooo grumpy in that fight, too, buddy!” he cracks up, laughing out his best serious Law impression, “You were all like—“ (wheeze!) Luffy puffs out his chest and drops his voice to a deep, gravelly bravado that does not mimic Law’s warm, dark tenor as much as it mocks him by sounding like a congested toddler throwing a tantrum from Luffy’s mouth. “Don’t tell me what to do! I’m doing it because I wanna! You’re not the boss of me! Rawr!” He beat his bare chest like a Law gorilla, smearing the front of his shirt with sauce.

Luffy loses it. He slips down his booth seat, folding over sideways until he’s leaning his entire right side on the booth’s bench, unable to keep his trembling body upright. “BECAUSE YOU WERE H-H- Huhhh -HORNY FOR ME IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE FOR OUR LIVES! WE COULD’VE DIED— HECK, I DID DIE! AND THIS HORNDOG’S GOT A BONER ON THE BATTLEFIELD BECAUSE OF ME! I CAN’T—“ 

He was too loud, but he couldn’t stop laughing. Luffy wheezes for so long that the next breath he takes makes his chest heave, flailing his hands and shaking his head uproariously. “TRAFFY, I CANNUH!“ He gulps a deep breath for dear life. “See? I knew I was right when I told you and Jaggy it wasn’t the time for silly fights. Maybe I should’ve said hard-ons, too! AHAHAHAHAAAAHAHA!!!” Luffy’s judging. He’s judging Law hard. 

Then came the sharpest, splintering crack!

Plates shifted, cups slid, and the split wooden table groaned in agony, trying to keep itself upright. The few nearby patrons and employees give them shifty and bemused glances from all the ruckus Luffy is causing, but he doesn’t even notice them. He raised his half-full beer mug and cheered like he meant it, “TO THE DEATH WITH A CHUBBY!” 

But Law’s heart was blooming. 

Internally, he was losing it and positively basking in Straw Hat’s sunny style of affection. 

Damn, Dressrosa! Whatever was in the damn air in the kingdom of love and passion was kicking his heart’s ass!

Because, even though Luffy judged him as a stalking pervert, he also delights in Law’s confession. Law knew the younger pirate well enough; Luffy was absolutely flattered by Law’s inappropriate attention. He relished being the muse for Law’s lust, and each joke that made Luffy laugh, every jibe at Law’s expense, all the snorts and wheezes, sounded like an outpouring of Luffy’s praise from that sweet, kissable mouth. Law was being blessed by the Sun God, the honest fool, himself.

Yeah, I’m as whipped as heavy cream. Law chuckled under his breath, his gaze softening on the goofy pirate who had no idea he’d stolen Law’s greatest treasure. 

A silly thought occurred to him in his awkward bid to change the subject. “Hey, Straw Hat?”

Luffy paused mid-laugh, “Yes, Traffy?” blinking innocently with an uncharacteristic quiet curiosity.

Law calmly picked up his wine glass and swirled it like Luffy hadn’t just split the dining table. “Are you on whippets?”

Luffy blinked, his mind blanked as his nose scrunched up. “Wh-What? Whippets?”

“Yeah,” Law flatly replied, unfazed by the mood shift he just caused. “Noxious oxide in a can. Laughing gas?”

“I know what it means! I just don’t know why you’d ask me that!”

“Because you laugh a lot. SO much. Too—”

Luffy’s eyes darkened, and his jet-black hair began to wave above his head. “Traffy…” Luffy warned.

Law scrambled to save his hide. “You didn’t let me finish, Straw Hat. Too many people lack that quality. Take me for example.” He glanced at Luffy, barely able to swallow his laugh at getting clocked. Luffy squinted, trying to decipher his unreadable expression. He folded his arms with an indignant pout.

"But you're high right now! We both are!"

"I'm not the one giggling like a little kid every five seconds," Law challenged, swallowing his own laugh.

"I am not~" Luffy’s cheeks puff up, and then he spurts out a melodic laugh. “HA! Nice save, Traffy! Good job flattering me, for real, because I was gonna kick your ass if you said what I thought you were gonna say.” Then, the snorting laughter resumed. “And that would’ve definitely ruined this cute little vibe we’ve got going on!”

Law, clinking his red wine glass and rolling his eyes, however, is only slightly embarrassed, unaffected by the obnoxious snorts still honking out of Luffy’s nose and mouth. “Tch. Like you could kick my ass,” he quipped back.

"Yes, because I have. But you can kiss my ass after I do," Luffy smirked darkly.

“You’re the worst, Straw Hat, you know that?” he said with no heat because a pair of the darkest and kindest eyes were already enchanting him.

“Nah, you know I’m the best… awww,” Luffy cooed, “my Traffy is so cute when he’s blushing. Shishishi! But seriously, only you would be so dickmatized to think about…” Luffy pauses and rubs his chin with great intrigue, “Hey, what were you fantasizing about, anyway?” he asks with a genuine gleam of curiosity and a hint of mischief. 

Law doubted he was the only one, but after the warm swell that capsized his heart and belly from Luffy calling him his, Law didn’t hesitate to respond. “Making you scream my name that loud and hoarse while I take you from the back while pulling your hair to lean your head back and spit in your mouth, calling you a greedy whore for my cock until you cum.”

Luffy’s jaw drops to the table, and a pool of drool slips out at Law’s explicit answer. “Ummm…” Luffy squeaks, “Yum?”

“I can’t believe you’re so comfortable eating here, Straw Hat. You know this place is a front for the mafia, right?” Law discreetly scanned the dining room floor, clocking at least four gleaming swords ready to be drawn and six guns still neatly tucked in their holsters, their owners comfortably patting their sides.

Luffy doesn’t bother to look up, having ditched the disguise before they made it halfway down the block from DreXXroXa. “Eh,” he grunts dismissively through a mouth stuffed with an entire eighteen-inch pie, “They’re just Bege’s bitches,” he giggled. “They ain’t ‘bout shit. AND I’M KING OF THE PIRATES!” he boisterously says as if making a public reminder for any bounty hunters in the joint stupid enough to try them. Quiet as kept, he was hoping they would. He missed the comforting thrill of fighting alongside his Traffy. 

Law rolled his eyes, already drained from Luffy’s antics. “Tch. You are such a drama queen, Straw Hat, you know that?”

Luffy winks and wags his index finger at Law, “You mean drama KING. Hehhh?” He wrinkles his brows with comedic suggestions. 

Law’s lips twitch, suppressing a smirk. “You’ve been around Soul King’s corny jokes too long. You’ve left me no choice, Luffy.” Law levels a deadpan look at Luffy, and he is shook. “Now, I have to remove your funny bone surgically. C’mere,” he declared in his dry, clinical tone, patting his lap and shaking his head as he wiped away fake tears. 

Luffy blinks. 

Luffy bursts out laughing. His head knocks back. Bits and chunks of mushy cheese, pizza dough, and meat pieces sail out of his mouth as he slaps his fist on the table. “HAH! Heheheeheeee that’s a GOOD one, Traffy! See, you can be funny sometimes, too!”

Law knew Luffy didn’t mean it as an offense, but it hurt his feelings—just a smidge.

Law forks around at the grilled chicken Caesar salad with no croutons, he ordered with a bottle of red wine, bread, a charcuterie board, and he doesn’t feel like picking off all the cheese and toppings for the half slice he’ll eat before surrendering the rest of his plate to Luffy’s insatiable appetite. 

Oblivious to the sting to his ego that Law is silently nursing, Luffy squirms in his seat, a happy food dance wiggling in his toosh as he gorges himself on pizza. 

“It’s been a while, Traffy. I’ve missed all our secrets. So, tell me. How’s things?” The cheeky, mischievous look in Luffy’s eye makes Law snort. He’s waiting for a long, drawn-out tale about a grand adventure or epic side quest.

But all Law’s got is grief.

“Well, ya know, living the good old pirate life, racing to find The One Piece, of course!” he snarks. But then his gaze drops and levels with the clueless man across from him. “I’ve been grieving, Luffy.” The raw emotion in Law’s voice punches Luffy square in his chest, right on his scar.

Luffy’s expression softens. He knows it’s been a hellish journey for Law to recover from his Blackbeard defeat, the loss of two-thirds of his crew, and his beloved pirate submarine. Luffy knows his friend has lost a lot—so much—and he wants to be there for him. “Oh. You wanna talk about it?” He asked while savagely putting a whole drumstick in his mouth and pulling it out clean to the bone in one fluid motion. He picked up another one, placed his fully sauced lips on the head of the drummette, and inhaled the meat off the bone with a sloppy sucking sound.

Law nearly choked on his spit, watching Luffy devour that piece of meat like it was jelly, imagining it was his cock instead. Luffy’s sloppy eating habits left nothing to the imagination about his bedroom behavior, and all their shared memories of intimacy and debauchery come flooding back to both of Law’s throbbing heads.

He shook his head with his functional brain to get rid of the running list of lewd things he wanted to do to Luffy right there on the restaurant table. Yes, Law wanted nothing more in that instant than to take Luffy’s plump, tight ass right then and there, in the center of the restaurant, for all the mobsters and bounty hunters to see who’s fucking the King of the Pirate’s brains out so efficiently. Instead, he focused on the still-full salad bowl before his and Luffy’s question. “Not right now.” His eyes roll upward over his pretty lashes and become hooded with mischief. “Right now, I wanna stuff your face with pizza, then stuff your pussy with my dick.”

Taken aback by the sudden change in direction, Luffy puffs out his cheeks to contain his laughter before it erupts from his chest with his trademark broad, boyish smile. “Pizza and pussy, huh?” Luffy’s eyes light up with lustful amusement. “Now, I can get with that,” he cackles, shoving a whole eighteen-inch meat lover’s pizza into his gullet. But through stuffed cheeks and talking through a full mouth, he assures Law with his signature authority, “But you will talk about it, Traffy.”

“Later,” Law compromised, nervously exhaling through a tempered smile. He’s not deflecting, either. The light and full sound of Luffy’s laugh fills the dark holes in Law’s heart and mind, and it endears the depressed man to his sunshine boy. He only wants Luffy to drive his doom and gloom clouds away. To keep his warmth and sunny personality radiating around Law, casting out his scary days and nightmares. 

But he can’t ask that of his friend. Luffy has done enough for him, and Law mustn’t be too greedy to tempt fate to snatch Luffy’s life as payment for his over-generosity to Law. 

The waiter, whom they hadn’t seen since their food arrived, returned with the check, looking mortified at the scene in front of Luffy. Six empty liters of cola were scattered around the table. Ten pizza pies were demolished without any pizza dough or cheese in sight. Luffy was licking the leftover pizza sauce from the serving trays and the bare table. Over a hundred chicken bones were piled into a large heap and were only not eaten because after Luffy choked on the tenth bone, Law had to use his Devil Fruit powers to remove the bone shard lodged horizontally against Luffy’s epiglottis for the fifth time, Law threatened to make him pay for the entire meal if he did it again. The sick look that overtook Luffy's face when he realized Nami didn’t give him any spending money from his allowance, so he was dead broke, was greener than the face he made while choking. 

But Law was bluffing; he knew who he came with and had always intended to pay for whatever his favorite glutton ate, and he’d never deny Luffy anything. 

Law took one peek at the enormous bill and didn’t bat an eye or hesitate to pull out his wallet. He secretly loved being able to provide for Luffy like this. In fact, all Law wanted was to spoil Luffy—buy him whatever he wanted, feed him whatever he craved, and provide for all his needs for the rest of Law’s breathing days. He knew food was the only material thing Luffy cared about, and Law, with the little he still had left in this life, would willingly go for broke to fund Luffy’s insatiable appetite. He had too much money, partly thanks to Cora—so why not spend it on the most deserving?

Without looking, Law handed the waiter a wad of berries, which he was confident covered their meal, the cleanup for damages, and the waiter’s tip for the inconvenience of having to wait on Luffy. “Now, finish eating,” he encouraged. He can’t risk losing Luffy. Instead, he reaches into equally dangerous territory...

Luffy’s plate—and stabbed a buffalo chicken wing with his fork. Luffy, not precisely a sharer, but it’s Law, observes with keen interest as the older man cleanly separates the meat from the bone off a party wing with his fork and knife with surgical precision. It’s neurotic yet so erotic in the same vein how calm and focused Traffy looked, diligently cleaning the bone without staining his hands or clothes with the dark red sauce, treating it like blood, before gingerly forking the boneless meat into his mouth, one small piece at a time, slowly savoring the savory juice, crisp and moist textures, and smoky flavors of the chicken.

His heartbeat picked up a race. Luffy watched the scene unfolding before him in slow motion with rapt attention as Law savored one piece of his stolen chicken and then another with his eyes closed. And he simply loses his appetite. He's so fucking aroused.

“ F- Fuck, Traffy,” Luffy gasped, instinctively licking his drooling lips like a dog craving meat. “I—” he stammered. “I’m…not hungry anymore.”

“Oh?” Law looks up, genuinely concerned, none the wiser about Luffy’s lustful voyeurism or the effect Law’s methodical eating habits had on the younger man. He intently searches Luffy’s face, a knowing eyebrow quirking as a hot pool of desire fills the emptiness he’d grown accustomed to in his groin.

“Wanna get outta here?” The amorous question practically drips off Law’s tongue. He chuckles endearingly at Luffy’s reaction; his stomach fluttered with butterflies that only burst forth for Luffy, and his concerned expression is replaced with amusement. 

Before Law finishes his question, Luffy is already springing from the booth, his belly full but his hunger still not satisfied, excitedly urging, “Let’s go!”

⚔️🪢

TO BE
CONTINUED

Chapter Text

The new Polar Tang submarine is much less impressive than its predecessor. Originally a Navy submarine, this dramatically revamped underwater pirate ship was taken by Law after Blackbeard sank the original Polar Tang. Now fully painted yellow, with all military markings removed from the outside, Law has completely renovated and reconstructed the massive vessel inside and out, finishing the exterior with an unavoidable view of the Heart Pirates' glossy black Jolly Roger.

At least he still has that as a captain. 

Law has endured immeasurable loss in his miserable life, from people to possessions, but losing his first pirate ship felt like losing a piece of his soul—one of the final fragments left after the deaths of his family, Cora included, took most of it. Therefore, with no other outlet for his grief remaining, and in a depressive, blackout rage, Law gutted the interior of everything that even hinted at the Marines or the World Government. After fatally wounding two SWORD agents and a Vice Admiral who tried to seize it, the Marines begrudgingly accepted that they would never reclaim their war sub from Trafalgar Law.

It doesn’t even look like it belongs to the Navy anymore, anyway.

The Polar Tang II, dubbed “The Substitute” by his crew in a sardonic manner, starkly contrasts Law's previous home alongside his old crew. He and his crew painstakingly constructed the original Polar Tang from scratch, pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into it. However, the size of this new submarine would have perfectly accommodated all twenty-one of them for the rest of their sailing lives. The original Polar Tang exuded a cozy and practical charm, intended to be their forever ship. Now, each time Law steps onto the deck of this new submarine, he is confronted with the painful reminder of his humiliating defeat as a captain and comrade, along with the profound loss of his family and their beloved home. 

But it’s better than nothing.

He cautiously steps onto the deck, feeling a twinge of anxiety tightening his stomach muscles while grasping Luffy’s hands. Having enjoyed a ride on Law’s shoulders like he’s seated on a throne belonging to the Pirate King, Luffy has been comfortably perched there since they departed from the money-laundering restaurant. Although Law could have teleported them directly to his ship, the idea of a picturesque stroll back to the docks at sunset over Dressrosa while carrying Luffy seemed romantic. While Law grumbled initially, it was all an act; he’s been beaming from ear to ear as Luffy chatted away during their entire journey back to the ship, until he boarded.

A creeping self-consciousness overtakes him about showing his big-shot crush just how low he’s fallen.

This stolen submarine pales in comparison to the radiant glory of the Thousand Sunny, leaving Law humiliated as he stands next to Luffy.

Luffy, on the other hand, is thrilled. The Pirate King, wearing his straw hat like a crown, gazes at Law and his new ship with sparkling eyes. 

“WHOA... TRAFFY! SWEET!” he exclaims, bouncing off Law’s shoulders. Luffy hops off his best friend’s shoulders. “Oh my god, Traffy! It’s frickin’ huge! She’s cute, too! Like…” he giggles and springs onto the spacious deck, spinning around the platformed base of the Heart Pirates’ Jolly Roger’s flagpole. “A sea king version of your old ship! No wonder Akainu sent a grand fleet after you!” 

Law blinks, shocked as Luffy laughs while grabbing his stomach, unable to suppress the relieved rumble in his chest; of course, Luffy.  

“I love it!” he belts out like he’s declaring that he’s going to be King.

And all Law wants to whisper back is—

I love you.

But he keeps his love-wrecked thoughts to himself and lets a warm smile crinkle at the corners of his eyes. 

Hopping back down to look up at Law, he exhales enthusiastically, “Alright, now gimme a grand tour, Traffy! And make it snappy!” Luffy demands, slotting his fingers into Law’s hand and pulling him forward as if he already knows where to go. “I wanna see how you’ve been living since you’ve been gone.”

Okay, now, that drops a stone into the pit of Law’s stomach. He has not been living well. He doesn’t know how much Luffy will notice, but he hopes Captain Oblivious behind him will be in full effect. 

⚔︎

The long interior corridors of the Substitute are cramped—a jagged maze of narrow paths and protruding pipes runs through the industrial warship, linking to the ship's primary areas and creating the sensation of traversing a cold metal container wrapped in steel and insulation from head to bottom. That is, until they open up into the common areas, which are warm and welcoming, but overly spacious for the small crew that Law currently commands. Yet, they remain too confining to hold back his anger about that painful reality. Law will continue grieving for his lost crewmates.

Several months filled to the brim with grief and regret over his life bottoming out have passed, and Law remains haunted by his defeat at the hands of Blackbeard. His thirst for vengeance burns on, unquenchable, as he shuts out the dark, mocking laugh telling him he'll never get it, which echoes his losses and regrets in his left ear every day. It’s always his left ear where his demons lurk, while the ghosts of his lost ones whisper their haunting words. 

As he leads the one-pirate tour, pesky romantic feelings make him shy and nearly drown out the sound logic that he doesn't need to worry about Luffy not being impressed by his new ship. Instead, they convince him to question the successful pirate's values and pure heart.

But of course, he should’ve known Luffy wouldn’t negatively judge the Substitute. Law truly had no reason to fear that he would, other than the insecurity of not measuring up to the standards befitting anyone associated with the King of the Pirates. However, anxiety doesn't need a reason, and his anxiety overlooked a fundamental principle about Luffy: 

Luffy cares about none of that. 

He only values material things unless they’re big, shiny, and cool. The ship is functional, providing safety and shelter for Law and his crew, and it belongs to Luffy—that’s what truly matters to him, even better that he stole it from the Navy. The fact is evident in how those starry eyes never dull and the smile on his face never falls. It seems like Luffy loves everything about this submarine.

However, Law seems to really appreciate Luffy’s commentary during the tour.

“No way! You guys have a lazy sofa!” He flops onto the mustard velvet cushions and sighs, satisfied. “So soft!”  The crew lounge and private offices are adorned with enjoyable activities and furnishings that each crew member has added to lighten the sub’s strict design. 

Law slides into the seat beside him, crossing his long legs and stretching an arm over the circular headrest while he observes Luffy comfortably settle into the space, throwing his legs over Law's lap. “The Navy used this area as a computerized control room with the motherboard dropped right in that circle, but I gutted it. There are plenty of other soft places to sit and relax. We wanted as many shared spaces to keep each other company as we could have while traveling underwater.”

Luffy heartens at the sentiment. “So does the Sunny.”

Law only hums in agreement; the Sunny's coziness had inspired the lounge's redesign. He stands up and extends his right hand. "Come on, there are more stops on this tour to explore."

Too excited to sit still anyway, Luffy jumps on Law's back, slapping a butt cheek. "OK! ONWARD!" He points towards the exit like they're facing the horizon. Law rolls his eyes but follows his navigator's instructions.

The tour through the accommodation area isn’t too bad, thanks to Law’s crew always cleaning up the areas as a group coping mechanism for their collective grief; a daily bonding activity, just in case. The crew cabins are relatively neat, as is the communal bathroom, which doubles as the laundry room and is consistently maintained. Law still runs a tight ship. He cannot afford to lose everything again.

"Wait, where is your crew?" Luffy inquires as they enter the sleeping area.

"Out, enjoying Dressrosa."

"Same," Luffy chuckles. 

"'When in liberated Dressrosa'..." they say in unison, with a sparkle of knowing in their voices as Law opens a few bedrooms. Luffy peeks into Bepo's room, clearly impressed by how orderly and tidy the Minx polar bear has maintained his den.

“Woah... Mr. Bear lives better than the hairless Minx on your crew who wear animal hats!” 

Law screws his face, playfully annoyed. “Penguin, Shachi, and Ikkaku,” he reminds him. He and Bepo were so relieved when they found those three washed ashore on the same island they drifted to three days after escaping Blackbeard that they cried the entire time they tended to their injuries. Law won't allow the names of his few family members to be forgotten, not even by Luffy.

Luffy nods seriously. "Mm, yeah, them,” he softly apologizes. Law expresses appreciation by gently squeezing his thigh.

They move on. "And this is the galley," announces Law. Luffy swipes two Honeycrisp apples and a perfectly ripe banana from the fruit bowl perched on the entryway’s bar counter. Chomping on the first apple, he notes, “Sanji would die cooking in here!” After polishing off the two apples, Luffy forces Law to take bites of the banana he’s eating. Because he knows Law is not eating as much as he should.

The tall, broad-chested man has shrunk down to an astonishing degree that worries Luffy to the core, but he wills himself to remain silent and chooses to feed Law, instead. As they move through the expansive galley, he stretches an arm back to swipe the fruit basket, balancing the rattan bowl atop Law's fuzzy hat, and grabs the pears he had been previously eyeing. He shoves one to Law’s lips. “Hm. Bite.”  

Law obeys with a large, placating bite as he guides Luffy through the industrial kitchen, which sparkles clean to Sanji’s high standards. The med bay is sterilized to levels that Chopper could only dream of on the Sunny. 

As the tour nears its end, Luffy delivers his first judgment while feeding Law a clementine, one juicy wedge at a time. “Nice snag, Traffy! Do you like it? I think it suits you! Kinda reminds me of Merry,” Luffy muses, glancing at the ship’s utilitarian interior. 

The comparison strikes Law as misplaced, as Luffy squeezes his hand with genuine excitement at every turn. He never got to see the Straw Hats’ beloved first pirate ship, but during his time sailing with the crew, he's heard all the incredible stories about how great and mighty a caravel she was to them throughout their journey across the Grand Line. He remembers hearing how miserably the crew cried just from retellings of her funeral at sea, shortly after she saved them from Enies Lobby. This is a legendary ship! Iconic in the pirate world.

So, pardon Law for disagreeing with the secret love of his life. He highly doubts that an out-of-commission Navy submarine could hold a candle to the cozy comforts and battleship dignity of the Going Merry.

However, his curiosity about Luffy's unpredictable mind has been piqued. “Really? How so?” Law inquires, crossing his arms, unable to conceal his admiration and amazement. 

Luffy beams at Law’s unexpected curiosity, feeling warm as the glow brightens his muted eyes. The man appeared to have been starved of compliments for a long time. He wraps his arms around Law’s bicep, like a baby koala. 

He hums joyfully while contemplating his words. “She’s a nice size on the outside, big, but cramped, cute, and cozy on the inside for a crew your size. Perfect for a small crew rebuilding to call home. Just like Merry, when my crew of five grew to seven." 

Leave it to Luffy to find a way to belong everywhere and make himself feel right at home.  

Smirking, Luffy rests his chin on Law’s shoulder, admiring the older captain's rugged, weary, and strikingly handsome face so closely that it almost makes him drool on Law’s shoulder. "Could use a lot more color though, but I get that the whole black and yellow combo is your thing.” He nuzzles his cheek against Law’s scruffy goatee, lightly giggling at the stubble against his smooth, soft skin. 

Frustrated, Law blushes like a cutesy bitch at Luffy’s affections. He was ill-prepared for the face cuddle and the revelation that Luffy knows Law’s favorite complementary colors. Sure, he puts it on everything and buys that color way whenever he has the chance or option to, but he never thought Luffy was paying attention enough to read any meaning about Law into it. 

"My thing?" Law snorts, feeling exposed.

“Yah! It's like Traffy only knows two colors in the rainbow," Luffy laughs.

"Hey! I wear blue, too! Sometimes!"

"True..." Luffy chuckles at Law's embarrassed annoyance, quickly shifting the topic to avoid upsetting him and spoiling their fun. "So…” he croons, testing Law’s emotional waters. “D’ya like it?”

Between the generous compliments and constant physical contact (seeing as how Luffy has maintained at least one body part attached to Law at almost all times since they left the porn shop. Law had to beg Luffy to let him go to the restroom alone at the pizza shop), Law doesn’t know how to compartmentalize Luffy’s clinginess from their unique friendship and his romantic feelings. Because Law no longer doubts that he has feelings for Luffy, he only doubts Luffy’s feelings for him. 

Luffy is shameless in every way, and Law respects it because he could never be. He should be used to that by now, unaffected by all the emotional, physical, and verbal affections. However, it’s humiliating every time; how much his stomach flips and heart stutters around the younger pirate. 

Not a single cloth or bottle is out of place, and every part of the Substitute’s accommodation area looks loved on and lived in. “Yeah, it’s alright. It’ll do,” he confesses, more confident than ever about his decision to start anew, as he leads them to the final stop on their tour. 

Luffy hums in approval, nodding with smug satisfaction. “Mmhmm! I agree!” Luffy shakes as Law opens the heavy, metal, oval door as slowly as he can, wanting to delay Luffy's probing captain's eye for as long as he can. 

Law’s room, however, is a different story. 

The sharp, cool air of vacancy slaps them in the face. His left hand easily locates the light dimmer as Luffy slides off his back and ducks under his arm to survey Law’s new digs.

The captain’s cabin—if it could even be called that—is tight and small for someone as tall and broad as Law. But that’s not the issue Luffy’s having with the private room. It’s… 

Empty. 

The cabin is pristine, mirroring the rest of the ship. However, it radiates a sterile, cold ambiance filled with inner conflict and isolation, bringing back memories of the one occasion he woke up alone in the old Polar Tang’s medical bay without Law by his side; a space too stark for someone with a soul as warm and gentle as Law's to find comfort. The walls are colorless, no posters, no paintings, and the furniture seems rigid and unwelcoming: a metal desk and chair, black sheets drape over a bed that looks like it has never been used. 

Even with the paling daylight filtering into the room from the ocean-view portholes, there is no evidence of Law’s geeky self-expression or his love of exotic plant life anywhere in the sparse decor. 

Aside from the sizable bed bolted to the wall and floor, the metal desk in the corner next to a slimmer oval door, the sparse bookshelves filled with medical texts barely arranged in organized chaos, and the drug paraphernalia scattered around, it doesn’t resemble a captain’s bedroom at all. It barely looks lived in by Law. Luffy only assumes that the slim oval door leads to Law’s private bathroom because his sexy ass maroon and gold patterned yukata from Wano is hung on a double hook with a towel. At least he still has that.

“Huh,” Luffy finally remarks, without filter. “There’s hardly any sign of you in here, Traffy,” he notes with playful concern and genuine curiosity. 

Law cringes, removing the fruit basket Luffy had placed on his head when he swallowed the last fruit, setting it on his dresser. He squints at Luffy’s first observation. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Luffy shrugs as he looks down at the overflowing trashcan filled with glass liquor bottles under the desk, then shifts his attention to the otherwise clean desk's dirty ashtray cluttered with roaches and cigarette butts. A pristine syringe appears new, but the glass pipe next to it is stained black with soot and ash. Law has been alone, self-medicating his wounds again, and it tears Luffy apart. 

Luffy keeps his tone lighthearted, but can’t help when a slight edge of dismay cuts through his words. “I kinda expected to find your usual organized chaos of dirty clothes, books, posters, papers, bongs, and collectibles.” His chest aches as he draws a long air drag into his lungs and notices two things at once. "You don't even have your Sora periodic table poster hung up."

He tilts his head in the tiny room, searching for Law’s unique scent. This saddens Luffy the most: the room is nearly devoid of it. It feels as if Law’s entire essence has been wiped away, just like every sign of the Navy’s former ownership. Luffy treasures his acute sense of smell, and Law's scent is among his favorites. The room is missing the natural harmony that Law’s aromas offer; the distinctive blend of lightly roasted coffee, buttery caramel, and stale sweat combined with his smoky cedarwood cologne and the crisp scent of burning leaves, alongside snowy northern pine needles crackling in a fire. Luffy can hardly catch a hint of Law’s musky scent anywhere, only detecting the overpowering smells of vodka, whiskey, and rubbing alcohol in the squeezed space, which he doesn’t like at all.

Luffy actually hates what this revelation means.

Feigning indifference, Law faces away while he adjusts the light dimmer, giving himself a moment to clear his throat from the thickness of his painful emotions. “Yeah, well, damn near all of me sank to the bottom of the sea with the Polar Tang,” he wryly tells the straw hatter. 

“Where have you been sleeping, Traffy? Because you haven’t been sleeping here,” Luffy inquires, rounding to face his fellow captain and thumbing the perfectly made bed. Law’s eyes widen, and his heart stutters at the blunt question. When he takes too long to respond, Luffy probes further, cautiously, “Have you been sleeping, Law?”

The concern in Luffy's voice disarms him. Law’s answer? He hasn’t. 

He sometimes takes a nap on Bepo in the crew lounge or on the deck when the claustrophobia of grief overwhelms him. He sleeps when all the crew is hanging around, confident they’re together. Safe. Yet, Law does not sleep in this room. He hasn’t done more than take a catnap in his bed for six months. How can he feel comfortable when the bodies of his fallen crewmates have sunk to a watery grave, never to be retrieved or avenged? Blackbeard stole so much from the Heart Pirates, leaving the captain with the familiar torture of still being alive. 

Shrugging, he chooses to deflect from his sleepless nights. “I usually nap on Bepo when I’m not working.” Not a lie, but it’s not what Luffy wants to hear. To prove him right, the growing frown on Luffy’s face matches his words to a T:

“That doesn’t make me happy to hear.”

Luffy’s eyes dance around Law’s face, empathy tugging at their corners. "I know, sorry if I sound insensitive, Traffy. S'gotta be tough to lose so much so quickly. It was terrifying when I thought I had lost my crew to Kuma. I was ready to crash out. I wanted to end it all like that,” he says with a snap of his fingers.

Despite feeling exposed, Law’s heart grows whenever Luffy sees him. To Law, Luffy is uncharacteristically perceptive about Law's loss of his personal belongings and past life, which moves him to tears that he forces back. He won’t complain about his crush paying such close attention to him. When he set out to follow Luffy’s Haki this morning, Law decided he didn't want to hide from Luffy anymore. 

Even if Luffy doesn’t want Law how Law wants him, Law is sinking, in a tidal wave of deep gratitude and other emotions he no longer struggles to admit to himself. But, damn! It’s still surreal in its own right. 

The most powerful man in the world cares about him.

Luffy pulls Law closer, his touch gentle as he embraces his friend’s torso, his voice small and distant as he remembers his pain over the fear of losing his crew. “I was so scared that our adventures were over, all our precious memories were gone forever. But you lived that, Traffy. You’re still living through that.” He pauses, his hand gently sweeping Law’s bangs from his eyes, and the older captain’s breath catches from the delicate touch.

 “I’m sorry, friend.” He places the side of his face flush against Law’s pounding heart. 

The grounding warmth of Luffy’s touch turns Law’s insides soggy. “You’re so strong, Traffy. So brave. I wish you didn’t go through all that. But the sea is graceful and greedy —Jinbe's words, not mine." He softly chuckles as Law glances down, an impressed eyebrow raised in admiration of Luffy's unexpected profundity.

Law carefully slides off Luffy’s straw hat and chastely kisses the crown of Luffy’s head. "You continue to amaze me, Straw Hat," Law states, his voice smooth and deep with wonder. Still, he flippantly teases his crush to hide his pining heart,  chuckling, “But I gotta admit, I’m surprised you even noticed all that.” 

Luffy’s brows wrinkle, confused. “Duh. It matters, and I always notice what’s important to me.”

“Hm?” Law hums, combing his fingers through his friend’s matted mane, already drifting into the mind-numbing current that is Luffy’s honeysuckle shampoo. “What’s important?”

When he looks up to study Law’s face, the sharp heat of his intuitive gaze flips the stoic’s stomach into tight folds. “You.”

The rolling haze of grief begins clearing Law’s mind as he grips the door handle to ground himself while Luffy breaks away. Law turns to shut his bedroom door, ensuring the lock clicks in place, and turns around, ready to lavish Luffy with praise and worship. Law wants to suck this man's dick so damn bad!

Only to frown at the adorably wrong sight unfolding before him. 

“Luffy, why are you on your knees?”

Luffy giggles as if Law is the oblivious one. “I’m gonna blow you, duh!” He playfully rolls those cheeky eyes, his cheeks flushing with a rosy tint of lustful determination. 

Law sweeps him to his feet. “Uh, no, you aren’t,” he flatly denies. 

A torrent of rejection threatens to capsize Luffy’s pride when Law gracefully, desperately drops to his knees, golden moons gazing up at him. Reaching out to squeeze the soft flesh of Luffy’s chubby cheeks, he tells Luffy in no uncertain terms, “That’s my job tonight, Straw Hat.”

Law's lips collide with Luffy's, driven by an intense longing that reveals every secret he has fought to suppress. It's a jolt that steals the breath from both of them. Luffy gasps as he feels the warmth of Law's lips against his after such a long separation, his body melting into Law's comforting hold. Law was on his knees, ready to worship him. All he can do is accept the lavishing of praise. He clutches the sides of Law's shirt, pulling Law up until their faces are pressed closer together. The world around them dissolves, leaving only their lips parting for their tongues to intertwine as Law intensifies the kiss, trailing his tongue along Luffy's bottom lip before capturing it between his own.

Law's heart is beating out of his chest, slamming with yearning. He has been waiting to kiss Luffy like this since the day he left Wano. Since they sailed their separate ways, life has been no crystal staircase for the surgeon-swordsman-captain and his crew. The day they left Wano was such a hectic and emotionally charged affair that Law still loses his breath thinking about it. 

⚔︎

The purposeful chaos of three crews getting their ships in order had been the background music of their final day in Wano Country. For a man who constantly said he hated both of them, Eustass Kid raged around them all morning like he had already been crowned King of the Pirates. Every time Law thought he’d gotten a quiet moment alone with the captain wearing his signature straw hat, Kid came crashing out of nowhere as an annoying third wheel. Luffy didn’t mind, laughing at Jaggy’s theatrics and reading the overbearing emotions for what they truly were: Kid would miss them.

On the other hand, Law was trying to calmly and quietly end his alliance with the Straw Hats. He didn’t want drama or an audience; he just wanted Luffy to understand why they had to go their separate ways right now.

You see, Law was dying to confess that day. He always planned to confess his feelings on their final day in Wano. He had prepared a rousing speech and everything to let Luffy know how deeply he loved him and wanted to sail by his side until he became the Pirate King. But for that to happen, how Law felt best, their official alliance had to end.

But Luffy’s reaction had given Law none of that. His response to Law officially ending their alliance was violently petulant, pitching a fit, throwing sand, and trying to fight Law into submission. All of which made it difficult to give his crush the proper goodbye he’d planned. He needed to feel good about his decision.

Thankfully, a sea king interrupted the assault. It didn’t take long to fight the beast and figure out it wasn’t a threat to them, but it was choking and in pain. Luffy punched its suffering right out of its throat, and the grateful sea king went on its merry way. 

After they saved the sea king, the distraction seemed to pick up Luffy’s spirit as they stood on the secluded side of Wano’s beach line, watching the beast splash into the horizon.

The serene beach setting was perfect. Now engulfed by sweet silence, save for the steady crashing of the waves and birds cawing from the sky and forest canopy, they were finally unto themselves. 

Law gazed at the straw hat crowning Luffy’s head, which dazzled like the aureole of the sun. His nerves were steeled to confess his love finally. 

“Luffy-ya, I need to tell you something.”

“Huh?” Luffy spun around, clueless, his expression increasingly curious as he searched Law’s serious expression. “What is it, Traffy?”

He was about to begin, too—“Luffy, I… About why I ended our alliance…“—when Law’s serenity was broken.

“Oi! Luffy! There you are!”

Both captains turned around with contrasting expressions at the intruder’s arrival. 

“We’ve been looking all over for ya’! Oh, ‘sup, Traffy. Your crew’s waiting for you, too.”

“Zoro!” Luffy shouted, giggling as he ran at full speed toward his first mate, kicking up clumps and clouds of sand in his wake. 

Law was used to the way the monkey of a man clung to others, especially his crew, so while it was the most inconvenient timing, he wasn’t bothered by how Luffy jumped onto Zoro, his arms and legs coiling around the latter man’s neck and torso in a snake grip, bubbling and bouncing with boundless energy. 

“We did it, Zoro! We liberated Wano!”

Zoro smiled into his captain’s face with unbridled pride and gratitude. “ You did, Captain. A fine hit job, too. The crew’s all ready to set sail. We’re just waiting for you to give the command,” the First Mate warmly informed his captain. 

Law didn’t care about the overly affectionate nature of the two crewmen embracing on the beach. It was utterly platonic, even as Law watched Zoro tighten his arms around the small of Luffy’s waist. At this point, it was familiar to him, even though Law noticed how Zoro’s face held a more intimate expression than just crewmate and friend while squeezing the smaller man like a life-sized plushie. It was—

Wait. 

What was that?

The look Zoro just shot at him… 

What was that?

Why did it look territorial? As if the swordsman’s telling Law to back the fuck off. 

Luffy is none the wiser when he jumps and raises his fist. “OK! LET’S SET SAIL! A NEW ADVENTURE AWAITS!”

Climbing on Zoro’s back, Luffy turned back and enthusiastically waved at Law, “BYE, TRAFFY! SEE YOU SOON!”

Law was left standing on the shoreline, stunned. The glare was for only a split second. Law honestly would have written it off as just seeing things out of good faith… but he felt the metallic sting of possession whipping the air around him, and the heavy pressure against his chest to stay back as the two bounded off together into the distance. That was Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki. When had he awakened it?

But obeying that visceral feeling meant that Law left behind the one thing he wanted most before leaving Wano:

A goodbye kiss. 

⚔︎

For the months that followed, that beach scene would replay and haunt Law. He did not seize the moment earlier when he had the chance; when Kid finally ran off to board Punk Victoria to check on his crew at the docks. The Heart Pirates and Straw Hat crews were so preoccupied with their tasks that no one noticed the two captains standing silently underneath a thick covering of palm trees. 

Before the sand-throwing, before the sea king, before the silent goodbye.

No one would’ve seen Law pleadingly capture Luffy’s arm and spin him back into Law’s chest, as the younger captain struggled to walk away with his straw hat leaning forward, covering his crying face. Law had to end their alliance once Wano was liberated to save Luffy’s dream. He saw a news coo bird encircling a purposeful flight pattern over them, watching all three crews. The Marines were sorely mistaken if they, or any of their other enemies, thought they could get to Luffy through Law. Both captains were born ready to handle their adversaries on land and at sea. 

But Law couldn’t risk it. He wouldn’t allow Luffy to risk his life for Law again.

Law would rather die.

Still, he wanted that kiss. 

He told Luffy all that and tried to get him to reason with him, but the Straw Hat captain refused to listen. He refused to understand Law’s perspective, and that’s when he started beating Law up on the beach. Law was forced to use his Devil Fruit on the other captain to win, Shambling them away from their crews to the other side of the beach. 

Luffy's heart was crushed before the sea king came. Law was heartbroken when Luffy left. That's how they left things almost a year ago—unresolved, unrequited, and unrecognizable from how cuddly and close they had been just that morning.

But now Law’s lips aren’t saying goodbye. They are saying, Hello, how deeply I’ve missed you, and need you right now against his crush’s lips. Their tongues savor the lingering sweetness of fruit juices in the other’s mouth as they engage in a deep, sloppy conversation of drool and desire, tongue and teeth. Their intimate dialogue slowly and deliberately takes its time to build into a messy, desperate confession as both captains catch up on all the kisses they missed out on.

Law takes his time with this long-awaited reunion kiss, pulling Luffy in closer by the back of his neck, but quickly unbuttons Luffy’s shorts in the short break they take apart to breathe. "Fuck, you're so sexy, Luffy," Law whines against his mouth. Luffy tugs at Law's bottom lip in a humming response. Law loves these particular tight shorts on Luffy because of how his ass looks in them. They cling to his muscular thighs like skin, but Law wants—no, needs them off. Now. 

The worn-soft denim shorts slide off him like shedding a layer of skin. Law runs his broad palms around Luffy’s plump, round ass to revel in the soft thickness of his hot skin again, and grips Luffy’s hip divots. He’s so happy to be alive right now.

“You still never wear underwear, huh, Luffy-ya?” Law observes with a chuckle as Luffy’s already stiff and deliciously chubby cock plopped on Law’s cheek. 

“Shishi—not never,” Luffy giggles, blushing at the pet name Law only calls him when they’re alone together, as Law pushes him back onto the edge of his bed. 

Taking his time to admire the meal of meaty flesh and smooth thighs in front of him, Law teases back, “Could’ve fooled me.” He runs his hands possessively over Luffy's quads, just feeling the canvas that will soon serve as his plate. It's a spiritual sight to behold.

Curling his long fingers around the thick shaft, Luffy’s penis is one of Law’s top three favorite things in the world, dead or alive—seven inches, curved two-thirds the way up, and heavy in his grip. Shorter and fatter than his, Law loves everything about it; from the smooth brown uncut skin, to the ridged veins, to the deep red shade the mushroom head took when weeping from overstimulation and pulled back from its tanned sleeve. He takes a long, wanton sniff of Luffy's sex like she's snorting a line to get high off it.

Law loves that Luffy is uncircumcised, his angry head blooming out of its mushroom sleeve like a jack-in-the-box surprise every time. He plants nostalgic, reverent kisses along the shaft, greeting his old friend, focusing on his favorite vein, the thickest one that squiggles from the base to just under the head. Burning his lips into Luffy’s skin lest the latter forget how much Law enjoys being on his knees for Luffy. He sticks his tongue out so that the tip can catch the bead of pre-cum racing down the crest of Luffy’s cock.

Already hard and yearning for his touch, Luffy hisses at the sensitive contact. “I tossed them when I sensed your Haki,” he confesses through shuddering breaths just before Law’s hot lips enveloped Luffy’s pulsing head, and Law has to pause because he can feel the glob of pre-cum spurt of of his dick at the lustful sound of Luffy’s confession.

And, well, when he puts it like that, Law has no choice but to reward his naughtiness. “You’re so fucking kinky, Luffy. Fuck! It drives me wild!” His molten gold eyes flickered from Luffy’s dripping head to his stormy eyes. The surgeon makes a straightforward directive to his patient lover, a deep velvety voice promising to fulfill if followed to the letter.

“Let me please you, Luffy.”

Luffy’s choked-out gasp is cute, and ooh, does Law love cute things. But it’s not what Law is waiting to hear, yet. “Use your words, baby,” Law drawls the command.

His chest quaking with impatient desire, his head tossed back, and arms stretched wide in total surrender, Luffy pleads, “Do whatever you want to me, Law!” through ragged puffs of air escaping his nose and throat.

His wish is Law’s command as the taller man grins wickedly and slides down Luffy’s legs, stroking his shaft in a smooth and steady motion. He tongues the base of Luffy’s cock, an unrushed lap up to the thick tip until his spit-slicked lips envelop the already leaking tip. “Mmmh,” they moan at once when Law’s hot mouth swallows Luffy's head whole. 

Luffy’s length immediately begins to grow in Law’s mouth as the older man relaxes his jaw for further intrusion, spit collecting at his stretching lips and adding lubrication as he hungrily bobs up and down, sucking Luffy off the bone. It’s a languid, slow dance of tongue and saliva, want and need. A lewd liturgical movement that builds in momentum. A call and response between Law’s mouth sucking and slurping, making sweet obscene sounds, and Luffy’s hips bucking and rolling chasing the pleasure of it all.

Law slides off with a slick pop that resonates on the walls. He palms the slick shaft, strokes, and pumps as he catches his breath. "Does it feel good, baby?" He hasn’t taken his dark eyes off Luffy once and refuses to start now that he’s puckering up to deepthroat Luffy’s cock until it repeatedly hits his uvula like target practice.

"Hah—ahh—fff-" his voice falters as he tries to agree. He throws his head back against Law’s pillow, mind melting and swirling with chaotic demands to chase the heady pleasure. “Traf-Traffy...! Ngh... ahh!” Luffy’s hands fly to Law’s head and scrambles for purchase on his strands when Law sucks so hard, the pressure makes an endless stream of pre-cum trickle down his throat. “F-Faster! I need..." Luffy's voice catches in his throat. "M-More!”

Law happily obliges, leaning forward on his knees and jerking Luffy off with quick intensity as his mouth focuses on cleaning off his spilling head. Law’s tongue runs laps around the ring of Luffy’s cockhead before pressing the tip of his tongue against his urethra, and Luffy whines from the hot suctioning of Law's lips engulfing him. He won't make it much longer if the older man keeps this up.

Luffy has missed Law’s mouth so much that he knew he wouldn’t last long once those long, skilled fingers took hold of his girthy member and soft, buttery lips devoured his hard flesh, but dammit! He doesn't want the fun to end so soon, even with his abdomen and pelvis aching with the need to burst. The hot tension boiling and throbbing within his gut and stiffening his glutes and thighs would be unbearable if it weren’t such an incredibly satisfying sensation.

“Traffy, I’m not—ngghh... gonna make it... Hah! Hahh! I’m-I’m gonna-!” 

But Luffy’s thick and juicy cock isn’t the only part of the Pirate King that Law had an oral fixation for. So he pulls off at Luffy’s desperate warning.

Luffy has a secret that, while he doesn’t care about people knowing, only three people in the world do. Only Law has been fortunate enough to touch, interact with, or even lay eyes on it. Rayleigh and Hancock of Amazon Lily knew, and were sworn to secrecy, that blood leaking down a man’s leg while fighting lions, tigers, and bears is not business as usual. 

Luffy revealed his anatomical transformation exclusively to Law, two years after Iva had saved him at Impel Down. It made sense to Luffy that Law, the next person to save his life, would be the first to witness his secret in person. Only Law made Luffy feel a calm river of inexplicable trust when an accidental hand slip fueled by alcohol and shrooms turned into something more.

That was their first time together.

Back then, Luffy realized Law is the only genuine romantic connection he’s ever felt for someone. Beyond the drugs and alcohol, the intensity of their bond was a steady pulse. There, unspoken since they reunited on Punk Hazard, yet it remained... and grew stronger until it was undeniable to both of them.

Or so Luffy thought. 

The cosmic force between them, that neither wanted to address, still pulled them closer during their alliance in ways neither questioned but both craved. The first person whose physical touch sparked something to life inside him, as if Luffy were grasping lightning with his bare hands, was Law's. His hands and body felt natural against Luffy's, as if they were wearing each other's skin. This comfort made it easy for Luffy to share his secret with Law from the start of their encounters, and now all three were eager for their long-awaited reunion.

Law’s second favorite thing about Luffy? Licking Luffy’s pussy. Sucking it, too. 

Law kisses Luffy's thick pussylips like they're precious lotus petals. He flattens his wide tongue and licks Luffy from his moist taint to his dripping folds, igniting twin flames within them. “Goddamn, Luffy,” he moans out, cursing, in between full and ravenous licks, “I’ve missed your pussy so fucking much,” he growls, burying his face between Luffy’s perfect, firm thighs as his arms wrap around, squeezing them for stability. "Look at how wet you are for me."

Law lazily shakes his head as his tongue laves the slick coating of Luffy’s heat, melting on the pad of his tongue. He continues his lewd laps from his taint to the top of Luffy's labia, selfishly licking and sucking on the wet flesh to coax more of those spine-prickling, stomach-flipping mewls and whimpers slipping out of Luffy’s mouth. He folds his tongue and dips the tip into Luffy’s slick entrance and pulls back, testing the way Luffy responds to the new pressure and pace.

Luffy is trembling, his toes are curling into the soles of his feet. His legs and thighs are pliant beneath Law’s firm grip, but his hips still manage to grind greedily against Law’s tongue. “Yeah, I like that,” he gasps, his voice rough, locking onto the mischievous glint in Law’s eyes. “Deeper. Now. Ugh! ” He pulls Law’s hair back as his back arches in response to the obedience. “Fuck! Law! Fuck me!”

Tongue swirling deeper into Luffy’s plush walls, “Fuck my face, Luffy-ya,” Law offers instead, drinking Luffy's sweet, tangy juices. 

Chasing the friction, Luffy wastes no time giving Law what he wants.

Every smack of Law's lips, suck of his tongue, and devouring swallow on Luffy’s pussy leaves the younger man helpless. The onslaught of delicious stimulation sends shockwaves of pleasurable memories that Luffy's lack of object permanence had all too quickly, shamefully, forgotten in their near year apart. It’s one thing to remember the feeling but not the sensations Law’s skillful work gives him. It’s another thing entirely to forget both, and it pisses Luffy off with humility and guilt that his silly brain forgot how expertly Law touches him. Worships his body.

How those long, nimble fingers that had stitched together his exposed chest are now effortlessly jerking him off and slowly pressing one digit into Luffy’s tight heat at a time. How his rim sucks up those fingers and accepts their slick intrusion with ease, rolling around their bending knuckles to help Law touch his sweet spots with his fingers and his tongue as if they’ve been waiting all these months to be pressed like door bells announcing their return. Luffy keens under the triple stimulation, babbles stuttering from his lips, wildly bucking his hips, keening his back until his back threatens to snap in half.

Law only thrusts his fingers harder, pistoning his wrist in and out of Luffy's response to Luffy's begging. "T-Traffy! I-I can't—!" He's about to explode.

Law breaks away from Luffy's pussy to place his lips on his taut nipples, standing at attention. Law envelops his lips over Luffy’s taut buds and sucks and swirls sloppy, hungry kisses all over his pecs. His fingers still perform their twisting and curving ministry in Luffy's slick, gaping ass. Luffy's desire reaches a stinging level of intensity as Law nibbles and suckles on his right breast while gently massaging and pinching his left nipple. Luffy bites down on his lip to keep from mewling pathetically for two seconds. "K-Kiss me," Luffy hoarsely whimpers. 

In a flash, Law's lips are back on Luffy's, answering his lover's needy call like a moth to pure light.

Luffy is known for being physically affectionate. However, this kiss is not a kiss, per se. It's nothing more than Luffy consuming Law. Nothing less than gnashing teeth and a loose tongue flicking back and forth against Law's. He's laving up every corner and crevice of Law's mouth, still tasting the lingering after-bite of banana, citrus, and pear juice on the roof of Law's mouth. The fruity cocktail pushes him further to the brink, the intense knot of desire eliciting high-pitched cries from him, only to be silenced by Law's mouth devouring his lips as their chests press together tightly and their bodies writhe in a primal frenzy. 

Law loses all sense of control. His lips move to Luffy's jawline and down his neck in open-mouthed smooches, sucking on his pulse point determined to leave his mark as gorgeous purple hickeys. Luffy doesn't mind.

In fact, he doesn't care at all. Let Law brand him as his for all the world to see, for all he cares.

He has never experienced the inexplicable spark of attraction and insatiable desire that has quickly transformed into an unquenchable fire for anyone before Law. He's confident no one else can evoke such physical desire after him. Law has ruined him for anyone else. It was strange at first, this unexplainable draw and pull, though he didn’t allow himself to dwell on it too long for fear of unearthing something more profound than he wanted to deal with as his ass is being fingered and throat is being fucked with precision, and…

He enjoyed it while it lasted. And he clawed his persistent, stubbornly sharp nails into Law’s back when it ended, too. Because, once upon a time, a shy part of him hoped and longed for something more.

But now it feels like his reunion with Law is the other captain giving them a second chance. Years since their first encounter, sexual and otherwise, Luffy still hasn’t gotten used to the giggly, giddy feeling Law’s mere touch brings. Damn near a whole year apart and it’s still passionately charged, spontaneously sexy and intimate and unjustly fun between them.

By having Luffy there, Law is telling him that he is finally ready to take that leap of faith with them, and Luffy cannot pass this moment up. His limp arms and legs flopped around Law's neck and waist, clinging too tightly for any real movement. Still, as Luffy's thighs trembled and hips squirmed ruthlessly, chasing the friction in Law's pants, his instincts flared, emphatically ordering him not to hesitate, not to let Law go. 

Letting Law go for good was never an option. Luffy always planned to reclaim what was his. It’s also not a reality Luffy wants to continue living in, let alone accept. Though the younger pirate does not fully understand why he feels like he would surely turn into the rabid walking dead if Law ever told him he never wanted to see him again, Luffy couldn’t care less right now because Law is here—lying over him looking on the verge of his undoing, untouched after too many months apart. 

And Luffy’s never felt more powerful. 

Carpe Diem.  

Luffy doesn’t waste his time or his chances. He bucks his hips to lean Law forward, peels off his shirt, and claws Law's muscular back, leaving angry, red lines branching down his spine. His lips part against Law’s mouth, “I don’t wanna cum this way,” Luffy whimpers like a sick puppy, pushing his partner’s long and probing fingers deeper into his anal walls to touch those sensitive bundle of nerves that leaves his choking on his spit before roughly pushing him off.  He moves his arms between them to Law’s belt buckle and quickly releases it and the older man’s jeans button. Slowly rocking and grinding his pelvis up and down Law’s denim-clad crotch, Luffy cups Law’s head and pulls it down into another needy, moaning kiss of lips, spit, and tongue that feel like heaven on earth as Luffy begins to ramble incoherently as if he’s speaking in tongues. Luffy hopes Law understands his kisses mean, "I want you inside—NOW. I need it, Traffy. I need you!"

But one confession rings true.

“I missed you,” he confesses like hot honey pouring into Law’s left ear, rich and heavy with longing, banishing all of Law's ghostly whispers away. Those three words, soft and honest to a fault, punch out of his lungs. He couldn’t hold in the truth for a second longer. He lifted Law's hips and left his confession hanging in the air, cutting off any hope for conversation as he leaned into Law’s gasped mouth as he loosened his hold on Law. 

Luffy's eyes are large and dark, filled with a siren's allure. “Take your pants off and relax for me, my pretty Traffy,” he commands, low. "Now." He picks up the way Law’s breath hitches as he immediately obeys, slipping off his bed and shimmying out his jeans and briefs. He grins with dark satisfaction as Law tosses the skinny jeans and soaked underwear to the wayside, never to be remembered again. Fully naked, Law rushes to clamber over Luffy, but Luffy has other plans.

With swift confidence, Luffy flips their positions and straddles Law, deliberately lowering himself at a snail's pace so that Law can unravel beneath him. The sweet and jarring tension of being stretched even wider by Law's massive cock and completely penetrated by his crush’s heavy length in one slick go, sends electrical currents soaring through Luffy's soaked pussy. Law’s cock’s head shoot straight to his naval and settles there like it's found its way back home. 

“Hah… mmmh… hah! Shit…bitch! Traffy, you’re still so big! You're filling me up,” Luffy groans softly, drool spilling over his lips when he instantly feels Law stretching his tight, clenching hole impossibly wide too quickly, if not for being made of rubber. "FUCK!" The pleasure of Law's manhood stuffing his wet, padded walls is indescribable, and Luffy missed chasing the sensation. It opens his senses. Now reveling in the full sensations of arousal and desire flooding him, Luffy adjusts himself atop Law once more, knees bracketing Law's thighs and bracing the bed as he leans back to hold onto Law's slim shins for purchase. "You ready, Traffy?" Luffy breathlessly asks as his hot lips and slick folds drag against Law’s hardened shaft, arching back to receive all of him with overstuffed gluttony. 

"Always," he breathes. Law's view from below is incredible. He regards his lover's toned form, beautiful chest scar, and packed abs on full display, sculpted by hard work and a relentless will, with a lascivious glint in his dark eyes as Luffy's greedy walls seal around his length. "Your body didn't forget me, did it?" Law quips in a sinful drawl.

Luffy furiously shakes his head, shivering from head to toe, and gets to work.

Mischievous as ever, Luffy slowly rides Law at first, drawing out every titillating rock and roll of his hips at an agonizing pace. He wants to milk the control and watch Law come undone under his watchful eyes, to cry and beg him for more stimulation. Relaxing into his lean and securing his grip on Law's lower legs, he grinds harder into Law's pelvis, not giving the taller man any time to regain control of their dynamic. Law can do nothing but lock his hands on both sides of Luffy's hips and groan from the tantalizing torture. He’s still hungry for more, to make up for lost time with his runaway lover by riding him silly as Law's long sword splits him apart, but he wants to see how long he can make Law wait for making him wait so long for this moment.

So, Luffy edges them both.

With each bounce down he grinds his ass harder on Law's center, clapping wet flesh against moist skin. With each bounce up, he grips his walls tightly around Law's full length and pulsates the pressure as he pulls off to the tip to slam back down again, going even slower with each punishing pass.

Law chokes on his spit from the sweet torment. "Luffy—mngh—fff-faster, Luffy..." Law weakly begs, "Please." He tries his best not to force Luffy to go faster but he can't stop his hands from trembling and squeezing the firm, soft flesh of Luffy's ass, spreading them apart in hopes of encouraging his partner to pick up the pace.

"No," Luffy darkly chuckles. He leans forward until they're nose to nose, their hot breaths grazing each other's lips. Luffy's throat is raw with power. "I'm the captain now." Law's spit will help. He kisses Law.

He misses Law. He misses the older captain so much that with every enveloping kiss, Luffy desperately steals the air from Law’s lungs, suffocating him with a ravenous craving to crawl into Law’s skin one kiss at a time. He wants to make a permanent home out of him, so that he can never leave him again. He hated their past year apart and wished it hadn’t taken so long for them to return to each other. He missed this moment they were sharing. Picking up the pace, Luffy lets go off Law's shins and bounces on his dick, putting all the pressure on his quads, running his fingers through his hair as sweat drips down his body.

“Aw, Law!” his voice cracks into a higher pitched scream, and then he’s babbling as his vagina drenches Law’s cock as he rides him like he's got something to prove. He does.

In need of something to do, Law’s tongue and teeth lick and pull Luffy’s hypersensitive nipples, their rubbery stretch serving the good, sadistic purpose of making Luffy wail in ecstasy. When his puckering asshole starts getting fucked three of Law's fingers once more and at a brutal pace that blurs the lines of pleasure and pain, the younger man hisses out like a deflated balloon, what he can no longer hold in. 

“Mmmh...hahh...I missed you, Law! So much–soso… mmmhhh—HAH! Shit! I missed this feeling of you filling me to the brim!” he professes like the greedy whore he is for Law as spend spills down Law's fingers. 

Law's breath falters. Did Luffy just say that?

“Me, too,” he pants, gaining the upper hand with each pelvic thrust. I love you. Skin slaps upon skin, wet and sloppy, that sharp slaps of hands against asscheeks ricocheting against the metal pipes and walls. They can't hear anything other than their heavy breathing and excessive moaning. These are the sounds of their lovemaking; still, it's not enough for Luffy.

“Then say it,” Luffy demands through ragged breaths as he bounces more aggressively on Law’s cock. "I wanna hear you tell me you missed me." The midpoint where their bodies meet at the base of Law’s neatly trimmed pubic hair is a pool of arousal. The sharp, lewd slapping of skin to skin clangs against the metal panels. The bed springs rhythmically, wildly straining beneath their shameless erotica. 

“I missed you, too, Luffy-ya.”

Luffy wildly rides Law, basking in and leaking excessively out of his neglected tip onto Law's belly from Law’s confession. Torturing Law with hard bounces and tight snaps of his hips, he leans his palms against Law’s chest, pressing hard against his sternum for stability, and winds his waist into a slow grind. The raging storm in his eyes has dilated his pupils to euphoric heights, his climax building with each slight movement.

Luffy commands, "Say it again," his voice deep with want and vulnerability.

Law's brain turns to mush from overstimulating bodily sensations and feelings. I love you so much, Luffy. “Ahh…" Law is nervous and aroused by the pressure. "I missed you so much, Luffy,” he pants, losing his sense of language as his brain floods his body with endorphins.

A wicked grin splits Luffy's whole face in half. “How much?” He grinds his hips in a deliciously tight and repetitive roll, forming a figure-eight as he waits for Law's answer. Dragging Law’s long and thick cock up and down his hole unhurriedly, he repeats himself for good measure, “How much do you miss me, Law?” he growls.

Law's head is spinning from Luffy saying his name as if he were the one who named him. Jealously. Zealously. Like a God who's calling what's his by name. It’s hard to formulate words after that. His hands frantically grope and grab all over Luffy’s moist body, trying to keep himself grounded, though he’s not fighting being spirited away. 

Impressed by how badly Law wants to give himself away to Luffy, Luffy pulls Law’s chin down and drops his jaw, filthily spilling a trail of his drool into Law’s open mouth, and Law eagerly takes it all. The carnality of the act sends Law into a rabbit hole of overwhelming pleasure about to burst out the other side and empty himself into Luffy's insatiable hole. But he holds onto the tiny golden red thread, keeping his sanity intact. He surges up to capture Luffy’s lips. He pulls back, a thin string of saliva keeping them connected. 

“This much,” Law rumbles in fierce arousal, gripping Luffy’s ass and spreading it wide open, and actively meeting his rocking with equally fervent, hard-pressing, and measured thrusts, making sure the deliberate hit his target, Luffy’s sweet spot, every time, Luffy mewls into shuddering and trembling bliss with each sinful impact. 

He goes harder, smashing his pelvis to Luffy's ass, forcing his length deeper into Luffy, scraping against his vaginal walls as he hits his sweet spot again and again. “Ngh... You like that? Hm, King?” 

All Luffy can manage is a pitiful whimper, his body buzzing and his heavy head nodding as he feels his peak pummeling towards him. How he has not been folded in half is beyond him. The heady and thick tang of their passionate sex clung to the bedroom’s air like humidity. Through sniffles—when’d he start crying?—beads of sweat and a runny nose, Luffy inhales the intoxicating scent like his life depends on it. But he loves the way he and Law’s sensual scents combine. Primal, like the sea. 

“And so much more,” Law adds with pride at Luffy’s zealous efforts to call and respond to Law’s primal instincts. 

Law digs his fingers into Luffy’s hips to steady his movements, frowning in amusement. “But, I’m supposed to be making you feel good right now." He rushes to correct himself. "N-Not that I want you to stop or anything, I wanted to worship you first.”

His words die in Luffy’s mouth as the younger pirate kisses him quiet, then licks and nibbles his chin and neck with all tongue and teeth. The love bites sting in a way that leaves him gasping as Luffy breaks away. “Shut up.”

Law’s eyes stutter. “W-What?”

“You’re overthinking, Traffy. There’ll be plenty of time for you to worship me, but for now, I wanna fuck. I missed your heavy cock filling me up like this and making me feel hot and tingly all over. I missed the cute, pussy-drunk faces you make, and I want to show you how much I miss you, too. So, just shut up, sit back, and accept me fucking you. We’re equals, remember?”

Law’s mind is still a bit hazy from the edible, double scotch, and whiskey shots from the pizza shop, so his brain takes a minute to catch up to Luffy being so open about his feelings, sexual and otherwise. Law can’t really believe this is his life? So he only blinks slowly a few time as he watches Luffy hump him silly through heavy lids. “What do you mean there’s plenty of time? Don’t you have to get back on your ship?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t change what I said," he reveals, punctuating his words with each stroke. "And I said what I meant. Now that you’re back, Law, I’m never letting you go. I granted you your space and time—”

Law can’t help the choked laugh that croaks out of him. “Granted?!” 

Luffy casts a fiery gaze at Law like Law should sit this battle out, but he continues without pause. “—to figure things out on your own, but that’s all in the past now. You’re never leaving me again,” Luffy ominously vows, tucking his feet behind Law’s knees to prevent him from moving. “Whatever challenges you face, we’ll take them on together,” he asserts confidently, laying down the new law to Law, leaving the older man both painfully aroused and struggling to find the right words to reply to Luffy’s commanding tone. 

He stammers through his congealed thoughts, because, yes, of course he wants just to say, fuck it, yes, Luffy, I'm yours! But he's too traumatized and rational for that, even while being ridden like a bull. “Luffy, I think we should discuss—” 

However, Luffy is done with words—at least for now. He’s in a stomach-growling, dick-hungry haze, and words won’t feed him right now (or ever). “No! No more talking! Shut up, already! I wanna fuck! FUCK ME, TRAFFY” he whines as his neck and arms bobbles in a cute tantrum. Law leans up and seizes Luffy’s soft, wet lips into a full, greedy kiss, and in that instant, that's all the other needs. 

Law's hands firmly grip onto the plush mounds and folds of flesh warming his cock. He groans at how plump Luffy’s ass is. He’s whimpering in desire to eat that round, sweet apple. But that'll have to wait. Luffy said they have plenty of time, right? Good, because Law wants to fuck Luffy's ass right now.

They break away, and Law shuffles them until Luffy is under him, with the headboard knocking against his head. He adjusts the pillows under Luffy's head, spreads his long, limber legs wide on his bed, and plants his knees securely on the mattress, lifting Luffy's hips high. He lines his head up to Luffy's red, puckering entrance, drooling for attention.

Luffy shudders from the tight squeeze. Law entering his ass causes an entirely different rush of sensations cascading down his spine than when he's fucking his vagina. His broken voice echoes through the cramped metal room like a thunderclap as Law slams into him with one smooth push. The shameless babbling spilling from his mouth, the soft curvature of his arched back, and the physicality in his participation as Law quickly sets his breakneck pace, resembling a performance for hidden video transponder snails.

“Hah… Ahhh… Fuck!Law! Yesyesyesyesyes… this is what I’ve been missing! Oh—fuck—YES! Faster! Harder, Traffy! Fuck me harder!” he growls out his demands as the pace picks from Law snapping his hips forward and he matches his partner’s ferocity, riding him with reckless abandon. 

The overstuffed feeling of Law’s full length poking his bladder causes Luffy to fold forward and shiver from the pleasurable tremors cascading through her lower body, catching his shaky breath, he laughs. “Hah—aha—aaah… Fuck, Traffy. You feel so good invading all of me like this! How could we have gone so long without you fucking me like this? All my holes are yours to devour your greedy cock!” he rumbles in Law’s left ear, licking the hoop earrings on his earlobe like a flame licking fresh air. The cool metal bite between his teeth feels good as his tongue slides through the loops and suck on the flesh between them.

Between Luffy’s dirty talk and Law’s breathtaking view from the top, Law is having the time of his life.

Like a good and well-trained puppy, Law does what he’s told. Yet, even with everything Luffy said, and as much as Law found it hot that Luffy wanted to fuck as equals, like they were still in their alliance, he also found it disorienting for reasons he didn’t feel like exploring when his cock was fully deep in the hot, slick folds of his crush’s ass—a wet dream come true—Law refuses to follow the rule to the letter. He hopes his rebellious lover will understand, but a God should always look down when being worshipped. A king’s throne is meant for his loyal subjects to look upon, if not on bended knee.

Besides, Luffy deserves the best view of what he’s been missing for so long.

This one act, that one move makes them change positions again, that one snapping shift in Law’s hips and grip on Luffy’s ass until the younger lover is back on top... hits Luffy's prostate and leaves him spilling out his seed all over Law's chest as he arches his back to bear it all. 

But he is still hungry for all that Law has to feed him. Until his burning chest is pressed intoxicatingly close and glued against Law’s hot chest, spent and snoring, Luffy will not stop. He has more orgasms in him. He doesn’t want Law to come yet, either. It’s too early and too soon for the fun to end on this ride. So, he easily changes the tempo and flips them on their sides. Law welcomes the change in position, never sliding out of Luffy’s gripping heat, which sets the rhythm to a pace they both enjoy to a deep grind like Law's carving Luffy out.

He settles in this way as Law’s arms instinctively wrap around Luffy’s slutty waist as he winds on Law’s dick, purposely changing the tempo to prolong his pleasure. Luffy bounces on his dick with vigor, every grind, clenching pull off of Law’s swollen member until his tip was just at the edge of Luffy’s tight hole, barely breathing, before the younger man would slam back down on Law to the base, until their skin slapped against each other hard enough to bruise their hips—which they did. Their impromptu competition over who could fuck and thrust the other with more energy, spurs their lustful play closer to the edge of both their peaks. 

Luffy can feel a mind-blowing moment of ecstasy slowly building once more for the fourth time that night. Law chokes out a guttural, primal groan when Luffy sucks him in deeper in this position, his climax rolling over into red-hot spindles in his belly, ready to snap and shatter. Luffy is caught up moaning guttural love cries in harmony from the relentless force of Law’s head smashing against his prostate as he strokes his slick and sticky, limp dick back to revival.

They both gasp, “Fuck!” in one accord. 

Luffy’s self-pleasure paled in comparison. Law could not hold his twitching need to thrust faster as Luffy’s walls were swallowing his dick from tip to shaft in a tantalizing, burning heat of desire that Law just had to chase even as he could feel Luffy getting there. But he keeps Luffy’s set pace; his only mission is to ensure Luffy comes first. Luffy’s brain is exploding from the overwhelming sensations and sensitivity of his hot button being touched by Law. Beautifully sensual, and each body part utters a deep confession to the other lover with raw energy that says more than their words could capture, let alone contain. 

Much to his blushing surprise, Law realizes it first. 

Luffy throws his round and supple ass back onto Law’s thick and invading cock with more patience than even he’s used to having. But he can’t stop coaxing the warmth spreading out from his molten core from Law’s dick smoothly pushing in deep and easily sliding back out, thanks to how wet Luffy is and keeps getting from Law’s pre-cum oozing out from the enrapturing tight hold Luffy’s walls have on him. He’s writhing on his side at a sinful crawl until it’s just the head still inside, his hips snapping back at Law’s unspoken promise to go even deeper than before until he has filled up every hole in Luffy.

Law slips out of Luffy’s ass and back into his warm, welcoming pussy. Luffy can feel it in his stomach, and it’s still not enough. He still wants—no, needs to feel more of Law, to be consumed by the fire Law reignited from the moment he walked into the sex shop, and has fed in him since Law put the tip of Luffy’s dick into his moist, hot mouth. Luffy can’t get enough, so he refuses to go faster until he does. He could stay like this forever, too, just milking Law for all his balls’ baby-making supply until he gets him pregnant. 

The intimate dance continues with Luffy leading the sultry choreography. It’s raw in its sensuality, and the physicality of Luffy’s deliberate motions serves as knots tying and binding them together. He flips over to curl into Law, legs tangling together as he looks into his eyes. The vulnerability that meets his gaze nearly breaks and shuts Law’s thinking faculties down. 

Luffy is no longer fucking me…

He’s making love to me. 

Argghhh, FUCK! THAT’S SO FUCKING HOT!

Luffy twists his neck to flick his tongue against Law’s parted lips, sucking in his partner’s breath and the arousing scent of his pussy on Law’s mouth and goatee. Luffy groans in Law’s mouth as he tastes himself on the other man’s lips. He loves how his pussy tastes in Law’s mouth. And Law feels the white-hot flames licking his groin, warning him.

Luffy knocks his head back like he took a bump, and it hits his bloodstream as Law quickens his pace to a punishing pace. “Hahhh, Lawwww—” his voice breaks on the older man's name, losing his composure. Law’s teeth voraciously graze across Luffy’s exposed neck to ensure that Luffy comes first, adding another string of amethyst bruises along his throat. He snorts to himself.

Luffy snaps his head back down to stare into the older man’s soul with a dark ferocity in his alluring gaze that sets Law ablaze. “What?”

“You look so pretty in my jewelry, but you won’t be able to hide these markings from your crew.”

“So? I don’t want to. As long as you know…” He exposes the neglected left side of his neck to Law’s eager, swollen lips. As Law peppers more deep blues and purple love stones onto his neck, Luffy whispers into his left ear, “…my body remembers you,” with a raspy, primal voice that hits Law’s ears and heart like a home run.

And that’s it, folks. That is what shatters the very last fragile shred of composure and self-respect that Law has control over. Those four words, spoken to him in that sultry, needy way, drives Law to want to give his crush everything to leave his dick imprinted in Luffy’s unfairly rubber body like it's memory foam. 

He unleashes a flurry of relentless thrusts at a punishing pace, if it wasn’t currently driving Luffy insane with red-hot pleasure. They sweat, drooling, panting, and gulp for air down their dry throats. The bed rattles and creaks under the frantic weight of it all, pleading for mercy as Luffy begs for more, but neither can ever spare an ear to the protests as they lose themselves in their blissful, bursting bubble of reaching a simultaneous orgasm. 

⚔︎

Luffy is glued to Law’s chest by the residue of their lovemaking, snoring softly in his large, protective arms.

But they cannot stay that way. 

Law may be lovesick, but he’s no fool. He knows Luffy will wake up like nothing happened between them in the morning, leave with a big, universal smile, and call him ‘friend’ on his way out. And then they will begin their sea chase again. Law doesn’t take Luffy’s earlier declarations seriously, lustbrain is known to cause people to say the wildest shit during sex. 

But he can savor the fantasy while they're still cradled in the night’s bosom. While the moon's light casts her soft glow upon them. While Luffy is still asleep, tranquil in his arms. 

He cards his tattooed fingers through Luffy’s damp locks a few times, delighting in how soft and full the sweat-slick strands run against his skin. His other hand barely touches the young man’s scarred flesh as his fingers lightly graze soothing strokes up and down the middle of his back, pulling up goosebumps in his wake. Luffy doesn’t stir when Law kisses his black crown, forehead, cheeks, and nose, adoring the beautiful man beneath him. So, Law nimbly switches his body so that Luffy is currently holding on to his pillow with a death grip, and slips out of bed. 

A minute later, Law is back sitting at the edge of the bed with a soft smile, watching Luffy sleep like the little king he is. He takes the warm washcloth in his hand. He dips it in the small bucket of Luffy’s favorite water temperature—hot enough to feel alive but not enough to sweat—and a few drops of Law's homemade eucalyptus-mint castile soap Luffy once mentioned he enjoyed smelling on him, and wrings the cloth into the water. Then gets to work cleaning his beloved. 

Law takes his time performing this act of worship with each pass of the wet towel along Luffy’s body. He starts with his face and wipes Luffy down, gently rubbing off the sticky sweat, dried spittle, and tear stains from Luffy’s cheeks and neck. Careful not to wake him (because Luffy can be very cranky when he’s yanked out of sleep), he leisurely descends his tender devotion, cleaning off his lover’s cum from his chest, and his own cum from between his lover’s thighs. He reverently attends to his underarms and crotch, and anus, dipping and wringing out the dirty washcloth into the other bucket of sanitary water he brought twice between each cleanse, until he’s satisfied that his savior is perfectly fit for bed. 

Luffy is perfect. He is beautiful in his naturalness, and Law cannot stop his eyes from admiring his divinity in its naked form. The boy made of rubber is hairless everywhere but his head, so though he takes his time, Law’s work takes little time to complete, and his bedside manner never falters. 

This careful act of reverence reminds him of the nights he bathed Luffy with a washcloth in the Polar Tang med bay while he was recovering, not permitting anyone else on his crew to touch the vulnerable captain in his sleep or sedated state. The bittersweet memories flood Law as he performs his duties and slips a fresh pair of his pajama pants onto Luffy’s shorter and wider stature. They reunited during the shittiest times in both their lives, especially Luffy’s. It’s any wonder Luffy doesn’t avoid or even hate him for bearing witness to his lowest point and myriad crash outs Luffy had post-surgery. 

He’s grateful for it, though. Law can no longer imagine his life without Monkey D. Luffy in it. 

Law dries Luffy off, returning the buckets, towel, and washcloth to his bathroom. Once inside and cleaning up, he takes a quick shower. He feels too gross to sleep in his bed, even though he's too tired to change the soiled sheets. He’ll change them in the morning. 

Putting on a pair of sweatpants and slipping under the covers, drawing Luffy’s back closer to his chest to cuddle. His side is clean, so it makes sense, Law reasons it’s not overstepping any boundaries with the sleeping beauty they hadn’t already crossed. 

Law settles back into his bed, preparing to sleep in it for the first time since he finished renovations. The moment is so surreal that he has to pause and sit for a breath, even to believe it is real, before he nuzzles the back of Luffy’s neck.

Something about Luffy being there makes him feel like this bed is suddenly the safest place on the planet. Something about Luffy makes him feel like… like nothing he’s been through was wrong or a waste of time and experience because it all brought him to this moment, holding Luffy like the body pillow he is. So when he rolls over and presses his face into Law’s chest, Law doesn’t jerk or push him away. Law tightens his grip around Luffy’s waist. 

“Mmm… you smell good, Traffy,” Luffy groggily notes, barely even awake. 

He hums a light sigh of satisfaction. “Mmm, thank you, baby.” 

That should be it. It’s been a very long day. Goodnight. Go to sleep. Law shouldn’t test his luck. He’s already been abundantly spoiled today by Luffy. When he hopped off the Substitute this morning, he never thought he would be here tonight.

With Luffy.

He’d hoped for…something else that never would have compared to this. He's happy. So, he shouldn’t be greedy and ask for more. It’s the second-deadliest sin for a reason. Law refuses to ruin this moment with Luffy by disturbing the beautiful creature nestled securely in his arms. He doesn't want to let this sacred moment slip through his fingers; he wants to freeze time and accept things as they are without question or apology.

Besides, Luffy was practically sleep-talking to him; none of this is real or counts as pillow talk confessions. Nothing he says in this state can, will, or should be held against him.

But Law is a stubborn, willfully curious man who cannot help but ask a straightforward question: “I do?”

Nuzzling his face in the crook between Law’s shoulder and neck, snuggling closer as if to wear Law's fresh skin. “Mmhm…” Luffy responds halfway coherently. “Like home.”

That night, Law sleeps peacefully for the first time since leaving Wano. 

⚔️🪢

TO BE
CONTINUED

Chapter Text

Luffy doesn’t wake up the next morning to abandon Law and face the walk of shame. Instead, an hour before dawn, he awakens to the soothing sound of rain tapping on the roof and the gentle rhythm of steady breathing against his neck.

It takes his brain a millisecond to catch up to where his body is: On the Heart Pirates’ new ship, in Dressrosa, and…  

He peers over his shoulder, craning his neck to verify. A thrill shoots through him as a possessive arm tightens around his waist, pulling him close. 

I’m with Law. 

With a giddy smile, Luffy rolls over to face the gentle giant spooning him (Luffy can’t have that; he’s the big spoon). But he can’t tear his eyes away from how beautiful Law looks in his sleep long enough to follow through. Law’s resting scowl face has softened around his closed eyes and opened mouth—a small dribble of drool pools from his parted lips onto his pillow. 

Adorable.

Luffy traces the sharp lines along Law’s cheeks and jaw, his fingers softly stroking the soft, dense hairs of his sideburns and goatee. The pad of his thumb lightly grazes the faint dark ring underneath the eye that Luffy can see. Law looks worn out, vagrant, though it’s clear he’s sleeping peacefully now, his exhausted body calmly rising and falling in even, steady breaths. He does not know the hell and the horrors Law had to endure in their time apart, but he can tell it’s taken a toll on his friend’s shrinking body. 

“Let me be your peace of mind,” Luffy whispers the love spell into his friend’s subconscious. Tilting his chin to place a cloud-soft kiss on Law’s lips and nose before pressing their bare chests together, he buries his face in the grieving captain’s clavicle. Luffy lets out a deeply comforted sigh.  

“Traffy smells good.” 

They both smell like Law's soap. It occurs to Luffy that he's clean, wearing oversized sweatpants, and suspects that Law bathed and clothed him. The previous night’s fun floods back to the forefront of his mind. 

A knot forms deep within Luffy’s stomach. It aches.

He’s starving.

⚔︎

He wakes up, and instantly, three things rush to his mind in quick succession—he feels hot, the erotic scent of his room smells fresh, and he has an urgent need to pee. 

A warm, tingling sensation in his abdomen catches his attention, like a swarm of honeybees. 

Am I running a fever?

Law’s eyes fly open; he looks down. “Luffy?!” he croaks in hazy disbelief. His voice is dry and rough, like sandpaper, and he desperately needs a cup of water, but that’s the least of his concerns. 

Luffy's innocent smile contrasts with how sinfully he’s deep-throating Law's dick. Kneeling over Law, he abruptly removes his mouth from Law's member, creating a wet and loud popping sound.

“Mornin’, Traffy!” Luffy chirps, his eyes sparkling with mischief, his smile as bright as the morning sun. "How d'ya' sleep?” 

As the covers slip down Luffy’s tight body, Law's gaze follows the way they pool around his perfect, sloping thighs. Last night's rendezvous left Law with a gnawing longing for Luffy. How a reunion over candlelight and rich food turned into a ship tour and a nightcap in his bed? He doesn’t know. Ask him when his mind returns to him in one piece. He doesn’t care.  

His response is a hesitant, "...Uh... yeah," as he struggles to find the right words. "Thanks,” he coughs, adjusting his position for a better view. Feeling like a lucky dork, gawking and groaning beneath Luffy, Law clears his throat. The memory of sensual Dressrosan music, east banter, and laughter still ringing in his ears. 

Luffy nods in satisfaction, his concentration on the pleasure that he’s performing on Law with an intense focus that suggests he plans to devour him. He craves Law's thick cock. Its wide girth and veiny texture make his mouth water, and his lips stretch to accommodate it all in one breath, but he handles the task with ease. 

He savors Law, finding enjoyment in sucking Law's manhood like a thumb, his oral fixation is sated. 

As Luffy takes Law in deeper, feeling the weight of Law's presence on his tongue, his body melts, and his mind goes blank. He moves in a soothing rhythm, bobbing and tracing his tongue up and down Law’s dense pubic hair, now a sticky tangle of curls and the familiar salty-sweet scent. 

The surprise of waking up to an expert blow job leaves Law too stunned to control how long he lasts. He can only hold out for about ninety seconds before he reaches his climax and releases into Luffy's eager mouth.

Luffy happily laps it up, the scene is no different to Law than when he’s greedily eating melting ice cream, savoring every drop, continuing to milk Law throughout his orgasm. Luffy missed feeling this complex blend of sweet and tart, the intense flavor, and the pleasant, grounding pressure against his tongue as he swallowed the textured seeds. He’s never been one to spit out the seeds when he eats the core of any juicy fruit. He isn’t starting now.

But something’s wrong. Law doesn’t know how much longer he can hold it in.

“Ngh—Luffy,” he grunts, pushing back, his pelvic muscles screaming in protest. "Please," he pleads, his tone filled with panic. “Stop. I’ve—I need to pee!”

Luffy flicks his eyes at him. “Then, pee.”

What? Law must’ve imagined what Luffy just said.

“Luffy, I said—” Law is quickly gagged by Luffy stretching his thumb and shoving it in his mouth. The older man is embarrassed to admit how instinctively he latches on like a baby rooting. 

“Pee, Law,” Luffy muffles around Law’s dick.

“You’re insane!” Law’s eyes and forehead veins bulged. “I’m not doing that!”

Luffy slowly retreats from Law’s tip, an annoyed growl escaping his lips as he looks Law dead in the eyes. “And I’m not gonna wait to finish my breakfast,” he declares. “I’m still hungry for you, Law.”

Law is pretty sure that his brain has glitched. No way, did Luffy just say that! Law’s hungover, love-stoned mind must be hallucinating his fantasies because he’s fighting himself not to misinterpret reality. 

It’s just… sigh… Law has never heard Luffy speak about anything with such longing as he does about food, and yet here he is, directing that same bratty, petulant yearning tone he uses when begging for a smoked turkey leg buffet, towards Law.

"Y-You can't be serious," he negotiates one last time, the plea a dry, scratchy rasp against a throat choked with apprehension.

“You’re right,” Luffy sighs, slipping his lips back down Law’s length. His eyes glow darkly as Law’s shaft fills his throat, tickling his uvula. “I’m dead serious,” he says with a full mouth. His chiseled back, taut and firm, bows gracefully over Law's reclining form. But Luffy waits for consent before resuming his breakfast in bed. 

Unmoving, he stares at Law, the silence punctuated only by the frantic thrumming of their chests. The air hangs heavy, thick with the promising sweetness of unspoken desires and the cloying stench of indecency. 

One glance at those big, sleek eyes, dark and dense as oil slicks, and...

Law folds like a clamshell. It’s too shameful to put into words what Luffy’s expectant gaze does to his belly or bladder. Still, the swirling darkness of entitlement pulls him in, and he gravitates toward the blazing, irresistible force kneeling over him. Law is utterly shattered and hopelessly spellbound, intuitively knowing what the look means. 

He blushes as he lets out a deep, shaky exhale. “Alright, Straw Hat,” he says, voice steady though he trembles out a nervous exhale. “I’ll do it.”

A growl rolls from Luffy’s chest as he smacks Law’s thigh. “Good, Traffy.”

Law has never been more relieved that he drank water before heading to bed. It was intended to prevent a wicked hangover, but how resourceful that it serves another essential purpose. Eyes squeezed tight and muscles full of tension, Law tentatively relieves his bladder down Luffy’s throat. The stream is barely more than a trickle, Law being unable to fully let himself go, because what sick new kink is this?

Law and Luffy's sex life was never vanilla; they’ve explored various kinks, but this aspect of Luffy's sexuality is surprisingly novel and intense, even for Law. It’s both intimidating and alluring, venturing into uncharted territory with Luffy at the helm. A thrilling blend of fear and the fascination of twisted intimacy rushes through him, a darkness that both repels and attracts him. 

Though he doubts he can match Luffy's boundless, almost manic energy, the way it crackles and vibrates around him—

He’ll damn sure try! 

The heat of Luffy's mouth pocketing Law's cock is too much for Law to bear with his eyes closed. He would surely make a mistake without looking. Law's eyelids open wide, and the sight leaves the usually composed man bewildered. He is pinned, utterly indisposed, facing the ferocity within Luffy's determined gaze, and leaks a little in its wake. 

Luffy's ultimate message is conveyed through firm fingers digging into Law’s clenched butt cheeks, and a relentless tickle to his balls, until a sudden forceful suction prompts a more pressured release. The intensity of being so dominated by Luffy and desired by his demanding gaze intoxicated Law, compelling him to urinate involuntarily.

“Nghhh… Lu–“ His feeble voice cracks as he struggles to stop the flow. Luffy merely blinks at Law, expression unreadable but his message unchanged, before Law finally yields to his strong hand, encouragingly coaxing him to release the mounting pressure internally and externally. 

Law finally releases his inhibitions and relieves himself entirely into Luffy's mouth.

Luffy had never thought of drinking urine, let alone desired it, but he was serious when he said he would not stop enjoying his breakfast in bed. What is he supposed to do? Wait for Law to handle his business on the other side of the room when Luffy is horny right here, and hungry right now? Nah. Luffy’s too impatient for that.  

The first salty drop stings his tongue unexpectedly, reminding him a little of tasting seawater. As Law’s hot piss steadily flows down his throat, Luffy realizes it’s sharp and bitter. The act is gross and degrading. 

But, he’ll do anything with Law. 

Even debase himself with delight.

A bittersweet warmth spreads through him as his belly fills with Law’s waste, the taste and smell a surreal presence in the masochistic moment. He fights the impulse to close his eyes as the potent cocktail of water and diluted whiskey, among other things Luffy can’t name, swirls against his taste buds. It pricks stinging tears to his eyes, and he forces his nostrils to flare as he takes deep, deliberate breaths through his nose and swallows. 

He nearly chokes once, but having no gag reflex saves his face; he wouldn’t have been able to keep it all down otherwise. It also doesn’t help that Law’s bladder must have been full to the brim because the flow is strong and damn near endless.

And he fucking loves every single dirty and demeaning second of the stream.

Last night, when he told Law that the older man could do whatever he wanted to his body, Luffy meant it. He’ll admit he didn’t know then what it would entail. But, now…he’s sure.

Whatever means whatever. 

Anything Law’s heart desires, or that Luffy desires to do to Law. Anything Law wants to do to Luffy, he’s down for.

That’s why Luffy is currently floating. This erotic, primal need awakens in him, and he is ready and willing to do everything to fulfill it. He yearns for Law. He feels so fucking hot and sexy letting Law have his way and use his mouth as a urinal, and he doesn’t concern himself with why. 

All that matters is the bliss he feels as he gulps down Law’s piss with satisfying moans, keeping his gaze trained on Law’s crimson face, never wavering his stare save for a few teary blinks. 

Law is fighting the good fight at the head of the bed. He’s trying his best to resist enjoying the moment. His arm is flung over his face, hiding the rosy bloom, exposing how good he feels. Luffy can tell by the way his throat works as he takes ragged breaths, and his head rolls left and right, choking on a gasp whenever Luffy swallows around Law’s cock. 

He hates admitting to himself how pretty and filthy Luffy looks, being used like a latrine, and promises himself he’ll never say yes to this again.

Still…

“Shhh- shit! Luffy," Law groans, his face flushed crimson with conflicted arousal. "This is filthy!" he groans, as his body surrenders to the natural process in this inappropriate setting. “A biohazard,” he strains to say. 

An agreeable, “Mmm-hmm,” is all Luffy hums back, winking at Law to drive home the point.

His eyes fluttering shut, Luffy leisurely strokes his cock jealousy leaking against his thigh as he drinks through his limo straw. The added sensation stirs the warmth of arousal pooling in his stomach.

Fuck! I need more of him!

That's all his brain and body can think until he feels the stream trickle to an end. As his tongue licks and laves around Law’s soaking head and shaft, Luffy realizes he wouldn’t mind doing this again—if it pleases Law.

Law is flummoxed, looking down from the head of the bed like he has no idea who the man with his cock in his mouth is anymore. This is unexpected, even for Luffy. 

Finished, Law gasps, sliding back, “Luffy,” thoroughly aroused and utterly dumbfounded. “What the hell was that?” A shocked laugh escapes his tight throat. “You’re mad, you know that?”

Luffy pulls off Law’s cock and sits back on his haunches, dramatically wiping his grinning mouth with the back of his hand. He doesn’t need to—he’s proud to see that not a single drop of Law leaked from his glossy lips—but he does it because the sluttiness of the act pleases him. 

“ Ahhh .” He shrugs unbothered by the accusation. “What? I was thirsty,” he giggles out a hiccup. 

“You’re greedy, that's what you are.”

“True. But you love it.” 

“F-Fuck yeah, I do,” Law breathes, bunching the sheets to beckon Luffy closer. “C’mere.” He curves his long, tattooed finger at Luffy. The one that Luffy once said while tracing the letters on his knuckles, “ the T stands for Traffy.”

“Come sit on Traffy’s lap.” 

It’s cute hearing Law use his nickname, but Luffy doesn’t immediately obey. 

“Wait! I’ve got a surprise for you!” He slips off the bed to stand up. As the covers pool at Luffy’s feet, Law’s dazed brain finally notices that Luffy is no longer wearing the pajama pants he put him in last night. His lower stomach is gripped, roused by newfound lust.

 “Another one?” Law chuckles, unable to believe this is his life right now. “But you’re already naked?”

“Yeah…” Luffy says, slowly spinning on the balls of his feet until his back is to Law. “But that’s not the surprise, silly. I’m wearing your butt plug,” he snickers.

“You mean the one I got you?” Law muses, glancing at the white plastic bag on his desk. It doesn’t look tampered with.

A mischievous grin on his face, Luffy glances over his shoulder. “No.” He purrs, barely registering the white bag. "I meant what I said." 

Law frowns. “I don’t understand…”

“What? You wanna see it?” Luffy teases.

Law hurriedly pushes himself up. “Do you even have to ask?”

Luffy ceremoniously bends down, revealing his second surprise for Law within the first ten minutes of his awakening. Yet, Law is still unprepared for the breathtaking view. He is rendered speechless by the seductive image of smooth, tanned, toned legs clasped tightly at the ankles, bending just enough to offer Law a private glimpse. And sure enough…

A heart-shaped, strawberry glass anal plug is stuffing Luffy’s greedy, puffy hole.

All Law can do is blink and drool. He cannot believe… “Uhh–” he thought he lost that thing in the shipwreck. “You thieving little monkey!” 

But honestly, thank goodness Luffy is a criminal. 

Luffy's hands fly up in surrender. “Guilty as charged,” Luffy giggles with a roguish smile, spreading his butt cheeks to give Law a better view. 

Laughter erupts in the tiny captain’s cabin, with Luffy doubled over on the floor and Law rolling around on the bed. “You’re so unserious, Straw Hat!” he says with an endearing expression on his face as he looks down at Luffy, laughing in tears on his knees. 

“I’m sorry, Traffy!” he admits between snorting laughter. “I-I couldn’t help myself. I missed you!” 

“OH MY GOD, LUFFY!” Law riots. “It wasn’t there last night! So-so-so, you’ve just been walking around with that thing in your back pocket?”

“It’s my good luck charm,” he snickers; a playful sound soon reaches Luffy's ears. 

He stops laughing to listen closely. Initially, it's a gentle, rain-kissed chime, but it develops into an infectious, bubbling melody that Luffy adores. He’s heard it a few times before, but it’s been a while, so it feels new and special. 

Mystified by Law’s unguarded, carefree laughter, Luffy sluggishly blinks. It evokes the image of children running through a sunlit spring meadow. It reflects his godliness.

He sounds so beautiful…

Luffy’s feeling playful, too. “Make me. Law,” he dares.

Luffy's effortless banter, seamlessly shifting between strength, silliness, and sensuality, all while maintaining a lighthearted charm, makes Law feel entirely at ease whenever they are together. Flustered, humiliated…

Alive! 

The way he said "Law," the subtle changes in tone and inflection, is a pointed challenge, emphasizing the ironic pun in the older pirate's name. 

The familiar joke takes on new meaning when the older pirate pointedly emphasizes his real name with subtle shifts in tone and inflection. Law would cringe anywhere else, under any other circumstances, with anyone else; but this suggestive moment, this innuendo, is just between them.

“Didn’t you hear?” Luffy’s large, teary eyes meet Law's, and his face falls into a bawdy pout. “I’ve been a naughty boy as Pirate King, Traffy. So, are you gonna be a good Marine and arrest me or what?” Putting his hands behind his back, he clenches his tight ass to tease with the toy holding him tight, then spreads them wide for Law to see as he plays with the anal plug.

Law looks like a wolf in rut that he cannot even process the role-play Luffy has just slipped into. His jaw shamelessly drops as he drools at Luffy’s tight ass gripping his sex toy. “What…did I do…” his voice trails off. He can’t even finish his sentence. 

“Hm?" Luffy chuckles, bending forward until his right cheek touches his plush, red floor rug, the soft fibers tickling his skin. Watching Law intently, his left eye rolls up as he works himself open. Whimsically confused, eyes wide, he asks, "What did you do to what?" his voice a breathless whisper. “Deserve this? To deserve me?” 

Craving attention, Luffy's arousal becomes clear between his legs, causing Law to respond eagerly. 

“Yes?” He doesn’t know. He no longer remembers what he was thinking of asking before. 

“Silly, Traffy,” Luffy chides. “This is your reward.”

“For what?”

“Staying alive.” The words are so matter-of-fact that they are too powerful for Law to contain the choked sob in his throat. “Blackbeard left you for dead, but you didn’t stay there. I wish I had found you in time.”

Law nervously averts his gaze. “We don’t have to revisit the past.” 

Luffy is unfazed because Law has already stirred feelings in him that run deep in his belly. A familiar heat that made him insatiably hungry, even when full, and craving something beyond silly fun. “All I’m saying is, I’m happy you’re still alive, Law, and—” he thrusts back against his fist. “This is my thank-you gift.” 

Whatever that feeling was, Luffy could not name. Like now, that deep, gnawing ache scratching in his belly—

He’d chased it throughout their alliance. 

Law bites his fist and moans under his breath, “Fuck!”

“Aren’t you happy you survived now?”

Law nods like the horny little pervert he is. But he quickly rebounds when Luffy straightens up and faces him. The bare, sun-kissed sculpture of the young sun god before him puts the marble statues in the art museums in Dressrosa and Mary Geoise to humiliating shame. 

Law leans forward and yanks Luffy’s arm toward him on the bed. “Keep my treasure safe for me while I return the favor, hm, Pirate King?”

Luffy playfully pouts, saying, "Hey, I thought I was your treasure!”

“Nah, you’re my bounty. Now pay up.” Law puckers his lips. 

“Wait! Lemme rinse my mouth out first. Hehehe.”

Law holds him firmly in place. “Nah, don’t bother. Now I’m thirsty.”

Luffy’s cheeks heat as Law’s lips overlay his puffy lips. 

But Luffy can’t do it. He pulls away. “No! Let me brush my teeth first!”

Law snatches his face back, his fingers pressing into Luffy’s tender flesh. “It can wait, baby.”

Luffy becomes shy and stretches himself back. “Lawwwhhh! No, it’s gross! I just had pee in my mouth! I don’t want you to kiss me with pissy breath!”

Rolling his eyes, “Ugh, fine,” Law replies. I’ll have to get right to it then. “Room!”

The familiar soft blue glow surrounds Luffy. He looks around the globe from within. “Traffy, what—” 

SLICE!

“TRAFFY!” Luffy looks down and then snaps his head up, dumbfounded. “You didn’t!”

Laugh shrugs irreverently, a devilish grin overtaking him. “You said you want to brush your teeth. This is my compromise.” With two eager hands, Law grabs Luffy’s dismembered lower half by his naked hips and hugs it in his lap. “Now you can go.”

Luffy growls into a boisterous laugh as his upper half falls to the bed. “You’re a savage. Now, how am I supposed to get to the bathroom?”

Law winks. “You’re a god. Use your imagination.” He grabs Luffy’s thighs and cradles his buttcheeks.

“Kiss my ass!”

“Well,” pulling out the anal plug with his teeth, Law replies, “That is the plan.”

⚔︎

“Mmnh—Lawww!” Luffy chokes through a mouthful of foamy toothpaste. “FUCK! WAIT! I FEEL IT! I FEEL IT! I FEEL IT! I FEEL IT!” He drools at the pleasure rippling through him, though Law’s skillful fingers and tongue split him apart. “LEMME FINISH! LEMME FINISH!” 

He floats in his awakened form over the bathroom sink, sweat dripping down Nika’s temple, slamming his fist on the porcelain counter.

“Then, hurry up and finish,” Law yells from bed. “God, you’re so flexible.”

“Ow!” he squeals. “Do it again and— Ah!” Only torso, shoulders, arms, and divine head, Luffy’s white hair billows around the narrow bathroom. “OK! OK! Lawwhhh—” Luffy shudders in his Nika form, tickled pink, and speeds through scrubbing, swishing, and spitting.

“I’m done! Waitttt …GAH—FUCK-GIMME A SECOND!” His words punch out his chest, his voice catches in his throat as the slick and hot sensation of Law’s tongue tunneling his well-stretched hole in the next room. “SHIT!”

Law looks up at the commotion and freezes, both hands full of supple mounds while saliva drools down the corner of his lips. 

He gasps out what he is sure will be his final breath.

Luffy slams the bathroom door wide and zooms into Law’s room, a cloud of chaos, panting, his eyes and cheeks glowing red. “LAW.”

Law is stunned into silence. His thick throat works, his eyes wide open. Luffy's Nika form is breathtaking. It towers over him, his Adonis build and Law’s poor attempt at playing god emblazoned on his chest, consuming the entire atmosphere. Silly of him never to consider this before watching The Sun. God transcends earthly Law. 

He feels like a complete fool for having cut Luffy in half. How sacrilegious of him. With his gaze heavenward, the sinful man repents.

“I’m gonna kick your ass!”

The sight of Luffy as Nika is so surreal and beautiful that Law struggles to process it at the moment. The theatrical faces he saw in Onigashima Palace were nothing like this. This smile is unlike the carefree, joyful one on Luffy's famous Wanted poster. No, this is something entirely different. 

Even from the waist up, the godking—Luffy, yet somehow more refined, with his posture and poise almost divine, radiated power. Compared to Luffy’s boyish charm, Nika resembles an idealized, handsome god, the kind meticulously sculpted in marble and displayed in hallowed museum halls; the surrounding air hums with the god’s Haki. 

Nika’s snowy tresses float around his head like wisps of raw lambswool shaped into pure-white clouds that wisp and drift over his pronounced physique, revealing and concealing on a whim. His piercing vermilion eyes, like twin pools reflecting all of space and time, held the weight of omniscience, their boundaries blurred, one melting into the other. Like polished rose quartz, the pink scar on Nika's chest glistened, its smooth surface a striking contrast to the stiff, corded muscles that flexed beneath it, firm and taut across his chest, arms, and back. 

God, he’s beautiful. So… 

“Gorgeous,” Law can barely breathe. How did he earn the right to behold such a holy spectacle?

Luffy is a whirlwind of uncontrolled giggles. "Traffy, please fix me. NOW!” the Sun God demands, his bloody eyes blazing, his mouth a gaping void of black.

Law lets go immediately and twitches his fingers without protest. 

In an instant, Luffy is whole again, face down, ass up in front of him. He snaps his head over his shoulder, his white hair fading. “You’re gonna pay for that!” He promises with a shrill, powerful voice.

“S-So, punish me,” Law breathes, begging, bowing over the smooth back before him. He places a soft, chaste kiss onto the small of Luffy’s back and whispers, “...Nika.”

Nika (Luffy), amused by the sudden shift in Law’s tone and tenor, leisurely returns. He cranes his neck back to observe his—apparently—new devotee. A wicked glint winks back at Law. 

“Oh?”

Law is trembling from his sweaty head to his curled toes in the intimate presence of such power. The awakened Haki encompasses the bedroom. It can be felt throughout the entire ship, yet surprisingly, it’s only focused on Law. 

He sheepishly nods, half-lidded gold eyes too afraid to meet the sun’s glare. “Y-Yes. C-Can you stay like that?”

“You want me to stay in my god form?” Nika drawls wickedly. “Silly, Traffy! That’s a cute but foolish thing to ask. Punishing you brings me no pleasure. You’ve had enough pain and suffering. Plus, you’re too good for Luffy to waste!”

Law chokes on his saliva at the grace and mercy Nika shows him. The God of Imagination reaches his hand to stroke back a thicket of hair stuck to Law’s temple. Suddenly, a Cheshire cat grin spreads across the god’s face like an all-consuming black hole.

"But, if you insist..."

At first, Law mistakes it as an intimate act of blessing, so he closes his eyes and leans into the divine touch…

The suicidal thoughts that have plagued Law since the Flevance fire claimed his family, and Sister Whatshername died, are not dispelled until Nika's mental images work their effect. The scenes of unending torture flashing before the blacks of his eyelids are too horrific for Law to describe. Fear grips him; visions of Nika's myriad torments dance in his head as the Surgeon of Death desperately clings to Nika for dear life, awaiting his end. 

Law is prepared to humiliate himself—to wail, gnash his teeth, grovel, and beg for forgiveness.

So, he does.

The vision of his own body impaled on a T-shaped pike choked him, leaving him speechless. "I... Nika, I..." The crucifix isn’t what’s torturing him, though; it’s the cold, brittle awareness of the sweeping distance Law is from the light of his world and the love of his life. 

The chasm of separation is the gulf of space and time, which is a hell he’s already endured. To relive it ruptures his heart. Suddenly, the prayer that the nun who saved him taught him comes to mind. 

“I REPENT! NIKA, SUN GOD, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I WILL PRAISE AND WORSHIP YOUR BRILLIANCE FOREVER IF YOU DO,” Law weeps through his prayer.

A childlike grin spreads across Nika's face as she says, "Aw...Traffy." He wipes the tears from Law’s eyes with a pad of his finger, and the delicate touch fills the lesser with emotional vision so real, too inexplicably wholesome and filling to do anything but embrace. Grace feels wonderful when it comes from his god. "Will you?”

It wasn't a question to be confirmed, but a sacred oath, and Law felt the weight of that commitment settle deep within him. Astonished by Nika's gentleness and the use of Luffy's pet name, Law's eyes fluttered open, taking in the divine presence. 

“Yes.”

With a naughty wink, Nika throws his ass back at Law. “Then, finish what you started.”

⚔︎

“I’ve missed this—I’ve missed you so much—I’ve missed your dick so much—MY DICK–sogoodsoso good–Aaaughh!” 

Nika’s incessant babbling tumbles out of his mouth as puddles of tearful breaths. Each body-melting, bone-crushing thrust Law administers leaves him a drooling mess as Law takes him from behind. Each time he presses against his pleasure point, the sensitive bundle of nerves unravels him once more. 

“Fuckmeeeee—Harder, LAW! Ouhhh YES—yesyesyes!”

Though the sun has well risen and poured its revealing light into the dark bedroom, Luffy is alight as Nika, the radiance of their double halos aligning blinds him as he loses all sense of space and time, blending into the Oneness of the universe as Law obeys and rails him from behind. 

All they see is Law. All Nika recognizes is Law’s touch all over Luffy’s quivering body, Law’s voice rolling through his eardrums and down his back, and Law’s presence engulfing him in an intimacy that felt passionate and raw and thrilling to experience. They might as well be fucking on a cloud right now because it’s an adrenaline rush, and…

Luffy cannot get enough. 

Neither can Nika. 

He loves it all—the slapping of skin, the screaming of sinful songs, the snapping of powerful hips, it’s all glorious to him. Because every time he’s with Law, he’s left full and craving more. It’s how he gauges if food is satisfying, and apparently, now sex, too. 

With Law, all Luffy wants is MORE. All Nika needs is MORE. 

More contact, more connection, more cuddling, more companionship. More time, more attention, more worship, more praise. Luffy and Nika eat it all up.

“More, Law! MORE! GimmeGimmeGimme! I can take it! I can handle it!” Nika’s cries punch through Luffy’s lungs when Law tugs his head back by a tuft of hair and bites his cheek and continues to lick and bite open—mouthed kisses over the trail of deep blue hickies he left running down Luffy’s neck the night before. He cannot wait to see his artwork in the light of day. 

Law's brain is scrambled eggs. “Grrrh …Luffy—” Red glowing eyes pierce through Law’s unwitting sex-drunken face. His voice is hoarse, “Sh-Shit, s-sorry, Nika,” as he quickly corrected his mistake. Law doesn’t have time to parse through the logistics of having sex with Luffy as a god. It’s all a new haze of surrealism for him, though he’s present enough to suspect that it’s new for Luffy in his Nika form, too. 

However, Law quickly realizes the importance of naming both during acts of worship. Nika twists around and spits in Law’s face for his mistake. It’s humiliating, but, shit! 

He drops his jaw. “Do it again, Sun God,” he huskily says. 

“Say, please.”

“Please,” he desperately repeats five times. 

Gears of grace turn in Luffy and Nika’s shared mind. They laugh, echoes of both their voices—the raspy boyish and the hollowed divine—overlapping on another. “OK! Say, ahhh!”

Law tips his head back as a smooth and firm hand grips the back of his neck. Supple, moist lips suck, and a hot, languid tongue roams the lines and corners of Law’s lips and mouth as if reading sacred, ancient texts. Law’s throat works as if parched as a thick glob of saliva lands on his tongue. He shuts his mouth before he is prompted to and takes it all down in one satisfied gulp. 

Above all else, Law is loyal. Equal parts challenging, chaotic, committed, and comforting. What more could a king and a god desire from such a devout man?

Red eyes pulsate with pride. “Good boy!” the deity applauds, patting his head and turning back around. Law blushes deep crimson at the mindfuck of praise and degradation in one fell swoop. 

He craves more of both. Strength and softness—the duality made Law fall in love with Luffy to begin with.

“Nika—Luffy—does—this—please—you?” he pants, each word seeking to satisfy, is punctuated by brutal snaps of his hips in and out of Luffy’s puffy, leaking, greedy hole. 

Nika’s feet hook behind Law’s legs and flip them over. Now with Luffy’s body on top of Law, Nika drives his hips harder as the two-in-one body regains control of their rhythm. Law is rendered helpless by the sheer display of power. 

“Law! You’re in my guts! Stuffing me deep!” he screams as Law drills into his packaged deal. 

“Oh my God… Fuck… !” Law cries, digging his fingernails bruisingly deep into his lovers’ rubbery flesh. 

Their climaxes crash over each other like a tsunami crossing paths with a hurricane, and Law is no longer in this reality. Stars erupt in the void behind Law’s shut eyes. A tremor ripples in his soul as Nika spirited him across the cosmos, uniting god and man into a single being. 

They float through colors like iridescent waves, and Law sees everything and nothing that could exist inside a star of gases and vapors of iridescent shimmers of light encompassing them. Time no longer exists, as countless constellations and galaxies zip by. He can taste the whole of creation in the center of his brain and glimpse at the edge of eternity in the palm of his hand. The celestial bodies and souls playing, creating, eating, singing, waving, laughing, and loving him nearly steal Law’s final breath. 

But Nika trembles all over with joy, and Law experiences an awakening, his Devil Fruit fine-tuned. This is the power of Nika. 

They collapse onto Law’s bed like gravity has forsaken them. The room is thick with the sweet and sour stench of their rough coitus enveloping them. 

White clouds fade to pits of nothingness, boiling red pools calcify as stormy gray metamorphic rock, as Luffy spirals back down to earth. 

Law doesn’t want to pull out yet; he isn’t ready to let go as his seed spills into Luffy’s hole and around his shaft. He’s enjoying the sensation more than he anticipated; it’s been a year since he had sex this mind-blowing and gratifying as the last few hours, and he would like to bask in the sun for a while longer. Relishing in the hot, tight comfort of Luffy’s soft walls, he remains buried deep within him even after slowly riding his and Luffy’s orgasms back to shore. 

Their arms entwine as their lips meet in a gentle kiss, moving at a leisurely pace. They enjoy the taste of their sex on the other’s tongue for a long time, until their scents have been washed away by saliva and their mouths are too dry to talk. 

Law Shambles two bottles of water from the ship’s fridge, switching them with a couple of empty coffee cups that were on his nightstand. Law cracks open the top of one bottle and hands it to his partner. Luffy finishes the bottle in one big gulp. 

“Ahhh…” Luffy blissfully sighs, melting into Law’s mattress, boneless, a much-needed sense of relief washing over him. He’s lazing in the afterglow of his orgasm, overwhelmed by the rippling sparks of aftershock, twitching his nerve endings and muscles that he doesn’t realize he’s thinking out loud. “See? This is what I’m tryna feel with Zoro!”

Law had been gently twirling his fingers through Luffy’s limp hair strands with one hand, smiling while trailing feather-light touches along the curves and slopes of his body with the other, and affectionately humming in his ear when Luffy’s unfiltered words cut through his reverie. “What?” he genuinely inquires.

With a long stretch and yawn, Luffy repeats, “What?”

The exhaustion momentarily fades from Law's eyes, replaced by a keen awareness as his gaze landed on Luffy's perfectly content, almost angelic expression, the gentle curve of a smile upon his lips. “What do you mean, what?” He pulls back to face Luffy, a crooked, curious smile stretched across his swollen lips, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “What are you trying to feel with Zoro?”

“Boneless,” Luffy giggles without a shred of shame, arms outstretched. “Kiss me, Traffy!”

Law blinks rapidly; Luffy’s response still makes little sense. “Come again?” he says, sitting up. He knows Luffy well enough to recognize when his chaotic friend is unwittingly speaking in sexual innuendos. “Why would you need that from Roronoa?”

“I want to have an orgasm like that—that leaves me feeling like rubber when Zoro and I have sex, too.” He purses his lips, “Even though I always do because I’m a rubber man. Hehe!”

As much as Law wants to entertain the rubbish banter, his brain itches and churns with too many questions. For starters, when the hell had Luffy started looking at Zoro like that?

“You’re fucking Roronoa?” he cautiously probes. The voice Law hears almost doesn’t sound like him when he’s with Luffy. He feels himself emotionally detaching so quickly that it sounds distant. Insecure. 

For as long as Law stayed on the Straw Hats’ ship during their alliance, he had questions about the nature of the captain and his first mate’s bond, but he quickly dismissed them once he realized Luffy was like that with everyone. It didn’t take long for him to see that Luffy didn’t see Zoro romantically or sexually—or anyone, for that matter.

Well… almost anyone. Whatever. 

“We are!” Luffy responds like he’s singing along to a cheesy fucking cartoon theme song.

Law’s confusion grows into a scowl. He closes his eyes and pinches the inner corners. “So, let me get this straight,” his voice is dry and as flat as a desert plane. “You were jealous of me being in a sex shop grabbing a bottle of lube while you were in there first shopping for toys to fuck your best friend?” He nudges the half-finished lube bottle on his nightstand. Luffy follows his gaze, eyes wide and ditzy.

Law can only chuckle to avoid reacting to Luffy's absurdity. He shakes his head, feeling overwhelmed by the constant emotional chaos that Luffy brings into his life, especially when their relationship is already so entangled.

As if their situation wasn’t complicated enough already. As if Law wasn’t trying with every fiber of his being to move forward in their different directions and goals as pirates and captains. As if Law hadn’t promised himself not to get emotionally caught up again. Accidentally falling in love with someone he was supposed to have fun with seriously built his character after breaking his heart and ruining his life for anyone else. 

But that didn’t mean Law was moving on. He quietly hoped…assumed that Luffy wasn’t, either. But he was foolishly wrong. Because here he was, letting Law know like it’s no big deal that that’s precisely what he’d done. They never agreed to move on from each other. Then again, they never talked about anything before Law left to avoid the drama… just for it to ratchet up when he least expected it in a chaotic way that only Luffy could make possible. 

Law’s brain suddenly feels like it’s been operated on. His heart's hammering in his eardrums, warning he’s no longer in control of his emotions. He reaches up to Luffy’s face and pinches both his cheeks using Armament Haki on the pads of his fingertips, stretching them wide as a slithering, territorial prickle crawls up his spine.

“Ow! What's that for?” Luffy yelps, but Law doesn’t let up. He firmly and slowly twists the thick, supple skin between his fingers, taking a deep breath to ask his next question calmly. 

“Luffy…?” Law’s voice lowers like a submarine torpedo right before an explosive launch. 

Luffy puckers his lips for that kiss he’s owed, squished cheeks be damned. He bats his long lashes innocently. “Yes, Traffy?” His impossibly wide and clueless eyes glimmer back at Law. Luffy has no idea why this so works up Law, but he looks sexy as hell, and he’s practically buzzing to find out where this conversation goes. 

Much to his dismay, it doesn’t lead anywhere fun. 

Law’s teeth grind out the rest of his question. “Are… you and Zoro… Lovers?”

Luffy doesn’t immediately react. His stretched face takes its time to screw in shocked confusion as if an unfathomable thought just infiltrated his hazy mind. He looks grossed out. While Law finds his facial expression on the rather adorable end of reactions, he can already imagine just how heartbroken Zoro’s response would be if he were to see it too. 

“What?! Heck no! I’m not in love with Zoro! We’re just having sex! I mean, I do love Zoro, he’s my best friend —but it’s just sex! Why’d you ask that?!” Luffy is beside himself and freaking over the mere notion. 

Law’s heart takes the freest nose dive off an ocean cliff, and his soul breaks through the water in one smooth slice like it’s at home. But it still doesn’t make sense. 

He can’t wrap his head around Luffy’s intentions. As much of a sensory-seeker Luffy is, sex wasn’t the sensual pleasure he sought out, especially not from others. A hug, of course! A cuddle? Be prepared to be the little spoon, regardless of who has the bigger frame. Luffy’s marsupial latch death grip? Law’s ridden the emotional rollercoaster and bought the t-shirt more times than he could count. 

“Then, you’re fucking your best friend just for fun?”

“Yes. I said that already,” he huffs.

Law coughs and slides off Luffy, finally pulling out to put some distance between them. The slick sound of his flaccid penis slipping out of Luffy made an awkwardly loud wet sound, bursting the growing bubble of tension in Law’s chest. 

As much as he wants to, he has to address this conversation seriously without shutting down. He takes a sharp inhale as he scoots to lean his back against the headboard, schooling his face to look calm. 

Rolling on his stomach, Luffy studies Law’s body language. Luffy tilts his head with innocently curious eyes that turn mischievous in a flicker. “Why? You jealous, Traffy?” he goads, honestly thinking nothing of the playful banter. 

In the past, Luffy released his passions sensually through fighting, arguing, laughing, cuddling, or crying. Even Luffy's love for cuteness aggression is common knowledge.

Not sex. 

Not before Law. 

Before Law, touching and fondling for sexual pleasure was awkward and bored Luffy stiff. Kissing was gross, too. It all left much to be desired. Then Law came along and unleashed primal instincts within Luffy that he thought he’d long ago left in the Goa Mountains. Only Law could stir and awaken that feral beast in him without being on the battlefield—Luffy told him so. 

So why is his stomach suddenly twisted in tight knots? Law shakily laughs to push out his nerves. The burning swirl of suspicion creeping up his spine confuses him. He knows he has no right to care; it has been a while. It’s not as if Law was expecting Luffy to pause his life on account of him ending their alliance. Pfft! Their current dynamic was his idea, after all. Who was he to control or pry into Luffy’s sex life?

Law regains his composure, and a shy blush tugs at his lips. “I am,” he admits, his tone thin and matter-of-fact. He leans back on the headboard, folding his hands behind his head. “But play as you will, Pirate King.”

The silence is oppressive. 

Law's quick admission made Luffy's eyes widen, blinking in surprise as the gravity of the unexpected confession settled. “Why?” he hiccups. Luffy’s eyes glaze over Law’s tight expression, his mind a euphoric fog of confusion. He squints—wait, is Law seriously upset? 

Slowly, he sits upright. "Hey, come here." Law obeys, scooting up. Legs crossed around Law’s waist, Luffy gives him a keen stare, gently tipping his chin and stroking his goatee with a cloud-soft touch as he reads those shiny, shy eyes. “What’s up, Traffy? Talk to me,” Luffy whispers, a slow, sly smile dancing on his lips, "Why the adorable pout?" 

When Luffy gently teases Law like that, it makes it impossible to reason. Is Luffy being sincere?

Law’s last nerve snaps. “Why?” He lashes out, his arms shooting out. A harsh, choked laugh rips from his throat, full of scorn. “Because you just casually admitted to fucking your best friend, Straw Hat!”

“So?” Luffy calmly asks.

Law scoffs more snarkily than intended. “So?” His nose wrinkles, hugging a pillow tightly between them.

“Yeah... What's the big deal?” Luffy speaks in a playful tone, yanking the pillow out of the way. “Zoro and I are good. Everything's chill! Besides—” He taps his chin thoughtfully, his eyebrow arched in a gesture directed at Law to look at the soil sheets, pitching his voice low. “Didn’t we just do the same thing?”

Law cuts his eyes at Luffy, a hint of distrust in his gaze. His calm, oblivious eyes meet Law’s stormy gaze, and Law fights to remain upset, clenching his jaw so hard his teeth ground together, chewing on his lip like it’s gum.  

Yes… Technically, Law and Luffy were best friends, though an unconventional pair, sharing a bond forged through shared hardships and mutual respect. Not that Law had been a part of that decision. One day, Luffy said they were best friends, laughing out loud with Zoro, and everyone moved on. 

And, yes, they have fucked several—OK—many times, and Law is pretty sure Luffy made love to him last night, but that's different. Law felt the undeniable tension, the will-they-won't-they energy radiating from their interactions, like a romantic comedy working towards an inevitably grand happy ending. 

Oh god… Was Law an idiot for hoping that the past twenty hours he and Luffy shared meant anything to Luffy?

Aw fuck. Did Law still harbor the pathetic belief that he and Luffy would eventually get together? 

Or, is his heart pushing out of his chest because he misunderstood their situation, and Luffy doesn’t feel the same? Has never felt the same. Are they even on the same page about whatever this is?

A gnawing emptiness, a selfish beast, is stirring within him, a feeling Law has ignored for months, and now it's irritating him. Now, the beast is starving for information. 

He shakes his head. “You’re right. I’m being ridiculous.” Schooling his face, Law pushes down his anxiety, adorning his clinical tone while gesturing dismissively. "Friends with benefits, then?" 

A flicker of emotion dashes through Law’s honey eyes. He shouldn’t have seen it, because now Luffy’s confused. The sudden shift in their connection sends a wave of unease through him. He can feel Law pulling away, and he doesn’t like it.

His nose crinkles, bemused. “Haha! I’m not falling for your trick question, Traffy,” he smugly says, wagging his finger. “I know that’s re-dunk-it. Of course, we’re friends with benefits!”

“HUH?” 

Law’s brain scrambles to catch up to Luffy’s brain and decode Luffy's Language. The adorably on-the-nose Luffyisms that he’s come to enjoy whenever Luffy speaks and slips into when he’s away for too long.

“You know… ” Luffy huffs impatiently. “ Re-dunk-it, ” he drags out the syllables. “When you say the same thing twice but in different words, like you’re re-dunking a cookie after biting it.”

The ingenue captain’s logic is so pure it coaxes a warm, gentle, understanding hum from Law, a sound that blossoms into soft chuckles as he nuzzles Luffy's neck, inhaling the familiar scent of sunshine and sea salt.

“You mean redundant, baby.” 

A blush creeps onto Luffy's face as Law's humming sends shivers of delight down his spine, each note a familiar language. 

Law's lips, soft yet firm, brushed against Luffy's skin, leaving a lingering warmth. Luffy's eyes flutter closed as he savors this kiss, its meaning a nostalgic memory of what used to be. During their alliance, Law only gave Luffy this kiss as a reward for learning something new—a secret prize for paying attention when no one was watching, but everyone was around. As always, like a burning ember in his belly, the kiss reignites his praise kink with a fierce interest to learn more from Law. 

“Okay, but aren’t all strong friendships mutually beneficial? That’s how we started, too. Why would I be someone’s friend if it wasn’t mutually beneficial? He reaches down to grab the hoodie from the area rug and puts it on.

“No, Luffy,” he impatiently corrects, his voice a drop amused. “You’ve got the wrong idea. Friends with benefits is a euphemism for fuck buddies. But, I think it depends on a few things to be redundant.”

“You don’t say…” Luffy tilts his head, raw curiosity gleaming in his eyes. “Like what?”

“Well, for starters… Do you only want to have sex, or is this a genuine friendship that has evolved into a sexual connection you want to explore? It's also important to consider whether both parties benefit, or if it's only enjoyable for one of you. Knowing you, you’re stubborn about bottoming, so is it simply a one-sided pump-and-dump scheme? What is Roronoa getting out of this?” Law's voice, thick with playful teasing, asks, "I've got my theories, but tell me, Straw Hat, what's yours? What’s going on with you and Roronoa Zoro?”

Luffy listens thoughtfully. He fleetingly thinks about how this will be good crew gossip once everyone knows. But his friendship with Zoro isn't as tangled as Law's careful phrasing suggests. “It’s—” He shrugs it off. They’re best friends, loyal, trusting, and in sync on the battlefield. They live, fight, and sail together, constantly engaging in exciting adventures like he does with the rest of his crew. So what if Zoro’s the only one he’s also having sex with? “—n-not that deep,” he concludes.

Law shakes his head. He’s gobsmacked that Luffy can’t hear himself. “I don’t think you’ve thought this through, Straw Hat,” Law cautions. “Like, we’re friends with benefits.”

A snarl catches Luffy’s throat, “Quit calling me Straw Hat in bed! You know it gets on my nerves,” he complains, striking Law's chest and pausing on the soft yet firm nipple of Law's pectoral muscles.

Law only sees a sulky, spoiled puppy. He keeps forgetting how limited Luffy's knowledge of the world is. The younger pirate's power and influence made it easy to overlook his surprisingly sheltered upbringing and naivete. Since he has been spending time with the captain, he has begun to learn and grow. He's starting to think more about love and the loneliness that comes with it. 

He’ll regret playing with fire; Law’s known the consequences his whole life:

Everyone who loves Trafalgar Law dies too soon. 

How could he truly love Luffy and doom him to an early grave?

Law paused, captivated by Luffy's peaceful and happy appearance—his hair tousled, sprawled across the bed in Law's favorite hoodie, entirely at ease, as if he belonged nowhere else—and wished he could stop time. 

Instead, he leans forward to peck Luffy’s scrunched nose, an endearing groan seeping out of his throat. “You’re so cute when you’re grumpy.” 

Law wants him. He wants this thing between them for as long as Luffy will have him. But he doesn’t know how to have that. If Luffy doesn’t want that?

Well.

Law smirks as it dawns on Luffy and his face grows wide, understanding lighting his eyes, clicking his gears into place. His mouth forms a perfectly kissable circle. 

“OH.” A short, thoughtful pause later. “ Ohhhh… Then, yes!” Luffy confirms, his smile only growing now that he knows what Law’s talking about.

That shit hit Law like a fucking cannonball to the gut. 

He stares at Luffy in complete silence, mind racing with so many thoughts, heart thrashing in its cage for a way out to jump into the ocean. It’s in this very moment that the truth Law has been running away from for months can no longer be denied—

Ending their alliance was the worst decision Trafalgar Law has ever made. 

He never should’ve parted ways with Luffy after Wano. Now look at the mess his pride and fear of abandonment are drowning him in.

Lost in thought, Law forgets to blink. Fuck!

His gaze unwavering, Luffy's head tilts, a look of curiosity washing over his face. "Why the sad face, Traffy?” Luffy chuckles. Law hears Luffy's lighthearted chuckle, a carefree sound like a distant bell buoy bobbing in the ocean's gentle waves before a storm comes in, reminding him— warning him—that Luffy is reckless.

“Okay, so this is news to me.” 

Luffy scrambles to think, face screwed in confusion. He shuffles to his knees, surprised as the vibe shift finally hits him, and it’s like he’s seeing Law for the first time. “Traffy—I-” his voice catches in his throat. Luffy’s eyes soften as he searches Law’s face, sensing that he’s just messed something up.  While his tone is calm and his expression is neutral, Law puts on his doctor's voice to respond. He never speaks to Luffy in that tone outside of the med bay. He's trying to conceal that he’s tense and uncomfortable. Luffy frowns, his concern growing. “Is- Is that a problem?”

Law huffs, crossing his arms, considering the same thing. 

Is it a problem that Luffy is having sex with someone else? It’s not like we’re together, or even trying to make it work beyond friendship anymore. Why should I care who is pleasing Luffy? I definitely don’t care, especially since it’s Roronoa. That’s his best friend, I can’t be mad about what Luffy does on his ship and what they do in their friendship as crewmates, or that Roronoa is now the man making him scream and moan, cry while he cums all over their cock. I can no longer concern myself with such jealous, obsessively possessive paranoias. Luffy and I are JUST FRIENDS!!!

…with occasional sexual benefits. 

“I mean, it would’ve been nice to know before we had sex. You know, for safety reasons,” he retorts, a touch petulant but not unkind.

Luffy giggles, slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, it has been a while since we’ve fucked,” he wistfully agrees, scratching his cheek. “I guess I forgot. Hehe.”

But Law levels a serious gaze onto Luffy, “No. I would’ve had you take an STD and pregnancy test first.” Annoyed, he flexes his fingers. “ Room .” 

The words hit Luffy like a crashing ocean spray as the faint blue orb of energy appears over his bare chest. A blank look glosses his face.

“An STD test?”

As Law silently uses his Devil Fruit powers to examine his insides, the tension between them mounts. Luffy's empty stomach churns as he experiences a dissociative shock when the pleasure of Law's penetration fades away. His head hurts. 

“A pregnancy test?!”

His blinks turn into nervous tics, the endorphins from his orgasm still tingling like prickling needlepoints. “Wuh...Why?” But this new tightness twisting Luffy’s tummy has nothing to do with arousal. Who knew the consequences of sex could feel him like shit? It’s erratic energy that he doesn’t know what to do with, but he cannot contain, so it keeps spilling out as bursts of laughter. 

“NO,” he repeats his disbelief, punctuated by peals of disbelieving laughter.

Luffy is aware of how incriminating it looks. He realizes this is a bad time to laugh, and Law is likely criticizing his lack of emotional control, yet Luffy finds it impossible to suppress his laughter. He's overcome with an uncontrollable fit of laughter and wheezing, a nonsensical reaction to Law's weighty topic, that refuses to quit.

Law grumbles in annoyance. “Grow up, Straw Hat,” he snaps. “This is a serious matter.” 

As the fitful laughter dies down, Law realizes Luffy's reaction is a trauma response to bad medical news. Every time Law had to tell Luffy that Ace was dead, the trauma caused Luffy to have repeated meltdowns on the Polar Tang, memories that Law painfully relives; Luffy's mind fiercely rejecting the reality of Ace's death. It was heartbreaking for them both, and Law can't fathom what Luffy has endured and how Luffy has coped with the medical trauma and everything else since. His crush is the most resilient man alive, but even a man made of rubber has his limits. His heart melts like hot wax.

That doesn’t mean he’s going to coddle Luffy. His sexual health is at risk, too. So, he relaxes his posture, releases his anger, and waits.

Luffy finally forces himself to take deep breaths to calm his nerves, and soft giggles to ask, “Really? Why?”

It’s like a seal breaks on Law’s tongue. His sterile, clinical tone remains, “Because we had unprotected sex, and the responsible, mature, and adult thing to do when sexually active with more than one person is to tell your partner that you’re involved with other people. You should get tested to ensure you’re negative for any sexually transmitted diseases or infections before being sexually active with someone else, so you’re not passing on STDs to your partners. It’s called practicing safe sex. You know, from incurable diseases.” 

To be more objective, Law decided to separate his feelings for Luffy, speaking to him as if he were a patient in need of guidance, not a reckless lover; yet his tone still betrays a fondness unique to Luffy. He wants to avoid making Luffy feel judged, but this is a vital lesson in sex education, even if it wasn't with Law.

“Oh,” Luffy breathes heavily. His expression falls into a more solemn contemplation. He dips his head and keeps his gaze on his lap. Law was talking about things that Luffy had no clue about, but the awareness that his reckless tendencies and lack of knowledge could have unintentionally put Law in harm’s way sobered him.

When Luffy finally speaks, Law’s chest tightens. “I didn’t know. Sorry. I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t know about that stuff. His voice is small and trembling with vulnerability. Law was the only person Luffy had been with before Zoro. 

“I guess I didn’t think about it that way. I’m sorry, Law. I didn’t mean to put your health in any danger. I’ll never do it again.” 

How can Law remain upset with this perfect storm of a man when he says his name like that? Looking at Law with the softest, most apologetic eyes, Law’s tempted to bow down, shower him with gifts, fulfill Luffy’s every desire—just for a chance to cherish and pamper that precious face. 

Then, Luffy goes and ruins Law’s sugar daddy fantasy. He knew it was coming, but the words filtering into his understanding felt like being caught in the freezing rain with no coat or umbrella. 

Luffy looks Law square in the eyes and admits with no room for misinterpretation:

 “Zoro and I are having sex.” 

Law is thankful that he's at least being mature about the conversation. 

“But Zoro’s never… nutted in me.”

Law releases his powers after completing an STD body scan of Luffy’s body. “I know that now,” he says in a low, teasing tone. “You’re all clear to keep fucking,” he declares to his patient. He lightly runs his knuckles down Luffy’s cheek and then tenderly thumbs the soft, wet lips that sucked his cock like it was a feeding bottle. 

When Law reaches out to squeeze Luffy’s hand and maintains eye contact, Luffy notices the smile doesn’t reach his muted golden eyes. Law's eyes flutter between Luffy’s soft eyes and plump lips. “Do you…like it?”

Luffy stares at Law, that sick longing that only the good doctor can cure troubles him again. He wants to feed it. His gaze travels up his supple lips, intense nose, and his golden eyes flicker back to life when they meet, and Law can feel the intensity between them flickering back to life. His gaze burns through Luffy’s skin, but he cannot control it. 

“Having sex with Zoro?”

Law rolls his eyes and lets out an exasperated breath. “Yes, Luffy,” he chuckles. “What else?”

Luffy scratches his cheek with a shrug of indifference. “Mmm… It’s fun, I guess. Good sometimes. A hit or miss— nothing like what we just did. I wouldn’t even compare it to how we fuck. I think we’re still figuring out if we’re sexually compact-able. But Robin says it can take some couples longer to figure it out by exploring their desires. ”

A collision course of emotions was crashing down on Law. A swell of pride blooms in his Law’s chest, but he’s still sickeningly possessive. Couples? He thought by being all of Luffy’s firsts, he’d made his permanent claim. What a headass fantasy. 

Law knows he should rather bask in the glorious light of Luffy’s implicit compliment, the way they copulate being incomparable to whatever he and Zoro have going on. However, hearing Luffy use the word ‘couple” concerning Zoro just doesn’t hit his ear right, and the possessiveness that he’s worked to temper for years creeps up on him, and he doesn’t like it one bit. 

Law’s chest burns from the many things he wants to say. He’s never envied his previous lovers’ sexual partners, and it doesn’t settle right within him. But Law knew this feeling was more than he cared to admit. Knowing that Luffy was being intimate with someone else in that way, just as he had been with Law, unleashed a very vulnerable beast inside him.

Oh, no. 

Oh, hell no. 

Bitch, are you jealous of Zoro?

“Oh? Is that so?” he asks, failing to smooth out the bitterness edging his voice. Luffy didn’t even notice. 

"Yeah, it's not as satisfying as I hoped," Luffy admits, slumping and rubbing his chin in thought. "It's like we get so close to incredible orgasms, and then..." he says, the rest of his sentence lost as he grapples with how to explain Zoro's internal conflict.

Law leans on his side, and his eyes lock with a vested interest in Luffy’s thoughtful expression. “Well…?” He shifts closer to Luffy, craving the pillow talk, purring, “Then, what?”

“He gets blocked.”

Law’s eyes dart around Luffy’s confused frown. There’s trouble in Straw Hat sexcapades. Law tilts his head, feigning concern, his face scrunching to match Luffy’s in slight confusion.

“Blocked? What do you mean?” 

Luffy takes a deep breath and shakes his head like he’s searching his memory for the right words. “I don’t know how to describe it, it’s just… It’s like his brain just blanks. He gets soft or cums too soon.”

“Have you two talked about it?”

“I’ve tried! But you know there’s sea breeze between those two ears.”

“See, I would’ve gone with sea moss, but I get it,” Law chuckles as Luffy rolls his eyes. Leaning forward to press their bodies together until they’re breathing the same air, he continues his interrogation.“Do you two have a safe word?”

Luffy buries his nose in Law’s hoodie, pulling the drawstring tight around his head, and flops on his back. “Mm-hm.”

“Can I know what it is?” Law knew he was pushing his luck being nosy in Luffy’s business, but if he didn’t ask, how would he know? The straw hat pirate wouldn't tell him if he didn’t want Law to know. 

Luffy flips his head to the right, directly at Law. “Gum-Gum!” Luffy’s face split into a broad smile, clearly unbothered by Law’s prying. “What?! Why’s Traffy laughing?”

Law doubles over laughing. All the uncomfortably knotted emotions inside slip away as he remembers just how silly and self-absorbed the boy he likes can be. “W-Why? Why…th-that?”

“Because onigiri made me hungry!”

His chest hurts. His stomach tightens. He’s wheezing. “ONIGIRI?!” He yelps through hysterical laughter. 

“Stop laughing at me, Traffy!” Luffy huffs and pouts. He lays an onslaught of open-palmed swats to Law’s shoulders. “Stop teasing me or you’re gonna regret it!”

Law’s too incapacitated from his belly laughs, with tears of laughter streaming down his face, to effectively guard himself from lashings. “Haaaa… I’m—Whew! Ouch! Ow! Luffy! Okay, okay! Stop hitting me, I’m sorry! These safe words are just hilarious! You and Roronoa are best friends, all right!”

“We ARE.” 

Law cracks up before he can even get his joke out. “Yeah, two idiots in a boat without a paddle!” 

Luffy lands a sharp blow into Law’s navel. The older man is now doubled over in real tears. “Whatever. It works for us. At least when he uses it. But I feel like I'm using it a lot because things escalate…quickly.”

Law stops laughing. “What do you mean? Sounds scary.”

Luffy chortles and scoffs, his head bobbing like Law couldn’t have said it better. “Tell me about it, Traffy! He’ll get blocked, right? Then, suddenly, it’s as if he loses all sense of self. It’s wild to explain, but it’s like, I don’t know, like when Franky powers off General Franky. Total system shutdown.”

Luffy’s stress is palpable and edged with fear, and that grabs Law’s attention. Now he’s interested. “Everything?” Law pried, leaning over for more of the gossip, because now he’s fully invested. 

“ Everything,” Luffy repeats, shaking his head exasperated. 

Law’s medical brain is fully charged and activated. His thoughts and suspicions are on high alert for what a potential cause and diagnosis might be. Whatever’s going on with Zoro sounds psychological, but Law knows that with the mind-body connection, one can never be too sure. Even if he wasn’t the one pleasuring Luffy, he didn’t want Luffy’s sex life to suck over something probably easily fixable. 

“Hey, it’ll be alright.” He pushes the hood off Luffy’s head and caresses his cheeks. "Let's set this aside for now, freshen up with a shower, hm? Start our day outside this tin can, shall we?”

Law pecks his cheek and rolls out of bed and stretches, deep and long. Luffy’s gaze traces the intricate network of angry red scars and puckered purple bruises marring Law’s back muscles. His cheeks flushed with a mixture of awe and concern as he studies every detail. “I don’t have any plans, so we can just relax here, if you’re interested.” 

“I did that,” he proudly whispers. 

Law turns around, full frontal on display. “Hello? Luffy?”

Law’s voice cuts through his admiring daze, and he glances up at Law. "Sure! I wanna say hi to Rebecca and Kyros. Wanna come with?”

“I can, but can we eat first? I need my coffee.”

Luffy’s face falls flat. “You know who you’re talking to, right?”

He cooed, "I do," and opened the door to his private bathroom. "Alright. We have a plan.” He grins smugly,  "Carry on checking me out."

A strangled gag rips from Luffy's throat, his embarrassment palpable. "NUH-UH-I WAS NOT!”

Law rolls his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips as he shakes his head, amused by the blush that's spread across Luffy's neck. “Yeah, right, Straw Hat…whatever you say,” he teases, a smirk on his face as he saunters inside, leaving the bathroom door wide open. 

“BUT YOU’RE A TERRIBLE LIAR,” he sings.

The sound of the shower and a suggestive image of a drenched Trafalgar Law jolts Luffy out of bed, instantly making the captain's quarters feel steamy.

⚔︎

They lay in the sunflower fields of Flower Hill, a hundred yards from Kyros and Rebecca's cottage, intimately embraced by the late evening air. Warm golden sunlight and a gentle breeze carrying yellow flower petals and sunflower seeds create a tranquil scene, a random, peaceful siesta as the two friends slept soundly in the meadow. The perfect ending to a slow day of consuming dry wine, sundried meats, aged cheeses, stale crackers, and pleasant conversation with two old friends.

Luffy rolls over and rests his head on Law’s chest. “I had so much fun with you today, Traffy,” he mumbles sleepily. Law can hear the smile on his lips, and his stomach flips with joy.

He lets out a quiet hum of agreement. "I did, too.” The smell of Luffy's sweat mingling with the sea air is a familiar comfort as he sniffs his hair. “I didn’t realize how much I needed the slowness of today. I like what you do to my nervous system.” 

He whisks Luffy's mop of hair, the straw hat lying next to him on the sun-drenched grass. “You have sunflower seeds in your hair,” he said, gently picking one out and holding it up to Luffy’s eye, the tiny seed catching the light. The glutton slurps up the seed with a long tongue and crunches away. 

“Yeah, me too,” Luffy sighs, enjoying this respite away from ship and crew, spitting out the shell. He loves his friends and commanding his crew, but he needed this vacation. “It was nice. A nice day-date.” 

Law is taken aback by Luffy's choice of words, a strange warmth spreading through him as he hears them, because he agrees. Without their bustling crews, the quiet intimacy of their dalliance feels natural, like a stolen moment of peace in the whirlwind of a life of piracy. 

He never expected to have such a romantic two days with Luffy after his submarine surfaced off the coast of Dressrosa. He figured something would’ve gone horribly wrong or blown up in his face by now, and while that happened, the fireball pirate captain still possesses an unnervingly vibrant energy that excites Law. Luffy's spontaneous influence urges Law to indulge in his cherished hobby of vagrancy and savor more of life's serene pleasures and moments of excitement.

With Luffy. 

Spending these two days with Law has had a noticeably calming effect on Luffy. He doesn’t know what it is about the older man’s aura, but when it’s just the two of them, life feels peaceful. With Law, they’re not two famous captains of criminal enterprises conquering the high seas; they're just two ordinary people, sharing a simple day filled with laughter, quiet moments, private encounters, and the everyday sights and sounds of the world around them. There was a lovely domesticity to the day, and he wants to have more cozy days like it. 

He even caught himself several times throughout the day fantasizing about a life where days like this—hand-in-hand strolls with Law in sunny sunflower fields, picnics with endless finger foods, and carefree games of cards and hide-and-seek with close friends—were the norm, not the exception.

Law snaps him out of his reverie. “Would you like to sleep out here, then?” With dusk in Dressrosa, nightfall would soon descend on Flower Hill, and a rare meteor shower was to take place tonight. Soon, they wouldn’t be the only lovers camping out on the sunny plateau. 

“Maybe.” Luffy peeks an eye open. “Have you ever had sex in a sunflower field?”

Law leans forward, slicing a bushel of sunflowers with his Devil Fruit and bundles it with his hair tie. He hands it to Luffy and quirks a brow. “I can’t say that I have.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s a crime,” Luffy giggles and scrambles himself up, eyes bright as he marvels at the beautiful bouquet in his hands. He’s never been given flowers, and his crew always tells him he reminds them of sunflowers, but he has never given it much thought. He likes sunflowers, he supposes, but flowers aren’t really his thing; still, there’s something about knowing that Traffy also thinks so, strangely, that warms his heart. He hugs them close to his chest and looks up, beaming. 

“Then, let’s share another first! It’s been a while.” His face is radiant. The brown disc florets and yellow ray florets seem to mirror his sunny expression back to Law. An endless field of smiling Luffys. What did Law do to be so lucky? 

“We shared a first last night on my ship,” Law chuckles, blowing away a yellow petal that landed on Luffy’s nose. The tickling sensation made Luffy instinctively lean in for a kiss, but when Law only kisses his nose, Luffy rolls his eyes. 

“Yeah, but this has a much better view.” He winks, already undressing with not a hint of shame. 

“Alright, fine. But after another nap. Fucking with you, I need all my strength if we are not sleeping here tonight,” Law says before he Shambles four sunflower seeds on the ground for two blankets and two pillows from Kyros’ winter storage, arranging them just so for Luffy’s comfort.

Luffy goes back to sleep in a snap. 

⚔︎

However, Law—the one who suggested they rest multiple times throughout the day and is the only reason Luffy is snoring soundly under the rising crescent moon and not currently jumping his bones—has remained wide awake for the past two hours. With one arm supporting his head and the other gently resting on Luffy’s back, he gazes thoughtfully at the starry night sky. Dressrosa's night sky glitters with constellations like exquisite jewelry. Individual stars gleam like polished gems. This time in the Land of Love and Passion is a strikingly novel experience compared to their first visit. With the near-death experience behind him and no longer being treated like a sack of potatoes lugged around the city by Luffy, Law finally sees what the fuss is about.

His thoughts drifted back to his earlier experiences with Nika an hour before. He couldn’t believe that was Luffy’s imagination, though he was certain that wasn’t even the half of it. He saw so much in Luffy’s mind that he could never put into words. 

No wonder Luffy chaotically ripped through the world like a force of free energy contained in a snow globe. The violence he witnessed when Luffy fights doesn’t hold a candle to what Nika revealed to Law. How could the essence of one person contain such multitudes?

Law’s eyes fall upon the kitten curled up and sleeping on his lap, filled with a more profound sense of appreciation for his unshakeable faith in himself, his zest for life, and the joy and laughter that accompany it. Luffy could be an indomitable monster if he genuinely wanted to. However, under the faint moonlight filtering through the clouds, Luffy looks fiercely handsome, soft, and strong. Law vows never to call Luffy insane again; it’s truly a miracle that he has any of his sanity intact. Yet, Law cannot deny that Luffy is more grounded since the Straw Hats rescued him and his crew. Luffy's infectious laughter, unwavering loyalty, his relentless pursuit of his dreams, and fearless spirit could all teach Law a great deal about embracing life's adventures and leading a truly meaningful life after loss.

They already do.

As he stares at the ethereal beauty, the conversation they had earlier about Zoro has been weighing on both sides of his brain all day. Behind every joke, laugh, kiss, and cuddle they privately shared today, the thoughts stayed there until they morphed into fear and doubt. Law has one insecurity that he isn’t ready to admit to. 

Yet, he always knew that if anyone were to be his competition for Luffy’s heart, it would be Roronoa. He’s the one who boasts about being closest to the greatest pirate captain that ever was, one half of the Pirate King’s wings, and much closer than a brother, it seems. Law left them to be whatever they were a year ago because he didn’t see the point of competing with Zoro; everyone knew how Zoro felt about Luffy. 

Should he just bail again? End it right now and avoid the inevitable emotional rollercoaster he’s on, divert course from the storm brewing. Now that he knows he’s not the only one, if he doesn’t leave sooner rather than later, his heart will surely break. Before, it was all insecure paranoia and suspicion, but now there were no uncertainties. It would be far more complicated for him if he delayed the heartbreak. 

And while Law has no clue how Straw Hat feels about his First Mate, Law has long since reasoned that it didn’t matter—

Luffy would choose who and do what he wanted, anyway.

But there was more to it than that for him, wasn't there? A sense of unease he couldn't ignore. Whatever was going on between Luffy and Zoro, Law could tell it wasn’t perfect in paradise. And while that added a bit of a cheeky grin to Law’s pride, his medical expertise couldn’t just let a grown man have impotence issues without figuring out why. He’s still a scientist, after all.

A knot of anxiety tightens in his chest as Law gently rouses Luffy. The soft pinch of a chubby cheek did little to ease his worry, his lungs thick with nervous tension. 

“Hey, Straw Hat. Wake up.” Luffy grumbles incoherently about needing five more hours and rolls away. “What do you think is causing Roronoa’s impotence? His erectile dysfunction could be symptomatic of something more serious.”

Sleep stolen, Luffy’s eyelids fly open. He stares into the dark shadows cast by the tall green stems under the late-waxing moonlight. He was dreaming about eating meat while his favorite eater ate him, so he needed a moment to ground himself before he flatly admits, “I don’t know what that means, Traffy.” 

He rolls over to face Law. Law takes a beat to figure out how to rephrase the question better now that he has Luffy’s full attention. “What’s going on when he shuts down? Like, what do you see happening to him and experience through other senses when Zoro gets blocked?”

Luffy gingerly sits up in a thinking position, crossing his legs at his ankles, right knee propped up under the blanket shroud over his waist. He props his elbow over his bent knee and grabs his chin. As Law takes in the ethereal sight, their bodies touching only at Luffy’s relaxed left kneecap, his naked body looks so pure under the stars. The smooth scars glittering his back, kissable to the touch. It’s bizarrely alluring seeing Luffy’s thinking face. He dons it so irregularly that the look, so serious, causes Law’s cock to twitch with renewed interest. The pensive stare he’s holding looks more sleepy than serious, and Law almost wants to drop the conversation and tuck him back into bed. 

Furrowing his eyebrows and hunching his shoulders in deep concentration, Luffy wonders where to begin. “Well, we’ve been trying bondage play over the last few weeks—”

The nonchalant manner in which Luffy discussed his recent adventures in kink and his casual attitude towards sharing details of his sex life with Zoro left Law feeling both dizzy and queasy. It turns him on that Luffy is still exploring kink play; it’d been an exciting discovery for Law to experience Luffy’s sexual awakening all that time ago, and the sensual development they shared through kink. But it also leaves his mind reeling. Was it the right thing to do to take a break from each other after their alliance officially ended? Was he now in the position of looking at his dream life crumble before his very eyes? The thought slams reality in Law’s face like ice water.

Shit! Is Straw Hat the One Who Got Away?

“Traffy? Are you still listening?”

Law thickly swallows his fear down, working the hard lump of jealousy lodged in his throat down to the pits of his stomach to deal with it on his own another time. “Uh, yeah. So, um…” he nervously clears his throat. “W-What are you using for bondage?”

If Luffy knows that Law’s anxious and scared about losing him, he doesn’t betray it. “Just sailing rope for now. I think they’re uncomfortable for him, but he doesn’t want to say anything because he’s the Sub. But I told him that he can tell me, it’s no big deal. And that, as his Dom, I need to know what he needs to feel good, too. That’s what Robin said. That’s why I went to the…” Luffy’s voice trails off, and his eyes widen with guilty remembrance. “The sex store! Shoot!”

Law yawns and stretches out his legs, interlocking them between Luffy’s. “What about it? Oh, the white bag on the desk in my room is for you.”

Luffy hops up in a panic, rushing to put his clothes on, barely registering Law telling him that he bought him a gift. “Traffy! I need to go back to the pervy store!”

“Why?” Law whines, “We’re right under Sora’s Comet’s flight path for the meteor shower.”

Luffy cuts him off, throwing on his straw hat. “I completely forgot I was there shopping for Zoro! I was hoping to find some leather straps or something soft and fuzzy like the handcuffs we used to use.” 

It’s the unabashed way that Luffy says sexy shit that drives Law crazy. Now, his curiosity is piqued so that he can hear Luffy talk dirty without a care. His words sound like promises to Zoro that Law doesn’t question, but he’s still confused about some things. He wants to get the complete picture in case he does need to help Luffy with his problem, though he can't possibly see this blowing up in his friend's face, no...

Besides, how else will Luffy realize that he’s been ruined forever by Law, and he will always think of Law when he’s with anyone else?

Because Law is a gentleman, OK?

He quirks his brow, pulling Luffy back into his lap, too inquisitive to beat around the bush. “Okay, but why bondage? And why with Zoro?” The second question pisses Law off the most, but he maintains an even and unaffected tone. He is very proud of himself.

Luffy instantly melts into Law's arms, a relieved sigh escaping his lips as he shrugs and hums, trying to recall why he'd agreed to explore this path with his best friend; the scent of Law's cologne and the feel of his embrace were comforting.

"Robin and Franky were talking about it," Luffy discloses. "Turning their sex life into a game had an exciting effect, got me curious.” A faint blush creeps onto Luffy's cheeks as he mutters, "It sounded like something we would do," his gaze darting to Law before dropping to his lap; the quiet rustle of leaves outside seemed to amplify the unspoken tension. The soft thud of his heart punctuates the silence as he gazes into Law’s guarded eyes. 

Law’s surprised to see Luffy nervously twiddling his thumbs as he talks and looking at him like this—vulnerable. But then he keeps listening and wishes he could be buried alive.

“Like when I stretched my tongue down your throat to your stomach, to know what you had for dinner. Or when you’d chop my dick off and let me watch you sucking me off, massaged my G-spot while you were reading in the Sunny’s library and I was taking a bath, or the time you cut out my prostate and we played hide and seek around the Flower Capitol — “ 

Law’s breathing pattern is shallow, a low and guttural rumble escapes from his chest, and he has to place his hand on Luffy’s mouth to regain his composure. “Stop—stop talking like that, Straw Hat.” The casual nature of Luffy’s dirty talk and vulnerability is too much for Law to bear. It’s so raunchy and unapologetic, and certainly not what he needs if he wants to make a clean break.

But it hurts to let Luffy go. More now than the first two times when he had less to lose. Not with how lasciviously Luffy is licking his palm, sloppily, leaving a trail of slobber. How the FUCK is he not supposed to get turned on by that? How is he supposed to leave him?

When he finally drops his hand from Luffy’s mouth, Luffy continues talking like he never stopped. “But you weren’t there… and I didn’t know the next time I’d see you for us to play like that, so I asked Zoro.”

It was as simple as that.

Zoro was nothing more than a placeholder, nothing less than a time-filler to him. Though Law believed everything Luffy shared, every sacred secret, a sudden, sharp sense of betrayal stabbed at his heart, leaving him bewildered. 

Law has no right to feel betrayed; Luffy doesn’t belong to him, or owe him anything. Still, it should’ve been him. “So, Roronoa is your Sub?”

“Yep!”

“And you’re his Dom?”

“Duh, Traffy.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s fun,” he giggles.

“What’s his motivation?”

“Are there different kinds?”

“There are,” Law patiently explains, "Life presents itself in multiple ways, especially when negotiating difficulties; therefore, there are many options, especially when negotiating kinks. There are at least four distinct categories that drive people to submit, each with its own unique set of motivations. I’ll skip the lengthy explanation, Straw Hat, because your attention span is virtually nonexistent. Knowing your relationship with Roronoa, I'll simplify things: his submission stems from a desire to serve. Explicitly, to serve you, because I know you need it said plainly.”

“What makes you think that?” A nervous flutter in Luffy's gut intensified as he spoke, a cold dread gripping him, making him question whether he should have shared this with Law at all. But he always told the truth to Law, no matter what. Besides, Law’s questions sound more clinical about Zoro’s condition than concerned about his business, so it’s fine. Right?

“Service-oriented motivation is for someone who thrives off of validation, following rules, knowing what's expected of them, and making their Dom happy.”

"That's so Zoro!" Luffy breathes, awestruck, a hand covering his mouth. 

Law nods, satisfied that his assessment has been proven correct. “It’s likely that Zoro feels compelled to please you even more than he desires to get off. You are his captain and his Dom, after all. Kinda hard to shut down the submissiveness and enforce his own will without any internal battles when he’s psychologically boxed in like that. And I mean…” 

Law tilts his head, considering another possibility. “He could be motivated to be a bratty sub who takes pleasure from fighting for dominance…” he inclines his head toward Luffy, a cheeky grin flashing at his confused expression. “But you’re already hogging that role, so—” he shrugged, openly cackling, as Luffy slugged him hard in the shoulder. 

“Hey! Shut up! I am not a brat! And I sure as hell ain’t no Sub! I go after what I want and don’t stop until I get it! You of all people know that, Traffy! If that means fighting someone to get out of my way, that is not my fault!”

Luffy is right. Law, more than anyone, understands this, yet he can't resist teasing the entitled, short king. "That's my brat," Law mused, pulling Luffy in, certain he’d struck a nerve. 

“Shut up,” Luffy weakly retorts as he melts into Law’s arms like ice cream on a hot beach day. He leans in and bites Law’s neck.

Law drags his tongue over Luffy’s sweaty skin to tame the petulant man before his fury unfurls. It works like a charm. Salty and sweet, the taste of him draws out Law’s deepest desires. 

I want you all to myself, Mugiwara-ya.

Every burning question that sparked in Law’s mind sailed a shooting arrow of jealousy into his stomach, and Law was suddenly haunted by a simple question that never gnawed at him until now. 

Who is he to Luffy? The question lingered in the air, a whisper that carried the weight of a heart heavy with longing and loss.

His mind races at the thought, the sudden realization that for all his running and avoiding Luffy’s chasing, he would finally get his way. Luffy had finally stopped pursuing him. Luffy had given up on Law, and the blinding moment of clarity twisted his heart like a bloody rag. Law was losing Luffy.

As Luffy spoke, every answer he gave only made Law’s questions pile up. Did Luffy view Zoro romantically? Was he catching feelings and falling in love with his best friend, and that’s why he was so concerned? Had he already done so, and this was his wacky, ill-conceived Luffy way of friend-zoning him once and for all? Was he telling Law all this as his way of finally letting the surgeon-pirate captain know that their time together was ending? Was Luffy truly moving on?

He needs to know.

“Luffy?” His heart beat like a drum against his ribs, a frantic rhythm against the incessant, high-pitched buzzing of cicadas. 

“Hm?”

How does it feel when you’re with me?

“How long have you known I’ve been tracking you?”

Luffy coughed on his food for a split second before stoically nodding and pulled off Law’s slick cock. His rosy lips were puffy and glistening with his spit and Law’s pre-cum like a lip gloss. Law wanted to kiss them, but the look on Luffy’s face distracted him from his lustful mission. 

He arches a brow at how smooth Luffy’s being, smirking while he smoothly strokes Law’s shaft, from base to head. It takes Law a second to interpret it. Law’s face flushed crimson. 

Damn, how awkward…

Luffy knows. The smug grin on his face tells it all. He always knew.

“Months ago. Since I sensed your Haki following us when we left Elegia,” Luffy’s casual shrug as he continues to hover over his food—Law’s dick—sends chills shuddering through Law’s body. Then Luffy slowly drags his tongue and lips up and freezes, letting Law’s juicy head linger at the tip of his lips. He flashes a devilish grin over his feathered lashes. 

“And I’ve been sensing you temper your Haki ever since. But I didn’t wanna out you for stalking the King of the Pirates!” Luffy melts into Law’s bush, pulling a long, possessive sniff from the neat pubic area. “Besides, it was charming! And a fun little adventure just between us.”

He adores Law’s scent; a distinctive and invigorating blend of icy mint, crisp pine, salty coffee, and a subtle alcoholic note with a hint of antiseptic and liquor, along with the siren’s musky, masculine aroma, creates a grounding, earthy fragrance for the seafarer. Luffy, unable to resist Law's intensely alluring pheromones after such a long absence, succumbs to their captivating pull. 

But Law is the only one rendered powerless. Law doesn't realize how long his young lover has been wanting to see him blush with embarrassment as he battles to hold back his orgasm. Luffy remains oblivious to the extent of Law's humiliation by his revelations and continued lewd behavior toward the Heart Captain. His attention is entirely on rubbing his face on Law's thigh, breathing heavily near Law's shaggy, heart-shaped pubes. He's never been the object of such intense scrutiny, not even from the puppy currently sniffing him with wide nostrils, but he can't look away from his admirer. He can’t help but look. 

Luffy's appearance is so captivating that it's impossible to overlook him, with his head moving near Law's groin. Enjoying the gentle tickle of Law's pubic hairs brushing against Luffy's cheek, the sound of a deep, erotic moan escapes his full, swollen lips. The way he breathes in Law's intoxicating scent—a blend of soap and his natural musk—as if it's a lifeline, is far too intense for their casual relationship. 

But Law is drowning in Luffy. 

He's utterly captivated as Monkey D. Luffy's seductive chaos capsizes him. Law’s enthusiasm betrays his doubts, and he can’t help but wonder if there is a deeper meaning being conveyed. Is that what Luffy wants him to believe? 

A thick swallow constricts his throat. “I… didn’t think I was that obvious,” he sheepishly admits, his voice gravelly.

Luffy catches the flicker of shame in Law's brooding eyes as he looks up. He nuzzles his nose against Law's groin, then effortlessly takes Law's semi-aroused cock into his mouth with a lazy ease, flashing a wicked grin that first tenses Law up before melting his entire body as he starts his ministration. Luffy passionately kisses and pleases Law’s member as if he's savoring his favorite treat, then separates his lips with a wet sound. 

“Mmm… You weren’t. I don’t know if my crew noticed, but maybe Jinbe did. But I’m King of the Pirates,” he hums a contented sigh. His sultry, muffled moans vibrate around half of Law’s thick length before he admits while licking a rather thick vein ridging up Law’s shaft, never breaking eye contact with the hypnotized pirate, “And I love the thrill of a chase, especially with you, Law.” 

Law nearly came from the lascivious way Luffy said his name. How dare this wild man growl his name, the sound thick with a primal lust that made his blood run cold? He feels like Luffy’s prey. 

WHAT is Law supposed to do?! He’s breathing in shallow gasps, sucking up as much air into his lungs as he can without bursting at the seams, “S-S’you know that— Haa- ahh — I’ve been s-sinking enemy ships—ahhahh-AHFUCK— for your crew this whole time?”

Luffy stops his performance for half a breath, just enough time for Law to suck in a full breath for dear life and for him to connect the dots. 

So THAT’S why the sea’s been so boring for weeks.

Traffy was defeating enemies FOR ME?

HUH?

Huh.

Luffy casually shrugs, “Nope! But I do now,” flashing a wicked glint at Law that made the older lover’s toes curl. In one swift motion, Luffy leans his head and lowers his mouth to Law’s thigh. Law relaxes instinctively to prepare for the soothing suckle coming his way. His eyes fly open in outrageous pain and flicker down to see Luffy’s bared teeth biting half of his thigh like he’s a roasted drumstick. 

“Don’t do that anymore. You’re hoggin’ all the fun,” Luffy commands with a wink. Then he’s back to filling his cheeks, working Law’s cock in his mouth like he didn’t hear a single word Law has confessed. So unbothered by so much, this one is. “I can save myself.”

Law feels like a fool. An idiot stalker—because he is. Waves of shame crash over him in sync with Luffy’s rhythmic, single-minded attention bobbing over his glossy, swollen head with practiced ease. Law’s crew told him that he looked desperate following the straw hat around the Grand Line, but he thought he was being— ah! He doesn’t know!

But he never expected to confess to that. He assumed that was how Luffy figured it out; that maybe Jinbe spotted them when out on a swim? 

But he’s too high on Straw Hat to have exercised more caution and now he can’t bear to look at the man who just called him a stalker while sucking his dick. He feels like he’s having an out-of-body experience where he’s being cucked by himself. But as always, he finds that Luffy is completely turned on by what some have labeled his “creepy ways .”

Then Luffy does something playful, if not downright inventive, with his tongue, which causes Law to see stars splashed on a black canvas. His eyes roll back and he lets out the most prolonged, most pathetic moan in his life, his back arching and shuddering under the wrapped heat of Luffy’s hot and wet appendage canoeing his cock and deep throating Law’s full length down to the base with haste.

Even in shame, Law bravely gazes downward.

Two dark pools stare intently back from beneath Luffy’s thick, wet lashes. A new fire burns inside Law, slowly heating until it reaches a rolling boil. Overwhelmed by the stunning panorama, a sense of awe and wonder filled Law, causing his eyes to prick with tears. Law is too weak to deny Luffy, and he’s already anticipating the moment when he can indulge in the explicit, fleeting memory in private. With a sharp intake of breath, he knocks his head back and follows his skillful adventure guide's lead, the thrill of the adventure coursing through him as he submits to everything that is Monkey D. Luffy. 

Luffy observes Law with rapt attention. Every subtle shift and telltale reaction shows that he’s doing a good job pleasing his crush. Law might as well be mud in his hands, the way he’s so limp and relaxed from Luffy’s mouth. This excites Luffy; it has been a while, and he is curious to see if anything has changed between them. Seeing Law instantly react to Luffy's impulsive move, he realized his earlier anxiety was unwarranted. Law experiences a gentle suction on Law's head, making him sink completely, balls and all, into Luffy's wide mouth.

But he needs to breathe and say something. He pulls off and exhales with a sultry air, his raw voice cutting through Law’s haze, “But that’s SO fucking HOT to know—” he admits before he slowly dragging his tongue up the pearling trail of pre-cum seeping out of Law’s tip like it’s a low-pressure drinking fountain.

“Baby.”

Law mewls, and Luffy doesn’t think he’s weird or creepy for it at all. Law turns Luffy on in every single way. Luffy shows him by writhing between his legs, squeezing his thighs tight against his tearfully neglected dick. A tsunami of endorphins threatens to capsize him after hearing Luffy call him that.

Baby.

And Luffy noticed, and his heart thrummed a spontaneous beat. He chuckles a low, predatory growl, “Heh, you like when I call you Baby, don’t you, Law?” He doesn’t even wait for a response as he picks up the pace, which means he feels Law’s meat pulse heavily against his tongue. Luffy can’t hold back the laugh that vibrates through his chest and channels its way to Law’s.

Meanwhile, Law’s mind, lost in bliss, fights to break the iron chains constricting his heart, each link a painful weight on his emotions. Their cold, hard pressure is a heavy burden on his mind, each link a symbol of his turmoil. 

Does Luffy want me to keep chasing him?

I’ll chase him to the end of the world, if so.

Would my crew be down for that? Just spending the rest of their days following me as I stalk the man I love?

Is that what I want to do for the rest of my life?

As Law opens his mouth to reply, a searing heat flares in his gut, the pressure building until his muscles recoil and tense, a fragile spring ready to snap. Luffy's tongue, impossibly flat and wide, enveloped Law's head, working diligently as if trying to reach the core of a rock-hard lollipop. Fortunately, the center of this lollipop is oozing pre-cum, and Luffy's tongue adeptly gathers it in his tongue like a basin, maintaining strong suction while utilizing any excess as additional lubrication.

A shuddering convulsion wracked Law's body, each jerk a desperate fight against the encroaching darkness stealing his mind. Thoughts? He was having those? What thoughts? What is a thought, exactly, hm? 

“Mmmgahhh! Fuck! Luffy!" The cry is brimming with excitement and a delightful sense of urgency. He wriggles joyfully, savoring the stimulation he can't get enough of. Luffy moans in delight.

“Ahhh —SHIT!” The pressure inside Law boils over, and he’s certain the sound carries through the night air. He absently summons a Room, growing louder once inside the soundproof dome, “Keep doing that, that right there!”

With deliberate, painstaking slowness, Luffy’s mouth sucks Law off, helping his lover reach his orgasm. He heard his lover say he wants more; he can feel the reflexive stuttering of Law’s hips rolling in search of that deliciously heated friction, “You want me to go faster, baby?” 

All Law can do is desperately nod, the jerking motion from his pelvic bone begs to go deeper down his throat to find it. But Luffy remains in control.

“You like how good I make you feel, huh, Traffy?” Luffy innocently asks. With dominating fingertips, Luffy steadies Law's hips, sensing the heat and tremors in the older man's flesh. His thumbs, calloused and soft to the touch, rubbed reverent circles over the burning flesh, feeling the heat through his fingertips. He wants to hear Law's voice crack and plead for mercy. He wants to listen to him beg.

Law will beg. 

Luffy slows down his pace further until it’s agonizingly close to dissolving the tight coil without the reward of release, and it leaves Law whimpering. No matter how much Law tries to fight it, they both know Luffy’s the boss in this relationship. 

The surgeon is under the king’s mercy and doesn’t want to lose His Majesty’s favor. “Y-Yes, Luffy. F-Faster. PLEASE.” Luffy might as well be licking a wet noodle. “LUFFY, I BEG! L-Let me cum!”

Luffy pulls off of Law’s cock with a final loud, wet pop and pronouncement. A wicked, conspiratorial grin overcomes his face.

“Then, come,” he calmly commands. Law gaped at Luffy, confused, his silence punctuated by the thump of his own heart, as Luffy's lips curled into a smug, triumphant smirk. “Drop the stalker act and come with me. Let’s be allies again, Traffy!” 

The hoarse, demanding tones of Luffy’s voice, still heavy with the passion of their recent encounter, cause Law to shudder; the older man responds with a bashful hiccup, a soft giggle reminiscent of a gentle melody. 

The invitation flutters gently in the cool breeze as their arms and lips meet, a soft sigh escaping them. Law can’t remember who initiated the kiss this time. Luffy doesn’t honestly want that, does he? Only the slow, precise movements of the surgeon’s tongue against his king silence Law’s racing thoughts. A soft, almost imperceptible answer breaks through Law’s throat and weakens his composure. He couldn't deny the pull of Luffy's vibrant energy, his infectious laughter echoing in Law's ears between kisses. 

“You know you wanna, Traffy,” Luffy whispers in Law’s mouth before sliding back down the tall man’s middle.

As his arousal returns like he isn’t already so damn spent, Law whimpers and moans in pitches he does not recognize, but only Luffy could elicit, and he shatters. “ Unngh —” That couldn’t be his voice that won’t shut up. No…

Yes! Luffy loves making Law sound like this—so vulnerable, so sexy. All his. So he continues his tender ministrations, milking every honeyed sound dripping down Law’s tongue. Luffy never cared that Law was stalking him, even when his crew made snarky remarks about how creepy it was. Luffy didn’t care. 

Luffy wants Law. He was always the impatient one, chasing him from Punk Hazard, through Dressrosa, and pulling him closer in Wano. The realization that Law was tailing him hit him like a physical blow; the frustration was so palpable, he could practically taste it. Law's shadow loomed underwater for months, a silent accusation against his cautious nature, the pressure building in Luffy to force him to cast aside his measured approach and embrace a bold, risky gamble. A gamble that echoed in the pounding of Luffy’s own heart.

Luffy wanted Law to chase him!

But something deep within him, a quiet, persistent voice, urged him that for once, for Law, patience, and restraint would be his most potent weapons; he could almost taste the sweetness of the payoff.

So, Luffy played along with the biggest risk he’s ever taken—to wait and do nothing. 

Law could’ve chickened out. He could’ve not taken the bait. He could’ve abandoned his courage, run away, and stayed gone forever.

But here he is. 

In a sea of sunflowers, their scent thick and sweet in the night air, Law melts beneath Luffy's kiss, the stars a glittering backdrop above, allowing Luffy to suckle his dick like Law’s his wet nurse. 

Being passive can be powerful, too.

An erotic and comforting intimacy settled over Luffy and Law; the air crackled with unspoken desires and a sense of deep connection. He leans back and sinks into the warm bath of Luffy's mouth, enveloping his manhood. Law’s skilled fingers gently caressed Luffy’s soft hair, a silent gesture of gratitude, not guidance. 

The swell of pride in Luffy’s chest, like a burning sun, made him feel invincible after his victory. Law knew he could never outrun the electrifying thrill, the potent mix of exhilaration, tenderness, and belonging that only Luffy could generate for him. A feeling of special connection, a silent understanding that Law is finally realizing Luffy has reserved only for him.

Law, his voice laced with pleasure, defiantly whispers, "Don't tell me what to do," as he pours his warm essence down Luffy's waiting throat. “Now, come on.” He pulls Luffy up to his chest and cradles him in his arms. “The meteor shower’s about to start.” 

Releasing the surrounding barrier, he whispers, barely audible over the chirping crickets, "But... I'll think about it," and kisses Luffy's forehead.

Content with life and Law’s answer, Luffy hums softly as he rubs Law’s earrings, his eyes closed. Mushing their cheeks together, he mumbles, “Mkay,” as he snuggles deeper into the blanket they share while distant footfalls crunch across the meadow. 

⚔️🪢

TO BE
CONTINUED

Chapter Text

“Dinner is served!” 

A lively and familial atmosphere fills the Sunny's galley as the Straw Hat Pirates, sans their Captain, prepare for dinner. Sanji elegantly moves among his crew, setting down wooden bowls filled with crisp salad and hot trays piled high with chicken wings. 

“Ooh, Sanji! What is it?”

“Pizza,” the chef proudly announces.

Twenty-inch pizzas are placed down the center of the banquet table. “Eat it while it’s hot!” He tips his head over to the Strawhat ladies and flashes them a blooming grin. “But if you need, I can cool it down with a gentle fan to the perfect temperature for your dining pleasure. Wouldn’t want you to burn your sweet and sensitive tongues, my fair maidens.” He winks at the two women, who are deep in quiet conversation, and Robin giggles endearingly as she waits for Sanji to place a slice of Margherita pizza on her plate. 

Nami, however, rolls her eyes and tears off a large, gooey slice of supreme pizza. “Like I was saying, Robin…” Nami says through hot, chopped breaths. Sanji chuckles and places a delicate kiss on the crown of her flowing, fiery head.

“Ooh, Sanji! Can I get the cool fan, too?” Usopp hopefully requests.

“Hell no!” Sanji barks back. “The pizza fan is only for the two beautiful ladies. Use your hot-ass breath to blow.”

“B-But…my sweet and sensitive tongue…” Usopp pleads. Sanji turns his back on Usopp’s pathetic whimpers and heads down the dining table.

Sanji places a personal pan in front of the smallest crew member. “Yay! You made cotton candy pizza for me?”

“Yup, here you go. Just like you ordered, Chopper,” Sanji affirms with a maternal smirk. “Cotton candy and jelly beans. But you, too, wait until the sugar cools. Don’t need our doctor treating his own sugar burns.”

“You got it, Sanji! Thanks!”

Usopp’s head shakes as he scoffs, protesting, “So-so-so, he gets special treatment because he's small and cute, b-but I have to lose my sense of taste? Why? Because I’m a man?”  

“Obviously." Swiping a hand fan from the counter with more force than necessary and setting it to blow over Chopper’s food, Sanji scowls at Usopp. "So, I can add a loss of appetite and two front teeth on both rows, if you'd like,” he saccharinely offers. 

Usopp jumps out of his skin. “No, I’m good! YUM! Scalding hot cheese pizza! Mmm! Thanks, Sanji!”

“Hey, Zoro, where’s Luffy?” Chopper’s gaze fell on the empty chair at the head of the long banquet table. “It’s pizza night. Luffy loves it when Sanji lets us build our pizzas.”

Zoro shrugs, already drunk and disassociated from the crew’s dining revelry. Usopp eyes him suspiciously. “You don’t know? What, did you guys have a fight or something?”

“No,” Zoro grunts, munching on a slice of seafood pizza fresh out of the oven. 

“Hm, but you’re eating your guys’ favorite pizza order,” Brook mentions as he digs into a creamy chicken curry pizza. “Luffy never misses eating that.”

Sliding half a pan of meat lover's pizza down his gullet, Franky agrees with his mouth full. “Yeah, bro! You two are SUPER into seafood pizza! I don’t get it!” 

“Wrong. Seafood is my favorite pizza order," Zoro defensively replies. "Luffy likes to steal my slices.” 

“Yo-ho-ho. I stand corrected.” Gnawing on a chicken bone, Brook leans over to Usopp and sarcastically mutters behind a bony palm, but loud enough for the entire crew to hear, “Somebody’s got a bone to pick, huh?”

Three sharp fighting swords gleam on the back wall in the fading daylight, reflecting the snickers of Brook and Usopp at the other end of the table.

But Zoro just mindlessly eats.

Jinbe opens his mouth to ask Zoro to pass the soy sauce; the mouthwatering aroma of his Fisherman’s Delight—sardines, anchovies, and seaweed on kelp pesto—fills his gills. But one whiff of Zoro’s bloodlust causes him to reconsider. Zoro attacks another steaming pizza slice, the bubbling cheese stretching the shrimp and squid between his teeth.

“I’ll…wait,” the wise helmsman mutters.

“It is rather unlike him to miss dinner. He also missed lunch and breakfast,” Robin muses.

“And dinner last night, too. The chefs at the Oikawa Restaurant were surprisingly heartbroken not to be feeding the Pirate King,” Sanji says. "It was kind of pathetic." He finally takes his seat across from Zoro, ignoring the black cloud looming over his unfriendly rival. “You’d think they’d be relieved not to be eaten out of business.”

Through happy tears and a sugar high that dilates his doe eyes, Chopper asks, nearly drooling on himself, “I wonder if we should be worried.”

“Nah.” Franky pops open a cold bottle of cola, then shakes his head. "Don't worry, the Captain's fine," The cyborg chuckles. “Don't forget, this is Luffy we're talkin’ about, and Dressrosa’s his territory.” Scattering crispy fries on another half pan of meat lover’s pizza, he drizzles buffalo sauce and ranch dressing over the potatoes and folds the concoction into a burrito. “Knowing that bloodhound nose of his, he probably found a better place to eat.”

As the notion occurs to him, Sanji nods, the motion punctuated by a swallow. “He’s still friends with King Riku and the gorgeous Princess Viola, right?”

“It’s Luffy. Of course, he is.” Nami forks her garden salad and shrugs. “They’re likely talking politics and doing whatever royals do when royals dine together,” she says, like that’s the only logical explanation.

“Luffy talking politics?” Sanji doubts with a snarky pffft! “I highly doubt that.” Robin, who’s been quietly sipping her red wine and enjoying the crew’s commentary, pulls a face at that. “What? You can’t expect me to believe Luffy would ever be patient enough to sit down for a war room briefing.”

Inspired, Usopp slams his beer mug onto the table. “No, it’s real! I overheard him discussing Revolutionary Army strategies on a call with Sabo last week. Actually, I’ve eavesdropped on a few of them…oh, don’t you guys judge me! Luffy’s brief moments of sanity, where he’s serious and smart, talking battle strategy, are few and far between! Gotta strike while the iron’s hot!” 

Usopp hastily adds a qualifier to deflect the death stares and disapproving murmurs for invading their Captain's privacy. “Also, he and Traffy used to stay up all night strategizing on our way to liberate Dressrosa.” At that, Robin smirks behind her teacup, sipping while reading a steamy romance novel.

Usopp, fully committed to his diversion, leans in, gnawing on a crust while thinking like a pirate, a captain, a god, and a king. "You know, now that I think about it, it’s making more sense. Now that he’s King of the Pirates and known as Nika's reincarnation, royals, the Revolutionary Army, and dignitaries are gonna want more of Luffy’s time. They've seen what he can do in one day to liberate an entire country."

Usopp's fired up now. The energy of what Luffy might be discussing with the key players in the pirate and political world right now. " Two days in Dressrosa sounds like the perfect time and place to discuss geopolitics with old friends, methinks! But unlike you, Sanji, I also think Luffy knows he needs to be in those meetings for his ultimate dream.” He checks his Time Dial on his wrist. “He’s been gone for, what, thirty-six hours now? I bet he’s on tour, visiting with King Riku and Princess Viola in the castle, and Kyros and Rebecca, eating them out of house and home, too. Or even the fairies. Leo captains the Totta Pirates. I wouldn’t be surprised if Luffy is already discussing the—”

With a thud, the empty whisky bottle hit the table. “Do we really need to talk about this the whole time we eat?” Impatience sharpened Zoro's voice into a snap. “It’s Luffy. He’s fine! THE END.”

(Luffy and Law are currently making up for lost time by fucking in the middle of Flower Hill.)

Sanji takes out a rinsed dish, the sound of splashing water momentarily breaking the peaceful silence. "Here, Zoro," he says, handing the plate to his left. With the dinner rush over and cleaning duty nearly done, the tired chef is more than ready for a nice and quiet nightcap, catching up with the swordsman. Something’s obviously bothering him, and he’s never been one just to come out and say what it is. The quietness of dish duty usually does the trick.

“Yeah,” the swordsman grunts, taking the plate and drying it off. The dry dishrag in his hand makes a squeaky clean sound as he swipes it across the porcelain plate.

“Here you go, Zoro.”

“Yeah.”

Sanji’s hands glide through the swirling hot water. “Here, Zoro.”

“Yeah.”

“Zoro.”

Zoro groans, “Yeah.”

“Here, Zoro.”

“Can’t you hand ‘em to me without talking, Eyebrows?”

Why does he even try? Sanji lashes out, “What’s your deal tonight, Moss Brain?” 

Zoro’s shoulders slumped, the muscles underneath his white Henley visibly tense, a sigh escaping his lips. “Sorry, I just…” Zoro intones, his voice a low, tired rumble. He flexes his dry hand, the scars yawning from the strain. 

“Not tonight, Sanji.”

⚔︎

Awakened by the sudden gleam of polished metal beneath his feet, Law steps into the echoing hallway, feeling refreshed for the first time in months. The air is cool and still, carrying a faint scent of sea and machinery, and he’s forced to squint against the bright daylight flooding in through the sub's open hatch and upper windows to see anything.  

With a deep, audible yawn, he stretches, enjoying the tight pull in his torso and back muscles, which the movement eases.

Luffy turned him every which way but loose last night, and Law isn’t made of rubber.

A startled shriek pulls Law out of his quiet solitude. But he’s not upset by the intrusion. Hell, nothing could bring Law down right now. 

Bepo whirls around, a mixture of surprise and awe in his expression. “Captain! You’re glowing. Have you been in there all morning?”

“Bepo. Just the navigator I wanted to see,” Law yawns again, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Bepo blinks, looking confused. “…Am I not your only navigator, Captain?”

Law's smile falters as Bepo's naïveté gradually overshadows his sunny mood. “You are, Bepo,” he replies through a stiff upper lip. “I just need to discuss some minor changes to our course with you.” 

Zoro has been restless all morning. 

He’s been anxiously awaiting Luffy’s return for the past two nights. That he hasn’t seen the infamous attention-seeker since their first morning in Dressrosa is giving Zoro a significant headache. He can’t even call the reckless fool because Luffy left his Transponder Snail on the breakfast counter before he rushed off the Sunny. 

“See,” Zoro snarls under his breath. “I knew I should’ve gone after that idiot.” 

It doesn’t matter that Luffy could handle himself better than anyone else on the crew, maybe even in the world. And who cares that they were docked in his territory; a swordsman should always be ready for his Captain, and for a king, his knight should always be at his right hand. Yet, for the past two days, every time someone on the crew has been looking for Luffy, they've come to Zoro. And for the past two days, every time, he's had the same answer:

'I dunno.'

He feels like a foolish first mate to shrug to his crewmembers about a topic he always has an answer to.

When he checked on Luffy the first night with his Observation Haki, he immediately sensed Luffy roaming the island. Then it abruptly vanished for the rest of the night. Zoro almost ran to the Flower Hill right then and there, but Captain’s Orders rang in his ears and nailed his feet to the ship. However, the disappearance was only for a split second, and Zoro can still sense Luffy.

Though his whereabouts make little sense to Zoro, he knows his Captain isn’t alone, and he hasn’t been alone since the first evening in Dressrosa. If only there weren’t a block in his perception! 

There's this... barrier, some blinder preventing Zoro’s Haki from sensing whoever Luffy’s been with, and it seriously pisses him off. If he ever finds out whoever put it up, he’s going to slice their ass like roast beef.

Also… not to sound overly whiny or entitled (Zoro slams down the alloy one-ton dumbbell.) But—

Luffy said he had a surprise for him! 

It’s not wrong of him to expect the surprise to have come on the same day. It’s not.

However, Luffy hasn’t returned once in two days bearing gifts or otherwise, and Zoro’s stomach is churning with emotions he doesn’t even know how to process. He’s been grouchy, though, for both unbearable days, sword-training and drinking his pathetic sorrows away. He doesn’t understand why he feels like he’s been stabbed in the gut, sliced open for his entrails to fall out, but it’s confusing. 

He woke up this morning, the third day, without a single trace of Luffy apart from small pulses of his Haki, with panic bubbling inside him. He’s been pacing the deck since sunrise, his face molded into his fiercest scowl. 

He's beyond stressed; his fingers twitch near his scabbards as his primal instincts battle his fear of disobeying his Captain's orders to rush to Luffy's aid.

What if Luffy needs me? What if he got into a fight on his way back to the docks and needed backup, but now he’s been captured and is being restrained with sea prism stone?

As if overhearing Zoro’s racing thoughts, Nami slowly approaches him with a catlike yawn. She takes a sip from the steaming teacup and places it back on the saucer cradled in her hand. 

“Luffy’s Transponder Snail is sleeping,” she says as if she’s merely talking to the wind. Zoro stands like a statue beside her, too stubborn to reveal his fears. “So…” she continues, more pointedly, “He’s fine. Probably still sleeping wherever he chose to crash. Probably up in a tree somewhere. So, stop worrying. He knows how to take care of himself. You said it yourself.”

It’s a chink in his stoic armor, but it’s Nami, so he allows his mask to slip a little. “B-But… It’s been two days. What if—”

The vulnerability cracks through Zoro’s dry throat before his brain can remind him he’s talking to Nami, so he turns his back on her knowing smirk. “What if he’s lost?” His voice breaks on his strained words, daring not to make eye contact with the navigator's all-seeing gaze. “What if he needs me?” His voice barely rises above the playfully crashing waves.

Nami winces at the faint helplessness in Zoro's voice. She understands the first mate's anxiety. He worries constantly about Luffy. But that’s nothing new. Since reuniting after the crew’s two years apart, Nami has gradually noticed Zoro's growing unease and silent struggles whenever Luffy is out of sight for too long, even when fully trusting Luffy's plans to split up. It got worse after they learned about what truly happened in Impel Down and at Marineford from the horse's mouth.

Extracting the story from Luffy felt like unclogging a blocked drain after Egghead, when the crew officially met Nika. However, as soon as they did, the entire crew immediately regretted it. They knew the little Luffy had shared with them barely scratched the surface of what he'd endured to rescue and (ultimately fail to) save Ace. But they couldn't handle it. The details were too gruesome, too grotesque. Like a blood-and-gore horror and psychological thriller rolled into one, but it was their young captain's very real life. The poisonings, the freezing to hypothermic levels, the multiple near-deaths, the ocean, the death, the fire, the lava... No one but Jinbe could fathom it, let alone fill in the blanks in Luffy's memory as he recounted his harrowing experiences, as if reading a Sunday newspaper comic strip. Everyone felt even more helpless listening to Luffy than when they first learned of Ace's death in their separate lands.

But Zoro took it the worst.

That's when the crew's weekly sleepovers with Luffy began so that they could heal their emotional wounds together. Each crew member also chose one weekly activity that they could do to spend quality time with Luffy in their special ways.

Zoro chose shaving.

However, over the past two days, Zoro's five o'clock shadow looks like overgrown moss, and he's become very irritable and edgy—an unpredictable force ready to lash out at any innocent bystander on the ship who might trigger his pent-up fear and anxiety. 

Usually, that trigger is Sanji, but Nami can’t keep allowing that. 

“If he is lost, brother, you’re the last Strawhat to go out to find him.” She gently teases him as she takes another slow, careful sip of her tea, her watchful gaze never leaving Zoro’s tense back. She reads his body language as the muscles, exposed and sweaty from working out, breathe with stress. 

Zoro spins back to glower at her. “My Observation Haki works just fine with him, and you know it.”

She inches closer and wraps her free hand around his biceps, giving the muscle a light grip. “OK…” Nami sighs and clicks her tongue against her teeth. “But when has Luffy ever needed any of us to find his way back to the Sunny, hm? He’s fine, Zoro, and will be back before you know it. He’s just…” 

Nami doesn’t want to lie or pacify her crewmate, but she doesn’t know what Luffy’s been up to for the past two days that would keep him away from his crew for two days. But Luffy did solo side quests all the time; it’s how he found the One Piece on Laugh Tale. 

“…Taking time for himself. We’re a rowdy crew, even for our tireless Captain. Maybe he’s recharging in solitude.”

Zoro rolls his eyes at his only girl best friend since Kuina. “Tsk. Do you even know who you’re referring to?”

Her short patience already wearing thin, Nami lovingly drags Zoro towards the galley. “Come on. Let’s get something in you before we raise anchor. You’ve been drinking like a fish since you woke up, and Sanji’s making onigiri and sashimi for lunch—your favorite,” she convincingly coaxes him out of the sun and inside.

Deep within the Heart Pirates' submarine, a polar bear Minx stands at the heart of the former naval control room. "OK, got it!" Bepo gives a confident nod at his notes. "These changes aren’t minor, but I can figure it out with no problem, Captain! We’ll leave whenever you say the word!” He salutes Law, seated below him at a workbench.

Law finishes the rest of his lukewarm coffee, accepting the subtle, snarky remark. He’s just given his best friend and first mate more work than he bargained for on a Saturday in sunny Dressrosa, and it would cut his vacation short. “Thanks, Bepo. You’re the best. I knew I could count on you.” 

But is it bad that Law doesn’t feel bad at all for doing it?

He stands to leave the control room and, hopefully, cuddle up in bed with his drooling human body pillow for another hour before he truly needs to get up for their last day of this fluffy slice of life tryst.

“So…” Bepo gently singsongs.

Law’s eyes slowly glance over his shoulder at his navigator. “So, what?”

“What’s up with you and Straw Hat?”

Law’s heart races as he nervously shuffles the papers before him. “What do you mean?”

Bepo sees right through the bluff and gestures a claw at his copious navigation notes. “All this. Are we back in an alliance with the Straw Hats, Captain? Are you and Straw Hat—” 

“No,” Law flatly rejects Bepo's insinuations. “We’re just kickin’ it. As friends do.”

“Uh-huh,” Bepo sounds unconvinced—his nose wriggles with a sniff. 

“What now, Bepo? Why are you making that ugly face?”

“Because you reek, Law,” the polar bear flatly replies.

Shame flares in Law's chest as he leans back in his chair, deeply offended. He sneers, “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m sorry, Law, but—Gosh!” Bepo, plugging his nose with his paws, shakes his head apologetically but still speaks his truth. “I tried to ignore it while we talked shop, but we’re done with that, and I can’t take it anymore. You smell like you’re marinated in hairless human mating skunk, and it stinks. Like love.”

Law heads towards the doorway. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“You like him again, don’t you?” 

Bepo's voice, with its smug and knowing tone, stops Law in his tracks. An embarrassed blush, a tomato-red tide spreads across the Captain’s face and neck, and he’s relieved to no longer be looking the cute and cuddly bear in the face. His answer is low and unbelievable to both ears: 

“Not in the way you’re trying to imply. No.”

“Mm-hmm. So, these changes of course have nothing to do with you spending all your time in Dressrosa with a certain pirate king in a straw hat, then?”

“It… We… I— OH, SHUT UP!” 

Law slams the control room door behind him, haunted by his best friend’s chuckles echoing behind him as he escapes the scrutiny he’s put on his clandestine romance. Reopening the control room door, his best friend watches with amusement as Law rushes back to his quarters.

“Tell the Pirate King I said good morning!”

⚔︎

When Luffy returns to the Thousand Sunny, none of his crew members know. 

He just suddenly springs out of the sleeping quarters’ hallway and onto the deck with all his usual enthusiasm, as if he’d always been there. Zoro and Nami stand at the railing, scanning the docks, stupidly blinking at their Captain like he’s an apparition of the real thing as he bounces over to join them. 

Luffy’s in a suspiciously good mood, even for him, and is exaggeratedly surprised to see another ship suddenly moored a stone’s throw from where the Sunny dropped anchor.

It’s large, yellow, and black, obnoxiously emblazoned with its Jolly Roger, and Nami can’t believe her eyes. She’s certain the vessel wasn’t there before lunch. The East Blue trio is currently emotionally fractured.

Luffy crackles with joy. “NO WAY! TRAFFY’S HERE?” (His acting deserves an award.)

A confused, “What?” is all Zoro could manage; the reappearance of the man missing for forty-eight hours still sinking in. 

“LUFFY!” Nami screeches, gaping at him as he slaps them on the back. “When the hell did you get here?”

Luffy bounds onto his favorite position on the ship’s figurehead, and glances back at his confused navigator, face beaming, as he thinks. “Mmm… like, an hour ago?” His disposition remains unfazed and shameless as he turns his giggling attention on the Substitute, now docked next to the Sunny. 

Luffy neglects to tell them that Law teleported him back to his private quarters after fucking, feeding, and filling him up all morning, in no particular order. He also doesn’t inform them that this run-in with Law in Dressrosa was intentional—the result of a little experiment Luffy had been conducting to confirm his suspicions. 

The older Captain was following him around the New World.

However, their spontaneous rendezvous was beyond his planning capabilities. So, he keeps that tidbit to himself, as well. Luffy could never have orchestrated such an amazing, sensual two-day escape. 

('I could,’ Nika winks in Luffy’s mind. ‘Meh! Whatever,’ Luffy sticks out his tongue right back.)

But Luffy had a fucking ball. He couldn’t deny how much fun he had in Law’s company—sexually and otherwise. His body is humming with electricity. Those two days and this morning with Law were everything Luffy needed.

He didn’t know he wanted it until now. 

He and Law never discussed keeping their dynamic from their crews, but Luffy wants to keep this part of his life to himself. Apart from Zoro, his crew still thinks he’s a virgin, and he’s in no rush to correct their misguided assumptions of his sexual innocence or experience. He gets all warm and giddy about the thrill of having such a salacious secret shared between the two captains. 

It turns him on: a secret treasure just for Luffy—not the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, not the Warrior of Liberation, or the Pirate King. So, it’ll be easier to fib here and there and keep his life with Law all to himself.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t about to have fun hiding in plain sight! Luffy thrives off chaotic mischief, and the thought of secretly fucking around with Law again gives him an adrenaline rush.

“Sanji!”

Sanji kicks down the door and steps out of the galley to find Luffy bouncing on the balls of his feet on the ship’s figurehead. “What?!”

“We’re having a BIG FEAST for our last night in Dressrosa. Tonight!” 

“Fine by me, Captain,” Sanji nods with an excited grin. “What’s the occasion, and is there a guest of honor? The lovely princesses Viola and Rebecca, perhaps?” He clasps his hands and swoons with his heart in his eyes.

“Nahhh.” Luffy relaxes on the bow of the Sunny, flashing his usual grin as he points to the Substitute in all its bumblebee-of-the-sea glory. “The Heart Pirates are our guests of honor!”

With the warm glow of lanterns illuminating the Thousand Sunny's galley, the Heart Pirates join the Straw Hat Pirates for a feast for the first time since Wano. The extravagant spread of succulent meats, savory stews, roasted vegetables, and freshly baked Dressrosa bread—all expertly prepared by the Strawhat chef himself. He spared no expense and cut no corners. The galley’s air buzzes with laughter, and the clinking of glasses over the wood-paneled banquet tables pushed together into a large square. The two crews enjoy their lively reunion dinner, the satisfied sounds of eating good food mingling with the various dishes’ delicious smells.

Their cheerful chatter is a cacophony of playful arguments and petty jokes. Shachi and Penguin are commentating a slap-boxing contest between Franky and Zoro, with Jinbe presiding as their referee, judging impartially and calling out every infraction to fair play. Chopper is watching like a helicopter doctor in case of any serious injuries. (The two heavy-handed pirates may suffer all they like, but let it be known that Chopper hates when the crew plays this physically destructive game.)

As dinner progresses, Sanji moves effortlessly from stove to stove, counter to table, person to person, balancing heavy plates and full pitchers in both hands with ease. As the host of his domain, he ensures that every pirate has enough of everything and is enjoying their meal, snapping at the men for being men and eating like animals—especially Zoro and Luffy—and regaling the three lovely women with whatever their hearts and taste buds desire. 

But it evolves into a symphony of cozy camaraderie and tearful nostalgia by the time dessert arrives. 

At the corner of the table, Brook sings a happy-go-lucky sea shanty he’s been composing, with Shachi and Penguin singing along—and they don’t sound half bad. Nami and Bepo are deeply engrossed in discussing navigation charts and weather patterns, comparing notes. Robin and Law, in their harmonious, low, and contemplative tones, are deeply engaged across the table in a conversation about Robin’s research progress on the ancient ruins she discovered on Laugh Tale. Usopp and Ikkaku are focused on keeping their hair battle-ready, swapping hair care tips on achieving the perfect wash-and-go and two-strand twists.

As for Luffy?

He’s been at the head of the table, gorging himself on every single decadent dish Sanji presents. A smile hasn’t left his face since Law came aboard. He stuffs his face with both hands, bouncing in his seat with hums of satisfaction and giggles of delight, like he’s living the best life ever. 

Only the two captains know about the exquisite, agonizing torture Luffy’s small, sun-kissed toes are inflicting on the Heart Pirates captain’s crotch right under Law’s meager plate.  

And Law would like to keep it that way, as Luffy’s left foot is crossed in his lap, and stretched comfortably to Law’s growing bulge on his right. His toes carelessly play footsie with Law while he’s giggling and merrily eating his heart out. Although it is Law’s fault for manspreading, Luffy effortlessly breaks Law’s attempts at crossing his legs, no matter how hard the latter tries to maintain a gentlemanly posture. The best he’s able to do is scoot himself so close to the table that Robin can’t see the impropriety of his current condition.

Externally, the guest captain has schooled his sharp, apathetic gaze onto Robin as she delves into her extensive research knowledge with calm confidence, into a purposefully engrossed look to mask the overwhelming surge of arousal pooling like hot lava in his core. Internally? Law has been reduced to a giggling simp over how good life is right now. 

He continues to appear too enthralled with the research findings about the “Will of D” that Robin is recounting from their time on Laugh Tale. With the sliver of lucidity he’s clenching onto, Law is disappointed in Robin’s research findings. 

“There must be more meaning to its significance. Surely, there is a synchronicity between all these things that the research is missing.” 

However, the rest of Law’s sanity is slipping on its last thread.

Luffy isn’t playing fair, and now Law is leaning, folding his torso over the table too much to be comfortable, rendered helpless to Luffy’s relentless foot job. The aching arousal knotting in his sacral chakra makes him want to bite off his tongue. 

It’s a Herculean effort, but Law musters every ounce of his strength to stay composed and listen to Robin. “Wow…” he strains through gritted teeth, leaning his head on his fist, his brows knitting at Robin as if he’s hanging onto every thousand-berry word the scholar says. 

Law doesn’t know what crime he committed against Luffy to deserve this cruel punishment, but he’ll happily accept his mistreatment. He’s just hoping, praying, that Luffy’s end goal isn’t to make him cum off of a foot job in the middle of dessert and their crews. Public humiliation isn’t one of his preferred kinks.

So, he concentrates on Robin’s thorough responses to questions he doesn’t remember asking, determined to be distracted from the sweet torture being inflicted on him by his secret lover. 

But Law can’t hear a damned thing Robin is so eloquently explaining over his throbbing heart beating in his eardrums and his blood rolling heat down to his crotch.

His eyes briefly flare at Luffy, whose focusing his big toe on Law’s cockhead. Aw, great. Now, Law’s a ticking time bomb, ready to explode. 

Groaning behind his bitten fist, he barely croaks, “Mmm, you don’t say?” to something he’s confident Robin didn’t say.

His conversation partner's still gaze notices Law's strange body language. She quirks a brow. “Are you doing all right, Doctor?” 

Feeling caught, Law snaps his head toward her. “Hm? Oh. Yes. It's just a little indigestion,” he murmurs. He doesn’t even believe himself. He gives Robin a withering smile from behind his mug, his hand trembling as he attempts a sip of coffee. 

Piss-poor timing! Coffee dribbles down his goatee after an impressive set of wiggling toes tickles Law’s balls.

THE INFURIATING THING ABOUT LUFFY is that his playful toe jabs feel completely thoughtless, as if his brain isn't connected to his toes. The wiggling hints at a knowing invitation, but Luffy seems oblivious to his inappropriate touching of Law under the table, and shows no intention of stopping. 

That’s why the next time a smooth, extended index toe brushes against the bulge in Law's bursting jeans, he discreetly moves his hand under the table. The sound of Law grabbing Luffy's ankle—a dull thump under the table—makes both men jerk violently. And since both men are secretly filthy degenerates for each other, Luffy’s toes reflexively react by clamping onto Law’s crotch, and…

Law instantly cums in his pants.

He disappears from the galley just as fast.

The entire dinner party goes quiet and looks to the far end of the table. “Wait. What just happened?” Nami suspiciously eyes the space beside Luffy. “Where’d Traffy go?”

The sudden disappearance catches Luffy off guard, leaving him confused and suddenly aware of his surroundings. He blushes as he glances at Robin. She suppresses her giggles behind her hand, her quiet amusement clearly aimed at him. “Uh… I dunno,” he stammers, his situational awareness dawning on him at once. 

“I’ll go check on him,” Bepo offers as he rises.

“NO!” Luffy hops out of his seat, frantic. On his left, sitting beside Sanji, Zoro stops eating and stares intently at his Captain. Others suspiciously watch Luffy, too. Luffy’s mind races for words. “Um, I think it…it was something I said.” 

Slowing his chewing, Sanji eyes him skeptically. "You haven't spoken all dinner." Luffy’s eyes pop.

"Of course," Usopp scoffs, rolling his eyes, “That would be the reason Traffy would've bolted like that, to escape Luffy. Nice to see he hasn’t changed after all this time, but it’s a shame we can’t even get through a single dinner without Luffy pissing that grumpy man off.” 

The Heart Pirates exchange subtle, knowing smirks but keep their mouths shut. They’re not even sure what happened, but they know their captain. 

Luffy, though, plays along with Usopp's misguided confidence. Smacking his forehead, he laughs, “Right! I’m so annoying. Ugh, how do you guys put up with me? Hehe!” 

“Trust me, we don’t know, either,” Nami agrees, returning to her apple à la mode.

“I…” Amused by Law's melodramatic display, Luffy shakes his head, cackling, and leaps from his seat. Quickly wiping blueberry pie filling and fudge from his face, he runs to the door, unintentionally snorting, “I’ll go suck—” 

The word dies in his throat. His face flushes, his eyes wide with shock and horror as he peeks over his shoulder to see who's looking. 

They all are.  

“Heh—I mean, check on him!”

 He rushes out of the galley, his departure watched only by a pair of steely grey eyes.

Shaking his head, Sanji mutters under his breath, “Those two are so fucking weird.”

⚔︎

“Ah! Luffy! Stop using Armament Haki! Slap-boxing isn’t supposed to end in a total knockout, you know!” Usopp complains through stinging tears as he blows on his battered and bruised knuckles.

Luffy tilts his head in genuine confusion, trembling with laughter. “Says who?” A loud thwack meets the back of Usopp’s hand. Usopp leaps five feet in the air.

“Yeow! We are not beasts in the wild!” 

“You’re not. I AM!” Luffy cackles, his mouth wide.

Usopp throws out his limp arms. “Argh! Just forget it! You’re right, you are an animal! But you won’t give me another bruise or broken bone, I tell you what! Juh- Just go slap-box with Zoro…” 

Usopp points to the crow’s nest, but his sharp eyesight darts around the moonlit deck at lightning speed. “Or, abuse Traffy over there and leave my feeble bones alone!”

“Sorry, Usopp!” Luffy giggles, his attention already fixed on Law the instant Usopp went sailing to the moon. 

On the upper deck, Law, engrossed in a book about wandering, sits at the picnic table beneath Nami's tangerine tree. The captain, lost in thought, ignores the noisy pirates below.

But barely a second passes after Luffy's "Traffy!" before the air about him and Usopp shifts dramatically. 

Usopp watches in disbelief (and pain) as Luffy disappears from before his very eyes and reappears a level above, right in front of Law on the wooden table, leaving a coffee-stained mug in his best bud’s previous location. He can’t see when Luffy immediately slides into Law’s lap, but he murmurs under his breath, “Damned Devil Fruit users and their flashy displays of power!” As he stomps away, nursing his bruised knuckles, he continues grumbling, “That’s why the sea rejects you damn demons. Yeah, well, I’ll show you all my flashy displays of sniper power with my special star attacks. Off to invent, I go!”

Law watches Usopp out of the corner of his eye as the sniper mumbles to himself and leaves the deck with a quick, determined huff. “Your sniper is still so weak and whiny.”

With a soft chuckle, arms lacing around Law’s neck, Luffy presses a trail of wet kisses along Law’s jawline; the robustly roasted coconut coffee on his breath, the faint smell of sea salt from the ocean to their side, and fabric softener rising from Law’s navy blue sweater tickling his nose. "Ah, that's just Usopp being Usopp," he snickers, snuggling closer while his hands burrow deeper under Law’s sweater for warmth. “He’s strong when it counts.” 

Law gives a noncommittal grunt and holds out his hands, palms down. “I was summoned to slap-box. So, shall we?” 

But Luffy no longer wants to play that game. “Nope.” He slides closer to Law, pressing their chests impossibly close. 

“I just spent the better part of two hours watching you force everyone else to play this silly game with you, but when it’s my turn, you say no?”

Luffy looks at Law and then giggles. Under the flickering glow of the lantern beside them, Law appears remarkably handsome, with shadows highlighting his smoldering eyes. “Mm-hmm.” 

“I’m offended, Straw Hat.”

“Mmm…” Drawing closer, Luffy nuzzles against Law's neck, inhaling deeply at his pulse point. Law’s natural aroma is sweet and sharp like cool mint packed under the earthiness of rich coffee grounds and Nami’s homegrown weed. 

“It’s so cute when you scowl like that. Sexy, too. You’re so pretty, Traffy,” he slurs his words as his hands glide down the taller man’s toned thighs. "But I'm bored with that game now."

Law is flummoxed by being showered with so many compliments and how enamored Luffy looks at him, so he looks away. “But I was looking forward to beating you,” he complains as Luffy’s hands travel between his thighs.  

Luffy’s stormy greys darken with wanton desire as he makes their lips meet a hair's breadth apart. “You wouldn’t have,” he wickedly replies. Law tries to capture Luffy’s lips even though he’s self-conscious that they’re being too bold out in the open on Luffy’s ship, but Luffy turns away. 

“But you can slap my ass while I’m riding your pretty face, Traffy, and we’ll call it even,” he promises in Law’s right ear, flicking his tongue across the shell before capturing one of his gold hoops in his teeth. 

“We just had sex after dessert. How are you still so horny?”

Luffy shakes his head, nonplussed. “That was over two hours ago. I’m hungry again.”

“You’re so greedy. You’re a bottomless pit, Lu-ya.”

“Yeah? Wanna see how much?” 

Shuddering at the thought of deep-throating Luffy while squeezing those voluptuous mounds of flesh, Law comes to his senses. He glances back at the crow’s nest in clear view.

“Who’s on night watch?” 

Luffy keeps feeling up Law, showing no concern about them getting caught. “Mmm… Chopper. But Zoro’s with him.”

He holds Luffy’s hands in his lap, pinning down ten wiggling fingers. “Straw Hat, what are we doing?” The ocean waves slosh and crash lazily across the dark expanse. Seabirds punctuate the silence with their caws as Law searches Luffy’s eyes under the moonlight for answers. 

But Luffy will not be so easily deterred from his childish game. “I think this is called foreplay,” he grunts, trying to rip his hands away to reach Law’s crotch.

Law clears his throat, suddenly feeling very self-aware of his emotions. “No.” Law fortifies his grip against Luffy’s strength. Dropping his pitch, he becomes deliberate in speech. 

“I mean, what are we doing? Why do we do this back and forth? I’m not complaining, I rather enjoy our sexual chemistry, but I am curious since we’re acting so boldly on your ship where anyone could catch us.” He clears his throat again, working down the anxiety mounting within him. “You know, as your friend.”

“I don't care. I like when we play together, Traffy. Weren’t the last two days fun?”

Luffy doesn't care? OK, then, Law thinks. Then neither will he. “They were,” he admits. “But, that’s it? Because we play and have fun?”

“Yup!” Luffy yanks a hand free and rushes to unbutton Law’s pants. 

Fighting against Luffy’s resistance, Law is surprised by the irritation he feels. “Tsk. Straw Hat, are you a child?”

Luffy stills in Law’s lap and flickers his cogent gaze into Law’s eyes. “No, I’m not. I am, however, grown enough to stop. Is that what you’d like, Traffy?” He can feel Law’s heart racing through his chest. “Hm?” Luffy intones, scrutinizing Law’s scowling face. “I like touching you, but I can stop.”

Law is locked in place, his resolve to resist quickly slipping away. “That’s why you were playing footsie under the dinner table?”

“Ha! I already told you I didn’t realize I was doing it! That was not on purpose. You didn’t have to respond to a free foot job like you did,” Luffy pouts. “So, can you gimme back my… You know …” Luffy makes a shy, uncomfortable face.

“I would, but it’s not on me,” Law flippantly replies, his shoulders raising in feigned apology. 

The wicked grin on his face feels like a challenge. “You’re lying, Traffy. But it’s OK. I like it!” He rumbles and easily breaks free of Law’s stronghold to cup Law’s cheeks. His sideburns smooth against Luffy’s skin. 

“So, do you want me to stop? No more sex with Traffy?”

Law’s grip on Luffy’s wrists tightens. “No, I…” Law didn’t exactly plan to have this conversation right now, but with Luffy being so audacious with his affections, he needs to scratch this mental itch. “So, we’re just having casual sex? Shut up. Don’t answer that. I think I know now.”

But Luffy doesn’t obey. “Mmm… I wouldn’t call it casual sex.”

“But you said we were playing.”

“Yeah, playing, as in having fun, but I don’t know if I’d use the word you used.” Luffy angles his head, and his confusion is captured by the kerosene lantern glowing on the picnic table. “It doesn’t sound right. I like being around you even when we’re not having sex. So, I think, we’re more, I don’t know…closer than casual?”

Sea air fills the depths of Law’s lungs as he registers Luffy’s words. He exhales shakily into his question. “Then, tell me, what do these…intimate moments between us mean to you?”

Luffy shakes his head, a frown tugging at his lips as uncertainty clouds his usually bright eyes. “I…don’t know, Law. I’ve never really thought about it.”

Law's forehead rests on Luffy's, and Luffy’s straw hat brushes against Law's forehead. “Never?” 

Their breaths mingle as Luffy shakes his head, a faint scent of sweet and savory and sweat filling the infinitesimal space between them. While Law’s heart hammers in his chest and his thoughts race like a Sea Train, a silent moment, a comforting stillness, settles between them, punctuated only by the steady rhythm of their shared shallow breaths and barely-there kisses. 

Luffy’s sturdy presence on his lap is a palpable sense of calm amidst the storm in Law’s mind. He shoots his shot. “So, is this just a fling, Mugiwara-ya?” A blush creeps up Luffy’s neck. Gently, Law prompts further, brushing their lips, “Hm? Is there nothing more connecting us?”

As Law's pressing questions pin him down, Luffy tries to answer; he really tries to explain himself. 

But he’s flustered and stammering, “N-No, I-I don’t know. I don’t know what it…it’s not just a fling. You're..." his breath catches, a tremor running through his words. "Traffy, you are more than just a toy or a game to me. But—” His voice catches in his throat as his eyes search Law's face for what to say. 

Law offers a subtle smile. His head slightly tilts, a thoughtful expression softening his features. His voice tinged with curiosity, Law pulls back just enough to meet Luffy’s eyes. “Then, there is more?” His incisive gaze penetrates Luffy's confounded expression, their intensity making Luffy uneasy.

Suddenly, his stomach is in knots.

Suddenly, his emotions are too complex.

Suddenly, his mouth doesn’t know what to say.

But honesty is all Luffy knows. 

Flailing his arms out in exasperation, “I–” his eyes squeeze shut. Luffy whines, “ARGH! I don’t know! Lemme think!” 

He clenches his chin, his mind blank; he hasn’t thought about what he wants with Law. What they had was great and worked for them, and their friendship was precious to him, too; he never wanted to lose it again. He points a defensive finger between Law’s eyes. “You think about it, too, Traffy!”

Law smirks as he playfully crosses and uncrosses his eyes, rubbing his hands down his crush's torso.

"I don’t need to.”

“Wh-” Luffy gasps, fumbling over himself. His lips pucker, unconvinced. “How-how can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve always thought about you this way.” The unexpected resolve in Law's confession stuns Luffy; he slumps back, speechless. As if he said nothing at all, Law yawns and unhurriedly lets Luffy’s waist go. “Listen, I’m heading to bed. Think it over, let me know.” He chastely kisses Luffy’s broad forehead—a kiss of friendship. 

Leaning back to pull away, when Luffy refuses to let go, Law quips, “So, are we going back to my ship, or…”

The dying embers of the lantern cast a soft glow on Luffy's face as he gazes up at Law, his eyes sparkling with wonder. He doesn’t understand the tingling sensation on the left side of his chest, or the tidal wave of gratitude crashing over him so intensely his vision blurs with tears. 

“You still want me around?” he sniffles, unsure of why he’s crying.

“Of course, I do, you silly Monkey.” 

Law flicks his fingers, secretly returning Luffy’s stolen treasure. 

Though the ebb and flow of rejection rocks their friendship’s boat, and emotional confusion hangs heavy in the air, suffocating their little clandestine bubble, neither captain lets go. A complex bond, a tangled mess of unspoken emotions and instant trust, trusses Luffy and Law together, their limbs intertwined at the picnic table under the cloak of a starry night. 

Warm and reassuring, their silent hug soothes their separate confusion and offers them both the comfort of two extremes finding balance in their opposites. Law, holding the sun in his arms beneath the pale glow of the moon, understands this perfectly; a stark contrast, yet strangely harmonious.

Luffy is unsure of the extent of his feelings for Law, but he trusts Law's affections for him. As guarded as Law comes across, his intrinsic kindness and the joy of seeing him smile this much are so undeniable. Even Luffy can feel it, and he likes how it feels to be this close to the shy captain. 

Suddenly, his heart aches.

Suddenly, his thoughts are a tangled mess.

Suddenly, his gut doesn’t know what to do.  

But simplicity is all Luffy knows. 

“Then, nah. Tonight, you’re staying with me. I miss cuddling with you in my bed.”

A tender smirk crinkles the corners of his eyes as Law nods, his fingers flexing to expand. A subtle smile plays against his soft lips as he whispers, “Room,” as if signaling both his power and predilection for privacy. The pulsating blue energy orbs around the Sunny, humming with a low thrum of Haki that vibrates in his chest. In the next breath, Law utters, “And, Shambles.”

The command echoes, whisking the Pirate King and his paramour through the expanse of space and time. 

⚔︎

Luffy pounces on Law in the very next blink, straddling the taller man's smaller waist, and pinning the surgeon in place with his powerful thighs. The shift between the fabric of dimensions Law’s Devil Fruit power slices through no longer disorients Luffy’s senses; it’s a fun trip every time. He cuffs Law’s wrists with his domineering grip like a big cat mulling over its prey.

Luffy’s bedroom is much larger than Law’s. His bed is wider, bigger, more sturdy, and comfortable, and while it’s been a long time since he last lay in it, Law feels right at home. Luffy's coconut and musk bedsheets, the multiple doom piles of candy wrappers, clothes, and cute little beetle postcards from the islands they've sailed to are tacked along the woodgrain walls. The languid aquamarine glow of the ship’s aquarium makes him feel like he’s back in his beloved Polar Tang.

A fleeting kiss, light as a feather, meets Law's lips before Luffy pulls away, a broad smile splitting his face. “Welcome back, Traffy,” he purrs. With a ravenous snarl, Law orders Luffy to kiss him again, and Luffy's swift obedience earns them both a sweet reward. 

It’s a frenzied makeout session—a sloppy tangle of slick tongues, clashing teeth, soft lips, and eager mouths. Luffy pins Law under his body weight, moving his lips to Law's neck, causing Law to suck in air. His teeth trace the outlines of the fading hickies he left behind, dotting his collarbone and running along his neck.

“Is it bad that I was sad none of our crews mentioned the ruby necklace I gave you? I wanted them to see how pretty you look bejeweled to me.” His lips lock onto the taut, unbruised flesh on Law’s jugular. “Like right now.” 

Law’s breath hitches with each pelvic grind that Luffy administers to punctuate his sucking words. His groin throbs with increasing arousal. He doesn’t have the wherewithal to resist the temptress on top of him. 

“Mmh…” is all he can muster out of his heaving chest.

“Next time, wear your white tank, not this.” Luffy’s slick tongue burns a path up Law’s jaw and into his ear as he pulls off Law’s sweater and tosses it carelessly to the side. His tongue traces the contours of Law's ear, and the captive man submits to Luffy cleaning it out. Luffy knows Law’s ears are an intense erogenous zone for him, and he takes pleasure in the shivers running through Law's body with each warm, breathy lick.  

Luffy lets go of one wrist and grips Law’s jaw to face him. “Why are you hiding from me, Traffy?” He grunts, eyes smoldering with lust as he studies Law’s flushed face. “You are so fucking beautiful. The light patches on your skin look so creamy. Makes me wanna lick you up.” 

Every statement is affirmed with a passionate kiss that triggers a deep moan from Law, utterly helpless to Luffy’s exploration of his throat. His hand now gripping Law’s throat, Luffy runs his other hand down Law’s torso. “And your slutty waist. I fucking love gripping your slutty little waist, Traffy,” he purrs, leaning down to capture Law’s soft lips before going lower. “But, you needa eat more. You’re nothing but muscle and bones.”

Capturing the beads of Law’s sweat running down his torso with his tongue before going lower, Luffy flicks his dark eyes up to make sure Law's watching him. 

The sudden eye contact leaves Law knocking his head back, hissing over the heat Luffy's mouth left behind on the trail of kisses, melting into Luffy’s soft mattress. “Ngh–ah,” he wantonly breathes, "Luffy-ya." 

Embarrassed and aroused by the close attention, Law moans into the dark quarters, melting into Luffy’s soft mattress. He needs to regain his composure. It will not be twice in one night that his humiliation at the hands of Luffy will make him cum untouched. Nope. 

Law props his knees up, and his nature rises between them. Above his hips, he can feel Luffy getting hard, too. He reflexively bucks his hips, in search of some delicious friction, and the powerful motion jerks Luffy forward, rolling his ass over Law’s growing bulge. The jolt sends Luffy’s arms scrambling for stability, caging Law’s head in on both sides of the bed for purchase. Excitement ripples through both men as their hips rock rhythmically against each other. 

Luffy captures Law's hard nipple between his lips, sucking and licking up his spit, coating the nub. He seductively flicks his eyes at Law and breathes, “Can I?” Grinding against Law’s hardness, his desire is clear. Before abruptly tugging at Law's gold earrings and withdrawing, Luffy follows up with a toe-curling, “Baby?”

The ear pull’s stinging sensation sends a spike of blood straight to Law’s dick as he watches Luffy sit back on the pressure, still awaiting his lover's consent. He's been riding the high of Nami's newest Indica hybrid, Bell-mère, since crew game night, which has turned his body into a lazy river. He's enjoying Luffy taking the lead as he floats along.

Because Law's mind is mushy peas.

But he manages to nod in agreement slowly.

"Say yes, or no, Law."

"Yes," Law says with a loose tongue.

Luffy gets to work, and Law watches everything in slow motion. His heavy-lidded gaze and labored breaths focus on Luffy's vigorous unbuckling of his belt, as if it were a surrealist art piece. The cerebral hybrid of the weed kicks in, sharpening his mind with more incisive thoughts. 

He's really struggling with that belt. How cute.  

“Grr–ahh! Why do you even wear these big, stupid buckles, Traffy?” 

Lifting his hips, Law lazily chuckles, not even searching for the right words to say. He slips a hand between them. Luffy’s eyes follow, expecting Law’s next move to be to help him. However, Law’s hand doesn’t go to the buckle but slips into his front pocket. He removes his hand to reveal he’s a gold wrapper.

Luffy glances between Law and the wrapper. He snickers, “What’s that for?”

“Penetrative sex. It’s a condom.”

Luffy garbles, somewhat offended, “I know it’s a condom, Law! I’m made of rubber, remember?” He rolls his eyes. “But why do we need it? I’m made of rubber, remember?” He laughs.

Law makes a face of his own. “To use?” He extends the wrapper to Luffy, but the younger man doesn’t take it. "It's for you to wear, Luffy." But Luffy remains immovable on top of Law, just staring at the gold foil. “Protected sex is great sex,” Law mechanically adds.

Luffy gives a slight nod. “I’ll take your word for it…but we never use condoms.”

“Yeah, when we were only fucking each other. But since you and Roronoa are sexually active too, I’d rather do my due diligence.”

Luffy narrows his eyes, finding the situation humorous. “But, you used your Devil Fruit and checked me out. You said I’m good to go, remember? And Zoro’s clean, too! I mean, he rarely bathes, but he’s clean.”

Law scrutinizes Luffy's expression intently. At dinner, while settling back into being around the chaotic Strawhats after so long apart, it hit him that he had the perfect opportunity to be a scientist. Law closely observed Luffy and Zoro's interactions. His conclusion? 

“This was the right decision," he mutters under his breath.

"What?"

"Luffy," Law sighs, deeply considering Shambling himself back to his bedroom and sailing far, far away, for good—better that than this impending heartbreak. "The case for whether or not to use protection is not about being clean, or even ‘dirty’ for that matter. It’s about not passing and contracting sexually transmitted diseases and infections to your sexual partners. It’s about being safe. Healthy. I’m a doctor. Trust me.”

"I didn’t know all of that. I’ve only ever had sex with one other person besides you."

“I know. That's why I'm informing you,” Law wryly acknowledges. “And I don’t know who Roronoa’s been sexually intimate with apart from you. So, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my balls itching with sores, or puss mushrooming out of my dick.” He presents the wrapper again.

Luffy pushes it away. “Oh, ew! Gross, Traffy! Come on! Now you’re just being petty and disgusting. We’re tryna have sex here!”

“No. I’m being real, and we will,”—he shoves the condom into Luffy’s chest—"after you wear a condom. It’s the most durable and largest size brand on the market. I’m sure even you can make do, Sir Stretch-A-Lot.”

“But you can just cure whatever goes wrong with your Devil Fruit, and because you’re a doctor, right?”

A vein tightens in Law's temple. “Luffy, why are you fighting me on this?”

A sinister grin darkens his face. “What, ya’ scared?” Luffy leads Law’s hand to the moist patch between his thighs.

Law grips Luffy's pussy. “Yes! I have to keep myself safe!”

Luffy tilts his head, his brow drawing in a mixture of confusion and impatience, because Law is massaging his pussy over his jeans like he wants it to fall off the bone. A slight frown tugs at his lips. “But why, when I’m here?”

“Because it’s the mature and sexually responsible thing to do, Luffy. You can’t kick an STD’s ass like it’s Doflamingo or Kaido. Be reasonable for once in your life!” 

“Why do you keep bringing up such unsexy people and things? I’m losing my appetite,” he complains.

Law sucks his teeth, but he doesn’t budge. “Everything isn’t just about you, Straw Hat! There are also other people’s health to consider when it comes to sex. It’s about being a considerate sex partner. I know we're pirates, but it's about being ethical!”

“Stop yelling!” 

A heavy silence settles between them, thick and suffocating like a wool blanket under the summer sun that constricts their lungs, leaving them wordless. A stifling tension between strong wills crackles in the air, making their heads pound with uncertainty. Despite the overwhelming silence, their tight bond still tugs at their fluttering hearts. 

The silence between them isn’t empty, though. Oh no, it overflows like a riptide with the many secret memories they share that no one else knows. Neither man wants to let go of the new feelings their reunion has stirred up…

Whatever the two pirates are currently, neither man is willing to lose the other again. Not anymore.

So, the silence wraps around them and binds them together, caught in this confusing dance while their legs knot between the sheets. 

A burning jealousy is consuming Law, his chest constricting with each conflicted breath as the weight of his feelings for Luffy becomes almost unbearable. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, this time. He promised himself.

Luffy struggles against the pit of rejection that this conversation reveals; a gaping maw in his breastbone roaring with the chilling whispers of doubt that Law is reconsidering sailing with him, closing his heart, and drifting away once more. This new fear threatens to swallow Luffy whole; its cold, dark tendrils wrap around him, pulling him under. 

The thought of repeating the past year of separation is terrible for both Luffy and Law, leaving them frozen in stasis and unsure of what to do next. Compromise? Compete? Cut this off right now before someone, or both of them, gets hurt—again?

Luffy slumps and bites his bottom lip, eyes shifting around Law’s tense face. Searching. “Truce?” He sticks his hand out, lips pursed like someone who hates to lose.

Law shakes it. “Yeah. Sorry.” He leans up to peck Luffy's puffy cheek.

With hopeful eyes, Luffy gently reassures Law, saying, "But, you are safe with me, Traffy," his voice sincere and steady. 

Luffy knows it’s immature to complain about this, but Law’s insistence hurts his feelings. He’s been nothing but honest with Law. Even if he is confused about his feelings for him right now, he’s never deceived the other man about his intentions. Luffy likes Law so much it hurts his brain. He truly cherishes their friendship and would never deliberately do anything to hurt his best friend. The idea of doing so is simply unimaginable. “Don’t…you trust me?” He whimpers, unashamed to be reacting in this way.

(Besides, how is he, a rubber man, supposed to wear a rubber? That’s like wearing flesh on top of skin.) 

Law says nothing, simply steadying his gaze at his lover, their fingers now tightly linked, sharing another unspoken agreement.

“Prevention is better than trust, Luffy. You don’t know what you don’t know, until you know. Hell, you don’t even know what you want!”

Now, that stings. 

Law's eyes blaze with annoyance, his voice rough, “Just view prevention as trust, and put the damn condom on, Straw Hat, or get off, before you really piss me off! OW! DAMMIT, LUFFY! I TOLD YOU TO STOP BITING ME!”

"Shut up, Law," Luffy snaps, grabbing the condom wrapper and ripping it open with his teeth. Annoyed, he shoves his shorts down to put on the rubber and lets Law know, "I always know what I want."

⚔︎

Two months have passed since the Straw Hat crew’s last relaxing stretch on an island. 

Those three days dancing with Princess Viola in Dressrosa, fawning over the most beautiful women in the New World, and cooking in the palace’s kitchen felt like a past life to Sanji now. It’s been nonstop fighting for weeks. 

The crew would barely rest for over twelve hours before another round of attacks at sea or being mobbed on land again. A never-ending string of small-time pirate crews, each fueled by a misdirected inferiority complex and a misguided desire to prove Luffy's inerrancy, may be the reason he fails. These foolhardy attempts have kept the Strawhats on their toes; their enemies' arrogance is a constant, pesky annoyance nowadays. 

Luffy’s notoriety has only grown since conquering Laugh Tale, and claiming the new title of King of the Pirates put a massive target on their backs. Everyone wants a piece of the one pirate who won the One Piece race. The collective bitterness and envy from pirates, bounty hunters, and Marines alike have made their voyages stormy and violent, even when the skies are clear and bright.  

The Pirate King refuses to abdicate the throne.

Despite the increasing number of fallen enemies, Luffy’s ultimate dream is already in motion, and nothing will stop him. Their defeat serves as a grim warning, a palpable fear sweeping across the world for anyone who dares to challenge his ineffable plan.

Luffy's inherent power and undeniable magnetism are a force of nature, which is why he found the greatest treasure on earth and became Pirate King. His resolve to overthrow the current system is unwavering; he’s coming for everyone, from Akainu to Imu. The World Government doesn’t stand a chance. Those who rank below them and dare to defy him will be swiftly dealt with, too. 

Now, it’s only a matter of time before he accomplishes yet another impossible feat. With the most crucial step completed, their faith in their Captain remains strong, as Sanji and the other Strawhats know deep down that Luffy's dream is meant to shape the new world order. 

And the thrill of that reality reverberates through their conviction as they fight.  

So, the Straw Hats have been busy showing off just how capable they are at protecting their Captain and King’s dream. 

But they are worn out and drawn back by fatigue. Their clothes are dusty, frayed, and torn to pieces. Though not seriously hurt, Sanji’s body is weary. The dull ache in his muscles and scratches on his arms are a testament to the physical demands of his pirate life, a life he cherishes, even after finding the All Blue. 

And he’s not the only one. The entire crew needs time to catch their breath and rest; Brook is falling off the bone, and even Luffy looks stressed.

Even with the Heart Pirates tagging along for months and helping them win battles faster, Luffy has been doing most of the fighting, with him and Law bearing the most responsibility, as always. At the same time, he and Zoro would cover the rear and bottom feeders. It was, honestly, grunt work, and Sanji would love a few lazy days for the crew filled with the warmth of the sun, tender barbecue, and the gentle sway of a hammock in the shade of a palm tree.

However, supplies were running dangerously low, and so were the ingredients for a proper meal, let alone for two crews. As the days at sea pass without any reprieve, every rationed meal serves as a constant reminder of their dire situation.

And it claws up some painful childhood wounds in the chef tasked with feeding them all.

Then Luffy spots their current island after the Sunny accidentally encounters a Knock Up Stream.

"Everyone! We're on vacation for a week! Captain's Orders!" 

On their first night on the cloudy spring island of Dream Island, Sanji overheard some Cloudpeople in the capital talking about the upcoming opening of the farmers' market in two days near the foot of the towering, cloud-scraping Yawny Peaks mountain range. Talk about perfect timing! His attention was instantly drawn to flyers boasting local and rare goods that would be sold. 

Since then, they’ve enjoyed several meals at a luxury sleep spa and ventured around all the attractions the capital city, New Dreamland, had to offer. From the numerous upscale restaurants to casual eateries and street food, as well as sultry night lounges, sleep bars, and strip clubs they'd visited in the past few days, he learned that cloud cuisine was remarkably light in both feeling and weight, yet rich and satisfying. A successful haul would mean storing enough food to last the ship for weeks, possibly even months. 

Sanji’s heart could hardly contain the excitement of recreating dishes he enjoyed and making original recipes with new ingredients. It’s been a while since he’s been able to have fun in his kitchen. 

After fighting for so long without a break to restock, his healed starvation wounds threatened to rip wide open. He took those months of calm sailing for granted. What a fool he was! Now, the guilt he feels whenever he remembers how much he had to scrape and ration to feed his crew and friends in the heat of battle makes him loathe his prior lavishness. He hated wasting food. He hated knowing starvation more intimately than most.

But Luffy doesn’t waste food, and that’s why Sanji loves cooking for him. 

He couldn’t wait to cook something worthy of the Pirate King's appetite with exotic cloud ingredients.

His grocery list is quite extensive, covering both his crew and the Heart Pirates. It makes no difference to Sanji; he's living the life Zeff wanted for him. So, the more the merrier. With a warm thought for Zeff and the Baratie, he frantically jots down the rest of his list, eager for it to be morning.

It's become a sacred practice for Sanji to rise before dawn.

He wakes up feeling energized, eager for the sights, sounds, and smells of a morning grocery trip, echoing the dedication of his fellow chefs and early risers. It reminds him of a past life he's moved on from, but his heart never forgets. Now, he journeys alone to gather the best ingredients for his found family, the Strawhat crew. On each island where he has time to shop, the kitchen-trained chef makes a point to support local, organic, and wholesale products.

But this one is even more exciting. 

The thrill of a new farmer's market, with its vibrant colors and kinetic chatter, washes over him as he pulls on his floral windbreaker. He loves grocery shopping early in the morning; he loves local farmers' markets and fish markets even more. So, this morning, when he can do both, he’s going to shop until he drops!

This must be how Luffy feels before he eats at a lunch buffet.

After completing his grooming routine, the chef carefully reviews his shopping list three times to ensure he hasn't missed anything. Moving through the shared cabin practically whirling with anticipation, he dons his lucky bowling hat, prepared to leave the men's sleeping quarters before sunrise, but glances at the swaying bunk bed to his right before he does. 

The unconscious swordsman snores softly on his side of the dark cabin. He even looks stressed in his sleep. Sanji doesn’t know what’s going on between him and Luffy. Hell, he's not sure what's up with Luffy and Law, either, but he’s not about to complain about the extra staffing, and he certainly doesn’t mind having extra mouths to feed.

But he hopes Zoro’s doing alright, a silent prayer forming on his lips directed towards the green-haired sleeper. The swordsman has been acting suspiciously for weeks. Even now, the memory of Zoro pointedly using Sanji's real name—not "Curly," not "Eyebrows," not even "Shitty Cook"—during their last dishwashing duty, still sharp in Sanji's mind, leaving behind a bitter taste in his mouth. Something is definitely up.

Docked at the port of a cloudy bay, Sanji steps onto the polished wooden deck of the Sunny. The sound of gull cries overhead accompanies him across the still scene. An hour before sunrise, the air is still cool, and the only sound is the gentle lapping of waves. The indigo island made of dream clouds leisurely skirts across the ocean and nostalgically reminds him of a sister sky isle to the Kamabakka Kingdom; he misses his girls. He'll be sure to write a love letter to Iva and the Dolls soon. 

With a deep breath of the cool, thin air, Sanji opens a fresh pack of cigarettes, using the flame from his lighter to ignite one. He takes a slow, meditative drag and exhales a slinky plume of smoke that mimics his eyebrows into the early morning breeze. The sweet, smooth cloves, with their warm, spicy aroma, slide down his throat, a satisfying sensation. Before moonwalking away, stealthily leaving the Sunny under the cover of night. He'll eat a quick breakfast of pastries and coffee while he shops at the bustling farmer's market. 

The Straw Hearts' week-long stay in the sleep island’s capital, New Dreamland, has built up Sanji’s anticipation to explore the entire capital city, namely the New Dreamscape’s Outdoor Farmer’s Market. It was palpable to both crews last night during dinner. 'Overbearing,' according to Nami. 

But he couldn’t help it!

He arrives and rents a shopping cart, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and excitement at finding others had arrived before him. New Dreamland's newest farmers' market features only locally sourced, organic meats, cheeses, and produce from small, family-owned businesses. It's the ultimate shopping experience for him! While Sanji loves farmers' markets, his genuine passion lies in supporting small, family-owned businesses. 

He plans to spend a relaxing morning exploring, savoring the sights, smells, and tastes of fresh produce, aged cheeses, fine wines, and handcrafted items. "This is the life," he sighs contentedly, stamping out his cigarette. 

⚔︎

Their vacation began with two days of relaxation at a sleep spa. Relaxed was an understatement. Their first full day at the luxury resort, for which Nami had negotiated reservations with a wandering travel agent before leaving the docks, is just what the Captain (and doctor) ordered.

True to its name, the Sweet Dreams Sleep Resort provided Luffy with the perfect place to enjoy long, cuddly naps with Law.

"Phew! I am beat!” A long, contented yawn escapes Luffy's lips, his smooth skin aglow, as he stretches out and happily plummets onto the soft, pillowy duvet, its texture like a cloud. The weightless, downy white robe spills around his outstretched thighs; a delicate, almost ethereal drape of fabric. “I feel boneless,” he sighs, a wave of bliss washing over him. “If this is what it means to rest in peace, death might not be so bad.”

As Law cracks open a cloudy glass of effervescent liquid, he takes a whiff of its contents before he flinches and groans. “You and that word, Straw Hat. Why?”

“What word?”

Law downs the cool water in one swig, his body screaming in appreciation. “Boneless.”

“It makes sense to me." Luffy lazily rolls onto his side, a sigh escaping his lips as he pats the empty spot beside him. "It's the easiest way to describe this feeling I always have when I’m using my Devil Fruit, but I can't explain it any other way when I’m not.”

Sniffing the fresh baby’s breath bouquet sitting on their dresser, Law nods thoughtfully at Luffy’s explanation, so tired that the fool makes perfect sense. “Looks like a storm’s coming.” The soft sheets cool against his skin as he crawls into bed next to his paramour. 

A long yawn escapes him as he loosens his matching spa robe, mirroring his companion's. Both men feel wonderfully relaxed after an early morning and long afternoon of deep tissue massages, indulgently decadent pastries, cloud-seeing, and soothing sleep therapies at the luxurious resort, having only seen their crews at breakfast before everyone went their separate ways to explore the spa, which was nestled in a massive sea of white, cotton clouds. The scent of lavender oil seeped into their skin and lingered in the air as the soft, white walls took on a gray hue that would withstand all weather conditions.

Law rolls his head to face Luffy, propped up on his elbow. “Did you enjoy your morning?” His eyes glance lower when Luffy bends his right knee and the robe’s slit widens. Law doesn’t understand why he’s so flustered over a peep show that’s not even intentional, but his body’s suddenly running hot.

“What do you think?” Luffy stretches his arms. “I feel so good I could sleep for eight hundred years,” he drowsily declares. He wraps his arms around Law’s waist and pulls him closer. 

"Nap time, Traffy," he whines, his voice thick with sleep, his eyelids heavy. Law doesn’t fight the comforting hold, or being the Little Spoon this time. If anything, he’s been looking forward to this moment all day.

Pressing his back as close as he can into Luffy’s chest, Law exhales, “You’re so warm and cozy, Luffy-ya.”

Luffy, bubbly and curious, peeks over Law's shoulder, a grin splitting his face. “Yeah?” 

Snuggling even closer, “Mm-hmm…” Law yawns through his answer, heavy with sleep, closing his eyes. “You’re like a travel-sized body pillow.”

“Travel-sized, huh?” Luffy weakly laughs. 

A small, childlike smile touches Law's lips as he hums dreamily. “Yup. A fluffy plushie. My plush Luff—no,  my fluffy—no. My...floofy Luffy.” Eyes shut, shuffling closer to his human body heater, Law giggles in a contented state of delirium. “My Floofy Loof— ”

Luffy lets go of Law’s middle. The sheets rustle and shift, and Law feels the change before he sees it.

He glances over his shoulder, a curious smirk twisting his lips as if he is debating whether he's amused or intrigued by what he sees. In a low voice barely above a baby's breath, he whispers, “Hi~?” His glowing honey eyes trace the flaming red and black tendrils of the tribal designs licking Luffy’s bulbous chest and shoulders.

His skilled touch lightly disturbs the wildly flailing mass of Luffy's raven-black hair. As Luffy lies beside him in his Fourth Gear Bounce-Man form, Law can see the kinetic energy visibly vibrating throughout his body.

Bounce-Man grins in response to Law. “Hi,” Luffy says with a throaty gruff. “Is this travel-sized enough?”

A light, carefree chuckle bubbles up from Law, a sound of effortless mirth. He feels so good right now, he can’t fake anything he feels. With a tender touch, Law traces his sharp hairline and caresses the deep-set, dark circles beneath Luffy’s devastating eyes in this form. He looks determined and passionate, and for some ungodly reason, Garp comes to Law’s mind before he sweeps his thumb along Luffy’s strong cheekbones, gripping the back of the bigger man’s neck to draw him closer.

A slow, winding, passionate kiss leaves them breathless. In Luffy’s brawny arms, Law feels like the one. Breaking away, he smiles, his lips brushing against his lover’s. “It’s perfect.”

Luffy’s Bounce-Man laugh mocks thunder in his expanded form. The slow, smoky baritone voice murmuring against Law's neck, “You’re adorable, Law, and I think you’re sleep drunk, but I can’t stay in this form and sleep with you. Don’t pout, the bed’s too tiny, Traffy.” He rakes his teeth across Law’s outer ear. “And, so are you.” 

Law tries to force his mouth to protest, “I can handle it,” but his partner’s sensual tone dissolves his resolve and teases his desire for sleep with something more. Chills run through Law’s body, shivers ripple across his spine, slipping him down…down…down... 

The only sounds after Luffy speaks are the gentle rain on the hotel room's oculus windows, accompanied by the sheets rustling beneath their legs. Still taller and broader than Law, Luffy shrinks down to a more proportionate form. His spherical shape slims into a leaner and more toned version of himself. His wild hair grows noticeably longer, sticking up to lick the air like candle flames. 

Luffy searches Law’s profile in his Snakeman form, and it turns him on to see Law smaller than him. He could barely see him as Bounce-Man, but now, his full view was making him want to do more than sleep.

"Is this good, too?" Luffy's gravelly voice, low as a rumble, a mischievous glint dancing in his intense, dark eyes.

Law instantly awakens, stiffening at the beautiful and beastly sight of Snakeman already staring down at him. Under the graying daylight, Law can’t stop himself from seeing striking similarities between Luffy’s father and this Fourth Gear form's facial features. But Snakeman is so fine and Law is so horny for his stature, that he has to force himself not to cum untouched. How humiliating would that be for his memory of his first time with Luffy’s Snakeman form to be… that? How pathetic. He would die.

“Even better,” Law replies, his velvet voice even and aroused. Pushing his robe back grinds against the heavy erection poking his back. Snakeman responds in kind, tucking his manhood deeper between Law’s smooth thighs. The massage oils were still paying off.

Law squeaks as Snakeman’s tongue slips into his ear canal. “Is this a perfect fit, too, baby?” His voice holds a playful lilt that belies the ferocity in his deep-set eyes. Law hiccups at the firm pressure of the proportionately sized penis head pokes at his rim. 

But the massage oils are not enough. “L-Lube, Luffy,” he urges through panting breaths. “I’m not a size queen!”

“Oh, right! Shishishi! Sorry.” He licks his hand as lube, too tired and unwilling to lose his comfortable position with Law to grab the tipped-over bottle on the nightstand behind him. Instead, wedging Law’s slender legs apart with one massive thigh, he adjusts his girth to slip snugly between Law's crack and thighs. Looking back, Law arches his back, his hips rolling as he grips the sheets. Luffy takes his fist, their fingers interlacing. 

"I’m not gonna stick it in. ” Snakeman huskily whispers into the corner of Law’s mouth, grinning. “We’re out of condoms,” he adds before licking his palm with his flat, wide tongue and wraps his mighty hand around Law’s dick with a melting hold. 

Leisurely spreading the saliva over Law’s head, mixing it with his pre-cum, Luffy strokes his lover’s meat with the yearning rhythm of their escalating passion. Their movements become more urgent, quickening their pace and shortening their breaths, the air thick with the sweat of lovemaking, and crackling with Haki. 

Law is folding, shattering, and shedding his inhibitions under Snakeman's vise grip. The energy is charged like lightning flashing outside the watery gray room. Their silence is erotic as Luffy’s dick is rock solid between Law’s legs and crack, his pussy dripping wet in desperation for her moment to shine, but he doesn’t give into his selfishness. Nuzzling his face in Law's neck and rutting between his thighs, Snakeman grinds on the tight ass he’s holding. 

“Aw, fuck, Luffy-ya,” Law moans and mewls as he throws his ass back, flesh clapping like the thunder resounding from beyond the clouds. Their first verbal exchange doesn’t break the spell forging between them, but strengthens it. “Don’t stop. Lu-ya. Don’t…ugh...let go.” 

A provocative growl rips out of Snakeman’s throat as he tightens the coil of his hold around Law’s throat, just enough to constrict blood flow.

And Law could fall asleep like this. He could stay right here for hours, could die like this right now, and rest in peace. 

Lost in the moment, they drift deeper into the soft, cloud-like bed. The air conditioning blows cool air above them as their bodies' heat mixes, moving in sync, creating a balmy sensation of skin-to-skin contact. Snakeman shifts gear, and Nika appears. 

“You’re doing so good for me, Law,” the Sun God praises into the hollow of Law’s ear, and the mortal keens. 

“Ah–Nika,” pleading, Law groans out of the heightened arousal of feeling…being passed around by Luffy’s different selves—and they’re not even having sex!

But Law is about to cum. He’s about to come undone right in the palm of Nika's hand. He can already feel the pressure building and the pleasure swelling past its crest point, waiting to break him apart. 

“Hey, Traffy,” Nika quietly giggles, pleased to be looking at Law. Amused. Law glances back at the jolly giant enveloping him. Burning sunstone eyes melt golden irises on the spot, and it takes the will of god for Law not to weep that he loves Luffy.

All Law thinks is, ‘Kiss me.’ 

In addition to being a god, Nika must also be a mind reader, as he immediately responds in kind. Their slow, heavy pants are underscored by a steady, shimmering rain falling outside—a dreamy lilt of soft, harmonious melodies that filters only through their ears.  

They sink even deeper into the yielding mattress and wispy covers. In the delirium of desire, Law softly whimpers Nika's name over and over, while sweet moans escape his dry throat at a tumbling pace.

Nothing slips from Nika’s mouth, his concentration focused on climaxing Law, until…

Luffy lets out a loud, cavernous yawn, voice heavy with exhaustion. He collapses out of Fifth Gear before either man reaches his peak, his body sagging and shrinking from the effort. 

“Shit,” Luffy chuckles. His voice weakly croaks out a confession tinged with embarrassment, "I guess I really am exhausted, after all." His face is wrinkled and loose, gray and weathered like the weather outside. "Sorry to be such a tease, Traffy. But…” Another deep yawn robs him of his breath. “I’m about to pass out.” He sounds old and frail.

Smirking at the unexpected humor of it all, Law adjusts himself to face Luffy, now back to his natural body shape. They both can barely keep their eyes open. But they stare. “It’s OK,” Law reassures, caressing Luffy’s flushed, apple-cheeked face with his tattooed knuckles. “I didn’t think I’d make it either.” His eyes flicker from Luffy's scar to his beautiful, long lashes.

Luffy peeks open a heavy eyelid. “Really?”

“No, I just wanted to make you feel better for yawning out an orgasm. But it's the perfect weather to snuggle up. Your favorite thing to do." He squeezes Luffy, not back to being in fit form. "The entire resort is laced with sleep aids. I scanned it with my Devil Fruit. I guess that's how they mine the dreams that fund the island. The receipt listed a Dream Tax. Extortion's what it is.”

Luffy attempts a laugh, but only a wheezing, gravelly sound emerges. “How can I make it up to you, my sweet Laffy Traffy?”

His cheeks flushed, Law mutters, “Keep my cock warm?”

Calmly and without flinching, Luffy clarifies, “Which hole?”

Law's eyes bulged, his jaw dropping slightly at the unexpected, nonchalant response; it had been said in jest... Kind of. But since Luffy took him seriously...

New ideas suddenly spring to mind.

But now, Law hesitates; Luffy might not be eager to go where he truly wants to stay warm. The blush of embarrassment spreads on his neck for reasons Law is too shy to explain. 

Sleepy-eyed and impatient, Luffy slides down the bed, the cool sheets brushing against his skin, and spreads Law’s legs until he’s curled between them, feeling the warmth of Law's body. “Perfect fit,” is all Luffy contentedly hums before he sinks Law’s semi-erect penis into his hot mouth and suckles himself into peaceful slumber on his lover’s cock. 

Law is so surprised that his wish was granted without him even asking, that he struggles to fall asleep as quickly. His body is still tingling from the excitement built up, even though the climax was never reached. So, he gently strokes Luffy's hair, savoring the soft feel against his fingertips. His eyes linger on Luffy's round, angelic face suckling on his dick like a pacifier, studying every detail of his freckles and scars like a medical diagram. Feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, Law counts his blessings one by one until, eventually, his consciousness also succumbs.

A loud, jarring knock rips them from their tranquil dreams.

“Luffy! Get up! Time for dinner! I called your Transponder Snail several times. Is it dead?”

Groaning, Luffy abruptly peels his face from a puddle of drool between Law’s legs, a string of saliva stretching from his cheek as Law’s soft dick slips past his swollen lips. Still too sleepy to see straight, he looks disgruntled at the blurry image of Law at the head of the bed. 

Law’s eyes snap open from the sudden noise, but he sensed Nami’s presence before the intrusive sound. Rolling his eyes down to his midsection, Law can’t stop the smile spreading across his sleep-addled face, looking at Luffy’s sticky face, puffy lips, and matted bed hair sticking every which way. 

What a gorgeous, gorgeous man.

“LUFFY!” Nami’s voice rattles through the viscous doorpost, the only part of the hotel room that isn’t soundproof. “You have thirty minutes to get dressed!” she orders. “Oh, and Zoro’s been looking for you,” she adds as an afterthought. 

In a hushed voice, “Sheesh, Nami! It’s a sleep spa, not a drum circle!” Usopp scolds her from behind the door. “What if he’s sleeping?”

Nodding at Usopp’s fair consideration, Law non-verbally agrees by pulling Luffy up to his chest and covering their heads with the duvet.

“That’s why I’m yelling,” Nami doubles down. “He needs to get his ass up! We are not wasting a single converted berry of this all-inclusive resort package. SO YOU BETTER MAKE IT TO DINNER ON TIME, OR ELSE I’M CHARGING YOU INTEREST.” Luffy and Law snicker, covering each other’s mouths with palms and shushing the other under the covers with swallowed kisses. They feel like little boys at a slumber party.

Finally deciding to get her off his back, Luffy sticks his hand out of the covers and swipes his Transponder Snail off the nightstand. “Call Nami,” he whisper-commands. The Snail lazily opens its droopy eyes and slowly blinks.

A slow Snail ring later:

“WHAT?” 

They hear her through the receiver and behind the bedroom door, and the sharp echo makes them wince. Luffy’s voice rasps through the receiver, “OK, Nami! I’m up! I’m up! You can go now.”

Law lightly grazes his nose along the fine hairs down Luffy’s neck. He wriggles under Law’s nose. “Stoppit that tickles,” he warns him under his breath. 

“Mm-hmm! You better be. And don’t dismiss me! But I am gonna go, because I am hungry and the restaurant won’t sit a party as big as ours without all guests present, so I’m warning you, Luffy…double interest.” 

“Aw, c’mon, Nami! You just said interest.” 

Law nibbles on Luffy's earlobe as he whines, rubbing his supple nipples hardening between his thumb and index fingers. 

“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have pissed me off.”

“No fair,” Luffy whines. “I said I’m up! We're on…” Law’s fingers pinch sense into him. Snapping his head back, Ow! Luffy complains with his eyes, grabbing his nipple. Law coated his fingers with Armament Haki for that pinch. 

Luffy tumbles to correct his fumble, rubbing his cheek. “We're on vacation!" ('Nice save,' Law snorts.) "And we're all hungry. Th-The entire crew, I mean. So, I’m getting dressed now!”

“...Mhm.” The footsteps that were tapping outside the hotel room just seconds ago have stopped. Nami’s Snail gradually blinks one eye at a time, waiting for her response. 

“Same goes for YOU TOO, LAW.”

Law slams the shell receiver down so hard on its base that it makes a sharp, echoing metallic clang, sending Luffy into a raucous fit of giggles and tears.

And all Law wants is to be washed away by the rain falling against the windowpane.

⚔︎

It is only thanks to Law teleporting them in front of the spa’s main lobby cloud-lifts that Luffy and Law arrive in the hotel lobby one minute before Nami’s timer rings. Both crews are patiently awaiting their captains’ arrivals, but none expect what they see.

“What’s up with the matchy outfits with Straw Hat, Captain?” Penguin jokingly whispers when Law skulks over to his crew. “Hmm?”

“Shut up.”

“I know, right?” Shachi snickers and winks, throwing his arms over Law’s shoulders. “Yellow’s always looked good on you, but you’re wearing Pirate King red.” He points out by flicking Law’s collar. Law bristles. He told Luffy that his yellow and red aloha shirt would be too loud. But no… the stubborn, selfish, bratty Pirate King just had to get his way. Like always.

“Shut up. We are not matching. Unlike you, Beavis and Butthead.” Both animal-hatted men wearing their boiler suits and black fleece-lined windbreakers on top check out their outfits with fresh eyes.

"Nah!" The crewmembers attached at the hip say in unison. Barely holding it in, Penguin squawks, "Cap'n, you're whipped!" 

Even Bepo playfully joins in, fully nude. “Uh oh! Looks like someone poked the sleeping bear…” Now his crew is laughing and mocking him for looking like Luffy’s matching accessory.

“Et tu, Bepo?” Law growls. “AND WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?”

“Oops! Sorry, Law.” The polar bear’s ears fold down in shame. “But this is perfect polar weather, I couldn’t resist!” 

Ikkaku squeezes between her captain and navigator. Her long, chocolate-colored teddy bear adult onesie, complete with a fuzzy hood, has her looking like a bundled toddler ready for the cold. “Well, I think you look cute, Captain. Showing all that leg,” she swaggers, gesturing at his long, hairy stick legs. “Even if you aren’t dressed for the weather. But, one suggestion?”

Suspicious because she’s always taunting him, Law’s gaze flicks down at Ikkaku’s rich brown face. “What?”

“I’d lose the tattered, spotted hat…”

With a petulant whine, Law clutches his hat, desperately trying to keep Ikkaku from taking it. “What?! No!” 

She backs off, raising her palms like she’s been caught. “OK, OK, fine. Baby steps.” Placing her hands on Law’s shoulders, she giggles in his ear, “But it clashes with your gorgeous ruby and sapphire necklace.” 

Flustered, Law bats her away, grinding his teeth to swallow his humiliation. “GET OFF ME.” He tugs his collar close to his neck to hide the markings that the monster across the lobby mauled him. “It wasn’t my first choice,” he finally admits, muttering.

“Aw, Law! You’re blushing!”

“Guess he’s not too cold after all.”

He glances over at Luffy, in the center of his crew, laughing without a care in the world with his friends on the other side of the lobby. 

It’s all his fault. There he is, joking around in his red T-shirt with a ribbon microphone graphic, paired with an orange fishing vest featuring black subwoofer speakers in the pockets. That damn straw hat on his head and favorite worn-in demin shorts, looking so goddamn childishly playful like he wasn’t just tonguing down Law’s throat and assaulting his neck with pools of blood and pearls of bruises during the ten minutes they had left to get dressed after having shower sex.

Law scowls. Why’s he gotta look so damn sexy?

Luffy bounces from the cloud-lifts, all smiles, over to his crew near the fountain of sleepy water. He made the foolish mistake of taking a teensy sip while Nami and Law were checking the crews in, and immediately slumped to the ground. The fountain was full of filtered seawater and infused with melatonin. Luffy stood nary a chance. It took the maître d' announcing that the breakfast service was ready for him to come back alive. 

But twelve hours later, he’s well rested, thoroughly fucked, and starving. “Hey, guys!”

“Luffy!” Chopper squeals, running over in a pink puffer coat that swallows him whole, to jump on Luffy. “We missed you at lunch! How’d you sleep?”

“Chopper!” Luffy catches the tiny reindeer in his arms and blinks, then laughs. “Like a log.” He sneaks a glance over at Law across the milky white lobby. He’s beet red, fighting the girl on his crew for his beloved hat. Cute. 

Law looks so good in that shirt and shorts combo I picked out. My colors look so good on him. I wanna dress him up every day.

Surprised by the unexpected stream of consciousness, it seizes Luffy’s attention and makes his head swivel, looking for where it came from. 

“Luffy? You okay?”

Chopper’s concern breaks through. Luffy blinks in a daze, his focus shifting from Law. 

“Nice of you to finally join us,” her tone was judgmental. Nami emerges with Sanji hot on her trail. Smacking her Clima-Takt in her palm, electricity buzzing from its orange poles, she rounds the mist wall.

Luffy spins around, a bright smile illuminating his face, the steady wind current drafting through the luxurious lobby ruffling his straw hat. "Yup!" Unsure of what to do with such new and cozy thoughts blooming in his mind, he’s grateful for the distraction. “On time, too!”

“Mm-hmm…” Nami looks him up and down with suspicion. Her long hair and sweeping bangs flow in the wind. Her cashmere gray sweater dress, fluffy cloud booties, and matching cap and hand warmers make Luffy and Law’s wardrobe choices look foolish. Zeus floats over her head, looking dreamily around the main lobby like he's in heaven.“It rained all day in the clouds. You’re not cold?” She glances across the lobby floor at Law.

Luffy offers her a boyish glint. “Nope! So…can we eat now? My stomach is eating me out.”

Usopp’s face drops, his brown and yellow ski jacket, and too many chunky crochet scarves swaddling his head and neck. “Luffy!”

Roaring with laughter, Luffy shrugs. “What? It’s true.”

“I didn’t even know you knew how to talk like that,” Usopp grouses. “Don’t talk like that.”

“Talk like what?”

“Zoro!” Luffy bounds to the cloud-lift as it dissolves to release its passengers. Tens of cloudy, celestial, and earthly beings step out in wisps of cloud smoke. Luffy jumps on his best friend's back, who is wearing the storm gray cropped bomber jacket from his Egghead Island wardrobe. “Nami said you were looking for me?” He tilts his head to catch Zoro’s profile on his visible eye side.

Zoro’s eye shifts from its sharp, beady glare into a soft one. “Yeh, you doofus. You ran off after breakfast and have been MIA for hours. Got worried when you missed lunch.” 

A slight shift in Luffy's position on his shoulder causes his eye to narrow, a look of intense focus replacing his previous relaxed expression. A slight discoloration, almost a bruise, is visible under Luffy’s carelessly worn collar, catching his eye. He scrutinizes the visible sliver of Luffy's clavicle and down his shoulder blade, noticing a constellation of fading and fresh bruises and strange markings; their origins, a complete mystery. Sure, they’d had a few intense battles recently, leaving Luffy bruised and battered, but his Devil Fruit powers meant he healed almost instantly. 

Zoro’s rough voice falters with uncertainty. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Luffy presses their cheeks together. “Aw, you’re the best Zoro! Traffy and I spent all day exploring the clouds around the spa, and then we kept falling asleep in the clouds.” (After fucking in the cloudy forests, but who's telling all their secrets??)

Luffy's stomach rumbles like it has a score to settle, so he stretches his neck toward Nami and dramatically groans, “Now can we go? Please, my stomach is BARKING, Nami! I’m so hungry!”

“Well, tell that whining dog to hunt, or hush and be patient. We still have to wait ten minutes. The reservation is for seven thirty,” Nami explains, pointing to the sundial on the wall and walking away to join Robin and Franky canoodling near the fountain’s seating area. 

As Luffy stretches his neck after Nami, two things happen at once:

Luffy frowning in a deep pout as another cozy, intrusive thought filters in, wishing he and Law could canoodle like Robin and Franky. 

And Zoro, following Luffy’s stretched neck, spots a gnarly bite on the hollow of his captain’s shoulder, leaning over his. He gestures to ask, but Luffy scrambles off his back. 

“Ow! Ow-ow!” Luffy’s eyes droop with weepy betrayal as Nami spreads his cheeks apart. 

“Stop pestering me!” she irately demands. 

“Then why did you tell me I only had thirty minutes?!” Luffy demands. 

“Because she knew your slowpoke ass would be thirty minutes late if she hadn’t,” Sanji irritably sneers. There’s no carcinogenic smoking allowed on Dream Island, so he’s been blowing on their substitutes since breakfast—cloud puffs: vape pens that only emit clear air in wispy puffs of smoke. Though it helps to take the edge off nicotine withdrawal, he’s dying from all the fresh air in his lungs. So, he’s cranky, okay?

“Not for food. I'm never slow-playing about my food.” He throws a wink over his shoulder and blows a kiss. 

Sanji, disturbed, blinks. “Luffy? The hell?” he inquires, taking it as being for him.

But when Luffy turns back to face Nami, the wall-length looking glass mirror reveals Law caught it, and…

Law is blushing, flustered, and totally upset. Luffy giggles to himself.

Not even two seconds ago, the other captain was pouting over how clingy Luffy was being with others, so he could not believe that the unpredictable renegade would be so bold. Flirting with him like their crews aren’t watching? 

What is Luffy thinking?

Dinner is served as the sun paints the sky with watercolor streaks of pink and purple hues over the luxurious sleep resort’s Cloud Courtyard. The dense, rolling forest of cumulus clouds cuts through the seven-story hotel’s rooftop and overlooks Yawny Peaks Summit. All fifteen pirates were impressed to varying degrees when they arrived at the Rainbow Bridge overlooking Sweet Dream Canyon and discovered that it was a solid dining table stretching over the expanse of the endless stream of stratus clouds, the Lazy River below. It’s cold as ice at the top, but the setting sun, bouncing its rays against the glass, pierces the fluffy atmosphere with its vibrant colors, warming their bones as they fill their bellies. 

The delicious aroma of cloud cuisine fills the air with rich, metallic notes that awaken their senses. As the rain cleared, the sunset cast a golden light on Dream Island, revealing a breathtaking rainbow arcing across the firmament. As clouds full of trays of food and wine drift back and forth between the restaurant and their table, the two distinct crews gradually merge into one, dining at a long, crystallized banquet table on fluffy cirrocumulus clouds that are cushioned to adjust to each sitter’s body mass.  

The scene that stretches out before them is so vivid and cute that it makes Law want to puke cotton candy and confetti. It reminds him of the eye-vomit of vibrant, whimsical designs Lami’s old school binders used to have, with dolphins leaping through the ocean, cloud-shaped hearts, and rainbows on the backdrop of perfectly pink and purple skies. He’s unbothered by the snapping wind chill because Bepo’s fur is right on his back as he faces his second favorite Strawhat.

“Law, I think you would find my latest research fascinating,” Robin says, bundled up in her Cloudia Goose all-weather coat. “It’s critiquing the mis-transliteration of the ancient Poneglyph texts and the domino effect on the World Government’s purposefully misguided interpretation of the purpose of Devil Fruits.”

Law elegantly crossed his legs, leaning back on his elbows. "Incredible. You’re right, I am. May I?” He asks, eyeing the papers she brought to the table.

Luffy can't help but notice the evolving dynamic between the two crews, especially the growing camaraderie between Law and Robin. He can’t get it out of his mind. Everyone looks happy together. Law was his first genuine experience with the true benefit of being in a non-crew pirate alliance, and Luffy has already noticed the life and color returning to the Heart Pirates with every sudden pop of laughter and smile cracked around the Strawhats since they reunited.

Luffy’s heart swells with gratitude; his crew has been so welcoming to the Heart Pirates. His crew has shown genuine support for their official return to the seas, rebuilding their confidence as they fight side by side and share good company. 

Chopper shouts down the table, his voice thick with congestion, "Hey, hey! Luffy! Look at us!” Two bamboo straws were jammed into the nostrils of the small reindeer, Penguin, Shachi, and Franky, holding their mouths agape. 

“HA! You guys nailed it!” Luffy snorts out his fizzy cloud water and joins in on the fun.

Luffy’s travels, alliances, and bevy of friendships along the way have taught him a thing or two about balancing group dynamics. Every personality is respected. Everyone on his crew is valuable. Everyone on his ship has a vital role to play in achieving his ultimate dream. So, Luffy scans the long rainbow dinner table in the spa’s sweeping courtyard and watches the two crews interact. As he casually pays attention to the fourteen pirates flanking his left and right, he imagines what that would look like permanently.

Zoro’s on his left. Sanji’s on his right. And Law is at the far end of the table. Luffy’s tempted to stretch himself over there, or yank Law into his lap. But Shachi is entertaining Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and Penguin with a cheesy magic coin trick that’s actually blowing Luffy’s mind right now.

In the center, the inventors and navigators are chatting merrily about their latest maps and blueprints. Nami is in heaven. Her Clima-Takt hasn’t left her hand once since they arrived; she’s even allowed Zeus to come out and play among his fellow cloud people. She and Bepo are now intensely discussing how the island's wind patterns will alter their departure course. 

Franky, Jinbe, and Usopp are competing to see who has the better blueprint designs for changes to the Sunny, and Penguin butts in every so often to ooh and ahh as a guest judge.

Further down at the opposite end of the rainbow banquet table, a more intellectual dialogue is taking place among the two crews’ scholars: Robin and Law are deeply engaged in a conversation about historical records and carbon dating in fossils. At the same time, Ikkaku and Chopper chime in with medical insights particular to land and sea animals, with Law supporting Chopper’s medical research with several studies of his own.

The food is foamy, syrupy, and colorfully dense, with effervescent bursts of dynamic flavors dancing on the tongue. It instantly stirs light and festive conversation across the table, and lapping waves of laughter seep into Luffy’s bones like hot oil. However, the lack of meat at the spa leaves Luffy's stomach full but not sated, and the comfortable sleep cloud spreads his drowsiness through his veins. Luffy's thoughts grow sluggish, making it hard to stay awake, let alone think about everyone else.

So he stops.

And instead, Luffy focuses all his attention on Law; it’s the main reason he sat at the head of the table:

To have the perfect view of the captain of the Heart Pirate crew. 

He's still absolutely observing the entire crew, but he’s locked in Law. His mind wanders again, on its own this time, because the more he stares, the more he notices about the surgeon. His perfect posture, the subtle shifts in his facial expressions, his peckish eating habits as he sips his coffee and listens to Robin be smart. The heart of Law pours over Luffy’s sleepy head, and he’s swept up by it to where the chilly breeze wafting around them means nothing to the warmth in his chest.  

As Luffy gazes at Law, his heart swells with respect for a man who has endured losses beyond Luffy's comprehension. He wants to hold him close and never let go. His possessiveness feels different this time, though he cannot explain why. He wonders what that means for their friendship. For him. His view of Law changing in this way…being different from everyone else in his life, or on his crew…what did that mean? Neither man fully understands the evolving nature of their relationship, yet, if Luffy's day with Law is any indication, they both seem to relish the good vibes and enjoy each other's company. Perhaps, even crave.

But Luffy can’t figure out why he wants Law’s attention so much right now. They’ve spent the entire day together. They’ve shared the same bed nearly every night since Law started sailing along with the Sunny, and Law has been showering him with affection whenever they’re alone. So why would he be craving even more of the fellow captain’s time and attention?

Law told him to think it over, but he hasn't brought it up since the picnic. Luffy’s sure the overthinking man is anxiously awaiting an answer from him, and he should probably address it before Law gets impatient. Law's the only one at the table who hasn't tried to get his attention throughout dinner. He's avoiding eye contact with Luffy, like he couldn't care less. Luffy hates that. He’s feeling ignored, a familiar childhood wound, a knot of frustration in his soul tightening in his chest.

But Luffy's unsure what he wants more than what they have. He's in the dark about what Law wants, too. 

Does he even know what he wants, or does he need to consider it more seriously before revisiting the topic with Traffy? 

Ugh! He should get up and go talk to him. Why did Law have to sit so far away?!

“So, how’d ya’ sleep?” Zoro’s question snaps Luffy out of his daze, the grunt low and suggestive in his ear. 

At least, that’s how it sounds to Luffy. 

Glancing over his left shoulder, licking the foam from the cloud cocktail on his lips, Luffy stares blankly. “Heh?”

Zoro's lips curved into a grin as his eyes playfully darted around Luffy's syrupy sweet face. “You look refreshed, but like you could use another nap. Just curious, is all.”

Luffy blinks slowly, his mind foggy with returning memories of his day with Law, his heavy, slurring tongue a physical manifestation of his audio processing delay. Why was he so sluggish? “It…was good…a hard nap. I slept like a rock. After the ninety-minute deep tissue massage, I don’t think I can remember how I slept.” 

It never occurs to Luffy to mention why he slept like a stone.

Zoro nods as if he knows all things. “Oh, so that’s where all the bruises on your body came from. Gotcha. I was worried a biblically accurate angel had mauled you,” he jests. They’d seen quite a lot of those at the spa.

“Huh?!”

Zoro laughs under his breath, a deep and rough chuckle. “Y’know…if you’re up for it,” leaning into Luffy’s ear, he whispers, “Wanna ditch babysitting Dr. Creepy and have some…fun?”

Luffy leans back, a surprised blink, "Um-" stuttering out his lips as he squints at Zoro. The sudden sound of an interruption cuts through the air before Luffy can fully form a response, the king of awkward moments stealing the show.

Unfortunately, Luffy’s still in the hot seat.

Frustrated and seeking a diversion, Usopp pounds the table when Penguin solves his magic trick. “Alright, I can’t take it anymore! If nobody else is gonna speak up, I guess I'll be the one to do it!” 

“Oh, don’t be a sore loser, God Usopp,” Shachi titters, nudging Penguin and snickering beside him. 

"Whatever! I don’t care about that! Your trick was cheesier than mine, anyway.” Usopp stabs both index fingers in the opposite direction down the table. “I'm curious, why are Luffy and Law the only ones who aren't wearing weather-appropriate clothing? We’re all freezing to the bone out here!” Brook makes a corny bone joke under his breath, but thankfully, the rushing wind carries it away, and only Jinbe on his right hears it. “You're both dressed for a music festival—aren’t you two cold? Did you guys not look at the group chat?”

His eyes remain glued to the research paper that Robin brought to dinner for him to proofread. Law’s only answer is flat and dry. “No.” 

“Then, care to explain why you’re both in complementary colors that don’t even match the cloudscape?” 

“No.”

“Oh, poo, Law! You’re no fun!” Usopp cocks his head to his left. “Well, Luffy? What do you have to say for yourself? It’s bad enough that Bepo’s here going full commando sexually offending us.” Bepo’s entire soul withers with shame and humiliation.

“Usopp…” A nimbus' dark aura shadows the table, emanating from Law. He slowly lifts his head. “Would you like to fish your nose out of a distant cloud or the ocean?”

Usopp squeaks and quickly rests his case. “Neither. That will be all! Mystery solved!”

Luffy, however, gets a nervous tickle in his throat, bursting into uncontrollable giggles. "We're on vacation on a Spring Island, Usopp. Plus, I run hot." Every attempt to clear his throat or swallow down a giggle only makes the itchy sensation worse.

"It's still weird," Usopp bickers. "Luffy, what's going on with you?" Suddenly, everyone at the table is staring at him, making him feel like he is under a microscope. The more they gawk at him, the less he wants to hang around. But he needs a believable excuse or else his crew—Nami—will smoke him and Law out. Again. 

There is nothing else at this dinner that matters to him more than getting Law to focus on him. But after that laughing fit, he’s sure Law thinks he's melodramatic. He's already been ignoring him all dinner, when he wants his attention the most.

"Lu, you okay?” Luffy feels worn down by Zoro's intense focus and whispered inquiries; the heavy, fragrant air, thick with sleep aids, adds to an overwhelming, dreamy desire to lie down. 

Law subtly glances down the table as Chopper squints at Luffy and offers a doctor's opinion. Tearing off a piece of cotton candy from a drifting cotton cloud, Chopper examines his patient. “I think the thin air is getting to him. It's making him giddy. Delirious. Like laughing gas.”

Sanji wryly concludes, "So, high."

A doubtful hum escaped Nami's lips, her unconvinced expression unchanging. With a sweeping gesture towards Luffy, she addressed Chopper. “Are you sure? Because he uses Gear Five a ton, and you know he loves to break through the stratosphere when he lets Nika out.” Nika’s pride soars in Luffy’s chest when Nami’s words reach Luffy’s ears. “Thin air doesn’t seem to bother him then, and the altitude in these clouds isn't so different.”  

“When isn’t Luffy giggly?” Sanji snorts. A giggle escapes Robin's lips as she takes a delicate sip of her fragrant angel tea, the warmth spreading through her.

“When he’s in fight mode,” Zoro points out, still watching Luffy intently.

“When he’s hungry,” Usopp pointedly adds. “There’s no meat here. He needs meat!”

But the more that he sits and listens to his crew talk about him as if he’s not sitting right at the head of the table, though, the more he agrees with Chopper and Usopp. It’s gotta be the thin, sleep-inducing air and the lack of protein that’s got him feeling so woozy. “Meat…” he absentmindedly drools, shivering in his cloud-shrouded seat.

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the prism banquet, Luffy's behavior at the far end of the dinner table is troubling Law. He kept his distance during dinner to avoid temptation and tipping off their crews, but the Pirate King seemed ready to pass out cold for seven days. 

Robin reclines in her cloud cushion, taking in the view of Law. “Law, this sleep spa seems to be doing wonders for you already. You're so rejuvenated, the cold doesn’t even seem to affect you,” she teases.

Law doesn’t give the compliment a second thought. “I’m a son of the North Blue. I can handle some frost.”

Brook stabs his fork into his citrus salad. “Yo-hoho, I know, right? His skin is practically glowing! Makes me miss my supple skin,” he laments. “But seriously, Law. You don’t look like a sack of bones anymore. AND I SHOULD KNOW, EH? The bags under your eyes are gone, and you've regained a healthy glow in your skin. Not so patchy. You don’t even have those haunting dark circles anymore. The more I look at you, the less you look like me!”  

The living skeleton is in stitches, leaving Law cringing at the backhanded compliment and tired bone jokes. “Gee, thanks,” he wryly replies. He won’t deny that the spa has healing and restorative properties in its treatments. In just one day, he’s felt and scanned his body to see the difference in his health and skin. He can tell just by looking around the dinner table that he’s not the only one who’s benefited from the sleep spa’s services. 

Franky slaps his back. “No, for real, brother! You look SUPER GOOD. Healthy. Whatever you’ve been doing at the spa, keep it up, brother!”

More like whoever. Law smirks to himself. He resists the urge to peer down at the opposite end of the cluttered banquet table at the reason for his recent glow-up. It’ll be too obvious, and while he and Luffy haven’t defined their relationship, he’s pretty sure he doesn’t want anyone, especially not the Strawhats, all up in the business of his private life. 

Law nods, offering a quiet thank you as he munches on a marshmallow wafer. But, gosh, he’s tempted to undress Luffy with his eyes, audience be damned. So, he subtly glances without even moving his head.

Two full moons align with the blazing sun.

Luffy lets out a long, hollow yawn. Law scoffs into his cup at how fake it sounds. 

At long last, Law deigns to speak, “Straw Hat? Are you cold? Is your body shutting down?” Luffy’s heart beats to escape from his chest. He blushes as Law, from across the table, calmly and smoothly lists his symptoms. He keeps shaking his head, no, for another chance to hear the heart doctor's velvety tone of voice from across the rainbow table. It only intensifies the arrhythmic effect on his heart and lungs. 

Law pointedly asks, “Do you need to lie down?” 

A brief, almost imperceptible glance between Luffy and Law forges an unspoken understanding, clearing Luffy's mind as his pussy throbs, instantly resolving his uncertainty. He knows exactly what he wants right now. 

“I dunno…” he pulls a thoughtful face. “Maybe?” He innocently bats his eyelashes. 

When they checked into the spa resort that morning, Law got a room for himself and Ikkaku, while the other three men shared a junior suite. Meanwhile, the Strawhats, minus Robin and Franky, chose a mega-suite. At first, Luffy didn't care where he laid his head. Then, he realized that Law was rooming alone, and suddenly, there was no other place Luffy wanted to sleep. The more he thinks about why he wanted to do that in the first place, the less he’s able to concentrate on the magic tricks in front of him, how Robin smiles, and how Nami and Bepo are chitchatting about their work, and the heavy weight of Zoro’s puffer being draped around his shoulders.

Zoro leers at Law, adjusting his puffer coat and, squatting to meet Luffy at eye level, throws an arm around Luffy’s shoulders. He searches Luffy’s sweat-pricked face, amazed that anyone could produce a drop of sweat so high in the sky. 

“Want me to carry you back to our suite? You can sleep in our room.” He jabs his thumb at Sanji. “Curly can sleep with Nami.” Sanji merely rolls his eyes, unable to object.

“Ooh, midnight karaoke does sound fun—”

Cutting Bepo off, and abruptly standing up right at twilight, Luffy announces, “Well! Thank you all for dinner, it's been fun but-" he yawns like a lazed lion, "It's been a day, so I’m going to sleep for the rest of the night! Alone."

He stiffly nods and marches out of the courtyard back into the hotel lobby, ignoring Zoro's question about where. "Goodnight!” 

Law fumbles as he swipes his key card across the reader; the high altitude and thin atmospheric pressure finally take their toll on him. He's pretty sure he's high? Then again, when isn't he?

But he gets the positioning right at last; the faint hiss of the door exhaling precedes its smooth opening. He steps into the dark hotel room, with the only light coming from the hallway, hearing a faint hum from the air conditioning. 

The door hisses as it shuts behind Law as he enters the room. “You’re so dramatic, Straw…” One look at Luffy and he immediately undresses. “Oh?”

“I don't feel so good, Doctor,” Luffy pouts. He’s sprawled out, in the dark, on Law’s/their bed with nothing on but his straw hat. “Can I get a checkup?”

“Luffy, you hate going to the doctor, and I thought you’d want to spend more time with your crew.”

“Nah. I live with them,” Luffy snickers dismissively, spreading his smooth thighs wide open. “And I like going to the doctor’s when he’s named Dr. Traffy. Now, check my body, Traffy. My pussy's so wet. See?”

Law slightly leans to inspect for himself, but he doesn't have to look too hard; full moonlight illuminates Luffy's folds, glistening like dewy petals under the clear night sky. Law wastes no more time. “You know that’s not what my patients call me, right?” 

He grinds against Law's tender touch. “I don’t care what other people call you, Traffy.” He swaps Law's hat for his and puts it on his head. The sight of Law in his straw hat makes his pussy throb and leak down Law's fingers.

With an impassive expression and two long digits slipping into the mouth of Luffy's arousal, Law runs his right hand over Luffy, his Devil Fruit power scanning a flash image in his brain. “A clean bill of health.”

“You sure?” Luffy lets out two of the feeblest, poorest excuses for a cough. “Check again. Because I still feel sick.” Another silly cough escapes his throat as he locks their thighs together, sinking Law's exploring fingers deeper. 

Soothingly thumbing Luffy's Adam's apple, Law grunts, “Your throat, is it?” His eyes flit from his hat on Luffy's head to his lips, those moist, kissable lips; one look at the pout on Luffy's face, and Law falls all over again for the boy wonder.

“Mhm, and my tummy hurts,” Luffy moans, rubbing his stomach. “I’m so hungry that I’m nauseous, Traffy. And my mouth, too.” He sticks out his tongue, spit dribbling into Law's eagerly open mouth. They kiss; Law stretches and coaxes Luffy's fluttering walls with his fingers, Luffy strokes his shaft as their lidded vision remains locked on each other. It's intimate, it's erotic. Law chokes on his breath as he watches Luffy pleasure himself in his hat.

"Oh, poor baby," Law says, voice hushed and out of breath. His fingers wrap around Luffy’s jerking hand, building into a rhythmic motion. A teasing pout of sympathy twitches his lips as he kisses the tip of Luffy’s two heads.

"In that case, what medication does my sick patient wish the doctor to prescribe for your symptoms?”

“You.”

⚔︎

The weather is lovely up in the clouds. The sky is a clear, sparkling blue. Islands of cloud, heavy and alone, float across the sky. It's a beautiful day to enjoy tubing on the Lazy River, canoeing or kayaking on Resting Lake, and savoring fruity drinks while relaxing by the pool.

And that's precisely what the Strawhats and Heart Pirates do.

Except for Luffy and Law.

The two spend their second day at the spa, cooped up in the bed and bath. After a languid night of foreplay, frotting, fingering, and other sultry sex games, they zonk out from post-sex bliss and the invisible sleeping aids in the atmosphere. They don’t see their crews; they don’t answer their Snails; they only bask in each other’s intimate company, from sunrise to sunset. 

When they are awake, Law pulls out the cloud-based edibles and vapes Law picked up when they arrived on the island, the junk food he teleported from his munchies stash on his ship, and clears out the mini-bar of sparkling drinks to wash it all down. They share snacks, laughs, and cuddles while enjoying cartoons and stand-up comedy specials, happy and high. 

The edibles available on Dream Island are incredibly potent, inducing an intense and airy high in consumers that has the opposite effect of grounding Luffy. Lost in the nostalgic world of a Sora marathon, he remains absorbed by the screen as they watch together. 

Luffy lies on his stomach, face in hands, eyes glued to the TV screen as Law pauses the program every five minutes to provide him with detailed scene explanations, meticulously recounts lore and the steamy StealthSoraBlack enemies-to-lovers ship, and offers behind-the-scenes trivia only a diehard fan would know, all while massaging his feet. He could hear Law talk for hours. So engrossed is Luffy in Law's information dumps, having not grown up watching the North Blue hit cartoon, that, after half an arc of this routine, he insists Law continues.

Law has spoiled Luffy with Sora—now the only way he’ll watch the show is with Law’s commentary. 

As sunlight streams through the skylight, they soak in a fragrant bath of flowers and essential oils in a white marble tub. With a peaceful sigh, Luffy slides down Law's chest while Law massages his shoulders.

“I was way more worn out than I thought.”

Lapping warm water over Luffy's shoulders, Law agrees, "Hmm. It's been a brutal six weeks, and that's saying a lot. It wasn't this bad when my crew and I were doing it on our own. It's been endless because they're getting serious about targeting you. You've been fighting so much to protect everyone; I'm just glad you didn't crash out before. Even the man who has the most fun fighting can experience burnout."

"Traffy." Law's heart leaps into a race at the sudden contact of Luffy's lips on his bicep. "Thank you for protecting me."

Luffy's breath catches as a butterfly kiss brushes his damp shoulder. "With my life."

The smell of greasy food mixes with the scent of musky linens, filling the air by nightfall. However, after opting out of the crew dinner and ordering room service instead on their second night, Law confesses to disliking the ultra softness of the hotel bed (something about his stiff posture needing better lumbar support), so they make for an early check-out without informing their crews, and return to the comfort of Law’s mattress on the Substitute. 

“I love the sunflower butt plug you bought me, Traffy,” Luffy gushes. “The ladybug on top is a cute touch, too. Do you?”

Law lounges on his firm mattress in the luxurious white bathrobe from the resort, his gaze unabashedly lingering on Luffy as he undresses him with his eyes. “Yes, and I’m a huge fan of the red lace panties you’ve worn, but I need both to stay put for right now. Where was I?”

“Why? We’ve been sleeping on clouds all day. I’m full and ready to play!” He hops into Law’s lap, and Law pulls him even closer.

“I said I wanted to talk to you, Straw Ha-ahh…Luffy! Ow! I’m not made of rubber, you know?” 

“Oh, don’t gimme that! No Straw Hat during sexy time! I mean it, Law! You promised!” 

Law snatches the lube out of Luffy's hand and places it on his nightstand. “It got your attention, though,” he smugly points out.

Using his tongue to suck on the bite mark he left on Law's middle finger, Luffy innocently bats his long lashes. “Now, whaddya wanna talk about, Traffy?”

Law's body trembled slightly as he sucked his thumb soothingly, yet his voice remained steady. “Blackbeard.” 

A sly pop off of Law’s finger and a shadowed look accompany Luffy's stillness. "Okay, I'm listening."

Law and Luffy talk late into the night, the murmur of their conversation punctuated by the occasional burst of tears and laughter.

First, Law recounts the harrowing story of his fight with Blackbeard—the stinging salt spray on his face blending with his tears, the feeling Bepo's erratic heartbeat hammering on his back beneath him as they paddled away in humiliating defeat—then about everything else. 

Neither man is the type to talk freely about their traumatic pasts, but the pair shares the most coveted gift of all—rare access into the depths of each other's souls. This profound connection allows them to understand each other's deepest fears and desires, their unspoken hopes, and hidden vulnerabilities. 

Law is honest, allows himself to be vulnerable, and his tears to flow freely. 

“I killed my crew.”

“Traffy, no, you—”

“YES. I DID, LUFFY. I’M NOT YOU. I’M NOTHING LIKE YOU! I’m the reason all but four of my crewmembers are dead, and the rest of us have to live with that survivor's guilt! I FAILED AS A CAPTAIN. I FAILED AS A FRIEND,” Law sobs into his palms. "WHAT GOOD AM I ALIVE IF THE PEOPLE I LOVE ARE DEAD?" He sobs and spills out his most haunting secrets, nose running with snotty regret, knowing that if no one else could hear him, could hold his grief, Luffy would.

“I drove them into an unwinnable fight,” he sniffles. “I didn’t train them hard enough. I didn’t trust them to defend me, to protect me. To protect each other. I left them weak and defenseless when it mattered the most to keep them safe and ALIVE.”

He's never experienced such emotional vulnerability before; wearing his heart on his sleeve, even with Luffy, feels entirely new, a departure from his usual guarded nature, but surprisingly, the more he unfurls his pain, the more Law discovers a certain appeal in this newfound openness. So, he connects the bloody thread of the loss of his crewmembers to the deadly pattern in his life, letting all his skeletons fall out. Another loss added to the bony piles of the others. 

“If I hadn’t gone off to study instead of playing with Lami, if I hadn’t gotten sick instead of helping my parents, or died before meeting Cora, if I hadn’t gone off to fight alone instead of leaving my crew in Wano, everyone I’ve lost in my life wouldn’t be dead. If I hadn’t asked you to ally with me, without them..." Law sucks in a throaty breath. "Maybe they would all still be alive.”

The bloodcurdling sobs that burst out of Law send a visceral reaction through Luffy. He wants to object. He wants to fight Law's fears with his fire, slay that dragon of doubt that Blackbeard left blocking the strategist's mind. At this moment, Luffy wants nothing more than to tell Law that he’s wrong about himself and that he did his best.

But Luffy intuitively seals his lips. Law isn’t asking to be saved right now. 

He asked to be listened to. 

So, Luffy listens. He is attentive, patiently hearing the haunting confessions as Law grieves and groans out his pain. It is brutal to bear witness to, but he does. Raw and sharp, he feels his friend's suffering, a hopelessness and regret that is only now, perhaps, truly sinking in. 

He sits with Law's learned helplessness. Devastated to see it's returned. Dressrosa meant so much to them.

“I’m nothing like you, Mugiwara-ya. I’m a weak captain, and even worse, a coward. I didn’t trust my team to back me up. I know this now. I weakened them by not allowing them to train and fight! You didn’t see the fear in their eyes when Blackbeard’s crew attacked. All those notorious Devil Fruit users made light work of my crew. Only two took them out, and I can’t even remember how they did it-it…it was just, one second, my crew’s all there, and then the next…” Law hiccups his choked-back tears.

He wails out his mourning like he's exorcizing a demon. "But I figured after all this time, you should know why I'm so broken. Why I'm such damaged goods!"

Luffy embraces Law the way he recalls Law holding him while he was recovering from his first near-death experience. He grabs Law's shaking hands in his firm, calm grip as he allows Law to purge his failures through weeping words.

To calm Law's pounding heart, Luffy lays Law’s head on his lap as he tenderly scratches his head and shares his own stories of shame, loss, Ace, Sabo, and the other experiences he suffered through but also endured, both before and after meeting Law. They cry together as they share their parallel sad life stories. 

But they laugh, too.

Law's with Luffy, so it makes perfect sense to him that one minute he's choking back sobs, a mixture of salty tears and frustration building in his throat, and the next he's laughing until his lungs feel like they're going to pop. He's overcome with wave after intermittent wave of relief; the unrestrained and infectious tears of laughter from Luffy are completely normal to him. The sounds of his ragged breathing and the sniffles giving way to piggish snorts and wheezing laughter don't faze him because Luffy's funny, and his giggle is Law's favorite musical instrument. Soon, Law is doubled over, shuddering with the Divine Child until their stomachs ache and tears stream down their faces. 

So, they play.

In a natural progression of their night, they cheer up by exchanging silly adventure stories and reenacting their theatrical versions of shared memories from their pirate alliance. Amidst the exchange of physical affection and sharing snacks and a vape pen, Luffy entertains Law with tales of his time in Zou, including meeting Bepo's cousins. He tells Law how he ate through the entire wedding cake at Sanji's wedding, the memories that light up his face as he retells them.

Who Luffy was on Whole Cake Island makes Law smile; he wishes he could've seen his crush in action. (Although the image of Luffy, bloody, toothless, and screaming out love confessions to Sanji in front of his estranged family makes Law's stomach turn.)

Law entangles their legs, their feet rubbing together for heat as he reminds Luffy of the grueling first month he had in Wano with Luffy’s crew; how much like Luffy the Strawhats are, even in his absence.

Such is their emotional bond that very little goes unsaid between them until their voices fade into the night, Luffy's last words hanging unfinished as they slip into sleep.

Law had been listening intently to Luffy; now, he’s snoring softly in the young man's arms. 

And so the night keeps their secrets safe, a silent agreement between them, unseen and unheard by any other soul.

⚔︎

“Let's get back together!” 

The jarring suggestion rips through Law's peaceful slumber, jolting him awake. His eyes fly open to the sight of Luffy's mischievous sparkle, that familiar twinkle in those deep, dark wells that always precedes trouble. 

And Law is in trouble.

He studies Luffy’s adorably demanding pout, a silent plea in those big, expressive eyes. He lets out a throaty sigh. Luffy knows how to break through Law's resolve as easily as a riptide leveling a sandcastle; his waves are a brutal assault crashing against Law’s inhibitions, eroding their foundation until only Luffy’s desire remains.

Groggy and out of it, Law lets out a shaky breath. “W-What?” 

The hell does that mean?

Law's heart races, a secret flutter of emotion, as they lock eyes—Luffy's shining with a dumbass smile. What trouble has Law gotten himself into by falling for this impulsive guy? 

“Let’s renew our alliance.”

Law’s heart sinks. 

Oh. 

That’s what he means.

He pinches his nose bridge and sighs, suppressing the disappointment suffocating his throat. “Why do you want that, Luffy?”

“Why not?” Luffy exclaims with his eyes wide open and a hopeful expression. “We’re already sailing together, and because I know you want it. That’s why you told me about Blackbeard last night, isn’t it?”

“It is not.”

But Luffy keeps giving his rehearsed pitch. “Listen, Traffy. I’ve given this enough thought. You need your confidence back. I didn’t know you were going through so much on your own. I can’t have that. You’re smart and strong.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Straw Hat?”

“Then, you need to see yourself how I see you.” He closes in on Law, his hand leisurely reaching out to graze Law’s tattooed fingers. “How the King of the Pirates sees you.” 

Their eyes meet. 

Law shakes his head, a torrent of emotions flowing through his body. “You’re being ridiculous.”

Luffy tips his head with his trademark cheeky charm. “What’s new?”

“Everything.”

“Then, say yes.”

“No.”

As if Luffy’s going to accept that. 

Luffy hardens his face, locking Law square in the eyes with no nonsense in his tone. “Somebody’s gotta take care of you, Traffy. And…” 

Law abruptly sits up, looking down at him. “And I can take care of myself, Straw Hat!”

It’s not like Luffy hadn’t expected Law to respond like this, and he's prepared the perfect counterpoint:

“I want it to be me! I miss making those memories with you. I miss protecting your pathetic ass, Traffy!”

“See? Pathetic! You’re mocking me, Straw Hat!”

“But I’m serious, Law!” That’s when Law pauses and genuinely starts to listen. Luffy takes the silent stasis as a good sign. “I miss fighting crooked pirates and the Marines with you. Seeing what our awakened Devil Fruits can accomplish together again has been so cool. Think of how much more we could do in an official alliance again!” 

Law’s brain breaks down every single word Luffy says. The younger man is certainly masking some nameless insecurity under exaggerated pouts and squirms like a brat building into a tantrum. 

But there is also something more tender in his voice, something finer in its vulnerability that Law can’t ignore, even if he has lost all his senses. 

“Look at how much we’ve done together in the past couple of months. You said it yourself; I’ve been working hard protecting everyone. That includes you. So let me!”

Law gags. Now, why the hell did Luffy crack his sternum open like that? He said it without hesitation or hint of misdirection, like…

He means it.

And that’s what made it more unnerving. Why would Luffy, of all people, the freest man in the world and the God of Freedom itself, miss taking care of him? Law could hardly understand it. 

“I’ve missed you, too, Luffy-ya. More than you could ever know… But—” He caresses Luffy’s thighs with gentle hands and longingly strokes his fingertips against the smooth, warm skin. 

But Law inevitably turns away. 

Overwhelmed, with his back to Luffy, Law’s fists dig into the mattress. His feet press into the floor. He told Luffy to think about them, not an alliance. Which means that an alliance is all Luffy wants from him. 

An alliance between just friends who happen to fuck. 

Yuck. 

“I need coffee,” Law announces, his voice thick with internal conflict. He knows Luffy won’t accept no for an answer, so he cannot have this conversation without caffeine. 

He needs to think. Law needs space and time to clear his head of this lovesick fog and think. This surreal ordeal he’s gotten into feels like another rash proposition from Luffy, and as usual, Law needs to be the sensible one. 

Right?

Glimmers of last night filter through the remnants of his sleep haze, and Law must admit he remembers how grounded and tender Luffy was during their late-night conversation. Law witnessed a side of Luffy he knew existed, but never thought he’d get to meet. Last night’s pillow talk felt like he was lying beside a boy who has grown into an emotionally mature man. As if he were sharing his life story with his life partner…

Law quickly and swiftly chases the thought away. Luffy doesn’t want that. 

His eyes close as a tired, stretching yawn threatens to pull him back under rather than draw him toward the coffeepot. The rustling of the sheets behind him sends Law leaning, the bed dips under his tailbone, and he sinks backward. His back meets the warm and gentle pressure of Luffy’s chest, and Law’s waist is coiled up in Luffy’s arms and legs.

The softest place in the world.

So, Law lets himself fall. 

The tender cradle is equally freeing and possessive. It spreads a tingling sensation flowing through Law's nerves, enveloping his entire body. Law surrenders to his paramour’s bold touch. 

Using his Devil Fruit powers, Luffy molds his body to form around Law like a cozy blanket. The rubber man softens his usually dense body, calming Law’s anxiety and grounding himself. 

No muscle definition, no bones, just Luffy’s pliable flesh, radiating body heat, and unconquerable spirit swaddling him.

Law loves it when Luffy molds around him like this—the soothing plush of physical affection feels like he’s being hugged by the creator of the universe and protected from the world. Like being hugged by his parents and Cora again. 

Like he’s loved. 

And it’s comforting and sexy at the same time. For the strongest man in the world to become Law's personal body pillow? Why, Law could melt on the spot. 

But does Luffy even know what love means?

Not pure friendship love, but the love that Law wants? The romantic constancy of the past three days has him yearning for that kind of love—the love his parents shared. The days in Dressrosa and pillow talks at night, baring their whole souls and doing life together, are a romantic fantasy love story he wouldn't mind living in. 

Law doesn’t want just sex; he wants a relationship. Maybe, someday, a small family. Does Luffy even think like that, let alone about him?

And how long does Luffy want their alliance to last? Law wants forever, but does Luffy care about what forever means? His stomach is in knots, his heart is in utter shambles, because Law doesn’t know…

And he’s too scared to say his biggest fear out loud.

So instead, Law bolts.

“You’re running again, Law,” Luffy protests in his ear. 

“I’m not. I said I need coffee.” 

Law scrambles to his feet, sporting a new, sleepy-headed rubber backpack. “What time is it?” Law strains to look at his alarm clock. “Ack! Luffy, you’re choking me!”

Luffy glimpses out the porthole, not loosening his grip. “The asscrack of dawn.” 

He pulls Law back down on the bed, sinking him deeper into Luffy’s pliant touch. “Now, come back to bed, my pet,” he instructs Law into a trust fall. 

Leaning his head on Luffy’s shoulder, Law is aware that he has fucked up. With his eyes slightly closed, he is surprised by how easily he melts back into Luffy’s supple arms despite the offensive comment. It sounds pleasant, in all honesty. Comforting. Luffy makes even the most offensive pet name sound like a cherished one. 

Maybe Law's just that down bad. Dammit! He’s so confused!

Either way, Law lets himself fall.

He buries his head in the crook of Luffy’s neck, sniffing his seaside and coconut scent, smoldering with Luffy’s pheromones. Unsure of what these tender moments mean anymore, his heartbeat reveals what he truly wants. 

Law’s senses go wild, a longing, the same sigh of safety escapes his lips whenever Luffy holds him like this. 

This physical intimacy makes him wish he could stay in Luffy’s life. But he doesn’t think he can, not like this. He can already sense the hairline fracture traveling through his guarded heart. 

“Luffy.”

“Traffy.” 

“Why are you awake so early?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Been thinking about you.”

Law's brow knits from the rush of questions clogging his mind. “Why?” His true feelings remain unspoken, yet his body language tells all. Law curls up against Luffy as he nestles against Luffy like a kitten seeking comfort. Being in Luffy’s arms makes him feel untouchable. Safe. Like no one can reach him, touch him… 

But Luffy. 

Then, he cringes from last night's emotional hangover. His face turns red. With a burst of adrenaline, Law fights to break free from Luffy's hold, his body and mind pushing back with all their might. 

“You must be starving. I'm sure you’re hungry, right?”  He’s desperately struggling against the constricting hold. (This is pathetic, he thinks. I’m so weak!) 

Luffy lets him go free. 

Law bolts, rushing across the tiny room. “Y-Yeah, I should probably feed you, huh?” Clamoring into a pair of spotted gray sweatpants and nothing else, Law slips out the door before Luffy has time to redress and follow him. 

Luffy throws on Law’s hoodie and storms out of the bedroom, hot on his snow leopard tail. “Yes, you should, but stop ignoring me!”

“I’m not ignoring you, Luffy.” Law quickens his pace to the galley, glancing over his shoulder. “I just… What the hell! Luffy, go put some pants on! My crew might see you!”

Arms behind his head, Luffy lazily walks behind him and brushes it off. “So? We’ve all got the same bits around here. I've just got both, and your sweater's super baggy. S’why I stole it,” he says, smug as a bug. 

He leans his neck toward Law’s shoulder. “Come on, say yes, Traffy. You know you want to,” he urges. 

“Because I need to think it over.” They walk through the narrow passage several paces apart. Law is in a hurry. 

Luffy is not. “What’s there to think about? What would change?”

“A lot!” he explodes, “Everything!” He abruptly turns to stare Luffy down, their height difference highlighted in the heat of the exchange.

“Like what?” Luffy asks with a curious smile. 

Law huffs. “Well, for one, I’m actively rebuilding my medical-surgical practice.”

Luffy looks bored. “People are sick and dying everywhere, Traffy,”  he flatly counters. “Chopper does your job everywhere, all the time. NEXT.”

Law sputters, “Don’t 'Next' me! And Chopper is not a surgeon! He’s a virologist and primary care physician!”

“Yeah, well, I don’t care ‘bout none of that, Traffy.”

Frustrated with his weak excuses, Law digs himself into an even deeper hole. “You’re not my Captain, Luffy, and—" he stops and hangs his head, sighing. “I need to run this by my crew first.”

“But you’re their Captain. Just tell them that we’re back together.”

“Yeah, you go say the same thing to your crew and get back to me.” He turns into the galley and beelines to the fridge. “And stop saying it like that! A pirate alliance is not a romantic relationship!”

Luffy looks blankly at Law from the galley's edge. “I know that.”

That crushes Law. So he does know the difference, and this is what he’s choosing. OK. COOL. He slaps on the coffee machine.

“But, yeah, you’re right. Nami would rip my throat out if I just said so without asking nicely. Shishi.” Luffy sits on a barstool, one cheek propped against his fist. “But are you seriously gonna talk it over with them?”

Law yanks the refrigerator door open. Of course, it’s starkly empty. Like, bare. Except for the half-eaten can of tuna that Bepo swore he’d eat before they disembarked for the sleep spa, and it turned the fridge sour. He did not.

“How many times have I warned that polar bear about botulism?” Law mutters as he tosses out the rancid canned goods. He wrinkles his nose and adds baking soda to his mental shopping list. 

He’s on grocery duty on the island because he’s a very conscientious—not picky—eater, and Shachi and Penguin are munchies shoppers, not grocery shoppers. Bepo only brings back fish, nothing else, and Ikkaku made the fair point that it would be sexist to expect her to grocery shop for three men and a male bear. He pours himself a cup of the freshly brewed coffee. 

“Why are you fighting me on this, Law?” Luffy teasingly mimics Law's voice. “You're the one who first proposed an alliance, remember?"

“Because!” Law groans, agitated and avoiding the truth. 

Luffy snorts. “Okay…? Because, what?” He leans against the cool, smooth stainless steel counter, waiting with his arms crossed, that infuriating, goofy smirk plastered on his face. The low hum of electricity from the refrigerator and light fixtures is the only sound in the industrial kitchen. 

“BECAUSE LAST NIGHT WAS EMBARRASSING, OK? I don’t know why I told you all of that! I think I was still high off cloud edibles, but it wasn’t to make you pity me and force me under your care and protection, Mugiwara-ya! It was a moment of weakness, and now I want you to forget that it ever happened, alright?!”

Luffy blinks in shock. “No.”

“Why the hell not?!”

“I can’t forget the look and sound of your pain, Law. I can’t forget what you told me you went through. I don’t want to forget. So I’m not gonna and you can’t make me, because you’re my friend.”

There goes that word again, and it’s tearing up Law’s heart. “But I want you to! I need you…” His voice cracks. 

“Why?”

“BECAUSE I’M A LOSER, OK? A bad luck charm. I’ll only hold you back.”

Luffy slinks around the counter and pulls Law in a protective hold, wrapping his arms around just enough times for deep pressure stimulation, but not to constrict his lungs. He places the side of his face on Law’s chest. His left ear echoes the sound of Law’s skittering heart.  

“Traffy, have you not been listening to me? I don't pity you, either. All I’m saying is, after what you told me last night, you need me with you to defeat Blackbeard. Sabo said he's hunting me for the One Piece, anyway. Just my luck that I get to crush him as King for what he did to you!”

“Tch. There you go again, making it sound like I’m a damsel in distress.”

“Well…” Luffy shrugs, and Law wrestles to pull his arm away. 

“Shut up! Unhand me, you brute!” Law lies straight through his teeth, “I don’t need you, Luffy!” 

“But I need you on my team for my dream, Law. We could never be enemies. I don’t want you to die!” 

Law cuts his eyes. “You don’t know that.”

Though he laughs with full lungs, Luffy is unmoved. “Oh, you’re being such a drama queen, Traffy. Look, I’m not doubting your ability to fight or even get your lick back on your own, but you shouldn’t do this by yourself. This is about more than revenge. It’s about you and your crew staying alive. It’s about honoring your friends’ memories with your life. Your best bet is to stay close to the friends you still have.” 

Luffy lifts his head to peer into the watery pools of Law’s eyes. “Law,” he whispers, “Let me help you.” 

When Luffy eventually retreats, Law is trembling as he takes a watchful sip from Law’s snow leopard mug. 

Dammit! It’s rare when Luffy’s so right. 

Law rolls his eyes, a sardonic twitch to his lips. "Alright," he drawls, eyeing the stranger before him suspiciously. His words drip with skepticism, "Who are you, and what have you done with that thoughtless, immature Monkey D. Luffy?"

Luffy merely snickers. “The boy grew up to be a king and threw away some childish things.”

Law blinks, his jaw slackens, stunned by Luffy’s sudden lucidity. “Wh—”

“OK…not all my childish ways. Shishi.” He extends his arm toward Law’s face. Law's neck cranes back, anxious about Luffy's next move. Luffy reaches out and makes a fist, pulling Law’s nose with his awakened power. “Look! You’re Usopp!” 

Law sputters out his coffee, laughing. "You’re so chaotic, Lu-ya."

“Yeah, but life is boring any other way.”

Law hums thoughtfully, his gaze drifting to the clock above the stove. If Law doesn’t get to the store before lunchtime, Bepo is going to give him a warm but stern talking-to and paw wag. He’s a sucker for cute tantrums, but he'd would rather not upset the man in the bear—or the ravenous beast in Luffy.

However, Law knows domestic stuff isn’t Luffy’s thing. The one time Law saw Luffy cook, everyone thought they’d lose their lives. That’s why the younger man has a culinary expert for a chef. Law and his crew cooked all their meals…but (thanks to Luffy’s chef)…it’s been a while. He wants to ask Luffy to come shopping with him, but he knows Luffy would say grocery shopping is boring or complain the whole time if he were dragged along. 

Neither one of them deserves that torture. 

Still, Law wants to be a bit more greedy and keep Luffy with him a little longer. Yes, he knows he’s being selfish and that Luffy’s crew is probably worried sick about him.

However, the thought of even a few hours without the charming captain in his notable straw hat makes Law sicker. 

So Law decides on a more roundabout approach. He glances over his shoulder and casually bats his long, dark lashes at Luffy with a fondness that makes Luffy’s heart tickle and clench. 

“I’ve…gotta go pick up some things for breakfast after I change the bedsheets. Won’t you linger a while?”

“Nope,” Luffy quickly says, his gaze impassive as he dismissively flicks one wrist as he hops off the barstool. 

Law’s heart drops to his ass. His eyes widen like saucers.

Did Luffy just reject me?

Law clears his throat to swallow the thick lump lodging in it and plays it cool. But as he fixes his face and lips to appear apathetic, Luffy cuts him off as he strolls out of the galley. 

“I’m coming with!"

Their grocery run is surprisingly short, sweet, and a lot of fun. The new New Dreamland outdoor farmer’s market boasts a wide variety of delectable breakfast options (Luffy), hot and cold, for even the pickiest eater (Law) to easily fill their baskets as Law breezes through his shopping list. 

To Law’s astonishment, Luffy, typically impulsive and reckless, proves to be an impressively helpful and engaged shopping companion, his usual antics replaced with thoughtful participation. He’s careful in selecting items for himself for Law to buy, makes sensible choices for Law’s dietary preferences, and even offers thoughtful suggestions for Law’s crew.

As they shop around and stop at vendor booths offering free samples, the warm, springtime breeze, carrying the scent of bergamot and salt, easily melts away the tension from their morning conversation. They don’t bring up the proposal again. 

It’s so much easier, quicker, and cheaper grocery shopping for five rather than twenty-one. 

(Ew, gross.) 

(He hates himself for even thinking such an intrusive thought.)

Luffy barely looks over before he grabs Law’s hand, dragging him through the bustling marketplace toward the smoky aroma of the jerky vendor, screaming, “MEAT!” 

Law allows himself to be carried along.

Luffy doesn’t let go of Law’s hand for the rest of their shopping experience. 

Law bought way too much food—a mountain, really—and Luffy, as usual, made too many friends, their merry chatter a constant hum throughout their Saturday morning shopping trip. It’s the most domestic experience they’ve ever shared, and its success leaves Law fluttering with hope.

Except for that one awkward encounter, it's been a leisurely Saturday morning. Beautiful in climate and company.

So, he's more than happy to cook a massive breakfast for Luffy, complete with blueberry pancakes, chocolate chip waffles, bacon, sausage, and three types of eggs. He’s no Sanji, but he’s no stranger to the world of cooking for survival either. 

The air is cloudy with flour, sizzling with processed meats on the griddle, and frantic chopping on the block as Law cooks omurice and bacon and replenishes what Luffy’s ingredient-snatching fingers pilfer like the king of piracy that he is. 

But Luffy also runs a tight kitchen, barking orders like the Captain he is for each batch of pancakes and waffles, though Law doesn’t always obey. 

“For someone who nearly burnt down the Sunny boiling water, why, you sure are a bossy sous chef, ain't ya'?”

Luffy laughs, “Have you met Sanji?”

His voice continues echoing through the kitchen with birthright authority until the sweet and savory tastes of his breakfast fill his mouth and stomach. 

They share a quiet morning meal. 

To create a light atmosphere during their meal, Law put on an old UTA Sound Dial in the galley. Law carefully eats his healthy omelet, one bacon strip, and fruit salad; the clean flavors are a world away from the syrupy breads and sweet meats Luffy is devouring. Despite himself, he'd steal glances at Luffy's tempting lips and fingers while Luffy ate, a curious blend of disgust and fondness in his eyes as he admired the slob eating butt-naked under his hoodie. 

Even as he eats continuously, Luffy uses his sticky fingers repeatedly to take the non-bread food on his plates and feed Law. It is endearingly messy and disgusting, and the sweetest thing Luffy ever does for Law. 

It’s the best morning they’ve ever had together.

Over coffee and thirds, they're enjoying their longest, most domestic moment yet—one not solely defined by fighting, sleeping, or sex. It is a sweet relief for Law to enjoy this kind of intimacy comfortably with someone else. He never craved such things before. Law had never allowed himself to do so before Luffy.

And it scares the hell out of him.

Luffy snaps up, his lips puckered and glossy with grease and syrup. “Gimme kiss, Traffy!” 

Law's gaze flickers over to him, a skeptical scowl creasing his brow, his lips pressed into a thin line. “...Why?” he queries, mouth full of strawberry chunks.

Pushing his cleaned-off plate away, Luffy lets out a satisfied sigh. “Because this breakfast hit the spot! Gotta kiss ya’ to thank ya’! Sanji would be so proud!” Luffy closes his eyes and puckers up, only to stop and look around the messy kitchen. 

“Hey, wait. Uh…where’d your buddies go?” he asks through stuffed cheeks. Law calmly explains that they'd rather be on land when they're not underwater. 

“They’re still exploring the island. They haven't gotten used to the new ship yet, and being cooped up in here makes them remember losing.” 

Then he snacks on a pineapple chunk to ease the ache of the painful memories he shares with his crew. It's too unbearable for Law to think about, so he switches to something else. 

"Speaking of crews, what's up with you and Roronoa?" Law sips a cup of water.

Luffy sucks on his sticky fingers, a cheeky expression on his face. “I dunno,” he replies, voice detached, his lips smacking together with a satisfying sound. “I’ve had a lot on my plate,” he says, winking, a playful smile tugging at his lips. ​​

It’s true, though. Luffy's been so consumed with protecting his crew and Law that other matters have completely slipped his mind. A new fight was always at the forefront, preventing him from exploring Zoro's closed-off personality, oddly enough, because that's when their connection felt strongest. 

Even though it's been a while since he’s been intimate with Zoro, between all the fighting and Luffy spending much of his free time with Law in the past month, Luffy sorta…kinda…

Forgot. 

“Oh, that reminds me! You wanna hear something funny?”

“It better make me laugh, Straw Hat.”

“Zoro propositioned me at dinner the other night.”

Law does not laugh. “Oh? For what?”

“Sex. Duh,” Luffy says like it’s obvious. 

“I see.” Law finishes drinking his water. “So, that’s what had you all flustered at the rainbow dinner? What did you say?”

“Nothin’! Cat got my tongue. Wait…” Gasping, Luffy's eyes widened, "Traffy, you knew?"

Law snorts, “No,” sipping his burnt coffee to calm his nerves. “But I had a hunch. You started acting weirder than usual after he whispered something in your ear.” 

“Aw, you were paying attention to me!” Law turns his back on Luffy’s bright gaze, which only grants Luffy access to squeezing his ass. “You do care!”

Hips snapping forward, Law swings his arm back to arrest Luffy’s hand. “Argh! Your cuteness-aggression is out of control, Straw Hat! And, of course, I care.”

Boastfully tipping his chin up, Luffy grins. “I knew it,” Luffy grins, his chest tingling with fireworks. He’s relieved to hear he’d been worried about nothing two days ago. “I saw the way you were sulking in the hotel lobby.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oi, come on, Traffy. I know it bothered you that I was clinging onto Zoro like cling wrap.”

“As long as you know you’re clingy,” Law mutters.

“Just admit it, Traffy! You were jealous,” he sings behind Law’s back. Law is sure that if Luffy could see his blushing pout, he’d feel victorious. “Admit it and I’ll…” Luffy stands on his tiptoes and stretches forward to whisper in Law’s ear. 

Law folds like origami. “Alright, freak nasty. OK. It did. But only because you were being obnoxious.”

“Liar,” Luffy cackles. “You were scowling like a grumpy baby over me riding Zoro’s back.”

“You never hear yourself, do you?” 

With a blank, innocent look on his squishy face, Luffy tilts his head. Just seeing Luffy makes Law need another cup of coffee to steel his nerves before he makes a terrible decision; he wants to emulate Cora's selfless love, but Zoro's feelings for Luffy are painfully apparent to him, but Luffy's still oblivious. Ultimately, Law craves Luffy for himself alone. 

But he can’t make that choice for Luffy.

“Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Unlike you, I have been thinking, and I might have a suggestion for your Zoro project.” 

“Nice! You're always thinking, so spill!”

“And you’re always the boss, right? Calling the shots? And that’s why Robin encouraged you to switch it up and be a Sub—correct?” Law clicks his teeth when Luffy grumbles an incoherent retort. “I know you don’t wanna do that, but if you want him to open up more, what if…”

“What if, what? What if what?!”

“What if you let him top you? I mean, you seem to enjoy it when I do. You don’t have to be a Sub to be the bottom; you’re bossy no matter what position you’re in. Of course, you don’t have to, but maybe give it a try with Roronoa. Feeling in control may be the key to Roronoa opening up to you. Power makes people honest.”

Luffy blinks once.

Then again.

Slowly…

Then rapidly.

“DO WHAT?”

And it came to him like an epiphany.

Oh.

“So, like…a power-bottom?” 

Law grimaces. “Stop reading Robin’s romance books. You already are—”

“They’re Sanji’s, and shhh! Stop talking! I’m thinking!” Luffy pinches his temples, squeezing his eyes tight. The realization rolls off his tongue without a second thought. “I think I would only enjoy switching with you, Traffy.” 

“OH?”

Law’s heart shoots to his throat. Since Luffy is so candid, Law has trained himself to accept his words at face value, rather than trying to decipher hidden meanings. But each sincere moment with his more expressive friend leaves Law reeling, overwhelmed by vulnerability and longing.

A quick, sideways glance at Luffy is all Law can manage before looking away. The heat in his chest is so intense that he feels like his heart might burst, desperately needing to soothe the burning. He envies Luffy's current situation.

Law made his choice years ago. 

But he will not sway Luffy’s hand. 

Law slowly exhales through his nose, his lips pressed tight, and gives Luffy a neutral look. If Luffy wants Law, he will choose him.

His emotional constancy surpassing a moody Law, Luffy has an uncanny talent for knowing exactly what to say in these moments to disarm Law. “I don’t think I’d like it with anyone else,” Luffy immediately says, nonplussed.

It's as if Luffy can somehow sense Law's thoughts and feelings. Luffy watches Law intently, taking in the sharpness of his features, how his brows pinch from his clouded thoughts, and his eyes darken as he suppresses the emotions he doesn’t want to face, simmering just below the surface. He adores Law's troubled expression; it's endearing and always makes him look fondly at the older pirate, wishing he could ease Law's worries.

He reaches out and grabs Law’s tight-knuckled hand and gently but firmly forces Law to relax his grip so that he can hold it. Soothing strokes thumb the soft tattooed skin on the back of Law’s hand. Luffy pauses as an even bigger thought occurs to him. He looks up, eyes wide with clarity.  

“I don’t think I want that kind of intimacy with anyone else, Law.” 

The faintest rose hue dusts Law’s usually pale cheeks, a stark contrast to his usual composure. A wave of emotion washes over him as Luffy’s sincere tone, speaking Law’s name, sends a jolt through his body, causing his knees to tremble. An insistent voice in his head, a persistent whisper, urges him to take the bait. He wants to clarify Luffy’s statement, understand Luffy’s reasoning, and push beyond surface-level answers to explore the core of his thoughts. The desperate need to scream is a physical agony, his lungs burning with the effort of holding it back.

YES, I KNOW! 

THAT’S WHY YOU SHOULD BE WITH ME! 

PICK ME, LUFFY. 

CHOOSE ME. 

Marry me.

“Do you?”

Now the pressure is on Law. “I—” 

But his confession dies in his throat. He quickly kisses Luffy, then, feigning indifference with a shrug, turned away to wash their dishes in the large sink. “I’m just saying, it may not hurt to try.”

Luffy senses Law's onto something. Zoro could be more open to talking if he had more freedom.

⚔︎

Putting away his epic grocery haul, Sanji is twirling to prepare all the fancy ingredients he bought at this morning’s farmer’s market. Sound Dial blasting big band music throughout the galley. He takes stock of his inventory, old and new. He’s enjoying his flow state; he’s at home, in the zone where he controls everything. 

The King of the Pirates’ personal chef arranges his new inventory of hailstone potatoes, sleet sugar cubes, crystalline rain salt, and lightning-smoked black pepper.

And his favorite—cloud flour. 

The bread made with the versatile vaporized yeast flour is so light, even Law couldn't resist a bite. Sanji bought extra sacks, mindful of how much the other captain hates dense and soggy bread but loves crisp cookies.

He just finished rearranging the cabinets and shelves, and getting the ingredients ready for dinner, when the potent scent of steel and sea moss aftershave steals his senses. Sanji inhales the aroma and rolls his eyes.

Zoro's warm, drunken breath tickles Sanji's neck as he grunts in his ear. “‘Sup, shit cook. What’s for dinner? I can’t stomach another cloud-based or lightning-zapped thing. I need actual food.”

He should take that as a compliment, coming from Zoro, but Sanji suddenly lacks the calm concentration he once had. He’s nervous and trying to conceal the tell: his shaking hands holding a paring knife. 

Not even honoring him with a glance, Sanji expertly breaks down the sea king from his evening catch. “For you? Just my fabulous twist on plain old, flame-grilled, hot dog shit.” 

Its slimy scales easily scrape off, and there are barely any major bones apart from the skeletal structure. The thick marbled meat is comparable to catfish, so Sanji’s culinary mind whirs with succulent seafood recipes. Even nervous, he’s still a pro at what he does. 

Zoro nods, leaning his swords against the counter’s base. With a playful chuckle, “Mmm, yum. My favorite,” he jokes while settling onto the bar stool behind the service counter. Taking in the sight of Sanji's culinary prowess, he becomes transfixed by the deboning process, leaning closer, his green haramaki tight against his waist.

“You’re not too shabby with that blade either, Blondie.” 

“Is that a compliment, dirtbag?”

Zoro’s lax expression instantly sobered. “Mm…no,” he flatly denies. “It’s a pity; if only you didn’t fight with just your legs and feet. You might’ve been a subpar swordsman.” Knocking his head back and hugging his stomach, Zoro’s buoyant laughter booms through the galley.

“You drunken asshole, you know that?!“ 

Ignoring the butcher knife looming over him, Zoro scans the cutting counter full of potatoes with a scrutinizing eye. “So, fish and chips, then?”

“I…I don’t know yet. Doing a bit of experimenting since most people are still at the resort, so dinner’ll be a while,” Sanji grumbles, meandering around the kitchen like he’s a guest cook. He usually enjoys the distraction of Zoro's drunken company and the quiet moments while he cooks. Ever since he left the farmer's market that morning, though, Sanji has been dreading it.

But he can’t just not say something. 

He is gentle but direct, quickly whipping up a plate of frozen leftovers and a specialty cocktail. He places the dish and glass in front of the swordsman. “Here. A snack.”

"Onigiri... Thanks," Zoro mumbles, shaking the word association from his mind. To do so, he fixes his gaze on the vibrant crimson cocktail; the sweet scent of berries battles with the sharp tang of alcohol, tickling his nostrils. He salivates. 

"You didn't poison this, did you?" The question is thick with playful suspicion.

“What’s it to you?” Sanji huffs, annoyed that the brute can’t just receive a damn kind gesture. “You guzzle down poison by the gallon every hour.”

“Every half-hour, thank you,” Zoro smugly corrects. “But it’s you… So I gotta ask. What’s in it?”

“Oh, fuck off! It’s a Woo Woo; peach schnapps, cranberry juice, and vodka, on the rocks.” 

Zoro screws his face. “So, fruity shit.”

Sanji grits his teeth. “Yes, fruity shit. You’ll survive drinking a fruity sunset cocktail. Besides, it’s Luffy’s favorite…” Zoro swipes the martini glass and downs it in one gulp. “Drink.”

“It’s decent,” Zoro dismisses, crashing the martini glass onto the polished counter. “Don’t go around calling yourself a mixologist or anything.” 

Sanji rolls his eyes and returns to the steak cut of sea king on the chopping board. He’s fuming on the inside, but Zoro’s reaction is all he needed to see to know he’s genuinely in a bind between his two best friends. 

Zoro puts his chin on his fist, his head drunkenly bobbing. “Why’re you suddenly being nice to me, Curly?”

Sanji's defenses instinctively rise when dealing withthis best friend. Facing Zoro head-on, he raises a curly brow, and the sharp knife is pointed at the ready. “What's that supposed to mean, Moss Ball?”  he snaps, the words thick with barely suppressed anger. “What? I can’t feed a member of my crew just because?”

A silent standoff begins between the tsundere chef and the stoic swordsman. The silence weighs heavily on Sanji's nerves.  

Zoro smirks knowingly, his moss green head cocked as he meets Sanji's sky-blue gaze across the smoky kitchen. “You’re exceptionally bitchy right now, Eggplant, even for you. What’s the matter with you?”

Sanji winces at Zoro’s teasing. His nerves are frayed from three long days of nicotine withdrawal, and Zoro’s dumb, confused face doesn't bring him the satisfaction he’d hoped for. 

How crushing. 

Between the nauseating rotation of cutesy pet names and Zoro’s observant tone, Sanji was left with no other choice. With an imperceptibly shaky hand, he sets down the knife. He pulls his cigarettes from his inside pocket, allowing the rough fabric of his tweed blazer to scratch against his skin, grounding him before he shatters Zoro's heart. 

Taking a deep breath, the sound heavy with inner conflict, Sanji pauses. A shaky breath escapes his lips as he has second thoughts.

No. He deserves to know.

With an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, Black Leg Sanji dishes the bad news.  

⚔️🪢

TO BE
CONTINUED

Chapter Text

He doesn't light the cigarette.

The air hangs thick with the aroma of spices, searing fish, and awkward tension as Sanji stands at the center of his kitchen, his knuckles bone-white against the dark counter. 

“So…” 

He struggles to avoid the penetrating steel-grey gaze boring into the bullseye of his visible eyebrow. The weight of the silence pressing down his chest expands his lungs with a deep, nervous breath; his heart pounds a complicated rhythm against his ribs. 

A cold sweat prickles his skin beneath his swoop bang. Maybe if he passes out, he won’t have to break the bad news at all. 

But Zeff didn't raise a punk. So, Sanji, despite his racing heart, calmly states, "I bumped into Luffy and Law at the farmer's market earlier today."

“Luffy? Up early? Pfft! Yeah, right.”

Sanji ignores the snarky comment and presses forward. “Did you know about that?” Sanji queries, placing bags overflowing with fresh produce on the kitchen counter. He carefully empties its contents to distract his nerves, and his hands quickly take over what his brain no longer needs to concentrate on. 

His mind is still reeling in disbelief over what he saw when he walked toward the meat and poultry vendors' section. The clouds drifting over the farmer’s market initially made him think he was seeing a mirage. Although he knew the two captains were close, their interactions and behavior this morning were unusually intense.

Romantic.

Zoro gives Sanji a flat stare. “Know about what? You saw Luffy where lots of food is sold. Breaking news,” Zoro snarks back. 

“No… did you know they’re spending so much quality time together? Alone?”

Zoro snorts. “Doing what? Grocery shopping? The man barely bathes weekly.”

“Yes, you jackass. Luffy and Traffy looked like they were shopping for ingredients.”

“That is what you do at a market, is it not?" Zoro snorts. "Ingredients for what?”

“How should I know?” 

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“IT’S FOOD, YOU IDIOT!” 

Sanji breathes deeply, restraining himself from kicking Zoro. Breaking the bad news with an attitude won't help either of them. He adopts his usual overly sweet, placating tone, the one he uses when annoyed with Nami but wants to hide it. “I just wanted to know if you knew anything about it.”

“What’s there to know? They’re friends. Best friends, let Luffy tell it. I don’t get it, but hey, what do I know other than they like to hang whenever we run into Traffy’s crew.”

“Yeahhhh, but this didn’t seem like just a friendly hangout.”

“So what? You saw them bickering like old hens? They argue and fight all the time,” Zoro impassively shrugs. “They are best friends,” Zoro repeats, mocking in a whiny, wallowing voice that makes him feel pathetic for the cook to hear. Sanji rolls his eyes, about to give up.

“They looked like more than that, though, is what I’m saying.”

Zoro's face hardens. “More? What do you mean by more?”

Finally, it’s clicking! 

“I snuck a peek into Law’s basket. It was a large amount of food. Looked like he was shopping for multiple meals, like for a grocery haul for multiple days.”

"Yeah, that adds up. He has a crew of his own, and Luffy can eat two fridges' worth of food before lunch. Don't you make his food? You're a shitty cook and gossip, Naruto. You should take notes from Usopp.”

Sanji’s curly eyebrow twitches. Never-fucking-mind! “Yeah…” he bristles, “well, most of the stuff I saw Law carrying was not anything Luffy likes to eat individually. It appeared to be for specialty dishes. For a special dinner.”

“So what? Law is notoriously peckish, and if you seriously think Luffy’s eating a whole fridge-load of vegetables, you’re dumber than I thought! Quit wasting my time and finish cooking dinner!”

Alright, that’s IT! 

“OH, WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP? Why are you such a blockhead, Mosshead?! I think Law was going to cook for them! Knowing Luffy, it was for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!”

Zoro screws his face. “Why would he do that? You’re right here.”

“That's what I'm trying to get through your thick skull! I think it’s more than just grocery shopping! It looked like they were on a grocery date and purchasing items for a lunch or dinner date!" 

“A date for what?”

“You’re seriously pissing me off, enculé! I’m only going through this with you one last time. I’ll even go slower than a Snail race, so listen carefully.” Sanji takes a deep breath. “Luffy and Law missed every joint crew meal in the past twenty-four hours. He missed breakfast this morning, too, remember?”

How could Zoro forget? It nearly ruined his appetite if not for the need to soak up the booze sloshing in his empty stomach. Luffy's absence for much of the first part of their vacation made Zoro's entire experience rather dull. Facing a Vice Admiral in battle was more appealing to him than staying on this nightmare island for another sleep.

At least then, Luffy would be there.

“He and Traffy roomed together at the spa and were already gone by the time you and I checked out…”

Zoro feels silly and foolish listening to the cook make connections he didn’t even consider. How did he know this stuff without using Observation Haki? Sure, Luffy didn’t sleep in the crew’s main suite, but he didn’t want to think about why. Zoro let himself believe they just went exploring before crashing somewhere on the island. He didn’t even realize Luffy had left before checkout. Damn. How dumb is he really?

He kicks out his Observation Haki at once. Thanks to his training with the Pirate King, it’s gotten stronger, even in such a drunken state. But it’s his first time using it to locate Luffy since Dressrosa. He hasn’t needed to since they’ve always been together, but now…

Luffy’s presence is instantly found in the heart of the Heart Pirates’ submarine. Zoro’s never been inside the underwater vessel, so he can’t tell which part of the ship Luffy’s in, but Zoro can sense he’s calm and still; he draws out a wave of Luffy’s emotions, but only two truly stand out.

“Do you see where I’m going with this yet?” Sanji cuts through his thoughts. 

“No.”

“OH MY—Putain!” Sanji erupts, his foot kicking into flames. Frustrated, smoke billows around him. “THEY LOOKED ROMANTIC. I think Luffy and Law are a thing!"

Zoro throws his head back in a full-bodied laugh that sends chills down Sanji’s spine. “What thing, Fancy Brow?” It’s the most enlivened and playful laugh he’s heard from the swordsman in weeks.

“A romantic relationship, do you get it now?!”

“HAHA! Luffy and Law? The most unromantic alliance in the New World? Even Buggy, Crocodile, and Mihawk are hotter than those two together. Gotta put those smut fics down, Curly,” Zoro dismisses, taking a swig from his flask. He was questioning his intelligence over nothing at all.

“Luffy's a handsy guy, yeah, but we both know he doesn’t do lovey-dovey relationship stuff. And, pfft! C’mon, it’s scrawny Law. He for damn sure ain’t touching Luffy like that. Not even with Kikoku.” He can’t help but laugh at the delusional cook fuming in front of him.

Sanji grinds on his molars. “Oh, is that so?” 

“I’m just saying, you’re starting to see things because of those horny books you read all the time.”

Sanji has had enough. He can’t take another insult to his intelligence and insight. He doesn’t want to air Luffy and Law out like this; he’s truly the live-and-let-live type. It’s their business, and he should mind his. He knows that’s the most respectful thing to do for his captain and best friend. 

And his captain’s friend. 

Luffy might never forgive him for this, but Zoro has just burned his very last nerve, and now Sanji is smoking mad. He wasn’t even going to say anything about it, but now the drunken swordsman has pissed him off, accusing him of being clueless at best, and delusional at worst. Sorry, Luffy, but Sanji couldn’t let that slide. He knows what he saw. He knows it wasn’t because the tasteful romance novel selections from the 'Sexy Lady Pirates and Steamy Cook Book Club' have warped his perspective. 

He knows how love-hungover Marimo is, even if he's too dense to see it for himself.

So, amidst all that chaos, betraying his loyalty to his captain and his best friend, Black Leg Sanji’s composure breaks as he spills the beans.

“Then I guess I was just seeing Luffy wearing Law’s favorite Jolly Roger sweatshirt, holding hands, and kissing in front of meat vendors, huh? That it was all just smutty make-believe, right? Because you were there, right? You know Luffy better than I!”

Zoro chokes on his liquor.

“What…” The fuck? “...did you see, cook?” Sober-minded and with a phantom ache itching the scar Mihawk left behind, Zoro becomes laser-focused; the two strongest emotions he sensed pouring forth from Luffy’s aura come into stark view. “Tell me everything.”

Sanji turns back to his work. “No. I’m done being nice.”

⚔︎

The past two months spent together as two crews have been good for Law and the Heart Pirates. The Straw Hat Pirates are a chaotic mess of rowdy fun and ungovernable defiance. Law could no longer deny that the notorious pirate crew’s hospitality had made the two crews very close. The larger crew has been nothing but kind and inventive in their support of the surviving Heart Pirates, in both the most innocuous and imposing ways, which has made Law and his crew feel like family, simply by the Strawhats' caring nature and proximity. 

Take this morning, for example.

Law unrolls out of Luffy’s spooning hold right off the bed. If his bladder weren’t attacking him, he’d have stayed in his warm constraints. However, his need to relieve himself was not what woke him up; it was Luffy’s grumbling stomach, lightly kicking his back with the pulses of unconscious Supreme King Haki.

Might as well feed the King.

“I’m up, I’m up,” he mutters with a chuckle to Luffy’s bitchy stomach.

As he takes his morning leak, Law thinks about what to make of them—him and Luffy—as he considers what to make them, Luffy and his crew, for breakfast. It depends on what they still had left from their farmer’s market hall, because he spent the entire previous day cooking for the gluttonous man snoring in his bed.

The man that he loves.

They spent the third day with Law in the kitchen making munchy meals and lounging around the sub's conversation pit, eating, playing the crew's board games, watching Sora, and fucking all over crew furniture they had no business leaving their business on. The evening started with a candle-lit dinner on the picnic table under Nami's tangerine trees, and ended with Luffy fucking Law silly in both their beds.

After the past three days, Law is confident about two things:

His feelings for Luffy.

His disinterest in being the reason the Straw Hat Pirate Crew implodes.

He washes his hands, hears the flushing toilet and sputtering sink faucet down the drain, signaling that the ship’s water pressure valve requires inspection. He sighs and quickly splashes cold water on his face. A captain’s work is never finished. (He’ll notify Penguin about this later.)

As he opens the galley's fridge and pulls out the scarce ingredients (Luffy has already devoured him out of house and ship) for breakfast service, Law remembers that awkward encounter they had with Sanji at the outdoor farmer’s market the morning before. Well, it was uncomfortable for Law; he couldn’t be sure about Luffy. He was so chill about it that Law almost forgot they weren’t trying to be seen being intimate. 

More unsettling, Law does not know how much of their interactions the chef witnessed. When he approached them in front of a butcher shop, ordering thick-cut bacon and hot links, Law and Luffy were comfortably holding hands, and he was wearing Luffy's straw hat. With every replay of the meet and greet in Law’s mind, Sanji looks more and more suspicious. 

He feels a fresh wave of dread overwhelm his stomach. 

Did Sanji see them making out? 

Law’s intestines recoil from the cringe. He’s never been a fan of public displays of affection; he doesn’t even like people grazing his fingers when handing him his groceries. 

But it’s Luffy. How was he supposed to resist touching the man of his dreams?

Now wishes he weren’t such a simp for the naked man in his bed and could better hold his boundaries. He was a lovesick fool for thinking he could’ve lived in this cute, secret lovers' fantasy bubble on this strange, dreamy island with his crush without being clocked by someone on either crew. They had better luck in Dressrosa. 

Now, Law has to deal with that. 

Great.

Suddenly, his Transponder Snail awakens to the sound of Black Leg’s gruffy voice telling him, “Hey, Traffy! Bring your ass and your crew up for breakfast. There’s plenty and I won’t take no for an answer. I even made a separate breakfast for your…choice tastes.”

Law rolls his eyes at the command but doesn’t decline the offer, though his guts are now bubbling because why would he say it like that? 

“I’ll send the word out, Black Leg-ya.”

“‘Kay.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

Zoro honestly cannot believe what Curly told him the night before. Luffy isn’t the one for domestic activities like shopping for groceries. 

“It looked like an errand date. You know, when couples make a date out of running domestic errands, like going to the farmer’s market early on a Saturday morning.”

It’s the fact that it’s with Law that is souring his mood.

“When I walked up to them, Luffy was wearing Law’s hoodie, Law was wearing Luffy’s straw hat, and they were holding hands. But I first saw them hugging and kissing, staring at each other with googly eyes while they waited, and Law was rubbing Luffy's booty.”

Luffy and Law, smiling, holding hands, kissing? Groping in public? He could see that with Luffy’s overly affectionate ass. But Law? The man is the poster child of awkward interactions and is easily embarrassed. He's a walking, talking robot, less human than General Franky.

“I looked in their basket. Traffy was preparing to cook a big meal for him.”

There’s no way he’s capable of any genuine emotions enough to turn a shopping trip into a romantic date. And really, couldn’t he say the same about Luffy? Sex is one thing, but was Luffy even aware of what made up romance? 

Feeding Luffy was not the odd part. It’s the fact that the cook sounded so nervous when he said, “They were shopping at a farmer’s market, looking like a happy couple...in love.”

But why would the fry cook lie?

Zoro decides to watch both captains more closely after he hears the crappy chef invite the Heart Pirates over for yet another damn meal.

True to Sanji’s word, there’s so much food at breakfast that morning for both unbearably hungry crews that the chef packs up the leftovers and gives them all to Law’s crew. 

"For tomorrow," the chef says curtly, thrusting a thermal bag stuffed to the brim with glass containers into the astonished captain's hands.

Bepo grabs the bag before Law's stiff posture accidentally causes it to drop. "Thanks a bunch, Black Leg!"

Even Luffy doesn’t complain about the loss of leftovers. He only smiles and throws his arm around Law’s shoulders, beaming at Sanji’s generosity. 

However, the Heart Pirates don’t eat their leftover breakfast the next morning or the morning thereafter. They’re back on the Thousand Sunny for breakfast each morning like clockwork—

Like they belonged.

Which leads them to their last breakfast on Dream Island.

Everyone is stuffing their faces in the crowded galley, talking like there’s no tomorrow, when Law remembers he’s the captain of a sinking ship.

“Oh, that reminds me, Penguin, can you please check the water pressure valve in the ship’s boiler room? I’m afraid something is warning us it needs repair.”

“Ay, ay, Captain!”

Franky walks past the Heart pirates just as they are finishing a hushed conversation about maintaining their stolen vessel. Snapping his tie-dye Speedo, he beams. “Somethin’ tweakin’ with that naval submarine, Traffy? I can take a look at it, if ya’ want, brother!”

“Yeah, but it’s no big deal, Franky-ya. Penguin can handle it.”

“Um, actually, Captain…” Penguin sheepishly interjects, slowly raising his index finger. “I’m gonna go ahead and accept the Strawhats’ master craftsman and shipwright’s help with this one. Plus, he’s a Vegapunk-upgraded cyborg, and I’m a paramedic. Remember?”

Man, does he ever? Penguin SUCKS at his new job as the ship engineer. For the naval ship to be so new and state-of-the-art, its upkeep has been anything but that. But what is he supposed to do about the fact that his former engineers are now feeding ecosystems of marine life across the bottom of the New World? Everyone on the crew has new and extra roles, even Law… until the captain of the Heart Pirates decides what he’s going to do about the Heart Pirate Crew.

“Ugh, fine. Thanks for taking a look, Franky-ya.”

“Yeah, thanks a bunch, Franky!” Penguin slaps the cyborg on his wide, tanned back, relieved to be out of a job. “This is SUPER clutch!” mimicking the surfer-cyborg.

“SUPER!”

Franky finds Law three hours later with bad news… “And I got some good news,” says the laid-back shipwright. “Which do you want first, Traffy?”

The shipwright found the two captains seated outside a cafe bistro overlooking Dream Island's ship docks. Law leisurely read a local newspaper and enjoyed a cloud cappuccino, while Luffy, opposite him, noisily consumed cloud pastries and shared his thoughts on their recent episode of Sora. 

Law removes his sunglasses and pinches the bridge of his nose, already expecting some bullshit. Stealing the vessel was feeling more like a curse than a successful heist. “Bad first, Franky-ya,” he sighs.

“Your ship sprung a gnarly leak in your fresh water reserves, and it’s slowly draining into the ocean. Your tanks are seventy-five percent empty and need to be completely replaced. The steam pipes from the boiler room that connect the entire ship are rusting, and it looks like a shoddy patch-up job that’s barely hanging on is the culprit. The steam escaping the pipes is expanding the fiberglass on your porthole windows.”

Dammit, Penguin!

There goes another wave of captain anxiety.

Luffy looks up, cheeks bulbous, confounded. “Did you just say all of that in a different language, Franky?”

Law groans, “That bad, huh?”

“It’s actually worse. It's an underwater ticking time bomb. And this last fix isn’t a pressing concern and would bear no weight to your safe underwater sonar detection, but your computer operating system is embarrassingly outdated.”

“Wait! Traffy’s ship could just pop in the ocean all of a sudden, and no one would know?!” Luffy is PANICKING.

“Well, someone would know. But when, is the question, Captain.”

Law ignores Luffy’s jittering nerves from his sugar high and Franky’s worst-case scenario. “And the good news, then?”

“I can fix and patch everything up to be as good as new in no time.”

“Which is?”

“I can hand you a brand new sub in two nights, three days, max. That’s if I do nothing about the software update.”

“And if you do nothing about the software update?” Law draws out his sigh.

“Oh, a state-of-the-art submarine patch-up without overriding and updating the entire system’s mainframe? I mean, that’s SUPER dumb but also super easy! I could be done with that by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

Law nods. "Then—"

“Then it’s settled!” Luffy interjects. “We’ll stay on the island for as long as Franky needs to get the Substitute in submersible conditions. I don’t care how long it takes, get it fixed, Frank!"

“Ay, ay, Cap!”

“Luffy, calm down.”

The table rattles violently as Luffy slams his hands down on it in sheer fright. “NO! I’m not about to let you die in a fucking metal can surrounded by seawater, Traffy. You ate a Devil Fruit!” 

A vein tightens in Law’s temple. “I know that, Straw Hat!”

“Yeah, but the good news about this is, if that sub were to implode underwater, you wouldn't feel a thing! You’d all be dead before you could even realize what happened.”

That is not what Luffy wants to hear. His eyes pop. "WHAT?" 

That was not the thing to say for Luffy to hear. Law massages his temples, just sensing the emotional storm heading his way. “Dammit, Franky-ya.”

"Oh. My bad, bro. It's chill. I can fix it up, no sweat!" Hardened eyes land on Franky, dead-set with a captain’s order.

“Franky, do whatever you gotta do to make that sub the best underwater vessel in the world.”

“Luffy…”

“It needs to be better than the Navy’s best submarine. Shame them for getting their shit stolen by pirates, then make it the best ship on the sea, second only to the Sunny. Make it as strong as General Franky. No. Stronger. I don’t care what you gotta do or how much it costs, do it. Take it out of the crew funds and I’ll deal with the blowback from Nami.”

Franky is thrilled, vibrating with the excitement of his Captain’s orders to build super cool shit. “You got it, Captain!”

And it doesn't end there. Ever since their informal merger, every Strawhat has shown Law’s crew how much they care throughout their time together, even on Dream Island.

Except for Roronoa Zoro.

The swordsman is rarely around, never engages, or is always staring in a drunken stupor whenever they are all together.

This means Law's hunch is correct; being around Luffy left little time for Luffy and Zoro, and Zoro's becoming jealous, if not resentful, as a result. 

The Straw Hat Pirates and the Heart Pirates have remained loyal to one another since Law’s crew saved Luffy’s life. Still, because of Luffy and Law’s odd friendship growing out of their alliance, the two became more like brother crews, remaining close friends who slowly became one big family in Wano; evidently, the bond remained strong even after Law sailed away, officially ending their pirate alliance. But the chaos and revelry of being reunited with the medical pirates consumed the entire group’s energy, and it seems like the standoffish swordsman had silently said his peace. 

But now they’re soft-launching their alliance again; Luffy and Law have promised each other to do it differently this time. 

Law only speaks once Franky is out of earshot. The bustling bistro contrasts with the peaceful midday atmosphere outside, where seabirds squawk and soar through the fresh air, and the quiet charm of the Tuscan street corner beckons. They have the world to themselves, but for safe measure, Law activates a Silence Room. “Luffy, we need to talk.”

“About what, Traffy? You’re gonna talk to your crew about becoming allies again, right?”

"Yes, I believe we should inform our crews separately.” He crosses his legs and closes the newspaper he’s reading. “Since we can’t leave today, anymore, we should make a crew day of it. I'm going to take my crew hiking and gauge their reaction. Considering all we've been through, I want them to speak freely and honestly before I change things for them.”

Luffy scrutinizes Law's face. With a thoughtful, intense stare, he picks up on his date's hidden anxiety. He grabs Law's hand from across the table, thumbing the Law's Jolly Roger tattoo on the back of his hand. “I get that.”

"Say what you want to your crew," Law adds—a jolt of second-guessing tenses Law's shoulders. “Wait. I take that back. You can tell your crew that we’re back in our pirate alliance. Verbatim what I just said, Luffy. Nothing more, nothing less. I’ll summon you with my Devil Fruit when we’ve decided.”

“OK. Works for me!”

“Oh, and Mugiwara-ya?”

The sun's rays pierce the overcast, lifting the shadows playing across Luffy's face. Luffy bites into a dense and buttery cumulus scone. His innocent, round eyes gaze up at Law from beneath dark lashes like palm fronds. 

“Yep, Traffy?” Expectantly, he pauses chewing. Law's eyes look like sunflowers basking in the sun. Luffy grins with a broad, toothless smile. 

Law adjusts his hat to conceal his flustered look from being stared at so openly, then smirks at the messy state his brunch companion has made. His thumb gently brushes a crumb from Luffy's mouth. 

Luffy catches it using his tongue, sucking Law's thumb as his eyes glow with energy. “Kiss me,” he yearns.

Without a word, Law leans forward, scraping his chair back across the paved platform. His navy blue coat brushes pastry crumbs onto the paved platform as he kisses Luffy, his cheeks flushing pink. The kiss is soft and lingering, full of unspoken longing and unanswered questions, making it hard for Law to break away and say what’s on his mind.

But by the Will of D., he does.

His eyes flutter open, and he gazes into Luffy's honest, bright face, the sunlight catching the freckles dusting Luffy's cheeks like constellations of golden sun kisses.

Stupefied, “We should go our separate ways now, Luffy,” Law lies, “Before I change my mind.”

⚔︎

Law takes his crew on an afternoon team-building outing to do his favorite activity: wandering up the mountainside. Luffy and his crew head to the countryside before visiting the amusement park east of Yawny Peaks. 

It’s been a while since both crews screamed for their lives just for fun. 

The air on the ascent is thin and crisp, carrying the scent of electric pine and smoky, charging thunderbolts. 

It looks like the sky is going to crack open and pour down. Still, sweat beads their brows as the Heart Pirates toil up the rocky hiking trail, the deep chasm of Catnap Canyon echoing with the sounds of their labored breathing. Their destination, Gravity Falls, is a whimsical amusement park based on the old dream cloud-mining town, which is visible in the distance, perched precariously between the cloud island below and the mountain above. 

The peaceful afternoon hike turns miserable by early evening. The trail continues endlessly. Their canteens are empty. Snacks devoured. Their joints hurt. The silence of nature’s call is broken only by their footfalls—and Ikkaku’s squeaky complaint.

“Ugh! Law! Why are you punishing us with a mountain hike?”

The air grows cold. Clouds darken. Shadows lengthen. The landscape turns purple and grey. Four pirates are sweaty and starving, grumbling protests under their breaths because, though not lost, they are just…

Wandering.

Because their captain has been wondering about many things.

The Heart Pirates' boots crunch on the gravel of the steep trail beside Catnap Canyon as they make their steep way down towards Gravity Falls. The sun beats against their brow, and the howling wind on the cavernous mountain penetrates even their protective boiler suits, a frigid gale that strains their hearts and lungs. Each gust feels like a physical blow against their chests, stealing their breath away and deafening their ears as they begin a conversation that Law has been mentally rehearsing before they even hit the trail. 

He replies with practiced precision, “Because I want to ask you all what you think about re-entering our pirate alliance with the Straw Hats.”

Her head snaps to her brothers, flanking her, mirroring puzzled expressions etched on their faces. “Is that not what's already happened? Haven't we already been doing that?”

Having loitered off the beaten path, Shachi pulls back to fall in step with his crew. “What’s…happening?” 

“Traffy here just asked us if we want to stick with the Straw Hats,” Penguin stutters, his laughter echoing through the mountainscape. “As if lover boy here hasn't been dragging us along on his months-long Loveboat voyage,” he cackles, rolling his eyes over to his captain and best friend. A trail of frustrated sighs and knowing grins follows Law.

He hates his crew. They know him too well. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ignoring their captain, Ikkaku joins in cackling, “After running away from THE Pirate King…wait—wait, how many times, now?”

“SHUT UP!”

Slapping Law on the back, Shachi confidently humiliates him. “Three! But if he fucks this up again? Four.” 

“I SAID—” Law glances over his shoulder at the large white paw gripping him.

“Law…” Bepo warily questions. “Are you sincerely asking for our opinion, Captain?”

A grim expression settles on Law's face, his lips pressing into a thin line. “What’s THAT supposed to mean?! AND STOP ACTING CUTE.”

“It means we’ve been happily allowing you to tow the Strawhats for years now?”

“And having fun doing it!”

"We also saw you making out with Straw Hat outside the cafe earlier today..." Ikkaku wolf-whistles, patting him on the butt. "Gotta say, it was quality yaoi material, Cap. Didn't think you had it in you."

Growling, Law blushes so hard that he forces his hat's brim to cover his nose, and his crew is still poking fun at this discolored face.

"Right," Bepo says, a thoughtful look crossing his adorable ursine eyes. “At this point, the Strawhats are family. Nakama.”

"So, why are you asking us if we wanna do what we’ve been doing?"

Law mutters irritatedly, too flustered to argue, wishing he'd never asked and had just told them as Luffy suggested. “Because I respect your opinions."

A flock of startled birds cawed loudly, their wings beating a frantic rhythm as they disappeared into the distance, as the Heart Pirates cried, “Since when?!”

A sunny road trip in the Frank Sinatra Utility Vehicle to a picturesque spring meadow offers the Strawhats a perfect day. It's filled with rest and laughter, friendship, and a satisfying picnic featuring sandwiches, fried chicken, fresh fruit, and potato salad, all set among a sea of wild sunflowers. It’s a fun day of frolicking in the sun, lounging under tree shade, cracking jokes, being carefree, and feeling at home with each other.

Robin and Franky return to their patch of grass on Franky’s off-roader, the Franco. 

“Yo, Luffy! I think you’re gonna love what we stumbled upon while off-roading,” Franky says, removing his helmet and allowing his flowing blue hair to catch the wind.

Luffy, lying on his back with his head on Zoro's lap, lifts the straw hat from his face. “OK…what? Tell me already!”

Robin shakes her hair out and tucks her helmet under her arm before announcing, "An amusement park," her eyes sparkling with mischief.

They all pair off for the short mountain trail around Yawny Peaks to the cloud island’s premier amusement park. It's based on a peculiar legend of a mountain town whose main trade was to mine dreams from the dream cloud below, but suddenly vanished into the shrouded mountain, Gravity Falls," Robin explains. "One night, the entire town was there, but a strange indigo-nimbus cloud descended upon it while the townspeople slept. The next morning, the whole town was deserted, even their domesticated pets, though their possessions remained in their shops and homes. Some say that the great big yawning hole in the mountain's mouth is where they passed through because it wasn't there before that strange night. This weekend marks the hundredth anniversary of the town's sudden disappearance."

Thanks to that sordid tale, Usopp and Chopper decide to tour the food and game booths first, so they have an excuse not to ride any rollercoasters. “We don’t wanna barf all over everyone, Luffy!” Usopp skittishly persuades.

Brook and Jinbe assist Franky and Robin in preparing for repairs. Nami and Sanji go to the Lovers Lagoon for some private time.

And Zoro and Luffy are Luffy and Zoro.

Zoro is beaming over getting quality time with Luffy. Luffy hops on Zoro’s back and nips at his earlobe. “ZORO! Let’s go! I want to ride that mining mountain rollercoaster! YIP! YIP!” 

“It has a hundred-foot death-drop, Luffy!” Usopp shrieks.

“I KNOW! How cool is that?! I’m gonna ride it in Fifth Gear!”

Zoro hadn’t realized how much tension he was holding in his shoulders until he felt Luffy’s buoyant body leap on his back.

The line to the mining ride snakes endlessly, a sea of people slowly moving forward. The two best friends inch their way along, feeling the anticipation build. 

“S’how’s your vacation been?”

Zoro just grunts, "Boring." He looks over his shoulder, down at Luffy on his right. "Where’d you wander off to?”

Bubbly and aloof, Luffy shrugs, looking at the mining carts departing from the ride’s boarding station. “Hanging around the cloud. With Traffy.”

Zoro rolls his right eye. “Of course. Having fun?”

“Yeah, we are!”

“What did you two do?”

“Oh, y’know, stuff. We got high a lot. Slept around a lot. What about you?”

“I drank a lot. Slept even more," Zoro says dryly.

They finally reach the ride, the sounds of excited chatter and squeals of delight growing louder from Luffy with each step toward the front of the seemingly endless line. 

“Hello! Welcome to Minecraft Mountain! Please watch your step, and listen to the following safety instructions before climbing aboard…”

The slow, jerky climb up the mining cart roller coaster is a long, dull ascent on shaky tracks, with the mountain towering large and gray around them, and the wind whistling past their ears. 

“And-and then,” Luffy wheezes hysterically, “Traffy was all like, Mugiwara-ya! What’s the matter with you? Don’t lick up cloud dust from random buildings in the sky!”

Why did Zoro even ask? All Luffy has talked about is Traffy this and Traffy that on this slow and winding track up the mountainside. 

Luffy lets out a contented breath; the thrill of the approaching rollercoaster drop and his already buoyant mood contribute to his ecstatic state, a giggle bubbling up in his throat. He throws his arm around Zoro's shoulder. “You know, Zoro, it’s really nice having someone to be real with. It's cool to share intimacy like that. Y'know?”

From the peak of the ride, they look out over a breathtaking vista, the crisp mountain air filling their lungs. The vastness of the view from such a height was overwhelming: the remodeled mining town nestled in the valley below, the different regions of Dream Island sprawling in all directions, all held in the embrace of a quiet so deep it was almost palpable. It is only interrupted by the sharp, terrified screams and wails of the mining carts as they plummet ahead. Luffy is teeming with excitement.

Zoro's mind is a brick wall. He hears Luffy's question and knows he should say something, but he can't. He wants to bring Law up to Luffy, but he’s nervous. What Luffy and Law do in their friendship is none of his business.

It’s not.

Their cart slowly inches toward the peak, and the squealing of metal on steel adds to the tension pressing in on every side.

Luffy looks at Zoro, reassuring the pensive swordsman with a quick, squeezing hand-hold. "You ready?" His hair and clothes begin to transform and glow white against the bright blue sky.

Maybe he’ll just enjoy the current undivided attention instead. “Yeah, I guess,” he answers both questions at once.

The rollercoaster cart and their stomachs drop. 

⚔︎

It was not supposed to turn into an argument. 

But the way the conversation ended couldn't have been more tense. 

When Law shambles Luffy away from the amusement park’s food court, where he and his crew are having dinner, and onto an indigo hilltop, it is to suggest a caveat to their alliance. 

As the sun sinks and the purple dusk of twilight steals across the meadows of New Dreamland, Luffy reappears atop Law’s resting body, a roasted meat skewer in both hands. A rare coin is left in his seat in a corner booth at Moon Burger.

He devours his meal. 

“Traffy! I missed you, beetle bug,” he coos through a succulent smirk, nosing Law’s cheek when he breaks their savory kiss. Then he devours the beefy chunks of strange meat on the wooden sticks, stripping them off like a ravenous troglodyte. 

“Heh, beetle bug is new,” Law blushes, wiping Luffy’s greasy drool off his chin. His eyes crinkle at their edges as he takes in Luffy’s pretty face. He missed it. “But it’s only been eight hours, Straw Hat.”

Luffy slumps his head on Law’s bare chest. An hour before summoning the other captain, he’d shed his outer clothing to lie on the cool, dewy grass to recover from his hike and think. Now, Law is sandwiched between his navy mantle and the rambunctious man in his face. 

"And those eight hours were torture," Luffy complains, giving Law a pouty look. “It made my tummy ache.” The feathers on the taller man’s long navy coat tickle Luffy’s nose and smell of warm hops, spiced cologne, and smoke. "Like I'm hungry for you."

Law smirks, thoroughly amused by Luffy’s bratty display. “And somehow, baby made it through. Talk about resiliency.” 

Luffy melts into their comfort. “Ugh, tell me about it! Gone so long, I can now see what my crew was talking about. Staring at you so much, I almost missed it, but you seriously are glowing! This vacation really has been good to you, Traffy. You look brand new!” He strokes Law’s cheeks that were sunken just a week ago, and are now full and rosy. Healthy.

The last time Law performed a self-body scan, he witnessed internally what everyone else had refused to stop acknowledging.

Indeed, Trafalgar Law has a new body.

Rejuvenated and restored on a cellular level: he is scar-free and pain-free, with complete regeneration of his bones, skin, blood, and DNA. His internal organs show no signs of long-term drug or alcohol use, let alone damage, and his hair and nails have never been stronger. There are no bags under his eyes; even the dark circles that had been a hallmark of his tiredness have vanished.

Although some of his vitiligo patches disappeared, many thankfully remain. That near-death experience is something he never wants to forget; he’ll always remember that it was Cora’s selfless love that kept him alive. 

Before Luffy.

Overall, Law's time on the Island of Restoration has dramatically reversed his aging, making him appear and feel a decade younger, which is nice since his birthday is still several months away. His body feels better, but his heart and mind are different stories.

“Humor me, Straw Hat." His voice hums through their pressed chests. "Why did being apart make you feel achy?”

Luffy sits up and looks down at Law. “Because I’ve lost you so many times before.”

Shaken by his quick response, Law wonders if Luffy ever takes time to think before he speaks. “So, you’re scared?”

"Well..." Nestling into Law's embrace, soothed by the solid feel of Law's body, Luffy laughs, his voice fragile, “The King of the Pirates can't admit to that...” He smirks through pursed lips. “But I don’t like not knowing where you are.” He drums on Law’s chest, back to being loud and playful. They're the only ones on the hill, for now. “So! Did you speak with your crew?”

A gentle hum of approval accompanies Law as he strokes Luffy's hair. The strands are wind-blown, after riding the rollercoaster drop five times, into this puff of black smoke, reminiscent of his pure white hair when Nika manifests.

“I talked to my crew. They’re down with the alliance.”

“YIPPEE!” Luffy slides further down, resting his head in Law's lap. He sprawls over the cool grass, the dewy blades scratching his legs as he fiddles with his pants button. 

His head resting in one hand as he looks up at the slowly rising stars, Law gently stills Luffy’s hands. “But, Straw Hat, there’s one catch.” He looks down for their eyes to meet. 

Luffy blinks. “What?”

Law's heartbeat slows to steady, deliberate thumps. He has no idea how Luffy will respond; he can only hope. “I still want to rebuild my medical-surgical practice. The Heart Pirates will still save lives across the New World.”

“Absolutely! We can sail wherever you wanna go! My crew and I can help whoever you'd like to help! I’m sure Chopper would love that!”

“Mugiwara-ya,” and the caution in Law’s tone instantly irks Luffy. “I want to do my medical work with my crew.”

“What do you mean?”

“On our own.”

Luffy’s mind glitches. He pulls back to read Law's face. The surgeon's warm eyes glow in the dark like a cat's. “Why?” He frowns. “That's not how alliances work.”

“It is.” Law corrects himself, “It can be. Look at the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.”

Luffy rolls his eyes. “OK…but that doesn’t answer why.” 

“Because—" Law is careful. He sweeps Luffy’s bangs off his broad forehead. He thinks to kiss the vast expanse of flesh and bone, but reconsiders the affectionate act. Best not to further complicate things. "It’s the only thing we still have to call our own. My crew is a team of medical professionals. We need to get back to doing our jobs, saving lives, even as pirates.”

What he truly needs is space and time for Luffy to figure out how he feels about Zoro...and him. But he can’t tell Luffy that without the younger captain becoming emotionally dysregulated. He doesn’t want to hurt Luffy during another goodbye. He’d think Law was leaving their alliance, and then it would be their last day in Wano all over again. 

No. Law doesn’t want that because this time, he isn’t saying goodbye.

The sun is long gone, and twilight paints the sky with dark blue hues across the indigo hills. Pops of fireworks randomly set off above their heads, over the amusement park, and for the bustling nightlife below, they illuminate the early night with their brilliant explosions.

Though it's their first night out of a bedroom, it surprises neither visiting pirate that the island of dreams comes alive at night. The cityscape below shimmers with the cheerful glow of bright lights and joyful sounds, a world away from the heavy silence that hangs between them. 

“So, you’re leaving me?” Luffy's eyes instantly watered. “Again?” 

Law turns them onto their sides, facing each other. “Not for long, Lu-ya.” He laces their fingers, kissing Luffy's scarred knuckles before pressing their noses together. “Listen, I told you, we’re in this alliance. We’re back together again. You have my word. However, we both still have our own things to figure out. I think it’ll be easier to sort out what those things are if I’m not distracted by your siren call.” A playful smirk pulls at his lips.

He also wants to talk some things through with his crew privately. 

“But I don’t want you to go," Luffy cries, not finding Law's flirting funny. "I just got you back.” Fat globs of tears roll down his round face. 

Law doesn't want to leave Luffy, either. “I know, baby. I know.” 

However, as his and Luffy's relationship appears to deepen and the tension with Zoro subtly increases during their four-day vacation, Law realizes that if he doesn't allow the captain and his crewmate to resolve their issues on their own, someone might end up dead. 

And although Law is not afraid to die, he finally has something worth living for.

“But I don’t like this plan, Law! Can’t you just figure out whatever it is while sailing with me?”

Leaning on his propped elbow, Law doesn't budge. “I can’t do that, Luffy.” 

“Ugh! Yes, you can, Traffy. You’re the captain!”

“You just want to have your beefcake and eat it, too,” Law laughs, pinching Luffy’s pouty cheeks. “You don’t want to mess up our fuck-to-fight ratio.”

“No. I want you around.”

Law’s hand drops to his sides. His heart races into his stomach, and at that moment, Law matures.

He’s done avoiding how attached he is to the bratty man curling himself between his legs.

But Luffy’s not ready for a securely attached Law—is what Law tells himself.

He hears what Luffy says. However, Luffy doesn't understand what the words he says could also mean. But words mean things to Law, and if, after less than a week of observing the Pirate King and his second-in-command, what is so apparent to Law is still something Luffy hasn’t the slightest clue about after months and years, Luffy won’t be able to manage Law’s feelings either.

Trafalgar Law must do that for himself. 

By himself. 

While Law will no longer hesitate to express his feelings for Luffy, if he does and Luffy doesn't realize how much it means to Law—since he’s still trying to understand Zoro’s feelings—Law's heart would be broken.

Law’s eyes dance with emotions that Luffy wishes he could name. “Are we at an impasse, Straw Hat?”

Closing his eyes, Luffy shakes his head. “No, but why am I crying like this?” Sobbing, he buries his face in his hands, his chest aching. “It's just like Wano all over again.”

“Because you’re a crybaby, but, Luffy, look at me." Luffy blinks up at him through watery vision. “This is not Wano, Luffy-ya.”

“Then, why does it hurt the same?”

So, who can blame him for informing Luffy that he and his crew have intercepted medical missions from the Navy on nearby islands? They plan to take a few weeks off for team bonding as a crew, allowing them to heal after being with the Strawhats for such a long time. 

The man he loves is crying in his arms. He has no choice but to do something. 

That's why Law kisses Luffy on that indigo hilltop, under the smooth, polished sky, slow and deep, as if he controls the hands of time. As if Luffy’s crew isn’t wandering around the amusement park aimlessly looking for him. As if Law isn’t actively breaking both of their hearts again.

As if neither man truly believes that the other has fallen for him, and both feel the need to prove their unspoken feelings. 

Law's heart pounds a frantic tattoo against his ribs, a desperate plea for escape. Before he even thinks, Law subtly makes the switch. He has never done this with anyone, but he can’t help it; the man who stole his heart is whimpering against his lips.

“Hey, hey, Luffy-ya. Look at me. Look. At. Me.” In a gentle tone, he consoles the man who is beautifully upset. “Hey, shshshshhh... do you feel that?”

Luffy snivels, his breath choking as his eyes widen in awe. Confused, he searches his wet face and nods, hiccuping, “Traffy?” 

The sudden flutter of Law’s heart beating through Luffy's body shocks him to his core. It feels like a bird in a cage struggling to break free. He can sense Law’s heartbeat, his emotions, and what they mean. He sees himself through Law's eyes.

Looking at his face and seeing Law's glowing gold eyes gazing back at him is a surreal, dreamlike experience. 

But it’s real. 

Vibrant reds, greens, blues, and golds—a kaleidoscope of explosive colors blooms across the starry night. The fireworks, showcased in the distance and over their heads, glitter on their profiles and punctuate the intense emotional moment between them. In their periphery, the giant Ferris wheel with lasers at its center slowly rotates, filled with couples, in the heart of downtown.

Luffy gasps as he sees his mouth moving, but he hears Law’s voice coming out of it. “That’s how I feel about leaving you, Luffy-ya.”

"Traf-"

Then he’s back in his own body, with his own beating heart ricocheting through his enclosure. Law’s rich voice reaches his ears, and everything around and within Luffy aligns. 

“So trust me when I say, I wouldn't be doing this—leaving you—if I didn’t need to. If it wasn't right for both of us." He kisses Luffy's forehead to make up for the first time. "I promise, I'll be back.”

The Heart Pirates will leave as soon as Franky finishes the repairs. Law would love to go in the dead of night, without the drama of tearful goodbyes. But to console Luffy’s crying eyes, he agrees to depart at first light.

They decide to meet occasionally on different islands and stay in touch through their Snails. Luffy makes Law pinky swear to call for help if needed, no matter the reason.

Law never reveals to Luffy when he slips his Vivre Card into his back pocket. Luffy never tells Law that he already had one made.

Luffy takes a deep, shuddering breath, barely accepting the fact that he won’t change Law’s mind. “Are you gonna chicken out on me, Law? Change your mind?” 

Law sits up and gently brushes Luffy's bangs, which are stuck to his forehead with beads of stress sweat, then softly kisses his damp forehead. The older captain shakes his head—a single "No" slips from his trembling lips.

Resigned yet relieved, Luffy nods and rests his wet face on Law's lap. He hugs Law’s thigh like a pillow and prepares to sleep under the stars. 

With a gentle touch, Law turns Luffy’s head before he drifts off to a heavy-hearted sleep, revealing the shadowed contours of his tear-stained face, each salt streak reflecting the somber mood under the twinkling nightlight.

“But, Luffy?" His voice is hoarse and wobbly from trying to hold back his tears. "The same goes for you and this thing with Roronoa Zoro."

Surprised, Luffy blinks rapidly, his breath catching as his Observation Haki instinctively senses the weight of Law's unspoken feelings pressing against his chest; the words, though unspoken and unwritten, feel like a heavy burden.

“Figure your shit out with your first mate, Straw Hat.”

“I will.” Closing his eyes as Law wipes his tears, Luffy cracks his heart wide open into Law’s lap. He stares into Law's soul. “But will you miss me, Traffy?”

⚔︎

The Straw Hearts spend their final two days on Dream Island as separate crews while Franky’s construction team repairs the Substitute. There’s a tense reason for that, that only their captains know, but it’s pitched as crew time for team bonding. Both crews buy it, and it honestly works out perfectly for both. 

Because, as much as the Strawhats enjoy the Heart’s company, and as much as the Heart Pirates love the Strawhats with genuine hospitality…

Both crews crave some alone time with their nakama.

It works out the most for Zoro.

Luffy is suddenly back in captain mode, playful and present, fully locked in with his crew, namely, with his first mate.

Between construction shift rotations, the crew spends their first morning enjoying the spa's remaining services, giggling at their shared intimacy. It's not often they share space like this.

They take a long siesta, all piled in their spacious suite after Nami refused to pay extra for another night. Instead, she signed them up for a ninety-minute cloudshare seminar in exchange for an additional night’s stay. They can sleep on the Sunny for their last night on the island, for all the ship's financial officer cares. 

The suite's heavy drapes mutes the midday sun to a drowsy orange glow. A faint scent of diffused sandalwood and cracked sea salt clings in the air. The only sound is the arrhythmic rise and fall of their unique breathing, punctuated by the occasional staccato snore, contented sigh, burp, or fart. 

Later, as the cloudshare seminar drags on—a dull hum of multi-level-marketing information interrupted only by the rustling of papers and a high-pitched wind whistling through the room—Luffy quietly leads Zoro out of the banquet hall. After being overwhelmed by the heavy scent of costly perfumes, they breathe in the fresh air and head to their ship ahead of the crew's formal gondola ride and dinner in the evening. 

Luffy and Zoro lounge on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, feeling an equal weight of contrasting emotions. They watch the sun bleeding across the surface of the Calm Belt. Luffy stares out at the beautiful oceanic scene—

One of Zoro’s favorite things about living on a boat.

If only he could enjoy it in the presence of one heart and mind. But both are split evenly. 

It’s all because of Luffy.

Zoro's mind is a whirlwind of worries: his own insecurities since the cook spoke to him, the crew's incessant desire to always help the Heart Pirates, and the creeping, suffocating fear of losing Luffy's attention all leave him tongue-tied. 

Zoro senses a growing distance between him and Luffy. A subtle shift in their connection has him questioning everything; the laughter between them feels muted, their conversations are shorter, and he barely knows where to find Luffy nowadays. Now he's bleeding out a heavy heart, lost and confused. 

He could ask him what's going on, but he wonders how that conversation would go, picturing the awkward silence and strained smiles.

“Hey, Luffy? Can we—”

“Zoro, I need to ask you something.”

Well, that was easy.

They fling into the crow’s nest, Zoro’s bottle of saké sloshing in his firm grip. Luffy immediately starts talking, swinging the door shut. The urgency throws Zoro off; he’s intrigued.

“Hey, so,” Luffy nervously moves through the first part of the conversation, his stomach in knots from multiple threads. He has this giant hole in the center of his chest, but Luffy can’t explain why.

So, obviously, this was the perfect time to check back in with Zoro, and hopefully use Law’s advice.

“How’d ya’ sleep?”

“I think I died,” Zoro moans, holding his beer bottle.

“I thought you did,” Luffy snickers. 

“Uh, thanks, um, for putting me in bed.”

“Hm? Oh, nah, that wasn’t me. I started, but Sanji didn’t like how I was carrying your unconscious body, so he took over.”

He’s disappointed but also relieved. Luffy had to take care of his unconscious form too many times for his comfort, for far less embarrassing reasons. “That would explain the bruises.”

“Yeah…sorry. I might’ve smacked you a couple of times to see if you’d wake up.”

Zoro inspects the large purple-red bruises on his arms and thighs. He can feel one throbbing on his neck, too. His mind flashes back to Luffy’s neck and shoulders in the spa’s lobby.

“It’s cool.” He tries to talk himself out of saying it one last time. “They’re pretty.”

“Yeah? Looking like a bruised kiwi looks good to you?” Luffy cackles. “You’re so weird, Zoro!”

“I dunno, is that weird? I think those bruises look good on you.”

Luffy blushes, tucking his neck between his shoulders. “A bit, but... not too weird. Good to know.” The mood in the crow’s nest shifts. 

“Is it now?”

Luffy claps, the red frills of his open blouse and loose blue shorts and yellow sash shifting from the rippling motion. He rubs his chest scar, the scar tissue itching at its center. “Yeah, so that’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. I never gave you a real response when you asked me to play the other day. So, to make up for that, I was thinking, would you like to lead a scene?”

“What would that look like?”

“You plan what we do. Take more control. Tell me what to do.”

“So, you sub?”

“Heh. No. I’m still the bossy short king, so within reason, but…” Luffy takes a deep breath. Relinquishing control like this was a test of his will. He walks over to the window, staring out at the setting sun. He turns around and tips his straw hat back.

But anything for Zoro.

“...You can top me if you like.”

Now he's waiting for Zoro even to blink.

Zoro doesn't know what he was expecting Luffy to say, but it wasn't that. He's drowsy from their boozy brunch and the bottle in his hand. He's uncertain he's just drunk, not dreaming. Is Luffy asking him to spend more time together?

“Hello? Earth to Zoro! Did’ya hear me? Wait. Zoro, you’re leaking! Is that booze or drool?”

“Huh?” 

“I said…” the loud, raspy voice drawls, embarrassed to have to repeat it. “I want you to top me." 

The loud ticking of an analog clock fills the silence filling the crow's nest.

Zoro blinks, confused. “You’re kidding, right?” 

“Nope. Only if you want to, of course, no pressure. This isn't a Captain's Order or anything. I thought it might help you loosen up.” 

“Loosen…up?”

“Yup. You’re—” Then, Luffy says something without thinking and instantly regrets. “You’re the only one I trust.” But how is he supposed to take that back? 

So, he doesn’t. But he does move on quickly. "You seem stressed, is all, and I think this might help."

"Oh. Um, can I think about it? I mean, yeah, yes. YES. But, still? Can I sleep on it?"

"YES. Sleep on it, get back at me when you're sober." Luffy bounces on Zoro's back. "But I have one contingency and one thing to explain.”

“What?”

“You hafta tell me what you want if you’re gonna handle topping me. You’re gonna hafta take my power from me.” 

“OK. Now, what does that mean?”

“I’m not gonna fight you, but I’m not giving up my control so easily. So you’re gonna have to work for it, buddy.”

“Alright…strange, but kinda hot. What’s the second thing?”

“How about for our next game, we play show and tell?”

As the sun dips below the horizon that evening, Luffy leaps from the crow's nest, feeling on top of the world. Everything is excellent; nothing can go wrong. 

“Lemme know when you’re ready!” 

The sight of Zoro grinning afterward amplifies Luffy’s relief and excitement. He expected Zoro to refuse, but his suggestion went over better than expected; their discussion was a success.

Luffy loves surprises.

Zoro had just one request. He complies without hesitation; the negotiated bid is straightforward enough to meet the requirements.

So, he is not expecting his life to take such a dramatic turn from his intentions that would make him regret everything. Though looking back on it, Luffy should’ve known better, because nothing he does ever goes according to Law’s plan.

The gondola ride offers a cool breeze and the sweet, cloying perfume of night-blooming jasmine, the Calm Belt's romantic ocean breeze, and Strawhats' signature rugged good looks. The Lazy River's gentle current lulls them into a familial, peaceful state as the four-star dinner pleases all their palates, including Sanji’s.

Downtown, a cacophony of music, laughter, and the smell of street food fills the air, a dizzying swirl of sights and sensations amplified by the effects of the wine, liquor, and cannabis vapor. A slight chill tickles the atmosphere as the night wears on, and the nightlife in New Dream City is everything the sparkly lights from the indigo hills made it seem. 

Chest warm, head buzzing, and mind fuzzy, Luffy avoids thinking about how the twinkling lights evoke reminders of the last time he saw Law. Instead, he gets lost in a night of inebriated reverie and fragmented memories that feel like one piece of a movie with his friends.

With his found family. 

With his crew.  

⚔︎

The Heart Pirates could have submerged at first light.

Franky finished the repairs before the sun rose on the third day, like he said he would. And the state-of-the-art submarine is a sight to behold. An expert craftsman, Franky even gave it a fresh paint job and inverted the colors with a polished, iridescent, waterproof paint he invented on the spot, making it less gaudy and more stealthy. Only the best should have been expected from the master shipwright to the Pirate King. Law is forever in the master artisan's debt.

But Law had a hard time saying goodbye to the crybaby fast asleep in his bed.

Amid the midday frenzy of preparing to set sail and part ways, the two crews decide to share one final, non-cloud-based meal at Dream Port.

They settle a bon voyage lunch on a fishing boat sailing along the Calm Belt. 

Sanji initially opposed it, determined to cook through a nasty fever, but everyone aboard is masked and vehemently refuses the stubborn cook’s demands. Chopper rushes him to the med bay on strict bedrest orders; it’s only a cold, but the virologist doesn’t want to take any chances. Zoro thought about checking on the blond, but there was nothing he could do to make him feel better, so he left him in Chopper’s capable care. 

Zoro is sick of sharing meals with both crews.

His bunch is rowdy enough, and he likes their rowdiness. He hates seeing Law's face. But it serves as a perfect opportunity to observe Luffy and Law. 

He was half-hoping the Heart Pirates had left before he regained consciousness. He’s embarrassed to have passed out on the rollercoaster’s death drop on the first go. He woke up the next day in his bunk on the ship in comfortable sweats and bundled in woolen winter blankets from Alabasta.

How much had he missed? 

Sitting on the Sunny’s lawn, in the shadow of the Jolly Roger’s billowing flag at full mast, Zoro watches Luffy first. He’s his same jovial self, sipping on ice-cold lemonade, laughing as he walks away from the order counter on the fish boat’s deck. He sits beside Law, swinging his feet off the side of the older man’s lap and offering Law a sip of his lemonade while waiting with the rest of their crews for their orders. 

It’s odd; Luffy never shares his food or drinks. He’ll take someone else's, sure, but no one can take his unless they risk getting chomped on too. So it's even stranger when Law accepts the offering and sips from the same straw. Law. Doctor Germaphobe, himself?

Under the rustling shade of Nami’s tangerine trees, Zoro watches as the two captains exchange words he cannot hear. Luffy's giggles carry over something Law said, and he whispers something else in Law's ears. Zoro is completely engrossed in judging the two captains' slap-boxing match when his perfect line of sight is blocked.

“Yo-ho-hello, Zoro. Ah, this seafood is relatively light and refreshing, wouldn’t you agree?” Brook sits down beside Zoro and looks low. “Er…Don’t tell Sanji I said that.” 

Every time they eat somewhere new where he’s not standing in front of the stove or grill, Sanji asks the crew for their opinions on the food. He will act like it’s no big deal until he hears a review that’s too positive, then it’s like navigating a landmine, answering his questions without hurting his feelings.

Zoro grunts, barely hearing a word as his eyes follow Luffy slingshotting across the sky to the Sunny’s figurehead. Zoro's the only one who isn’t eating, but he's been babysitting a bottle of high-quality moon-brewed moonshine he swiped from a bar on Dream Island.

“Oi, Brook, has Luffy mentioned anything to you about Traffy?”

Brook taps his distal phalanx on his mandible, a thoughtful expression twitching his skull. “Oh, just that he likes him a lot, and he can’t stop thinking about what Law and his crew went through, and he’s happier than he’s ever been to know that Law’s still alive.” The giant skeleton in a tank top and beach shorts shrugs. “But other than that, he’s been downright tight-lipped.”

“Brook!” Luffy yells from the lion's forehead. “Can we get some lunchtime chunes?”

“WELP. Duty calls,” Brook chuckles. “Ay, ay, Captain!”

Zoro doesn't realize he’s scowling, or how long he has been staring at the other captain, until Law falters while walking from the fish boat to the Sunny, two overflowing trays of fried seafood baskets in his hands. 

Law pauses, sensing a piercing glare on his back, and unhurriedly looks Zoro’s way. Kneeling amidst the clusters of both crews gathered on the picnic blanket, he meticulously places the food before Luffy.

At the precise moment Luffy inhales a pint of clam chowder with one swift, vacuum-like motion, Law, for some inexplicable reason, slips his hand into the front pocket of his swim shorts while his other hand ruffles Luffy's hair. 

Then he glances back at Zoro and—

That audacious son of a bitch!

—Law winks at Zoro. 

It’s strange. It’s creepy. It makes Luffy act weird.

It pisses Zoro off. 

Unsure of what the wink is supposed to mean, Zoro’s frown deepens. He reflexively taps Enma’s hilt when he suddenly notices Luffy squirming, drooling, and gurgling the seafood soup in his mouth like he’s drowning. Everyone looks at the commotion.

“Hey! Traffy! What did you just do?” Zoro’s growl cuts across the deck, rushing to Luffy’s aid.

But Luffy shoots his arm across the distance to hold Zoro back. His clammy hand presses against Zoro’s bare chest. The old Mihawk scar tingles at the sudden impact. Zoro staggers back.

“Nnn-no!” Luffy sputters. “I’m fine, Zoro,” he insists through a choked moan, his knee feverishly bouncing and shaking. 

Zoro eyes the two captains cautiously. Luffy and Law. “You…sure?”

“Positive!” 

Luffy’s adrenaline is still pumping from the emotional roller coaster he had last night with Law. Somehow, he ended his second drunk and high night out with his crew banging on Law’s hotel room door.

He cried the entire night in Law’s hotel bed over Law’s departure. He couldn’t hold his emotions in if he tried, so he didn’t. They had sex, too, but those times felt different in a way that opens a sinking pit in his stomach. The physical intimacy felt heavier, meant more, and held more significance for both of them, even though neither could admit just how much. 

Because, in a way, no matter how Law tried to dress it up, they were saying goodbye.

The memory makes Luffy’s chest throb with a familiar, stabbing pain, even though he knows it’s different from the original wound. Luffy doesn’t want Law to leave him, but he doesn’t think too much about why or why his leaving hurts so much, because it still hurts regardless of the reason. Like, why did Ace have to die? He doesn’t know, but the grief stays with him to this day.

He turns his back, facing away from Law’s side of the Calm Belt, his mind distant, his heart in disarray. Even though Luffy trusts Law's promise that this goodbye will be different, he can't stand to see the sleek ship sink below the surface. 

The SS Frank-A-Tact, formerly the Substitute, submerges and blends right into the ocean. She’s a beauty—Franky’s masterwork of aquatic design; being raised by a Fishman and Mermaid paid off.

Yet, Luffy cannot bear to watch Law leave him behind.

It happens so fast that he almost didn’t notice it.

But he’s gone to war with his body countless times. To hell and back, to death and back. So Luffy knows when something changes internally within him.

He remembers what he felt that indigo night. 

The rapid organ transplant leaves Luffy breathless. His heart echoes a hollow, throbbing ache; an emptiness that doesn’t go away even when he feels the erratic pumping of his organ back in his chest. 

The soul tie causes him to cry silently beneath his lowered sun hat as the Straw Hats and Heart Pirates sail their separate ways.

⚔︎

For the next three weeks, the Straw Hat Pirates fight endless battles alone. It’s as if their enemies know to wait for them to return refreshed from vacation and away from the Calm Belt. They trounce their enemies because they’re the Straw Hat Pirates, but even they miss their comrades’ support. 

“It sure was nice to have extra medics on deck,” Chopper sighs, collapsing in his doctor’s chair after a particularly long day as the crew’s physician. He performed a complex surgery reattaching Usopp’s trigger finger that morning; the poor sniper nearly blew his hand off loading a Death Star attack. 

“Traffy would have done your surgery quicker and better than I did. Sorry, Usopp,” the doctor weakly explains. “We’ll get him to check my work next time we meet back up with the Hearts.”

The big chair on casters sends him rolling backward. With one bandaged hand, Usopp stops him; with the other, he rubs his arm. The crew is relaxing in the medical bay, waiting for the sting of their flu shots to subside. Sanji’s cold was actually the flu, and it spread quickly. Usopp had the sniffles for days, Nami had been quarantined for the sicker part of a week, and it had taken Jinbe down just that morning, like a beached shark.

“No big deal, pal! I’ll be good as new thanks to you! But it was also nice having extra skincare and hair bands on deck, too. Ikkaku’s were so fancy and durable, and I never got around to asking her where she stocked up. Now, who knows how long I’ve gotta go using sunscreen that makes me look ashy, and these flimsy rubber bands,” he complains, tossing his voluminous ponytail.

Just then, the rubber band in his hair snaps, and Usopp crumbles. “Aw, come on! That was my last one!” 

“Usopp, Nami, and I have scrunchies, too. You can have a few of mine,” Robin offers, drawing out the one in her hair and tying it to her crewmate's head. “I don’t have enough melanin to help you with the sunscreen, though. Apologies.”

“Thanks, Robin, you’re a true hair-saver.”

Brook sways and dances with the hanging skeleton in the medical bay’s corner. “It was a hoot making silly sea shanties with Penguin. That Shachi is an aficionado for freestyling lyrics, too.”

“Brook, why are you here? You can’t even get a flu shot,” Usopp mentions.

"Ouch!" Brook says, wounded. "Do I not get sick just because I have no skin and blood?"

Franky chimes in, bouncing his pecs. “I miss that SUPER SICK sub already,” dabbing his eyes. “She’s a beaut; I loved watching her submerge, but hated to see her go! But anything for our Heart bros.”

“And, lady,” Robin corrects her buxom beau. 

“You’re right, babe. That entire crew deserves the best. They’ve been through the worst luck yet still manage to smile through it all. I don’t know how Tra-dude handled it. It’s just so-so…” Franky's sentence is lost in a torrent of empathetic emotion.

Zoro gets up, exhausted by the conversation, and stalks across the room as Robin sidesteps him to comfort her partner.

The thud of his heavy boots underscores his callous remark. "What's the fuss all about? It’s not like they’re Kid and his crew.”

Everyone—even Robin—bares their teeth at him. “ZORO!” 

“What? I’m just stating the obvious. Whatever. I’m outta here. Need booze.”

While the crew mourns their lost friends, Zoro celebrates their absence. Zoro’s been enjoying having more quality alone time with Luffy, and since Luffy's request in the crow's nest and the Heart Pirates' leaving, things between them have changed.

But it’s not the same. 

Not for Luffy.

To be specific, Luffy has changed; a fact Zoro can't blame him for in retrospect, because of something he does. 

Or rather, how Zoro reacts. 

Luffy sits on the Sunny’s forehead, thinking. That ache in his chest that opened up at Dream Port is still there, though just a lingering pain at this point. He reclines on the bow by himself as the ship enjoys a lazy drift along the ocean; their first proper day of relaxation since they parted ways with their brother-crew.

Luffy hasn’t heard a word since.

His mind is as empty as the surrounding seas.

Okay, not empty. But what else would he call having only one thought for the past two weeks? He doesn’t know the word for that type of yearning, because he’s not the type to be consumed by a thought longer than it takes for him to say what he wants, apart from becoming the Pirate King. 

He’s since achieved his most coveted dream. Now, when he has nearly everything he could’ve ever hoped and dreamed, his fleeting thoughts have slowed down.

He stares out at the horizon as the sun passes its brink, and it slowly begins dawning on him: 

Monkey D. Luffy has everything he wants…

Except for one thing. (Person?)

“Hey, Lu! Lemme chit and chat wit'cha.” 

The call breaks his contemplation, and Luffy stretches his neck around Sunny’s spiky mane.

“Wassup, Zoro?”

Zoro leans in to whisper in Luffy’s ear. “I’m ready for my shave.”

The ship's bathroom on the Thousand Sunny had to be renovated after a Navy cannon struck the ship’s hull and burst a central pipe. Franky spent a week on the project on an uninhabited island above Fishman Island. Jinbe and his former crew provided Franky with the help and supplies he needed, and in return, Jinbe’s blueprint for the bathroom won the intra-ship design competition. 

Zoro slams Luffy’s back against a bathroom wall, tiled with beige sand dollars and pearl-pink seashells from the bottom of the sea, with more ferocity than necessary.

Luffy’s back vibrates on impact as he laughs. “Zoro? What’s gotten into you? Are you drunk?” 

“Maybe…” Zoro mumbles as he bites Luffy's neck, where he remembers seeing a nasty bruise (love bite) on Dream Island. 

“You told me to take charge. I am.” He lifts Luffy under his arms and moves them over to the shaving chair. "The game is show and tell, right?"

“Yeah, I can see that. But damn, no foreplay? I need to get the shaving supplies.”

“The shaving can wait. I want to play right now.” Settling into the chair, Zoro sits Luffy on his lap, straddling him. He wants to impress Luffy. That is his only goal in the game he wants to play.

Luffy grins, scanning Zoro’s flushed cheeks, unsure of what ideas Zoro could have. He’s not the most inventive of the two, but he is taking the initiative Luffy requested, so Luffy’s down to play along. “OK? What do you have in mind?”

“You said you have something to show me? So, tell me, is it the surprise you promised me in Dressrosa?” Zoro growls in Luffy’s ear, nipping at the lobe.

Luffy pulls back. “Heh? No, it’s not that.” He reaches for his crown to take off his straw hat.

“No. Keep it on.”

Impressed, Luffy cranes his neck to get a good look at Zoro. He gives a smug little nod, savoring how sexy the command was. Quiet as kept, Luffy loves fucking in his straw hat.

Zoro made one request to strike the mood: 

“Can I kiss you?”

Luffy smirks at the man with mossy green hair darkly before leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on his lips. He pulls away. Zoro quickly recaptures his lips before Luffy can get more than a breath apart. 

Zoro’s kiss is shy at first, a fluttering brush of their lips, as if he’s nervous Luffy will reject his advance. 

Luffy is surprised that Zoro stole another kiss, but Zoro asked to kiss him. So, Luffy lets it happen. He presses their chests together until the shaving chair slowly reclines. The kiss is just lips, but it deepens with each sigh that escapes both their mouths. 

The alcohol dries his throat as Zoro breathes a sigh of relief that Luffy’s supple lips are finally on his again. It has been so long; Zoro never forgot how they felt against him, but he was losing the physical memory of the tingling sensation currently rippling through him. That excitement of connecting with Luffy in this way is something he’s tried to ignore since their tryst began, but the fluttering in his stomach, the swarm of butterflies in his chest, and the tickling in his heart betray him. 

What is this?

Luffy’s sighs help him forget about feelings that are developing elsewhere. 

At that moment, he considers telling Zoro about Law. It’s a fleeting thought that’s swiftly banished into the sea. He doesn’t know why, but there’s a faint whisper inside him warning him not to rock the boat.

He deepens their kiss, instead, licking the faint tart residue of saké on Zoro’s lips and breaking the seal with his tongue. He traces his tongue along the slick ridges of Zoro’s mouth, running his hands through the soft, spiky strands of green hair he’s caressed countless times before.

It’s a classic Zoro and Luffy scene; Zoro is just happy to be sitting under the burst of Luffy’s enthusiasm for physical exploration, like an excited puppy sniffing and licking a treat. And Luffy’s lost in his lust, taking over, grinding on Zoro’s lap, seeking the sensational friction that takes him out of his head and grounds him into his body.

Chasing confusing feelings away.

Brook begins to play music. His sultry sonata, a slow, sensual melody, washes over the ship, its notes carried on the gentle hum of the sea air. A yearning, lustrous lullaby, each silky key heavy with longing, drags its feet, a slow, sweet ache in the melody. It matches the tempo of their long, lingering kiss. 

Yanking Zoro’s head back by tufts of hair, he rolls his body over Zoro’s rigid form and laughs as Zoro’s dick twitches uncontrollably from Luffy flicking his tongue and rakes his teeth up and down Adam’s apple. 

“Shishishi,”  his raspy whispers against Zoro’s vocal cords expand and crack him like heat against stone. Like a siren calling forth a storm, Luffy draws away from Zoro, a playful grin moving him to giggle. “I think I’m drunk, too?” His head lolls to the side, and he gently flicks Zoro's swollen bottom lip.

“Liked the kiss that much, eh?”

Luffy snorts, “No, you dork. Your mouth is oozing booze.” Then he has the perfect, woozy idea. “Wait here.” 

He untangles his legs, walks to the crew caddy station, and lazily peels off his clothes; his heart hammering in his chest.

First, he slips out of his sandals, then his vest: the soft red fabric scratches his skin as it slides down his back and onto the sandstone bathroom floor with the same slow measure of time as Brook’s song. He turns on the tips of his toes towards Zoro, stifling a smirk. Sometimes it tickles him to find the other man already responding to his actions without even needing to say a word.

But Luffy loves to talk. “Are you jacking off to me?” One eye heavy-lidded with growing arousal, Zoro grunts affirmatively, slouching back for better range of motion. “Then, don’t blink,” Luffy orders.

“Ay, ay, Captain,” Zoro nods, his broad bare chest expanding with ease and comfort. He releases a lustful exhale that reminds him of the curling smoke from one of the shitty chef’s cigarettes. His wrist encircling his length, he takes his time as Luffy undresses at a scenic pace.

The music drifting through the underwater ambiance makes them feel like they’re back in the bubble under the sea, moving through Fishman Island like a human oout of land Luffy’s legs feel like jellied tentacles as he saunters back across the room and unbuttons his denim shorts, glad that he wore underwear today. A short strip tease is cute, but boring. 

Making his way over to Zoro sitting in the shaving chair, he knocks Zoro’s thighs open with his knees and gestures at his lower half. “Pull them down yourself,” he instructs.

“You’re lucky you’re the boss of me.” Zoro licks his lips, his eye bloodshot and hooded. He only growls and lunges out of his recliner. Recapturing his lips as he moves to pants Luffy, Zoro cops a feel on his captain’s smooth, compact physique, caressing his tight, round ass.

Monkey D. Luffy stares down Roronoa Zoro, and the dark spark in his eyes steals the latter's resolve, making him stronger. It’s not the same look as when they faced each other that scorching summer in the middle of a firing squad pit. He’s not tied to stakes and starving, enduring torture, or craving onigiri. He’s not doubtful of the stranger standing over him; for now, the stranger is a man he would follow to the end of time.

His manhood hardens under Luffy's stirring gaze. Zoro has been fantasizing about this moment for weeks. It’s been so long since he touched Luffy outside of battle, he doesn’t know if he has the stamina to be as sensual as Luffy, or as slow as the love song he wishes weren’t so loud. He wants to hear the wanton sounds he plans to pull out of Luffy’s mouth. He misses hearing them.

Pinching Zoro’s forehead to meet his cheeky gaze, Luffy teases him. “You gonna keep drooling and daydreamin’,” Luffy snickers, “or you gonna get to work?”

The sharp sting reminds him of the fact that he nearly let Luffy’s natural charisma make him forget. “I thought I was in charge of the scene here.”

“I told you taking control won’t be so easy.”

Zoro yanks Luffy’s hands away from the hem of his jeans. “Gimme that.”

Zoro’s thick fingers fumble with the zipper, then swipe the soft fabric down to pool at Luffy’s feet. He looks up and smirks. “You’re wearing underwear now?”

“Trying something new,” Luffy says. Law’s the reason for that, but he’s trying not to think about that; it won’t help anybody.

Their hearts are racing—each for a completely different reason.

Licking his lips, Zoro hooks the waistband of Luffy’s tighty whities and pulls his index finger back. Licking his lips, Luffy steps back. Zoro’s eye flicks up.

“Running already?”

“No. Can you wash your hands first?”

Zoro’s expression mocks Luffy’s new hygiene practice. “Why do I gotta wash my hands to suck your dick?”

“Because I asked you to.”

Zoro’s immediately on his feet and heading over to the trough sink. He rushes his hands through the running water and shakes them off.

“With soap,” Luffy sheepishly adds. 

Zoro glances back suspiciously as he lathers his hand with Chopper’s antibacterial soap. “What is this surprise?”

“You’ll know soon enough,” Luffy winks, his chest hammering. He spins and sits on the end of the scrub bench, leaning back. “Oh, and don’t forget to clean under your nails.”

“This surprise better be good,” Zoro grumbles, but obeys. Swaggering toward Luffy, drying his hands on a random towel, and tossing it aside. 

“I’m pretty sure that was Sanji’s nut rag,” Luffy cracks up as Zoro’s countenance gags at the image. “So, I’m gonna need you to do that again!”

“You’re kidding me!” Luffy only shakes his head. “This better be worth it, Luffy.”

Something about that statement makes Luffy’s stomach flip, but not in a good way. He pulses out his Observation Haki on Zoro as his back is turned.

He’s just nervous-excited. Charge it to both his head, not his heart.

Luffy closes his eyes to ground himself, his heart fluttering in confusion and distress. The moment feels different. Significant. And, well, he can’t stop thinking about Law.

Zoro clears his throat, and Luffy opens his large, glazed eyes to see the bigger man towering over him. Looking down, he impatiently hovers over Luffy. “Now, show me.”

Luffy sits back on the scrub bench, stalling, buying time. “Oh, don’t look so grumpy, Zoro; it won’t be a fun reveal.”

“Show me,” Zoro repeats through a tight smile.

“I don’t think I like your energy right now…”

“Luffy! Why are you stalling?”

Because this is the first time Luffy is doing this with anyone other than Law.

He stands up, yanks Zoro’s hand, and shoves it in his underwear.

Zoro frowns. Even after all these years, he still cannot predict Luffy—his thoughts or his actions. Shoving his hand down his pants for him? He knows that shouldn’t turn him on, and yet he couldn’t stop the way his dick jumps when he takes hold of Luffy’s manhood.

 Zoro looks at him, confused. “Your cock’s soft. Is that the surprise?”

Growing self-conscious, Luffy mutters, “No, you idiot.” With an unceremonious shove, he moves Zoro’s cool, damp hand down his midsection, past his penis. Then he watches. 

And he waits.

Brook's nightsong underscores Luffy's heart. It's stiff and somber as he watches Zoro’s expression gradually morph right before his hopeful eyes, from confused to perplexed. His lungs expand in apprehension as he feels Zoro’s wide palm slip under his bulge, and feel around. He has only shared his body this way with Law, and for the first time since he started fooling around with Zoro, maybe even for the first time in their entire friendship, Luffy feels uncertain about the other man's reaction.

Zoro’s first two digits slide between Luffy's strong thighs, into his warm sheath. He's slow and delicate about it, the hot slick sliding from the aroused folds, sending a sprinkling sensation through Luffy's nerve endings. He's curious. They both are.

But for Luffy, this is nice, until Zoro's expression shifts from perplexed to—

“What the hell is that?”

Luffy’s lungs feel like they pop from the sharp, judgmental tone in Zoro's voice. His insides burn, and his heart pounds. The look on Zoro's face isn't what the younger man had expected. His feelings are hurt.

“Do you really need me to spell it out for you?” he wryly retorts.

Now prodding Luffy’s anatomy like it’s a science experiment, Zoro scrunches his nose, yawping, “Since when did you get a pussy, Luffy?!”

Luffy shushes him, looking around the ship’s bathroom like there’s anyone else in there to eavesdrop on them. “Alert the Navy, why don’t ya'!”

Slipping his fingers deeper into Luffy’s heated core, Luffy shudders as Zoro lowers his voice in a flat tone. “Have you always had…this?”

Luffy huffs, “Since we’ve been fucking, YEAH,” feeling drier down there than his tone.

“I’ve given you head dozens of times. Ain’t no way I would miss you having both parts!”

“Yeah, well, clearly ya’ did because I do.”

Luffy wants this conversation to end. If he didn’t love Sunny so much, he would punch a hole right where they stand and fall straight through it.

“SINCE WHEN?”

“WHY DOES IT MATTER?”

“I JUST WANNA KNOW.”

“LOWER YOUR VOICE.”

“Sorry.”

Annoyed, Luffy squeezes Zoro’s wrist, emphasizing his point. “Get outta there! Since sometime between Impel Down and Marineford.” 

“Oh…” 

Zoro slides his hand out of Luffy’s underwear. The gap in his understanding of Luffy due to the two years Kuma separated them still shows up in ways Zoro struggles to reconcile. Before their time apart, Zoro could have bet anybody bottomless drinks that he knew more about Luffy than anyone on the crew. He could have cleared his debt to Nami if he had a beri for all his confidence. He enjoyed the constancy of that close proximity.

That was then, this is now, and he continues to learn new things about his captain and best friend that confound him; this is not how Zoro had envisioned their first time being intimate in months. 

“Luffy, I don’t eat fish.” 

Luffy spits out, “You don’t eat what?”

Recoiling, Zoro wipes his fingers on his black pants; the thick film of discharge sticking to the fabric. “Fish. Gross. No.” 

“Sashimi’s your favorite food…” Luffy’s eyes track Zoro’s fingers to the translucent stain on his pants, a furnace of anger kicking on in his stomach. 

He’s gutted.

Zoro steps back. “I’m sorry, Luffy, but I’m…” he slowly explains, “Gay,” as if trying his best to let Luffy down gently. 

Insulted.

“I KNOW THAT,” Luffy roars. He cannot believe how this revelation is unfolding, how Zoro is reacting right now. He honestly expected better of his best friend. The nerve of him to have such a disgusted look on his dumb face!

Law would never. 

That single, unprompted, meddlesome thought alone triggers something ugly in Luffy. 

Furious, he shifts into Fourth Gear. 

Now, at the same height and comparable size, Snakeman squares up against Zoro. His dark hair and sharp, bloodshot eyes flare with anger as Luffy presses him.

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean, huh? I am the KING of the Pirates! The fucking Pirate KING, do you hear me? Are you calling me a BITCH because I’ve got a pussy?!”

“No, but I am saying I don’t fuck pussies. Sorry, not sorry,” Zoro crassly replies.

Humiliated.

Luffy snaps. “FUCK YOU, ZORO. I DON’T NEED YOUR DICK IN MY HOT POCKET, ANYWAY!” 

He shoves Zoro hard. The man, twice his size, flies to the wall behind him, and the impact splits the fin-crafted sand dollar tiles.

Zoro cringes, his flesh crawling. “Your hot pocket?” He retches, then bursts out laughing. “Ew, Luffy! Yuck. I’ll bury my nose in your hole before I do that!”

“Can’t you take anything seriously?” Luffy whines.

Peeling himself off the wall, the tiles crumbling to dust on the floor, Zoro smiles. He shakes his head, cracking up. “I’m-I’m sorry? I’m not taking things seriously? Luffy, you just called your cunt a hot pocket. Come on, man! That shit was so fucking cringe.”

“Well, you ain’t gotta worry about what’s cool or what’s cringe about me,” is probably what Luffy should’ve said, then leave, but he’s too pissed and reactive for that.

“YOU’RE GONNA EAT MY PUSSY AND YOU’RE GONNA LIKE IT!”

“Like hell I will.”

“Then, let’s up the ante. You’re gonna EAT AND FUCK MY HOT POCKET, BITCH.”

“Woah, woah, bitch? Is this one of those playful arguments that leads to sex?”

“How the hell should I know? This is your shitty scene idea!”

“This wasn’t what I had in mind, but…” Zoro gives Snakeman a long, unadulterated once-over. “But if you stay like this, I might reconsider,” he smugly says.

“Oh, so you think this is a game?” Luffy hems Zoro up by the lapels of his green robe. He’s frustrated, he’s...

Offended.

“No, but we can still have some fun. After all, I’m still in control.” Zoro pulls the shaving chair between them and sits down like a prince among men. That posture shouldn't have irked Luffy so. “Now, come and sit on my lap like a good boy.”

Luffy’s head spins. “No, the hell you’re not! I’m not sitting anywhere near you!”

“Not even on my face?”

Luffy slowly pivots to face Zoro. “Oh?”

“Luffy, I mean I’ll eat your ass,” the horny swordsman clarifies, his hand back to stroking his fourth sword.

“Shut up! My holes, my body, my choice, Zoro.” Luffy’s anger takes hold of him as he yanks Zoro down to his knees. He leers down at the strong-built man and spits in his face, “And I said you’re eating my pussy, and I meant that shit. So either lick or get off the pot.”

Mischief strikes as both pirates vie for supremacy.

On his knees and looking up, Zoro grins. “Make me.”

“That’s what I’m doing!”

“Nope. That’s not what I mean.” He stares into Luffy’s eyes. Luffy looks back at the stubborn man and understands. “Make me.” 

Standing on his curled toes, Luffy shoves Zoro’s green top between his legs. Accepting the challenge, Zoro licks his lips in anticipation of kissing the junction of Snakeman's thighs.

But Luffy’s quicker than that. “Uh-uh-uhn. Bad boys don’t get to play with cool toys,” he scolds, regressing to his natural body.

“I said I’d consider doing it with Snakeman.”

“Zoro,” Luffy says his name sharper than any of Zoro’s three blades. “I don’t give a fuck what you said. My gears are treats for good tricks.”

Zoro’s had enough. It's just pussy; what's the big deal? He growls and lunges for Luffy’s moist mons. He licks Luffy’s musky essence like he’s sampling a new dish he had to be begged to eat. “Nah, Zoro.” His dark eyes flare into burning greys. “When you’re hungry, you EAT.” He buries Zoro’s face deeper into the dripping mouth of his arousal. 

Zoro does as he’s told, and it’s...

Okay.

For both men, the experience is nothing to write home about. For Zoro, it's not as bad as he thought. His tongue isn't burning off. He's trying not to gag, but his erection isn't going soft.

But Luffy’s received far better cunnilingus than being tongue-stabbed like his vulva’s made of battery acid, and he refuses to punish himself through foreplay with mediocre head just to get his lick back.

Bored, “I’m wet enough,” he sighs, pushing Zoro off. Shoving Zoro back, he grabs his arm and lifts him, noticing Zoro cleaning his mouth and nose, soaked with Luffy's bodily secretions. 

Opening his arms wide, Luffy impatiently orders, "Pick me up!" Zoro's expression shifts completely as he leans back on his haunches.

“Now, this is the scene I imagined.” He hoists Luffy up under his arms and plants them in the shaving chair.

Luffy searches Zoro’s excited face as the bigger man speaks, “Look me in the eye while you ride me. I want to see every expression you make. If you break eye contact, you lose.”

Luffy laughs at the challenge. “And when you break contact first?”

Zoro hums, lost in thought—losing hadn't even crossed his mind. Luffy’s terrible at staring contests. “I’ll fuck your sweet cunt.”

Luffy rolls his eyes. "You were gonna do that anyway," as Zoro spreads his legs to sit his captain comfortably on his lap. “Hang on a sec!” He snaps his hand back between them and reaches into his shorts. "Take this."

Seeing Zoro’s withering glare at the silver condom wrapper in Luffy’s hand, he feels like a dickhead for the trouble he’d caused Law months before. 

“What’s this for?”

“A condom, duh, silly.”

Zoro scoffs as if it's a rhetorical question. “OK... What am I supposed to do with it?”

Damn. Luffy owes Law a huge apology. The ignorance and disinterest are annoying turn-offs. “Put it on your dick, Zoro.”

“Like a cap?” He asks as he lifts to slip off his black pants.

“Like a sleeve. Do you seriously know nothing about condoms?”

“I mean…” Zoro blushes. “We don’t use them.”

“Well, now we do.” Luffy tears open the wrapper and rolls the rubber down the thick, veiny shaft as Zoro watches.

Guiding his protected manhood to penetrate Luffy’s tight hole, reasonable doubt arises in him. He stills his motion. “But why do we need to, if you’re made of rubber?”

Ignoring the question, Luffy slides his ass back and grabs hold of Zoro’s dick, throbbing hot in his hand. “You don’t do pussies, huh? For that, I’m gonna make you pussy-drunk.”

The sex isn’t romantic. The experience lacks subtlety because Luffy is angry; its only sensual element is the raw, erratic slapping of flesh, heavy and rhythmic. The way Luffy handles Zoro could be seen as a pump-and-dump scheme.

But Zoro likes it rough. He likes it when Luffy is bossy and demanding, when he talks him through what he wants Zoro to do. He likes it when Luffy is in control and won't shut up.

He also likes this. 

A quiet rage burns within Luffy. He has been silent ever since he started rocking in Zoro's lap, spreading Zoro's pre-cum and creating more wetness where their bodies touch. A deep frown etched his face, reflecting thoughts too complex for Zoro's current state of mind.

Brook's music has now returned to a languid, sultry ballad, which is a total emotional contrast to Luffy's current state of mind. Luffy is relentless, out of control as he bounces on Zoro’s dick in the shaving chair. Internally, he’s annoyed and frustrated.

To Zoro, he's alluring and frenetic—his grinding movements are punishingly aggressive, a palpable tension hanging heavy between them. His growls and Zoro's moans echo vividly through the bathroom's acoustics. As Luffy snaps his hips and collapses onto Zoro's lap at a breakneck pace, his breathy words land incomprehensible in his partner's ears, adding to the dazed swordsman's euphoric confusion.

With pathetic, whimpering moans echoing around them from his lips, Zoro is in awe of how perfectly his member slides into Luffy's box. The sensation is like nothing else he's felt, and he wishes there wasn't a thin film of rubber muting it. The muscle movements feel distinct, unlike penetrating an anus; he can sense the unique ridges and contours of the different human anatomy, and it stirs an indescribable craving in him.

So, it takes Zoro by surprise when a sense of desire unlike any he's ever known washes over him. The sight of Luffy's blooming pink scowl makes him realize why he's never been fond of vaginas. He should've known.

None of them were Luffy’s. 

Finally, the human anomaly speaks, and Zoro hears. “Is this the pussy you won’t do?” He asks, yanking at the lobe holding three gold earrings. His naked brown skin gleams with sweat under the dreamy blue bathroom lighting.

“Tell me again what you don’t do, Zoro," Luffy mocks as he lifts his pussy off Zoro's shaft when Zoro wants him to press down harder, closer for more.

Zoro whimpers from the aching loss of warmth and slick skin. When all he can respond is with a begging moan, Luffy slams down his weight, swallowing Zoro’s length down to the hilt, clenching the swordsman’s third leg with a vise grip. He digs his nails into Zoro's chest, the sharp scrape of skin against nail sending shivers down Zoro's spine.

Zoro works over Luffy's nipples with his tongue to feel a part of the feral experience. He sucks the rubber tits until they are engorged and throbbing, the skin slippery with saliva, now a gorgeously brutal purplish-black. But Luffy responds with furious energy; he smacks Zoro's frame as Zoro smacks his ass, each competing impact a jarring blow that reverberates through the air; his thoughts focus solely on Zoro's earlier rejection.

Zoro squeezes into the pliant flesh at Luffy’s waist, his eyes tighten shut as he gropes the sloping curve of his captain’s hips. "Ngh—ah, damn it, Luffy!" he groans, overstimulated. His palms are sweaty, slick with a nervous sheen, as he struggles to contain his arousal. "Luf—I-I'm gonna cum," Zoro stutters, his voice cracking with nerves.

Luffy has held his cock in place by the tight grip of his pussy walls, as if they were welded together like a lock and key. The intense heat, the tight squeeze, a delicious agony, is almost unbearable for the other man. "Ugh-gah!" A choked moan escaped his lips, his breath hitching in his throat. 

"St-" Zoro starts to say, but the word dies on his lips; the rising pleasure coiling languorously from his groin and down his spine is too concentrated to allow him to utter the word stop.

He needs to regain control of the situation before it completely spirals out of his grasp. This is his scene, his favorite wet dream. He can’t be a cuck in his own fantasy.

“Kiss me.”

“No.”

He begs, "Kiss me, Luffy."

“No. Take that shit like a man. Now, who doesn't eat fish?” Luffy growls with each gyrating bounce of his ass on the first mate’s dick. Prying his jaw open, “Pussy,” he spits into Zoro’s mouth, poking his head back to swallow the saliva as he licks Zoro’s working throat.

The plan was to lead Zoro to the brink of ecstasy, then pull off before he climaxes as punishment.

But Zoro's desperate, breathy moans in Luffy's ear, coupled with the way his body yields beneath Luffy's weight, erotically distract him. The power Zoro was supposed to snatch from Luffy is still firmly in the King’s hands. 

Luffy likes that.

His hands grip around Zoro’s shoulders, and his sweat drips down the tip of Zoro’s nose as he throws his ass back. Increasing his pace, Luffy's rubbery body rebounds with a frantic, rhythmic grace, the air surrounding them vibrating slightly with each bounce.

A unique sound cuts through Brook's melody, a discordant harmony of wet flesh and taut muscles slaps across the dim space as the sun gives way to twilight. Zoro grunts and prattles a string of incoherent words, wants, wishes, when Luffy slows his tempo to grind on him. 

“Now, what was all that shit you were saying about not fucking pussies, huh?”

The faster he bounces, the louder the sound of smooth cheeks smacking against muscular thighs becomes, mingling with Zoro's escalating moans. 

“What was that, Zoro? You’re mumbling. Cat got your tongue?” He chuckles mischievously, grinding his hips harder, pulling their sweaty bodies closer.

Raven hair and golden eyes, swirling tattoos and DEATH inked into tan skin.

Luffy's mind is besieged by fleeting visions—past moments in quiet places that jolt him from his present reality. Each vision is a visceral reminder of what he’s been trying to forget, forcing him to shake his head to fight them off. He feels the dull ache of his temples and the sour taste of sadness in his mouth.

Shaking his head and speeding up, he distracts himself. 

"Kiss me, Luffy," Zoro begs again, voice shaking, desperation lacing his usually gruff tone.

Luffy obliges this time. He pours too much emotion into that kiss that his eyes prick with tears, he keeps at bay as he sucks the air out of both their lungs and claims Zoro’s tongue as his.

Zoro wraps his beefy biceps around Luffy's slender waist, holding on tightly to slow Luffy's rushed tempo. He slips his middle finger into Luffy’s tight hole and is easily greeted with a slick and hot anal canal sucking him in. Luffy twitches above him with wet eyes and a sweaty forehead as Zoro fingers him with coaxing ministrations, eliciting soft, panting moans from him as he adds another digit. 

Zoro runs his large palm up Luffy’s chest to his throat, lightly clenching his windpipe. Consumed by Luffy's strength and their contrasting sizes, a surge of desire builds up inside him. Luffy arches against his touch, leaning over as Zoro sucks his neck, leaving marks and signs that he was there.

Luffy is reaching his climax, thoroughly enjoying the double penetration, and Zoro loves how his ragged breathing rasps into the quiet space; how his drool dribbles down his chin and onto his partner's shoulders.

“Admit it, Zoro, you like this pussy, don’t you?” he whispers, touching himself, still slowly grinding on Zoro’s overstimulated manhood before drawing in for a savoring kiss. 

“You feel so good, Lu,” Zoro moans. Zoro commits to memory the moment when Luffy's eyes reflect pleasure as he pushes his finger and cock further into Luffy's yearning holes.

"I know—OH! Fuck, I'm cum—" Luffy's voice breaks on his words as he climaxes between their chests. Ropes of creamy release lace Zoro's chest as Luffy bites his cheek and licks the indentations he leaves behind. Sweating but not stopping the determined push and grind where their bodies meet, Luffy soaks their point of contact.

Their combined aroma is intense, a mix of savory and steely notes. In the dark bathroom, their heavy breathing and ragged pants quicken. It's not the experience he expected, but he’s enjoying fucking Luffy. A lot. 

Drenched, Zoro can only speak primal commands, “Turn around. Up.” Spreading his legs wider, gripping Luffy’s mounds until it hurts, "Down. Faster. Fuck!" Encouraging Luffy to take him deeper from behind, to ride him harder, he fucks Luffy like he means it, until the leather upholstery is a pool of moisture and sticking to their burning skins.

The patch of hair on Luffy's stomach stops above his groin, leaving his smooth skin exposed, which catches Zoro's attention in a way he never expected to be aroused by. The soft and glistening lower lips of Luffy's fleshly flower look erotic under the moonlight. Zoro releases a strained moan as his pre-cum covers the condom. He licks the sweat rolling down Luffy’s back.

"SHIT, LUFFY!"

Bouncing on his lap, Luffy looks back at Zoro, watching his flushed face focus on their meeting place. "Hm?” Luffy taunts Zoro. Tilting Zoro’s head upward, he makes the blubbering man look at him. “Wanna take it back now?”  Luffy grins, fangs glinting. 

“Or should I keep punishing you?"

He watches the man behind him as if he's trying to peer behind a veil. "L-Lu..." Zoro is crying and moaning while Luffy tightly clasps his erect member, preventing the tension between them from being released. The pressure is overwhelming. With a desperate, pleading expression, Zoro's mouth opened, frothing, to stammer, "I-I want...you—"

Purupurupuru...

A Snail phone rings. 

Luffy’s heart leaps to his throat. A sudden, inexplicable pull, almost electrical, shatters his concentration on his scene partner and snaps his head toward his Transponder Snail. He motions to reach for it, a fearful shiver running down his spine as he stretches his arm. 

Purupurupuru...

“Ignore it!”

But Luffy cannot. His body, mind, and soul refuse. He doesn’t know how he knows, but he knows who’s calling. His eyes immediately welled with tears, a quiet sob escaping his throat as the gaping hole in his chest widened.

Purupurupuru...

Zoro stares, unnerved, as Luffy stretches toward the Snail phone in his pocket, which continues its slow, chirping transmission. Zoro's never witnessed Luffy dash to the phone. Despite this, Luffy is already feeling queasy, fearing the call might drop.

Purupurupuru...

Zoro snatches Luffy's outstretched arm and pins it behind Luffy’s back, drilling his dick deeper and faster into Luffy’s pussy, desperate to keep the distracted man's attention. Luffy shoots out his other hand.

“We’re kinda in the middle of somethin’, Lu!” He snarls as he snaps his hips harder towards his peak. 

Purupurupuru...

The condom breaks, and his frustration with Luffy breaks Zoro's concentration. “FUCK! The condom broke, Luffy! Can’t the call wait?” 

Purupurupuru...

A desperate, tearful "No!" punctuates Luffy's hiccuping cries, leaving Zoro utterly confused. The heated scene they just shared is now a distant memory for him. “No, no, I’m sorry, Zoro! But I-I gotta take this!” 

A frantic, nervous energy propels him off Zoro's lap; his heart pounds as he scrambles toward the pile of his clothes in the bathroom corner, the air is thick with the scent of soap and something else—something uniquely Luffy and Zoro's.

Purupurupuru...

Pulling out the Snail, a spotted white hat appears—Purupuru...CUH-LICK!—and Luffy’s heart nosedives out of his mouth.

“H-HELLO?” He hasn’t heard from him in weeks. The air around him crackles with anticipation. He panics, his breathing no longer hoarse from anything but fear. “TRAFFY?!”

The Snail's frown and the heartbeat of silence on the other end make Luffy's heart skip and sink like a stone. Now in his own space and time, with the Snail gripped tightly in his fist, Luffy rushes to put his clothes on. He bursts from the bathroom, half-dressed.

“Luffy. I need your help.”

His rushed exit leaves Zoro on edge, a mess, and dissatisfied.

Their next island is Hachinosu.

A break-in, a brawl, a series of attacks, and a fierce battle later, Blackbeard is defeated, his stronghold is conquered, and the Straw Hearts celebrate their victorious reunion with a banquet.

Then, for the next three months, whenever the Strawhats' Log Pose took more than two days to reset, they found themselves around the Heart Pirates. They pass the time together holding a memorial service for the fallen Heart Pirates, partying, eating, relaxing, and goofing off together as one big, boisterous crew. Luffy is still around, but Law is around even more.

When they arrive at Laugh Tale to give the Heart Pirates a tour, Zoro keeps a close eye on the two captains but doesn't notice anything as odd as that fish boat incident. Although they sometimes go off for long periods, Zoro believes it’s always related to alliance matters, especially after the Blackbeard battle. Law also spends hours consulting with Chopper, too, so Zoro still feels an equal distribution of Luffy's attention.

It is uncanny, though, how the two crews keep bumping into each other on different New World islands every few weeks—purely by chance. Sometimes the Straw Hats encounter the Heart Pirates already on an island; other times, the Heart Pirates intercept them at the docks of another island. Regardless, the Straw Hats dismiss each run-in as a coincidence. 

But Luffy knows the truth. 

Law is following his Vivre Card again.

And he’s tracking Law’s.

That was their agreement before leaving Hachinosu.

⚔︎

Luffy launches himself from his ship, his eyes immediately searching the crowds pouring into the festival. In the autumnal setting, his unbuttoned red vest and shorts, dusty sandals, and worn straw hat stand out like a summer day in fall. But in his own Luffy way, he still easily fits into the new surroundings; he still moves like he belongs. 

“Time to celebrate Nami with apple-picking and apple cider!” 

“YEE-HAW!" Nami strikes a powerful pose in the sunlight, squealing with delight, her camel-toned cowboy hat waving as she shows off her Daisy Dukes, plaid bikini top, denim vest, and camel cowboy boots. “Alright, y'all, listen up! I want to do everything at Fall Y'all Fest! Go through the haunted corn maze, take a hay ride, have Sanji bobbing for apples for prizes, go apple-picking, carve pumpkins, drink frothy beer, and eat autumn treats until I get sick. OK, Sanji?”

“Anything for the birthday girl. Today is your day. The queen receives whatever she pleases!”

“But, Nami, why’d you make us look like farmers, though?” Zoro groans in a sleet gray jumpsuit and his black boots. “I look like I’m supposed to be shoveling manure.”

“Look here! I couldn’t have my Christian Autumn Girl aesthetic because I’m not covering up my body that much on my birthday!”

“And you shouldn’t have to, Swan,” Sanji swoons, presenting her with a floral arrangement of orange chrysanthemums and Black-Eyed Susans. His fleece-lined jean jacket and white dress shirt are a relaxed wardrobe change for the dapper chef, and he enjoys the feel of a nice pair of fall boots digging into the dirt. "Delicious chilli's slow-cooking, and I'm making honey cornbread from the farm's beehive for dinner!"

With a pout and crossed arms, Nami accepts the birthday tiara that Sanji delicately positions on her hat, looking self-satisfied. “I shouldn’t! So, I’m gonna tap that cowgirl culture like I’m riding a bull at this autumn fest! Don't forget, all gifts are accepted, but berries are preferred, even if you've already paid the birthday tax.”

Chopper leans into Usopp with a worried expression and whispers, “Is she already wasted?” 

“Just be grateful she didn’t move forward with her cottagecore idea.” Usopp huffs, ducking Nami’s open palm.

Brook is a scarecrow and wistfully remarks that he'd been hoping to lounge in the sun, holding a parasol and a milkmaid's dress.

“Indeed,” Jinbe sincerely replies in his denim farmer overalls as they walk off the ship. “I was also looking forward to teatime under the magnolia tree.”

“I still need my receipt, but I love your birthday spirit, Nami. Sounds like we’re in store for some good, clean fun," Robin encourages, showing off her vintage purple Miss All Sunday cowgirl skirt set. “According to the Slog post I read, there's a haunted, hazardous mechanical bull at the festival. People have been thrown to their deaths. It's worth a try.”

"SUPER idea, babe!" Franky, in his plaid shirt and pigtails, places the love of his life on his massive shoulder and hops off the Sunny.

“ROBIN!” Usopp and Chopper whine. 

The crew steps into the apple orchard, greeted by vibrant colors of the harvest season against the backdrop of the orchard's foliage. A symphony of sights, sounds, and smells greets them—ripe apples hanging from the trees, backwoods banjo music, chatter and laughter over spiced apple cider, pumpkin pies, and the sweet fragrance of rotting apples fill the air. It's a cozy, family-friendly event, featuring outdoor farm fun and games, authentic autumn decor, and a vast apple orchard atmosphere. 

"Damn," Sanji sniffs the air. "It smells like a sugar cookie bakery."

"Mmm... like butterscotch and caramel apples, to me!" Chopper drools.

"Like a warm, fall candle, to me," Brook croons.

It only takes Luffy a minute of squinting through the crowded campgrounds to find what he's searching for.

“Traffy,” he exhales with relief and happiness.

Amidst the throng of families and groups of young people, Law stood tall, a beacon of quiet strength, clutching two piping hot mugs of apple cider and hot cocoa and a bag of apple cinnamon donuts—one laced with rum, the other simply cinnamon-y.

Luffy's eyes and heart fill with emotion as he looks at him. In their short time (but too long for Luffy’s liking) apart, Law has been taking better care of himself. 

He looks good, back to his Wano build and stature. He’s packed on muscle, put on weight, and looks finer than Luffy could remember seeing him. It doesn’t hurt that he’s wearing one of Luffy’s favorite Trafalgar Law outfits: his favorite spotted denim jeans and the marigold dress shirt that matches his eyes and leaves the top half exposed to reveal those sexy, swirling tattoos on his chest. He looks healthy. Happy. 

Whole.

Usopp, dressed as a lumberjack, pulls up behind him and sneers, "Taffy? Luffy, how are you drooling already?” Shaking his head in disbelief, he walks up to him. “At least let's get in that candied apple line before you start drooling!”

Luffy's gaze drifts to Usopp, a vacant expression on his face, as he absently wipes his mouth, the sound a soft swish against his skin. "Oh, that's true!" He laughs, not really hearing or caring about what his best friend says. 

Then, Luffy’s out of sight.

He launches himself forward, his arms cutting through the dense crowd, the press of bodies a tangible force against his movement, and in the blink of an eye, he clings to Law's broad back ten yards away, the scent of sweat and spice tickling his nose. 

Usopp’s eyes bug out, muttering, “He’s such a menace whenever he sees food. OOH, CHOPPER! THEY HAVE COTTON CANDIED APPLES!” 

“Woooo! COTTON CANDY!” Chopper squeals as they run off together into the woods. 

“Mossy, wanna partner with us for this?" Sanji hesitantly suggests. Anticipating trouble from the idiot, he braces himself, glancing over his shoulder as he follows Zoro's gaze toward Luffy and Law entering the orchard's main cabin.

"This is cheesy," Zoro said with irritation. “I’m finding the nearest tree to sleep under. Wake me when it's time to go. Leave me alone.”

“Nope! We’re not doing that! You can sleep on the ship, but we’re out here to stretch our legs and do cute shit for Nami’s birthday!”

“Why are we even doing this when she was born in July?”

Nami stamps the heel of her cowboy boots into the soddy soil. “BECAUSE IT’S MY BIRTHDAY AND I WANT TO. NOW BRING YOUR ASS, RORONOA!”

“TRAFFY! I MISSED YOU!” He’s on the verge of happy tears, nuzzling his face in Law’s neck to inhale his sharp, clean cologne, sighing as the familiar scents fill his nose and inform him that this moment is real. The crunch of fallen leaves beneath heeled, snakeskin boots can be heard as Law stumbles forward to maintain his footing.

“Did you miss me, Law, hm?” he muffles into Law’s thick skin, repeating the question as he squeezes Law's neck and face in a monkey hold. 

“Mugiwara-ya, I can’t answer if you choke me out,” Law struggles to speak out of his tightened vocal cords.

“What a long way of saying yes,” Luffy giggles. He wants to kiss the man he’s clinging to, but he holds out, waits until their crews have mixed and mingled and dispersed in their separate groups through the seasonal festival.

Eyes sparkling like apple cider, Law softly tells his beau, “Of course, I did, baby," as Luffy slips away from his back. 

Luffy’s stomach flips, and he shivers all over. "Ooo..." Law has never called him 'baby' in public. He likes it so much that he slips his arm around Law’s and sidles him on his tiptoes, his sandals folding under his gripping toes. “Say it again,” he coyly whispers in Law’s ear.

“You’re blushing, Mugiwara-ya.”

Luffy's cheeks deepen. “So?! It’s your fault! Now say it again!”

Their crews are still in earshot and eyesight, and Law is unsure what a month apart has done to either party’s perception of the other. In other words, Law can see Zoro slicing daggers at his periphery and his own crew giggling in hushed tones, steps away from them.

“Say what?”

“All of it. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, Traffy.”

Law does, but messing with Luffy is way more entertaining. “I don’t, Mugiwara-ya. I guess the fresh air's messed with my memory," he mumbles, walking off.

Luffy's hot on his trail, pointing accusingly. “Law, you liar!”

Law whirls around, amused and surprised. “Law? How am I a liar, Mugiwara-ya?”

“If you’re gonna keep calling me Mugiwara-ya, I’m gonna call you Law!”

Law frowns at his crush’s immature logic. “You really hate that nickname, don’t you?”

“No… I just…” Luffy let out a frustrated huff. “I like it when you’re cutesy with me. The nicknames you use tell me your moods, and I know right now you’re teasing me!”

Law takes a beat, watching Luffy's childish pout. He enjoys how he's willing to beg. But the King worries for no reason. Everything is already done with him in mind.

Before Luffy crashed into him, Law was wise enough to Shambles the hot mugs to a picnic table on the other side of the log cabin eatery and souvenir shop. He felt Luffy's Haki pulse in him the second the younger captain sent it out, but Law knew his timing would be unpredictable.

So, to anticipate the future, Law prepared.

He knows that once Luffy is unleashed, there is nothing that can stop him from getting his way or making a chaotic grand entrance.

Law folds his arms across his chest, smugly. “You think you know me, don’t you?”

Luffy mirrors him. "Where's the goods, then, Traffy?”

“What gave me away?”

“Your hands are empty.”

Law hums over the King's keen perception. Luffy's nose is a bloodhound. “You know me so well, Straw Hat. C’mere.”

With a cheerful tilt of his sun hat, Luffy reveals a smile so bright it surpasses anything Law has seen in weeks of performing successful pediatric surgeries—a smile brimming with kindness.

“Hi.”

Hushed and grinning, Law says, “Hi,” back. “I missed you, Luffy.” He’s tempted to spirit them away to the other side of the fall festivities and show him how much.

“So... Did ya’ miss me? OH.” Luffy blushes and laughs happily, clearly pleased. “We said it at the same time!”

“We did. Come on." Law takes his hand, and Luffy's heart flutters as he laces their fingers. "Let’s grab our table before that miserable family with five rowdy kids snags it.”

They look at the chaotic young family with too many toddlers and not enough adult hands. “Omigod, those parents already look BEAT. I can’t imagine having that many kids!”

They settle at the wooden table and bench beneath the long, leafy branches of a weeping willow.

Luffy quickly devours the warm, doughy apple and cinnamon-spiced donuts, nomming, "YumyumYUM!"

Law blows on his cider and offhandedly asks, "Would you have kids, Straw Hat?" before he thinks better of it, but it still makes him consider it, too. They've never discussed this aspect of life. He leans on his fist, legs crossed, as he watches Luffy think.

“Mmm. I don't want kids. But, if I found one on the street and I dunno, they’re like Tama? Sure! In a heartbeat! But if they’re anything like Momo, hell no! Boys are hellions!”

Law nearly spits out his spiked cider. “That’s so real. You are. And even though you don't want kids, you'd do better with daughters, anyway. You get along with girls. Treat them as equals.”

"I mean, they are, but," slurping his hot cocoa, Luffy’s face perks up at Law's observation.

He likes hearing how Law perceives him. He likes the person he is in Law's eyes. Luffy is drawn to intuitive people, and the renowned surgeon is a very intuitive man.

“I do, huh?”

After he glances over his shoulder to see if the coast is clear, Law leans in and licks off Luffy's chocolate-y mustache, lingering his tongue after he kisses his upper lip. “Absolutely. You’re a chick magnet. But I don’t know if that would translate into being a Girl Dad.”

"I dunno 'bout chick magnet, but," Luffy puffs out his chest and loudly declares, “I’d be a GREAT Girl Dad! I already got the bits!”

Law snorts out his drink and yelps, “LUFFY! That's not how that works!”

“Stop that, Straw Hat! Get down!”

Law swats at Luffy’s candy corn knit scarf dangling in his face. Luffy is climbing and swinging from trees, and picking fruit. The clouds blocked the sun, a crisp autumn breeze blowing through the treetops, so Law bought them some comfy clothes from the arts and crafts gift shop. 

"You’re supposed to pick them, not eat them. We have ten pounds of apples to deliver to Black Leg-ya by the end of this, so don’t pick the trees clean and leave us with nothing. Are you trying to pay extra? I already paid Nami's exorbitant birthday tax, I'm not made of money!”

Besides the fact that Luffy knows that Law is loaded, and even if he weren't, the Pirate King is... “Pay? It’s free fruit.”

Law tucks his hands in his new hunter green and marigold cardigan. The thick, woolen handstitch work, imbued with local Indigenous sunflower and heart patterns, weighs cozily on him. This piece is an instant wardrobe favorite; he'll be wearing it a lot while reading and consulting patients—a perfect investment.

“It is not free.”

“Traffy, we’re pirates. These are fruit trees. It’s free.”

Well, the surgeon-pirate can’t argue with that. (Though he makes a mental note to pay the family farmers hosting the event a premium for their devastating harvest loss.)

“Just come down here!" Luffy springs to the orchard floor and stands before him. "How’re things with Roronoa going?”

Luffy shrugs and turns on his heel. “It’s cool.” As they walk on the soft, padded earth, Luffy puckers his lips. 

Law squints, reading Luffy like the medical chart of a patient he’s been inside. “Cool? Having fun again?”

“Mm-hmm,” Luffy hums noncommittally, taking a bite of a fresh Honeycrisp apple. “What’s your favorite apple treat, Traffy?”

Law plays along, the shyness in Luffy’s tone striking his ears; a reticence he rarely sees from the fearless man. “Applesauce. Yours?”

“Sanji's apple pie, apple cobbler, apple fritters, and his vanilla bean and apple butter ice cream.”

“Very specific," laughing, Law encourages, "I hope Black Leg-ya makes them all with his incredible haul.”

They glance behind and see Sanji four rows away, while Zoro, carrying a large wooden barrel filled with red, green, and golden yellow apples, tosses the apples into the air. They chuckle to themselves and continue walking down their row.

Law dips his head to view Luffy’s profile. “Last time you said he wasn’t so stiff. Is that still the case? Is he finally opening up?” He’s confused by the distant look on Luffy’s face. “What’s wrong, Luffy?”

“Why haven’t you kissed me yet, Traffy?” He blinks expectantly. 

"Uh... Did the mustache kiss not count, or..."

Luffy offers Law the half-bitten apple, his gaze distant as he extends his hand. “Remember Elegia?”

“Mm-hmm.” Law nods while chewing on the sweet, juicy meat. “How could I forget Elegia?”

“I think about it a lot, you know? The time we spent together. How we handled Uta together. Then went our separate ways.”

Law swallows the lump in his throat as he guides them down the grassy path. The changing foliage, scatterings of half-eaten and rotten apple cores, and forested landscape add a vivid quality to the moment, making it both picturesque and pivotal. 

“Why?”

“Because I’m obsessed with you, dummy,” Luffy laughs into the carrying breeze as he jumps on Law’s shoulders, unable to see Law’s apple-red face. “But seriously, I liked how you announced you were there by saving me." Luffy snickers, reminiscing. "I really liked the sex we had. Sometimes I wear your hoodie and touch myself to that memory. It gives me such a rush.”

“Straw Hat…” Flustered by the salacious confession, Law warns, “You’re too loud. Someone could overhear you.”

Luffy shrugs and leans down, whispering in Law's ear, "Let them hear us." He hops down and runs his cold hands up Law's toasty back, squeezing the firm back muscles that have returned, and kisses Law.

Their kiss is languorous because of Law and loud because of Luffy, until Law has to break away to say, "Luffy, you're humping my leg like a horny puppy."

Luffy woofs softly against Law's tender lips, returning to their passionate kiss. 

Eyes still soft and closed, he drifts away with a pleased hum, then continues rambling, climbing back on Law's shoulders. “You were there right when I needed you. I didn’t have to search for you, call you, or ask you for help. I didn't have to chase you. You were just there. Before I even knew I needed you. I didn’t know I needed you, Traffy.” He drums Law’s snow leopard hat. “That's when I locked into wanting you back.”

Taking Luffy’s hands, Law threads their fingers and the needle of this conversation with steady precision. “In our pirate alliance, right?”

A thousand little beetles tickle Luffy’s chest. He folds into the tingling, melting sensation pooling in his gut, cradling Law’s head at his core and pressing his cheek against Law’s crown. “Yeah," he wistfully sighs. "Even in a fantasy psychological thriller, we’re still a dynamic duo, Traffy.”

He can only laugh, because what else is to be expected? “We do make quite the pair of allies. I make a flawless plan, and you..." Law nudges Luffy’s chin with his head. "…expertly don’t follow it.”

“Shishishi! Yeah, we’re perfect together! Shishishi!”

The vibration of Luffy’s voice resonates in Law’s chest.

But it doesn’t shake his heart. 

Law grunts in agreement, though the sentiment of the statement causes his knees to feel weak. “But Elegia wasn’t real, Luffy-ya.”

Luffy glances down at Law lucidly; he can’t see the resolved look on his ride’s face, but he can hear it. It sounds like resignation. 

And in a way, for Law, it is. 

Since his dream spa experience, Law's once-vivid mental traumas and nightmares have faded, leaving behind only distant and muted echoes. Free from the fog of dissociation, he’s no longer escaping into fantasy because he’s no longer numb to life’s challenges. 

So, resignation doesn’t quite match his journey. Law has come to a level of acceptance that leaves no way out. 

Now he sees the stark contrast between his dreams and the reality of his life, a distinction he couldn't make before. He feels much better these days, his grip on reality firmer, and his desire to live stronger after several months of treating patients again; a sense of purpose has settled upon him. He even began writing letters and journaling, not just patient charts, or about his sordid medical experiences. 

“Yeah, I know.” He hops off Law’s shoulders and walks down the next row of apple trees. “But it gave me hope it could be real.”

Law takes it in and gives Luffy space to walk ahead. Law cuts his eyes to the orchard surrounding them, noticing something. His intuition is screaming at him to read the subtitles of Luffy’s obtusely direct language. He wants to believe his delusional suspicion is what Luffy truly means. But he has more sense than to do so without probing first. 

“Straw Hat, stop. Let’s seriously talk about this.” Law catches up and caresses Luffy’s cheek. “I’m all for it being real, too. But you should focus on what you’ve got going on, Luffy. You’re not the type to equally share your attention. Our alliance is working because I’m doing my own thing. And I’m enjoying my work.”

“Nuh-uh, that’s not true! We’ve been doing this for months, and I hate it, Law!” Luffy looks up at Law, his eyes wide and pleading, a playful whine escaping his lips as he quietly confesses, "I miss my pacifier," his voice soft and childish. He grabs Law's hand and sensually sucks on Law's middle finger, down to the letter A. 

The motion tugs on Law’s groin and heart as Luffy speaks. “Don’t laugh at me, Traffy! What I got going on that I can’t handle while you’re back in our alliance full-time?”

Law’s brow crinkles as he pulls his wet finger out of Luffy’s mouth, a droplet of Luffy’s spit landing on his bottom lip. “Seriously, Luffy?” Law gently swipes the spittle with his thumb like Luffy's lips are his.

“What? Oh, you mean Zoro? Pfft! That’s no big deal! I lead an entire crew, Traffy. It’s no different.”

“Tsk—yeah, to you. We talked about this, Straw Hat. Finish handling that. Then we can talk about what’s real and what's fantasy between us.”

“Trust me, Traffy, I got this. So, you take the time you need to figure out how you’re going to continue your traveling medical practice.” Luffy takes his hand back. “Just don’t keep me waiting.”

“Tch, don’t tell me what to do.” He pushes down Luffy's hat brim. "It's time to find Nami for the haunted hayride."

Luffy walks off, glancing over his shoulder. “Oh, and don’t think I forgot what we talked about on the picnic bench that night, Traffy. Think about that too while you’re at it.”

“You’re one to talk! That was months ago! How much time do you need? Just forget it.”

“I know. I dunno... and no.”

Zoro hates being on this damn apple orchard farm. It’s too crowded. Too noisy. Too colorful yet cold. Too many couples.

Too damn happy.

But anything for Nami. 

“Ugh, I’m so excited to apple-pick and do all those fun and cozy autumn activities I’m always seeing on the Vegapunk Lilith fashion blogs,” she squeals as they walk toward the haunted hayride queue.

Sanji slows down to let her lead the way. “So, how’s it going fucking your boss?”

Nami whacks his lapel. “Shit, Sanji!”  

Zoro rolls his right eye. “He’s not my boss. We don’t get paid.”

The cook scoffs, “What else is a captain then?” 

“A glorified ringleader to the circus we call pirate life,” Nami said from up ahead. 

“Yeah, whatever.”

"What's the matter? You catching feelings?”

"No!"

Sanji grins, humming as if he doesn't believe him. He leans in and whispers to Zoro before moving to Nami’s side, “He’s just not that into you, mon chou.” 

“Shut up! What do you know?” Zoro sucks his teeth, a hissing curse at the tip of his tongue. "It's not even like that!"

“Ooh! Are we gossiping, ladies?” Nami spins on her heels and stares at her two closest crew members. The only one missing is Usopp, but he was adamant about foraging for seasonal and magic mushrooms with Chopper. She thinks it’s cute how their friendship has evolved into sharing nerdy, geeky things. She hopes it works out.

She could say the same for—

“No,” Zoro grunts, adjusting his oily brown bomber jacket and the barrel he's begrudgingly towing like a plow ox. 

“Nami, my queen, which apples would you like me to use for your apple fritters?”

“I don’t know, Sanji. You’re the chef. I trust your judgment. Why don’t you pick those last trees at the end of the row while I tie my shoe, ‘kay?”

Sanji combusts and whirls down the row of tall, verdant apple trees full of shiny hanging fruit.

Nami spins back around to stare down the burly man hiding behind the barrel. “Alright. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing.”

She eyes him with skepticism that comes from having intimately known and lived with a man like Zoro for years. “It looks like something.”

“Mind your business, birthday girl. Go have fun and stop worrying about me.”

“Why, when yours looks so miserable, it’s juicy.”

“I’m not miserable. I’m just bored.”

“You wouldn’t be bored if you got into the holiday spirit!”

“What holiday? We’re at a dying leaves festival.”

“My birthday, you jackass! See, that’s why everybody’s having fun without you. And where’s my birthday tax?! Pay up!”

Nami’s right, and that’s why Zoro’s grumpy. Everyone is having fun without him. “Good. So everyone can leave me alone and enjoy your cheesy birthday in the woods. But save a shot for me.”

Nami pouts, frustrated with her brother's despondent mug and pitifully sour mood. “You gotta open up more, Z. Life’s more fun when you’re happy.”

The crackling sound of Luffy’s laughter punctuates her wise words.

“I’ve got a bottle of aged saké on the ship with both our names on it. That'll make me happy. Now go catch up with Twirly. I'm sure he's withering without you.”

Under her breath, Nami says, "He's withering without you, too," as Zoro walks away into the autumn sunlight, wandering off in search of a secluded, barren tree, and...

OK! Maybe to find a little Monkey named Luffy.

⚔︎

The weeks after Nami's birthday see a return to normalcy in Zoro and Luffy's relationship, back to when Law hadn't yet become a significant element in their relationship. 

Zoro loves it so much: they’re spending more time together, and their sex life is great.

Ever since Luffy gave him more control during their playtimes, the power struggle has given Zoro a renewed sense of purpose and excitement, as if a spark had reignited within their partnership. To have Luffy’s full attention in the quiet hours of the night, when the only sound was the gentle lull of the waves, Zoro honestly couldn't ask for more.

So, they’re training harder now; their fighting style now feels perfectly in sync, a stronger testament to their brilliant teamwork, and it feels like those early days, the two of them alone on the Grand Line, the salty air filling their lungs as they drifted aimlessly, the vast ocean stretching endlessly around them. 

At Luffy's urging, they chat more, their laughter and playful banter echoing across the ship.

However, despite Luffy's sincere attempts at serious conversation, Zoro disengages, a contrast highlighted by his chuckles and bemused glances. After a particular discussion that led nowhere, Luffy stops trying to pry into his first mate's thoughts and feelings. He also doesn’t initiate any scenes between them like he did before; it was one of their negotiated agreements. Luffy also keeps certain parts of his body to himself again, but he stays present and engaged whenever Zoro suggests they play together. 

Sleepy and satisfied, Luffy yawns and walks back to his bedroom after a late-night fridge raid, expertly picking (crushing) Sanji’s deadbolt on the fridge. That sea prism stone almost caught him slipping. Thankfully, he's saved; Sanji left food out for him.

But he was still tempted by more.

“Want me to crush that lock, you late-night gremlin?”

Luffy wickedly grins, his limp hand slacking to the side. “Yeah? You gonna eat Sanji’s foot to your face when you do?”

“I might…plus a little more.” Zoro flicks Luffy’s chin. “If I lose. But if you lose…” A dastardly grin overcomes him.

Luffy steps up to him. “If you lose what?” 

“Let’s play a game.”

The game is simple: if Luffy can withstand the sea prism stone or crush it within five seconds, he gets whatever he wants.

“If I lose, I will eat Sanji’s cooking for a week without a single complaint. If you lose, you have to be bound by my gift.”

Luffy thinks about losing. Mischief frolicks across his face. “What else will you eat?”

“You gotta make me lose to find out.”

Luffy spends the next two hours in his bedroom being bound up at the wrists and ankles, holding Zoro in position on his knees while teaching him how to properly eat his pussy. 

By the time Zoro drifts to sleep, his jaw sore from the exertion, Luffy has unbound himself, leaving the tightened wristcuffs behind. Some progress had been made; the reptilian stabbing and licking, at the very least, had ceased. 

He leans back in his bed, watching Zoro sleep, and wonders if this part of their relationship should end. It hasn't helped Zoro become more emotionally open with him as he had expected. And high libido or not, Luffy has happily lived without sex; he doesn't need an unsatisfying sex life. Then there are his endless background thoughts—those about Law and...

Luffy's eyes flutter open to the gentle touch of a hand at the turn of dawn. 

“Morning wood. Really?" A groggy chuckle, thick with sleep, escapes his lips. A smile, broad and bright, illuminates his face, even though his eyes stay peacefully closed.

The upturn of his mouth was infectious. Zoro wishes to kiss it. He misses his opportunity to ask.

"Are you complaining?"

"No," Luffy giggles.

Zoro’s grin widens, looking down at the sleeping man. A warm contentment catches him off guard as it settles over him. The morning is still. The steady, rhythmic rise and fall of the captain's chest is a calming rhythm in the quiet room. Zoro's never felt more...

He doesn't know how to put it into words. “I thought you’d appreciate the spontaneity,” he murmurs; a kiss light as a feather graces Luffy’s ear, a playful touch. 

Luffy hums, a smile playing on his lips. The scent of winter's sea fills the air as his head turns, his mussed hair scratches Zoro's nose. Zoro takes a deep, slow inhale. The smell of the sea and the distant woods mix in his nostrils. 

“I love your new soap.”

Yesterday was bath day. Barely awake but attempting to focus, Luffy's senses are heightened as a tingling sensation in his toes and his erection slowly builds. “Mmm?” 

“It smells…” Zoro closes his eyes and takes in another deep whiff. “Minty fresh. It’s soothing.”

“Yeah,” Luffy breathes, rolling on his back for Zoro’s easy access. “It’s Law’s eucalyptus-mint soap.”

Something tells Luffy to open his eyes.

Zoro’s downward gaze is steady. Hard. “Why are you using his soap? Why are you calling Traffy, Law?”

With a noncommittal shrug and a yawn, Luffy replies, "He makes good soap. You said it yourself. Plus, that’s his name.”

Zoro slows down his gesturing. He struggles to maintain a curious expression, but his stomach is flipping into knots. “Yeah, but you don’t ever call him that.”

“I do, too.”

“Oh? When?" Zoro scoffs sarcastically.

“When we talk in private.”

Zoro pulls his hand back and adjusts himself, tucking his cock under the covers. “W-what do you two talk about in private?”

Luffy slips him a side glance out of one open eye. “It’s called private for a reason, Zoro,” he reminds, lightly laughing and glancing at his midsection. “I was actually enjoying the hand job. D’ya think you wanna finish that?”

Zoro places his head on one fist, resuming his ministration with the other, but he keeps staring at Luffy. “I’m sure you guys don’t only talk about private things in private, though.”

Luffy’s breathing shallows as his hips grind into Zoro’s hand. “Um, yeah, I guess.” He doesn’t want to break his concentration because Zoro knows what to do with a dick in his hand, and it’s not the worst way to wake up...

“So, like what?”

But Zoro won’t let this conversation go. 

“Um…” Luffy scratches his head, letting out a stressed sigh, confused about how they got here. He was dreaming about eating and riding pigs in a blanket dipped in warm honey mustard and syrup minutes ago. “I… uh, I guess, um—ahhh, the fact that—ugh—you’re more expressive since we switched is something we’ve discussed.”

Zoro's face crinkles in confusion. “Why would he care about that?”

“Because it was his suggestion.”

Zoro’s hand instantly stills. He slightly squeezes the firm flesh in his grip. “Wait, what? Luffy. This was Traffy’s idea?”

Luffy feels the pressure, but it doesn't hurt. Still, he yelps more at the sight, “Yup! He said you might feel more comfortable and confident performing if you were the top. Y’know, open ya’ up emotionally.” He bucks his hips impatiently. 

Zoro works the words around his mouth as if they’re coated in chalky film. Comfortable and confident performing? “And why the hell would he say that?! Did you tell Traffy we’re fucking and I’m underperforming?”

“I didn’t say underperforming,” Luffy corrects with a carefree laugh. “I said blocked. Big difference.”

A half-millisecond glimpse into the near future is all it takes for Luffy to recognize his grave mistake. 

Zoro’s ears burn from lobe to tip. “IS IT?!” Zoro jerks his hand away and punches his fist into his thigh. “How is telling him I’m blocked, whatever that fucking means, any better? You told that prick of a surgeon that I’m not good in bed!” he snaps, his voice rising in pitch. 

“I didn’t say that!”

“So, what did you say to him, then? Huh, Luffy? Was I a fucking experiment to you guys?”

Luffy groans as he realizes he might have just gotten himself into trouble. “Maybe we should just let this go…”

“No. Luffy. Why does Trafalgar Law know about our sex life? Why should he know?”

“Because I told him.”

“You gotta give me more than that, Captain. Why would he need to know that, Luffy?” Zoro’s blood pressure rises, straining his veins. “What kinda conversations do you guys need to have for him to know about my dick?”

“One about me having sex with you,” Luffy says impassively. He's suddenly curious about Zoro's emotional response. He rolls on his side, propping himself up on his elbow. "What's wrong?"

“So, what? Trafalgar Law is your cuck? Is this another kink you’re pulling me into?”

“What? No! It’s not like that, Zoro! We’ve been hooking up again, so we have conversations about sex.” 

Zoro sucks in a deep breath. “Hooking up? Again?” The words make him sick to his stomach. “You’re hooking up with Traffy?”

“Yeah, we were, but it’s been a while. He’s just been giving me advice.”

“You—and Law—huh?” He can't even bring himself to finish his question. Zoro needs to sit. He shifts back, sitting upright in Luffy's bed, his hands neatly folded on his lap over the covers. “Giving you advice about what, Luffy?”

“Hmm..." A small voice within Luffy tells him he should shut up now. "How to help you stop being so stiff and emotionally constipated. Because you're, like, really dense.”

His heart is being clawed from his chest. “Since when?” he strains through gritted teeth. “Define hooking up.”

Luffy tilts his head to the side, stretching his long neck to meet Zoro’s downward glance. He’s unfazed by the vague timeline in the question. “Since when, what? Since when have I been getting advice, or since when did we start having sex again?” 

He asked as if it were no big deal. But it is.

Sex. Full-blown sex. Well, that answers the question about hooking up.

To Zoro, this is catastrophic.

Zoro’s stomach churns. He wants to die. “First—no, again—ARGH! BOTH! I thought we lost our virginities to each other!”

He feels like he already is. 

"Huh? With a dramatic "Oh, no!" and arms wrapped around his torso, Luffy's reaction makes Zoro feel foolish.

“Yeah, no, I lost mine to Law the night we left Dressrosa.” 

The confession hits Zoro as if Luffy had leveled him with a Roc Gun. “The night we left Dressrosa?” Zoro gasps. “Wait—Dressrosa after defeating Doflamingo?” As soon as the question leaves his lips, Zoro’s struck by the answer with a strangely vivid memory sticking out.

The Barto Club ship was abuzz with merriment as the newly formed Straw Hat Fleet partied, celebrating the downfall of Doflamingo’s tyranny over the loving and passionate island. 

But in truth, they were all celebrating Luffy. 

The man of the hour, of the day, of Dressrosa’s history. The man who spent less than a day saving the day too many times to count. During their fight against the Don Quixote Family, he was their beacon, and now he was all their captain— 

Except Law. 

Zoro had gotten too drunk during the first night on Barto’s ship; the thrill of over five thousand men seeing in his captain what he’d always seen in Luffy filled him with so much pride and joy that he was in an uncharacteristically good mood. Plus, the saké on Rooster’s ship was good as hell. 

He was in such uncanny high spirits that he didn’t want anyone, even Trafalgar Law, to feel left out of the party’s true meaning.

Loyalty. Brotherhood. Liberation.

S o, he sought out the sulking surgeon and found him in a corner nursing a measly plate of grilled flounder. Zoro took Law by the shoulder and offered him a drink. 

At first, Law was his typical resistant self, but after sharing a few rounds, he loosened up, and the fun really began. Come to find out, Law was a hilarious drunk and an excellent storyteller, and alcohol brought the captain's calm charisma out in a different way than Luffy, who was undoubtedly the chaotic lifeblood of the party. Surrounded by Robin, Franky, Zoro, and Cabbage, Law’s version of being the center of attention carried more of a grown man swagger to the ship’s bar and lounge area that they had commandeered. 

The sharp and stoic swordsmen seemed to bond over brandy and cigars they’d found tucked away in a secret compartment as they all hung back drinking and smoking. It felt like being in the private room of a grown and sexy cigar lounge, and Zoro had actually been nice to Law that entire afternoon and well into the evening. 

Then, he passed out. 

By the time he came to, it was dark through the portholes, and he was the only one still left in Barto’s bar. He was also sober and wanted to kickstart the night crawl with his crew of friends. He stumbled across the bar and onto the deck in search of Luffy, Robin, and Franky. He stumbled and tripped over sleeping pirates sprawling on every flat surface on the ship until the heel of his boot crushed something. He looked down. Law’s cleanly picked grilled fish bone was still on the plate. 

Oh, right, he thought, Traffy was a hell of a good time. I should find him, too. 

However, as he searched and tried everywhere on the ship for the surgeon, he never found Law. 

(Now he knows why.)

He’d gotten lost so many times looking for his friends on that cruise ship. He figured they’d all just gone to their sleeping quarters that Barto showed them to. He could really have used the bed he was offered, but he couldn’t remember the room number. So, after a while, he just drunkenly gave up and collapsed in the first place he could.

It was like he blinked and was awakened to the erratic pace and muffled moans of someone getting absolutely railed in the room on the other side of the door he’d unwittingly napped in front of. It was still dark outside, but the stars were beginning to give way to dawn. 

“Some lucky, horny bastards are going at it like animals.” He was too hungover to tell who was fucking so late…or, so early, but it was too raw for dawn and noisy for the headache he was nursing from being cross-faded that he could not care to find out. He needed to move out of the way in front of the cabin door.

“I need more booze,” was all he could croak out as he crawled to grab a wall railing and drag himself down the hall towards the booze cellar he discovered when he was wandering around lost. He could faintly hear the desperate moans grow more insistent and incoherent whorish sounds become louder from the fornicators as he hoisted himself up with a grunt, but he paid it no mind because he wasn’t a voyeur. He must’ve misheard Traffy’s name get cried out from the other side of the door; he chalked it up to his mind hearing things because he was looking for Traffy before he passed out. 

But as he hobbled himself down the dimly lit hallway, the vague registration of the choked-out voice moaning and crying through the thick walls itched at the back of his hazy brain. It sounded very familiar…

That was nearly two years ago! Zoro’s heart is stomped in his chest. That was—

Luffy waves his hand in Zoro’s face, his knees now folded beneath him. 

“Zoro? Hellooooo? ” His coo and gentle shove startles the swordsman. Concern etched in his voice, “Hey, you’re spacing out. Is everything good?" Luffy's raspy question hangs in the air. 

“Luffy…?”

“Yes?”

“Is this why we stopped…playing together? Because you’ve been playing with Trafalgar?”

“Ah… I see what you’re saying, but it wasn’t an intentional switch. We’ve just been busy, remember? Fighting.”

“Yeah! Busy because of you, Pirate King! I’ve been busting my ass fighting for you while you’ve been bussin’ it wide open for Traffy this whole time?”

Luffy laughs. It’s his lighthearted voice, but slightly edging on uncomfortable. He scratches his cheek. “Eh…I don’t think that’s a fair comparison to make.” 

Zoro cuts him off like he just pulled out one of his blades. “You’re fucking joking, right? Why not?”

“Well, for one, we switch,” Luffy dismisses, “And like I said, it’s been a while.”

Also, Luffy and Law haven't seen each other or spoken in a month. Law hasn't reached out, he hasn't picked up any of Luffy's calls, and he hasn't shown up on any of the islands since Nami's birthday. Luffy only knows Law is alive because he keeps both his Vivre Cards under his pillow and in his front pocket, and constantly checks them.

"So, what's the problem?"

“The problem is, you can’t have sex with both of us and not tell me, Luffy! You can’t bind, gag, and tie me up, then go back to Traffy to share secrets and giggle over what I’m not doing to please you! What am I, a joke to you? You’re yoyo-ing between us!”

Luffy quickly reassures Zoro. “But I’m not? It's never like that. But I'm allowed to have more than one sexual partner to satisfy different things. Law agrees.”

Zoro's jaw tightens over Luffy's continued use of the other captain's real name; it means Luffy respects him on a different level. His voice is low and respectful as he asks, "Luffy... Are you telling me I haven't been satisfying you sexually all this time?” 

“Hey, hey, our time together has never been about you pleasing me," Luffy says as if he's trying to domesticate a feral cat. It's a blow to Zoro's ego. "I've never been concerned with that, and my time with Traffy has never been about compensating for you. They’re two separate experiences.” 

Luffy has no idea how profoundly his words affect Zoro. He's completely unaware that his supposed kindness is deeply insulting to his friend. He has no idea that the more he says, the more his words deeply wound his first mate. 

“That is why we stopped, Luffy!” Zoro insists, the truth dawning on him. “You started having sex with him again because you weren’t satisfied with me!”

It’s as if Luffy’s statements are stabs from Enma in the back. Zoro's soul feels as though it's being pushed out of his body. This can't be real life.

He gets up, his heart stuck in a constricting hold, his brows are knit with a brooding fury that Luffy’s never seen aimed his way. "Zoro?" Zoro's mind is racing as he stares at the dark floors. It feels like the bottom is opening to swallow him whole. So, he can only think to pace.

“You haven’t been having fun with me this entire time?!” The question roars out of Zoro like a dragon unleashed, a mix of hurt and betrayal and something else Luffy cannot name, but it feels terrifyingly close to the core of whatever’s been bothering Zoro.

"I mean...it's been intense...and not in the fun way."

“That explains your reaction to me at that dinner on the rainbow. I just thought it was because you were caught off guard from fighting nonstop for weeks, and you were tired or something. But Sanji was right. I’m so fucking dumb,” he chokes. 

Luffy’s face hardens. He sits up. “Sanji was right about what?”

“He saw you and your best friend, Traffy, kissing and flirting at the farmer’s market way back. He said you guys looked like more than friends. Like you were acting like a happy couple, you were wearing Law’s hoodie, and he was wearing your straw hat. Is all that true?”

“Ohhh yeah! I forgot we ran into Sanji that morning because we barely even spoke. But, yeah, I guess he did see us. About the increase in fights? Traffy was low-key sinking enemy ships for us for months. But I told him to stop that, so…yeah, that explains the drastic uptick in battles.”

The room is closing in. “Trafalgar Law was fighting our battles? As in the Straw Hat Pirates?” Zoro explodes. "I'm gonna slice him to his grave."

“Yes. And no, you won't.”

Zoro glares at Luffy. “Was he the one who put up that fuck-ass barrier in Dressrosa, too?”

“No? A barrier?”

“Don’t play dumb, Luffy! You know what I’m talking about. The barrier that hid your presence for those two days we were in the country.”

“I’m…not? I dunno ‘bout any barrier?”

“So it’s just a coincidence that I could sense your Haki in Dressrosa, and then it just suddenly disappeared for hours at a time? That has Trafalgar Law written all over it.”

“I guess? I have no idea what you’re talking about, Zoro. I mean, yeah, I remember Traffy cast his dome a couple of times, but I don’t always know when his field is engaged. Sometimes he puts it up when we fuck in public places, like on Flower Hill, but—”

Every added detail sends Zoro spiraling, because what does Luffy mean that he and Law have sex in public places???

“I waited for you back at Dressrosa for two days behind that goddamn barrier, and you were fucking on top of Flower Hill?!” 

“What barrier?!”

“Oh, so now you’re tryna make me out to sound crazy, Luffy?” Suddenly, the speed and ease with which Zoro solves puzzles nearly break his brain. Envy and a breach of trust prick tears to his functioning eye as the past few months come into stark view. 

“NO! I’m not! I don’t know about any damn barrier! And I didn’t know you were waiting for me.”

“HOW COULD YOU NOT?” Zoro’s tense arms fly out. “You told me you had a surprise for me! Why wouldn’t I be waiting?”

Luffy can’t answer that. He wasn’t thinking about anything else after he ran into Law. Still, he moves to address that, but Zoro isn’t done. His will is overwhelming the air.

“How-How long s-since you t-two st-started back fucking around?”

Reality sets in for both men. Zoro only stutters when he’s agitated.

With a serious expression, Luffy hums thoughtfully. “Um, like, six, seven, eight months. It's kinda been hard keeping track.”

“SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS?” Zoro sputters out. He feels the air snatch out of his lungs like he’s choking on his tongue, trying to process the new information. “Is—fuck! Luffy! Is that why the Heart Pirates have been magically appearing at damn near every location we’ve anchored for months?! Are they purposely following the Sunny?” 

“We’re in an alliance, Zoro.”

Zoro’s stomach boils with rage. “And you didn’t think to mention that to me?” A torrent of betrayal threatens to capsize him as Luffy’s eyes grow wide, dawning with newfound awareness.

And then—the fucking nerve—then, Luffy puts on his terrible liar face. He averts his gaze, puffed-out cheeks, pursed lips, and crossed arms to respond to Zoro. “I thought you already knew. The rest of the crew does. I told everyone at the amusement park, remember?”

Zoro racks his brain, trying to figure out how he forgot that, but when he thinks about it, he barely remembers most of his week on that cloud island.

“Even Usopp? Chopper, too?”

“Yup.” He stands up to put his basketball shorts back on.

Gah! Zoro feels so goddamn stupid! “I don’t remember this.”

“I mean, it was pretty obvious. You’d have to be stupid or blind not to have noticed.” The dark look Zoro gives him next makes Luffy’s throat work. “Oh. I mean—”  

“You mean to tell me that we’ve been officially back in an alliance with Trafalgar Law for the past six months?”

“No..." Luffy tilts his head. "More like, four and a half months. They've been sailing with us on and off for seven months. So, I guess we’ve been having sex on and off for seven months, too. But...”

Luffy shudders at the look on Zoro's face. He’s never seen this level of possessiveness in Zoro’s eyes—it shines, piercing, searing with Conqueror’s Haki. Internally, Luffy is tickled by the idle itch spreading at the edges of his awareness. It's harmless, but he notices its presence. 

The effort they put into Haki training has been worthwhile. He perceives a growing irritation that something is severing, unraveling between them. Luffy is already bracing for the breakdown within his best friend's demeanor when Zoro bares his teeth, lashing out, “I’ve been debasing myself for nothing?”

But, damn, that was quite a blow to his ego.

“You’ve been what?!” Luffy bashfully averts his gaze; he scratches a sudden itch at the nape of his neck, which he cannot ignore. “I thought you liked it! You never told me to stop.”

“OF COURSE IT’S BEEN—TCH! ARGH!” Zoro’s fingers squeeze the air in frustration. “How was I supposed to tell you to stop when you ask to have kinky sex, and you look at me like—” his voice cuts out, and he looks away.

"He’s just not that into you,” is what the shit cook said weeks ago. Now, Zoro feels like a fool for not believing him. He called Curly jealous; well, look at him now.

Zoro can't believe this anymore. “Just forget it.”

“Woah? No, what? Finish what you were gonna say, Zoro.”

He doesn’t feel the same way about me. Luffy does not have romantic feelings for me. 

He doesn’t like me—

"Not in that way, Zoro."

FUCK! What do I do now? What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?

“Is this why you drink so much? To forget the things you regret?” 

Zoro cuts his woolly eye at his best friend's jab. Luffy’s presence goads Zoro’s will, as if petting a big cat. He fights against the pull to submit. “What? Did Law advise you on that question?”

Luffy rolls his eyes, scoffing. His patience is thinner than sleet. “Tch—NO.”

“Yuck. You sound just like him.”

The blush that scatters across Luffy’s face is more humiliating than Zoro’s digs, but Luffy eats it because he takes it as a compliment coming from someone even dumber than he. He loses nothing but his best friend if he impulsively reacts. He’s learned that.

“Whatever. I’ve noticed your drinking has increased. If you are drinking to forget the things you do while having sex with me, I think it’s better if we stop.”

Zoro’s lungs cave in.

“I DRINK BECAUSE OF YOU!”

That's what Zoro wants to scream from the crow’s nest. But he’s sober as fuck right now in Luffy’s bedroom. His bare feet feel gum-gum glued to the floorboards. His head is twirling. So, his tongue is tied against his will. Against Luffy’s, too.

“I,” he stutters, giving up, “I dunno,” he whimpers under his breath. Hearing the brittle sound of his voice is painfully humiliating and haunting; each confession feels like a fresh wound to his heart.

“Because if this has been debasing,” he holds up the velvet rope, then everything else we’ve ever done together has been, too. You’ve been drinking to forget everything you ever regret from every adventure we’ve ever had. And we’ve done loads of wild shit together, so… yeah. Let’s end this. Save our friendship.”

One look into Luffy’s eyes is all Zoro needs for intense insecurities to ignite within him.

For all his muscles and strength to shrink in him.

“This is a fucking nightmare.” 

Luffy doesn’t blink for five seconds; he reads Zoro. When he finally does, he’s on it. 

He leans forward and stretches his arms to catch Zoro from falling. He cups the side of Zoro’s face, his tone soft and placating.

“Hey, hey, Zoro,” he shushes like a siren luring his prey into the raging storm. “Don’t worry about that. It doesn’t matter, I shouldn’t make your drinking problem about me. None of this was ever about me, anyway.” Zoro can only purr and melt into Luffy’s soft hands, always so warm and inviting. “I know you would do anything for me. That’s why I did this for you.”

“You did it for me?” Zoro was pacified before Luffy made that statement… 

“Yes!” 

But it burns his flesh alive to be touched so kindly in this moment, so he jerks his head away. 

“What’s wrong? What did I do?” Luffy asks, but Zoro is more concerned with what he could do with a friendly rejection.

Nothing.

“Don’t talk in that damn whiny voice! We’re seriously fighting here!” 

Luffy's face registers surprise. “Are we?”

It’s rather insulting, especially after being told by his captain that he had competition and wasn’t measuring up to his rival well enough. How was he supposed to accept the gentle touch of the man he has been harboring feelings for since forever, after he tells him he’s not HIM? 

That’s it.

“Hell yeah, we are! I’m over here sharing myself with you, doing everything to please you with our playtimes while you’re over here climbing back on Law’s dick to ride him as you deride me!”

“I would hardly call passing out mid-climax pleasurable, Zoro.”

“Excuse me?”

“And what does that word mean?” Luffy frowns. “Deride.”

“Go fucking look it up, Luffy! Damn! I’m sure you can read a book better than you can read the fucking room! I bet you don’t quiz Law when he’s drilling your pussy with his jizz.”

“HELLO?” Luffy jolts, his body tensing at the sharp, serrated edge of Zoro's cutting insults to his intelligence; a visible flinch betrays his wounded pride. Hurt and embarrassment burn his cheeks, his face turning a deep shade of red. “You think I’m stupid?”

“No, I don’t!”

Luffy points a shaky, accusatory finger at his friend. “Y-yes, you do! You think I’m too ignorant about the real world, but I’m the one who introduced condoms to you!”

“Gah—I knew what condoms are, Luffy!”

“My point is, you don’t take me seriously, Zoro. You still think of me as the innocent teen you met. But I’ve grown, Zoro! I’m a man!”

“I know that, Luffy,” Zoro’s voice shudders, trying to convince himself. He searches Luffy’s face, his perception of the boy he’s always known shifting before him. “But I didn’t know you grew to be a slut too!”

“Ouch…Slut? OK… Zoro, you’re being mean, buddy!” 

“Yeah?! Well, join the club, buddy!” He spits out every word so loudly, so bitterly that Zoro is surprised Luffy doesn't subdue him right then and there. “Feels like shit, don’t it?”

“Yeah, because you're intentionally being mean." Luffy's voice rises, but he collects himself before speaking again. His pout deepens as he cautiously approaches Zoro like a wild animal, slowly reaching out with his arms. “You make it seem like I forced you. I asked every time, and you agreed every time. And you came each time.”

"Not when you ran after your phone to your precious Traffy!"

This strikes a nerve. " He needed me! You saw what he was up against in Hachinosu."

"So?"

“So, what’s really going on, buddy?” 

"Stop calling me buddy,” Zoro shouts. “I'm pissed that you're having sex with me, then running back to Traffy gossiping about me! BUDDY.”

“We’re not gossiping about you! We were talking about me, which means you come up…from time to time.”

Zoro rips at his hair. Nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing matters anymore. He pushes Luffy’s arm out of the way. He can feel all his meditative practices, all his discipline, all his thousands of hours of mindfulness training slipping away from him.  

He’s angry, and his emotions are spilling out of his chest.

LUFFY, YOU LIED!”

“Come again?!”

“You lied to me! You’re a liar!”

Luffy sighs with a bored, half-lidded expression. “What did I lie about, Zoro?”

“You said I was the only one you’re sleeping with. You said you were going to buy me a gift. You. LIED!”

“I never said that!” Luffy reads Zoro’s Haki. It’s charged with bitterness and resentment. “How did I lie, Zoro? I’m wearing your gift right now!” He scratches his chin, exposing the velvet, leather, and twine wrist cuffs around his wrists. “What am I missing?”

All he can do is ask the questions flooding his mind. Zoro's eyes lock onto Luffy, and he feels an overwhelming urge to fight him. 

“Where’d you get them? TELL ME.”

Luffy looks off to the school of flounder, swimming along his glass wall. He wonders if they have an opinion; they’ve seen it all. “...in Dressrosa,” he peters out.

“Are you sure? Because you said you were going into town to run errands and get me a surprise. Instead, you went off to fuck on Law for two good days before you came back with,” He curls his fingers into quotation marks, “my surprise six months later, Luffy?” 

“These cuffs were purchased in Dressrosa,” Luffy carefully repeats. “...By Law.”

The yelling pushes Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki in waves that Luffy is subconsciously canceling out. “All you’ve been doing all this time is keeping secrets from me, and eating your cake, too—” the swordsman roars. 

“It’s only because—”

“I DON’T CARE, LUFFY.”

Zoro’s on the brink of doing something he’ll regret, and needs to leave before he does. Because if he ever did something to Luffy, he’d never be able to forgive himself. He would have to commit seppuku.

Unbeknownst to the crew arriving on the deck from their various location, Inside Luffy’s soundproof room, the most intense storm of the New World has broken out.

“Hey, has anyone seen Luffy and Zoro? It’s almost time for breakfast,” Sanji announces on the deck. Usopp and Franky look over their shoulder from the mast where they’re finishing a touch-up paint job on the Jolly Roger. Chopper and Brook shake their heads, and Robin and Jinbe shrug as they continue their morning chess game.

“No, but knowing those two, they’re probably still asleep,” Usopp shouts from above. 

Nami walks from the helm of the ship towards her tangerines, her orange hair blowing in the wind like a flag at full mast. “If they’re not up by the time we anchor, there’ll be hell to pay. I’ve got shopping to do!”

“DAMMIT, LUFFY! I thought you two were just captain friends! What the fuck, Luffy?! So, were you calling him your best friend all this time, just code for ‘we’re fucking each other on the low’? You’re just going between your best friends? Who’s next, then, on your conquest list, Pirate King? Huh? Sanji? Usopp!”

Luffy responds with a hint of sarcasm, "Really, Zoro?"

Zoro's shocked by his outburst to his captain and has lost himself for a moment; he slowly breathes out. When he can finally speak, he looks like reality has just dawned on him. 

His voice shakes. “Have you been doing Traffy raw, or forcing him to wear a condom, too?” 

Luffy says nothing at first. It’s an odd question, and he’s trying not to laugh at the irony. He only sits and stares as Zoro paces Luffy’s bedroom and unleashes whatever buried emotions he’s been hoarding for so long. This is the emotion Luffy’s been searching for. 

This is not the reaction Luffy expected.

But as he sits atop his bed, hugging himself, watching Zoro's agitated behavior and incoherent muttering, he realizes that this is the longest and most intentional conversation they’ve had in their entire friendship.

And it’s a fight. 

“It’s the sexually responsible thing to do,” Luffy quotes Law.

As he waits for his best friend's anger to subside, Luffy chuckles, a warm, comforting sound in the tense silence. He honestly never knew the depth to which Zoro had repressed so many intense emotions. Luffy knew that some demons were lurking in there, revealed only in the glint of Zoro’s determined eye during battle countless times, but the only fight Luffy was willing to have was with his enemies.

“You think this is a joke?” Zoro whirls around, furious, prepared to berate him, only to have his anger vanish. 

They're really not on the same wavelength. 

“Not a joke, just funny. But I’m still listening.”

“I don’t want you to listen, Luffy! I want you to answer my fucking questions!” It’s like a spindle of thread thins into a snap within Zoro, a rupturing of the seal he’d placed on his hopes for a life with Luffy. “I know how he feels about you,” he confesses. “I see the way he looks at you. I’m not blind.”

A sudden, jarring dissonance smashes the illusion mirror he must’ve been looking at Luffy through. As if Luffy electrocuted him, Zoro now acutely knows that their realities for the past year were irreconcilably different, and it feels like a boulder is crushing his chest.

Luffy sits perfectly still like a guru, with his legs tucked under him and his hands resting calmly on his knees. 

Meanwhile, Zoro’s world tilts and whirls off its axis. The very oxygen they're breathing feels off between them. He and Luffy are not in sync. 

They’re not…

Them.

All Zoro has left are a deluge of questions that come out as confessions, each one more urgent than the last. 

“I heard two, you know? In the trees for Nami’s birthday. I heard you tell him you wished Elegia was real and that you were back in your pirate alliance.”

Now, that activates Luffy. “You were eavesdropping on our conversation?”

Zoro grunts, rolling his eyes. “Not on purpose. I was looking for you, and I left after you put his finger in your mouth because I thought it was weird and gross. But I wrote it off at the time because you both do weird and gross shit to each other all the time. Now I know why.”

Luffy levels Zoro’s fuming mug with a tender but resolute gaze. His heart hurts for Zoro, but he doesn’t know what to do other than to be the calm against the raging storm. He’s already in the eye of it. 

But that’s not what Zoro wants. “So, what, do you also have feelings for Law?” Zoro's question trails off, his voice breaks on his heart. His palm flies to cover his mouth, and a thick, endless tear streams down his right eye.

Hearing the accusation in Zoro’s tone makes Luffy seriously think; maybe he had thought about it for too long, maybe his expression said more than the words he was searching for to describe his feelings for Law. 

But it’s a wait too long, too late. Zoro’s temple and neck veins bulged at the silent confirmation. 

“Does he—do you let him kiss you? Do you kiss him?” The soul-crushing realization of Luffy’s avoidance slams into Zoro’s chest. “A-are you serious, Luffy? You make me ask and use my words for everything, and now you’re not gonna say shit?”

In a fit of rage, Zoro throws whatever he can get his hands on. The messy state of Luffy’s room and its clutter of boxes from the crew make it easy. 

His mind has shattered into a thousand bloody question marks, each one a jagged shard of agony, and all he can do is pick up the pieces, desperately searching for answers to soothe the pain. He painstakingly cleans each one, hoping for answers amid the wreckage.

Annoyed to be dodging a chaotic barrage of books, rocks, shoes, and Dials hurled his way while being interrogated, Luffy's malicious compliance eeks out. 

“Yes.” 

Because he cannot help but think about how Law did not react this way.

Even with his feelings for Luffy out in the open, and Law's awareness of Luffy's situation with Zoro, there was never pressure from Law for Luffy to answer one way or the other, to choose between him or Zoro. And their alliance has remained strong. In fact, Luffy would even say that their friendship has strengthened.

“So, that’s where you go when you randomly disappear from the ship at night? That’s who you were with when you were gone for days in Dressrosa? Dream Island? Were you two already sleeping together on Dream Island?”

“Yes.”

“Winner Island? Gran Tesoro? Samba? Paradise Island? Delta Island? Resorto? Elegia? Every island—FUCK! Luffy! Did you fuck Traffy on Laugh Tale?!”

“Yes.” The disbelief and annoyance in Zoro's eyes crush Luffy.

Zoro wants to cry. He’s not a crier, but he wants to bawl his fucking eyes out. One functional tear duct isn't enough. “FUCK, LUFFY! I propositioned you on that goddamn cloud! Do you know how humiliating that is? To know you and your best friend Traffy were laughing at me?”

“We were not laughing at you.”

But Zoro isn’t listening anymore. “That’s where you slept…” All the pieces start coming together. “At the dream spa hotel.”

“But you knew that.”

“I DIDN’T KNOW THAT IN THIS CONTEXT! I THOUGHT YOU TWO WERE JUST BEST FRIENDS CATCHING UP ON YOUR TIME APART. SHARING A BED, BECAUSE IT’S YOU. NOT FUCKING EACH OTHER’S BRAINS OUT IN A SLEEP HOTEL FOR FIVE DAYS.”

“Well, actually...it was only two days; we checked out early and headed back to Law’s ship. But what’s the real issue, Zoro? It’s not like you and I were hooking up at the same time.”

“What’s the problem?! YOU CHEATED! I looked all over the clouds for you while you were being used as a SEX TOY in a fucking Navy submarine!”

Luffy’s head snaps with the most incredulous tone. “CHEAT?” Confusion ripples through him as he stands up and approaches Zoro. “Sex toy?” He gains enough height to face Zoro, nose to nose, his expression unwavering. “OK. You’re clearly mistaken about who’s been getting fucked like a sex toy between us." His words, "and I’ve gotta be with you to cheat,” leave no room for argument.

Alas...

“AREN'T WE TOGETHER?”

“WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT?” Luffy’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. 

“We’ve been intimate for all these months, Luffy!”

“And? Zoro, we’re on the same crew, of course, we’re intimate! I’m intimate with everyone on the ship in some way, and I don’t date crewmates! You know that!” It would’ve been cartoonish if he didn’t look so genuinely lost and put off by the revelation. “So, what made you think that?!”

What made him think that? “You said on the rollercoaster that I was..." Zoro's mind is storming with a flurry of scattered thoughts. "So what has all this been, then, Luffy?” Zoro shudders. “If you're intimate with the whole crew this much, so what have we been doing all this time, then? Not counting the three months you practically ghosted me, we’ve been acting like a couple for months now!”

“Zoro… I think you’ve got the wrong idea…”

“HOW? How could I have misconstrued the past year of our lives together, Luffy? Tell me? We live every damn day on this ship together, fighting, sailing side by side. You fuck me silly. You take care of me afterward, you shave my face every week, and you cuddle with me! We’re friends, we’re crewmates. My goodness, Luffy! How-how are you not seeing this leading into an exclusive romantic—” 

Zoro’s mouth slams shut. His good eye rapidly blinks in dawning realization.

“Zoro…” Luffy gently speaks, but he sounds awkward as Zoro’s crazed glare searches his face. Not looking forward to saying what he’s about to tell him, but needing to be clear, “I did not ghost you because I’m not that ghost girl you’re cool with, and I live with you. I’m your best friend and your captain. So, I love you, but not in that way, Zoro. And how can you even think that when you rejected me first?”

“Tsk! What? When have I ever rejected you, Luffy? For the past four years, everything I do has been for you!”

“Your response to my anatomy was rude!”

Zoro is losing his mind. “Luffy, what are you saying?! I learned to eat pussy for you! Even after I told you I wouldn't! Because that's what you wanted. Are you saying all that’s bullshit?"

Luffy snorts, “Zoro, are you saying you thought we were in a romantic relationship because you learned how to munch?”

“Yes!” Zoro's heavy footsteps thud against the floorboards, each step an agitated rhythm in Luffy's cluttered room, kicking things in his path. “B-Because I thought it'd make you happy while having sex with me! Is that why we've only done anal since then?”

"It is, but—"

"But nothing, Luffy!" Zoro isn't waiting for Luffy to explain. He can barely even see Luffy through his blood vision. "And here I was thinking you were just accepting my sexual preferences, not that you were giving me a pitying pass not to fuck your pussy. I'm so fucking stupid!" Zoro groans in anger, punching his chest as if his heart burns. "Has our relationship only been sex and friendship this whole time?”

"Yeah?" Luffy folds his arms. “But what’s wrong with that?”

“IT’S NOT WHAT I WANT, LUFFY!”

“Since when?!”

“Since I…” Zoro blinks distantly, his eyes unfocused and his mind elsewhere. Answering that question is difficult. He can't pinpoint when his desires for more from Luffy began. He doesn't even know what he feels. The bitter, knotty monster in his gut felt like a fist clenching, twisting his insides with a sickening tightness. 

"You never told me you felt this way, Zoro," Luffy stoically says. "How was I supposed to know what you want? I'm not a mind reader, you know!"

He switches his line of attack. “I thought you didn't care about other people's opinions or romantic love. I thought all you cared about was food and fights. I figured that would be enough.”

Neither did Luffy. Before Law, his only concerns were his dreams and his crew. 

“I care about being rejected for my body, Zoro!"

But after all that had changed, and he had been through with his body, he had developed some insecurities. 

Luffy sharpens his gaze on the man unraveling before him. "I want to be free to be myself with whoever I’m with.”

Luffy is quietly body-conscious. He's been balancing how aligned he feels in his body and his insecurities about his body image since he ate his Devil Fruit; near-death experiences, serious injuries, and gruesome scars have only made these feelings worse.

Only one other soul alive knows that.

Luffy's healing body, both physical and mental, is thanks to Law. Luffy feels deeply indebted to the skilled doctor who showed him how beautiful a scar over his heart could be. 

His friend.

Law’s been through the fires and the floods of Luffy’s body with him. Law helped him see his body as more than a machine—something deeper and more fragile, a temporary vessel imbued with spirit and will. That, despite his body's capacity for violence, it could be viewed beyond just destruction, should be treated with care, and could be experienced as something else. Something more.

“I didn’t reject your body, Luffy. It was new to me, and I—”

“Called it gross. You said 'yuck' and made me feel undesirable. Law…”  

The concept of viewing his body as human, fragile though nearly-indestructible, supple, and soft, is entirely new to Luffy. It’s a stark contrast to his usual reckless disregard for physical limitations; novel and strangely profound, especially since his awakening as Nika. He owes much of that to Law opening his eyes to the sacredness of his physical form, revealing its worthiness to be worshipped and given careful, devoted attention, not just viewed as a warship wrapped in flesh.

“Law, what? He accepted your body more than me? So, he’s who you want to keep sleeping with? You say it’s been a while, but I doubt that.”

“It’s the truth! Law’s been busy performing surgeries in a war-torn country for weeks!"

“Do you want to be with him, Luffy? Romantically?”

Luffy dips his head. “It’s…complicated.”

Law told Luffy to think about how he feels about them months ago, and he has been doing so ever since. Since then, they've spent more time together than apart, but this month has been the longest they've gone without seeing each other since their time on Dressrosa. It scares Luffy not being able to see Law every day, or knowing if Law is safe and taking care of himself. It sometimes hurts his chest to know that Law is so far away.

However, it’s also helped because every time Luffy sees Law, the other captain looks healthier and even better than before. He can’t ignore the positive correlation between Law's absence from him and the older man's renewed strength. 

But Law always comes back, just like he promised. And every time they reunite, they can’t keep their hands off each other; it feels like no time has passed, and by the time they have to say goodbye, Luffy ends up crying all over again.

So, while Luffy is confused and uncertain about these unfamiliar emotions he has for Law, and how to express them, especially to Zoro, he is confident of one thing:

He can't imagine a future without Law. He doesn't want to.

"We-We're not in a relationship. We're just having sex..." Luffy nods in acknowledgment and smirks. "Really good sex, though."

Zoro's going to be sick! “When did it start, Luffy?”

Growing, annoyed, hangry, and bored, Luffy rolls his dark eyes at his friend before storming off to get dressed. “When did what start, Zoro?” Luffy’s impatience grows, spreading a burning sensation in his chest as he pulls on his clothes. “ I’m hungry and getting annoyed, and I'm not a mind-reader, you know?”

"How long have you and Law been more than just friends?!” He never imagined asking Luffy that. Luffy's silence angers him. He gasps as it occurs to him. “It’s been this whole time. Since the very first alliance? Was it on Punk Hazard? Dressrosa? Wano?!” 

Luffy sighs, groaning into his palms and scrubbing his face. “You don’t really wanna know that, Zoro.”

The words he’s been working for months to get Zoro to say seem to be on the tip of his tongue. This is what he wanted, after all. Luffy can feel that they are finally teetering on the edge of either a mental breakdown or an emotional breakthrough from the swordsman. 

Zoro’s choice.

“I do!”

“No, you don’t.”

"I DO!" Zoro’s breathing slows, and he collapses his back on the wall. “You still could’ve said something, Luffy. Told me! I deserved to know.”

“When should I have told you? When you’re laughing at me for trying to talk to you about serious stuff? I tried, but you wouldn't have a real conversation with me. You’d shut me down. What kind of emotional intimacy is that in a relationship?”

“WHAT DID YOU WANT FROM ME, LUFFY? To cry like a little bitch and tell you sad life stories?”

“YES. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I WANT FROM SOMEONE I’M IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH. SOMEONE I CALL A FRIEND. I WANT THEM TO FEEL FREE TO TALK TO ME. TO COME TO ME. CALL ME WHEN THEY NEED ME.” 

Zoro gives him a disgusted, frustrated glare right before he explodes. “Well, I don’t have many traumatic life stories for you to heal, Luffy!” He fidgets and shrugs. “It would just work your nerves if all I did was rehash Kuina’s death.”

“That’s not the point, Zoro,” Luffy groans. “But even that would’ve been fine. Work my nerves! Talk about Kuina, or any of the other things you feel. Say what's on your mind. I wish I could talk about Ace all the time! I wish I could sit at my brother’s feet and hear his voice as he works my nerves again, like when we were kids."

Luffy's gestures are calm but sharp. He's not trying to fight, but now is the time to clear the air.

"We’re best friends, Zoro, but you give me nothing but silly faces and wisecracks about whatever we’re talking about. Show some passion about life, some reflection about death—WE’VE KILLED PEOPLE, ZORO! WE HAVE BLOOD ON OUR HANDS! Instead of drinking your tears away! Talk more! Live more! BE FREE, ZORO! Show up for life, show up for something! Anything that tells me, the people in your life who care about you, that you have an emotional pulse! Before this conversation, the only time you showed any passion about anything was when we were fighting, like we're doing right now! Or when you’re losing your shit, being tied up. And honestly, what's up with that? That's what started all of this to begin with!”

Zoro’s startled by Luffy's outburst. "I didn't realize I..."

He didn't realize Luffy felt this way. He never thought Luffy needed that to know how he feels. Zoro always thought his actions spoke louder to Luffy than the words he struggled to say.

“I-I thought that was enough for us.”

“When has living any way other than bold and free ever been enough for me, Zoro?”

Silence covers them as they both catch their breath.

The question is from Zoro’s heart: “Is… Is that what Dr. Trafalgar Law gives you? Freedom?” and it takes his brain a couple of seconds to catch up to the fact that he has just revealed one of his deepest insecurities.

Luffy cuts his eyes at Zoro but averts his gaze.

“Look, Lu… I-I know we never talked about it, but I just assumed…” his mind is racing too fast to keep up.

Luffy’s right. It actually would hurt too much to hear what he already implicitly knows, explicitly out of Luffy's mouth. He never wanted to believe it because he was so sure they were endgame.

"Shit! Luffy, I thought I was the only one because you said I was the only one you trusted, okay? You said it was nice being intimate with me. Remember?"

What happens next lands on Zoro’s chest like a crushing boot heel. 

Luffy does remember. “Oh. I see.”

“Oh?” Zoro sneers. “I just told you I thought I had a chance with you, and all you have to say is, OH, I see?” He wants to spit on the nonchalant man sitting on the bed.

Exasperated, Luffy shrugs. "I see where wires got crossed, but it's pointless to dwell on the past. So, what else do you want me to say, Zoro? What more do you want from me?”

The response is not a request. Not at all. It's a low, rumbling, audacious command, dripping with jealousy, envy, and rage.

"Break up with Law," Zoro orders, brooking no argument. The phantom itch of Zoro’s strengthened Haki returns to irritate the edges of Luffy’s thoughts. 

An ultimatum, as unyielding as tungsten, pushes against Luffy’s will.

Luffy reacts without hesitation, his mouth moving involuntarily as his tone reflects his thoughts and feelings. 

"No," instantly escapes Luffy's drawn lips. He shrugs and falls back on his mattress. “We're not even dating, but the answer is still no.”

Time stands still as Zoro remains speechless and numb in his captain's quarters. He's burning with bitterness, his earlier bravado coming back to bite him. Zoro wishes he hadn't been so cocky; Luffy's reply floors him. His doubts turned out to be right, and it hurt. The pain is so awful that he feels like throwing up. 

“No?”

“You heard me. Law is my best friend, too. I’m not ending our friendship because you say so.”

“Too?” Zoro snipes as he adamantly crosses his arms, nodding ominously. “Well, if you don’t, I'm leaving the crew.”

Luffy stares blankly, struggling to understand what he's just heard. “What?” he chokes. He rolls off the incredibly comfortable mattress, now just a memory of blissful ease, and sits on the edge of the bed, anxiously watching Zoro gather his things. “Zoro, you’re joking, right?” 

"Wanna bet? Try me, Cap’n,” Zoro flatly says.

With a decisive movement, he pulls on his plain white shirt, shoves himself into his black pants, zips them up without bothering with the buttons, and secures his green haramaki around his waist; the soft cotton felt cool against his sweaty skin. 

“W-Why?” Luffy, confused, scratches his head. " We’re… Law and I are still figuring things out, but my feelings for him have nothing to do with our friendship.” He points between them. "It has nothing to do with you. I promise."

"They have everything to do with my friendship with you." As Zoro slips into his boots, he is hit by a sudden, piercing awareness that Luffy can love romantically—a harsh, unforeseen truth that makes him gasp for air and causes the world to seem to shake. The connection Zoro had so desperately craved with Luffy, a connection he'd silently suppressed, could have been...

His.

“So, you do have feelings for him, Luffy? You’re telling me you can experience romantic attraction, and you're choosing to feel them for Trafalgar Law?” Zoro’s head is throbbing. “WHAT DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT LOVE?”

“What makes you think I can’t, or that I don’t know anything about it to begin with? This is the problem right here! You think I’m ignorant about life. You don’t take my feelings seriously!”

“BECAUSE YOU NEVER EXPRESSED INTEREST IN ANYONE!”

"That doesn't mean I don't have feelings, Zoro! That I'm incapable of having deeper thoughts and emotions than just fighting, eating, and sleeping like a troglodyte. That's the real issue between us. You don't see me as a mature adult. It's as if you think I'm not smart enough for you to be honest with me. YOU DON’T TALK TO ME ANYMORE! YOU TIPTOE AROUND ME LIKE I’M BOTH YOUR CAPTAIN AND A CHILD! I’M TWENTY-ONE AND THE KING OF ALL PIRATES! IF I PLAN TO RULE THE WORLD, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WOULDN’T WANT TO KNOW SHIT ABOUT IT?”

“LIKE WHAT?”

“LIKE WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU?”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

Luffy sucks his teeth. “I dunno, Zoro, it seems like you do know, but you’re too chickenshit to admit it.”

“I’M CHICKENSHIT?”

“YEAH!”

The harsh reality pierces his carefully constructed emotional defenses because Zoro can hear the emotional attachment in Luffy’s voice whenever he says Law’s name, and his detachment from this conversation. 

“So, you’re telling me Traffy—your other best friend—understands you better than me, Luffy? Hm?! You’re saying I’ve never understood you?” 

Luffy’s boundless energy, unconventional approach, and loving nature made him seem emotionally unconquerable, a force that seemed impossible to contain. 

It’s why he never tried.

“I didn’t say that. But you haven’t allowed me to grow up in your mind.”

“Luffy, all I do is cheer you on as you grow. Watch you shine from behind. Are you saying that means nothing to you?”

It’s why he always said yes whenever Luffy asked more of him. He thought Luffy would never be tied down, but if he had a choice, Zoro was certain Luffy would choose him first.

“As a fighter. As a captain. As a liberator. As all the titles I have claimed with my bare hands? Yes, you do understand me.” His voice drops. “But not as a man, Zoro. Not as an equal, or who I am when I don't want to answer to my status and persona. When I just want to laugh and cry and be cuddled. When I want to be seen for who I am as a person.”

Suddenly, the two emotions he read from Luffy months ago flashed back to the front of his mind. When the cook first put words to his fears long ago, he searched for Luffy's location and sensed his feelings. He felt Luffy's peace, and...

"Do you love him?"

"I..." Luffy's mind goes blank. "I don't know. I'm not sure what that kind of love feels like."

“So, what are you saying then, Luffy?”

It’s why he never gave up hope that if Luffy could develop feelings for someone, it would be for him. However, now he knows that Luffy could always experience such passionate, focused love for another person.

Who knew?

“I’m not choosing between my friends, Zoro.” 

Because he’s choosing Law, is what Zoro hears in what Luffy doesn’t say.

“Even if it means losing me?”

“That’s your choice to make.”

Luffy is choosing Law.

He’s choosing Law?

The past four years of pointless pining only compound Zoro’s present suffering: Luffy chooses Law.

He turns to grab his swords, leaning against the wall near the door. 

“Where are you going? Nothing has to change between us,” he nervously says. Sensing the argument could cost him his friendship, Luffy leaps to his feet, desperate to salvage the situation. “I still want you on my crew, Zoro! You're still important to me. What I’ve got going on with Law doesn’t change that.” 

“But, see, that’s where you’re wrong, Luffy. It does,” Zoro shouts. “You’ve been hiding this from me for months.”

“I don’t have to tell you who I’m sleeping with, Zoro. You don’t have the right to know that. It’s my private business.”

“I do when you’re having sex with me. I should know who I’m sharing you with. I bet dear old Traffy knows.”

Luffy is exhausted. They've been talking in circles. “I already told you I've been trying to get you to talk with me for months, seriously, Zoro. Law knows because we talk! But you gave me nothing. You teased me for trying to be real with you; you spaced out or shut down. So, I stopped. Now it’s a problem that I chose not to tell you about my life? How convenient.” The sour taste of pleading coats his tongue as he insists, "But none of that even matters anymore. What matters is our friendship, not this unnecessary drama you've created. I'm not tryna lose you." 

“Unnecessary drama that I created? Luffy! You made a fool of me! You used me as a placeholder. For Law, of all people!”

“No, I didn’t!” No, this is wrong. This is all wrong. Zoro was being unreasonable. Unfair. “I'll admit, circling the block with Law was unplanned, but I wouldn’t do you like that." 

Bringing up Luffy’s situation with Traffy like this and throwing it in his face as an ultimatum was a step too far. He found it controlling. He felt the pressure on his shoulders like a physical burden, the first mate's actions a bitter pill to swallow, unlike anything he could've imagined.

"You two never overlapped.”

That's not entirely the truth. Whenever the Straw Hearts met on different islands and weren't engaged in battles with enemies or fighting each other, Luffy and Law would quietly slip away from their crews for quick getaways in isolated spots. These clandestine meetings often became the most entertaining and unforgettable secret rendezvous shared by the two allies.

But those were sporadic moments that never happened on the same days he played with Zoro.

Luffy misses Law, but likes what they have. He doesn’t think he wants more; he doesn’t think Law does either. Could it not remain this way? 

"I don't believe you, Luffy! I can't! Not after you avoided telling me the truth like a coward."

“Me? A coward?" Luffy's mind feels like crumpled paper. "This is so petty, Zoro! I tried to be straightforward with you, but you wouldn't have a real conversation with me.”

“You should've tried harder! And my feelings are not petty. I'm pissed!” Zoro’s voice rattles in his throat. He doesn’t know how to react other than to fight. "What, do you think I'm too weak to handle the truth?"

"No, but it's not like you're handling it well," Luffy says in what seems like a last effort to understand the intense storm in the swordsman’s face, heart, and mind. "But I don't get why. You’re suddenly throwing all of this at me, Zoro.”

“Looks like we’re both in the same boat, Captain," he says as he walks toward the door with his back turned. 

"But I’m not the one pressuring you to make a life-changing decision." 

“Luffy, you can’t fucking be serious right now!”

Luffy shrugs. "I'm just saying, it’s dangerously risky to give me an ultimatum, as if you can control me."

Zoro wears his question and accusation on his sleeve. “How can you say that to ME when you’re choosing motherfucking, weird-ass, creepy-ass Trafalgar Law over me? You're picking fucking Creepy Traffy over our goddamn friendship, Luffy! Sounds like a life-changing decision to me! What, was his loser, depressed surgeon dick too bomb?” 

That's all it took to snap the last strand of Luffy's nerves.

Luffy’s on his feet in a flash. Zoro is slammed against the heavy wooden door by the sheer force of Luffy's Conqueror's Haki instinctively unleashed. Red electric bands flash, crackle, and pulsate with indomitable power throughout the ship.

“Do NOT call him that.” 

The sharp, possessive shadow that darkens Luffy’s gaze slices Zoro’s heart in two. 

It's overpowering. Commanding. Resolute. The strands of Luffy's dark hair dance and spike upwards. Zoro pushes against the immovable wall of willpower, coughing and choking under the weight. 

"Lu," he gasps, "I-"

But Luffy gives Zoro zero recovery time. He steps forward. 

A demonic red glow fills Luffy's eyes. “Don’t you dare call Law a creep or a loser around me. I let the crew have their little jokes and silly nicknames about him, but I draw the line at insulting him. If it weren't for Law, you and I wouldn't even be talking right now.” Each sentence packs a powerful punch, and the impact is amplified whenever Luffy speaks Trafalgar Law's first name.

“Law has saved both our lives more than once.” Another blow to Zoro's ego. “And each time, Law has never accepted so much as a compliment as repayment. He wasn't a loser then! He's helped us more times than I can count. He wasn’t creepy then! You and I have lived and nearly died for each other, but without Law, we’d both be dead. WITHOUT LAW, I WOULD BE DEAD. So don’t you ever feel so comfortable to insult the man who’s saved my life more than twice in front of me.”

The tears are flowing now. “For real, Luffy?”

“I mean it, Zoro. Gimme all your shit, fine. I’ll eat it. But if you dare talk down on Law's name again, even if you’re not around me, I will find out. And I will kick your ass!”

“All this over Traffy?”

"It's over principles, Zoro! I won’t tolerate anyone speaking badly about the people I care about. I don't allow him to disrespect you, so why should I allow you to disrespect him? Why are you so upset about this?”

“Why are you choosing him over me, Luffy?” Zoro whines.

“Why are you making me, Zoro?”

And suddenly, every intrusive thought and compulsive behavior within Zoro converges into a single epiphany. “You know what? You’re right. I'm out.” 

He storms out of Luffy’s quarters and stomps onto the ship’s deck. The Thousand Sunny is moored on an island that seems both familiar and new, like the past and the future in one present location.

“Zoro, it’s your turn to watch the ship while we go out. Don’t fall asleep, you hear me? This island is timeless. You may not wake up.” 

Zoro barely hears anything. He stalks past the orange-haired navigator like she’s a wanted poster tacked onto a brick wall.

Sanji blows a stream of smoke into Zoro's path. “Hey, moss balls, where d’ya think you’re going ignoring Nami like that? She's giving you important information.”

“Shut the hell up. I’m out. I’m not a part of this crew anymore. So shut up talking to me. Both of you.”

Nami spins on her heel. “WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?”

Zoro huffs as he hoists himself to the edge of the Sunny’s deck as the crew looks on, processing in real time what's going on.

“I’m not a Straw Hat anymore,” he declares and hops off until his feet hit the sandy shore with a definitive thud.

As if landing the final blow. 

Nami runs to the ship's edge, desperation and doubt coating her wet voice. “Zoro, come on! Stop playing! I don't understand. Let’s talk this through! There’s gotta be some other way..."

“No. Leave him.” Luffy’s voice grows thick with a rawness that the rest of his crewmates cannot shake. It sounds definitive. 

He steps out of the dark interior hall and onto the blindingly vibrant deck. Nami spins around and stomps her feet in front of a suddenly appearing Luffy. “Where the hell did you just come from? Why did we all just feel your Conqueror's Haki? Where have you been? Zoro’s talking nonsense about no longer being a Strawhat and—”

Nami takes a beat and then stutters. Her large copper eyes grow wild. “Did-did you just say leave him?” 

His gaze is unwavering, Luffy's head tilts, a dark look washing over his freckled face. The sun glints off the straw hat perched firmly atop his head, the scent of salt and sea air thick in the humid air. A soft breeze ruffles his unruly black hair.

"Luffy? Did you seriously tell us to leave Zoro alone? He just said he's leaving the crew," Sanji repeats, clearly incredulous.

Luffy stands ramrod still and stares at the retreating form of the Straw Hat Pirates' first mate trudging through a sandbank, going nowhere, and even if he knew where he was going, he’d only lose his way. But every muscle in his body twitches and aches to stretch until his skin snaps to bring Zoro back.

Ever the sharp eye, Usopp stops him. “Let him go, Cap,” he says, his voice eerily echoing Zoro’s words from Water Seven, sending a chill down Luffy’s spine.

Nami and Sanji bare their teeth at the sniper. “SHUT UP, USOPP! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING!”

But he’s right. Luffy stands tall and firm.

“This is ridiculous! I’m gonna bring that bonehead back,” Sanji scoffs, the quivering of his indignant tone hints at his fear. It’s full-blown now when Sanji’s step freezes in midair at the cold, sterile words that leave Luffy’s lips.

“Sanji, if you get off this ship, you are no longer the Straw Hat Pirates’ chef.”

The cook’s eyes widen in shock.

“Luffy,” Nami anxiously warns.

Sanji calmly puts his foot down, stamping out his cigarette, and rounds on Luffy. “Is that a threat, Captain?" Sanji approaches Luffy ready for whatever violence comes next. "Captain or not, I’ll still kick your ass, Luffy.”

“It’s not a threat.” Luffy’s eyes glaze over, shadowed, but they lock onto Sanji. “It’s an order.”

"An order? Pfft!" Sanji laughs with his genuine, wide-mouthed, closed-eyed, wrinkled-browed laugh. “Then who’s gonna feed you, you dumbass?” he snaps back like he’s playing the highest card in the deck. 

Luffy merely shrugs. “I’ll learn if I have to.” The bond of their shared memory on Whole Cake tightens against their invisible tension. “I’ve starved without you. I’ve fasted before. I’ve eaten other foods from other chefs. I’ll live.” His words are too nonchalant for everyone to laugh off, let alone bear. But everyone notices what he doesn’t say. 

Chopper hesitantly stands between them. “Hey, you guys? C’mon… let’s not go too far.”

“Chopper’s right, Luffy,” Nami rejoins. “You know you won’t enjoy anyone else’s food," she jokes to break the tension she cannot hold. “Let’s just put an end to this. Sanji will bring Zoro back, and everything will be tangeriney-”

The blowing sea air is the first to be still. Then, the atmosphere shifts next. Thick white clouds loom in and darken into angry, stormy gray mountains that roll in against the shadowing sky. Zeus slips out of Nami’s Clima-Takt, thinking it’s his time to shine and mingle, but she silently tucks him back inside her baton and puts her tool away.

There's no telling what's about to happen. Thunder claps like striking drum blows and lightning cracks, yellow bolts shattering the sky like glass far in the distance. The Thousand Sunny groans and creaks on its sides under the sheer weight of the Supreme King's power pressing down on everyone and everything caught in a ten-mile radius of Luffy’s fury.

Luffy loses it.

His eyes burn the color of hot coals. “I SAID NO.”

The declaration cuts through the ship deck like a whip, harnessing Luffy’s Haki. The tension is palpable. It’s so loud that the ship sways and rocks even though it's docked.

“IF SANJI GOES AFTER ZORO, THEY ARE EFFECTIVELY A NEW PIRATE CREW AND OFFICIALLY DEFECT FROM THE STRAW HAT PIRATES.” 

The entire crew instantly understands the meaning of his pronouncement.

Luffy is willing to cut off his wings. 

But they cannot fathom why.

“THIS IS MY PIRATE SHIP. THIS IS MY PIRATE CREW. NO ONE ON MY CREW GETS TO TELL ME HOW TO LIVE ON MY SHIP. NO ONE GETS TO TELL ME WHO TO FUCK OR HOW TO LOVE OR HOW TO LIVE.” 

Luffy's last declarations punch out of his lungs as Conqueror’s Haki presses down on Zoro’s back and chest like ten anvils. The rest of the crew on the deck, too, is stunned but not petrified. Nami’s eyes watered, unable to blink. Robin gasps a silent breath. Chopper looks like he’s trembling beneath his fur. Jinbe stands firm under the weight, but inside he feels like a jellyfish; Franky, too. Brook is shaking, bones rattling, and Usopp leans on Sanji, not waiting to faint. Sanji stands tall, but restrained.

Only the captain and his former first mate know why the worst-case scenario is happening.

For Law.

“NO ONE GETS TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO. NO ONE IN THE WORLD GETS TO CHOOSE MY LIFE FOR ME. NOBODY GETS TO TELL THE PIRATE KING HOW TO BE FREE.”

⚔️🪢

TO BE
CONTINUED

Chapter Text

Roronoa Zoro, the second-in-command of the Straw Hat Pirates, the first-division commander of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, the Pirate King's chief swordsman, the Sun God's first wing, and most importantly to him, Luffy’s best friend...

Is tangled in knots.

He lied to me.

Sweating heavily with a burning stomach, his once peaceful mind is now overtaken by violent confusion. He lost his emotional balance as Luffy exposed his own ignorance, and a possessive monster emerged from the deepest hell of his insecurities, dominating his thoughts and battling his heart despite his desire for peace. 

As he rushed across the deck, away from Luffy and the scene of his humiliation, his jaw clenched. Each step was a thunderclap, the deck boards splintering beneath his furious stomps, and the surrounding air crackled with the Haki of his unspoken rage.

All he could think about was that he had nothing left to say. 

Fuming mad when he got off the Sunny, he let his pride get the better of him and cut ties with everyone. Now he’s rampaging through a grove on the island’s eastern shoreline, the salty spray of the ocean cleansing his tear-stained face.

Zoro uses a smooth, single sword stroke to slice down a row of palm trees, each cut channeling his fury as he repeats the same question to himself, like logs piling up.

Why did he leave the crew? Who the hell makes a rash, life-changing decision so quickly like that?!

Well… Luffy would.

That's right—he clears a path through the thicket—Zoro is doing precisely what Luffy would’ve done in his place, what he always does; and it's the most reckless move Zoro has ever made since joining the crew.

The problem is, Zoro is so used to making impulsively reckless decisions with Luffy, not against him, so he’s at a loss for what to do next. He never thought he could choose himself over Luffy.

Luffy, the man Zoro has killed countless times for, the one he swore on his life to die for.

But he had no choice. Every man’s pride has its limit. So, he gets to be selfish for once, too!

…Right?

Then why does he feel like projectile vomiting all this emotional shit? Why does he feel like he just lost everything he’d built his life around in the blink of an eye?

Zoro hadn't realized he harbored a deep fear of losing Luffy until it suddenly came to light. Discovering he had competition in a game he believed was his alone stirred the still waters of his insecurities. When the new awareness of his feelings surfaced, they reared their ugly head and threatened to devour him.

In an instant, his surroundings faded away, leaving him alone in his former Captain's quarters, spiraling into despair. Without thinking, he confronted Luffy, who then snapped and unleashed a wrath Zoro hadn't known the sunny boy was capable of directing towards him. The hateful thoughts that flooded Zoro's mind when he was resisting Luffy's Haki frightened him because of their target. The sulfuric odor of envy overwhelmed his calm demeanor and idealized self until all he could think about was escaping before bloodshed erupted. Otherwise, he feared one of them might have been killed.

And he wasn't above committing seppuku.

So, he took off before anyone else got hurt and made his way to the forest on the island's outskirts.

But now he has no idea where to go.

An hour later, he’s at a bar counter with his entire face drowning in the mouth of a frothy stein.

He left the Sunny with barely any money to start a new life, but enough to get him through a day or two of loathing and self-pity. His first stop was a seaside bar about ten miles down the beach from his former home.

He sits alone and angry, pondering how everything reached such a devastating climax.

Deep down, Zoro didn't want to be mad at Luffy. But their fight kept replaying in his mind's eye, and the months of pent-up resentment over Law's growing presence simmering in his stomach wouldn't let him forget. Their fight weighed more heavily on his bones than he could hold. Zoro couldn’t believe he lashed out at Luffy like that; the emotions had surged out of him before he could contain them. So, he pushed Luffy away.

But that didn't mean he was willing to let Luffy go.

“Why did I leave like that?” Zoro's slurred words keep him from crying; the sound is barely audible as he slams his beer mug onto the table, causing the liquid inside to splash over the side. With a sigh, he finishes his beer, his face flushed and weary, sinking into his hands.

Tipsy, "I’m Roronoa Zoro," he mumbles. "I’m supposed to be loyal."

But so was Luffy.

He grunts for another round while feeling like he’s in the Twilight Zone. Luffy lied. To him! He would have gambled everything he had, his beloved katanas, even his reputation as a master swordsman, that this would never have happened.

And he would've lost it all.

Still, as much as Zoro wants to blame Luffy for the turmoil in his head and the ache in his heart, he knows the truth:

The only one he has to blame is himself.

He was a stubborn asshole to Luffy. He didn’t allow Luffy to explain himself well enough; he knows Luffy's not a wordsmith. He stormed off before things got even tougher to listen to, and now it's too late, and he'll never get the answers he can't stop asking himself.

He also didn’t listen to his friends when they privately told him to ask Luffy for clarification to avoid heartbreak; he laughed at them for being so serious.

“You know how oblivious Luffy is…” Nami cautioned. "Be careful.”

“Unless he said he is, he’s just not that into you, Marimo,” the stupid cook warned him time and time again.

“It would be wise to, at the very least, conduct a temperature check. To be sure that you two are on the same page,” Robin advised him one late night while on watch duty together.

All gracious warnings. All wise counsel. He dismissed them all, writing off the horny book club members as being dumb and dramatic because, “This is Luffy we’re talking about,” he’d mocked after telling them they were just having fun, and that it was no big deal. He said that what he and Luffy had was simpler than that.

Now that he's alone and reflecting on his mistakes, Zoro concedes that he overlooked all the warning signs the blond had shown because he believed Luffy wasn't interested in romance or relationships, just like himself.

Then why does he want to rip the world in two with his bare hands! Why does he feel like he was just stabbed in the back?

After all this time, Zoro thought he and Luffy already knew where they stood, so no need to discuss what was already clear. He told his crewmates it wasn't "that deep," and like an idiot, he genuinely believed it.

Was that really the case, or did he convince himself there was no way to go down that path with his closest friend? Because now that these unfamiliar and unsettling feelings are tearing him apart, he wishes he hadn't assumed he knew where he stood with Luffy at all.

Because, surprise, surprise…

Zoro's heart is unraveling.

At least, that’s how it feels; he's struggling to understand what's happening inside, and the alcohol isn't helping; it keeps trying to figure out why his heart feels so tight when he thinks about the only person he's ever truly... (No, wait! Stop! I’m not ready to admit that just yet!)

Now Zoro realizes… 

Now Zoro realizes just how naïve he’d been.

He's ashamed he might break down and start crying in public.

Zoro retreats to the rear of the bar, the dim, smoky atmosphere a backdrop as he attempts to forget his troubles with cheap alcohol with what few funds he has left.

He sits back, inhaling the musty air of liquor and hushed deals, and people-watches, surprised to see so many couples in the bar at noon. Even the bartender has a sweetheart, nursing a watered-down drink at the bar while she's working.

The only single person in the room, he stokes the fires of his raging heart alone. He scans the barroom floor and feels a bittersweet pang of relief when he does not see two sneaky captains in a corner, though he was certainly looking; he’d prefer to avoid seeing them together for the rest of his life. How wise of them to keep things under wraps for so long. How foolish of him to have missed the signs that their friendship had reached this point.

It's remarkable how Luffy managed to keep such a deep secret from him for so long! 

He chuckles bitterly, "He played the fool, but in the end, I'm the true fool."

With his last sober moment of clarity, Zoro regrets sleeping with his best friend.

Having fun with Luffy seemed all fine and good at the start, but the party's over now, and he's pissed. He feels used and abandoned, realizing he was merely a plaything in Luffy's secret world, like a toy in a game. Now he’s being replaced by someone who—OK, Zoro's just going to say it—is a washed-up version of him! (Who cares that he is also a skilled surgeon, pirate captain, and former warlord?)

But that's not the whole truth.

“If it weren't for Law, you and I wouldn't even be talking right now.”

Is that true?

Zoro’s intoxicated mind cannot make heads or tails of what Luffy meant by that. Was he referring solely to being alive, or was he implying something about their friendship?

“Without Law, we’d both be dead. WITHOUT LAW, I WOULD BE DEAD.”

Only, without Law?

That’s what hurt the most. It was as if…it was as if, in that very moment, looking into Luffy's oil-slick eyes, all Zoro saw was someone he didn't recognize at all. All the sacrifices he’s made to keep Luffy alive for years rushed back to his mind; the excruciating pain he endured in Thriller Bark flooded back from the bowels of his repressed soul. Did none of Zoro's risks matter to Luffy?

He’d let Luffy in, in ways he never thought he’d dare share himself with anyone after he lost his first best friend.

As a boy, he vowed to himself and her memory that he would never allow anyone else to get close again. Then he met Luffy, and it was as if his brain chemistry had been altered. Everything he’d ever believed in, hoped for, and doubted was changed in an instant. He’d never felt that way about someone—ever. But suddenly, the desperate desire to always be by this madman's side consumed him. Luffy was where he belonged. Making Luffy's dream come true was all that mattered to him.

From Romance Dawn, Zoro's adult life revolved around Luffy and his pride as the first member of the Straw Hat Pirates. It felt like the fateful beginning of many good and impossible things in his new life with Luffy. Before this morning, Zoro could not envision a better life, nor did he dream that any wind was mighty enough to change the course of their shared journey. But how could he possibly go back now and confront his captain after the harsh words he'd exchanged with his best friend?

But as he finished the last beer, ordering one more before the bartender cut him off, a thought pops into his brain that is so out of character that it scares him and almost makes him cry.

Did he really sabotage his own dream? He would have to give up the quiet dream he'd held onto since Luffy saved his life. That silly fantasy of sailing happily ever after with Luffy as the Pirate King was his little secret. But he couldn't!

Yet, he fears that is exactly what he just did.

The thought of releasing Luffy straight into Trafalgar Law’s heart and arms made him feel sicker than any alcohol dependency ever could, like he was being cast off. This was not how he thought life would go once Luffy became Pirate King.

The swordsman secretly wished for more, though he felt ashamed to admit it.

Now he’s choking on the words he mocked the cook with, washing it down with a river of dry alcohol and tears. He’d rather suffer in solitude, drown in his despair alone. It was time for him to go his own way.

It’s for the best.

⚔︎

Monkey D. Luffy, the boy who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit...

Who became the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, and rose to become the fifth Yonko, then the King of the Pirates...

The first living embodiment of Nika, the Sun God, in over eight hundred years...

The most indomitable threat on the high seas and on land...

Whose confident smile shines brighter than the sun, visible for miles and intimidating all his enemies…

…doesn’t know what the hell just happened between him and his best friend.

Extremely confused, Luffy deep down realizes he fucked up. Even worse, he's unsure of what to do.

Yet, he stands on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, seething. The tightness in his chest can only be attributed to the guilt and stress of what just happened; he doesn’t know what to make of the last hour of his life. The last five minutes feel like time and life just aren’t real.

“Did Zoro really just leave the crew?”

The rest of the crew gathers around him, looking perplexed by what just happened and seeking answers from their captain that he can't provide.

A patch of forest gave way in the distance, the thunderous boom jolting the crew from their daze.

“...Luffy?” Nami cautiously asks, voice small and trembling. “What just happened?”

Luffy ignores their questions. He already has enough swirling around his mind when he secretly pulls an object from his pocket, hidden from his crew's watchful eyes. After a moment of examining it, he closes his eyes, tightens his grip on the item, then tucks it back into his pocket.

Zoro turned right. Luffy goes west.

⚔︎

He remembers nothing about the first night after his sixth bottle of saké. Crushed by the foolish hope—against all odds—that Luffy or the cook would show up and drag him back to the ship before nightfall, his first day no longer being a member of the Straw Hat crew is a total blur. 

He waited in that bar ten miles from where the Thousand Sunny docked for three days, quietly hoping he wouldn’t have to wait long. Surely, a loyal crew member would come for him? Maybe the one who offered when he left...

In the end, no one came for him.

Now Zoro regrets everything.

But as he’s reflecting on his fight with Luffy, he can’t shake the cook from his mind. He thought he’d at least make an effort to make him come back; send someone from the crew, if not one of the two he hoped would come.

He’s a complete mess.

His thoughts and memories have become muddled since he started dwelling on the terrible morning, and unknowingly, he crashes out, channeling his intense anger into an underground boxing match he finds while looking for a restroom in a new bar around the corner.

“Hey,” he slurs, lazily gesturing to the flyer as he approaches the bartender. “This real?”

Wiping down the bar counter, the bartender barely glances at the flyer. “Very. But good luck making it through the first round, pal. The fighters in this year’s tournament are lethal.”

Zoro nods, reading the details on the flyer—a hundred fighters. Anything goes. Winner takes all. “And, the grand prize?”

“Ten thousand berries and all the booze a boxing champ can handle.”

All Zoro feels is betrayal. Bloody, bony, broken-hearted betrayal.

His boots crunch on the rough sandy patch as he steps into the ring. The referee eyes his swords like Zoro has already beheaded him. “N-No swords.” He steadily watches Zoro delicately take his katanas out of the ring. Then gapes at his fists. “No gloves?”

He’s angry—furious, actually—and wants to kill.

“Nah.” He spits off to the side of the dirt pit. “I wanna feel this shit.”

He stands in the middle of the fight club ring feeling petty and jealous, and needs to punch something really hard, really fast.

Fucking, Trafalgar Law?

The fight bell rings.

Fucking Trafalgar Law?

Zoro slams his bare fist into his opponent’s left cheek. Two molars come flying out of the man’s bloodied mouth.

His mind won't shut the fuck up! He's pummeled with images of Law doing all the things he’s done with Luffy, and suckerpunched by thoughts of Luffy sharing himself with Law in ways he's never done with him. The sheer force of Luffy's defensiveness told Zoro everything he needed to know about Law's importance in Luffy's life.

So, the fact that Luffy didn't mention anything about them until he asked is really messing him up. A lie of omission is still a lie, and that betrayal is like a punch to the chest from his nameless opponent. Zoro spits out blood, his eyes locked on his rival's stony gaze before making it swell black and blue.

But the one who betrayed Zoro the most was himself.

He was the one who refused to face the truth for so long.

He has strong feelings for Luffy.

But Luffy doesn't feel the same way. In fact, Luffy never did and has been choosing Law over him for months. Years.

WOW.

Something snaps within him, and he takes it out on his opponent's jaw. He’s belligerently drunk now, throwing haymakers with the restless energy from the chaotic crowd, which is only fueling his bloodlust. Zoro throws a powerful right hook, unable to believe this was the reality he had to live in.

One where Monkey D. Luffy, of all people in the world, didn't pick him.

He feels so blindsided by the timeline shift that it blurs his vision, and he blacks out.

After three nights of endless fighting, as Zoro stands victorious, all he feels is pity for the brutal state he leaves all of his opponents in.

But the pain in his chest hit even harder.

To celebrate, still buzzing from the excitement of fighting in one hundred boxing matches and his overall performance, Zoro tends to his wounds as he drinks his winnings. Nothing quite clears his heavy heart like a good all-out brawl. Still, now that the adrenaline is fading, his intoxicated mind is clearing away the vengeful haze, revealing what’s always been there—and what refuses to go away.

He didn’t honestly expect Luffy to show up, but Zoro had hoped…

No, he couldn't understand this longing for the unobtainable, since it was now beyond all realistic hope. He'd never been in a situation like this, pursuing an impossible dream.

But a tiny, delusional spark of what-if remains.

Even though he felt foolish for daring to hope, after he waited around and meandered the sweetheart island for someone to come, Zoro knew in his heart where his rival’s allegiances lay.

He should have known better than to expect anything more from the cook, though. It was foolish to think they could finally call a truce to their petty rivalry. Perhaps then their constant bickering would have ceased, and the tension that always crackled between them would ease.

"Nah, what was I thinking? We would've killed each other if left alone," he says with a stitched, busted lip as he wraps his bloody knuckles.

He isn't especially eager to confront the smug look on the curly-browed smoker, especially after the swordsman's dismissive attitude towards his months of warnings and unsolicited romantic advice.

The perceptive chef told him he was in love; Zoro denied it. The man who loves to woo and swoon over women advised him to move on because Luffy had a romantic interest in Law. But Zoro refused to listen. He laughed, mocking his foolhardy attitude. Only a fool is unable to be swayed by wisdom.

Now look at him.

Roronoa Zoro tries to pick his face up, but he feels like such an idiot.

“Ugh, what did you expect? Did you think you were some kind of helpless damsel, like Curly always fawns over?” he sharply questions himself. “Did I just play myself?” he murmurs.

“What was that, mate?” The bartender asks from behind the counter. Zoro shakes his head and continues to grieve in his mind.

Mate.

The very word makes him cringe in his boots.

Crewmate. First mate. Best mate.

What did any of those titles even mean anymore?

His drunkenness revealed a hidden internal conflict about claiming to be Luffy's best friend. Can he truly consider himself worthy of that title when he knows so little about him? Maybe he had been fooling himself all along. Perhaps Luffy was his closest friend, but he hasn’t been Luffy’s for a long time.

A sharp pain shoots through his chest, like his spleen is being torn apart, just thinking about it. Some best friend, indeed. He should have paid more attention to Luffy calling Law his ‘best friend’.

Could that have been Luffy's subtle way of telling him that his seat next to the king was taken? He always thought Luffy spoke everything on his mind, but now he’s not so sure.

Zoro tries to comfort himself as the dull warmth of alcohol flushes his cheeks and clears his mind of all his stupid mistakes. He’s made a mess of things and hopes the sharp, fermented liquid will help the humiliation fade away. But it’s a hopeless effort, as guilt churns in his stomach like broken glass.

Zoro couldn't quite understand what was wrong with him. Expressing his feelings has always felt as heavy as lifting a five-ton barbell.

Like trying to find his way back to the Thousand Sunny.

Lost.

⚔︎

For the next few days, Zoro splits his thousands of berries between booze, food, and boarding. It's expensive being single on this island; everything is cheaper for couples.

And families.

The boxing contest did much to drain his rage, and the endless champagne, saké, and small eats have been great ways to drown out his misery. Now, all his mind can do is replay his departure. He regrets having moved too quickly.

“This is ridiculous! I’m gonna bring that bonehead back.”

He almost faltered in his step.

“IF SANJI GOES AFTER ZORO—”

He almost turned back to the ship.

“…THEY ARE EFFECTIVELY A NEW PIRATE CREW—” 

But he hopped off the deck, holding firmly onto his swords and onto his conviction, though it felt like he was having a heart attack, and never looked back. The only thing that he couldn’t control was the dormant, foolish, selfish, dark, and twisted fantasy foaming to the top of his drunken mind because of that moment.

What would’ve happened if Curly had come?

He knew he needed to talk to someone about this, and the only person he could think of was the pretty petty cook, who was...

Well, besides Luffy, the curly-browed chef was the only one whom Zoro could talk to without fear of criticism or confusion, even when they argued. The blond with a smoker's voice and a terrible attitude somehow always managed to make him open up because they had good times, too.

He didn't even like being called Mosshead, but maybe Zoro is already missing their back-and-forth, too. 

Zoro navigates the wet, humid alleyways, gripping his flask under the hunter green kaftan he took from a stall in the lively bazaar. He breathes in deep, fresh air after the rain—he hates feeling like this! Like muggy weather on a sweaty day. Like a lone wolf that has lost its pack.

It frustrated him how easily the pretty boy saw past his stoic mask. But quiet as kept, he could also really use one of his annoying conversations. As his liquid courage cleared away the cobwebs in his mind, Zoro could no longer deny that the blond knew him well and was his closest crewmate, after Luffy. 

He had, in the past, made an effort to act like the man on Luffy's left side was invisible, or at least didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. But now, Zoro struggles to believe he was perhaps too afraid to admit how much Curly influenced his mood.

While part of the crew, it pissed him off how the cook always knew exactly what to say and do to cut through his ego like a sharp knife through butter. Only after leaving and hitting rock bottom did he gradually realize he couldn't have sorted through his complex emotions with that pick-me cook and Luffy while they were all sailing together.

The end of the monster trio was inevitable.

With some time to think and a bit of a new buzz building up, Zoro allows himself to do something he learned from Luffy: to imagine.

If the twink in a suit and tie had come, they might have been able to solve and untangle everything.

Together.

Still, it was a reckless and foolish thought even to consider, so Zoro quickly shoves it out of his drunken mind. After all these years sailing together, Nami remains the cook’s top priority, and that simp of a man would never leave her to see about Zoro's welfare even if Luffy hadn't demanded that he stay. It was pretty hypocritical of the captain to give an ultimatum to the cook while also aggressively rejecting the one Zoro had given him.

But Zoro can't blame Luffy for that, either. Curly wasn't thinking straight when he offered to go after him. Without the crew's cook, the rest of the crew would go hungry. Such a separation would be too self-serving and hurtful to the people he cares about.

More importantly, even with what Luffy said in anger, without Sanji, Luffy would starve.

But…

A wave of nausea hits, and Zoro vomits the liquid contents of his sloshing stomach onto the grimy surface of the dark alley where he’s been slumped since getting kicked out of a watering hole at closing time. His breathing shallows as he wheezes from a bruised rib and tilts his head against the wall.

The nighttime stars look so far away.

Without Luffy, what would Zoro do?

Without Luffy, who would he be?

Wasted, reeling, and at war within himself, Zoro pulls himself through the rougher parts of the strange island looking for another fix. Instead, he blacks out and sleeps wherever his head drops.

⚔︎

It takes every bit of his strength to hold it together by the end of his first week, whenever he thinks about no longer being a Straw Hat pirate. All Zoro really wants to do is carve his pain into the side of a mountain. Too bad the damned summer island didn't have any hills, let alone mountains, and he’s heard whispers of fear and frustration around town about the damage he did to the palm grove on his first day.

Funds dwindling, the hours bleed into days, then blend into nights as he stumbles in and out of consciousness, and in and out of taverns and bars, and before he knows it, Zoro is edging up on two weeks gone. The heavy drinking and aimless wandering had taken their toll, leaving his mind and body connection broken, and his stomach growling with emptiness. He hopelessly wonders if this is now his new life.

Feeling nihilistically aimless, in just ten days, Zoro has lost all meaning in his existence without Luffy's indomitable spirit. As a result, his dreams are plagued with perilous battles and haunted by humiliating outcomes that do not suit the world’s strongest swordsman.

“...elloooo?"

"Is he dead?"

"I don't think so... Mister? MISTER!"

A sharp pain shoots through his ribs, and he groans at the sudden intrusion. “OW! STOP THAT!” Zoro growls.

The rising sun burns as Zoro cracks open his eye, half-expecting to find himself still in that dark alley, surrounded by piss and other bodily waste. Instead, he finds a little girl with a face full of freckles and two missing front teeth staring down at him as she squats before him.

When did I even get here? 

The girl drops her poking stick. “Oh, good! You are alive!”

He has no memories of his night that weren’t attached to nightmares. He sits up and looks down at the large branch that almost impaled him. “Yeah, kid. Do I look dead to you?” His throat is dry and scratchy from the alcohol, and his voice is thick with the residue of sleep.

Her voice, high and reedy, she squeaks, “Kinda!” like a church mouse. But to Zoro, she sounds just like Chopper.

Squinting in discomfort, he stirs in place, wondering how long he had been asleep in this park. “Well, clearly—” Zoro's mouth slams shut when he sees the true owner of the high-pitched voice is a canary perched on the little girl's shoulder.

“So, what’cha doin' sleepin’ in the park, Mister? With all those big, scary swords, too! Only old folks with nowhere to go, no family, and no home do that.”

Snatching his three beloveds to his side, Zoro frowns. “Nunya business, kid. Now, you and Tweety Bird, scram.”

Her bird blows a chirpy raspberry at Zoro, but she ignores him. “There was that one time Officer Lovelace stumbled upon a corpse in the park.” The girl with curly, dark pigtails puts her finger to her chin, her gaze locking onto him. In Zoro's hungover state, she reminds him of Usopp. “The body was found right where you are!” She points with a sharp gesture over his midsection.

Creeped out, Zoro scrambles to his feet and hurries to the nearest park bench. It’s only then that he sniffs himself. He winces at his own filth right as his stomach thunders.

The little girl watches him closely. “You look lost and lonely, Mister. Like you have no friends.” The girl lifts her head to the clear blue sky. “Aw... But it’s gonna rain something awful in a few hours, so...” What the hell was she talking about? There wasn’t a dark rain cloud in sight.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Canary, and this..." she lovingly gestures to the bird on her left shoulder, "...is my best friend, Mary-Elizabeth!" Zoro blinks, dumbfounded at the snooty canary flipping him the bird. She reminded him of a certain cook.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" He must still be drunk, as Canary's freckled face broadens into a smile that nearly makes Zoro gag from how closely it resembles Luffy's. “My family owns an inn and restaurant down the hill!" She leans in. "Wanna stay with us, mister?”

Now drinking on a full stomach and wearing clean clothes from the hotel gift shop, Zoro takes a hard swig of his second bottle of saké this morning, the warmth of the alcohol trying to replace the cold sting of rejection. But the bitter taste did little to soothe his wounded pride. He's nothing more than a vagabond without Luffy. He leans his head back in a smooth motion and watches the guests stream out, the clinking of glasses and hushed conversations a constant background noise in the swanky hotel bar.

The girl’s family inn was not as modest as she suggested. It's opulent and luxurious, with marble stones and tiles covering every inch. More impressively, he respects places that are stocked with a full bar and serve alcohol with their breakfast fare. He began drinking early today to drown his sorrows, which had fueled the paranoid demons he hadn't fed in months.

Now he can admit the truth to himself.

He’s accepted that Luffy doesn't have feelings for him, but he can’t get past how that makes him feel—knowing it's because he has feelings for someone else. Not yet.

Gah! He knew something was up between them! He just didn’t know what. However, he was always instinctively suspicious of Law's interactions with Luffy. They always seemed to cross some unstated boundary in Zoro's mind that he couldn't quite define. All he knew was that whenever Law was around the crew, he got the heebiejeebies.

Why did he dismiss that jealousy as merely protecting Luffy?

Aside from the warnings the cook had given, Zoro had noticed for several weeks, if not months, that something was off with Luffy, but he talked himself out of it each time. The expressive captain seemed emotionally distant on board, especially around him, but also overly excited whenever they spotted a new island, rushing to be the first to disembark—throwing himself to the furthest point of every island town or port city they stopped at—and often the last to return. Sometimes, he wouldn’t come back to the Thousand Sunny until the very last minute before they set sail.

Zoro had also spotted inexplicable scratches, bites, and bruises scattered across Luffy’s neck and chest that did not resemble battle scars. Whenever he casually asked Luffy about them, his captain was evasive or found the most ridiculous lies to feed him. Like one time, Zoro noticed what he now realizes was a hickey on Luffy’s collarbone, but Luffy told him he got curious about how a leech sucked blood.

How could he be so stupid as to believe that?!

But he did. Zoro hummed and nodded and went on about his business.

Now, Zoro drowns his sorrows in moonshine.

This local homebrew burns with a thick liquid fire, wiping away the pain that his shame had wrought. Even as dusk faded and night fell, Luffy’s words still echoed in Zoro’s ears. Having made a mess of his life, he was now lost to whiskey in a tavern, its shadowy corners, the perfect place for hushed deals and whispered secrets.

But the memory of Luffy’s thunderous voice cuts clean through.

“NO ONE IN THE WORLD GETS TO CHOOSE MY LIFE BUT ME.”

Each word was punched with outrage and raw power, ringing in his eardrums louder now that the booze had taken over his body.

"NO ONE GETS TO TELL ME WHO TO FUCK OR HOW TO LOVE."

Zoro groans into his palm, dragging his calloused fingers down his weary face as if he’s clawing himself alive. “What the hell was I thinking?” He’s hungry and thirsty, angry, and so damned confused. How did a fun game exploring kink turn into a tangled mess?

“NO ONE GETS TO TELL THE PIRATE KING HOW TO BE FREE!”

Now he realizes he pushed Luffy too far—demanded too much after giving so little in return—and as a result, their bond had broken. But still, that doesn’t sit right with him; he’d given Luffy his entire body over these years.

So why did his mind crack from the impatient tug of Zoro’s jealous will?

The answer is simple now that his heart is in shreds.

He should have confessed his feelings to Luffy while he still had a chance. Back in Wano, when they hit him like one of Kaido’s blast breaths, he couldn’t deny it to himself anymore. Or earlier in Dressrosa, when he first saw Luffy carrying Law on his shoulders like a pirate escaping with the princess. A nasty feeling erupted in his gut after that and stayed until Luffy won. He didn’t understand what he was feeling at the time… Well, he didn’t want to.

Now, he regrets not having the courage to tell Luffy about his feelings. He remembers how Law looked at Luffy when they met on the beach and the expression on Luffy’s face when they parted ways, sailing in opposite directions. The sadness in the Pirate King’s eyes as they left Dream Island still lingers in his mind. He wishes he had fought more earnestly for what he desired.

He should have fought for Luffy's heart.

What the hell am I doing here?

Zoro wakes up from his stupor, which is where he always finds himself—inside a bar, tavern, or lounge packed with plenty of booze. This time, it’s a shady bar with barely anyone inside until he slips into the shadows of the corner of the dim venue and spots a very familiar, though not so welcome, face.

“Roronoa Zoro, as I live and breathe!”

“Rooster? Why the fuck are you on this island?”

“I’m sorry, Mister Zoro, but only King Luffy can call me that. THANK YOU.” He slides out of his booth and rushes Zoro with a big hug. “I’m following King Luffy,” Bartolomeo snorts, as if it’s the most obvious explanation in the world. “DUH.”

Then it clicks, and Zoro’s eye twitches. “So, you’re the one who put those barriers up around him?”

Barto grins with every single sharp tooth in his mouth. “You bet your sweet ass I am!”

And Zoro could've knocked each one clean off his smug face. “…Why?” His eyes twitch as he fights to resist drawing his sword and cutting down the obnoxious fanboy.

Barto's ugly, smug face begins to explain. “Look, don't take it personal, Mister Zoro. As King Luffy’s number one fan, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet official biographer, as well as King Luffy's retainer, I provide him with a buffer from those who seek to do him harm. My king deserves a peaceful reign. So I figured King Luffy would like his privacy while enjoying his private life.” Zoro can't believe his ears. Barto innocently blinks. “What?”

“What the hell, Rooster?!”

“Respectfully, that’s Barto to you, Mister Zoro."

"Shut up! You were blocking me this whole time, you jackass!"

"No need for name-calling, Mister Zoro. I'm not tryna take your place as King Luffy's right-hand man. If ya think about it, my stealth work helps you too. But seriously, grab a seat. Let’s chat.” He throws his arm around Zoro's shoulder.

Zoro scowls and shrugs him off. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

Barto folds his arms, that ugly-ass grin never leaving his face. “Even if it’s about King Luffy?”

⚔︎

Lovers Lane, a seaside town on the edge of the city of love, boasts charming cafes and romantic restaurants along its five-mile coast. As he races from the sand onto the cobbled streets, he is reminded of Whole Cake Island by the whimsical atmosphere. However, he perceives this place as much more wholesome.

It wasn’t planned. He wasn’t prepared for it.

But in that moment, Luffy feels the first stirrings of…something…that changes everything.

His heart skips a beat as he refocuses on his destination.

⚔︎

Zoro and Bartolomeo gather around a small table as the pouring rain pounds down, creating a steady thumping sound that drowns out their conversation from the surrounding crowd. As they sit, he notices his ears ringing and a green envy spreading through his eyes while the rooster-like man reads his diary aloud, scrutinizing each part of the investigative report.

“How do you even know all of this is true, Rooster?” Zoro scoffs through a mouthful of onigiri.

Zoro had just sat through a very detailed recount of Luffy and Law’s secret relationship. He really had been blind to their longevity this entire time. They sit at Bartolomeo’s booth, tucked far away from eavesdropping ears.

“That King Luffy's been getting his back broken by Dr. Trafalgar Law in a romantic tryst for months?”

Barto innocently stares at Zoro’s steely glare.

Zoro grits his teeth. “…Yes.”

“Oh, because I’ve been following the affairs of my king for years now! And I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty hot, too. I wish I could hate it, but I first saw the vision when King Luffy and Dr. Trafalgar Law announced their first alliance. But after they did me the honor of trashing a room on my ship after Dressrosa, I've shipped them for life!”

“You...what?” Zoro’s annoyed. Irritated. Blood vessel twitching, because did he mention he's annoyed?

“I mean, did you SEE that headline photo of their Wanted posters side by side? How could I NOT? My fudanshi senses were tingling,” he coos like the bird he is.

“Anyway... Rooster, how do you know about..." he clears his throat uncomfortably. "That?”

“Well, it did happen in my personal quarters, after all!” Barto swoons, placing his palms on his cheeks.

“But you’re his biggest fan. Weren’t you jealous?”

“Oh, trust me, Mister Zoro! I still am, so I kept the bed frame as an ultra-rare collector's item for my Luffy shrine. But you and I both know that King Luffy is way out of my league! I would be so lucky if he even deigned to smile at me the way he smiles at Sir Law! So, I’m happy that he’s happy.” He shrugs, taking a swig of his beer.

Zoro sneers, offended that a fucking fanboy knows more about Luffy’s love life than him. “How would you know he’s happy?”

“I’ve seen them go on several dates over the past year, and I gotta say, I’ve never seen King Luffy look more comfortable in his skin. He smiles differently around that crotchety surgeon.”

“Differently, how?”

“Y’know, ever since Mister Luffy became king, he’s been more focused than usual. Like he’s at peace and looking towards settling down.”

“Luffy, settling down? No way! He still hasn’t achieved his ultimate dream.”

“That’s right. King Luffy's fighting harder, but have you noticed that now that he has One Piece in the world, he’s driven by something else entirely?”

“And I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you think you know what that is, huh?”

“I do.”

“Well? What is it? What’s fueling Luffy in your horny bird brain?” He takes a long, self-satisfied gulp from his draft mug.

“Love,” Barto says, “There’s no doubt about it. King Luffy’s in love.”

Zoro spits out his beer. “Luffy? In love? PFFT! A crush is one thing, and I’ve even come to accept that he can have feelings for someone, but that doesn't mean he's in love. You must not know Luffy as well as you think.”

Barto looks at Zoro like he's a downright dumbass. "Mister Zoro, sir? Have you seen those two together?"

Though Zoro fought the fanboy and argued against Barto's claims, the words echoed within him and broke through his defenses, seeping into his very being. Zoro hadn’t thought of that.

FUCK!

HE HADN’T THOUGHT OF THAT!

⚔︎

Trafalgar Law has been swamped with work.

He’s been practically drowning in his medical-surgical charts for months. Rebuilding his traveling medical practice from scratch has been a two-full-time jobs endeavor, and he and his crew have been working tirelessly to do so.

And he loves it!

It reminds him of why he became a pirate captain—doing his best to outwit death. It feels like the good old days before he was consumed by revenge. He’s missed the steady practice of surgery—the serotonin boost from accurately diagnosing an illness that had long plagued a patient; the flood of endorphins from hours in the operating room; the adrenaline crash afterward; and the dopamine rush from saving a life.

The SS Frank-A-Tact is the result of Franky's great work renovating the Substitute, and although they are discussing a possible ship name-change, the Heart Pirates love their new ship and—finally!—have a reliable vessel to call home.

The skilled shipbuilder updated the software, ensuring the ship remained undetected by the Navy while still accessing its data. With the help of their remote access to the Punk Hazard database and other government facilities, the Heart Pirates have made considerable headway in fixing the harm caused by the World Government's medical misconduct.

They traveled between islands, providing relief to victims and restoring their health and bodily autonomy. Then, with the ability to track them down, Law had had an easier time remotely accessing patient records of those affected by the government's experiments. The Heart Pirates made three times the progress in half the time.

They had visited the islands on the government’s index and treated the sick for a month. Now that life-saving surgeries were being performed in record time, the Surgeon of Death's surgical skills had been refined with each operation. The Vegapunk Intelligence harnessed his surgical equipment to streamline his craft, using his awakened Devil Fruit powers without draining his life force.

Law secretly realized he could have made more progress if he hadn't been following Luffy around the New World like a lost puppy for three months. But he didn’t regret it because it had landed him this top-of-the-line ship. If it had been any other man, Law wouldn’t have accepted the offer.

But this ship was a gift from the Pirate King. He would never feel deserving of it.

Despite everything, Hachinosu was the last time Law asked for Luffy’s help and fought alongside him. Law vowed to himself that he wouldn’t reach out again.

He asked for space, so he's finished chasing Luffy.

If only his chest didn't hurt so badly.

After retrieving the remains of his fallen crewmates on Hachinosu and laying their souls to rest on the shores of Laugh Tale, the Heart Pirates submerged in search of snow.

Snow has always healed Law's wounded soul.

He missed climbing the North Blue tundra. He needed heavy snowfall and to pet a snow leopard before he lost his mind. Law does several times during the three days the Heart Pirates are on an uninhabited winter island near their frozen roots.

Amidst the snowy landscape and the sounds of his crew's merriment, surrounded by the silent beauty of the snow, Trafalgar Law wandered, lost in a sea of emotions about life, and especially Luffy. As he walked, he hoped the biting wind of the North Blue winter would soothe his aching heart and sharpen his thoughts.

This time, however, the burning sensation is neither revenge nor loneliness he's so used to experiencing in the North. But Law needs the cold isolation to figure out if the fire is fleeting. The simple question is, does this strong feeling suggest they are fated for each other? Or maybe he's already grieving the loss of his friendship with Luffy, because good things in his life never last.

As Law hikes, Bepo rolls around in snowbanks and dark caves for so long that the crew worried he was entering a euphoric state of torpor. Ikkaku and Shachi had snowball fights, and Penguin built snow castles and igloos along the snowy shore. The crew fish in the icy seas and warm themselves by snuggling around a campfire that could only stay burning by the hands of children born of the frozen North Blue seas. The winter wonderland was everything Law and his crew needed.

Revitalized by the refreshing cold of his childhood, he feels driven to revisit his old stomping grounds for a weekend before they voyage to the next experimental island marked on their map, when work will take over his time and attention.

But when Law emerges from the snowbanks at Flevance’s borders, what he sees sends a chill down his spine, taking him back to his childhood, buried under a heap of dead bodies.

The sickness and famine of old had returned to his childhood home, but no one on the outside had a clue. The death toll had already exceeded the White Lead epidemic, happening faster than when he was still calling the North Blue home. Yet, those clinging to life did not know what was happening to them. In the entire country, no doctor possessed a cure.

However, Law couldn't just stand by and do nothing. In a state of panic and re-traumatized, the doctor assigned his team to a demanding rotation of medical duties to provide aid and try to find a cause or a cure. He had to save his people this time around.

Law hasn’t closed his eyes in days. Biopsies and surgeries fill his days, and research and discovery fill his nights. He can’t bring himself to sleep when people are dying. The level of devastation and carnage from the botched military-funded experiment in Flevance is unconscionable. It was never supposed to happen again, yet Trafalgar Law relives his horrific childhood memories every day. No word or news was sent to the world about the government-funded chemical genocide happening in Flevance, so the Surgeon of Death and his faithful crew remain among the few outsiders doing all they can to curb the death toll.

But they can barely keep up.

Three weeks of relentless work led to Law's collapse, his legs giving way beneath him. As he drifted into unconsciousness, a memory of Luffy surfaced, and he thought about all the things he had neglected: everything outside of medicine, research, sleep, and help.

Law gave in.

Luffy called in a favor with the Revolutionary Army, and ever since, Law has felt a sense of debt to the anti-fascist regime for their actions in Flevance. The chief of staff and his squadron achieved something Law never thought was possible against the government. Most importantly, the revolutionaries rescued Law’s people and saved their home.

Just like his brother.

Sabo instructed Law and his crew to sail out and rest while they finished cleaning up the government's mess, further disrupting the Navy's efforts to control propaganda damage.

Law did not like being bossed around, and he especially hated it when the person giving the orders was younger. But Sabo is as headstrong and self-sacrificing as his baby brother, so Law now found himself unable to say no to either of them.

So, when the Stealth Black Tang resurfaces on a picturesque summer island after Nami’s chaotic birthday weekend, Law heeds Sabo's advice.

Even though the island wasn't on his itinerary, there's enough sun, beach, and fun vacation activities to go around for everyone on his crew. Law keeps them there longer than they should have stayed... on a whim. It's only a hunch, this sixth sense he has that only time on the island will reveal.

But it wasn't a whim that led him to pick this island.

Destiny brought Law’s ship there.

The Heart Pirates’ first two months on Fool's Paradise were precisely what Law needed to stitch his torn heart; even the former heartbreak king could use a little TLC now and then.

So, for the first time in forever, Law loves himself.

The islanders living on the palm-covered landmass, shaped like two lovers embracing, are filled with so much love and life that it's contagious. They exude joy and affection in ways that promote a healthy lifestyle, so they don't really need a medical crew's constant presence. 

And Law is relieved!

They have organically integrated their urgent care clinic into a tight-knit countryside community, and he has never experienced a better work-life balance.

So, for the first time in a long while, Law relaxes alone.

Though he will always be the son of the North, he yearned for sunshine and moments of rest after weeks of snow and hardship. He treats himself to luxury beauty services between appointments, and happily pays the premium for being single. 

However, a fresh worry has eclipsed his peaceful thoughts. Over the past few months, he sensed an emotional gulf widening between himself and Luffy, as immense as the sea. They were barely talking on their snails; he only checked Luffy’s Vivre Card to ensure he was alive.

But he quiets those rumbling fears, accepting that, in the end, whatever that is meant to be, will be. Fate rarely plays favorites with him, so he can still move forward, even if he cannot move on.

Under the canopy shade of a lush palm tree on the beach, Law sighs, inserting a handwritten letter into an envelope.

If he couldn't have the Sun God by his side, the blazing ball of gas in the sky and the warmth in his heart would have to suffice.

⚔︎

Zoro sits on a small wooden bench in the park, lost in thought and holding a half-empty forty-ounce beer. A  heavy breeze moves through his hair. The children and couples around him play and flirt freely. He scowls, yearning for the same carefree life. He washes it down with a wave of disgust at their happiness.

For so long, Zoro had tried to deny himself all earthly pleasures and material desires. This detachment extended to his deep-seated feelings for his captain, convincing himself they were merely intense loyalty and respect for the younger man, as well as a belief in his impossible vision, just like the other eight people who joined their crew after him.

Zoro wishes he’d thought his departure through a bit more. In hindsight, he made things worse for everyone with that melodramatic exit. And even though Luffy's admissions and Zoro's feelings of inadequacy were upsetting, Zoro is ashamed of how he left. He shouldn’t have abandoned his former crewmates in such a cruel manner.

He was so mean to Nami. If he ever sees her again, he will have to apologize with a sizable fine. He didn't even say goodbye to Chopper.

Nobody needed to take sides, least of all Luffy's cook, but he sure did feel like a total dick. Even if Sanji had come, Zoro would've sent him packing; he is vital to Luffy's ultimate dream.

There was no reason to clip both of the Pirate King’s wings.

But the gaping soul wound bleeding out beneath the chest scar running across his heart aches over what hurts the most, which isn’t even because Luffy didn’t choose him, though that hurts like shit.

It’s the fact that Luffy didn’t chase him that hurts him the most. Retrieval missions were his specialty. So, what's the big deal? Where was Zoro's retrieval arc?

Zoro knows—he knows—it’s a ridiculous thing to be heartbroken over. He shouldn’t be surprised that Luffy didn’t wrap his rubbery arms around his torso and snatch him back to the ship like he usually does when he wants Zoro to stay, not after that fight. He wouldn’t even want to follow a captain who would chase after a jackass crewmember. But he still doesn’t feel good about any of this.

His ghost of a selfish past haunts him with agonizing memories.

He suddenly hears Usopp’s mocking voice repeating his callous words back at him, making him cringe. Then, the upsetting memory of how he tried to convince Luffy not to go to Whole Cake Island to retrieve Sanji slaps him in his hypocritical face. He also didn’t want Luffy to go to Arlong Park for Nami...

He had definitely lost himself at some point. After Kuina's death, his sole purpose in life became a spiritual calling. His goal of becoming the world's greatest swordsman shifted from a desire to a duty.

Everything changed when Luffy saved him. Zoro pledged to go with him to the end and be his refuge and source of security, because he didn't want to live without Luffy. Since the day Luffy freed him from his death ropes, this has been Zoro's ultimate dream.

Since then, Zoro only cared about Luffy’s love and respect, even though he didn’t want any earthly desires at all.

He accomplished his goal through Luffy, and now the world acknowledges him as the greatest swordsman. Although Luffy was always meant to become the Pirate King, he willingly admits he couldn’t have reached his dream without Luffy's drive pushing him forward. His success was only possible because he served as second in command to the future Pirate King. Or else, he'd probably still be a pirate hunter. Yuck.

However, Zoro's wounded ego prevents him from tucking tail and turning back.

But he doesn’t blame Luffy for leading him on. He can’t. His heart won’t let him.

How can he blame Luffy for lighting up the darkness that had shadowed his life years ago, bursting into Zoro's world like the brightest star in the sky? He can't hold Luffy's charm and charisma against him. Zoro knows it's not his fault that his aura is so captivating and pure that someone would give up everything to follow him to the end, and think it's the best decision ever.

Throughout everything, Luffy remained true to himself—charming and strong, yet unwavering in his identity and goals, relentlessly pursuing what he wanted despite any obstacles and regardless of the cost.

That's why Zoro has no one to blame or beat up but himself for letting his life fall into the background. Who refused to dare greatly for what he most wanted.

Yet, he did it to quiet his deepest fear:

Zoro didn't want to journey through life alone.

He was afraid of rejection, and now he’s living his worst nightmare.

His arrogance led him to believe that Luffy would just know he didn't want to share, without him ever saying a word. The idea that simply sharing in a man's joyful success and sacrifices would make you soulmates was, in reality, quite laughable. How stupid of him to think that going through both the highs and lows of someone's journey would magically turn into something more. He won't be fooled by Brook's love songs again.

Damn.

The few times they kissed made him feel like a schoolboy with a crush. No one knows how hard Zoro smiled himself to sleep in his hammock when Luffy first kissed him. He was over the moon and bashful about how sappy he became whenever Luffy clung to him or held his hand afterward, feeling both new and nostalgic at the same time. He genuinely believed they would be partners until the very end.

But Luffy doesn't feel the same way; maybe he never has.

This agonizing truth unleashes a wave of raw emotions, threatening to drown him in knowing that the world's most eligible bachelor couldn’t care less about him.

How humiliating.

Thinking back on all the times he had to beg and bargain just for a kiss makes him sick. He knows why. But Zoro doesn't understand—

Why Trafalgar Law?

Luffy has had many admirers who have tried to win Luffy's heart. Why him, of all the people?

He’s never felt like he measured up to the person he believes Luffy deserved to be with, but since Luffy never mentioned wanting that kind of partnership, he thought he had time to become that man. That’s why he quietly worked so hard and did everything he could to make sure Luffy knew he wanted to be the best for him.

Zoro guesses there’s a part of him that’s just heartbroken to be proven right. That his friendship wasn't enough, his love wasn’t strong enough.

He wasn't enough.

Could that be why he wanted the chef to be like Luffy? To show he was worth fighting for to someone? That's what Luffy would’ve done if he were in their shoes. He would've defied orders and done what he wanted.

That's why he’s the captain and not the first mate. The Straw Hat Pirates are his crew for this very reason.

He made that very clear.

But now that nothing was holding him back, Zoro wondered if he and the dreadful cook, whose eyes evoked images of the All Blue, could have finally gotten their acts together.

Do what Luffy and Law did.

What they still appear to do...

Nah, that's a stupid idea! He and Curly? Pfft! That's just his heartbreak and rejection talking. Yeah.

It’s better to spend his days and time reflecting on the piss-poor choices he has made in life.

Is he even a pirate anymore? That remains a mystery he can't solve—but there's no point in being a pirate if he's not a member of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Without Luffy as his captain.

Even though he yearned for it, he remained lost, unable to find the courage to return to the only crew he could ever belong to.

"Zoro?"

⚔︎

This morning, during his sunrise journal session—now an essential part of his meditative morning practice—it suddenly occurs to Law that three months have passed since the Heart Pirates arrived on the tropical island of Fools Paradise.

That's also how long it's been since he last heard from Luffy, after Law thanked him for calling Sabo.

Then again, it’s not like he’s sent out a news coo either.

He’s so focused on nursing and massaging the tense knot in his sternum while examining patient charts that he’s startled when Bepo enters his modernized, state-of-the-art medical bay. He’d set up a Room around his office to block out distractions while he practiced surgery, but he forgot to release it until he felt Bepo’s energy cross his threshold.

“So… Captain?”

“What, Bepo? I’m working.”

“When were you gonna tell me that you and Straw Hat got back together? Law! We’re best friends, how could you hide your love from me?”

A vein pops in Law’s temple. His eye twitches, never pulling his focus from his paperwork. Law shrugs, unfazed, dismissing his jealous friend. “We are not together, Bepo. We’ve never been together.” Law has done well to ground himself in the real world; delusions will not heal a wounded heart.

Bepo huffs. “That's not what I heard…!”

“Not what you…” Law slowly turns and scrutinizes his best friend. “From whom, Bepo?”

Bepo purses his lips, whistling. His orange boiler suit shifts as he turns his rotund body left and right. “I’m not telling…”

“Suit yourself. But whatever's going on between me and Straw Hat’s no big deal.” Yet, he hisses and urgently rubs his chest, feeling his heart ache once more.

“Is that right? Hmm, interesting. So, it's no big deal that we've been with the Strawhats and in this alliance for a while now? So, our crews have been sailing together for months for no good reason?”

Law clenches his jaw, knitting his brows, refocusing on his paperwork. “Y...up,” Law croaks from under his hat. “After all we’ve been through, Straw Hat and I agreed that we’re better—‘TOGETHER’—in numbers. Is that all?”

“Uh-huh. And those scary, primal cries coming from your quarters at all times of day and night since Dressrosa were just the ghosts of sailors-past haunting our submarine?”

Law’s entire body tenses up with a spike of cortisol. Shit. How embarrassing! Law warned Luffy that he was too loud. “Oh, uh, that?” He feverishly shuffles papers, though he can no longer read the words on them. “That’s nothing, too.”

He really has to remember to put up silent Rooms every single time. If there's ever a next time. Law has made peace with the fact that he might not see that side of Luffy again.

“Uh-huh…” Bepo lifts a skeptical brow, narrowing his gaze at the back of Law's head since the stubborn captain refuses to look his way. “So, the conversation I just had with Luffy in the galley about his feelings for you was nothing, too?”

Law becomes pin-straight in his office chair. “Wait, what? Luffy’s…here?” He shoots out his Haki.

Sure enough…

“Yup! I’ve been talking to him in the galley for an hour.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“And what's the cost of tea in Mariejois—WHAT DID HE SAY, BEPO?”

Bepo jumps. Adjusting the collar of his jumpsuit, Bepo flashes a shy smile, averting his gaze as memories of his candid conversation with Luffy about Law in the galley flood his mind. “Oh! Um… I don’t think I should say.”

“Bepo…”

Bepo is trembling. “…It’s really not my place...”

“Stop acting cute! And spit it out already!”

But Bepo isn't trying to act cute. He's just terrified of Law’s reaction if he tells him the truth. He doesn’t want to admit to his captain that he told Luffy how much he understands their situation.

He doesn’t want to tell his best friend that he divulged to the Pirate King how Law’s avoidance is well-meaning yet misguided; how the Surgeon of Death rather die alone than live with the burden of suffering for him—that’s just how he loves; how he disclosed to Luffy how tense the crew’s bond was when Law rejoined them in Zou after Dressrosa’s liberation, confessing he intended to die and leave them without a captain.

A gaping hole of guilt reopens in the pit of his stomach when Bepo remembers he made the Pirate King cry upon hearing about the suffering Law has silently endured since Wano. He said too much, and knows Law would summon Kikoku to confront him violently if he found out all that Luffy now understands about Law.

He would also never share the raunchy things told to him in confidence about his captain. NEVER.

“BEPO.”

The navigator looks around the office, lost. “Well, he, he…”

Not in the mood to play silly guessing games, Law sighs, turning to face his best friend. He removes his reading glasses and pinches his nose bridge. “How about this, hm? If you tell me, I’ll…give you three freebie snuggle sessions whenever you want.”

A smile spread across Bepo’s white face, his eyes sparkling with happiness. In the still office, smelling of Law's cologne and a hint of sweat, his fur shakes wildly. “OH? FOR REAL, LAW?” Bepo snickers into his paw. “You mean when you’re not cuddling with Straw Hat?”

Fire ignites in Law’s irises when their eyes meet. “FORGET IT, BEPO! YOU LOST IT!”

Stifling a laugh at his friend's embarrassed state, Bepo attempts to be rational. "Aw, come on, Law," he pleads, his voice filled with a playful tone. You know I’m just teasing. I like Straw Hat. A lot, actually. He’s good for you.”

“Whatever,” Law grumbles, staring back at the X-ray charts he took off a cadaver eight hours ago to get his mind off of Luffy. “It’s not like that.”

“Law…”

His rebuttal is sharp. “It’s not. We’re not in a relationship, we’re just having fun. We’re just having sex.” Law catches Bepo’s skeptical grin and looks down at his hands guiltily. “Alright, and we’ve made love a few times, too.” He bites his bottom lip, reminiscing about the pleasure of those few encounters.

Bepo’s white cheeks pinken. “Oh, my! You’re getting all freaky again, Law...”

Law covers his bright red face with his hands. “Alright! Shut up! OK, FINE! Look, it’s like that! It’s more than that. It's..."

He looks downward, bites his lower lip, and a subtle smile forms. Law and Bepo rarely discuss salacious topics like this, but there have been a few instances—such as when Bepo has had specific bear issues or needed to pull Law aside to tell him he smells filthy, like disgusting sex—in private, of course.

However, Bepo still finds it adorable to watch Law blush and squirm over love.

He pounces on Law’s back, squeezing him tight. “Aww… Lawwwhhhh! I love this for you! You’re so cute when you’re in love!”

Flustered, Law shrugs him off. “Shut up, Bepo! I’m not in love with Straw Hat!”

"Mm-hmm, and I’m not UTA’s biggest fan or her top defender of her crimes against humanity. She was misunderstood! She didn’t know—"

“Bepo…” Law cautions, “I won’t do this with you again. You know it gets you all worked up going down the UTA rabbit hole.” Law stands up to console Bepo’s large, furry, shuddering frame. “It’s OK, buddy. She’s in a better place now, remember? She’s sleeping. Hm?”

“Thanks, Captain,” Bepo snivels. “Gosh, you’re so wise and kind, no wonder Straw Hat is a bouncy ball about you.”

“Whatever,” Law growls, his cheeks flushing pink at the thought of revisiting the topic. “Just tell me what he said already!”

“Oh, right! That’s what we were talking about!” Bepo giggles. “Well, um, he said he came here because he was distraught and crying and said he needed to talk to you.”

Law's expression darkens, and the familiar tightness in his chest intensifies with noticeable force. “Luffy’s upset? About what? Why didn’t you get me sooner?” He sits down, the fabric of his pants rustling against the chair.

“He told me he would wait. But I-I don’t know; Straw Hat wouldn’t tell me what’s wrong. He said he only wanted to talk to you.” Law leans back and sighs, and Bepo misinterprets the behavior as a blunder on his part. He rushes to clear his name. “But I fed him anyway, and he said a lot of things with a full mouth once he got his blood sugar up!”

“Like what?”

“From what I could understand between bites, he’s glad we’re still alive—he even called me Bepo. Twice! Even though the second time, he was threatening me over you.”

“Huh?”

Bepo continues to ramble. “He also said he loves being back in our pirate alliance, and he never wants it to end because he missed you so much that…” His maw snaps shut as if released at the hinges. He turns his gaze away and covers his blushing face, feeling embarrassed.

Law leans in. “What, Bepo... That, what?”

Bepo awkwardly scratches his chin. “I-I’m sorry, Captain. I can’t say.”

Law bares his teeth. “WHY NOT?”

“B-But it’s truly not my business to share...”

"Not your business?" Law scrunches his face, both confused and terrified by Bepo’s uncharacteristic secrecy.

Bepo looks toward the door leading into the medical bay and out to the rest of the ship. “But, um, you should get down there, Law. He looks really distraught. I’ve never seen Straw Hat this sad since Ace died.”

Law's blood runs cold. “Seriously?”

“Law, I’ve fed him six times,” Bepo says, his voice laced with worry. “The man is a human garbage disposal!”

“Yeah,” Law chuckles softly, resting his chin on his hand as he reminisces about how greedy Luffy is. He sighs gently, removing his glasses with a wistful smile. “He really is, isn’t he?”

Bepo, anxious about the damage Luffy might cause while left alone around food, repeats his previous plea. “Um… Captain, you really should hurry and attend to the Pirate King. He’s eating us out of ship and home, and I…” Bepo drops his head. “...haven’t done the grocery shopping yet.”

Law shuffles out of his desk chair and quickly leaves his office. He turns back and pokes his head through the door frame. “And, uh…thanks, Bepo.”

A blush creeps up Law's neck as Bepo, acting like a rom-com best friend, offers yet another round of encouragement.

“I didn’t do anything, but you’re welcome, Captain!” Bepo waves him off. “Now, get out of here and go to your man, Law!”

Law cannot help but follow his friend’s loving advice.

So, the captain of the Heart Pirates shambles himself into the middle of the galley, right next to the man who stole his heart.

⚔️🪢

TO BE
CONTINUED