Young In Love - LawLu AU

Chapter 13

~

"Oi Luffy, take Nami up on her offer." Usopp insisted walking behind his seventeen year old best friend.

"Yes please, I will drop you off." Nami seconded.

"You will charge me more than my kidneys are worth." Luffy deadpanned and crossed the road with his friends, bagpack hanging loosely off his shoulders. "I like to walk anyway."

"Walk at the edge of the forest, with the sun setting. Luffy you will get kidnapped." Usopp tried once again, panicking.

"I can fight now." The boy commented, sort of annoyed at his friends for being so fussy. He was in his second year of high-school, he had taken that road for more than an year, he knew what he was doing. "Nami don't you want to spend time with Vivi?" Vivi was their friend and the princess of Alabasta, that country still had the monarchy system in place, weird but who cares.

"I-" That caught the orange haired third year off guard. "Fine."

"Usopp, I will be ok. I have taken this road for the past year-" Luffy addressed his long-nosed friend next.

"But there wasn't a serial killer on the loose before. I swear if Zoro was here, he wouldn't let you do anything like this."

"What are you saying, that muscle-head would join Luffy." Nami corrected.

"Did Ace or Sabo put you guys up to this? I know they are very persuasive when they get overprotective." Luffy narrowed his eyes at the way both his friends avoided looking at him at the mention of his brothers. "I can't believe it." Luffy huffed and walked faster to deliberately leave both his friends behind.

Ever since Luffy went missing for those two and a half years, Ace and Sabo had been overly protective of their youngest sibling. They won't let Luffy go alone anywhere. The starting few months were hell when Luffy wasn't allowed to even go anywhere. Then when the immediate sense of danger had passed and the brothers realized that nothing of the sort was going to happen again, they relented but stooped to following Luffy to places, which was embarrassing and annoying for the youngest. Now, they were bribing his friends or seniors to keep an eye on Luffy and accompany him if he looked like he was going to travel alone.

"Oi Luf-" Usopp tried once more.

"Don't follow me." Luffy called and started his sprint to the forest path. Everyone was right that it was dangerous with a serial killer on the loose 'apparently,' it was not proven, somebody just kicked up the rumors for fun probably, and Luffy wasn't the type to get scared by a threat that was yet to be proved.

Luffy hummed to himself walking at the edge of the forest, it was calm tonight. They stopped living in the bad parts of Goa when Luffy came back and the three brothers shifted to the comparatively better parts. That society even had a hospital at the other end.

The sun was indeed setting and the sky was getting darker. Luffy was tired today because of all the running in P.E. and not enough food after it. He had half the mind to stop at the restaurant Sanji worked at, on his way back but Sabo was cooking meat five ways and Luffy wanted to be there as soon as possible.

~

"Yeah yeah I know, I'll be careful." Law rolled his eyes at the concern Penguin voiced through the receiver of his phone.

"And if by any chance you meet Luffy-"

"I am not here for old platonic relationships."

"You didn't have to specify the kind of relationship." Penguin laughed.

"You would have misunderstood on purpose if I hadn't."

"Goa is a big place Law."

"I am aware. Can I go now? My client will be here in another two hours and I have to set up the lab."