You're barely holding it together. Several hours have passed and both your emotional and physical state are in tatters. Your legs and feet hurt from running, you have scratches on your cheeks from branches that whipped you as you ran, bruises from prior training sessions. A pounding headache had settled in the base of your skull and your eyes and nose were sore from wiping them so much. You'd only just barely been able to stop crying and your emotional state... Well, let's just say you've only felt pain like this in your heart once before.
Law was still being operated on. You'd been brought back to the city, into a large office building with a sleek interior. You had no idea where or what it was, but it was the furthest thing from your mind. All you cared about was Law. Sitting in the waiting room, alone for hours, with a dead cell phone was making it more difficult than anything to keep your impatience controlled.
"(Y/n)!"
You turned your head, recognizing the voice. Nami ran at you and wrapped you into a warm hug. That did it. Your porcelain strong emotional state shattered again and you immediately began sobbing, clutching at Nami like she were the last piece of happiness you had left on earth.
"Oh (Y/n). It's alright, let it out." Nami murmured and rubbed your back. "I'm sorry we got to you so late. By the time we saw Doflamingo move, he was practically already on top of you."
"L-Law is... Law!" You sobbed and stumbled over your words. Your head was killing you and tears were forming so fast you were blinded. Grief washed over you and took your senses with it.
"I know. I know, (Y/n)." Nami squeezed you. Her voice was gentle and soothing. "Let it out. Get it all out of your system."
You weren't sure you could. Just as soon as you would calm down and run out of tears, your capacity for misery would refill and send you back into another downward spiral of hysterics. It was exhausting; you weren't sure how you were still awake.
"Nami-swan!" A blonde man came from down the hall, pushing through the double glass doors, and stopped in front of the two of you. He held a platter with two cups of steaming tea and little finger cakes. "For the beautiful ladies!"
You wiped your eyes and just stared at the food. It smelled delicious, but you weren't sure you had the stomach for it right now.
The man's voice became softer and he smiled. "It'll make you feel better, promise. I'm sure you're starving and exhausted."
Nami took one of the teacups and passed it to you. Hesitantly you took a sip. A wash of warmth and honeysuckle hit you, feeling like it sweetly hugged your insides and soothed the pain in your heart.
"And the cake." Nami insisted. She gave you a little smile. "Sanji makes the most delicious food. It'll help distract you."
Sanji looked like he was going to faint from Nami's compliment as you gingerly took one of the cakes. It had a springy and fluffy texture and smelled like lemon. You took a bite...and immediately died. Metaphorically, of course. The textures combined with the burst of flavors were so delicate and sweet that it threatened to sweep you right off your feet and put you back in a state of sobbing, only tears of joy. You'd never tasted a cake so good.
"Is it good?" Sanji asked, leaning in eagerly as Nami took a cake of her own.
"It's delicious!" You said, holding back tears. "I've never had a cake so moist and flavorful."
"AH! She loves it!" Sanji spun on his heel; the man practically had hearts in his eyes. "Such bliss! Miss..." He froze, realization dawned on him. "What is your name, Miss?"
Nami gestured to you as you had another bite of cake already in your mouth. "This is (Y/n), Traffy's girlfriend."
Sanji looked like his soul had been ripped from his body. "She's TAKEN?!" He fell to his knees, Nami saving the platter of cakes just before he went down. "I can't believe it! That's two beautiful women I've lost to him!"
"Um...Should I say sorry?"
"No. Ignore him, Sanji is just dramatic over women." Nami sighed and shook her head.
All three of you turned as the double glass doors opened again. Isha walked out, still wearing his surgical scrubs and pulling a mask off his face. He looked exhausted; there were dark circles under his eyes and his movements were sluggish. After pulling the hair cap off and running a hand through dark chestnut strands, he turned to you.
"Is he...?" Your voice shook dangerously.
Isha let out a deep sigh. "Law is stable. We got him in just in time. He's resting in post op now, but..."
"But?" You trembled and your stomach lurched. An open-ended sentence like that terrified you. "But what?"
"You should probably come with me." Isha murmured and turned to head back down the hall.
You grabbed the hats off the chair next to you and quickly hurried after him, Nami hot on your heels carrying Kikoku. Sanji left to go find others or something, you don't know, you were hardly paying attention. The look in Isha's eyes before he'd left was grief stricken and it terrified you.
He led you to the back of the hall, past some other medical rooms and into a mid sized room on the right. The interior was clean and white and smelled of antiseptics and fresh linens. Against the wall was a large bed that Law laid in. Several IV lines and oxygen tubes were hooked up to him and he was bandaged up thoroughly. Your heart sank; something was very wrong still.
"He's not waking up." Isha said quietly as you rushed over to him. "The anesthesia should have worn off by now and he be up and at least vaguely coherent, but he's not. He's stuck in a coma and I'm not sure when he'll wake up."
Your eyes ran over him again and again, searching for something, anything, that Isha may have missed. You could feel a fresh wave of tears threatening to break free from your eyes again, but nothing came. A pain bloomed deep in your chest; your heart was breaking, the emotional trauma so strong that it was affecting you physically.
"Law..." You whimpered and held his hand. You laced your fingers with his and just held it, holding it close to your face as you knelt next to the bed. "Please. Please."
Law didn't respond. He laid there, chest rising and falling steadily with each calm breath. He looked more at peace than you'd seen him for the past two months, but that didn't make you feel any better. He wouldn't tease you anymore. He wouldn't give you that usual smirk or get flustered. He wouldn't tell you about his day. His smile was lost to you.
You wailed and clutched at his hand. No more tears could fall, you had none left to give anymore. Your grief was overwhelming you. You'd lost three sacred people to you all in one night. You wanted to go back, you wanted a re-do. Anything! Anything!
Suddenly the door to the room burst open and someone came in making a loud fuss. You didn't bother looking, you didn't care. It could be Doflamingo for all you cared. If Law wouldn't wake back up, fleeing was pointless. You didn't want to die, but you didn't want to continue in a world that didn't have him by your side either.
"Oi." The voice said from behind you. You didn't recognize it. "Oi are you Torao's woman?"
You felt a gentle hand on your shoulder and finally turned. The man behind you looked hardly more than a boy. He was only a touch taller than you and had large, dark gray eyes that held a strange sort of innocence to them. A scar lined the underside of his left eye and atop his head of jet black hair was a simple straw hat. You couldn't fully understand the deeper emotion he was conveying at the moment, but one thing was for sure. He was angry.
"Luffy, that's-" Nami started but Luffy held a hand up to silence her.
"Let her speak." He said and watched you carefully. "What's your name?"
"(Y/n)." You said softly. Your voice was hoarse from your lamentations.
"And you're Torao's woman?" He repeated.
You nodded and stifled another sob. "Although maybe not anymore."
"Who did this to him?"
"Doflamingo." The name felt like poison on your lips.
A fire ignited in Luffy's eyes and he tensed. He turned, a scowl so deep on his face you swore he was about to go start a war on the spot. Little were you aware of how accurate you were. Nami quickly called out to the green haired man in the entrance and Sanji who had just shown up.
"Zoro! Sanji! Stop him!"
Both men instantly tackled the smaller man to the floor, a sudden explosion of noise erupting out of him.
"LET GO!!" Luffy roared and thrashed to get the two off. "GET OFF ME!! LOOK WHAT HE DID TO TORAO!! I'M GUNNA KICK MINGO'S ASS!! MINGOOOO!!!"
You watched, startled and temporarily distracted from your grief. You had no idea what was going on or who this man was, but the spirit and energy he radiated was almost contagious. It made you want to run into battle with him. It pushed aside your grief and flared a deep rage inside you. You'd never felt so much hatred for Doflamingo up till now, you'd been far too preoccupied with your despair.
"Luffy!" Isha shouted over the raging man's exclamations. "You can't rush into war against Doflamingo! At least not yet! You have to be patient!"
"NO!" Luffy screamed and fought off his companions. Slowly but surely he was overpowering the two. His strength startled you. "I WON'T WAIT! MINGO WILL PAY!"
"Even if you rush in, it won't wake Law up!"
"I DON'T CARE!"
"Please!" You blurted and looked at the enraged man with pleading eyes. "Law doesn't want to be avenged. He's angry with Doflamingo, too. If you are set on a war, you can't go without him. He needs that closure for the loss of Rosinante so please... Please wait for him."
The shouts and sounds of struggle faded and Luffy laid flat on the floor, his arms stuck straight out in front of him. He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips as he thought over your words. He didn't seem too awfully pleased about it, but at least he was willing to consider.
"I really don't wanna wait." He grumbled. A whiny sigh escaped him and he suddenly threw Zoro and Sanji off. "But okay! Only because Torao deserves to beat Mingo up too! Shishishi!"
You blinked at him in shock. This man was the definition of whiplash. He put his hands on his hips and gave you a great big smile. For a second, you flinched inwardly and could only stare. That smile...it looked just like your late father's. Filled to the brim with an innocent joy.
"There is no guarantee he'll wake up." Isha said hesitantly. The sentence looked like it pained him to say. "I only say this because I have to."
"Torao will wake up!" Luffy declared like he'd already made up his mind. "He's strong! He won't want to stay asleep forever."
His boldness brought a faint smile to your lips. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because Torao and I are friends!" Luffy said simply like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Nami looked at you with a happy grin despite the look of confusion you held. "There's a lot to explain, (Y/n). Why don't you sit and we can talk?"
You got up, remembering the items you held in your hands. Your heart contracted as you were reminded of Doflamingo's words. Shachi's dark blue orca hat and Penguin's white and black trapper cap hung from your delicate fingers. You wouldn't cry again, not after you'd finally pulled yourself together. But the sight hurt. It hurt so, so badly. You missed the sun and the moon terribly.
"Oh. Those are..." Isha trailed off, trying to remember their names.
"Shachi and Penguin." You murmured. You bowed your head and your bottom lip quivered. "They're gone now. They stayed behind to help Law and I get away."
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed and suddenly reached forward, grabbing your wrist and tugging you along. "Come on! Let's go!"
Nami sighed and Isha scowled. "Luffy!"
"Please, I need time to-" You protested, being dragged against your will down the hall and into another white room.
"Look for yourself!" Luffy insisted and released you once inside.
It took you a moment to register the sight before you, but once it did you couldn't stop the flood of tears again. Dark oak brown and rust colored hair greeted you with eyes of warm amber and cool jade. Shachi and Penguin smiled at you from their beds, bandaged up and still sore from their desperate battle.
"Shachi..." You hiccuped and looked between the two, not knowing which to run to first. "Penguin!"
Shachi was the first to move, getting out of bed and pulling you to Penguin's so the three of you could embrace. You didn't resist. You held on to the two tightly like you were afraid them being alive were a mere wishful thought. Penguin was in worse condition than Shachi, but he held you the tightest; Shachi sitting and hugging you from behind and nuzzling his forehead into the back of yours.
"You're alive." You cried holding onto the two brothers. "Doflamingo said he..."
"I told you, I had no intention of dying today." Penguin's low voice rumbled in your ear.
Shachi's warm chuckle came from behind you. "That was one of our hardest fights yet! We're just glad you're okay."
"But Law..."
The two released you and then glanced at each other. When they looked back, their expressions were filled with concern. "What happened to Law?"
"Shachi!" Isha shouted, entering the room behind Luffy with Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and a few others following. He scowled at the two. "What are you doing out of bed?!"
Shachi gave a little guilty smile and then quickly climbed into bed with Penguin, pulling you along. "There, I'm in bed. See?"
Isha's eyebrow twitched. "If I wasn't under Doctor's Oath, I'd beat you both senseless." He hissed. "You're as bad as Luffy! All three of you!"
Penguin was the only one that didn't chuckle. You hadn't fully taken in the extent of his injuries and now that you had the chance, you felt a sick twist in your stomach. He had a bandage wrapped around his head that showed a gentle pink spot against his temple. His chest was heavily bandaged along with his arms. His throat was wrapped tightly as well. What had Doflamingo done to him?
Shachi wasn't much better off. He winced as you leaned against his ribs, but wasn't letting you move away either. Bandages covered his chest, arms, and throat and there was surgical tape that sealed a bad cut on his cheek. Still, he looked at you with that same boyish grin despite the pain you imagined he was in.
"Law's...in a coma." You said softly. You leaned into the warm hug Shachi granted you, feeling his own worry through the gesture.
Disquieted jade eyes stared down at the bed sheets. "So Doflamingo found Law anyway. We failed, then."
A soft hum came from Shachi, but he said nothing. You took Penguin's hand gently. He didn't shy away; you could tell he was at a loss. All of this suffering and sacrifice and yet all for naught.
"He'll be okay." Shachi said suddenly and forced a smile. "We'll just have to wait for him. Right, Peng?"
"Yeah, of course."
Luffy laughed from his new standing spot at the end of the bed. "Shishishi! You guys can stay here. We'll keep you safe."
You gave the man a grateful smile. "Thank you, but...where is here?" You shook your head, still confused when Penguin and Shachi both smirked. "What is going on?"
"You're in the Sunny Headquarters!" Luffy said proudly, hands on his hips. "I'm Luffy, head of the Mugiwara Clan! We're pirates!"
"Hitmen." Zoro corrected with a roll of his eyes.
"Pirates sound cooler!"
You couldn't help but laugh at Luffy's energy. "Pirates on land?"
"Sure! Why not?"
Shachi stifled a snicker and Penguin shook his head. "The Mugiwara Clan and the Heart Clan have been on good terms for a while. Shachi and I help out if it's needed." Jade eyes turned to you. "Doflamingo believed he killed us, but not before I was able to send out a distress signal."
"That was you?" You squeezed his hand and beamed at him. "Penguin, you saved Law's and my lives. Doflamingo was about to kill us when Isha showed up."
Penguin rubbed his nose and turned away, muttering that it was no big deal as Luffy leaned on the bed. "No one told me Mingo was causing trouble! I woulda come kicked his ass!"
"That's why no one told you, Luffy. You would have started a war right then and there." Another woman with long black hair giggled behind him. She turned a gentle smile on you. "We're glad you're safe."
Nami smiled and gestured to the woman. "This is Robin, our intelligence agent. You've already met Sanji, our chef." She turned and gestured to the blonde that looked ready to pummel Penguin and Shachi, then gestured to a massive man behind her. "This is Franky, our mechanic."
"OW! Suuuuuuuuper good to meet you!" Franky exclaimed and slammed his beefy arms together in the air over his head.
"Nami?" You shook your head in disbelief. "You were part of this the whole time?"
Nami giggled and gave you an innocent smile. "Sorry (Y/n). I can't openly discuss the things I get up to with Mugiwara."
"Hey." Zoro crossed his arms and scowled. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"
Nami turned her nose up. "Nope!" The man bristled at her and her eyes lit up. "Oh wait, you're right!" Zoro relaxed, a smug look forming on his face. "Usopp! Our sniper and tech support. He's out watching Doflamingo's movements right now, you'll get to meet him later."
"HEY!" The green haired man shouted and Nami just laughed.
"Shishishi!" Luffy reached up and wrapped his arm around Zoro's neck, dragging him down. "This is Zoro, my 2nd in command. If you ever have to go somewhere, don't ask him for directions or let him go off on his own!"
"What do you mean?! I'm fine with directions!" Zoro exclaimed in defiance, trying to pull himself out of the headlock Luffy had him in.
Isha quirked an eyebrow. "There's another doctor around here as well. A little guy by the name of Tony, but we all just call him Chopper. And then of course, there's me." He gave you a smirk and placed a hand on his chest. "Doc."
"Doc?" You tilted your head.
"I prefer to keep my work and personal life as separate as possible. Also Luffy is...not great with names. As you can tell from his loving moniker for Trafalgar." Isha sighed and gave you a sympathetic look. "But you can keep calling me Isha, if it's easier for you. I know you've been through a lot the past two months."
"You...you knew?" You worried at your bottom lip. Thinking back on everything that happened, it was a little embarrassing how in the dark you were.
Isha crossed his arms. "Even Trafalgar needs to talk to someone sometimes. His two idiots were in hiding and his girlfriend was intentionally kept in the dark for her own safety. Who else did he have to turn to?"
You gave him a warm smile. "Thank you for helping him when I couldn't.
"Oh uh...it's whatever." Isha cleared his throat and turned his nose up. "I only did it for Twili. She would have pestered me otherwise."
"For god's sake, not two Penguins." Shachi snickered and Penguin and Isha both bristled at him.
The warmth of the room brought joy to you despite the circumstances. It filled you with hope for tomorrow. A deep blooming light that made you truly believe Law would wake up and return your smile again one day. Even if you had to wait for months, he'd come back to you. You believed it.
~A/N~
Hi everyone! I hope you're all enjoying this story!
I've been writing up a storm to complete this one so I can move on to the next and we're finally nearing our end. As for any of you wondering where Brook is, his cameo was the skeleton on the front porch decorations. I couldn't find a way to incorporate him into the Mugiwara family in a way that felt right to me, but I didn't want to leave him out either. The same can be said for Jinbe (sorry Jinbe fans!)
Please look forward to our conclusion and also to the next fic I already have in the works, Sun and Moon!