A/N: It's true that most alliances between pirates end in Betrayal. Law didn't want this one to end that way.
TW: major character death
Word Count: 2.2k
"Law!" The shriek that echoed across the battlefield made Law's ears ring. Law spun around, looking for the source. They had been yelling his name but there was too much going on. Then Nami was by his side. Something in his stomach turned when he saw the look on her face. Panic set in Law's chest and his hands shook, Law clutched his sword tight.
"Where's Luffy?"
"Up there!" Nami's voice hitched with panic and Law looked up. Luffy was falling from the top floor of Kaido's palace. Where the big fight had been. Law knew he should be up there with Luffy but he got caught up in all this chaos on the way there.
"He's not moving..." Nami said.
"Room!" Law didn't hesitate. Luffy was far away but if Law learned anything in Dressrosa it was that he could push his room far beyond its limits. He brought Luffy to them. Law just hoped that this was a repeat of Dressrosa, and Luffy just need that cool down.
That wasn't the case, and Law knew it as soon as he laid eyes on Luffy. He was beaten beyond recognition. What wasn't bruised was covered in blood. Nami gasped.
"Luffy!"
"Where's Tony-ya!?" Law asked. He'd need all the help he could get. Luffy looked worse than he had after the war and Law just hoped to any god that might exist that all that blood wasn't Luffy's.
"I don't know," Nami muttered, though she was looking around.
"Help me get him out of here, it's not safe!" Law said he was already picking Luffy up, pulling Luffy's arm over his shoulder. Nami did the same and they dragged Luffy into the wreckage and hid in a building Law was certain wasn't structurally sound.
That didn't matter right now.
Nami and Law laid Luffy down on the ground. Law took Luffy's wrist, his hands shook as he tried to find a pulse. Part of Law didn't want to for fear of not finding one.
Law didn't need another person he loved dying. He couldn't take that again. Another loved one dying because of his own stupid choices. But he found it, Luffy's pulse, it was faint, but there. Law sighed in relief.
"Is he..."
"No, not yet anyway, I need Tony-ya," Law said. He couldn't do this on his own.
"I'll find him!" Nami said. "Just keep Luffy alive until then!" Nami said. "He's going to live!"
Law wasn't so sure about that. Law opened his room. He'd do what he could for now but he needed the supplies he knew Chopper had, and he needed Chopper's help.
"You won't die here," Law muttered. "I promise..." Law clenched his jaw, trying to keep his lip from trembling.
Law focused on Luffy, his beaten and bruised body. Luffy should have had broken bones from how badly he was beaten, he shouldn't be alive.
Luckily for the both of them, that devil fruit had Luffy's back.
But the internal bleeding was beyond belief. Luffy was going to bleed out and Law wasn't sure what he could do even with Chopper's help. Law closed his room. He'd need as much energy as he could get to save Luffy when Chopper got there.
Law heard footsteps coming towards him. It was way too soon for Nami to be coming back. Law drew his sword and pressed himself against the wall next to the entrance.
No way in hell was Law going to let any harm come to Luffy right now. Law heard the footsteps right on the other side of the entrance and swung his sword.
It was met by another sword. One he recognized. Wado Ichimoji.
"Roronoa?" Law asked. He still couldn't see the sword's wielder.
"Trafalgar," Zoro responded. Law lowered his sword and Zoro stepped into the doorway.
"L-Luffy!" Zoro gritted his teeth as he sheathed his own sword.
"He's in worse condition than he was during the war," Law admitted. Zoro looked over at Law with his eye wide.
"What does that mean?"
"I was barely able to save him then," Law said, sheathing his sword. He sat on the ground next to Luffy.
"Is he going to die?" Zoro asked with a sullen voice. His eye was glued to Luffy.
"I don't know," Law admitted. His voice cracked and Law cleared his throat through to cover it up. He pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes. Luffy wasn't dead yet.
"Law!" That was Chopper's voice this time.
Chopper came running into the room and Nami was right behind him.
"How is he—" Chopper stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh no."
"Chopper!? What does that mean!?" It was Zoro that asked, well, more of, demanded.
"Law?" Chopper looked over at him.
"I don't know if we can save him," Law admitted to all three of him. "The internal bleeding is bad, and if all that blood is his, is a miracle he's not dead already." Law bit back his own feelings as he spoke.
"We can!" Chopper insisted, he went to the other side of Luffy and kneeled on thr ground next to him. "We'll save him, no matter how bad it is."
Chopper spoke with confidence as he pulled off his backpack filled with medical supplies.
"You guys keep watch outside, we need to the most stable environment we can get," Law ordered. Not even Zoro hesitated to follow Law's command. He and Nami went outside, ready to do whatever it took to defend this make-shift operating room. Law's room opened up behind them and all there was left to do was hope Chopper and Law were skilled enough to save Luffy.
No words passed between Nami and Zoro but the tension was there.
Funny that Nami and Zoro were the ones standing here. They had come a long way since the three of them sailed on those two dingies in the East Blue. To think that could all end in just a few minutes was absurd. Luffy couldn't die, not here.
Not when he could have died in Logue Town on that execution platform. Then, it was like God himself intervened to keep Luffy alive. Zoro remembered it clear as day. He and Sanji had been so far away and that lightning had left the taste of metal on his tongue.
Meanwhile, Law and Chopper had gotten most of the external wounds cleaned up. That was the easy part. Law didn't think all of the blood was Luffy's. He had a wound on the side of his head, some cuts on his arms and legs, and some scraped up knuckles. But the scar over his chest was open again. Not as bad as it had been during the war but it was still bad.
The real challenge was the internal bleeding still. Law was worried about cutting Luffy open in this hut of a building. It wasn't sanitary at all. But they didn't have a choice. Law just did what he could to keep the dust settled in on the floor in his room. Luckily Chopper had a lot of rubbing alcohol in that bag of his.
"Oh god," Chopper's face contorted into the definition of worry the moment he saw the damage.
It was so much worse than Law thought. Maybe Law had been denying the severity earlier out of panic.
"Law—" Chopper looked up at him and Law could see the doubt ridden in his face.
"Don't think about that!" Law snapped, he was already working with what he could. Luffy was a miracle worker and what they needed right now was that miracle. I felt like hours they were in there.
Finally, when Chopper and Law got Luffy all bandaged up, it seemed like it was all over. But Law couldn't convince himself that Luffy would be okay.
Chopper put a wet rag over Luffy's face. Law's hands were covered in blood now. He got to his feet and headed to the battered doorway.
"Roronoa, Nami," Law called. They were standing a few feet away, eyes on the somewhat distant battlefield.
Both of them spun around.
"We're done, he's alive," Law said. Though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that.
"Is he awake?" Nami asked. Law shook his head. The three of them went back inside. Chopper was securing some of the bandages.
"What now?" Zoro asked, looking to Law.
"We wait for him to wake up," Law said.
"He can't go back into battle!" Chopper said.
"I know that," Law snapped, he was on edge and worried.
"He will anyway," Zoro said. "You know he will."
Law didn't say anything to that. Zoro was right. There was no doubt about that.
"Luffy!" Chopper exclaimed. Luffy was sitting up, rubbing his head.
"Where am I?" Luffy muttered, looking around the room Luffy started coughing, he covered his mouth with his hand. His coughs were harsh and dry. Law winced at it. Luffy's hand was covered in blood when he pulled away.
There's blood in his lungs.
"Oh, everything hurts," Luffy whimpered, Luffy clutched his stomach and pulled his knees up to his chest.
"Luffy, stop moving so much, you'll reopen all your wounds!"
Law could feel it, Luffy slipping away in his room. It was like watching a Vivire card burn. It didn't seem real especially since Luffy was right next to him, awake, breathing, talking. A thought crossed his mind and Law made a decision immediately.
"Luffy-ya," Law said quietly. Law couldn't keep the tears from his eyes.
"Torao!" Luffy grinned. "I didn't realize you were here! You saved me again, huh?"
"No," Law muttered, his voice cracked. He could feel Luffy's life in his room, it was weak and getting more faint compared to Zoro's, Nami's, and Chopper's. Luffy's life always seemed to overpower everyone else when Law opened up a room. Not now. "You're dying."
"What!?" Chopper, Zoro, and Nami all shouted at him.
Luffy looked over at Law and blinked.
"Huh," Luffy muttered, he looked down at his body. "Is that why everything hurts so much?"
"Probably," Law said. Luffy started coughing again.
"Ugh, that hurts!" Luffy grumbled when he was done.
Luffy leaned against Law's side. Law was a little surprised but didn't say anything. "Sorry, guys." Luffy looked over at Nami and Zoro with a smile, then Chopper with that same smile.
"Don't go saying stupid shit," Zoro huffed. "You're not dying, you just need rest!"
Law didn't expect that to come from Zoro. Nami or Chopper maybe, but not Zoro.
"You're right about one thing, Roronoa," Law said. "I won't let him die here."
"Torao, what are you talking about?" Luffy muttered.
"I can still save you," Law muttered to him. He wasn't sure if the others heard him but he didn't care about that.
"You're thinking of that thing that Mingo wanted!" Luffy sat up and glared at Law. "I won't let you! I'd rather die!"
"Luffy-ya—"
"NO!" Luffy snapped. "You're not dying for me and I don't want to live forever! I'll die right here if I have to!"
"Luffy!" Law bit.
"What are you guys talking about?" Nami demanded. Luffy started coughing again and Law could feel Luffy's life fading still. He was barely hanging on it was a surprise Luffy was even conscious.
"My devil fruit has the ability to grant someone eternal life," Law said. Silence settled over the three strawhats while Luffy kept hacking up blood. "At the cost of my own life."
"Law—" Chopper started to say.
"Zoro!" Luffy met his first mate's eye. "Don't let Law do that thing no matter what happens, captains orders!"
Zoro's eye widened but he took a deep breath and nodded. "Aye, captain." Law gritted his teeth. He expanded his room as wide as he could get it.
"I'm not letting you die, Luffy-ya, I don't care what that means, you won't die here!"
"Torao why are you being such a bastard!?" Luffy growled.
"Because I love you!" Law snapped. Law swapped himself and Luffy for some rocks to get them away from the rest of the strawhats. Law closed the room as soon as they were away.
"Torao!" Luffy growled, he punched Law but it was feeble. Luffy started hacking up blood again. He got to his feet.
"I'll fight you if I have to Torao, you won't do that!" Luffy insisted.
"You couldn't even fight a blade of grass right now," Law pointed out.
"I don't care!" Luffy screamed.
Law drew his sword and pointed at Luffy.
"Nico-ya was right," Law said. "Pirate Alliances end in betrayal."
"Room!"
"TORAO NO!" Luffy screamed.
Law could hear Zoro coming around the corner.
"Law!" Zoro shouted. But it was too late, Law did what he had to do. He could feel Zoro's blade on his back but it didn't matter. Law fell to the ground and his room collapsed.
"Torao! You stupid bastard, wake up!" Luffy shouted he straddled Law's body and pulled his jacket into his first.
"Torao!" Luffy's voice cracked. He could feel it though. His body didn't ache anymore. He had a lot more energy than he did before. "What about your crew!? God damn it TORAO!"
Luffy got to his feet. "DAMN IT, DAMN IT!" Luffy shouted out fo frustration, he paced back and forth, trying to fight the tears in his eyes. Law wasn't supposed to die.
This wasn't supposed to happen again.