the fic antiquary

“Fix your face, Captain,” you say, stepping beside Law and bumping your shoulder with his. “Your face’ll get stuck like that.”

Law side-eyes you, noting that you’re smirking, pleased with and amused by yourself. He doesn’t answer.

You giggle at his silence, smirk turning into a wide grin. Law’s lips twitch imperceptibly into a smile before he steels his face once more.

“Focus, Y/N-ya,” Law warns. “The worst thing you can do is underestimate an enemy.”

“You’re such a worry-wart,” you say, unsheathing your katana.

“You’re a headache,” he counters.

You laugh again.

“I’ll see you when this is over,” you say, leaning in close to his ear, “sweetheart.”

Law blushes, but you don’t see it as you suddenly rush forward into the battle aboard the Polar Tang’s deck, your katana quickly finding home against the steel of an enemy’s blade.

The conflict carries on for a while as pirates clash. Blades clink against one another, scraping as opponents pull apart. Voices cry out in pain as pirates are sliced into, hit, and pushed overboard. If you focus in on the chaos, you can hear Law’s stern voice saying, “Room,” "Tact," and “Shambles” periodically. Across the deck, dead enemies scatter the wood; some enemies have been reassembled incorrectly, legs where shoulders should be, heads on incorrect torsos, and arms and legs switched; and the remaining pirates continue grunting as they swing their weapons and shout insults.

The battle has proceeded for nearly an hour, and the majority of the opposition has been defeated. Yet, there still remain several pirates who are a bit harder to bring down. Despite the Heart Pirates winning the battle, the entire crew is slowing down as the effort of the battle begins to take its toll. You are not immune from this.

You take a deep, shaky breath as you steel yourself, readjusting your grip on your blade and fighting the exhaustion finding a home in your overworked muscles.

Damn. The extra help of a Devil Fruit would be nice about now, you think. Then again, I’d like to be able to swim.

You purse your lips, shaking your head.

Enough. Focus, Y/N.

You take a step forward, rushing your opponent, a tall, burly man with a kinky beard. He’s decked out in jewelry he surely plundered, and a fine coat that seems to set him apart as the captain.

Weird that the captain would fight me and not Law. Captains usually go for each other, don’t they?

Your blade meets the Captain’s in front or you. You grit your teeth as you push forward. Your blades screech as they slide off one another, and the Captain takes a step back before fighting himself and swinging again. You duck, sidestepping away as you swing your sword towards his legs, hitting home. He growls, pushing past the leg wound and charging you once more. You side step him several times, using your Observation Haki to anticipate his moves. Finally, you see a break in his attacks, and you duck again as he steps forward, swinging his sword with the anger of man unused to losing. You push your katana blade forward with as much force as you can muster, stabbing the Captain in the chest, just barely missing his heart.

Damn it!

The Captain screams angrily, but he doesn’t go down. Instead, the hand not grasping tightly onto his sword finds its way into your hair, yanking you away from him. He holds you away from him, pulling your sword out of his chest and throwing it across the deck.

“You little bitch,” he cries. He yanks you close to his face. “You did well. I didn’t expect someone as puny as you to hold your own. Alas,” he snarls, lips curling in a mean, ugly expression, “you’re not stronger than me.”

Still holding you by the hair, the Captain sheathes his sword, exchanging it for a revolver. He holds it to your temple.

“Any last words, bitch?” He asks cruelly, and you expect he probably isn’t actually going to allow you any final words. You consider spitting in his face.

However, you don’t get to fully ponder the thought before the Tang is covered in a blue dome as a familiar voice yells, “ROOM!”

The Captain holding your life in his hands looks up to see the enraged Surgeon of Death in front of him. Law is snarling at the man, rage swimming in his eyes, one hand white knuckling Kikoku and the other outstretched and held downward maliciously.

“Take your grimy hands off of my wife.”

Law says the words slowly, with an intense conviction rarely seen. He looks livid, and he looks ready to kill.

The phrase has the desired effect of prolonging your execution. The Captain pauses, one hand still gripping your hair and the other still holding the gun to your head, but his attention has shifted from you to Law. In fact, the whole battlefield pauses, its attention shifting to Law, including the attention of the whole of the Heart Pirates who stutter at the threat.

“WIFE?!” Shachi and Penguin yell, confusion lacing their words.

Bepo suddenly begins wringing his hands anxiously where he stands in front of his unconscious opponent.

“Well, ain’t this the development?” The Captain laughs, a disgusting smirk spreading across his face, and his grip around in your hair tightens as he presses the gun harder against your temple.

“I am giving you 5 seconds to let go of my wife and drop your weapon,” Law says, unfazed by the battlefield's surprise at hearing him call you “wife.” He continues staring down his opponent, weapon at the ready, unfazed by the fear and unease permeating through his enemies.

“And what if I don’t?” The Captain sneers. “What if I shoot her right now and let you watch the life drain from her eyes? What could you do about that, Trafalgar Law?”

The Heart Pirates are panicked, fear swimming in their eyes as they glance at each other and back at the scene unfolding in front of them. The battle has all but ended. Everyone is either unconscious on the ground, floating in the sea, or frozen in anticipation as they watch with bated breath. Who will move first? The trigger-happy captain or Law?

“I promise you,” Law growls out, “you don’t want to find out.”

Then, with unprecedented speed, Law flips his hand.

“Shambles.”

You gasp as you’re transported across the deck, air knocked out of your lungs at the sudden movement. You whip around to look behind you, finding that Law had switched your position with his.

A gunshot rings out and you choke, fearing Law had been shot. However, Law had anticipated the gunshot once he switched places with you, and unhindered by the Captain’s hand, as you had been, he ducks, dodging the bullet.

You watch in awe as Law dodges the gunshot and faces off against your attacker. Law uses his Devil Fruit to throw various objects at the enemy, and he switches his own location several times, moving too quickly for the Captain to aim his weapon. Finally, Law stills in the air, pointing Kikoku at the enemy, lining up his shot.

“Injection Shot.”

A beam shoots from the tip of Kikoku and blasts into the Captain. The impacts blows the pirate backwards into the air, and he crashes into the water with a large splash as he is embraced by the sea.

Law lands on the deck of the Polar Tang and addresses the remaining enemies.

“Get off my ship unless you want the same treatment as your captain.”

The conscious enemy pirates scurry off of the Tang, pulling their fallen and unconscious comrades with them. Many jump into the sea themselves in their hurry, but most of them manage to climb back aboard their own ship before attempting to fish their captain and crew mates from the water.

Law watches as the opposing crew leaves, changing their course to sail away from the Heart Pirates and their captain’s wrath. It is only when he believes his crew safe that he pulls his eyes away from the horizon and searches for yours.

As Law’s eyes meet yours, you are met with a panic that has surely been steeping as he fought. The adrenaline from the excitement has worn off, and he takes quick steps towards you where you sit on your knees, exactly where he had teleported you earlier.

“Are you alright?” Law asks as he drops to his knees in front of you. His hands gently grab your face, turning it ever so slightly as he examines you for injury.

Your own hands reach, grabbing onto his wrists.

“I’m fine. Just a little rattled,” you assure.

You feel your lips pull into a smile, but you can’t help it because your husband is just so sweet in his concern.

Law lets out a deep breath when he determines you’re alive and well, letting his forehead dip against yours.

“Don’t do that again,” he says, which translates to I was terrified.

“I didn’t get captured and held at gunpoint on purpose,” you tease.

Law’s fingers find your side, pinching. You squeak.

“Don’t,” Law says, which translates to don’t joke about your life because the thought of you dying terrifies me.

Law does not have to say much for you to understand him—he never has—and that is one of the many reasons he has fallen head over heels for you. You understand he’s shaken up by the image of you at death’s door, and you know making light of the situation—which may help you process it—is not helping him calm down. So, you let you teasing tone fade away and replace it with a calm, sure tone.

“I promise I won’t make a habit of it. I fully intend to keep coming home to you,” you say lowly, your words meant for him and him alone.

Law nods. Then…

“Ahem,” comes a confused, potentially anxious voice. “Captain? Care to share what’s going on?”

Pulling his head away from you and looking up, Law faces his crew without standing and without letting his hands fall away from you.

“No,” he says simply.

You laugh. The Heart Pirates complain.

“No? What do you mean ‘no’? You can’t just completely obliterate some pirate captain without an explanation!” Penguin argues.

“You’re focused on the wrong thing, Penguin,” Ikkaku chimes in.

Shachi chimes in. “Captain, why did you call Y/N your wife?” He demands.

“Tch,” Law replies, offering nothing as his cheeks flush pink.

You rub your hand comfortingly up and down Law’s arm.

“Well, they know now, Sweetheart. Might as well confirm it,” you say gently.

“No.”

You giggle and you watch as the sound makes Law visibly relax.

“We’re married,” you say, looking to your crew mates.

“What?!” Someone exclaims.

“How long?!” Someone else asks.

“Hmm. When were we in the North Blue last?” You grin.

The Heart Pirates’ jaws drop, staring at you in disbelief.

“THAT WAS OVER TWO YEARS AGO!” They shout.

You just laugh, a wide smile overtaking your features.

“Tch. Stop being dramatic,” Law says simply.

“I can’t believe you kept this a secret,” whines Shachi.

“I can’t believe we weren’t invited to the wedding,” Penguin adds.

“I knew,” Bepo says.

“WHAT?!” The attention is suddenly on Bepo, whose ears flatten as he looks down at his paws, wringing them anxiously.

“Sorry,” he says.

Throughout the commotion, you return your attention to Law, who looks relieved that the attention is no longer on him. You smile gently.

“Thank you for saving me,” you say softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair away from his face.