i'm kokonut

“We’ll meet in two weeks to exchange intel. Don’t worry about a rendezvous point; I’ll find you.”

“Will you be able to, dressed like that?”

“Of course he will! Our captain’s the best!”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bepo, but I think I can handle it.” A pause. “Are you sure this is the sort of position you want? We can find you something else.”

“It works towards my already-established skillset. No worries.”

“…and what skillset is that…?”

“Mm… you’ll find out… if necessary.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Robin plucked at the shamisen carefully, getting used to how the large bachi pick felt in her hand. She looked at the sheet music in her lap and slowly hit the notes; she was familiar enough with stringed instruments thanks to her many attempts at making a place for herself before the Straw Hats that it would be almost too simple to pick this one up as well. It felt light and natural as she idly played a few notes of a different song, one she learned a long time ago now, while lifting her head to watch the other inhabitants of the okiya shuffle about their morning. The one thing she had to give the specific okiya she was undercover in was that at least it was peaceful—strict and hardworking, certainly, but the tranquility she found there was above and beyond nearly anywhere else she’d less-than-honestly infiltrated.

Eventually, however, that lazy morning was disrupted by whispers and murmurings by the back gate. Robin kept at her practice, looking graceful as possible as she pretended to ignore the minor commotion and remain on the courtyard porch while her Devil Fruit allowed her to observe the disruption safely. It seemed as though her contact hit a snag and panicked. She allowed her extra parts to dissolve into petals—circumstances had made her work with worse.

“O-Robi.” Robin paused her playing and glanced to her right; the madam of the okiya was standing there, a stern look upon her face and the only one in the okiya already dressed in dayclothes instead of the plain yukata for lounging. “A word.”

Robin placed her shamisen and its bachi down and turned to face the old woman, who merely turned around and began to walk away. She gathered her things and followed her, the pair slipping inside of a waiting room where they sat seiza across from one another.

“Your husband is here,” the madam scowled. “You never told me you are married.”

“My apologies, obaa-san,” Robin replied. She bowed lowly, faking her shame well. “I feared that if you knew I had a husband, you would not let me work. All I want is to work. It was not meant to unjustly deceive you.”

Which, in a roundabout way, was the truth.

“He would not leave and insisted on seeing you. He almost didn’t tell us why and instead nearly started a fight. Do you realize how much of a scene it can cause us taking in a monk? A komuso? What did he do to make him wander around playing the flute for alms while leaving you to find work on your own?”

“Defended me, if you must know,” Robin lied. “One of Kaidou’s men made a pass at me and he objected. Strongly. The penalty was either the factory… or…” She sat up straight, letting well-practiced tears fall down her cheeks. “They thought it… amusing to separate us and take everything we had. That is why I wish to work: so that I can support a man whose only fault is loving me.”

The madam made a noise in affirmation. “I see.” She thought for a moment before exhaling heavily. “He may… visit you, but he must be more discreet in the future. I do not want the yakuza investigating us for harboring a man who should be on a celibate spiritual journey.”

“He might have been banished to wander, but he is still a man, and a faithful one at that.”

“Then go meet him at the back gate.” The madam waved her hand in dismissal. “Do not let this get in the way of your studies or your work. The moment it does, not only is he done but we are as well.”

“Thank you,” Robin said, bowing deeply again before standing. “I understand this is a big risk and you will not regret this kindness.” She grabbed the shamisen and bachi and exited the room, heading towards the back of the okiya. Sure enough, there was Law, the straw basket he was wearing over his head towering before the ones who were keeping him there. She hugged him abruptly, almost causing him to shove her away before he realized who she was. “My darling.”

“O-Robi,” he whispered, holding her close. The other okiya members began to relax as they saw what they assumed was a tender embrace. “They almost didn’t let me in.”

“You need to be more careful,” she chided, “or the yakuza will ruin this place.”

“They have taken you in; I’d never even dream of it.” He allowed her to take his hand and lead him through the building, her blushing and smiling demurely as she brought him to a room that was small, but out of the way, only taking off the basket and his hat when the door was slid shut. There was something handsome about him as he gathered cushions to sit on… something that made her consider her options for this ruse. “How is this place treating you?”

“Well,” she replied. She sat down close to him and whispered in his ear, “this place has more eyes and ears than I do. Watch yourself. Now kiss me.” He grunted in response and played his part, nuzzling just behind her ear before pressing a lingering kiss to her neck.

“You play the shamisen now?”

“A little.”

“Can you play for me?”

“Of course.” Robin picked up the shamisen and bachi before procuring the sheet music from her sleeve pocket. “Tsugaru-obaa-san has noted I am quick to pick things up. She’s pleased with my progress.”

“I don’t like this,” Law admitted. He nearly broke character, catching himself instead. “I should be able to take you from this place and give you a home again.”

“When you are free, I will be the one to give you a home,” she replied. A few notes on the shamisen to test the tuning. “Our children will have a doting father and know that their mother is strong and capable. They will be free from what haunted us.”

“…a thought that eases me to sleep every night.” Law leaned onto his side as Robin began to play a song, waiting for a chance to reveal his true motives for seeing her. An ear eventually sprouted on the wrist that he was propping himself up on, while a pair of lips appeared on his palm—this was their chance.

“I already spread word that you are my devoted husband, who defended my honor from one of Kaidou’s thugs and are now banished to wander as a penitent, celibate monk,” Robin whispered through the spare mouth. Law nodded in understanding. “Did you establish the base camp for the potential recruits?”

“Still looking for a place both big enough and discreet,” he whispered back. “We’ve located the shogun’s private farm and weapon caches throughout the country. Most of them seem easy enough to strike; the ones that don’t shouldn’t take much more planning than the others.”

“Good; I have not gained access to the shogun yet, but that should be soon. He is currently on Onigashima for business. I have been entertaining merchants and yakuza in the meantime—their lips are loose when saké is involved.”

“Anything we can use?”

“Potentially; I need more time to corroborate and pick apart the bragging from truth. Any sign of our reinforcements?”

“Luckily, no. I want us to be more established before Luffy comes around and ruins everything.” He could feel the lips smirk against his skin. “Am I wrong?”

“No.” Robin hit a couple loud notes and Law allowed the corner of his mouth to twitch upwards. “Now, come over here and kiss me.”

“…but Nico-ya…”

“Would you rather me be more passionate with my clients than my husband…?” He blushed at that, knowing he was cornered.

“They wouldn’t let me in; I had to try something.”

“And now that something should be followed-through on, considering they know you are not here to listen to the shamisen.” Both the ear and mouth dissipated into sakura petals, effectively ending the conversation. She gave him a coy smile as she continued with her song, challenging him boldly.

Law thought about it for a moment, tongue darting over his lips idly as he considered what had been laid out before him. Had he imagined something like this happening? Sure, but only in the cold loneliness of his cabin and those tired nights he spent in the woods trying to not let the Beast Pirates find their plans. Those were thoughts he was fine with remaining out-of-reach, that he’d get over it in-time like everyone else who’d caught his eye over the years. Now it was almost as though he was given an invitation to act out his most recent guilt-riddled fantasy, and he did not want to waste it.

Without waiting for the end of the song, Law sat up and shifted towards Robin, gently taking hold of the shamisen mid-note and putting it aside. He reached up and touched her face—first with one hand, then the other—gathering his courage before easing them both side-by-side on the tatami mat and kissing her. Any spy would easily mistake his actions for delicate, yearning, and adoring, yet she knew what he really was: timid. Hesitant. Awe-struck.

“I have missed… the sight of you,” he admitted, not entirely in-character. His face was still close to hers, the tips of their noses touching while their lips were barely apart. He touched her hair before angling himself so that their foreheads found one another. “Is this okay…?”

“Of course it is,” she smirked, playing with his earrings. “I take to my room whomever I want, and I choose the man who has been faithful to me.”

“I have stared from afar for so long… I don’t deserve it.”

“…and yet I know there’s no other aside from me.” She met his eyes boldly as she hooked her leg over his, opening herself up. “Touch me.”

Law swallowed hard and did as he was told, reaching inside the fabric of her yukata and realizing she was wearing nothing underneath. He found her folds and was surprised to learn she was already in the beginning stages of being worked up—was this his doing or was it merely wishful thinking? Rubbing at her gently, he eventually dipped two fingers inside her, wetting his hand on her before going back to her clit. Robin broke eye contact and buried her face in his neck, panting hotly.

“More,” she demanded.

“I shouldn’t.”

“Take what is yours.”

“I don’t own you… we’re in the okiya that took you in.”

“My husband has finally found me; don’t deny a woman her husband.”

After only a moment’s thought, Law rolled them both over so that Robin was on her back, gazing up at him with lust-darkened eyes. He made sure she was in possession of enough cushions as she tugged at his obi, opening his kimono and revealing how aroused he was already. They ground their hips together as they both got lost in a kiss that grew increasingly passionate with each passing moment. Hands wandered, hungrily exploring one another, finding sensitive spots that made their breath hitch and bodies twitch at contact.

Eventually, it was too much to bear, and Law hiked up the front of Robin’s yukata and guided himself inside, drawing breathless moans from the both of them as their sexes met. Thrusting into her with purpose, it took all he had to not come immediately, knowing he had to give some sort of performance for the spies in the corridor. A contently married man did not pop off easily like a sex-starved loner whose only true experience with women was being punched by his sisterly ship’s engineer. He hid his face in the crook of her neck as they made lewd, slapping noises whenever their hips met, the only thing on-par with their gasps that otherwise filled the room. Her legs held his hips in place as a low grunt escaped him and he buried himself deep once, twice, then groaned as he came inside her. Sweat dripped off his face and mixed with hers on her now-exposed chest, the yukata having come loose in their lovemaking. He tried to support himself on his elbows afterward, knowing instinctively that things were not going to last long.

“It truly has been a while, hasn’t it?” she crooned, reaching up and wiping the sweat from his forehead into his hair and slicking it back. His expression quickly changed from blissed-out to horror as he realized what they had done.

“It… truly has.” He pulled out of her and collapsed at her side, trying to ignore the trickle of fluid that leaked out and soiled the inside of her yukata. “I… I meant to pull out… I’m sorry…”

“We have tonics for that,” she assured. “Our children will not be born in an okiya unless their father wishes it.”

“I… prefer not.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “May I see you again…? Like this…?”

“I’ll do you one better,” she claimed. “Pay attention to which room this is; I will hang a signal out the window when I am not working for the night. We can meet then, sleep in a real bed, be together properly.”

“…but…”

“You trusted me before, so trust me now.” She leaned in and kissed him gently. “It won’t be for a few days yet, so do not fear. Okay?”

Law nodded and kissed Robin once more before cleaning himself up and putting the basket back on his head. He slid opened the door to the corridor and surprised the other geisha who were there wondering why it had gone so quiet. It was a good thing his face was hidden, or else it would have been much more difficult to hide his flustered, flushed face and shocked expression. He wandered almost aimlessly to the edge of the Flower Capitol, his specific disguise allowing him passage out without fuss despite his sword.

What the actual fuck just happened…?!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

That night, Penguin and Shachi noticed that their captain seemed a bit off. He had been cagey since he’d come back from acquiring intel at the okiya that Miss Robin was working at. Had someone in the Flower Capital pissed him off? Was he withholding information from what Miss Robin had given him? Something was preoccupying his thoughts and they decided to give him a wide berth until he sorted it all out. Even Bepo could tell something was up and allowed Captain his space. They all guessed they’d been a bit clingy since meeting with him again on Zou, but could anyone blame them? It was why when he left that night to wander the woods by himself, no one followed, taking the hint that he wanted them to stay behind. He always came back; it was nearly a guarantee.

Law was grateful to be left alone with his thoughts that night as he allowed his feet to take him far from the base camp. He couldn’t stop thinking about his encounter with Robin, how the entire thing went from unfortunate accident to a wet dream come to life. The word husband had slipped out unconsciously, not even realizing it was said until he saw the looks on the okiya residents change from annoyance to confusion.

Sure, he had gained access to his informant, but at what cost? It opened doors, yeah, yet now he kept thinking about it, thinking about her, about them, and what it in the fuck it could mean beyond Wano’s borders. She didn’t strike him as someone who would engage in casual sex and it was difficult to consider that as a possibility. Sure, she was in character, but some of the things she was insinuating were hitting him just right, turning over and over in his brain like the Polar Tang’s rotisserie. He leaned his arm against a tree as he used his free hand to reach under his kimono and begin stroking himself as he let his thoughts consume him. It had been so long since he’d had any positive musings about the future that he was going absolutely mad and he wasn’t even sure it would last beyond the mission.

He thought about romantic vows unlike anything he had expected to hear again; about unzipping a gown or peeling back the folds of a formal kimono; about the domesticity of going to bed together every night and waking up together in the morning. Imagining her hands on him in so many ways made sweat bead on his forehead and his own hand work faster, glad his precome was now leaking in earnest. He wanted to carve her up, carve himself up, make their bodies intermingle as they truly became two parts of one flesh fused by oaths and convictions and devotion declared before all forces visible and invisible…

Choking down his own moans, Law shivered as he came in his own hand, aiming his spunk for the base of the tree to save the inside of his kimono. It was embarrassing, rubbing himself out in the middle of the woods for something likely no more than a fantasy, but he had something now that was worth aiming for despite it all.

He could become Robin’s one day, and the very idea that he could escape death multiple times, survive on trash, almost kill himself in the pursuit of revenge and closure… and yet still somehow become Robin’s husband…? It was a thought that threatened to devour him completely if he could not get it under control, embarrassment beginning to slowly consume the frayed edges of his dignity. He needed to know… he needed answers about what this meant underneath this consummate lie told elegantly for their cause…

…he needed to see her again, because if he didn’t, he was very likely to go insane.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was a few days later when Robin and the rest of her geisha sisters were coming back from an off-site performance. The hour was relatively early and the sound of their geta on the street echoed off the surrounding buildings. A relaxing night was ahead of them, a rare one in the scheme of things.

“What do you plan on doing with your evening?” Robin asked one of the other geisha. The younger woman giggled in reply.

“I have a new novel I want to start,” she replied cheerily. “What about you, O-Robi? Is your husband coming tonight?”

“If he sees the signal I leave for him,” Robin smirked. Her coworker snorted in laughter. “What?”

“I’d show him off more if I were you,” the younger geisha said. “I’m short enough to have caught a peek under his basket—he is very handsome.”

“Why thank you.” Robin gave the younger woman a smile. “He is easy on the eyes, isn’t he?”

“Very. It’s a good thing he has to wear that basket in public, or else he’d have a more difficult time staying faithful, I suspect.” The geisha thought for a moment. “How did you keep other women away from him before?”

“When a man is satisfied with his marriage, his wife does not worry about what his eyes might find,” Robin said. The younger woman giggled again; the prospect was not something that seemed possible to her, and that was fine. It was not what Robin needed her to believe the most, after all.

Soon the group arrived back at the okiya and dispersed to their respective places. Some went to the kitchens, or the halls where other guests were still being entertained, yet Robin went upstairs to her room, where the futon had already been laid out for her. All the guests in the building were regulars and known to be poor fonts of information; anything worth her interest would be still passed around in the morning. Taking her time, she pulled the spotted white hat from a drawer and placed it on a hook outside of her door to the balcony. Once she did that, she lit the lamps and knelt down at the vanity, beginning the process of removing her makeup.

She certainly had… enjoyed the result of the mix-up the other night, though she wondered if it had been entirely a good idea. It had not been the first time she had engaged in sexual activity while undercover—and it likely wouldn’t be the last—it was, however, very clearly the first time for her informant in a long time by any circumstance, if at all. She had thought of bringing him to bed since the moment he had been brought onto the Thousand Sunny; he seemed like a man who could keep her interest for longer than most and she detected a sense of vulnerability that could make such an encounter all the more so. It seemed fortuitous that he committed the exact slip necessary to bring them closer—it must have been something on his mind as well. The only question was if this was going to stay in the okiya, or if they would let it become something more… long-standing.

Eventually, she heard the sound of a pebble clack against the lacquered wood outside. A moment later and her door slid open and shut—he was there.

“I was wondering where this went,” Law said as he took off his basket and tossed the hat and his sandals in it. Robin could see him staring at her via the mirror, a quality to his gaze that had not been there when they last met… one that she was pleased to recognize. “Thank you for keeping it.”

“It is not a problem,” she said. She then turned slightly, allowing their eyes to meet directly. “Can you help me out of this headgear?”

Without a word, Law knelt down next to Robin and helped slide the pins and combs from her hair. She took a brush to the strands as he lingered, leaning in close to her ear.

“We have a candidate for a base camp we can move into soon,” he whispered. “Any more news on your end?”

“None of use,” she replied softly. “I hear too much useless gossip, but we’re almost there regardless. We are scheduled to attend to the shogun within the week.”

“Excellent.” She watched his face in the mirror; it was clearly everything he could do to hold himself back. She put down the brush and one of his hands found the back of her obi, gently pulling it loose. “Did you mean it?”

“Did I mean what?” He leaned in closer, lips barely grazing the shell of her ear.

“That we can be together…? Properly…?” He sucked in a shaky breath. “I haven’t stopped thinking about it since then.”

“Are you mistaking this for something else entirely, perhaps?” She felt the tension of her obi go slack as he slowly untied it. “Love and lust are not the same.”

“I am aware.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on her shoulder as he cupped her breasts from behind. Her kimono was still in place, so all he touched was fabric, but neither could be called a fool. “I don’t do casual. Please don’t hint at something more than this if you’re only going to make it casual banter. I can suck it up and compartmentalize these meetings for the plan, but if you keep teasing me about what could possibly come after…”

“You’re not a hit, so I think you’re safe,” she purred. Robin leaned back into Law’s grasp, feeling the soft scratch of his facial hair against the curve of her neck. “Does that bother you?”

“Does what bother me?”

“I have tricked people into trusting me by using sex to my advantage,” she explained, though still keeping her confession vague and voice quiet. “That would make most normal people think twice about considering me as something more than… casual.”

“So you developed a certain skillset before teaming up with… your friends—I’d be more surprised if you didn’t, considering everything.” He flexed his fingers deliberately, massaging her breasts as he did so. “That is different. This is now. What does this mean going forward?”

“I guess we’re going to have to find out.”

Robin carefully disengaged herself from Law’s grasp and stood, making sure to keep the fold of her kimono in place as the obi dropped to the floor. She held out her hand towards him and he took it, allowing her to help him to his feet. He pulled her close into his arms as they stared silently into one another’s eyes. They were nearly the same height like this, the three centimeters between them melting away as he barely had to dip down to join their lips in a kiss.

Oh! It felt wonderful as they slowly kissed away any reservations either of them had, hands wandering as they slowly made their way across the small room to where the futon laid. Robin eased Law’s kimono off his shoulders, baring his arms and chest as the obi held the rest of the garment in place. The cold air hitting his skin sent a shiver down his spine, making the fine hairs on his body stand on-end as he sucked in a breath against her neck.

“Is this part of your disguise?” she whispered, tugging at the obi. He shook his head.

“We made real ones,” he replied breathily. “Mine will be fine, but yours feels a bit more like we need to take special care of it. Allow me.”

“No,” she chuckled. “This needs a little more care than yours. Just watch.”

Not wanting to disobey so soon, Law took off his kimono and tossed it to the side as he did not take his eyes off Robin. He slid into the bedding as he watched her bare herself to him, naked as she carefully folded the garment into one slender block of fabric. She then shuffled her way over to the bed, crawling in as she settled herself above him, grinding her already-wet core against his hardening cock. A moment and said cock twitched as he felt arms form underneath the blanket and hold his legs in place, completely out of sight from where anyone could see if they barged in (or spied) on them.

“No fair,” he growled, in an effort to keep his voice from cracking. “That’s cheating.”

“All’s fair,” she smirked. She then used well-hidden fingers to guide him into her as she held his wrists down against the futon with her real hands. Rocking her hips against his, she pulled a moan out of him that was so high-pitched he would never admit to it.

“Waging war, are we?” he choked out. She leaned down and pressed their lips together in a kiss before forcing another gasp from him, swallowing it down with pleasure.

Oh, she was going to have fun with this.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Morning broke and Robin woke to the feeling of Law’s lips against her neck and his erection against her ass and thigh as he curled around her. After such a vigorous night together, it was impressive he was ready to go again so quickly. She reveled in the sensation of being full-bodied caressed until it hit her exactly what time it was.

“Oh… you need to leave…” she realized.

“They folded my kimono and left us both breakfast, so I think it’s fine,” he replied. Sure enough, she bent to look towards the door and saw two trays sitting there, both filled with food. “Your coworkers like me.”

“My coworkers think you’re handsome,” she corrected. Robin sat up and used her Devil Fruit to pass along a couple of plain yukata from where they sat folded against the wall. They pulled them on and began to eat, the food clearly better than what Law had been getting thanks to his pleased reaction. “Not a lot of gourmet restaurants outside of the Flower Capitol?”

“Ha, ha; it’s all I can do most days to keep my friends from eating river fish.” He ate another mouthful of rice and shook his head. “Eating here will at least mean more to go around later.”

“It shall,” she agreed. Robin leaned over and plucked the umeboshi out of Law’s pickle bowl, knowing she would not get any resistance. “I am glad that you at least have your friends on the outside; I will see some of my friends from time to time and I don’t know what I’d do without that support.”

“Yeah…” Law stopped eating and contemplatively looked down at his food. “I know the rest of your friends are coming… but what if they… don’t…? What if… what if my time to wander comes to an end and the plan we had built falls apart?”

“This okiya could always use menfolk around who won’t take advantage of their position,” she said plainly. “Depending on how much I’ve made in the meantime, we could strike out on our own.” A pause. “With our friends, of course.”

“You say that so easily,” he frowned. Sure, he wanted to sail away with her in the Polar Tang, bring her with him as he attempted to find out the meaning of his name and the history behind it, but it was nothing more than a pipe dream. “If your friends do show up… then where do we go from here?”

“We’ll figure that out in time,” she assured. “Now hurry up—if we get moving, I can sneak you out into the alleyway and we can have the whole day to ourselves.”

“A date…? In the middle of our… situation…?”

“It is my day off, and we can make use of that.”

A grin tugged on his lips as he knew what she meant—they could take their activities elsewhere, whether it be mission-based or not. They finished their breakfast and quickly dressed, glad that the corridor seemed rather deserted when Robin conjured some eyes to peek at who else was around. Their pathway towards the rear exit looked like it was going to be an easy escape route for them, as it had both the least amount of people to dodge and the shortest amount of distance to travel.

They were almost out the door when a woman’s scream caught their attention—one of the other geisha was being assaulted at the gate opposite the one they were sneaking out from. Robin discreetly conjured some eyes and saw that not only did the attacker have a knife, other members of the okiya were rushing to her aid.

“Looks like a new delivery courier isn’t in it for the tips,” she said, allowing her extra eyes to vanish before being noticed. “I’d snap his neck, but there’s too many witnesses.”

“Then we might need to do this the old-fashioned way.” Law took the basket off his head and fished a handkerchief from his pocket, tying it around his face to conceal his identity. He and Robin then went to the other door and found that a few people were bleeding as they tried to contain the attacker. Law did not break stride as he walked up to the attacker and slammed Kikoku’s hilt dead in his face, breaking his nose and fracturing a cheekbone. The attacker stumbled backwards as he held his face, looking livid as he glared down Law.

“What the fuck is up with the mask? Too scared to show your face?”

“As though you’re worth showing my face to,” Law said. He drew Kikoku and held the tip directly under the attacker’s nose. “I still have a jaw to break—how about it?”

The attacker looked at the sword and decided that it was no longer worth the effort and left, running through the back alley to what he thought was freedom, but was instead a snapped neck and back courtesy of Robin’s Devil Fruit once he was out of sight. Law, however, simply sheathed his sword and immediately began to look at the wounded.

“We should run for the doctor,” someone said. Most of the injuries were superficial, but the initial geisha who had been attacked was stabbed in the side, blood still pouring from her wound.

“There’s no time,” Law said. “Where does the doctor usually put people they’re operating on in here?”

“In the sick room, but I…”

“Get her in there, now, and I need your medical kit, along with a sturdy needle and thread—catgut if you have it.” He was met with further confusion, to which Robin had to step in before anyone began to ask questions.

“My husband was a surgeon and doctor before our current situation,” she explained. “Please, do what he says.”

After a moment of hesitation, the okiya residents began to follow Law’s orders, bringing him and the injured geisha to the sickroom. They were able to get him fresh, hot water and soap, as well as the medical kit he requested. Once he was clean and his sleeves tied back, he went to work on staunching the bleeding and stitching up the wound. He had just finished when the doctor arrived, having still been sent for by the okiya’s manager. The old man stared at the pale, unconscious woman as Law was finishing cleaning her up.

“You should have waited for me,” the doctor said sternly. Law didn’t even glance up from his patient.

“She would have died,” he stated. “She has fifteen internal stitches, not including the sutures you see on the outside. Timing is everything with gut wounds and she did not have the luxury of waiting.”

“That is very tidy needlework,” the doctor noted, seeing the wound before Law covered it with gauze. “Where did you learn?”

“That part’s self-taught,” Law smirked, knowing the older man could hear it on his voice. He finished covering the woman’s wound and made room for their actual physician to step in and examine her.

“Her pulse is weak, but it doesn’t seem like she’s in danger,” the doctor said after a quick check of the woman. “You did the right thing, lad. She’ll live.”

“She’ll more than live—she should make a full recovery,” Law replied. “It’s on my pride as a doctor.”

“A little unconventional for a doctor, aren’t you?” the doctor said. He looked at the tattoos on Law’s hands and forearms, as well as poking out from under his kimono on his chest, and frowned. “You look more yakuza than anything. Where did you train?”

“Here and there; my training was… less than formal.” Law didn’t like the way the man was sizing him up, the tension in the room broken by one of the geisha’s friends bursting in through the door and breaking into sobs at the sight of her.

“O-Nana!” she cried. The young woman sank to her knees next to her friend and grabbed hold of her hand. “She’s so cold…!”

“She just lost a lot of blood,” Law explained. “That will change after she gets some rest.”

“Thank you!” the young woman replied. She gave Law a brief hug before remembering who he was, backing away in embarrassment. “Please, I don’t even know your name—all anyone knows is you’re O-Robi’s husband…”

“…Tora-o,” he said, remembering the nickname Luffy had given him. He was hesitant to use it, but at the same time, it made the most sense out of any. “We are Tora-o and O-Robi of the Nico Clan, a small family that used to be along the coast. Don’t ask me for any more details—I was young when everything happened.”

“We all were pretty young then, yeah,” the young woman agreed, clearly thinking he meant the Boil of Oden. The usual doctor seemed to be rather perturbed by her acceptance of Law, as though he didn’t even exist anymore. “I’m so glad you’re here, Tora-o-san—Mizuki-senpai lives a bit far, so I bet he’s glad too that you were here, aren’t you Mizuki-senpai?”

“Hmm, I guess,” the older doctor shrugged. Law did his best to not smirk gleefully as the patient’s friend continued to sing his praises, only letting himself crack as Robin finally came into the room to see what was going on.

They might not have made it out on their date, but they had something better: the trust of those around them. They both knew it was better than gold to a spy, and they were going to use it for everything it was worth.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Your captain’s in town.”

The words were whispered into Robin’s ear as she and Law laid together in her bed. Since he had saved one of her coworkers from a near-fatal knife wound, he had become a staple fixture around the okiya, able to come and go as he pleased without any resistance or suspicion from the others who lived and worked there. He was seen as one of them, in fact, as they would warn him when they heard of crackdowns and even covered for him when yakuza wanted to start poking around for “inspection purposes”. The couple took advantage of their newfound fortune as much as possible; that night had been only kissing and groping, but his words had been the first ones of actual importance to their true mission spoken all evening.

“I take it you had a run-in with him, then?” she chuckled. He grumbled in reply, because of course he did. “What did he do that was so Luffy he couldn’t help it?”

“Gave an entire cart of food headed for the castle to a bunch of randos in Okobore Town,” he claimed. “You can’t be a pirate and pull shit like that—makes me sick.”

“…and you becoming the okiya’s favorite new doctor isn’t anything like that, is it?” she teased.

“I’m a medical professional first and you know that; he’s just…”

“Luffy…?”

“Yeah.” He kissed her bare shoulder and held onto her waist a bit tighter. “This might be the last time I can see you like this if my suspicions are correct. Your captain is going to take up all of my attention and it’s going to be annoying.”

“You knew what you were getting into,” she smirked. “Do you think that Dressrosa was a fluke?”

“…no…”

“Then we’ll be fine,” she assured, scratching his scalp. “Luffy always finds a way to come out on top; that’s part of why we follow him.”

“He’ll make me go gray before that,” Law whined. He shifted so that he could hide his face in her chest, not wanting her to see the frustrated blush that was darkening his skin. “I don’t want to go gray yet.”

“If you go gray, then I’d really have to protect your honor,” she noted. He mumbled something between her breasts and she pinched his shoulder for his attention.

“My father never went gray,” he repeated, looking her in the face this time. “He never got the opportunity.”

“I don’t know if my mother’s hair was an early gray or white-blonde, and there’s the chance she was the younger one,” she replied consolingly. Robin offered Law a smile, feeling rather privileged to see the infamous Surgeon of Death—Supernova and former Warlord—embarrassed and frustrated over the process of ageing. “You will look distinguished with gray—sexy, even.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Maybe I am, but that doesn’t make it not true… nor does it mean I will be afraid of looking more and more like my mother in order to watch you grow old.” She stroked his hair as he buried his face between her breasts once more in resignation. “I would imagine it could be nice, slowly walking towards a death of old age, outliving those who tried to make it otherwise.”

“Nothing romantic about slowly using control of one’s faculties.”

“Then is it true what they say? That the bladder goes first? Or is it something less noticeable, like the spleen?”

“My specialty is not palliative care. That’s something you will have to ask Tony-ya about.”

“Hmm… possibly.” Robin closed her own eyes and sprouted some additional ones in discreet locations, monitoring the okiya. The man in her arms began to melt in her touch as they simply laid there in silence, enjoying one another’s company while they still could. Her false eyes dissipated as she opened her real ones, noting how Law was now sleeping peacefully nestled atop her. The tension in his shoulders and neck was slowly fading as he softly snored into her chest, snugged up against her as though it was where he was meant to belong… as though it was the only place in all of Wano and the seas where he could get meaningful rest.

Maybe… if everything went well… then they’d see.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The afternoon sun was hanging low in the sky as Robin wandered through the Flower Capitol, trying to find a way out that would not bring attention to herself. She had gone back to the okiya to discreetly grab a few small things that she thought would be useful. Now with her prizes in her sleeve pockets, she carefully moved throughout the long-shadowed streets, making sure to avoid eye contact with anyone who seemed to possibly be in the employ of either the yakuza or shogun. She was glad that the local enforcers only really knew her from images made depicting her as a geisha, making her high ponytail and plain kimono an extra level of protection.

She was nearly out of danger when she ran into a roadblock: yakuza milling about the exit to the Flower Capitol, checking people who were attempting to pass through the gates. Robin attempted to think of a plan while she pretended to busy herself with a pottery vendor, her train of thought crashing when she felt a familiar pair of hands settle on her waist as their owner’s voice tickled the shell of her ear.

“I thought I told you to wait for me,” he said lowly, with a hint of playfulness to his voice. Robin smirked; two could play at that.

“Then maybe we should take this elsewhere,” she suggested. She put the bowl she was inspecting back onto the table and went towards a nearby alleyway. When Robin turned around, she saw that Law had been dutifully following her, the basket he normally wore fully replaced by his usual hat and his sword strapped to his back. “Dropped the formalities now that our secret’s out?”

“That, and no outsiders are in the Capitol today,” he shrugged, tucking his hat into his kimono. “I went to see you at the base and you weren’t there—what did you need that was so important?”

“A little of this and that,” she replied. “My time in information-gathering was not simply to have more opportunities to be alone with you.”

“Ha, ha; you should have asked me to come along. We’d already be out of here if you did.”

“…and what prevents you from getting us out right now?”

“The goons about to stumble onto us.”

At that, Law leaned in and kissed Robin passionately, one hand cradling her jaw while the other squeezed deeply into her ass. She threaded her fingers through his hair as she kissed back, the pair aggressively making out as a trio of yakuza stumbled through the alley, drunker than they should have been for the time of day. As they approached, Law picked Robin up by her thighs and held her against the wall, causing the yakuza to wolf-whistle and congratulate him as they went past. He put her down once the alleyway was clear, snapping up a large Room and replacing them with rocks from outside the city walls.

Robin felt a few more tugs of Law’s Shambles ability in quick succession, the sensation almost making her dizzy, before she felt his body press up against hers, pinning her against a large tree.

“Don’t you trust me?” he asked, voice catching as he breathed in her scent. His hands wandered and Robin realized that he had placed her on a root, elevating her position compared to his.

“Possibly,” she smirked. She slipped one hand under the collar of his kimono, scratching lightly at his upper back and neck. He held her close at that, peppering her throat and jaw with kisses.

“Possibly…?” He nipped at her pulsepoint with betrayal on his voice. “How possibly…?”

“Anyone can break under these conditions,” she reasoned. He held her tighter, fingers digging in against fabric and flesh.

“Then what do you want from me?” he breathed. “Is this… is this all just a game to you? Please tell me it’s not that…”

“Far from it,” she moaned softly. Despite the hesitation in his voice, he was giving her such an intense amount of physical attention that had she been unable to parse a hidden meaning, she would have been a fool. “You’re handsome, you’re intelligent, you’re interesting… I want us to hold each others hearts in our hands and feel it beat against our palms and fingers.” The noise that came out of him was encouraging, sending a jolt through her.

“I will give you my beating heart if that is what you wish,” he murmured against her skin. He rutted against her thigh and she could feel how hard he was already. “I can show you the inner workings of the body; vivisect a particularly irritating individual and show you how their insides move perfectly in sync with each other while they’re splayed out like a pinned butterfly. I can show you your bones and how they compliment your beauty… shower you with affection from the inside-out.”

“Is that all you’re after?” she teased. “My bones?”

“I’ve done a fairly decent job of jumping them, I’d say.” She could feel him grin against her throat, an action that in any other man would have seemed predatory. “I could be after something else.”

“…and what might that be?”

Law opened another Room and muttered under his breath, taking something from both of them. He took half a step backwards and held out his hands, showing that he had removed their hearts, offering one to her. “It could have been only your heart after all.”

“Interesting,” she smirked, taking the offered organ. It was not hers, as she felt a different rhythm in her hands than the one she felt still reverberating in her chest. She held it closer to her face, watching it work despite its separation from the body. “I didn’t think you’d give me what I wanted so quickly.”

“I want to show you that I’m serious,” he replied gravely. He slid her heart into the opening in his chest, it disappearing as his body absorbed it. “I will care for your heart as I leave mine with you—a promise that we’re both going to make it out of here alive.”

“…and if I die…?” she wondered. “I could be strangled by one of Kaidou’s men… done with as they please.”

“Then I would know, and they would regret it; they wouldn’t even get a chance to know they accidentally took out a Warlord at the same time.”

“Hmm… you don’t wear survivor’s guilt well, do you?”

“I’m sick of it,” he claimed. He eased her hands towards her chest, sliding his heart into the unnatural cavity to seal it away. Robin felt his heartbeat pulse inside her once it settled in; their twin hearts did not beat in unison, but in a rhythm that was more complimentary than anything. Hands on her chest, she felt the odd sensation until he took hold of both her hands, kissing her knuckles. “Please don’t make me go through survivor’s guilt again. I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“The Surgeon of Death is so fragile?”

“The Surgeon of Death is only a man and men can only handle so much in a lifetime.” He pulled her down from the tree root and held her close, whispering, “Please.”

“Only because you asked so nicely,” she gently teased. Pressing their lips together in a kiss, she inhaled sharply as she felt the crackle of his Room envelop them once again, stealing the breath from his lungs before he swapped them both again, rapidly changing their location until they were by a secluded wayhouse on a long-abandoned path. They were truly alone, the realization allowing them both a guilty grin.

Kaidou and his army would be there when they were done, anyhow.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sukiyaki closed up the entryway to the staircase and looked at his guests. “It will take me a while to acquire the amount of paper that you requested. I shall make sure I have the rubbings done before you leave tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Robin said, bowing deeply at the waist. Law echoed her with a nod. “We appreciate your generosity.”

“Thank me by going and attending the festival in the meantime,” Sukiyaki replied. “You both should be out there enjoying the fruits of your labor as two of the nation’s rescuers. Go be young.”

“Yes, sir,” Robin smiled. Law simply grunted and pulled down the brim of his hat in a futile attempt to hide the fact he was blushing. She took his arm and they left the kokeshi doll room, heading towards the main of the castle. “This is so exciting—the fact that the Poneglyph was underneath us this entire time… it’s unreal.”

“Watching you read that was honestly worth the hassle of taking down Big Mom,” Law said. They exited the castle and found themselves at the mouth of the main street, where festivities were in full-force. “You are wonderful when you’re in your element.”

“…and what is ‘my element’, I might ask?” she asked cheekily.

“Doing what you love and enjoy without worrying about who’s about to attack from around the corner.”

She hummed in agreement. “It’s a good feeling.” Her grip on his arm tightened slightly and they continued to wander the festival. Varied members of their crews and allies were speckled throughout the crowd, enjoying themselves beyond anything they would have thought possible a week prior. None of them noticed the couple, who were taking in the festival with a quiet, academic air of people who just wanted to watch for a while before they began participating.

“Oh! O-Robi!” The pair’s attention was caught as the diminutive okiya manager came into view. She was with a couple of the geisha from the house—the trio forming a small musical group—all stopping what they were playing to approach Robin and Law. “We were worried about you! When the word spread that you and your husband were foreign spies, we feared the worst!”

“I can assure you that it was far from it,” Robin admitted with a smile. She let go of Law’s arm and bowed lowly at the waist. “Thank you for the position you gave us, even if unknowingly. The information we were able to gather due to my geisha work was invaluable.”

“…and you must be proud of O-Robi,” one of the geisha teased, giving Law a wink. “She put herself in such danger! Your wife is much braver than I am.”

“I am proud of her, but…” Law blushed, trailing off. The geisha all looked at him curiously and he froze, causing Robin to cut in.

“We’re not married,” she admitted. “It was mostly a ruse so he could come see me.”

“You’re… not married…?” the okiya manager marveled. “You mean none of that passion between you was real?”

“It is real,” Robin assured. “We plan on exploring our options later.”

“That will never do,” the okiya manager decided. “You come with me.”

At that, the older woman started down an alleyway, with the other two geisha dragging along Robin and Law as they followed. She went along willingly, though…

“What are you doing?” he scowled, trying to look intimidating. It didn’t work. “Where are you taking us?”

“Don’t worry, Tora-o-san!” the geisha pulling on Law’s wrist grinned. “You’re gonna like this place!”

“You have to keep it secret, though!” the geisha leading Robin added. “We only know because the shrine is run by Tsugaru-obaa-san’s brother!”

“A shrine…?” Robin wondered. She was clearly having much more fun than Law. “What kind of shrine?”

“You’ll find out!”

After turning down a few other streets and alleyways, the group stopped in front of what looked like a small, shabby shrine that was tucked away between apartment buildings. A crest was emblazoned on the cloth divider between the street and the internal worship space that caused the outsiders to pause: a pair of crossed scrolls over the outline of a sun. Out of all the clan crests they had seen while in Wano, this one was foreign to both pirates.

“Come in!” the okiya manager insisted. Law and Robin exchanged a look and nodded at one another before stepping forward of their own accord. The other two geisha remained outside as everyone else took off their shoes and walked inside, with the older woman scowling as she looked around. “Are you even here, you old fart?!”

“Watch who you’re calling an old fart!” An elderly man came hobbling out from behind a large Buddha statue that was sitting on a platform, looking as though he had been in the middle of cleaning. He saw the okiya’s manager and cringed. “What do you want, imouto-chan?”

“I want to introduce two of the foreign pirates from the shogun’s alliance to someone who is familiar with their rites,” she said, motioning towards Robin and Law. The old monk regarded them carefully as his sister whispered in his ear.

“What are you talking about?” Law frowned. “What rites?”

“Rites that were passed down from master to apprentice, from before the time of isolation began,” the monk explained. “What did my sister tell you before bringing you here?”

“Nothing,” Robin said. The monk nodded.

“Then what do you know about the Closing of Wano?”

“It was done when the Walls were built,” she replied. “The leaders of the time deemed it safer for Wano to have little-to-no contact with the outside world. It made crossing the nation’s borders a capital offense.”

“Indeed,” the monk affirmed. “What do you know, then, about before the Closing of Wano?”

Both Robin and Law looked at one another—neither had heard anything in particular about Wano before the Void Century outside of their conversation with Sukiyaki, least of all something they could divulge to a random stranger. The monk chuckled at that.

“The tales that have been passed down to me over the generations may differ slightly from the truth, but what I am confident in is that Wano used to be a cultural and trade powerhouse, with merchants and visitors coming and going as they pleased. When the Walls were built and Wano cut off from the rest of the world, the shogun of the time declared that we abandon any foreign ways we may have learned… that Wano was to remain for Wanolese only.”

“So then the isolationist policy was more than just a safety measure, but a cultural one as well,” Robin noted. The monk raised his eyebrow.

“Yes; a scholar’s question.”

“It is my life’s work,” she smirked. She then allowed her expression to grow serious. “What happened when the cultural purity policy was enacted?”

“Much as you can imagine: lives were lost, traditions that had naturally taken root and grown died out or went underground, and people who loved Wano yet clung to ways deemed too foreign lived in fear. Even when under the auspices of a tolerant ruler, we’ve taken care to hide ourselves, in case his successor does more than simply hold us in mild contempt.”

“‘We’…?” Law noted. “What do you mean by that?”

The monk simply crooked his finger and hobbled behind the statue. When his sister silently urged them to follow, Robin and Law held hands as they did, climbing onto the platform holding the giant statue and finding that it held a secret. On its back sat a cross-shaped recess, the inside of which was intricately decorated while a sun was etched in the stone around it. Suddenly, the crest on the outside of the building made much more sense, drawing a gasp from Law and a curious look from Robin.

“Then you know of Nika?” the monk asked.

“He brought salvation to those cast away and downtrodden,” Law said, still in awe. Robin let his hand slip from hers as he stepped closer to the back of the statue, tracing over the designs with his fingers. “Slaves see him as a liberator, their masters see him as a destroyer; my hometown saw him as a source of strength and spiritual guidance. He is a god—maybe even in relation to the God, if there is one—and his ideals around freedom and social equality helped ground us.”

“Good,” the monk grinned. “What do the priests in your hometown say?”

“They used to say he would save those who are good and keep them from damnation… that he would make everyone free and equal as he laughed in the faces of evil sinners,” Law replied. His voice was low and quiet as he reached back into his memory, to things he had not said aloud in well over a decade. “No more slaves or wars, the poor not going hungry or cold, the faithful becoming heirs to an eternal kingdom free of suffering after we pass on… but they’re all dead. Some good that did them.”

“There were people who thought similarly in my hometown,” Robin offered. “Some found the tales more academic in nature, but others did genuinely believe, even if it was privately.”

“The shoguns of old did not like Nika, as the sort of piety he was associated with paid no homage to their right of rule,” the monk explained. “That is why those who believe in him were forced to go underground and hide our faith while others who allowed reverence to the shogun were kept as part of Wanolese culture. Most think of me as another normal monk, but those who know the temple crest’s true meaning understand that is just a disguise.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Robin wondered. “Tsugaru-obaa-san mentioned that you knew of foreign rites… what sort of rites was she referring to?”

“Marriage rites,” he said plainly. His audience of two looked at him curiously. “My sister said that you two should be married before you leave this island. If you agree, I am willing to perform the ceremony in your ways… or close to them.”

“Excuse us for a moment…” Law said, pulling Robin off the stage. He waited until he was a few paces away before whispering in a panic. “What in the hell is this?!”

“It seems like a genuine offer,” she replied. She glanced around the shrine and saw that her former employer had left—they were alone with the old man. “If we go through with it now, there might be complications.”

“That undersells it,” he scoffed. “We’re supposed to go in different directions once the festival is over. It could be years before we see each other again.” He bit his lower lip in thought. “You’d be tied to someone you were barely with—when we do meet again, we might be on opposing sides. Even if we do meet next as friends, we might realize that’s all we are…”

“Many couples have differences, some even more prominent than ours,” she reminded him. “You seemed very attached to that carving on the back of the statue… does it remind you of better days?”

“It does, but… I don’t know if I can do this,” he admitted. He held her shoulders as he looked into her eyes, wanting little more than to run away from everything with her. “It wasn’t that long ago I thought I was marching to my death; I mean… isn’t this fast…?”

“We didn’t exactly take any of this slow, did we?”

“I guess not,” he admitted. Law felt as though his brain was floating in soup—the overload of everything was impacting his ability to think as quickly as he was used to, something he didn’t like. “What do you want to do…?”

“This might be our only chance to have this done in a way meaningful to either of us,” she said. “It wouldn’t matter to me who does it; it might be nice to have it taken care of so we have something to look forward to when our adventures are done.”

Silently, Law nodded and took Robin’s hand in his, kissing her knuckles. She held his face with her free hand, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb.

“Robin,” he whispered, “will you marry me?”

“Of course,” she smiled. “The minister’s waiting on us, isn’t he?”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Later on that night, while the rest of their crews, the remainder of the alliance, and all the Flower Capitol were partying until they dropped, Law and Robin were in her room back at the okiya, making use of the madam’s promise that they would not be disturbed. They made love into the early hours of the morning—both with and without Devil Fruit assistance—selfishly giving themselves a wedding night to keep in their memories for the long days apart looming ahead of them. Their shouts were drowned out by fireworks and they gasped breathlessly in the moonlight; between was all kisses and touches, mapping out one another’s bodies with their mouths and hands desperate to feel something more substantial than lust to sate their future yearning.

Before they left in the morning, they placed simple golden bands on each other’s hand, promising to meet soon as they were able. She even gave him a clipping from her fingernail with express permission to have it turned into a Vivre Card. Hers would be safe with him, they agreed, but his would no doubt be discovered by Luffy and that was an entire other bag of cats they didn’t want opened quite yet. After returning their hearts to one another, Law and Robin left the okiya separately, finding their respective crews in the middle of departure prepwork. It was easy to settle back into their normal roles, and yet it hurt as they failed to acknowledge their newly-established connection.

In the end, they did a damn good job in Tokage Port pretending they weren’t tearing themselves up inside trying to act as though there was nothing between them, to the point Law snapped at Chopper.

It was nothing—they were just two members of a dissolved alliance continuing on their separate ways. Far as anyone else knew, they were cordial at-best. A couple of their crewmates seemed to notice something was different, but if they did, they said nothing and figured it was their imaginations.

Good.

The more distance that seemed between them, the safer they were going to stay.

…and hell they wanted to keep one another safe.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Robin looked in the mirror at her new haircut, hoping it was going to have the intended effect once they arrived at Elbaf. She caught sight of Bonney peeking over her shoulder, causing her to smile.

“Are you sure you want to stay on Elbaf?” she asked. The young girl nodded.

“I miss being in one place right now,” Bonney replied. “Besides, Lilith says she can help my dad wake up, and I wanna be there when it happens.”

“I can understand that,” Robin nodded. She felt Bonney’s arms wrap around her shoulders as the girl leaned against her. “Saul wasn’t a father figure, but he was still an important adult to me when I was small—being there with him will make us both more than happy.”

“That’s nice.” Bonney then went quiet, hanging off of Robin. She made a noise, alerting her adult that something was on the girl’s mind.

“Thoughts?”

“Well…” Bonney let Robin pull her into her lap and cuddled in close at the contact. “What if Lilith and the rest of Vegapunk can’t help my dad? What do you think will happen then?”

“There are many options, I would imagine,” Robin said. “You could… stay on Elbaf with the giants and Miss Lilith—I’m sure they wouldn’t kick you out. There is also the option of going back to your homeland, if it is still there…”

“It is, but there’s a lot of old people there and I don’t want them to be in any more danger just because of me,” Bonney frowned. She then had an idea. “Oooh, can I stay with you? You know, after you’re done pirating?!”

“You’d have to ask my husband, but something tells me he’d say yes,” Robin smirked. Bonney looked over at the rest of the crew as they were huddled by the opposite side of the ship, talking to their giant benefactors. “No, no—he’s not on the crew, but has his own. We plan to meet again later—he’s wearing the matching pair to this.” She showed the girl the ring looped into a chain around her neck, sitting low enough to hide under her clothes; not many of her crewmates had noticed, and none had mentioned it.

“I didn’t know you were married.”

“Not many people do, so consider it a secret between us girls.” Robin gave Bonney a wink and the girl giggled. “He’s a friend of the crew, so I know no one would be upset when they learn who he is, but right now everyone is running on a need-to-know basis about a lot of things, so I’m sure they won’t mind if we break the news later once we’re done with our adventure.”

“Oh, okay,” Bonney nodded. “What’s he like? Your husband?” She then gasped, horrified. “He won’t try to be my dad, will he?! I already have one of those!”

“Something tells me he won’t be unless you ask,” Robin replied. “He’s a bit prickly at first, and you might not get along, but once you get to know him and he knows you, I imagine you’ll be good friends.”

“Yeah…?”

“Yeah; he’s younger than me, so he’d be more of an older brother to you than a father anyhow. He’s like me and doesn’t have a home to go back to… he’s like us in that the World Government ruined his life as a child too. He’s also best friends with a bear.”

“A bear?! Does it talk?!”

“He’s a Mink, so of course he talks.”

“Wow!” Bonney seemed to have stars in her eyes as she thought about the prospect of meeting a talking bear. “When do you think I can meet them?!”

“In time,” Robin chuckled. “Is that what you want to do, then? Stay with my husband and me if your father can’t be switched back?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Bonney said. “I know you said he’d be more a brother, but if I’m with the two of you, it’d be close enough to having both a mom and dad at once—my mom died when I was very little, so I don’t remember her. It wouldn’t be the same, but that’s what playing pretend is, isn’t it? Oh! Are you going to have kids?! Do you have them already?! Does the bear babysit them?! I wanna babysit! I’ve always wanted to babysit!”

“We’ll see,” Robin replied with a chuckle. “Babies need to happen first before you can babysit.”

“Well, yeah, because otherwise I’d be babysitting your captain and that’s redundant, isn’t it?” Bonney scowled. Robin choked down a laugh—not quite there, but close enough—and knew they’d do well to keep the young girl around. “What…? You know I’m right.”

“I never said you weren’t.” She caught sight of the rest of her crew celebrating something out the corner of her eye; land must have been within their sights. “Why don’t you go see what they’re making a big fuss about, hm?”

“Okay!” Bonney ran off to see what was going on, leaving Robin to smile privately to herself, allowing the wind to rustle her hair as she thought about the future that Bonney envisioned, fueled by her youthful optimism and Devil Fruit of possibilities. She could imagine Law bickering with the tween as an elder brother would snipe with a younger sister, the trio passing even younger children between them in a well-worked routine, while the sweet and darling Bepo arrived and relieved the elder family members so they could go to school and work and… it didn’t seem like such a bad life.

Now it was simply about making it for long enough to see if it could become a reality.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Finally on dry land, Bepo laid on his back in the sand as he attempted to catch his breath. It had taken him all he had, plus another Rumble Ball, to get his captain to safer waters, and now there they were: no ship, no crew, and no way back to either. He wasn’t even certain how long he had been swimming, other than that at least a day had passed. If he had been anything but someone who could swim, they’d both be dead by now.

“How are you doing, Captain?” the Mink asked between deep breaths. He looked over at Law, who was laying on his side, just as he’d taught his crew to place unresponsive patients. “Where do you think we are? I didn’t get a good look at the chart before we left.”

Silence.

“Okay…” Bepo strained to roll over onto his hands and knees, forcing himself to his feet. “Let me see what I can do.” He pulled Law onto his shoulder and began to trudge into the nearby foliage, hoping to find someone who could help.

As it turned out, no one was in sight before Bepo collapsed in a small glen, absolutely exhausted. After a while more of laying still, he repositioned Law again and got to work, building a small fire with some twigs and a spark of Electro. A berry bush was nearby and he picked enough to keep them both going, holding his captain’s portion in a deep leaf he used as a bowl. He then waited, hoping his unconscious best friend would wake up soon.

…and he waited…

…and he waited…

…and waited…

…until suddenly, Law jerked violently as he coughed and choked on seawater, vomiting in the soft grass beneath him. Bepo rubbed his back as his body purged the offending substance, waiting patiently until even his dry heaving ceased before handing him the leaf full of berries.

“Here—you’ll feel better.”

Law took the food and shifted closer to Bepo, away from the pool of bile and seawater. He leaned against the bear’s arm as he ate, carefully eating the berries one by one.

“Where are we?”

“Not sure; it’s likely none of the islands the others went to, I can tell that much.”

“…and the crew…?”

“I don’t know—it was just my job to get you out of there.” He let that settle between them—it was back to the two of them, no matter how much they wanted otherwise. “What do we do?”

“See if there’s any survivors, pick up what’s left, mourn those who didn’t make it,” Law decided. He chewed on a berry in thought. “That island won’t matter to Blackbeard now that he thinks he defeated me—whomever survived is probably still there. I’m sure it’s safe to go back.”

“How can we?” Bepo wondered. “It was pure luck that I found this island, let alone reached it. Without charts and a ship, we can’t get back there… not easily.”

“I didn’t say it’d be easy, but it might be easier than it looks if we take into account every resource at our disposal.” Law opened a Room and used it to pull out a space in his chest, from which he procured a rolled up scrap of paper that was held together by a golden metal band. He slid the paper out and gave it to Bepo, who looked at it curiously. “Vivre Card.”

“Okay, but for who?”

“That should lead us to Nico Robin of the Straw Hat Pirates,” Law explained. “She will help, and her help comes with her crew’s help.”

“What makes you think Miss Robin will help?” Bepo asked. He watched as Law stared at the ring for a moment before slipping it onto his left hand, specifically on the fourth finger.

“…because I married her,” he admitted. He heard Bepo inhale sharply and he felt a pang of guilt. “I know Nico Robin will help us because I am her husband.”

“When… when did this happen…?” Bepo’s voice sounded hurt; he should have been given the news a different way.

“It was… sudden,” Law said. “There was an actual priest in Wano… someone who knew traditions that weren’t that far off from Flevance’s. I would have told you sooner if we had found some time alone, but as you can see…”

“…this is the first time we could talk in private,” Bepo realized. The bear exhaled heavily—nothing he could do now. “I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not upset I wasn’t there, but I am glad it happened. Even before… you know… you left… didn’t really think it was gonna happen. Now it has, and Penguin and Shachi are going to be jealous.”

“If they’re even around anymore.”

“You know they won’t die that easy!” Bepo gave his captain a big grin. “Now let’s see if we can find your wife so she can help us get a hold of our crew again!”

Law cracked the bare semblance of a grin for the first time in a long time; that didn’t sound so bad at all. Yeah… not bad in the slightest.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

A/N: I had known from the get-go that Law’s disguise was somewhat modeled after komuso, traveling monks who played the flute for alms and wore baskets on their head for anonymity. These practitioners of a Zen Buddhist sect (Fuke Zen) were eventually one of the few people able to freely pass checkpoints in feudal Japan—an extremely rare privilege—leading to it being a good (possible?) disguise for spies and informants, which can show up in historically-set Japanese works from time to time. Something that I, the ignorant Westerner, found interesting while doing research for this is that one of the individuals who is claimed to be a predecessor of Fuke Zen is a man named Ikkyu, who was a significant (and eccentric) figure in Japanese Zen history. He was a renown flute player, artist, calligrapher… and also was very outspoken against the celibacy placed on monks and priests, considering sex to be part of human nature, therefore pure, and believed that engaging in it in many forms would lead one towards enlightenment. Something tells me that’s not part of the Ikkyu-san children’s anime Toei made in the 1970s and 1980s, ahaha.