Porcelain Waters

Howl

Law's POV

'They really did it...' Law's thoughts drifted within his head, golden eyes stuck on the sheets of paper held within slender fingers.

The words scribbled down on the frail parchment was in disarray; a horrid font that could hardly be considered penmanship even in comparison to his own, but without a doubt these were all notes on that cursed sickness that had plagued his hometown, his family, even continued to violate his dreams and memories that he would much prefer to flee from. Detailed notes describing the disease- the white patches, the destruction of the internal organs and tissues, collapse of the respiratory and circulatory systems. Even some scattered notes and failed tests on the progress of a cure that never came to be. And it all led to the same end, a painful, agonizing death that the world believed was spread like wildfire.

'Ignorance spreads further and faster than a disease like that ever could.' Thought Law bitterly and he couldn't help his eyes trailing down to the scars that peeked out from his sleeve; faint, nearly invisible blotchy scars spotted over pale skin. 'What are the chances of the sole survivor of Flevance meeting with the only one left that seemed to care about it? Cora-san...is this just another ill twisted fate the world had in store for me?'

His question remained unanswered. Even had he been alone to speak it outloud, it wouldn't have mattered; he supposed it wouldn't have mattered if it was even answered. Law was a young man grown now and Flevance was long gone. There was nothing left of that city to cure and even his own Amber Lead had been ejected from his body by his own hand with the help of the Ope Ope fruit. Revenge was an entirely different flavor on the tongue, but fixing the past? There was no use in simply lingering on anything so futile. The past was the past- Law could not change what had happened no matter how deeply he wished for it.

Regardless, the research for this sickness was his. He was owed it by a world that had rather attempted to erase him from its pages rather than help preserve him. It wasn't much, but having the records incomplete or not within his grasp brought him a little solace. Just a touch of comfort in knowing Flevance hadn't been forgotten and scrubbed away.

This research would live and die with him, whenever that time came.

"We're done here." Law spoke suddenly, low timbre making Edeth jump in surprise and Bepo turn from where he stood by the door. Shachi and Penguin had gone to stand watch outside just on the chance that someone or something unexpected showed up while he took his time to go over everything left behind. "I've got all we came for. We can leave now."

"That was it? Really?" Edeth peeked over his shoulder, frowning when Law turned the papers over to hide back within the folder he'd pulled them from. "Well? What is it? Just some papers?"

Law shook his head. "It's none of your concern. I got what I needed, that's all you need to worry about."

"Ugh, Captain..."

He ignored her whining. So far, Edeth was proving to be a unique fit for his crew. She wasn't super compliant like Bepo, but she didn't seem dead set on arguing with him like Shachi and Penguin either. More like, a pleasant in between- though Law did use the term 'pleasant' loosely. He didn't necessarily want a bunch of subordinates that just unquestionably did every little thing he told them to, nor did he want a crew that wouldn't or couldn't take the initiative without him, but Edeth's pouting and her attempts to push his buttons was something that made his eyebrows twitch. He could live without it and he expected he was going to be butting heads with her more often than not.

Outside, the world had started to grow dim as the sun sank little by little behind the sheet of ice. Law hadn't realized he'd been reading over papers and documents for so long and for half a beat, he felt a little guilty. Shachi and Penguin had been outside on watch for a long time.