Future

Chapter 2: Law - Captive

Law awoke to the sound of shivering, desperate sobs that didn't help with the pounding headache he already felt. Warm blood dripped sluggishly through his hair and down his neck, a stark contrast to the cool of the air that surrounded him. Rough metal caught at his wrists painfully when he tried to move them further from the pole he was leaning against.

No, not just metal, he realized. Sea prism cuffs. That was the weakness running through him.

"Fuck," he groaned.

"Who's that? Who's there?!"

Law managed to peer through the darkness and the strange mask they had on him to see who else they'd imprisoned with him. Blonde hair, a mask he supposed was similar to his... and long legs in raggedy black pants that may have once been suit-pants.

"Blackleg-ya? Is that you?" The epithet slipped from his mouth, as it still sometimes was prone to when he was stressed. He could vaguely remember Sanji catching him as they hit the water, but after that was fuzzy at best.

A quiet sob rang in the small room as the other nodded quickly. "Torao. Good. You can get us out of this, right?"

Law had never seen the cook so... openly scared. Sanji was always strong, snarky. On the rare occasion he was scared, he bluffed and bullshitted his way through it, like most of the crew did, and only those who knew him well enough could see past it. There was more wrong here, and if they were going to get out of this... dungeon or whatever, he'd need the other to be level-headed.

"What can you tell me?" He kept his voice gentle as the cook let out another sob, trying not to draw the distraught man's attention to the fact that he wasn't answering the question, wasn't making that promise.

Sanji gulped, trying for composure. "It... it's been about six hours since I woke up, I think... I don't know if we were the only ones captured or if anyone else is.... I won't be much help, they, they already broke one of my legs, a-and..." Sanji's attempts at composure broke into another sob. "And one of my arms."

Law sucked in a sympathetic breath at that. Luffy had told him how much Sanji treasured his hands and arms. More than that, the pain must be overwhelming, even to someone as tough as Sanji.

"I need this mask off, Torao! I can deal with the broken bones, but I need it off!" It was a desperate, scared whine, a sound he'd have expected from Usopp, but not from Sanji.

"Hey. Blackleg-ya. Calm down. We'll get out of this, one way or another."

"I CAN'T CALM DOWN!" It was the quietest shout Law had ever heard, and it told him two more things: a) that Sanji was very, very scared and the mask played into that somehow, and b) Sanji, consciously or not, thought that people were nearby enough so that he didn't want to draw attention to them.

"Listen to me," Law began, more confidence in his voice than he actually felt. "You can and you must. We will find a way out of this, and once we do I'll do everything I can for your arm and leg, but I need you calm and level-headed. Remember who you are. What's your last name, Sanji?"

Sanji had once said they were similar in personality, so Law hoped that reminding Sanji of his husband would give the blond as much reassurance as Luffy's ring on his finger gave him.

"... Vinsmoke...." It was the tiniest voice Law had ever heard come out of a grown man, much more reminiscent of a child.

Law shook his head, ignoring the ache. "No, it's not. In fact I've seen you carry around a marker when we go into town just to adamantly cross out that name when you see it on one of your posters. You got married and took a different last name. I was there, remember? Who'd you marry and what's your last name?"