Press Play [LawLu]

Chapter Forty-Two: Getting Stared

"Luffy!" Ace pushed Luffy off of him, he was trying to balance a platter of finger foods that Terracotta told him to put in the living room while talking on the phone with Marco. "Go help Sabo with the decorations!"

"Ace just let me have one!" Luffy huffed. Ace shoved Luffy back with his elbow.

"Sorry, Marco, my brother is a pain in the ass!" Ace gritted as he steadily set the plate down on the table.

"No worries," Marco said. "I was just wondering if you'd be able to watch Tama for me again."

"Oh sure, when?" Ace said. Luffy reached for the platter Ace and just set down and Ace grabbed Luffy's arm and pulled him away from the snack table.

"Day after tomorrow, I'm hiring that girl that came in with Law's tattoos," Marco explained. "And I need to help her get her space set up."

"I thought she found another place to take her?" Ace muttered more to himself than to Marco.

"No, I told her beforehand that if she could get some references from the people she did tattoos on then I'd consider it," Marco explained. "She did, and she came back with them, and I've seen Law's tattoos, so a deals a deal, right?"

"Oh, well, I can't complain about that," Ace agreed. "But yeah, I'll watch Tama."

"Thanks, man, I'll drop her off at your place after she gets out of school," Marco said.

"Alright, I gotta go, Luffy's trying to steal food again," Ace said. He hung up without waiting for a response because Luffy had broken free from his grasp and darting for the snacks table.

"MONKEY D. LUFFY I WILL LOCK YOU OUT IF YOU EVEN TOUCH THAT TABLE!" Ace shouted, grinning after him. Ace grabbed the back of Luffy's shirt and pulled him back.

"Ace!" Luffy pouted. "I haven't eaten in ages!"

"I don't care, go help Sabo and Nojiko with the decorations!" Ace huffed, steering Luffy in the direction that the food wasn't in.

"Fine!" Luffy sighed and walked out of the room. Sabo was in the foyer with Usopp setting up the decorations. They were up on a huge ladder hanging streamers over the hallway.

"Do you guys need help with anything!?" Luffy asked, craning his neck to look up at Sabo who was at the top of the ladder.

"Nope, we've got everything covered, maybe Ace needs help," Sabo said.

"Ace told me to ask you," Luffy sighed.

"Uh, ask Cobra or Nojiko?" Sabo suggested.

Luffy turned on his heel and headed outside. Cobra and Nojiko were helping someone set up one of those bouncy castle water slides. That looked way too complicated. Luffy spotted Nami and Robin sitting in the lounge chairs next to the pool.

"Nami! Robin!" Luffy waved at them from across the pool and ran around it to join them.

"Hi, Luffy," Nami said.

"Do you want some sandwiches? Sanji brought some out to us a little while ago," Robin offered.

"YES!" Luffy took a bunch of sandwiches, kicked off his sandals, and sat on the concrete between their chairs. "How come you guys aren't helping?"

"No one needed help," Nami said with a shrug. She took a sip from the fancy-looking glass she had and stirred the ice with her straw. Luffy stuck his feet into the pool. The cool water felt nice in the summer heat.

"I was helping Sabo and Usopp, but they insisted they didn't need help," Robin noted.

"And now, she's keeping me company!" Nami added. Luffy took a big bite of one of the sandwiches. He could tell Sanji had made them.