text: After the Beautiful Pirates were sent off, Luffy declared it was really getting to be time to eat and Ace's stomach agreed with him.
  
  Dinner was quickly thrown together by Sanji, Penguin, and two members of the Barto Club and set out almost like a picnic on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. Things were already starting to look like a party—of course Luffy's crew would be the kind to celebrate the mere possibility of a new alliance—when Ace saw something to make his jaw drop.
  
  He'd been chatting with Nami, trying to catch up on what exploits of his brother's he'd missed, when it happened. Luffy's hands stretched far beyond normal reach to grab two large hunks of meat, which was perfectly Luffy behavior. But instead of bringing both bits of meat to his own mouth, one hunk was instead used to almost smack Law in the face before dropping onto the surgeon's plate.
  
  "Come on, you need to eat more, it's a party!" Luffy said before going back to pigging out.
  
  Luffy had just handed someone else meat. Meat he had grabbed off the line.
  
  That was not normal.
  
  "Fine, fine," Law sighed, taking a bite. "Go annoy someone else."
  
  Luffy beamed, "Nah, I'm gonna hang out with you for a bit."
  
  "As if I could stop you," Law said.
  
  "Got that right. Come on, you don't want Sanji to think you don't like his food, do you?"
  
  "Penguin made this. I've eaten it before," Law replied, taking another bite anyway.
  
  "Yeah but it came out of Sanji's kitchen. Don't insult it if you want to live."
  
  Law chuckled, shaking his head. "Fair enough."
  
  Ace shook his head. Was that? Was Luffy? No, no, Luffy didn't think about people like that…but maybe Law did? Was Law after his little brother? Like that?
  
  His eyes narrowed. Law was definitely one thing, and that was damn creepy. He didn't think that kind of guy should be doing anything fishy with Luffy.
  
  "You okay?" Nami asked.
  
  "Luffy just gave someone else meat. I'm in shock," Ace said honestly.
  
  "Eh, we're all worried Law's not eating enough," Nami said. "He's almost as skinny as Brook! Yesterday in the library Chopper kept nudging candy at him."
  
  "Did Law take it?" Ace asked.
  
  "After severe exposure to shining reindeer eyes, yes," Nami said. "They guy acts scary but if you know what to do he's kind of a softie…a creepy softie, but a softie."
  
  "Oh thank goodness, I was wondering if I was the only one who thought he was creepy," Ace said.
  
  "Nah, he's creepy. Almost all the time," Nami said. "Kind of like how Luffy's goofy almost all the time or Sanji's weird about women almost all the time or Bepo's apologetic almost all the time."
  
  "Huh," Ace said. "But he's reliable?"
  
  "Law says he'll do something and it'll get done," Nami said. "He's as serious about the alliance as Luffy."
  
  "Good," Ace said. "He's kind of got a reputation."
  
  Nami shot him an annoyed look. "As if we'd let him take advantage of our captain."
  
  Ace nodded, "Yeah, good point. Sorry if I implied otherwise. Big brother, you know?"
  
  "True," Nami agreed. "But come on, don't you trust the guy who saved you and Luffy's lives?"
  
  Ace shifted uncomfortably as she gestured at the scars on his abdomen. Akainu had thankfully his him with a swing instead of a piercing punch, but he pretty much only remembered pain from when it connected until he'd passed out on the ice at Marinford. "I suppose…that why Luffy trusted him to start?"
  
  "Why else?" Nami asked. "Well, okay that and Law was offering a plan to take on an Emperor. That was prime Luffy-bait."
  
  "Because of course that's what my brother wants to do as soon as he gets to the New World," Ace laughed. "Fight one of the four toughest people here!"
  
  "I'm sorry, you have met Luffy, right Ace?" Sabo asked. "Be happy he settled on a Warlord for a bit."
  
  "Except now he's got two Emperors after him," Ace said. "Three if we count Blackbeard."
  
  "And he's going to fight Shanks eventually as well," Sabo said. "Trust me I've heard the whole list of people he wants to fight more than once."
  
  "Is it long?" Ace asked.
  
  "Decently," Sabo said. "Luffy's going to fight his way to One Piece all right."
  
  "Gramps is going to be so pissed when he does," Ace agreed.
  
  "Well, let's get to bed," Sabo said as the party started to break up. "Come on, you're rooming with me."
  
  "Night, guys!" Luffy said, hugging them before they could head in. "Ace, alliance meeting after breakfast?"
  
  "We'd be insane to hold it before," Ace agreed. "Night, Lu."
  
  "Sleep tight!" Sabo said.
  
  The guest cabin was small but serviceable, though it was the first Ace had stayed in with a bunk bed meant for guests. "I still can't believe Luffy has a fleet."
  
  "I still can't believe you and Luffy aren't seven and ten, so I win," Sabo said.
  
  "Seriously?" Ace asked.
  
  "Yeah it turns out you can get really, really bad head injuries in explosions who knew?" Sabo offered. "It does not making knowing you're feared pirates any easier."
  
  "Sorry about that," Ace said.
  
  "I'll cope. Second in command of the Revolutionary Army and all," Sabo said. "I'm used to stuff like this."
  
  Ace nodded before he got an idea, "Say, guessing motives a big part of your job?"
  
  "Yeah, sometimes. Why?"
  
  "Well, what's your read on why the Heart Pirates are sticking around?" Ace asked. "It's weird to have two crews hang out for long periods of time."
  
  "Well, they pissed off Kaido too, safety in numbers and all," Sabo mused. "Plus…and this is pure hearsay from his crew and Luffy's since I can't compare…apparently Law's been a bit off since Dressrosa. A little...lost. Sounds like taking down Doflamingo was his one goal and now he's kinda aimless or something."
  
  "He doesn't seem that aimless."
  
  "Again, going by hearsay," Sabo said. "Never knew him before Dressrosa so I have no comparison."
  
  "Luffy seems to like him," Ace said.
  
  "Oh yes. Apparently when Law was chained with seastone Luffy carried him all over the island looking for the key. I got a few glimpses of it," Sabo said.
  
  "That's my brother. Stubborn to a T," Ace said.
  
  "Stubborn to a D more like," Sabo said. "But yeah, I got the story out of Franky. Law showed up on Punk Hazard and offered an alliance, Luffy accepted, and then the crew had to tell Law later that our darling little brother thinks alliance equals friendship."
  
  "And Law just kind of stayed?" Ace asked.
  
  "It's…they didn't seem to think he had a choice. Apparently Luffy's even more pushy now than he was as a kid," Sabo said. "Should hear his crew's 'how I joined' stories. Every single one's a riot."
  
  "So what, you expect me to believe that Luffy just took the reins and a Warlord just let him?" Ace asked.
  
  "Yeah, cause it sounds like that's what happened." Sabo shrugged, "Luffy does have excellent force of personality."
  
  "The old man certainly saw something in him," Ace sighed.
  
  "You mean Whitebeard?"
  
  "Yeah."
  
  "I definitely think Luffy might just do it, become Pirate King," Sabo said.
  
  "Aren't you working for Dragon's group? What do they have to say about that?" Ace asked.
  
  "Eh, mostly along the lines of 'yay, might mess with the government!'" Sabo said. "Not really sure what Dragon thinks of Luffy…but he spent a lot of time always staring out at East Blue before Luffy hit the Grand Line. I…I think maybe he might be proud?"
  
  "He'd better be," Ace said. His asshole of a biological father at least had the excuse of being dead for not being around. And Dragon had apparently been in East Blue to save Sabo! Why wouldn't he check in on Luffy? Jerk.
  
  Still, maybe Law wasn't too bad a friend for Luffy to have after all.