Can I Steal Your Heart? - A LawLu fanfic

(Luffy) Chapter 73 - Relatives

The week in port sped by, filled with last-minute preparations that made it so Luffy'd barely gotten to see his fiance. They still slept together, in the sense of using the same bed, but it was usually a case of Torao coming in late, flopping down next to Luffy (usually not even changing into softer clothes, just staying in his jeans), giving him a gentle kiss, and then almost instantly falling asleep. Torao wouldn't even explain what exactly he spent all day doing, other than a quick, "I'm getting things in order so we won't be disturbed during the honeymoon."

It was driving Luffy a little crazy. There was no chance for his cuddles, and he couldn't even do anything to help! Half the time he couldn't even find his husband-to-be! Whatever Law was working on, it wasn't something on either ship. Luffy had tried to keep himself busy greeting the stream of arriving guests and exploring the town, but it was barely enough to hold off his excitement.

But finally, the day of the wedding came. He was conscripted into helping transport the supplies and decorations out to the venue with Sanji, Usopp, Zoro, Chopper and Franky. They were each riding the giant ostriches that this town used for in-city transportation, (with a few others loaded down with Sanji's cookware and supplies) and Luffy had gotten the stubbornest one. It kept stopping frequently to bury its head in any patch of sand that looked soft enough to do so. Chopper had tried to talk to it, convince it to focus and help, but it was either stupid or mean. It didn't seem to care that Luffy was trying to get to his own wedding. Just sand, sand, sand.

Suddenly he found himself alone in the street, with the dumb bird's head in yet another sand pile. When he looked for his crewmates, he found them tucked against a building. Seeing that he was about to say something, Sanji held a finger to his lips, and pointed carefully around the corner towards the venue they'd been heading to.

Luffy's eyes widened as he beheld the large, well-dressed, too familiar old man outside of where he was supposed to be getting married at in less than two hours. "Grandpa! You can't be here!" He slid off the ostrich and into a defensive stance, ready to fight the old man, if he had to.

"It's okay, Luffy!" Came another, younger voice from behind the man. Koby's pink head popped out. "For the next two weeks, the four of us aren't technically Marines and have no power to arrest!"

"Huh?"

"I know we're gate-crashing," Garp explained, more humble (or maybe even nervous) than Luffy had ever seen him before. "But it's not like I'll have very many chances to see my grandson get married, right? But I also understood why you didn't invite me, so Sengoku made it so that he, Koby, Helmeppo and I, for a total of a month, are classed as civilians. We're not trying to arrest anyone during this time, no matter their crimes. All justice is on hold."

"Sengoku and Helmeppo, too? Where are they?" Luffy let himself relax a fraction, but still watched them warily.

"Sengoku went in already to talk to your groom. Helmeppo's tying up the ostriches."

"You promise? No matter who you see, you won't arrest them here?" Luffy looked to Koby for this. He trusted Koby's word more than his grandpa's any day.

"If anyone is arrested at your wedding by any Marine, including us, I will surrender myself to your crew as a prisoner, for you to render whatever judgment you see fit," Koby swore sincerely.

Still, Luffy hesitated, mostly because of one particular guest — the one he was most nervous about, anyways. "... up to and including the man called the 'Worst Criminal'?"

"Dragon's coming?" Garp asked, bushy gray eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"Apparently. I gave Sabo permission to invite him when he asked." It had been a hard decision, and Luffy still wasn't sure it was the correct one. But any prolonged talks — such as well-deserved explanations of twenty plus years of abandonment — would wait until after his and Torao's four-day honeymoon. If his father wanted to see him married, fine, but he wasn't going to have the day ruined by hard conversations. Or arrests.