Bon Voyage! [Ace x Reader x Law]

[𝖔𝖓𝖊]

You grew up in a happy small family of three in Swallow Island, North Blue, just your parents and you. Your family were also quite well-off since your father donned the title of the duke in the Court due to your ancestry—House of Egret, the prestigious lineage that had long defended many kings' families. Despite the status and fortune that your surname could have brought to your family, your parents still decided to pledge lifetime allegiance to a small kingdom in North Blue and have your manor situated on the outskirts of the capital, giving birth to you in a place close to the wall bordering the capital and the slums.

However, a wall was actually an overstatement for, ever since it was built, it had never been properly maintained. There were only watchtowers right next to the only gate that bridged the slums and the capital, with only several guards stationed to take care of the security and border affairs. Moulds and cracks were all over the stone structure, wild shrubs and forests also crowding the area near the wall making the border somewhat isolated from the capital

Nevertheless, you always know that the condition of the wall and the border is not the only matter to worry about. You have been seeing things differently ever since you first witnessed the situations on the other side of it. Growing up, you often saw your father going his way to take the problems happening in the slums into his hand—something along the lines; 'The Court rejected the proposal again. No surprise, though. For now, we just have to do whatever we can.'

So out of curiosity, you finally asked to go with your father in his one of outings when you were seven.

You were still young and had been living in the better part of the island for all your seven years. And when your eyes captured the poverty plaguing the slums, young you initially could not fathom as to why these people could not afford clothes like the one you were wearing, why the houses looked different from the ones you often saw in the capital, and why kids at your age were out playing in the forest. The sight perturbed you and you felt a pang inside, to say the least.

"This place is always called Pleasure Town, a name filled with delight and joy. However, people's pride tend to blind them into thinking that as if they are all different from the other –– that there's always a duality to everything, when in fact, this duality has always been residing within us."

Your father was careful enough not to dump how he felt about the social disintegration evident in your home island on you all at once. Despite having heard the answers to your questions from your father, confusion was still etched on your face. There was one thing that you managed to take away though; that what your father did with the rations, the sweat pouring from his forehead as he helped partake in some of the labour work—first time seeing your father in such dishevelled state—and the time he gave to listen to the concerns voiced out by these unfortunate people had brought smiles and relief to their faces.

And that brought you to smile too, the anxiety inside slowly ebbing away like it never existed in the first place. You knew inside that you wanted to keep doing whatever your dad had been pouring his everything into.

Going to help in the slums had been a routine for you ever since, and having found new friends there, you always really looked forward to your next outing. The games you were introduced to were a lot more fun and no one judged each other. They did not even mind the fact that you came from the privileged side.

They also introduced you to the clearing in the forest in the border that they used as their hideout. Apparently, they spent so much time there that they knew their way inside like the back of their hands. First time being in the forest had creeped you out so badly as everything was completely foreign to you. But the kids were not mean enough to tease you about it instead, they often offered you their hands for you to hold. They called you princess, despite your protests, yet not in a gatekeeping manner. Bepo who first coined that nickname for you said that you looked like the princesses from his picture books. And when you heard that, your young girl's heart simply couldn't refute the cute wholesome bear. 

Out of those kids who hung out with you, in particular, were the duo named Penguin and Shachi, they were about twice older than you and the other younger kids so they often acted as the chaperones slash mood makers, making sure everyone had fun and stayed safe at the same time. Not to mention, Bepo, the talking bear in the group, had this fluffy tummy that was really comfortable to lay your head onto.

Although no one actually judged each other, you couldn't help but feel nervous under the gaze of the other older kid who also hung out with Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo.

"Law," was his curt reply when you first introduced yourselves to each other. It was probably also the only time you exchanged words with him. You often wondered how someone as bright and cheery as Penguin and Shachi could befriend with someone grouchy like Law.

"We just respect him," Penguin answered when you asked him about it one day.

"He may look like he doesn't care. But he always does," Shachi added, and you could only nod at both responses.

However, you slowly understood what the duo meant, when you, for the many times, witnessed Law healing an injured kid. You were aware of his Devil Fruit power and his interest in medicine after you first saw him healed your wounded friend. But another thing that you slowly realised about the gloomy teenage boy was despite his grumbling, he always still went out of his way to protect and heal all of the younger kids.

One day, at the realisation, you were momentarily lost in your thoughts and were not looking at where you were going.

THUD

"Ouch..," you winced at the pain on your forehead after unconsciously crashing into a tree. Penguin and Shachi who witnessed everything from behind couldn't help but chuckle at your mishaps.

"What..? There is someone else injured?" Your cry of pain reached Law's ears.

"Yeah, it's princess. Her head bumped into the tree-" Penguin shouted in reply, but you quickly cut him off,

"Nah, it's nothing. I'm okay..," bringing your fingers to where it hurt, only to feel something wet.

"Ah! Her forehead is bleeding!" Shachi exclaimed upon catching up to you and seeing your state.

"I said, it's fine. My forehead was probably scraped a little,"

"Show it to me," Law suddenly appeared next to you, surprising you a little bit. You had not realised his presence closing in since deep inside you were freaking out at the idea of your forehead bleeding.

"It's f-"

"Tch. Don't be a brat and just let me see it," he forcefully held your head to face him. With how close he was, your head felt empty since no one ever invaded your personal space like this. You wanted to close your eyes but at the same time, you felt entranced at the sight of his grey eyes staring intently at the spot on your forehead, probably where the wound was.

"What did you do to get injured like this, kiddo," he then let go of your face, before applying some kind of antiseptic solution onto a cotton pad and patting it onto your wound.

"Eh? Umm.. How you are-ouch-really-oof-a good person-oowie..," you spoke honestly, naivety laced your statement. Amidst stating your reason, you couldn't help but wince at the stinging. You tried to be strong like the rest of the kids but your younger self couldn't stop your eyes from tearing up.

On the other hand, Law hadn't expected an actual response from the girl in front of him, not to mention, an answer that praised him like that. So he could only be more careful as he patted the cotton onto your wound so as not to hurt you even more, all the while his other hand wiping your tears that were threatening to come out. This simple act of his kindness managed to comfort you, to say the least.

And that was probably the day the both of you started to open your hearts for each other.