Cora Definitely Doesn't Mind Inheriting An Entire Group Of New Wayard & Displaced Young People To Help Take Care Of - Tumblr Posts

　　❝ i'll have you know i stopped smoking ages ago, thanks very much. ❞

　rosinante knocked his temple against the top of law's head, forceful enough to make a point (almost as if he was calling him 'brat' through body language in that affectionate way he used to do) but gentle enough to not ruin the moment. however, he sounded a bit too smug & teasing for what was ostensibly something he was forced to do, no hard work & willpower on his part at all.

　❝ not that it was really a choice; kind of had to quit cold turkey because punctured lungs & broken ribs don't make the act of inhaling all that fun - but, eh... probably for the best. you did always bug me about it back when you were little. ❞

in the last decade, he had truthfully gotten dozens of leads on law's whereabouts. sightings of submarines. stories of a grouchy teen pirate captain. . but rosinante could never make it in time before law had moved on.

he was in disbelief even made it here on time - well, not in time to stop him from doing the extremely dangerous & frankly idiotic thing he was planning, but... in time to find him. days ago, he had put two-and-two together the moment he read the news of doflamingo's abdication and that law had conveniently formed at alliance with another pirate (strawhat luffy, at this point infamous for bulldozing his way through corrupt political figures). he knew his brother enough to know he would have never willingly gave up the position he had been fighting his entire life to attain - which meant law had to be involved. law had to be heading for dressrosa.

and he was right. the fact they were sitting here together felt like a miracle. as hesitant as he was - rosinante never wanted to let law out of his sight again.

❝ oh yeah? we're not planning on going up against anymore tyrannical governments, are we? ❞ rosinante was, frankly, dreading what law was planning to do next if this is the sort of thing he got up to on a regular day. ❝ y'know.... when i thought of us traveling the world together, i was thinking more of a low stakes & chill vacation. have you even let yourself relax once in the last thirteen years? ❞

Law had wondered if Rocinante would be modest about it. He gave him a reason to keep living. Offering kindling to the dying spark in his heart to set it ablaze once more. As time passed, he had come across people he's come to think so dearly of. A group of friends feeding into the flames of ambition && life that he could never be ungrateful for. Though heart often appearing encased in ice to outsiders ( perhaps no visible, metaphorical heart at all ), people who know him best know that this is not always true.

Even in his affectionate gesture, he's begrudgingly accepting it, as small and simple as it was. Leaning against the other as a lenient way of giving into what Rocinante wanted in this moment, quiet most of all. He'd spare him of his typical means to express the slight discomfort when it came to this sort of affection. Perhaps, this was something he wanted to ( but feels a little too old to show that at this point ). As the other speaks his mind of their future, Law remains quiet, listening along to it. To think he still searched for him after all this time... && he was none the wiser.

His eyes briefly look up towards Rocinante, a glint of uncertainty of what to say next. Something about the comfort of knowing where exactly he is versus knowing that the rest of his journey would be far from easy. " You don't seem like an 'early retirement' guy, Cora-san. " A half-hearted attempt at a joke. " ... We still have the New World to still get through, you know. " && he would keep going until all his questions were answered about the world. About the 'D.' and what it entails. " You'd just have to deal with the rest of them. && try not to set yourself on fire again with your smokes. "