"What the hell is going on!!!"
After his thirteenth failed strike, each one dragging him back to the same spot as if rewound by invisible strings, Law finally stopped, panting heavily with his hands braced on his knees.
He glared at the lounging figure before him, fury burning inside with nowhere to go.
What was happening to him?!
Even when he hurled his dagger straight at the man, it snapped back into his palm just before hitting the target.
It was like he was fighting a ghost.
"If you just answer my question properly, maybe I won't have to use this trick on you~"
Ozz reclined on the chair, half amused, deliberately drawing out the boy's defiance.
Law, breathing ragged, surprisingly grew quieter. Step by step, he moved closer.
"My name is Law. Trafalgar Law."
"Oh? That's not your full name, is it?"
Ozz's tone was light, as if he hadn't noticed the boy's intent at all.
Law's shadowed expression stiffened. Then, through gritted teeth, he muttered:
"…My full name is Trafalgar D. Water "
"Law!!!"
The instant the final syllable left his mouth, Law lunged. Believing he was in range at last, he drove the dagger toward Ozz's seemingly unguarded face.
"I got him!!"
For a heartbeat, triumph flickered in Law's eyes. But the blade halted just millimeters from Ozz's skin blocked by an unseen wall as solid as iron.
"What…?!"
No matter how hard he pressed, the dagger refused to pierce.
Before he could retreat, a huge hand seized the back of his collar, hoisting him into the air like a kitten.
Flailing wildly, panic and stubbornness warred in Law's eyes. He shouted anyway:
"Let me go, you bastard!!!"
Ozz frowned at the noise. With a flick of his finger, he tapped the boy's forehead.
Crack!
A welt instantly swelled, bringing tears to Law's eyes.
"Ahhh, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts…"
Why?
He had been hurt before, but this simple flick hurt worse than any wound.
The dark aura around Ozz's fingertip faded as he sighed, stroking his chin.
"Are you really not afraid of dying, brat?"
Knowing full well he couldn't win, yet still throwing himself into battle.
It seemed the boy truly didn't value his own life.
"So what? I'm not gonna live long anyway…"
Clutching his forehead, tears glinting at the corners of his eyes, Law glared with venom, his voice thick with despair.
For a moment, Ozz froze at the words.
But comfort? That wasn't his style.
His eyes narrowed in lazy boredom, and he yawned.
"Is that so? Then go ahead and die."
"Please wait!!!"
The sudden shout echoed from the palace gates.
A tall figure with golden hair and a clown's painted face came rushing in, black feathered coat trailing. His bloodshot eyes brimmed with desperation.
"Ozz-sama, I beg you, spare this child's life!!!"
Both Ozz and Law turned to the intruder.
For Law, shock. For Ozz, mild curiosity.
He had sensed Rosinante hiding behind the door long ago. He had simply chosen not to call him out.
"And you are?" Ozz asked playfully, slipping into the role of a villain.
"I am Corazon!! Doflamingo's younger brother!!!"
Rosinante tried to invoke his brother's name, hoping it would grant him leverage.
But Ozz's tone carried no respect.
"Doffy's little brother… so you'd protect this brat who just tried to offend me?"
The weight of Ozz's presence pressed like a storm. It wasn't quite Conqueror's Haki, yet the pressure was crushing all the same.
Cold sweat ran down Rosinante's face.
But kindness was carved into his bones. He couldn't abandon Law, not when he was a child of the D, not when he was sick and suffering.
Even if his brother was cruel, Rosinante still carried love in his heart. And protecting Law now was, in some ways, like reaching back in time to shield the boy his brother once had been.
He trembled, then dropped to his knees before Ozz.
"If… if this child truly offended you, then let me pay with my life instead. Just please, spare him…"
Drip.
Drip.
Great drops of tears and snot splattered onto the floor as Rosinante sobbed, his painted face twisted in anguish.
"He's just a kid, yet he says things like 'I won't live long anyway'…
It's too pitiful… Earlier, he stabbed me with that knife, but I didn't feel pain at all."
His voice cracked. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"The one who's truly hurting… is you, isn't it? You poor child, Law!"
Law froze, stunned.
Rosinante's words pierced straight into him. Despite his desperate effort to hold back sound, tears welled in his eyes too.
Ozz watched the two weep. For once, he said nothing.
After a long pause, he sighed, tossing Law aside casually as if the boy's tears might stain his hand.
"Enough. I can't stand melodrama like this."
Lighting a cigarette, he leaned back in his chair, ignoring them.
"Listen well. From today on, you both owe me a life."
He sipped his drink as if the matter was finished.
Rosinante clutched Law tightly, his face still wet with tears. But a trembling smile forced its way onto his lips.
"Ozz-sama… really is a gentle man, after all."
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