"Tora-o! No!"

Law held up his hand to signal his crew as he brought Kikoku down on Blackbeard. The blade sliced through flesh, muscle, and bone like butter. The Yonko's hand impacted his stomach and he felt a pulling, twisting, agonizing pressure ripping him apart. But there was no defense against the barrage of seastone bullets and the man's life was extinguished before Law even began to fall.

He fell to his knees, coughing up blood as he wrapped his arms around the gaping hole in his body. A roar shook the ground and signaled his first mate's arrival, the large bear decimating the men and women that stood between him and Law.

Only his room was keeping him alive. He slumped forward to lie face-first on the ground, sighing as Bepo's Electro had the overpowering smell of ozone and cooked meat permeating the battlefield.

"TORA-O!" Luffy screamed in agonized grief from where he was trapped on the scaffold, alone as his guards had long since joined the fight.

Law was forced to move to send bullets back at the marines that had fired them. The movement had him coughing again and blood splattered the ground. His energy was fading fast, the week-long battle proving too much for him but he smiled anyway. He'd taken out the last major wall between the strawhatted captain and the One Piece.

Bepo finally reached him and gentle paws lifted him up, the bear cradling him in his arms. "Sencho…" There was hopelessness in his voice as he stared at Law's wound.

Chuckling, Law reached up to rub the red stained muzzle tenderly, smiling softly when he immediately pushed into the touch. "We planned for this….Bepo."

"Sencho, no! You can't die yet!" Bepo cried, tears pouring from his warm black eyes. "I'm not ready!"

"You'll never be ready." He replied softly.

A blast of Conqueror's Haki signaled Luffy's freedom and half the combatants fell—most of them enemies. The ground quaked and Law looked down as Luffy Picked himself out of the crater. Black met green and Law smirked at the man. "This is just like you, waiting for all the fodder to be taken out so you can go for the big guns."

A calloused hand touched the edges of the wound and Law smacked it away.

"What are you doing here? Go fight." He huffed.

The man didn't say anything for a few minutes, just staring at Law with a heartbroken expression. "You're dying."

"Don't be ridiculous, Mugiwara-ya." He scoffed. "You think I'll just let you have the One Piece?"

The grief was back and up close it was like another blow. "You promised you wouldn't leave me! You promised!"

"I'm not-" A coughing fit cut him off, deep wet wracking coughs that had blood dripping to the stained ground. By the time he was able to breathe properly, there was a large puddle and he tightened his grip with his powers. "Not going anywhere," He wheezed between breaths.

The last of his strength was draining away and he leaned heavily against Bepo, unable to hold himself up. The bear was now crying uncontrollably and Law reached up to drum his fingers against his muzzle.

"Don't cry, Bepo." He said softly.

"Don't leave me, Tou-san!" Bepo sobbed. "You're all I have left!"

His breathing was starting to become labored, hands starting to shake. "You have the crew."

"They're not nakama, not PACK!" He whimpered and nuzzled Law's face desperately. "They've been…they've been talking, Tou-san…They want my Mink."

Law jerked Luffy forward, glaring into his desolate eyes and causing him to freeze. "You will take Bepo into your family or I will NEVER forgive you."

He began to cough again, releasing Luffy to cover his mouth and warm blood began to seep through his fingers. He was losing his grip on his powers and both shouted at him, trying to keep him stable but he was succumbing to the wound. Blood was leaking into his lungs and widening the puddle at their feet and he couldn't catch his breath. He became lightheaded and their voices became a distant hum as his room shattered.

Cracking his eyes open, Law gave their blurry faces a bloody grin. "I lied. I'm g-going to the…the White City." Reaching up to put a hand on each of their cheeks, he gasped out, "See you...there."

"NO! NO! T-TORA—"

"TOU-SAN DON'T—

A seastone bullet imbedded itself into his struggling heart and he went limp, not even having the energy to be shocked by the betrayal. Like a switch being flipped, everything went black.

Before suddenly becoming blinding white.

"LAW-CHAN, NO!"

Turning onto his side with a gasp, he coughed up blood, stomach whole once more but feeling more than a little bit bruised. A foot slammed into his side with more than enough force to crack ribs and he let out a pained cry.

"VERGO, YOU BASTARD! I'M THE TRAITOR!"

Law knew that voice. He heard it every night in his nightmares. Opening his eyes, he saw Corazon picking himself up from the ground, beaten and bloody.

Then, before he could take in a shocked breath, Vergo shot the man in the chest.