He had heard tales about if you folded a thousand stars, a wish of yours would be granted.
Of course, Law didn't believe in such tales. After all, Cora-san told him there was no magic in this world. And he believed Cora-san.
He had never believed such tales.
He never did.
-o-
He bought a stash of star folding paper strips from a kid younger than him one day. He stared at the pile of paper in front of him on his desk. Was it the pleading gaze of the child who was selling these motivated him? Or was she being an annoyance so he mindlessly decided to spend some money to shoo her away?
He didn't know. Everything was a haze when he bought these paper strips. Cora-san died not long before and he hadn't gotten over his death yet. After all, Law vowed that he would never forget Cora-san.
Law played with a strip, feeling the rough material under his fingertips. He played with it. Looking at the stash, he noticed the little girl had slipped in a small tutorial for him. It was drawings of each steps and little short, simple sentences accompanying them.
Law followed the steps. His calloused fingers traced the strip. He folded it in accordance to the tutorial.
Hours went by and soon there was a small heap of stars on Law's desk.
As he folded, he hummed a tune that he had desired to listen to it once again. He licked his chapped lips as he stopped for a while and then continued.
Maybe he had begun to enjoy doing this leisurely activity.
-o-
Law decided to fold a paper star whenever he missed Cora-san or feel sad.
-o-
Time passed and the little boy who escaped Death soon grown into a young man of 24. So did the number of his paper stars.
Law kept those paper stars in a glass jar. The number of stars it contained soon grew to 1314. He kept track of the number and when it reached 1314, Law felt… accomplished. He brought the jar onto the deck with him. His crew was all asleep on their hammocks.
Law looked at the starry night sky. He remembered when he was small, on a grassy hill at night, Cora-san would tell him about the stars and the stories that the man had heard about them. He remembered when they were sailing on the sea, he would be told tales of sailors who used the stars as their guides. He remembered memories of a short-lasting good time with Cora-san.
Law sat down against the rail of the deck and hugged the jar tightly. He felt the hard object pressing against his torso.
Cora-san - He muttered