Law lay awake in his bed, listening to the rhythmic sound of waves lazily brushing against the side of Doflamingo's ship as the tide continued to rise ever so slowly. The teenage doctor had been in that position for almost four hours now and still gave no sign of being able to fall asleep.

I'm. So. Bored. He thought as he glanced at the clock in his room once more. Exactly two in the morning and still no chance of him getting even a wink of sleep. Trafalgar Law stood up and stretched, deciding that maybe raiding the kitchen would solve his problems, so he quietly left his room.

After traversing the hallway as quickly as possible Law easily entered the mess hall and headed for the door leading to his destination. He turned the handle and found the place to be locked, but of course that couldn't stop a hungry teen on the hunt.

This definitely wasn't his first midnight snack run and it seemed the cook was starting to catch onto his antics. But whether the chef knew it was him or not, he couldn't tell.

Law pulled out a few makeshift lock picking tools he had happened to stash in his pocket just before leaving his room and set to work. Without even a minute passing by he was already inside and heading for the refrigerator.

Ten minutes later and he left with a steaming bowl of ramen, making sure to leave the door to the kitchen wide open and reminding himself to watch for the cook's reaction when the man found out his plan hadn't worked. He snickered deviously to himself before deciding to head for the bow of the ship.

They were currently docked at a little island in the East Blue called Goa Kingdom since Doflamingo said he was meeting up with someone there. Law had no idea who, nor did he particularly care. He gave up trying to figure out how far that man's contacts were spread and just focused on learning about the sights he was constantly exposed to. Law walked up to the railing of the ship and leaned against it, continuing to eat his meal and enjoying the warm summer's breeze as it brushed over his bare chest. Suddenly, a larger gust blew past him, tousling his hair around roughly and causing him the close his eyes because of its intensity. Just as he thought it was over, something large and circular flew into his face. Law fell backwards in surprise, dropping his bowl and scattering ramen everywhere.

The teen grumbled lightly, somewhat lamenting the loss of his midnight snack before taking notice to what had been blown in his face. Law picked up the object and examined it, surprised and curious as to why it had been sent from the seemingly unpopulated beach, across the water and onto the ship.

"A straw hat, huh." Trafalgar said, wondering offhandedly if someone on the island was currently missing it.

~0~

Crocodile tears continued to flood from Luffy's eyes as he, Ace, and Sabo trekked down the beach for what seemed like the one hundredth time. The three of them happened to get into trouble yet again with some of the criminals earlier in Grey Terminal and were forced to fight in order to get away. They all escaped without physical injuries, but before any of them could do anything about it, one of the men had snatched the straw hat straight off of Luffy's head and tossed it into the wind.

That man probably wouldn't be able to walk correctly for another few months after Ace and Sabo had finished with him, but that wasn't going to get Luffy his treasure back.

Ace yawned, growing more tired as the boys continued along the ebbing waves, searching for the missing hat.

"You know Luffy, crying isn't going to get your hat back. It's probably making it harder for you to see as well, right?" Sabo mentioned to his younger brother just before he also yawned.

"I'm not crying!" The boy replied as the tears and snot refused to stop trickling from his eyes and nose respectively. They continued on, hopping across some boulders and checking every crack yet again when Ace suddenly spotted something.

"Get down!" He said in a frantic whisper, forcing Sabo and Luffy to duck behind one of the rocks before peering over it.

"What is it?" Sabo asked. Luffy also seemed to calm down at the tone of his brother's voice and looked out in the same direction as the other two. In front of the three was a small dinghy being rowed to shore by a single person. It looked to be from the ship anchored out in the sea but it was mysterious to see only one person out in the dead of night like that. The sight was suspicious indeed, causing Sabo and Ace to come up with a few theories as to whom it might be.

"Maybe it's a convict."

"Maybe it's a drug trafficker."

But Luffy knew exactly what it was.

~0~

After he came back from his room with some proper clothing on, Trafalgar Law had managed to lower his own dinghy into the water and rowed it across the sea but now that he was nearing the shore he wasn't entirely sure where to start his search for the owner of the straw hat. The boat suddenly ran aground and he hopped out before dragging the small dinghy ashore. Law picked up the troublesome hat from the seat he had placed it on and looked out into the darkened island. He remembered there being a city to the left side of the beach he was on and decided to start there when he suddenly heard a shout that sounded suspiciously like "MY HAT!". Just as Law turned towards the noise something hard and fast collided with his stomach, successful knocking him unconscious.

~0~

Luffy's personality had flipped a clear one-eighty before he used his arms like a giant sling shot to launch himself across the beach and straight into the newcomer. Ace and Sabo both felt like shouting out to him how much of a dumbass he was but held their tongues for the time being until they made sure the person Luffy had just collided with wasn't a drug trafficking convict.

The two ten-year-olds approached the crash scene and immediately noticed Luffy contently sitting with his hat back in its proper place, the only problem was that the youngest was currently seated on the unconscious stranger's chest.

Ace and Sabo sighed, relieved that their brother was alright and no longer crying but also peeved at Luffy's constant need to run off whenever he felt like it. The two older kids came up around their little brother and clocked him upside the head before he had a chance to speak.

"OW! What was that for?" The kid asked indignantly.

"This guy just found your favorite hat and you tackled him like he was a bear? !" Ace scolded, slamming a fist into the boy's head again. Luffy covered his throbbing scalp with his hands and looked up at his older brother as he held a few tears of pain at bay.

"I-I'm sorry Ace." The boy said.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to this guy!" Ace stated, pointing to the one in question. Coughing suddenly came from the teen as his lids fluttered open and Luffy's eyes widened considerably.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! !" The kid shouted before wrapping his long, rubbery arms around the teenager's neck and burrowing his face into the other's cheek.

"Can't… breathe…"

But the Law's plea for air was lost as Luffy continued to thank him, Ace slapped his palm against his own forehead and Sabo let a nervous smile onto his face.

~0~

Trafalgar Law walked through the forest with Sabo and Ace on either side of him while Luffy sat on his shoulders, resting his head on top of the elder's and peacefully sleeping as Law kept up with the two older children.

"You sure you two are okay?" He asked as he noticed both ten-year-olds swaying from their fatigue again. The three boys had decided to trust Law enough and bring him to their home since he had safely returned Luffy's treasure completely unharmed and didnt seem like a threat even after waking up with a seven-year-old practically suffocating him. Not to mention Ace and Sabo didn't think they could safely climb up the mountain with their youngest brother in tow who was as useful as a dead body when asleep. But the older boys had adamantly refused Law's help when it concerned themselves and had managed to make it a quarter of the way back to their home already.

"No, I'm fine." Ace obviously lied as he yawned once more and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Sabo didn't even reply and Law stared at the blonde skeptically. The eldest waited patiently, counting the boy's steps before reaching out an arm to match the speed of his pace and scooping the kid into his arm. Sabo didn't even react and immediately conked out as soon as he was seated on Trafalgar's hip. Law returned his gaze to the only conscious kid left who didn't even seem to notice his brother was now asleep.

"You want to tell me again how you get back home?" Law asked as Ace tripped over his own feet once more but managed to stay standing.

"Geez, how many times do I have to repeat myself?" The kid asked, yawning heavily before continuing. "First you go straight and look for the tree with orange leaves then take a left."

They had already passed the aforementioned tree which was an enormous thing with brilliantly colored leaves.

"Then you look for the caves, but make sure not to wake Butch, and turn right."

The caves were in the side of a cliff, each one looking to be about fifty feet in diameter. Law hadn't had the pleasure of meeting Butch but he was informed that he was the biggest bird in the entire world and had apparently carried Luffy off several times.

"Next is the purple moss, but don't eat it. Luffy did that once and hallucinated for a week. That's when you take another left."

The four boys did indeed come up to a large felled tree coated in neon purple moss shimmering in the moonlight just as Ace gave that part of the directions.

"And then?" Law asked as they followed the kid's instructions.

"Then you need to cross a giant precipice, but make sure to take the rickety looking bride because the other is just a trap me 'n Sabo thought up to trick trespassers."

Law raised an eyebrow at that and noticed Ace was starting to doze off as he walked.

"And then you go until the glowing yellow flower, right?" Law asked in an attempt to keep the boy awake.

"Yeah." The younger answered as he yawned heavily. "Then a left there, a right at the turquoise pond, across the swamp, and a left at the thirty-fifth tree." The kid finished, bringing up both of his hands and screwing his fists into his bloodshot eyes.

The two continued on for a while before Law had to reach out with his other hand and catch the remaining boy with his empty arm. Ace fidgeted a bit but eventually gave in to his fatigue and was out like a light. The teenager waited a bit, keeping up his original pace and making sure all three boys were asleep before dashing through the thicket looking for the next landmark.

~0~

Law arrived at a woodsy-looking house and kicked the front door a few times since he didn't have a free hand to knock but there was no answer. He considered kicking it down and barging in but decided to look around for some alternative means before resorting to something like that. He noticed in the trees just at the edge of the clearing was a poorly constructed tree house. Trafalgar headed over to it and decided it was better than just dumping the kids off on the front steps and hoping some wild animal didn't decide to walk by and eat them. Law ran at the tree and jumped, bouncing from branch to branch and hopping through the opening, making a soft landing in the middle of the building. When the house didn't threaten to fall apart with their combined weight, he decided it would definitely be a good place to leave the boys. Law looked around and noticed there was already several blankets and pillows as if this was where the kids actually slept. He grinned slightly to himself and set to work putting the boys to bed.

But a hiccup turned up in his plans; when Law tried to pull Ace away and set him down on the floor the boy refused to let go of his shirt. He then tried with Sabo but the same thing occurred. Luffy had had a tight grip around his neck for the past half hour so Law didn't even want to try to futilely pry the kid from his head. Trafalgar sighed and sat down, trying to figure out what to do next. But as soon as he was on the ground something amazing happened; both Ace and Sabo woke up yawning at the same time before noticing each other then groggily looking over at the teenager. Law was about to speak, telling them that they were in (what he assumed to be) their tree house, but the boys completely ignored him and wrapped their arms around his neck, successfully toppling the eldest over. Law layed confused under the combined weight of the two older brothers as his head rested on Luffy's stomach. Just as he thought things couldn't get any worse, the youngest boy stood up, causing Trafalgar's head to smack into the floor beneath him before he felt another weight on his chest. He looked up and noticed the boy had squeezed himself between Ace and Sabo and now all three brothers were contently sleeping on top of him.

Fantastic. He sarcastically thought to himself, looking out the window and noticing the first few rays of the sun peaking out over the tree tops. Law sighed and figured the worst thing that could happen back on the ship was a few crew members absentmindedly wondering where their source of entertainment was which would force them to look for something else to torment. The thought made the young doctor crinkle his nose as he thought about his treatment on that ship but when he remembered he could kick the majority of the men's asses into next week he grinned devilishly before yawning and shutting his eyes, relaxing as his fatigue finally caught up with him and falling asleep with the kids still sprawled out on top of him.

~0~

Ace and Sabo slowly awoke, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they slowly became aware of the new day. The boys each looked around the familiar room they were in and noticed that two people were no where to be seen before they heard shouting come from outside the tree house.

"You trespassing pervert! Who the hell are you? !"

"Wait, no! I'm not…"

A loud smash came next and the two kids ran to the window. They looked out to find Dadan waiving around her enormous club at the fleeing Trafalgar Law who still had Luffy wrapped around he neck, sleeping peacefully.

"What did you do to that boy? !"

"I didn't…"

Another smash from the club had a tree toppling over. The two boys looked at each other before dashing out of the window to help their new friend.

"Wait, Dadan!" Sabo and Ace both called together, but the large woman didn't acknowledge them. She raised the club again after cornering Law in between a few trees and brought it down with as much force as she could. Trafalgar caught it before it could make contact with his skull while the ten-year-olds tackled the woman. Dadan and her club were sent tumbling away when the boys managed to crash straight into her. The doctor breathed a sigh of relief as two people who were awake and could actually take his side in order to reassure the crazy woman about his nonthreatening existence finally showed up.

Not even minutes before, Law had been knocking at the door trying to find someone who could remove the child who seemed to have his arms permanently wrapped around his neck but was met with the violent woman accusing him of kidnapping Luffy.

After a while Ace and Sabo managed to talk Dadan out of mutilating the teenager and set to work trying to wake their little brother up.

"Oi, Luffy." Ace said as he poked a finger into his brother's cheek while Law sat on the ground. "Breakfast in ready and Makino brought fresh meat."

At the very mention of food the little boy sprung to attention and quickly dashed from the doctor's shoulders in search of what was served to eat. Luffy sprinted around the clearing as he looked with both his eyes and nose for the promised meal while Law just rubbed his sore neck.

To think it was so easy to wake the kid up…

Trafalgar stood and brushed himself off, watching as the scene in front of him melted from excitement to dismay as the youngest realized he had been duped. Luffy accused his brothers of lying but they easily ignored him and turned to their guest.

"Come on! Let's have breakfast together!" Sabo called out with a big smile on his face while reaching for one of Law's hands.

"Yeah, yeah! With lots of meat!" Luffy stated next, grabbing the teen's other hand and already forgetting all about his anger.

"We'll make something really tasty for you!" Ace said next, coming around behind Trafalgar and pushing him through the door as Sabo and Luffy tugged on his hands. Law stumbled inside the building and was lead to a large table before being roughly seated. The kids then dashed out of the room, arguing over what animal to bring to the table as they ran for the forest, leaving the doctor sitting with a puzzled expression at the dining table. But instead of getting up and leaving for Doflamingo's ship like he had intended when he first woke up this morning, Law grinned and stood, deciding to follow after the boys so he didn't have to awkwardly sit at the table while waiting for them. Just as Law was about to head outside the three came racing back inside with a fresh kill ready to cook up.

The young doctor cocked an eyebrow at the sight but decided not to question it since there seemed to be something distinguishing these kids from normal children the moment he first met them. Law smirked and silently wondered if he might also have siblings like these kids somewhere out in the world.

~0~

AN: this is another story i thought about putting in "Back Story" but i didn't feel like it fit too well so i decided to post it separately :D after all, the idea is too cute to keep locked up in my desktop ;)