voice: un; CAPTAIN

[nishishi]

[The feed is going to start up easier than it did last time. Looks like someone's actually learning how to use his communicator--how about that.

Either way, the face that Luffy's making this time around is a little bit unreadable. A smile is on his face, but somehow, if you're someone used to the sort of expression this man usually makes--it's clear that there's something not quite right with it.

Even if the tone that lights up the speakers is a bright one.]

Everyone been having fun yet? It's been messy, right? I hope no-one got too hurt when it came to the big ugly swamp monster. [After all, he'd gotten quite beaten up by it. Look at the bandages and scrapes on his hands and face.]

Even if you did, there's lots'a people here to fix you up, Like Torao. But anyway.

Have any of you seen Ace? My brother. He's always flying ahead of me when we go on adventures together, and he did it again this time around. So I think he got lost.

I'm sure we'll find him when the mission's over, but you know!!
It's not fair, I wanted to be the one who got ahead this time.

[He's so steeped in denial, it might hurt to hear. Sorry.]

Comments

[nishishi]

[Yeah, please don't bring up the agonizing pain part up. He'll get even more worried.
A hand moves up, rubbing the tracks of wet, salty water away from his own eyes, a hard sniff given unabashedly a few moments later. His head leans to the side, thumping against the others' chest a bit.]

They'll go away. Torao's a good doctor, so you already healed the poison away, right?

[A beat.]

Torao's strong like that.

[kikoku]

[After a sharp exhale of breath that's almost a laugh, Law shakes his head. He starts to open his mouth to say how it's "not that simple," but then reconsiders, because he can guess the complaint Luffy would voice.]

Liv-ya and Achilles-ya did. [As he was incapacitated.] The spots faded the first time, I don't see why they wouldn't again.
[He doesn't seem to realize the information he's revealed there. But maybe Luffy won't notice.]

[nishishi]

[Things can always be simplified. If you don't think that, then you really are a guy who thinks too much. Your head must really hurt a lot sometimes, man.

But despite that, he's quiet for a long moment, and sorry, Law, much to your irritation--being upset means he has more clarity than he usually does.]

First time?

[kikoku]

[Law stares up at the sky for a long moment, but honestly, it's not that big a deal, the more he thinks about it. Maybe being around Luffy at the moment helps make that more clear. It's in the past, he got through it. The visible reminder of that part of his life was unpleasant, but he'll get through it this time too.]

Aah. The... illness that I was able to cure, thanks to Cora-san. It turned my skin white like this.
[That's why he wasn't happy to see them again. He already told Luffy that Corazon saved his life, that should make the severity of the illness fairly obvious.]

[nishishi]

[Oh, yeah... he remembered that story. Of course he did--he wouldn't forget any of his Nakama's words if they were important like this. So why would Law be any different?

Luffy reaches a hand down, the top of his thumb trailing along one of the patches of white on Law's hand.]

They'll go away soon.

[Because you don't want them there, right.]

[kikoku]

[Law laughs softly, more just a sharp exhale of breath, really. He wishes he could simply believe that, he's trying to, but he's naturally a pessimist, so that worry that they'll stick around somehow this time is sitting at the back of his mind nonetheless.]

They should. [All of his medical knowledge suggests this to be true. Then again, he has no idea what was actually in that gas.]

It'd be nice if we could leave both of our problems here in this swamp.

[nishishi]

[Leave their problems here in the swamp... that sounded really good, honestly. The idea settles in his stomach and he closes his eyes.
Wherever Ace had gone... he'd just continue carrying his spirit with him, just as he had done back in the Big Blue.

Finally, he lifts his head, a hand moving to rub the salt off his face--and a smile settles over his features.
It's clearly a little forced and no-where near as powerful as his natural expression, but.]

Just another memory to look back on and tell stories about when we're older.