It had taken Law longer than he cared to admit to realize that the Strawhats had indeed another member to their crew. Not for lack of politeness on his part, but because you seemed more recluse than the rest of your compatriots.
On the journey to Dressrosa, Law found a large amount of time on his hands, and to pass it he wandered the deck of the Sunny. Aimlessly meandering wherever he happened to walk, he was surprised to find a tucked-away greenhouse behind the orange tree that the navigator lovingly cared for each day.
Curiosity getting the better of him–because he couldn’t see any of the Strawhats having the patience or desire to tend to what he might find inside–he pushed open the door and peeked inside.
The warm, humid interior was tinted green and he stepped all the way through to shut the door behind him. All over, various species of flora grew from their planters, twining up the poles and supports that were stuck in the soil. He eyed the flourishing greenery, impressed with their size and abundance of life, wondering to himself who took such great care of them.
Turning around, he stopped short, seeing a rather unexpected individual standing behind him. Holding two planters of what he thought to be herbs, you stared at one another in shock.
Being shorter in stature than him, you blinked in silence at his unexpected presence in your greenhouse, and judging by the momentary panic, you wondered if he were perhaps an intruder who’d snuck on the ship.
Then, the moment passed, and you relaxed. “You must be Trafalgar Law. Captain said we had entered an alliance with you.” You say, setting the planters on the closest empty surface and wiping the dirt from your hands.
“I am.” He confirmed, adjusting his sword that rested on his shoulder. “And you are…?”
“Y/N. Resident gardener, I guess you could say.” You shrug, gesturing to the many plants that surrounded the both of you. “I’m not much of a combatant, so I’m sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I don’t leave the ship that often.”
Law was shocked at your calm temperament. Someone as mild-mannered as you could be a part of Strawhats crew? Well, Robin was of a similar disposition, but even she had her dark humor and strange moments as he’d come to learn. You seemed…basically normal.
You were short and rather cute too, he came to realize, dwarfed by the size of the plants you carefully tended. Had he encountered you anywhere else, he never would have expected you to be a Strawhats.
You quirked a brow at him, and it was then that he recognized his extended silence. Clearing his throat, he turned away, directing his gaze to the many plants that overtook the room. “What is the purpose of your greenhouse?”
“Oh! Well…” The surprise in your tone didn’t escape his notice. Perhaps you’d expected him to simply leave. You followed his gaze, smiling with pride.
“There are many different plants here, all have different uses. This one, for example,” you step closer and touch the plant that Law was standing beside, “is one of Usopp’s. He harvests the seeds to use as ammunition for his slingshot. They’re particularly explosive upon a hard impact.
"And these,” you shift to the side, pointing to a line of plants just behind him and further down the way, “are the varieties of tea plants that Robin requested I grow, so Sanji can make tea with the fresh leaves. I’m quite proud of the Camellia.”
“Hmm…” He hums to himself, eyes slowly panning over the many different types you had growing inside. He hadn’t expected to socialize, but for some reason, he felt compelled to stay and ask more questions. “Are there any for medicinal purposes in here?”
“Yes! Over here.” Your smile widens, and you gesture for him to follow as you step back around the walkway inside the greenhouse, guiding him to a spot towards the back.
You stop at a certain point and indicate the many potted plants on the table beside you. “Chopper uses these for salves, ointments, and such. If possible, we try to grow anything we might need that can help with healing. You never know when Luffy might accidentally poison himself or a crew member.”
Law’s expert eyes survey the familiar plants with awe, tentatively reaching out to thumb one of the leaves of the closest one to him. It was soft and lush. He turned to you, intrigued. “Some of these are incredibly rare and require strict growing environments…how do you get them to grow?”
“Ah, right, I forgot to mention.” You reach into your pocket and produce a few seeds, and before his very eyes, they begin to split and sprout green tendrils of whatever plant they might grow to become. Right there in the palm of your hand. “I ate the Kojo Kojo no Mi. Plants are…sort of my thing.”
“Impressive.” He says to you, keeping his tone firmly neutral, but internally, he had to admit that you were becoming more and more interesting by the second. “You can grow any plant you desire?”
“I need to physically touch the plant itself before I can actually manipulate and grow it, to understand the cellular structure and the plant’s growth needs. But yes, if I’ve touched it at some point in my life, I can sprout anything from a single seed.”
“Your abilities are wasted on Strawhat-ya…” He mumbles to himself. “I’ve no doubt he doesn’t understand the value in such a resource.”
To his surprise, you only laugh, a beautiful smile lighting up your expression, and he finds that he doesn’t want to look away. Perhaps he should be more concerned about that, but right now, he just wanted to enjoy being in the presence of someone new and interesting.
“That’s alright. They don’t mind that I’m not much of a fighter, and I don’t mind that they don’t get flora the way I do. It’s an even trade.” You finally say with a shrug, crossing your arms and leaning again the table. Then, your expression clears and you look to him again. “Oh, you must have come in here for something, right? I didn’t mean to ramble, I just don’t get a lot of visitors or someone that asks questions…”
“No, I was simply wandering, when I came across the greenhouse.” He said, looking around once more as if he hadn’t already gotten a good look at it thus far. “I didn’t expect anyone to be here. Or for there to be another Strawhat I hadn’t known about.”
“Ah, I see.” You said, smile returning in full. So captivating.
“I’ll let you get back to your tending.” He said, hiking the sword up further on his shoulder as he turned away. “Sorry to disturb you.”
“Nonsense! I appreciated the company…and the genuine interest.” You said with another quiet laugh, this time your cheeks displaying a dust of red. “You’re welcome anytime…only if you feel like it, of course.”
“Of course.” He conceded, giving you a parting nod and a tiny smirk as he saw himself out of the greenhouse, instantly missing the warm humidity that had encased the two of you just moments before.
Law continued his walk around the deck, but now rather than feeling immense boredom he was pondering to himself how soon would be too soon to visit you again.
A person like you was too intriguing to leave alone. And…he quite liked your smile.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
