Law lets you cry against him for as long as you need. By the time you were done you were exhausted and relieved in equal measure. You don't know how long you had cried, rounds of silence and heavy body wracking sobs, but it had to be an hour at least. Your face ached, your heart hurt, and your stomach felt like it was in knots, but something in all the discomfort was comforting.

"Ah, my apologies." You say with a sniffle, looking at the mess of tears stained into his shirt. You pull a handkerchief out of your back pocket and gently pat the blotch. "How embarrassing." A nervous chuckle leaves you, and you almost start crying again. "I have not cried into someone's shoulder in a great many years. Especially not a - ah."

You lean back, despite everything that you had just been through you could feel your face getting hot. Grateful for the disastrous state you have to be in, you're certain no one else would be able to tell, and use the handkerchief to clean up your face a little.

"I am quite the mess, I apologize." Clearing your throat, you fold the little square of cloth up and put it back in your pocket.

"It's alright." He says evenly, not even looking down at his shirt. You start looking around and he follows your gaze. "We need to collect them."

You nod, it wasn't a question, but he's not wrong. "The less proof available, the better. Though, I did not count this time, so I am unsure how many-."

"Count?"

You nod, picking a few round beads nearby. "Ever since I was a child, I have counted my tears."

"That's..."

"It sounds horrific to most people, do not feel bad." You assure him, still looking around. "It is a safety measure, not just for myself, but for others as well."

You hold out your hand, holding two different kinds of tears. One is mostly glass, with a distinct glimmer within it. The other is still encased in glass, but the glass is thinner and the silvery liquid within swirls and shifts with the slightest movement.

"Diamond, and mercury." You say. "If people knew I can create diamonds, even small ones." You leave the thought to itself. "To me, the mercury is worse. The glass is thinner, and the fluid is hazardous. This may be a deserted island, but in a city? A place near children or those unaware?" Shaking your head, you put the beads in your pocket. "I do not wish others to bear a burden for my emotions."

"(Y/N)-ya," Law starts, but there's hesitation in his voice.

"... Arsenic." You answer the unspoken question softly. "Arsenic is the most dangerous thing I have ever wept."

There was a moment of silence, but Law didn't ask you anything, and you didn't offer anything further. He murmured words you had heard before, and you weren't surprised when all the tears you had shed appeared in your hands.

Of all the people to wake up to, centuries after being entombed, it seemed like providence that you would meet the inheritor of the Ope Ope no Mi. The fruit of your dear friend, who had perfected her skills to previously unknown levels, trying to pull the undefinable part of you that produced more than just tears.

In the end, she hadn't succeeded, and the final desperate plan had been to simply seal away your emotions. The only two powers able to safely release your emotions had been the two powers that had sealed them away. Since you had been effectively rescued by pirates, you realized that centuries had passed without the people who wanted your abilities being able to find either devil fruit.

Centuries later, the question was, did anyone even know exactly what you could do? You had told the Captain enough, but had enough time passed to obscure the details from the rest of the world?

"We threw the heart into the sea." You say as you stand up. "It is gone."

"That might enrage some people." Law warns.

"We could... provide them coordinates then."

"Pfft!" Law tries to stop himself, but a full laugh escapes him. "Sorry," clearing his throat he smiles. "I could picture the look on his face, and it was amusing."

"His?" You prompt.

"An old enemy." Law says, his smile fading and his usual stoic expression returning. "His subordinate was aware of the island where you were being held. I'm sure he knows about you. How much is hard to say."

"An unavoidable encounter then, it seems."

"Mm, a planned encounter, honestly." Law admits, glancing down at you. "You've been reading the newspapers we've gotten, right?"

You nod. "I have a general understanding of this world. Miss Ikkaku and the crew have told me much as well."

"What do you know about the Grandline Metro?" He asks, facing you and crossing his arms. It feels like you're being quizzed.

"It is a large bustling city, immense in size, with more advanced technology than most other islands. It is sectioned into rings, with the Holy Land – or neutral territory – in the center. Emperors rule the ring around that, and the Warlords rule beyond them. Further out are large rural and wild areas divided based upon direction, The North, East, South, and West Blues." You recite. "As I understand it, the neutral territory is hardly neutral, controlled by the World Government and the marines in their employ. The Emperors, and, seemingly, most of the world, are searching for some item called the One Piece, believed to be within the neutral zone. It has been some decades since its existence was declared, but no one has found it yet."

You look up at him with a smile. "I have inferred that you and your crew are also searching for it, and that search stumbled you upon me, it seems."

Law shakes his head. "I'm not interested in the One Piece itself. I'm more interested in the things that surround it. It's origin, history, impact."

"Sounds very academic, for a Pirate Captain."

"Mm." You see the question on Law's face, but he doesn't ask it and you don't offer anything up. "We're part of a loose alliance of three crews. One is effectively fortifying our position within the Metro. The other is collecting information from the poneglyphs directly."

"The Ponegly— they have survived?!" You grab his arm, a bright smile on your face. "Oh, they had said that they were nearly indestructible, I was worried that someone would figure out how to destroy them. What a relief."

Law's surprised expression fades as you express your relief. "What do you know about them?"

"They are written in a language no one knows and carry within them two messages." You explain. "The young man who carved the language was... unique. He spoke of another world, completely separate from this one, and a powerful force that existed there. He fell in love with a seer, and committed her prophecies to stone, using a technique from skilled artisans of the time."

"What happened to him?"

You shake your head. "I do not know. I know he wished to return home, and she meant to go with him, but I lost contact with them. After that I was entombed."

"Do you know what the two messages are?"

"Specifically, no, I do not. I was already a target and did not want to know anything more than I had to. My general understanding is that one message was an apology, the other was encoded and is meant to help in locating a great power." You explain. "It was both a contingency plan and a hope for the future."

"An apology?"

You shrug. "It was, I assume, tied into the prophecies, but again -."

"Ah, okay." Law nods. "Compartmentalizing important information like that makes sense, it's alright." He tilts his chin toward the Polar Tang. "Let's continue this later. There's time for you to rest a little before Bepo starts cooking."

Law uses his power to shift you both onto the deck of the ship, the instantaneous sense of weightlessness and abrupt shift are over almost before you can register the feeling. However, something about the process lingers inside you, and you're running to the railing to lean over the vessel to retch.

Law's beside you from the second you had moved, and is holding your hair back. One eye on you, one eye on – unfortunately – what you're tossing against the hull.

"... No one's ever gotten sick from that." He says, glancing down again to make sure there wasn't any blood.

"Always." You groan, straightening yourself up and pulling out the handkerchief to avoid wiping your hand across your mouth. "I may be the only person who does."

"You were friends with whoever had my devil fruit. That's why you called me 'inheritor'." You nod, despite the fact that he's making statements more than asking questions. "... I've never even considered trying to remove emotions from someone. Shambling personalities was tricky enough, but separating sections of a person's being to peel away just the emotions?" His eyes aren't focused on you and it's obvious that he's pondering the logistics of it.

After a few moments you smile at him, feeling better now that the effects of the shambles were passing. "You are a lot like her. More, um, tall, but she was exceptionally smart. She was often stoic toward people simply to avoid being rude." Your smile shifts to something a little sad. "A stoic woman, back then, was seen as rude by default, but I do not believe it bothered her. Her tongue could be as sharp as her mind, so it was likely for the best."

"(Y/N)!" Sachi called out and he, Penguin and Bepo came through the main door. "We looked out the porthole and you were both gone." He explains, as the three of them come over. They're doing well to give you space, but their concern warms your heart. You must've smiled at the sensation because all three of them gasp softly.

"That smile." Penguin murmurs before his face goes red and he clears his throat. "It worked then?"

You laugh softly, smiling genuinely. "It has succeeded."

Sachi turns away from you and is holding onto Bepo. You can hear him say something, but the sea air carries it away from your ears and you aren't sure what it is.

"Your smile is very pretty, (Y/N)." Bepo says, smiling back at you brightly.

You can feel your cheeks ache with the rush of blood to your face. "Oh, thank you for saying so Bepo, how kind." You look up at Law. "I may not get much rest before dinner; it seems there will be a bit of a hullabaloo."

Law's silent for a moment before he speaks. "Sachi, Penguin, go keep the others at bay. They can talk to (Y/N)-ya after she's rested, she's been through enough." He looks down at you as the two disappear into the ship. "You don't have to mind your manners on my ship. Pirates are a far cry from nobles. If you're tired say so, if you're busy, speak up. If you get sick or injured because you were trying to be proper, as the captain and doctor, I'll be the one most annoyed by it."

"I shall endeavor to do my best." You reply.

"Mm. We're going to have to work on your speech before the next port." He says idly. "When you were... well, before it didn't stick out so much, but if you speak like that as you are now it could cause problems."

You tilt your head. "I am unsure what you mean?"

"You speak too formally. Someone's going to decide that means you're worth money, or worse, they'll think you're an unguarded noble." Law explains as he and Bepo escort you to your room. "I don't need to deal with greedy and desperate people on top of the Warlords and W.G."

"You have – you've offered me protection, I suppose- I mean – I'll try my best." Your face scrunches up in frustration and you're sure you hear a laugh escape Law, but by the time you look at him, his face is stoic as stone.

"I will get better." You assert, and then put your hand over your face. "I'll get better."