Code name: 'Corazon' (One Piece AT fanfic)

Rocinante's black feather coat was getting wet. Beneath him, the snow was mixing with his blood as it melted from what little warmth he had left.
He had at least a couple of broken ribs, and burning twinges of pain from the bullets still in his body assailed him when he tried to get up; he would have probably screamed if one of them had not pierced his lungs, making even breathing close to impossible.

His head was spinning, his limbs were going numb, and the metallic taste of his own blood was sickening, but he kept fighting. He couldn't die, yet... He could give up, or Law's voice—Law's cries would be heard throughout the whole island.

Please, Law, run!

Rocinante coughed, almost chocking as a gush of blood filled his month. The warm liquid trickled down his chin, his heartbeat becoming fainter and his breath more laboured with each passing second. Things weren't looking good for him, but even in that situation his last thoughts were for the child he'd managed to save from his brother.

Run away, Law, quietly and unnoticed... Now, nobody can stop you! You are... finally... free...

Rocinante's mute prayer was received by the silent falling snow that slowly covered his face, and his feeble smile was the last thing to disappear under the white shroud.

---

Law wandered aimlessly across the snowy hills, trembling and bawling his heart out, but no noise came from his small figure. Tears ran down his white-patched face and mixed with snot. He felt cold. He was afraid. He was alone... and he dreaded the moment his voice wouldn't be silent anymore.
The child knew that the return of sound would coincide with the death of Corazon, whose powers had allowed him to slip away from the Donquixote Pirates.

Suddenly, Law's shouting burst through the snowstorm. However, his wails could be heard for just the fraction of a second, immediately drowned by the roar of a cannonade from the Marine ship anchored in the bay. The deafening blast knocked Laws' breath out and sent him a good five meters away, but he still had the presence of mind to grab his hat and pull it down over his ears.

When the gunfire finally ceased, Law crawled towards the nearest building—or better, the forsaken skeleton of what had once been a house. He crouched behind a scraped brick wall and remained there for a long time, shaking. His throat was hurting so much he could hardly speak at all, but he kept whispering his benefactor's name until dawn. Then, exhausted, the child finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Law was curled up in Corazon's last present for him: a plain yet warm blanket, which prevented him from dying from hypothermia.

---

Sengoku was eating rice crackers when the news reached him. The snack fell from his hand as he yelled through the den-den mushi, "Is he alive?!"

"Barely." Vice-admiral Tsuru's voice sounded heavy even through the receiver.

Realising that he had been holding his breath, Sengoku sighed. "Do everything in your power to save him," he replied. "Then, we'll proceed with the interrogation." He had added the last bit after the slightest of pauses, trying to regain composure even though he was raging. Please, don't die, he thought, recalling his first encounter with Rocinante: a crying mess with blong hair covering half his face bumping against his legs. Eighteen years had passed since Sengoku met that scared little child, and Rocinante had become like a son to him.

Sengoku stood up and looked out of the window; outside, the sky was grey and rain from thick cumulonimbi would soon whip fiercely against the walls of the Marine headquarters. For once, he wished for Garp to storm into his office as he usually did, without even bothering to knock on the door first. But then, he remembered that his friend's most recent visit coincided with the last time he had talked with Rocinante.
Sengoku's eyes watered up and he murmured to himself, "Why did I allow you to accept such a dangerous mission in the first place? I should have known better!"

Soon though, the rumbles of the thunderstorm outside rouse him from his trance. Sengoku dried his tears: an admiral couldn't display weakness before his subordinates, especially in difficult times.

---

In the end, their efforts were useless: no matter how much they tried to protest, the traitor would be sent to Impel Down for the crime of stealing the Ope Ope no Mi.

That was the most sought-after Devil's Fruit in the world, and thus the commander's actions were considered treason. Even if Rocinante had explained to them Law's story—the kid needed the fruit to cure his disease—their superiors weren't the kind of people who cared for the survival of a mere child: all they were concerned about was the immortality-giving powers of the Ope Ope no Mi.
And that wasn't even the worst of it. After those facts, nobody in the Marine other than Sengoku and his closest friends trusted Rocinante anymore, and didn't believe his words even when he told them that Dressrosa was in danger. That meant that not only Rocinante, but also that peaceful kingdom was doomed: Rocinante's older brother, Donquixote Doflamingo, would soon put in motion his diabolical plan to conquer back the country that had once been their family's, and nobody could do something to prevent it.

"Why can't those idiots listen for once?!" Garp barked while slamming his fist on the desk before him. Sengoku's cup toppled and the spilled tea soaked the documents scattered on the wooden surface.

"Calm down," hissed the admiral, frowning. "Rocinante is lucky to still be alive. We should be grateful for that, at least."

However, Garp wasn't of the same opinion. "Bollocks!" he yelled. "You know very well that being sent to Impel Down is worse than death itself!"

Anger looked so out of place on Garp's face... Sengoku had grown used to the vice admiral's annoyingly jovial attitude, and that change in the other's mood irritated him. At the same time though, he wished he could express his concern for Rocinante as openly as the man in front of him. "I can't do anything more for Rocinante, I'm sorry," he whispered after a moment of silence. "Sakazuki is behind this decision, and the World Government hangs on his lips... You'll be able to bring rice crackers to him even in prison, at least."

Sengoku had tried to lighten the mood, but he had failed miserably. Still furious, Garp left the room slamming the door behind him. The admiral flinched. Then, he sighed and covered his eyes with his hand.

---

Eleven years had passed since he had been confined in Impel Down, and Rocinante couldn't believe what was happening before his own eyes. Nobody had ever escaped from that prison—no wait, it did happen once... but a second time too?

This is absurd!

Those infamous "D" people feared by his brother really did bring storms to the world. Rocinante found it ironic that, while in the past he had given everything up for a "D", now another "D" was giving him a second chance.

Thank you, Monkey D. Luffy... One day, I would like to meet you and repay my debt.

Rocinante jumped to his feet, and before he was aware of it his legs—a bit rusty but still strong—started moving by themselves. He ran and ran, climbing up stairs and fighting monstrous guardians. Sure, he did stumble here and there, since he was out of shape and as clumsy as ever, but he kept going and only stopped when he emerged from the underwater prison.
There, a cool wind welcomed him: it smelled of sea and freedom, and for the first time in years Rocinante had the certainty that he would see Law again. Tears of joy filled his eyes, but he didn't let them cloud his vision. He leaped aboard the nearest ship, being careful not to make mistakes. He needed to blend with the rest of the fugitives and act fast before the Gate of Justice closed, otherwise he wouldn't be able to really leave that hellish place behind.

Rocinante's silence had lasted way too long: now, it was time to step on the stage of the world again.