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One Piece Through The Ages Event by @heyitsdoe

Trafalgar Law x F! Reader ~ The Red String of Fate ~ Chapter 1

by @simpforroses + @sashi-ya

Hi! This is our entry for @heyitsdoe wonderful event, One Piece Through the Ages! Thank you @heyitsdoe for creating it! 💖

@simpforroses and I @sashi-ya chose to write this (multi chap) fic based in the era of China’s 3 Kingdoms. You will notice it’s a mix in between a modern AU and the Ancient China AU. So you will notice several temporal jumps between both timelines! We decided to include reader in both of the temporal timelines, so you will be able to experience both AUs from a personal perspective.

@simpforroses have created this beautiful work of art for this event, in which you can appreciate Ancient China! Law during one of the true historical battles, the Battle of Nanjun (208 AD).

The drawing and the fic are based on true facts and historical events, so if you want to learn a little more about the 3 Kingdoms you can by reading this love stor(ies) in one!

Tw: first ch. is SFW. Blood and violence related to war and battles. Temporal jumps between modern AU & Ancient China History.

A/n: The title is actually based in a Chinese well known tradition, "The Red String of Fate" which is an invisible string connecting those who were destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. It is unbreakable, and a reason why in Chinese literature, lovers would be willing to walk through hell, experience hardships, and literally fight gods/demons/defy death, in order to be with their lover or to get them back.

Wc: 4.7K

Chapter 1.

The alarm resonates all around your room. You growl opening your eyes slowly, annoyed by the repetitive sounds from your phone. A new day, your first day of classes… being the professor. Well, one of them, since there are going to be two. But in any case, it’s gonna be your first time teaching others Ancient Chinese History professionally. Yeah, that field in which you specialized in is finally having some sort of workshop at your university, and you, recently graduated, were invited to be the professor.

You hastily take a bath, a quick breakfast, and head out. Luckily, you have chosen your outfit yesterday, so there was no excess loss of time during the morning. You feel anxious, what if your students don’t like your class? What if nobody shows up? Will the other professor be a young or an old guy? The only thing you know is that he is a man.

Lost in your thoughts you enter your car and head out from your entrance. At the first red light you notice something important is missing from your wrist: the red string bracelet you inherited from your grandmother. Every time you felt nervous, you would play with it a little and feel instant peace. “F… where is it?” you think, and turn around your steering wheel in order to return to your house. It couldn’t be anywhere else.

You looked at both sides of the road and there you saw it, a complete U-bend -illegal as hell-. You hear a driver honking at you, and you step on the brake in order to avoid hitting the other car.

“Are you insane, woman?” a tall man, with long black hair, a goatee, grey eyes and caramel skin shouted at you while getting off his yellow New Beetle. “I’m really sorry, I… just…” you try to excuse yourself, but noticed that the man was already knocking at your window with his long fingers tattooed with “DEATH,” and holding a well known sword by you over his shoulder. “Who the fuck carries a miao dao openly in public nowadays? Is he asking to get arrested?” you mutter to yourself, until flinching in your seat and deciding you had enough of this morning. If that bastard wanted to slice you up, you should brace to defend yourself. You roll down the passenger seat window and bend forward. “Oi, it’s enough ok? I’m sorry. Go back before I get out of my car. I’m a certified black belt you know?” you lie, unscrupulously.

Both of you fix your eyes on each other in an unspoken fight for dominance, ignoring the rest of the drivers honking and spitting insults at you, so you could move from the middle of the street. “Oi, Torao! Stop it already” a green haired man shouts from the yellow Beetle.. “Tsk…” the inked man sizes you up from head to toe and turns around. “Cocky idiot” you mumble, before something catches your attention. Hanging from his miao dao, or nodachi, if we’re talking about the close Japanese equivalent, you notice a blood-red tassel hanging from the sheath. It appeared that the end part was sliced and you found yourself instinctively reaching for your wrist.

But your bracelet isn’t there, and you panic once again…

You enter your home, slamming the door, completely aware of the fact that you are going to be late for your first day at work. But, without your red armlet, you weren’t going anywhere. Luckily the scarlet string awaited you, sitting on your nightstand. You pick it up and put it on. “I’m sorry, I’m never taking you off my wrist ever again,” you say, while kissing the worn bundles and stray threads hanging from it.

Inner peace, calm, and confidence have been restored, so you head out once again. The traffic gets worse with every minute you spend on the streets, but fortunately, campus is close to your home, so it shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to get there.

The classroom looks bigger when you are standing on the other side. You take some time to breathe in the atmosphere. The wooden musk from the lecture room walls flood the place. Outside, red leaves fall from the trees, giving a lively embellishment to the dry grass below. Fall is here, and you love it.

You take a look at your watch and realize it’s almost time for your students to attend the class. You quickly prepare the PowerPoint presentation that provides a quick background to the important figures and elements of the 3 Kingdoms Era that you were going to be teaching.

The students begin to arrive, placing their materials over the desks, while you are fixing the presentation on the uncooperative laptop that seems to freeze each time you press any key. You sweat, nervously trying to make it work, when someone places a tanned inked hand over yours.

“Let me help you.”

You turn to face the owner of the voice, crystalline grey eyes fixed on yours. “Ah…” you momentarily stutter at discovering such beauty. Seconds pass that felt like an eternity, where neither of you made further movements, until the man with inked hands grazes the red bracelet around your wrist… An instant electricity makes you pull away your hand, as well as him.

Slowly grounding yourself from the awe of such handsomeness, you quickly realize who the man is right before your eyes... the yellow New Beetle bastard.

“Oh lord, don’t tell me you followed me,” you whisper a little too loudly, with slight irritation and apprehensiveness. “What? No, I didn’t follow you! Actually, what are you doing here? This is my class. I am the new professor of Ancient Chinese History and Medicine” he stated, with an air of pride,. “You… You are Mr. Trafalgar?” you ask, your cheeks on fire.

“Y-yes… then you must be Ms. (Surname)-ya?”

“Yes, I am.”

The students shifted in their seats, contemplating the obvious bickering between you two, wondering if that will be included or not in the final exam. A green haired man, the same guy sitting next to the “new beetle bastard” clears his throat to make you stop.

Law and you look at the man simultaneously with a death glare, but soon you realize he was signaling to you both to start class. Quickly, you let Mr. Trafalgar configure the laptop, while you nervously stood in front of a huge class.

“I hope you don’t teach them the same way you drive,” he whispers with some snark behind you.. You turn around with a menacing grin that suggests how you are going to kill him, once the class finishes, and return your attention back to your students. You can hear a subtle “heh” and can only imagine his shitty grin. A sexy shitty grin.

“Welcome students!”

The class goes smoothly, your pupils are half excited for your class, half excited for the young professor behind you. You learn that Mr. Trafalgar is called “Law,” and that he is a doctor specializing in traditional Chinese medicine. Through his studies, he also discovered many historical information and connections to his practice.

Class finally concludes, and with that, the students finally leave the classroom. While you are packing your materials, a black-haired woman reaches out to you. Law was in the back closing his bag, completely unaware of the events to follow.

“Hi, Ms. (Surname) I’m Nico Robin. I loved the class and wanted to ask you about something that I have seen in this book. It's quite peculiar, I must say,” she says with a kind smile, that you wouldn’t dare to ignore. The woman who sits behind Law’s friend shows you an ancient book. She opens it to a certain page marked by a bookmark with a red tassel hanging from it.

In the page there is information about “the Battle of Nanjun”. There is no new information that you were not already well-versed in, but there is something that catches your attention: a painting that depicts a man of notable presence and defined features. And not only that, but also holds the same surname and striking resemblance to Law…

You are absolutely amazed by the similarities between that man and him, and instantly shouted to him before he left the classroom. Law seems like a man that had an aversion to making friends, and it was evident by the expression he wore when he turned to look at you.

“What?”

You narrow your eyes, but brush off the edge in his voice, “Come here, take a look at this”. Law sighs in exasperation and comes to the desk.

His icy stare scans the book scratching his goatee. “Weird,” he mumbles. “Weird?! He looks just like you, plus, your surname! Are you a descendant?” you ask, a little more excited than you should. He turns his gaze to you, making your cheeks blush and burn in an instant. “I don’t know, I know my heritage but not that far. What’s actually even more weird is that the sword… it’s just like mine”.

“You mean the miao dao you were carrying today? The one you took with you as a ‘friendly courtesy’ when you came to me today?” you ask, a little annoyed and a little surprised because it looked just like his sword. Robin, the student, giggles, you two looked like a married couple fighting over the pettiest thing.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Nico,” you excuse yourself, taking your hand to your forehead.

“It’s ok! I’m late for my next class, but you can find the same book at the library to investigate further. There are plenty of copies. Just go to the “ancient history” section on the very end of the third bookshelf.” The raven haired woman leaves the classroom with a smile on her face, while Law and you are lost in the image you just have seen.

“Oi Torao, Luffy is waiting for us at the cafeteria, are you coming?” A voice breaks the silence in which the both of you were so pleasantly immersed, while reading the pages of that book. “Yeah, I’m coming” he responds, and picks up his bag. He walks away and stops right at the door. “Don’t get too obsessed with my image, ok?” he utters with a shit-eating grin and leaves with his marimo friend.

“You wish,” you tell him, and flip him off. Even if it’s not the proper way to treat your coworker, he deserves it.

You decide to have lunch in the park outside, the autumn scenery looks amazing on campus. During the whole time your mind has been wondering about the painting in that book. How is it possible? Is Law some kind of time traveler?... Your thoughts make you laugh out loud, causing a couple that was passing by to look at you as if you grew a second head.

But, you ignore it and decide to get up because you genuinely wanted to investigate a little more. “Am I getting obsessed with his image?” you ask yourself while walking into the big gothic building that leads to the library. “I might be intrigued, but not because he is hot. Wait a minute…”

You stopped in your tracks. Great. Of course you were starting to have a crush on that handsome man. Who wouldn’t? But, he is also somewhat annoying and somehow there is an energy of rivalry between you two, and you wonder why…

You find the perfect isolated spot in the back of the library for your investigation , with the large table completely free for you to display as many books as you need. Most importantly this spot provided privacy. Or so that’s what you thought, because the moment you pick the book from the shelf, someone pulls it from the other side. “Excuse me, but I saw it first!” you protest. “No. I did!” a familiar voice retorts. You fight over the book, until you realize who was on the other side…

“You are definitely following me.”

Law wins the fight for the book and comes around the shelf. “Take it, I can come later” he mutters, handing you the book. You take it in silence, and when you do, some old parchment piece falls from it.

Both of you crouch to lift it up -bumping your heads-. “Ouch” you hiss. “Are you ok?” he asks, inspecting your forehead. “I’m ok, thanks,” you say and quickly stand up, the close proximity of his face makes you want to run away as fast as you can.

You look at the parchment piece from each side, until you realize it appears to be a short letter, perhaps a note that’s been ripped from the main piece. It seems really old, almost as if it belonged to a museum. “Law, look at this!” you tell him with enthusiasm. “Hum?” he mumbles, knitting his eyebrows, yet he comes closer to read it out of curiosity.

“Ring”. “Fire?”. “Danger?” “Love?” you read aloud, attempting to decipher what was written.. “(Name-ya)” Law stops you with half-amazement and half-shock..

“What?”.

“I… have the missing piece with a hair pin at home,” he informs you. “What? How?” you ask in disbelief.. “My grandpa, before passing away, gave me a box with some items. The miao dao and the other piece with a hairpin… there is also more that I haven’t had the chance to look at…” he says. As soon as you two pick up your belongings, you head to Law’s home. Both of you are suckers for history, and this needed to be demystified.

Law’s place is clean, minimalistic, sleek, and cold. You wonder how things evolved from you almost killing each other on the street this morning, to you being a guest at his house researching a mysterious piece of paper.

“Want something to drink? Water?” he offers you as he takes his coat off. “Huh? Water would be ok, thank you,” you mumble, inspecting a huge bookcase embedded in the wall.

Your research partner comes back to the living room with a glass of water in one hand and a little key in the other. “Follow me, I have the things stored in the attic”. You nod and follow your coworker.

The place looks nothing like the clean and cold living room. Dust floated in every corner of the air and even some spider’s webs decorated the wooden ceiling. But you don’t really care, as the mystery of the little paper is far more important.

“Here” he points towards a big wooden chest. “This is where I found the sword and the little box” he indicates, while crunching and opening it. Law takes the little wooden box and hands it to you.

“Can I?” you ask, waiting for his approval to open it. “Go on”. Law sits on the ground in front of you as he waits for you to discover what’s inside. The box is beautifully crafted in red lacquer. A gold phoenix and a dragon decorated the lid, and it looks as ancient as the little piece of paper that fell from the book.

Inside lay a beautiful golden hair pin, with a crystal white moon donning it, with some plum blossoms, butterflies, and some chains hanging delicately from it. You are mesmerized, you passionately wish you lived in Ancient China, so you would be able to wear things like those everyday.

“So pretty,” you whisper. “Really pretty,” Law says with his soft sexy voice looking at you, resting his temple over the palm of his hand. You laugh nervously, that man might make you breathless if he ever decides to look at you in like that ever again.

You take the little paper you found out of your pocket and hand it to him. He looks at it and immediately unites it showing you that indeed he had the missing part. “See? Told you I had it.” You give him a side smile, inspecting the way Law’s slender hands hold the papers together. A sudden noise invades the dusty place as both of you take your time to appreciate the coincidence.

“Is there anything else inside the chest?” you ask, trying to fill the silent void that surrounds you two. “Uhum” he says and stretches an arm into the box, in order to take out some ancient books and scrolls. There is one that particularly catches your attention. Written over the cover it puts “The Red String of Fate”.

“Let’s read this one first” you say excitedly.. You have always been a romantic. After all, the little letter looked like some kind of warning to a loved one.

“Fine,” Law sighs but suddenly pauses. “You have been looking at the hairpin non-stop, if you want to, you can have it. I bet it would look good on you,” he says, taking the pin out of the box, before approaching you and nestling it in your hair. As he does, your faces get so close, and you can almost feel his lips over yours. Your eyes fixed in enchantment, amplifying the intense tension between you and him.

“Thank you,” you whisper. Law smiles, this time without sarcasm, but genuine sweetness; a smile you will cherish for as long as your memory can hold it. “It really looks good on you” he says, sitting back in his original place. You touch the fine piece that garnishes your hair, feeling like a princess in front of his prince.

Law takes the book written, which was entirely written in mineral ink and starts reading…

Chu-Han, Xian, Sanguo (3 Kingdoms), 208 AD, Winter - The day I met him

I was in charge of guarding one of the passes to one of our major forts when I was informed Wei forces were mobilizing toward us…

“I want two units to intercept them near our camp. The rest will be waiting here with me, understood?” you command. Every man in Shu’s army accepts the order in unison and mobilizes to stop the enemy. Your eyes, as sharp as the eyes of a hawk, are fixed forward into the cold scenery ahead. “You won’t anticipate me this time” you mumble, sure that the enemy strategist that has been consistently ruining your plans would be outsmarted today.

Some hours later, a scout notified you that Wei forces have made for the pass. “I knew it, they are all coming our way in one large unit” you say. “Take the oil barrels and draw a line closer to us, wait for them to come closer, and when I give you the signal… light them on fire!” you command.

Lines of oil are drawn right in front of the gates, waiting to be alighted, to protect the Shu kingdom, your kingdom. You want to create a better world for the people, and you will fight Wei to do so. They were the ones who have made you lose your family, as your emperor Liu Bei always says, because of “the cruelty and arrogance of the Wei”.

And of course there they are, the forces of Wei coming at you at full calvary strength and determined to win this encounter. But you are strong, you are pure strategy, pure intelligence…

“FIRE!!!” you shout.

A sudden wall of flames reflects into your eyes as you observe how the enemy steps back, their horses thrown into a frightened craze, as they run away, breaking formation. You smile. You have stopped them, or at least that’s what you thought.

There was something amiss. You noticed various captains and lieutenants scattered throughout their forces, but it was uncharacteristic that they would attack head-on without a sense of direction. Then it hit you. He must have been hiding in the ranks of the small detachment you allowed to pass earlier. His decoy proved to be useful, even if you anticipated it. As if on cue, a report came in detailing that the enemy detachment did not advance to the next camp, but in fact rounded back to aid the main forces to surround the gate. Soon, you found yourself in a pincher from both sides. It was typical of him to compose a tactic that would work in his favor, regardless of whether you or he made a move, but this didn’t deter you. You were known not only for your extreme intelligence, but also for your fierce determination to win.

And you will.

“We have no time to send for help, let’s go for a defensive formation, soldiers!” Everybody agrees immediately and follows your orders, the plan is to create a “Rotating Wheel”. However, it won’t be the normal type of “wheel,” the order is to turn their shields upside down and poke their spears at the bottom. That way, while moving in a rotating manner, your soldiers will be able to scare horses and make the cavalrymen fall.

And of course it’s efficient.

The battle continues and even if you are pissed with your opponent, you smile imagining his annoyance. And so, you grab your horse in order to find him. You want to see his face and you bet he wants you to see yours, too. You ride your horse, making your way inside the skirmish, cutting down every enemy that dares to attack.

Blood spilled on the ground, a crimson rain over the cold snow.

But nothing is as cold as the icy grey eyes of the man you were trying to find for so long. There he is, his sword to your neck, your sword to his neck. The scenery around you two is pure violence, but the moment feels frozen in time.

Chest rising up and down, pure hatred mixed with something else. The edge of his miao dao grazes your skin threateningly. A simple movement and your head is off… but his would be too. A sharp caress that both scares and excites you.

“Finally, there you are Trafalgar Law, servant of the Wei”

“Finally, there you are (Name), servant of the Shu”

And none of you move, eyes fixed, your chest feels warm, your heart beats fast. He is stunning, he looks so strong, and a powerful aura surrounds him. A man so handsome, with the blackest strands of long hair flowing in the wind. A trail of blood flowing like a thin river from his eyebrow to his neck. Stunning armor complimented by the stunning black horse he rides. The steady holding of his sword to your neck...

A man so strong and intelligent, the very first man deserving of your respect. You both smirk in challenge, he respects you, he sees you as a strong opponent… yet not before getting lost and having analyzed every inch, every curve, every part of you.

“Duel me” you mouth.

There is absolutely no difference in power and skill, each time your swords encounter, they collide, and you could swear even sparks fly from the edges. He fights with strength and intelligence. You do it with intelligence and strength.

Your mind is completely empty, his mind is too. You only focus on his movements and how the red tassel hanging from his grip appears similar to yours, before you both simultaneously commit the perfect cut to the other’s respective cords.

“I tied the sliced red tassel on my missing one, and he did the same with mine… it was our trophy… our acknowledgment of being equals. But soon…

“It turned into something else…” Law and you read at unison. Both of you look into each other's eyes, smiling, as the very first part of that strange diary satisfied something you have always wanted to read. But not only are you satisfied, but also curious and amazed. Law looks exactly like the painting and the description of the diary. That man must be related to him, it cannot be a coincidence.

But, it’s getting cold in the attic and you wanna keep reading even if your lips have turned a little blueish.

“Why don’t we take these to the living room, we can keep reading them there. You look cold” Law says, noticing you are indeed freezing up there. Leaving your pride aside, you agree with him and both of you go down the little stairs.

He prepares you hot cocoa and sits next to you. Outside the sky is turning dark, but he doesn't show any sign of wanting you to leave. What’s more, he takes a grey blanket that looks old as hell, yet clean, and puts it over your and his back.

The proximity with him feels a little too much, but still you are ok with it. The warmth of the blanket and his tattooed arms next to you makes you feel instantly relieved. “Thanks,” you whisper and nod as you take a sip of your drink.

“You are welcome, if you want we can order in,” he says, confirming he doesn’t want you to go any time soon. “Oh… ok,” you utter, perplexed. How did the grumpy man you met this morning turn into this nice companion? Law smiles at your thinking face, you are not talking but your eyes say it all.

“I’m not a bad guy after all, huh? What about some Chinese?”

You dig in as soon as the delivery guy arrives with your food. Some laughing and some noodles that traveled into your nose after, made you two feel in good company. You find out Law has a special smile when he feels at ease, and you wonder if it is because he likes you…

as much as you are starting to like him.

“I’m really curious about what’s coming next, aren’t you?” you ask, while Law is taking the dishes to the kitchen, and you follow him. “Uhum, me too. Let’s keep reading” he says, flashing a sweet smile to you. “Lord save me from this man,” you think, trying to kill every butterfly floating around your stomach.

After Law efficiently turned on the fireplace, you two sit in front of it over a few pillows. Law grabbed the diary once again and scanned the next pages. “Want me to read it? The next pages look as if it were written by another person,” he says, while you sit closer to him just to appreciate the fragile and worn pages that tattooed soft hands are holding. “Another person? Do you think is him? And please, do the honors...” you say, because his voice is like pure melody to your ears.

“Ok…

Chu-Han, Xian, Sanguo (3 Kingdoms), 208 AD, Winter - The first cup of tea I ever served to her,

I simply needed to speak to her, I wanted to. She was a mystery to me, I wanted to learn from her…”

He looks at her coming towards the prettiest and secluded tea house on his territory. Her clothes look different compared to the first encounter where blood stained her armor. Everybody looks at her as she walks, she is strong and intimidating, she carries the badge of the enemy… but also she looks beautiful, like a lotus flower.

His icy stare melts as she waves softly at him. “Trafalgar” she says. The sound of her voice mixes with the tinkling of her crescent moon hairpin.

“(Name)” he whispers, inviting his rival to take a seat on the cushion in front of him. Law immediately serves her a cup of tea trying to stop the subtle shaking in his hands…

“Law! Wait!” you shout, stopping him from reading. “What?” he asks, startled, because when he read, it felt as if he was almost living it in his mind. “Heh, sorry… but the moon pin” you say, pointing towards your head where Law has put it before.

He comes closer to you. So, so close you flinch a little. His subtle skin scent is once again invading your senses. Law inspects the hairpin on your head with a soft smirk, completely aware of the way you act when he gets closer to you.

“You are right, it must be the same…” he whispers, now looking at your eyes, noses almost touching. You swallow, his lips look so soft and tempting from there…

“Law…”

“Hum?”

to be continued ~

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