Young Master left a gift. A ring of keys of varying sizes was deposited in his hand. He says you’re all grown up and of age now—it’s about time.
Law nodded, though he withheld his comment and refused to thank. Grasping the keys, he returned to his room and strode toward the solid steel door in the far corner. It would connect to a smaller adjoining room that until that very day had remained locked, empty, and uninhabited. Law hovered at the door before he disappeared first to take a shower. It was not difficult to guess what lay in wait. Doflamingo was hardly to gift puppies and kittens. Given Doflamingo’s involvement in the slave trade, a slave must have been procured in his favor.
Throughout the night, Law ignored the gift waiting next door. He spent the hours reading, with the keys carelessly discarded on a shelf. To anyone else in the family, it was such a generous gesture. But Law knew better. The slave served as a subtle warning, a gentle reminder, of how that could easily be him if he chose to make the wrong move against the family, if he chose to walk Corazon’s path of betrayal.
It was late morning the following day before Law stepped toward the connecting door again, after the kitchen staff delivered a tray. Apparently, to feed and care for his slave was his responsibility now—he doubted Doflamingo would entertain returns of gifts or exchanges. Holding the tray in one hand, Law tried the keys one-by-one. On his third try, he unlocked the door.
The newly converted slave quarters was absolutely minimalistic—also barren of furniture. Some blankets scattered the cold concrete floor. A faint glow from a single overhead bulb provided all the lighting in the windowless interior. Either the slaves weren’t meant to have even a simple mattress for comfort, or it was up to him to acquire whatever she needed, whatever “luxuries” he would allow as her new master. Law’s gaze landed on his gift and habitually, he frowned.
Law set down the tray of food (plain rolls of bread and a bowl of gruel) before he moved back. For a moment, he remained silent for the lack of anything to converse about, merely staring coldly at her curious round ears. Finally, he asked, “What’s your name? Are you a mink?”
