deathsdoctor (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deathsdoctor) wrote2000-10-28 01:08 am
deathsdoctor) wrote2000-10-28 01:08 am
Luceti App
Mun
Name: Rai
Livejournal Username:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
raikomotomiya
E-mail: shannonloewen@hotmail.com
AIM/MSN: Raiko Motomiya or Kerimeos
Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
Character
Name: Trafalgar Law
Fandom: One Piece
Gender: Male
Age: Mid 20’s estimated (only thing canon confirms is his birthday is on Oct 6)
Time Period: Post 597, pre 598 – taken shortly after the two year time skip begins
Wing Color: Black with yellow tips
History: Trafalgar Law on One Piece Wiki, information about him and his crew in general, and Episodes 397, 398, 399, 401, 403, and 404.
Personality: (Did you say detailed? Please don’t mind the tl;dr from this point on as canon gives us so much on him, and yet so very little, and hides even more. So I’ll be talking both about what canon says and implies.)
It only takes one word to sum Trafalgar Law up to this point in canon: ambiguous. He’s a complex man, even contradictory in places.
Laid back, and almost always seen slouching, Law is nearly always calm and smiling. Rarely though is it gentle – there’s an edge there, that smile is more smirk than smile at points, and there is the vague air of amusement around him at times. Perhaps he’s laughing on the inside. Perhaps he’s laughing at you.
Or perhaps he’s just chuckling at the world in general, and its absurdity. It’s hard to tell sometimes.
He’ll be aloof yet polite to you though for the most part. He’s perfectly capable of having a civil, pleasant, friendly conversation, addressing you Mister or Missus or Miss or some other title in the process, and acting as a true gentleman. Especially if he likes you, is after something from you, or just finds you interesting to some end and wants to learn more about you. The man is also generally humble in his way, despite his confidence in both his medical and combat prowess. He doesn’t take credit for things not owed to him and directs others to give thanks to the proper parties (him to Jean Bart) and we have yet to see him gloat. All in all it’s a casual sort of politeness, with the formality of it slightly rising when he’s being mocking or coy, such as with the Strawhats at the Auction House on Sabaody. It’s utterly casual with Drake, suggesting that with time and familiarity, the politeness eases and Law more freely speaks his mind.
Yet on the other hand, despite the politeness, he can be very straightforwardly blunt as well with you – such as with Jinbei and Drake – in words as well as silences, not to mention dryly sarcastic, tactless, mocking (to the point of flipping the bird – to Kidd), and quietly menacing depending on the situation and who he is interacting with. To that end, he can also hold back if he wishes.
This is provided you gain his interest. Law likes to be entertained or stimulated at some level. He dislikes boredom. It’s not difficult, people on their own are fascinating creatures and he always likes a puzzle. Rampant and unrelenting human misery isn’t entertaining however, as seen at the Auction House with him watching the sale of slaves with a disgruntled, irritated, and bored face. More to the point, however, he likes to be able to understand. Not only people, but the world and the way it works around him. Monkey D. Luffy is interesting, as he’s not only a rival, but in his ways he’s unfathomable, perhaps even likeable. And the more he learns, the more perplexing he gets, him and his strawhat. Law is seen at one point on Amazon Lily contemplating that piece of woven straw.
People with strong personalities or simply ordering him around can break past that laid back, aloof exterior and aggravate him however. Case in point, one of his rivals, the arrogant, manic, sociopathic Captain Eustass Kidd. Kidd and Law have a unique relationship, somewhat like Zoro and Sanji’s. There is antagonistic banter, and one-upmanship, and mutual respect despite their very obvious rivalry.
Rivals as well can bring out a different side in Law. His interactions with them are more reckless and competitive, from flipping the bird to Kidd, to asking Drake point blank how many people he had killed, to getting in a petty argument with Kidd and Luffy about just who was going to take on the Marines. It is of note that all these rivals carried higher bounties than him, however this recklessness has limits. Law sensibly has no wish to meet an Admiral for instance.
Despite everything written above, Law is capable of close relationships. It is implied several times that he and Bepo are quite close and it appears that he and his crew are on good terms, telling the idiots to shut up non-withstanding. They don’t seem to fear him, and are willing to question his orders about waiting to enter the New World, to which Law listens and points out his reasoning for his orders (though he has the last word as Captain, which they abide). They actually seem to adore him even. He is also capable of forging alliances with rivals when the situation is dire and calls for putting aside enmity for survival.
In all, Law’s more of a thinker than a talker, all told. A very observant man, he likes to watch and take note of people while others are talking (like his crew with Rayleigh) or battling (the fight with the Pacifista in the anime) to figure out how to deal with something or someone, and can think and strategise on his feet during a battle when engaged in combat (the battle with the Pacifista again). He is perceptive when it counts, such as discerning that the Pacifista wasn’t the real Bartholomew Kuma and holding off from entering the New World as the situation there was a bloodbath, and his crew, the Heart Pirates, would have been thrown into senseless combat with no real gain and a high probability of loss given their current strength. Law is generally patient and cautious… waiting to enter the New World for instance would allow the situation to settle down and thin out some of the competition for the One Piece (which wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, if it hadn’t been found in over two decades).
So why use the term ambiguous to describe him? For that is what his motivations for his actions generally are.
On one hand, Trafalgar Law is reputed to have done many horrible things, so much so that he carries an exceptionally nasty reputation even among his fellow pirates. Eustass Kidd mentions these rumours at the Auction House, and there is a hint at sadism in the fight that ensues afterwards. Scratchman Apoo later echoes that Law is known to be infamously cruel in his disbelieving response to Law’s actions at Marineford. His own Devil Fruit abilities don’t help dispel them either – when body horror is in your repertoire of attacks, people are going to talk.
On the other hand the rumours are suspiciously silent on just what, precisely he’s done to whom. There is nothing known about the rumours save they exist and swirl around him like a noxious fog. Eustass Kidd on the other hand is known to kill massive amounts of civilians, and was shown crucifying helpless pirate captives in the New World.
In that vein of stark contrast, Law is shown interfering twice for others. Once for Eustass Kidd in the extended anime battle with the Pacifista to the other’s bafflement (he jumped in to stab the cyborg when it caught Kidd by surprise), and the other much more noted instance, charged into a three way battle between the Marines, the Blackbeard Pirates, and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and the prisoners brought from Impel Down to rescue Luffy, treat both him and Jinbei for their wounds, and care for him during the two weeks he was comatose. When Luffy was rampaging, he took care of his straw hat till Rayleigh arrived. For such a supposedly horrible man, he does seem to have a sense of honour (or at least respect), in not only refusing to claim credit not due to him, but in his interactions with those he considers rivals (and possible future enemies). This is implied to be his reasoning for saving Luffy at Marineford, as it would be “too lame” as his future enemy were to die.
He’s befuddled the people around him with his actions. Perhaps things will become clearer at Luceti…
Strengths:
Physical: Being one of the Eleven Supernovas, Law is an extremely strong and dangerous combatant. He is very dexterous, as befits a master surgeon. Law is shown to be fast and agile enough to avoid near point blank laser blasts, and despite his lean build, quite strong, if his ability to hold onto his sword and fight with it the entire battle despite Eustass Kidd’s usage of his abilities of electromagnetic attraction and repulsion is of any indication. (The only other person capable of doing such a thing was Roronoa Zoro, and he was not beside Kidd like Law, but within the Auction House itself). He is also durable, as at the seeming end of his and Kidd’s fight with the Pacifista, while both are bruised and winded, neither is as worn down as the Strawhat crew after taking down the same type of opponent.
Law carries a nodachi with him, and he seems quite skilled with its use, slicing to pieces multiple opponents with a seeming single swipe. He’s mostly used it in conjunction with his Devil Fruit. It can be assumed that his skills as a swordsman are quite good based on that and the fact that he’s one of the top five Supernova, though not as good as someone who relies fully on the blade like Roronoa Zoro.
Finally, Law has an unnamed Devil Fruit that allows him to cast a dome of azure energy which allows him complete control over spatially manipulating objects and people within that domain. The exact limits of the fruit haven’t been shown in either the manga or anime, so it’s unknown if that’s ALL the fruit does, but within the circle he’s been known to halt things in their tracks, levitate, switch around stuff with the speed of near teleportation. This technique is called Room.
There’s a follow up technique to Room called Shambles. It basically allows him to separate objects, shuffle them around, and reassemble them. Which for people, basically it’s separating their limbs and heads from their body, shuffling them around, and reassembling them in new and interesting ways, usually with inanimate objects thrown in for good measure.
Congratulations, you are now, living, breathing, screaming modern art.
While Law’s Devil Fruit does not kill, it does not physically harm (no gore, no blood, and no ick period) or cause pain itself, and it allows the victim complete control and sensation over their separated limbs during when that particular form of Shambles is in use, it disables the victim through other means. Mainly disorientation, mental trauma, and being unable to attack when your legs are attached to your shoulders and your head is bouncing away several feet from you. This effect is maintained when Law disengages Room itself, and it is unknown how long it lasts or even if it is permanent.
Mental: Trafalgar Law is extremely intelligent. He’s a doctor and surgeon of such skill that he was confident that he would be able to treat Monkey D. Luffy even when the latter was on the verge of death thanks to his various wounds. He is also quite knowledgeable of the world around him (recognizing Rayleigh and Jean Bart) as well as sensitive to how events are playing out around him (his spiel at the Auction House about the Marines, his reasons for not entering the New World). He’s able to think on his feet, as with the anime battle with Kuma, and again, as the scene with him explaining his reasoning about the New World shows that he’s able to plan for the long term.
Emotional: Law is very difficult to ruffle and he’s usually even tempered and calm, allowing him to keep his head (no pun intended) in serious situations. He is also cautious for the most part and not often given to impulse, which also serves him well. He seems to have a fair bit of control over what he displays, as at times it is very very difficult to tell what is going through his head.
Law is also a patient man, prone to playing the long game. If he wants something, he’ll get it, even if he has wait and plot a long time for it.
Weaknesses:
Physical: With Law’s Devil Fruit there are several major drawbacks. Firstly, once a person has seen the effect and how it’s created, it’s easier to anticipate and therefore dodge the effects. Law cannot seem to affect anyone outside the ‘circles’ he creates with this power with the canon we currently know about him, and therefore he’d be more at a disadvantage with long distance fighters. The ‘Room’ he creates can be shattered by breaking his concentration (moreso than forcing him to move as he’s perfectly capable of stabbing the Pacifista attacking him and Kidd with his nodachi while maintaining Room as he does so). Shambles and indeed most of his attacks seem to rely heavily on hand movement, so their restraint would range from heavily limiting his attacks to outright cancelling his Devil Fruit effects. The splitting people into their requisite body parts seems to be more reliant on his swordsmanship (as at the Auction House each time Law uses his nodachi to perform that particular form of Shambles, and is drawing before interruption in the fight against the Pacifista) than the Devil Fruit, though both are certainly involved. Taking away his nodachi and keeping him from any sharp pointy object will keep him from turning other characters into living screaming modern art. Haki (a form of honed spiritual willpower/projection/manipulation) can completely cancel out Law’s powers.
Lastly, Law is susceptible to the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses of seastone and stationary bodies of water. Seastone is basically Kryptonite for Devil Fruit users. It robs them of their powers, and in varying concentrations can weaken the user so much than he or she is robbed of all strength, even to the point of being unable to move. A Devil Fruit user’s weakness to water is a complete and utter lack of an ability to swim in stationary, standing bodies of water such lakes or oceans (super drowning powers – this is the canonical reason Devil Fruit users are called Hammers), loss of all their powers, and a general weakening of the user. Even a drawn bath can be deadly in this way. Running water, such as waves or rain is harmless however, which is why Law (and probably many other Devil Fruit users) prefers a hot shower to that drawn out bath anyway.
Law also seems more reliant on his Devil Fruit than his swordsmanship (as he uses his powers near exclusively in his two fights in the anime), which given a loss of his abilities, would make him more vulnerable to those whom rely and therefore have honed their skills with a blade like Roronoa Zoro. Given the less physical nature of his Devil Fruit, it can be assumed that Law is not quite as physically strong as Luffy, though he still is very, very strong.
And very lastly, Law is a Supernova. Which means that while he’s more powerful than many pirates on the Grand Line, he will still get his ass handed to him by people like the Admirals, Blackbeard, some of the Shichibukai, and pirates in the employ of people like the Yonkou (called also the Four Emperors) not to mention these Yonkou themselves. Kizaru, a Marine Admiral at Marineford, said Law did a good job of cut and running when he came after him, and that Law himself, like Kidd, had no desire to face an Admiral one on one. Law knows himself that there are still many folk beyond his current level of skill, and right now sometimes the better part of valour is a tactical retreat after all.
Mental: This is going to be short, as so far in the manga and anime Law hasn’t shown anything that would indicate mental weakness, at least, as far as intelligence goes. Psychically he’s vulnerable, as far as we know, Law does not have Haki, and is utterly normal (for now) in those respects and hasn’t developed any measures to combat being suggestioned, mind controlled, or just mentally picked apart for information.
Emotional: Where to begin…
Ah. Yes.
With Law it’s better to ask than demand.
This is because Law does not always play well with others. It’s slightly ironic in a way, since all his shown battles so far have been team ones. Why? At the battle outside the Auction House and in the filler battle against the Pacifista, it is clearly shown that Law cannot stand to be ordered about. Both times he threatened to waste Eustass Kidd for ordering him to stay out of his way (because to Kidd, Law was presumably too weak to do any good) and engaged the man in antagonistic banter reminiscent of Zoro and Sanji’s many verbal spars. It is one of few things that has visibly gotten under his skin, as well as the implication that he was too weak to fight his own battles (something that angered Luffy as well when it was first brought up in the Auction House). As well, the comment coming from a rival most likely added to his ire, as Bepo has also told Law what to do on one occasion (Marineford, telling Law to close the door to the sub and stop gawking at Shanks so they can submerge and run like hell or in the bear’s words, ‘Captain, I know it’s rare to see one of the Four Emperors, but hurry up and close the door!’) and Law’s reaction was thus: ‘Yeah, hold on… something’s flying towards us!’ (that something being Luffy’s strawhat) - nothing to get worked up about really. It has been implied more than once in canon that Bepo and Law are very close (Bepo is the only crew seen carrying his sword aside from Law himself, Bepo has repeatedly been concerned about Law’s safety during the whole Sabaody Archipelago fiasco, and Bepo is okay with Law lounging against his furry body while he snoozes.), but to get to that point with someone else would be very difficult. Most likely if ordered about, Law would be irritated, angry, or even possibly considering violence based on his relationship with the other character.
Children and other people of similar status however would likely get just indifference or amusement. Children have no power to even try to force Law to do anything, and well, they’re children. Ignorable most of the time and in the rare case even amusing.
And when he has to, or when he wants something, he can swallow the reaction. He just won’t like it.
Although it is not explored in canon at this point, a logical extension of reacting poorly to orders, is acting even worse to being controlled. Slavery, mind control, etc. The repercussions will not be pleasant, and the nastier side of Law will emerge… and some poor sod is going to suffer.
So ask, don’t tell. It might make life with him easier. He may even do what you request.
Though in the end you may wish you hadn’t asked at all…
Which brings us to Law’s second sterling weakness. Cruelty and sadism. Though the rumours about his cruelty are unconfirmed, we get a hint of the rumoured sadism at the Auction House, with the Marine that Law has casually beheaded for attempting to do the same with a cannonball. He tosses that screaming head up and down, up and down, without concern, while engaged in banter with the rest of the Marines and his fellow pirates. All three pirate captains there are enjoying the fight and the mayhem ensuing, but playing ball with the head speaks for itself. It seems to be focused sadism, directed at his enemies, only appearing in battle. Just a hint. But that will get you enemies as well, if mix and matching limbs isn’t quite enough to do the job.
Though Law is polite, he can be also very blunt and nearly tactless when speaking to people, as in telling Jinbei to ‘Sleep. You’re gonna die,’ as a response to him thanking him for saving his life. There is a subtle dry sarcasm at times in his speech, and he has no qualms about taking mocking jabs at people. He is more reckless with people stronger/with higher bounties than him, such as flipping off Kidd in the Auction House, though this doesn’t extend to people who totally outclass him such as Boa Hancock. And for all his calmness and apparent maturity, he is still capable of getting flustered and into childish petty arguments, such as his banter with Kidd during both fights.
Samples (ALL samples must be set in Luceti-verse.)
First Person:
[No, not meeting your gaze yet. There is a bug crawling across the floor and that is what is being treated with an indifferent smile.]
Justice? Really…
[The smile… it turns sardonic. Dark. Cold. But nothing more as the face carrying it tilts in thought.]
[There is a long pause.]
…
I’m curious at what lengths you’ll go to achieve that here. I’ve seen what men do for it back home. Messy business. Sometimes their idea of justice turns out to be quite unjust.
[And finally the eyes flicker up to meet yours.]
Oh no, I’m not suggesting you’re that kind of man. And I’m not saying there should no justice sought. Not at all. [Heavens no. Pirates believe in justice too, didn’t you know? Their particular brand miiight just be a little different, that’s all…] Perhaps I’m asking the wrong question.
When you speak of justice, just what exactly did you have in mind?
Third Person:
Scent, or more accurately, the lack of, was the first thing that told him that something was wrong.
For long minutes he lay there, just breathing. In. Out. Fresh air filled his lungs with every inhalation, clean and cold, with just a touch of sharp ozone that came after a good rain or snow – but still it lacked. It was missing another tang – that sweet sharp bite of salt. Freedom. Home.
Sound came next, to the dimness of his wakening mind, and a vague sort of distress that it was taking so long to awaken. No sound of waves lapping at an armoured hull, but instead the quiet rustle of needles and branches. And with each shove towards consciousness…
… hell…
“Gngh!” Trafalgar Law curled as muscles seized and pulled, and pain lanced down his back. What had happened? Had he been captured? If he was, then they were doing a strange job of it. No seastone restraints or even guards? The area was soundless except for that of nature. But.
But how would they have gotten past the crew without raising the alarm and rousing him? How could they have even entered the submarine in the first place? They had almost been a thousand feet deep when Law had retired to his cabin. To breach a vessel at that depth presented a number of problems, starting with water pressure and the nasty business of hulls spontaneously imploding thanks to the process of being compromised, and finishing with the lack of people with the expertise, equipment, and sheer balls needed to pull that off against the Heart Pirates.
So no. At least… not that way.
“Drugged?” Law wondered as he pushed himself off the ground – fingernails digging into dirt and snow – everything seemed muffled except for the pain. A strange sort of narcotics? The muscles of his back still twitched uncontrollably (wrong) and they were moving in ways that muscles never should. Painfully. He craned his head back to take a look.
Black feathers met his swimming vision. He had… yellow tipped black wings. And he could feel them. Move them.
Definitely not his own work. As if he would ever have a yen to go looking like some native from a Sky Island.
So. Drugged. Mutilated. Dragged from his vessel by some unknown means. And nearly naked except for white drawstring pants in a wintry forest far from the sea.
Alone.
“Pity. Not worth the company, I see.” No matter. He’d find the cowards in time. Right now he needed warmer surroundings, proper apparel, and answers.
…
The leather bound book lying inconspicuously to the side seemed an ideal way to start.
Name: Rai
Livejournal Username:
raikomotomiyaE-mail: shannonloewen@hotmail.com
AIM/MSN: Raiko Motomiya or Kerimeos
Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
Character
Name: Trafalgar Law
Fandom: One Piece
Gender: Male
Age: Mid 20’s estimated (only thing canon confirms is his birthday is on Oct 6)
Time Period: Post 597, pre 598 – taken shortly after the two year time skip begins
Wing Color: Black with yellow tips
History: Trafalgar Law on One Piece Wiki, information about him and his crew in general, and Episodes 397, 398, 399, 401, 403, and 404.
Personality: (Did you say detailed? Please don’t mind the tl;dr from this point on as canon gives us so much on him, and yet so very little, and hides even more. So I’ll be talking both about what canon says and implies.)
It only takes one word to sum Trafalgar Law up to this point in canon: ambiguous. He’s a complex man, even contradictory in places.
Laid back, and almost always seen slouching, Law is nearly always calm and smiling. Rarely though is it gentle – there’s an edge there, that smile is more smirk than smile at points, and there is the vague air of amusement around him at times. Perhaps he’s laughing on the inside. Perhaps he’s laughing at you.
Or perhaps he’s just chuckling at the world in general, and its absurdity. It’s hard to tell sometimes.
He’ll be aloof yet polite to you though for the most part. He’s perfectly capable of having a civil, pleasant, friendly conversation, addressing you Mister or Missus or Miss or some other title in the process, and acting as a true gentleman. Especially if he likes you, is after something from you, or just finds you interesting to some end and wants to learn more about you. The man is also generally humble in his way, despite his confidence in both his medical and combat prowess. He doesn’t take credit for things not owed to him and directs others to give thanks to the proper parties (him to Jean Bart) and we have yet to see him gloat. All in all it’s a casual sort of politeness, with the formality of it slightly rising when he’s being mocking or coy, such as with the Strawhats at the Auction House on Sabaody. It’s utterly casual with Drake, suggesting that with time and familiarity, the politeness eases and Law more freely speaks his mind.
Yet on the other hand, despite the politeness, he can be very straightforwardly blunt as well with you – such as with Jinbei and Drake – in words as well as silences, not to mention dryly sarcastic, tactless, mocking (to the point of flipping the bird – to Kidd), and quietly menacing depending on the situation and who he is interacting with. To that end, he can also hold back if he wishes.
This is provided you gain his interest. Law likes to be entertained or stimulated at some level. He dislikes boredom. It’s not difficult, people on their own are fascinating creatures and he always likes a puzzle. Rampant and unrelenting human misery isn’t entertaining however, as seen at the Auction House with him watching the sale of slaves with a disgruntled, irritated, and bored face. More to the point, however, he likes to be able to understand. Not only people, but the world and the way it works around him. Monkey D. Luffy is interesting, as he’s not only a rival, but in his ways he’s unfathomable, perhaps even likeable. And the more he learns, the more perplexing he gets, him and his strawhat. Law is seen at one point on Amazon Lily contemplating that piece of woven straw.
People with strong personalities or simply ordering him around can break past that laid back, aloof exterior and aggravate him however. Case in point, one of his rivals, the arrogant, manic, sociopathic Captain Eustass Kidd. Kidd and Law have a unique relationship, somewhat like Zoro and Sanji’s. There is antagonistic banter, and one-upmanship, and mutual respect despite their very obvious rivalry.
Rivals as well can bring out a different side in Law. His interactions with them are more reckless and competitive, from flipping the bird to Kidd, to asking Drake point blank how many people he had killed, to getting in a petty argument with Kidd and Luffy about just who was going to take on the Marines. It is of note that all these rivals carried higher bounties than him, however this recklessness has limits. Law sensibly has no wish to meet an Admiral for instance.
Despite everything written above, Law is capable of close relationships. It is implied several times that he and Bepo are quite close and it appears that he and his crew are on good terms, telling the idiots to shut up non-withstanding. They don’t seem to fear him, and are willing to question his orders about waiting to enter the New World, to which Law listens and points out his reasoning for his orders (though he has the last word as Captain, which they abide). They actually seem to adore him even. He is also capable of forging alliances with rivals when the situation is dire and calls for putting aside enmity for survival.
In all, Law’s more of a thinker than a talker, all told. A very observant man, he likes to watch and take note of people while others are talking (like his crew with Rayleigh) or battling (the fight with the Pacifista in the anime) to figure out how to deal with something or someone, and can think and strategise on his feet during a battle when engaged in combat (the battle with the Pacifista again). He is perceptive when it counts, such as discerning that the Pacifista wasn’t the real Bartholomew Kuma and holding off from entering the New World as the situation there was a bloodbath, and his crew, the Heart Pirates, would have been thrown into senseless combat with no real gain and a high probability of loss given their current strength. Law is generally patient and cautious… waiting to enter the New World for instance would allow the situation to settle down and thin out some of the competition for the One Piece (which wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, if it hadn’t been found in over two decades).
So why use the term ambiguous to describe him? For that is what his motivations for his actions generally are.
On one hand, Trafalgar Law is reputed to have done many horrible things, so much so that he carries an exceptionally nasty reputation even among his fellow pirates. Eustass Kidd mentions these rumours at the Auction House, and there is a hint at sadism in the fight that ensues afterwards. Scratchman Apoo later echoes that Law is known to be infamously cruel in his disbelieving response to Law’s actions at Marineford. His own Devil Fruit abilities don’t help dispel them either – when body horror is in your repertoire of attacks, people are going to talk.
On the other hand the rumours are suspiciously silent on just what, precisely he’s done to whom. There is nothing known about the rumours save they exist and swirl around him like a noxious fog. Eustass Kidd on the other hand is known to kill massive amounts of civilians, and was shown crucifying helpless pirate captives in the New World.
In that vein of stark contrast, Law is shown interfering twice for others. Once for Eustass Kidd in the extended anime battle with the Pacifista to the other’s bafflement (he jumped in to stab the cyborg when it caught Kidd by surprise), and the other much more noted instance, charged into a three way battle between the Marines, the Blackbeard Pirates, and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and the prisoners brought from Impel Down to rescue Luffy, treat both him and Jinbei for their wounds, and care for him during the two weeks he was comatose. When Luffy was rampaging, he took care of his straw hat till Rayleigh arrived. For such a supposedly horrible man, he does seem to have a sense of honour (or at least respect), in not only refusing to claim credit not due to him, but in his interactions with those he considers rivals (and possible future enemies). This is implied to be his reasoning for saving Luffy at Marineford, as it would be “too lame” as his future enemy were to die.
He’s befuddled the people around him with his actions. Perhaps things will become clearer at Luceti…
Strengths:
Physical: Being one of the Eleven Supernovas, Law is an extremely strong and dangerous combatant. He is very dexterous, as befits a master surgeon. Law is shown to be fast and agile enough to avoid near point blank laser blasts, and despite his lean build, quite strong, if his ability to hold onto his sword and fight with it the entire battle despite Eustass Kidd’s usage of his abilities of electromagnetic attraction and repulsion is of any indication. (The only other person capable of doing such a thing was Roronoa Zoro, and he was not beside Kidd like Law, but within the Auction House itself). He is also durable, as at the seeming end of his and Kidd’s fight with the Pacifista, while both are bruised and winded, neither is as worn down as the Strawhat crew after taking down the same type of opponent.
Law carries a nodachi with him, and he seems quite skilled with its use, slicing to pieces multiple opponents with a seeming single swipe. He’s mostly used it in conjunction with his Devil Fruit. It can be assumed that his skills as a swordsman are quite good based on that and the fact that he’s one of the top five Supernova, though not as good as someone who relies fully on the blade like Roronoa Zoro.
Finally, Law has an unnamed Devil Fruit that allows him to cast a dome of azure energy which allows him complete control over spatially manipulating objects and people within that domain. The exact limits of the fruit haven’t been shown in either the manga or anime, so it’s unknown if that’s ALL the fruit does, but within the circle he’s been known to halt things in their tracks, levitate, switch around stuff with the speed of near teleportation. This technique is called Room.
There’s a follow up technique to Room called Shambles. It basically allows him to separate objects, shuffle them around, and reassemble them. Which for people, basically it’s separating their limbs and heads from their body, shuffling them around, and reassembling them in new and interesting ways, usually with inanimate objects thrown in for good measure.
Congratulations, you are now, living, breathing, screaming modern art.
While Law’s Devil Fruit does not kill, it does not physically harm (no gore, no blood, and no ick period) or cause pain itself, and it allows the victim complete control and sensation over their separated limbs during when that particular form of Shambles is in use, it disables the victim through other means. Mainly disorientation, mental trauma, and being unable to attack when your legs are attached to your shoulders and your head is bouncing away several feet from you. This effect is maintained when Law disengages Room itself, and it is unknown how long it lasts or even if it is permanent.
Mental: Trafalgar Law is extremely intelligent. He’s a doctor and surgeon of such skill that he was confident that he would be able to treat Monkey D. Luffy even when the latter was on the verge of death thanks to his various wounds. He is also quite knowledgeable of the world around him (recognizing Rayleigh and Jean Bart) as well as sensitive to how events are playing out around him (his spiel at the Auction House about the Marines, his reasons for not entering the New World). He’s able to think on his feet, as with the anime battle with Kuma, and again, as the scene with him explaining his reasoning about the New World shows that he’s able to plan for the long term.
Emotional: Law is very difficult to ruffle and he’s usually even tempered and calm, allowing him to keep his head (no pun intended) in serious situations. He is also cautious for the most part and not often given to impulse, which also serves him well. He seems to have a fair bit of control over what he displays, as at times it is very very difficult to tell what is going through his head.
Law is also a patient man, prone to playing the long game. If he wants something, he’ll get it, even if he has wait and plot a long time for it.
Weaknesses:
Physical: With Law’s Devil Fruit there are several major drawbacks. Firstly, once a person has seen the effect and how it’s created, it’s easier to anticipate and therefore dodge the effects. Law cannot seem to affect anyone outside the ‘circles’ he creates with this power with the canon we currently know about him, and therefore he’d be more at a disadvantage with long distance fighters. The ‘Room’ he creates can be shattered by breaking his concentration (moreso than forcing him to move as he’s perfectly capable of stabbing the Pacifista attacking him and Kidd with his nodachi while maintaining Room as he does so). Shambles and indeed most of his attacks seem to rely heavily on hand movement, so their restraint would range from heavily limiting his attacks to outright cancelling his Devil Fruit effects. The splitting people into their requisite body parts seems to be more reliant on his swordsmanship (as at the Auction House each time Law uses his nodachi to perform that particular form of Shambles, and is drawing before interruption in the fight against the Pacifista) than the Devil Fruit, though both are certainly involved. Taking away his nodachi and keeping him from any sharp pointy object will keep him from turning other characters into living screaming modern art. Haki (a form of honed spiritual willpower/projection/manipulation) can completely cancel out Law’s powers.
Lastly, Law is susceptible to the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses of seastone and stationary bodies of water. Seastone is basically Kryptonite for Devil Fruit users. It robs them of their powers, and in varying concentrations can weaken the user so much than he or she is robbed of all strength, even to the point of being unable to move. A Devil Fruit user’s weakness to water is a complete and utter lack of an ability to swim in stationary, standing bodies of water such lakes or oceans (super drowning powers – this is the canonical reason Devil Fruit users are called Hammers), loss of all their powers, and a general weakening of the user. Even a drawn bath can be deadly in this way. Running water, such as waves or rain is harmless however, which is why Law (and probably many other Devil Fruit users) prefers a hot shower to that drawn out bath anyway.
Law also seems more reliant on his Devil Fruit than his swordsmanship (as he uses his powers near exclusively in his two fights in the anime), which given a loss of his abilities, would make him more vulnerable to those whom rely and therefore have honed their skills with a blade like Roronoa Zoro. Given the less physical nature of his Devil Fruit, it can be assumed that Law is not quite as physically strong as Luffy, though he still is very, very strong.
And very lastly, Law is a Supernova. Which means that while he’s more powerful than many pirates on the Grand Line, he will still get his ass handed to him by people like the Admirals, Blackbeard, some of the Shichibukai, and pirates in the employ of people like the Yonkou (called also the Four Emperors) not to mention these Yonkou themselves. Kizaru, a Marine Admiral at Marineford, said Law did a good job of cut and running when he came after him, and that Law himself, like Kidd, had no desire to face an Admiral one on one. Law knows himself that there are still many folk beyond his current level of skill, and right now sometimes the better part of valour is a tactical retreat after all.
Mental: This is going to be short, as so far in the manga and anime Law hasn’t shown anything that would indicate mental weakness, at least, as far as intelligence goes. Psychically he’s vulnerable, as far as we know, Law does not have Haki, and is utterly normal (for now) in those respects and hasn’t developed any measures to combat being suggestioned, mind controlled, or just mentally picked apart for information.
Emotional: Where to begin…
Ah. Yes.
With Law it’s better to ask than demand.
This is because Law does not always play well with others. It’s slightly ironic in a way, since all his shown battles so far have been team ones. Why? At the battle outside the Auction House and in the filler battle against the Pacifista, it is clearly shown that Law cannot stand to be ordered about. Both times he threatened to waste Eustass Kidd for ordering him to stay out of his way (because to Kidd, Law was presumably too weak to do any good) and engaged the man in antagonistic banter reminiscent of Zoro and Sanji’s many verbal spars. It is one of few things that has visibly gotten under his skin, as well as the implication that he was too weak to fight his own battles (something that angered Luffy as well when it was first brought up in the Auction House). As well, the comment coming from a rival most likely added to his ire, as Bepo has also told Law what to do on one occasion (Marineford, telling Law to close the door to the sub and stop gawking at Shanks so they can submerge and run like hell or in the bear’s words, ‘Captain, I know it’s rare to see one of the Four Emperors, but hurry up and close the door!’) and Law’s reaction was thus: ‘Yeah, hold on… something’s flying towards us!’ (that something being Luffy’s strawhat) - nothing to get worked up about really. It has been implied more than once in canon that Bepo and Law are very close (Bepo is the only crew seen carrying his sword aside from Law himself, Bepo has repeatedly been concerned about Law’s safety during the whole Sabaody Archipelago fiasco, and Bepo is okay with Law lounging against his furry body while he snoozes.), but to get to that point with someone else would be very difficult. Most likely if ordered about, Law would be irritated, angry, or even possibly considering violence based on his relationship with the other character.
Children and other people of similar status however would likely get just indifference or amusement. Children have no power to even try to force Law to do anything, and well, they’re children. Ignorable most of the time and in the rare case even amusing.
And when he has to, or when he wants something, he can swallow the reaction. He just won’t like it.
Although it is not explored in canon at this point, a logical extension of reacting poorly to orders, is acting even worse to being controlled. Slavery, mind control, etc. The repercussions will not be pleasant, and the nastier side of Law will emerge… and some poor sod is going to suffer.
So ask, don’t tell. It might make life with him easier. He may even do what you request.
Though in the end you may wish you hadn’t asked at all…
Which brings us to Law’s second sterling weakness. Cruelty and sadism. Though the rumours about his cruelty are unconfirmed, we get a hint of the rumoured sadism at the Auction House, with the Marine that Law has casually beheaded for attempting to do the same with a cannonball. He tosses that screaming head up and down, up and down, without concern, while engaged in banter with the rest of the Marines and his fellow pirates. All three pirate captains there are enjoying the fight and the mayhem ensuing, but playing ball with the head speaks for itself. It seems to be focused sadism, directed at his enemies, only appearing in battle. Just a hint. But that will get you enemies as well, if mix and matching limbs isn’t quite enough to do the job.
Though Law is polite, he can be also very blunt and nearly tactless when speaking to people, as in telling Jinbei to ‘Sleep. You’re gonna die,’ as a response to him thanking him for saving his life. There is a subtle dry sarcasm at times in his speech, and he has no qualms about taking mocking jabs at people. He is more reckless with people stronger/with higher bounties than him, such as flipping off Kidd in the Auction House, though this doesn’t extend to people who totally outclass him such as Boa Hancock. And for all his calmness and apparent maturity, he is still capable of getting flustered and into childish petty arguments, such as his banter with Kidd during both fights.
Samples (ALL samples must be set in Luceti-verse.)
First Person:
[No, not meeting your gaze yet. There is a bug crawling across the floor and that is what is being treated with an indifferent smile.]
Justice? Really…
[The smile… it turns sardonic. Dark. Cold. But nothing more as the face carrying it tilts in thought.]
[There is a long pause.]
…
I’m curious at what lengths you’ll go to achieve that here. I’ve seen what men do for it back home. Messy business. Sometimes their idea of justice turns out to be quite unjust.
[And finally the eyes flicker up to meet yours.]
Oh no, I’m not suggesting you’re that kind of man. And I’m not saying there should no justice sought. Not at all. [Heavens no. Pirates believe in justice too, didn’t you know? Their particular brand miiight just be a little different, that’s all…] Perhaps I’m asking the wrong question.
When you speak of justice, just what exactly did you have in mind?
Third Person:
Scent, or more accurately, the lack of, was the first thing that told him that something was wrong.
For long minutes he lay there, just breathing. In. Out. Fresh air filled his lungs with every inhalation, clean and cold, with just a touch of sharp ozone that came after a good rain or snow – but still it lacked. It was missing another tang – that sweet sharp bite of salt. Freedom. Home.
Sound came next, to the dimness of his wakening mind, and a vague sort of distress that it was taking so long to awaken. No sound of waves lapping at an armoured hull, but instead the quiet rustle of needles and branches. And with each shove towards consciousness…
… hell…
“Gngh!” Trafalgar Law curled as muscles seized and pulled, and pain lanced down his back. What had happened? Had he been captured? If he was, then they were doing a strange job of it. No seastone restraints or even guards? The area was soundless except for that of nature. But.
But how would they have gotten past the crew without raising the alarm and rousing him? How could they have even entered the submarine in the first place? They had almost been a thousand feet deep when Law had retired to his cabin. To breach a vessel at that depth presented a number of problems, starting with water pressure and the nasty business of hulls spontaneously imploding thanks to the process of being compromised, and finishing with the lack of people with the expertise, equipment, and sheer balls needed to pull that off against the Heart Pirates.
So no. At least… not that way.
“Drugged?” Law wondered as he pushed himself off the ground – fingernails digging into dirt and snow – everything seemed muffled except for the pain. A strange sort of narcotics? The muscles of his back still twitched uncontrollably (wrong) and they were moving in ways that muscles never should. Painfully. He craned his head back to take a look.
Black feathers met his swimming vision. He had… yellow tipped black wings. And he could feel them. Move them.
Definitely not his own work. As if he would ever have a yen to go looking like some native from a Sky Island.
So. Drugged. Mutilated. Dragged from his vessel by some unknown means. And nearly naked except for white drawstring pants in a wintry forest far from the sea.
Alone.
“Pity. Not worth the company, I see.” No matter. He’d find the cowards in time. Right now he needed warmer surroundings, proper apparel, and answers.
…
The leather bound book lying inconspicuously to the side seemed an ideal way to start.