Chapter Text
The first marine collapsed about two hours after they’d left the island. It was a tiny little island, just big enough to have a village with a harbor on it. The marines had made a quick trade, mostly to refill up on water and some basic supplies, having gotten blown too far off course by a freak storm to make it back to G-5 before they’d run out.
Coby was just lucky that the townsfolk were willing to trade with them at all, and then his crew had started collapsing once the island was out of sight.
A week in, and the only two still standing were himself and his CMO, Rowland, and only just barely. Coby had basically relinquished control over to the doctor, because he had no idea what he could even do for the crew beside help Doc keep their fevers down.
“You’re holding up better than I expected, Captain,” the doctor said, pulling down his facemask so he could drink some water. He closed his eyes and held his flask to his forehead, taking a moment to catch his breath from the wave of exhaustion that came with having barely slept for the last week.
“Good immune system?” Coby offered.
The doctor snorted. “Yeah right. You’re just stubborn. Get ahold of the base again, give them an update. I’m going to check on the crew.” He pushed himself to his feet and rubbed a hand down his face.
Coby nodded. He was just so exhausted. The doctor raised his mask again and wearily weaved his way back through the ship. Coby tossed back his own water, waited for the nausea to pass, and pushed himself up with little difficulty.
Helmeppo had helped Coby put up the plague flags on the second day, after a third of the crew had fallen ill. He’d collapsed the next afternoon, feverish and unresponsive.
Coby’d had a hell of a time not having a breakdown over the transponder snail when he’d updated G-5 of their situation.
Taking a deep breath, Coby dialed the snail for G-5. He was at the point where things could only get worse on his ship was if his crew started dying.
Coby shut his eyes and waited for someone to pick up while ignoring that lane of thought. Exhaustion prickled at the corner of his eyes, and he put his hand over his face, gently squeezing his temples to have something to focus on.
“Captain Tashigi, G-5 base.”
Shit.
“Captain Coby, stationed out of G-5,” he responded.
“Ah! Coby. I thought you were supposed to get back to base before Vice Admiral Smoker and myself?” Tashigi asked, surprise coloring her voice.
Coby could admit to himself that he missed the other captain. “There’s… been a snag,” he said slowly, breathing deeper than normal.
“Talk me through it,” Tashigi said. Coby could just hug her.
After his brief explanation, during which Coby fought back two more blackouts, Tashigi asked, “Coby, do you need me to do anything else?”
Swallowing back tears, Coby answered weakly, “I just need my crew to be okay.”
The snail mimicked Tashigi’s wide eyes and aborted breath. “Okay. Okay. I’ll do what I can. Where are you?”
Coby willed down his tears and gave her the best estimate of his ship’s location as he could. “My vivre card should get whoever comes this way a more accurate location,” he said.
“Don’t worry, I already have a piece of it. I’ll convince Smoker that it’s a good idea to head that direction.”
Coby huffed a weak laugh. “It’s probably a bad idea and you know it,” he said bluntly.
“Yes, but you’re in trouble.” And you’re my friend, is what Tashigi didn’t say, but Coby heard the implied words anyway. “Go. Rest. We’ll find you,” she stated with the confidence that it would happen.
Coby believed her. He had to believe her. “Tash… Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Stay safe.”
There was a click, and the transponder snail settled into sleep. Coby’s vision blurred, and he clenched a fist, nails digging into the meat of his palm. He had to trust Tashigi. Vice Admiral Smoker would be the wildcard in the mix, but Coby liked to think he’d endeared himself to the older Marine.
He hoped.
Coby shook his head with a huff, sliding his glasses off his head and pulling his bandana out of his hair so he could soak it again.
He hadn’t told Tashigi he had whatever it was as well, except he was still vertical out of sheer spite. It would have only caused her undue worry, and Coby didn’t want her worrying any more than she already was. He was doing enough of that for both of them already.
Stepping out of the comm room, Coby made a quick stop in the kitchen to soak his bandana and re-tie it on his head before his way to the deck, checking to see if there was anything in the area they needed to worry about. He and his crew were sitting ducks in the water, even if Sea Kings couldn’t see them. A Marine ship bearing plague flags out in the middle of the Grand Line was just asking for pirates to investigate and potentially spread whatever this was.
Coby couldn’t have that.
Exhausted, Coby scanned the horizon, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing port or bow-side. The aft was clear as well, and when Coby, drained and regretting doing a loop around his ship, rounded a corner and spotted the silhouette of a ship upon the horizon, he felt tears welling up. The ship had the wrong silhouette for it to be another Marine, even when factoring the various Admiralty ships being non-standard, so it could only be one of two things – civilians or pirates.
Coby hoped it was civilians, but expected pirates. He took a breath, centering himself so he could throw his Haki out to get a listen on the ship.
As soon as he felt who it was, he recalled his Haki immediately.
“Fuck,” he whispered, legs giving out.
The Straw Hat Pirates.
They were the literal last pirates Coby wanted to deal with. He’d take Emperors over having to handle Luffy with his crew as ill as it was. Coby adored Luffy and considered him a friend, but Coby’s crew was potentially dying and he didn’t want Luffy to deal with that, nor did he want his incredibly ill crew to put up with Luffy’s exuberance.
Sure, his priorities were a little messed up. He could want his crew to be nowhere near the Straw Hats until they were back on their feet.
There was movement in the water at the edge of his Haki, and he shoved himself back to his feet, heedless of the way his vision swam. Something was barreling his direction at high speeds, and while he didn’t think it was hostile, Coby was literally the only line of defense between whatever it was and his crew.
Coby braced himself, and threw a punch right as whatever it was landed on his deck.
There was the sound of Armament Haki covered flesh hitting steel, and boy if that didn’t make Coby’s head swim.
“Ah! My apologies, we only knew that there were people still alive, young marine,” a skeleton spoke.
Coby stared, for a moment, doing some mental math. The Straw Hats’ ship plus walking, talking skeleton meant that the person in front of him had to be Soul King Brook.
“There’s illness,” Coby whispered, resolve cracked. “You shouldn’t even be on the ship.” His control on his Haki slipped and his legs gave out again and Coby was so tired.
“We know.” Soul King Brook helped Coby back to his feet. “That’s why I’m the one here – there’s no illness that could kill me. I’m already dead!” The skeleton cackled.
Coby cracked a weak smile.
“Ah, there we are.” Even though Soul King Brook had no facial features to speak of, it felt like he was smiling. “What’s your name, young man?”
“Captain Coby. Temporarily out of G-5,” he answered honestly. Really, circumstances being what they were, Coby didn’t exactly expect any of the Straw Hats to cause much damage.
“Well Captain, it is wonderful to meet you.”
“Captain! Where are – fuck!” Doc shouted from the door to below deck. “Why’s there a fucking skeleton?”
Coby took a stabilizing breath. “Doc, this is Soul King Brook. Soul King – my CMO.”
Doc approached, straight backed with protective aggression in his stance. “You may call me ‘Doctor,’ or Doctor Rowland and nothing else,” he said with a surprising amount of vehemence in his tone.
For his part, the Soul King merely bowed with a flourish. “Doctor.” He stood, placing his hat back upon his head. “Now, might I contact my crew to see if we are able to assist in any manner?”
Doc narrowed his eyes, looking the Soul King up and down. “Pass over my captain so I can make him sit down and rehydrate again, and sure,” he said.
Coby blinked, and found he was being handed over like an errant duckling.
“I can walk on my own,” he said with a frown.
“Captain, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you really fucking shouldn’t,” Doc replied. He half-dragged, half carried Coby back to the Comm room. “Sit, stay, and don’t fucking get up again,” he growled. “Do not make me hunt you down. I will be back in two minutes, go ahead and contact the skeleton’s crew.” Doc stormed out, throwing his hands in the air.
Soul King Brook merely chuckled. “It might be wisest to contact my captain,” he said, placing a bony hand on Coby’s head.
Coby gave him a weak smile. “Yeah. It’d be nice to see Luffy again but under different circumstances...” Coby shook his head, dislodging Soul King Brook’s hand. “Transponder’s right there, please don’t say anything incriminating.”
“Of course.” Coby watched as Soul King Brook dialed a snail code. The transponder snail chirruped for a moment before someone answered.
“Straw Hat Pirates, this is Nami speaking.” Nami – Black Cat Nami? Coby wished for some paper and a pen but Doc had given his orders and Coby realized he’d reached the end of the man’s normally endless patience.
“Ah! My dear Nami, this is Brook.”
“Brook! What happened on the Marine ship? Is everyone still…” she trailed off, hesitance in her voice.
“We’re still alive,” Coby said. He let his exhaustion color his voice. The few times he’d met Nami she’d been alright. He might even venture to say he liked her well enough.
“Oh! That’s good. Hopefully you stay that way.”
Doc chose that moment to burst back in with a closed pitcher of water and a glass. “Drink,” he said emphatically, clunking both down on the table. Coby jumped slightly, his heart rate temporarily skyrocketing.
“Is that your doctor? Do you need me to go grab Chopper?”
Soul King Brook nodded at the transponder snail with a smile. “I do believe that our darling Doctor Chopper will be of assistance.”
While the pirates were speaking, Doc made Coby face him. “I’m gonna run your vitals again.” I don’t want you collapsing on me too, he didn’t say, but he didn’t need to. The doctor ran through the motions of checking Coby’s temperature, blood pressure, heart rate – once that had dropped from his scare – and anything else he was thinking of.
“Fever’s gone back up. Have you had anymore near-blackouts?” Doc asked.
“A couple. Nothing I couldn’t fight.”
“Stubborn brat,” Doc said. There was no heat to his voice.
“How’re the others?” Coby asked, changing the subject.
“Holding on. Hey. Skeleton.” He directed his attention to Soul King Brook.
“Yes?”
“Oh!! Is that the doctor?” came an unfamiliar voice from the transponder snail. “I’m Tony Tony Chopper! The doctor over here!”
“Yeah, I’m the doctor. Why?”
“Can I get information? So we can help!”
Coby could have started crying. Again.
“Alright,” Doc replied warily.
“Great! But it might be better if we come over there so I can see the patients? So I can help properly diagnose them!”
Doc glanced over at Coby, who gave him a weary nod. Luffy’s crew had pulled off miracles before, and honestly what was the harm at that point?
“Only if you have proper protection. I refuse to let this spread any further.” The doctor had his hand on Coby’s shoulder, and his grip tightened as he spoke.
Doctor Chopper gasped. “Of course I have proper protection!”
“Then you’re allowed over.” He tossed the receiver back at the Soul King. “I’m going to be below deck. Don’t let him move around until your ship gets here.” He grumbled under his breath the entire way out, and Coby was sure he continued all the way down below deck where the rest of the crew was.
“Your doctor has a bit of a bite to him,” Soul King Brook comments.
Coby smiled. “Yeah.” He drank more water, noting that it has a faint medicinal taste. Doc must have dissolved something into it.
“Chopper, can you have dear Nami bring the Sunny over?” Soul King Brook asked. He had a stabilizing hand on Coby’s shoulder that Coby was grateful for.
“Of course!! We’ll be there shortly!” The transponder snail slipped off with a click.
“Chopper is a very good doctor,” Soul King Brook said. “He’ll figure this out.”
Coby gave Brook a weary smile. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, Captain. Sickness on a ship out at sea is never incredibly pleasant.” Coby shot the skeleton a curious glance. Reports on his past were vague, but that sounded like it was from experience.
Brook gently ran his skeletal fingers through Coby’s – admittedly sweaty – hair, gently teasing out knots and generally just calming Coby down.
A short time later, Coby was feeling people on the edge of his Haki, and he opened his eyes, unsure of when, exactly, he’d closed them. The feeling like he was going to pass out was back, but he ignored it just like he’d had every other time. It was fine. Coby could stay vertical until his crew was awake again.
“They’re here,” he said hoarsely. He lightly shrugged off Brook’s hand and made to stand, but Brook just tenderly pushed him back down.
“Stay. I daresay that your doctor might actually have my head if he catches you up on the deck and I let you go,” Brook responded. “Not that it would do him any good.” Brook chuckled.
There was sense to Brook’s words, but Coby needed to get up anyway. Staying still for so long was just inviting the darkening of his vision back, and Coby had fought back passing out enough times while training with Garp that threats of bodily harm from Doc didn’t really phase him. Garp’s CMO, a tough older woman by the name of Dr. Ren was much more creative in her threats.
“It’ll be okay,” Coby said. It honestly likely wouldn’t, but he was still awake and speaking, so he’d be fine. Eventually.
Brook didn’t prevent him from standing when he pushed himself up again and merely kept a hand on Coby’s back to steady him as they walked to the deck. Doc wasn’t going to be happy about it, but Coby couldn’t live with himself if there were pirates – pirates he knew, but they were still pirates – on the deck of his ship unsupervised. If only so he could avoid the tongue lashing from Garp later, of course.
When they got to the deck, Coby was dizzy once more and breathing heavily. He frowned, staring at the small reindeer-like person on his deck.
“Brook!” they yelled, and Coby realized that this had to be one Tony Tony Chopper.
“Greetings, Chopper,” Brook said, not leaving Coby’s side.
Chopper hurried over, transforming as he did so.
He was a Zoan of some sort, Coby realized, and mentally cursed because how could that have been missed?
“You’re Captain Coby, right?” Dr. Chopper asked, and oh hell, he had to be even younger than Coby was.
Coby nodded. “Yeah. Welcome aboard.” When Coby looked up, he could see the Thousand Sunny anchored right next to them. He cast his gaze across the Sunny’s deck. It was suspiciously empty but for one figure.
“Luffy,” Coby breathed, eyes going wide.
Straw Hat Luffy had an unusually serious look on his face, and Coby could feel his resolve from across both decks. Luffy cocked his head and waited. Coby just nodded back after a moment of trepidation.
Suddenly, Luffy smiled, and then he turned and walked back across the deck of the Thousand Sunny, shouting about meat.
Coby sighed in relief, sagging slightly against Brook’s hand.
“Captain where the fuck –” came from the door to below deck and Coby winced slightly. He’d definitely annoyed Doc, if the yelling was any indication. Doc angrily slammed the door open, yelling something Coby couldn’t quite make out but understood the meaning behind anyway.
“Over here,” Coby called, interrupting the imminent tirade.
“I seriously need you to stop doing that, Captain.” Dock looked over to Chopper. “You the Straw Hat doctor?” Chopper nodded. “Good. Come with me. I’ll update you on everything going on. Captain, you too. I need you to stay where I can see you,” he grumped.
“Alright.”
Doc led them down to the makeshift medical bay, giving Chopper the details that he’d been able to figure out.
“It starts with passing out, usually. Then fever. I’ve been able to keep most of their fevers down but nothing will wake them,” Doc explained, stacking together a bunch of paper.
“Exhaustion,” Coby added in.
“Yes, and exhaustion,” Doc agreed.
Chopper gave them a look with big eyes. “How are you two still awake?!” he cried.
“Coffee.”
“Spite.”
Brook chuckled. “Now, now, Chopper, they’re clearly doing their best given the circumstances,” he chided gently.
“But they’re both clearly sick!” Chopper exclaimed. “We have to – oh dear.” Chopper had taken in the sight of Coby’s entire crew being laid up in beds. “How long has this lasted?”
“First one collapsed a week ago, right after we left port,” Coby said. “Everyone else… since then.”
Chopper shot a glance at Brook, who still had a steady hand on Coby’s shoulder. Coby pretended he didn’t see it, and Doc blatantly ignored them in favor of checking on Helmeppo.
“Can I take a look at your crew? It’ll help me get a feel for what’s going on,” Chopper asked. He looked between Coby and Doc nervously, unsure of which of them he should have posed the question to.
“Go ahead,” Coby said. He watched as Chopper looked around, going between the various sickbeds to examine the crew.
It looked like Chopper knew what he was doing, so Doc joined him, explaining the slight differences between each case.
“Captain?” Coby looked up at Brook. The skeleton had a surprisingly soft look on his face as he said, “Perhaps you should sit down. Your crew is in safe hands with Chopper.”
Brook was right. Coby did need to sit, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to get up again if he did. But Coby let Brook gently nudge him to a chair that was out of the way of the two doctors anyway.
“There. Is this better?”
It was a little better. He could see his crew and keep an eye on the pirates at the same time.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the Straw Hats, but it was more of a nervous reaction to having anyone other than fellow Marines on his ship. Coby watched the two doctors flit about with half-lidded eyes, letting Brook’s calming hand trail through his hair again.
“About fifty years ago,” the skeleton began, voice pitched low and easy, “I was part of the Rumbar Pirates.” Coby could tell that this was a story that hadn’t been told often, and Coby turned his attention to Brook. “We were musicians, mostly, but still pirates. We were reckless, but it was fun. Then… Half of the crew grew ill with something we couldn’t treat on the Grand Line.” He hummed, and Coby recognized the notes as an old drinking tune. “We sent off our captain and some others to escape the Grand Line.”
Brook paused, and Coby reluctantly asked, “What happened?”
Brook chuckled, a soft yohohohoho. “We kept going, of course.” He delicately plucked Coby’s glasses off his head, closing the arms and gently placing them on Coby’s lap. “We kept going with myself at the helm, all the way to the Florian Triangle.” Coby blinked, looking up from where Brook had placed his glasses.
“The Florian Triangle?” There were rumors, but Coby had never really paid them much mind.
“Oh yes. The Florian Triangle. A dark, misty section of the sea where the sun never shines.”
Coby blinked, and spoke before he could really process his thoughts. “Are you sure we’re talking about the sea or are you describing the Fleet Admiral?” Then Coby processed what he’d said and clapped his hands over his mouth, gasping in shock.
Brook’s laugh returned, warmer this time.
Helmeppo would have been proud of Coby for that one. Garp would have been delighted. All Coby felt was an overwhelming sense of fear because he joked with a pirate about Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and his terrible personality.
Doc was in front of Coby in an instant.
“Easy, Captain. We’re nowhere near HQ,” he said calmly.
“R-right,” Coby croaked. Doc gave him a dubious look but let Coby be for a moment anyway.
“Doctor Tony, what’s your running theory on this?” Doc said, turning around and re-facing Chopper.
“I’m thinking either some sort of bacteria or something parasitic. Is this the entire crew?”
“Mm. We’re one of the smaller ones out of HQ.”
Coby shut his eyes and let the sound of the med bay coupled with their conversation and the overall sound of the ocean wash over him. He dozed, lightly, periodically blinking back into full consciousness when prompted.
One of these times was to Chopper delicately patting his knee with a small hoofed hand. “Captain Coby?” Coby looked up to see Chopper, eyes wide and determined, staring at him. Coby hummed, letting Chopper know he was awake enough. “With your permission, I’d like to get a colleague of mine here? He’s better at unusual diseases than I am!”
Said colleague was probably another pirate, and Coby was reluctant to let more of them on the ship. But his crew was in trouble, and Coby knew Doc was on his last legs, being the only one who had the know-how to handle it. Coby could handle first aid – Garp’s training had always been more of a beating than actual training, and Coby had learned how to handle whatever Garp had thrown at himself and Helmeppo pretty quick. Anything more complicated than that wasn’t exactly something he knew, however.
“Alright,” Coby croaked after a moment. “Alright,” he repeated.
Chopper beamed.
“Thank you! We’ll get ahold of him right away, and if he’s close enough, he can help.” Chopper nodded, mostly to himself and bounded out of the room, presumably to go contact his ‘colleague’. Coby had a bad feeling about it, but he ignored it.
Coby ignored a lot of things when it came to himself, come to think of it, but he tamped down on the impending existential crisis for when he actually had the energy to handle an impending existential crisis.
“Captain. Might be a while before their contact can get here, if at all. You need rest.” Doc appeared next to Coby, using the wall as support.
“So do you,” Coby replied softly.
“We’re talking about you right now, Captain.” Coby made a face, but admitted Doc was right.
“I’m only going to go rest if you do,” he stated. “Captain’s order.”
Doc made a face back, probably the same one that Coby had given him. “Fine.” He turned to Brook. “This idiot is probably going to want to be on the deck in case Doctor Chopper’s colleague arrives.” He sighed.
Coby noticed how exhausted he looked. “If possible, yes.”
“Captain, with all due respect, you’re a little shit.” Doc sighed anyway, and his shoulders slumped. “I’ll grab the extra cot, damn it. You’re lucky I like you.” He stormed away, a little defeated, but a moment later he tossed a blanket at Brook’s head, the fabric landing on him with a soft whump. “I’m going to get a nap. You’d probably do well with more sunshine.” Doc pointed at Coby. “Shoo. Get lost. Don’t let him fall overboard,” was directed at Brook.
Brook chuckled. “Of course, Doctor.”
“I can swim,” Coby protested.
“Captain I haven’t seen you this exhausted since Rocky Port and that time when VA Garp decided to drop in without warning. Pardon my language, but take a fucking nap.” He retreated, grumping his way to his office.
Coby slid his glasses from his lap and placed them back in their customary spot on top of his head. There was a clatter of bones as Brook stood and held out a hand.
“I’m sure Chopper has gotten ahold of his esteemed colleague by now, and has some information for us,” he said. Coby took his hand and allowed Brook to help him to his feet. “Come along, Captain.”
For all that it was a short walk from below deck to topside, Coby was still worn out. He leaned against the wall, slowly sliding downwards until he was sitting on the deck. The sun was warm, in a gentle way, and Coby was reminded that it was springtime, somewhere. They’d been at a Spring Island, anyway, and it was always temperate on Spring Islands.
“The sunshine is wonderful, isn’t it?” Brook asked quietly as he draped the blanket on Coby’s lap. Coby hummed, closing his eyes and letting his shoulders drop. He thought he might be able to relax enough for actual sleep. Maybe. Anything would have been better than the short snatches of rest he could get before his Haki flared up in alarm forcing him away, which was all he’d gotten since the first of his crew had fallen.
Brook started humming quietly, settling down beside Coby in a gentle rattling of bones.
A few minutes later, Coby’s light doze was interrupted by clattering.
Chopper landed on the deck of the ship with a clicking of hooves, startling Coby awake. “Captain Coby? My colleague is in the area,” he said, once he’d gotten close enough. “He said they should be here in a couple of hours.” There was something that Chopper wasn’t telling Coby, he was sure – the pirates were dancing around the exact identity of Chopper’s colleague and Coby didn’t really want to think about who it might possibly be. The list of people that Coby knew of off-hand who could have been colleagues with the Straw Hats and also were doctors was abysmally short and topped with someone Coby wouldn’t mind arresting.
Again.
“Chances are very good that I’m going to sit here and nap and be woken by your colleague once he’s in range,” Coby said.
Chopper nodded with a smile on his face. “That’s fine,” he said, “but don’t go anywhere else!” Turning his big brown eyes on Brook, he asked, “Are you sure you’re okay to be here, Brook?”
Brook placed his hand on the little doctor’s hat. “Of course I am, Chopper.” His words were soft, gentle. “The young captain here needs all the help he can get.”
Coby would have been offended by that statement if it weren’t true.
Chopper made a fluttery little motion, looking from his crewmate to Coby and back a few times. Hesitantly, he said, “Okay Brook. But if you need a break, let me know and I can grab someone!”
A weary smile graced Coby’s lips at the sight of how much Chopper cared for his crewmates.
“You will be the first to know,” Brook responded solemnly. He offered a skeletal hand for Chopper to shake, sealing the deal.
“Alright Brook, I’m going to go help these Marines now.” Chopper nodded and took off, making his way back below deck.
Coby shut his eyes and soaked up the sun in a way that he wasn’t really accustomed to doing. Usually his time was filled with movement, whether it be from training or general ship maintenance, or just doing paperwork, of which there was a surprising amount. Coby wasn’t sure if it was just because he was a young captain or if it was normal for that much paperwork to accrue or if it was because of his status in SWORD.
Coby drowsed to the sound of Brook humming, vaguely aware of the passage of time. He was oddly comfortable, so when time had passed he was almost surprised that his Haki was screaming at him to get ready for a fight and startled to full consciousness.
This startled Brook as well, prompting the skeleton to leap to his feet with the clacking of bony joints and the shing of a drawn sword. He looked around wildly while Coby drew shuddering breaths, staring off into the distance where he could just pinpoint someone arriving. Coby could just about recognize the feeling of the person arriving, and yet he could see nothing. There was a sinking feeling of recognition in Coby’s gut, and he was suddenly regretting agreeing to let Chopper contact one of his colleagues.
“They’re here,” he croaked with a touch of despair.
Brook sheathed his sword and dusted himself off. He looked in the direction Coby was staring, sighting a large patch of sea that was starting to roil just off the prow.
“So they are,” he agreed.
A mast breached the surface first, cutting the surface tension like it was nothing. Quickly following the mast was the sail and then the rest of the submarine in the seconds that followed.
Coby took a breath, and then another, and then another, because of all pirates he wanted to deal with while his crew was as ill as it was, the only pirate he wanted to deal with less than Luffy – who was being weirdly considerate and not on Coby’s ship – was one Trafalgar Law. Making a low pained noise that had Brook looking at him in alarm, Coby resigned himself to the fact that Trafalgar Law was about to be on his ship treating his crew.
“Can you help me stand?” he whispered. “I don’t want to be sitting when he gets on deck.”
Brook’s touch was gentle. “But of course. He does have a penchant for dramatics.” Coby was thankful that Brook didn’t push more, hoping that the skeleton thought it was more to do with the fact that the Heart Pirates were pirates rather than the fact that Coby and Trafalgar Law had had run-ins before.
The Rocky Port Incident had been in the World News for days, much to Coby’s chagrin at the time.
Once he was on his feet again, Coby took care to make it seem like he wasn’t using Brook for support as he stared down the Polar Tang. He refused to appear weak in front of the Heart Pirates. It was going to be a moot point once Trafalgar Law saw his crew, but for a few seconds, Coby let his minor terror of letting even more pirates on his ship while his crew was ill override his sense. Then he heaved a breath and relaxed ever so slightly because his crew was ill and he knew that Doc needed all the help he could get.
There was shouting from the Thousand Sunny – shouting that suspiciously sounded like Luffy. A smile crept its way to Coby’s face, since he knew that, at the very least, Luffy’s alliance with the Heart Pirates would prevent Trafalgar Law from doing anything too drastic. Coby watched as Luffy rappelled from the Thousand Sunny to the Polar Tang, wrapping himself around Trafalgar Law, and he felt more than anything how Trafalgar felt about it – a resigned feeling tinged with amusement that Coby suspected he’d felt almost constantly around Luffy.
There was a short conversation that Coby actively decided to ignore, knowing it was likely Trafalgar demanding information from Luffy about why he’d called Trafalgar to come help with sick Marines. Coby clued in on “Because Coby’s my friend!” and smiled, knowing Trafalgar had just lost the argument.
An eerily-familiar blue glow emanated from the Polar Tang, engulfing the prow, and Trafalgar Law appeared just inside of the barrier of the glow. A chill ran down Coby’s back, and he was, briefly, back at Rocky Port staring down he pirate who’d been stealing Marine hearts and leaving the heartless – but still living – Marines as gifts to be found. Then he blinked and Trafalgar was upon him, staring down at him with a glower.
Coby stared right back with cool, even look. Trafalgar Law didn’t scare him. They’d already had their clash.
“Marine,” Trafalgar said.
“Pirate,” Coby responded.
There was a moment of tension that was broken by Luffy careening from the Polar Tang to the Thousand Sunny while laughing. Coby was barely able to control his smile while Trafalgar heaved a put-upon sigh.
“Brook-ya,” Trafalgar greeted.
“Hello, Law.” Brook didn’t acknowledge the tension between Coby and Trafalgar and Coby was grateful for it.
“Well then, where are the patients?” Trafalgar asked.
“Come with me,” Coby said, turning to go below deck.
“How do I know I can trust you?” Law asked.
Coby paused, took a breath, and whirled back around. “Because, Trafalgar Law, the only reason you’re on my ship without seastone handcuffs on is because a, Luffy trusts you, and b, my crew could be dying,” he snapped.
Trafalgar looked over Coby with an eyebrow up and Coby’s hackles raised. He wasn’t going to fight with Trafalgar unless the pirate made the first move, but he wasn’t going to just take the pirate’s scrutiny either.
“Fair enough,” Trafalgar conceded eventually. He approached Coby who warily relaxed his stance.
Coby led Trafalgar and Brook down below deck where, upon seeing the entire crew laid up in cots, Trafalgar sucked in a breath.
“Right. And they’re all –”
“Still alive, yes,” Doc interrupted.
Doc and Trafalgar stared each other down for a moment before Trafalgar sighed again.
“Alright. Strawhat-ya’s going to owe me for this, but… alright.” Doc handed him a stack of papers.
Coby watched as the three doctors conversed, eyes sliding shut. The last thing he heard before hitting the ground was someone shouting his name in alarm.