Chapter Text
Today was your last day standing on solid ground for a while. Being the town’s doctor has lead you to acquire quite the sum of berry. Somehow the villagers continue to need your help, which you would gladly give to anyone that needed it. You felt uneasy as you closed up the hut which you used as a medical office. With every step towards the harbor the thoughts dawned on you that the villagers would loose their only doctor. Sure, they only came to you with the occasional cuts and bruises, actual life threatening wounds came from ships that have sailed to the nearest island to seek medical attention. So you’ve decided to put the small fortune that you’ve earned into a boat. If sailors had to sail to you for medical support, you thought that you might as well bring the medical support to them.
With one last look to the village you loved dearly, you set off on an adventure into the East Blue. The early morning came with a light breeze, which slowly lead you along the waves. The sound of the water calmed your nerves. You had food packed, as well as different clothing, and, of course, lots of medical supplies.
You thought deeply about what your first encounter would be like, laying in your hammock. What would you even take in return? Berry wasn’t really of use to you, if anything it only made you be more likely to be robbed of everything. ‘Food?’, you thought. It would make your adventures more durable. You’d last longer and even if it’s only scrap they can give you, your parents taught you a great soup that would last you days.
Somewhere between your daydreaming, you were ripped out of your thoughts by loud music being played in the distance. It sounded like a circus. Getting out of your hammock and onto the deck of your small ship, you looked into the distance until your eyes caught the floating vessel. A purple boat with funny designs spread below the railings. The sail showed the typical skull that you recognize as a pirates flag. Although for some reason its eyes looked funky and the skull had a big red dot in the middle, where a nose would be.
Now of course your mind began to wonder if this will be your first chance to help, or if this whole decision was a total disaster doomed to fail and leave you at the bottom of the ocean. Regardless, you turned to your ship’s mast and raised the flag that depicted a plus-sign, a symbol of health. Almost as soon as you raised that flag, you saw head’s in the distance peaking over the ship’s railing, before disappearing again. You drifted closer to the ship and with it the music got louder.
When the ship was next to yours, a line was thrown down onto your boat. It was massive compared to your tiny vessel.
Suddenly a figure leaped out of the large ship and onto yours. They looked at your face which had a nervous smile. “That flag”, the man in front of you started, “are you a doctor?”. Your smile grew with the hope that you’d be needed and could help out another person. “Yes! I’m looking for people that need my help and uh- yea- Can I help you-?”, you started to get nervous for some reason. This situation was new to you. Totally unfamiliar.
The man, who’s hair covered up half of his face, was staring at you. After a few awkward moments he nodded. “Drop the ladder!”, he yelled to whoever else could be on the ship that he came from. You stepped back, barely avoiding the ladder being dropped on you. After looking at the person in front of you, who nodded towards the ladder, you climbed it. You quickly went through your medical stock in your mind, preparing for whatever they’d need help with.
The next moments happened in a blur. You were on the deck with a bunch of other pirates of various size, when you were pushed into a room to your right. It was barely lit. Your eyes adjusted to the sudden change of scenery. You were in a bedroom of sorts? Part of it looked like an office but with a bed shoved lazily into a corner. In the bed was another man with a red pirate hat, his blue hair flowing down the sides. His body was covered in a blanket and a wet rag laid on his forehead, slightly pushing up the hat. Once again you were torn out of your thoughts by the door being closed. You saw the pirate’s head turn and say “Cabaji”, he said stretching his name over a few seconds. ‘Is he high?’, you thought shortly before he turned his head. Through the darkness you made out some sort of red lipstick smeared on his face making his smile appear bigger than it was. You interlocked eyes and you notice how his smile faded almost instantly.
“Cabaji. Who is that?”, he said blankly.
With a push to your back you stumbled forward “Um- I am Y/N L/N- I’m a doctor who recently set sail to find people in need-“ The clown looking pirate ordered the other person to leave. You gulped as you took a step closer. “May I know what’s troubling you?”, you asked with a soft voice. He didn’t say anything. You took more steps. “Can I look at what’s troubling you?”, with your question again being unanswered you started to get frustrated. Taking another step closer, now being right next to the bed you ask, “What’s your name?”
The sick man showed a pained expression on his face… he looked quite handsome from up close. His face was painted to look like a clown and his nose is swollen and red. ‘Maybe this is the problem’, you thought as you slowly moved your hand to touch his nose. Suddenly his arm shot out from beneath the blanket, reaching for your wrist which he grabbed tightly. “Don’t. Touch. My nose.”, he said sternly but quietly. You tried to pull your hand back, but he continued to hold it. After a while of silence he sighed, maybe a bit too dramatically.
He looked up at the ceiling. “You know- I used to be someone.”, he said while moving his arms with every word, therefore also moving yours, which he held tightly. “I used to matter. I used to make people laugh. People used to fear me, but now it seems I’m a no one. A dying star. Hell- You don’t even know me-“, he finished as he released your wrist and let his arm fall loosely on the bed. “Well then who are you Sir?”, you asked with a smile. His voice was hoarse as he said “Buggy? Buggy the Clown? The Marvelous Jester? The Flashy Fool?? Does nothing ring a bell?!”, he exclaimed quite loudly with light tears growing in his eyes.
You thought hard, trying to remember if you ever heard the name. His eyes pierced you, awaiting for any approval. They were filled with anger, but you could see a slight sadness glint in the distance. “Well uh-“ he awaited your answer. Hopping, begging for recognition in his mind. “Oh! I have heard of you! A group of merchants once came by begging for a doctor. I’ve never seen a living human with such severe wounds before- It was really hard to care for them. And-“, you paused. Realization kicked in; those merchants have gotten those severe wounds from the very pirate crew which’s boat you’re standing on.
Panic began to set in, your mind rushing to find the quickest route off of and away from this crew. How many people are on this boat? Would you be quick enough-? And even so what if- “There it is.”, the pirate said looking deeply into your panic filled eyes. A hand flew up, gripping your chin, which squished your cheeks a bit. “So you do fear me. Good.” His big smile returned.
“Fear really fits your pretty face.” Your shocked expression made him laugh. “So!”, he started loudly, “you’re a doctor huh?”. You were too shocked to register the question. How did he turn from a man in need, to a psychopath enjoying your fear. After a harsh squish of your face, followed by him retrieving his hand, you began to spurt out, “Doctor? Who? Me? No way- I uh- I’m just a wanderer”, your eyes were darting around the room; from the end of the bed, to the ceiling, to the lamp that stood next to the bed. The lamp illuminates his face, his features sticking out. His eyes, reminding you of the ocean, his cute stubble- and his nose brings it all together. Wait- he’s staring at you- and you’re staring at him- well- right now his nose-
Instead of getting mad, he surprisingly seemed calm and said,
“‘Tell you what pretty thing, either you start treating me, or I’ll kill you.”
“I-“, you barely managed to get a word out before his maniac-like laugh came out of him again. “Oh I just love that face of yours. Now c’mon, get your stuff.” Right- You were supposed to be the doctor. You turned to the door, your face filled with every emotion possible. You exited the dim room, the sunshine blinding you the instance it hit your face. Looking over the railing, down at your boat, you realized that all of your stuff had disappeared. You quickly turned your head, wanting to ask someone about the whereabouts of your supply, when ‘Cabaji’ called out “It’s all right here.”
It turns out that the pirates had looted your ship, brought all of your carefully stocked and sorted medical equipment onto the deck. Now of course, much to your dismay, they just stockpiled it onto the middle of the deck. No order or anything. Yet you labeled everything which now paid off big time. The clown didn’t look too bad… he was weakened, but his grip on your wrist still left a discomforting feeling behind. It was probably just an infection, you concluded.
You pushed the door open with your elbow, the medical supply in your arms. Closing the door behind you, for your own good, you turned around now facing the pirate ‘Buggy’. He was sitting on the bed, legs dangling over the edge. He had taken off the clothes that covered his upper body. The sight of his freed chest made a light blush grow on your face. You shook it off and stepped closer. You scattered your items on the desk which the lantern was on. While it didn’t illuminate the whole room, it gave the perfect light to the scene involving you and the wounded pirate.
You stepped in front of him and asked if you could look at the wounds you could see on his torso. He nodded, and so your examination began. You tried to ignore your mind, which was crushing at the pirate within your current predicament, and leaned close into his chest. Your fingers glazed over his wounds. They consist of a bunch of small holes, most of which were infected. The reddish skin around them so sensitive that you heard Buggy take in a deep breath as your fingers crossed over them.
“These seem to be infected- would you explain what had happened?”, you asked with a tad bit of concern. It had looked like a knitting grandma with rabies went wild and used her knitting sticks at an attempt to take him down. Buggy mumbled something under his breath, which you of course didn’t hear. His eyes met your questioning ones and he repeated, this time louder. “…dart… I was used as a dartboard… basically.”
That was enough information for you. The tip of a dart is about 40 mm long. The heart can lie as closely as 18 mm… shit.
You looked up at him, slight panicked that a dart might have pierced his heart or any other organ. He smiled down at you, a slight cocky glint in his eyes. So… he looked fine to you, besides the infected outside of he wounds. You spread two fingers over one puncture, carefully stretching the skin to see if the wound has healed. After all he didn’t give you any hints to how old that encounter was.
Maybe you didn’t want to know…
All of the wounds have healed almost perfectly, the infection now seems more like a skin irritation than anything that would truly concern you. Then again you didn’t want to half-ass your job; maybe he wasn’t joking about taking your life. You wouldn’t risk catching the wrath of “The Marvelous Jester”. Does anyone actually call him that?
“How are you feeling, Buggy?”, you asked. You only added the name to get on a more personal level, perhaps he’d somehow tell you more then. But who would have known what he would reply; “Well with such a beauty on my side, I can’t help but feel better by the minute.” Shocked, you looked at him, only receiving a sly wink in response. “I- uh- I meant if you feel sick, have a headache, fever, sudden shivers or anything similar?” God you hated how he made your face red.
“Well I’ve been having quite the headaches.” You nodded, turning to the desk to get the disinfecting alcohol, when suddenly you felt him whisper into your ear, “Maybe it’s because I’m missing myself a nurse on my crew, what do you say pretty thing?”
You quickly whip your head around, looking at him confused. He was still sitting there, a smug smile on his lips. But then how did he whisper into your ear? You didn’t hear him get up and he surely can’t be that quick with his torso looking like that ; wounded hot. You couldn’t have imagined that, could you? Nono- of course not. But then how did-
“I don’t have all day sweetheart.”, he said, somehow both playfully and sternly. “Mhm-“, you quickly agreed before kneeling down in front of him, alcohol in one hand, and a soft rag in the other. You covered the nose of the bottle with the rag, turned it over, letting the alcohol absorb into the fabric, and then flipped it again. You dabbed the liquid onto his chest and payed close attention to the reddened skin. As you were treating him, you heard a sharp hiss escape him. “Not so tough after all.”, you chucked to yourself. Over the course of you patting down his wounds, you noticed how tense he has become. After quite the while you had looked up at him, taking note of how his hand formed a tight fist. The pirate was looking off to the side. You honestly felt a dash of pity.
Setting your confusing feelings aside you turned ur head to the side, spreading some healing-salve onto your fingers and turning back. A quick glance up and you noticed how Buggy was once again staring at you. ‘He’s probably just wondering what I’m doing’, you thought, secretly hoping he wasn’t planning on ending you after you’ve patched him up. You rubbed the cream between your hands before spreading it over the irritated area. “This should help with the burn”, you explained while massaging the salve into his skin.
Lastly you grabbed a roll of gauze and wrapped his torso tightly in the fabric. Weirdly every time your arms went around his back, to grab the gauze, you felt the clown inhale, basically holding his breath. “Is there something wrong, Buggy?”, his name rolled off of your tongue with no ill intentions. He wasn’t replying once again. You shook it off and secured the gauze, standing up to tell him that he “shouldn’t make any hasty movements. I’ll leave my creams here should last you more than long enough for the infection to disappear.” In return you didn’t get a sensible response, but a dangerous laughter.
“Leaving?”, the clown said while wiping the imaginary tears from his eyes, “Oh noo, you’re not leaving.” “What-?”, you asked confused, “You can’t keep me here.” The image of the merchants came back into your head. You didn’t want to end up like them, so you turned around and walked towards the door, not even bothering to grab the supply that rested on the table. You opened the door, yet before you had a chance to leave, a hand crashed against the wooden door, holding it shut. You let out a ‘tsk’ wanting to push the hand away. But then you realized that the hand doesn’t have an arm it’s attached to. It’s just a floating hand that’s blocking your exit. ‘How??’, you questioned in utter confusion. You were about to turn around when suddenly a tiny object came flying your way. It nicked your cheek before embedding itself into the wood that’s now behind you.
Sitting on the bed was the clown, the pirate, the captain Buggy. With the biggest and creepiest smile on his face, and 3 blades that he held in between his remaining hand’s fingers, realization had hit you. Why the crew loaded all of your belongings onto their ship. Why you couldn’t leave. Why you were so terrified in this very moment, feeling as if you taking a single step in his direction, it would spell your doom.
“Come closer.”, the clown smiled. You on the other hand, didn’t move a muscle. You were terrified of him. Terrified of ending up like those sailors that spoke of him with fear in their eyes. Terrified of possibly ending up worse than them.
Buggy’s smile faltered for a moment before he threw another blade at you. It landed next to your thigh, yet it still made you wince. “God you look so fucking good like that. So terrified of me- I simply can’t get enough.”, he mumbled. If you weren’t on edge you’d never have heard it. But now all of your senses peaked.
“Come closer now.”, Buggy giggled. You took a shaky step. Then another. Luckily he was being patient. His eyes were stuck on you, basically feasting on your emotions. Halfway across the room, he threw the 3rd dagger towards you. This time it graced your upper arm, your sleeve taking most of the impact. “Hurry it up, doctor .”, he spit the last part with venom before once again bursting into laughter at your terrified eyes. You were sure you wouldn’t make it out of here alive. He might have only one dagger left, but you don’t know where he got the original 4 from, so he might have more. By the time he finished laughing you were right in front of him again. Just like you were before you connected the clues to him being a violent murderer.
It’s his left hand he grabbed you by your collar and pulled you close. His head was right beside your ear. You tried to shift your head, seeing as it was in the uncomfortable position of having his dagger’s tip poke your throat. The hand from the door must have moved again because it was now pulling at your hair, keeping your head in one place. “You’re mine.”, he whispered. You truly didn’t know whether you should cry or blush. Your body decided for both. “You’re now on my crew. And I am your captain. Understand?” Besides anyone’s belief you managed to muster out a quiet “…yes”, accepting your fate. Better to sign your life away, than loosing it all together… right?
“Yes what?”, you could hear the smile on his face. The tears dwindled from your face. “Yes captain.”
“Good girl.”