Chapter Text
The day had started out fairly peacefully. The Thousand Sunny had been docked to a small summer island since late last night, hidden away behind some tall cliffs in order not to be noticed by any marines. The entire crew was excited to get back on land in order to stock up on supplies, stretch their legs and maybe just for once, have a calm and relaxing day. It was nice and warm, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear and brilliantly blue.
They had chosen this place since it was politically rather insignificant and had only one small marine base with barely a hundred officers stationed there.
The islands main town was really more of a large village then an actual city. There were also some smaller settlements scattered throughout the entire island, most of them specializing in farming and not larger then ten to fifteen huts and houses.
There weren‘t many traders around. Most of the food the islanders produced went to their own people as well as the marines. Of course, they still sold anything they didn‘t need or traded it for medicine and other goods, but that really was more out of convenience then necessity.
In between the small villages and settlements, there were mostly trees, mountains and some agricultural areas where food was grown and livestock was kept. The landscape was split by the occasional lake and stream, making the entire place look somewhat idyllic.
The islanders also had, over many years, been successful in breeding their own kind of herding dog. The animals were of medium size, had a soft black and white coat and pointy ears which would sometimes fold over cutely. Out of intelligent amber eyes, they would watch their owners animals and make sure none of them would wander of with brutal efficiency and astonishing speed.
Watching those dogs work really was something to behold.
This time around, Brook and Zoro had been volunteered to stay back and watch the ship while everyone else was out enjoying themselves on land. Of course, the two of them would get an opportunity to go later as well, but leaving their ship alone this close to a marine base was just asking for trouble, no matter how small said base was.
Chopper had already wandered off with Sanji in order to buy ingredients and maybe even trade in some of their medicine as well as offer to check on their sick or injured in exchange for some goods or money. First, the villagers were quite skeptical, but upon seeing the quality of what the small reindeer had brought, they quickly agreed and offered to show him to their small clinic, apparently rather happy to have the young doctor’s assistance.
Since Sanji was still busy with food shopping, Nami volunteered Usopp to accompany him. The sniper accepted this after a bit of whining once he was promised that things shouldn‘t take long and they would go and explore later by their enthusiastic captain, who was currently vibrating with energy, obviously itching to go and run off into the woods.
Robin for her part, decided to go with Sanji to the vendors as well, interested in maybe finding some books she hadn‘t read yet to add to her vast collection. Franky offered to go with her to help her carrying anything she might find and to keep an eye out for a specific tool he’d meant to buy for quite some time now.
This left Nami and Luffy to team up. The entire crew had quickly learned not to let their captain wander around on his own. Luffy would, without fail, manage to find some sort of trouble if left unsupervised for more then a few minutes on land.
Accepting the fact that she was now on Luffy-sitting duty, the navigator quickly went to the only clothing store she had spotted so far, making sure to drag the younger teen along. Today was nice, peaceful and quiet and she absolutely intended to keep it that way.
Like she’d expected, he wasn’t really all that happy about it.
“Come on, Nami! I‘m hungry!“ She didn’t even have to look in order to know that he’d spotted some place that sold food.
Sighing, she tightened her grip on his rubbery wrist. “Stop whining, We’ll go shopping first, then you can have a snack. And as soon as Chopper and Usopp are done at the clinic, you boys can run of and do whatever you feel like.”
Better have the other men chase after Luffy when he would inadvertently end up running through the forest. By the time her captain started his ‘exploring’, Nami planned to be back onboard the sunny, sunbathing and maybe enjoying some of the snacks Sanji would exclusively prepare for her and Robin.
Marching further towards her goal, she didn’t even turn around when she felt her captain cease his resistance for the time being. The promise of food almost always worked with him. And since she even said she’d buy him something to eat just now, he would definitely not wander off any time soon. She didn’t even feel bad for the money she would spend on his bottomless pit of a stomach if it meant her having a nice and peaceful shopping trip today.
Also, even if she would never admit this to his face, making him smile and seeing him happy was something, she really didn’t mind at all. He was their sun and to see his happiness, the entire crew would go above and beyond in any way possible.
The store they ended up in really wasn’t anything special. They had some locally made clothes crafted from wool, the only remarkable thing here being the craftsmanship that had obviously went into these items. Sadly, the designs were really not up to her standards at all. And after going through all items on display twice, she’d only found a fascinatingly soft scarf, she decided to purchase.
The fabric had been dyed a beautiful mint green color and enticing patterns had been carefully worked into the plush material. If there had been a second one like it, she would probably have bought is as well, either to re sell it at a much higher price, or as a gift to Robin.
After paying and leaving the shop, she paused for a moment, contemplating where to go next.
Not nearly satisfied with her time spent shopping yet, she decided her captain’s stomach would need to wait for a little bit longer. There were at least a couple more stores around. None of them specifically selling clothes or jewelry, but still worth checking out. Small islands like this one were usually the best place to get something of high quality at a reasonably low price.
She was so lost in her planning that she really didn’t notice the danger they were in until it was already to late.
Suddenly, Luffy had stopped walking, causing her to halt as well. “Damn it Luffy, didn’t I tell you we were not done shopping yet? Now move-!”
Once she’d turned however, she immediately understood why he wasn’t moving anymore. His face was set in a scowl and his dark eyes were as attentive as they could get.
Nothing had even remotely felt off until now. There had been no indicators for this happening. The townspeople had been friendly, trusting even. They had been genuinely happy to have their doctor’s help and no one had seemed off what so ever. They hadn’t even sensed the danger until this moment.
The air around captain and navigator became completely still as a group of twenty marines was suddenly surrounding them and pointing guns and swords in their direction.
They were standing with their backs to the store they’d just exited with uniformed and armed men blocking off every possible escape route.
“What the hell...!?” She could feel Luffy shift slightly, muscles tensing as he readied himself for a fight and moved in front of her protectively at the same time.
“Freeze! We have you completely surrounded!”
“Strawhat Luffy and Cat burglar Nami, you are both under arrest!”
One large marine, wearing a captain’s coat stepped forward, holding a thick pair of seastone cuffs in his hands. “Now, let’s play nice, shall we? If you come along quietly, we can have things stay civil between us and no one needs to get hurt.”
By now, some of the townspeople had started gathering around the group, fearfully watching the scene unfold in their usually so peaceful home.
“Nah, sorry. I still have things to do. Also, Nami promised me a snack, so I really can’t come with you right now.” This answer was so much like her captain and definitely so completely inappropriate, that she barely managed to hold back the snort threatening to escape her.
Despite his readiness for a fight, Luffy seemed somewhat unbothered by the entire situation, obviously still more concerned with food then the mortally dangerous predicament, they now found themselves in.
Really, what were they thinking? That their captain, future king of the pirates, Monkey D. Luffy would simply come along for his imprisonment and execution just because they asked nicely?
Apparently, the marine captain wasn’t really happy with this answer.
“Are you sure about that? I really wouldn’t want any of those nice people here getting injured because some pirate decided to be difficult. This is your last warning. Allow me to take you into custody peacefully and this won’t have to get ugly.”
Nami could feel the anger coming off her friend in waves. Using the threat of harming civilians was low. And sadly something, marines had resulted to on numerous occasions in the past already. She could also hear the people surrounding them scrambling away as quickly as possible in an attempt to avoid getting caught in between whatever was to go down here in a few short moments.
“Are you really threatening the people you are supposed to protect?” Luffy’s voice was still calm, though definitely the kind that came before someone would be picking up their teeth from the ground in the near future Nami backed away a few steps. She really trusted her captain, but still didn’t feel the need to get anywhere close to him in a fight. Except for Luffy himself, no one was really able to predict the quick movements of his rubbery limbs, often too fast for to be seen by the naked eye. “Also, I already told you, I won’t come with you, so I’m not gonna do it.”
“We’re doing ties the hard way then? Fine! Men, take aim!” Really, with each passing second, she detested that marine captain more and more. How the heck did this organization manage to find so many power hungry bastards to fill their upper ranks with anyways? It felt like the world government was actively avoiding hiring competent personal at this point.
All around them, the sound of guns being prepared rang out, causing goosebumps to form on her skin. Her captain may be immune to bullets and had no reason to be scared of them, but that certainly didn’t apply to herself. Really, she didn’t feel any shame when ducking down and cowering on the ground behind Luffy in preparation for what was to come. He definitely wouldn’t let her get hurt. He may be an idiot, but when it came to their safety, he was reliable like no other.
“Fire!”
Nami hated the sound of gunfire. The loud and sharp noise that almost instantly could take a life away without much effort. The smell of gunpowder and the sound of those small metal pieces hitting wood, metal, flesh and bone… Ever since losing her foster mother to Arlong, guns had made her uneasy.
The simple thought that something as small and unassuming as a bullet could take away someone’s life just like that was horrifying.
Well, at least with this level of noise, the others would definitely find them quickly and interfere. Either this, or Luffy would knock their opponents out before they even got here. One way or another, this would end in a total defeat for the marines.
Why were they still shooting? Normally, Luffy wouldn’t have hesitated to use his abilities to take them out from a distance. He wouldn’t even have to move, as they had all witnessed him taking out half an frikkin’ army with his haki back on fishman island. A small group of marines surely wouldn’t be any trouble, right?
She just wanted this to stop! Nami loved her Nakama and her position on the sunny, but could definitely do without all the fights and life threatening situations from time to time!
Just as another bullet buried itself into the dirt right next to her drawn in legs, she could hear shouts from close by. Something whizzed through the air and landed with a distinct popping sound which was soon followed by the terrified screams of multiple marines. Daring to open her eyes, she was happy to see those guys being ensnared by a couple of thick, green vines. Some others were trying and failing to defend themselves from disembodied hands and flaming kicks, courtesy of their archaeologist and chef.
Just then, Luffy seemed to take a deep breath. This was shortly followed by dozens of bullets being flung back from his rubbery skin towards the marines. This was also the moment Nami understood why he hadn’t moved. All around her, the ground was shot up. If Luffy had even moved an inch, she was sure she would have been hit. Like she’d trusted him to do, he had protected her.
Shakily getting up, she watched the chaos unfold in front of them. The marines that were still standing looked horrified, some running around in a panic, others standing frozen in fear.
“You guys okay?!”
Smiling at Franky, she simply gave him a thumbs up, not trusting her voice right now.
She started to relax. They would probably need to leave this island as soon as possible, but at least none of them had been hurt or captured.
“You won’t escape that easily, Strawhat!”
Just as she was about to thank her captain and pick up her possessions, now relatively uninterested in the fight since it was more or less finished and no one was shooting at her directly anymore, she shrieked in surprise as from somewhere, multiple shots were fired and something heavy slammed into her with an absurd amount of speed, before pressing her into the ground thoroughly.
Everything around her went quiet for a couple of seconds. No one moved or spoke. She was still clenching her eyes shot, her hammering heart and rapid breathing the only sound she could make out over the ringing in her ears. Then- all hell broke loose.
“SNIPER!”
“Captain!”
“Nami!”
Opening her eyes, she was met with the red shirt of her captain. Okay, this wasn’t all that strange, after all, Luffy had been right in front of her. The next thing she noticed however was slightly more concerning. Something warm and wet was slowly seeping into her clothes.
Moving the arm that was not trapped under her strangely still captain, she carefully felt for the foreign warmth spreading over her stomach. When she pulled back, her hand came away covered a bright crimson.
But-… this didn’t make any sense. She didn’t feel any pain… Why was there blood all over her clothes-
Her captain still hadn’t really moved, his weight continuously pressing down on her.
By now, Usopp had managed to take out the marine’s sniper and Sanji had kicked that annoying captain’s face in.
“Luffy? Hey, you can let go of me now, no one is shooting anymore.” Gently shoving his shoulder, she was surprised when he didn’t immediately answer her.
She carefully pulled herself out from under him, shocked to find even more blood on herself. Not only on her stomach, but her arms and legs as well. Testing her limbs, she still didn’t find anything wrong. She could move and breathe just fine.
If that blood wasn’t hers, then…
Slowly, it dawned on her. Luffy may be immune to regular bullets, but there was still one exception to this rule. One substance that made his devil fruit absolutely useless. At this point, she really didn’t spend any time to think about why such a small marine base in such an insignificant place had something like this lying around since it was rare for even fully equipped warships to carry those around, but the gruesome evidence right in front of her didn’t leave any room for doubt.
That damn sniper had used bullets crafted from seastone.
“Shit! No, no, no, no… Come on Luffy, say something!” When she only got a wet and painful sounding cough in return, she really started panicking. Quickly turning her captain around, and looking at his face, she felt could dread pool in her stomach.
His face was deathly pale and blood was running out of the corners of his mouth. His chest was struggling with every ragged and uneven breath he managed to take in and cold sweat was beading on his skin.
As soon as she’d turned him onto his back, blood started collecting on the ground, staining the gravel a brownish read color.
“Na….mi, are- are you okay?”
His eyes were barely open as even more blood stained his lips, speaking being obviously painful for him right now.
“Hey, come on, keep your eyes open! I’m okay, so you don’t need to worry!” She could feel herself panicking now for real, her voice shrill and filled with fear. Gently running her shaking fingers through his hair, she desperately searched his body for injuries, hoping to stop the bleeding somehow. “It’s going to be fine, okay? Chopper will fix you right up and then we’ll be off on our next adventure. I just need you to promise me that you’ll stay awake!”
“...kay.” She would probably be haunted by this blood stained smile for a long time.
“Sanji, Usopp, Robin, Help!” She was absolutely desperate, yelling and pleading for her friends in hopes that they may be able to fix this somehow, to help her save their dying captain.
The shocked exclamations she heard only seconds later told her that the others had only now caught on to the severity of the situation.
“Nami! What happened?”
Before she could answer, another weak cough from her injured friend resulted in more blood decorating the ground. Someone, at this point, she really didn’t care who, turned Luffy’s head to the side in order for him not to choke on it.
She was so completely transfixed by the red spreading from her Captains body, she barely heard anything happening around her now.
“mi? Hey, NAMI!!! Come on, pull yourself together!”
The strong grip someone had suddenly on her shoulder managed to pull her back from the hellish place, her mind had trapped her in just now. Not that this situation was any better, but at least now, she recognized Sanji’s face, just as pale as her own, staring at her intently.
“Are you okay? Can you tell me what happened?” There was no accusation in his voice, only concern and worry. Also, she could make out fear in his eyes, showing her that she wasn’t the only one completely freaking out right now.
“I-I’m okay, Luffy… he protected me and I think they… they…” She could barely gather enough strength to get the rest of that sentence out. “They used seastone bullets, I’m sure of it.”
The soft expression on their chef’s face turned to boiling anger. “… how dare they?” He looked like he would very much like to go and murder every marine left on this island and probably everywhere else on the grand line.
“Oh my god, this is bad, really bad, what are we supposed to do? We need a doctor right now, someone-…”
“USOPP You’re right, so go and get Chopper. We’ll meet up on the Sunny!”
Startled into silence by Sanji’s harshly barked command, their young sniper started sprinting towards the towns clinic as quickly as he could.
Time was of the essence now. The all were well aware of how dangerous seastone could be for devil fruit users. Even having the material close to them could weaken them greatly. Being forced into cuffs made of it drained them to a point where every movement cost more energy then they could spare. But to have pieces of it lodged right into their bodies? This was really worst case scenario.
And this wasn’t even considering the actual injuries caused by those bullets in the first place.
Gentle and soft hands covering her blood stained ones caused her to flinch and look up. Her vision was blurry as tears streamed down her face, but she still managed to make out Robin next to her.
“Are you hurt?”
Sniffing, she shook her head. “No, that’s not my blood.”
“Okay, can you tell me what happened exactly?” She knew that Robin was doing her best in order to calm her down. Sanji’s sudden outburst had really not helped at all just now.
“I- I don’t know, he suddenly knocked me down and when I tried getting up again, he was like this!”
Next to them, Sanji had started to frantically examine their leader. “Damn it, shitty captain, can’t ever do something half-assed, can you? Come on, keep your eyes open, I’m talking to you!” The blond was frantically patting Luffy down, apparently not finding anything.
Suddenly, the sharp noise of skin slapping skin could be heard. “HEY! I said keep those eyes open! You won’t get any meat for a month if you fall asleep now!”
The only answer the blond received was a somewhat unhappy grumble, followed by more wet coughing.
“Sorry about that.” Gripping their captains shoulder and hip tightly, Sanji turned the teen onto his side to get access to his back. For a second, his movements stilled as his face paled even further at the choked sound of pain this forced from their captain. “Shit, hang in there. I’ll need to pick you up to get you back to the Sunny right now.”
Not waiting any longer and shuddering at the sound of utter agony coming from their captain, Sanji pulled the younger pirate up onto his back and stated walking. “Robin, can you keep pressure on his back? Looks like multiple gun shot wounds.”
Nami was happy, he hadn’t asked her. Tears were still running down her face and she was shaking so badly, she was sure nothing she could have even attempted right now would have made a difference. Really, what had all her training over the last two years done for her if she still hid behind Luffy if things got dangerous? How could she even begin to make it up to him that she hadn’t been there for him after losing Ace if she couldn’t even protect herself and let him suffer for her yet again?
The dark haired woman only nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. Quickly, multiple hands sprouted from Luffy’s back and began feeling around gently for the multiple bleeding holes. However, once they had found their targets, Robins eyes widened and the hands disappeared.
“I can’t”
“WHAT? Why?”
“Just like Nami said, our captain has been wounded by seastone bullets. My powers won’t work this close to something like that.” Her voice was shaking slightly now. Nami was sure she had never seen the woman this scared before.
Sanji only bit down harder on his cigarette, tightened his grip on Luffy and, with another quiet apology, started sprinting as quickly as he could towards their ship’s hiding spot, Nami and Robin hot on his heels, closely followed by Franky, who was covering their rear, weapons at the ready just in case any marines decided they needed to peruse them right now to finish what their captain had started.
At this point, Robin’s guiding hand in hers was the only thing making sure she actually went in the right direction as even more tears were falling down her face now. How were they supposed to help Luffy at all? Chopper had eaten a devil fruit as well, he wouldn’t be able to work as freely as he would do under any other circumstances!
She tried very hard not to think about the blood trailing behind them, about the devastated faces of their comrades once they found out what happened… If Luffy didn’t make it through this, it would be her fault! She was sure, he’d only meant to protect her when jumping in front of those bullets, thinking he would be fine anyways, as he once again put their safety and well being over his own.
Logically, Nami knew they had only been running for a short time. The island was small and their ship wasn’t that far away from town, but even those minutes felt way to long with their Captain’s life on the line.
Once at the cliffs, they quickly took the safest path towards the water and jumped onto the ship as soon as safely possible without risking more injuries.
“WHAT THE FUCK-!”
“Not now, mosshead! Is Chopper back yet?!”
She could clearly see anger, shock and worry on their swordsman’s face as he stared at them, trying to comprehend how their radiant, happy and healthy captain had in less then two hours, gotten himself this messed up on probably one of the most peaceful islands they had ever been to, obviously shocked into silence by the sight of his injured friend.
“Fucking hell, I ASKED YOU SOMETHING!!!”
She could see Zoro’s muscles tightening as his hand automatically went to his swords as he forced himself back into action. “No he’s not.” Before either of them could do anything, their first mate had already pulled Luffy from Sanji’s back and was halfway towards the infirmary, before they even know what he was doing.
He’d been so fast just now, their chef hadn’t even had the time to protest just now.
Once they’d actually caught up to him, Zoro had already laid Luffy down on the infirmary bed and had removed the young captain’s shirt.
“Get me some cloth or something!” She could hear Sanji, immediately go running to get towels, not even getting angry about being ordered around by his rival. Shortly after, both men were pressing those soft pieces of cotton down on Luffy’s back, trying to stem the flow of blood still coming from three small holes, looking fare more harmless then they had any right to be.
The small, miserable sounds of pain escaping the injured pirate were heartbreaking. Even Zoro seemed utterly devastated when his actions caused a reaction like that. Just by the tension building in his shoulders she could tell that this was just as bad for him as it was for her. And he didn’t even know what happened yet.
Rushing forward, she squeezed in between the two men still doing their best in order to keep their captain from bleeding out before Chopper got back and took her friends hand. Upon contact, she was shocked to find those usually warm and strong fingers completely cold and motionless.
Before she could do anything else, frantic footsteps from outside signaled the arrival of the rest of their crew. She could barely make out Brook’s low voice before Chopper and Usopp crashed through the open door of the infirmary, completely out of breath. Chopper’s fur was ruffled and the young reindeer looked absolutely terrified as he told Sanji and Zoro to step back and let him examine their captain.
She could clearly see his eyes widening after only taking one look at Luffy’s injuries in terror.
“Everyone, get out now.” Despite the fact that their doctor looked scared out of his mind and his voice was shaking, this short sentence didn’t leave any room for argument. “This isn’t going to be easy and I need to concentrate.”
“But-”
“Out now! Please… we don’t have much time…”
“Don’t you need help? Touching those bullets won’t be good for you either.” Sanji stared at their doctor, as Robin nodded, obviously agreeing with his statement.
“He’s right, I couldn’t even get close enough to actually help our captain earlier. Are you sure you don’t want to keep one of the people who haven’t eaten a devil fruit in here to at least assist you?”
Taking a deep and calming breath, Chopper shook his head. “It won’t be easy, but none of you know what to do or how to handle yourself during surgery. I should be fine as long as I don’t touch those bullets directly.” The look on their youngest crew members face was calmer now, determination overshadowing his fear for now. “Now, clear the room please. You may wait outside, though this will definitely take a while and I can’t yet guarantee for the outcome. As soon as I know anything, I will tell you.”
There was a finality to his words, none of them dared to argue with. Chopper was their doctor and none of them had the authority to refuse his orders when anything medical was concerned.
Nami didn’t want to leave. She would do anything in order to stay by Luffy’s side. And hearing Chopper say that he didn’t know if their captain would pull through or not wasn’t making the decision to leave any easier.
She could feel multiple pairs of hands gently pulling her up to her feet and gently guiding her from the room. Everything around her was a blur. She felt absolutely horrible. This was all her fault. She had been the one who’d been supposed to keep Luffy out of trouble, to look out for and after him until he’d be off with Usopp to explore and have fun, to find an adventure in one of those beautiful, sleepy forests they had only seen from a distance so far.
Luffy had been so excited when they’d left the Sunny this morning, so full of energy… To see him barely breathing and fighting for his life like that only hours later…
If he died, she wouldn’t ever be able to forgive herself.
And even if she knew they were all nakama and family, she was certain that deep down, the others wouldn’t be able to forgive her either.
Brook would probably not be able to handle loosing another captain. The musician was sure to fall into deep depression and vanish someplace they wouldn’t be able to reach him anymore ever again..
Franky was the type to bury himself in his work, probably doing his best to replace the last pieces of humanity with mechanical parts as well, in hopes of not having to feel another loss ever again.
Chopper would blame himself, even if he wasn’t responsible. He would not be able to cope with losing Luffy under his care. This would maybe even shatter every bit of confidence the reindeer had in his abilities as a medical professional.
Usopp would cry for a long time, maybe even loose his wild and free imagination since with Luffy gone, no one would listen so intently and excitedly to his stories anymore, making their resident liar feel like everything he said was actually real.
Maybe, Sanji wouldn’t enjoy cooking anymore. He was Luffy’s chef, had promised to take care of the future pirate king’s culinary needs and wants and fulfill his dream beside him. He’d surely loose the warmth in his eyes he so desperately tried hiding from them whenever he thought they weren’t looking.
Heaven knew what Zoro would do if he lost his captain for good. Luffy was so much more to him. His best friend, his guiding light and the person that had freed him from a life he had convinced himself of being happy with just so he could have some illusion of a purpose in his existence. The swordsman would probably fight until no marine was left standing or he was killed as well, joining the one he’d sworn his loyalty and his swords to, staying by his side for all eternity in whatever place they went to after death
Robin would probably vanish quietly, grieving in isolation until she was forgotten completely. Luffy had literally given her back her life and will to live. Without him, she would surely be at risk of loosing herself again. He was her anchor, her guiding light. Without that, she’d be completely lost.
As for herself… the guilt and the pain of losing her friend, someone she held as dear as a brother under those circumstances… she’d probably not be able to go on.
Sitting down on the hard, wooden floor in front of the closed infirmary door, she vaguely heard her comrades doing the same, listened silently as Brook and Zoro were filled in on today’s events and then waited in silence. After drawing up her knees and burying her head in them, she hugged her legs and mentally prepared herself to wait for however long it would take. She’d do anything for her captain. And if her presence would somehow give him the strength he needed to pull through, she would gladly stay in this exact spot until she literally turned into a stone statue or succumbed to hunger and thirst.
“Damn marines…” Anger was radiating off Zoro in almost tangible waves as he glared at everything and nothing at the same time, once again gripping his swords with all the strength he had. “I swear, if I get my hands on them…”
Still though, despite his anger and clear desire for violence, he stayed right in front of the closed door, not moving an inch. His loyalty to Luffy was second to none. His captain needed him just where he was, so this was where he was gonna stay. The same determination was clearly visable in everyone else as well.
Still, there were things that needed to be done, now that everyone was back on the ship. Robin had always been the most mature and composed one out of the entire crew, so it didn’t come as a surprise when she was the first one to speak up about this.
“We should move the Sunny out to sea. Chances are high that they will be searching for us by now, so we should do our best to get to a safe distance before they actually find us. Chopper needs the ship as steady as possible in order to help our captain, so getting into a fight with the marines will definitely not help.”
As usual, she was right and had made a completely reasonable point. Still though, none of them felt like actually being the ones to go and make it happen.
After a few moments of tense silence, Franky and Sanji got to their feet, shortly followed by Brook.
“Don’t worry, we’ll steer the Sunny away from here. It’s really the only thing we can do to protect Luffy right now.” Even if the huge cyborg had tried his best to sound reassuring and motivating, his voice held a hollow tone and his eyes held the same amount of fear and anger as everyone else.
“Yes, we shall do our utmost to keep the captain safe.” No more joy was heard as Brook let the ice he used to defeat his opponents sneak into his voice. “No one will be able to lay their hands on him again.”
Sanji only stared ahead darkly as he went after them. However, just as he passed Nami, he stopped and looked at her softly. “Nami, you should probably take a moment to wash up.”
She just stared at him blankly, before shaking her head. “I’ll stay right here.” Her voice didn’t even sound like her own anymore. Quiet and broken, utterly defeated.
“Okay.”
She was glad he didn’t fight her on this, especially considering the fact that he was still covered in Luffy’s blood as well. He’d probably not noticed yet. If he hadn’t pointed it out just now, she would not have thought of that either. However now, she felt every dried flake of blood, every damp spot her captains life had soaked into, even the bruised blooming from when he’d thrown himself on top of her in order to protect her from harm… She felt utterly disgusting. Still part of her relished this feeling. After what she’d caused, she didn’t deserve to feel comfortable right now. At least not until they knew their sun was safe and healing and would make a full recovery.
Soon, the gentle rocking beneath them signaled their departure from this horrible place. Some part of her finally started calming down at least somewhat at that. The more distance they had to this place, the better.
In the stillness surrounding her, she could have almost forgotten that she wasn’t alone right now. When Zoro shifted slightly, she almost flinched at the metallic sounds his swords made in the process.
When she looked at him, his face was like stone, a storm raging in his eye and his posture tense. He’d been surprisingly quiet ever since they’d brought Luffy back earlier. Except for his small outburst upon laying eyes on their captain’s condition, he’d barely spoken, only listened to Sanji quickly filling him in on what had happened while he’d done his best to stop Luffy from bleeding.
Just by looking at him, she could tell how much this was hurting him. She’d at least been present, but Zoro hadn’t been. Once again, he hadn’t been there to protect his captain when he’d needed to be kept safe. Nami really didn’t want to imagine how bad he and the others who hadn’t been present felt right now. Of course, having been there hadn’t felt great either, but at least, she’d tried to support their leader as much as possible, right?
Her musings were interrupted when a sniffing sound could be heard from the miserable pile, Usopp had turned into.
“Hey now, stop crying. You don’t think something like this will keep our captain down, do you?”
Nami hadn’t counted on Zoro actually comforting the younger man. He’d even managed to sound somewhat friendly, which was rare enough, especially considering the situation.
“He-… He’s right, Usopp.” She swallowed heavily in order to suppress the fresh round of tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “Luffy is always fine in the end, this time won’t be different.” There really wasn’t any other outcome she wanted to imagine right now. The two years they’d all spent separated from each other had been terrible. Without Luffy around, the world had just been so much more dull and boring. She never wanted to go back to something like that.
“But there… was so much blood and-, and the seastone-”
“Stop it. Mosshead and Nami are right. No way in hell will the captain be defeated just like that.” Standing at the end of the hallway with a tray filled with steaming mugs in hand, Sanji looked at them, a determined look on his face. “We’ll just have to be patient and believe in him. After all, he’s survived worse up until this point, right?”
Apparently, the Sunny was now deemed far away enough for him to have calmed down somewhat and to have taken the time to change into a clean set of clothes, as well as prepare something warm for them to drink. Wordlessly, the blond passed around mugs filled with herbal tea and honey, before resuming his previous position and sitting down with them again. “We’re out on the open ocean now, no enemies in sight. But just to be on the safe side, Robin is going to stay on deck and keep an eye out with Brook and Franky.”
“...okay.” Holding onto her tea tightly, Nami noticed for the first time, how cold she was, despite the area’s generally warm climate. “Did you guys have any specific destination in mind when setting sail?” She was their navigator, so she should at least try to keep track of where they were going, right? Also, she really didn’t want to have to tell Luffy she had no clue where they were going once he woke up.
“No, just went straight out to sea. Getting away from there before more marines start coming after us seemed like the best idea for the time being.”
Nodding, she automatically began calculating their course. They really hadn’t gotten the supplies they needed, so they would have to stop at another island soon, though not too soon. If the marines had reported their earlier encounter to their higher ups, chances were high that the entire area would be on high alert for the time being.
“Sanji, how long can we last with our current supplies if re really put our mind to it?”
“Hmm.” He seemed to consider this with the utmost seriousness. “Maybe another week. Luffy’s gonna be really hungry once he wakes up and withholding food while he’s healing won’t be good for him, so we can’t really do any consequent rationing right now.”
He really had a good point here. Their captain’s healing factor often seemed to be literally depending on his food intake.
“And if we collect edible seaweeds and catch fish and the like? Could we maybe stretch our supplies out like that?”
“Maybe a day or two, but since there is really not way to tell, how much we’d be able to gather, I’d rather not depend on it too much.”
“Fair enough, so eight to nine days then.” Going quiet for a bit, she did her best to remember the maps of the area she’d studied so far. There were multiple larger islands close by, though those were undoubtedly guarded by stronger marine bases then the one they’d just been to.
Should they just ignore it and take the risk? They’d definitely get the needed supplies, but having to fight again this soon with Luffy down for the count and the entire crew distracted by it, they’d only be asking for more trouble. They should probably try for another smaller island again. There were some that weren’t inhabited at all. That definitely would be the safest thing right now, though gathering food and supplies would be a lot harder and more time consuming.
Luffy would probably love it though.
This thought was what got her to decide in the end. “We should just hold the course then. It’s gonna get pretty close to our time limit, but we should reach a cluster of small, uninhabited islands in around nine days. From what I’ve heard, the place is covered by dense jungle, making it dangerous for humans to live in, but we might still be able to gather some decent food there.”
“Alright, but we really need to keep an eye out for more marines. After today, I feel like we deserve a break.”
“Yeah, today really sucked, huh?” Just like that, her mind went back to the situation at hand. Their captain fighting for his life behind that unassuming wooden door right in front of them.
Absentmindedly scratching at her itching skin, she flinched when she suddenly felt something come off it. Looking down, she was reminded of the fact that she was still covered in by now, dried blood. The sight alone made her feel sick, as the memories from earlier today were violently dragged back to the forefront of her mind. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with the urge to just get it all off. She began to scratch at the brownish red substance covering her skin furiously.
“Woah, Nami, stop it!” Hands were now tightly enclosing her wrists. “I told you earlier to go and clean up, remember? Why don’t go and do that now? It has only been somewhere close to an hour, so Chopper will definitely need more time. I promise, we’ll get you if anything happens, so just go, take a relaxing bath and take a break.” The fact that Sanji had said this without even the slightest hint of his usual perverted fanboying told her just how concerned the blond was right now. His voice had only held kindness and as he carefully pulled her to her feet, mindful of her by now cramping muscles, she was once again reminded of the fact that Luffy hadn’t been the only one she’d missed dearly over the past couple of years.
Once she was actually standing, walking towards the bathroom under her own strength became easier and easier with each step. Once there, she ripped her soiled clothes off her body as quickly as she could, not caring if she damaged the expensive fabrics at all. The entire outfit was completely ruined anyways.
Usually, when she wanted to relax, she’d take a bath, but right now, she just wanted to get her friend’s blood off her as quickly as possible and waiting for the large tub to fill was something she definitely didn’t have the patience for right now.
Not caring how hot or cold the water was, she just turned on the shower as far as the handle went and stepped under the strong spray of water. Standing there for a few moments, she literally felt the dried blood being cleaned from her skin by the flowing water, turning it a disgusting brown color as it went down the drain. If only her captain’s injuries could be washed away like that… Suddenly, a laugh escaped her at this bizarre though. Damn it, her emotions were all over the place right now. Using way more shampoo then she’d do under any other circumstances, she furiously started cleaning herself up.
Even her usually smooth and silky hair was crusted with blood in multiple places. No wonder the first thing Sanji had suggested to her earlier had been a bath.
Almost mechanically, she went over each limb, through each strand of hair, until she felt more or less clean again. Logically, she knew that with the extensive washing she’d done, no more dirt and blood remained on her skin, but still, it would probably take a while until she wouldn’t feel Luffy’s blood all over herself anymore.
After sighing and shutting off the water, she dried herself off and pulled her bathrobe over herself tightly, the soft fabric doing wonders for her nerves, almost comfortable enough to distract her from the phantom feeling of dried blood all over her skin.
From this point on, it did only take her a few more minutes to get dressed and then hurry back to the infirmary, where apparently, noting had changed. Zoro was still glaring at the closed door, Usopp hadn’t stopped looking miserable and Sanji was by now definitely stress smoking. The only noticeable change was Brook, who had apparently decided that his presence on deck wasn’t needed anymore. The skeleton was sitting next to Usopp and was softly and quietly playing something on his violin, obviously meant to comfort them as much as himself.
“Any news yet?”
“No”. Zoro had managed to put all his annoyance and anger into this one short word.
“Okay.” Resuming her former position, she tried to distract herself by listening to Brook. Apparently, he was playing a very slow and melodic version of ‘Bink’s Sake’, which was one of Luffy’s favorite songs to listen to.
This soft sounds of the violin were the only thing they heard for a very long time. Or maybe just an hour or two. Right now, even a minute felt way longer then it had any right to be.
At some point, Robin quietly joined them as well, closely followed by Franky. Since no one was left on deck, their archaeologist used her powers to at least keep an eye out while they waited. Normally, Nami would have scolded them for abandoning their posts and leaving the Sunny to the ocean unsupervised, but taking the current situation into account, she could let it slide this one time, even with the still real threat of marines searching for them. At least, with Robin’s efforts, they would still take notice on anyone trying to sneak up on them. The look she’d given Nami when promising to keep them safe had been enough to convince her of the fact that her bunk mate would raise hell itself right now, if it meant protecting the one that had gifted her back her life and freedom, something she’d thought of as absolutely impossible.
With the devil child keeping an eye out, they would be absolutely safe.
The only source of light right now was one small lamp, bathing the wooden hallway they were occupying in a soft, golden light, casting dark shadows over the wall. The sun had gone down already, meaning that no more light came in through the opened hatch leading upstairs. The fresh night air occasionally carrying the smell of salt and rain into the bowels of the ship was the only thing keeping them somewhat vigilant.
Everything hurt, her limbs being stiff and her muscles cramping from the tenseness, she hadn’t been able to shake off ever since this afternoon. The others weren’t looking better either. Even Zoro, with his rigid posture seemed somewhat tired by now. Of course, she knew that nothing in the world would move him away from here right now, but still, they really looked like a complete wreck by now.
Just as she was about to give in to the burning in her eyes and her body’s demand for rest, finally after what had felt like an eternity, they could hear the distinct sound of the lock on the infirmary door being opened.
Nami felt lightheaded from jumping to her feet before her brain had even caught up with her movement. All around her, she could hear her friends do the same.
When that damned door finally swung open, she almost forgot what they’d all been waiting for out here.
Chopper looked absolutely exhausted. The reindeer was in his usual, small form, his fur matted and his eyes tired. He was barely walking upright, stumbling over his own hooves with each step.
Before she could move, Robin had already scooped their fluffy doctor up into her arms, asking him if he was doing alright.
“Don’t worry, I’m just tired, this took way longer then expected.”
Now, they all fell silent.
“How’d it go?” If not for the still absolutely stormy expression in his eye, one could have mistaken Zoro for absolutely calm and collected right now.
Cuddling further into Robin’s soft embrace, Chopper sighed. “Well, for now, Luffy’s stable. I managed to take all the bullets out, though that did take quite some time since they shattered on impact and, as you already mentioned earlier, I also had to be very careful not to touch the fragments at all, which wasn’t easy to do either. I did my best repairing the internal damage and I’m positive I managed to actually get all pieces of seastone out of him, though there might still be some residue left in his bloodstream. This may also impact his recovery time. I gave him all the F type blood I had, though his blood pressure is still too low. He’s been bleeding quite a lot after all. Thankfully, his spine wasn’t injured, even though all bullets were lodged into his back. One managed to get his lung pretty badly though, which was also the main cause for the internal bleeding. One got caught on his shoulder, not much damage there, thankfully. And the third one went through some intestines and nicked an artery, which was also the main reason for him loosing as much blood as he has.” Sniffing quietly as a couple of tears started to wet the soft fur on his face, Chopper took a short break.
“I-I managed to fix all the damage and cleaned everything up, but because of that damn seastone, he’s still very ill and has started running a fever on top of everything else. I really hope he won’t wake up tonight. He’d definitely be in a lot of pain. And with the way his body works, giving him painkillers is really tricky. To little will have no effect at all and too much might put his general health at risk. I’ll also have to make sure nothing gets infected. He’s not strong enough to handle something like that right now.”
“But, he’s going to be okay, right?” Usopp sounded like a kid asking their parents if the monsters of the night would be gone in the morning.
Sniffing again, Chopper looked at them sad. “His body went back to being rubber as soon as the last piece of seastone was removed, so that’s a good sign. And as long as he heals up with no further complications, he should be okay, but… Until in a day or two, I won’t be able to tell for sure. Sorry.”
Silence stretched through the hallway as they all tried to process this. It was really hard to believe that after all this agonizing waiting, nothing had changed.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Franky almost looked pleadingly at their furry comrade.
Chopper, sensing that his report really had put everyone in an even worse mood then they’d been in already, tried to soften the blow somewhat. “Not really. Right now, Luffy needs to sleep. If you want, you can take turns sitting with him. And if he makes it through the night okay, his chances at a full recovery increase greatly. Once he actually wakes up, I’ll be able to tell you more.”
Without saying anything, Zoro had already wandered into the infirmary, a challenging glint in his eye, daring everyone to try arguing with him about this. He would be the one to stay, no discussion needed.
“Zoro, I will try to rest for a bit. Please come and wake me, should anything change.” Normally, the small reindeer wouldn’t leave any of them alone while this heavily injured, but it was painfully obvious, that he simply wouldn’t be able to force himself to stay awake much longer. “Someone else should stay as well, so you won’t have to leave him alone if one of you needs to step out for a minute.”
Immediately, they all tried arguing. None of them wanted to just go to their rooms and sleep right now, no matter how exhausted they were.
“I’ll make SUUUPER sure, our captain will be safe!”
“No way Franky, you are on night watch! I’ll stay and make sure Luffy won’t get bored. I’ll tell some awesome story about the time I fought a two headed giant snake-”
“However, he’s sleeping! A story will not do much good. I’ll stay and play a few lullabies. Luffy loves my music!”
“I wouldn’t mind staying either. My powers might be of use if something were to happen. I could wake Chopper without leaving the room.” Robin was actually the first one to have a valid argument here.
Nami didn’t want to leave either, so despite her despising the fact that they were actually fighting among each other at a time like this, she threw her hat in the ring as well. “Except for Zoro, I have been with Luffy the longest. I want to stay and make sure he’s okay! He protected me earlier, so that’s the least I can do for him!”
Okay, maybe guilt tripping wasn’t really fair, but she’d use everything she had right now.
“No way, Nami-swan! You look just as tired as Chopper, you need to go lie down for a bit. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on everything and will personally inform you the second something happens. I’ll make sure to prepare a lovely breakfast for you in the morning as well. After that, you may stay with the captain for however long you’d like.”
Glaring at the blond, she inhaled deeply, intending to snap at him, but was interrupted by Chopper of all people. “He’s right Nami, you’ve had a terrible day and need your rest. As this crew’s doctor, I will not allow you to stay up all night. That’s not good for you.”
“But Chopper-
“I said no! Please, go rest?” It really wasn’t fair, how cute the reindeer could look when he wanted.
Sighing deeply, she actually began to feel the heaviness in her limbs, the burning in her eyes, the slight nausea caused by stress and the cold stiffness all over her body, telling her that she was way beyond her limits. “Fine, but I’ll be back first thing in the morning. And don’t you dare hold back any information just to make me feel better or something!”
“You know we’d never do that, Nami-swan.”
“Sanji, you can’t stay either.”
“What?!”
“We need you to make sure that we won’t starve in the foreseeable future. Having you dead on your feet could be dangerous for the entire crew.”
“Fuck, Chopper, that even makes sense.”
“Hmmh. Usopp you won’t stay either. You have first watch tomorrow morning and need to get some sleep before that.”
“But I’m worried about Luffy1 I won’t be able to sleep anyways!”
“Just try, even if you don’t feel like it, your body still needs time to rest. I think, for practical reasons, Robin should stay the night. Everyone else needs to rest in case we get attacked by marines or anything else comes up.”
Even if Zoro was the unofficial first mate, everyone still listened to their doctor if need be.
Before reluctantly leaving, Nami managed to squeeze past the boys and take a short look inside the infirmary. Luffy was only covered halfway by a soft blanked, his upper body exposed and covered in a thick layer of bandages. He was lying on his side, face turned towards the door. His eyes were closed an an oxygen mask had been placed over his mouth and nose as well, stealing away the illusion of their captain being asleep peacefully.
Their captain’s usually tan skin looked sickly pale and his face was somewhat tense and covered with a thin sheen of sweat.
It hurt Nami to know that this was because of her, that he was hurting and bleeding just because she’d been a burden to him. Aad now, she wasn’t even allowed to stay by his side?
At least, with Zoro there, she could be absolutely certain that Luffy would be well protected. Their swordsman would never allow anything to happen to their captain. Even now, with no danger in sight, was the man tense and ready to jump into action in the fraction of a second.
Still, just watching the way he looked at the dark haired man on the bed made it crystal clear, how much he cared for the other. There was a tenderness in his movements as he laid a cold cloth over Luffy’s brow, she’d never thought him capable of. The way his gaze lingered on Luffy’s chest, tracking each shallow movement, making sure the other pirate was still breathing was telling as well. He was scared to loose their light, his best friend.
Suddenly feeling a soft hand touch her shoulder, she turned her head only to stare right into Robin’s beautiful eyes. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep him safe. I’m sure he’s going to be alright in the end.” With that, the other woman glided past her into the infirmary and quietly closed the door behind herself.
Just like that, they had all been dismissed.
No one looked happy about getting a full night of rest right now. Franky marched towards his post for the night briskly, not looking happy at all. Usopp, Sanji and Brook silently moved towards the men’s quarters, the blond chef carrying a by now deeply slumbering Chopper in his arms.
Nami herself was close behind them, barely reaching her and Robin’s shared cabin, before her legs finally gave out for the day. Collapsing onto the large, soft bed, she didn’t even have the energy left to cry anymore.
In a matter of minutes, her body’s demand for rest had overpowered everything and forced her into a deep and dreamless sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, she felt as if she’d just laid down. However, the sunlight streaming through the small window in the room told a completely different story. Also she hadn’t woken on her own accord. Someone was knocking on her door.
“Nami-swan? Sorry to disturb you, but breakfast is almost ready. Just come to the galley as soon as you are ready!”
Well, at least their chef seemed to have kept his promise from the previous night. With the prospect of food in sight, she actually started feeling really hungry. Because of all the excitement yesterday, they hadn’t gotten anything for dinner.
With a small pang of guilt, she remembered that she hadn’t given Luffy the snack she’d promised him either. She’d really have to make that up to him the next time they visited an island with some actual civilization.
“I’ll be out in a bit, thank you!” Rolling out of bed was hard, despite the bright and warm sunlight streaming into the room. After washing up quickly and brushing her hair and teeth thoroughly, she grabbed a pair of shorts, fresh underwear and a dark blue cropped top, throwing on the clothes quickly and left for breakfast.
She was surprised to find everyone except for Zoro, who was surely still with Luffy, and Usopp, who’d relieved Franky earlier, already sitting at the table.
Staring at Robin and Chopper expectantly, she didn’t even react when Sanji served her a beautiful plate filled with everything she loved in the morning, as well as a small selection of drinks.
“So? How’d last night go?” Since everyone else started eating, she was sure they’d already been filled in.
“Our captain has slept through the night relatively peaceful, considering the circumstances. We managed to keep his fever relatively in check as well, so really nothing much to report.”
“Thank you Robin, that’s good, isn’t it?” She couldn’t help the slight pleading in her voice just now.
With a serious expression on his furry face, Chopper nodded. “It’s good he hasn’t gotten worse. I’ll give him another through exam after breakfast though, just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. After that, you can relive Robin and stay with Luffy for a bit.”
“What about Zoro?”
“I’m afraid he’s insisting on staying right where he is. Maybe he’ll be more manageable once Luffy’s awake again.” If even Chopper wasn’t arguing with their swordsman, Zoro must have reached a whole new high of stubbornness during last night. “I just hope he won’t make himself sick like that. He needs rest too.”
After that, they finished breakfast in silence. Once done, Robin and Franky both excused themselves in order to catch up on the night of sleep they’d missed while the others and herself all followed the doctor towards the infirmary.
“Please wait here. Once I’m done, I’ll come to get you.” It was almost funny, how much this scene reminded her of last night, though the mood was way more calm right now compared to the previous day.
“So, did Robin tell you guys anything else?” She was desperate for information.
“Not really.” Sanji wasn’t really looking more happy about this then herself. “She only sad she was relieved that nothing bad happened.”
“I see.”
Internally, Nami started planning, what to do today. Most of the time would be spend with Luffy of course. While she’d watched her friend, maybe she could, if the situation stayed calm, work on a few of her maps or plan, how to best get to the next large island, after they’d restocked in a bit.
This time, it only took around thirty minutes before Chopper poked his head out of the infirmary and asked them to come inside. “I’m done for now. If you want, you can all come in and I’ll fill you in on how the exam went.”
As if he even needed to ask. Before Chopper had even finished the sentence, they were already piling into the small medical room.
The first thing she noticed was Zoro, who was sitting in exactly the same spot as last night, though far less tense then yesterday. The next thing was her captain. The young pirate looked about the same as last night, though his expression had evened out and he seemed to be breathing easier as well.
“… thank god…” For the first time since those marines had shown up, something akin to a smile spread over her face. She didn’t need Chopper to tell her that things were starting to look up. Just by seeing how much better their captain looked, she could tell that he was on the mend.
“Thank you for your patience. I know this isn’t easy for everyone, so I am very happy that you guys have trusted me enough to let me handle this. Luffy is, as you can see, doing better already. He’s still far from recovered but at this point, I am fairly certain that he should be fine in a bit. As expected, he is healing a lot more slowly then he’d normally do due to complications caused by the seastone he was shot with.” Taking out a small glass vile with a barely concealed frown, Chopper showed them a hand full of small, bluish-black shards of stone. “That’s what I pulled out of his back.”
Putting the draining material down onto his desk in order not to be too close to it, their doctor continued. “Despite the seriousness of his injuries, I believe that he should wake up sometime today. He’ll be in pain, so keep that in mind, no matter how much he might whine about being bored and wanting to run around and play. I will definitely need your help with keeping him in bed for at least a couple more days. If he rips open his injuries again, it might end really bad for him. I can’t replace any more blood, so we can’t allow him to loose any more.”
They all knew that the next couple of days would be hell. Luffy hated being still. She’d never before in her life met anyone this adverse to following orders and just taking things easy for a bit.
“Sanji, would you please prepare something easy to digest for the time being? He’ll be hungry, but we can’t allow him to overdo it and make himself sick. He could tear his stitches if he threw up. Also, I think we should keep up a schedule to make sure he’ll be under supervision for the foreseeable future. I don’t trust Luffy not to do something stupid once we take our eyes off him.”
Despite his words, Chopper was smiling broadly. It always amazed her how much this small furry creature was doing for all of them, with how much care he held their lives in his small hooves.
Kneeling down in front of him, she gently but firmly embraced him and held him tight. This had surely been even more taxing on him then it had been on her and the others. “Thank you, Chopper, you’re really the best.”
“I.. Urgh, stop complimenting me! You know I really don’t care for that!!!”
“I know, I know, sorry:” Smiling into his fur, she squeezed him once more before letting go. “I’m just so happy we’ll get to be annoyed at Luffy for pulling stupid shit for a bit longer.”
“You can say that again. I better go and make sure we have enough food ready. He’ll be insufferable if nothing’s there once he’s up again.” Smiling around his cigarette, their chef turned around and left the room, mumbling about broths and fruit and whatever else he could feed their bottomless pit in order to get back onto his feet again quickly.
“I will go and Inform Usopp. He’s sure to be pretty nervous right about now. Maybe we can come up with songs and stories to entertain Luffy with, once he’s awake. Being sick is boring, so we’ll make sure he’s well entertained.” Looking as happy as a skeleton could, Brook ventured out of the room as well, calling for their sniper as he went.
“What about Robin and Franky? Should someone go and tell them?’ She just knew their friends wouldn’t appreciate being left out.
To her surprise, Zoro was the one to answer that one. “Nah, that woman always knows what’s going on anyways and they both looked like hell earlier. Better let them rest for now.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ll be here until my captain sends me away.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that.”
“Well, he’s really the only one, who’s orders I’ll follow.”
“Don’t we all know it.”
“Well, deal with it.”
Throwing her hands up in defeat, she accepted her fate for now. “Fine. But the first thing you do once he’s done that is taking a shower. You stink.” Nami really wasn’t looking forward to spending hours with the odor of an unwashed body.
“If my captain tells me to, I will.”
“You are disgusting. Why do you guys hate bathing so much anyways?!”
“It’s annoying!”
“It’s not, stop being a baby about it!”
“Could you two keep it down please? This is still an infirmary and Luffy needs to rest! Also Zoro, Nami is kinda right about you needing to take at least a shower. From a hygienic point of view, you are currently a walking bio hazard.”
“Meh.”
Throwing up his hooves in surrender, funnily enough exactly copying Nami’s earlier actions, Chopper went to his desk and started organizing his supplies, which were still in disarray from the emergency surgery he’d been forced to perform last night.
Nami made herself comfortable on the edge of the bed Luffy was resting on, careful not to disturb him. Gently, she started combing her fingers through his hair under Zoro’s ever watchful eye. “You really scared me this time, idiot.”
“… ‘m sry, Nami.”
Her fingers stilled in absolute shock. Hearing Luffy utter even a single sound had, up until now been something her mind really hadn’t been prepared for at all.
“Luffy!”
By now, Chopper and Zoro were hovering just as close to their captain as she was.
“Captain?”
“Hey Luffy, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?”
Tired, dark brown eyes slowly blinked open as their injured friend slowly but surely regained consciousness.
“...Hey, Nami is… not hurt, right?”
That was just so much like him. Ignoring his own needs and immediately trying to make sure all of them were unharmed.
Squeezing one of his hands gently, she nodded, fresh tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. “… not even a scratch.”
“Good.”
“But you got hurt.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Stop saying that!” She was just as surprised at her outburst as Chopper and Zoro were apparently, judging by the looks on their faces. “There is nothing good about you getting hurt! Luffy, you almost died trying to protect me! Please don’t do that!”
“Nami, maybe you should calm down-”
“I AM CALM!”
“Chopper’s right, you are kinda-”
“Shut it Zoro! You are just as bad as him!”
“Shishishishi, you guys are funny.”
“Stop laughing, Luffy, this isn’t funny! Also, I’m still mad at you!”
Confusion was evident on her captains tired face. “But… I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”
Taking one look at his expression made her anger disappear. He was genuinely confused and looked at her like a kicked puppy. Really, no human should be allowed to be able to do that.
Now, she felt bad. “I know, I know. Sorry. You don’t like us getting hurt and it is the same for us the other way around as well, so I’m just a little upset right now.”
He probably hadn’t even known the marines were shooting with seastone bullets, counting on his usual resistance against normal ammunition to protect the both of them, so her anger was, in a sense, kinda unjustified.
Just as she was about to apologize again, Luffy suddenly tried using his arms in order to push himself up into a sitting position.
“Woah, Stop that, you’re not supposed to get up yet!” Before Chopper had even attempted to change into his humanoid form in order to get their stubborn captain to lie back down, Zoro had already shoved Nami to the side and was gently but firmly pressing Luffy back down onto the bed.
“Hey now, take it easy captain. u’re messed up pretty good right now, so no walking around yet.”
“But-”
“Come on, Chopper has been working really hard to put you back together, so no need to ruin all his effort, right?”
It was obvious that this small stunt had taken a lot out of the weakened rubber man since he didn’t even attempt getting up a second time. “Hmmm, fine.”
Relief on his face, Zoro let go of Luffy’s shoulders and made way for Chopper, who was anxiously hovering close by.
“He’s right, Luffy. You were shot with seastone yesterday. Three hits in total. I managed to get every bullet out but this will take a bit longer to heal then you are used to, so please try to stay put for a bit. The others will keep you company so you won’t get too bored-” The small doctor stopped rambling abruptly when Luffy let out a weak cough followed by something that could only be accurately described as a pained whimper.
Nami’s grip on her captain’s hand tightened in an effort to comfort him as well as herself and maybe even give him something besides the pain to focus on. If it was bad enough for him to actually show outward signs of discomfort, it was probably bad enough to have anyone else scream in agony if they were in his place right now.
Next to her, their resident swordsman seemed just as frightened by this as she was. They both had been brutally reminded just now that ‘better’ didn’t necessarily equal ‘fine’. Just because Luffy had a freakishly high pain tolerance and the ability to recover from almost everything didn’t mean he wouldn’t be feeling his injuries right now.
Chopper was the only one not freaking out completely. “See? That’s why we keep telling you to take it easy! Wait for a moment, I’ll try to give you some medicine that’ll take the pain away.”
By now, Luffy seemed to have somewhat regained his breath. “I’m okay, thanks though, Chopper.”
“Are you sure? Is there anything else bothering you right now? If there is something I can do to make you more comfortable, I will!”
For a moment, it looked like Luffy had to actually think about their doctor’s question really hard, before nodding slowly. “I’m cold.”
This was a bit worrying. Luffy usually wore an open shirt, shorts and flip-flops, no matter the weather they were in, never complaining about being cold at all.
However, Chopper really didn’t seem to find that strange at all. “I’ll get you another blanket. You are still running a slight fever and did loose a lot of blood, so that’s to be expected. Anything else?”
“I’m really hungry.”
“That was to be expected as well. Sanji should have prepared something light for you to eat. And don’t look at me like that, you are still healing and your body doesn’t have the energy to process anything too heavy right now.”
Luffy definitely didn’t look convinced, or happy, with that statement.
Chopper quickly left the room in order to retrieve something edible for their captain. It didn’t take long until he got back with a large bowl of soup, as well as a plate with a couple of pieces of soft fruits.
“Eat this, the you can take a nap. If you’ll be comfortable after, we’ll try something more substantial.” Turning to Zoro, he mentioned for the swordsman to help him. “Could you please help get Luffy into an upright position for a bit? And please be careful and move slowly. If anything seems wrong, stop immediately.”
“Sure, ready captain?”
After getting an affirmative answer from Luffy, Zoro gently moved one arm under Luffy’s shoulders while using the other one to keep him steady. Very slowly, he did what Chopper had asked him to, his attention completely focused on Luffy’s expression and breathing.
“Very good. Just relax and let Zoro do all the work. I don’t want you straining yourself yet. Are you still feeling okay?” The question was definitely valid since their patient had lost, if possible, even more color ever since Zoro had started moving him.
“ ‘m fine, just… a bit dizzy.”
“You need to stop?”
“Hmm, no, don’t think so."
When he was finally completely upright, Zoro sat down next to Luffy and let the younger man lean into his side while keeping him steady with one arm still lightly laid around his waist, carefully avoiding the freshly sewn up injuries.
They stayed like that for a few minutes in silence. Once Luffy seemed a bit more steady, Chopper approached with the food. “Now, eat slowly, okay?”
Telling Luffy to restrain himself around food usually was just as successful as doing the same with a starving dog. The rubber man inhaled food usually at an astonishing pace, only chewing when it was absolutely necessary.
Thankfully as weakened a their captain was, doing anything quickly wasn’t possible. It took almost fifteen minutes until he’d finished the for his standards small amount of food.
“Wanna lie back down now?”
By now, Luffy was positively cuddling into his first mate’s side, half asleep with his head pillowed on Zoro’s shoulder.
“Hmmhmm.”
“I’ll take that as a yes then.”
Not waiting for an answer, their captain was laid back down gently and then covered by a very soft looking blanket that had previously not been there.
“Zoro?”
“What is it, captain?”
They’d all thought he was back asleep already, so the surprised tone int their swordsman’s voice was definitely warranted.
“… fine now, go sleep. You look really bad.”
Something soft crossed the green haired male’s face. “You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay captain, I will. Just let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”
From there on out, it only took seconds until Luffy had fallen back asleep.
Nami was surprised that the first thing Zoro did now was getting up, stretching and marching towards the door. “Wait, you’re really leaving?”
“Sure, Luffy told me to go rest, so that’s what I’m gonna do now.”
Without another word, he was gone.
Chopper seemed relived at this. “Finally! I don’t care how tough he is, he’s still human and needs to sleep, drink and eat.”
“Has he really been sitting in the exact same spot the entire night?”
“Yeah, hasn’t taken his eyes off Luffy up until now. No food, no sake and no bathroom breakes”
“He really is loyal without a fault, isn’t he?” No matter how annoying that man could be at times, she would always respect him for that.
“Yes, he is. But hopefully now, we can go back to normal. Now that Luffy has actually eaten something without complications, I’m absolutely sure he’ll be fine.”
“That’s good.”
Taking up her previous spot on the bed, Nami fondly watched her captain sleep while Chopper was busy with going through his stocks of medicinal herbs and checking on their sleeping captain from time to time. Once afternoon came around, Brook and Usopp knocked on the door, asking if they could spend some time with Luffy now. Nodding and getting up, Nami didn’t feel too bad for leaving the infirmary now. Luffy was healing up, she didn’t need to be scared for him anymore. Their friends would keep him company and maybe even come up with stories that would let him forget the pain and discomfort he was in for a little while.
During her next visit, she would make sure to tell Luffy that they were headed towards an uninhabited jungle island. Her captain would be absolutely delighted to hear that. And once they got there, she was sure nothing would be able to keep him onboard the Sunny for even a second, especially after being cooped up inside the infirmary for any period of time.
At some point, she would really have to ask him about his obsession with running through untouched nature. The way he moved in environments like this was… strange, almost not human, as if he was used to jumping through trees and climbing around rock and dense greenery like that. Places like this brought out an even more untamed side of their captain then the one they were used to.
They still had little over a week to get there. So she was certain, he would be well again by the time they reached their destination.
Until then, they had the challenging job to keep their captain in check and make sure he rested enough for his wounds to heal, but at least, they didn’t need to fear for his life anymore.
Breathing the fresh, salty air as she took position at the helm, Nami felt herself truly relax for the first time since they’d been ambushed. The warm sun rays on her face felt nice after being indoors for so long. There were no other ships in sight right now and the ocean was nice and calm, beautifully reflecting the pleasantly blue sky.
Now, things could finally be as they were supposed to again and they could continue following their captain as he chased his and their dreams and did everything in his power to satisfy his lust for adventure.
If fishman island had shown the world anything, then that the strawhat pirates were back in action and stronger then ever.