"It hurts!"
All the men on the deck below stared in horrified awe, watching as the raven-haired boy fell to his knees and cupped his bleeding cheek. The knife that he had held slid down the figurehead's neck, only to clatter against the wood floor. Shanks couldn't blame his crew. No one knew what to expect when their little anchor clambered up onto the wooden dragon of the ship. Regardless, though, now was not the time to stand there doing nothing. They had to get Luffy down and inspect the damage he had inflicted on himself.
The captain pushed past a few of his friends, going to stand at the base of the long column. The boy was still hunched over; his sobs and whimpers tugging at Shanks' already concerned heart. It was obvious that someone was going to have to go retrieve him. With a small sigh, the red-head rolled up his sleeves and tilted his straw-hat back. "Hey Benn," he called, his first mate already at his side, "go tell Chris what's happened. I want him to take a look at Anchor's cut." Without a word, Benn nodded and disappeared below deck to find the doctor.
Kicking his sandals off, Shanks began his ascent up the inanimate beast, being careful not to fall into the gentle waves below. The steep incline, however, threatened to throw him backwards, toward the crowd of worried men gathering to watch their captain. As he finally reached the top, Shanks felt his stomach drop. Blood pooled in front of both him and Luffy, mixing with the younger one's salty tears. The cut was worse than he had hoped, spanning the length of the eye in a crescent shape.
Bracing himself with his legs, Shanks scooped Luffy into his arms, holding the boy's head close against his chest. He could feel the warm blood soak into his shirt, but paid no mind to it as he turned and slid down to the deck. The moment his feet hit the wood floor, the crowd surrounded the two, worried voices calling from every direction.
"Luffy, what were you thinking?!" Lucky Roux exclaimed.
"Yeah kid! That was stupid! You could have really hurt yourself!" Yassopp added. The entire pack shouted, wanting to add to the growing lecture.
As the group reprimanded him, Luffy's shoulders continued to shake with sobs, the pain now accompanied with embarrassment. Suddenly, however, the entire ship fell silent as a wave of tension filled the air. Opening one tearful eye in curiosity, Luffy watched as a couple of men wobbled slightly. All of the crew stared nervously at him, or rather, the man holding him. "That's enough," Shanks said firmly, "I'm taking him below deck to see Chris. You guys find something to do until we come back." The men nodded, quickly dispersing to go do their own chores around the ship.
Just as the boy was going to ask his idol what he'd done to the crew, the duo began descending the stairs that led below deck. Once at the bottom, Shanks entered the first door on his left. Luffy had never been in this room, seeing as he had never gotten sick or injured before while on the ship. Cabinets lined the white walls of the small room and a large metal table sat in the middle of the floor. Next to the table stood Benn and Chris, waiting patiently for them. "Care to explain what's going on, Captain? I'm having a nice morning, getting a few things done 'round here, when I hear you lot making a racket and Benn tellin' me to get my supplies ready. What kinda trouble have you gotten yourself into now, damn it?" The doctor barked at his superior.
Shanks stepped forward, setting his small friend on the cold metal. "Anchor decided to try and stab his eye out with one of our knives. I want you to take a look at it." Chris raised an eyebrow, wanting to ask the captain how a child managed to grab such a dangerous object while the whole crew was around. Sensing the worry and frustration emanating from the red-head, however, he came to the conclusion that now wasn't the best time for a lecture about child supervision. Plopping down into a nearby chair, Shanks watched as Chris began his diligent work of closing the still-bleeding wound.
Luffy's tears began to resurface, scared of the needle that poked his skin again and again. He couldn't feel the punctures, thanks to the goo that the doctor had slathered on his face, but the tugging was still uncomfortable. Shanks softly rubbed his back, despite his current mood. Another hand came to rest on his head, gently ruffling his black hair.
"Benn, stop moving his head. I need him steady." Chris scolded. The first mate muttered a quick apology and stopped his motions, but kept his fingers laced through Luffy's locks. Finally, Chris cut the remaining thread, placing a bandage across his work. "Now, no more playing with sharp things, lad." Turning to his captain, the brunette tapped his foot on the floor. "As for you, you need to take him somewhere where you can keep a better watch on him. I've got a lot of cleaning up to do, so I can't spend the day babysitting him."
Crossing his arms, the younger man groaned. "And just where do you suggest I take him Chris?" The room seemed silent for a moment before a loud growling filled the room. All three men turned to the boy drying his eyes.
Benn chuckled softly. "I suggest we head down to Makino's bar for some grub. She should be open by now." Hearing no complaint from either crewmate, he headed toward the door. "I'll go gather the others."
"Alright, alright." Shanks stood, cracking his back. "Come on Anchor, let's go." He reached out to carry the boy, but Luffy jumped down, away from his grasp.
"I'm fine now, Shanks. I can walk." He sniffled. Shanks rolled his eyes, following him out the door.
"About time I got some peace and quiet," Chris muttered. He sweatdropped, though, staring at the large mess that was the infirmary. It appeared that he'd have his work cut out for him the rest of the day.
(Party's Bar, shortly later)
Makino scrubbed the counter, preparing for her regular customers. They seemed to be running a bit late today, even though Luffy had gone to see them earlier that morning. As the door swung open she grinned. Laughter quickly filled the pub as the pirates took their usual seats. Shanks strode through the group with ease, settling onto his stool at the counter. Makino noted that the usually happy-go-lucky man seemed oddly tired this morning.
It was only when the captain's shadow jumped up onto the seat next to him that Makino realized the cause of Shanks' exhaustion. "Luffy, what on earth happened?!" the barmaid shrieked. When the boy left, he had been in perfect health and spirits, but now he returned with tears in his eyes and a bandage on his cheek. From behind him, the rest of the crew clicked their mugs together.
"Three cheers to Luffy's courage and our next voyage!" Lucky Roux shouted. The others partied along with him.
"It didn't hurt at all!" Luffy declared shakily.
"Idiot! Don't do something so stupid like that!" Shanks replied. Digging into the meal in front of him, Shanks began to relax. At least there wasn't anything else that could make this day go wrong.
Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed my first One Piece fanfic! I'm working on a few others as well, so if you have any requests, I'd love to hear them. Reviews with constructive feedback would also be greatly appreciated. Again, hope you enjoyed and keep being SUPER!