Okay, I've got this one ready already, so I thought I'd just give it to you all. Enjoy!


The crew found a beach almost right away and cast the anchor. Luffy, Nami, and Sanji then went ashore to find someone who could help their friends. The drizzling had almost ceased so they stayed pretty dry. Once past the white shoreline, they entered a sea of green. The trees seemed to go up forever and the dark brown bark was almost completely covered with moss and the undergrowth of the forest. There was no path where they were so they had to step around roots and avoid plants that seemed to lash out at their feet as they walked by.

"Hey, do you think it's a good idea to leave Usopp with Zoro and Chopper?" Sanji asked, lighting a cigarette and avoiding another plant that looked like it would chomp off his foot. "You think he can handle them?"

Nami sighed, stepping around a large tree root. "He's going to have to. Chopper's fever isn't going away and he can't take care of Zoro's ankle if he's sick."

Sanji grinned with beaming eyes. "You're right as always, Nami. I shouldn't doubt you."

"Hopefully this island's inhabited," Nami said, looking around. There was nothing to see except trees, ferns, and other greenery. "It's like a rainforest here…" She stopped at a still, pretty purple flower with six finger-like petals, looking at it closely. "It's so pretty."

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

Nami gasped and whipped around. Luffy and Sanji stopped and looked at the newcomer.

He was an older man with a graying beard and watery blue eyes. His face was wrinkled with a naturally crest-fallen look to him. He wore a raincoat, waterproof boots that went up to his knees, and carried a sawed-off shotgun in his hands. "That's a poison peony," he said, pointing at it with his shotgun. "One touch and you'd be paralyzed in minutes."

Nami backed away from it, holding her hands close to her chest. "We're looking for a doctor," she said, staring at the flower as it snapped shut when a bug landed in it.

The man tilted his ear towards them. "A doctor? What for?"

"One of our friends is sick and another has a broken ankle," Sanji said, eyeing the man.

"Yeah," Luffy chimed in. "We need some help."

"You come through that storm?"

"We did," Sanji replied simply, letting out a stream of smoke.

Nami looked at Luffy who was eyeing a fern with little blue sprouts on it. He touched it and it curled away from his hand. He touched it again in curiosity and it snapped back at him. He yelped, holding his stinging hand and staring at the fern.

"You want to be careful of those," the man said, whacking the fern with his gun. It went limp on impact and stayed down close to the ground. "Snap ferns have a mild toxin." He took Luffy's hand and looked at it. It quickly went from pink to red and was only slightly swelling. "It's not too bad. You'll be fine in a couple of hours," he said with a nod, dropping his hand again. "Let's get your crewmates and head to the village, but no funny business." He looked at Nami, leaning the shotgun against his shoulder. "Where's your ship?"

"It's back on the beach," she replied, pointing back the way they came.

The man thought for a while then nodded. "All right. The name's Thomas. Most folks around here just call me Tom."

"I'm Nami, this is Sanji, and this is Luffy, our Captain," Nami said, motioning to the others on introduction.

Tom nodded to each of them. "Pleasure. Now," he started back the way Nami pointed, "Let's be on our way. No telling when the rain'll start up again."

They followed Tom back with only minor difficulties as he avoided everything expertly and waited for them to catch up when he got too far ahead of them. It wasn't until they reached the beach when Nami asked,

"If you don't mind me asking, Tom, what island is this?"

"I'm not surprised you don't know," Tom replied, stopping in the sand. "This is Lagoon Isle. It's protected by frequent typhoons and most ships avoid these waters." He whistled, admiring the Merry-Go. "She's a mighty fine ship." He grinned at Luffy. "Looks like you took a beating on your way here, though."

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, it was really bad."

"Hey!" Usopp yelled from the ship, waving his arms in panic. "I need some help, you guys! Zoro's not cooperating with me!"

His plea for help was strengthened when Zoro could be heard yelling at him and then appeared, swinging his sword at the shrieking and fleeing Usopp.

The three of them went and got their crewmates, Nami carrying Chopper and Luffy and Sanji holding up a very annoyed Zoro. Luffy carried Zoro's swords under his other arm.

"This doesn't mean I wanted your help," Zoro glared at Sanji. Luffy and Sanji each had one of his arms around their shoulders. At first, it was just Luffy, but Zoro kept trying to walk and the sand always shifted beneath him and he tried using his bad foot to catch himself.

"And this doesn't mean I wanted to give it," Sanji replied with a scowl. Nami had made him do it and, since it was Nami, he couldn't say no.

Tom led them in silence around the beach. It took them a while, and it started raining again, but they made it to a huge lagoon. At the beach of the innermost part of it stood a bunch of modest houses built in a clearing.

"There it is," Tom said, his shotgun under his coat. "Misty Village." He motioned with his head towards the village. "Come on. They'll be waitin'."

He led them around the coastline and up to the village. Two men, also in raincoats, ran up to meet him. The older one spoke first.

"Tom! Where have you been? We were getting worried when you didn't come back to the rendezvous point on time." He looked at the soaked kids behind him. "Who're they?"

"That's not important right now," he replied, taking his arm. "We need to get them to cover. They've got some medical needs."

"Alexis has been asking for you," the younger one said. "She's anxiously waiting for you."

Tom laughed. "She's always anxiously waiting for me. She worries too much." He turned to the Straw-Hat crew. "Come on! Let's get you dried off!" He took Nami's arm and motioned to the others to follow.

They went into the village and into the house on the far side of the circle. The village men took off their coats and hung them up on a rack in the corner of the front room. Tom set his gun there as well. There was a fireplace with a roaring fire on the left wall, some chairs and rugs on the wood floor and other small furniture pieces. The main decorations in the room were all kinds of swords on plaques hung all around the room. Tom and the younger man fetched towels for the crew after directing Luffy and Sanji to put Zoro in one of the chairs close to the fireplace and his foot onto the padded stool in front of it. The older man had gone farther into the house to fetch the village doctor.

"How're you doing, son?" Tom asked Zoro, leaning on the back of the chair.

"Not any better than when I first got here," Zoro answered sharply, pulling himself up in the chair and throwing the towel off him and on the floor by his swords. They had taken off his boot and now his foot hurt more than ever but he wasn't going to admit that out loud.

Nami had sat down in the other chair by the fire, a towel around herself and one around Chopper who was in her lap, sleeping. "He's still got a fever," she said, feeling his forehead and then his nose. "His nose is hot and dry, too."

"Don't worry," the younger man reassured her. "Alexis can help him. She's got—"

"Thomas! You had me so worried!"

A girl about their age came up to Tom and hugged him lovingly. Her golden hair fell in light, thin waves to her mid back, surrounding her small frame. She stood about 5'5" and wore a blue tank top and a white, billowing skirt with black sandals on her feet. Around her neck was a small chain with a wide, plain silver ring on it. Her smile was bright but her eyes were a clouded blue.

"I'm sorry I worried you, Alex," Tom said with a fatherly smile, giving her a light kiss on the forehead.

"What happened? Where did you go?" she asked, seeming not to notice anyone else in the room, even Sanji who was gaping at her with heart-filled eyes. Nami was holding him back, though.

"I found these kids, Alex," he said, turning her to face them. "This is Luffy off to the left, Nami in left chair, Sanji beside her, Zoro in the right one, and Usopp on the floor in front of the fire."

Luffy was the only one not close to the fire and he watched Alexis curiously. Tom guided her hand to the chair where Zoro was sitting.

"They sailed through the storm and this one got injured on the way here," he told her.

She trailed her hand along the arm of the chair and sat at the foot of it, not looking at Zoro. She ran her hands down his leg and to his ankle when Zoro flinched and Alexis recoiled her hand back slightly. She reached out her hand again and touched his ankle gently.

"What's she doing?" Usopp asked Tom.

He only shushed him in reply, watching Alexis with a smile. She had her hands cupped around his ankle and her eyes closed.

"Heal-heal bone," she murmured softly.

Her hands glowed a soft blue and Zoro felt a strange warmth enter his leg. When the glow subsided, Alexis let him go and sat back on her heels with a smile.

"Go ahead," she said. "Try it out."

Zoro and the others looked from her to his leg. The purple color was gone as was the swelling. He flexed his toes and then rotated his ankle. It was like nothing had happened. A moment of awe came upon the crew and they looked at Alexis with admiration.

"Chopper needs help, too," Nami said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Alexis looked back up at Tom questioningly.

"On her lap," he said, answering her.

"Oh," she said simply, getting up and going towards Nami's chair. She felt for the arm and kneeled down beside it. She reached out her hand and recoiled again with a tiny gasp when her hand brushed against Chopper's fur.

"What is it?" Nami asked, surprised.

Alexis smiled again with a nod, placing her hand on Chopper's head. "Nothing, everything's fine." She gave a little hum, examining his face with her hands, and then gave an understanding smile. She put her hands on each side of his face and closed her eyes. "Heal-heal fever," she murmured. Her hands glowed again and when she let go, Chopper opened his eyes, all traces of fever gone.

"I get it!" Luffy announced suddenly, pointing at Alexis and making them all jump. "You're blind!"


Please review and leave your comments for me! much appreciated~shdw dncr