I didn't really expect reviews from the first chapter! I'm really happy about that. Haha. I'm glad you guys like the story so far, and I hope you'll like it even more. :D
They hadn't really expected Chopper to take that long on Luffy. An hour was something a little believable. Now it's been over an hour and he's still in there. What was Chopper doing? Nami worriedly bit on her lower lip as she looked over her shoulder for the hundredth time. She alone was sitting on the stairs, thinking that the doctor was taking way too long, while the rest of the crew went along their merry way.
Stupid crew.
They could at least act like they were worried instead of treating this day as if it were any other day. For example, Zoro was sleeping; comfortably she should add, on the deck as if there was no care in the world. He was the first mate, for heaven's sake! He should be the one who's worried the most!
Franky had taken Usopp with him to tamper with whatever it is he's working on, making that idiot temporarily forget about Luffy. Then again, that was a smart thing from Franky, because knowing Usopp he'd be running around saying that this was the end of their adventure that Luffy was going to die.
Robin was forgiven. She's always forgiven. Does she even need a reason? No, she doesn't.
Sanji was messing around the kitchen, probably making her something. He was forgiven, too.
"Stop fidgeting, damn it. Go back to whatever you were doing and leave everything to Chopper," someone spoke up with an obviously annoyed tone, making Nami snap back into reality. Her eyes glanced up at the figure that spoke to her and found that it was none other than the swordsman.
Her brows instantly furrowed and she glared at him. "I can do whatever I please. But why are you even talking to me?! Shouldn't you be standing by the door, asking Chopper how is he?! You're the first-mate, Zoro!"
"I don't think Chopper would appreciate me knocking on him while he's treating Luffy. And it doesn't seem to be something serious, because if it was, he'd be calling all of us out and you know this. Now just go back to what you were doing. I can't even sleep."
Silence hovered between the both of them for a few moments until Nami's hands slowly started to ball into fists by her sides. Her head was down as her shoulders started to shake, causing Zoro to frown. What was wro—
"Can't… Even… Sleep?" Nami hissed, snapping her head up. Her brown orbs weren't even brown anymore. They were blacker, dangerously shining as her shoulders shook even more. It was apparent that her fury was about to burst and this made Zoro take a step back, a scared expression crossing his face.
"Can't… Even… Sleep?! I'LL SHOW YOU NOT SLEEPING YOU—"
"Oii, oiiii, oiii, Nami!" The swordsman slightly stuttered as he took another step back, waving his hands in front of him.
"COME BACK HERE YOU UNGRATEFULL—"
Who would have thought that the man known as the Pirate Hunter, the man with a bounty of 120,000,000 beri, the man who always faces danger head-on would be afraid of a woman who was not only a year younger than him, but far more weaker than anyone he had fought with.
With all the yelling and hollering that was going on, Sanji exited the kitchen, a white apron wrapped around his waist. As always, one hand was holding onto the cigarette while the other hand was hidden in his pocket. The blonde casually smoked for a few minutes before looking down at the commotion. He couldn't help but crack a smile when he saw that the shithead was being chased by the oh-so-lovely Nami.
"OIII, OIII, NAMI! NAMI, STOP IT!"
"YOU, DO YOU HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO BUT SLEEP?!"
"SAYS THE ONE WHO DRAWS!"
"I DRAW MAPS! THEY ARE USEFUL THINGS!"
"DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE, YOU'RE STILL A GRE—"
"Oii, Marimo. You better not say anything bad about Nami-san." Sanji had cut off their argument by standing between them, his back facing Nami as if protecting her from the green monster.
"Ehhhhhh?" Sneered Zoro, tilting his head slightly to the right. Did that ero-cook say something?
Taking a few puffs from his cigarette, Sanji tossed it below him and stepped on it, exhaling the remaining smoke into the swordsman's face who coughed. "I said to not say anything bad about Nami-san."
"And what if I want to?"
"Then I'll kick your shitty ass into the ocean, shitty-marimo."
Zoro chuckled, placed his hands and two of his katanas and sneered, "I'd like to see you try, ero-cook."
And they were off. Zoro had already had his katanas out the moment Sanji attacked him with his leg. Up, down, left and right they went, moving across the deck and leaving Nami a little dumbfounded. Did they honestly have to fight over something so juvenile? The girl sighed and placed a hand on her forehead, waiting for them to finish. Not even a minute passed before she started to feel a menacing vein throb in her forehead, her left eye slightly twitch with impatience.
Not one of them seemed to strike the other, making them more frustrated. They exchanged swears as they kept on fighting, each wanting to at least hit the other once even if they had to resort to verbal attacks. So it was quite normal for them to unexpectedly get hit on the head by a fist.
"STOP IT!"
In the sick room, Chopper, who had no idea what was going on outside with the crew, held a wet cloth between his hooves. The reindeer dabbed the cloth into a bowl of water just beside him, allowing it to absorb as much water as he saw fit. He then squeezed the cloth, watching water droplets fall from the cloth.
Placing the cloth onto Luffy's forehead, the doctor sighed. Luffy didn't seem to even notice that there was something cold currently placed on him. Actually, Luffy was completely out of it. The only thing that assured Chopper that he was alive was the rise and fall of his chest. However, what bothered Chopper was the apparent difficulty Luffy was having with his breathing. It was shallow and sounded a bit raspy.
Of course, that was expected with what he had. He just couldn't help himself. This was Luffy, his fearsome captain. Never had he seen him this weak before, perhaps weak from a fight, but not from an illness. He couldn't even remember if Luffy had ever been sick the moment he became the ship's doctor.
With another sigh, he jumped down from his chair and headed out of the room. It was time to tell everyone what was wrong with Luffy. They were probably waiting on their last nerve, praying for their captain's wellbeing. But when he opened the door, he was surprised to find Nami sitting on top of Sanji who was on top of Zoro.
"Don't make me jump on you both!" Threatened Nami, which never ceased to amaze the small reindeer. "Now apologize to each other!"
"Like hell!" They both replied heatedly. "Stop copying what I say! Oi!"
"Um… Everyone?" squeaked Chopper, hoping to get their attention. It didn't seem to work, though, as Nami had really jumped on both of them, causing groans to fall from their lips.
"Now apologize!"
"Everyone!"
It was at that moment, the three looked up from the deck and saw Chopper. Nami instantly forgot what she was doing and jumped off of the two men. And with Nami off of Sanji, Zoro had the opportunity of throwing the perverted cook off of him, which he had done with no hesitation.
"How's Luffy?" Nami asked, her tone expressing her worry.
"That's what I came outside to tell you. I want everyone to gather around." Chopper told her, glancing back at the room to be sure he had closed the door.
With those words, the navigator felt her heart squeeze painfully. If Chopper had wanted everyone to gather, it meant that Luffy was very sick. He could be on the verge of death! Nami bit her lower lip nervously as negative thoughts ran through her head. She wasn't even paying attention to the two men behind her who had started fighting all over again.
Sanji being the man who always cared about women noticed Nami's stance as he fought Zoro, making him hop onto one of the man's katanas and jump off of it so he could be beside Nami in an instant. "Nammiii-swaan! What's wrong, my beloved?!"
"Oii, freakin' love-cook don't jump on my kata—Oh… Chopper. How's Luffy?" Zoro asked once he remembered that Chopper had left the sick room.
"Like I told Nami, I want everyone to gather around."
Zoro frowned, putting his katanas back where they belonged. "That serious?"
Chopper's only reply was silence, and that alone cause Nami to lose a little balance. And for once, she allowed Sanji to hold her.
"Just get everyone."
It did take a while, but the crew had eventually assembled on the deck. Chopper made his way down the steps and stood in front of them, his arms crossed over his furry chest. He looked at each of the crewmembers, waiting for one of them to ask.
That was, of course, Usopp's cue.
"So? What's with him? Is it curable? Is he going to die?! Ohh, no, I knew it! I knew we shouldn't have gone on that island! My I-cannot-get-on-that-island disease was acting up! You should've all listened to me! If it wer—"
The marksman instantly stopped, as a sharp katana was just inches away from touching his long nose. "Usopp, if you don't shut your mouth, I'll gladly shut if for you."
"Uhduh…duhuh," stuttered Usopp, sweat starting to pour from his forehead as his whole body started to shake. "Oh, oh I feel so very faint. My Zoro-is-an-awful-crew-member disease is acting up again."
The crew didn't seem to be really caring about what was happening between the marksman and the first-man. Then again, this occurrence was rather usual, a reason to why it was ignored. Robin at the moment stepped up and spoke in on behalf of the crew. "Doctor-san, how is the captain?"
Their first reply was a long intake of breath followed by a deep sigh. "His fever is still high, but I've managed to stabilize it. However, I'm not one hundred percent sure it'll stay stabilized that long. With what he has, it'll fluctuate for sure."
Nami couldn't bare it any longer. She had been waiting for hours (really, it was more like two) and Chopper only seemed to be trying to postpone the answer, as if he didn't know it. "What does he have, Chopper! Just spit it out already it!" she frustratedly said, not having the patience to wait any longer.
With big beady eyes, the reindeer nodded, "Uhm. Luffy… Luffy has pneumonia."
Silence dominated the whole deck for what seemed to be an eternity for Nami. Her arms dangled by her sides as eyes slightly widened in disbelief. She could feel her heart thunder against her chest, her ears about to burst from the pressure she felt in them.
Pneumonia.
Pneaumonia.
Pneaumonia.
The words kept repeating in her head over and over again. It wasn't possible. Luffy had never been sick before, he never even experienced a flu! How could he have gotten pneamonia?!
That question seemed to be going through Robin's head as well as she actually verbalized the question to Chopper. The doctor sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time that day and scratched the back of his head. "I don't really know how he got it, but at some point he must have eaten so—(Author's note: Yes, pneumonia can be passed through food. )"
But the reindeer was stopped with a heated glare that came from the cook. "Are you implying that my cooking is bad, Chopper?" The man sneered, pocketing his hands as if preparing himself to beat the crap out of the reindeer.
The only reply was a squeak and a quick dash towards the tree that had the swing on. Chopper peaked from behind the tree (he didn't do it right, either), his eyes glancing at the angry cook. "I didn't say yours, Sanji! I mean Luffy could have eaten something from the last island we went through!"
"Yo, little cook-bro. Don't you go and scare the doctor, you know? He's the only one who'll be able to actually help Luffy. None of us here are exactly geniuses like him."
"You asshole! Just saying that won't make me happy, baka!" squealed Chopper from behind the tree as he clapped with glee and apparent approval of the comment. He really did not know how to hide his emotions.
Zoro gave a grunt to the whole ordeal and walked away. He already has the information. No need to pester Chopper. Usopp who was previously silenced by Zoro went down on his knees and began to hit the grassy deck with an open hand. "Ohhh this is the end of it! The end of our adventure! Luffy is going to diiiiieee! LUUUFFFFFYYYYYY," he started to sob, causing everyone to look at him as if he were a freak.
…
Everyone turned to look back at Chopper, excluding Zoro and Usopp who was still sobbing. Nami was going to show a thing or two to Zoro, but right now knowing what was happening to Luffy was the most important thing to her.
"So what do we do now, Chopper?"
"All we can do really is wait. I've given him some medicine to help with the fever and coughs, but that's all I can do. We'll have to take turns on looking after him. His fever could spike at any given time."
And with that, the crew stayed a few moments discussing their turns before breaking apart, each on their way to do what they were previously doing. Only this time, they had something to think about.
It was three days later at night did Nami find herself sitting beside her sick captain, her hands holding onto the wet cloth that had been previously placed on his forehead. She couldn't bear looking at him. His cheeks were flushed, his breaths were shallow, his brow was sweaty and the sheets uncomfortably clung to him. She couldn't believe that the man lying in front of her was once her eccentric and hyperactive captain. That man was nowhere to be found now. And that alone caused her heart to ache.
Chopper had said he was getting better, but was this really better? It didn't seem like it. It seemed like Luffy was taking a turn to the worst to her. But she wasn't a doctor, so she really couldn't tell.
Sighing, she dipped the cloth into the bowl of water. How long will he be like this, she wondered. It would be horrible if they were to find an island before he was fully recovered. One of Luffy's extreme joys was when they were about to set on an island. Nami paused as that thought crossed her mind and smiled weakly. He will be back before they find an island. She had faith in him as well as everyone on board. He was her captain. Well, not exactly hers per-say. He didn't belong to her. He didn't actually belong to anyone! No, no!
Nami let out a nervous chuckle as she set the now soaked cloth onto his forehead. Seconds later, Luffy gave out a groan, quickly making Nami's cheeks flare up. Why was she blushing?! He was just groaning cause of the cold that was seeping through his body! She shouldn't blush!
And if that wasn't bad enough, she had a pair of chocolaty brown eyes stare up at her. Nami squeaked, slightly shocked, but soon realized that Luffy had woken up.
"Luffy!"
He didn't seem to hear her though, since his eyes were glassy and his expression was, well, expressionless. Nami frowned as worry started to crawl through her. At least he was up, she thought as she ran a hand gently through his hair, hoping it would soothe him back to sleep. And to her surprise, it did seem to soothe him since he his eyelids began to droop.
"You've been worrying us all, Luffy." Nami spoke softly the moment he was asleep, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hear her. "We've all been missing your ecstatic yell about catching a fish with Usopp and Chopper. Or when you yell at Sanji for food. For once we have a full fridge," she chuckled lightly, that however, did not seem to lift her spirits. "I miss watching you bother that idiot Zoro. I miss you shocking me when you ask Robin what book she's reading. I bet everyone misses that, too. I miss when your eyes light up at anything Franky makes, even when it's the most useless creation ever! Hah. But, you know, I mostly miss hearing you laugh an—" But Nami stopped there, realizing what she was saying. She was speaking on behalf of the crew. Of course! That's why she was saying 'I'. The 'I' was the whole crew, not just her!
She felt her cheeks flush, causing her to shut her eyes tightly, squeeze her legs shut together and purse her lips. Why was she suddenly so bashful!? This was Luffy, for God's sake! He gave everyone a fright, not just her! He made everyone miss him, not just her! Everyone gave thier time to sit with him, not her alone!
"Nami, just stay with him and be quiet. Yes, yes, that'll be easier." She murmured to herself as she took off the cloth and soaked it into the bowel once more.
"Mnmnnhnhn…"
The navigator froze for a moment before turning around to see that Luffy was infact asleep. A sigh of relief fell from her lips. If he had heard what she had said, he might have taken the wrong idea. Thinking over that again, she shook her head and laughed. Luffy wouldn't even take the wrong idea. He probably wouldn't have a clue of what she might be implying. Not that she was implying anything, but if anyone had heard her, they might have taken the wrong idea an—
Stop it, Nami.
Nami took a deep breath, calming her beating heart. Whatever was with her, it better be gone tomorrow.
"Oi, Nami." A voice called, piercing her thoughts.
"AH!"
She didn't know how it happened, but Nami had found herself on the floor, with her butt aching painfully. "Eetttaayyy," she murmured under her breath as she rubbed her backside gently. Her brown eyes then looked up at whoever called for her and saw that it was that stupid swordsman with a smug smile on his lips.
"Did I scare ya?" He asked, not hiding his pleased tone.
"Shut up, idiot! You're going to wake Luffy up! What are you even doing here? You should be watch. You know, that thing that you do to see if any enemy ships are coming by? I don't think your brain can process this properly, but our captain is sick, meaning that we are vulnerable at the moment."
His brows instantly furrowed at her words and he grunted, "I only came to tell you that there seems to be a storm coming. And since you're the one who navigates this ship, I thought you should know."
Nami had intended to ignore every word he was going to say, except when he said storm, her head snapped up at him. Storm? At this time? Ugh, just was they wanted! Standing up, she brushed her legs quickly and exited the sickroom, heading towards the upper deck where the helm was with Zoro in toe.
The clouds did seem to be a little darker, she thought as she looked up into the sky. And it didn't seem like it was going to be a storm that was going to be beaten easily. Running a hand through her hair, she groaned. "Just what we need. Listen, Zoro, the moment that cloud," she pointed to the darkest one, which seemed to be far away at the moment, "looks like it's getting closer to us, I want everyone on deck."
"Is it that bad?" asked the swordsman, clearly bothered by this. He didn't really like storms. And with a sick captain on board, the task of going through a storm seemed to be very difficult.
"It isn't actually a nice storm. But not to worry! We'll manage somehow like always."
"Heh. Like always."
"Aaaaaaacccccccceeeeee!"
Suddenly both navigator and swordsman froze as they heard that. Was it their imagination? They stared at each other, before they realized what they have done. They have left a sick Luffy alone when Chopper specifically said that someone should be watching him.
"Aaaaaaaaaaccccccccccceeeee!" was called, which was immediately followed by a series of coughs. "Aaaaa-*cough*-aaaaaaaaac-*coughcough*-ccee!"
"Luffy!" Both Nami and Zoro hollered in panic, running toward the source. It didn't seem like it was coming from the sickroom. Oh no, this was coming from outside, making Nami's heart fall beyond her feet, maybe even beyond the ship.
As they made their way down the stairs they were faced with what seemed to be the most frightening thing they had ever seen. Luffy was standing on the railing, his arms raised into the sky as if waving down at someone.
"Luffy!" Nami screeched, panic seizing her heart. She was about to go and pull him down when Zoro grabbed her by the waist. "Wait! If he moves, he might fall."
At that screech Luffy seemed to hear her since he turned around and looked at her, tilting his head to the side. Nami gasped. He didn't seem like he was there at all. His eyes were half closed, his cheeks extremely flushed even in the dark and his clothes clung onto his sweaty body. His bare feet seemed to be unbalanced as he was swaying from side to side.
"Luffy get down from there now!" Nami desperately begged him, tears rolling down her cheeks. He wasn't listening to her, though. He simply stood there staring at her, his face expressionless. That is until a small smile appeared on his lips.
"Mak-Makino. Ace is back," he said in almost a whisper, his voice barely audible. And before Zoro could jump forward to rescue his hallucinating captain, Luffy's eyes rolled back, his legs buckled beneath him and fell.
"LUFFFFYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
Is it me or did I rush through this chapter? If I did, then I apologize. It's because in my other story someone had told me I was lagging a bit, and I didn't really want to repeat the same thing. So I apologize if I rushed! It'll be better the next chapter, I promise!
Please don't forget to review! :D Not only do they make me happy, but they make me grow WINGS. YES. YES THEY DO.
