Chapter 6

Hilltop Village

A jerk at the back of Sanji's neck snapped him back to a partly awakened state. Light from the flames blurred through his exhausted vision and he rubbed his tired eyes. He must have dozed off again, for probably the tenth time. Sleep tugged at every fiber of his body, but whenever his lids blacked out his sight the crawling creature would bloom in his minds eye. It was a terrifying thing to think about in the small, dimly light cabin where the shadows constantly flickered and shifted. It also irked the cook as to why he was so nervous. He knew he was strong, he could beat up anything that tried to hurt precious Nami, so why did even the idea of seeing those things again make his skin crawl. He inched closer to the fire, the hearth glowing to his left as he curled against the wooden wall. He already knew this night would be very uncomfortable.

The rest of the night past torturously slow, Sanji drifting off and then startling himself awake repeatedly. He didn't fall into a proper deep sleep until it was almost dawn. Only after a couple hours of thankfully dreamless sleep, Sanji was being gently shaken awake by Nami.

"Sanji, wake up. We have to get moving," her soft voice coax him from his snoozing.

"Ahh, Nami-swan," Sanji tittered, his throat rather hoarse, "to wake up to your lovely voice…"

"Yes, yes," Nami brushed off. "Come on."

Squinting through tired eyes, the blond tried to sort out his muddled and slow brain. His back was stiff and his neck had a kink in it. Rubbing the soar muscle, the cook rolled his shoulders and sat up straighter. His eyes now free of sleep he could see some pale sunlight filtering into the hut, tinging everything in yellow and green.

"Everyone take a sip of water," Chopper said in his strong doctor tone.

Sanji pushed himself up off the floor and away from the wall, slowly making his way over to the reindeer. As his joints popped, Sanji promised himself never to sleep against a wall ever again. He dutifully followed the doctor's orders and took a small sip from the thermos that was handed to him; just enough to wet his mouth and sooth his dry throat.

Swallowing down his mouthful, Sanji looked over at the navigator. She was standing in the open door of the hut, using the early morning sun to read over the map once more. A small smile curled the cook's lips, a feeling of comfort warming his chest knowing Nami would definitely get them out of this.

Dusting off his rumpled suit jacket, the blond sauntered over to his crewmate with a bigger grin; Chopper following behind, readjusting his bag on his back. "Nami-swaaan! We're ready to depart!" he sang cheerfully.

"That's good to hear," Nami said, glancing up from the roughened paper. "Because we have a long walk ahead of us."

"I would gladly carry you the whole way, if you like?" Sanji offered with delight.

"Thank you for the offer, Sanji," Nami smiled politely before turning to face the forest. "Now, if my calculations are correct, if we head north east from here we should reach the town before noon."

"It shouldn't be too hard," Chopper spoke up, he was in his Walking Point now, ready for a long hike.

"So let's get started," Sanji said, lighting his finally dry cigarette.

Xxx

"This map is inaccurate," Nami grumbled. as they climbed up the steep slope. She grabbed at the extended branches to pull herself along. "It doesn't show any of sort of elevation in the terrain…" Her breath was coming in short huffs and her usually sleek hair was frizzed out and tangled.

Though they were still making good time, the walk was not making itself very easy. They hadn't taken into account the fact that the path they were taking to the village would be mostly uphill. Everyone was struggling in their own way. Sanji's shoes kept slipping on the grass, making him lose his footing; the heat was slowly getting to Chopper, his fur coat much thicker in his Walking Point, and Nami's pace was erratic, having to slow down every time she studied the map.

She was in the lead with Chopper just behind her, giving her a helpful boost whenever the navigator slipped. Sanji brought up the rear, wishing he could switch places with the doctor. Every couple seconds the chef either glanced over his shoulder or off to the side into the straggly trees. Though the air of the forest was less creepy during the day, there were still many shadows that jumped his nerves.

"We should take a break soon," Chopper panted, his head bobbing as he kept strutting up the terrain.

"I just want to get over this stupid hill!" Nami said, her hand flinging out to catch herself again. Instinctively, Chopper hurried up a couple steps to nudge her back upright with his antlers.

Sanji was about to say once more that he could carry the lovely navigator, when his attention was pulled elsewhere. The constant stillness of the forest seemed to shift. Something was growing in the distance, a rustling and grumbling.

"Nami-san, Chopper."

The two ahead of him stopped, looking around in confusion at the cook.

"I think we should hide."

His crewmates expressions just became more bemused. Nami turned around completely to face the blond. "What?"

Instead of questioning Sanji, Chopper's ears were perked up, flicking about curiously as he lifted his nose to the air to sniff around. His brown eyes widened. "Nami, he's right. Something's coming."

Leaping forward, Sanji held out his hand for the red head. "Hurry, Nami-san."

Still looking rather befuddled, the navigator took the offered hand and Sanji hurriedly pulled her off the imaginary path they had been following, Chopper trotting after them. They jogged perpendicular to the slope, looking for some kind place to hide. The grumbling was getting louder now, the tightening of Nami's grip in Sanji's hand signaled to him that she could here it now too. Their pace quickened out of fear and Sanji searched more desperately for somewhere to conceal themselves.

Sanji's stomach lurched into his chest as his left foot slipped out from underneath him and he fell down to one knee, almost taking Nami with him. Chopper yelped, asking if the cook was alright. Sanji nodded away the doctor's worry and then his eye caught a tree just down the hill. It was large and its roots were raised out of the ground, making shallow alcoves.

"There," Sanji pointed. Nami followed his direction with her eyes.

"I see it," she acknowledged. She took the lead this time, gripping the cook's hand and started clambering down the slope. They could hear dragging footsteps now.

The three pirates collapsed into the alcove on top of each other, Chopper shrinking down into his Brain Point to take up less space. Nami curled into the wood, holding the reindeer close. Sanji wrapped them both in his arms, his back facing outwards acting like a shield; his dark clothes the only camouflage they had.

Nami and Chopper's panting breaths were loud in the enclosed space, Sanji tried to block out his own heartbeat in his ears as he tried to hear out where the thing they had been running from was now. The nearby foot falls made his shoulders tense and he squeezed his eyes shut; the childish notion that if he couldn't see it, it wouldn't see him. He breathed deeply to calm himself, Chopper's sweaty fur making his nose twinge. Now that he was actually listening for the thing, he realised the grumbles had strange bubbling undertones. Like water over stones, or a gravelly beach.

The thudding footsteps stopped. Sanji couldn't figure out where it was and he didn't want to risk turning his head to look in case the movement would draw attention. Nami jerked against him, startling his eyes open. Two sets of terrified brown eyes were staring over his shoulders, Nami's mouth was gapping in a silent scream and silent tears were streaming down Chopper's cheeks. Very slowly, his head pivoted to glance behind him.

Just off to his right and down the slope, barely a yard away, was a creature. It was not the one that Sanji and Chopper had encountered the other night; this one stood upright on two legs. However, the rest of its body was indistinguishable, that is to say, the rest of the body seemed more like a pulsating blob more than anything. The colour of its bubbling and blistered skin was a rotten brown and red. Every now and then the body would expand in a single area, as if it was breathing from the left side, then the bottom right, and then the back.

Bile burned Sanji's throat as he quickly snapped his head around and pressed all three of them further into their hiding place. They didn't make a sound, they hardly dared to breath.

Then the footsteps started up again, one muted thud after the other, steadily growing fainter and further away. Only when unnatural silence filled their ears once more, did the Straw Hat Pirates risk pulling away from the security of the tree. Nami held Chopper tightly in a hug, the reindeer still in tears. Sanji slowly straightened up to his full height, then had to double over, gripping the bark of the tree tightly as he fought the urge to throw up what little was in his stomach.

"Was… was that…?" Nami's weak voice tried to speak.

"Not the same one," Sanji said, understanding what she was trying to ask. He pushed away from the tree and scanned the trees for the hundredth time that day. "There must be more."

Chopper could only whimper.

"I see why you were so unsettled last night," Nami shivered.

"We need to get to that village, Nami-san," Sanji almost pleaded. "We have to get out of here."

Taking in a deep breath, the navigator met Sanji's gaze with determination and renewed strength.

"Leave it to me."

Xxx

Chopper's pink hat softly brushed against Sanji's cheek as the cook carried their doctor in his arms. The poor kid had been beside himself with fear after the close encounter in the forest and had become exhausted on an emotional level. Sanji couldn't blame him one single bit, after all he had almost lost his shit seeing that thing. He looked a couple paces ahead to Nami, the map was held up in front of her as she walked. Though he couldn't see her face, he knew her expression would be one of concentration.

They had made it out of the woods a couple minutes' past, the terrain shifting to dry looking fields and yellow grass. The village was close, it had to be.

"Sanji?" Chopper's quiet voice was muffled into the cook's jacket, but he still heard the little guy.

"Yeah, Chopper?"

"Those things-"

"Don't think about them right now," Sanji said abruptly, trying to keep the doctor's mind, as well as his own, away from such things.

"But…"

"Guys," Nami's relieved voice caught their attention, "it's the village."

Chopper jostled in Sanj's arms as he twisted around, peering eagerly over the fields in search of buildings or streets. The cook jogged a couple paces so that he could bring them level with Nami, following her tired gaze. In the distance a low plateau rose from the fields, buildings sprouting from its top. The painted brown green and blues standing out against the waving yellow grass. There were a few buildings built into the slope, little lopsided roofs popping out of the hill.

"Finally," Sanji sighed.

Walking across the fields to the plateau was the least stressful moment over the past two days. The scenery was peaceful and calm, it helped ease Sanji's overexerted nerves. He heard Chopper give a small gasp beside his ear and he turned his attention to the reindeer with slight worry.

"What is it, Chopper?" he asked.

"Look how high we've climbed," was all the doctor said.

Turning around fully to face the direction in which they had come, Sanji's breath stuttered as well. Afternoon sun beat down on the dark trees that spread down the slope, the line of the forest abruptly broken by a mix of rocky and grassy hills before that landscape faded into ocean blue. They were too distant to see the village they had docked at, and it was probably more eastward from where they were standing, out of sight over the curve of the mountain.

"It is…" Sanji began to say, but words were failing him. He wanted to call it beautiful, and it was, but to actually voice it made him uncomfortable. As if he was lying to himself.

"Come on you guys!" Nami called from up ahead. "I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward for something to eat."

As if the navigator's words were a cue, both Sanji and Chopper's stomachs growled.

"Waaa, hungry!" Chopper whined.

The cook smiled and turned his back on the scenery. "I can fix that."

Xxx

"Hello, please, can you help us?" was the first thing out of both Nami and Sanji's mouth when they stepped foot onto the streets of the village. There were some people walking about doing their business, but the place didn't seem crowded. A lady carrying a basket full of wheat was the first one to be caught by their please, her eyes scrutinizing them curiously.

Noticing the woman's stare, Nami walked up to her calmly, attempting to appear as non threatening as possible.

"Hello, my name is Nami," she introduced politely. "My friends and I ran into a bit of trouble and would really appreciate some assistance."

"What kind of assistance?" the woman asked, adjusting the basket on her hip.

Sanji thought she looked very beautiful. Her long brown hair tied in a neat bun, her long dress floating at her ankles giving her an air of elegance and resourcefulness. The way she carried the basket with practiced ease hinted at strong arms and days of hard work. He couldn't see too many finer details of her appearance from where he was standing, but his imagination supplied adorably rosy cheeks dusted with freckles.

"Well you see," Nami began, "we have had a little crisis with our medical supply on our ship. We really need to restock. But we ran into a little trouble on the way and lost our cart-"

"Wait, did you come through the forest?" the woman interrupted, eyes widening dramatically.

"Uh. Um, yes. We did," Nami stumbled over her words, thrown off by the lady's sudden question.

"Did you see those things? Are they still out there?" the woman hushed, leaning in closer to the navigator as if worried she wold miss the answer.

"Things? You mean those creature?" Nami tried to clarify.

"So you did see them," the woman affirmed gravely. "I'm glad you came through unharmed."

"Wait, so you know about those things?" Chopper spoke up, leaping down from Sanji's arms and hurrying up to the conversing pair.

"My goodness! What are you?" the woman exclaimed in surprise at seeing the Devil Fruit user.

"I'm a doctor," Chopper said.

"A raccoon doctor?" the woman ventured, still wary.

"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper shrieked.

"Look, Miss," Nami tried to pull the woman's attention back to her. "We need supplies. Mostly medicine, but also a way of getting back down to the port. Do you have a doctor we could go to, please?"

The navigator's words twanged something in Sanji's mind. It had only just come to him that if they wanted to get down to the port and back to the Sunny, they would have to go back through the forest, back through those things.

"We do have a doctor," the woman nodded, seeming to finally clue into the groups desperation. "Dr. Lucas, just down the end of this street and two doors down the right."

"Thank you so much," Nami smiled, waving at Chopper and Sanji to follow her as she hurried off down the street.

Sanji obediently followed, only pausing when he was next to the woman. "I am terribly sorry my lovely flower, but we made an unsightly error of not requesting your name."

Smiling at the extravagant words the woman nodded her head in greeting. "My name is Corinth. I wish you luck in finding what you need."

"Sanji," the chef introduced himself in turn with a little bow. "I appreciate such kind words from a goddess. May I ask you one last thing, my darling Corinth?"

Corinth tilted her head to indicate it was alright.

"Has anyone new besides us arrived in town in the last two days?"

"I don't believe so," Corinth frowned in thought. "You think there would be?"

"A crewmate got separated from us," Sanji explained, "I was just wondering if he had made it here."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Corinth said, pity in her green eyes.

Sanji waved way the unnecessary apology. "It doesn't matter, thank you anyway, my sweet flower." With one last artful bow, the cook scampered down the street to catch up with his friends.

Xxx

Dr. Lucas was an old man, dark skin wrinkled and spotted, white hair in tight curls near his scalp. He was kind and polite, greeting them when they knocked and entered, though he did not get up from his chair by the fireplace.

"My legs, you see," he wheezed cheerfully, "too old for much activity." He waved a bony hand around the room. "Well come in, come in. What brings you on a visit to the doctor? Martha, could you get the notebook please?"

A young woman with hair just a shade darker than Nami's and wearing a long white doctor's coat stood up from behind a desk on the other side of the room, briskly walking around it to greet them with a polite yet rather business like "Hello".

Sanji's returned greeting may have included some extra hearts. "Hello beautiful angel! Martha, was it?"

"Yes, I am Dr. Lucas's student," the girl replied in the same serious and clipped tone. She handed a notebook and pencil to the old doctor. "Please have a seat anywhere you would like," Martha gestured to the many wooden chairs that lined the room.

The three pirates took their seats, Chopper sitting closest to the other doctor with Nami and Sanji flanking him from behind. Martha took a seat next to her teacher.

"Hello Dr. Lucas," the reindeer introduced himself politely. "I am doctor Tony Tony Chopper."

"Well," the old man laughed, "quite the doctor you are."

Blushing, Chopper soldiered on. "A few days back there was an incident on our ship that lost us most of our medical supplies. I have hardly any medicine and almost nothing to make the medicines I have lost. Not to mention the loss of many other medical supplies such as bandages, containers and anesthesia. We are in desperate need of assistance and this is the closest place we could find that may be able to help us out. Please Dr. Lucas," Chopper's eyes begging the older doctor, "do you have any supplies that you could spare? Or do you know any place nearby that will have the things we need?"

No one spoke after the Straw Hat doctor's little speech. Nami and Sanji were watching the other physicians with guarded hopefulness. The cook was pleading that after everything they had gone through, it would pay off here and now.

"My, my," Dr. Lucas said. "No medicine aboard a ship? I see why you are so upset now." The old man tapped his chin as he spoke. "Do you have a list of the medicines you need?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," Chopper nodded, shuffling around in his bag and passing over a tattered slip of paper. The old doctor took it and immediately passed it to Martha who began reading it studiously.

"I think I may be able to help you, Dr. Chopper," Dr. Lucas said in his wheezy voice.

"Really?" all the Straw Hats exclaimed in delight, leaning forward excitedly.

"Now, now. Be calm," the old man huffed a weak chuckle. "There are two other doctors in this town and three small apothecaries. If we made your situation known to them I am sure they would all lend a hand. We are rather prosperous in our crops and gardens, and a burden shared is a burden lightened."

"Thank you, Doctor," Chopper said, bowing his head. "We don't want to cause any trouble; we just need help."

"Of course, of course," Dr. Lucas waved his thin hand. "Now Martha," he turned to his student, "what can we offer these youngsters?"

Martha's eyes flicked up from Chopper's list. "We have over abundant supplies of the prepared painkillers they need, and we can spare a fraction of our medical supplies. I would need to look in the back cupboards to make a more thorough search."

"Oh, I'll do that," the old man heaved himself off his chair, cane balancing his rickety legs. "You take Dr. Chopper and his friends to Julip and the others. We should get all of this done as timely as possible. Remember what I say?"

"Healing takes time; and medicine gives the time we need," Martha recited clearly, obviously having committed it to memory.

"Quite right, quite right," was all the old doctor said, nodding his head.

"If you would please follow me," Martha said politely. Adjusting her coat around her shoulders she strode to the door and held it open for them, waiting patiently. "I will introduce you to Mrs. Julip and Mr. Walser."