Chapter 14.
Searing hot pain tears through the bloodied flesh of my shoulder, burning like hot coals on an open fire. A deafening screech resonances in my ears; I'm scarcely aware that it is the sound of my own screaming. The ground is no longer steady. Nothing stops me from falling to my knees, sinking into the ground in defeat. The hoots and cheers of the pirates' voices become thunderous as they close the distance between us. My vision is clouded by the sight of red blood seeping into the ground, I can only watch helplessly as my life flows out of my body.
I can't run and I can't fight.
They say when your body feels that it's reaching its end all the important moments of your life flash before your eyes. As if you need to be reminded of what it is in this life that you are going to leave behind as you move onto the next.
For what feels like the longest time, I don't see a thing. As if the film of my life has been suspended in some unreadable darkness.
Then I see it.
Short glimpses of my room; dolls aligned along my table; books piled on the floor; a warm hand stroking my hair. Strangely, even in this state of delirious lucidity, I can almost feel the soft touch of my mother's hand on my hair; my father's soft kisses on my cheeks. The endless nights we spent together, laughing.
The scene changes again and I see myself playing in the park with my childhood friends, careless and carefree. The warm days before my cold ones. Alistair makes his unwelcome appearance in my mind, his terrifying silhouette towering over the light of my memories. Steel chains and leather whips. Bright clothes and shining jewels. Cheering crowds and stifled tears. They pass through me like a harsh wind, suffocating.
Then, at the end of it all, I am surprised to see a bright, ferocious lion, chasing away the wind with a great roar. Its fur shimmers hot yellow like a thousand suns. I see it. The Thousand Sunny and the pirate crew it brought forth into my life…
I won't see them again. Not the Strawhats; not my parents; not my friends from my hometown; not Alistair. Because I will die here. Alone.
I close my eyes. For some reason, I don't feel scared anymore. As if the certainty of my demise brought about some sort of cathartic release. I did have a happy, fulfilling life once upon a time.
As a child I had many dreams. To be a sailor; to explore vast world that existed beyond my tiny town. I would have become a merchant, a marine, a traveller; anything I wanted to be. Would that have happened if I had continued living there, ignorant to the cruelty of the sea? Although that choice was taken from me, and on the first boat I had ever travelled on I was only there as a prisoner, for a short time I got to experience what it meant to be on the open seas.
Somehow, despite the agonising pain in my body, I can feel a smile form on my face. I am finally free of the selfish shackles of this world. So when I hear the click of a cocked gun, I don't even hold my breath.
"OIII! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
The screaming voice sounds so familiar that my eyes fling open without a second thought. In the distance I see it. The same hat that flitters on top of the great flag like a halo that symbolises the Strawhat Pirates. Long arms fly past me in a flurry of furious punches. Gun shots are fired and repelled. Swords are swung, kicks are thrown and curses are yelled from both sides. But soon all I can see is the tall, thin frame of Luffy against the backdrop of fallen fighters. He comes to my side, lifting me carefully in his arms, his eyes darkly shadowed by the brim of his hat.
"Are you ok, Hanna?" He asks and, despite the situation, all I can think of is that this is the most serious look I have ever seen his face. It's actually quite intimidating, even though I know his anger is not directed at me.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," I try to say, but my words are almost incomprehensible. I can hardly move my jaw. My voice slurs than dies away quietly. "Luffy…"
"Don't talk," He says sharply, "I'm going to take you to Chopper now. Hold on tight."
Pressed against his chest, I hear the rhythmic beating of his heart, a stark contrast to the erratic beating of my own, but soothing in a way that I never before thought imaginable. In his arms I drift back into the peaceful lull of sleep.