"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what is it, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what it is, wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" ~ Alice In Wonderland
Something is wrong.
The wounds Minette's endured during the fight with Dahmer are not getting better, but worse. Normally, after she rips or breaks something within herself, the Healo Healo fruit sends an excessive amount of antibodies to the injury and drowns her brain in natural morphine so she can watch the healing carefully incase it doesn't set properly. Though, something is very different and very wrong this time around. The broken bones no longer pinched at torn nerve endings - they grew numb and icy cold. The joints in her ankle and knee, even her dislocated femur - can no longer move. They were stiff and swollen. The bleeding has stopped but the clots are gelatin and unable to hold the wound closed for every long. Her leg is covered in purples and blues - turning darker than the night sky. She broke out in a cold sweat - shivers trailing up and down her stiffening spine. Tremors rocked her body, her entire being growing pale and sickly. Even the leg that wasn't as badly beaten with just a few broken toes wasn't healing. Ace had found the bandanna when he was fighting the lackeys before he found her - and it was dark yellow.
Something is very, very wrong.
Ace couldn't walk with her, his heat seemed to make her condition worse despite her complaints of being terribly cold, and had to set her down yards away from Dahmer. Her teeth clattered and sweat rolled down every inch of her body. She obviously had a fever, Ace had told her, but this was just as unusual as everything else. She's had no problem fending of infections before - so what was the cause?
Minette was laying down, her head in Ace's lap. She told him about her power - how she can heal from any wound and even told him about being shot in the head a few days ago - but she still has yet to tell him that what was happening now wasn't right. Apart of her is convinced that there will be a breakthrough soon and that the Healo Healo Fruit will take care of whatever is it causing so much damage - but the other part is incredibly scared.
A wave of dizziness hit her hard and she turned just in time to puke away from Ace and herself. When she laid back down, Ace placed his hand atop her head once more.
"Your fever's rising," Ace muttered.
"F-Fighting off infection." She could barely speak through her clenched jaw, but she was mostly trying to assure herself that everything would be fine.
Down the dim corridor, Dahmer sputtered, spitting and coughing up bloody teeth. His laugh was grim - echoing through the cave. "I told you before, Little Mouse, the Healo Healo fruit doesn't work on special occasions."
"I'll rip your tongue out of your head if you speak again," Ace growled.
Minette turned her head and glared at Dahmer. "Y-You said viruses a-a-and drowning. Infections are n-nothing."
Dahmer made a choking noise and coughed up another tooth. He wheezed through his broken nose and punctured lungs. "As if I'd tell you what's really killing you. Not yet at least - I don't want to give you time to find help before you croke, though, in this desert, I doubt you'd be able to anyway."
"'What's killing her'?" Ace echoed. "You'd you do?"
Dahmer snered. "Shut up. Don't shut up. Flame boy isn't so bright after all."
Minette grew dizzy again, her head spinning as the world around her did as well. Her tremors grew worse and her entire body grew stiff all at once. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, jaw clenched shut, hands grew to fists, and her back arced awkwardly. Her better leg started kicking, her arms started flailing, and her head started twitching. She started grunting as yellow foam leaked from her mouth and dribbled down the side of her face. She couldn't control her body.
"Shit!" Ace held up his hands, watching her before he realized what was happening. He rolled her on her side and lightly held her in place. He stabilized her head on his legs and pushed his fingers to the bulging artery on her neck. He lost count when she threw up again.
He looked to Dahmer - smiling as he watched the young girl flail. Ace yelled, "Why is she convulsing? What'd you do, you sick bastard."
He only laughed.
Minette stopped squirming, her body going lax. She blacked out.
"It's cold, Minette."
- She's not really here.
"Take my coat, Shi."
- No. Put it back on. You're going to freeze.
"Do you think they'll find us by the noise my teeth are making?"
- They'll only find you. She isn't real.
"Let's stay up and talk then, and make sure no one comes close. Okay, Shi?"
- No. You need your rest.
"Okay."
- She's killing you. Just let her disappear.
Minette opened her eyes, her body aching worse than before and her leg entirely numb. She stared at the dark ceiling, taking her time to remember what was happening.
"Kid," Ace breathed. "Thank God."
Minette looked to Ace, saw his worried expression and then understood why she lost consciousness. She turned to Dahmer, ignoring the stench of vomit on the floor in front of her. "Y-You lied to me," she stuttered. "You di-di-didn't kill my sister."
"You caught me," he laughed - which ended in a caugh. "But it was fun seeing your reaction when you thought I did."
"W-Why? W-What was there to g-gain?"
"You were talking to yourself - it was getting annoying. Killing your imaginary friend shut you right up."
Minette's jaw clenched again, her tremors worsening once more. On the brink of another episode, she said: "H-How'd you kn-kno-know about h-her?"
Her hands fisted, her spine arched, her eyes rolled back. Dahmer laughed. "Oh flame boy," he purred. "I think she's at it again."
Minette gagged, but there was nothing left to throw up. Ace rolled her on her side once more, holding her head and counting her heartbeats. He glared at Dahmer. "Tell me what you did, damn it."
"That would spoil the fun."
Once more, Minette blacked out.
"Minnie! Don't touch!"
"Ah! I'm sorry!"
"Step back, quick, before it bites you."
"I-I thought worms don't bite."
"Normal Earthworms don't, but this isn't a worm. This is a snake."
"Snake?"
"Snakes are poisonous, Minnie. Don't ever touch."
"Don't ever touch, Shi. Robin says 'No'."
Minette gasped for air, her eyes flying open as she wheezed a gagged. She had stopped breathing that time.
"-to a crisp!" Ace's voice echoed, he was seething with rage.
"How you going to do that, Flame boy? You can't move Little Mouse while she's like that," Dahmer grinned.
Before he could continue, Minette reached a shaky hand and pulled weakly at Ace's shorts. His rage morphed to concern in seconds when his eyes met hers. "Minette," his voice was low, and he took her hand. "Stop scaring me, kid."
Her hand squeezed his uncontrollably, her nails digging into his skin without meaning to. She gave him a weak smile, then turned to Dahmer. "I-I-I know what y-you did."
"Oh?" Dahmer teased.
Minette looked back to Ace. "K-Kick out his f-fangs."
"What?" he gaped.
"Sn-Snakes are p-poisonous. G-Get his venom an-and give it to Chopper."
"I can't move. What if you slip into another seizure?"
Her giggle was dry and choppy. "B-Better hurry th-then."
Ace hesitated, then, very carefully, he lifted her head and moved out from under her. He replaced his legs with his backpack and stalked towards Dahmer.
The snake was obviously very fearful now. He tried inching away, but his caved in chest wasn't going to allow him to move. "Hey now," he chuckled. "You're wasting your time. If you don't find the real reason soon, she'll die for sure."
Minette smirked. "D-During our fight, you b-bit me. It blends in w-w-with the other wounds. I should've kn-known sooner. I-I'll give you th-that much."
Ace put his hands against the wall, leaning over Dahmer. He gave one last glance back to Minette and his gaze turned determined. Dahmer held up his hands, screaming for him to wait, but Ace kicked one time that was hard enough to knock out his tooth and set him unconscious again - or what Minette would like to believe as unconscious.
"Okay," Ace rushed, cradling the girl to his chest, slinging the backpack over his shoulder and running. "Time to go."
Minette's tremors didn't stop or cease. She couldn't control any part of her body anymore and her entire lower half was numb. "You know where the excite is - Nngh. Mnh." Her jaw grew tight, her hands balled into fist, but she refused her eyes from rolling back.
"No, come on, kid." Ace panted. "Can't do that while I'm running."
She held on to consciousness, unable to stop herself from punching him in the chest or drool foam onto his cloak. Grunts escaped her clenched jaw - at least she was breathing - but she was also on the brink of another episode.
"Damnit!" Ace's voice rung in her ears. "It's a dead end!"
Her eyes twitched on their own, throwing themselves up but she didn't let them roll back. Her spine arched and he immediately set her down. She lost control, but she didn't lose consciousness as she body rode it out. Ace rolled her on her side, muttering things she couldn't comprehend at the moment, but what she found she was facing was something else entirely. Standing before her, half buried in cemented sand, was a cube with intricate carvings on all of its faces. The carvings were familiar, but she couldn't see very clearly while her eyes were shaking. For five - ten minutes, Minette stared at the writing.
When her seizure came to an end, Ace waited to make sure then rolled her onto her back. She wheezed, having not breathed through the whole experience.
"They're getting worse," Ace panted. "That one lasted longer than the others. If the next one is any longer, you could die from suffocation."
Her lungs burning, she said, "We need to find Ch-Chopper."
"Moving you again is too risky."
Her head rolled to the side, facing the carved structure. She stared at it, lulling her breathing into an easier rhythm, and something flashed in front of her eyes. It wasn't another episode or anything to do with being poisoned - nor was it a memory - but all of a sudden, she could make sense of the carvings on the structure as if she was always able to.
"Kid?" Ace sounded concerned. He leaned over her, looking at her face, but her gaze never looked away from the cube. "Can you hear me?"
"I-It's a letter," she stammered.
Ace looked up, finally realizing what it was before them and his breath caught in his throat. He stared wide eyed, his mouth agape. "You can read Poneglyphs?"
"I-Is that what this is?" she asked, then started to read. "'Little sister, th-the world is i-i-in shambles.'"
She didn't know what 'shambles' meant but it flowed off her tongue so easily that it made her believe that she once understood. She was mystified by her own ability once more, but she didn't know the significance of it. Why can't Ace read it too? Does he not know how to read?
Above them, something boomed and clattered, sand skittered down from the ceiling. Ace loomed over Minette, covering her from the grains, but a lot fell through just in front of them and light from above ground filtered in.
When Minette opened her eyes, she was surprised to find a certain green haired swordsman. "Z-Zoro?"
He spun around, holding his head and stared at her - surprised. His face erupted into a smile but then it fell when he saw her terrible condition. He glared at Ace, "Who did it?"
"Calm down, Fido." -Minette was well enough at the moment to giggle- "Where's Chopper?"
Zoro looked up through the hole he fell through and yelled. "Chopper! Get down here quick!"
Minette could see Chopper poke his head through the hole. "Zoro! Are you hurt?!"
"I found Ace and Mouse! The Shrimp's hurt!"
"What?!" Luffy yelled from above, "Mouse is down there!?"
Chopper jumped down, leaving Luffy to peer through the hole. Chopper landed in the loose sand and dragged his way towards Minette. He immediately saw her legs and got straight to work.
"What happened?"
"She was bit by a snake."
"That doesn't look like no snake bite, dumb ass," Zoro yelled.
Minette caught his gaze. "Re-Remember my island?" She held out her arm, showing him the bite from when she and the cannibal first faught. "Th-The snake guy b-bit me again."
"He wasn't poisonous before," Zoro gaped, watching Chopper analyse the fang Ace handed over.
"H-He wasn't try-trying to kill me before."
Chopper dug through his bloated bag and removed two types of liquids in different tubes. "I came prepared with antivenom ingredients just incase something like this happened - but I thought it would be Luffy I'd use it on."
She giggle, but the others didn't seem to find it funny.
"I need to know your symptoms to determine how much you need."
Ace answered right away. "Three seizure since the bite. Her heart is slow. Her blood isn't clotting unusually. High fever. She can't feel her leg."
"Why isn't she healing?" Zoro questioned.
"I-I'm not immu - Ngh. Mhum." Her fists tightened, her jaw clenched, her back arched, and her eyes rolled back. There was no warning for this one, but this one was the worse of them all. She couldn't breath, she was gagging on nothing, and her heart was shallow in her ear drums. She flailed uncontrollably, foamed yellow bubbles, and groaned through violent twitches over her shattered leg.
"Stick her already!"
"I can't! If I give her too much, she'll overdose!"
"And if you don't do anything, she'll suffocate herself!"
"I know! Shut up!"
Don't let go, she thought, if you lose consciousness now, you're not waking up.
"Okay, okay. Think! She has a high fever, blue and purple swellings, and rigid muscle spasms. She hasn't lost controle of her blatter, but that could also mean she's dehydrated. Which means-" a sharp pain shot through her inner arm, a burning liquid fluiding her veins- "I don't have enough anti venom to give her right now. Her body will have to fight off what's left of the poison on its own."
The anti venom tore through her system fast but steady. The numbness in her legs was what was keeping her from drowning in shock, but the anti venom whittled away the only shield to her consciousness. As the pain grew more and more intense and with the Healo Healo Fruit's defence against pain down, she was trapped in her own burning body, unable to do anything but scream in a void of non existing memories. Second after second, Minette could feel more and more and she finally lost it when Chopper re-broke and repositioned the bones that weren't setting correctly.
She blacked out.
...
Little sister, the world is in shambles.
Weapon after weapon, war after war, I do not know what anyone is fighting for anymore.
Please Little sister, turn away.
Do not look at what I have created, do not look at what Big brother has done.
There are monsters in this world who are made with scrap metal skin and strong wooden bones. If anyone is to find what I have fabricated with my own two hands, God warn them of what dangers these materialistic beasts own.
Please Little sister, run away, the world is in shambles.