Chapter 33- The Cherry Triangle
One Piece © Eiichiro Oda
William Henley, The Cherry Triangle, Beau-Père, Wonderland Island, Prairie Flora, and Talbot Alice © HatOnFire/Me
It only took one day for the Thousand Sunny to enter the Cherry Triangle without any obstacles and problems hindering the crew. While one sail was damaged, it just took a good few hours of a gust of wind to guide the crew further into the landmark. Just minutes after they entered, the historical landmark truly lived up to the name.
There was a giant tree that was about as tall as a mountain! From the bottom, it would almost appear that the tree could reach the heavens, if the tree's branches weren't obscuring the sky. As for the ocean, it was covered by a blanket of giant bright pink petals, with the largest of them capable of passing for sails!
"Hey, I think I found a temporary sail for us!" Franky nodded with a grin, "Can somebody get me a big petal?!"
"Here, let me," Luffy jumped to the side, wearing his traditional red vest over webs strewn together as bandages. Elongating his arms, he caught a petal that could easily cover an entire circus tent!
"Isn't that a bit much?" Henley scratched his head with a cocked eyebrow, just as Luffy threw the petal upward.
"Well, I can make arts and crafts with whatever's left of this..." Usopp muttered, seeing a huge blanket of pink envelope the ship.
"This should be enough for now," Robin surmised in an obvious manner, carefully observing the captain's mood. He was feeling better, and whatever effect Henley's serum had on him had all but disappeared.
"We might as well drop anchor," Zoro speculated, "There doesn't seem to be any danger around anyway."
"Um, sir?" Henley attempted to address Luffy, "Is it alright with you if the doctor and I give you a once-over?"
"Huh?" Luffy questioned until he realized what that meant, "Oh, sure. You want to make sure that chemical you gave me a few days ago is gone, right?"
"That's the idea, Captain Monkey," The hybrid confirmed, taking slow steps to the stairs with Chopper and Luffy following him.
"First time I've been called captain with my last name..." Luffy murmured.
Out of the corner of his eye, his straw hat was gliding towards him. The boy caught it in his hand, looking out to who it came from. It was Nami, standing at the railing of the other side of the ship.
Nami wore a white dress shirt on to make up for the shirt she left behind in the base. Her cranium was wrapped up with a large bandage as her expression was filled with sadness and regret. She even had a medical eye patch covering the bruise to her right eye that she got from the captain a while back.
After a brief stare, the navigator walked off the helm and into the dorms, with no one the wiser. Except for Luffy and Sanji, the latter breathing on his lit cigarette.
"Going to blame me for that?" He pondered aloud so the blonde cook could hear him.
"You didn't do anything to deserve what I said or did to you," Sanji's head was elevated, making it hard for Luffy to tell what he's thinking, at least without his words. "You were angry, and you didn't mean for it to get out of control. And I can tell you she's deeply sorry for what happened to you. I'm sorry too."
"...W-Well, so am I," Luffy choked out, taken aback by Sanji's apology. It wasn't forced, half-hearted, or otherwise. It was actually genuine.
"I'm no true cook if I don't have any sense of fairness, and I wasn't fair to you. I closed the door on the man who deserved as much respect as the women do. I think it's clear who needs to go."
"Hold on, Sanji..."
"You need the others more than me," He interrupted Luffy, "I'll leave you a recipe book so you guys can take care of yourselves-"
"You don't have my permission to leave yet," Luffy put a hand on his shoulder, silencing him with words. "You instigated that lie about the flag, but you're not the only one responsible."
"I know, but I-"
"I know that I have to do this, but hold off on jumping ship, please. I still have a few things I want to say to you and to the others."
After that brief talk with Sanji, Luffy went to the infirmary, where the two scientific experts were waiting.
"Okay, Luffy," Chopper directed, "If you don't mind sitting in the chair, we'll examine you."
"Sorry about the bed," Henley apologized as he gulped a large amount of water in his canteen, "I'm surprised I bled that much."
"You do know Zoro was bleeding more than you were, right?" Luffy pointed out.
"I was told he was, yes..."
"Now then, let's start," The reindeer started his examination, listening to his heartbeat with a stethoscope and checking his blood pressure. "All normal so far."
"So, I have to ask you," Luffy decided to kill some time, "How do you know that mustache guy?"
"Commander Beau-Père taught me how to properly fight," Henley explained, "I actually helped him take down a group of pirates, but only a little. The man thought I could be a Marine, so he and his group trained me. It was a good thing, too. I needed to be stronger than I was initially."
"Were there pirates constantly attacking you and where you lived?"
"More or less, but those weren't the only reasons I needed to get stronger."
"Did it have to do with that drink you gave me...?"
"Um..." Henley stumbled with his words, exhaling some air in a momentary sense of pressure. "In a way, yes. I didn't plan on using it on you, a total stranger. But there was someone I hated, enough I wanted them to take this. Except..."
"Except that's not what you wanted at all, is it?" Luffy queried as Chopper wrote on his clipboard.
"Revenge and hatred are ugly words," The redhead fiddled with the light box that was originally strapped around him, opening it up to reveal his test tubes among additional tools. "Both of those meanings destroy souls and turn them loose on anyone in their path. They will never justify murder, not in my eyes."
"...You never meant to hurt me or the others, did you?"
"...No, sir. But it makes no difference what I wanted."
"But this is something that you can't take back," The doctor put the clipboard down to talk to the unofficial guest, "After making Luffy experience this, you can't be forgiven so easily."
"I don't think I deserve forgiveness at all," Henley conclusively said, pulling out the test tube with an orange liquid. "Let alone deserve to live. But I need to live. I have to clean up one final mess I've made, and then I can die as I am."
"Wait a second, jackass," Luffy bluntly called out before correcting himself, "Wait. Henley."
After a hiss of the word "crap," Luffy continued, "Sorry 'bout that. But what do you mean, 'you can die as you are?' What makes you think like that?"
"Isn't it obvious, captain?" Henley shrugged his shoulders, "Because all I've ever done to you and anyone in my path is wrong them. And the things I did to you and someone else make me a terrible person. That's why I deserve to die."
'Starting to sound a little bit like me and Nami, huh?' The captain thought, 'What happened besides attacking me made this guy so negative?'
"What's that orange serum supposed to do?" Chopper questioned, unable to take his eyes off of it.
"This is the only solution for my final mistake, that's all," Henley responded, eyeing the container. "I'm guilty of poisoning someone I love. This chemical solution was carefully made to counter the effects of her affliction."
"And why are you so sure you caused it?" Luffy wondered.
"Because it's a substance that could only be made in a laboratory," The redhead gently placed the container back where it belonged, "I know I don't remember making it, but considering how I was suffering from memory loss, it only makes sense that it would come from my lab at Wonderland Island. I must've made it sometime."
"Are you sure you're not just overreacting?"
"H-Huh?" Henley blinked, caught off guard.
"A few days ago*, you said you had a drink you take which helps your memory, but it also makes you overreact. So are you sure that this isn't another one of your overreactions?"
(A/N: Refer back to Chapter 6- Cause and Effect.)
"Y-You actually remember that?"
"Yep."
"So you've got a better memory, Luffy?" Chopper had a hoof under his chin as he took in the information.
"Well," Henley surmised, "I suppose that chemical I forced down your throat hasn't gone away completely. The negative effects must be gone, but your sensory capabilities must still be amplified."
"Yeah," Luffy nodded with a little smile, "After I threw up in my cell, I didn't have any nightmares or any feelings of worthlessness! But I can still think without my head hurting!"
"So it actually hurts your head if you THINK?!" The doctor shouted, his hat and antlers comically jumping upward.
"S-Still..." With a whisper, Henley closed the box and locked up. "Flora's stuck in bed, but am I guilty of that? I don't remember making the poison..."
'Of course!' He screamed in his head, 'I didn't make it! I remember!'
XXX
His mind played back several memories. One of them was Henley holding a girl around his age in his arms whilst fleeing from a crowd with pitchforks and torches. The second featured him feverishly writing on paper with a small pack of blood being drained into a large glass beaker over a flame. The last one featured him speaking to another girl.
"Please, Alice," Henley begged, "You have to look after her while I'm away."
The girl was taller than Henley, wearing a turquoise tank top and black track shorts with running shoes. She had some muscle on her arms and had black fingerless gloves on her hands. She had short blonde hair and blue eyes. Her full name is...
TALBOT ALICE. DAUGHTER OF WONDERLAND ISLAND'S FOUNDER. THE SECOND PROTECTOR OF THE ISLAND.
"But what am I supposed to do?!" She exclaimed, "You're the smart one! I don't get all this scientific crap! Flora could die if I do something wrong!"
"Don't worry about it," Henley calmly told, stirring a sauce in a brown bowl. "I've left behind a list of instructions that can help you prolong the effects of that poison. Just churn the ingredients into something she can swallow. Preferably something like a milkshake, a smoothie, or applesauce. My estimates tell me that doing so every three days will keep her alive until she only needs them once every month."
"But why do you have to go?" Alice grabbed Henley's shirt and lifted him to her level, "If some of the things you need are plants, then Flora-"
"She can't use her Devil Fruit, remember?" Henley shook his head, "The poison has properties that nullify Devil Fruit users. And even if it didn't, we can't risk the poison ruining the serum I need to fix her. I need pure ingredients."
"This is so messed up," The tall girl set the shorter boy down, "The town's calling for your head, thinking that you killed Flora. We should tell them that she's-"
"We can't do that, Alice. The one who poisoned her and framed me is still out there, and they could be someone from the town."
"But who'd want to hurt Flora? Why?"
"I don't know, but I trust you to protect her while I'm gone," Henley sadly smiled, placing the bowl on the table. "You've got the best right hook in the Grand Line."
"Henley," Alice looked down at her best friend, watching him fill his canteen up with water. After that, he went to put some chemistry tools in the small box, beakers, flasks, notes, even a sack of tree nuts for a starting ingredient.
"I've got the hard part," Henley said as he hugged Alice for a few seconds before pulling away, "I leave the rest to you, Alice."
"O-Okay!" She chirped with a smile, doing her best to stay positive.
Henley grabbed the bowl with spoon and opened a door to a bedroom, looking at the girl in the comfy pink bed next to the window.
This girl had long brown hair, green eyes, and most of her body was covered by the large blanket. Her name is...
PRAIRIE FLORA. THE THIRD PROTECTOR OF THE ISLAND.
"Hey, there," Henley sadly looked at Flora, his heart torn from seeing her like this.
"I feel weak, Henley..." Flora sighed, stuck in bed. "It's like my body is going numb and my heart is burning over a fire..."
"I'll fix this, Flora," The hybrid promised, bobbing his head in assurance. "It'll take a while, maybe too long, but I'll cure you. You'll be free from this sickness."
"You have to leave?" She questioned.
"There's nothing here that can help us," Henley bluntly answered, feeding her the contents of the bowl with a spoon. "All they can do is hold back the poison. But this stuff will keep you alive, even if it takes me years to make the cure."
"Knowing you, it'll be way less than a year," Flora joked, chuckling a little.
"With this soft food, you'll be feeling better in an hour. It'll be three days until you need this stuff again."
"It has to be served in the equivalent of baby food?"
"Hey, we can't all choose how we take our medicine," Henley scoffed, causing his girlfriend to snort a little.
"Alright, alright," Flora grinned, "The sooner you go, the sooner I get back on my feet."
"Even if you take this, you can't go outside," The hybrid warned, "Someone wanted you dead, and they might try again. I can't take any chances here."
"But I need to keep practicing, or else I get rusty."
"I'd advise against that," Henley gave her one last spoonful before setting the bowl down on the table next to the bed, "I learned the poison can target your muscles and slow down any action you take with your arms and legs. It'll make your body numb if you exert yourself."
"Oh, what fun," The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes, ticked off at being unable to do anything.
"Well, I better go," Henley mumbled, heading off to leave, but he turned back one last time. "Hey. You know I love you."
"I love me too," Flora smirked while saying that, with Henley shaking his head with a grin of his own. "And you."
"Good luck, Henley," Alice grabbed a brown cloth for the short boy to wear, which he accepted.
"You too, Alice."
And with that, Henley took his things and opened up the window, leaping out of the large lighthouse.
XXX
"Henley?"
Hearing his name called, the young redhead came back to reality.
"Oh, yes?"
"Chopper and I are going to talk," Luffy told, "So if you don't mind, can you leave?"
"Of course," Henley nodded, "I guess I'm done here."
He prepared to leave the infirmary, but when he opened the door to the outside, he turned around for a quick moment.
"Captain Monkey?"
"Yeah?" Luffy scratched his head, hardly used to being called that.
"You might have brought me some peace of mind with what you said," Henley stated, "Thank you very much, and I'm sorry for hurting you."
"You apologized to me that day, too," Luffy pointed out, "And while I can't forgive you right away for what you did, I appreciate you for being honest enough to admit your mistakes."
"Of course, sir. And may I fully introduce myself?"
"Okay, sure."
"My full name is William Henley. I'm a chemical scientist, though I don't look the part."
WILLIAM HENLEY. CHEMICAL SCIENTIST, WORLD GOVERNMENT FUGITIVE, AND WONDERLAND ISLAND'S FIRST PROTECTOR.
BOUNTY: 83 MILLION BERRIES.
Henley left the room, with Brook walking right past him to enter.
"Luffy, should you really forgive him at all?" The doctor wondered, "I'm not against it since he helped us save you, but he caused this entire mess just by making you drink that vial."
"He admitted that he was wrong in doing that before everything got out of control," The captain crossed his arms, "Say what you want about him, but he's more honest than the rest of the crew put together."
"Quite," Brook agreed, "Honesty sounds like a trait that's hard to come by in recent times."
"Hey, Brook," Luffy greeted, "Whatcha doing here?"
"Actually, Mr. Luffy," The musician said, closing the door behind him. "Chopper and I, we need to talk with you."
"It's about the crew, I know," Luffy sighed, his heart sinking like an anchor. "It's come down to this."
"We think it may be best to throw them out..." Chopper sighed, "Considering how they betrayed your trust and all."
"I hate to say it, but I am considering that," The boy with the straw hat sadly concurred, "But that's not really fair. They worked hard to save me, even after I yelled at them for their lies."
"You have to show them you won't tolerate an action this grave," Brook stated, "And seeing as they violated your trust, they have forfeit the right to serve you aboard this ship."
"It's a big deal, I know! But this isn't a simple thing I can do! I don't know if I can bear to do something like this."
"You tried once before at Water 7," Chopper chimed in, remembering that time.
"But Usopp's not the only subject here! It's Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Robin, and Franky! It's the majority of the crew!"
"And we need to resolve this matter if we are to go further," Brook tapped his cane on the ground twice, "A crew that acts outside their limits aboard this ship is not a crew that should be trusted!"
"It's easy for you to say that," Luffy spat, "You never had most of your crew lie about the Jolly Roger, their symbol."
"M-Maybe we're doing this wrong," The doctor felt anxious, second guessing the whole affair. "Maybe if we just give it a week, things will go back to normal!"
"That will allow the crew to believe they can get away with anything on the captain's watch!" Brook angrily shouted, scaring Chopper into Luffy's lap. "They'll lie to you again!"
"That's enough, Brook!" The captain ordered, standing up and setting the reindeer in the chair. "I'll decide what to do with the others, and I'll do it myself."
"Yes, captain," The skeleton nodded, "If I may suggest-"
"You're getting out of line," Luffy warned, "I don't want you influencing me. I've known them longer, and as the captain, I'll decide what to do."
Just then, Luffy's eyes shifted to the oddest thing he could see. Of all things, an ear was on the wall, next to the door leading to the dining room. It was enough for him to know who was spying on him.
Disappointed, Luffy walked out of the sick bay, going through the door leading to the kitchen. From there, he saw each of the crew sitting at the table, each with an expression of worry mixed with guilt. Henley was there, too, resting on the sofa. Of course, there was one person he wanted to call.
"Robin," The captain sighed, "Would you care to explain what you did?"
"I'm sorry," Robin apologized, "But I felt I needed to know everything about your conversation with Brook and Chopper."
"You spied on our private conversation?" Brook ground his teeth together, almost irate. "Have you no shame?"
"Wait, Brook," Sanji pleaded, "I put her up to it."
"Quit taking my side, Sanji," Robin told, "There's been enough of that."
"I'm disappointed in each of you," Luffy bluntly voiced, making sure everyone could hear him. "For similar and different reasons."
"Well, we've had this coming," Zoro whispered, "I know that much."
"You want to know what has to happen now?" Luffy rubbed the front of his face with his hand, "I have to decide if you guys should still be in this crew or not. And it's not an easy thing to decide."
"And we'll keep saying this because it's the honest truth," Usopp softly interjected, "We're sorry."
"You should be. And you'll never be sorrier when I'm done. Count on that."
TO BE CONTINUED...
CHAPTERS REMAINING: 2
Note: This chapter will be short on grounds that I'd like to finish this one. It's been going on too long. Stay tuned!