The Pirate King Is Dead - Long Live The Pirate King
Part 3 of a Four Part Saga
By Aoikami Sarah
Chapter Four - Straw Hat Farewell
A good ten minutes of silence followed aboard the restaurant ship. When Rogue Town was no longer visible, they opened the barrels. Luffy remained in his. Nami leaned over the lip and reached her hands into it. "You can come out, now," she whispered, doing her best to keep from crying as she left how damp his vest was with his own tears. Slowly, Luffy composed himself and climbed out. His crew was silent but their eyes were fixed on him.
"We did it," Sanji muttered.
"Morons," Luffy spat. "I told you. Let me take the rap. Let me set you all free."
"But we succeeded…" Chopper tried to argue.
"And another one of our friends is dead!" Luffy shouted. "When Robin died I swore I would never let that happen again! What if it had been Zoro, or Chopper instead of Bon Clay!"
Nami, who was still wearing the original Straw Hat, put her hand on his shoulder. "What if it had been you?" she asked. His chest heaved. "We felt the same way. We couldn't let you die for us." She felt his shoulders slump as he lost the argument. She put her arms around him.
"You guys…," he whispered and hugged her back. She could feel his exhaustion in the weight he put into the embrace and helped him to sit down.
"We don't need to take the Baratie to the Grand Line anymore," Nami advised the crew of the restaurant. "They won't be looking for the escaped Pirate King, anymore."
.x.
Usopp nodded repeatedly, recent events temporarily overwhelming him. His plan had worked. They freed Luffy, but at the cost of another friend's life. He wandered into the dining room and dropped down into a chair next to his friends. He watched the others in a daze. Patty and Carne busied themselves with feeding the survivors. Sanji spoke to Zeph quietly, thanking him for his assistance. Nami sat across the table from Luffy, her fingers rubbed his left hand which rested on the table. His head lay on top of his right arm. Zoro stood against a pillar and fought sleep. Tashigi sat uncomfortably straight up in her chair, surrounded by pirates and intimidating-looking chefs. Chopper approached Luffy.
"May I see to your eye, Luffy?" he asked quietly. His captain raised his head. The bandage wrapped around it was caked with blood.
"Yeah, I guess," he muttered and reluctantly let Nami's hand go.
Everyone stared as Chopper made use of the kitchen's first-aid kit and worked his magic. He cut the wrapping away from the wounded area then soaked the bit around the eye with water. Zoro craned his neck to better see. Tashigi looked away. Usopp slapped his hand to his mouth and ran from the room out to the deck and lost what little was in his stomach over the side. Luffy's right eye was gone.
Chopper was able to stitch the empty socket closed and create a potent antiseptic from scratch. He handed Luffy a kit with pots of ointment and fresh bandages. "This should last you for a few months," he explained.
"Chopper?" he asked quietly, taking the kit from him. "Where will you go now?"
The young reindeer swallowed and pretended to smile. "Back to Drum Island. I want to see what Dalton and Docturinu have been able to do while I was gone."
"What about you, Sanji?" Luffy asked.
"With your permission, Captain," he said, crushing out a cigarette. "I'll tell Vivi-chan and Harmony-chan that you're ok."
Luffy perked up a bit at this. "Of course. Please do."
Usopp, who had recovered and was leaning against the entryway played with his side-satchel. "I'm going home. I want to see Kaya. There's a lot I have to tell her." Luffy nodded.
Zoro stretched. "I'll keep going," he said, surprising everyone. "I still have a dream to fulfill. I can't stop until my name reaches the heavens."
Again, Luffy nodded. "I wouldn't accept less of you."
Tashigi blinked at him. "Roronoa," she said carefully. "May I… tag along?"
He raised a brow. "Suit yourself."
Luffy smiled thinly. "What about you, Nami?" he asked, his eye unfocused as he stared at a salt shaker on the table.
"What are you going to do?" she asked him.
"I'm going home."
"To East Blue?" Usopp asked. He nodded. "That's great. I can come visit you," he said with a small smile. Luffy nodded again.
"I'm going home, too," Nami said softly.
.x.
Nami didn't cry. They hugged her; Zoro, Sanji, Chopper who was bawling his eyes out. Even Tashigi gave her a hug. She didn't cry. Usopp stepped onto the little ship they'd bought from the Baratie with their last 500 Berrie. She took Luffy's hand and helped him on board. He was still shaking. She didn't cry.
"We should go," she whispered, clinging to the straw hat she was now in charge of.
He nodded and licked his lips, trying to get his voice to work. "I won't forget you. Ever," he said just loud enough for them to hear. "Thank you."
Chopper waved his tiny hoof. Sanji waved a lit cigarette. Zoro simply raised his hand and they disappeared into the mist toward Reverse Mountain.
Then it was just the three of them, bound for Northern East Blue on a small ship that was barely seaworthy. Luffy stared at the fog until he was certain he couldn't see them anymore then slowly walked to the mast and slumped down against it.
Nami looked to Usopp, but his eyes were still red-rimmed. He shook his head, unable to come up with anything reassuring to tell her. He went to the starboard rail and leaned on it, watching the waves churn against the side of the ship.
Their first destination was Kokoyashi, Nami's home village. Her feet felt like lead as she forced them across the deck to the bow. She stared at wilted form of her now former captain. Nami sank to her knees and sobbed quietly as if she was trying to hide her tears. Her heart was already breaking and she hadn't even thought about what would happen when she returned home.
She looked over her shoulder at Luffy and tried to compose herself. He raised a hand to rub his eyes and stopped just short of the bandage that covered his right one. He balled his fist and let it drop back down into his lap. Nami approached him quietly and surprised him.
"It's been five hours," she said softly. "Chopper said we should change your bandage."
"I can do it."
"No you can't. We don't have a mirror. Let me," she urged and started unwinding the wrapping around his head.
His hands shot up and grasped her wrists. "You don't want to do this."
"Yes I do. Besides, Usopp doesn't have the stomach for it."
Usopp made a face. "Sorry, Nami."
"It's ok. I'd rather be a little grossed out by this than by you puking all over the deck." She piled the wrapping up next to her and opened the box of ointment and gauze Chopper had left them. She prepared the new bandage with salve, readied the eye-wash and took a deep breath. "Bear with it, ok, Luffy?"
Luffy clenched his teeth, sure that it wouldn't be as excruciating as when Chopper worked on it, but would still sting like hell. He nodded and Nami peeled the gauze off of his right eye socket. The bright orange stitches were nightmarish against the raw, torn flesh of his eyelids. When Chopper exclaimed that Luffy had lost his eye and needed immediate medical treatment, her stomach flip-flopped. Now, she couldn't afford to feel squeamish. He needed her help. Nami worked quickly, but gently and carefully to clean the puss and blood away. She applied the ointment and a fresh bandage. As she wrapped him back up again she could feel the tension in his muscles. He breathed quickly and shook with each breath.
"You need to sleep," Nami said. She threw the old bandage over the side and stood behind him. He was surprised when she crouched down and pushed his shoulders, directing him to lean back against her chest. "Get some rest."
"Nami…"
"Shh," she whispered. "I'll wake you in five hours."
Finally, his body relaxed and in moments Luffy was asleep in his navigator's arms.
To be continued…