Author's Note: Good evening everyone, and welcome to Chapter 12! We're getting very close to Luffy's journey to make a pact with the Valera, so look forward to it! Once that happens, things start to really get interesting ;)

To too addicted to fiction: Aren't they all just precious XD Lu is totally a hatchling lol. So glad you're enjoying it and I'll see you next time!

To livinganime14: Here's the update for you, sorry about the wait! I hope you enjoy the chapter ;)

To Moretilde: Thank you so much! I'm very proud of how this world has turned out XD and you're welcome!

WARNINGS:

- Lots of reunions

- Family/friend feels

- Nami is immensely frustrated

- Luffy is an angel

Ace inhaled deeply as he and Shanks stepped back through the portal, finally returning to the Mesa after what felt like forever. They'd searched Noah's Deep thoroughly for additional signs of Luffy while they waited for their request to travel to Skotàdi to come through.

Seeing they were getting nowhere, they returned to the Ranger Base closest to them and decided to meet up with Sabo and Rob Lucci before they left for Fos.

Almost immediately after stepping foot on the soft grass of the Mesa, Ace felt his mana begin to return to him. It was a strange feeling to be in a place where his mana was stagnant, even with Shanks there to refresh it if needed.

Yeah, he felt more at home here or in their own world.

"You good?"

"Uh huh." He replied, reaching up to stretch out his arms, "I don't know how you rangers do it…going off to the other worlds all the time. It's draining." Shanks chuckled.

"That's because you rely on your mana…we don't."

"Right."

With that, they began the short jog back to the administration building of Reverie Academy, leaving the fondly called 'Portal Pasture' behind. If you intended to travel to another world, people often went there to utilize the large space and established connections to various Ranger Bases.

Normally, it was heavily guarded to keep curious students from getting too close but seeing as it was night already (and Akainu was focusing his guards elsewhere) there were only two stationed at the moment.

They nodded to them as they passed.

When they approached the stairs in front of the building, two familiar forms were there to greet them.

"Hey." Sabo greeted, standing up to hug Ace and nod to Shanks. Lucci hung back and inclined his head curly. "Did you find anything?"

"No, nothing." Ace replied with a huff, "Hopefully we'll have more luck in Skotàdi. When do you two leave for Fos?"

"In the morning." Lucci answered, brow furrowing, "They've delayed our departure due to 'unrest' around the Academy."

Ace clicked his tongue in frustration. It sucked that they had to go through such tedious procedures when Luffy could be in danger. Why couldn't they just use a portal and go!?

"That's when we're supposed to leave as well." Shanks put in, "So long as our request is approved. In the meantime, we should get some rest…we're going to two very dangerous worlds and need to be at our best."

Ace and Sabo nodded in agreement, albeit…reluctantly. They knew the ranger was right, but that didn't stop them from wanting to leave as soon as possible.

Just as they were about to go their separate ways for the night, someone called out to them.

"H-Hey! Thank goodness I caught you…" Ace raised an eyebrow at one of the Academy's nurses as they rushed up to them, breathing hard. The woman looked like she'd run all the way from the infirmary, which was in a completely different area of town.

"Is something wrong?" Shanks asked, stepping forward to help them straighten out.

"N-Not exactly…well maybe…" She managed, putting a hand on her chest, "I was sent to collect you by Dr. Kureha." Ace instinctively flinched at the mention of the crazy doctor-on-staff, commonly referred to as 'Doctorine'. He was certain the old lady was a witch disguised as a human.

"Out with it." Lucci prodded, making the nurse nod.

"It was the strangest thing but…two creatures just appeared in the infirmary!" Ace frowned, not liking the sound of that. She then, strangely, broke out into a smile as she looked from Ace to Sabo. "They brought one of our students with them."

Ace and Sabo led the charge as they sprinted across campus towards the infirmary. They were traveling so fast that Shanks had the nurse on his back so they wouldn't have to slow down. He slammed the door open, breathes coming quickly.

"W-Where-"

"Oi, what do you think you brats are doing." A harsh voice chided. Ace's eye twitched as he took in the relaxed form of Dr. Kureha leaning against the doorway that led to the patient rooms. "You're making a mess of my infirmary."

"Doctorine, is it true?" Sabo asked, pushing past Ace, "Is Lu-"

The doctor took a drink from her ever present bottle of alcohol, giving the others time to crowd into the waiting room (and Shanks room to drop the flushed nurse).

"Follow me, brats."

Ace and Sabo moved to do just that but were stopped by Shanks and a serious looking Lucci. The red-haired ranger shook his head and took the lead.

"We don't know who's in there." He whispered, "Let us take the lead." It made sense to let the rangers go first, seeing as they were trained in combat with creatures. Plus, it took time to summon creatures…time they might not have.

The atmosphere was tense as they walked down the hallway after Doctorine, Shanks and Lucci's eyes an unnerving silver as they prepared for a possible fight. Eventually, they stopped in front of a closed door.

"Well, go on." The doctor prompted with a smirk. Shanks reached forward and opened the door, revealing an interesting (and rather strange) sight. To the right of the door, in front the privacy curtains, was a horse. Ace blinked in confusion at the medium-sized bay as it munched on what looked like some cabbage.

"I'm just saying, we don't have to tell them."

"Yes you do, yoi."

"Ehhh…but-"

Ace's eyes widened at the voices coming from behind the curtain and immediately locked eyes with Sabo. Could it be? Taking the rangers by surprise, they pushed past them and pulled the curtain back violently.

Thatch yelped but grinned happily at them.

"Yo, long time no see!"

Marco was reclined against the far wall in his human form, a small smile on his face. He motioned towards the bed, prompting Ace's head to swivel to its occupant.

There, looking worse for wear but alive, was Luffy. The boy's face lit up and he grinned brightly.

"Ace…Sabo…you're here!"

With a sob of relief, Ace rushed forward and gathered the younger in a smothering hug, not caring that he was filthy beyond belief at the moment. Sabo followed closely after him, moving to the other side of the bed to join them.

"Thank God…Luffy, we thought-" Sabo whispered, making their little brother hum sadly.

"Sorry to worry you, shishishi…" It was clear in the younger's voice that he was exhausted, but he found the energy to return their embrace anyway.

When they pulled away, Ace didn't let go of Luffy's hand and quietly assessed his little brother's condition. He appeared to have been bandaged recently, but those had been soiled. His complexion was pale with dark circles under his eyes and a relatively fresh coat of mud, grime, and general filth currently covered him from head to toe.

He frowned at the circle of bruises around Luffy's neck.

"Lu…what the hell happened?"

"Well I…Shanks!" Luffy chirped, greeting the rangers happily, "And Lucci…er…I mean Sir." Shanks smiled and came around to put a hand on the boy's head.

"I'm glad to see you're back safe and sound, Luffy. We were just gearing up to go look for you in Fos and Skotàdi. Looks like you've saved us the trouble." His last statement was directed at the two creatures in the room, who straightened upon realizing they were being addressed. "Where'd you find him?"

"Skotàdi, yoi." Marco answered, "Thatch rescued him from a platoon of Kaido's goons."

"Kaido?" Lucci put in, eyes widening slightly.

"It's a long story." Thatch said sheepishly, "One we should probably tell quickly before we're discovered."

"Well you can tell your 'story' outside." Kureha interrupted, moving to Luffy's bedside, "Honestly, putting him in a bed looking like that…you're lucky dark elf skin doesn't tan well." Thatch gulped and took a step back.

"E-Er-"

"Get out!" She demanded with uncompromising eyes, "The kid's in good hands. You can come see him again in the morning."

Recognizing that arguing with the woman would probably get them killed, they quickly left the room (but not before giving Luffy's hands a reassuring squeeze).

"And take the damn horse with you!"

They ended up sneaking over to the Ranger Headquarters where Shanks assured them no one would bother them. Ace, for his part, was intrigued by the small and compact building, having never been inside before.

It was…quaint.

The horse, who Luffy had apparently named 'Merry' grazed outside. According to Thatch, it had practically demanded to stay by his little brother's side, so they'd taken it with them through Marco's portal.

"Well, what do you know?" Sabo asked, prompting Thatch to clear his throat.

"Right, I'll do my best to summarize everything the kid told me. It's a bit…complicated."

With every word that came out of the dark elf's mouth, Ace's eyes grew wider and wider. He held his tongue, wanting Thatch to finish the tale before he started asking questions. Shanks and Lucci stood by quietly, but their bodies tensed at the mention of certain characters.

Kaido.

Dracule Mihawk.

A djinn named Tesoro.

Balak.

"So it was a plot after all…" Shanks considered, bringing a hand to his chin, "They have a lot of balls to try and kidnap an entire class of summoners. We will have to look into this 'Tesoro'. I've never heard of him."

"Yes…and Luffy was lucky to have survived Balak." Lucci put in, "It's unheard of."

"You said he was rescued by someone named 'Kuma', correct?" Sabo said, stepping forward after sharing a knowing look with Ace, "When he was young, he claimed a 'magic bear' with that name saved him from drowning in a river. Could it be the same one?"

Shanks hummed.

"It's very possible. Ursa are notoriously loyal to those they are close to."

They stood in silence for a few minutes as they continued to try and process everything they'd been told. Luffy had been through hell and made some very powerful enemies.

"He won't have to go back to Skotàdi any time soon…right?" Ace asked, stomach dropping at the thought of demons hunting his baby brother.

"No. We will make sure of it."

"…and Mihawk." Shanks muttered with a frown, "Though it doesn't sound like he played a large role in Luffy's rescue, the fact that he intervened at all is cause for concern."

Ace huffed, shoulders relaxing.

"I'm just glad Lu's safe. Marco, Thatch…how can we ever repay you?" Sabo seconded his statement, making the elf wink.

"Don't worry about it, we're always happy to help!"

"Yeah, think nothing of it, yoi." Marco replied with a small smile, "Call on us anytime."

With that, they said their goodbyes, not wanting to draw suspicion by staying any longer. Shanks and Lucci bid the creatures farewell and left first (the latter taking Lu's new horse to the stables) while Ace and Sabo stayed to see them off.

"Summon me when you decide to start working again, yoi." Su-zaku said as he worked to create a portal for he and Thatch, "I'm sure you're both looking forward to things going back to normal again."

"We will." Sabo answered with a short, polite bow. Just as they were about to leave, Ace stopped them with a hand on Marco's shoulder. His brother stared at him with wide eyes, knowing that to touch a creature fondly was forbidden as it blurred the lines that distinguished summoners from their contracts.

But right now, Ace could care less, and he yanked both Marco and Thatch into a tight hug.

"Seriously, thank you so much for bringing our little brother home. I…WE…will never forget this."

He could feel the creatures tense at the sudden contact, but after a few seconds, relaxed and returned the hug.

"Anytime, yoi."

Thatch laughed.

"Aw…who knew Acey could be so emotional~"

At that, Ace growled and pushed the elf away, blushing slightly.

"Just shut up and go."

"Aye, aye!"

Before Thatch could leave, Marco grabbed him by the collar and threw him back with a smirk on his face.

"Aren't you forgetting something, yoi?"

"Er…nope. Definitely not." Marco rolled his eyes and fixed the brothers with a serious stare.

"The reason your hatchling was so dirty is because Thatch dropped him in a swamp, yoi."

Ace blinked as the words were processed, taking in the elf's paling face.

"Oh…is that so?" Sabo said with a scarily calm smile, "And how, pray tell, did that happen?"

"W-Wait, it's not what you AHHHHHHH-"

Marco chuckled to himself as the humans chased Thatch around the tiny building, trying to get him back for dirtying their hatchling. It was very humorous and surprisingly playful for the two summoners.

Ace and Sabo generally took their summons very seriously. As such, it was particularly surprising that the raven-haired human had initiated physical contact with them. To Marco, it showed just how much little Luffy meant to them.

'They're very kind…' He mused, stepping out of the way so Thatch could stumble through the portal. Ace and Sabo growled that their quarry was taken from them, but their expressions quickly morphed to ones of amusement and laughter.

Marco nodded one last time to them and stepped through the portal, preparing himself for the impending discussion with Pops.

The giant would definitely be disappointed that Ace, Sabo, and their brother weren't with him, but he'd get over it. They had more important things to talk about.

Zoro woke up like he had been for the past week…still completely exhausted. It was impossible for him to get a good night's rest knowing his best friend was still out there. Even so, he rolled out of bed and sluggishly made his way towards the bathroom down the hall to wash his face.

However, just like every other morning, the cold water did nothing but give him goosebumps.

On his way back to his room to change out of his night clothes, someone barreled into him, almost sending him to the floor.

"Zoro, there you are!" It was Usopp, "I was just coming to get you and you're not going to believe it-"

"Slow down, Usopp." Zoro managed, still very much out of it, "What's going on?"

"Mr. Smoker just gave me incredible news!" The long-nosed teen was practically bouncing in happiness and tears started to form in his eyes, "L-L-Luffy's back!"

Zoro's eyes widened and suddenly he was very much awake.

"What!? Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Apparently someone brought him back last night. He's in the infirmary recovering!"

Recovering. That word made Zoro sick to his stomach, but also meant that Luffy was alive. All of a sudden, the stress of the past week seemed to drain from his body. Luffy was back and not dead. Thank God.

"Can we go see him?"

"Mr. Smoker says he'll take us as soon as we're ready! I've already contacted Vivi, Nami, and Sanji and-" Zoro didn't let him finish and sprinted back to his room to throw some clothes on. He had so many questions but more than anything, he wanted to lay eyes on his formerly lost roommate.

Barely ten minutes later, they joined the rest of their friends in the courtyard, all giddy to see how Luffy was doing. Once they were all there, Mr. Smoker motioned for them to follow him. As they walked, Zoro examined his friends to see how they were taking the news.

Sanji had apparently been up for a while and carried what looked like a bento box (no doubt for Luffy).

Vivi look a bit flustered and emotionally drained, but happy. Zoro hoped she still didn't blame herself for what happened.

Usopp talked nonstop and Nami…she didn't look so good. Her complexion was pale, and she almost appeared…scared, like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Had something happened? Zoro frowned but said nothing, not wanting to bring forth negative feelings when Luffy was waiting for them.

"What about the ranger students?" Usopp asked, continuing his burst of questions, "Do they know yet?"

"Yeah, they know." Smoker answered, not bothering to turn to look at the teen, "We're taking visitors in groups, so we don't overwhelm the infirmary."

Made sense. Luffy was a popular kid (among most).

"Who found him?" Zoro asked, surprising himself. Smoker glanced down at him before turning his attention back to the road.

"I'm told he was rescued by two of his brothers' creatures and they brought him here last night."

Zoro almost stopped walking and inhaled sharply. Creatures saved Luffy? That was ridiculous! Beasts didn't care about humans! But…maybe they did it under Ace or Sabo's orders? That would make more sense.

Creatures weren't exactly known for their compassion and random acts of kindness.

When they arrived at the infirmary, a nurse led them to a room in the back. There were voices coming from inside, sounding familiar. Zoro clenched and unclenched his fist as Smoker knocked on the door. Would Luffy have scars? Would be recognizable?

"Ah, Smoker, good morning!"

It was Sabo, one of Luffy's brothers.

"'Morning. I've got the brat's friends here if he's up for visitors." Sabo smiled softly, leaning around Smoker so he could look them over.

"I'm sure he'd love to see them! Come on in."

They filed into the room and Zoro was immediately hit with the smell of medicine and general 'hospital' smell. Honestly, he was a little scared. Luffy was alive…but had he changed at all? Would he be okay?

The curtain was pulled back, revealing a giggling, raven-haired teenager holding a cup in his bandaged hands. Luffy's face glowed at the sight of them.

"Guys! You made it!"

"Luffy!" Usopp sobbed, throwing himself at the teen (and almost pushing Ace out of his chair in the process). Luffy laughed and handed his cup off to his brother so he could throw his arms around Usopp, obviously enjoying the contact. "We're so glad you're okay!"

Zoro sighed softly in relief. He looked much better than he'd expected after spending so long in another world.

"Shishishi, yeah…me too." Luffy replied, pulling back from Usopp. Vivi went next and gently grabbed the teen's hand, shaking slightly.

"L-Luffy…I…I…that day, you saved me and-"

"I'm glad you're okay!" Luffy said, interrupting her with that sunshine smile of his, "Sorry, I had to throw you kind of hard but-"

That broke the dam and Vivi burst into tears, throwing her arms around Luffy who accepted the violent hug with surprising grace. The poor girl was blubbering nonsense into Luffy's hospital gown and he just held her, grin never falling.

Zoro couldn't help but smile himself at his friend's innate kindness and selflessness. He shouldn't be worried about them when he'd been missing for over a week.

Luffy looked okay but did have a lot of bandages and bruises. There were multiple IV's in his arm with what looked like saline and other medications.

"Hey, I brought you something." Sanji put in, holding up the lunch box. Luffy's eyes brightened and he licked his lips.

"I-Is that…food? Did you make it?"

"Sure did. I wasn't sure if you'd even be hungry but-"

"Yes, yes! I'll eat it right now!" Vivi wiped her eyes and backed up so Luffy could take the food, tearing it open with familiar gusto. The others in the room chuckled at the teen's antics. Ace and Sabo looked to have been there a while and Smoker stood near the door, giving them space.

Luffy finished the food in record time and handed it back to Sanji with a content sigh.

"Your food's the best, Sanji. Thanks!"

Zoro slowly made his way forward, drawing Luffy's attention.

"Shishishi, Zoro! It's been a while."

"Yeah. You had us worried, you know."

"Sorry…"

Zoro smirked and lightly punched Luffy in the arm.

"I'm just glad you're okay. How do you feel?" The teen hummed and looked down at his legs.

"Pretty good actually. My legs are finally getting some feeling back!"

"W-What?"

"Long story short," Ace put in from his chair, "Lu was poisoned, and it affected his nervous system. His legs are recovering form temporary paralysis." Holy crap, that was intense.

"Yep, but I'm getting better." Luffy chirped from the bed, making a show of moving his toes up and down under the blanket, "I'll be back to normal in no time!"

They visited with Luffy for almost an hour until Smoker said it was time for them to leave. The teen needed his rest.

"Aw…do you have to go?"

"Yeah, sorry." Zoro replied, "We'll come back though, and I think some others are going to come by later."

As they left, Luffy latched onto his shirt, forcing him to stop. The serious look on his friend's face was in stark contrast to his normally bubbly personality. It made his stomach drop.

"Zoro…when you get a chance, I need to talk to you privately."

"About what?" He whispered back, feeling dread build inside him.

"When I was in Skotàdi…I met someone, officially, who had a lot to say about you." Zoro's swallowed hard, sweat forming on his palms. There was only one creature Luffy could possibly be referring to.

"Dracule Mihawk."

Luffy started at the name and inclined his head curtly.

"…come back tonight?"

Zoro nodded, feeling a bit lightheaded. Ever since the incident in the dorm, he'd worried about the demon attacking Luffy again. It was so frustrating because the demon had no reason at all to assault his friend, and yet it kept happening.

He seriously hoped Mihawk wasn't trying to use Luffy to get to him.

With one last glance to his friend in the hospital bed, he left, with new thoughts running through his head. But, at least Luffy was safe and finally back where he belonged.

Nami hadn't wanted to go see Luffy, but Vivi was insistent and practically dragged her along. Why would she want to visit the person who'd ruined her hard work and made Arlong furious?

The fishman had summoned her shortly after 'her failure' and punished her until he was satisfied. She had the bruises to prove it. Thankfully, Vivi and the others hadn't noticed as they were hidden either under clothes or makeup.

At the time, she (and Arlong) assumed Luffy was dead, taken away by Tesoro the djinn to meet some unspeakable fate. And yet, here he was, alive and well.

Coming face to face with Luffy's bright smile was almost physically painful and brought forth a tumult of emotions: anger…but mostly fear.

The teen had seen Arlong's hold and likely heard him speak of her. Would he tell the Headmaster? Was she fated to live as a prisoner no matter where she went?

How had everything turned out so…poorly!?

Nami had followed Arlong's orders perfectly that fateful day. She'd slightly modified the summoning circle for the Kraken, made sure the professors couldn't come in right away, distanced herself from friends and fellow classmates so she wouldn't feel remorse…and then Luffy had just torn it apart like it was nothing!

She shivered slightly when the fishman's furious gaze came to mind.

"Nami…are you all right?" The young girl jumped at her roommate's voice. Vivi had stopped walking and eyed her with concern. They'd just left the infirmary and were heading to get some breakfast.

Not that Nami felt very hungry at the moment.

"I'm fine." Vivi smiled kindly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Luffy will be fine. He'll be back on his feet in no time!" Outwardly, Nami smiled, as if reassured by Vivi's statement. Inwardly, she pictured herself spitting curses at the naïve princess who didn't understand her turmoil at all.

Arlong had assured Nami that this job would be the one that finally brought in enough profit to buy her and her sister's freedom, and with its collapse, she was thrust back to the beginning. Back to despair with no light at the end of the tunnel.

'It's his fault…all HIS fault.' Nami thought while telling Vivi to go on ahead. Once she was alone, the girl stomped her way into a familiar alley, where her secret stash was. This was where Arlong would bring her into his world, but that wasn't her purpose for being there today.

Rifling through a bag hidden behind some bricks, Nami pulled out a slim dagger and tested its sharpness with a finger. As the blood ran down her palm, she steeled herself, trying to stop her hands from shaking.

'I have to do this…he needs to be silenced. Luffy has to pay for what he did!'

For what he took from her.

That evening, Luffy struggled to stay awake. He'd gotten a few naps in between visits, but there seemed to be a steady stream of people coming and going from his room. Ace and Sabo were steady presences that reassured him that he really was home, after what felt like ages.

After his friends left, he was visited later by his fellow rangers, all of whom were immensely excited to see him back in one piece. Coby and Chopper had cried on his chest (which was getting a lot of attention lately) while Bartolomeo and Shuraiya pushed him for stories from the other realm.

Luffy smiled as he glanced to his right where a big stack of flowers and food sat, courtesy of Kaya and Camie.

His other visitors hadn't been quite so pleasant. The Headmaster himself came and peppered with questions, most of which he didn't have the answer to. They asked him about the possibility of a human traitor who'd helped the creatures, but Luffy didn't have much to tell.

Sure they sort of mentioned something about a 'flower person', but that was it.

The afro-grandpa who came with the Headmaster asked him questions too and it tired Luffy out. Thankfully, his Gramps showed up (which was something Luffy never thought he'd say) and literally kicked them out. Garp showered him with violent hugs until Ace and Sabo made it clear that if he was going to stay, he needed to calm down.

Now, after several hours of people, Luffy was finally alone. His brothers retired to their room in the guest quarters of a nearby building so he could get some sleep. They planned to stay on the Mesa for a bit to keep him company while he recovered.

Dr. Kureha, or 'Doctorine' apparently, seemed to be lurking around every corner, but was hopefully in her office for the evening.

Luffy took a deep breath and leaned back against the pillow. He was tired but Zoro was going to show up any minute. The boy huffed again and looked out the window at the starry night sky. It really was similar to Skotàdi's constant darkness, but not nearly as beautiful in his opinion.

There was something about Skotàdi's stars that made theirs dull in comparison.

His attention was drawn to the left, to the entrance of his room, when it opened, indicating someone at arrived.

"Zoro, you're-" Luffy stopped when he realized the person wasn't his roommate, but Nami. The orange-haired girl's bangs covered her eyes as she slowly approached him. "Oh, hi Nami! What're you doing here so late? Sorry, I didn't get to talk to you much earlier, but-"

"…shut up…"

"Eh?" He questioned in confusion, blinking up at the girl.

"I said…SHUT THE HELL UP!" Nami hissed loudly as she grabbed him by the collar of his gown and threw him back against the headboard. Luffy grunted when his friend crawled on top of him, straddling his legs and held a knife up to his throat.

Luffy frowned at the thing and met Nami's frenzied gaze, concerned at the un-shed tears nestled there.

"Y-You…it's all because…" She growled, body shaking, "If you'd just minded your own damn business, maybe I'd be…finally…"

Luffy examined Nami closely, choosing to ignore the knife for the moment. She had dark circles under her eyes, not unlike his own, and looked very…tired. Something was wrong, he was sure of it. His gaze wandered down to her torso and stilled at the sight of a bruise peeping out from under her shirt, around her collar bone.

"Nami-"

"Shut up, shut up!"

"-who hurt you?"

At that, Nami stilled, pupils going wide. Her hand shook, drawing a line of blood from his neck. Luffy gently reached up and took the knife from her laxing grip, placing it on the table to the left of his hospital bed.

The girl trembled and brought a hand to her mouth, tears flowing freely now.

"W-Why do you…"

"I'm your friend, Nami." Luffy replied with firm determination, "Whatever's going on…I can help. Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Vivi, and the others…we can help."

Nami sniffled and wiped her eyes, sliding down onto the floor. She tried to grab the knife and let out a broken noise when it slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the tile.

"No, you can't…no one can help me." She whispered, facing away from him as she picked up the dagger. Nami's voice had returned to its previous shallowness, like the girl was a shell of herself, "Just, do me a favor and stay the hell away from me."

Luffy watched her leave the way she came, a feeling of anger bubbling up inside him. Not at Nami, but at the one who caused her such pain. He wanted nothing more than to get up, chase after her, and demand she tell him about the things chaining her down.

About the one who'd caused those bruises on her skin.

But somehow Luffy knew that wouldn't be effective. Nami wasn't ready to accept his help.

'When she is…I'll be here.' He promised himself, resettling under the blanket. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his friends.