A/N: Gonna keep this as short as possible since I have to go have a procedure done at my doctor's office in the morning. Thank you SO much everyone! Your wonderful reviews and messages have kept me in super high spirits. I love every single one of you! This chapter had to be divided into two because let's just say the next chapter will involve some secrets coming out… *innocent whistling*

Also, Lami's age is meant to be a little vague as I couldn't find a canon age for her. At most, I view her as 4 years younger than Law (which makes her the same age as Ace and Sabo) and at least, I see her as 2 years younger - which would make her a year younger than Haruta. I have an age chart. It's a sickness.

Please check out the beautiful art Ombreoscura did for chapters 18 and 20 on their tumblr; easier to find through their sideblog, phoenixmotherhen's tumblr page. It's gorgeous and it made me cry from happiness XD

Dedicated to Beyond Kailani, my wonderful beta and little sis who recently had a birthday and is going through some health issues atm. All of the good vibes to her!

Thank you to Akatsuki-Celeste for being my last minute beta again!

And lastly, thank you SO MUCH to Shishiswordsman for helping me with the medical jargon and the entire scene with Bay's medical knowledge test. Also for giving me the logia question and inspiring that section. I DWELL IN DARKNESS WITHOUT YOUUUUU.

Bonds of Sea and Fire

Chapter 23: Lamby

"Ace," Sabo spoke in a hushed voice. "I think that's enough scolding him now."

Ace sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. The moment Luffy had landed near them, he'd hit him upside the head and immediately started to chastise him for running off and worrying everyone. Luffy had responded with indignance first, and then apologies. Now he just looked miserable.

"I just wish you'd be more careful sometimes," Ace finished.

"But I'm strong," Luffy argued. "And I found Lamby's treasure and it made her happy!"

"Lamby?" Sabo echoed, brow furrowing.

The sound of something crashing towards them had all three boys turning to brace themselves. Ace moved in front of Luffy, raising one arm in preparation for a fight and igniting it.

"It's just Bay," Sabo informed them, relaxing.

"Hi again, Bay!" Luffy chirped once she landed near them.

"Hey again, kid," Bay reached up to free her hair from the ponytail, raising an eyebrow at Ace.

Flustered, Ace waved his fire away and clasped his hands behind his back. "I thought you were an animal."

Her eyebrow quirked higher.

"Not you! I mean I thought an animal might have been charging us!" Ace corrected with a sense of urgency. "I don't know what's out here!"

"Hm. Accepted," Bay acknowledged, flashing him a grin. "Anyway, I'm not even going to ask how you guys got down here from the clinic. Let's just get going."

"Did Marco and Haruta go with Lamby?" Luffy asked.

"Yep. They're waiting for us at the clinic."

"Lamby," Sabo echoed, and this time it wasn't a question.

"Her name is actually Lami," Bay chuckled. "But Lamby is a cute nickname. She's the doctor's assistant, and when Luffy wandered off, he wound up saving her life."

"He saved her life?" Ace looked down at Luffy.

"Yep. So go easy on him," Bay teased, reaching down to tousle Ace's hair.

"I guess we have no choice," Sabo relented. "But next time, Luffy…"

"Next time, I won't ever wander off again!" Luffy claimed.

Sabo laughed. "Okay, okay." He met Ace's eyes in amusement and shook his head. "We can lecture him again when we get back to the ship."

"After we eat," Luffy insisted. "Lamby said we missed lunch!"

"Maybe on the island, but you know Thatch'll have food for us on the ship. Lunch for us is whenever we get back," Sabo reminded him.

"Oh!" Luffy's face lit up. "We should hurry back!"

"Idiot," Ace sighed, shoving a hand into his hair. He still felt like yelling, but if Luffy really had saved a life, maybe he'd let it slide. "And you're not hurt?"

"Not hurt," Luffy confirmed with a small bounce. He reached for Ace's hand, but Ace pulled away before he could grab on. Luffy stopped bouncing, expression faltering in distress.

Ace rolled his eyes and turned away, kneeling down. "C'mon, Luffy. Let's hurry up."

Luffy gave a joyful cry, immediately rushing forward and jumping onto Ace's back. He wound his arms and legs around Ace's torso at least three times.

"Only once," Ace scolded. "Remember?"

"Oh, right," Luffy apologized. It took him a moment to untangle - with Sabo catching him as he fell back - and then he was winding his un-stretched arms around Ace's neck. Ace looped his arms under Luffy's knees and straightened.

It didn't take them long to head back, even without rushing. They'd figured out a path to cut the travel time in half, and with Luffy stuck to Ace's back, there was no straying.

...

Lami tried not to let her focus waver while she treated her wounds. The clinic had few mirrors, which meant she had to stay in the main office to work on herself. Johnson hadn't even offered upon seeing her, instead belittling her for playing in the mountains when she could have been doing chores. Under normal circumstances, she would have been able to tune her surroundings out to work, but it was difficult with Marco leaning against the opposite wall.

He wasn't watching her - not exactly. While he appeared disinterested, she could tell he was aware of everything happening in the clinic.

It was still jarring to believe such a casual looking man could transform into a powerful beast like a phoenix. More than once, Lami swore she saw a flicker of iridescent blue out of the corner of her eye, but if she turned to look, Marco would be fully human and just as casual as the last time.

She forced herself to tune him out, to let him blend into the background like almost every other distraction she faced in the clinic on a daily basis - so she didn't notice Haruta's approach at all.

"Do you need any help?"

Lami jumped, nearly dropping the armful of supplies she was trying to keep steady. She turned to look at him, surprised to find he'd moved to stand right next to her while she worked, just out of view of the mirror she was using to treat her wounds. His proximity left her frozen, a cotton ball poised at her throat where she'd been trying to clean and disinfect a wound. "Pardon?"

Haruta wouldn't meet her eyes, but the fact that he was trying to speak to her in the clinic was still surreal. No one spoke to her in the clinic unless they were barking orders. "With your injuries. I'm not a doctor or anything but I know enough to help if you need."

"I can manage," Lami answered, turning back to the mirror.

"Oh…" Haruta faltered, standing there for another awkward moment before turning away. "I'll just be over there, with Marco. If you change your mind."

The tone of his voice had Lami pausing. "Wait."

Haruta turned back to her, expression hesitant. He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes this time. "Yeah?"

Lami searched him, trying to read his intention, then sighed softly. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to anyone offering to help me with anything. I can manage on my own. Thank you, Haruta."

A boyish smile lit his face. "Hey, no problem!" He reached up to brush his bangs back, trying not to pay attention to the fact that Marco and Johnson were both watching the exchange. "But you don't have to manage, you know. I mean… you can manage - I've seen that firsthand. I just mean I can help if you want."

"I can't remember the last time someone wanted to help me," Lami admitted, looking away again. "I mean, I can…" her shoulders scrunched ever so slightly. "I just got used to no one helping."

"That's a horrible thing to have to get used to," Haruta shook his head, biting his lower lip at her obvious apprehension. "I was like that before, but I have a lot of brothers and sisters now, and they taught me to accept help. And I'm a big brother now, too…"

"So you want to take care of your younger siblings the way you were taken care of," Lami summarized, some of the tension leaving and a soft smile forming on her lips. "Well, you're not my brother, and I'm not your sister, but I guess if you want to help, you could hold a few things for me while I finish cleaning my scrapes."

"Sure!" Haruta replied - with perhaps a touch more enthusiasm than he meant to show - before grinning sheepishly. "What do you need me to hold? I help out in the infirmary sometimes, but medicine is really Bay and Jiru's area. Well, and all the others, but they're usually the ones in charge."

Lami handed him a few of the supplies she needed. Having them in reach made it easier for her to work faster, grimacing at the sting that came with disinfecting. Once she'd finished applying small bandages to the scrapes on her neck, she started on her hand, intending to end with her shoulder.

"Is that a tattoo?" Haruta asked, cocking his head to one side.

Lami jumped, quickly shoving a bandage over the mark and turning her wrist away. "It's nothing."

"Okay." Haruta smiled again, clearly realizing he'd asked about a sensitive subject. He didn't ask again.

...

"Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would," Bay commented as the clinic came into view. "Marco better not give me any crap. We had to walk."

"We have to hurry so we can have lunch!" Luffy urged, still clinging to Ace's torso.

Ace rolled his eyes, but despite his exasperated huffing and puffing, he hadn't once tried to set Luffy down.

Sabo dashed ahead to pull the door open for Bay, and despite the politeness of the gesture, Bay couldn't help shoot him a wary look. His smile was all charm.

Mischievous. She couldn't help feeling like he wanted something, or he was gearing up to ask for something later. She could only hope it was something harmless.

Marco nodded to them when they came in, lips quirking in a small smile at the sight of Luffy clinging to Ace's back. As soon as the door shut, however, Luffy hopped down on his own and flashed a giant grin.

"Lamby! You're all bandaged up now!"

Lami turned to look over her shoulder, and she found it was impossible not to smile back. Haruta stood at her side, holding her left arm steady while she applied bandages."Luffy… you're alright," she sighed in relief. "And I'm not quite done bandaging. Haruta's helping me, though."

"Haruta's a good helper," Luffy chirped, bounding over to watch.

"Thanks, Luffy," Haruta chuckled. "Careful not to bump into her."

Luffy stopped a good two feet away, standing rigidly with his arms at his sides. "Okay!"

"After you're done helping, we're heading back to the ship," Bay informed them.

"Ah…" Johnson stepped forward.

Bay tilted her hip, angling just slightly in his direction without actually turning towards him. "Right. I just have a few questions before I make my decision. It is after all, basically my division you'd be joining."

"Of course," Johnson grinned at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "What would you like to know?"

"Let's go with something simple to start. What are the first branches of the aorta?" Bay asked.

"Wait, what?" Johnson faltered, then laughed. "Oh, you mean medical questions, huh? You want to test my skills."

"I'd like to discern if you have any," Bay corrected. She didn't smirk or give any indication she was joking, and it had him sweating in response.

"Well… alright," Johnson straightened, coughing. "The first branch of the aorta is the brachiocephalic trunk."

Lami immediately looked over. "It's actually the coronary arteries. I mean, technically." When she realized everyone had turned to look at her, she straightened her back. "Most textbooks overlook the coronary arteries because of how small they are. It's only a technicality and both answers are usually accepted, but-"

"Lana, adults are talking," Johnson cut her off with a huff.

"It's Lamby," Luffy corrected with obvious irritation, at the same time Lami mumbled "It's Lami" and averted her eyes.

Bay regarded Lami for a moment, then turned her attention back to Johnson. She had to employ all of her willpower to keep from smiling when she heard the sound of Luffy growling. She asked a few more simple questions - textbook questions about basic anatomy that Johnson seemed to have no trouble answering - before moving on to types of treatments for diseases.

At first, his answers were correct. Bay seemed pleased by his knowledge. As Lami finished bandaging her arm with Haruta's help, the questions began to increase in difficulty until even Sabo was having trouble following the terminology.

Shrugging his shoulders, Sabo moved closer to Luffy with Ace in tow so that all five of the younger occupants were next to each other. "I have no idea what they're talking about," he muttered, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't interrupt.

"I can't follow it either," Haruta reassured him. "I bet Lami can, though."

Lami jumped at her name, then looked to her shoes. "It doesn't matter what I can follow. No one around here listens to me, anyway."

"But you can follow it?" Ace asked.

Lami nodded. "Bay's testing his knowledge because he wants to set out and be a pirate, right? Most of his answers have been correct so far. He's not necessarily a bad doctor. Just a lazy one."

"A lazy doctor is a bad one," Haruta argued, shaking his head.

Lami actually managed a smile at those words, eyes flickering to his face. "I was trying to be… I don't know, cordial, I guess."

"You should just be honest," Luffy piped up - and his voice was loud enough that it drew Bay and Johnson's attention. "Honest is a good thing. Cordial sounds painful."

"Cordial isn't painful, Luffy," Sabo whispered, trying to shush him.

"I only have one more question," Bay continued, unfazed by the interruption. "Let's go into hypothetical here."

"Hypothetical sounds painful too," Luffy told Sabo.

"Alright," Johnson answered with a frown. "What kind of scenario are you thinking?"

"Say you have to administer a vaccine or draw blood from a logia user," Bay started.

"The use of kairouseki would easily contain their physical body-"

"No kairouseki," Bay snapped. "And don't interrupt me." When he shut his mouth, contrite, she continued. "No kairouseki, and assuming a peacock like you can't use haki, that means every time you try to jab with a needle, you aren't hitting skin."

"Why wouldn't I have access to kairouseki? A logia user can control their physical body unless they were an unwilling patient," Johnson challenged.

"Or a child who can't control the body's natural defensive response," Bay retorted.

"I said I was sorry," Ace blurted out, crossing his arms over his chest. "I said you could use the kairouseki!"

"Well I don't make a habit of shackling my patients just to make my job easy, Ace. So I'm asking the good doctor Johnson here if he has any ideas. So far his answers have been asinine at best and grossly inaccurate at worst." Bay's piercing glare had Johnson taking a full step back. "So. Impress me."

"W-well if you're dealing with an inexperienced logia user who lacks control, I suppose-"

"I don't lack control!" Ace scowled. "I just… haven't figured out how to turn the fire off when Bay wants to give me shots."

"It's defensive," Bay waved him off. "Can't help it."

"Well there's always sedation," Johnson quickly cut in, looking smug.

"You'd risk the complications of sedating a child just to give him a vaccine?" Bay snorted in derision, looking disgusted. "I'm not talking about a life or death situation. If it were that serious, kairouseki or haki would be an acceptable alternative."

"It almost sounds like you're trying to coddle the boy," Johnson challenged. "You're talking about a high risk patient here. If he turns into fire, you'd risk burning yourself because you're trying to be sensitive?"

"What about a topical anesthetic?" Lami asked.

"Lana, make yourself useful! Go do the laundry or lock yourself in your room with your books!" Johnson snapped.

"A topical anesthetic?" Bay asked, ignoring Johnson's outburst - and the angry glares the boys were all directing in Johnson's direction.

Lami absently rubbed at the bandages on her left arm and looked at Ace. "You're a fire logia?"

"Yeah, Ace is made of fire!" Luffy announced with a proud smile. "It doesn't burn us, though."

"I can control what it burns," Ace clarified, decidedly sheepish from all the attention on him. "I don't burn Bay when she tries to give me shots, but I can't stop from turning into fire to dodge the needles."

"It sounds like your body is automatically trying to defend itself from a known source of pain." Lami struggled not to squirm under Johnson's displeased glare. "If you use a topical anesthetic on the site and don't look, you won't know when the needle enters."

"I'm going to try that," Bay murmured, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Lana, go to your r-"

"You yell at her one more time, or try to interrupt again, and I'm going to sew your mouth shut. I'm very adept at stitching. It won't be pleasant," Bay threatened with a sharp glance in Johnson's direction. She turned her attention back to Lami once she was positive Johnson had taken her threat to heart. "You've been tensing up every time he's given me a stupid answer. Do you know the answers I'm looking for?"

Lami shifted, eyes flickering to Johnson for a moment.

"Of course Lamby knows," Luffy piped up, sounding exasperated. "Lamby's gonna be a surgeon." He leaned closer to Ace. "A surgeon is a doctor who cuts people open."

"I know what a surgeon is," Ace muttered, though he shot Lami a sideways glance. "You want to cut people open?"

"Well, you turn into fire," Lami retorted, flustered. "Isn't that also kind of weird?"

"She has a point," Sabo teased.

"There's nothing wrong with surgeons," Haruta said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at the ground. "I think surgeons are cool."

"But back on track," Bay interrupted. "Lami? You were going to dazzle me with your medical knowledge?"

"I wouldn't call it dazzling," Lami mumbled, looking to her shoes. "I mean it's just the things I've heard and read…" She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and looking up at Bay again. "Not all of his answers were wrong, but he didn't inquire enough to correctly answer some of the ones that you could say he got right. For instance, Dr. Johnson said dyspnea and chest pain are both signs of congestive heart failure. While those are symptoms, without any other information, it's not enough for a diagnosis. It could be asthma, pneumonia, cardiac ischemia - even a pulmonary embolism. The list goes on."

Luffy reached for Ace's arm, tugging. "Those all sound bad," he whispered.

"I don't know what most of those things are," Ace whispered back.

"And when air accumulates in the pleural cavity, it's called a pneumothorax, not a pleural effusion. A pleural effusion is basically the exact opposite - the accumulation of excess fluid," Lami continued. She looked away when Bay remained silent. "And a patient who received a concussion should not be kept awake at all costs to stop them from lapsing into a coma. Sleep is crucial to recovery, so long as the person can still be roused from sleep, and isn't experiencing internal bleeding. The misconception comes from the idea that people with concussions slip into comas if they are asleep because of those who didn't know they were bleeding. It was referred to as a lucid interval, and-"

"Alright, I've heard enough!" Johnson snapped, his sudden interruption making Lami jump. "What point are you trying to prove, you little whore?!"

He pushed away from his desk with enough force to shove it back a couple inches and advanced on the children. He only made it two steps - enough for Haruta to move in front of the others - before Bay twisted and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him down on top of the desk with one hand. Her other hand produced a fancy pistol that no one had seen her carrying, the barrel of which she shoved right into Johnson's mouth.

"Number one," Bay said conversationally, "your medical knowledge is crap. Number two, don't use the word 'whore'. Number three? You looked like you were about to attack my little brothers."

She cocked the pistol, eliciting a frightened noise from Johnson. "And lastly, number four. You think being a pirate is all fun and games and having an excuse to do whatever the hell you want. You don't want to join the Whitebeard Pirates for any reason other than the power it gives a coward like you. So you can bully people. Belittle them. Use them. Then you'd hide behind Whitebeard's mark. A complete mockery of what that mark stands for."

Bay pulled the gun back, releasing Johnson and watching him cough. He had the intelligence to stay down, and when he did nothing further to provoke her, Bay holstered her gun inside her right boot. "Someone like you will never be my brother."

"Then get the hell out of my clinic," Johnson rasped, rubbing his throat.

"Hey, Lami," Bay ignored Johnson and turned to the younger girl. Lami was still gaping, having watched the exchange with wide eyes. "Have you ever thought about being a pirate?"

"I… no, I haven't," Lami answered, turning her wide-eyed gaze to Bay. "All I've thought about is becoming a surgeon."

"Why not do both?" Bay suggested.

"Almost all of our medical staff are girls," Haruta added, glancing briefly at Lami and then to his own feet. "I mean, no one will treat you the way that jerk does… they'd listen to you."

Lami turned to Haruta at his words, already overwhelmed that he'd even remembered what she'd said about no one listening to her.

"Is Lamby coming with us?" Luffy asked, a wide grin lighting up his face. "That's great!" He whirled around to look at her, waving both arms in excitement. "Everyone's really nice! And Thatchy makes the best food!"

"Food isn't usually the best way to bribe someone, Luffy," Sabo chuckled. "But I think she'd like the library."

"It's a pretty big library," Ace added, wanting to be helpful. Besides, Luffy looked excited at the idea of Lami coming with them.

"You're extending an offer to Lami, yoi?" Marco questioned with a curious glance at Bay.

"I'm serious," Bay acknowledged. "She's got the groundwork and the sensibility. She's probably a fast learner, too. How old are you, Lami?"

Lami turned back to Bay, startled. "I think I'm eleven. Or twelve," she answered, barely keeping up with the rapid fire questions and comments. "But I don't- I mean… I don't know."

"Hm. Well, we can talk about this more on the ship if you want. At the very least, we can get you off of this island and onto a different one," Bay offered.

"I'm eight," Luffy told Lami, smiling wider.

"You may as well go with them," Johnson rasped. "You're sure as hell not living here anymore. Get your shit and get out of here!"

Lami looked at him in disgust, lips tightening in an obvious attempt to hold back a retort. Without another word, she spun on her heel and headed for a ladder near the back wall. As she reached up to climb, a sharp hiss escaped and she had to stop, grabbing her left shoulder.

"Let me help," Haruta offered. "Is your room up there? I can carry you on my back."

"Any of us can," Sabo added, trying to be polite.

"Simmer down, ducklings," Bay teased, heading over. "I'll help. Marco will babysit Johnson to make sure he behaves. One of you - no, two of you - hold onto Luffy."

As if they'd rehearsed it, Ace and Sabo each grabbed one of Luffy's arms.

"Sorry," Lami apologized as Bay came over and summarily scooped her into one arm.

"Don't worry about it," Bay answered, grabbing the ladder in her other hand and climbing with ease. She held onto the ladder with her legs in order to push open the trapdoor, then set Lami down as soon as they entered the attic. She pulled herself up next, closing the trapdoor and whistling at the tiny space. From the outside, it looked as though the attic would have been large and spacious, but then, there was a good chance the majority was being used as storage. "Crappy place ya got here."

"I agree," Lami murmured, heading over to the mattress and gathering her belongings. "It wasn't my first choice, but beggars can't be choosers."

"And this was the only place for a beggar?" Bay questioned.

Lami hesitated, then shook her head. "No, there's a shelter for orphans. You can get meals and shelter if you're willing to work the fields and adhere to a strict set of rules. I wouldn't have been free to study medicine there. Even if no one listened to me here, I was still able to learn, and use the library."

"Seems like you got a past, kid," Bay commented. "But don't worry, I'm not gonna ask. It'll be up to you to share if you want."

Lami nodded and continued to gather her things. A few tattered dresses, a book she'd managed to purchase before losing her home, some remedies she'd attempted to make on her own… it wasn't much, but it was hers. She made sure to take her necklace out of her pouch and put it inside the book to secure it.

She had everything that belonged to her. There was no reason to stay in the cramped attic, but she made no move to rejoin Bay and leave. She stood absolutely still, hands clutching her pouch.

Bay cocked her head to the side. "Something on your mind, Lami?"

"Why me?" Lami blurted out, eyes darting to Bay's face. "It seems like you come from a very powerful pirate crew-"

"You've never heard of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Bay interrupted.

"I…" Lami fidgeted. "No, I haven't. But it's complicated."

"Well, that's fine," Bay shrugged. "Anyway, you were saying?"

"I'm saying if your crew is that powerful, you probably don't need someone like me. I'm still learning. Maybe I sounded impressive down there in contrast, but if you put me up against a real doctor like you, I'll sound like an inexperienced child spouting textbook passages with no real significance or use."

"That's true," Bay agreed. "But the fact that you understand that makes me even more intrigued. You show promise, Lami. And a student of your merit who's not only willing, but eager to learn, is worth more than maybe three to four experienced doctors."

"Three to four? Really?" Lami glanced at her feet again.

"Possibly a fifth if your hands move as quickly as your brain," Bay laughed. "But to answer your question, I invited you because the thought of a bright young woman withering away in a town like this left a bad taste in my mouth. Our crew takes in wayward souls like yours. Most stay, some leave - I myself plan to take off and be the captain of my own ship someday. Hell, if we're speaking honestly, I'm not even sure those brats downstairs will stay with Oyaji forever." She shook her head. "Forever doesn't matter, Lami. What matters is right now. If you come with us, I can teach you. Load you up with every book you could dream of and get you started with hands-on training. You could leave in a week, a month, a couple of years - or maybe even never - but you'd leave smarter. More skilled. You wouldn't be stuck in the attic of a narcissistic bully who can't even be bothered to get your name right."

Lami swallowed, struggling to keep her composure. She had a feeling Bay already knew how deeply those words had struck. "And you don't think it goes against my oath as a doctor to leave this town in his hands?"

"Honey, if I thought your staying here would change anything, I wouldn't have asked in the first place," Bay snorted. "You were on that mountain to correct his mistakes, weren't you?"

When Lami shuffled her feet and didn't answer, Bay just shook her head.

"Even if you'd made a real remedy out of those herbs, no one would have accepted it, and he sure as hell wouldn't have seen it as anything other than you trying to undermine his authority or make a fool out of him. You can't force these people to accept your help."

"It makes sense in my head, but… it also doesn't," Lami mumbled.

"Look, I might be a doctor, but I'm also a pirate," Bay reminded her. "And these people aren't my crew. I learned a long time ago that no matter what kind of intentions I had, there's no saving some people. So tell me, Lami. Are you one of those people?"

Lami lifted her head to look at Bay again, holding her gaze for several moments. She rubbed at the bandage around her left wrist, where the light scrapes had barely warranted attention, but the tattoo had been visible.

"No," Lami answered, and her voice was far more steady than it had been just minutes earlier. "I'm not the kind of person who refuses help when I know I need it. I'm… I'm just not used to anyone offering. Thank you, Bay."

Bay grinned and bent down to unhook the latch again. "Let's get the hell out of here, then."

...

"Thatchy!" Luffy shouted the second he hit the deck, rolling from the impact and popping up once he stopped. "Fooooooood!"

"Oi, Luffy!" Ace scolded, jumping after him. "It's 'food please'! Don't be rude!"

"Thaaaaaatchy!" Luffy called again. "Food please!"

Sabo barely contained his laughter as he climbed over the railing. "They're working on it, at least."

Bay didn't bother waiting for Lami to try climbing out of the lifeboat tender, simply lifting her over the rails and plopping her on the deck.

"Isn't there supposed to be a loading dock for these smaller boats?" Lami asked, looking around.

"Yeah, but Luffy kept trying to rocket up to the deck and missing. And now Ace has fire powers and he's trying to work on using it to propel himself. Didn't end well," Haruta explained. "So now any boat with the trio on it gets hauled directly to the deck."

"I'm gonna catch up with them before Luffy eats everything," Sabo informed them, giving a simple wave before dashing after Ace.

"Does he really eat everything?" Lami asked, looking up at Bay and Marco. "I mean in theory he could, with his rubber abilities. But that could also make him sick…"

"He eats enough, yoi," Marco chuckled. "Don't worry about him."

"He must have an increased metabolism with the way he's always bouncing and stretching," Lami murmured thoughtfully.

"Let's get you settled and fed, and then you can analyze," Bay offered. "You'll be sleeping in the medical wing."

"Not the second division barracks?" Lami asked. "I thought you said you were the Commander and I was technically your responsibility now."

"You catch on quick," Bay said in approval. "But the second division has jack all to do with the medical staff. I happen to handle both. That's all."

"Okay," Lami nodded, fidgeting as she realized several crewmembers hanging around the deck were looking at them. "Is it strange to have someone my age on board?"

"Not really, but less than a year ago, Haruta was our youngest member, yoi," Marco answered. "I'm gonna let Oyaji know the situation."

Lami followed his movement, then visibly staggered as she finally caught sight of Whitebeard.

"He's not as intimidating as he looks," Haruta promised with a boyish grin. "I was pretty scared when I first met him."

"You were?" Bay chuckled.

Haruta's face flooded with color. "I wasn't that scared!" he protested. "But I mean, look at him! He's pretty scary when you first meet him, right?"

"I'm not scared," Lami interrupted. "I've just never seen someone his size." Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

"Get used to seeing weird things." Bay ushered Lami forward. "I'll show you the room you'll be staying in, then take you to the galley."

"I can show you around after we eat if you want," Haruta offered.

"Okay," Lami agreed, glancing over her shoulder at Haruta. "Thanks, Haruta."

He grinned again, which had Bay raising an eyebrow, then hurried after Sabo.

"Okay Lami, let's go." Bay put her hand on Lami's upper back and guided her away from the prying eyes of the pirates on deck. As they headed below, Lami's shoulders started to tense. "Not a fan of enclosed spaces?"

"I think it's just the lack of an escape route," Lami admitted. "I'm not scared. It's an automatic response, that's all."

"Sounds like you've lived your life on the run."

"I'm not sure," Lami looked up at Bay, hugging her pack to her chest. "Do I act like I have?"

"It's not exactly a way to act, just a natural fight or flight response," Bay looked back down at her. "So you don't know your age, or if you've lived your life on the run. Amnesia?"

"Not any kind I've read about," Lami mumbled. "And the flashes of clarity I've had aren't uniform to any memory recovery I've ever heard of."

"Got an alternate explanation?"

When Lami didn't answer, Bay took to guiding her in silence. The personal quarters off the medical wing weren't as large as the barracks for each division, but each individual living area was more organized and spacious.

"This bed's empty," Bay told her, motioning to one in the corner. The room was only three rooms down from the infirmary with ten beds total and a trunk at the foot of each bed. Each space had a shelf against the wall and a desk opposite of the bed. "They're all exactly the same size. The desks are bolted down in case the seas are rough and I wouldn't advise putting delicate belongings on your shelf. Trunk is for clothes, but there's space under your bed too. No one here will mess with your stuff."

"Even though they're pirates?" Lami asked, placing her bag on the bed.

"We don't steal from each other, honey," Bay chuckled. "We have a code on this ship. So, orientation time."

Lami climbed onto the bed and sat down, giving Bay her full attention.

"We'll start with the simple - what our crew is all about, and what you can't do on the ship," Bay started, sitting on the desk and crossing one leg over the other.

...

"And she's going to join us?" Thatch asked, tilting his head to the side.

"That's what Bay thinks," Haruta confirmed, fidgeting and looking to the door again. "She's really smart, Thatch."

"She is," Sabo agreed. "I couldn't follow the conversation at all."

"And how old is she?" Izo leaned forward at the table, careful to avoid Luffy's flailing arms as he stole off every plate in the vicinity.

"We're not sure," Haruta said with a thoughtful furrow of his brow. "She might be my age, but she could also be Sabo and Ace's age. She doesn't know either."

"She doesn't know?" Izo raised an eyebrow at Haruta, who shuffled in his seat.

"Um, I don't know much about her," Haruta said in a hesitant voice. "But that's what she said when Bay asked how old she was."

"And her name is Lami?" Thatch asked. "Not Lamby?"

"Is your name 'Thatchy'?" Haruta teased.

"It is," Luffy confirmed, looking up from his meat pie. "What are we talking about?"

"We're talking about Lami joining the crew," Thatch replied with an easygoing grin, not at all minding that Luffy thought his actual name was 'Thatchy'.

"I think she'd like being a pirate," Luffy said with a sage nod, as if it had been his idea all along.

"Gonna ask her to join your crew, then?" Sabo teased.

"Nope," Luffy shook his head.

"How come?" Ace asked, frowning. It seemed like Luffy had liked Lami, but his refusal to ask her to join his crew - something he'd asked almost everyone on the Moby Dick - had Ace second-guessing himself.

"Lamby has a dream to be a sturgeon," Luffy explained.

"Surgeon," Sabo corrected, grabbing a baked potato and taking a big bite.

"And I dunno how to help with that," Luffy finished with a shrug. "But the library on the Moby is really big, and I think Lamby likes books! If Lamby's gonna be happy here, she won't need to join my crew."

"But you ask people who are already on the crew," Izo pointed out. "You don't think we're happy here?"

"How would I know unless I ask?" Luffy tilted his head to look at Izo, who sighed and reached out to tousle his hair with a chuckle.

"Is that her?" Namur motioned to one of the doorways, having kept out of the discussion until that moment.

All four boys turned to look before Sabo turned back to Namur with a nod. "That's Lami."

Bay caught sight of them and ushered Lami to their table. It looked like she'd taken the time to shower and change. Instead of the ill-fitting and tattered blue dress with the dirt stains, Lami wore a t-shirt much like the ones the trio had been given. The only difference was the fact that it didn't bear Whitebeard's mark.

"Did Bay put her in a pair of Luffy's shorts?" Izo made a sound of disdain. "I'll have to see what materials I have."

"Gonna make her a dress?" Thatch teased.

"If she wants one," Izo shot Thatch a scathing look that had him shrinking several inches in his seat. "But at the very least she deserves a pair of pants that fit her comfortably. Honestly… men, sometimes."

"My shorts are comfy," Luffy said with small crease in his brow, like he'd tried to follow the conversation but it hadn't quite made sense.

"They're comfortable on you, but Lami's taller," Izo explained.

"Oh, okay," Luffy chirped, satisfied. He stood up on the bench and started to wildly wave in Bay and Lami's direction. "OI! LAMBY! COME SIT WITH US!"

Lami hurried to close the distance - as just about everyone had turned to look at the sound of his shout - before sitting across from Luffy and ducking her head.

"Hi!" Haruta's enthusiastic greeting had Bay raising an eyebrow, but she didn't call attention to it.

"Come back to the infirmary when you finish, alright? We'll get started then."

Lami nodded, watching as Bay headed off without another word. Then she turned to everyone back at the table.

"You must be Lami," Izo cut in, offering a gracious smile. "I'm Izo. The quiet one is Namur, and the idiot with the pompadour is Thatch."

"But my pompadour is fabulous," Thatch added. His smile was all charm. "Can I get you something to eat? Luffy's pretty much finishing off everything on this table, but there's more in the kitchen. Or if you have something particular in mind, I can make it."

"I…" Lami trailed off, looking at the various half-eaten plates near Luffy - and all the empty ones as well. "I don't really know. I like bread."

"Just bread?" Haruta asked.

"I've only been free for maybe half a year now. I haven't had anything fancy in a while. Sometimes, I had pot roast and vegetables with the family I worked for before I wound up in the clinic… but it wasn't often." Lami paused when she realized everyone was staring at her. Her cheeks flooded with color. "It's been a long time since I've had a real home. If I've ever had one at all."

"Well, don't worry," Haruta quickly assured her. "Most of us didn't have homes before we found this place. And some of the homes we did have were awful. So it's nothing to be ashamed of!"

Lami lifted her head, tentatively studying Haruta's expression. She smiled at the sincerity in his eyes. "I'm not used to meeting people like me."

"Like you?" Sabo asked.

"People who were lost, or unwanted, or abandoned… people with pasts," Lami shrugged. "Almost everyone I've encountered has seemed so normal… which made me the freak."

"Trust me, Lami," Thatch said, and his smile was so warm and inviting that Lami couldn't help but relax. "No one here will think you're a freak. Now, I'm gonna head into the kitchen for a minute and get you something to eat. I'll bring more for Luffy too, so he won't steal anything off your plate."

Lami giggled. "He did steal my lunch on the mountain. But it's okay."

"Yeah, you'll get used to that," Ace couldn't help but give a sheepish grin. "We used to fight over food all the time back home. Luffy knows Thatch will give him more food if he wants it but he still steals off everyone's plates."

"It's not like we really reprimand him for it," Namur added, trying to be helpful.

Lami turned her attention to Namur as Thatch left, and her brow furrowed. "Are you… a Fishman?"

"Yep," Namur answered with a shrug. "Not common where you're from, I assume."

"I have no idea. I've only read about Fishmen in books. I've never met one until now," Lami admitted.

"There are a lot of good books in the library about the history of Fishmen if you're interested," Sabo couldn't resist joining in, grinning. "Namur helps fill in what the books don't say."

"I don't know if history interests me, but if there are biological differences, I suppose I'd really be interested in learning about that," Lami said with a thoughtful glance at Sabo. She returned her attention to Namur. "I mean no offense by that. I'm just very focused on medicine."

"Eh, I'm not bothered," Namur promised.

"Either way, the boys do have lessons for basic history, reading, and writing," Izo said in stern tone. "No one's expecting you kids to become scholars, but some schooling is mandatory."

"We have chores, too," Haruta added. "But there's a lot of free time if you want to spend it studying medicine."

"I don't mind working. Or learning. I would have attended school with the other kids, but I had to work for room and board," Lami said with a shrug of her slim shoulders.

"Do you mind being considered a pirate now?" Ace asked. "We all wanted to be pirates."

"As long as the marines won't bother me here, I'm happy being a pirate," Lami answered, lifting her head to look Ace in the eye.

"Aren't you a little young to hate the marines?" Namur asked.

"I don't think there's an age limit on hating the World Government and their lackeys," Sabo muttered, meeting Namur's eyes and earning a slight nod.

"I don't hate them," Lami clarified in a soft voice. "It's more that I'm terrified of them. The World Government makes me uneasy."

"That's a good enough explanation for me," Namur assured her. "Don't worry, Lami. The marines aren't stupid enough to attack us, and we make sure they keep a distance."

"Namur sinks a lot of their ships," Sabo added.

"Five isn't really a 'lot'," Izo said. "But then, the marines have been more tenacious since we came to this sea."

Lami nodded, quietly listening as they discussed whether or not five ships would be considered 'several' or 'a few'. Thatch returned right around the time they'd settled on 'several'. He had a platter of meat dishes in one hand - which vanished as Luffy grabbed and began to devour it - and a platter of bread dishes in the other. He set it in front of Lami with a charming grin. "I brought an assortment - don't worry about trying to eat it all or anything, Luffy'll handle any leftovers - but please, help yourself!"

Lami opened her mouth to respond, but she could only stare at the platter, speechless. There were brightly colored fruits piled high in a carved pineapple in the center, and the rest of the platter was covered in bread. Bread shaped like cartoonish bunnies or cats, steamed buns with pale pink tops, sliced bread with melting pads of butter - she'd never seen so many kinds in her life.

That she knew of, anyway.

"Eat up," Haruta encouraged with a grin. "Thatch is the best."

Lami closed her mouth for a moment, then simply nodded, murmuring a thanks as she reached for the first piece. Once she started, she found she couldn't hold back. The cat-shaped buns had a sweet melon-like quality to them, and the bunny-shaped ones were savory, like herbs had been toasted directly into the crust. She wasn't quite as fond of the meat buns - the beef ones had the criss-cross scoring on top while the chicken had simple vertical lines - but Luffy was more than happy to take them off her hands.

Two of her favorites wound up being the steamed buns with the pink on top - peach buns - and the small buns with a light brown paste filling that Thatch explained were 'lotus' buns. Neither held a candle to the fluffy bread with the cheese sprinkled throughout.

By the time she realized she was full, she'd finished off half the platter and all of the cheese buns.

"Can I have the rest?" Luffy chirped.

"Yeah, go-" Lami paused briefly, grinning at the sight of Luffy with the remaining food in his giant, rubbery cheeks, then laughed, "-right ahead," she finished. "I think I ate too much."

"I think you ate enough," Izo corrected, motioning to Thatch. He was hovering near the table with both hands on his cheeks and a dopey grin on his face. "Thatch, you look like a creeper right now."

"You do look kinda creepy," Sabo supplied.

"Kinda?" Namur echoed. "Try 'extremely'."

"I didn't hear you complaining when Thatch made those cheese puffs for you earlier," Izo quipped, raising an eyebrow.

"He's happy because I liked his food?" Lami inquired. Some of her embarrassment faded, and she smiled. "I really liked it. Thank you, Thatch."

"And, there he goes," Izo sighed as Thatch started to flail and wiggle at the praise.

"Is he always like that?" Lami asked.

"Usually," Ace snickered. "Sometimes, he hugs."

"I like Thatchy's hugs!" Luffy insisted, holding his inflated belly.

"Luffy is my favorite!" Thatch cried, lifting him into a hug - or at least trying to. Luffy's upper body went along, but his lower half, giant belly and all, remained seated.

"I'd better get back to the infirmary now," Lami announced, standing up. "It was nice meeting everyone. I think I'm really going to like it here."

"I hope so," Haruta said with a warm smile. "Ah - did you want any help getting back to the infirmary? The ship's kinda huge. It took me weeks to learn my way around."

"No thank you," Lami politely declined. "The infirmary's closer to the deck than most quarters, probably for easy access. Especially given the unusual sizes of some of the crew. I haven't been given a tour yet, so I have no idea how long it'll take me."

"Okay. Well, if you need anything," Haruta offered. "Oh, and at dinner tonight, make sure you sit with us."

"Why?" Namur cut in, shooting Haruta a suspicious look.

"No reason," Haruta answered, affecting an innocent tone.

"Haruta, don't warn them," Thatch hissed, ducking down to their level and whispering to Sabo.

Sabo nodded, keeping his innocent grin in place as Namur and Izo both stared at him.

"Well…" Lami trailed off with a small grin. "I'll take your word for it. Thanks."

She turned and headed from the room, easily mapping the path back to the infirmary in her head. It was a little odd how genuinely nice and polite the pirates seemed. She was used to quietly weaving through a crowd without being acknowledged, but almost every pirate she passed greeted her or smiled at her, and not a single one used any coarse language. At least nothing aimed at her - she did hear plenty of curse words in their casual conversations.

By the time she made it to the infirmary, she was almost at ease. Her necklace was still tucked in the pocket of her shorts where she could feel it, and the relaxed atmosphere amongst the crew took out a lot of the intimidation factor. Unfortunately, all of that relaxation flew right out the window when she stepped foot in the infirmary.

Lami had only glanced inside the first time she'd seen it. Like any other hospital, it had rows of pristine white beds and medical equipment with curtains for privacy. There were obvious storage spaces for machines and supplies, and two nurses seemed to be doing inventory.

It was Bay that had Lami frozen to the spot, dark gray eyes darting around the room like a trapped animal. The large machine Bay stood next to was reminiscent of one from the facility. While Lami's mind could easily separate the two, the instinct to run before anyone could grab her was almost overwhelming.

"Lami?" Bay seemed to sense her terror, taking a couple steps towards her but otherwise hanging back. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yes," Lami stammered, ducking her head and taking a deep breath. "Everything is fine. I just need a moment."

"Okay," Bay turned back to the machine to give her a little privacy. "Whenever you're ready. I should be able to determine your age a little more accurately with some X-rays, and we'll do routine blood work and vaccinations after that. Chloris and Vere can get you anything if you need it."

Lami lifted her head to look at the two nurses. One of the young women had short white hair tipped with pink, while the other wore hers in messy black waves down her back. They both offered reassuring smiles.

"I'm Chloris," the woman with the pink and white hair supplied.

"Vere," was all the other woman offered in the way of greeting.

"It's nice to meet you both," Lami said with a polite bow. Her eyes flickered to their thighs. All of the nurses she'd seen wore short nurse's uniforms with thigh high tights or fishnets so far. These two were no different, although she could see tattoos under their fishnets.

Whitebeard's mark.

She couldn't help but wonder if she'd be forced to parade around in a tiny outfit with a brand of ownership from Whitebeard permanently inked on her body. Bay had said the mark represented family and protection, but she couldn't help feeling skeptical when she saw it placed in such provocative places on the nurses. There was always the chance that they'd chosen those spots and flaunted their marks on purpose, but Lami didn't have enough information to make that judgment yet.

Even if they hadn't chosen their tattoo placement or attire, there were worse fates, of course… but she also recalled hearing that there was a minimum age on receiving the tattoo.

If Bay found out she was of age, would they force her to take the mark in order to stay, or would they permit her to spend some more time before she made that choice?

Her eyes flickered back to Bay. There was always the option of biding her time and escaping, mark or not, once she'd learned everything she could… but something told her she could spend an entire lifetime aboard the Moby Dick and never run out of things to learn.

"I'm ready now," Lami decided, approaching Bay and sliding one hand into her pocket to grasp her necklace.

"Then let's get started," Bay motioned to the scale. "Full physical, and then we'll see how much you can handle from there."

...

A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed :) (I also have such a nerd crush on Bay srsly.)

~Mithril