I feel like most of the readers reading this story are going to be women, so hopefully this chapter doesn't bother you too much. Enjoy~
It was only a week later that Luffy had her first fight with another pirate crew. She didn't bat an eye once they tried boarding the Merry, and lashed out at as many of them as she could. The other fighters were going at it, too, but Luffy's body count was higher than theirs, though she hadn't killed anyone. She only slowed down once Zoro shouted at her to leave some for him.
Chopper was tending to Nami on the far deck because she had had her leg sliced pretty bad. Luffy ran up to them to see how they were doing, to see a burly pirate with a sword approaching them with a sick grin.
Chopper and Nami couldn't fight back, and Luffy sure as hell wouldn't let them get hurt. She ran up to the man and yanked him back hard enough to throw him down the stairs, where many of the other pirates were fighting with Luffy's crew.
"What's a little girl-" he began to mock, but everyone grew silent and froze at her stabbing the pirate in the crotch. As he screamed in pain and horror, Luffy threw him overboard without a second thought. Then she turned her demonic face to the others. They all backed away from her and even stopped fighting Zoro and Sanji. Zoro barked out a laugh, and Sanji was cringing at what he'd seen.
Luffy stared at the rest of the enemy crew, transforming her hands into giant shears and snipping them twice. This got all of them to flee, since they were all men, but Luffy wasn't done with them. She leapt onto their ship and cut down as many as she could before she went even further by climbing up their mast and touching the sails, dissolving them into nothing. The pirates stared at her in horror. Now they had no way to get anywhere. They were stranded.
Luffy giggled as she ran back to the side of the ship and leapt back onto the Merry. The enemy crew was utterly defeated. Luffy then threw all the other injured but not dying enemies overboard.
She waved merrily at the stranded pirates as the Going Merry sailed away. Zoro grabbed her around the waist. "You can be terrifying sometimes, Luffy," he said after laughing. She grinned. But Sanji and Usopp were horrified. She'd stabbed or chopped off someone's manhood. Probably the worst place to target on a man. But, her being so short, she could reach between the legs easily.
"I thought nymphs weren't violent," Robin said curiously.
They were going to hurt my friends! She wrote on her board. I didn't kill anyone.
"But damn, you dissolved their sails. That's intense. You're a crazy fighter, Luffy. If you weren't on our side, I'd be terrified of you," Usopp said, meaning no offense. But Luffy's face fell.
Sorry.
"Oh, I didn't mean it in a bad way! It's like Zoro. If he weren't on our side, I'd be scared of him, too. It wasn't an insult," Usopp clarified. Luffy nodded, and then ran up the stairs to where Chopper was helping Nami.
"Are you okay?" Luffy asked Chopper.
"Thanks to you," he said with a smile. Luffy looked at Nami's leg and sighed in relief. It wasn't that bad. Luffy could heal it easily. And she did. Nami stood up, her leg perfectly fine. It was her first time getting healed, and she was shocked. There wasn't a mark on her leg that looked like a cut had been there in the first place. Nami hugged her. It was the second time Luffy had saved her from men.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed. Luffy felt a bit awkward in her embrace. She liked Nami, but Luffy had still only just met her. But she awkwardly hugged her back, very stiffly. When Nami released her, Luffy stepped back a couple inches, face red. No one but Zoro and Robin noticed this, as the others were talking about Nami's injury and what it felt like being healed.
Zoro put his hand on her shoulder. "Adjust at your own pace. No one is rushing you," he said kindly, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. She smiled softly. Robin smiled as she watched their interaction from behind.
-x-
Luffy woke up and couldn't move. She was in such agony she couldn't uncurl her body. She didn't want anyone to know! It was embarrassing. What if they thought she was weak? She couldn't even handle something simple like this. She hissed out a breath at the throbbing pain in her gut. She was also sweating profusely, but unable to take her blankets off. She wanted one of the women to wake up and get Chopper. There was no chance of her being able to stand up.
She would just have to ignore her roommates until they fetched Chopper, since she was without her abilities for a while. She was able to turn around and see the clock. It was 6:43. No one but Sanji got up that early.
She forced herself to stand up and walk to the unused little door between the men's and women's rooms and opened it. Then she repeated Chopper's name, eventually screaming that he needed to wake up. His eyes shot open when he heard the word "help".
He saw Luffy's pained face. "It started," she told him miserably. Chopper hurried to her through the doorway, closing it behind him.
"What can I do for you?" he asked quietly. He was unsure of where to start with his healing of her. She said she just wanted to go back to sleep. Then she doubled over in pain. Chopper quickly turned into heavy point and picked her up gently, laying her back onto her bed. "Do you want the covers on?" he asked. She was unable to nod, so she answered to him, yes.
"I'm going to get some sedatives for you. I'll be right back," the doctor said as he ran to get his bag. He hated leaving patients by themselves when they needed him.
While he was gone, Luffy curled into a ball as tightly as she could, holding her cramping stomach. She was thoroughly embarrassed. There was no chance that the rest of the crew wouldn't have to learn of this. And she couldn't help them at all. She couldn't fight with them or protect anyone, or make food, or money, or anything. She'd just lay in bed. She hated it, and she was really missing Ace. He always knew what to do when she was in this state.
She clenched her teeth at the throbbing pain, and closed her eyes tightly. She felt like she was going to throw up. And she wouldn't be able to clean it up. Chopper was only gone for a little over a minute, but she felt worse already.
"Do you think you can swallow water?" he asked quietly, not wanting to wake the other women.
"I'll try," she said miserably. She almost threw the water up, accompanied by little pills. She was getting a headache already.
"What hurts right now, Luffy?" he asked. He didn't bring his clipboard, because he wanted to not make it look like he was just a doctor doing his job. He wanted to show her that he was helping as a friend, who was also experienced with heath practices.
"Cramps, my head hurts, I feel like I can't move. My legs are starting to hurt. How long will it take for me to fall asleep?" she asked, hoping he'd say very soon.
"I'm not sure. I gave you a lower dose because we don't know how you are going to react to medication, even if it's just to help you fall asleep," Chopper told her. "I'm going to wake Nami and Robin. I don't want them waking you up by asking if you are alright and giving you a headache. And you told me your powers don't work while you are like this?"
She nodded and then asked for a bucket in case she threw up. He looked at her sadly and left to go get her the mini trash can in the bathroom, which brought up another question. Did Luffy have feminine products? She probably couldn't use Nami or Robin's since they were much bigger than she was. Hopefully Luffy prepared a lot of pads or tampons.
Luffy was crying when Chopper got back to the room.
"Luffy? Are you okay?" he asked kindly, putting his hoof on her shoulder in comfort.
"I- I m-miss Ace!" she cried. "He always knew what to do!" she sobbed silently harder. Chopper asked her what Ace did for her. "Read to me, an- and hug me and hold my hand. He helped me to the bathroom and filled the bathtub. He kept my temperature down with wet cloths. I miss him so much…!" she finished, her sobbing getting slightly better.
"You get a temperature when you are menstruating?" Luffy answered sometimes. "Do you have any feminine products?" Luffy couldn't point so she said that she'd stuffed a ton in her underwear drawer. She would probably need to change her underwear.
Luffy had made a very large abundance of pads. She really was prepared for this, since in the drawer was also a rubber warm water bag she could warm up and hold to her stomach.
"I'll help you change and go to the bathroom if you need me to," Chopper offered. Luffy was embarrassed, but knew she'd need help. She nodded, and Chopper grabbed a pad, and a pair of her small panties. He then gently lifted her off the bed into his arms once he got bigger. She was very small in his arms.
Luffy was grateful the bathroom was so close to her room, so she didn't need to risk being seen by anyone. She could stay inside all day except for maybe going to get meals. But even then, she might have to have the food brought to her since she certainly couldn't walk.
Chopper shut the door behind them and helped Luffy change her bottoms after she used the toilet. He put the pad on her underwear correctly, and made no sign that he was uncomfortable with Luffy being naked and bleeding in front of him. She was grateful for this. Even Ace looked a bit awkward when he helped Luffy. But all the men knew how to take care of the women on their terrible week. It was what was done and had always been done. It had long since become not a big deal for them. The only thing that made Ace uncomfortable was that it was his sister he was helping change underwear.
After that, Luffy had been brought back downstairs and tucked in with care. Chopper really liked Luffy, and they were good friends now. He was glad she trusted him enough to let him help her with something very personal.
"Do you want the hot water bag?" Luffy nodded, the sedative finally kicking in. Chopper left the room to go upstairs and to the kitchen to heat up some water. He saw Sanji out on deck smoking a cigarette, and asked why Chopper was doing up so early and going into the kitchen.
"It's for Luffy. I'll tell everyone later," Chopper said, telling Sanji to drop the topic right then, but Sanji was concerned. He and Luffy weren't exactly close, but she didn't hate him anymore, though he knew his flirting with the human women irritated her. But he couldn't stop, and wouldn't, so she tolerated it as best as she could, which Sanji secretly appreciated.
By the time Chopper went back to Luffy, she was asleep. He gently moved her delicate arms and set the warm rubber pouch against her aching gut.
He then walked to Nami's bed. "Nami," he whispered, walking her up. When she almost asked what he wanted, he put his hoof in front of his mouth. She stayed silent, wondering what was wrong. She rubbed her eyes as Chopper awoke Robin as well.
"You guys either need to be very quiet, or come out on deck to rest. It's Luffy's time of the year, and I was able to get her to sleep. I don't want anyone to wake her up because she hurts a lot when she's awake," he quietly explained. Neither woman asked right then why she only had one once a year, but they understood she was on her period by the way Chopper worded his explanation.
Both women nodded. "We can stay quiet in here," Nami whispered in reply. Chopper thanked them and told them he'd be coming in every fifteen minutes, and if they knew Luffy woke up, to go and get him.
Luffy stayed asleep through breakfast and Chopper checked on her every fifteen minutes. Her face was relaxed, which was good. It looked like she'd be sleeping a lot this week. He was hesitant about the pain medicine and would only give that if the sedatives started to fail and she couldn't sleep. But he had given her a very low dose, and maybe it was because she was small, it kept her under as long as a heavy dose to a human adult would.
Zoro was first to ask the women where Luffy was. They girls turned to Chopper, wanting him to be able to explain it. And what he'd meant about "that time of year".
"Luffy is on her period. And it only happens once a year, which is part of why the nymphs are a very small population. They practically fail at reproduction. She told me, if a woman does get pregnant, the baby has a one in seven chance of surviving. It's mostly girls that are born as well. Nymphs are going to go extinct, probably not far in the future from right now." Everyone looked very sad. He went back to the topic of Luffy.
"She is in a lot of pain, and can't move. So she's probably going to be in bed for most of the week. And when she told me through the entrance between the rooms, that it had started, not long after I got there, she started sobbing about missing Ace. So there's some emotional pain as well.
"While she is menstruating, she is unable to use any of her abilities. As of now, she is very vulnerable. If there is another enemy attack, or marines come aboard, she'd be in great danger. We have to keep that in mind.
"She really didn't want anyone else to know because she's really embarrassed about the whole thing. So my plan is to check on her constantly, and give her sedatives. And I think you should help, too, Zoro." Zoro grew pale. He had no idea how to help a woman during her period, and usually avoided Nami and Robin when they were on theirs because they got really emotional and moody. But, it was Luffy. He wouldn't ignore or stay away from her when she was in pain; physical and emotional.
The others looked at him, wondering what his response would be. "Okay. I don't know what to do, though."
"That is where you two come in," Chopper said, turning to Nami and Robin. "We have no idea what a woman wants when she is menstruating."
"Chocolate," Nami answered immediately. "Massages and hot baths."
"Reading or doing something to distract you from the pain, and to stay away from you men so we don't bite your heads off or start a fight," Robin said. "I also like sweets, as well. And to never be criticized about being on our periods."
"That's right," Nami agreed. "No blaming bitterness on PMS, and definitely no saying anything if we binge eat."
"Well, Luffy already eats like a pig," Usopp said, causing Sanji to hit him on the head with his empty frying pan.
"Never insult a lady like that," Sanji scolded.
"See, Sanji has the right idea. Don't say things like that around her. Usopp, maybe you should just keep your mouth shut when you are around her. No offense," Nami said. The long nosed sniper deflated at her words, rubbing the bump on his head.
"Since Luffy probably can't write from the intense pain, I'll be down there with her a lot to translate. So, we should all work together to help her, and show her that we are her new family. I know it will take a bit of time for her to let Ace go a little bit and for her to embrace her new life. Of course, I don't want her to forget Ace or anything, but I hope she moves on soon, and smiles at the times they spent together instead of crying." Everyone stared at him.
"Since when did you become a therapist?" Usopp asked in amazement.
"I've noticed I understand Luffy's feelings more than I do for humans. Maybe that's the reason; she's not human." It still was hard for them to understand that she wasn't human when she looked like one. Just a very short one.
"I will be the one to help her to the bathroom and if she can't move, I'll change her pad for her. I'm an animal, so she feels more comfortable with me right now." Everyone was grateful they didn't need to help Luffy in that very personal way. Zoro was super relieved, too. He loved Luffy and she loved him, but they were a while away from going that far, seeing… each other… like that.
"I'm going down to check on her," Chopper said before leaving the table and heading to the women's room.
He walked into the room and turned on the dim lamp on the desk to see her in the same position as she had been. But he could hear her uneven breathing, so he could tell she was awake. He walked towards her.
"Hey, Luffy. How are you feeling?" he asked kindly.
"It still hurts," was her quiet reply.
"Do you need anything I can get? Any type of food or drink? Maybe sweets?"
"Juice…" she mumbled. "Can you heat this up again?" Chopper nodded. "Everyone knows, don't they." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, I told them so we can help you." Luffy looked uncomfortable and red in the face.
"Zoro knows?" She didn't want him to think she was weak or gross.
"Yes, he knows. And he's going to help you," Chopper replied.
"He doesn't have to…"
"He wants to." Luffy gave a small but still embarrassed smile. She nodded once.
"C- can… I have candy?" she asked, not even sure if they had anything sweet other than refrigerated goods. Chopper asked what kind, and wasn't surprised when she asked for chocolate. Looked like Nami was right; not that he'd doubted her or anything.
"Sure, I'll go get you some," Chopper said and walked out of the room to get chocolate and heat up her water bag.
Zoro was standing against the wall of the galley, tapping his foot, wondering when he got to go see Luffy. When Chopper walked in with the water bag to heat up, he handed it to Sanji.
"Luffy wants chocolate. You were right, Nami." She laughed and then said, "Of course I was." Sanji went to the highest shelf and pulled out a box of chocolate balls. It was mostly full.
"Hey, how long has that been up there?" Usopp asked irritably. Sanji always told him he had no candy and to go buy some himself.
"It's not for you pigs. It's for the ladies," Sanji snapped, handing the boxed sweets to Chopper, who then handed it to Zoro. He also handed the now heated water bag to him as well.
"Your turn," Chopper said simply. "I'll come back in around fifteen minutes to see how she's doing. She said that Ace would read to her, hug her, hold her hand, and the rest of the stuff I will do."
Zoro nodded and left the room quickly. He took a deep breath before he walked down the stairs and into the doorway. He knocked once. "I'm coming in, Luffy," he said, seeing her curl into a ball. He could tell even from a distance that she was embarrassed.
He walked up to her and sat down on the floor next to her head. She tucked it under the blanket. "I brought chocolate and your hot water bag," he said kindly. She didn't move other than nod her head and slowly take the bag from under the blankets. He turned his head away from hers so she could watch him without being caught if she wanted.
"You don't need to be embarrassed about this. Especially with me. Did you think I'd find you nasty or something? I'd never think that of any woman. Especially you. It's a normal thing that happens, right?" Luffy slowly nodded behind him after Zoro turned his face towards her with a smile. "I can't help but think you are lucky. This happens to human women once a month." Zoro had continued to look at her as she gave a small smile. He was being so nice.
"If you think this is embarrassing, but natural, I'll give you an example of something embarrassing but natural with men. If we're turned on enough, we get a hard-on. Can you imagine how embarrassing that is? Everyone around you would know your horny and we can do practically nothing about it. At least women aren't visibly bleeding. But unless you have the right pants, guys are screwed," he said dramatically, getting a wider smile from his partner.
"I could never think you're disgusting. Especially something like this. This is beautiful, this happens because women can make babies. So try and think of it as something beautiful, and if men don't like it, well fuck'em. They can't handle shit.
"If you vomited all over my face right now, I still wouldn't think you're disgusting. Okay? You don't need to be embarrassed about anything. And I know that first time we kissed all hot in the galley, you knew I got an erection." Luffy giggled. "So thanks for not making me feel all awkward and embarrassed more than I already was. I love you so much. And if anything comes onto this ship and you can't help, let me protect you for once. Just for one week, let me protect you." He cupped her face and smiled warmly.
Luffy nodded with pink cheeks, and not from a fever.
"Here, have some chocolate," he said and put one to her little mouth. It tasted good when she ate it and smiled, opening her mouth to show him she wanted more. Zoro had handled Luffy's embarrassment perfectly, and she was thankful for that.
They just stayed silent for a while, not needing to converse, just enjoying each other's company. Plus, Luffy couldn't really communicate in any way right now. She turned a little to look at the clock. Her pad probably needed to be swapped with a clean one.
"Chopper!" she shouted to him. Since he had good hearing and would be on alert to her voice, she expected he wouldn't take long to get to her. Just as she thought, he came hurrying down the stairs, asking what was wrong. Zoro was surprised at this, but knew that she had called out to him; Zoro just couldn't hear it. How he wished he could.
"Yeah?" Chopper asked, standing next to where Zoro was sitting.
"It's been a while since I used the bathroom and changed my pad…" she said, a bit embarrassed again. She felt like a baby needing her diaper changed for her.
"Oh yeah, it has been. Okay, I'll take you," Chopper said simply. It had been a while, and he didn't know how heavy her flow was. But the thickness of the pads she'd created were pretty thick, and that was most likely for a reason.
"Take her where?" Zoro asked.
"Bathroom," Chopper said simply.
"I'm sorry. I feel like a baby having her diaper changed," Luffy said, frustrated with how imobile she was with her period. All of the female nymphs were. It made all of them especially vulnerable, so they had always stayed home during their time of the year. But it was normal, and no one got embarrassed. Luffy was only embarrassed because she knew human women could change their own pads and not be imobile from the pain.
"It's not the same. Babies can't do anything at all. You just can't walk there, but you can use the bathroom yourself. It's not your fault this happens to you. It's not just you, right? All female nymphs have this problem?" Luffy nodded.
"I'll take her," Zoro said. "I won't go in with her, but I'll carry her there. If you want," he addressed Luffy, who nodded. Zoro easily picked her up and followed Chopper the short distance up the stairs and into the bathroom. She was so tiny. He set Luffy down on her feet and Chopper closed the door behind them immediately.
Zoro heard them through the door. Well, heard Chopper talking and the toilet flush with the lid closed. Chopper told Luffy to not apologize again, and that no one thought she was gross or weak.
Zoro was sitting on Luffy's low and big bed. He could totally fit on this bed with her. When Chopper brought her back in, she was trying to walk herself, and was able to use Chopper as a crutch while she held the hot water bag to her stomach with the other hand. Zoro noticed she was close to tears. Whether she missed Ace or hurt too much, he didn't like seeing her cry. It hurt his chest, and he wanted to help her as best as he could. He really wished she could speak to him right now.
She sat back onto the bed and laid down, curled up again. Zoro put the blankets over her and contemplated laying down with her, but he'd rather nap against the bed so she could see him and touch him without having to painfully turn around.
"I'm going to bring her some food and then put her to sleep," Chopper informed Zoro, Luffy already knew.
"What's she having?" Zoro asked.
"Chicken broth. She said that when the nymphs would have this happen, they only ate soft foods. I'll ask Sanji to make some applesauce for her," Chopper replied. "Something soft on her stomach."
Luffy put her head under her blankets, ashamed that everyone was having to do things for her. She felt very insecure and her negative emotions were a bit of a wreck. It was only her third week here and she already needed everyone to do things for her. She hoped they didn't think of her as a burden.
"I'm sure dart-brow will enjoy making food for you, Luffy. You're a 'lady' and he cooks the best for them. I'm sure he'll put a lot of care into what he makes," Zoro said, as if she could read Luffy's mind. But he just put together one and one with the context around him. It was clear when she hid her face when Chopper said Sanji would be making special food for her.
"Can I nap with you in here? I can stay away from the bed if you want," Zoro said, hoping she'd let him sleep near her. She shook her head. She didn't want him sleeping across the room from her.
"Right here?" he asked, gesturing to where he was at that moment. She nodded. She had a miserable look on her face, and it was heartbreaking, plus the teary eyes from the painful cramps. Zoro was very thankful he didn't have this problem. He may be able to be stabbed and keep fighting, but this was a different nightmare. He'd just have to deal with horrible pain from the inside.
Poor Luffy.
"Okay. I'll stay in here as long as you want," Zoro said and kissed her forehead gently. She nodded again, her face still looking pained.
Chopper was the one to bring down the broth. Sanji had a feeling neither Zoro or Luffy wanted to see him at the moment. Chopper also brought down some soft crackers. A large glass pitcher of water, with a glass to fill, was put next to her bed on her nightstand. Zoro moved the framed picture for Chopper to set the water down.
The reindeer doctor helped Luffy into a sitting position. "Think you can eat yourself?" he asked kindly. Luffy nodded, sitting a bit more straight, and against the wooden headbaord. The tray of food was put on her lap, and she slowly drank the warm but not scalding broth with the spoon. She didn't eat any of the crackers, but drank lots of water.
As she ate, Zoro looked at the picture he'd moved. It was Luffy, Ace and who he assumed was their sister, Makino. It was clearly taken a long time ago since Luffy was even smaller than she was now and was smiling with front teeth that had clearly been growing after her baby teeth. Her eyes were wider and her hair cut shorter. The three all looked so happy. Even though Ace and Luffy seemed to be the same age, he looked much older than she did. Luffy was adorable. Even more so as a child.
"Is this Makino?" Zoro asked. Luffy nodded. "You were a very cute child," he commented with a smile. She gave a small smile back. "What else did you bring?"
Luffy picked up the worn stuffed bear that was next to her, and pointed to the drawer in her nightstand, where a thick and old book was laying. "Diary?" he guessed and was correct. He wondered if he was in there.
"Is that all?" She shook her head and gestured to the second drawer of her night stand. When he opened it he saw a photo of a very beautiful, very large cove. "Is this where you lived? It's very pretty." Luffy nodded in agreement as she finished her bowl of soup and drank some water. She had brought nothing else with her, unless you counted the plastic backpack.
She really didn't bring much stuff with her, but, besides Usopp and Chopper, none of the crew actually brought much belongings at all. Zoro only brought his swords and the clothes on his back. That thought had never crossed his mind. Nami did steal some money and brought her staff and trees on her official boarding on the Going Merry, but that was it.
He guessed none of them had material needs, besides Nami and Robin getting new clothes wherever they docked and the others only bought necessities like medications and food. He wondered what Luffy would buy. The first time they went to an island, Luffy stayed on the ship because it was an island with a lot of humans, and she wasn't ready for that at all. She was still adjusting to just being around four of them (not counting Zoro or Chopper).
She and Zoro had passed the time by Luffy trying to recreate the weapons she had accumulated over their years of thievery. It was entertaining to say the least. Then they tested how much each one could damage the ship, which Usopp would have been furious with. But Luffy healed each wound they gave to the Merry.
Then they took a nap together. They didn't spend the time kissing in private intensely like they could have. They had lots of time to do that, so they shouldn't be worried about wasting time like that.
Zoro had never met someone he had so much fun around, even when they weren't fighting.
Luffy was given sedatives, finally, and fell asleep holding Zoro's hand. Who stayed in that position on the floor so she could do so. Part of him, the more lovey-dovey part, considered humming or singing to her next time she needed to fall asleep, but he quickly deemed that would be too embarrassing.
Zoro didn't leave Luffy for the four hours she slept. Not even to use the bathroom or to go eat. He'd eat when Luffy ate, whenever she woke up. She was just as silent as she slept as she was when awake. She didn't snore, or sniffle, or anything. Just stayed so quiet with even breaths.
A few times she suddenly squeezed his hand, but she didn't wake up. He thought it was either from a dream or a particularly painful cramp. He felt through the blanket and found that the hot water bag was cold. He'd ask Chopper to change it the next time he came to check on her.
Until then, he left it in place and continued to hold her small hand in his.