Disclaimer: Still not mine.
True to his word, Law arrived at the hideout not even an hour after his departure. Seated at the edge of the patient's (Keith, his name is Keith) bed, Chopper watched with some apprehension a row of glistering, dim-glassed bottles the human started to put on the nearby table.
If Chopper betrayed any apprehension, then Niis' expression was of open suspicion. "How did you get these? Last time I checked, they were off sale." She titled her head as Chopper hopped off the bed to take closer look at the supply.
"The source shouldn't concern you," said Law curtly. "All you need to know for now is that among these there is a cure for this kid's sickness."
Amaratium…. Nethyscyde, Powdered Pygmy Suckerfish… Chopper went through the bottles, scanning the labels. Indeed, the range of medicaments seemed exhaustive. Still, it has been showing some worrisome tendency…
"You didn't bring any herbs with you, did you?" he spoke quietly. Doctorine's usually used similar reagents to these recently provided. Still, after his training at Torino Kingdom, Chopper specialised in herb medicine.
These bottles were out of his area of comfort. Chopper wondered fleetingly if Law was aware of it.
He was about to look up, having worked up the courage to admit his doubts when a bundle of herbs landed atop the table. Chopper stared at the chaos of twigs and leaves, possibly segregated prior to their journey, yet ultimately falling victims to the ups and downs of a hasty transport. He prodded at them, experimentally. Some of the leaves broke away and drifted down.
"Apparently the local climate is not friendly for plant cultivation," said Law. The dried-up and slightly mangled state of his delivery seemed to prove it. Chopper took a careful sniff, a habit he brought from his apprentice days. It always paid off to check on the actual freshness of plants.
They smelled stale, dried up and dusty. It was the most homing scent Chopper felt in months.
"It's great, thank you!" Chopper turned to disentangle the herbs. Little bottles were clinking feebly as he was putting them aside carefully to make space for the task. "With these, we will su- WHAT IS THAT!?"
A brown-tinted bottle caught Chopper's attention. Light powder moved quietly within as the reindeer all but thrust the article into the human's face accusingly. Beside Law, Niis leaned over to scrutinise the label.
"Antler powder?"
"Who did you get these from, you bastard!? Whose antlers are these?!" Images and dark suspicions flitted through Chopper's mind and he didn't care if he sounded hysteric right now. He gripped at the glass tightly, trying to veer aside the flashbacks of his own herd back home.
They did reject him, but no one deserved to be turned into a dust for other's convenience.
A tattooed hand took the bottle out of his shaking hand. Chopper let out an angry puff.
"Greyhide reindeer is one of the biggest animals of Rhoede Island. He's strong, lives in a crowd and can bash your skull in with a kick. Locals see him as a symbol of vitality, yet no one would have tried to take these," the bottle was shaken, "off the actual reindeer's head so far. Not in their right state of mind, anyway."
"Huh?"
"They shed it." Law took the bottle and stored it away on a the table, among the other bottles. To his left, Niis looked contemplative.
"They're doing medicine out of it? No wonder it's so expensive." She narrowed her eyes. "Now, if you're done with dramatics, cut to the chase. You were the ones telling how short of time we are."
The kid was watching the scene with interest, now gripping at the brim of –arguably- his hat in a fascinated concentration. Law's gaze flitted over him.
"Since when do you give jewellery to the kids his age?"
Chopper followed his gaze. Indeed, a set of two trinkets was dangling off the kid's right ear. Chopper didn't recognise material. Still, the pale, almost luminescing whiteness of the trinkets charmed even him.
The distinctly sword-shaped cut of the trinkets reminded Chopper of Zoro.
"It's a gift from his parents." Niis glared at the other human. There was something slightly defensive about the way she said it. Chopper wondered how problematic ear piercings could be from a medical perspective, barring blood diseases. His mind came up blank.
"You are not his mother, then?" Law kept staring at the ornaments. His interest with them was starting to look strange to Chopper. Law seemed to keep out of Straw Hats' way while on the Sunny. The only thing that could get him engaged with crew's life were food breaks, strategy reviews or Luffy's particular acts of insistence.
"No, just… aunt! Friend of the family. What's that got to do with anything, anyway?" The impatience was back, but Chopper ignored it. He span around, searching.
"So that's why the results of blood tests are different!" He strode to the table on his left, where the background examination and preliminary test results were waiting patiently for analysis.
"Your blood types are different, but what's surprising is that you have different tolerance to Ketonin." The last part was what alarmed Chopper. The resistance traits were usually inherited. Chopper remembered distinctly Doctorine complaining on poor diversity of samples available on the island.
"What of his parents?" Law's eyes flickered to Niis, then turned to Chopper as human approached the desk to glance at notes over reindeer's arm. Still, he picked none of the papers.
"Died at sea four years ago." The terse response marked the end of the conversation. Chopper's body suddenly felt heavy.
It took him months to go back to Hiriluk's place and salvage what little keepsakes that survived the mist and mould of neglect. Doctorine was grumpy for the next few days, but let the old things clutter the attic.
"These trinkets were the gift they sent to him before their last journey, so if you think about any trade – forget it." A huff, then a silence. Chopper glanced up at Law who now appeared to scan the notes thoughtfully.
"Keith used to be sick a lot in his early days." The reindeer prompted. "There's little I can do for these spots for now," He shuffled the herbs and, with a well-practiced motion, started the process of mashing up the ingredients. Niis' kitchen offered little help in terms of bowls, but cups and plates which she has provided could do as well. "It will be better to focus on the pox first. Netheryde and chamomile will blend great with a tea."
Niis reluctantly disappeared behind the curtain dividing the room with the next part of the bunker, presumably kitchen. If Law noticed a suspicious look she shot in his direction, he gave no indication.
"The brew alone will not work." The human stated flatly, straightening up from the reading. "You wrote he's been given this previously, with little improvement. It won't help now."
"I know. This is just a beginning." The herbs were dry and brittle, maybe a bit stale for an addition to a drink, but still passable. Fresh herbs would've been more effective, but Chopper was determined to work with what he had.
"Apple's Tear and mint will be needed as well." The images of what Chopper usually encountered in a form of half-crumbled, dried up powder were pushed out from his mind by his new, fresher memory of two years long training. Chopper kind of wished Sunny had more space for a garden. Torino Kingdom was such a great place for a herbarium.
He felt a pang of sorrow. He never got a chance of thanking the robot warlord for choosing this particular island for him. The nightmare of banishment was still alive to Chopper, yet the coincidence of its' outcome remained suspicious.
Kind of like their last stop, really. Breed aside.
"Mashing up Apple's Tears will make its' properties redundant, unless you synthetize it. That would require special equipment, though," said Law from over Chopper's shoulder. Shaken out of his thoughts, the reindeer frowned.
"Can't we just go to Sunny and do that there?" He looked up. Law's look said it all.
"You have Gromm's synthesiser back there?"
"…no." Chopper looked down. "Just some tubes and probes I thought might be useful."
They both looked down at the modest heap of herbs stashed at the far side of the table.
There is always a way, thought Chopper. Low concentration may be compensated with volume…
"I can't go back there." Law seemed to follow Chopper's line of thought.
"Why?" the reindeer looked up, an urgent thought trying to make it through the whirlwind of medical considerations and concerns. Chopper tried to grasp it, but it seemed difficult to formulate objections.
"There are only two herb shops in this island with stock varied enough to guarantee having this herb. I have visited one of them already."
"Why would anyone assume that you need to more, then? You got plenty of medicine that first time."
Chopper didn't like Law's grimace. Nor the tight grin that followed.
"Well. That would hold if it was any other market. Not here, though."
"What?"
"This is a triad's turf." Law's smirk grew wider. "If you recall, we've robbed two of their shops already, three if you count the bounty hunters back there."
The room felt more spacious now. Chopper felt exposed.
Law nodded.
"Yes, they'll be waiting for us this time. Nothing like a streak of thefts to shake dealer's reputation up," he added. Choper had an inpression that the last words weren't directed entirely at him. Still, a nasty edge to his last statement and Chopper wondered briefly if the human was taking things seriously at all.
"Wha- what do we do now?" he all but squeaked. Their problems seemed to just pile up. The scent of tea wafted to their room from behind the curtain leading to the kitchen.
"This is all we've got in terms of Apple's Tears," Law's gaze flitted from the herbs to Keith, then back to a curtain dividing the adjacent rooms. "We have no equipment to make the concentrate, but that's fine." A twisted grin found its' way back on the doctor's face and Chopper felt a strange sense of déjà vu. "I might know the place we can get exactly the equipment we need."
The implication did little to ease Chopper's concerns. "Where is it, then?" he prompted, holding back a suspicion.
"Like I said, this island has two chemistries and little to none of its' own gardens. Imported reagents must be modified here in order to cut down delivery damages." Law turned and started to gather his stuff in preparation to leave. Unknowingly, Chopper followed his stead. "There is a laboratory here on this island. We are going to pay it a visit."
"How will we find it? What about these triad guys?" Chopper grasped at his concerns. They needed to plan it.
"They will be thinly spread over the district, busy tripping each other and squabbling over the jurisdiction with bounty hunters. The reward system is competition-based around here." Last adjustments to the coat and disguise were made. "As for the location, we will ask."
"Where are you going?" Niis was standing in the way to the kitchen, a curtain draping over her shoulder. A roll of steam drifted from the cup of tea she's been holding.
"We need a special paste for further treatment." Niis' reappearance snapped Chopper out of the panic. The Doctor mode was back.
"With what I brought it's either going back for more herbs and fight the gang in the open or to make a concentrate in the triad's laboratory while they are busy trying to snuff us out." Law glanced at the smuggler. "Where do you get his medicine usually from?"
"Widow's Alley, south of the docks."
"Add a tenth of this mixture to the tea, store away the rest in a bottle for future use. We will be back by sunset."
"Wait, both of you?" No doubts were dispelled, apparently. Law's left hand twitched, a gesture visible only to Chopper due to his height and the furniture obscuring the woman's view.
"Someone's got to hold them off."
"So you gonna mess with Triad and go back straight here? You want to set them on us?" The steaming cup was set aside rather forcefully. Chopper pushed away the urgent thought of knives and tricky stilettos.
"They won't find you. They haven't so far, right?"
"What did you mean about this hiding you said earlier?" The Racoon trotted after Law through the gloom tunnel. His travel form was a blessing in some aspects, thought it still left something to wish with its' reduced manoeuvrability. Especially in a closed spaces.
"Her Devil Fruit grants her the ability to change perception of chosen targets. She must be using it to protect her hideout from being found."
"Eh? Cool!" The Reindeer startled. Then a reflection struck. "But wait, how come we found her, then?"
"Apparently, it comes with some limitations." Law strode through the tunnel to the splosh of water, long coat mingling, occasionally almost brushing with Chopper's face. Perhaps it can be used at one target at a time? That would be senseless. Who would have nullified the protection of one's home just to bring back a gift for a kid?
Let's present hope to your dying eyes… Law pushed away an unwelcomed memory. Not now.
Mouldy stench was overwhelming. The passed through the damp tunnel, taking a turn at a crossing.
Not anymore.