I do not own One Piece.
This starts out in the OC's P.O.V. but changes to Ace's close to the middle.
"Hey Zahara, how are you feeling?" Ace asks as he enters the infirmary. I look over at him, before turning my gaze back to the ceiling.
"Yeah. I'm fine, Ace. He pumped me full of pain meds. But he refuses to let me out of bed," I reply with a pout, causing Ace to laugh loudly. He walks over, taking a seat next to my bed. "Did you find out why they were attacking me?" I ask, looking over at him. He lets out a sigh, slumping down in his seat.
"Yeah. They said a few people at the dock claimed that you attacked the village and since this is one of Pops' islands, they felt obligated to attack you for it."
"Did he say who told him that?" I ask, sitting up suddenly, ignoring the sharp pain in my side.
"No, why?" he asks in confusion. I shake my head, telling him it was nothing, before slowly lying back down. "But I know you wouldn't attack anyone without a good reason, so Pops sent Thatch and Izo to talk to the villagers. So, we'll get it straightened out." he assures me, smiling brightly. I smile back, closing my eyes with a sigh.
"You think you can convince your doctor to let me leave, once my name is cleared?" I ask seriously.
"Not a chance," Ace says, laughing slightly. "He doesn't listen to anyone. And I agree with him that it is best that you stay with us for awhile. I'm not stupid Zahara, you obviously have people after you. People who don't care how dirty their scheme is. So, just let me protect my sister for a little while, at least until your broken bones have healed." He insists grinning at me. I let out a sigh knowing it was useless to argue with Ace, he was just too stubborn.
"I don't really think it is your's or your doctor's decision whether or not I can stay on this ship, right Ace?" I ask, looking at him pointedly.
"Well, yeah. But you were invited to stay last time. I don't think Pops would have changed his mind or anything," Ace reasons thoughtfully. I groan loudly, realizing that he was right.
"Fine, fine. There is no reasoning with you, is there? I'll stay…But only if, I won't be confined to this freaking bed," I complain, glaring down at the bed I was currently in. Ace lets out another loud laugh, before standing up and ruffling my hair.
"I'll go find the doctor, he should have some crutches around, if not I'll run to the village and pick up one." he says before turning around and exiting the room.
Walking out of the infirmary, I make my way off of the ship, to where Pops, Marco and Farra, our main doctor, were talking. "Ace," Pops greets as I stop next to them, "I take it, you just came from visiting Zahara?"
"Yeah, she is a little mad about being stuck in bed, but otherwise seems fine." I tell them, smiling slightly.
"Well, once Thatch and Izo get back, we'll decide what to do. We'll get her some crutches or something, if she didn't do anything to the village, as long as she doesn't try to run off again. From what Farra told me, she would probably end up dying if she was on her own in her condition," Pops says. I nod my head, taking a seat on the sand.
We sit around for a few hours, until we see Izo and Thatch make their way out of the forest. "Well, sons, what did you find out?" Pops asks as they come to a stop in front of him.
"Well, we kind of have a problem Pops. Some of the villagers claimed that she did attack them, but some of the others, including the mayor, claim that a group of people threatened to burn down the village unless they told anyone that asked that she attacked them." Izo replies solemnly.
"So, we still don't know anything," Marco states. "Maybe we should just ask Zahara what is going on. There must be a reason if people are asking the villagers to lie about her." he remarks thoughtfully.
"She won't tell you anything. Zahara has never liked involving other people in her problems. But there is no way she would just attack a village." I assert, glaring up at Marco.
"We know, Ace. You trust her completely, but we need to find out what is happening. If she didn't attack the village, we need to find out why those people threatened the villagers into lying, if she did, we need to know why. She is the only person who can give us those answers, Ace." Marco reasons, causing me to sigh. I feel a hand on my shoulder, I look up to see Thatch smiling at me.
"We'll figure this out, Ace. Don't worry," he reassures. I smile brightly at him, nodding my head.
"Marco is right, Ace. If these people are wanting her bad enough to lie to our allies and threaten one of my islands, then it has to go beyond money. They have to have a reason to want her dead. We need to get all of the facts." I let out a sigh and nod my head. Pops was right, no one was stupid enough to go against him, even if it isn't doing anything directly to him, for no reason. But getting an answer out of Zahara will be next to impossible.