Chapter 6

"Go!" Benn shouted, pushing them towards the door.

BAM! The doors slammed open in front of them. A very distressed looking Shanks charged into the food hall, only to crash into the three of them, sending all four of them flying across the room.

Benn, being at the one behind both Roo and Yasopp, served as a cushion for them as they fell to the ground. He groaned painfully. Shanks abruptly leapt to his feet, whirling around to search the cafeteria. "Jade? Jade, you in here?" He called desperately.

"Oi, Captain." Benn muttered as the other two finally rolled off him and allowed him to breathe. "Where is she?"

His captain turned slowly to face him. His normally cheerful eyes were wide and fearful. Benn knew he wasn't fully himself yet, his cheeks were still rosy and his eyes weren't as focused on him as they should've been. The alcohol was still in his system. Shanks stuttered a response, "I'm so sorry, Benn, I thought-no, I didn't think. Oh god! What have I done? JADE! Jade, my sweet..." Shanks' body sagged into his own. Benn slowly lowered them both to the ground, laying out his captain before examining him. Still breathing, just unconscious.

But Benn couldn't relax yet. His captain's words worried him. How on earth was he training her? Was it impossible for her to stop training herself? Was it somehow life threatening? It couldn't be.. Could it? Benn felt his blood run cold. Shanks' words of worry, the way he crashed in here, desperately calling out her name...

Benn jumped to his feet and sprinted out onto the deck, ignoring the yells of Roo and Yasopp as they called after him. He had to find Jade. He had to find her now.

He searched the deck, front and back, thoroughly. Several times. Even searching through the places he was almost certain she wasn't, and checked the top of the palm trees and other tricky places. Ending his search at the deck out the back of the Red Force, for the FIFTH time, he huffed. Where WAS she? Damn, couldn't Shanks have just TOLD him where he had been training her?

Benn sighed, walking across to the back railing and leaning against it. He decided he needed to think, imagine himself in Shanks' shoes and think of how he'd train her. It was strength and conditioning, so nothing too fancy. Hmm? What was that? He paused in his thinking, straining his ears. He listened for a while, but after hearing noting but the sounds of the ocean he shook his head. It's nothing, he thought. Just hearing things. But no! He heard it again. What was it? Where was it coming from? He strained his eyes, eyes narrowing in concentration. There it was. It was a voice, strained and quiet. It was calling for help. He turned and examined the deck in front of him. No, it wasn't anywhere close, it sounded far away. But you can't hear people shouting in the dorms from here, and the deck was far too close which means...

"...hel-..." Benn froze. That call was coming from behind him. And it was cut off midcall. He whirled around and leaned over the railing staring down into the water. In the water, kicking to attempt to keep up with the ship, was Jade. Her wrists were bound in ropes that were connected to the railing in front of him. He cursed loudly. How on earth did was he not able to spot the rope. He blamed it half on his frantic searching and half on his tired mind.

At the sound of his voice, Jade raised her exhausted eyes to meet his, her pale, pained face relaxed into a relieved one, her pale blue lips twitching at the corners. "...Benn." She rasped.
Benn opened his mouth the reassure her that she'll be ok, that he'll haul her up, when a wave surged over her, promptly pushing under its surface.

"OI! OI, OI!" He shouted, grabbing one of the ropes attached to the railing and yanking it, pulling her head above water. "ROO! YASOPP! I FOUND HER! GIVE ME A HAND WILL YOU?!" He bellowed. He heard the pounding of boots against deck and suddenly they and a couple other crew mates were gathered along the railing, staring down at their half drowned comrade.
"Hurry up, let's get her out." I snapped. The men quickly formed two lines, one designated to each rope, and they began hauling Jade back up to the dry deck. When her body slumped back over the side of the ship, the pirates surrounded her, questioning about her. Benn quickly dismissed the men, ordering them to get the ships' doctor. Turning her on her back, Benn checked her breathing and heart rate. Both were slow.

Finally, the doctor arrived and ordered for them to turn her on her side, as soon as they had positioned her as he had instructed, she started violently throwing up, emptying her stomach of salt water. After she was done, she coughed, a lot, to get the water out her lungs. Upon her finally calming down, the doctor ordered for her to get warm, requested blankets and hot beverage, Benn immediately sent his two most trusted companions, Roo and Yasopp to get those. The doctor ordered him to help sit Jade up, her skin had become a scary blue tinge. She was shivering violently and coughed ever now and then. Benn touched her arm lightly, hissing lightly. She was freezing to touch.

"Benn, we have to get her out of these clothes." The doctor instructed. "These are as cold and wet as she is, the blankets will be more effective if it was only her we need to warm up."
Benn nodded in understanding. He went to lift her shirt before he noticed she still had the ropes on. Gnashing his teeth, Benn reached into his pockets and pulled out his knife, promptly leaning over the freezing girl and tearing the rope off her wrists, pulling them free. He frowned as he spotted the chafed ring of skin that encircled her both wrists. "Doc." He glanced up from his medic bag, taking in the rope burn beneath Benn's fingers.

"I'll treat those in a sec, now remove her clothing quickly, we need her to warm up as soon as possible."

Benn nodded and followed his instructions, peeling off her tight-hugging, drenched t-shirt and did the same with her pants.

"Good. Now sit her up, looks like Yasopp and Roo have returned." The doctor dug around in his bag as the first mate did as he said. "Comfort her, the next thing that we need to take care of after her physical state is her emotional state. She's in shock, so you can be her moral support as I tend to her wrists."

Roo handed Benn the blankets, and Yasopp waited nearby with a steaming mug. Benn placed the blankets over Jade's quaking form, wrapping them around her, covering up her revealed skin.

"Do you think you could carry her to my office?" Doc asked.

Benn nodded, "Shouldn't be a problem." He rose to his feet, holding Jade up against his chest as he strode after the scurrying doctor, uttering comforting words into her ear. Yasopp and Roo followed at a distance, Yasopp still holding the hot chocolate he had been sent to get.

"..." Jade opened her mouth, as if trying to say something.

"Hush, you shouldn't try to speak. It's ok, Jade. You're ok." Benn attempted to reassure her, he was never good at reassuring, it was his Captain who always had this job, and he was good at it too.

"...ten..." Jade rasped.

Benn frowned. "Ten? Ten what?"

Jade smiled slightly. "I touched the ship ten times. And each one took one minute... They felt so much longer than that though. Does that mean that I get ten days rest now?"

Benn smiled, finally letting out a sigh of relieve. Jade was safe. "Yes, you can rest now." Jade echoed his sigh, resting her head on his shoulder, slowly drifting to sleep.

I opened my eyes slowly. I was in the ships' sickbay, still in the first mate's lap. The doctor was putting ointment on my raw wrists. Each breath I took burned me to my core, the air scraping the length of my already salty throat. I was still cold, so so cold. But I was cocooned within a blanket and I could feel the warmth of Benn's hand rubbing my back in a soothing circular motion. Slowly, I could feel warmth creeping back into my wary bones. The ointment was cooling my burning, chafed skin. I sighed in relief, having been released of one of my burdens. Gently, the doctor bandaged my aching wrists, being extra careful not to cause any more harm. He then have very specific orders that I should stay in bed for the next two days but even then, I shouldn't do anymore training under he gives me permission. I nodded, that sounded reasonable. He then proceeded to tell me to drink plenty of hot beverages and to only eat soft food in the next two days, as well as having plenty of rest. I nodded again, that also sounded reasonable. He then left us, bidding us a good night.

I turned to Benn, and attempted to thank him, but no noise came out of my mouth, and it was incredibly painful. I winced before trying again. Same result.

Benn cleared his throat. "You are trying to thank me?"

I nodded, looking up at him and smiling sadly.

"Everyone was worried sick about you. The only one who knew where you were was Shanks but he accidentally knocked himself out at lunch, so he couldn't tell anyone. By the way, he feels horrible about it. You should've seen him when he woke up. He was beside himself in self-hatred and worry."

I frowned at this, he knocked himself out at lunch? So up until that point, what? He forgot about her? That idiot. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Oh, and Roo and Yasopp send their best wishes. Yasopp left a present." I raised my eyebrow at him. He leaned over to the table beside the bed, and returned with a steaming mug of... What was that? Hot chocolate? Yum!

I eagerly stole the mug from his clutches and sipped it, humming lightly as it soothed her throat and warmed her from the pit of her stomach.

Benn laughed, watching as I drank the liquid as quickly as possible while attempting not to scorch my tongue. "Good to see you're back to your usual self."

I smiled in return, pulling away from my delicious drink to lick my salty lips. And it's great to have something solid under my feet, I thought. That had to be the longest ten minutes of my life.