Chapter 24
Shiny Things

After the memorable departure from Little Garden, the Merry was sailing peacefully once more on the dangerous waters of the Grand Line.

"Elbaf... Elbaf... Giants of Elbaf..." Usopp and Luffy were singing and dancing happily on the railing of the ship.

Eli was sitting against the mast next to Nami who seemed a bit exhausted. Probably because of the fight in Little Garden, Eli thought.

"I don't know why, but I'm pretty tired. Can you take care of the course for me ?" Nami handed the Eternal Pose to Vivi. "Finally, we are heading to Alabasta." The navigator gave her a weary smile.

"Yes," Vivi said apprehensively. "I have to return to Alabasta.... I am the only one who can free my country."

Eli looked at the brave princess. Even if she had seen her smile from time to time, Eli could almost picture the heavy burden the girl had on her shoulders.

"Try to relax, my dear Vivi," Sanji said with a charming smile. "Just take a good rest and enjoy my food." He handed the girls a plate of petits fours.

After taking a bite, Eli went to see Zoro who was training on the upper deck. He was swinging an impressive stack of weights skewered on a metal bar. She sat on the railing and looked in awe at the swordsman.

"Don't you think you're working a bit too much ?" she asked.

"If I could have cut that wax... no one would have gotten hurt," he said, slightly panting but still swinging his heavy skewer. "I have to be able to cut through everything... even iron."

Zoro's determination was inspiring. Eli smiled, jumped off the railing, and walked to a stack of weights that the swordsman wasn't using. She grabbed one and tried to pull it up.

What the hell !

Eli winced as she concentrated all of her strength on her arms but still didn't manage to make it budge at all.

"You need something ?" Zoro asked, looking over his shoulder.

Eli straightened briskly. "No...nothing... haha," she laughed sheepishly, wiping the sweat on her forehead.

That man in cruhaaazy, Eli thought, walking away with wide eyes.

Eli was on watch duty tonight. Lying on the deck, she was stargazing. This particular pastime completely fit that night since it was her birthday. Observing the celestial bodies, she tried to make out the constellations like her father had taught her.

The girl traced them with her finger. Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Drago, Cepheus, Cassiopeia... she listed silently.

Eli dropped her arm on the wooden floor, letting out a soft sigh. I miss you, Dad....

"Oi Twig."

The girl sat up brusquely and watched Ace questioningly as he slowly walked over to her.

"Still having insomnia, Freckles ?" Eli asked. Because of his numerous day naps, the young man had always had difficulties sleeping at night.

"Yup, and the boys are so noisy..." he sighed, sitting next to her.

"You could use my bed if you want," she offered naturally. After all, she wouldn't be using it since she was stuck on night watch.

Ace raised a questioning eyebrow. "I thought it was your 'precious'...."

It's okay as long as I'm not on it, Eli thought, rolling her eyes.

"Just change the sheets," she said, falling on her back with her hands behind her neck.

The young man laughed childishly.

After a minute of an unbearably heavy silence, Eli was losing patience. Ace was still there even though she had politely offered him her bed to rest, and the young man was completely silent. She had no idea why he was even here, but she felt quite uncomfortable.

Eli sat up and folded her legs. "So... how can I help you ?" she asked slowly.

Ace smirked at the impatient girl. He searched through his pouch and produced a small, green silk bag.

"Happy birthday," he said casually, handing the small bag to Eli.

A gift ? For me ? Eli took the bag and stared at it confusingly.

"The gift is inside, Twig," Ace said in a mocking tone.

Eli grumbled, opening the silk bag carefully. What is that ? She tilted the bag, making a small and dense white, nacreous ball fall in the palm of her hand. When it touched the girl's skin, it started emitting a faint greenish glow. Eli tilted her head questioningly, gazing at the odd shining ball.

"It's called a firefly," Ace began to explain. "It's a pearl that glows when warmed. I found it in an island called Akoya that harvests all kinds of pearls."

Eli closed her hands on the pearl and blew inside to warm it. When she opened her hands again, the pearl's glow was a lot brighter. Her lips curled up in a blissful smile.

"You like shiny things right ?" Ace said.

"I DO !" Eli replied happily, the pearl's glow reflecting in her green eyes. "... sounds like I'm a child though..." she pouted.

Ace laughed heartily. "But you are, Twig !"

But Eli didn't care if the young man made fun of her; his gift was great and she admired its glow happily.

"I love it," she said. Looking at Ace, the girl gave a quick peck on his freckled cheek. "Thank you."

Ace smiled warmly. "It's nothing... really. I came across it during my journey and I thought you might like it...."

"I still love it, Freckles! And now I have to think of a gift for your birthday...." The girl brought a finger to her chin and looked upward thoughtfully. "You like pervy stuff, right ? ... Now where do I find a blow-up doll..." She stuck out her tongue playfully at the laughing young man before gazing again at her lovely gift.

They spent the night together eating roasted chestnuts while Eli told Ace some of the stars' legends from her village... and when there were no more tales to tell, they just stargazed silently until dawn appeared on the horizon.

When the morning came, Ace and Eli walked to the lounge to get their breakfast.

Eli yawed. "I want... waffles !" the girl said happily, climbing up the stairs.

"I thought I was the waffle master !" Ace retorted, following her.

"Sorry, Freckles, but Sanji inherited that title," Eli told him, opening the door. "Good morning !" she greeted cheerily.

"Good morning, Elisabeth." Sanji was already there cooking, and Luffy was hovering around him claiming how hungry he was.

Right after Eli and Ace sat down, Vivi burst into the room slamming the door open. "Everyone, come to the women's quarters !" she yelled frantically. "Miss Nami has a very high fever !"

Without further explanation, the crew rushed to the bedroom. They found Nami lying in her bed sweating and panting. Eli kneeled next to her bed and rested her hand on Nami's forehead. She found it extremely hot.

"I took her temperature," Vivi said, "40 degrees celsius...."

"This might be just a cold, but 40 degrees..." Eli said, alarmed. "Her condition is serious."

The rest of the crew didn't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation. Luffy was casually prescribing a large amount of meat for the sick girl. Sanji had to actually explain to him that it wasn't so simple.

"Is being sick really that painful ?" Luffy asked.

"Dunno, never been sick before...." Sanji and Usopp replied.

"Freaks..." Eli muttered, rolling her eyes.

"If we can't find a treatment fast... she'll die...." Vivi said gravely, looking at the careless young men.

Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Carue began to yell and run around crying, praying, and holding their heads.

"Nami is going to die !"

"Dear Nami, don't die please !!"

"Kwaaaak !"

Ace hit them on the heads frowning. "Just shut up, you're not helping."

"Thank you," Vivi said, kneeling next to Eli. "Do any of you have any medical knowledge ?"

Eli shook her head and looked at her suffering friend sadly. "We need to go find a doctor..."

"We can't wait any longer...." Nami said wearily, using her arms for support to sit up. "Vivi, go read the newspaper in my desk...."

Vivi got up and opened the desk's drawer. Her eyes widened as she read the paper. Eli joined her and read over her shoulder. Several hundred thousands of royal Alabastan troops had switched sides to join the rebel army which meant that now the rebels had more soldiers, and the civil war was about to begin.

"I'm sorry I didn't show you the paper sooner, Vivi," Nami said. "But since we couldn't go any faster, I thought it would be useless to make you worry more." She slipped slowly out of her bed. "Anyway, let's go to Alabasta."

Nami was smiling wearily, her face was red from the fever, and she was still panting.

"Are you crazy, Nami ? You have to rest !" Eli frowned at the girl's tough act.

Vivi was still staring at the newspaper, clenching the paper tightly in her fists, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Vivi you have to stop her ! She'll only listen to you !" Eli yelled angrily.

However, the princess was speechless. Her duty for her country was too heavy.

Eli gritted her teeth. She knew that thousands of lives were at stake, but she couldn't bear to see her friend suffer. Ace placed his hand on her shoulder. When she looked at him, he shook his head sadly. Eli glared right through his black eyes.

Was he also agreeing with this ? He would sacrifice their friend for a greater cause ? The girl jerked his hand off her shoulder and marched out of the room.

Nami was on the deck holding onto the railing for support. "There will be a storm heading towards us soon..." she said, looking at the horizon.

One after the other, every man of the crew tried to tell her to go get some rest, but she was only getting angrier. She barked orders sharply to get the ship moving. The pirates complied, but they were still worried about their navigator's state. She seemed to be getting weaker by the minute, but she still insisted to stay there.

Vivi came out of the galley. She grabbed the banister firmly with a grave look on her face.

"I would like to ask you a favor," she began solemnly. "My country is in great danger, and I can't waste even one second... so I would like everyone to head to Alabasta with the fastest speed !"

Everyone looked at Vivi coldly. Eli knew everything about the sword of Damocles hanging over the princess's head, but asking the pirates to forget about their friend's health was just selfish... and wrong !

"So, let's find a doctor to cure Miss Nami !" Vivi finished. "When she is cured, we can go with the fastest speed, right ?"

"That's right !" Luffy agreed, grinning. "There's nothing that can make this ship go faster than Nami in good health."

Eli smiled in relief. She was happy that Vivi had proved her wrong.

"Sorry Vivi, but I don't think I can go on..." Nami trailed off before collapsing in the princess's arms.

"Guys..." Eli called out.

But the crew was so happy with Vivi's decision that they didn't hear her.

"GUYS !!! There's a huge cyclone right over there !!" Eli yelled, pointing at the fraking gigantic typhoon.

"WOW !" Luffy's eyes widened in amazement at the sight of the great disaster they had just barely avoided. It filled him and his crewmates with awe as they stared at it.

"That was the direction we were heading in..." Sanji muttered.

But the sky was so clear a minute ago.... How could Nami have predicted this ?

"I've never seen a navigator like her," Vivi whispered, looking at Nami.

When the night came, everyone slept in the women's quarters, except for Sanji who was on watch duty, so the room was pretty much cramped. They were so worried about their navigator's state, they just couldn't leave her alone.

Eli was in her bed staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. The first reason was the boys' snores, and the second was because her mind was way too preoccupied. She sighed and slipped out of her bed. The girl tiptoed carefully toward Nami's bed. She stepped over Carue, Zoro, Ace, and at last Vivi to finally reach the girl's bed. Eli took the towel off Nami's forehead to freshen it up.

"Eli ?" Nami whispered.

"Sorry, did I wake you ?" Eli whispered, touching the girl's forehead. It seemed even hotter than before.

"No, don't worry." Nami smiled wearily.

"Here, drink." Eli held the sick navigator's head to help her drink some water.

Nami looked around the bedroom. "So they're all here ?"

"Yep, they wouldn't leave your side, Nami," Eli said softly, carefully placing the fresh towel on the girl's forehead.

Nami sighed happily and soon fell back asleep.

to be continued

Betaed by Iwin Ulose.

I have published the first chapter of the sidefic from Ace's point of view. It's called 'Twig' (yeah I know so much imagination, it's scary)
I hope you'll like it :)

I also hope you liked this chapter.

Thank you for reviewing.

Yup ThexWhitexPhoenix you thank me a lot for updating, and I thank you a lot for reviewing so... And I would love to go to Elbaf too, just imagine the size of their cakes...
Thank you kaaayyytteee and Shibo26.

From now on I'll reply personally and privately to each and every review ! I hope you won't mind :)