Many thanks as always to all who take the time to comment. Next chapter to follow quite soon!
Dark Truth
Chapter 17: Bad Dreams
"He asleep?"
Zoro's quiet question was barely audible, but Ace nodded as he brushed Luffy's hair back from his face. Chopper had dosed his up with a top up on pain medication and antibiotics a little before midnight. By half past the hour, despite his best efforts, Luffy's fight to stay awake was done and for once Ace was glad it was a losing battle.
"He did well tonight." Ace said with a gentle pride. His arm about Luffy's shoulders shifted ever so slightly as he moved his hand to rest against Luffy's forehead.
Zoro snorted. "Unlike someone else." He replied as he stood, dusted himself off and jerked his head towards the prone form of the Sunny's chef beside him.
A bubble of laughter escaped Ace as he eased his arm from Luffy's shoulders to his back. "He feels a bit warm," he said as he moved to stand and in a practiced, fluid motion Ace slipped his free hand under Luffy's legs and lifted him into the air bridal style. Luffy didn't stir. "I'm taking him to bed."
"Alright." Zoro answered as he downed the last of his flagon.
"You're not gonna help him to bed, then?" Ace asked as he nodded towards Sanji, passed out on the deck.
"Tch! The lightweight brought it on himself!" Zoro chided, though he set down the empty mug and moved towards the chef.
Ace arched an eyebrow as Zoro moved to wake Sanji up, despite his jibe. When the chef didn't rouse, Zoro hoisted him up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes; a far cry from Ace's tender treatment for his brother.
They departure didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the crew. The part had settled a little after midnight to talk and drink as they enjoyed the brief escape the night offered. At the sight of their captain (and chef) being taken to bed the remaining crew moved to pack up and follow, but Ace stopped them.
"No, no. You guys stay here – enjoy the booze." He insisted as he adjusted his hold on Luffy. "I can take care of this guy…" he smiled and added, "And that one." As he nodded his head towards Sanji.
"You sure?" Usopp asked.
"I don't mind sitting with Luffy!" Chopper chimed in.
"I'm sure." Ace reaffirmed. The Strawhats had Luffy with them all day, every day, so Ace planned to enjoy the time he had left with Luffy until his departure in the morning. He didn't want to break that news just yet though and ruin the jovial mood.
"You wanna take a drink with you, then?" Franky asked as he lifted his own in offer.
Ace shook his head declined politely. For a moment the Strawhats seemed uncertain, but with a few more reassurances from Ace and a polite bow of thanks from the freckled pirate, they settled once more to their after-party.
"You coming back, Zoro?" Usopp called.
"Damn straight!" Zoro called back as he walked away, and lifted his free hand into the air in a lazy wave.
Ace and Zoro made their way towards the men's cabin in companionable silence. Though neither of them expected Luffy or Sanji would rouse easily, they kept their footfalls light and their movements as smooth and quiet as possible. Ace expected not so much for Sanji's benefit as Luffy's.
When they reached the bunks Ace tucked Luffy in carefully whilst Zoro tossed Sanji unceremoniously into his.
"You mind if I go back up?" Zoro asked. Though he already knew the answer, he felt compelled to ask. He had been present during Ace and Luffy's earlier conversation and if Ace had anything to say to him it would be now. He was grateful Ace had decided not to make his departure known - It had been a while since any of them had the chance to unwind like tonight and he figured he could squeeze a few more sake in before bed.
"I don't mind." Ace answered as he settled down beside Luffy's bunk.
"You want some time with him." Zoro stated as he grabbed Sanji's ankle and tugged at his shoe.
"Is it that obvious?" Ace asked back, his lips touched by a sorrowful smile.
"Not unless you're looking for it." Zoro answered as he tugged the shoe free and tossed it to the floor; he moved to the other foot.
The uncertainly in Ace was apparent. Usually the freckled man moved and spoke with an air of confidence not unlike Luffy's, yet somehow entirely different. The hesitance in him now seemed out of place but Zoro had no words of comfort to offer him. The decision to stay or go was Ace's alone to make, despite Luffy's earlier 'order' for him to go. Zoro pulled off Sanji's other shoe, dropped it to the floor and grabbed the blanket folded neatly at the foot of his bunk. He flicked it out and tossed it over the chef's lower body.
"It's his life and his call. Staying or going won't change that." Zoro offered as he started to leave. "Luffy doesn't die so easily."
Ace snorted and grinned, then said, "I know that better than anyone."
Satisfied, Zoro made his leave. Up on deck the conversation flowed almost as well as the booze and Zoro felt the atmosphere lighten as he allowed himself to forget about the tension and responsibility and to simply join the group and relax. The crew looked his way as he approached and shuffled positions to make room for him.
"Luffy in bed?" Usopp asked as Zoro settled beside him on the deck. It felt reminiscent of a post-battle celebration. On more than one occasion the fights during their journey had left their captain incapacitated. The gathering now had a nostalgic feel.
"Yeah." Zoro answered. Nami offered him a flagon of rum and he took it gratefully with a smirk. "I won't go down as easily as the Pervy-Cook." He warned.
"Sanji-kun drank only what he wanted to drink." Nami replied, her tongue peeking from between her teeth playfully.
"Sanji-kun drank only what you wanted him to drink!" Usopp challenged as he mimicked Nami's tone.
"If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen!" Nami replied with a nonchalant shrug.
The group erupted in peals of laughter at Nami's choice of metaphor and for the moment their world seemed bigger and lighter again. The suffocating anxiety that had been a constant for so long for the moment was banished from the ship.
"He hasn't had any bad dreams lately." Robin mentioned. For the longest time even Choppers medicine couldn't keep Luffy's nightmares at bay.
"He's been sleeping longer, too." Nami agreed with a smile. It was nice to actually be able to talk about Luffy's improvements instead of his decline. "Talking more, moving more."
"His wounds are healing well!" Chopper added, happily. "No infection and the inflammation from his fight the other night is down."
"Wasn't he awesome though!?" Franky enthused. "I thought we were in trouble but then outta nowhere, bam!"
"He was so amazing!" Chopper agreed.
"You were pretty damn amazing yourself!" Franky said. Chopper squirmed at the compliment
"He's starting to trust us again." Robin said.
"I don't think he ever stopped trusting us." Zoro replied. "He just didn't know whether he could trust it was us."
"Luffy-san is very strong." Brook stated. "I've chosen a good man to follow, yoho!"
"I'll toast to that!" Franky agreed as he lifted his glass. The rest of crew followed suit and drank their respective drinks, then dished out refills.
"Has… anybody else had any bad dreams?" Usopp asked suddenly, his voice hesitant, uncertain.
All at once the atmosphere darkened at the suggestion of the innocent question. Usopp looked from once crew member to the next in panic.
"F-Forget I said anything!" he burst out, "It's a stupid question! I was just curious is all!"
"It's not stupid." Nami said, solemnly. She gaze intently at Usopp. "And you're a terribly liar."
"I… I didn't mean anything by it…" Usopp explained, feebly. "I just wondered if... I mean, if anybody else…" he trailed off and seemed to with under Nami's scrutiny, though there was no malice in it.
"Are you having dreams?" she questioned
Usopp fidgeted, "A couple. Bad dreams; nightmares." he confessed reluctantly.
"What about?" Chopper asked curiously, a gentle concern in his tone.
Usopp looked down at uncertainly. For a moment he considered spinning a web of lies to hide the answer he didn't want to give. He could feel Nami's eyes on his though and his throat bobbed with an anxious swallow. "I dreamed of Luffy." He finally answered. "About what I did to him."
The admission hung heavy in the air between them.
"I've dreamt about it too," Nami confessed. "At first I just thought I was imagining what I might have…" she trailed off, blinked back tears that threatened to spill and swallowed the lump in her throat. "But now… I think maybe they're memories."
"I too, have had a dream or two," Brook announced solemnly. "Though it's hazy and confusing. I didn't think they could have been real."
The crew were still, stagnating in a suffocating atmosphere.
"I don't want to remember," Chopper wailed, suddenly. "Not at all! It's bad enough seeing the injuries. I can imagine what happened. Now I know it was us I can see Zoro and Sanji and… me… everybody! We all hurt him, so… I don't want to remember."
"It's not like we have a choice." Nami mumbled.
"There is! I can make medicine! A strong medicine! It could help us sleep without dreaming! We could all—"
"Fall prey to the navy while we sleep peacefully?" Zoro interrupted, "Chopper, this isn't something we can hide from."
"I don't want medicine." Nami said, sternly.
"Me neither." Usopp agreed, "I don't want to know what I did. I… don't want to remember. The nightmares are horrible and I'm scared, but in a way they help me understand what Luffy went through."
"There no need for Luffy to carry the burden of those memories alone anymore." Robin added as she offered Chopper a sympathetic smile.
The young doctor looked from one crew member to the next in their explanations, stared thoughtfully at his hooves in his lap for a moment, then muttered, "I don't want Luffy to bear that burden alone, either."
Usopp smiled widely and placed a hand atop Choppers hat. "C'mon, how about we finish up our drinks and call it a night? We've all gotta be up early tomorrow."
"Yeah…" Chopper muttered, nervously. "Do we really have to sail so soon? Luffy's still got a lot of healing to do."
"We can't stay here." Zoro stated. He knew that staying put would only allow the fear and anticipation to fester amongst the crew. "We need to keep moving."
"Nami-san, have you set a course for the next island?" Brook asked, a lilt of excitement in his voice. "Perhaps there will be throes of young ladies, feasts, parades!"
Chopper's eyes sparkled at the prospect, anxiety quashed. "What kind of feasts?" he asked.
"Exotic cuisine!" Brook fantasised. "Spit roasts! Barbeque! Platters upon platters!"
"Hahhh!" Chopper noised. "It sounds so good!"
Nami didn't bother interrupting the fantasy by telling them their next island was a bustling trade outcropping. Four days smooth sailing away, the Strawhats aimed to complete the main leg of the journey in a single day. Through multiple trips to shore, Franky had managed to procure enough cola for five coup-de-bursts. The hold was stacked with seventeen barrels of cola. With three barrels per burst that would leave two barrels over for operation of the paddle wheels. It was risky as it left them without any cola to attack with their cannon should the need arise, but the greatest threat at the moment was the haunted waters.
By Nami's calculations, combining both the coup de burst, the paddle wheels and the collective man power of the crew in rowing, they could reduce the three day journey down to a day and a half. They would have to continue sailing through the night and that was where things got complicated. From Robin's books of lore and legend the ghosts only struck at night so something would need to be done to prevent any of them even approaching Luffy during that time. It was something they had discussed at length both with and without Luffy.
"We need to get to the island first." Nami stated, "So let's go over this one more time."
"Up at dawn, prepare for sail." Usopp started, mechanically. It wasn't the first time they had gone over the plan for tomorrow.
"Seventeen barrels of cola stocked – enough for five full Coup-de-Bursts." Franky continued. "Repairs to the galley door and table are done and railing repairs will be finished before we set off."
"Luffy will stop all pain medication (comment: can't stop the antibiotics, besides, none of those affect mental faculties) about an hour before sunset." Chopper added, reluctantly. He wasn't happy with the idea of Luffy in pain but he knew their captain needed his wits about him.
"Each Burst will be used sparingly as the propulsion will carry the ship at greater speed even after we hit the water." Usopp chimed in again.
"All crew members are to remain in groups. Franky, Usopp and Zoro will help load and maintain the cola barrels; Sanji and Chopper will maintain position of the sails; Brook, Nami, Luffy and I will be the eyes on deck for anomalies." Robin explained.
"We have baby Den-Dens in place for communication between the groups." Nami instructed as she sighed out a breath. "Then comes sunset."
"Before the sun sets, if we haven't already, all groups will regroup on deck." Brook piped up. "With chains, yoho!"
"I doubt chains will hold Zoro for long," Usopp muttered, "Nor Franky at that, but if we're all restrained it's less for Luffy to deal with if the worst comes to the worst."
"I got my hand on three sets of Seastone cuffs from a black market dealer on the island. Robin, Brook and Chopper have agreed to wear them." Nami added.
"If it's to help Luffy I don't mind." Chopper stated. They knew prolonged exposure to seastone wasn't good for devil fruit users, but for one night they would suffer it to ensure Luffy's safety.
"For the rest of us it's rope and chains," Franky repeated.
"Our only problem, as Usopp said, is Zoro." Robin stated, "I doubt chains and rope will hold him."
"I don't plan on being controlled by anything again." Zoro retorted with a cocky smirk. "No chance in hell. Let 'em try."
"But if you are then your already freakish strength will be boosted. If we can at least restrain everybody else, Luffy will only have to deal with one of us."
"It's a plan." Brook stated, pride in his voice. "A good one from all of us."
A chorus of agreement sounded around the group as they shared in a final drink. They toasted to their captain and they voyage, and then sat together in quiet conversation until the last drink was gone. Usopp was the first to make a move as he stood and stretched out his muscles. Like a domino affect the remaining crew followed suit. They said their goodnights and headed to their respective cabins to face whatever dreams await them. Tomorrow was a big day, after all. They would sail back over those waters and gamble with their captain's life.
