Poison

Characters: Law, Shachi, Penguin, Bepo. Rating: K+. Warnings: none

There were many things Law hated – Doflamingo, being told what to do and stupidity, to name but a few – but when it came to his crew there was one thing in particular he downright despised.

Poison.

His nakama getting injured was not a preferred scenario, and nor was illness, but poison was its own brand of trouble. Law was a world-class surgeon; injuries were largely little trouble for him. Illnesses were likewise manageable, although irritating, particularly when they were serious. But then there was poison. Oh, Law could deal with it, but it was never something simple (either that, or his nakama couldn't just fall afoul of the simple stuff, no, it had to be the multi-layered potent stuff that would kill in all sorts of creative ways if given a chance).

The problem with poison was that he could remove it, but the effects would still be there, lurking whenever he performed another Scan yet too intertwined in their physical state for even his abilities to prematurely evict. In a way, it resembled Law's own White Lead poisoning, which always liked to rear its head every so often just to remind him that while it was no longer killing him (unless he fed it with enough gluten) it was still there – although in that case it would never be completely gone.

Unlike his childhood disease, the poison's effects would eventually disappear, vanishing on its own terms until it was gone for good. Unfortunately, depending on the poison, the process could be quite slow.

That was why Law was currently sat on the edge of his own bed, which was currently occupied by the mostly asleep Penguin and Shachi. Penguin's concussion had finally cleared, and Shachi's injuries were healed enough that the pair were adamant about not spending another night in the infirmary under Law's careful supervision. However, while the vomiting was finally over and he could mostly wander around as if he was perfectly fine, there remained a tremor in Shachi's right arm that bothered Law.

There was no way the ginger was attempting to climb up into his bunk with that, not on Law's watch, and while he knew Penguin would happily share, Law intended on keeping the ginger under his supervision until the last of the symptoms had gone. There was nowhere for Law to stay in their room (they might offer for the three of them to all cram into one bed, but it was a tough squeeze and Law wasn't think that was particularly useful in this situation), nor did he like to enter uninvited, so he'd told Shachi that returning to sleep in his own room was not happening.

He hadn't even pretended to be surprised when both Penguin and Shachi took that as an invitation to invade his own room, with its larger bed (captaincy had its perks). They'd flopped onto it inelegantly, sprawling out as if they owned the place, and promptly fallen asleep. Law didn't miss the captain-sized gap between the pair of them, although he'd chosen to perch on the edge for several minutes, watching them both breathe and remembering how easily that could have no longer been the case.

They were both strong, but Law knew well that 'strong' meant nothing in the face of 'stronger'. And there was always something stronger.

The door opened, almost silently, and he looked up to see Bepo entering, silent on unclad feet. The mink said nothing, but there was a blanket in his paws and without ceremony he settled on the floor, beneath where Shachi's trembling right arm was dangling out from the covers. He nuzzled against it gently for a moment before looking up at Law expectantly, sending pointed glances at the space between Penguin and Shachi.

Law knew his navigator was telling him to stop fussing and go to sleep already, but he wanted to watch his nakama sleep – alive when they could so easily have been otherwise if he'd taken just a little longer to reach the cave – a while longer.

"I can hear you thinking from over here," Penguin mumbled, apparently not as asleep as Law thought. "Turn that brain of yours off for a while and get some sleep." At a lack of supporting echoes from Shachi, Law inferred that the ginger was actually asleep. Bepo nudged his leg firmly, and while Law hated being told what to do, he conceded enough to carefully clamber over Shachi to settle in the gap. Penguin promptly clung to him like a limpet, a gesture that was as much restraining as it was supportive (even though they both knew Law could simply Room away if he wanted to) and Law heard his breathing even out.

Incapable of surrendering to sleep so easily, Law reached out with one hand for Shachi, his fingers threading through ginger hair – it was getting long again, Shachi would probably be asking him to cut it in the not too distant future – to rest on his pulse point. A Scan would have been just as effective at recording the ginger's life signs, but it would also have highlighted everything that was wrong, everything Law hadn't been able to completely fix, and Law needed to feel the positives, not the negatives.

Shachi was strong. Shachi was beating the poison – it was taking time, but he was winning – and Law wasn't going to let him out of his sight until he'd won.

Judging by Penguin and Bepo's presences, he wasn't the only one.

A loose follow-on from Trapped and Rescue (Chapters 127 and 131).

In Punk Hazard, even though Law removes all traces of the drug from the children they still need to go for further treatment with Vegapunk, so as amazing as the Ope Ope no Mi is, I don't think Law's yet at the level where he can entirely remove everything without the aid of more conventional treatment.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari