About a hundred meters from the cave, in the middle of the night, Katakuri had just finished digging his brother's grave and placed his corpse inside. He had then undressed him in order to analyze his body and understand what could have killed him. But no matter how much the boy inspected Daifuku from head to toe with a torch, he saw nothing abnormal on his skin.
"There is nothing on the body! To find out what happened to him, I may have to open his stomach to see the state of his organs. "
Nevertheless, refusing to dissect his brother's body, Katakuri eventually shook his head and preferred to let Daifuku rest in peace.
However, coming out of the tomb, Katakuri sat cross-legged, while contenting himself with looking at the body of the deceased.
"Daifuku...why did you die? And why couldn't it save you?"
"Hey, Kaku-i." Luffy called out suddenly, coming up behind him.
"Mugiwara?" He wondered.
"The others told me you were going to bury it yourself! I thought you might have a hard time being able to do it on your own."
"I'm strong enough to dig his grave and bury him." Katakuri asserted.
" I wasn't talking about that. " Luffy retorted. "Nami...she was in the same situation as you, when Kaya died and...she couldn't find the strength to bury her."
" I can't afford that." Katakuri retorted. "I have to bury it! I could never bear to put it down somewhere and watch it rot."
"You liked him." Luffy understood.
"Of course." Katakuri affirmed. "After all, he was my brother."
"How are the others?" Katakuri asked, while they covered Daifuku's body with earth, thanks to large pieces of bark, which acted as shovels.
" They are recovering from their emotions. " Luffy explained to him. "That's at least the second person they've seen die in front of their eyes! And the fourth person Nami has seen die! Right now, I guess they're watching over the sick."
Noting that a strange silence had fallen around us, Katakuri ended up asking him.
"Are you going to tell me the real reason you came here?"
" I really came to help you. " Luffy retorted.
However, as there was a moment of silence afterwards, Luffy asked.
"Kaku-i...do you think we're infected too?"
"Who knows?" Katakuri replied. "But given the situation, there is a good chance that we are also contaminated by this filth."
"So you think we're going to die."
"I didn't say that but...it could happen."
When the tomb was completely filled in, Katakuri threw away his piece of bark before going towards the cave. Nevertheless, he saw fit to say.
"That's why I advise you not to have any illusions! Actually, it seems that this disease is much more dangerous than the monsters that live here."
"Truly, I find it a bit disappointing to die like this." Luffy said.
Seeing him oddly relaxed, Katakuri questioned him.
"Aren't you afraid to die?"
"Of course but... complaining is useless! instead, if anyone has any idea how we can survive, I'll listen to them and make sure to save everyone... including you and your brothers."
Listening to him, Katakuri looked surprised. Then, finally, he nodded, before affirming.
"I want to save them too! And not just my brothers."
Then, Luffy saw him staring at him, all while declaring.
" Mugiwara ... Failure doesn't always mean checkmate! We have very little chance of getting out of this! Nevertheless, we must still try to find the cause of this disease! Remember that we are working now together."
Hearing this, Luffy confessed to him.
"Kaku-i, I don't like you very much! And the others are suspicious of you, while Weak-hoshi is still terrified of you."
Properly putting his hat on his head, he then smiled, before saying.
"Nevertheless, I think we can still form a good team, if we manage to get along."
"I think too." Katakuri affirmed, starting to walk again.
But their optimism was short-lived.
As Luffy started to follow him, his legs gave out and his vision blurred before turning red.
" But that ... ? "
A second later, Luffy felt like his body temperature had just dropped several degrees and his strength was failing him. In addition, he had terrible pain in his eyes.
" Oh no! It is not possible ! Am I infected? »
That was how Luffy knew he himself was infected.
"Ka...Kaku-i."
" Huh ? "
Katakuri turned around and couldn't hide his surprise, noticing, in the light of his torch, that Luffy was on the ground, while his eyes had just taken on a completely different color.
"They're... red."
"A…so, I got it…I really grabbed it." Luffy realized.
"So if I'm sick… Am I going to die the same way his brother did?"
"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed, noticing the new reddish color in his eyes. "Your...your eyes."
"They're red." Shirahoshi panicked.
" Don't worry! I'm fine. " Luffy lied, trying to reassure them. "Anyway, how are the others?"
"Their condition isn't improving! It's even the opposite for Perospero. " Shirahoshi told him.
Katakuri's older brother was now lying on the ground, instead of Daifuku, worse off than ever.
"And there's also Sanji." Nami said. "He passed out, a little while ago."
"What? Sanji?"
The boy lying on the ground, too, was still conscious. This allowed Luffy to see the new pigmentation in his eyes. They were far from having the same color as those of the others. However, everyone knew it was definitely not going to stay that way.
"Sanji… how are you feeling?" Luffy questioned him.
"Lu...Luffy?" he admitted, with a hint of shame. "Damn it! Once again, you have to support me, while I find myself unable to do anything again! I must be really potyable, right?"
He caught his breath before continuing.
"Hey…Luffy! Answer me seriously! Are…are we all going to die here, do you think?"
"But what are you talking about?" Nami questioned him.
However, only staring at Sanji, Luffy confessed.
"We still don't know how to heal ourselves."
"So it's true?" Sanji understood. "We're all going to die here."
Trying to put on a smile, the boy was able to hide his frustration as he affirmed.
"It's so silly to die like that."
"Don't worry." Shirahoshi said. "You just wobbled a little earlier! Compared to the others, your symptoms seem stable! According to Law's computer, the redness in your eyes is solely due to blood congestion at the 'inside! Just like the protruding eyeballs were only because of the inflammation of your eye muscles! You don't have to worry about it."
"There's no point in not trying to reassure me." He retorted. "Law isn't a doctor and you're just his assistant when he needs help! You can't be sure what you're saying! Besides, Daifuku had the same disease as us. And he died of it. . "
Grinning suddenly, as he felt his eyes burning, he still kept them open, all the while asserting.
"But out of the question that I die! I don't want to die like that! I want to live!
"Please calm down, Sanji-san." Shirahoshi tried to reassure him. "And try to rest."
While she tried to comfort him, Nami took Luffy's arm and pulled him closer to the only free bed.
"Lay down, Luffy! Considering your condition, it's better that you rest too."
"Thanks!" Luffy thanked her, laying down on it.
"What is this disease? " He wondered. "It's not an epidemic anymore, it's actually a pandemic!" Quarantine didn't work out and it may already be too late for treatment! What are we going to become? »
Trying to forget all his worries, Luffy closed his eyes and fell into a half-sleep, as a sudden fever and pain in his eyes kept him awake.
Opening his eyes, Luffy winced in pain, while he saw almost nothing around him. He couldn't tell if it was dark or if his poor eyesight was caused by his illness. However, as he tried to remain conscious, he saw someone leaning over him.
"Ka...Kaku-i..." Luffy muttered, thinking he recognized the boy's face.
"You have a fever, Mugiwara." Katakuri said, putting his hand to his forehead.
Suddenly, he was startled, feeling Luffy's hand grab his scarf and almost tear it.
" That ... ? "
"Kaku-i...save them." Luffy shouted.
Then, suddenly, his fever knocked him down and forced him to go back to sleep. Still, Katakuro noticed that the boy's hand was still gripping his scarf. Forced to unbend his fingers to be free, Katakuri then moved away from the patient.
Then, he sat between Perospero and Tashigi, and seemed to think about a possibility of escaping this disease.
"I may not be contaminated yet, so if I leave now, maybe I could survive! »
The next day, the sunlight burned Luffy's retina, which was even redder than the day before. He had to cover his eyes with his hand so he wouldn't go blind.
"Is it… the… morning?" He wondered, exhausted. "Damn it, I...I haven't been able to...sleep at all and I feel...weak."
" So my condition must not have improved. »
"The rhinoceros." Law suddenly shouted.
Luffy looked at the boy who, lying next to him, was talking and gesticulating while sleeping. "
"Don't come near me, asshole." Law roared, sounding completely delirious.
"Is he having a nightmare? »
"Luffy." Nami exclaimed, noticing that he had woken up. " We have a problem. "
"Anyone else dead?" Luffy panicked.
"No, it's Katakuri! He left without saying anything."
" What ? "
" I had dozed off for a few minutes and when I woke up, he was nowhere to be found. " His friend explained to him.
"He…he's gone?" »
He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Kaku-i...Luffy thought he was cracked, sadistic, brawling...but coward, no one would ever believe him. He left leaving everyone behind, even his brothers.
"But why? And where could he have gone?"
"I have no idea! Still, I looked for him everywhere! Even all around the lake! But he's nowhere! I think he ran away to avoid getting contaminated, too. "
" No, impossible. " Luffy retorted. "He would never have abandoned us! He would have at least stayed until his brothers died."
"But, he really left! He even took his trident with him!" Nami assured. "And Shirahoshi also caught this disease."
"What? Weak-hoshi is...?"
Luffy could see her, lying on the ground, her face sweaty.
" I don't know what to do anymore. " Nami confessed. "Who was now the only person who had not been contaminated.
"Damn it, at this rate, we really are all going to die. »
While drinking at the lake, next to the dormant arsinotherium, Luffy tried to collect his thoughts. For that, he had to fight off a huge migraine that was destroying the inside of his skull.
" I can't do anything! This time, the danger is not a monster that I can defeat with my strength or my intelligence! No, it's an intangible thing, which is just as dangerous as a predator! To say that I'm going to die before I turn eighteen. »
Looking then at the surface of the lake, he had the impression of seeing his reflection transform, to resemble the face of his brother.
"Ace…what should I do?"
Luffy raged inside that he couldn't do anything.
" To think that I can barely use my arms and my legs! Talk about a boss! I must be really pitiful! »
"Finally, it's hard to elect a good leader, isn't it?"
Startled, Luffy turned around, to see Law sitting behind him. Having his loaves in front of his eyes to protect them from the sun, while the boy lay down on the floor, while his fever continued to crush him.
"Tra-o? What are you doing here?"
"I heard you." The boy declared. "Katakuri is gone, isn't he?"
Grimacing in pain, he took a few seconds to fight off a migraine, before declaring.
"He understood that our case was already incurable! No matter what disease we have, we don't have the knowledge or the drugs we need to cure! DAMN IT!"
"You…you really have no idea what we're supposed to do?"
" If I knew, I would have said so. " Law retorted.
Frustrated, the boy groaned.
"To die from a microscopic virus, while we live with monsters as big as trucks...we are truly pathetic."
"Luffy." Nami called out, arriving in front of the pair. "Law! What are you doing here? You know damn well it's bad for you to walk! You need to stay in bed."
"Don't touch me." Luffy ordered her, pushing her away.
She was surprised by his hostile gesture.
"Luffy? What's wrong with you?"
"Don't touch me." Luffy repeated, in a calmer voice. "I'm contagious! Kaku-i was right when he told me that we were very likely to be sick too! He immediately guessed that we were dealing with an epidemic! Unable to do anything about it and being certain to catch it too, he decided to leave."
He paused briefly.
If Law can't save us, no one can! It is for this reason that you must flee too, Nami. "
Surprised, Nami looked at Law, who could only approve.
"It might not be too late yet, if you leave now! Run away and try to find Katakuri! He's your only chance of survival and I'm sure he'll protect you."
" No, I refuse. " Nami retorted.
"Nami, I want you to live." Luffy shouted. "Because for us, it's already over."
"Don't say anything." Nami roared.
"Nami isn't childish." Law shouted. "What do you want to do for us? You're not a doctor! And no matter how willing you are, you can't do anything for us."
"Go away." Luffy ordered.
However, the boy froze when he felt the redhead hug him, all the while starting to cry.
"I don't want to! I don't want to leave without you."
Thinking back to her misadventures, before being found by the two boys, the teenager declared.
"If we hadn't come looking for me...I might be dead by now! You are my friends and...I refuse to leave you."
"We could save you." Luffy retorted. "But right now, you can't."
"I don't care! I wouldn't leave and let you die! Because if that happens, I'd rather kill myself, than have your death on my conscience."
"But Nami, you..."
The arsinotherium, surely awakened by their conversation, got up at this moment and went to wade in the water. Having to get out of its way, Law followed it with his eyes until it entered the water and a detail hit him.
" His eyes! They are … ! No, I must surely be delirious. »
Continuing to try to convince Nami to leave, Luffy noticed that his friend was now staring at the animal, as if he had just seen something surprising.
" Tra-o?
Ignoring him, Law continued to keep his attention on the animal. The rhinoceros swam several meters before disappearing under water, as usual, a sign that it was completely normal.
" Tra-o ? " Said Luffy.
"No, nothing, I must have been dreaming."
Suddenly, he winced in pain, and put his hand back in front of his eyes, which seemed to be on fire.
" DAMN IT ! "
"Law, you have to go back to the cave! You can't stay where it's sunny! Go back to the cave right now."
Yet, a second later, Nami jumped in fear as she heard loud splashing noises. The arsinotherium had just reappeared on the surface and made a series of disorderly gestures, showing that it was drowning.
"Huh? But what's happening to it?" Nami wondered.
It didn't take long for it to disappear under the water again. However, this time, the animal didn't reappear on the surface.
"It ... It drowned?" Luffy wondered.
"What happened to it?" Nami asked, seeing the animal about to die.
Not understanding either, Law was nevertheless certain that the arsinotherieum was a rhinoceros which behaved like a hippopotamus. So it's not supposed to have trouble swimming. Like fish, it wasn't supposed to drown under normal conditions.
The air bubbles created by the animal stopped rising to the surface after a few seconds.
"It's awful." Nami said, realizing that it would never come to the surface again. "To say that it was one of the friendliest animals we had come across."
It was upon hearing that that something clicked in Law's mind.
"It was a docile animal." The boy affirmed.
Suddenly, straightening up, he declared.
"I get it! I know what's going on."
However, screaming in pain, having to move suddenly, the boy collapsed to the ground.
"Tra-o!" Luffy shouted, approaching him.
Reaching out to him, Law grabbed his t-shirt and forced him closer to him.
"Strawhat-ya...you have to listen to me! Our survival depends on it."
Struggling to speak, he declared.
"Do you remember when I told you that this animal had to be aggressive? For me, it was very strange that it was docile! Until now, there had never been such a major error in my database. ''
"What are you trying to tell me?"
"I, too, came to believe it was just docile rhinoceros, but it wasn't." Law continued. "In fact, without our noticing it, this animal was in constant pain! Both it and we suffer from the same ailment."
"What? I don't understand you."
"Those eyes, I wasn't sure at first, but…its eyes were red." Law assured.
"Reds?" Nami repeated, beginning to understand what Law was trying to say. "It was also sick? Shirahoshi noticed that those who caught this disease became very weak! So, is that why this rhinoceros was so little aggressive? I had the impression that it was because we had forced to remain calm in its presence! But it's...! How could it have been contaminated too? "
Trying to think, Luffy understood.
"It's it! It's the rhinoceros who made us sick! It was surely contaminated before coming here and, approaching it, it infected us."
"I don't think so." Law retorted. "Daifuku and Oven have been affected by this disease without having approached the Arsinotherium once! On the contrary, Nami has often approached the animal and yet she seems to be in great shape! I rather think that it was by imitating one of its habits that we in turn became ill."
"Huh? One of its habits? Explain yourself."
"It took me a while to figure it out but now I understand why Nami and Katakuri were spared."
" And ? "
"The fact that they weren't sick coincides a lot with a commonality they had." Said Law
"But what commonality are you talking about?" Nami wanted to know. "Katakuri and I have nothing in common! He's tall! I'm short! He's strong in battle and I'm not! He doesn't like to eat fruit and I..."
She suddenly fell silent and directed her gaze to one of the berry-filled bushes. "
"It would be because…"
"Yes, berries." Law agreed. "They are the ones who are killing us! Just like they did with Daifuku and the rhino! Nami doesn't like their taste and eats other fruits and Katakuri resigned himself to eating them only since yesterday That's why they're not sick! The poison hasn't had time to work on Katakuri yet."
"Okay." Luffy said. "So the berries are poisoned! What should we do to save the others?"
"I...I think...I..."
Stuttering, Law grimaced again and suddenly the boy passed out.
"Tra-o? Oye! TRA-O!"
Starting to shake him, Luffy failed to wake him up. And without Law, Luffy and Nami were left to fend for themselves. Seeing this, Nami tried to think and find a solution.
"Thanks to Law, we know our food is poisoned but...it doesn't matter! We don't have medicine for the poison."
"But...you have no idea how to save the others?" Luffy asked.
Resting her hands on her head, Nami was really trying to think of a possibility.
"No, I don't know! Still, Law has to be right! But we don't have an antidote to these berries and..."
Suddenly, her eyes widening, she declared.
"This all seems right to me, but there's something I can't explain to myself."
" What ? "
"The two rodents, who accompany Shirahoshi...I have often seen them eat berries and seen their small size, they should have been poisoned a long time ago! Yet they did not appear to be dying when I saw them this morning! They were even still eating it."
Hearing this, Luffy forced himself to get up before starting to walk.
"Where are you going?" Nami questioned him, worrying that he was doing something that could hasten his death.
"I'm going to go find those two squirrels! They're the only ones who've eaten a lot of berries without suffering the consequences! So either they're immune or they're absorbing something else that helps destroy the poison inside them!"
"But you're not sure and..."
"I'll do everything I can to help others." Luffy assured. "Until my legs give out and my heart stops beating for good! Which will never happen until I save them."
Listening to him, Alexia nodded before affirming.
"In that case, there will be two of us to save them."
With Luffy: Law / Shirahoshi / Nami / Sanji
With Katakuri: Perospero / Oven / Tashigi (teacher)
With Ace : Thatch / Moda / Marguerite / Whitey Bay / Namur / Atmos / Goldenweek / Gaimon / Squardo / Tate
Other passengers: Usopp / Coby / Vivi / Zoro / Chopper / Johnny / Yosaku / Kid / Wapol / Musshru / Smoker (teacher)
Died: Dalton (pilot) / Kaya / AO / Mero / Curiel / T-Bone (teacher) / Koza / Pudding / Apoo / Daifuku
? : Who is who