Hi guys, here is your Luffymero again with a new chapter!

I hope you all had a perfect start into the new year. I wish you all the best and may all your wishes and dreams come true this year!

I don't have much to say about this chapter, except that this time I'm more convinced and satisfied with what I wrote haha.

Oh yeah, and also you can expect lots of Luffy!angst again! I hope as always that you like it and would be very happy about a feedback!

Have fun!

The news of the awakening of their captain spread relatively quickly across the Sunny and before the crew knew it, they were all gathered around Luffy's bed in the sickroom.

Out of joy, the first things they did when they entered the room was to hug him tightly, while pestering him with questions about whether he was well and also scolded him for giving them such a fright. The straw hats were really surprised, as they didn't expect such an early awakening from Luffy, when even Chopper couldn't tell exactly when he would wake up or wake up at all.

Despite the fact that they could finally breathe a sigh of relief after whole 5 days of waiting, the current mood was not the best…

"So that means...I'm going to die?"

"Y-yes…"

Still looking a little tired and pale, Luffy sat cross legged with his back against the headboard of the bed, trying to process the shocking news about his health. The raven haired had already thought that his illness was not a common one, but he had not expected it to be so fatal.

Now, of all times, when they were so close to the end of their journey, he had to fall seriously ill. It felt like a joke. A really bad one.

"How much time do I have left?" Luffy inquired in a monotone voice, so that it was not possible for his nakama to assess his feelings.

The others didn't know the answer to that question yet, either, and unconsciously held their breath as they waited for Chopper's response.

"I can't say that for sure, but with my treatment and prototype medicine, I'm guessing about 3 months, but maybe 4." Chopper answered uneasily, feeling guilty for not being able to heal his captain completely.

Only a few months

Only a few months until their guiding light would go out and leave them forever in the dark.

Luffy felt the despair and sadness of his crew, as he would abandon them all without any of them being able to fulfill their dreams. At that moment the 19 year old felt like crying, but he couldn't lose his composure and felt compelled to cheer up his friends. After all, that was his job as a captain, and he would never let them give up, not as long as he was still alive.

"Hey, guys, don't make such faces as if I were already dead! I'm still sitting in front of you and I'm actually doing great!" Laughed Luffy with his arms stretched wide, he grinned as broadly as ever to make his words even more convincing. And this time he didn't even have to lie, because he honestly felt much better than before.

Everyone just stared at their captain in disbelief and let their eyes wander over him. If they didn't know that he had been dying a few minutes ago, they would have thought that the raven haired had just woken up from a short nap. Except for the pallor on his skin and his tired appearance, he looked the same as always and no one would even think that he was terminally ill.

"And besides, there has to be a solution for me to be healed again, right Chopper? You mentioned something about a proro...poto...something like that." Luffy tilted his head slightly to the side, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he looked expectantly at the ship's doctor. Chopper jumped down from his little swivel chair and reached into his refrigerator to pull out a small vial containing a slightly pink colored substance.

"This is a prototype of my all-healing medicine. It is unfortunately not yet developed to the point of being able to cure every disease, but it is at least able to alleviate the symptoms of your illness, Luffy." Explained Chopper, as he showed the small bottle once around.

"Wow, Chopper you're amazing!" Luffy proudly praised him, with all his friends feeling the same way.

Normally Chopper would react playfully as usual, this time it was different.

"No, I'm not." He grumbled, not taking his eyes off the vial.

"Of course you are! Just look what-" Usopp trailed off when he realized how serious Chopper's expression was.

"If I were that great, I would've finished developing this medicine and would now be able to cure my captain. Clearly, I am not capable of that." The reindeer spoke, and the disappointment was clear in his voice. Then a few tears rolled out of his round eyes, showing how heartbroken he was, because he was actually failing his best friend, who had made this trip possible for him in the first place, so badly.

Just what kind of doctor was he?

Doctor Kureha would surely be just as disappointed with him.

"I-I'm ss-so terribly sorry, Luffy!" Chopper cried bitterly and jumped into Luffy's arms, burying his face deep in his shirt. At this sight and the fact that they were all in the same hopeless situation, a few of the other crew members also had a few tears running down their cheeks.

Of course, Luffy wouldn't be Luffy if he didn't remain optimistic even in such a moment. Comfortingly, he stroked the little doctor's back.

"Don't cry, Chopper. I'm not going to die! It's going to be all right!" Luffy smiled down at him, but Chopper couldn't look up into his face and kept his face buried in his shirt. He felt so ashamed.

"No, you'll only be fine temporarily. If I don't finish the cure, you'll...you'll..." Chopper couldn't finish saying it, and just shook his head in denial. The rest of the straw hats were no different and just stood there in silence, their gaze drifting to the ground. They felt even more helpless than their small reindeer, since they were not even able to alleviate the symptoms of their friend's illness.

Luffy, on the other hand, put his hand on the reindeer's head and made him look at him.

"Well then, we have no choice but to help you finish the cure!" Luffy grinned widely, as if it was the easiest thing ever.

"But...but it's not as easy as you think! We don't even know where we can find the missing medicinal herbs. There's also the possibility that it might be too late, since we don't have much time." Chopper countered sniffling, tears still flowing uncontrollably down his cheeks and onto Luffy's lap.

"It's still worth a try. Until we try, we can't know." Luffy said and let his gaze wander over his friends, who were now also looking up at him again with hope at the words of their captain.

"Giving up has never been an option for the straw hats. We have to try at least." Zoro also spoke up now and grinned, because they now had an important challenge, which he knew they would pass. He would rather sacrifice his own life than give up the life of his best friend and captain.

Little by little, the straw hats began to cheer up again, they just couldn't admit defeat yet. On their journey, they had made the impossible possible until now, so what should have changed now?

"You've saved us from the most difficult situations often enough. Now it's our turn to do the same for you, Luffy!" Nami shouted firmly, clenching her fist.

"Yeah, that's right!" Everyone agreed with her loudly.

"Now it's our turn! Leave it to us Captain!" Franky exclaimed and made his usual super-position with his big arms.

Luffy smiled even wider than before, which this time even reached his eyes, and looked back at the little doctor.

"You see, Chopper? Everyone believes in it, so you should too! You're also a member of my crew, aren't you?" The black haired boy tried to convince him further and looked deep into the teary eyes of his nakama.

Chopper nodded vigorously, wiping away his tears and the snot on his face with his arm.

"I-I promise you, that I'll do everything possible to save you!" Promised Chopper, now also in firm conviction. If he couldn't do that, he could never call himself a real doctor anyway.

"Well then, that's settled now! Let's go straight to the next island, shishishi!" Yelled Luffy and laughed heartily.

All his friends looked at him admiringly, and at that moment they realized once again how much they had missed Luffy in the last few days. To endure a few days without him had already been difficult. So, to lead their remaining life's without him would be infeasible.

Suddenly, an all-too-familiar loud growl could be heard in the room, which of course came from Luffy's stomach.

"Oh no, so you meant earlier that I slept for 5 days? Then that would mean I've missed 25 meals! Sanji I need meat!" Luffy cried, holding his poor empty stomach. Everyone, except their doctor, started laughing at Luffy's ridiculous math calculation. Typically, when it came to eating again, his brain automatically worked well.

"No Luffy, there's no more solid food for you for a while!" Said Chopper sternly and hopped back down from Luffy's lap.

"WHAT?! But why? I won't get full otherwise!" Luffy complained, looking at Chopper in bewilderment.

"Luffy you may not realize it, but you are still seriously ill, which for you means you're on a strict diet! No more hard to digest foods and also no solid food, until your stomach recovers!" Answered the little doctor, whereupon he immediately gathered his utensils for an examination.

"But Chopper!"

"No buts!" Chopper scolded.

The others smiled amused at their captain, knowing right away that he would not like the diet when he woke up.

"I've already made a perfect meal plan for you Luffy. And today, meat broth is on the menu for you." Sanji told him before heading towards the galley to prepare the food for him, thereupon Luffy only pouted.

"Don't make such a fuss now Luffy. You'll get through this." Nami smiled and patted him encouragingly on the shoulder. The raven haired just looked at his navigator annoyed. Of course she couldn't care less, after all, he was the one who didn't get anything real to eat.

—

After their sweet moment, they all went back to their daily routines, but this time with a firm goal of heading to the next island and saving Luffy from his bad fate. They were no longer the desperate straw hats of a few hours ago, who seemed lost without their captain.

Now, Chopper decided to gave Luffy a thorough examination and was about to listen to his heart, as he pulled out his stethoscope.

"How much longer Chopper?" The impatient young captain wanted to know, who was already quite bored with the whole checkup. He just couldn't wait to finally get out onto the deck and get some fresh air.

"It's almost done. I still need to listen to your heart, so can you lift up your shirt, please?" The reindeer replied, holding his stethoscope ready. He wasn't too keen on torturing the young boy like that either, but Chopper just had to be sure that everything was okay with him, before sending him out so quickly. To be honest, he didn't think it was a good idea to let Luffy out of bed so soon. He should rather take it easy for a few more days.

But Chopper didn't even try to persuade his captain to stay in bed for a little while longer, because there was nothing more difficult to do than that. He preferred to save himself the strain.

"Yeah, yeah…this is soo boring!" Grumbling, Luffy followed Chopper's instructions and grabbed the hem of his shirt, exposing his chest to the ship's doctor. Without hesitation, the reindeer doctor placed the chest piece of the stethoscope over Luffy's heart and listened attentively. After the heart, his other organs were also examined.

During this, Luffy watched Chopper's face closely, as if he wanted to find out if something was wrong. At some points, the reindeer's face was contorted, as if something didn't suit him. For his taste, Luffy's heartbeat was rather irregular and beat sluggishly every now and then. In addition, a rasping sound could be heard when he breathed in and out. It didn't seem too tragic yet, however he had to keep an eye on the two issues.

Overall, Luffy seemed to be doing a lot better, but the question was for how long?

When Chopper finally finished, he turned his stethoscope aside, only to take a syringe and then get a dose of his pink medicine from the refrigerator.

"Except for a few minor things, you seem to be fine again, Luffy. But you must not overexert yourself from now on. And that means, above all, no more fighting. Your gears are off limits anyway, do you understand? Any overtiredness or overexertion could have fatal consequences, so please be careful." Chopper explained and once again Luffy was reminded about the seriousness of his situation. It was suffocating him already.

"No more fighting?! But-" Luffy wanted to protest, but was interrupted by his doctor.

"No buts! I'm serious Luffy! You could have a relapse at any time!"

"Ok, ok, I promise you!" Luffy rolled his eyes at Chopper's overprotectiveness. He was feeling better, so there was no reason to worry. Besides, they would soon be able to make the cure anyway, and all the hardships would be forgotten.

Again, he was miles off the mark, not knowing yet that it was only the beginning.

"And now give me your wrist. I'm going to give you one dose of this medicine a day, and you're also going to take an extra pill." Chopper explained his intentions and took Luffy's thin wrist between his hooves to inject the vaccine in the next step. Luffy squeezed his eyes shut because he couldn't stand the feeling of the syringe pricking his skin.

"Are you done now? Can I go?" The black haired boy now inquired and already felt his stomach digesting itself, so much was he starving.

"Yes, you can go, but remember what I told you! And eat slowly, your stoma-" Before the little ship's doctor could finish speaking, his impatient captain had grabbed his straw hat, which was lying next to him on the nightstand, and had already sprinted out of the room.

Shaking his head, Chopper sighed deeply and hoped that everything would turn out all right. Luffy was pretty unpredictable, and damn reckless to boot, so you couldn't help but worry.

It was a bad idea of Luffy to run immediately after five days of bed rest. He was completely controlled by his stomach and didn't let anything show, although he was quite wobbly on his feet and also unusually out of breath from this small distance from the sickroom to the kitchen.

He thought nothing more and figured he just needed some food to get back on his feet.

The tantalizing smell of food was the first thing he noticed when he entered the galley. Sanji, who was just turning away from the stove, noticed Luffy's presence and greeted him, but strangely more nicely than usual. Normally, the blond chef would chase the rubber boy out of the galley if he appeared too early at the table before dinner.

"I know you're starving, so why don't you sit down and get started. The others will be here in a minute, too." Sanji told Luffy after blowing out the smoke from his cigarette.

"Oh yeah, thanks Sanji!"

The black haired boy didn't need to be told twice and took his seat, where he was served his meat broth in the next moment. With a grim look he stared at his meal and then let his gaze wander to the rest of the food on the table. Everything looked so irresistible, but all he got was a stupid broth. It was so unfair.

Before the others arrived, the raven haired had quickly shoveled the broth into his mouth together with some bread and swallowed it. But after a while, Luffy realized that his stomach didn't like that at all. Suddenly, he felt so nauseous that he thought he would vomit it all out again at any moment. Just then, the others entered the dining room.

"Oh, you're already eating Luffy?" Nami wondered, taking a seat across from him. Luffy managed with difficulty to keep his food in his stomach before he could answer the navigator.

"Yeah…I was so starving!"

The navigator looked at him skeptically and suddenly noticed how pale his face became. Was it really a good idea to let him run around on the ship already?

"Are you alright, Luffy?"

"Yeah, you look like you're going to throw up or something. Are you ok?" Usopp, who also noticed his pallor, asked.

"I-I'm fine." Swallowed Luffy and still tried with all his might to suppress the nausea. His two friends then realized the problem.

"Maybe you should've eaten a little slower, after all, you just woke up."

That was exactly what Chopper had tried to warn him about, but he hadn't listened. Maybe he wasn't doing as well as he had thought before.

Fortunately, the nausea subsided after a short time, after which he then asked for a few more servings of the broth until his hunger was finally satisfied.

It was a nice dinner for the first time in a long time. Everyone ate and made fun together, as if nothing had happened. They were too fooled by Luffy's temporarily improved condition and didn't even think much about it. They just had missed the feeling of carelessness too much.

~Two days later~

Luffy had relied too much on Chopper's medication, but within two days he realized, that it didn't really change much as it had on the first day. But he would never admit this to the others, especially not to Chopper, who was already desperate because of his illness and was doing research day and night.

The young captain had been sitting on his favorite place on the figurehead since noon and had not moved a single inch. Or rather, he didn't have the strength to do anything else. He felt so incredibly weak and tired, as if he was constantly in contact with sea stone. Since he had awakened again, he had probably overexerted himself too much, which now let the disease return with full force.

Not that it had ever subsided, only that the symptoms had been somewhat alleviated.

Luffy could feel it all over his body. He felt this insidious illness eating away at him from the inside and robbing him of all his strength. And the worst part was that there was nothing he could do about it but endure it.

The young captain knew he had to tell the others, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, not when his crew was already worried about him and constantly asked him if he was all right.

How he hated that question.

He hated having to look at the worried faces day after day. He hated that he was the reason for the suffering of his friends. He hated this disease from the bottom of his soul that had brought him to such a state. And he hated himself because he was not able to overcome it.

Why couldn't everything be the way it was before?

Luffy decided to close his heavy eyelids for a moment and tried to enjoy the beautiful sea breeze together with the wonderful weather. The wind that passed over his clammy skin made him tremble slightly. In addition, the blazing sun was getting to him a bit as a few beads of sweat were now also forming on his forehead and running along his pale face, making him really uncomfortable. He suddenly felt so hot.

So unbearably hot…

When Luffy opened his eyes again, he was startled to realize how blurry his vision was. Whatever was going on with him seemed to be getting drastically worse.

"Luffy, are you okay?"

Again this stupid question.

He slowly turned his head back and caught sight of the long nosed boy watching him anxiously. He had to blink a few times to get rid of the blurriness, which fortunately subsided.

"Huh? Ah, yeah Usopp, I'm fine!" Luffy replied, and his friend's expression changed. Usopp grinned as he waved two fishing rods in his hands.

"Well come on then, let's go fishing! According to Nami, there are supposed to be cool fish in this area!"

Despite the fact that Luffy didn't exactly feel in shape for it, he couldn't contain the excitement.

"Oh really?!"

"Yeah, and if you don't hurry up, you won't get the better fishing rod!" Usopp teased his captain as he ran off right after.

"H-hey, that's not fair! I'm coming...!" Luffy called after him, but that was easier said than done.

He wiped the sweat from his brow as he then carefully tried to get up on his shaky legs. Once that was accomplished, the next hurdle to surmount was dizziness. The sick boy suddenly felt so dizzy that he thought he was going to fall over. Just in time, he held on to the figurehead and stayed that way for a few seconds, until he was sure he could stand up straight.

Then, with his willpower alone, he managed to run after Usopp.

Bad idea, he realized, because when Luffy reached the grassy deck below, he was completely out of breath. He took in ragged and fast breaths, each more painful than the other, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get enough oxygen into his lungs, they were as if constricted. In a bending position, he supported himself with both hands on his knees and desperately tried not to collapse. Luffy slowly raised his head and saw through half open eyes how his friend had already sat down on the railing and and was eagerly fishing.

When Usopp heard the strained gasping behind him and turned around, it almost knocked him off the railing.

"L-Luffy? Are you alright?!" Usopp's voice was panicked as he then carelessly dropped the fishing rod to rush to his struggling captain's side.

"I-it's...hahh...it's fine...hahh." Said Luffy while he was still panting and a weak smile appeared on his lips.

"Are you su-...Oi Luffy!"

The strength in Luffy's already unstable legs was completely spent and he lost his balance, causing him to fall to his knees. But just as Usopp tried to catch him and help, Luffy dodged his arms.

"I-I'm sure...haah...I...I just need...a moment...*cough* *cough*"

Usopp felt completely helpless and overwhelmed when Luffy now also went into a small coughing fit. He really needed to call for help, but just as he was about to call Chopper, he was stopped directly by Luffy.

"Hold on, Usopp...I'm okay. I'm better now." Gasped the raven haired boy and straightened up again, only to look into the suspicious face of his best friend.

"Are you really sure about that? You should definitely go to see Chopper..."

"Y-yeah maybe…but Chopper is too busy, so I don't want to cause him any more trouble. And besides, it's my own fault, because Chopper told me not to overexert myself." Luffy explained, who had now recovered to some extent from his little seizure.

"But..." Usopp trailed off as he let his gaze dart toward the infirmary and then back to Luffy.

His captain was right, and Chopper did indeed have a lot on his plate, but Luffy's health came first. Uncertainly, the long nosed man looked at his sickly friend.

"Oh, and besides, I'm really tired right now. We can go fishing later." Luffy added with droopy eyes and wiped his sweaty forehead.

He found it incredibly difficult to keep himself on his feet and if he didn't quickly make his way to his bunk, he would fall over in front of his friend and in turn attract attention. That was the last thing he wanted.

"Oh…Alright Luffy, if there's nothing else wrong with you…I'm really sorry for pushing you to run. It's my fault you feel so tired now." Apologized Usopp, who just couldn't get used to Luffy being too sick to go along with everything like he always did.

"Don't worry. After a nap I'll be better again! So see you later!"

As quickly as his body would allow him, Luffy went to the men's cabin, leaving the sniper behind.

When he got there and closed the door behind him, he slumped to the floor. His energy was completely drained from his aching body. Moreover, Luffy still felt so hot, as if he were burning up from the inside. Here in the cool room, he realized that it was not the sun that was responsible for it.

The 19 year old couldn't explain why he suddenly felt so terrible again. He had been getting a dose of Chopper's miracle medicine every day, and he also took his extra pill. Chopper had said that it was not a permanent solution and that his condition would still get worse, but he had not expected it to happen so quickly.

Unless the medicine was completely useless, which would only make their little doctor despair even more…

The only thing the medication had stopped, though, was the blood coughing, for which Luffy was very grateful.

As the young captain's vision started to blur and the dizziness plagued him again, he dragged himself with sluggish movements to his hammock and let himself fall onto it, breathing heavily.

Without any further thought, he fell into a dreamless, yet restless sleep, hoping that he would feel better later.

—

A loud thunder and crash made Luffy startle from his sleep.

Out of reflex, he sat up and let his eyes wander through the dark room. At first he was a little confused and had no idea where he was, but after his eyes got used to the darkness, he recognized the room and his bed.

The black haired felt how violently his heart hammered against his chest, which made him immediately remember, what had woken him so abruptly from his sleep.

Another cracking thunder sounded, with the ship beginning to rock at the same time, causing Luffy's hammock to shake as well.

Luffy tried to listen more closely and gasped loudly as panicked shouting reached his ears from outside on the deck.

Oh no!

His friends were in danger!

In a flash, Luffy's protective instinct kicked in, whereupon he immediately jumped up from his bed, which he noticed in surprise was pretty damp with his sweat. Luffy only now realized that the hot feeling had not left him, and when his feet hit the wooden floor, they instantly threatened to give way.

He toppled onto his left side against the wall, where he struggled to stay on his feet. The raven haired had thought that if he slept a little, this faint feeling would go away, but to his horror it was the opposite.

To the already unbearable symptoms were now added a hellish headache and aching limbs. But for now Luffy decided to ignore it, even though it was not an easy task to do.

As he slowly made his way toward the door, he had to fight hard not to lose consciousness. The constantly rocking back and forth of the ship did not help his condition at all, especially not his already rebelling stomach.

Again and again, his legs buckled under him, but he managed to pick himself up, until he finally reached the door, and the next moment he found himself on the grassy deck. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of the storm from which his friends were trying to find a way out.

"Zoro! Sanji! Haul in the sails at once! And Jinbei steer hard to port! We should reach the next island very soon!" Nami instructed loudly as she attentively followed the needles of the log pose on her arm.

All the other members tried to help, as well as they could or held onto something to avoid being swept away by the storm and the high waves.

"Do you know where Luffy is?" Chopper inquired anxiously, unable to find his sick captain anywhere.

"He said earlier that he wanted to lie down and sleep for a bit." Usopp replied, clawing even harder at the big mast as he was about to lose his grip.

"I-I'm over here!" Yelled Luffy, who had meanwhile leaned against the railing and tried with the last strength to hold on.

"Is everyone okay?" The raven haired croaked out and could feel his strength dwindling by the second. He started to panic as he couldn't hold on much longer and he felt his already sweaty hands slowly lose their grip on the wet rungs of the railing.

"We're fine, but you definitely shouldn't be out here! Get back inside!" Shouted Chopper and you could hear the fear for his captain in his voice. From his position, his sharp eyes could see exactly how weakly Luffy was clinging to the railing.

Luffy looked up with distorted vision at Chopper, who was standing together with Nami at the railing in front of the galley door, and out of nowhere, black dots appeared in front of his eyes, taking more and more of his vision away.

At the same time, he lost all the feeling in his limbs and before he knew it, he was about to fall limply to the ground.

What he didn't catch, however, was how the green haired swordsman prevented his body from hitting the grassy floor in time and caught him safely in his strong arms.

"Luffy!"

Zoro tried to shake him awake again, but in vain. His captain was completely unconscious, and to his horror, he noticed a high heat radiating from his body that he could even feel through his cold, wet clothes.

"Oh no Luffy!" The others yelled frantically, as they watched the scene in front of them.

"The heavy storm has worsened his condition! Zoro you have to bring him inside, NOW!" Shouted Chopper full of terror at the terrible sight of his captain in Zoro's arms. The ship's doctor had already guessed that this would happen.

Zoro lifted his gaze from Luffy's pale form in his arms, and just as he was struggling against the strong storm to bring his captain safely inside, a sudden high wave crashed onto the deck and swept him together with Luffy overboard.

"ZORO! LUFFY!"

TBC

Ooops I did another cliffhanger haha!
So that's it again for this chapter! Did you like it? Please let me know in the comments below!

Stay healthy! See ya next time! :D