Chapter 46

Any minute

The Straw Hat crew slumped around the galley table of their ship, exhausted. The Sunny had just returned to sea after a ten-day call on a small uninhabited island with extreme weather conditions and no one was unhappy to have finally weighed anchor.

Yet everyone had approved when Luffy had suggested to stay for a while to train. Indeed, since their discovery of the power of Haki, developing it had been the priority of the crew and when Nami had laid out the living conditions of their next destination, each had nodded with determination, aware of the importance of making progress to pursue their goals.

The navigator had followed the triple Log-Pose to this deserted piece of land which should allow them to work on themselves without fear of being disturbed since the climate was as changeable as it was violent. The captain's enthusiasm for the idea of putting himself to the test had even redoubled when he had heard this information. The longest and most grueling ten days had then followed for the crew, who had bravely fought the elements to perfect their techniques, each in their area of expertise.

At the time of their disembarkation, winter weather dominated the place and everyone had tried to face it in their own way. Usopp and Chopper had gone to the side of the snow-covered forest to try to grow viable crops. Brook and Franky had tested the effectiveness of their attacks on snowdrifts that slowed and deflected their accuracy. Luffy had directly attacked a huge mountain beaten by the icy wind. Robin had tested her reflexes by trying to catch all the rock fragments the captain was blowing away. Zoro had sat down in the middle of a frozen lake to test his concentration to stay motionless despite the polar air at the risk of falling into water. Nami had purely and simply tried to influence the climate with her weapon for her part.

Everyone had worked hard despite the biting cold hitting the bodies night and day and none of them had sought refuge on the Sunny, struggling to rekindle the meager fire that went out with each gust of wind when they finally took a break. By the end of the ninth day though, burns and frostbite had begun to appear on the crew members and Chopper had sounded the alarm.

On the morning of the twelfth day, the weather had suddenly changed to warm climate, and the bodies had had no time to adapt. Usopp and Nami had fallen ill before the heat broke the still fragile constitutions of the cyborg and skeleton. After the burns due to the cold, the burns due to the blazing sun had appeared and Chopper had decided to stop the training. Everyone had then returned to the Sunny and Nami had planned their next destination with relief.

"We need to stock up; there's not much left," Zoro muttered while placing the few supplies he had found on the table in front of his friends.

"Nami, I'm hungry!" The captain immediately panicked.

"I warned you from the start we wouldn't have enough to last more than twenty days, but you wouldn't listen," the redhead said at his side.

"But I thought we'd find food on this island!" The straw-hat boy persisted.

"Anyway, we'll have to deal with it now because the next land is a fortnight away," she replied.

"Oh…"

"A good thing we've rationed ourselves so far," Usopp grimaced, repositioning a bandage on his arm.

"We need to stock up on medicine too," Chopper noted as he examined the burn on the hand of the swordsman who had sat down in turn.

"This training was super intense!" Franky nodded.

"Did any of you manage to activate their Haki?" Brook asked around. Everyone shook their heads negatively and the skeleton burst into a loud laugh. "Yohohohoho! It would have been unlikely that we would arrive so quickly at a conclusive result! My eyes would have jumped out of their sockets! Even if I no longer have eyes or sockets!"

Luffy burst out laughing with his musician but the others just shook their heads. In the end, Robin stood up, amused. "I'm going to make some tea," she suggested to her friends with a smile.

"It's too hot," Usopp protested.

"Drinking hot increases the body's temperature and to return to the initial thirty-seven degrees, the body must begin to sweat. It helps to cool down actually."

"Great, we're already burned, we're gonna sweat now…"

"Robin's right," Chopper chimed in, "You have to drink hot when the temperature rises but not too hot because you risk dehydration then!"

"Alright, alright. Don't complain because we only have one shower afterwards…"

"It's Robin, her condition is getting worse."

Usopp had just entered the room and his words created silence around the table where the crew had just settled down for dinner that evening. Three days earlier, the archaeologist had started to show strange symptoms of redness at the extremities of her limbs and then increasingly severe pain which now forced her to stay in bed.

"Did Chopper find what it was?" Nami asked worriedly.

At that exact moment, the little reindeer pushed open the galley door from the infirmary to rush towards the freezer.

"Chopper, what's going on?" Franky asked him, putting down his fork.

"I'm not sure," the little reindeer replied, busy filling a bag of ice cubes.

"Can we help you?" Brook offered.

"I need ice and cold water. In large quantities."

The musician immediately got up and with Usopp's help, the three of them filled large jugs with ice water. The little reindeer grabbed them quickly before going back to his patient and the door closed behind him.

The room became silence and the Straw Hat crew members suddenly had trouble eating their meal, with the exception of Luffy who happily dug into the hash browns.

"Chopper knows what he's doing, Robin's gonna heal."

His friends slowly nodded and the clattering of cutlery picked up softly amid the captain's chewing noises. At the end of the meal, Zoro cleared and washed the dishes while the rest of his crewmates still lingered, hoping that the doctor would come back to give them news of the archaeologist.

Finally, Chopper reappeared and Franky handed him a plate as the little reindeer slowly sat down around the table. Immediately, all his companions joined him.

"Chopper, tell us," the navigator murmured, terrified by the silence of the little doctor.

"Robin has red, burning limb extremities with edema and tingling sensations. She also has more and more acute pains and only the ice water relieves her a little. Painkillers didn't change anything and I sedated her so she could rest a bit…"

Usopp swallowed. "What is it?" The little reindeer shook his head. "It looks like a long latency peripheral vascular disease," he sighed. "The problem is, it doesn't make sense…"

"A what now?" Zoro grunted, turning to him with his half-dried plate in his hand.

"Poisoning," the doctor clarified.

"Poisoning?" The sniper repeated in disbelief. "How?"

"The food?" The skeleton suggested.

"That's what I think," the reindeer approved, "These symptoms are frequently observed in mycotoxicology, mushroom poisoning."

"We didn't eat mushrooms," Nami pointed out.

"That's why it doesn't fit," Chopper agreed.

"Is it serious?" Franky asked.

The doctor shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "As long as I can't identify the responsible food, it's hard to say… These disorders are generally not fatal but they regress very slowly, after several months, and they cause pain so intense that some patients go crazy…"

A heavy silence greeted his answer before Luffy brutally startled his crewmates. "We ate an omelet that tasted like mushrooms right after we left that island! I remember it was really good!"

"Yes, you're right!" Nami exclaimed, "Robin was the one who had done the cooking that night!"

"That'd fit with the three-day latency of symptom onset," Chopper approved.

"Why aren't we all sick then?" Usopp wondered.

"Maybe Robin-sis did some tests and didn't serve the mushrooms she tasted?" Franky suggested.

"But we didn't have any mushrooms," the swordsman reminded them from the sink. "I looked in the pantry before leaving and we were almost out of fresh food. There were only potatoes, carrots and cabbage left."

"How is it possible then?" The sniper wondered again.

"We should ask Robin," Nami said, "That'd be the easiest way."

"She's sleeping and she needs it," the reindeer protested, "She won't wake up until tomorrow morning."

"I think I know what it is." His friends turned to the musician who got up to a cupboard which he opened, moving a good number of pots filled with tea before taking out several transparent bags. "I think our beautiful archaeologist used these mixtures," he showed them after placing them on the table. "Some contain dried mushrooms."

"Are these Sanji's?" Chopper wanted to know, examining the bags of condiments and spices carefully.

"No, we bought some some time ago," Nami remembered, biting her lip. "Sanji-kun always makes his own from fresh ingredients but we don't really have time to make it ourselves since he's gone so I bought some prepared mixtures. Do you think… they were poisoned?"

"It's more likely the work of an unfair person who mixed poisonous mushrooms with edible ones," the doctor sighed. He stood up then, determined. "I'm gonna look into these mixes right away. I definitely need to figure out which mushroom was used so I can properly heal Robin!"

The reindeer pushed his plate away and locked himself in the infirmary again while the rest of the crew watched him disappear, hoping that their friend wouldn't have to wait too long before she got better.

Despite their desire, three more days passed during which the condition of the young dark-haired woman didn't improve. Chopper had sifted through all the condiment and spice mixes in the galley, but they were of poor quality and he couldn't tell the molecules of the mushrooms apart. Their names on the labels didn't help him either as none were noted as toxic.

As time passed, the archaeologist's suffering increased and the doctor soon decided to put her in an artificial coma to prevent her body from becoming more exhausted. Feeling awfully guilty, he then announced the news to his crewmates gathered in the aquarium that evening.

"Poor Robin," the navigator whispered, her face defeated.

"There must be something we can do!" The cyborg insisted.

"I'm sorry," Chopper apologized again.

"It's not your fault," Usopp tried to reassure him.

"The New World shows us its omnipotence once again," Brook sadly noticed.

"No treatment works?" Luffy asked the reindeer.

"I tried the most general ones but without knowing what is responsible for her condition, I cannot make her ingest too many drugs. Her liver is very weak and it won't tolerate too many products. I need to get it right…"

"I can't sit here doing nothing!" Franky suddenly got up from the red chair he was sitting and the door slammed behind him as he disappeared into the night. His crewmates shared worried looks then.

"I don't blame him," the navigator sighed, "Knowing that she's suffering is unbearable…"

"I'll go talk to him," Usopp suggested.

"I'll find a solution, I promise!" The little reindeer assured them even more.

"We know you're doing your best," Brook soothed him.

"I'm sure she'll be fine!" Luffy said. "Robin's strong!"

"You're shaking," the swordsman suddenly pointed out to the doctor in front of him but Chopper shook his head vigorously. "I am not! It's nothing!"

"Are you tired?" Nami asked him. "It's not surprising. You haven't slept in almost a week…"

"I'm not, I'm fine!"

"What's that redness on your paw?" Zoro asked again, suspicious, and the doctor hurriedly hid his paw before blushing.

"Chopper? What's going on?" Usopp wanted to know, worried.

"It looks like our dear Robin-san's symptoms," Brook realized suddenly.

"Don't tell me you were poisoned too!" The navigator got alarmed.

"I… I-"

"Chopper." Zoro looked into the eyes of the little reindeer who immediately looked away stubbornly. "You tested them on yourself, didn't you?"

"What?!" The sniper stared at his friend who finally looked up, determined.

"Chopper, is that true?" His captain asked him, frowning.

"I had no choice; I have to determine what Robin is suffering from!" The doctor explained vehemently. "The pain is too great; I can't leave her awake to ask her about her symptoms and that way I can find out what she's feeling!"

"My God, Chopper…" The navigator stared at him, appalled, while beside her, Usopp took his head between his hands. "If you get sick, who's gonna take care of you, Chopper?!" He pointed out, horrified.

"I'm a reindeer; my immune system is more resistant against plants!" His friend replied.

"What if we're attacked?" The redhead pointed out in turn. "Brook and Franky are barely recovering and you and Robin are sick now!"

"I'm sorry but it is my duty as a doctor!" The reindeer held his ground. "Last time, I failed to heal Usopp so there's no way I won't help Robin!"

"No one blames you for what happened!" The sniper insisted. "It's just that if you don't find out what's going on very quickly, you'll suffer needless pain!"

"I don't care! I'll find that mushroom!"

"What's done is done anyway," the swordsman suddenly interrupted them. "Let's just hope we don't meet anyone before we can disembark on the next island. In the meantime, we'll be extra vigilant so as not to be attacked."

At these words, Nami nodded. "You're right. Brook, watch the sea from the bow, I'll take care of the stern. From now on, maximum monitoring day and night!"

"I'm going immediately," the skeleton approved, getting up.

"I'm gonna see Franky to explain the situation to him," Usopp decided.

As the two friends walked away, Nami took out of her pocket the list of ingredients that remained in the Sunny's pantry. "I'll take care of making dinner," she said then. "Luffy, Zoro, get ready; you'll be on duty tonight. Chopper, I don't need to tell you what to do."

"I'm going to the library," the reindeer firmly approved, "Maybe there are remedies listed in books Robin bought recently!"

The navigator nodded before heading for the door after him, her last two crewmates on her heels.

"Chopper will keep looking."

Sitting in a chair by the archaeologist's bedside in the infirmary, Franky shook his head. "He shouldn't have done that."

"Of course, but you know him: he can't let his patient suffer without doing anything." The sniper approached and took the doctor's stool to sit in turn near the bed. "She seems to be sleeping…"

"Her hands are burning. Robin-sis never has burning hands. They're rather cold usually and I am the one who warms them…"

Usopp noticed that the cyborg was indeed holding the young woman's swollen and reddened fingers in his huge hands and he glanced at his friend. "Hey, don't worry. A mushroom isn't gonna kill Robin. She's been through a lot worse."

"I know, and that's the thing. She…" The shipwright kept his eyes on her sleeping figure before sighing. "She doesn't deserve to go through this kind of thing. She's already suffered too much in her life…"

The sniper nodded silently. He knew how Robin's whole life had been marked by rejection, pain and betrayal. "You know, I think she's happy now," he said, "I don't always get her but… She seems good since she accepted the fact that we really care about her."

"It's true that she knows we'll always be here, but sometimes, I get the impression she doesn't realize."

"What doesn't she realize?" His friend inquired, intrigued.

"How much I love her."

The sniper felt his eyebrows rise and he cast another furtive glance at the cyborg before clearing his throat. "Hm, you know… Everybody loves Robin. We'd do anything for her, all of us."

"I know, bro. It's just that I love her more than that."

"Oh." Usopp took a few moments. He had understood that the shipwright had feelings for the beautiful archaeologist since Franky had told him about it in half-words, but they had never talked about it again afterwards. "But aren't the two of you… I mean, I thought things had worked out for you since that storm on All Blue…"

Franky shrugged. "Sort of. She didn't say no."

"Then why do you say that?" Usopp wondered.

"Because sometimes, I don't know what she's thinking. I try to make her understand I really love her, in a special way, but she looks at me like she doesn't believe me. And I realize today that if I lose her without being sure that she's convinced of it, I'll blame myself…"

"Ah, don't say such things, she's not gonna die," the sniper said, uncomfortable. "Besides, she always understands everything before everyone else so I'm sure she knows."

"I'm just saying… When I lost Tom-san, I'm not sure he knew how much he meant to me and I don't wanna make the same mistake."

"She's gonna wake up; stop worrying," the sniper insisted in a forced cheerful voice. "Robin would scare even death, you know her!"

"As soon as she opens her eyes, I'll talk to her and this time, I'll really tell her. I don't want her to live another second without knowing."

Silence then fell between the two friends who still observed for a few moments the slow breathing of the archaeologist. In the end, Usopp got up. Robin and Franky shared some kind of almost palpable intimacy despite the circumstances and he didn't want to bother them any longer.

Two days later, Chopper ran onto the sunny deck of the Sunny where he found his crewmates busy with their various activities despite the strangely dark atmosphere.

"I found it, I found it! It's Clitocybe acromelalga!"

"Is that the mushroom?" Nami immediately inquired with hope.

"It is! It is a species that's easily confused with edible ones! With hemoperfusions and epidural anesthesia, Robin will recover very quickly and the after-effects will be less! I've already started the treatment!"

"You're the best!" Usopp got enthused, jumping up.

"How did you identify the plant?" Brook asked him with curiosity.

"Edema and rash become very painful after the fourth day and paresthesia of the external ear are typical!"

"You need to treat yourself too, Chopper," Nami reminded him then, her excitement dying down at the sight of the trembling legs of the little reindeer.

"Don't worry, I did the first injections on myself to make sure it worked!" He reassured her.

"You took way too many risks but I'm glad you made it," Franky sighed.

"We'll have to be careful next time with the mushrooms," the swordsman muttered.

"I've been thinking about it. We need a new cook."

The captain's declaration had a sobering effect on his crewmates who turned to him as one block, perfectly stunned.

"We-We don't need to rush," Usopp stammered after a few moments. "I mean, we're all in shock about what happened to Robin but we can be more careful…"

"He's right, we can make sure to favor higher quality ingredients," Nami approved, "I should be able to save on other expenses."

"I have enough strings for several months," the musician immediately offered.

"And I have enough bottles of cola for quite a while," Franky said.

"There are a lot of books dealing with poisoning, I can study them more!" Chopper added.

Luffy shook his head firmly. "Sanji wouldn't want us to take any chances with the food."

Zoro stared into his captain's eyes who looked back at him and the silence stretched again on the deck for long seconds. In the end, Nami mustered up her courage. "Are… Are you sure, Luffy?" She asked softly. "I know it's for the good of the crew but it's Sanji-kun's job and…"

"Sanji found the All Blue and he'd be mad at us for not doing our best to achieve our own goals so on the next island, we'll be looking for a new cook."

At these words, the straw-hat boy turned around towards the stern and his crewmates were left alone in the middle of the tumult of the ocean to come to terms with his words.

The wind is also turning for the crew and the upheavals aren't over…