A/N: 618 words; takes place some time before Sabaody; sorry this is so late (and now the rest of it will be as well) but life happened what are you gonna do about it; this fill contains mild descriptors of wounds; there is also almost no dialogue in this so sorry if you're here for sass because in this installment there is none; still very not-read through

Day Six: Uni - Aftermath

It hadn't exactly been one of the crew's proudest moments, but at least it was now over. Everyone was now back in the Polar Tang and she was diving, putting distance between them and the island they had unceremoniously ran from.

They ran like cowards is what they did. The head of the Marine base stationed there was more than the Captain could handle—more than any of them could handle—and they turned tail in defeat, barely scraping out of there alive, let alone uncaptured.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Uni decided to at least get through their post-island routine while he could, considering there was no knowing what was on the next speck of land they'd land on. He went over the checklist in his mind before picking himself up off the floor of the Tang's main deck and began his rounds.

First, he went to the boiler room, where everything seemed to be working in pristine order. Ikkaku sat in the corner, hugging her knees as she tried to be small as possible. The cut on her arm didn't look like it had been treated yet, so Uni took the first aid kit from its perch and knelt next to her, waiting for her to let him help. Eventually she shrugged off the top of the coveralls and exposed her tank-top-covered torso and bare arms, the left of which had a nasty gash from her shoulder that nearly went to her elbow. It had already clotted over—thank the seas—but they were going to be in trouble if it wasn't cleaned and bandaged soon. She didn't flinch as he touched her arm—better him than Law, as the man was probably fuming over some broken bones sticking out of Penguin somewhere.

Eventually, the wound was clean and nods were exchanged before Uni went to check on some of the others. A few were alright, though holed up in the bunk room under their blankets. He went in search of Clione, finding that he was already in the kitchen attempting to make everyone's favorite snacks before people started showing up. A tray was already sitting out and prepped—the Captain's favorite herbal tea and some sweet cake. He brought it to the Captain's room, setting it on his desk before allowing his eyes to linger for a moment on the faded, charred photos that lined a portion of the wall.

Uni wasn't stupid—he knew at least who the couple and child were and why they only existed in crispy, char-edged snail photos. To be from the North and not know about Flevance was difficult; it was the other person who he was having difficulty identifying. The Captain never really talked about the man or why he too was only in photos. People had come up with varying theories over the years, but no one dared ask directly. It was even something that the Original Trio didn't know the whole story about—Penguin and Shachi knew only a little, while Bepo knew just a bit more and was not giving up anything.

Nodding at the photos, Uni took his leave and left the tiny cabin, almost walking directly into its occupant in the corridor. The Captain looked drawn and thinner than usual, with his eyes haunted and his stance defensive. He almost was ready to tear into Uni when he saw the tray sitting on his desk—he of all people knew a peace offering when he saw one.

"Thanks," the Captain mumbled. Uni simply nodded and let him pass, the heavy metal door to the cabin shutting soon after.

Hmm. He wondered what Hakugan was doing. Might as well go take a look.