Authors Note: Nothing much to say. But I'm glad so many people have been reading this! Last chapter was a little borning, a filler. But this one should have more to it!
Story Description: Traveling dimensions wasn't unheard of for Sakura. But Kaguya had been defeated and sealed four years ago, during the forth great ninja war. So why the fuck, was she tied to a mast - on a god forsaken ship, surrounded by PIRATES?!
Ships: (Past) Sasuke/Sakura, (Future) Sakura/Ace
Warnings: Fighting, Inaccurate medical information
Recap...
Shaking her head, Sakura finally reaches her room. Opening the door only to close it when she enters. Rubbing her eyes, trying to calm herself.
'One positive, we'll be nearing and island soon.' Sakura thought, shuffling towards the edge of her bed.
Sitting on it with her legs crossed, she eyed her door for a little bit, before shaking her head and closing her eyes. Focusing on the movement of her chakra. Trying to rid the ugly feelings that man, Teach, had filled her with. She had fought a goddess, damn it! A man such as that shouldn't have scared her as much as it did.
"Is that fire?" Sakura murmurs, raising a brow in Marcos direction.
They had finally reached the point where the island was in view. A few miles away from actually docking. Yet so very close. The commanders had all migrated towards the top of the deck. A few carried their weapons, like Thatch, Izou, and Haruta.
Marco turned to glance down at Sakura. "I suspect so. Reports said Ace ate the Mera Mera no Mi. Fire fruit." Marco says, confidently.
Sakura blink in confusion, before shaking her head. 'Fire fruit? Is that like the fruit that Kaguya was trying to consume?' Sakura thought, a little concerned.
Marco either didn't notice her confusion, or didn't care. Turning away and walking towards Edward.
Sakura turned her attention back towards the ocean. Towards the flames flickering in the distance. She glanced between the island, then towards the commanders on the deck. Chewing her lip as thought ha filtered through her head.
"Edward!" Sakura yells, gaining the attention of many other pirates as well as the giant man.
Clearing her throat, she comes to a conclusion. Talking a step towards the edge of the ship as she addresses the large man. "I'm going to go on ahead and take a look!" She yells, waving.
Her words receive a bunch of confused looks, and a curious one from Edward. Who merely watches her. Thatch steps forward, mouth open just as Sakura leaps off the edge.
Channeling chakra into the soles of her feet. Landing on the water with a huff. The fall a little higher than she expected. Sakura can pick up the pattering of feet and loud whispers ontop of the deck.
She pays them no mind, running forward to quicken her approach to the island. Behind her, heads peak over the railing, eyes wide with disbelief or astonishment.
Sakura spares a quick glance back, chuckling to herself momentarily. 'I forgot, water walking isn't a thing here' She thinks, amused.
Nobody yells after her, so she deems it safe. Getting closer to the edge of the island, and further away from the drifting ship. The closer she gets, she more noticeable the figures on the beach become.
She can make out two figures. Ones with light flames flickering on his shoulders. His back turned away from her. With an orange cowboy hat and yellow shirt. From a glance, Sakura can assume this boy was Portgas D. Ace.
The man below him, laying unconscious, must be Jinbei. The man Whitney had mentioned. From the shallow rise and fall of his chest, Sakura can clearly state the man is alive. Just exhausted from the fight no doubt.
He reminds her of Namur. Or better yet, Kisame. Fish-like features. Especially given his large build and blue skin.
As Sakura steps onto the beach, the action gaining the attention of the group behind the two. Who point and call out to Ace.
The teen swiftly turns around, eyes wide and shoulders tense. His hands are stuck in front of him, fingers clenching into fist. Even an amateur can tell he is near exhaustion. Close to fainting, from the heavy rise and fall of his chest.
"Who are you! How'd you get here?" The teen yells loudly, eyes narrowed and lips turned into a scowl.
Sakura stays quiet for a moment, her gaze drifting to the people in the back. Which must have been the wrong move, as a large ball of fire comes hurtling towards her with more speed than she expected.
Dodging swiftly away from his attack, Sakura narrows her eyes at the shallow teen. "Portgas D. Ace? Let's not get too rash now." Sakura drawls, a tad annoyed that he attacked so soon.
After all, she hadn't come for a fight.
"how do you know my name!?" Ace exclaimed loudly, Fire flickering around his skin, protectively.
Sighing internally, Sakura tentatively raised her hands in surrender. Trying her best to come off as non-threatening.
"Wanted Poster." Sakura answers simply, trying to be a vague as possible.
If he was this hard-headed, mentioning the little detail a whole crew was here to see him. Didn't seem like the brightest idea. So with careful steps, Sakura moved forward. Her eyes trained on the teen, moving between him and the man laying unconscious behind him.
"That still doesn't explain why your here! Or how you even got here." Ace sneers defensively, flames flickering up his arms. Which has Sakura pausing.
'What did Marco call his power..? Devil fruit?' Sakura eyed, before taking in a breath.
"I heard you have been fighting for a long time. Im a doctor, trained to heal. Allow me to look at the man behind you?" She pauses, eyes drifting from Jinbei back to Ace.
"And for how I got here... I have a- devil fruit." Sakura lies, smiling. Hoping the untrusting teen would see reason. Or atleast miss her bluff.
Ace seems to contemplate her words, and the men behind him don't seem as threatened or scared like before. A few turning around to whisper to one another. As Sakura watches, patiently waiting for his permission, a man with a mask covering his face and blue hair walks forward. Placing a hand on the teens shoulder.
The man leans down, murmuring something in Ace's ear. Which seems to do the trick.
"Fine. Don't any sudden moves and I'll kill you." Ace threatens.
Sakura bites the inside of her cheek. Humored at the idea that Ace thought he could kill her. But laughing would make the situation worse, so Sakura nods instead. Slowly moving forward until she was beside the unconscious man, Jinbei.
A few shallow burns littered the man's arms. Accompanied by cuts, from what Sakura assumes would be the knife strapped to the teens side. If he had chakra, Sakura would conclude chakra exhaustion. But with the lack of chakra in Jinbei's body. All she could do was heal the injuries on the outside. Giving him her chakra would do more harm than good.
Her palms run over his skin, her chakra doing a quick scan for any internal injuries. Nothing serious, thankfully. But his muscles are on the verge of tearing, worn out from being pushed past the limit.
For a moment, Sakura gaze turns towards the teen. The doctor in her wanting to demand he sit and allow her to do a scan as well. After all, he must be feeling the same as Jinbei. Just not yet unconscious. But Sakura did not think the teen would be all for that. Especially not to a stranger such as her.
Ace catches her eye, glaring almost in question. So she turns back down to her patient. Sakura allows her chakra to work, running over the burns and mending the burnt skin back together. Using a tad more chakra than necessary so no scars would be there either.
After the burns are healed, and Sakura down a few inches of her chakra, her eyes drift towards the shallow cuts. Pushing her chakra out, and watching with fascination as they mend together and heal.
Even after years of doing this, the child-like fascination never left her. Tsunade would always poke fun of her for that. But the arts of healing with her chakra never got old to Sakura.
The man underneath her groaner, eyelids fluttering. But he still slept. And Sakura frowned, remembering the internal damages as well. So Sakura sat, allowing her chakra to seep into the man's skin. Ignoring pouring any of her chakra into his minuscule chakra pool, focusing on the worn muscles. So much more different than a humans- larger and denser.
She could look into that later. Experimenting on a patient she was healing, and one that was unconscious and couldn't not give consent, didn't sit well with her. It reminded Sakura of Orochimaru. And she was nothing like that man.
Sakura pulls her hands away. Allowing her chakra to return to her body. Healing completed. Happy that Jinbei was stabilized. Hopefully Edward would appreciate her efforts. It could be seen as a thanks, for allowing her to stay on the ship. Even if she would have healed the man otherwise.
Pushing herself up from the ground, Sakura swirls around to face Ace and his crew. In the distance, Sakura could see Whitebeard's ship. Much closer than before. Yet it seemed the small crew did not notice. To bust mingling or watching her work.
Ace looked intrigued, as did the blue haired man beside him. "How did you do that?" The unknown man asked. Head tilted to the side.
Sakura could spot the other doctor instantly. "Chakra." She murmurs, smiling.
The man tilts his head, looking between Ace and her. "Captian, ask her to join." The man whispers, almost excitedly.
Ace grins, before laughing. Clapping his crewmate on the deck. "Come on' Duece. I only need one doctor, and that's you." Ace told, Duece, the blue haired man.
Sakura didn't take any offense to the teens words, almost intrigued. It seemed the teen had full trust and confidence in his crew mates. Duece groaned, but didn't say anything else.
"Captain! Ship in bound!" A man yelled from the back. Ace and Duece swerved around, looking as Whitebeard's ship docked on the beach. The old man towering up on the railing.
Ace sneered, jerking his head to glare at Sakura. "Your working for Whitebeard? Aren't you! You tricked me!" Ace exclaimed, angry.
Sakura shrugged. "I'm not working for him." She says plainly, keeping herself grounded beside Jinbei.
Sakura raises her gaze up, meeting the looks of Edward and a few other commanders. Who wave or smile, either of the two. Ace doesn't get time to say anything else, before Edward's booming steps fill the air. Walking down the steps beside the ship until he's on land. The commanders following behind him while everyone else stands on the ships deck.
"So your the brat who wants to take my head?!" Edward yells, a large grin plastered on his face.
Everything that happens next, happens in the blink of an eye. Ace explodes in protective rage, a large wall of fire erupting between him and his crew. Sakura can only make out the word 'Run!' From the other side of the fire wall.
Ace's crew looks lost, turning and murmuring between one another. Before Duece steps forward, rounding everyone up and pushing them in the opposite direction, no doubt where their ship is docked.
Sakura's view of Edward and Ace has been hidden thanks to the large wall of fire. But her intrest and concern is piqued when she hears Edward's signature loud laugh, and the yell of Ace before everything falls silent.
The wall begins to dwindle, extinguishing before it falls to reveal Edward and the commanders. Ace, knocked unconscious beneath the larger man's feet.
Thatch notices Sakura first. Waving her over. Leaving the unconscious body of Jinbei, Sakura makes her way over to the pirates. Her eyes find Ace's body, worried for the teen. Who looks to be bleeding from his head.
Before she can open her mouth, Whitney and Marco both step forward. "How's Jinbei?" The two ask, peering at her as she walks towards the large group. Their question and Sakura arrival seem to grab the attention of both Edward and the rest of the commanders.
"Good, stable. He had a few burns and cuts that I managed to heal. No internal injuries besides exhaustion." Sakura answers automatically. Blinking.
The area around her is silent for a short while, everyone processing the information Sakura had just spilled. Whitney places her hands on his hips, as Marco nods.
"So you weren't lying when you mentioned being a doctor." Marco ponders aloud.
Sakura's eye twitches at the implication, before sighing. "No, I wasn't." She drawls, a tad annoyed. Marco raise's his hands up apologetically.
"Mind if I go check?" Whitney speaks up, tilting her head in question. Sakura hums, nodding, motioning with her hands towards the unconscious body of Jinbei.
Whitney smiles, before walking past them and towards the man. Sakura directs her attention towards Marco, then towards the teen on the ground.
"He'a bleeding pretty heavily. We should treat that before he bleeds to death." Sakura mentions. Marco nods walking with her towards Ace.
"Help me move his body to the medical wing so we can treat him. If you don't mind." Marco says, squating down by the teens feet. Gripping the boys ankles. Sakura moves towards his shoulders, bending down. The two maneuver around until Ace is above the ground in their grasps.
Edward and a few other watches the two from the side, which doesn't one a problem for Sakura. As her and Marco move up the steps towards the top of the deck.
"The door to the left." Marco instructs, jerking his head in the doors direction. Sakura nods, shuffling carefully towards the door. Making sure not to jostle the injured teen in her arms too much.
Eventually the two reach the medical wing. A few nurses bustling around, doing their own tasks. If they notice them, they don't do anything. So her and Marco set the teen on a white bed.
Before Sakura can ask what she could do to help, Marco leans forward- his skin erupting in blue flames. Staggering back in shock, Sakura watches with wide eyes. Marco eventually pulls away, dusting down his clothes.
"What the hell?" Sakura exclaims lowly, amazed and confused.
"I ate the Phoenix Fruit. I have the ability to heal myself, and soothe others. While I can't heal big injuries. Small cuts or muscle tears are more my speciality." Marco explains, pointing down to the healed skin of Ace.
Minus a few large cuts, and the bleeding head wound. Sakura blinks, staring between the two of them constantly.
"Huh.. okay- yeah." Sakura mumbles, shaking her head. She looks towards Marco, then back towards the head wound. "Lets get that wound closed, yeah?" She suggests.
Marco grins. "Let me show you were we keep our supplies. I want to see you heal, perhaps you'll do well in my division." He says.
Sakura doesn't question the hidden meaning behind his words, just nodding. Used to being under constant watch and judgement from Tsunade. Marco would be no different.
"Sounds good. Let's start then, shall we?"