Chapter 12: Welcome to the Floating Arkham
AN: Hi! no excuses for how long it's taking me to get back to these stories but I promise to try harder. Enjoy!

Nightwing woke up from a nightmare after only a few hours of sleep; it was enough to refresh him, but the nightmare left him feeling a little trapped. This room was warm, and brightly lit; nothing like the cell he had been rotting in under marine custody, but it still felt too small, too confining. Dick was swept away with a need to see the sky, feel the wind. He wasn't good at convalescing at the best of times, not that any hero was, but these weren't the best of times.

He swallowed a lump in his throat, and glanced at Jason and Damien, who were trying to play cards off to the side. It was a poor attempt since they both cheated and nearly came to blows after every hand. They were obviously feeling a little anxious too. That gave Dick something to focus on. His brothers were more important than his rebellious subconscious. "Hey, do you think we could convince the doctor to let me outside?" he asked into the tension, hoping to dispel it a bit.

Jason looked up from his cards; he had four kings and an ace. "I bet we could. As long as you don't argue with him, I think he'd agree some fresh air would be good for you."

Damien threw down his cards in disgust. He had four aces and a king. "I don't like it. You would be too exposed outside."

"Come on, Dami," Dick groaned. "I can't just lay here with nothing to do. You know what it's like. I'll go nuts."

"Hey, if the demon-spawn is against it, I'll all for it," Jason said, jumping to his feet. That sentiment didn't surprise Dick, Jason was always contrary. "I'll go talk to Chopper."

"Todd, you!" Damien shouted at him, but the older vigilante was already out the door. "Tch, I still don't like it."

"Well, I can trust you to watch my back." Dick asked gently, trying to get the boy to relax. "You are the best right?"

"Of course I am, but this place is crazy," Damien shot back. He picked up Jason's cards and snorted before shuffling all the cards together and putting them away. "Doesn't matter anyway. As soon as you get your fill of the rest of the crew, you'll be back in here. They are exhausting. Chopper and Robin are the only ones who are not completely insufferable."

"I can't wait," Dick said, leaning back with a smile.

It turns out that Chopper agreed about the healing effects of fresh air and helped transfer Nightwing outside. Not that the little reindeer didn't have his concerns, but Dick promised to behave and not strain himself. So now, he found himself lying on a reclining lawn chair on the deck of the strangest pirate ship he had ever seen. Beneath his chair was soft green grass, and a large deciduous tree provided him with shade. Another tree, with a swing, grew on the other side of the deck. Above him, he could see the main sail, which was rolled up at the moment, and the most bizarre crows-nest. Everywhere he looked there was something else to amaze him, and that was without taking the pirates into account.

Luffy and another young man with a long nose were peeking down at him through the railing from the deck above the lawn. Neither had said a word during the entire transfer process, which had been a bit of a hassle. Since Dick couldn't walk or use his arms, Chopper had carried him out and set him in the chair, where Damien had fussed over him until he was wrapped up in a blanket and had a soothing drink and his medication within reach. Luckily, Chopper had taken out the IV for now. Sanji, the only other pirate he had formally met, was sharing a cigarette with Jason on the upper deck on the other side, towards the prow. A giant of a man, who's size was secondary to his color and appearance (he looked like a big blue walrus or something) was chatting with the two smokers. A powerfully muscled man with bright green hair was swinging a set of ridiculously huge weights off to the side. Dick wasn't sure if he trusted the man's count, since he was on 1251, 1252, and so on. That seemed a little much, even for someone used to Bruce's training regime. A gaudily dressed skeleton was sitting on a bench under the main mast, softly playing a violin. He had tried to come over to say hello when Dick was getting settled in, but Damien snarled at the poor thing, so he retreated to his music until later.

The shipwright had a similar send off when he came to pay his respects to the rescued hero. Cyborg Franky was large, loud, and brightly colored from his blue hair to his Hawaiian shirt. He had stopped by on his way below to work on the ship.

"Nightwing!" he shouted cheerfully. "Sup-ah good to see you up! Oh yeah!" He clashed his large forearms over his head and posed dramatically. "I'm Cyborg Franky, the shipwright. Just let me know if there is anything you need, bro, and I'll make it for you. I could even fix you up like me if you wanted. Oh yeah!" He posed again in a new stance that showed off his speedo.

Damien drew his sword and leaped between Dick and the overenthusiastic cyborg. "You stay away from him, you perverted mecha. Grayson doesn't need any of your kind of help." He feinted with his blade to make the bigger man back off.

"If you say so, little bro," Franky said condescendingly. He sprouted smaller mechanical hands out of his large palms and patted Damien's head before backing off. He waved as he disappeared inside the ship, "Call me if you change your mind!"

"That was...interesting," Dick said. "Damien, come sit down and relax. I thought that these guys are friendlies."

Damien clicked his teeth and sat down on the grass by Dick's side, his sword unsheathed and across his lap. He was working himself into a proper overprotective hissy fit.

"Don't mind, Franky," said a female voice. "He's just excitable."

Dick turned to see two beautiful women. The younger one had long red hair, though it was more bright orange than the rich red that he had fond memories of. She also had a bright but mischievous smile that made him think of Catwoman for some reason. The other woman was raven haired with a more mild expression, though just as welcoming. She was the more dangerous of the two, if he had to guess, but he'd never underestimate a red head's temper. Damien eyed the two of them, but seemed to be willing to let them approach his helpless brother.

"I'm good friends with a cyborg back home," Dick replied cheerfully. "He's a little larger than life sometimes, too. I'm Nightwing, but you probably already know that."

"We do," said the raven-haired beauty. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you though. My name is Nico Robin and this is our navigator, Nami."

"Charmed," Dick replied, offering them his best smile. "Thank you for taking care of my brothers."

Nami laughed. She pulled up a folding chair and sat beside Dick's. Robin did the same beside her. "Why do you say that? Most would thank us for rescuing you."

Dick grinned and glanced at Damien who just scoffed and turned away. "They would never admit it, but they need someone to keep them out of trouble."

"We have some experience with keeping hard headed young men out of trouble," Nico Robin agreed.

"Muscle headed idiots, you mean," Nami corrected her friend. She leaned forward toward Dick and whispered, "The stories I could tell you about this crew."

Dick nodded. "I'd love to hear some of them."

Nami cheerfully told the story of how she first met Luffy. It was a crazy story that Dick might have dismissed as exaggerated if Luffy hadn't joined them and nodded along, occasionally adding his own point of view. That lead to Robin describing her first encounter with the Straw Hats, which was even more unbelievable. By that time, the long nosed man, Usopp joined them and spun his own narratives. His stories were exaggerations, though Nami said the one about the giant pirates dueling in a prehistoric jungle was actually true.

After Usopp's third tale, Dick felt his fatigue weighing down on him. He was about to ask Chopper to go back inside when Zoro, who had retreated to the crow's nest to train, called down that he spotted a submarine.

"Woopie!" Luffy exclaimed, leaping to his feet and racing to the railing. "Traffy is here!"

"Traffy?" Dick asked, looking at Nami and Robin as the two sanest pirates he had met so far.

"Trafalgar Law," Robin answered him with a gentle smile. "He is pirate captain, and our captain is very fond of him. He is an ally."

"Not if you ask Luffy," Nami scoffed. "He just says they're friends. He's too simple to understand the difference."

"Or he doesn't care," Robin pointed out. "Regardless, it doesn't matter. Law is here to assist our doctor in your recovery, Nightwing. He is a capable physician and accomplished surgeon. He is known as the Surgeon of Death."

"That is not reassuring," Damien grumbled. "Maybe, before we let another pirate touch you we should report to father. I think we've waited long enough," he directed at Dick.

Jason appeared beside Dick, using a move he learned during his stint as Robin. Usopp jumped in surprise and tried to act like he knew the hero had been there all along, but no one paid him any attention. "I hate to admit it but I agree. Everyone back home should know what is happening here, including any surgeries you need," Jason said to his brothers, but he was looking out at sea. He didn't want to give into the anger he felt at the thought of talking to Bruce again.

Finally collecting what remained of his dignity, Usopp stood up and brushed himself off. "Well, I should check on the transponder snail then. I'll make sure it has recovered enough for another call." He strode off toward the galley.

They watched him go, then the pirate ladies left to finish their own duties and prepare for their guest. In fact, all the pirates seemed to suddenly be busy, or at least find something to do. Chopper came over to check on his patient, but he seemed distracted.

"Are you excited to see this other pirate too?" Dick asked as Chopper checked his pulse. He jerked his chin at Luffy who was bouncing on the rails, waving wildly as a small yellow submarine became visible.

"Of course," Chopper said. "Law is very knowledgeable and I'm sure he'll be able to help your shoulders. Plus he has better diagnostic equipment than I do and a sterile operating room. You will be in good hands."

Dick smiled and gently caught the little reindeer's hoof. "But your still my doctor right, Dr. Chopper? You've helped me so much already."

The miniature doctor blushed bright red under his fur. "Dummy, that doesn't make me happy to hear you say that. Shut up, bastard," he shouted as he did a happy dance.