Chapter 59

Turning point

"Sanji! The treatment worked; the bacteria are gone!"

The blond turned around to face the doctor who had just burst into his galley, his eyes wide. He was simmering a broth that would complement his vegetables for lunch and hadn't heard him approach, deep in thought. His night and then when he had woken up next to the swordsman had occupied all his attention since he had opened his eyes and with the multitude of events that had happened one after the other, he had almost forgotten that he had taken the last dose of the treatment the day before trying to land the shuttle.

"I, uh… Are you sure?" He finally stammered, confused.

"I am absolutely sure! The analyses on the test samples show that the number of bacteria has drastically decreased and I asked Law to confirm it. He came to the same conclusion!"

His heart pounding, Sanji stared at his pot and, without thinking, he stepped forward over the bubbling liquid to inhale deeply, his eyes closed. He hadn't felt anything different since this morning and he had made breakfast the same way as usual, by relying on his memory and vision rather than his other senses. But maybe it was because he had been distracted? Sanji inhaled even more deeply but after several seconds trying to perceive the spices of the broth, apart from the steam that burned his face slightly, he detected nothing.

"I don't feel any different," he said, glancing worriedly at the little reindeer.

"The bacteria may still be on your mitral cells even if they no longer work. It'll probably take some time for your body to expel them," the doctor said.

"Okay…"

"Do you want me to examine you to be sure?" His friend asked in front of his crestfallen face.

"Yes, please." The blond admitted, "I know you checked with Law but if you see it directly on my body, I'd be more relaxed."

"It'll only take a moment to take a few cells from you!"

Chopper headed enthusiastically to the infirmary and the cook immediately put down his utensils to follow him after turning off the heat under his pot. As he sat down on the bed, the little reindeer prepared a sampling kit before climbing on a stool to be in front of his patient's face. A few seconds later, he removed the long cotton swab from Sanji's nose and placed it in a test tube.

"Law can look directly inside your olfactory bulb with a room if you want," the doctor offered as he heated his preparation.

"No, I trust you. If you tell me that you observe the same thing, that'll be enough."

"No problem, I only need a few minutes."

"Perfect, I'll wait."

Chopper nodded before adding a liquid to his test tube and Sanji tried to breathe, letting his gaze wander beyond the infirmary porthole to keep himself busy. His thoughts drifted back to what he had shared with Zoro the day before and the cook felt himself relax. Even though he was terribly nervous about what the little reindeer was going to tell him, it was to the swordsman more than anything else that his mind brought him back.

Zoro hadn't needed him to recover his senses to desire his body and want to possess his heart. That's why Sanji had completely let go the day before. Carried by the incredible day he had experienced, he had known that he would not find a better moment to seal his new relationship with the swordsman and tell him all the hope he had at this prospect. Whether he recovered his taste and smell or not would not change what they felt for each other. Zoro respected him beyond his skills and job. He did not stop at a simple vision of a skilled cook or an efficient fighter, he perceived him in a whole way among the myriad of facets that Sanji could give a glimpse of, and even if he was sometimes quite no longer the same.

It wasn't that surprising. The blond himself had never thought that his esteem for the swordsman was lower when he had noticed that Zoro was missing an eye, on the contrary. He had admired his companion because this injury had never been an excuse and Zoro had overcome his disability to proudly bear his scar as proof of his progress towards his goal.

So if the cook had to say goodbye to two of his senses, he would do the same. He would prove to anyone who doubted it that he didn't need his sense of smell or taste to continue to be the best cook for his crew. And that wouldn't stop him from finding the All Blue and enjoying it. He would discover another way to appreciate it and if he couldn't taste the treasures of this legendary ocean himself, he knew that seeing their effects on the faces of his crewmates would largely compensate for this lack.

Of course, Sanji sincerely hoped to recover his senses. He didn't even remember all those years when breathing in smells and decoding flavors were part of his daily life as naturally as breathing. He had never taken the time to appreciate this gift, yet essential, before being deprived of it. Now, he had the feeling of discovering a new reason why he could be grateful for what he already had.

He appreciated all the more all the details that he had never paid attention to before and which were a part of the whole flavor of his life in the same way as his greatest achievements: he had never damaged his hands despite all his fights since childhood. He wasn't suffering the consequences of his vice, smoking. He was witnessing the antics of the crew every day. He was feeling the caress of the sun on his skin and he was able to contemplate the sea endlessly. He had a body that may be imperfect for some people, but which was nonetheless extremely resistant.

"The test is conclusive! The bacteria are dying and some have already come off your olfactory bulb! Your cells look completely normal, it's just a matter of time, Sanji!"

The little reindeer turned to his friend, beaming, and the cook smiled back, just as radiant. He hadn't really noticed until now, but he felt stronger today. Ready to face his destiny. Because whatever happened from now on, the blond would face it. Because he wasn't alone and because he had enough strength within him.

"Captain!"

Law staggered under the weight of his navigator who had fallen into his arms but he couldn't help but smile in spite of himself: he had missed his crew terribly. Without seeming to, the surgeon had watched all afternoon for the submarine, pretending to need some air to pace up and down the beach. At about the appointed time, the submarine had broken the surface of the water and Law had felt his heart calm down at this familiar sight. It hadn't taken long for the hatch to open and his crewmates to rush to meet him.

"You seem to be doing better!" Shachi rejoiced as he reached them to greet him in turn.

"I am, but the treatment is far from over," the surgeon replied while Bepo continued to rub against him happily.

"We brought back everything the Straw Hat doctor asked for!" Penguin told him, pointing to a huge bag in Jean Bart's arms.

"That's good news, we were really reaching the end of their stock. How did you manage it anyway? Should I expect the Marine to disembark or angry pirates that you robbed?"

"No, no, we were very careful, Captain!" Shachi assured him, "We robbed a bank and we swapped some objects!"

"What kind of objects?" Law wondered, "We don't have anything that valuable."

"Oh, you know, things we found here and there…"

The surgeon raised an eyebrow but before he could question his friend further, Penguin bit his lip. "We couldn't avoid going to a hospital," he admitted. "Anything that is small medical equipment is impossible to find elsewhere… But we know that they don't have a lot so we really took the minimum and left money from the bank!" He added in front of his captain's furrowed eyebrows.

All the pirates of the Heart crew knew that Law did not like to attack public hospitals. Probably out of respect for his parents' work and his own experience, he knew that the staff were often struggling financially and materially, so he made a point of not burdening them further. To their great relief though, the surgeon did not seem to hold it against them.

"I thank you for making this trip even if I would have liked to be included in the decision," he finally pointed out to them.

"There was no time to lose, Captain, we did not want to take any risks," Shachi sighed. "And besides…" The crew shared a glance and the surgeon looked at them questioningly. "Well?"

"The Captain would have said no and we would have had to go against his order," the polar bear said then.

"Bepo!" The bear blinked as the crew glared at him and facing them, Law wrinkled his nose. "That's what I feared. You're willing to ignore my permission despite my position."

"That's not it, Captain," Penguin tried to explain.

"It's just that it was safer," Shachi insisted. "Being sick on the Grand Line is really dangerous, you always say that!"

"The Captain doesn't care enough about himself, it's only natural we do it for him," Bepo chimed in again. Stunned, Law turned to him while the rest of his friends grimaced frankly. Even if the navigator wasn't wrong, it was a bad idea to bring it up so openly in front of the interested party.

"I know perfectly well how to take care of myself. I am a doctor," the surgeon reminded his first mate dryly.

"If someone else on the crew had been in the Captain's place, he wouldn't have hesitated, but for himself, it's different," Bepo pointed out.

Law closed his mouth that he had opened, suddenly at a loss for words, and the bear beamed. "I knew Straw Hat would be the only one who could make the Captain see reason if necessary! That's why I entrusted the Captain to him!"

This time, the surgeon was offended. "I don't need to be entrusted to anyone, especially not Straw Hat-ya! Aside from Eustass-ya, he's probably the most reckless when it comes to health and risk-taking!"

"As for the Captain's well-being, Straw Hat is the most likely to succeed when the crew isn't there," Bepo insisted. Law glared at his navigator and between them, Penguin cleared his throat. "Anyway, Straw Hat has… Well, uh, he obviously took good care of you."

"What are you talking about?!"

Penguin took a step back in front of the surgeon's dark gaze now fixed on him and Shachi made a small gesture in his direction. "We thought you were doing better, Captain. Aren't you?"

"Of course I'm doing better. Tony-ya is a competent doctor but that has nothing to do with Straw Hat-ya taking care of me! That idiot did absolutely nothing useful and even asking him to change bandages turned out to be a bad idea!"

"We were just saying that Straw Hat, as Captain of another allied crew, treated you well," Jean Bart clarified.

At these words, Law froze. "Oh. Yes, it's… As a whole, it's true," he admitted. "I have no complaints except… Well, it doesn't matter." His men shared another long look and the surgeon ran a hand over his face. "Tell me we can leave," he finally sighed.

"We'd love to, but the submarine has reached its limits and so have we," Penguin replied, embarrassed.

"We got the Straw Hat crew doctor on the Den-Den Mushi and his captain wants to throw a party!" Bepo said enthusiastically.

"Again? But he just came back from a feast!" Law pointed out in disbelief.

"The crew would appreciate a little break, Captain," his bear insisted, his eyes tearing up.

"The Straw Hats always throw great parties," Jean Bart added.

"Their food is delicious and they're really generous," Penguin approved.

"Not to mention entertainment!" Shachi added.

"Alright, I get it," the surgeon was annoyed. "Have fun with Straw Hat-ya if you like, but we'll leave as soon as the submarine is ready to go to sea and I'll see to it personally."

With that, Law walked past them towards his ship and his crew watched him walk away, a huge smile on their lips.

"Thank you, Captain!"

Law teleported another screwdriver towards him, annoyed. He didn't know if it was the heat in his submarine that was getting on his nerves, but he had put his coat and cap along his nodachi in a chair when he had entered the navigation room to assess the repairs. He had then quickly gone to get the crew's toolbox and set to work. It had been two hours since he had started now, but he didn't see the end of it.

His companions hadn't lied when they had said their submarine had suffered. The fuel stock was at its lowest, the oil levels were also low, and the control panels had been opened here and there, no doubt to roughly repair short circuits caused by the overwork of the ship. Even the external framework was damaged and Law would probably need to have the submarine completely hoisted out of the water to check its watertightness. And to think that they had spent all their berries only a few days before to repair it…

The ship had probably been pushed to its limits and Law knew that it was to better fulfill the mission that his crew had carried out for him but he couldn't help but be annoyed because he realized that one or two days of repairs would be necessary. It was one or two extra days to spend on the island and especially, with the Straw Hats.

The surgeon couldn't take it anymore. Until now, he had tolerated their company quite well, but he was about to burst. The skeleton's music made him tense as much as the Fish-Man's silence when he was among them on deck. The sniper's frightened cries and the navigator's angry cries made him grind his teeth. The cyborg's improbable dances and poses made him roll his eyes. Even the little reindeer's eagerness to heal his friends exasperated him now. He could no longer stand the swordsman's nonchalance, and the crew's cook was an enigma who had ended up tiring him out given the blond's propensity to mysteriously free himself from his torments.

For her part, the archaeologist had really driven him mad the day before, but the worst was still their captain. Straw Hat was getting on his nerves with his insane smile plastered on his face at all times, his insufferable understanding of the surgeon's incoherent demands and his excessive love that Law didn't know what to do with.

Law suddenly put down his screwdriver and closed his eyes, letting his head fall against the cold control panel he was unscrewing. He wasn't fooled by his feelings and he knew why the Straw Hats and their joy of life annoyed him so much today. Because they were everything he was incapable of becoming, and their captain at the forefront. An unwavering trust between them that gave them the strength to surpass themselves individually. An unwavering faith in the future. A determination that no obstacle could dull.

Conversely, and despite his desire to force destiny, the surgeon could not overcome his doubts. He feared his future and what it would imply. Despite what he wanted, he was afraid of making the wrong choice and regretting it for the rest of his life. The result was an anger that had been simmering since he had fled the straw hat boy in the Sunny's infirmary and which had finally exploded upon his crew's return, catalyzed by his discussion with Nico Robin. As if he could ask anyone for help with his misgivings and questions. No one could help him because the dilemma he was experiencing was connected to his own person and even if a kind soul offered him advice, it would have little interest. Law had been alone facing his destiny since childhood and no one could take his place.

A wave of bitterness washed over him at this thought and he angrily picked up the screwdriver to completely move the control panel that was barely holding on. What had his crew been doing?! They hadn't torn the panel off to sell wires or parts of the submarine, had they?!

Law abruptly put the piece of sheet metal on the floor and examined the components carefully. At first glance, nothing was missing but he still wanted to check the integrity of the electronic chips and he was about to teleport a pair of pliers when the door to the navigation room opened sharply. Under the force of the newcomer, it even bounced against the opposite wall and the metal creaked again.

"Hey, you're here, I've been looking everywhere for you! The party has already started, what are you doing here all alone?!"

Law felt his eyes widen before his fury flared like a volcano from the bottom of his stomach to his head through his heart, overwhelming him instantly. Of course Straw Hat had to chase him home without any consideration for what he wanted. Control. Calm. Peace. Everything the other captain was unable to give him given the roller coaster of emotions that his mere presence triggered.

"What are you doing here? I didn't ask for a babysitter as far as I know!"

Luffy blinked at the figure of the Heart captain who had abruptly turned towards him, glaring. He noticed that Law's right fist was shaking around his screwdriver that he was holding far too tightly and that his entire body seemed to radiate anger. The straw hat boy immediately took a step towards him.

"What's wrong? You okay?"

"You stay the hell away from me!"

Luffy froze, feeling the tension suddenly spill between them. Facing him, the other captain was panting and it reminded him of an animal at bay so he was careful to respect the distance that Law had demanded. He resolutely fixed his eyes on his then.

"Tell me what's going on, Torao. I can help." At these words, the surgeon's fury seemed to increase and his gaze hardened as the screwdriver broke in his right hand. Yet Luffy did not look away. "I can help y-

"Shut up! For once in your life, shut the fuck up, you idiot!" The surgeon of death suddenly yelled, mad with rage, "You can't say such things when you know nothing! You can't save the world just because you want to, so stop thinking you're gonna be able to help the whole world!"

"I don't wanna help the whole world," Luffy replied calmly, "I wanna help you."

"I told you to shut up!"

"I won't."

The straw hat boy's firm voice forced Law to refocus and he examined him for a moment, his breathing ragged and his heart pounding in his chest because of the hurricane of his emotions. Luffy looked him straight in the eyes and the surgeon understood that he would not change his mind. Luffy did not know how to keep quiet and he was the most inflexible of men when his mind was made up. He would insist and make a new attempt, again and again. He would continue to harass him so much that Law would end up giving in. The surgeon would surrender and then, he would not be able to do anything. Fate would crush him once again.

A flash of resentment and pure pain ran through the Heart captain. He would not allow to be used in this way again.

"Room."

A blue sphere appeared in the navigation room and increased beyond the submarine, encompassing a good part of the city and port. Facing him, Luffy continued to stare at him in silence and Law did the same.

"Shambles!"

The captain of the Straw Hat crew disappeared and a seagull in mid-flight materialized in his place, abruptly turning sideways with a squeal.

Law didn't hear a thing when Luffy's body hit the ocean.

Law still refuses to open up but in the next chapter, he won't have a choice. It's gonna get rough!