Vivi was terribly sick, and they didn't know what to do to help her. Brynlee theorized that the wax particles as well as the smoke inhalation had damaged her lungs, but there was very little they could do to treat that kind of internal injury. So, the Princess was now unconscious. She kept on coughing out blood, and her respiration was barely more than a faint whistling.
"We need to find a doctor, and quick," stated firmly Brynlee.
"Can't you or Nami or Usopp help her?" insisted Luffy.
"There's no telling the amount of damage done. And even if, by some miracle, she somehow heals by herself, she'll most probably have to live out the rest of her life with serious lasting damage," she replied, checking her pulse. "For now, the only thing we can do is ensure she keeps on breathing, and that her pulse remains steady."
"Then let's hurry to Alabasta," suggested Nami, squeezing Vivi's hand. "Surely they have capable doctors there, so if we can get her home quickly—"
"Exactly: if," replied Zoro, a bit darkly. "Bryn's right – she needs a doctor right now."
"But where would we even find one?" worried Usopp. "All we have is a Log Pose to Alabasta – if we randomly stray off course, there's no telling where we'll end up!"
"I would strongly suggest heading for Drum Island. It's an island reputed for housing some of the most skilled doctors on the Grand Line, and it's mostly on the way."
"Robin!" gasped Brynlee, relieved.
"Oi, oi, you shouldn't be up yet," protested Usopp.
Sanji was quick to pull the chair from Nami's desk, helping Robin sit down. Brynlee rushed over to check up on her – thankfully, her stitches were holding and, if she was strong enough to walk around on her own, she'd surely gotten past the worst of it. She did check for inflammation and signs of a fever, just in case, and was relieved to find that no infection had settled in so far.
"You scared me half to death with that stunt," she sighed, tightly squeezing Robin's hands.
Robin seemed a bit puzzled by her reaction but didn't say anything about it.
"Drum Island, you said?" then repeated Nami. "There are doctors there?"
"The very best, from what I've heard," confirmed Robin. "And as it happens, it's located somewhere between Little Garden and Alabasta – no more than a day of travel."
"Still doesn't change the fact that we don't know where it is," pointed out Usopp. "I don't like this. We might risk wasting what little time Vivi has!"
"And I didn't want to tell her this because I didn't want her to worry even more, but look – the most recent edition," said Nami, pulling out a folded article from her pocket. "Alabasta is on the brink of civil war. If we take a detour now, there's no guarantee we'll get there in time to stop them, as per Vivi's wishes."
"What do her wishes matter if she's too dead to see them through?" snapped Zoro.
"I agree with Usopp and Nami-swan," retorted Sanji, pulling out a cigarette. "Alabasta is our best bet—hey!"
"Smoking is the last thing you should be doing near Vivi in her current state," warned Brynlee, shooting him a flat look as she took away his cigarette before he could light it.
"R- right, sorry."
"In any case, there's nothing any of us can do to help her," she continued. "So, what does our Captain has to say on the matter?"
At once, all eyes turned to Luffy, who seemed uncharacteristically deep in thoughts. There was a bead of sweat rolling down his temple, and she could easily imagine some smoke coming out of his ears, too.
He needed to pick between taking a shot in the dark with a higher chance of Vivi getting the help she'll need in time, but at the same time potentially forsaking her goal – or keep on going forward, with a lesser risk of getting lost, but also a higher chance that she simply might not make it. It was a risky gamble, but Brynlee was confident Luffy would make the right call.
"… No one can do everything on their own. I mean, I don't know anything about swords, I can't navigate, I can't cook, I can't lie, and I'm no good at planning, either. I'll need you guys to help me if I want to accomplish my dream. But right now, Vivi needs us to help her accomplish hers." After a few seconds, he finally opened his eyes again, determined. "Let's get Vivi to a doctor!" he decided. "As her friends, we'll help her save her country but first, we'll save her! Let's go – to Drum Island!"
I'm back y'all!