Survivors Guilt

Chapter 17

Nami wanted nothing more than to leave behind her newfound friends and keep them out of harm's way. She didn't want them to get hurt, but she didn't want to leave them! Getting the Going Merry ready to sail gave her time to think, but she still couldn't come to a decision. She knew that Luffy would - and apparently had - help her, but she couldn't bring herself to throw away all of the distrust she had for pirates. In the back of her mind, she realized that maybe she didn't want to trust Luffy because he was a pirate, but because he was a genuinely good person.

So lost in her thoughts, she only noticed the other people with her when they flopped onto the deck. Usopp looked to have been struggling a bit and was panting and wiping sweat from his forehead, but she wasn't really worried about him. No, Nami was worried about Zoro. The swordsman was bleeding out like he had blood to spare. He did not, in fact, and Nami was suddenly applying pressure to his open wound. She moved before she could think, which was a surprise because that is the exact opposite of how she normally acts.

"What happened?!" Nami demanded. She chose to ignore the blood now covering and seeping through her hands.

Usopp finally caught his breath and said, "He...he had a duel with-with Dracule Mihawk-"

"What!"

"I'll tell ya later. Anyway, they had a duel and Zoro, well, lost."

A little put off by the information, Nami only shook her head. "Go and get me the Med Kit. It should have everything I need in it." she ordered, "And hurry!"

Usopp nodded quickly and left for the galley. There was a Med Kit in every room, as far as they had found, but this one was the closest and fastest to get to. Grabbing it from the cupboard, the sniper ran back out and handed it to Nami who opened it and took out the thread and a needle.

"This isn't going to be a pretty job," she said as she threaded the needle, "but it will be good enough until he can get a real doctor."

Usopp nodded and looked away. He was already a little squeamish because of all the blood - having never really been a fan of mass amounts of the red liquid - and he really didn't feel like watching Nami pierce Zoro with a needle and sew him closed. Instead, he chose to start moving the ship. Getting Zoro away from the next fight that was more than sure to break out, he figured, was the best thing he could do to help. Besides, Luffy told him to get a head start. Who was he to refuse getting away from danger? He chose to ignore the fact that he was moving towards more danger.

While Usopp manned the entire boat himself, Nami did her best to fix Zoro the best she could. As she had stated, it wasn't a pretty job. She had very minimal knowledge in anything medical related; just enough to get by. When she was done, she allowed herself a moment to relax and register the fact that the Going Merry was going somewhere. Again, she shook off the thoughts and worries about where they were going until later. For now, she had to get the blood cleaned off of Zoro, herself and the deck. After all, this ship is home to several people, so she had to make sure it was presentable. Whether or not she was one of the people who called the wooden vessel home was a different story altogether as well as up for debate.

***

Luffy was, admittedly, having a lot of fun. He shouldn't be, but he was. Don Crieg was a lot stronger in the past, but now Luffy knew his movements and secrets. The fight was fairly easy and he didn't have to exert as much energy as before. Though, that also meant that the chefs and pirates were beyond shocked. Even Zeff and Sanji were surprised! Though, being in the East Blue so long dulls everyone's expectations of literally everything.

The fight with Don Crieg, while fun and easy and far less painful than the first time, went way too fast for Luffy's taste. It was like the man wasn't even trying! It was no wonder he didn't last on the Grand Line. If he couldn't beat Luffy when he was at barely a quarter of his full strength, then he wasn't going to last longer than two weeks in Paradise, tops. Anyone who argues otherwise is simply wrong and stupid.