Survivors Guilt HIATUS

Chapter 34

Their arrival at the winter island quickly went from zero to a hundred. The Going Merry was steered into a channel that took them further into the island and let them stop in a forest for cover. What they didn't anticipate, though, were the number of guns that were now pointed at them. The people of the island didn't seem too fond of pirates, but that was to be expected.

Every minute they spent arguing with the islanders was a minute the crew got to losing their captain. No one wanted that, but these people weren't listening! Vivi was the only outlier to the situation. On one hand, she wanted Luffy to get the help they needed, but an equal part of her was anxious to just move on and get to the next island. If these people weren't willing to send a doctor to the ship then they should just go on to the next island on the route and get help there. They'd be able to keep Luffy alive long enough to get there, right? And, if they were lucky, he'd even get better before their next stop! The Straw Hats didn't share her unspoken thoughts.

Usopp had elected to go check on Luffy while the others dealt with the situation on deck. He had reasoned that he wouldn't do good if a fight broke out anyway. He was a long distance fighter who relied on the element of surprise! If he didn't have either of those, he was useless. Of course, he wasn't forgetting about the Observation Haki he'd unlocked. He'd only been getting better at it since he first used it, but Usopp didn't think he'd be able to use it in a proper fight where he was so severely disadvantaged.

Nami had initially wanted to follow Usopp to her captain's bedside, but had decided against it. While she only had small doubts about how well she could handle herself in a fight, she really didn't want it to come to that. She'd much rather handle things as diplomatically as possible. Though, looking at Sanji and Zoro, she didn't think talking about this would get them much farther. A glance at Vivi offered a similar answer. So, Nami accepted the fact that things were going to get physical, and prepared herself for a fight.

Much like Nami, Sanji was anticipating a fight. He wasn't about to be the one to start it, though. Luffy wouldn't like that. However, if a fight did start, he would protect the two girls on board. Usopp was with Luffy, so the captain was covered. And, as much as it almost physically pained him to admit, Zoro could handle himself in a fight. Sanji almost hoped one of the islanders would fire already. The stress of the past few days was starting to get to him and he needed to be able to let it out somehow.

Zoro was undeniably more stressed than anyone on the ship. Along with that, he was wanting the opposition to open fire even more so than Sanji. As the first one to have joined the crew, he carried the responsibilities of a captain now that Luffy was out of commission. He wanted more than anything to start cutting people down, but he knew Luffy wouldn't like that. So now he was faced with a dilemma of pride. Does he act in favor of himself and attack, or does he act in place of his captain. Zoro quickly made his choice and sheathed his drawn swords. Ignoring the looks from the others on deck, Zoro knelt before who he assumed was the leader of this island, and bowed his head. "Please," his voice was soft as he spoke, but everyone heard him, "Our captain is sick. We need help."

It was a long moment before anyone spoke or even moved. Those on deck of the Going Merry choose not to show their surprise, but that didn't make the emotion any less palpable to them. The islanders, however, didn't even attempt to hide their shock at the pirates actions. Slowly, the weapons were lowered and the man Zoro had bowed his head to spoke.

"There aren't many doctors on this island," he said, "but we'll see what we can do for your captain." The islanders were upset, but made no move to protest.

Immediately, the crew moved into action. They gathered coats and blankets and layered them on Luffy before Zoro picked him up. Quickly, the group left the ship anchored in the alcove and followed the man who had agreed to help them into a small town. The walk was only a few minutes, but it felt like forever before they managed to get their captain laid on a proper bed with someone who knew how to caring for him.