The blurriness that clouded my vision and dulled my hearing slowly receded to where I could make out the faint beeping of a heart monitor, the grey metal ceiling coming into focus above me. With my head precariously lulling to the side, my thoughts were all jumbled and merging together, no doubt my mind still drunk on confusion and drugs. Turning to where a dull ache could be felt, I see a small bundle of IV needles sticking out of my arm, and connecting to them were several bags of fluids, ranging from clear to a dull yellow.
Light snoring close to my side directed my attention to the source of the noise, seeing a battle-injured Jinbe leaning against the far end of the room, his large frame making it tight fit for the Fishman in the small room. The metal interior was clear in pointing to the fact that we weren't on a ship, but the gentle rocking of the waves against the vessel made it obvious we were still in the ocean. Still incoherent to my surroundings, I slowly pushed against the plush mattress beneath me, sitting up against the soft pillows though the effort was strenuous against my damaged body, stitches and bandages tightly pulling against my movement.
It seemed my struggling woke Jinbe, who was quick to jumped up from his slouched position and rush over, seeing as I was trying to get out of the hospital bed.
"You mustn't move Lana. You put a lot of strain on your body during that fight. Please, rest" Jinbe chided, his voice rough from having just woken up, as he helped me to settle back down. I looked around with blank confusion, my memories only reaching up until my fight with the three Admirals. My lack of memories left me disjoined, but the blaring fact that remained unanswered left me desperately grabbing at the Fishman's arm.
"W-Where's L-Luffy? And A-Ace?" I asked, my words barely audible as my throat burned with the simple words. Jinbe refused to answer immediately, looking down with uncomfortable silence and sadness. Seeing his expression caused my mind to run a thousand miles a minute, trying to make sense of what he was implying. Desperate to see my brothers and make sense of what was going on, I hurried to push away the suffocating blankets, rushing to get out of the room to find the two. Jinbe jumped forward, physically pushing me back down onto the bed, my efforts only becoming more frantic as the restriction.
"Lana-San, please! You must not move. Luffy-Kun is still in a coma, he's recovering from his injuries. Unfortunately, Ace-San..." Before he could finish, I was already shaking my head in denial at the insinuation, despite the motion caused shots of pain to strike the back of my neck and down my spine, I still refused to listen.
"No. No, I don't believe it. It can't be possible, it's not true" I denied over and over again, but the pain and anguish only deepened as Jinbe made no move to deny the conclusion I'd come up with.
"We-We went there to save him. It's not possible, please! Tell me its not true" Crying with sorrow, I repeated my words like a mantra, as if reiterating those words were going to make them come true.
My breathing was starting to come in short breaths, a large restricting in my chest preventing my breathing as a huge surge of panic and fear paralysed my body. It felt like I was frozen, the torment and heartache leaving me breathless, speechless, and motionless.
I could barely make out Jinbe's yells, calling for someone but the rush of panic left my ears blocked, as if my head was being shoved into a bucket of water, everything transpiring around me unintelligible and meaningless. As time passed, I was becoming more aware of someone holding me against them gently, their words spoken slowly and sternly acted as an anchor. I still couldn't make out what was being said, but the words became more comprehensible as the anxiety lessened with the warm embrace.
"..Oka...There... Concentrate on your breathing...Slowly, no rushes... Take deep breaths. There we go" Seeing Trafalgar Law hover over my shoulder, as he continued to caress my hair left me burning with confusion. Again, the randomness of his appearance made my breathing pick up again, the puzzlement sending waves of panic to build once again.
"Don't worry. I'm here to help you and your brother. Deep breaths, in and out. Now you're going to start feeling tired, I've just given you some medicine, so don't worry" His words were punctuated with a drowsy feeling that took over, his figure and Jinbe's blurring together as the darkness swallowed my senses.
Third Person's POV
As Lana slumped against Law, completely knocked out with the anaesthetic he'd quietly ordered his assistance to administer, he sighed with exhaustion as he laid her back down, adjusting the IV wires that had twisted with all the commotion.
"What happened?" Jinbe asked as he followed Law out of the medical bay, having ordered his nurse to continue to monitor the young pirate as he left with her notes. Law sighed, rubbing his head as he walked into Luffy's medical room, where he checked over his charts and adjusted the drip rate of the IV, the man still as unconscious as he had been several days prior when he had landed on his submarine.
"Panic attack. Keep watch for another, she might have developed an anxiety disorder or PTSD due to the events that occurred at Marineford, which she'll need treatment for" Law stated professionally, walking towards the navigation room to check on their progress to the Maiden Island he'd been ordered to chart a course to, where he'd hopefully be able to leave his three unexpected passengers. Jinbe nodded with acceptance, before walking back and settling in Lana's room, watching her heart beat which had stabilized to the rhythmic beating he had gotten used to over the last few days. The Fishman could always be found in either of the sibling's rooms, a surprising loyalty to the two having developed over the days which the others aboard the vessel noted.
"How much further 'till Amazon Lily?" Law questioned his large polar bear navigator, Bepo. Once being informed that the island was still a week away, Law turned away with a nod, heading back down to the medical bay to continue to observe Mugiwara's condition.
Over the course of the next week, Lana had awoken and it took all of Jinbe's efforts to try and keep the distressed girl functional. There were times where she would sit in her bed staring at the wall for hours on end, her state almost catatonic as Jinbe was left stumped with what to do. He had been a fearsome pirate in his day, not a caring individual who knew how to deal with another's emotional stress. The only time the brunette was comprehensive was when Luffy's state was mentioned, a shadow of her past self emerging when it came to her last surviving sibling.
Once they had docked at the secluded beach, Hancock, the beautiful Warlord who ruled over the Maiden Island, had graciously allowed the Heart Pirates to remain on, Jinbe took it upon himself to help Lana up, deciding a walk out in the fresh air would benefit her a little. As Jinbe supported the still weak girl, her arm wrapped firmly around his own to steady her, they slowly walked up the path that led into the bright jungle, away from the crowded beach.
"I'm sorry for everything" Lana weakly stated, still leaning heavily against the large Fishman as they passed a trickling river. Jinbe glanced at her with surprise and relief, this being the first intelligible sentence from the women since her becoming conscious. She waved off his questioning look with a small smile, gently tightening her hold on his outstretched arm. "I'm burdening you with taking care of me. I'm not usually like this, I usually have nerves of steel, you know?" She held up a clenched fist, the childish action causing the ex-Warlord to release a small chuckle.
"I'm worried about what will happen when Luffy wakes up. He takes loss strongly, so if I'm like this, I wander what he must be going through" She murmured, knowing that whilst she'd always been able to cleverly conceal her real emotions, Luffy was akin to an open book. Jinbe looked ahead in contemplation, before shaking his head at the young women, her worries making her seem more mature than her years.
"Ace made me promise him that I would protect you and Luffy-San. When we were in Impel Down, he told me stories of you both and I could tell that he cared for you very much. It is normal to mourn someone, but Ace-San wouldn't want his death to affect you so. Take your time to accept what happened, but remember there are people who still care about you in this world" Jinbe stated with firm resolution, completely believing his words. His wise words gave Lana something to ponder on, but before she could reply her acceptance, angry yells could be heard from the Heart pirates encampment, wreckage and shattering furniture echoing to where they stood.
"Luffy" Lana muttered with worry. The two were rushing back as fast as Lana could, her recovering body preventing the two from moving faster than a fast walk. Before they emerged from the tree line and onto the beach, Luffy had barged out of the surrounding crowd, screaming with sorrow for Ace. Lana turned to Jinbe, informing him that she would deal with the situation. Jinbe nodded and reluctantly walked away, turning to worry watch the siblings. Lana approached Luffy as he continued to thrash about, yelling Ace's name desperately as he destroyed everything in his wake, smashing through the tall trees and ripping apart the green foliage of the jungle.
"Luffy! Luffy, please look at me" Lana continued to call out to Luffy but he remained unresponsive to her desperate calls, Ace being the only thing on his mind.
"LUFFY!" Lana yelled with all her might, causing Luffy to whip around at the familiar voice, facing her with the most heart-breaking expression as he asked for Ace once more, the girl could only regard him with her own crushed frown, eyebrows furrowed as she swallowed her tears.
"He's gone Luffy" Lana chocked out, holding her arms open in a welcoming embrace. Luffy shot forward, collapsing in her arms as he sobbed his heart out, pulling the two to the ground as they both lacked the energy to remain standing.
"ACE!!" He wailed in anguish, calling out to their lost brother. Lana with all her might, held back her tears, stroking back the stray black strands that weren't covered in bandages and shushed her older brother as she held him in her arms. gently rocking them side to side as she tried to comfort the distraught male.
"I t-tried to s-save him. I t-tried but I c-couldn't! I'm so sorry Lana!" Luffy wept his apologises, clinging to his little sister. He felt as if she would disappear if he didn't hold onto her with all his might. He had already lost his two older brothers, and he'd be damned if he was going to lose the only sibling he had left.
"D-Don't g-g-go L-Lana, p-please do-don't go!" He cried as his hands grasped at her small figure. All Lana could do, was hold him closer, in hopes of reassuring him with all she had.
"I'm here Luffy. I'm here" As Luffy's cries quietened down, an occasional sniffle being heard, Lana continued to stroke his hair. After a while, when she was assured that Luffy wouldn't break down again, she slowly pulled back, wiping away the tears that still streamed down Luffy's cheeks.
"Listen to me Luffy" He was still slightly out of it, but at the sound of her voice, he glanced up to see Lana's sea green eyes glistening with her own unshed tears.
"Ace would want us to be happy, okay? We still have each other, and we still have the crew. Remember Nami, remember Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Usopp, Franky, Brook and... Zoro" Lana choked up a little at Zoro's name, but her voice catching at the swordsman's name escaped Luffy's attention, as he continued to look lost, "they're still here. And so is Ace, he's right here with us" Lana placed her hand on her heart, the sentiment causing the two to tear up again. He wept in sadness, to the point he'd cried himself to sleep, his body slumped in Lana's weak arms.
Seeing Luffy asleep, Lana couldn't contain herself any longer, leaning her head forward to rest against Luffy's unruly hair, her tears running free where no one could see. She bawled at the loss of her older brother, who did more for her than she could ever imagine, she wept for the loss of her brother that died so many years ago, and she cried at the heartbreak and loss her brother and captain was going through.
"Ace, Sabo what do I do?" Lana whimpered, gripping her sleeping brother closer to her as she cried at the helplessness she felt with another member of her tightly knit siblings passing on. Unbeknownst to her, Jinbe stood out of sight, tears running down his own face at the loss the two siblings were suffering.
The two remained on the ground, even as the Sun reached its peak and then descended, dulling the sky to from the bright blue to muted oranges and finally it dark blues. Seeing the twinkling stars burn bright above them, Lana moved to gently wake Luffy, helping the disjointed male to his feet.
"Come on, Luffy. Let's get you checked up, you might have ripped a stitch or two with all that commotion" As Luffy and Lana made their way back to camp, and halfway there, Jinbe joined them, carefully hoisting Luffy up seeing as Lana was still too weak to support him herself.
When they reached the camp, they were surprised to see the Heart Pirates having already left, a large banquet set out by the residents of the island for them, upon Hancock's orders. Lana and Jinbe were quick to realise that the spread was meant for Luffy, due to the little girl crush Hancock seemed to have on the Straw Hat captain. It was amusing to watch, seeing as Luffy remained oblivious to the women's obvious affections. The entrance of a surprising individual caused them to stand still in shock as Rayleigh, the Dark Knight the Straw Hat Pirates had met on Sabaody, awaited them on the coastline.
"Oh, it's Rayleigh Oji-San" Lana stated, waving in greeting to the retired pirate. He waved back with a large smile, glad to see that the two siblings had mostly recovered from the War of Marineford.
"It's good to see you both alive and well, Lana-Chan and Luffy-Kun" Rayleigh laughed heartily, everyone helping themselves the the food that had been graciously provided. As they rested, a newspaper was handed to Lana by one of the maidens of the island, and as she flicked through it, Lana's neutral smile slowly faded into a concentrated frown, reading the article that explained the previous events.
"Well it's no surprise that the pirate world is in disarray. What did they expect?" Lana chided sarcastically, continuing to flip through the pages. As Rayleigh filled Luffy in on the world's state in the aftermath of what had transpired in the Marine headquarters, Lana came across an interesting article, which exclusively mentioned details about herself and her brother.
"Apparently I'm dead" Lana stated with mild surprise, closely reading the words printed about her supposed death. Luffy chocked on the meat he was stuffing down his throat, jumping over to read the article over her shoulder.
"But you're not dead. You're right here" Lana looked at him with a deadpanned look, and even Jinbe and Rayleigh looked about done with the whole situation.
"You don't say" She mused sarcastically, ignoring her idiotic brother's tendencies as he continued to complain. She couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her face, seeing her brother returning back to his overbearing self was a good sign for her. Once Lana was filled in on everything she had missed, she could not deny the remorse she felt for the lives lost at Marineford, which the world had dubbed 'War of the Best'.
"Are you still planning on going to Sabaody, Luffy-Kun?" Rayleigh asked but after much deliberation, Luffy realised that the crew would have to get much more stronger before they could even think of tackling the New World.
"Lana, I have a favour to ask. Would you hear me out?"
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And so an article was published on how the Straw Hat captain, ex-Shichibukai Jinbe, and the Dark Knight payed their respects to the fallen that passed in the War of Marineford. There was no mention of Lana, with the only message the Straw Hats received being the '3D2Y' mark on their captain's arm, and the bandanna they knew to belong to Lana tied around his wrist.
One by one, they understood their captain's words, though they were still puzzled on the meaning of the bandanna, but over time, they realised what he was trying to say through the gesture. Their strategist was still alive but for reasons unknown, they would have to play on the fact that the world thought her to be dead.
"I still don't get why you want me to play dead" Lana stated with a pout on her lips as they returned to the maiden island, the girl having been left behind as they three caused havoc. Luffy only laughed her off, discussing with Rayleigh the training he would undergo for the next two years. Lana began to pack her bags, requesting for an eternal Log Pose for Shinsetsu Island.
"Lana, where are you going?" Luffy asked with a frown, Lana turning to see the rest of their weird company looking over to her in confusion. She adjusted the large backpack and stood tall, grinning at them.
"If everyone's going to be training, then I don't think I should be the exemption. The island I was sent to, it was a snow island and I feel like that would be the best place for me to improve my abilities," Lana walked up to Luffy and hugged him tightly, "Don't worry, I'm going to come back stronger. I'll always be there for you, but I really need to do this" Luffy nodded in understanding, and soon, Lana was on her way to the frozen tundra she'd landed on no more than a fortnight ago.
As she neared the winter island, Lana was confused to see Aina-San, the ex-pirate who originally informed her of Ace's execution, waiting for her on the shoreline.
"Aina-San?" The only response she received was a wide grin from the women.
"Let's get to work"
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I don't know why but I'm really excited to start writing the post timeskip story, and there will be more romance between Lana and Zoro, so look forward to that.
I hope I described a panic attack accurately, if anyone has anything to add or for me to correct then just message me and I'll make the appropriate changes.
Once again I'm extremely thankful to you all and don't forget to comment.