Freedom & Fate | One Piece x Reader

Chapter 54 | Sleeptalking

After a while everyone comes stumbling into the room, expecting to see the worst. Silently, you are lying in the bed, your breath sounding weak and out of rhythm. At the sight of you, everyone falls silent, just proceeding to watch as they stand beside the bed.

"What happened to her?" Vivi speaks up and looks at Sanji, the one who found you in this state.

"I don't know," he answers hesitantly, "She fell unconscious and her whole body is cold."

"Is there anyone who has medical knowledge? Can we treat her?"

Nami steps closer and kneels down to touch your forehead. "I'm the only one that knows a little bit about medicine. But I don't think I can help her because I've never treated an illness like this." She frowns as she feels that your temperature is still abnormally low.

"This happened because she overexerted herself," Zoro grunts. "It is not the first time she got hurt when trying to save others. Even though I told her to rely on us more." He whispered the last part.

"The ability she used... fire? Could it be a side effect?!" Usopp speculates.

"Cook, were you not with her? Did you have to let her do something so dangerous?" Zoro asks, confronting Sanji directly. Even if it does not change the situation, he still wanted to blame someone for your illness.

"You're right, I could've gone in there alone. I should have assisted in the fight instead of letting her go and take the lead." To everyone's surprise, that was Sanji's answer. After that, he did not say much and simply went out the door. He had to distract himself somehow, so he decided to keep himself busy in the kitchen. Maybe preparing some soup would aid your recovery.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Luffy asks, not realising the seriousness of it all. "Let's play some music! That will wake her up!"

"That won't help! What we need right now is a doctor," Nami explains. "A doctor who has the knowledge to treat this kind of illness and any other kind that may befall us on our journey." She restlessly starts tapping her foot. "There are definitely doctors in Alabasta but it'll still take us more than a week to get there."

Everyone is out of ideas. Knowing about the crisis happening in Alabasta, there was not much time to spare. Vivi needed you to head there as fast as possible to stop the emerging conflicts that may lead to war.

"Because of the situation in Alabasta," Vivi starts speaking, "I need you all to be in your best spirits and in your best condition. Every helping hand is crucial to saving my country, especially someone who has the mindset of putting the well-being of others in front of their own." She wears a determined look on her face. "That's why we have to make sure that Y/N gets better and then head for Alabasta!"

ஐ

The ship sails on, away from the direction the eternal pose to Alabasta is pointing to and into the great unknown in search of a doctor. While Nami navigated attentively in order to traverse the waters at the highest possible speed, Vivi kept watching over you. Every half an hour Sanji would bring down a basket with heated towels for her to keep your face warm. Doing so made your features seemingly regain some colour.

Ironically enough, the further you travelled, the colder the weather got and soon enough the crew found themselves in the middle of winter. Snowflakes fell from the sky and covered the deck in a soft, white sheet.

Heavy footsteps make their way down the girls' room. Vivi looks over her shoulder to see Zoro walking over the bed you were lying in.

"We should take turns watching her. You can get some rest or fresh air now," he says without looking at her. His eyes are fixated on you and his mind could get finally a breather when he sees the rosiness in your cheeks return.

Even if Vivi is not especially tired, she understands his need to stay close to you. "Alright, I'll leave it to you then. Change the towel when it isn't warm anymore and call me if something happens," she responds and walks out the door after taking another glance at Zoro. She could have never imagined seeing that kind of worried expression on his face.

Zoro sits down in silence and listens to the sound of your breathing. There is no sign of you waking up anytime soon but he gets his hopes up when a word escapes your mouth.

"Candy..."

He raises his eyebrows, wondering what is happening in that dream of yours when everyone else is frantically seeking out a doctor for you.

"... sweet... cake."

Those words make him chuckle a bit. Maybe he should not have worried that much after all. You seem to be having a good time in your slumber. He swaps out the towel on your forehead with a warm one and slowly heads for the door.

"... Luffy."

Zoro stops in his tracks. That was the word he wanted to hear the least in this situation. He so badly wanted to turn around and prove that he is the better choice. He wanted to be the person on in your thoughts. But he just grits his teeth and keeps walking.

At the door, he bumps into a certain cook. "Vivi-san~ towe– What are you doing here?" Sanji's smile disappeared immediately when he realises who is standing in front of him.

"None of your business," Zoro answers coldly as he passes him.

"I swear if that guy did something..." Sanji whispers to himself while sprinting down the stairs to make sure nothing of that sorts happened in the absence of watchers. Luckily for him, there are no such signs at all. He takes a deep breath and sets the basket with the towel on the ground.

"ami... oange..." your words become slurred. "Zro... tea..."

He almost squealed at how cute you sound when you speak in your sleep.

"Sanji... soup..."

Now he is definitely screaming on the inside. 'I knew it was a good idea to make soup!'

✘