Chapter 117: Illness
The interior of the Going Merry was peaceful, a sharp contrast to the urgency Luffy felt as he stood by the edge of the small room that had been converted into Nami's temporary sickbay. His brow was furrowed, his gaze fixed intently on the bed where Nami lay unconscious, her brow slick with sweat. Her breathing was shallow, her body trembling slightly under the covers, and her usual vibrant orange hair was damp and sticking to her face.
Beside her, Vivi was gently adjusting the blankets, her fingers trembling as she worked to make Nami as comfortable as possible. Luffy's eyes were heavy with worry, his hand resting on the doorframe as he watched the scene unfold. It was rare for him to feel helpless, but the sight of Nami, usually so strong and fiery, reduced to this pale, feverish state made something inside him stir uncomfortably.
"How is she?" Luffy finally asked, his voice low and filled with concern.
Vivi looked up at him, her face etched with worry. "She has a fever," she said softly, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "Her temperature is dangerously high. She has been like this for a while now. I have been trying to cool her down, but it is not working."
Luffy clenched his fists, his eyes scanning Nami's limp form. "When i saw her pale I thought she was sick but when she got better today and was just acting like nothing was wrong I thought nothing of it. I was stupid. She was fine earlier today. She collapsed after the training, but I did not think it would be something like this."
Vivi bit her lip, her hands still hovering over Nami as she searched for the right words. "I do not know exactly. She has been shivering a lot, and her skin is very warm. I also noticed some slight swelling on her back when I helped her earlier. It looked like a bite, but there is no sign of a wound on the surface. It is as if something is inside her, making her sick."
Luffy's mind immediately snapped to the jungles of Little Garden. His memory of the expedition there was still fresh in his mind, the dense, humid forest, the perilous wildlife, and the venomous insects. Nami had been exposed to all of it, and while she had not shown signs of anything strange at the time, this fever seemed to have emerged out of nowhere.
But something did not sit right with him.
---
As Luffy stood there, lost in thought, his mind flickered. Ethan Cole was doing the thinking now.
'You know what this is. You have seen this before. You watched this episode. You read this chapter. You know exactly what bit her and what is happening to her body.'
He looked at Nami's pale face. At the sweat on her brow. At the way her body trembled even in unconsciousness.
'She was bitten by a kestia. A prehistoric insect from Little Garden. In the canon, she was in a bikini. She was walking through the jungle. She was exposed. But I changed that. I kept her on the ship. I kept her covered. I kept her safe.'
He cursed himself. In his mind, Ethan was screaming.
'I changed everything. She was not in a bikini. She was not in the jungle. She should not have been bitten. But she was. Somehow. Somewhere. The bug still found her. The story is still happening. Things meant to happen are happening. Even when I change everything. Even when I keep her out of the jungle. Even when she is wearing boots and pants and a jacket. The story does not care. The story is going to happen.'
He looked at her arm. Covered by her sleeve. He could not see the bite. But he knew it was there.
'I cannot count on the canon anymore. Not after all I have changed. There is a real possibility that Nami can actually die. This is not a story anymore. This is real. She can die. She will die if I do not get her help.'
His jaw tightened. His fists clenched.
'No. I will not let that happen.'
---
Luffy stepped out of the sickbay. He walked to the deck. His crew was there, waiting, watching, worried.
"Zoro. Sanji. Johnny. Yosaku. Usopp. Vivi," he called out, his voice carrying across the deck with force. "I need all of you to look out for any signs of land. Anything that looks like an island. Anything at all."
Zoro, still recovering from the training session earlier, snapped his head up and glanced over at Luffy, narrowing his eyes in concentration. Sanji was wiping the sweat from his brow, while Usopp and Johnny were already scanning the horizon, their eyes darting back and forth across the endless blue. Yosaku moved to the bow, his hand shading his eyes from the sun.
Luffy stood tall in the middle of the Going Merry's deck, his eyes closed, his posture tense, his body rooted firmly to the wooden boards beneath his feet. The sea around them was as calm as it could be, its serene, glassy surface reflecting the bright midday sun. Yet despite the tranquil surroundings, a deep sense of urgency simmered within him. Nami's condition, her fever, and the unknown infection that had taken hold of her, gnawed at him relentlessly.
He had no time to waste. He needed to find help. He needed to find an island.
He could not sense anything from here. He was not far enough. He was not high enough.
He made a decision.
He walked to the mast. He looked up. The crow's nest was directly above him, the highest point on the ship. He stretched his arms upward, his rubber limbs extending until his hands wrapped around the wooden railing of the crow's nest.
He pulled.
His body lifted off the deck. His arms stretched further. He pulled himself down, against the direction he wanted to go, compressing the stretch like a spring being wound tight. His legs bent. His body coiled. The mast groaned under the tension.
The crew turned to look at him.
"Luffy?" Usopp asked. "What are you doing?"
Luffy did not answer. He held the stretch. His arms were tight. His body was a spring, compressed and waiting.
Then he let go.
The snap back launched him straight up. Vertical. Parallel to the Y axis. He shot into the sky like an arrow, the wind screaming past his ears. The mast trembled. The crew stumbled. And Luffy was gone, climbing higher and higher, the Going Merry shrinking beneath him.
His momentum carried him higher than he had ever been. The air grew cold. His breath came in sharp gasps. But he could see. He could see everything.
The ocean stretched in every direction, a vast curve of blue that met the sky at the horizon. And there, in the distance, barely visible through the haze, was land.
He could see the shape of it. The white peaks. The snow. The mountains that rose like drumsticks from the sea.
Drum Island.
He knew it immediately. He had seen it before. In the anime. In the manga. In his memories. It was the same. It was still the same. The story was still predictable, at least in this. At least for now.
'Good. That is good. The canon is still holding. I can still count on some things.'
He began to descend.
He fell like a stone, his arms and legs spread wide, the wind tearing at his clothes. The clouds rushed up to meet him, and he crashed through them, the Going Merry growing larger beneath him. He aimed for the deck. He aimed for the spot where he had been standing.
He hit hard.
The impact cracked the wood. The ship lurched. The crew dove out of the way as Luffy's body slammed into the deck, skidding across the planks before coming to a stop against the mast. He lay there for a moment, breathless, his body aching, his ears ringing.
"Luffy!" Sanji shouted, running toward him. "What the hell was that?!"
Luffy pushed himself up. His arms shook. His legs shook. But he stood.
"I found an island," he said, his voice rough. "To the northeast. Covered in snow. Mountains that look like drumsticks. That is where we are going."
The crew stared at him.
"An island?" Usopp said. "In the middle of nowhere?"
"It has a doctor," Luffy said. "It has to. We are going there."
He turned to Johnny, who was at the rudder, his hands gripping it firmly, his eyes wide.
"Johnny! Change course! Starboard! Full speed!"
Johnny did not hesitate. He pushed the rudder, his muscles straining, turning the ship toward the northeast. The crew sprang into action, moving swiftly to adjust the sails. Zoro and Sanji worked together to catch the wind. Usopp rigged the ropes. Yosaku climbed to the crow's nest to keep watch.
Luffy stood at the bow, his eyes fixed on the horizon, his mind still racing.
'Drum Island. Doctor Kureha. Tony Tony Chopper. The canon is still holding. For now. But I cannot rely on it. Not completely. Nami is sick. Really sick. She could die. I have to get her there. I have to get her help.'
The Going Merry surged forward, cutting through the waves, carrying them toward the snowy peaks in the distance.
Luffy did not look back.