Chapter Text
Everyone was awake, Zoro and Luffy were the last to wake up, but they were wide awake! Ace was glad that his little brother finally cracked his eyes open, for a few days, he was beginning to worry after all! (Ace was still so ashamed that he couldn’t do proper damage against Kaido, sure, he landed powerful hits, but he never made that insane creature dodge .)
“SAKE!” Zoro was immediately looking for that good booze, couldn’t blame that man. Wano’s sake was something else, he chuckles as Luffy... Uncharacteristically slowly comes back to them. His arm holding him up as his bangs covered his eyes, his hand touching his forward.
“Ngh... Zoro, please... Not so loud...” That was already a red flag! The first mate placed down his sake and gives his captain a concerned look. Toko, the pink-haired girl that was with Komurasaki, was clutching at the sleeve of Nami’s kimono. What was wrong with their hero?
The minks were already readying any equipment necessary, Chopper walks up to his young captain and taps his shoulder. Luffy turns to him, his face flushed and sweaty, his hair strands already sticking to his forehead. “Luffy, lie down please.” Chopper orders, terror thick in his voice.
“Why- why would I-” And the headache of his comes back full force, Ace, who was already right beside his little brother catches him after the liberator tried to stand up. While he did such action, Ace felt his brother’s temperature, and his forehead was piping hot! He radiated heat too...
“Ace...?” Sanji began, comforting a worried Nami who looked close to breaking down. That pained expression on his captain’s face... It reminds him too much of Sora’s strained smiles.
“He- he’s sick...” Ace mutters, fear creeping up his spine.
“WHAT?!” Momonosuke shouts, having just arrived on the scene but had heard enough to make sense of everything that was happening. He had slammed the door open, some of the others in the room had to cover their ears.
“Gahk! Wh-who yel- yelled?!” Luffy hisses and grips at Ace’s arm tighter, the older brother giving a small wince. Luffy had a vice grip, kind of like Garp. One of the many things that connect his brother back to their grandfather.
“Momo! Shh!” Nami hushes the tall Kozuki Momonosuke, Yamato close behind him. Equally worried as Ace was, and Ace was already stressed from all the worry he’s feeling.
“Bu- but you’ve never gotten sick before? What’s happening?!” AND ANOTHER RED FLAG! Nami did remember that Luffy off-handedly mentioned to Chopper that he’s never gotten sick at all in his life, she thought it had been a lie, but it turns out it was true. Until today.
“He’s sick?” Momonosuke kneeled beside all of them, far enough from his savior but close enough to hear him. (Momonosuke hates this, hates feeling useless, could he help with caring for him?)
“I- I’m fine... Just- Just a little-… Dizzy...” Luffy manages through huffs while Ace gently places him back down to the futon. The Straw hat crew were off their comfort zone now, this was Luffy’s first time being sick? Then that would mean he wouldn’t be used to it!
“It might’ve shocked your body a bit, since you’ve never experienced a fever before. Take it easy, ‘kay?” Chopper plops a comfortable blanket over him, and Luffy sure feels a little better. He didn’t realize he was cold! Man, his doctor was the best.
Luffy lets a small, albeit weak, smile grace his features. “I will... J-just no noise?” He asks, the sudden shrills of pitches still ringing. His face etched with exhaustion.
“Right! Nothing too loud.” Chopper reassured his patient, after all. It was all he could do. It was all they could do, really. Luffy beat down Kaido. Luffy freed Wano. He at least deserved some peace and quiet.
“Thanks guys... I’m gonna... Take a nap...” And Luffy fell back to sleep, with less pain to worry about. As soon as Chopper let the cold damp towel rest on Luffy’s forehead, all hell broke loose.
However, the reindeer doctor gives them all a sharp glare before they could shout and startle their beloved rubberman awake. “You heard him, people! No. Shouting.” He whisper-yells desperately, to get his point across. The black-haired young man needed his rest!
“Okay, fine. So, it’s just a sudden fever? Nothing else?” Ever the paranoid brother, Ace shakes the small doctor by his small reindeer shoulders and almost went on a rant. Everyone sweatdropped at his protectiveness.
“Ace... I think Luffy will be fine, and he wouldn’t appreciate you shaking his doctor senseless...” Yamato chuckles lightly, patting Ace at the back to encourage him to let go of the poor hito-hito no mi user. The logia user’s posture slumps as he releases him from his hold.
“I’m just worried Yamato...”
“Luffy-kun is sick?” They were just rooms away from the Straw hats’ room, Jinbei was also surprised by such news. Robin seemed more concerned for her captain more than anything, this was his first time getting sick?
“Yeah, but Chopper said he’d be fine.” Doctor’s word or not, Ace was still worried; and quite frankly? He has such rights. The rest of Luffy’s crew have it too, Nami and Sanji stayed behind to care for Luffy. Looks like the both of them had some chemistry with this.
(Nami and Sanji stayed behind because the two of them felt like they could finally return the favor when Luffy climbed an entire ice mountain under such cold and harsh winds. Almost being overcome with frostbite after reaching the top and asking Chopper, who didn’t know him at that time, to treat the two of them first.
Even if Luffy said he was just doing the bare minimum of what a friend should do, they want to return such favor. And Nami and Sanji understand why; Nami’s hometown was freed by Luffy, taking down Arlong and his obliterating his proud park. Sanji was freed from his burdens and had been brough solace, Luffy had literally told him that he was fine with Sanji being all emotional and sensitive. He was saying that Luffy chose Sanji because of his kind heart.)
“If it’s Chopper, then everything will be fine.” Robin gave a sweet smile in which would make most men swoon, Jinbei couldn’t agree more.
Ace wishes he was as carefree as his brothers’ crewmates...