The Silver Haired Pirate

Chapter 40

just got done making my eczema worse by bathing my dog so time to write baby-

Aki gripped the handle of the briefcase, trying to fight off a strange bad feeling he was having. Not a good idea considering trusting his gut tended to save him, but he ignored it nonetheless.

It was a very bad feeling, like bats flying around viscously flapping their wings and cutting the inside of his stomach. 

Anxiety, no doubt. 

"We are now at the ground level, the market district I believe." Aki said to Nami, finding something to distract his thoughts from turning left (not that there was anything wrong with the direction).

 "Yeah," Nami responded quietly. "Go Yagara-chan!" She shouted to the bull, who took up on the command and sped up down the waterways. Or rather, up the waterways.

"Nami wait!" Aki called, turning to the left when he sensed a familiar presence. 

Nami pulled on the yagara bull's reins, affectively stopping it before she turned to face Aki, then turned back to see what he was looking at.

"Ah!"

--

"Usopp!" Nami yelled as she ran towards his unconscious and bloody form. He was laying on the ground, nose clearly broken, battered, bruised, bloody. 

There was a crowd surrounding him. The people whispered as they stared, none daring to lay a finger on him. These were the types of people Aki liked to call 'Casualty Vampires'. They may be present for the incident but they'll do nothing to intervene.

"Nami please, panicking won't do anyone any good-and please refrain from picking him up you might make his wounds worse!" Aki placed a calm hand on Nami's shaking shoulder. She had crouched down on the ground and picked up Usopp to let him sit upwards slightly (all while screaming and shouting, practically begging for Usopp to open his eyes).

She hesitated but set him back down. Usopp opened his eyes, they glazed over with tears.

"It's okay! You'll be fine!" Nami said, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone.

"Hey, aren't you pirates?" Someone in the crowd asked. Nami turned towards them.

"Shut up! What are you looking at?!" She shouted. 

"Nami." Aki said in a warning tone, she glanced at him before scoffing and turning back to Usopp and initiating a conversation with him, one Aki barely listened to as he asked everyone to leave politely.

His own thoughts rushing, the anxiety in his stomach churned and twisted. Usopp chuckled weakly.

"Usopp! Did the Franky's do this to you?" Nami asked, though the answer was obvious.

"Yes... I'm so useless." Usopp responded weakly. "Heh. The money... they took it... Nami, Aki... I'm... Sorry, everyone." Usopp began crying, snot and tears mixing with nearly dried blood. 

Aki turned away from the thinning crowd, and squatted down beside his friend. Seeing him so defeated made Aki feel sick.

"We were finally able... to fix Going Merry... yet..!" 

Aki and Nami shared a worried glance before they turned back to Usopp.

"I lost the money... I'm so useless... wuwuw(I'm not kidding that's in the manga what even is that please-)I'm sorry.. I'm so useless...!"

"It'll be fine Usopp!" Nami began, sounding confident, "We will definitely get our money back!" She grabbed onto his shoulders.

"Nami please," Aki gently grabbed Nami by the wrist and pulled Usopp out of her grasp, "He's injured very badly. It's best not to move him around too much."

Nami ignored the warmth that radiated off of Aki's hand and nodded.

"Right. Usopp wait here, Aki can you stay here with him?" She turned to Aki who nodded. "I'll go back to the ship. I'll get help and I'll tell Chopper to tend your wounds here. I think the Franky's base is just ahead, we'll definitely get them back!"

Despite how frantic she was before, Nami seemed to be thinking clearly again. 

"Don't worry about the money." She said to Usopp who didn't respond and instead lay there limply. "Don't worry about the money!" She shouted again. "Can you hear me Usopp?! Wait here! Aki's going to stay with you, okay?!" 

Nami stood up and turned to Aki who was still crouched beside Usopp.

"I'll be right back." She said to him before taking off in a sprint. 

The rest of the crowd dissipated and the only people that came close were people passing by.

"Usopp." Aki said softly, Usopp stirred and opened an eye. He slowly turned to face Aki. He dumbly noted that Aki's only decent fox ear was pressed against his head.

Aki took off his short yukata jacket (I don't fucking know what it's called bare with me-) and draped it over Usopp's torso.

"I would clean your wounds but that would require undressing you and currently we're out in public." Aki stood up. "What I can do though, is get something to help with the pain. I'm sure there's a shop that sells herbs around here." He muttered the last part quietly. 

Usopp stared at Aki silently. 

"I'll be right back Usopp. Please don't move around too much." And off Aki went.