Ameliorate ✦ One Piece

25

Pushing through the door of the ship's kitchen, Akira held it open as Nami, Luffy, and Usopp carried Zoro's unconscious body inside, setting it down on the table while she cleared away what little clutter occupied the space. "Easy. Easy!" Nami warned as she felt him beginning to slip from their hold. "Don't drop him!"

"I didn't, he's really heavy." Usopp tried to make up an excuse as he readjusted his grip. "I mean, he's got a really big head. It's, like, freakishly big."

"Just set him down before I have more to work with than what's already there." Akira barked out impatiently, really unwilling to listen to comments about Zoro's freakishly big head right then and there. Not when it was of absolutely no relevance.

"Zoro? Can you hear me?" Luffy asked as he stepped up to Zoro's side once he'd been placed on the table, Nami and Usopp starting to scramble around in search of anything they could use.

"Where's the first aid kit?"

"Do we even have a first aid kid?"

"We don't need one." Akira put an end to Usopp and Nami's questioning, making both of them turn to her with incredulous eyes.

"How the hell do you plan on helping him if you don't have any medical supplies?" Nami questioned in an irritated tone, believing Akira didn't actually know what she was doing and was way in over her head. But she did know she was in over her head, only in a different way.

"The way I have been able to do it since I was a kid." She explained coldly, not caring for wasting time and telling the entire torrid tale as she began to unbutton the shit on Zoro's chest so she could get a better look at his injuries.

"Where's he bleeding from?" Usopp questioned as he leaned over Nami's shoulder once the wounds were exposed.

"Everywhere." Nami called back in an unimpressed voice, questioning glare turning to Akira next. "What exactly do you think-" She started to ask, her disbelief only growing as she watched the woman close her eyes of all things as she reached out both hands to hover over the large gash on Zoro's chest.

But even as she was asking the question, and Akira continued to ignore her, Nami was soon cut off as she finally noticed something starting to happen. Her eyes jumped back to Akira's hands and the silver hue beginning to emit from them before starting to sink into the wound. "What are you..." Nami gasped out in surprise as she watched it happen, voice trailing off as she could only stare and watch.

Using the stunned silence as her chance, Akira dedicated all of her focus to her work, feeling the energy flowing through her and beyond. And unlike all the times before, when she'd had to do this for Jahra's customers, for the Marines, or for whoever else owned her throughout her life, this time she didn't restrain it or hold it back. She gave it all she could, letting it go and drain away from her in an attempt to save her friend.

"Oh my god! It's working!" Usopp exclaimed excitedly, his loud volume managing to distract Akira for just a moment. But that was enough for the silver light to disappear as her eyes snapped open, the lack of focus suddenly making her aware of the haze which had taken over and made her stumble as her vision got foggy.

And it didn't go unnoticed. "And this... thing you can do, what does it do to you?" Nami questioned, her tone growing more understanding as she took note of the sudden paleness of Akira's skin. Perhaps the bleeding had stopped, and one small corner of Zoro's wounds had began to close up, but it was quickly becoming clear that this wasn't as good of a fix as it seemed in the first few seconds.

"Nothing." Akira said firmly, refusing to back down as she tried to focus once again only for Nami to grab hold of her hands and pull them away from Zoro's chest.