Searching for Brothers [One Piece fanfic]

Chapter LII: My Tea!

Chapter 52

Word count: 2.6 K

THIRD PERSON P.O.V.

She was getting concerned. Perhaps concerned wasn't precisely the word that did justice to explain the way Clementine was feeling.

With a groan, she stretched out her legs, wincing as her knee cracked, and the satisfying pops of joints releasing air were felt in her spine.

It's been two weeks.

And nothing changed.

Every day, Clementine took two hours out of her day to go into her dimension of paradise, walking through the endless flower fields to enter the small cabin.

And each time she enters, she feels her shoulders drop in disappointment to see that Ace hadn't moved a single spot from where he laid.

Clementine has kept her partner beside her brother's body, hoping the large feline would keep an eye on him and be there just in case Ace woke up.

He hadn't.

Again. To emphasize her point, it's been two weeks.

Each time she asked if there's been a change while she was gone, Roki would only shake his head before curling up beside the bed to nap.

Clementine sighed as she gave up on sleep, reaching beside her to turn the oil lamp hanging from the ceiling to lighten the room she stayed at. While as comfortable as Shanks' quarter was, she had returned it to the rightful owner. The red-haired man didn't even put up a fight, just happy that she was able to sleep again with or without him.

Well, sleep a bit more.

For that reason, she was back in the small space some of the crew members were able to make for her privacy. While small, it was just enough for her, fitting a lovely hammock, a small desk, and a dresser where she kept her clothes.

With a muffled sigh, Clementine twisted her body in the hammock, her fingers stretching out to snatch the book off the desk.

With the room dimly lit, she opened to the place she last stopped at, eyeing the page filled with words and medical terminology she was only beginning to learn. It was something she picked up on the day after she had placed Ace in the bed located inside her dimension, borrowing a book from the ship doctor. When the writings of his were all read, she bought new ones at the island the Red-Haired Pirates stopped by to restock.

None of the men questioned her sudden interest in medicine, deciding that she had every right to do whatever she wanted as long as she was staying happy and healthy.

But Clementine was aware that the red-haired captain was catching on that she has been disappearing into her dimension every day. While he didn't verbally question it out of respect for her, she could see the curiosity in his eyes.

Clementine blinked, her eyes squinting as she peered out the glass window, realizing the sun was already beginning to peak. Had she really been reading for that long?

What caught her attention next was the familiar squawk of seagulls that could only mean one thing.

They're getting close to an island.

With a shiver, Clementine climbed out of the hammock, wincing as she felt the ice-cold, wooden floor steal body heat from her bare feet. The blonde woman hobbled around for a bit, quickly dressing out of her pajamas and into something more appropriate for the weather before stepping out.

There was a thick fog, and the air was almost painfully cold, biting into the flesh that was exposed. Clementine paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing on the water, realizing the fog was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see what was in front, which could be dangerous. Her gaze shifted to the crow's nest, nodding her head in approval as she saw that someone had assigned an extra person just in case. Probably Benn, seeing as the first-mate, was careful about things like this.