Searching for Brothers [One Piece fanfic]

Chapter LIII: The Gift

Chapter 53:

Word Count: 2.5 K

A/N: Pretty sure no one guessed Kidd's gift right in the chapter before!

THIRD PERSON P.O.V.

"A gift? Did he plant a bomb or something on the Red Force?" Clementine questioned light-heartedly, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

But at her words, Shanks' head snapped towards her, her skin turning a few shades paler.

"YOU LOT, CHECK EVERY SINGLE PLACE ON THE SHIP AND MAKE SURE NOTHING LIKE A BOMB IS PLANTED!!" Shanks yelled, all the men scrambling around, leaving Clementine silently regretting her words. While she had mindlessly said those words, she was almost positive Kidd hadn't done something like that... He probably wouldn't be somebody who liked to make cowardly attacks, especially when it didn't prove his strength.

Not that Clementine was going to reveal that.

An hour later, the female sat on an empty barrel of booze, watching some of the crew members clean up the deck, Shanks, and Benn standing a few feet away.

"We're gonna have to get the crow's nest fixed," Benn muttered in displeasure, looking up at where the crow's nest used to be before getting sliced off by Killer.

Shanks frowned at that, tightening the coat he wore around him more, before nodding. "We might have to stay an extra few days on the next island then. Although I doubt the villagers would mind, the kids there like our stories anyways. And the mayor loves us."

At the red-haired man's words, Clementine raised an eyebrow in question, her breath coming out in white smoke as she spoke. "This island, you guys been on it?"

"It's an island that's under our protection. We decided we should go around checking all of the islands under our protection after Marineford to make sure they are doing okay. Some pirates are getting cocky now that old man Whitebeard isn't around," Shanks grimly explained before breaking off to a smile. "There's a fairly big bookstore there, Menti! Maybe, you can pick up some new books?"

Clementine winced, ducking her head as Leo roughly ruffled her head with his large before taking a seat beside her. Following him, Sebastion walked up to Shanks, sending a nod of greeting towards her way.

The blond man with the black hat eyed her behind his sunglasses, "last time you told me you were almost done with the books you bought on the island. You're awfully going through them fast."

Clementine didn't know what to say immediately, noticing she was the main attention of the men as they all waited for her to respond.

"I-I guess, after Ace, I kinda realized I had no knowledge of medicine except the bare basics. And I just thought it'll be a good skill to know, so if something happens, I could, you know, do something..." Inwardly, Clementine patted herself on the back, silently praising herself on thinking of an excuse from the top of her mind without revealing her real reason.

"Clementine, even if you did know what to do, you wouldn't have been able to save Ace..." Shanks speaks, gazing at her sadly with a look of pity in his grey eyes.

Clementine released a small sigh, dropping her shoulder. "Yeah, but it makes me feel a bit better," the blonde silently apologized to the red-haired man for lying before putting a sad smile on her face. "Who knows, I may get stuck in a scenario where I can't immediately get to a doctor, and it'll come in handy."

No one said anything after that, the men not knowing what else to say. However, they're quickly distracted as someone yelled.

"Land ho!"