Chapter 19: The Rampant User! A Doctor in Need!

*Warning: This chapter may not be suitable for some readers, as sensitive topics such as death and suicide are discussed. If you or a loved one are struggling with grief and/or depression, please seek help from counseling and/or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 (in the US).*

Everyone was prepping as we sailed for the island with the rampaging Devil Fruit User. We did not know what to expect, so we were preparing for anything.

Felix and River were training together, using their weapons. As Felix would charge at River with his brass-knuckled punches, River would guard using his warhammer. Felix's medium-length dirty blond hair was flying every which way he moved, sometimes landing on his handsome, freckle-speckled face and swept across his noble blue eyes. River's short brown hair would give a slight bounce every time Felix collided with him, as he would reflexively shut his dark brown eyes tight. Just from their sparring, their personalities shone through. Felix's eagerness for excitement and thrill was prevalent as he ran head-on at River, but he was cautious and precise with each strike. River's defensive and analytical nature showed as he observed Felix's movements in order to block, rather than strike back.

Wynter was leaning against a railing along the side of the boat, sharpening his knives as he observed what everyone was doing. I hadn't known him long, but I had still picked up a few things about him. He did't usually take things seriously, unless it came to me. He was a bit of a masochist and enjoyed when I hit him for being an idiot, which was quite often. He was a little overprotective of me and was always on guard when people got close, specifically guys. I asked him about it once, and he told me that the women that were held captive like him back at the island were not treated well, as they'd been beaten, whipped, starved, and worse. He wanted to make sure nothing like that happened to me, the one who freed him and gave him purpose again.

Lyric had been playing her lute on deck, giving us all a sweet melody to listen to. I met her roughly at the same time as Wynter, so I had been learning about her as well. She seemed very bright, cheerful, and got along well with everyone on the boat. She must also share a strong bond with her father, as I had seen her using a long-distance transponder snail often. She would update him on how she was doing, what she/the crew had been up to, and would ask how things were going on his end. Made me wonder if perhaps I should get a long-distance snail to talk to Ace and Luffy? Knowing them, they would probably just tell me to quit babying them and that I didn't need to worry about them so much...

After about an hour of sailing, we were approaching the designated island. It was very small, but what caught our immediate attention was a dense dome made of thorny rose vines. "So, it's safe to say we found the right place," Wynter joked.

"Hey, Felix, Anne," River spoke up as he looked towards the island. "Doesn't a plant-based Devil Fruit ability sound familiar?"

Felix and I both gave a nod. My thoughts went back to our days in the Marines. The Y-1 doctor, Doctor Yvonne, aka Doc. How could I forget about her after all of the times my team and I got sent to her after trainings or lessons from Delta? She would always treat us by growing the herbs and ingredients she needed with her power.

"What in the world could have happened to cause her to do this," Felix asked no one in particular.

"I'm not sure, but I'll go on ahead to scout," I told them as I prepared to lift off.

"Wait, you shouldn't go by yourself," Wynter tried to protest as I started to fly up. "What if it's a trap?"

"If it's whom Felix, River and I think it is, she shouldn't be too dangerous," I reassured. "As far as we knew, she didn't know Haki and she preferred to help people, not hurt them. And if she is hostile, her powers shouldn't have much effect on me."

I proceeded to fly ahead of the ship and swiftly reached the tiny island, landing in the middle of the equally tiny village near the dome. Everyone seemed to oddly be going about their everyday lives, as if nothing was going on. As one woman was passing by, I momentarily stopped her to ask, "Excuse me, can I ask what happened? That dome was created by Doc, right?"

"Oh, you know our dear Doc," the lady asked with surprise. Her eye became downcast as she continued, "The poor woman's been isolating herself for days now. I do wish she would let us in so that we can help her."

I looked around and noticed that there was no damage to the surrounding area like I had expected there to be. I looked to the woman and asked, "Help her? So I take it she wasn't going rampant, then?"

"Oh, good heavens, no," the lady retorted. "Quite the opposite, I would say. True, the poor Doc was stricken with grief, but she didn't go mad with rage. Rather, she created that dome to keep others at bay as she grieves."

"Grieves," I repeated as a question. "Do you mind me asking what happened here?"

"No one but Doc truly knows what exactly happened," the woman told me with a shrug. "All anyone knows is that, right before her dome was brought up, Doc had been slumped over the body of her partner. I just wish she would let us comfort her…"

"Don't worry, I'll pass on your condolences," I told her as I walked towards the dome.

The woman raised an eyebrow, tilted her head to the side, but gave a shrug and went on with her day.

Once I was standing in front of the wall of vines, I called out to Doc, hoping she would hear me, "Doctor Yvonne? Are you in there? It's Anne, back from the Y-1 days. Will you let me in so that we can talk?"

There was no noise besides the gentle rustle of leaves and flowers from the dome. Receiving no response, I decided to make my way through the prickly mess of thorns. I was able to duck, twist, and wind my way through with ease. After all, it's not that difficult when you can move as smooth as the air, and being made of it doesn't hurt either.

After a few moments, I reached the hollow center. It was somewhat dimly light due to all of the vines blocking out most of the sunlight, but enough natural light was able to sneak its way in for me to be able to see. It was a small grassy clearing, and in the center, I could see some figures. Corpses dawning ripped Marine uniforms were tangled in vines around someone knelt down, hugging a motionless body. Upon further inspection, I realized it was Doc who was kneeling. She was as gorgeous as I remembered, though her dark curls had fallen and covered her flawless, deep umber brown face as dried tear marks lined her cheeks. Embraced in her largely rounded bosom was an equally beautiful woman with a bullet-sized hole in the middle of her forehead.

I slowly walked over and knelt down next to Doc. We sat there in silence for a few moments. "Doc, I am so sorry for your lose. I truly am..."

Looking down, I noticed that she had been attempting to slowly grow a deadly nightshade plant while maintaining the barrier. "Doc, were you… I heard something had happened to your partner. Can you tell me what happened?"

Doc remained silent for a bit, before she finally spoke up, "They did it… they killed her for protecting someone…"

I knew she was referring to the dead Marines wrapped up in her vines, but I wanted to make an emotional connection with her, to show her I cared and that I was listening. "What was her name," I asked, prompting her to keep talking to me. "Who was she trying to help?"

Doc looked towards me in the corner of her eye. "Rose," she told me before dropping her gaze back down towards the woman. "Those bastard officials came by the island and were doing nothing but harassing the people. One man had had enough and attempted to stand up to the them. They didn't take too kindly to that, and started assaulting the guy. Rose… well, she went and joined the scuffle, throwing punches left and right like the badass she was… but one thing led to another and… the bastard claimed it was 'self-defense', even though neither Rose or the citizen had a weapon, and he…"

She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence and simply glanced at the Marine corpses. "If it helps at all, I think you were justified in the actions you took afterwards," I told her, referencing the dead Marines.

I looked to my side and noticed a vibrant red rose blossoming. Plucking the blossom from the stem, I gingerly placed the delicate flower over Rose's wound, hiding it underneath the beautiful petals. "It sounds like she was a wonderful and strong woman," I murmured. "I'm sorry for your loss. But I have to ask… are you having thoughts of suicide?"

Doc gave no response other than a glance towards the nightshade she had been previously growing steadily for a moment, until she whimpered, "My whole world and purpose for living is gone… what else am I to do? All I can see if pain and darkness in my future…"

"What you are feeling is valid," I assured her. "I won't lie to you, it is going to hurt for awhile. There are going to be a lot of bad days before it gets better, and all you want to do is stop the pain. But it will get better. It might take weeks, months, or even years, as everyone grieves differently. I was lucky enough to have my brothers there to help me recover when we lost our brother. So, I want to make you an offer. Come join my crew as our medical purser. You could be out there saving lives, rather than ending your own. Not to mention, we would become your new family, and you'd be giving the Marines the metaphorical middle finger by curing us while we take down their corruptive ways."

Doc raised a hand to Rose's face and gently moved a strand of hair back into place. She gave a slight chuff as she weakly said, "That's something Rose would have told me. She would have told me to get my ass up and go save lives, but… I just…"

Doc eyed the nightshade once more. "I know I can't offer to bring Rose back, but I can offer you a chance at a new life and a supportive family," I told her with my renown toothy grin. "I can't force you to come along, and I know things look bleak right now. You're probably lost in the darkness, but there is so much to see once your eyes have adjusted to it. Besides, if you feel like we are not the crew or family for you, you can feel free to leave whenever you like. We'll even try to drop you off anywhere in the world, no matter how difficult it is too get to!"

Looking down at Rose one last time, Doc gave a soft, hesitant nod. "Alright," she said with a deep exhale. "I only request to allow me to properly send her off."

"Naturally," I told her as I stood up, then drew my attention towards the asphyxiated Marine corpses. "Could you go ahead and take down the dome? I've got some trash to take out."

Doc gave another nod before unwrapping her vines from the bodies and taking the overhead dome down. Once it was fully gone, it didn't take long for the islanders to notice. Many rushed over to Doc and started giving their condolences. As I was lifting the Marines up to dispose of the bodies, I started to realize how loved Doc and Rose must have been to these people. After all, this island was so small that everyone probably knew each other one way or another.

While the memorial/funeral service was being arranged for Rose, I left for the shoreline with the dead Marines trailing behind me. Once I reached the water's edge, I saw that my crew had just dropped anchor not too far from where I was. Felix, River and Wynter were making their way over towards me as I was hurling the bodies into the ocean a distance out, that way they would not wash back ashore easily and trouble the islanders. "Damn, looks like we missed all of the fun," Wynter joked as the last body was chucked beyond the waves. "I have to say, that looked like some mighty fine handiwork! What did you use to cause bruising on the neck THAT deep?!"

River elbowed Wynter in the side for his insensitive comment. However, Wynter completely misinterpreted the nudge. "That's right, it couldn't have been her," Wynter said with a devious grin. "She could have offed them so much easier than that. The linear bruises and the scratch marks on the necks means there was a struggle, and that would be too much effort for Anne, when she could have just used her powers in so many different ways… now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever actually seen her kill anyone?"

I tried to ignore Wynter's rambling as best as I could as I balled my fists tightly. Felix noticed my PTSD back from my Marine days started to surface, so he spoke up, "That's because she has morals, unlike some people. River, Anne and I did our fair share of murdering people under the guise of 'justice,' but just the thought of ending someone's life reminds her of how she used to be trapped doing the dirty work. So don't go spewing-."

I placed a hand on Felix's shoulder. "It's fine," I told him, composing myself. "Anyway, let me explain what's going on…"

I explained to the three about how the Marines had caused trouble, about Doc's partner, and how Doc and the islanders would be holding a ritual for Rose. River, Felix and I decided to attend the ritual out of respect for Doc while the rest of the crew would stay behind and start prepping the ship for departure.

Doc appreciated us coming. The island had their own way of seeing the dead off. They start off by cremating the dead and collect the ashes in a large bowl. The deceased's adult loved ones (in this case, it was Doc) are fully covered in the departed's ashes, while the young have markings drawn over their hearts with the ashes. Once that is complete, the living loved ones then stand under the island's main waterfall in order to purify the departed's soul through cleansing, all the while absorbing the remains' essence with their own soul. It was bizarre to witness at first, but it was a sight to behold. The thought seemed peaceful, being able to combine two souls together even after the other is gone…

Once the ritual was completed, Doc bid the people of her village farewell before we all headed for the ship.

"Ahoy, Cap'," Wynter greeted as the four of us boarded. "Prep is complete, and just in time, too."

Wynter pointed over his shoulder with his thumb towards the horizon. Coming this way off in the distance were a couple of Marine vessels. "This is getting really old, really quick," I growled. "'Ight, crew! Just like the other 20 something times before, why fight if we don't need to. Make sure everything is tied down, raise the anchor, and make sure the sails are fastened tight! Doc, you're going to want to either get below deck or hang on to something for dear life."

We followed our usual motions when it came to encountering the Marines on the seas. Felix and Wynter fastened the sails, and the rest of the crew either escaped to below deck or tied themselves down. I, too, took a rope and fastened myself to the deck to make sure I did not fly off during the escape.

Once everything was set up, just as the Marine vessels began firing cannonballs towards us, I turned towards the sails. Extending my hands up towards them, I used my powers to blast jets of air into the sails, propelling us forward at high speeds. Crew members held on tight as a few slipped and dangled as their rope support held them to the ship.

Within moments, we were out of sight from the island and the Marines. When we were a good distance away, I slowed the air jets and stopped them. "Goodness," Doc said as she and the others returned to the deck. "What a rush. You have quite the system."

"Not really," I sheepishly said. "We've just done that maneuver so many times, we've got it memorized. Other than that, we're still sort of a mess."

"Yeah, no kidding," Felix laughed. "We still need a Watch Leader for sure. Half of the time, everyone is just doing random things at random times, but we're usually too focused to notice the smaller tasks."

"We'll find someone eventually," I told him.

After all, next stop: Goa Kingdom!