Without another word, Luffy scooped her up in a princess carry, gently placed her on the bed, and pulled the blanket over her.
Looking at Nami lying in the bed, devoid of her usual sharpness and vigor, her disheveled orange hair clinging to her sweaty temples, those eyes that always glittered with Beri symbols or calculating light were now half-open and unfocused, staring up at Luffy with a pitiful gaze. It revealed a rare vulnerability and meekness, like a kitten with its ears drooping after falling ill.
Luffy said, "I'll get you some medicine."
He turned to go search for the ship's medical kit.
Though his skills as a stand-in ship doctor were amateurish at best, he could still recognize a few types of fever reducers.
"Wait, Luffy."
Nami reached out from under the blanket, lightly tugging his shirt hem. "Don't tell anyone about this... especially Vivi."
Luffy looked back, puzzled. "Why?"
"Just follow the Log Pose's direction straight to Alabasta," Nami said, her thoughts muddled, speaking in broken, panting sentences. "We don't have any time to waste."
Luffy refused. "The patient has no say right now. What you should do most is listen to me."
Nami tried to fumble for something on her person. "Listen to me first. I have a newspaper on me... from three days ago..."
She fumbled for a while but couldn't find it.
Luffy, out of patience and worried about delaying treatment, simply reached into her jacket pocket and soon pulled out a neatly folded newspaper.
He picked up the paper; it still held a bit of residual warmth. He flipped it open. The date was three days ago.
Luffy immediately understood the reason.
It contained a report about the Alabasta Kingdom. The royal army suppressing the rebels originally held an absolute numerical advantage, but now half of its forces had defected instead.
Clearly, Crocodile was behind this.
This was the most critical time for Vivi's country. The situation was indeed bad; Alabasta's civil war was escalating.
As the princess, she needed to return quickly.
"So, my illness might have come at a bad time... cough."
It wasn't that Nami had never had a fever before, but this one felt completely different—violent and fierce, giving her a vague sense of foreboding.
She didn't believe Luffy's scant medical knowledge could handle this strange illness. She worried even more that if Vivi's return was delayed because of her, she would feel terribly guilty.
Even though she and Vivi had their rivalries over certain things, that was an internal matter. As a nakama, Nami accepted Vivi, in every way. Not just anyone could be a kingdom's princess working undercover as a secret agent.
Nami, having experienced Arlong's oppression herself, knew that sense of powerlessness all too well. She didn't want her own illness to shatter Vivi's hopes.
Nami squinted her eyes, her voice weak. "Don't worry, it's just a fever..."
"I can't promise you that."
Luffy stood up. This kind of self-sacrifice and consideration for a nakama was, of course, commendable.
"But Nami, you should talk to the person involved about this sort of thing."
As if to prove Luffy's point, the room door was gently pushed open a crack.
Vivi stood in the doorway, her face filled with worry and anxiety. Behind her were Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, all jostling for a look, and Robin holding Merry.
Clearly, the other crewmates outside had already sensed something was wrong.
Why are they all here?
Nami didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Did she look that bad?
She used to be quite confident in her acting skills.
Sanji and Usopp rushed in immediately, looking like they were about to burst into tears.
The importance of a navigator to a ship was self-evident. With one command from Nami, even the hardest-to-move Zoro acted without hesitation, a testament to the ship-tyrant's authority.
"Why do you two look like Nami's about to die?"
Luffy stepped forward, pushing the two of them back outside. He was the one who had truly matured. If this were before, he might have already joined their ranks. But as the captain, he couldn't panic.
"Nami needs to rest now. Talk to me about sailing. I'm not sure what illness she has either; it probably isn't a normal fever. Don't get too close for now..."
"Sanji, go make some light porridge. Nami needs to regain her strength. Usopp, Zoro, work with Merry to keep the ship steady on the current course for now, but be ready to change direction at any time."
The commands were clear and decisive, without any hesitation.
Though Merry struggled in Robin's arms, her little face full of anxiety as she tried to get closer, at Luffy's words, she still followed Usopp and the others out, looking back every few steps.
"Nami, let's find an island with a doctor right away," Vivi said, her gaze firm.
"But Vivi..." Nami panted.
"No 'buts.' I believe the Going Merry can get us to Alabasta at top speed," Vivi said, taking Nami's hand. "Alabasta is important and needs me. But you are also important and need me too."
Admittedly, forcing Vivi to choose between Nami and the Alabasta Kingdom would be a difficult thing. She bore the mission of Alabasta. But Nami was also important; Vivi already considered herself a nakama on this ship.
Vivi then looked up at Luffy. She remembered a kingdom near Alabasta famous for its medical skills. They could go there.
The only bad news was they didn't have a Log Pose for that place.
But now the course was set. Nami, in her delirium, couldn't say anything more.
The patient had to listen to the doctor.
The immediate priority was to determine the nature of Nami's illness. The only ones on the ship with even a slight understanding of medical knowledge were Luffy and Vivi. Vivi picked up a damp towel and placed it on Nami's forehead. "I'm afraid it might be due to the climate belts. The first major obstacle crew members face upon entering the Grand Line is often illness caused by abnormal climate..."
From her experience, no matter how strong a pirate was in any sea, people dying suddenly from this cause were not uncommon.
Luffy was aware of this too; he had read about the Grand Line's meteorology.
In meteorological terms, islands in the Grand Line were classified into four types: Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter Islands, each with its own four seasons.
To adapt in the Grand Line, one had to endure the climate changes across sixteen stages—from a Summer Island's summer to a Winter Island's winter. There were also many unclassifiable islands and localized weather phenomena.
"But... I think I've seen symptoms like Nami's before," Robin said, who had been deep in thought.
Luffy was taken aback, then hurriedly asked, "Where?"
This was crucial.
"Wait a moment."
Robin had been using her Devil Fruit ability to search. Hands sprouted from the bookshelf, flipping through books, then pulled out a leather-bound log that looked quite old. They flipped to a certain page and handed it to Luffy.
***
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