York and the others were holding a meeting in the cabin. Outside, a storm raged, rocking the ship without pause. The lamp overhead swung back and forth, yet the meeting room was eerily quiet-oppressive, even...
Everyone remained silent. York sat on a barrel with his head bowed low. Barn leaned his head back, sprawled in his chair, a trace of despair showing in his wide, pale eyes...
Mondo's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as though he hadn't slept in days. Brook propped his face in his hands, rubbing it over and over. Bullong had lost his usual energy too, sitting on the deck with his head drooping, back-to-back with Mabu.
Three days earlier.
Barn had woken Mondo, gripping his shoulders as he explained the situation. They had gone to check on the others together, only to discover that everyone aboard, including Barn, was showing symptoms of varying severity.
Yes, including Barn.
Mondo had shut himself in the infirmary and buried himself in research for three full days. When he finally emerged, his eyes were bloodshot.
The others had looked at him with hope in their eyes, only to hear a despairing verdict.
"There's no cure!"
Barn collapsed to the floor. This wasn't scurvy that could be fixed by eating a few oranges. It was incurable...
He had thought they could escape disaster simply by avoiding the Florian Triangle. He wondered whether things would have turned out differently if he had talked Crocus into coming aboard back at Twin Capes. But now, it was too late for any of that...
As he dwelled on it, Barn actually began to laugh. His laughter was helpless and bitter.
"I was actually worrying about how to save York and the others from their tragic fate, and now it turns out I'm one of the victims too. Haha, I'm such an idiot. I'm the most tragic one of all! I finally made it to another world, only to end up dying here before I've done anything? Haha, I'm such an idiot..."
Barn's laughter turned into sobs. He tore off the black ribbon wrapped over his eyes and let the tears spill out, washing down his cheeks.
Fitz didn't understand what was happening. Seeing his master upset made Fitz upset too. Perched on Barn's shoulder, Fitz spread one wing and wrapped it around Barn's head, chirping softly. Perhaps Fitz was trying to comfort him...
Mondo told Captain York what had happened.
"The disease has spread throughout the ship. Our only option now is to change ships..."
Mondo proposed changing ships because the source of the disease might be lurking somewhere aboard. Unless they dealt with it promptly, their condition would only worsen.
York said nothing, merely nodding gently. Knowing how difficult this decision was for York, Mondo left the captain's quarters.
That evening, York gathered the entire crew for this meeting.
Everyone at the meeting was listless. Anyone would have lost heart upon learning that the disease was incurable. Nothing could have been more agonizing. Rather than suffer like this, they would have preferred to die beneath an enemy's blade.
Pirates who had pursued freedom all their lives were ultimately trapped in a cage called fate, bound and powerless to resist. They could do nothing but wait quietly for death...
York broke the silence with his low, hoarse voice.
"My friends, you all know what's happened. Mondo says the source of the disease may still be aboard this ship. To keep our condition from getting any worse, I..." York drew a deep breath.
"I... have decided that we'll change ships..."
With that, York stood up, staggered to the meeting room door, pushed it open, and left. He said nothing more-not even a word of despair.
That night, York called Barn and Brook to the captain's quarters alone.
He lay weakly in bed. Whether it was the disease or something else, the lively, cheerful Captain York had become the haggard man before them.
When Brook and Barn came to his bedside, York seized both their hands. His grip tightened until veins stood out across his large hands.
Barn and Brook said nothing, silently enduring it.
York's grip gradually loosened. This time, Barn and Brook clasped his hands, and York held theirs in return.
York cried like a little child...
"Barn, Brook, I can't accept this! I can't accept it!"
Barn and Brook could only listen as York kept crying out that he couldn't accept it. The bitterness in his cries struck their chests like a massive hammer.
Perhaps worn out from crying for so long, York fell asleep. Barn and Brook left the room.