Chapter 20

Once assured of his thief's survival and back on the Coddiwomple trying to calm down enough to sleep, it hit him that oh shit he'd used Conqueror's Haki.

Sitting down hard on the side of his bed, he put his head between his knees and just breathed. Vision darkening around the edges, his pulse sounded like thunder in his ears as he rode the waves of adrenaline until the panic began to fade. Because what the fuck. He didn't think he had the third kind of haki! He wasn't actually Teach! Did the original Blackbeard even have Conqueror's?! He couldn't remember! Gripping his hair in his hands, the thought that kept turning over and over in his mind was that he was screwed.

He was a D. A D with Conqueror's Haki. His dream of staying off the radar had been doomed from the start, hadn't it? He thought with helpless rage. Everything he did to take himself out of the equation, and he was still going to end up a wanted man. It might not be this year or the next, or even a decade from now, but it was going to happen.

Burying his face in his hands, he howled, the sound full of hopelessness and despair. After lasting what felt like an eternity, the noise abruptly stopped...and Marshall silently broke down.

The next day dawned bright and clear, and after a night of venting, Marshall could admit that he felt a lot better. Part of his breakdown the night before might have been the Conqueror's Haki, but the majority of it was a combination of worrying about Wilde and the realization that he had a crew, people he actually liked and was afraid of losing, and the haki thing just tipped him over the edge.

Mostly he thought he just needed rest, but crying in the safety of his quarters had definitely helped take some weight off his shoulders. He'd managed to worry Vertara, the cannibal abnormally quiet and flicking concerned glances his way every few minutes, but after a few hours he managed to convince her he was fine. He apologized for worrying her, but she brushed it off, leaping up to hug him a bit longer than usual, gently nuzzling the side of his head before letting go.

Looking him in the eye, Vertara said firmly. "It's okay."

A beat.

"Yeah, it is." He smiled. Vertara smiled back, and that was all that needed to be said.

"So, how is your shopping spree going?" Marshall asked later that day.

"Not good," Vertara frowned. "The prices in the regular pharmacies are insane, at least five times higher than market for even common medicines. Prices have been going up in recent years; hell, even bandages are overpriced. Most of the independent stores have closed down, or that's what Rosa at the herb store told me."

Grunting in acknowledgment, he raised a hand to rub his chin in thought, feeling the shadow of stubble and scowling. He pulled his shaving kit from his pocket and set to work, going through the motions with practiced ease as he told a bemused Vertara, "That isn't good. For prices to inflate so fast, something has to be going on, especially since the hospitals themselves don't seem to be affected." The doctor he'd spoken to hadn't mentioned it, then again the man might not know anything considering his nurse did most of the work.

Vertara nodded, lips pursed as she replied, "I'll try to find out more. I did manage to get some of the things on your list from stores that were going out of business and just trying to get rid of their stock, but it was all basic supplies that we already had." Shaking her head, she growled, annoyed by how difficult this hunt was becoming.

"Every little bit helps," he assured her, sensing her rising frustration. There was a lull in the conversation, then she spoke again.

"...Is Wilde going to recover?" Vertara asked quietly.

"Yes." He answered, complete confidence in his tone as he rinsed off his razor, wiping it down and putting it away. He patted his face dry with a towel before turning to meet Vertara's eyes, the gold color dark with worry. "He'll be on strict bed rest for awhile, but he'll be fine." He smiled as her shoulders slumped in relief.

"Of course, that doesn't mean I won't kick his ass to the Locker and back once he's on his feet," he added, lips twitching as Vertara threw her head back and laughed, after a moment giving in and joining her.

Marshall happened to be visiting Wilde when the thief finally began to stir.

He was sitting in the chair reading a book when his Observation Haki pinged, and he looked up to see Wilde's eyelids twitch. Closing his book with a firm thump, he commented wryly, "Awake, Sleeping Beauty?"

It was gratifying to see Wilde stiffen in shock, dread crossing his features for just a second before they went blank. Wilde said nothing, breathing slow and even. "Pretending to be asleep won't save you." He informed the thief blandly, "but I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that I plan to wait until you're fully recovered before I beat you within an inch of your life for the stunt you pulled."

A soft eep came from the direction of the bed.

Marshall smirked.

"Okay, so from what I gathered, the reason pharmacy prices are so high and independent stores are closing down is because everyone is packing up to head for Drum Island in Paradise." Vertara reported. "The pharmacies have contracts with the hospitals on Asclepias so they can't leave, but because their contracts ensure the hospitals pay a fixed price, they have to raise the prices for outside buyers in order to stay in business."

Well that certainly explained things, including why the doctors didn't realize anything was amiss. Marshall sighed, rubbing the bridge of nose and musing, "I suppose we should be grateful the hospital bill doesn't reflect the inflated prices."

Vertara snorted, amused despite herself, and slightly changed the subject. "How's Wilde doing?"

"Already irritated about being stuck in bed and trying to take it out on the nurses." He chuckled.

"'Trying to'?" Vertara repeated, looking at him curiously.

"Yup." He confirmed. "Pickpocketed three nurses before the head nurse came in to check on him and he tried it on her. She stopped him cold. The lecture she gave him, without raising her voice or anything, had him hiding under the sheets. He's been on his best behavior ever since."

By the end of his explanation Vertara had fallen down laughing, flat-out cackling as she rolled on the deck. Which, fair. It was pretty damn funny.

Midway through Wilde's recovery period, Rouge called him.

He was in his quarters when Chuckles started ringing, and he glanced at the snail curiously as he reached to answer. Before he could get a word out, the snail shrieked.

"Marshall! Marshall, is that you?!"

"Ow," he grumbled, rubbing his ear before raising his voice to answer, "Yeah, I'm here. You okay, Rouge?"

"No! I'm not okay!" Rouge cried, and he was stunned to see tears gathering in his snail's eyes. "Roger is chasing after another woman! That cheater was making eyes at some two-bit hussy that doesn't even have a bounty! What does she have that I don't?! That mustachioed asshole barely even looked at me when we landed on the same island!"

Brain skipping a beat, Marshall blinked and gave his snail a weird look, wondering if Rouge was talking about a different Roger than the one they usually talked about. What she was telling him did not sound like him at all.

....Not that he'd met him in person, but whatever.

After a great deal of crying and ranting on Rouge's part, he finally got the actual story out of her. It started out like a typical Rouge adventure story, but then she described the encounter with Roger and 'the hussy' and the way she took off, fed up with Roger's distraction. By the end, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, covering his eyes with a hand as his shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "Rouge-" he choked out, "I think you left a little early."

"Huh?" Rouge made a confused sound.

"If I'm not mistaken, Roger wasn't after the woman but the necklace she was wearing - you know, the one made of diamonds and rubies? He was probably planning to give it to you but then you got jealous and ran off before he had the chance."

There was a long moment of silence before Rouge squeaked, "...Oh. That...that makes sense."

"Did you even give the guy a chance to explain or just jump to conclusions and ignore his calls?" He asked, half-joking. The snail mirrored Rouge's awkward look, the woman on the other end saying nothing, and he paused. "You didn't, did you?"

"...No." Is the whispered reply.

"...Damn it, Rouge." Marshall sighed. His sister owed him so much alcohol for this.