# FOUND

When Rayleigh saw Momonosuke return to the ship all by himself in the nearing dark of the day-- he wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or alarmed.

When they returned to the ship after stocking, they were quite surprised and worried to not have found neither M/n or Momonosuke in sight. According to Gaban, he was asleep the whole day and was sorry for not having kept a keener eye out for the kids.

Rayleigh was mostly concerned.

Momonosuke ran back to the docks, looking frightened with dried tears at the corner of his eyes to his plump cheeks-- he looked genuinely terrified. Looking down, the boy wasn't even wearing slippers. Rather, he was wearing a very familiar torn bandana.

It sparked red alarms flaring into Rayleigh's head as he pushed past the others to get to the young boy.

"Momonosuke, where's M/n?" He asked with knitted brows.

"He's. . ." Momonosuke struggled to get the words out, Rayleigh was being eaten out of anticipation and impatience. He had a bad feeling about it. Oden comforted his son by patting his back, urging him to continue his words. "He's still in the forest!" He cried out.

Rayleigh's brows dipped deeper.

"What were you doing in the forest? Didn't I tell you stay in the ship?" Toki's eyes were filled with worry.

"It's my fault!" The young boy sobbed. "I was wandering around in the forest without telling M/n, so he came to find and fetch me-- but there's a scary monster!"

"What's the scary monster, Momonosuke?" They tensed.

Rayleigh was seriously running out of his impatience as he actions on going towards the forest, only to be stopped by Roger's halting hand.

"Calm down, Rayleigh." Roger said. Oddly enough, he felt an overwhelming presence a while ago, but it disappeared momentarily. He was afraid there really was a monster in the forest, and that M/n could be potentially in danger.

"I'll locate him!" Gaban exclaimed.

"Hold on." Roger's brows furrowed. Although he feels immense concerned for the brunette, he can't help but feel that there was something wrong. He just can't place his finger on it.

"Roger, what's there to wait?" Rayleigh could no longer mask the frustration from his voice. "If we don't find him sooner, he'll‐-" he was unable to finish his sentence as he suddenly stopped. Biting the bottom of his lip.

"Are you forgetting who we are? It won't be a difficult to find him although the forest is large. We just have to be cautious because there's a reason why the townspeople haven't dared to invade that part of island."

"Even more reasons to act immediately!" Rayleigh argued.

"I sent the others in already, they'll notify us in a second. What we need at the moment is to ask Momonosuke about what they encountered." Roger said calmly. Oddly calm. He was somehow confident that M/n wasn't harmed in any way.

At this moment, Rayleigh was the one being brash. How the tables turned.

"A large tiger!" Momonosuke spoke again, more confidently this time after having been consoled by his father. "Its tongue dripped acid and it had large and sharp claws."

That really did it for Rayleigh as he ran into the forest without hearing another word. This time, Roger didn't stop him.

There was really something odd in this situation.

The moment M/n regained the proper rationality and consciousness to think. He was terrified.

Before him was a dead tiger, its former face that held a predator look was now lifeless and dull. Those glinting eyes no longer showed light and what remained was a distant look.

There was no doubt it was dead.

It looks like its head was separated from its body. A brutal and cruel sight. It made the brunette sick to his stomach as he leaned against the bark of a tree, suddenly feeling nauseous.

But before he could, he noticed how his hands felt incredibly sore and cold.

Looking down, he found his hands were completely drenched in sickeningly red liquid. Undoubtedly blood. At first, he was afraid he was hurt-- that was until he realized it was the tiger's blood.

Did he. . . Kill it? Did he do that?

It made him feel weak.

Everywhere in his body hurt. His head throbbed relentlessly. His back felt battered. His arm probably hurt the most. And his hands felt so damn sore as if he used all of his brute force to tear a building apart.

His legs were like jelly as he walked towards a nearby pond. He removed his shirt slowly, knowing fully well he can't return to the crew looking like he underwent a massacre.

He soaked the cloth with water, squeezing it, and what he saw was water now dyed red.

He didn't have enough energy to react.

He continued washing his hands carefully, holding back a hiss and grimace every time he feels it sting. His best guess was it was affected by the acid of the tiger's mouth, and the teeth mark on the back of his hand hinted that he tore tiger's jaw open.

There was also a claw mark right on his chest. It wasn't deep enough to leave a very evident scar.

And what he figured from all this made him even more sick.

The tiger had resisted him to the very end.

He just killed something.

And even the 'kill-or-to-be-killed' motive didn't resonate with him well.

If Rayleigh hadn't stepped up for him back then while he was facing Teach, would the boy have suffered the same way the tiger did? There was no doubt the tiger was stronger than Teach. Teach didn't exactly have acid saliva unless he persists on eating garlic every meal.

The shuffling of the bush behind him alerted him as he tensed up. What if it was another wild creature he attracted? He didn't have the energy to fight. He would be doomed.

But before he can worry further, he felt the familiar warm presence of the righthand of the crew.

Hope immediately seeped into M/n.

"M/n?" Rayleigh called out before his eyes landed on the young boy's figure, seated by the pond. But he frowned upon seeing the exposed back that was facing him.

He was certain it was the brunette. But his battered and bruised back indicated that he must have been flown back and hit a tree with force.

He wasted no time to approach the boy, basically sprinting before he reached carefully for M/n's shoulders, turning him slowly to face him.

M/n was immediately met with Rayleigh's skeptical face that overflowed concern.

"What happened?" Rayleigh's voice had a hold of rasp. A contrast to his usually smooth and confident voice.

"It's nothing." M/n dismissed the matter with a flicker of his eyes, turning to the side. "Ran into some. . . Inconvenience, but it's over now." He said.

Rayleigh was not convinced that what he said was all what happened.

But he had no concerns for it now. His current priority was to treat's M/n's wounds and get him away from the cold breeze, in risk of a cold.

Even so, he can't help but feel guilty.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, feeling the need for it.

Despite his tired state, M/n did not understand and was not afraid to ask about it.

"What do you mean?"

"If I hadn't agreed despite the heavy responsibility I knew you were gonna handle, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't have been harmed." Rayleigh looked down at M/n's lifeless hands, they looked badly burnt to some extent, luckily didn't break through the skin further.

But he still can't help but feel he was part to blame.

"It doesn't work that way." M/n frowned. "I'm responsible for what happens so I take the responsibility. I'm learning to be independent and I can't rely on the crew forever, if I can't survive a mere tiger's attack‐- how will I expect myself to be able to handle the world in general?"

He has cheek.

"It's still far too soon." Rayleigh shook his head before ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "But I'm glad you handled the situation well."

M/n felt relief to be assured by Rayleigh. Just a while ago, he felt lost and helpless. Sometimes, what everyone needs to conquer the dark was their beacon of light.

And at this very moment, Rayleigh was his light. He was there to guide him.

"Where's Shanks and Buggy?" M/n mustered out, feeling exhaustion start to engulf him.

Rayleigh can see his eyelids droop.

"In the ship. They're worried sick for you."

M/n felt a faint smile climb up his lips. What was the point of feeling lost when he had these people who he knows he'll always return to somehow?

Rayleigh pulled him into an embrace, shielding him from the cold air. He held him delicately in his arms as if he was fragile glass. "I promise this won't happen again." He said firmly.

M/n could only raise a painful hand to place it behind Rayleigh, reciprocating the gesture.

"Let's go back home. To the ship."

Home. . . He liked the sound of that.