The silence in the room was suffocating. Although it was quite cramped in the infirmary of the royal palace, one could be claustrophobic and not even give it a second thought, as whatever discomfort the lack of space induced was dwarfed by the scene in front of them. The doctors were visibly distracted from the work they were supposed to be doing as they observed the conspicuous evidence of bad blood in the palace.
Vivi didn't glare often. She was much too reserved and polite...most of the time. But there was no mistaking the scowl on her face as she refused to pull her distrustful eyes away from Robin, who had been ignoring the hostility since Vivi had first seen her in the palace.
Luffy wasn't really sure what to do in this situation. He sighed, and then he turned towards Zoro and gave him a meaningful look. It was one that Zoro had seen before, one that always meant one thing.
Zoro, cut it, was his captain's order. But he wasn't exactly sure what to do with the command right now. He looked at Luffy quizzically.
Cut what?
Luffy motioned to Vivi and Robin in response. The tension.
Zoro rolled his eyes. You're an idiot, he conveyed back. Luffy pouted childishly.
Finally, Robin sighed and turned towards Vivi, looking into her eyes unflinchingly.
"If you think glaring will allow you to rid yourself of my existence, believe me, you're not the first, and you won't be the last." Vivi didn't respond, and although the room remained silent, Luffy winced upon hearing the words, and Zoro stiffened as well. Finally, Vivi spoke, albeit briefly.
"Where's Igaram?" she asked quietly.
Robin looked like she just wanted the day to be over, but she answered the question. "I set up the bombs so that the explosions wouldn't reach him," she explained. "I left him a Log Pose, so he should make it back soon. But I can only guess when."
Vivi's eyes were narrowed, but she turned away from Robin to face Luffy. "Luffy-san, why is she still here?" she asked simply.
Many people put in the same position would have hesitated to answer. But Luffy was not one of them. "She's going to join our crew," he replied.
The crew's reactions varied. Although Seal seemed indifferent, Usopp and Chopper fell over in shock, Nami looked like she wanted to protest, Sanji looked like he wanted to celebrate, but suppressed the urge for the sake of sensitivity, and Zoro just kept a blank face through it all. Robin, who was subtly observing them all, was slightly taken aback at seeing the lack of surprise on the swordsman's face.
But the most profound reaction was Vivi's. Her eyes had widened, and her mouth was agape as she looked back and forth between Luffy and Robin, wondering if she had heard right. Finally, her objection came.
"Luffy-san, you can't be serious! How can you trust her so easily!?" she came close to shouting.
"Because she's already proven herself," he said simply. "With her power, she could have helped Crocodile kill me, but she didn't."
Robin stared at him curiously. "You really couldn't have gotten out of that hold?" she asked skeptically.
"I could have," Luffy admitted. "But I wanted to see what you'd do." Robin nodded in understanding.
"That doesn't excuse what she's done," Vivi said. "She worked for Crocodile and helped bring Alabasta to ruin! Am I just supposed to forgive and forget!?"
"You worked for Crocodile too," Luffy reminded her. "And you tried to kill us." Vivi flinched upon hearing that, and Luffy continued. "She had her reasons just like you. I wont ask you to forget. Not ever. But I will ask you to try and forgive." Vivi looked conflicted.
"Princess," Robin interrupted. "I won't try to make excuses for what I did. I knew what the results of my actions would be, and yet I threw my morality to the wind. I hardened my heart for the sake of my own ambitions and condemned the world I thought had rejected me, and in the process, I almost destroyed millions of lives, including yours. I won't ask for your forgiveness. But all I want now is a chance to start over." She paused. "I know I have no right celebrating with you. If you so wish, I will leave your home. But unless I'm kicked out, I do plan on joining the Strawhat pirates."
Vivi was silent for a long time, but finally she let out a breath. "You can stay," she said quietly, before turning to Luffy. "And I'll try to forgive. For your sake." With that said, she walked out of the room. Robin watched her go with saddened eyes. Any protests that the rest of the crew had died down as well. They figured that if Vivi could accept Luffy's decision, then they had no right to go against it.
"So...how's Bentham doing?" Usopp asked in a subdued voice. The crew welcomed the change of subject.
"He's still recuperating," Chopper replied. "He lost a lot of blood, so he could still be out of it for a while, but he'll be ok."
"Well that's good to hear," Sanji said. "Give him my thanks when he wakes up. We owe him one." Nami nodded in agreement with the statement. "So, how long do you think we have before the marines come after us? We'll be safe here in the palace so long as no one tells them anything, but once we set out to sea, they'll be ready for us. We caused quite the commotion."
"It will take some time for news of what occurred to get out," Robin commented. "But we shouldn't wait too long. The marine captain who patrols these seas is called Black Cage Hina. She's famous for her organized assault formations. It would be best for someone to secure the ship you came with. Otherwise, I give it until tomorrow before its taken."
"That's assuming they'll be leaving this to their local enforcement," Zoro pointed out. "Unless I'm giving them too much credit, by now they'll already know that we're not in the same league as the marines they have stationed in this part of the Grand Line." He was careful not to use the term "Paradise," since that was a word used by those who had seen what the New World was like. Even so, Robin still looked at him curiously.
"You speak almost as though you've been through the Grand Line before," she said. Zoro thought back on his phrasing and inwardly sighed. She was right. He did make it sound that way.
"No, but I know that the marines probably won't take us lightly after this," he amended. "Crocodile was a lot stronger than any force they have stationed near Alabasta, and given our recent win streak, I wouldn't be surprised if Marine Headquarters decided to take this into their own hands."
Robin silently contemplated this for a moment. It wasn't that she didn't agree with his assessment. She did, fully. What she was wondering was how he arrived at that conclusion. How would he know the level of competency that the marines in this area had if he had just arrived here a few days ago? She herself had been in this area for a while and knew that he was right. No marines in these seas would be able to take on their Captain from what she'd seen, and she had her suspicions about the First Mate's prowess as well. In fact, even their chef would be more than a match for Captain Hina, if his victory over Mr. 1 was any indication, but the reports had said that he didn't attack women...
No, it wasn't his conclusion that she was curious about. It was the fact that he was so confident in it, despite his apparent lack of experience in the Grand Line. She suddenly felt an urge to question him about it, but circumstances led her to hold her tongue. Perhaps another time. She had questions for her new Captain too, after all.
"So then you think they'll most likely send a greater force to apprehend us," she said. She almost missed the nigh invisible relaxing of his posture once her short silence ended. Almost.
"Yea. I can't be sure, but we should be prepared for anything," he answered. She nodded.
"Well, we can worry about that later," Luffy said. "For now..." Robin looked at him in question, and he grinned widely. "Let's get this party started!"
After Bentham finally woke up, the celebrations began. The royal feast went as expected. At least from the perspective of the Strawhats. The king and royal guards, however, were quite taken aback by their manner of consumption. While the king, to his credit, kept calm through it all, the royal guards had a hard time hiding their disgust. But as the feast continued, with the Strawhat captain stealing food off of every single plate (including those of the king and princess, they noted), they couldn't help but become amused by the show, and they inevitably started laughing uncontrollably at the sight of the man who had defeated Sir Crocodile and saved the entire nation acting so down to earth. He certainly wasn't one for formalities, even in a palace of all places.
While Nami, Usopp, and Sanji were raging at Luffy, Chopper was marveling at how fast the food disappeared upon being set onto the table, Bentham and Seal (who Luffy had insisted they set a plate for) were cheering Luffy on, and Vivi was putting up with it with a resigned smile, only two people were currently guarding their food semi successfully. Zoro, being one of them, didn't seem to care that much, although he'd occasionally jab Luffy's outstretched hand with his fork. Robin, being the other, thanks in part to her powers, could only watch in fascination. They were all so carefree. They knew full well what was coming once they left the palace, and yet their greatest concern at the moment was keeping their food out of their captain's reach.
Perhaps there was some credit due to them for living in the moment. Robin had never given much thought to the lifestyle, always looking ahead, thinking ahead, plotting ahead. She supposed she should be put off by their complete lack of forethought, but strangely, she wasn't. In fact, she almost found it endearing. As nonsensical as it was, she actually felt a light smile forming on her face as she watched their antics, even as she sprouted hands around her plate to keep the rubber man from snatching her food. She knew their type. They were reckless, impulsive, and prone to self destructive actions that were made solely based on their emotions. She was quite the opposite. Maybe there really was some merit to the notion that opposites attract? She couldn't deny that their outlook on life had its appeal, after all. As she watched them, she could practically feel all the tension in her life start to subside.
Ironically, that was what worried her the most.
After the feast ended, the royal guards were in for another surprise. True to Robin's word, Igaram had arrived at the palace. When he asked for the status report in regard to Baroque Works, assuming that Vivi would have at least passed on the message to the king, he was shocked to hear that Crocodile had been defeated by the Strawhats. He did not hesitate to express his gratefulness, even if he was rather put off by the presence of Miss All Sunday, or rather, Nico Robin, as he was informed. After his arrival, the Strawhats were invited to the royal bathhouse.
As the king had somewhat come to expect, even bathing was made into a party by the mysterious little crew. Luffy and Usopp had raced toward the water and jumped right in, and were currently splashing each other relentlessly, Luffy being unaffected due to the water being shallow. Their shouts of certain death, splash star and gomu gomu no splash gatling could he heard throughout the palace.
As Zoro washed Chopper's back, Sanji walked over to Igaram with a devious look on his face. "So," he began casually, "where's the women's' bath?"
"As if I would tell you, you damn lecher!" he shouted. "Princess Vivi is in there!"
That was when King Cobra got up and made a show of pointing to its location. "It's right over that wall!" he yelled.
"Your majesty, you bastard!" Igaram raged.
"Oh, I like your style old man!" Usopp commented as he almost everyone else strolled towards the wall.
On the other side, Nami, Vivi, and Robin, who Nami and even Vivi were slowly warming up to, were discussing their adventures through the Grand Line so far.
"I still can't believe we got to see dinosaurs and giants in one day," Vivi said in a nostalgic tone.
"Yea, that was pretty crazy," Nami commented. "I didn't think we were going to make it off of that island alive, to be honest."
"Come to think of it, how did you all make it through Little Garden?" Robin asked. "As I recall, it takes a year for the log to set there."
Nami smiled deviously. "Oh, I bet you'd like to know, wouldn't you, Miss you won't make it to Alabasta?" she said in a teasing tone.
Robin smiled lightly and nodded. "I would," she admitted.
As Nami reminded her of the stunt Sanji had pulled, Robin couldn't help but feel impressed. They had played Crocodile for a fool, and even she hadn't realized it. She couldn't help but feel amused by the fact that they themselves had provided the Strawhats with the means to make it here.
"We'll have to thank Sanji-kun for that one again later," Nami said with a triumphant smile. Vivi nodded her agreement.
"Well, why don't you tell him now? He's right over there, after all," Robin said in an amused tone. Nami and Vivi followed where she was pointing and stared in shock at the sight of every man except Zoro and Bentham peeping on them. Vivi was horrified, but Nami just sighed.
"You idiots," Nami muttered. "Alright, it'll be 10,000 beri each!" she shouted, before pulling off her robe, much to Vivi's continued horror and Robin's continued amusement. The reaction was instantaneous; they all fell off the wall that they had scaled in a mixture of shock and contentment. The only ones who didn't fall off were Chopper and Seal, who had went along with what everyone else was doing and now looked on in confusion, and Luffy, who burst out laughing.
"Just put it on my tab, Nami!" the pirate captain shouted before jumping down, being followed shortly by Chopper and Seal.
"Idiots," Zoro grumbled, before turning to Bentham. "Well, at least you held yourself back," he complimented. Bentham quirked an eyebrow.
"Oh, didn't you know? I'm gay. I'm fine right where I am! Ahahaha!" Zoro started scooting away from him as he continued laughing.
Igaram cleared his throat as he wiped away his nosebleed. "How unsightly," he admonished.
"Wow," Luffy said. "Our Sanji may be a pervert, but at least he's not in the closet about it."
"Hypocrisy at its finest," Usopp agreed.
"Shut up you damn brats! I only went to stop you all!" Igaram yelled unconvincingly.
"And a liar too," Sanji added. "At least Usopp is kind of good at it when he wants to be."
"Thank you," King Cobra said, as blood dripped from his nose as well.
"Dirty old man", the Strawhats all said in unison.
"Not for that!" he yelled, before lowering his head to the ground. "Thank you for saving the country I love," he said.
Zoro grinned. "Is it ok for a king to be doing that?" he asked, although unlike Igaram, who voiced the same concern, he had no problem with it.
"Rank and status is worn on one's clothing," the king recited. "There is no such thing as a naked king. So as a father, and a citizen of this country, I would like to express my gratitude. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!"
Luffy grinned widely. "Anytime!"
Smoker sighed tiredly as Tashigi walked towards him with the transponder snail. He really didn't feel like having this conversation.
"Smoker-san, it's Captain Hina," the Sergeant Major reported dutifully. Smoker nodded in acknowledgement and took the transponder snail.
"It's been a long time, Hina. To what do I owe the displeasure?"
"You're as charming as ever, Smoker. That is to say, not at all. How I sympathize with Tashigi's troubles. Hina sympathizes."
"Did you call to make small talk?" Smoker asked lazily. "Hurry up and get to the point before our call gets intercepted by pirates." Hina was silent on the other line. They both knew that pirates intercepting marine calls was exceedingly rare, as not many had the knowledge and resources to successfully attempt it. Smoker was either paranoid or had an annoying sense of humor. Hina knew very well that both statements were true.
"Fine. I thought I should tell you that your report on the events that occurred in Alabasta wasn't exactly received well by HQ. Let me mention that Strawhat Luffy was being considered for the position of Royal Warlord to replace Crocodile."
Smoker grunted. That made sense. If they couldn't cover up the events, one way to save face was to make an ally out of the one who had toppled one of the Seven Warlords. Not that he thought Strawhat would have ever accepted. "Was?" he asked. "Does that mean they decided against it? If so, they'll be short one warlord."
"They didn't have much of a choice," Hina said. "The decision had practically been made to offer him the position at first, until the most recent outrage occurred."
"Most recent outrage? What are you talking about?" Smoker asked, feeling out of the loop.
"Oh, you haven't heard? You might want to pick up a global newspaper when you get the chance. I'd hate to spoil the surprise, after all." Smoker sighed.
"Fine. Anything else I should know?"
"Actually, yes. I've been given some shocking orders."
"You mean you're going after the Strawhats? Godspeed," Smoker commented.
"As much as I'm flattered by your lack of faith in me, that isn't the case. I was fully ready to go after them, but it seems my authority in this area has been overridden. As you can imagine, I'm rather disappointed. Hina disappointed."
Smoker's brow furrowed. "They're sending someone from HQ? I've seen you fight before, and you're stronger than most rear admirals. The only reason you're still a captain is because of your supposed lack of experience. Who would they send that can do the job better?"
Hina blushed slightly. Smoker really could be charming...when he wasn't trying to be. "Well, that's the thing. They're sending the Trio of Disciples."
Smoker's eyes widened slightly. "You mean they're coming to this part of the Grand Line? But that's-"
"A huge waste of resources?" Hina interrupted. "Hina was surprised too. But it seems the higher ups are convinced that we have to end this now, and so they've committed an excessive force to take them down. My orders are to back them up using my Black Cage Formation, but not to get in their way. In short, Hina has been sidelined."
Smoker thought for a moment as he let smoke from his cigar fill his lungs. Such an excessive display of force was unprecedented to go after a rookie in the first half of the Grand Line. But that's not what he was contemplating. The irony of the situation was not lost on him. Despite all his experience suggesting that there was no way Strawhat was getting out of this alive, something in his very bones was telling him that his experience was wrong this time. Perhaps it was the lingering ache in them...
"Smoker? Are you still there? I had a feeling that you wouldn't be alright with this, but there's nothing you can do."
"Alright with what?" Smoker asked.
"Well, with Strawhat getting captured. I know you were dead set on being the one to bring them in. I figured you'd be miffed that you lost your chance."
Smoker was silent for a moment as he blew out a puff of smoke. "That's if he gets captured," he finally pointed out. He could hear a slight intake of breath on the other line.
"You're kidding. Against the students of the admirals? I know you've dealt with them before and know firsthand how strong they are, but are you seriously saying that three vice admirals isn't enough to-"
"Like I said. Godspeed, Hina," Smoker interrupted, before hanging up. He sighed. Whether or not they realized it, the Strawhats were walking down the road to infamy. And there were only a select few places where that road could lead.
The morning after their celebrations, the Strawhats were abruptly ripped from their slumber by Igaram, who burst into the room shouting for them to wake up. Most of them groaned.
"What is it, curly old man?" Luffy asked as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. He noticed the newspaper in the man's hand and had a pretty good guess what his was about, but at the moment, he really just wanted to keep sleeping. They had walked all night through the desert without resting, after all.
"What the hell did you all do?" Igaram asked as he panted.
"You mean the defeating a Royal Warlord part, or publicly humiliating the World Government, or both?" Luffy asked sleepily. Robin chuckled at his attitude.
"No, not that! I'm talking about...oh, just look for yourself!" he yelled as he threw the newspaper onto the ground. They all looked in curiosity as Nami quite forcefully woke up Zoro, the only one still asleep. Many of them gasped as they looked at the front page. Contrary to what they thought, Crocodile's defeat and the conspiracy in Alabasta had not made the headlines, although they could see that it was on the second page.
"What did you do indeed," Robin said, visibly shocked. Nami groaned.
"How could we have forgotten about that?" she asked as she slapped her forehead.
The headline, in big bold letters, read: Whitebeard declares Strawhat pirates his allies.
A/N: Yea, I know you have questions. Ask away. Just don't expect to get an answer yet. Haha! Until next time, Lost out.