(Y/N) pushed asides a large leaf in the path before she spotted Robin standing before a large stone cube with lettering she's never seen before. Robin quickly turned to (Y/N), holding up her arms across her chest. "Oh, (Y/N). It's you." Robin dropped one hand to her side and placed the other on the strap of her bag.
(Y/N) held up her hands in defense. "Please don't speak so calmly when you were about to attack me." She sighed in relief before softly smiling at Robin. "May I join you?"
"Of course. Come sit with me." Robin sat down on the a lifted portion of ground, patting next to her.
(Y/N) stared in awe at the structure before her as she walked to Robin. "Its quite beautiful. I've never seen anything like it before... what is it exactly?"
"It's a Poneglyph." Robin calmly replied making (Y/N) gasped in awe as she sat down next to Robin. After a few seconds of silence, Robin spoke up. "This Poneglyph is different from the others. Now, let's see." (Y/N) couldn't help but watch Robin in awe as she read the ancient writings. Robin spoke again. "It looks like a letter... as well as an apology." (Y/N) wanted to question, but refrained and allowed Robin to vent her thoughts. "But who is this apology for? And why did you engrave it in stone? 'Joy Boy'."
"'Joy Boy', huh?" (Y/N) placed her hand on her chin in thought.
Robin looked at her in shock. "Do you know anything about him?"
"Actually, yes. I heard the name from a few sailor stories years ago, but they didn't mention anything about the Void Century or any Poneglyphs." (Y/N) stared up at the Poneglyph in front of her. "When they got drunk enough, I would hear them laugh and talk about 'Joy Boy' being reincarnated. How his time has come to bring laughter and smiles into the wretched world, once more. I always brushed those stories off, but to hear the name again... it brings back memories." (Y/N) spoke with a sad smile.
"Memories?" Robin placed her hand on (Y/N)'s. "Do you mind if I ask who about?"
(Y/N) intertwined her fingers with Robin's, lightly squeezing Robin's hand. "Not at all. Greg Delvin was his name, although I always called him 'Del'. He always said he hated the nickname, but allowed it nonetheless. Kinda reminds me of Rayleigh with the nickname I gave him, 'Pops'." (Y/N) and Robin giggled before (Y/N) continued. "I only knew Del when I was little, before the Artie Pirates, but he was like a best friend to me. Or really the only friend I had at the time. He never let me stay in the pawn shop he owned for too many days, when he did, it was like heaven on earth of me. That man took care of me like I was his own daughter. Unfortunately, he passed away due to my stupidity." (Y/N) hung her head and tears slowly started to whelm up in her eyes.
Robin pulled her into a side hug. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."
"I should be asking if you really want to listen to it." (Y/N) looked up at Robin with a sad softness in her eyes. Robin nodded for her to go ahead making (Y/N) take a deep breath. "When I was little, I only dreamed of becoming like my father since I saw my mother as the 'bad guy' in the situation. Now I see they were both in the wrong, but we can talk about parents another time. Anyway, I robbed a few pirates of a small bag of treasures and brought it to Del in hopes of buying two devil fruits off him. That's how my right sickle and I got our powers. But I wasn't careful and was tracked down by the pirates." (Y/N) wiped the tears forming in her eyes. "Del ended up losing his life to save mine that day..."
"(Y/N)..." Robin rubbed (Y/N)'s back and rested (Y/N)'s head on her chest.
(Y/N) softly cried for a few moments, allowing the two to sit in a peaceful yet sad silence. Once she was only sniffling, (Y/N) sat up straight and whipped the tears off her cheeks. Robin took off her bag and handed (Y/N) her handkerchief. (Y/N) accepted, thanking Robin as she wiped her tears away. Finally, (Y/N) felt strong enough to continued. "Only a few days until those pirates found me again. It ended up being the Author Pirates." Robin lightly gasped at her words. (Y/N) nodded. "They told me I'll work off the jewels I stole even though they already had them in their possession. I was only a child then, and they took advantage of my innocence. I thought about running away, but Author would always call me his 'daughter' and talk about how good I am to him." (Y/N) hugged her legs to her chest. "I was straight up manipulated by those... I wouldn't even call them 'men'. The things I would excuse just because I saw them as 'family' just disgusts me. I wish I could go back and save that young version of myself... but at the same time." (Y/N) brightly smiled up at Robin and let go of her legs, allowing them to fall back to the ground. "Now I know what a real family looks like."
Robin stared at (Y/N) in awe as a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. (Y/N) quickly turned to Robin with a shocked expression on her face. "Robin, wait, no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—" (Y/N) was cut off by Robin pressing her lips against hers. (Y/N)'s eyes widened in shock before lightly softening and closing completely. 'Her lips are so soft... It's like kissing an angel... wait, we're kissing right now?!' (Y/N)'s face grew beet red. She pulled away from Robin, and quickly looked down at the ground.
"I'm sorry. Was that too much?" Robin innocently asked with a clear smile on her face.
(Y/N) turned to Robin with a tomato red face. "The kiss wasn't the problem, it was the fact it was totally unexpected!! Wait—"
Robin placed her head in her hand, tilting her head slightly as light blush kissed he cheeks. "Oh? So you were just caught off-guard? Should I give you another one? You should be ready now."
"No, no, no. That's okay, really! Thanks for the offer hahaha!" (Y/N) put her left hand up to Robin, shaking it in defense.
Robin gently grabbed (Y/N)'s hard. "Then maybe I should kiss your hand?" Robin looked up at (Y/N) with mischievous eyes as she held her hand only inches from her lips.
(Y/N) quickly pulled her hand away, blushing even brighter as she stood up and began walking towards the path she came in on. "Ya know, the crew is probably waiting for us to head back... Yeah, that's it! I, uh, came to retrieve you, so it's time to go. Let's get going now—"
A loud voice coming from some transmission was heard, taking both (Y/N)'s and Robin's attention. "Hello there, people of Fishman Island. Am I coming through? Well then, for those of you who don't know, I'm the captain of the New Fishman Pirates. My name is Hordy Jones!" (Y/N) looked over at Robin with confused concern in her eyes. Robin stood up and the two began walking back to the Sunny as Hordy continued. "There's something every citizen of the Ryugu Kingdom needs to know. This will be destroyed and quickly. We'll rebuild it from scratch, but with a new king...like me! I will usher in a new era for Fishman Island, grounded in a strict code of discipline. For starters, we'll end all friendly relations with humans. So if you like 'em, get out! Yes. Fishmen are far superior to humans. It's time that race of weaklings learned its place. They don't deserve our help! In place of sympathizers, those loyal to our cause will move in from the Fishman District. They hate humans, too, and will do whatever it takes to rid this country of them. So treat them with respect! Ya still love her, don't you? Otohime, our most cherished queen."
(Y/N)'s eyes widened in shock. 'Otohime? Queen? Could they be talking about Shiraoshi's mother? Wait... is that who's grace she wanted to visit.' (Y/N) slightly hung her head as she softly spoke. "Poor Princess..." (Y/N) looked down at her hand when she felt Robin hold it. She couldn't help but softly smile up at Robin.
Hordy continued. "She was indeed selfless and worked tirelessly to build a bridge between Fishmen and humans. I do respect her spirit. But have you forgotten the end of her tale? She was killed by a human!" (Y/N) lightly gasped and squeeze Robin's hand. Shock was clearly present on her face. Hordy began to passionately shout. "Even if you approach them with a pure heart and kind intentions, they'll just take advantage of you and leave you in the dirt! We have to wake up! Can't you see?! Sorry but the royal family's been duping you for years. If we follow them, we'll face extinction. As long as humans exist, this goal of harmony is unattainable. It's a pipe dream that's been perpetuated for far too long. See for yourself! King Neptune got old. It happens to everyone. The only way to advance is to eliminate the old guard so they won't hold us back any more."
"Are you thinking what I'm thing?" (Y/N) looked over at Robin.
Robin placed her free hand on her chin in thought. "Hordy said to 'see for yourself', so he must be broadcasting himself on a transponder snail nearby, that's why we can hear him. And the fact he mentioned King Neptune after, I believe we both know what he'll say next."
(Y/N) replied with a frustrated sigh before Hordy continue his insanity. "Citizens of Fishman Island, the old Ryugu Kingdom has worn out its welcome. Time to say goodbye! In three hours, at the Conchcorde Plaza, the weak and incompetent King Neptune... will be put to death! The Great Pirate Era began when the Navy executed a human, Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates. That era was notable for countless acts of persecution at the hands of humans. It's only natural then that Neptune's execution will bring about a Great Fishman Era, one in which we reign over humans. As you may have figured out by now, I am at the Ryugu Palace. And there's something else I want to show you. This here is from the Nobles. The queen risked her life for this... ten years ago that is. If I destroy this letter, it's over. You won't get another one. Along with that... here, we have a box... with signatures from most of Fishman Island. Frankly, I'm disgusted by the numbers. Who in their right mind would want to befriend humans after all they've done? So if your name is on any of these, thank you. I know who I have to weed out! My kingdom will be better without you. And with that in mind, why doesn't we get started? Here's page one! Enough stepping on pictures. That's through. It's far too easy to pretend you don't mind doing it just to save yourselves. But these signatures? They give me concrete evidence of who I can suspect will oppose my rule! It's like you signed your own death warrant! All right then. Let's see who the traitors are. First... Togara of Coral Hill. Second, Gotan of Waterwheel Town. Next is Luca from Mermaid Cove. Garcia from Fishverly Hills. Meverly from the Coral Apartments. Five down, thousands to go!"
'This is just sickening.' (Y/N) 'tsk'ed, but was taken aback when she hear Neptune's voice. "Stop this at once! I won't let you terrorize my people while I'm still around!"
Hordy brushed the king off. "Well, that's just a little preview of things to come. Also... before I go..." Hordy lightly chuckled. "Straw Hat, I know you're there. I have something that may be of interest to you. As you watch from wherever you are, I want you to know that this is just the beginning of my revenge for what you did to Arlong. Enjoy. Do it."
(Y/N) listened to familiar screaming, tilting her head in confusion for a few seconds before realization stuck her. Dread ran across her face as she grabbed her face in defeat. "That sounds like Usopp and Brook!!" Robin just giggled at her worried friend's actions.
Hordy spoke over the screaming Straw Hats. "By the time we finish the King's execution, that room will be completely flooded. You lowly humans can't survive that, if I'm not mistaken. Too bad. Straw Hat Luffy! Look at that bounty! Four hundred million! The heads of you and your crew mates will serve as a perfect warning to any humans who dare defy us! But for now, we're tearing down the old Ryugu Kingdom!" Loud chanting and cheers were heard before Hordy continued. "We're done with the failures of the past. This is the time for revolution! Just three hours, that's all we need. Fishman Island will take back its pride in three hours!" Hordy cackled once more before the sounds of a the transponder turned off.
"That guy definitely had problems." (Y/N) spoke with a sigh. "I can't believe Usopp and Brook got captured by him, too."
"They'll be fine. Even if they don't escape on their own, we need to regroup with the rest of the crew and we can go save them." Robin placed her hand on her cheek. "That is.. if they don't drown to death before we get there."
"Robin!! Don't say cruel stuff like that!" (Y/N) whined, but Robin just giggled at the situation.
After a while of walking through the Coral Forest, Luffy's determine yells echoed. "BRING IT!!"
(Y/N) stared up the path in confusion. "That doesn't sound good."
"Sounds like he's fighting someone." Robin calmly replied before holding up her arms. "Cuerpo Fleur."
(Y/N) stared at Robin in greater confusion as rose petals fell around her, but nothing happened. "What did you do?"
"I simply stopped their foolish fighting. Let's get going, we're almost there." Robin smiled and wrapped her arm around (Y/N)'s before continuing down the path.
Once they reached the end of the Coral Forest, (Y/N) watched in awe as a second Robin was standing between Luffy and Jimbei. Both Luffy and Jimbei yelled out for her to get out of the way as the love-sick Sanji jumped in between the two to grab Robin, but Robin's clone vanished into rose petals right before Jimbei's and Luffy's punches collided. (Y/N) looked back at Robin, who wore a smirk on her face, then looked back at Sanji get punched by both Luffy and Jimbei before Luffy punched Jimbei and Jimbei punched Luffy. As soon as all three men fell over (Y/N) busted out laughing, clutching her stomach in joyful pain. Robin calmly walked in front of the laughing (h/c) haired woman. "There's no need to fight. I'm sure you both have your reasons, but you're friends, right?"
Chopper yelled out in disbelief. "Wait! You mean Robin's been in the forest this entire time?!"
"You guys are absolute morons! You should have seen the looks on your faces! Hahaha! Oh that was too good to watch." (Y/N) huffed a bit from laughing so far and wiped the joyful tears from her eyes.
Robin covered her giggling mouth with her hand. "Oh, (Y/N), don't rub salt into their wounds."
"(Y/N)! You're here, too!" Camie happily called out.
"Camie!" (Y/N) ran up, pulling Camie into a hug. A death glare was felt behind (Y/N) making her slowly turn to see a not-so-happy ginger behind her. "Nami! You're here, too. It's so good to see you! Have I told you how beautiful your hair is toda— Owww."
Nami pulled (Y/N) by her ear, irritatedly yelling. "'Check on the rest of the crew for me'?! Really! That's all you had to say to Brook when you flew off with Luffy and the Mermaid Princess! Do you know the amount of trouble you put us through?!"
"Ow! Okay, okay. I'm sorry! I just wanted to help the princess get out of that tower. She was locked up for ten years, ya know!" (Y/N) tried to pry Nami's hand off her ear. Nami finally let go, sighing in disappointment. (Y/N) rubbed her ear, trying to relief the pain. "Damn, Nami is scary when she's mad."
Camie giggled. "I think she was more worried about you than anything. She sounded pretty concerned when Brook told her what happened."
(Y/N) softly smiled back at Nami, who was now looking towards Luffy, Sanji and Jimbei. 'It's nice to have someone worry about me, but she knows I can handle myself.' Jimbei slowly sat up. "Think, Luffy." Luffy sat up, allowing the Fishman to speak. "Have you considered what will happen if you resort to violence while on Fishman Island? Every time my people have tried to reach out and open their hearts to humans, they have been met with nothing but disappointment and prejudice. 'Humans like to make us suffer. Humans hate Fishmen! They look down on us.' Don't you see? This is what our citizens have come to believe because of the horrible things that have happened in our past. And Arlong is a perfect example. The people here have believe that the humans hunted him when he went to the surface solely because he was a Fishman. And now you, the people who suppressed Arlong, are here. What will the islanders think if you crush Hordy as well? Misguided though he may be, Hordy's aim is to fight against persecution. So even if it saves us from this crisis in the long run, if they see a group of humans attacking him, it will only solidify the idea that things will never change between us!"
(Y/N) grinned her teeth in anger from the situation until Sanji spoke up. "Oh, we'll. That's too bad. You're crazy if you think we won't rescue our crew. And unless we do something soon, Hordy's going to take over the whole island." Sanji sat up as he continued, shadows covering his eyes. "And that's a problem 'cause we have a lot of friends that live here... like Hachi. You've kept pretty quiet about who banged you up so bad. But now that I think about it, you mentioned before that Hordy attacks any Fishman that sympathizes with humans. So... I guess the reason you're in that sorry state is 'cause you spoke up for us, right?"
Hachi groaned in pain, holding back the words he desperately wanted to say. Nami looked over at Hachi, softly speaking. "Why?"
"Hachin, is that true? Hordy did this to you?" Camie questioned in desperation. Hachi groaned, looking away from her as he replied. "I can't say."
'This whole situation is crappy...' (Y/N) bawled her hands into fists as Sanji spoke. "Jimbei, with all that in mind, I'm pretty sure Luffy wants to fight so bad because this is your home, too. When our captain's back was against the wall, you were the one who was there to help him. For that, there's no way we'll ever be able to thank you enough. But if Luffy wants to fight, we'll fight with him, whatever it takes. We won't be able to leave the island like this. We can't turn a blind eye. There's too much at stake." Jimbei stood up and faced Sanji and Luffy. A few moments of silence rang throughout the Sea Forest before Sanji spoke again. "We're taking a stand... because Camie's here!!" Sanji giggled and sung around Camie with hearts in his eyes before spinning in front of the Mermaid Princess. "And Shiraoshi, too! See? This island is the mermaid paradise I've dreamed of!"
(Y/N) closed her eyes with a vein of anger popping out of her forehead. As soon as Sanji passed in front of her, she punched his head into the ground. "Would you shut up it! It's kind of a serious moment, right now!"
Sanji groaned with hearts still in his eyes. "Of course, princess. Shutting up now... heh."
(Y/N) frustratedly sighed before looking back up at the stare down between Luffy and Jimbei. Luffy spoke up first. "Get out of my way, Jimbei. I won't let you keep me here anymore."
"Let me handle it. You stay put." Jimbei sternly spoke making (Y/N) 'tsk' at his words.
Anger grew on Luffy, causing veins on his forehead to reveal themselves before he yelled. "SHUT UP!! Sanji said all that cool stuff and you still wanna fight?!"
"If that is what it takes to make you listen to me, yes!" Jimbei quickly yelled back.
"What did you say?!!" Luffy questioned the Fishman in sheer frustration. Nami sassed the two. "Ugh. Knock it off."
Jimbei and Luffy continued to argue making Sanji speak up. "C'mon. We're just wasting' time!"
"Yes, right. If we don't hurry, they'll kill Father." Shirahoshi spoke with nervousness in her voice.
"I already told you, Jimbei!" Luffy continued to yell. "Get out of my way so I can go kick this Hordy guy's ass!"
"And I told you to wait!" Jimbei yelled back, bawling his hand into a fist. "You aren't listening at all! Let me finish speaking! Now, how would you describe the relationship between us?"
"We're friends!" Luffy quickly replied.
"That's right." Jimbei began walking past Luffy as he spoke. "Although it is a simple matter for us, our two peoples have been struggling to establish such a relationship for decades now. I left you a message saying not to fight Hordy, because I didn't want you facing him recklessly. Don't you see? Think of how the Fishmen will view you. If you rush in and show aggression towards Hordy, you'll be viewed as nothing more than just another human-bully, oppressing our kind. That is not what we want. No. You should be a hero. One that saves the island!"
(Y/N) cringed at the thought. 'Why a hero? That's so not a Luffy thing to do.' Luffy questioned the Fishman behind him. "A hero? Hell no!"
(Y/N) lightly snickered. "Called it."
"But why?!" Jimbei yelled back with disbelief present on his face.
Luffy turned around, yelling back. "Obviously because we're pirates! Come on! Heroes are great, but I'm not one!" Jimbei stood upright, looking down at Luffy as he continued. "Seriously. Do you even know what you're asking me to do? Let's say there's a chunk of meat, right? Pirates will have a banquet and dig right in. But a hero would give it to other people instead of eating it. Screw that. My meat is mine!"
(Y/N) blankly stared at her captain. "Why is he thinking about food right now... Actually, nevermind, it's Luffy." She sighed in defeat.
"What a reason..." Nami stared at Luffy. Sanji adding in. "Ugh. It figures, dummy."
"Luffy. I'll let you have all the meat you want. Just do as I say." Jimbei shouted at the captain.
Luffy's angered expression relaxed into a calm one. "That's fair."
Chopper screamed in disbelief. "Huh?!! No way!"
(Y/N) slumped over a bit. "Why did I know he was going to agree?" Camie giggled at the two.
"I'll make this simple. There will come a time when I need your help, so you'll rush in when that moment arrives." Jimbei quickly explained. Luffy 'okay'ed his words making him continue. "Good. But first, the plan. We'll get caught, on purpose, to just us close. Afterwards, while their attention's on me, then one of you pirates will sneak out of Megalo's stomach and get yourself into position to make your attack."
"Did you say his stomach?" Luffy innocently questioned.
(Y/N) gagged at the thought. "Ew, no, definitely not for me. I can not get covered in shark spit a second time."
"The Celestial Dragon's letter. They have it. We need it." Jimbei's words made (Y/N) look up in confusion. 'A letter from a Celestial Dragon?'
Luffy wore a blank expression on his face. "Hold on. What's this letter?" (Y/N) added in. "Yeah, and what does a Celestial Dragon have to do with it?"
"Jimbei. Remember? Luffy was sleeping through most of your story and (Y/N) was off in the forest while you told it. They don't know." Sanji quickly explained.
Jimbei nodded, staring at (Y/N) for a few seconds before looking back down at Luffy. "In short, the letter is something Queen Otohime acquired ten years ago at great personal risk. It will define the very future of this island. They'll also have the key we'll need to release the king from his bonds. One of your crew mates must retrieve them. Which one of you's up to the task?"
"I'm pretty good at stealing. But still, I think I'll need (Y/N)'s or Robin's help." Nami spoke up. (Y/N) looked over at Robin with pleading eyes before Robin nodded her head. "I'll help." (Y/N) held her hands together, mouthing 'thank you'. Robin just giggled at (Y/N), who wore a disgusted face when she looked at Megalo. 'I can stand in his mouth, but there's no way I'm riding in his stomach. Ewww.' Megalo awkwardly looked away from (Y/N).
Jimbei looked towards Nami and Robin. "Good. Once you've managed to free the king, get out. I'll call Luffy and we'll take over. After you emerge from Megalo's body, the people of Fishman Island will understand your intent, because they'll see you and I are working together against a common foe." Jimbei turned to Shiraoshi. "Princess. I must ask that you stay somewhere safe outside the plaza. It's for the best. We'll pass the letter to you, whereupon, the entire royal family can escape. During this time, the rest of you will have to head to the Ryugu Palace to rescue your imprisoned friends. Once they're free, get to the plaza to back us up as soon as possible. As for how you go about saving them, well... that's for you to deal with."
"Oh you got to be kidding me!" (Y/N) irritatedly yelled. Sanji joined in. "Come on! Be specific!"
Franky stood on Sunny's raining, doing his iconic Franky pose. "Wow! You can count on us, big time! After all, we've got the Sunny, right? So no worries. We'll be there."
Jimbei nodded at Franky before turning to the rest of the crew. "Once this is set in motion, there's no turning back. We must succeed."
Hachi grunted before he spoke up. "Everyone here respects Jimbei. Whether they're a civilian or outlaw, they'll follow after his example." Camie nodded in agreement, adding in. "That's right. So if they see Jimbei working with a human, even a pirate, they'll cheer you on or maybe even fight beside you. I mean, it's possible."
"Straw Hat." Hachi called out.
"Please Luffy." Shirahoshi begged with her hand on her heart.
Luffy thought for a moment before pointing up at Jimbei. "I'm only doing this 'cause you asked me to! Got that? I mean it! Having people cheer for me? No thanks. I don't like it!"
"I'm more for taking their money and running away." Nami innocently smiled. (Y/N) added in with a sigh. "If this fails, can we still do that?"
"Speak for yourselves!" Sanji yelled out as he twirl towards Shirahoshi. "I'd go to the depths of hell if I knew the mermaids would be there to cheer me on!"
Jimbei looked down at Sanji then at Luffy. "Very well then."
"Sounds like everything is settled, then." Robin smiled as she walked up to Luffy and Jimbei. Nami added in. "All right. Let's do this thing!"
(Y/N) began to walk towards the Sunny, but was halted when Jimbei spoke up. "Wait."
Nami quickly replied. "Yeah? What's up? Something wrong?"
Jimbei thought for a few seconds more. "What's our code name?"
"Are you kidding?! Who cares?!" Sanji irritatedly yelled at Jimbei, (Y/N) joined in. "What are you, five?! This is a real mission not damn child's play!"
Jimbei looked defeated by the two Straw Hats as Luffy whined. "Can we go already?"