Author's Note: Compared to '(Why)y is equal to 45', I don't feel like giving an explanation. You just have find all the symbolisms by yourself. Hint: This story tried to parody Indiana Jones series (cause I was writing this while watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'.
Summary: Modern AU. The adventures of Miss All Sunday always have happy endings, but Nico Robin's rarely ends with one (In which Math teacher Nico Robin grows too attached with one of her students, Luffy, who loved hearing her imaginary adventure stories). Luffy + Robin friendship-fic/Nakamaship.
Notice: This fic isrelated to '(Wh)y is equal to 45', but it can be read alone.
Miss All Sunday
and the
Disappearing City of Biringan
" - then, a loud explosion shook the whole caves, rattling stalagmites and stones alike. However, with Miss All Sunday's ingenuity, she was able to lead her mother, Saul, and Princess Vivi out of the cave, just in time it collapsed. Miss All Sunday watched as the entrance of the cave closed, blinking only to see the cave guardian knight Chaka waved goodbye. That's all for now," Nico Robin said as she delighted on the humorous sunken face of her student, Monkey D. Luffy.
"Whaaaaaat! That's it! Does Miss All Sunday become an immortal? What happened to her mother?" Luffy asked, rambling hysterically on this theories of what happened next. Robin chuckled at the actions of her student. She took a copy of a review exam and slid it on the table.
"I'll tell you the rest of the story after you've done your extra credit points," Robin said, to which Luffy sulked. After staring at the pristine sheet of paper and back to Robin, who kept smiling, he huffed.
"Fine, I'll do it," Luffy said as he snatched the paper and crammed it inside his bag. "But you'll have to tell me another story - another adventure, okay? Miss All Sunday must travel the world!" He said it as if he was rooting for the Russian archeologist slash explorer Miss All Sunday, who was only real to Luffy's eyes. But, it doesn't matter, Nico Robin thought. As long as Luffy earns extra credits to pass and avoid a summer term.
"Of course. After 2 years of rest from her adventures with the Holy Grail, she'll embark to find her most precious friend, Captain of the High Seas Monkey D. Luffy," she winked as Luffy's eyes grew in large circles. "In the disappearing city of Biringan of the tropical island of the Philippines. It will be the largest and grandest adventure of all."
"Will there be explosions? Zombies? Aliens?" Luffy asked, jumping in place like an excited child. "Will Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Ace, and Sabo be in it?"
Robin chuckled. Truly, Luffy's enthusiasm was contagious. She was feeling excited to write the story right then and now. But, it was dismissal time, and Robin has stash of homework to check at home. "Maybe. I can't tell - her adventure is just about to begin." She gathered her things in her arms and beckoned Luffy to follow her. "But, for us, our day has just come to an end. Let's go home."
"O-kay~!" Luffy shouted as he pumped his arms to the air, and walked Nico Robin to the exit. He waved good-bye when he saw his brother, Ace, at the lobby area and the two nodded each other in greeting. Luffy then began rambling the stories that Nico Robin told him and her heart was filled with pure happiness.
After securing her things at the back seat, she drove a good distance to a convenient store that sold fresh produce, though she opted to buy a microwave ready meal and a bottle of green tea. Afterwards, she drove a short distance to her apartment building, parked her car in the parking lot she bought with a huge sum of money, and rode the elevator to the penthouse. It was a quiet journey to her studio condo.
As she heated her dinner meal, she prepared the stash of homework that needed to be checked. She encircled and check the numbers in a seasoned manner as she ate her dinner; when she was finished eating, she had finished checking as well. Then, she proceeded to review her lesson plan for the next day, opened her laptop to check the things that needed to be done, and read a chapter of Timur Vermes' Look Who's Back. Then, she turned her laptop on once again and opened a Word File.
Tying her hair in a ponytail and crossing her legs on her seat, she set her phone in a timer: 3 hours. She'll spend 3 hours writing the grandiose story she promised for Luffy (she has a habit of working overnight if she does not keep herself regulated). But, she'll make the hours count.
By 7:45 PM, she began typing.
After years of solitude, working as a archeology professor in Lomonosov Moscow State University, she was accused of working as a spy for the Americans. In this period of time, American and Soviet relations were as fragile as a spider's web. And as an intellectual, Miss All Sunday was a consistent target of suspicion. Unfortunately, she had to retire due to the insistent pleadings of her peers to resign.
She decided to travel to China to work as a professor in Tsinghua University. When she was about to board the train that travelled to Manchuria, a young handsome man intercepted her. His name was Portgas D. Ace, a sea farer of the turbulent ocean of the Pacific, and he sought help from her. He said that an important person to him, who was a seafarer as well, had disappeared enroute to Papua New Guinea and was never heard from since.
"Then, what does it have to do with me?" Miss All Sunday asked, taking a sip from her coffee. Ace had insisted that they talk to a cafe near the train station. Ace had bought Miss All Sunday an espresso while he bought hot chocolate for himself. It was a testament on how young Ace was.
"You're Miss All Sunday, aren't you? My brother tells good stories about you. Says you're the greatest archeologist this world has ever known," From his leather jacket, he procured a photo and slid it on the table, face down. Miss All Sunday took the photo and flipped it over.
"Monkey D. Luffy," she murmured, remembering the sweet smile and his favorite words: 'I will become the Pirate King!' He was the kindest pirate he had ever met, but his kindness even exceeded those who were the holiest of men. She had wanted to become part of his crew before, but archeology has always been her first love. "What had happened to him?"
Ace took a hearty sip from his hot chocolate. He didn't notice a stain of foam on his upper lip as he spoke. "Luffy was supposed to deliver goods from Japan to Papua New Guinea. They had to make stops on the way to refuel, and the port of Batangas was one of them. But, after that, Luffy didn't contact me and the people at the port of Singapore told us that the shipments never arrived. The weather was clear as day, and I'm pretty sure Lu can handle some pirates on sea," Ace then procured a letter from his breast pocket. "Then three days ago, Luffy contacted me through the ol' telegram communication channel we set up. It was weirdest thing - I was hoping you know what he meant with it."
Miss All Sunday took the envelope and tore it open. Inside was a piece of paper with scribbles of words that Ace chatted down from the telegram communication. Her elegant eyebrows furrowed as she read the letter. " 'Took too many fish 'cause I was hungry. Got lost at Neverland in Summer. Send help and food. Ate too much icky black stuff.' " she spoke. "This means Luffy must be faring well at least."
"Yeah. But that was three days ago. And we still don't know where he is."
"Maybe. Or maybe Luffy was trying to tell us something." Miss All Sunday said, taking the receipt of their purchase and drawing a map of the Asian archipelago on the back. Ace was amazed on her memory of maps. "You said that he stopped at Batangas port, am I correct?" Ace nodded. "Summer... Mr. Luffy didn't mean to say 'summer', he meant 'Samar', as in the island of Samar of the Philippines," she explained, encircling the island. "And Neverland… Mr. Portgas, is Luffy familiar with the fairy tale of Peter Pan?"
"Peter Pan was Lu's favorite bedtime story; our mother always chastised him when he was being too rowdy when she was reading the fairytale on us," Ace said, a pleasant emotion of nostalgia on his face. "He wanted us to be one of the Lost Boys."
"Lost boys, black food, abundance of fish…." Miss All Sunday murmured. "But, it shouldn't make sense."
"What doesn't make sense?" Ace asked. "Do you know where he is?"
Miss All Sunday shrugged. "Clearly, he was talking about the island of Samar, but he was also talking about one particularly city in that island that shouldn't have existed," She clasped her hands on the table and stared at the map she had drawn. "It is called Biringan City."
"Great! You know how to go there? Then let's go!" Ace said as he stood up. Miss All Sunday stood to stop him.
"Wait, there's more," she said as she beckoned Ace to sit. "Biringan City, in the local language, means the city where the lost can be found. It is literally a city that disappears," when Ace furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, Miss All Sunday continued. "Legends say that Biringan City is a mythical city where supernatural beings and nature spirits called 'engkanto' are supposed to live. It is only visible and accessible to people when the engkantos would allow it to be; though rumors say that fishermen who fished in farther waters where abundant number of fish can be caught would sometimes get washed ashore in the beaches of Biringan City. People who get lost in the city would think that it's just another municipality until they are fed with the food of the engkantos - literally dark matter," She explained. "According to what Mr. Luffy had described, he would mean that he is in Biringan city."
"City, huh," Ace murmured, then he perked. "When he was at Batangas port, Luffy told me through letter about this weird man he met and his art. He sent me a photo of one of the abstract art he found at the port…" Ace took the photo from his breast pocket and showed it to Miss All Sunday. The photo showed a paper with a series of lines and shapes and Luffy's 'peace sign' fingers on the corner. When she flipped the photo, Luffy's handwriting read: 'Weird art by weird ossan.'
"This is rather odd, even for abstract art," Miss All Sunday murmured to herself as she stared at the art. Then, she rotated it. "Because it's not art, Mr. Portgas," she stared at the young seafarer with mischievous eyes and an excited smile. "This is a map, to Biringan City!"
"Alright, class dismissed." Robin announced seconds before the bell rang. Students shuffled to the exit in organized files, murmuring stories to each other about gang wars across the city. Robin frowned at the story; the city has started to become more dangerous ever since the famous Blackbeard gang waged a war against the Whitebeard gang. Her students shouldn't be walking home from school with fear in their hearts.
As Robin fixed her things to go to the teacher's lounge for lunch, she stared at one seat that was vacant. She frowned when she didn't see that loveable smile and didn't receive his daily thoughtful questions - 'Are you going to eat lunch by your own! Come and take a lunch with usssss'. She remembered the day Luffy asked her to come eat lunch with him, and soon she couldn't remember how long she had been eating with Luffy and his group. He was even able to get Franky, a co-teacher and a close colleague of hers, and Brook, the principal, to come and eat with them.
So, not seeing Luffy today - as Robin hated to admit it - made her lonely.
As she made her way to the teacher's lounge, she was stopped by one of her students, Sanji Vinsmoke. He was one of Luffy's friends; a rather flirty character, he would always greet her with French greetings and give her flowers every end of the month. He was the opposite if he would greet males, however.
This time though, there were no French greetings and flowers. "M-miss Robin, I'm sorry to have greeted you like this, but," the worry etched on his face produced a sinking feeling in her gut. "Have you by any chance seen Luffy?"
"Luffy? He is absent today," when Sanji paled with her response, she took the courage to ask. "Is he alright?"
Robin knew that Luffy was not alright. But, Sanji said it anyway. "He didn't come home yesterday."
OOOOoooOOOO
After three days, Luffy was declared 'missing'.
News spread like a slow heat wave. It only started in small waves, before it grew into bigger waves; soon, it impacted not only the students, but the teachers and the staff. Everywhere Robin went she'd hear the story of Luffy's disappearance at least twice. And for those who were close to Luffy like she was, hearing the story with personal suspicions and theories mixed up felt like a slow, excruciating burn.
"Do you think they'll be able to find him?"
"Luffy of 8th grade? Nah, I doubt it."
"That's not a nice thing to say, Bellamy."
"Hey, I'm just saying the truth. He's been gone for a week. He's as good as dead."
Robin slammed her hands on the table and screamed. "Bellamy! To the principal's office, now!"
"But, Ms. Robin - "
"No buts. From now on, no-one is allowed to talk about him in my class," Robin announced. "Is that understood?"
The class reluctantly answered. "Yes, Ms. Robin."
And having to feel that burn for a regular basis has turned them into sensitive, angry people. Robin has started to feel impatience for her student's actions and deeds, and Franky has been sending too many students at the Discipline Office lately. Brook, the Principal, had been trying hard to remain neutral over the situation.
But,to Luffy's family and friends, those whom he had known him longer and more intimately, had been taking the news worse.
Some of her friends have become increasingly violent. Nami, a straight A student with a promising future and a childhood friend of Luffy's, had recently beaten up a student named Arlong at the parking lot for talking badly about Luffy. She had never harmed a fly in her entire life, but she had been ready to take one's life if she wasn't stopped by her friends. Chopper, a shy but brilliant student, had shouted at his teacher for the first time since he was 'doing something Luffy-like and it hurt'. But there are people like Sanji, who, despite his gentle actions to females, has a retreated to himself and became increasingly absent. Zoro, a recent drop-out who only came to school because of Luffy, became more studious and acted as the center of Luffy's group.
Robin hadn't bothered to check on the Monkey brothers. She knew they had been taking the news the hardest, and knowing their natures, they'll be actively searching for their little brother. But, with the days getting longer, hope for their little brother has been getting dim. She had been a morbid person who wouldn't flinch when she saw a dead body, but if the dead body belongs to Luffy then she might not be able to hold her tears.
When class ended and she started fixing her things (it was still strange not to have Luffy accompany her to the exit, she wished she can do it once again with him) to go home, she found Nami standing on the doorway. Her eyes were red with tears.
"Nami?" Robin called. When she came to walk towards her student and friend, Nami ran and hugged her.
"He's dead…" she murmured. "He's dead and he's not coming back."
She froze at those words, but she steeled herself enough not to be affected. "That's not true, Nami. He's going to be okay. Luffy will come home."
"But, it's been a month! A month!" she cried. "How can Luffy - " but she broke down and couldn't finish her sentence.
"Shh, shh, it's fine, it's fine," Robin murmured as she stroked Nami's hair. Though, Nami cried harder as this was something that Luffy would do when Nami was upset. "Luffy will be fine, and he will be found. Isn't there something that he'd like saying - everything will be alright?"
Nami sobbed. "I just want him back."
"And he will be," Robin felt a tear slide on her left cheek. "He will be." Everyone wanted him back.
Though years have passed, and Luffy's friends graduated. Everyone was happy at this joyous celebration, but something was missing as the blank chair among Nami's graduating batch. When she shook Nami's hand and congratulated her from graduation, she smiled and thanked her too. But, Robin felt that she did not deserve that praise as she only raised Nami's hopes for Luffy's return. By this time, everyone had accepted, in their own way, that Luffy may not be returning home.
Through the help of Cutty Flam, Miss All Sunday's close friend, Miss All Sunday and the young seafarer Ace had arrived at the island of Samar. Their simple rescue excursion turned for the worse when Miss All Sunday's party was compromised by rogue American CIA agents called Baroque Works headed by the backstabbing Mr. Zero, her colleague and apparently double-agent, who wanted to use them to find the Lost city of Biringan.
"Biringan holds the most powerful strength of all!" Mr. Zero announced. "The power of invisibility!"
Biringan City apparently holds a large deposit of crystals locally known as 'Engkanto' that allows to bend light in specific patterns, creating illusions of objects and humans, and rendering objects coated with it to blend into the environment like a chameleon. The power of these crystals was so great that the sightings of locals of those nature spirits were the crystals that reflected and 'copied' human images. These crystals were of great importance that the American troops were deployed in Philippine soil to find these crystals.
"Imagine the military application, Miss All Sunday. Imagine the weapon that we will create. Imagine Americans and Soviets throw their gold an riches for our weapons! We will become the richest men in the world!" Mr. Zero said. "Won't you want to be part of this grand mission?"
But, Miss All Sunday, a true lover of history and archeology, only said. "Если вы осмелитесь использовать историю как оружие войны, я больше не могу быть известен как ваш товарищ" If you dare to use history as a weapon of war, I can no longer be known as your friend.
With Miss All Sunday's strategic mind combined with sea farer Ace's strength, they were able to escape their captors and enter the disappearing city. They were amazed of the abundance of crystals that formed themselves into castle-like structures and the natives that has been untouched by outside forces. They employed great technologies and efficient societal structures.
It was revealed by Datu, the chief leader, that they are the descendants of the guardians that protected this place. According to their gods, these crystals are the tears of the gods that fell down when they saw the evil of mankind. When a man with an evil heart gets hands on these crystals, they will be cursed and die. Thus, these natives, knowing that some people have dark hearts, tried to protect them by constructing a gate made of the engkanto crystals to keep the city invisible. However, the crystals have weakened by age and many people have sightings of this place.
"But, have you found Luffy? Monkey D. Luffy? My brother?" Ace asked, showing the photo of Luffy to the tribal chief. His eyes glimmered with recognition.
"Yes. He was washed ashore a few days ago. He has a kind heart." Datu said with a smile. "But, when he went out of the city gates, we never heard of him since."
"Why did he leave this place?" Miss All Sunday asked.
"As you might have heard, there are some foreigners that dare to destroy the gate and get the crystals. Hearing this, he went out of the city, announcing that he will 'beat the bad guys up'. We were not able to stop him."
Ace groaned. "Typical of Luffy."
"If he was captured by Baroque Works, he must be locked in one of the abandoned American military bases." Miss All Sunday spoke. But, a large explosion sounded, and people started screaming.
One shouted: "They are here!"
At the second anniversary of Luffy's disappearance, Robin remembered the first time he met Luffy and the second time she tried writing again.
Nico Robin took BS Mathematics as her college degree, but her passion has always lied on literature, writing stories. But, she was not a Miss All Sunday, she did not have her courage and strength to partake in her passions. She did not know what kind of future she will have if she took literature, so she had stopped writing as soon as she began university; she retreated in the safe comforts of what she knew she did best. She graduated with high ranks, became a Math teacher, lived a good life. Though, everything was as mundane as the rest.
Then, Luffy showed up.
Monkey D. Luffy was the most eccentric and most enthusiastic student she had met. He was not that bright and had difficulty in her subjects, but he did everything with fun and effort. Even though she would give everyone equal opportunities, she found herself rooting for this young fellow who went from her best student to a close friend. She had grown fond of him. Maybe it was this fondness that she tried her best to pass him even if his grade spoke a summer term.
Even though she was delighted to have Luffy as her student and friend, it was hard to encourage him and he had an attention span of a parakeet. She tried various ways to keep him attentive, but it all brought no good fruition.
When she told her dilemma to Franky, he laughed and said. "Luffy's just an overgrown kid. If you want to get him up, think like a little kid!" And then Miss All Sunday came in her thought.
"But Miss Rooooobin!" Luffy whined. "The extra credit assignment is hardddd!"
"Well that's too bad, Luffy," she said. "Because you'll never heard the adventures of Miss All Sunday, won't you?"
"Miss All Sunday?" Luffy said, his ears perked. "Is she a pirate?"
Robin gave her student a mischievous gleam. "Even better - an adventurer."
When she saw Luffy's face light up like a rainbow after the storm, she knew she got Luffy looked. But, what she didn't know was, it was Luffy who convinced her to write again. He helped her give birth to Miss All Sunday and all her adventures, doing things that Nico Robin had always dreamt of doing. Then, she realized one day that she felt happy - not scared, worried, but happy.
But, Luffy was gone and so was Miss All Sunday's adventures. Miss All Sunday never got to find Captain Luffy the way Robin never found out what happened to her student and friend. It seemed fair - Robin felt that Miss All Sunday deserved to find the Captain if she couldn't find her student.
How petty it was, to be envious of a fictional character she made.
And then -
"Police have found the suspect, Marshall D. Teach, this morning at the East Blue City harbour. He was trying to make a quick getaway by hijacking into a private yacht owned by the Nefertari family. Thanks to the quick actions of the Nefertari family, the police were immediately alerted and Teach was arrested in the scene."
"The Monkey family is determined to press charges against Marshall D. Teach, who is alleged to have killed Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year old student of East Blue High school, two years ago. He was suspected to have been kidnapped on his way to work and never have been seen for four months until his body was found in a cemented plastic drum, wrapped in barb wire, gagged and sustaining forty-five stab marks. Reasons for the crime is still unknown but the police are suspecting it is personal attack against the Monkey family…"
"Luffy!" Young seafarer Ace screamed as he tore the jail gate that held Luffy. The young Captain, as energetic as he was on sea, screamed in joy and hugged his brother. Then, Luffy hugged his American sergeant Sabo Outlook. Miss All Sunday smiled at the scene before her.
Baroque Works had attacked the city with the aim of destroying the gate. But, with Miss All Sunday's tactical know how, she was able to create illusions that deterred Baroque Works just in time for Ace's brother, American sergeant Sabo Outlook, to rescue them. Sabo's army had decided to keep the Biringan City off the record to protect the people there. Baroque Works was arrested, along with Mr. Zero the double agent.
"Thank you for helping my brothers find me, Miss All Sunday!" Captain Luffy said. "Will you now join my crew?"
Miss All Sunday laughed. "What a persuasive fellow you are," she said. "But if it meant preventing you from getting captured again, then why not?"
"It's been awhile, Ms. Robin," Ace, Luffy's brother, the one who always nodded in greeting, said. "And sorry for this sudden intrusion."
"It's fine. Class will start later, anyway. Is there something I can help you with?"
Ace procured a folded piece of paper from his jeans pocket. When he unfolded the paper, she froze.
"Sorry it took so long," Ace said, smiling despite the tears running on his cheeks. "Luffy just wanted to pass his homework."
After realizing that the simple life of an academic did not suit her, Miss All Sunday resigned her job at the Tsinghua University, sold her belongings, and joined Captain Luffy as his chief archeologist.
And they went in many adventures and lived happily ever after.
Clutching the paper near her heart, Nico Robin gave her student's brother the best smile she can give. "Thank you, Mr. Monkey. This will have to do."
Author's note: Will proofread later. Hopefully this story is to your liking.