Ohisashiburi, Mr. Bushido
Translated As: Long Time No See, Mr. Bushido
Authors Notes:
Having always been a fan of Zoro x Vivi, I have always been disappointed in the lack of stories dedicated to this couple. Time has passed and still I find the amount to be completely unsatisfactory, though I blame no one, thanks in part to the fact of Vivi departing from the many adventures of the Mugiwara Pirates. So in the end, rather decidedly I made a decision, if I can't find any prose for them, I'm going to make one for others. And I wanted to make it a big one as most of the great multi-chaptered stories for this couple are long left behind and unfinished.
It took a lot of thought for me to flesh out a story that appeals to the sort of realism where times gradually evolve. There will be a lot of added mythos and interesting background details as to what has passed to really cultivate the appeal and understanding of the era. I admit this story in particular took many sets of revisions because of it.
Throughout the story, there's a deep physiological theme of change and being accustom to a certain life for so long, that will revolve a lot in the plotline. And of course, that tightrope of romance; will he or won't he. Will she or won't she?
Summary: For Zoro they are now in the era of legends with the Revolution having been fought and over. When the Mugiwara Pirates finally decide to visit Princess Vivi, an attraction that was never first comprehended is born through the seas of tribulations; unstable political powers shifting. Can such a controverstial union between a royal noble and a notorious pirate last?
Rating: M for violence and sexual references. The smutty scenes will occur much longer down the line as this should be a slow broil story.
Couples: Mainly Zoro x Vivi with hinted Luffy x Boa Hancock, Franky x Robin, Usopp x Kaya and subtle mentions of ? x Nami.
Disclaimer: Though I do own merchandise, not for one second do I own the series One Piece, all rights and obligations belong to Eiichiro Oda. Of whom, I love dearly. I make no proft to this story.
- Chapter One-
That Dream Fulfilled
Opening one sharp charcoal eye, the swordsman shuffled slightly where he sat by the helm on the Thousand Sunny's figurehead. The suddenly piercing sunlight wasn't what brought him out of his stupor. For anyone looking at him from afar, they would immediately assume that Zoro was taking his ritual evening nap in a sitting crisscrossed fashion, especially with the way he lazily clutched his prized possessions of three swords by his chest; his head bent low in a lulling way.
But that was not the case, it was not that Zoro was meditating either but whenever it came to keeping to himself; knowing when he had a lot on his mind, the man would instinctively take up the position right by the lionhead in reflection. This was typically his captain's post however Zoro sat here at times. Usually reserving this seat for himself when he mulled about grim issues surrounding the crew's wellbeing or Luffy's in particular when any of them were in serious harm.
Oddly this instance wasn't one of those dark sort of days. Yet somehow his feet unconsciously mapped its way here...
Zoro sighed. On this occasion there truly was nothing to be worried about; none of them were in any danger - in fact far from it. Never had he felt such tranquility in his life, it was humbling. But on the flipside never had he felt such restlessness.
Truth be told, he hadn't gotten in a decent fight for some time and it was starting to make his fingers itch. The thought automatically made the stern man grimace. He felt guilty for feeling this way as he was nothing short of proud of what his captain had achieved in the last decade they had together.
Three years ago, they had finally found the One Piece with a collection and tirade of bountiful treasures from gold, silver, jewellery, rare gems, tons of money and unknown products that looked reminiscent to different type of steels and coppers. The list of items contained far superseded the ideas of anything any of them could have imagined, there were even concoctions that itched Chopper's curiosity to such an extreme that it was a first for the whole crew to witness his explosion of amazed astonishment that entailed shoving and attacking everyone around him.
In fact there was so much treasure, that the Mugiwara all had to take a full months break to create a whole new level on the Thousand Sunny, to contain only half of the treasure they found. The other half was decided on a vote in which Usopp and Robin proposed that they once again bury the treasure in a unique location that only their crew would be aware about. It was a feasible option. If they brought all the unique trinkets on board, the added weight would most definitely place a huge toll on the ship. Much to Nami disappointment but understanding.
Nonetheless most of the chests where taken with them, as many still needed to be opened. Where apparently one in particular housed, what's been notoriously coined as the 'One Piece.' It was a daunting task that took many months to unlock while they sailed in silence, mostly through the efforts of Usopp and Nami being hard at work.
It was during this time of discovery that words rung high into the World that the Strawhats had finally found the One Piece through the defeat of the Heart Pirates. It was an emotional battle that strung high with emotions from Luffy who still dearly considered Law a friend; but put their friendship on the line to finally achieve his dream. It wasn't a beautiful sight to see Trafalgar Law seethe at an ambition ruined, asking Luffy for a clean honorable death. One of which he wouldn't get.
This caused a chain of events that consisted of the Marines going on hot pursuit of the Straw hats in the name of destroying the One Piece and balancing the tides once more. Clearly they knew the power harnessed within could ruin the 'justice' they've strived to maintain for over 700 years. Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki taking it upon himself to finish the Pirates once and for all.
Monkey D. Dragon after having processed this as a crucial time to finally make their presence be known to the world, assembled an all out attack against the World Government in Mariejois. The greatest criminal in the world having finally made contact with his infamous son to fight in the name of the revolutionaries. It was a natural alliance for Luffy to fight alongside his brother, Sabo once more the now Pirate King's blood shining bright.
The Revolutionary War was one of the biggest fights to amass in history, breaking the record from anything the world had ever seen. With the ancient weapon, Uranus in the hands of the Marines; it was a bloody slaughter of vicious proportions. Even with the power of Poseidon on the Strawhats side it was clearly negated with the deaths of many sea kings given Uranus's capabilities. When dire circumstances struck, it was then revealed to both Luffy and the rest of the crew; that Franky and Robin both took it upon themselves to recreate Pluton previously– the rest of them unawares that Franky had photo memory to remember the blueprints by heart, wherein Robin translated.
With Rayleigh commandeering the battleship Pluton, Luffy and Dragon stormed the World Government Headquarters to defeat the Nobles and Marines that had aligned together. During the end of it all, the majority of the Redline had become completely destroyed. The death toll so high, it included all three admirals, Sakazuki and notably Blackbeard who came in an attempt to murder Luffy through the fray and steal the One Piece. The death of Rayleigh, Princess Shirahoshi, Jinbe and many others shook the world.
It was due to this event that humanity would open up even more than it did before; the Grandline and the New World instantly open to others with the destruction of the Gorosei and the World Government Headquarters.
When all was said and done, Luffy once again restated his title as King of the Pirates – his territory being the ever expansive sea. Politics was clearly not in Luffy's normal train of thought as he left what was left of an upstanding government in the hands of his father and abruptly departed.
Two years had passed since then where apparently the Revolutionaries had forged an uneasy truce with the Marines. Dragon still believing in the need for martial law in the extent of protecting citizens, where each country with a monarchy were given the right to step down from their mantels through voting choices of the citizens of each area.
Oddly enough, the One Piece had yet to be utilized despite everything. It was only recently Nami and Usopp had managed to open it. Within it looked akin to a box with an object embedded that looked like a bigger form of some sort of Eternal Pose. The box also appeared to have levers although none of them knew what most of them were for. They realized that certain pieces could be broken apart and fixed right back on together.
Zoro grumbled slightly and stood up, his legs numb and asleep after having stayed in the same position for so long. Moving to the railings on the main deck, the green-haired man continued his trail of thought as he looked out to sea. A chilled breeze flowing through his tresses was a welcomed feeling against the harsh heat of the sun, the smells of sea salt entering his lungs.
It was one night last month that Franky brought them all down to his workshop, in a semi-meeting to discuss some of his and Usopps findings. Luffy, excited with the reality of what the One Piece could contain was unusually quiet and honestly took everything in like a sponge; listening to every word. It had amused Zoro to no end to see his captain's personality mature to a lower timbre at times. It reflected his growth and maturity to such a far extent that he eyed Luffy with a huge amount of respect that night. And his captains questionings impressed him even more.
They had all joined into the room with looks of anticipation as well as hints of tiresome dispositions on some. Particularly Franky and Usopp, though both looked just as excited to the point that it seemed only a couple could really notice both the shipwright and the snipers intentions in hiding the lag in their shoulders and stifled yawns. It was a great effort done on their part.
Franky coughed in emphasis as the others gathered around his messy desk where they huddled around waiting for an explanation towards the weeks worth of research they expected to be brought to fruition. With an uncharacteristic sort of care, the cyborg placed the One Piece gently on the wooden surface, and with a tentative step back brought everyone's attention to him. It was after all very difficult to not stare at the particular item they had been looking for after so long.
"There's uhhh, a lot to be said about the One Piece, that's for sure. I can't say for certain that we know everything but we do know it's filled with raw power. Like SUUUPER amounts of Cola times the charge of say 30, 000. We know it's there; it's unlocking it, that's the key. It's hard to describe but uh, -"
Franky stopped midway, as he took apart the pieces of the One Piece and rearranged them. Zoro eyed everyone in the room indifferently and noticed Robin's shoulder gently brush Franky's arm. He didn't know why but since they'd announced their now public "involvement" a month ago, he disliked seeing any noticeable signs of affection from them. Knowing that they had become a pair now meant, they were now a part of what he considered the crew's business if they did something wrong and while a part of him didn't care, another part of him hated having to think that of his nakama in a such projected sort of way.
Watching the object change was an oddity, some fragments could be deftly removed into even smaller ones and other parts were stocky and dare, he even consider clunky looking, like they could still be picked apart even more. Like miniature boxes, they looked as if something was still stored inside them.
"Now see, this is the amazing part. I found a way to connect this into the energy room in the dock system! I did a little bit of testing and reworking, but when I connected it to the general input of the engine, it creates an even better output."
Luffy gave a bewildered look.
"Put it this way! When traveling it actually significantly decreases the amount of voyage time from place to place. I'd wager the amount of time it takes is halved, maybe even more if used correctly! We'd be going places faster than any constantly updated marine ship could ever reach! In and out of the New World faster than you could imagine it." Franky's enthusiasm seemed to reach everyone's ears, as the rest of the crew began to discuss amongst themselves excitedly.
"Hmmmm, doesn't it do more than that?" Luffy offhandedly spoke, in his usual manner when something felt off to him. His arms crossed with his head hanging to the side as he eyed the One Piece almost as if willing it to speak to him in someway.
Zoro shook his head, "Obviously it does, what's the reason for it to change its appearance if it can only do one thing?"
"Besides we figured out and mentioned it's practically brimming with untapped energy. This is only one of its many ways in which we can assert its energy." Usopp pointed out, "I wouldn't be surprised if we could somehow use this thing to destroy five countries within its vicinity. That's the amount of power it contains on estimate. And I'd rather we be careful with it than try that on OUR ship."
"But it does more than that." Luffy sternly stated, an odd serious look on his face. "Rayleigh-ossan said so."
"You mean Rayleigh actually talked to you about the One Piece, Luffy?" Robin inquired. That seemed unusual, the man was illusive enough as it was.
"Back when we were split up, he mentioned it." Luffy nodded, his face taking an odd glimmer when speaking about his now deceased mentor and friend.
"You mean all the important stuff?!" Chopper quipped, his voice in bright curiosity.
Luffy nodded his head and grinned again, once more.
"You mean to tell me Rayleigh told you what this thing does and you had them busting their asses all week with us waiting this whole time Luffy?!" Nami shouted incredulously, looking just about to punch their captain in an instant.
The rest of the crew eyed Luffy in a shocked matter. It was just like him to keep it to himself until the last moment.
Luffy laughed. "Yup!"
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Everyone shouted in union, as Nami punched Luffy straight in the face.
Brook coughed, when everyone managed to bring back their composure a few minutes after. "Well, pray tell Luffy. What exactly does the One Piece do?"
"Haha, you're not going to believe it guys-"
The crew leaned in expectantly on their captains every word. They noticed his eyes were alight with excitement; this was his goal after all.
"It's..."
They all unintentionally held deep breaths.
"It's magic!" Luffy excitedly shouted.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" They all screamed again, mostly in anger. Though for Chopper it was in excitement.
Nami punched Luffy again, this time strangling his neck for extra measure. "You stupid idiot! I actually bought into your charade! Who in the hell cares about magic you stupid, stupid fool! To think I honestly believed you had something important to say for once in your life!"
Luffy's response to the navigators accusation was a mix of a choked and muffled reply, while she continued to shake his head and berate him. Sanji seemed to be just as disappointed and added a few kicks to his captains face for another dose. Meanwhile Usopp, Franky, and Chopper discussed the merits of when magic trumped over science, or moreso arguing against it; while surprisingly the little reindeer disagreed with them.
Zoro sighed, walked away and leaned on the wooden walls for support as he rubbed his temples. All this talk and more so the shouting was giving him a headache but at least they'd found one thing that was conclusive. The One Piece had tons of power that could be problematic if they couldn't figure out how to properly harness it regardless.
"Getting back to the topic." Chopper huffed unimpressed that no one agreed with him, "Robin, did you figure out what the One Piece is made of? Maybe we could figure out that it DOES have magical qualities if we find out what it's made from."
Robin looked at the doctor admiringly, the little guy knew when to stand his ground on his opinions even when against his peers. "I have yet to figure out what tree this wood comes from and neither the glass or metal. It's quite a mysterious thing."
"Yeah, well I'm really tired." Franky mumbled, "And quite frankly it's starting to piss me off. Usopp and I are going to lose all our hair by the end of it and we'd probably still not figure this invention out."
It bugged Franky that a man-made product could get the best of him.
Robin rubbed his back gently, and whispered quietly for only the cyborg to hear. "You've done fine, you're just letting the tired speak more for yourself than your achievements." Franky looked at her exasperatedly not in the mood for her "wordiness", dully she noted that even his hair looked like it needed to take a nap. "I'm proud of you."
He held back a response but the two exchanged soft smiles with their eyes.
Sanji pouted, watching the interaction between their shipwright and archaeologist but didn't make a comment.
"Oi! Luffy what are you doing?!" Usopp yelled. Luffy had just taken the One Piece rather roughly into his arms while he yanked at the pieces.
"It has magic in here somewhere!"
"Oi! Captain! Careful! It's fucking dangerous you know, and I'll be damned as hell if you decided to break anything!" Franky angrily shouted, moving aside to confront him.
Luffy started breaking apart sections himself, in a spontaneous sort of way that completely exuded the fact that he didn't really have a clue what he was doing.
"Shit, somebody stop him before he breaks it!" Sanji insisted.
"Luffy." Zoro warned, eyeing his captain straight in the eye. He had subtly sheathed an inch of his katana simply for emphasis, not in real harm, but stopped when he witnessed the unhesitating look in Luffy's eyes. The familiar fire burning, the green-haired man knew very well.
"Zoro, let me do this."
A sudden and unquestionable spark ran through Zoro's body. That certain understanding, he instantly felt at definite times when speaking to his captain, the man now known as the Great Pirate King. There was a thin but sharp shine in Luffy's eyes, that reminded him of the reason why he was labelled as his right hand. He was an extension of his captain's will before anything else. This was in essence a part of his dream and ultimately it was Luffy's choice on what he wanted to do with the One Piece. So obviously he should be allowed to touch it for himself.
Zoro gave a look towards the rest of them. "Let him do what he wants."
With a mix of worried and disgruntled emotions, they resigned to watch as Luffy let parts of the One Piece clink to the floor until what he had left in his hands was a cube. Lifting it over his head, as if observing it, there was a delayed response of silence until he started shaking it excessively.
"LUUUUUFFFFY!" They all shouted, sans Robin and Zoro; the former with an amused look on her face.
"Luffy I swear I'm going to kill you if you mess things up!" Franky seethed, sweat forming on his forehead. It would be bad if parts went missing after this.
"Ehehehe! Can't you hear it?" Luffy smiled.
Stars shone in Choppers eyes, "Is it magic?!"
He grinned. "Dunno!"
Suddenly twisting the cube almost like a lid of sorts, it popped open.
"Woah." Sanji muttered, as they watched Luffy pull out a clear glass case from the inside of the box.
"See you could have broken it, if you shook it more Luffy." Nami pointed out more in surprise than in aggravation.
"I wouldn't say so Nami," Robin spoke up, as she took the object out of the black haired boy's hands and lightly tapped it. "It seems to be made of a quality that's a mixture of glass and plastic. It's very secure... you can tell by its texture..."
"Is that water inside of it?" Zoro raised his eyebrow.
Usopp nodded. "Seems to be the case."
Robin passed the item back to Luffy, as he placed it back onto Franky's desk. "Ah! See there's a lid here!"
With another twist, this time with care, the Pirate King managed to lift the opening in an almost graceful manner; a complete opposite from what the crew previously saw of him. But what they saw afterwards left everyone speechless.
The most pristine water, they had ever seen literally glowed and shined out of the simple opening of the clear case. It was elegant, beautiful and held an airy fragrance to it that smelt absolutely lovely. In the most bewitching means, it calmed them and humbled them in a way they couldn't explain. The water sparkled and shimmered in a mysterious manner.
It was a while before any of them finally spoke up, and it was through Robin's gasp that they were finally brought out of their stupor.
"Is that-?"
But before Robin could finish, Luffy affirmed her suspicions. "A Devil Fruit."
Usopp's eyes furrowed trying to discern what they were looking at. "In the water? No way."
"The fruit's almost a clearish color. If it isn't for the tones of blue here and here, I doubt anyone would even notice." Robin pointed out.
"To think someone would be so...not selfish to well, eat the fruit instead." Sanji said.
Zoro countered, "Person could have been a devil fruit user already."
"But to pickle a fruit! That's insanely intuitive!" Usopp supplied. "I mean, I would wager that the reason a person would do this would be to keep the powers and use it exponentially in some way."
"More importantly, more than one person could." Robin continued, "This is amazing."
"Do you recognize what type of fruit it is, Robin?" Nami asked. "Perhaps you've seen it in one of your books or something?"
Robin brought the casing closer to her view, "Nothing that immediately comes to mind. However we have it here now which means we have plenty of time to rest and figure things out tomorrow."
"Well if you need anything Robin, I can help you by going through the library. Hopefully that will save us some time." Usopp offered. He was the one, technically speaking who did the most work to unlock the One Piece out of its chest from the very beginning, he might as well see to the end of it.
"Sounds good Usopp, just make sure none of you drink this. I doubt that's the purpose of the fruit anyways. We could be diluting it if we were to place normal water back into it."
"As if I would drink it!"
"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if the energy or the source is basically the fruit." Franky scratched his chin. "I mean it makes sense right? Sunny runs through Cola, it's not surprising that somehow the fruit runs through water."
"You mean like a current, that's an interesting theory." Sanji quipped. He also scratched his chin, and it must have been contagious because Chopper did the same.
"The biggest possibility is that the water has gained the power, even though it's not considered a living organism." The little reindeer added.
Luffy and Zoro yawned.
"Well anyways, enough of these theories. Usopp and I will get to it soon. So when we're ready, we'll set up another meeting again." Robin disclosed, "Goodnight everyone."
Chopper gave Robin a hug before being the first one to leave the room. Sanji, Usopp and Brook followed suit. Zoro eyed Luffy, who was smiling to himself. "You going to be okay?"
Luffy chortled in contained excitement. His aura ablaze, if he looked tired just a second ago, Zoro couldn't even tell it. A hidden adulthood waved at his senses, and Zoro understood. The wheels were churning in his captains mind. He was the Pirate King now, and he'd be lying if said Luffy didn't look the part. A swell of pride shot through the swordsman, he was in the greatest crew to ever exist and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's amazing." Luffy purely supplied and Zoro simply held back a smile.
"It's yours."
"Zoro! Hey Zoro!" a familiar drawl brought him out of his stupor. And oddly enough he remembered that they still never had that continued meeting and a month had passed inbetween. Not moving to face the direction of the voice, technically ignoring his presence the armed man replied.
"What is it Usopp?"
There was a hault before the inventor made a reply, the series of huffs and puffs meant that he was exerting a lot of energy just to find him. Zoro tilted his head in questioning and instantly raised a suspicious eyebrow at the eager look on his comrades face.
"We finished making them!" Usopp practically yelped.
"Making what?"
"Your swords!"
Zoro couldn't help but give a distrusting look towards Usopp, the swordsman knew he should have just kept his mouth shut and find a real blacksmith on his own the moment they docked onto the next city. What if his stupid friend screwed up the product and they didn't have enough to make another. "Already? We only talked about that two days ago!"
Usopp shot back nearly the same incredulous look and shook his head. "Hey! One. For the record, I know what I'm doing. And two. You're welcome." Seriously, when were his nakama going to finally admit his brilliance?
"My god, the things it takes to get some recognition around here." Usopp stated, more so to himself as he started walking away. Well whatever, he knew that Zoro's curiosity wouldn't be able to resist and he would come to see the swords anyways.
Begrudgingly Zoro followed suit and offhandedly grimaced when it came to him that Usopp was going to pass him in height soon. That wouldn't be good, the man should just stop growing.
Still Usopp's progress was probably the most changed out of everyone in the crew. It was a sight to see for someone like Zoro, who believed he was born with talent against someone who decidedly wasn't, like his long-nosed friend.
They entered Usopp's Craft Room, and the moss-haired man noticed that Brook was in the room as well which seemed to calm him down a bit.
"Brook." Zoro acknowledged. At least Usopp was smart enough to get advice from another swordsman.
"Greatest Swordsman~" Brook exaggeratedly made a show of a bow, before adding his signature laugh that they'd all become accustom to. "Formality comes with the label!"
Zoro knew he was joking, but it still felt damn good to be called his long awaited title. He shot back a knowing smirk.
"Yeah, yeah whatever. Where is it?"
"Yohohoho! Always to the point!" Brook chuckled, "Aaaa, let's see here."
Pulling a compartment in Usopps new shelving, Brook gently pulled out two swords and handed one to Zoro. The katanas were of obsidian black with a devilishly elegant sheen, the hilts golden and engraved with intricate designs. A silken ribbon of blood red was knotted at the ends of both swords.
"It has finesse." Zoro stated, trying to hide his impressed attitude. He jostled the blade in his hands before throwing it in the air a couple of times and grabbing it while making a swift offensive movement. The two stepped back to give him space. "The weight is balanced."
Oddly enough the cut of the blade was perfect to his tastes. It was intriguing that the weapons felt accustom to him already. They glistened almost in mirth when he took both in his hands. He could tell that they wanted to taste blood.
Or is that you?
The man shuddered before removing the thought from his mind.
"But this," Zoro deflected to the silvery inscription on one of the blades. "Not so subtle."
Written in the kanji of his hometown, it read, Greatest Swordsman in the World.
"Zoro relax! No one even cares about that language heck even I can't read it." Usopp replied, as if that was supposed to impress him in some way.
Brook coughed, "Besides, it's rather small and the cursive writing of it gives more a flair to design than anything else. And you are the Greatest Swordsman, I think it's fit for a Pirate King's right hand."
Usopp whispered to the skeleton. "He's trying to hide his actual impression that he thinks it's a good sword."
"I heard that." Zoro grunted, not happy he was found out.
"And you were supposed to!" Usopp mockingly jested in a louder than normal voice.
"Besides, we knew the minute you laid eyes on those hunks of nothing in all that treasure that you wanted to make swords out of 'em! You should thank Franky he actually put up with my insistence to make them ourselves."
Zoro simply grunted. He did not stare at those planks for hours for no reason, but to put it that way…
"See I can make things for Nami but I can't make things for you, Zoro? Don't be silly, I'm moving up in the world." Usopp chuckled as he lightly tapped Zoro's shoulder in jest before walking out of the room happy with himself.
Brook laughed as he watched the inventor leave taking the opportunity to talk to his quieter comrade with similar weapons of choice. There was always a hidden emotion behind all of Brooks actions. Reading the face of skeleton had its charm at times by being completely non-existent. "He does have a point though… Trust me, you'll be thanking him later. He's got quite the hand."
The skeleton continued to observe Zoro for a moment as they stood together in silence. "Feels right doesn't it?"
"Yeah."
"I figured you'd need them to be a bit lighter than your previous swords, although that's more of my signature style. I hope you don't mind."
"If it comes back to bite me in the ass, I will hurt you Brook."
"Yohohoho! Your idle threats don't scare me Greatest Swordsman! Besides who would be left to sing your pirate ballads and sea shanties when you pass on, hmm?"
Zoro huffed. "As if I need a song to instill fear into the hearts of men."
"Indeed you don't."
Dinner had come around while everyone waited patiently by the Aquarium Bar for Sanji to serve their meal. Talk was in the air, though Luffy was starting to shout in agitation that the food was talking way too long to prepare.
"Hold your horses, geez, Luffy if you knew you were going to have such a big crew; next time maybe our next member should be another waiter." Sanji grumbled, placing the food for Robin and Nami first. He grumbled even more when he saw Robin discreetly give Franky a bite.
"No. No more members." Zoro drawled, placing his now empty beer jug on the table.
"Gosh, drinking before eating, you stupid marimo." Sanji spat, "And of course not, I was joking. Already have so many ungrateful mouths to feed anyways. Aside from Nami-swan and Robin-chwaaan of course!"
"Thank you Sanji." the girls giggled in union.
Zoro lazily watched the chef bring the rest of the dishes for everyone else, where Robin used a bit of her power to help in the serving a bit faster for their chef.
"I have enough nakama here as is. Is all I'm saying." The man continued, grabbing for his beer again only to realize that he forgot he finished it already. Disappointed, Zoro started eating; at least he'd have food in his stomach before his captain stole it from him.
"Yeah, but we made a lot of nakama on our journey here." Nami stated, almost nostalgically moving the food around in her plate. Something about her sung dissatisfied and Zoro couldn't help but wonder that perhaps a chance at landing to a port soon would do them all good.
"Many that have passed for our sake." Brook stated, it was odd for a 'dead man' to mention the dead. "And many that still live… to think that Laboon is so healthy and strong now…!"
The crew could tell the Brook was smiling despite everything. Luffy grinned as he took another huge bite of his meat.
"I wonder how they're all doing…"
Zoro stiffened.
Instinctively blue hair and a gentle smile came to mind and Zoro gave Nami a familiar look. She always held a certain tone in her voice that was simply reserved for the princess. Their princess as Nami and Sanji coined it; it was funny to feel ownership of a person but the sentiments were all the same. Her words were said differently but most of them instantly knew it translated as 'I wonder how she is doing…' And the swordsman recognized that it wasn't for Nami's lack of seeing land that was getting her disorientated.
Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Nami, Chopper and Sanji all looked at one another, reminiscing about the old times. The six of them did it more often than they'd expected. The others had already heard of Vivi through their own spoken transmissions, but they weren't privy to the emotional attachment of the bond the others gained by being around said woman.
"Yeah, Vivi's family." Luffy laughed, slapping his now rounded stomach for extra measure. "And so is Carue!"
"She's like a sister to me that's for sure." Nami agreed, running her fingers through her own tangerine locks thoughtfully before giggling. "I wonder what she thinks when she sees how long my hair has gotten!"
"Gosh, Vivi-chwan must be a real beauty now~ Even more elegant and more gorgeous than any desert rose in the entire existence of the Grand Line! Not to mention sexy!" Sanji swooned.
"Hopefully not as naïve." Zoro joked, though that was shot back with more stern looks than anything else. Even Franky almost looked offended, jutting his chin out in disapproval and he hadn't even met the girl. Clearly he was moved by the tales Usopp must have spun him, probably in exaggeration.
"Zoro-bro, you must treat royalty with respect! Such a great tale of emotion, drama, strife, romaaance! I'm SUUUPERLY disappointed in you!"
"Superly. Seriously?"
"For once I agree with Franky, Zoro –" Nami lightly whacked his shoulder. "Take it easy on her, she was in the middle of a civil war crisis."
Usopp added rather seriously with Sanji nodding profusely, "Not mention she infiltrated the Baroque Works at the age 14 without them even being aware of her heritage. To think Vivi could play the perfect part of a spy for two years on her own."
"I wasn't insulting her, just teasing." Zoro mumbled, here he was feeling like a scolded child. He wouldn't fight about it though; she was an amazingly strong woman through and through.
"Teasing? You don't say..." Robin quipped, a twinkle in her eye. Zoro felt his face turn red and looked away from the archaeologist in embarrassment. She always had an in and out mischievous streak in her. He could sense something was going on in her mind.
"Didn't sound like teasing to me." Nami supplied. "You're really bad at it. Vivi leads a whole country, she's amazing at things where we would have literally no idea of where to start."
"The people love her." Usopp agreed.
"It's hard not to love her!" Chopper added.
There was a silent pause from the crew as a whole. Abruptly looking as if he were realizing a tremendous revelation, Chopper looked right about to cry, "I –I – I miss Viviiii…"
Brook hastily passed his handkerchief which Chopper eagerly took to sob into.
"She has spirit." Zoro stated, not able to stop the feeling of eyes on him. He knew whose they were and Robin wasn't minding to be subtle about it at all.
"Say why don't we visit her?" Usopp asked. "I mean we could use the One Piece to like super zoom to Alabasta! It would be the best surprise in Vivi's life, gosh I can only imagine her face when she sees us!"
"Usopp that's perfect! And the rest of you guys can finally meet her!" Nami ecstatically approved, immediately hugging the long-nose as if it was the best idea he ever came up with. "And we could catch up! Vivi must be so different now. Well I hope the same but you get my drift!"
Franky nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."
"I could right some wrongs…" Robin said quietly, as Sanji patted her shoulder knowingly.
"I'm sure Vivi-chan understands."
"Can we Luffy?! Pleaaaaase can we?!" Chopper practically begged, bouncing up and down looking hopefully to their captain. "PLLLLEAAASEEEE?!"
Luffy's face suddenly darkened, years had passed and what would normally at times fly right off of the captains head - now at times went right in. For some reason it still resonated with everyone that Luffy was still Luffy at the end of the day, simply on how spontaneous his thoughtful mullings would come about. It was obvious, he was still aware and worried of the ramifications to Alabasta's political stance in regards to the impressions of the outside world. To be aligned with Pirates, was and still is never considered a positive thing. And for a royal family to be friends with a whole pirate crew would be even worse.
"PLEEEEEEEEAAAASE!"
The reindeers constant jumping was starting to get on Zoro's nerves, he paused before grabbing and placing Chopper on his lap and sitting back down on his seat. Reflexively he looked around to regard everyone's emotions, it became obvious and apparent to him that they were all thinking the same thing that their captain was. A forlorn frown smeared across Nami's face despite the fact that her and Usopp still remained tangled in a hug. The long nose had his head bent down, while Sanji held a distant face as if recalling memories, his cigarette almost finished. Robin withheld any sense of giving away what she was feeling in the most natural sense of the word. Book and Franky's countenance was lowered as the hovered over the rest of them, worry marred across their faces.
Chopper gazed up towards the swordsman quietly, apparently expecting him to say something after stopping the doctor from his whining. Tears still welled in his eyes threatening to spill.
One way or another it all came back to Vivi, and the image of her rushed into Zoro's mind in flashes. He remembered the first time she fought against him and oddly enough the first time he saw her cry, her anger and then a look she had sent to him on Drum Island when Nami and himself were going to become wax figures for the rest of their lives. It was in that moment, when she gave him that determined look, the absolute resolve in her eyes; that something glowed inside of him. It was then where he truly felt the desire to help her cause. He had always felt the natural need to, it wasn't as if he was born without a moral compass; but it was then that he wanted to. She was a fighter despite her natural disposition. He had wanted to see to it that her spirit wasn't shattered.
Her fluttery laughter suddenly pierced his ears as his senses instinctively tried to recall the scent of sesame and rosewater. But his memory was fleeting and not much came to him, perhaps what he was thinking wasn't the case? Perhaps it wasn't sesame or rosewater that she smelt of?
Mr. Bushido, was something he definitely remembered though. In a more personal nature, he wondered - if perhaps she would still call him that nickname were they ever to meet again. The swordsman almost chuckled.
Zoro felt a resonating aura emanating between the six of them, yet all were hesitant to come to a decision too quickly.
"We have a truce with the Marines now, Luffy. We can go anywhere we're welcomed to and there's no way Vivi would reject us." Zoro stated. And it was true; the minute they gained the One Piece they had used the object as leverage. They managed to create a treaty that would protect the Straw Hats from any form of bounty capture or attack from Marines anywhere they were to go. A bargaining chip for helping the Revolutionaries with their cause. The Marines may be an extension of the newest government power but that didn't mean they didn't hold resentment or continued allegiance to the now demolished World Government.
Either or, it didn't matter to Zoro whether they went back to see her or not, he would undoubtedly follow what Luffy willed. But he did want a make a case to somehow appease the rest of the crew from the dull ache in their hearts and maybe his own diminutive curiosity. He could see the hopeful look welling in Nami's eyes as he continued to talk.
"The only way Marines are allowed to confront us, is if we remain on a territory where the leaders of officially named territories or lands don't want us there anymore. I doubt Vivi would have that in mind."
Franky immediate spoke, feeling the need to address a key point. "Uh, guys I don't mean to be a downer but speaking as a person outside of the circle… isn't Vivi's family part of the royal nobles that helped to start the World Government?"
He coughed as he rephrased himself. "I mean, former World Government? Surely some type of alienation would be in order if we were to see her. Many of the nobles still exist and it's not like their out of powers to completely withhold aid to Alabasta. As far as I know, Vivi hasn't made word about supporting the Revolutionaries overthrow. Take Water 7 for example, they've been a bit more willing to change."
If Luffy felt something he didn't show it. It was uncharacteristic of him and it put the others at unease. The shipwright was right in every sense of the word. There was no way, the scattered but one-minded remnants of the World Government would let the Nefertari's get away with being welcoming to the Strawhats. Severe consequence to the nation of Alabasta in terms of trade and public treaties were bound to happen.
"In all honesty, us visiting would affect Vivi more than hurt us. The countries reputation would be at stake. Worst case scenario being a land ruined forever and scarred for years to come. She may be happy to see us, but in truth that would be a small window of happiness in comparison to the huge hardship we'd place on her that she'd be forced to deal with. Imagine Cobra having to explain himself to the Marines and the original noble founders of the World Government? " Sanji said in a low tone. They weren't stupid enough to believe that the whole idea of the World Government was completely wiped out just yet.
"It would be the biggest betrayal to the peoples that still support the old governing system." Brook stated.
"Surely there must be some way we could go to Alabasta in secret?" Nami questioned.
"Not possible." Usopp disagreed. "They're keeping tabs on us every place we land. We're infamous pirates and how we interact with Vivi will be the downfall of her. We're not heroes in this story Nami. We practically destroyed the world, and through the media's words created the ancient weapons for greed and power. The whole idea of the Revolutionary War is a controversial thing; some places that were oppressed embrace it happily and wholeheartedly but those that lived in fat, fine, contented lives are angry and bitter. Even some civilian supporters of the Revolution believe that their name has been sullied because they allied with pirates to get their war started."
The snipers resolve faltered. "Perhaps…it's best that we don't go. For Vivi's sake. It's too dangerous! It's a part of history that should remain hidden, not be out public from everyone to know."
The navigator immediately jumped on the heels of her feet. "Oh come on! You're letting something like other people's opinions stop us?!"
"Nami, you have to realize just because we like Dragon-san doesn't mean that we can place all our cards into believing his governing system is going to last! Because what if it doesn't?" Usopp argued. "The Nefertari name would be completely tarnished."
Nami flinched. This is not what she wanted, to never be able to see her dearest friend ever again.
"Sabo-san is helping the image of the Revolutionaries by displaying his noble heritage. Many have been in all honesty affected by his book and the stark contrast that segregation brings in moral quality. He's affected many hearts in the last two years to the point that many nobles have aligned themselves with the idea of a true democracy." Robin smiled as she put in her two cents. "The world is changing…"
Franky raised his eyebrows at Robin in disagreement. "People remain the same though, through and through. We can't be selfish here; Luffy you're King of the Sea. To mix with the reign of the land especially in such an unstable time is an unwise thing to do."
"Why?" Zoro casually pried. This wasn't like him, he was usually the one that preferred the idea of laying low; while Franky was his counterpart that liked to do everything flashily. It was an odd clash that pushed the other into opposite trajectories. The swordsman felt like pushing his buttons, who was he to tell their captain what he should and shouldn't do. That was his job.
Franky glared seriously. "Lets. Stay. Out. Of. This."
"You guys are being selfish! Vivi wants to see us! Can you imagine how she would feel if she were to never see us again!" Chopper childishly argued, tearing running down his face.
"Alabasta is a country teeming with history closely knitted with the World Government and their policies from the very beginning. Of all the places they're the least likely to attempt change. Two years is a small amount of time that has passed when you think about it. You just can't force public progression." Sanji quipped, though he didn't sound happy at what he divulged. "Luffy your dominion is the sea."
Luffy finally looked up, however clearly emotionless in face value. There was something about Sanji's last words that put their captain on edge. It almost made Luffy's achievements sound like a trivial thing.
Zoro huffed. "I don't care what society says. We aren't dictated pawns, none of us are. And neither is Vivi, otherwise we wouldn't have given two shits about her. "
"You can't decide something Vivi-chan has a choice in!" Sanji growled angrily, bumping his forehead on Zoro's forehead. The latter instantly snarled simply on the basis that opposition from their cook always insighted the worst in him. To finally achieve their dreams and be stopped by some forces that they couldn't control was fickle in Zoro's eyes. He lived in the present, they would deal with events as they came.
"I live with no regrets in life. None of us should." Zoro firmly stated, as he eyed Nami once again; relaying to her that she shouldn't live with the regret of never seeing one of their nakama. It didn't sit well with him to see her like this.
"ENOUGH!" Luffy shouted. "I've decided. I am the Pirate King! No one can stop me from what I want to do."
He grinned as he stood, eyeing his crew so that all eyes were on him. His words were final and there was nothing stopping his drive whenever the times came.
"If Vivi doesn't want us then too bad!"
The group eyed each other with mixed emotions; such a conclusion shouldn't be that easy to come to. Yet deep inside all of them were relieved and ecstatic.
Chopper instantly jumped to give Luffy a hug, as Nami gave the swordsman a subtle 'thank you' merely from her expression. Zoro nodded to her nonchalantly, affirming his deed; he mostly stood on his admission for her sake. After all an unhappy navigator always did worse on him anyways. Nami instantly grinned as she started shouting coordinates to Franky.
"To Alabasta we go!"
A/N: Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my story. This is a bit of a slow broil for now considering I really have to really layer the outlook of the world that's heavily changed due to past events. Who knew that I'd have to put my political studies to use in a One Piece fanfiction of all things!
Please follow and review if you like! It helps with motivation. And yes, we will see what Vivi's been up to all this time in the next chapter. Patience!