By AstroKender
Fandom: One Piece
Pairings: Okay, this was going to be a gen fic and then my obsessive-compulsive half took over. Fair ye warned that their be shonen ai ahead (but only a bit, I'm an action writer first and foremost)
Warnings: Rated T for violence, blood and possibly language: None of which you will see at the moment.
Timeline: Hmm… I would place this at just after the Rainbow Mist filler and right before the encounter with Bellamy.
Spoilers: I'm sure everybody knows by now that Nico Robin becomes a member of the Straw Hat Crew. If not… oops.
Notes: First things first. No, this is not the side fic I promised everyone. Instead, this is an entirely new arc that could be considered as a sequel to Loyalties. But seeing as I don't want everyone to have to go read my other fic just to know what's going on, any mentions of that story "arc" will be brief at most. Expect multiple chapters here of an undetermined length and amount. I shouldn't even be posting this yet as some of you are still waiting for me to get off my ass and finish that kkm fic. (Patience, precious) As always your feedback is appreciated and cherished and used to warm the cold hardened lump that is my heart. But, hey, enough holding you up…
Onward to the Fic!
Chapter One:
Taking one look at the imposing island spread out before them, the Straw Hat Crew wanted nothing more than to turn tail and head full sail in the opposite direction. Even the most fearless of pirates would quell at the dark chunk of rock that broke the horizon. Yes indeed, that first look was more than enough to make each of them wish they were currently anywhere but where they now stood. But, it was to their misfortune that such an act wasn't possible, unless they fancied getting lost in the vast spread of the Grand Line. The Log Pose had decided their fate, and the small band of pirates had no choice but to sail forward. Not that the group was happy about this.
Well, perhaps one was.
"Wow! Look at all that smoke!" Luffy exclaimed through a grin that stretched the breadth of his face. The ship's captain bounced up and down on his customary perch atop the ram-shaped figurehead of the Going Merry. "Do you think the island is on fire?" Bright questioning eyes turned readily to his money-loving navigator for answers.
"I don't think so…" The Nami said slowly, staring at the island with apprehensive eyes. "It doesn't look like there's anything to burn on the island to burn. Look, there aren't even any trees."
"It looks like most of it is coming from the huge tower." Sanji indicated --with the tip of his cigarette—towards the towering structure that the companions first thought to be a mountain. Leaning nonchalantly against the rail, the blond blew out a cloud of wispy smoke, unconsciously mimicking the surrounding scenery.
"Ooh! Is the tower on fire?" Luffy asked excitedly, more intrigued than ever.
"I don't know, Luffy!" Nami snapped as she rubbed at her temple. The redhead felt jittery with pent up frustration and more than a fair share of fear. "I…don't know anything about this island…. Buggy's map doesn't even give it a name." Nami stared down at the waves as they broke across the ship's stem with a troubled expression.
Sanji eyeballed the dark clouds above them before lowering his gaze back to the island. "How long do we have to stay here, I wonder?" the cook muttered. Once again, their rations had run low and --by the look of things-- additional food and fresh water may be hard to come by at their present location. This was a serious matter when you were sailing with the worst bunch of fishermen in the Grand Line.
"I don't know, I don't know…" Nami mumbled out as she worriedly bit her lip. "I don't like this." She admitted. "We should stay on the ship until the Log Pose sets."
"No!" Luffy cried out angrily. "It's a mystery island! I wanna explore it!"
"Are you kidding? No way!" Nami shouted back, her eyes wide. "We're going to stay as far away from that—that place, as possible!"
"That's not very adventurous of you, Miss Navigator." A sultry voice observed from high above in the crow's nest.
Nami focused her wrath up at Robin's innocent seeming expression. The navigator knew the other woman was just harmlessly picking on her, but her words would just give Luffy added encouragement. With a frown and a cutting motion across her throat, Nami turned away from the dark-haired woman to once again view their surroundings. Whatever lies on that island; it wasn't an adventure.
"What's the deal?" Luffy grumbled; his arms crossed stubbornly. "It's just an island."
"That…" Nami growled as she pointed at the dark object before them. "Is not an island."
A wooden silence followed her statement and Nami winced as she prepared for the worst.
"It's not?" Luffy's eyes were as wide as saucers. The redhead could practically see the boy's curiosity reach even greater heights.
"Arrgh!" Exasperated, Nami began tearing at her hair. "Sanji, help me here." She begged.
Sanji coolly studied the island, his cigarette jutting out over his lower lip. 'You can't fix a broken egg'; Zeff had always said. 'All you can do is scramble it.'
"If we send a group out, we may be able to find out some information. Where to get food, how long the log pose takes to set, what island is our next destination, etceteras…." Sanji took one glance at Nami's furious face and winced, beads of sweat quickly forming across his brow. "Of course it could also be a completely bad idea." He amended hastily.
Nami's face remained unchanged, promising worlds of pain to the skinny blond later. Sanji shrugged apologetically before looking irritably around the ship's fore. "Where's Usopp? He always makes up the good excuses." He muttered.
"He's hiding under Nami's bed." Luffy grinned cheekily, unwittingly getting distracted from his battle of wills.
"What?" Nami shouted in horror. "I hide my underwear under there!" Spinning in place, the redhead quickly darted across the deck.
Luffy's brows were scrunched together in confusion. "Why would she stick her underwear under her bed? Are they dirty?"
Beside him, Sanji had the grace to blush. Once Zoro had accused the blond of being a panty-thief, Nami's underclothes had since vanished from immediate view.
Damn that sword-freak, anyway.
"Umm…I'd better go help Chopper. With the steering. Yeah." With that the Sanji quickly turned tail, as if afraid that Luffy would voice any more innocent questions about undergarments. 'Stupid Zoro and his stupid tattle-telling….'
An inadvertent sneeze coupled with the sounds of Sanji's heavily cobbled shoes stomping by succeeded in waking a certain green-haired swordsman from his afternoon nap. Yawning, Zoro stretched his arms out above him before slowly rising to his feet. A harsh cracking of the neck followed by another lazy yawn and the swordsman headed instinctively forward, to the bow of the ship.
Zoro easily followed the sounds of plaintive whining, as his captain begged their local archeologist to let him go. One of Robin's arms had sprouted from the ram's head and was now holding Luffy's ankle hostage. The rubber-boy was yanking on the captured appendage futilely, as he glared up at the crow's nest with accusing eyes.
As if magnetized, Zoro's eyes moved to stare out towards the desolate object in the distance. For an island, it certainty seemed black and dead --covered by nothing but broken chunks of stone and rubble. Plumes and tendrils of thick dark smoke billowed out of a jagged looking object that took up most of the center of the island. That smoke swirled in a circular motion around the object's tallest spire, before drifting up to join the dark clouds handing low and ominous in the sky. The tower itself seemed to reach up to the heavens, like the claw of a dying bird.
Well, Zoro was sure he had seen worse…somewhere.
Zoro irritably shrugged off the itch that had crawled up his spine and seemed to demand stupid things, like for him drawing of his swords. The Straw Hat Crew's first mate stepped up to stand beside his captain, who had since fallen into a sullen silence. Glancing at Luffy's forlorn form, Zoro frowned slightly.
Clearing his throat, he decided to try and strike up a conversation to lighten the mood.
"Is that the island?" He asked idly, keeping his gaze straight out in front of him.
Luffy heaved an enormous sigh. "Yep." He mumbled.
"It's still some distance away." Zoro observed casually as he rocked back and forth on his heels, mimicking the waves that crested along the sides of their ship. The Going Merry was heading closer to the island at a snail's pace, it's sails not even moved to catch the wind. Zoro snorted to himself. So, the rest of the crew was feeling chicken, eh?
"Yeah…" the word was practically dragged from Luffy's throat as the boy stared glumly at the dark object taking over most of the horizon. Even the boy's token hat seemed to droop in the face of its owner's dolor.
Zoro let silence envelop them once more as he crossed his arms, thinking. Beside him, Luffy silently moped, his spirits seemingly crushed. It made Zoro uncomfortable to see that look, twisting something in his chest. Always sensitive to his captain's moods, Zoro could practically feel the other's misery wash over him.
Which was probably why he was about to do something incredibly stupid.
Consequences were quickly weighed and discarded. Only one thing mattered, anyway. His brow smoothing, Zoro came to a decision. Resting his back on the rail, the swordsman stared at his fingertips with feigned interest.
"So…" he drawled out casually. "You wanna go check it out?"
The transformation was absolutely amazing. Luffy's head snapped around so fast his hat tipped askew, sliding over one brightly gleaming eye. "Could we?" Luffy asked, desperate hope lining his voice. Zoro hid his smirk with a careless shrug.
"Why not? There's nothing else to do. And besides, you would've managed to sneak off eventually." Zoro stated matter-of-factly.
Luffy positively beamed at him, causing the swordsman to cough in embarrassment. "Without me there, who knows what trouble you might cause?" Zoro mumbled. Luffy's lip puckered out slightly.
"Aww, but I like trouble!" he whined, putting on a sort of mock sulk that told Zoro that Luffy was teasing him.
Zoro stared at his captain, pointedly raising one eyebrow. "Hey, it's your choice." He stated with an indifferent shrug. "You could just sit here under that woman's guard all day…" he trailed off threateningly.
"But I like Zoro too!" Luffy stated quickly. "And I wanna see what's on that island. So let's go!" The rubber-boy once more began tugging at the steel-like grip on his leg; stretching his leg to inhuman proportions.
Zoro cast his eyes up to the crow's nest, his face impassive. "Well?" he called up quietly, in his tone a clear threat stating that he had no problem with freeing his captain by force.
"I do not think that Miss Navigator will like this turn of events." Robin leaned over the ledge casually, her hat casting her eyes into mysterious shadows. Luffy stared up at her with the wide and pleading eyes of a child.
"Are you gonna tell on us, Robin?" he asked with a pout.
Robin stared down at the two for a long moment before turning to slip down out the hole near the mast. "Who will be here to tell?" She asked as she slowly descended the ladder. "I'm coming with you."
Luffy shouted happily as his leg was suddenly freed. Less pleased, Zoro felt his eye twitch.
"What? Why?" he demanded. He had no problem exploring a new and possibly dangerous island with his captain, but letting that woman tag along…
"Why not?" Robin straightened her clothes demurely. "I have just as much interest in seeing this 'Mystery Island' as you two do." She stated evenly as she approached the bow. "Besides, it is as you said before, Mr. Swordsman. You could always choose to remain here."
"Zo-ro…" Luffy hopped off the figurehead, as he stared at his best friend with puppy-dog eyes. Zoro twitched before turning away with a glare.
"Fine." He growled. "But keep your hands to yourself." He ordered Robin. "All of them."
Robin gave the swordsman a bland smile that Zoro didn't trust for one minute. "Of course." She slid her hands—her original ones—into the pockets of her khaki's to prove her point.
Zoro grunted and turned away only to jerk in surprise as a long arm wound tightly about his middle. The swordsman was pulled off his feet only to be gripped close against his captain's wiry body. Staring with wide eyes up into Luffy's face, Zoro sputtered for something to say.
"Don't worry." Luffy grinned down at him as the rubber boy wound his other arm backwards: preparing to launch. "I've got you." And then Zoro was staring at the back of the boy's tousled hair as Luffy called back to their other companion.
"Here, Robin, can you hold this? Good. Don't loose it now, it's important to me. Okay, now grab on. Heehee. This is going to be fun! Hold on guys!" Luffy's head turned once more and grinned down at Zoro, his eyes twinkling with joy.
And then they were flying.
vvvvvv
"Where are they?" Nami demanded as released her death grip on Usopp's nose and grabbed Sanji by the lapels. "Where the hell did they go?" She shook the blond violently.
"There's—only—one—place—that--comes to—mind…" Sanji managed to blurt out as his teeth rattled back somewhere into the vicinity of his brain. Which was a good thing, or else he might have bitten off his tongue.
The cook's vision was just beginning to darken when Nami dropped him like a sack of hot coals. Horrified eyes stared out at the island looming before them.
"The idiots." Nami spoke the word like a curse. "They wouldn't have. Robin… Robin would have stopped them, right?" desperate eyes pleaded with her battered companions.
Usopp shrugged, more concerned about straightening the noticeable crook in his nose. "Who cares? If it's Luffy and Zoro, they can take care of themselves. And Robin is probably just hanging around here somewhere, reading one of her books."
"Unless she thought there was something there interesting enough to warrant breaking the rules." Sanji said, his voice low and serious. Then sparkling red hearts came to his eyes. "Miss Robin is so independent!" The cook clasped his hands together giddily.
"Quiet!" Nami gave the blond a sharp knock to the head.
The redhead had a grim expression on her face as her hands moved to grip the wooden railing in a white-knuckled grip. Was this her fault? If anything happened to them…. Closing her eyes, Nami bowed her head.
"I didn't get a chance to tell them…" Nami muttered as she slumped to her knees. "I didn't want to tell them. It was in a book. Just a small notation in the margins; referring to a nameless island."
"What's so bad about that?" Usopp asked. "I mean, if it's nameless, couldn't it be some other island?"
Nami shook her head. "The coordinates are too close a match." Taking a deep breath, the redhead quickly pulled herself to her feet. "We have to get Luffy and Zoro out of there." She stated firmly. "And Robin too, if she went with them." Nami pounded a fist onto the railing angrily. "Damn it, she knew what the book said! Is she trying to get everyone killed?"
"What do you mean?" Sanji asked, his hands unconsciously clenching around the already abused banister. Sharp eyes scoured the island's shore, as if trying to visibly discern the threat. Beside him, Usopp gulped audibly and took a step backwards, as if that alone could keep the island from drawing nearer.
"W-hat did the b-book say?" the gunner stuttered out, as if he really didn't want to know the answer.
"There were just two words." Nami's lower lip trembled, showing that she was not as resolute as she tried to appear. "'Metal'…" she took a slow, in-drawn breath and released it in a shuddering sigh.
"And 'Death.'"
vvvvvv