Author's note:
Well, here's Chapter 2! Thank you so much for all the positive reviews! I'm really glad you all like the idea. XD
I personally like this chapter better than the last one... I just hope I didn't make the characters too much OOC! O.o
To Know Blood: Don't worry, I won't put lemons that early. XD It'll take it's time, I promise.
To fieryfalcon: Yeah, I know, but I read in the apforums that it could be translated as "maneater" as well, and liked that nickname better. Gomen for the trouble. -.-"
To everyone else: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Frozen
Chapter 2 – Problems of a Pirate
With a smile Niko Robin inhaled the fresh air in the harbor of Porta Cartago, the capital of the island Majesty Row, deeply, while having a good stretch in the rays of the pleasent morning sun.
It had been a week since the Mugiwara pirates left Water Seven behind on board of a new ship, and with a new nakama, a shipwright named Franky. Left another painful event, another adventure, other revelations behind. It had a been a crazy week in which Franky had settled in, and they got used to the new ship he had built for them.
The new ship was outstanding impressive, and though its massive size it was amazingly maneuverable and fast. It had one main mast and two side masts, not to mention the huge amount of space; everyone now had a room for themselves, well, everyone except Usopp and Luffy who shared a room, but that was something else. The galley was bigger as well, plus a bigger storer room, a room where the gunpowder, the canons and everything else in that context stored, and even a medicine room, where Chopper was untroubled and Robin always read.
But that wasn't all, the new ship was more robust and solid than the Going Merry had been, not only bigger and astonishing. But that wasn't surprising at all, considering that this shilp had been built from the wood of the legendary treasure tree Adam, which had been used for the Oro Jackson, Gol D. Rogers ship, as well. At first they had wanted to name it 'Going Merry 2' but that somehow seemed a little disrespectful compared to the Going Merry, so they had thrown the idea away. Untill their captain had made a interesting suggestion.
"Hey, why not call it 'Flying Merry'? In memory of Merry and the dreamland Sky Piea in which she brought us. The new ship could be her bigger sister!"
At first they were filled with enthusiasm for that idea, and the first days they really had called it that, but then they had been attacked from some bounty hunters, looking for the huge amount on their heads, and of course they won easily against them, but the point was that they must have called their ship something else. Because on the next island they had paused on, another bunch of idiotic bounty hunters had attacked them, and always called their ship 'Red Flag'; because the side sails, despite the main sail, were blood red, and recently people said they were the most badass pirates around, never showing any mercy to their opponents even if they were waving the 'White Flag'.
For some reason Luffy loved that name right from the start. And then the 'Flying Merry' became the 'Red Flag'. They had to admit the name was cool. Deep inside they all agreed that the Red Flag would still be the big sister of the Going Merry, even when its figure head looked more like a lion than a lamb.
Either way they all loved the new ship, even Usopp; of course he had joined the crew again, anything aside that would have surprised Robin a lot. Robin thought the ship was yet amazing enough, but Franky always said that it wasn't even anywhere near 'perfect' and that he still wanted to add a few things to it, and Usopp very gladly helped out at that. Every day or another they used to built something new on the ship, some things were plain pointless, but most of them were very useful. After that Franky almost bursted out of pride, and wrote a song about it out of the blue. Franky was a strange guy but he fitted with them.
But now after such eventful weeks everything slowly went back to normal. Well, at least as normal as things could get when you're called the Mugiwara pirates.
"Oi, Robin, over here!" Nami's voice echoed over the deck, and as Robin turned around to her, the navigator waved her over to her and the others, who stood in a half circle, waiting for Robin to fill it.
The archeologist shook her head while smiling and walking over to her friends with elegance. Again. It was always the same procedure.
As the half circle was completed to a full circle, Usopp eyed every single one of them before speaking up, "All right, guys. Hands into the circle."
Obeying the request they all spread one arm, some of them grinning, some of them indifferent, and some of them with a disapproving snort.
"What the hell is it with this childish shit?" Zoro grunted, but was ignored except of Niko Robin, who giggled quietly.
Usopp fell silent for a brief second. "Fist," he finally continued, and after that was said everyone formed a fist with the hand. Then he voiced the starting signal, "Now!"
"One, two, three!" they all called in unision, showing each other the formed fingers after that.
Zoro was the only who had formed a rock, while everyone else had formed paper.
Luffy grinned at his frist mate. "Congratulations, Zoro! You won, you can guard the Flag!" he cheered, patting Zoro's back painfully but patronizing.
"No, I lost!" Zoro corrected him but then fell silent. Actually he really won, at least he could spend a nice and calm day alone on the ship. "Oh, right, I won." Then he grinned.
Sanji rolled his eyes, puffing on his compulsury cigarette. "'Guarding', my ass. Marimo will rather sleep the whole day through the night," he stated.
"You wanna feel my swords or something, stupid ero-cook?" Zoro snapped at Sanji, who snapped back just as agitated, "You wanna feel my feet, dumbshit?"
The nasty fight went on with absurd insults untill Nami went in, hitting both of them with two hands upsight the head. "Silence, you idiots!" After that statement, and a few compliments from the ships cook, she sighed. "Well, the rest goes shopping, I guess."
Franky nodded, patting his chest. "Longnose and me will look for some wood and stuff. The Flag has still got to be pimped a little," he proclaimed, and threw Usopp a grin, which the sharpsshooter just as widely returned.
"All right," Chopper voiced, "I have to buy some medicine for my stock."
"In that case we're gonna join him, right, Nami-san?" Sanji asked, and glanced over to the navigator. "The Flag still needs some furniture after all."
Nami sighed and said, "That's just because we haven't discovered some of the cabins yet. But you're right, Sanji-kun. I need some clothes, too."
Usopp turned to Robin. "Then Robin will take care of the provisions."
"That okay with you, Robin-chan?" the cook asked, raising his brows.
Niko Robin smiled warmly. "Sure, Sanji-san," she answered. She had stopped naming her friends after their positions in the crew; they all told her they were nakama, and that she should call them by their real names. Everything beside that would seem as if they were strangers. Robin hadn't been sure at first but after she thought about it she decided that they were right. However, she still aded the 'san' appelation to their names, just because of the respect for them. Except Luffy. The respect for him was so great that she still called him 'Sencho-san'.
"It could get heavy. I could accompany you, if you want."
"I'll be okay, besides you should rather help Nami-san," Niko Robin giggled, then her glance went to Luffy. "And Sencho-san?"
Luffy grinned his trademark grin, patting Zoro's shoulder in a friendly way. "I'm keeping Zoro company," he said.
Zoro's eyes widened horriefidely. "Hell no!" he snapped. "I'm a grown-up man, I don't need someone to 'keep me company'!" In the back of his mind his reasons why he didn't want Luffy to stay here were really selfish. He wanted to sleep in peace after all, and a Luffy alone with Zoro on the Red Flag was a bored Luffy. A bored Luffy was an unpredictable Luffy. And an unpredictable Luffy was an annoying Luffy.
"But you'll get bored all alone!" Luffy protested.
"No, I won't! I'll be too busy to get bored!"
The captain raised his eyebrows. "Busy doing what?" he asked unimpressed.
Zoro's jaw snapped closed without a word. "I'll... I'll be training! And I'll sleep!"
"Aw, Zoro! You're boring to death! I'll stay here, I've got nothing to do anyway, since I can't go outside without everyone recognizing me."
That was right. Since Luffy's bounty shot up that abruptly, and everyone had heard of the events on Enies Lobby, he couldn't set a foot into a town without causing a hysteria. Either with pirates that admired him or with normal citizens that were afraid of him. But either way a hysteria. But they all knew that this wasn't about Luffy's own health, but about the fact that he just plainly didn't want to go shopping.
"That's no excuse, Luffy," Usopp sighed. "We all can't walk around anymore without someone recognizing us. Except me of course."
That was right as well. It wasn't like they hadn't been recognized before, but now... Now it was normal.
Sanji shook his head. "Rather not leave you on the ship with Zoro. Stupid swordsman is in a bad mood today, he'll probably kill you 'cause you're annoying like hell when you get bored."
Robin giggled quietely. Zoro was always in a bad mood. But to her surprise Zoro surpressed his exasperated statement, probably because Sanji was right.
"Besides I highly doubt that you really wanna stay aboard the ship when we've just arrived at a new island," Nami told the captain of the Mugiwara pirates. "I know that you don't wanna miss Majesty Row. At least admit that you're just trying to buy yourself out of going shopping."
Luffy tapped his head to the side, pouting theatrical in a caught way. "Damn," he cursed, while crossing his arms offended.
"Let's see, where do I put you in?" Nami thought out loud.
Luffy stared puzzled at the navigator. Somehow he felt like a little child when Nami talked to him. "Then I'm going to take a look at the city," he announced.
Sanji threw his cigarette overboard and into the sea. "Like hell I'm letting you stomp all alone through the city. You're just going to cause us some trouble again, mindless, hyper bozo you are and all." He glanced with an exasperated look at his captain.
Chopper threw up a glance at Niko Robin. "Maybe you should take him with you, Robin. That way you won't have to carry all the things on your own."
Robin blinked a little confused, she had her devil fruit powers after all, which made it easy for her to carry much and heavy things, but Nami seemed to be filled with enthusiams at this idea for some reason. "It's decided then!" she smiled. "Moron needs to start taking some responsibilities for the crew anyways. So shopping might be a good start."
Luffy pouted once more, hunging his head. "Don't wanna...", he grunted listlessly. "Shopping's so boooring..."
"You okay with keeping an eye on him for a while, Robin?"
Niko Robin smiled. "I doubt that Sencho-san really needs a babysitter, but okay." Sie looked at her captain.
"Thanks, Robin!" Luffy said relieved. "At least someone who doesn't treat me like a child!"
Nami threw Luffy a stern look. "We're just worried about you, Luffy," she got straight.
"Why? No one dares to stand up to me anyways, they're all scared!" the captain laughed. And that probably was right.
"So, like always, right?" Franky asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Nami nodded. "Right. Get a move to the cabins and change."
"Wohooo!" Luffy cheered with a laugh. "What are we gonna dress up like today, Usopp?" he beamed at the sharpshooter, who put an arm around his shoulder with a grin.
"I already have an idea, Captain." He laughed quietely, rubbing his long nose. "Today we're gonna dress up as guys cooler than cool!"
"But aren't we already cooler than cool?"
"Hmm... Good point!"
"Stop that bullshit and hurry the hell up!"
Niko Robin watched the others, shaking her head and smiling. They really were something special. Her glance went to Zoro, who still hadn't moved from his spot, and he stared at her in a way that made her knees go weak. Their eyes interwined, and before she knew it they were alone on deck.
A moment that seemed like eternity dragged on untill the corners of Zoror's mouth curved up into a small smile, and he opened his lips to speak, "You opened up, Robin."
And Niko Robin suddenly couldn't help but laugh quietly. "Oh, you noticed?" she voiced a little ironic.
"Of course. I just never told you that I'm happy about it." Zoro threw a glance ober his shoulder back at the door, which lead to the cabins, and of which could be heard the loud laughing of the captain and the mad cries from the navigator and cook. "You sure that you can handle Luffy on your own?"
Niko Robin smiled softly. When no one else was around, Zoro could be really nice. That was a discovery she had already made long ago. "Don't worry. I enjoy being with Sencho-san. He has that special ability to make someones sorrows disappear."
Zoro grinned slightly. "Do you enjoy it more to be with him than with me?" he asked mischievous, though he already knew the answer.
"Don't be silly, Zoro," Robin said, rolling her eyes, and walking over to him with an amazing elegance. "Are you getting jealous of our own captain?" she asked while walking past him.
With lightning speed Zoro grabbed her hand, pressing her to him, but before their lips could met, the raven haired woman placed a finger on his lips, shoving him softly back a little with her other hand. But his strong hands held her hips firmly, making it almost impossible to get away. "Stop it," she said sternly, "What if the others see us like that?"
"Since when do you care about something like that?" he asked teasingly, his breath on her lips tickling her, and almost made her go weak. "It didn't bother you last night."
She almost lost her selfcontrol and would have closed her eyes, but in the last moment she could hold herself back. "Last night was a mistake," she whispered.
Zoro quietly laughed. "You say that every time." He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, and from there it went into her hair. "I guess you're either really stupid to do the same mistake a dozen of times, or you're the smartest woman I've ever met to not be able to resist me."
Niko Robin was speechless, and she was sure her expression made that very clear. Damn it, she knew that Zoro loved to see her like that, that was why she would not let it happen that he won again. A playful smile crept to her lips, as she closed her eyes. A few pairs of arms grew out of the ground behind Zoro, grabbing his arms, so that she could free herself with ease. With an amazing and tempting wiggling of her hips she left, but before she disappeared under deck to get changed she said, "What makes you think I couldn't resist you, Roronoa Zoro?"
The pairs of arms disappeared with Robin, and Zoro grinned silently to himself. "She won this round," he murmured to no one in particular, while plopping to the ground, and leaning against the mast. He crossed his arms behind his head, grinning a little more mischievous. "But I'm gonna win the next one."
"I'm never allowed to keep my hat on!" Luffy pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, while walking together with Niko Robin through the streets of Porta Cartago.
The raven haired woman smiled at her captain in an understanding way. "That's because your hat is your trademark, Sencho-san. Everyone would recognize you right away if you'd wear it," she explained, then giggled. "Though I think this cap fits you very well." She pointed at it.
Luffy threw a glance upwards, but only saw the path that protected his eyes from the sunlight. He grinned. It was true, this sportcap really was something, and he really liked his outfit itself as well. He weared a long jeans, and a blue sleeveless shirt with a matching blue-white cap. He had covered his scar up with a plaster, knwoing that this was another trademark of him. Usopp had kept his promise, Luffy really thought that he looked coller than cool. "Cool, isn't it?" he voiced his thoughts out loud and laughed.
His laughing was that infectious that Niko Robin couldn't help but quietly laugh with him. Like she said, her captain really was an outstanding amazing person. Maybe he was the rare type you could either love or hate, but nothing in between. Robin and the others loved him.
Through her dark sunglasses she looked around. The construction of the buildings here had something old-fashioned. She liked this town, it had this old houses, and plenty of historical places worth seeing, like old churches or castles. Porta Cartago wasn't the town of kings for no reason, it really had something majesty-like.
The raven haired woman brushed a streak of her hair behind her ear again, that managed to steal itself out of her lose ponytail, looking over the stands of the marketplace, which extended in front of them.
"This town has something that bores me," Luffy stated with his hands crossed behind his head.
Robin knew that her captain wouldn't find anything interesting in Majesty Row, so she just shook her head and smiled. Luffy really didn't care about history.
But before Niko Robin and Luffy could walk into the market, the raven haired woman noticed a small store selling books. The temptation was too strong to resist it. They surely had very interesting books about history and the elder kings in a town like that. Robin smiled at her captain and said, "If it's okay with you I'd like to take a look at that bookstore over there, Sencho-san." She pointed at it while saying so.
Luffy glanced at the bookstore, than back at the archeologist, shrugging with a grin. "Sure thing, Robin. In the meantime I'll take a look around."
Niko Robin nodded and went into the store, while Luffy sighed. A loud rumble reached his ears, coming from his stomach, and he held it with a suffering expression on his face. "Hungry..." he pouted. And Robin had all the money with her. Just great.
He glanced around. What should he do here? There wasn't anything spectacular but some boring historical things he didn't care for anyways.
"Move aside, please!"
The loud call of a deep, manly voice, and the excited voices of a lot of different people instantly got Luffy's attention away from the boring market, and he threw a glance over his shoulder; the uproar came from a wide street, which crossed the one he was standing just a few feet away from the captain.
A crowd had gathered on the side of the street, and they seemed very interested in something. He saw a few marines, who watched over the crowd, and he grabbed for his cap to pull it deeper into his face. He would be in a lot of trouble if they recognized him. Nami would kill him, Zoro would slide him to pieces, Sanji would cook him, and Franky would eat him then.
"Make some space for the princess!"
That woke Luffy's curiositiy. A princess? That reminded him of a very special girl with blue hair again, which he missed terribly. He smiled a little sadly to himself before turning around and walking to the crowd. Even if it wasn't his princess coming, he still was a little curious.
He tried to push himself through the huge amount of people to see something, but it was in vain. Damn it. He tried to peek over the heads of the people without success. Everything he saw were the heads of the staffs, which belonged to some guards he guessed, because he heard them march like only guards marched.
"She's supposed to be a really cute princess!" a big and fat guy in front of him murmured to his friend, who was just as big and fat.
"Yeah, they say she's one of the prettiest! I heard she's the princess of some desert country," the other one said.
Luffy blinked confusedly. Desert country? Heh, that was a really funny coincidence. Vivi was the princess of a desert country as well. What a coincidence. Pure coincidence. He swallowed hard. Right?
He made another try to peek over the heads, but still saw just the staffheads and lightblond hair with above-average, huge curls. Hold on a second! He knowed that hairstyle! That was the perm of that Curly-Ossan, who was that overprotective of Vivi. Just a coincidence? Somehow he didn't think so... But that couldn't be. That was just impossible. He hoped it wasn't, but it just couldn't be...
Luffy bit his lower lip, his heart beating like hell. Was Vivi said princess? Or was there somewhere on this planet another freak who weared the same hairstyle as Igaram? Damn it, he had to see something!
"There she comes!" he heard a woman call.
The big man next to Luffy grinned. "Man, she's really pretty! I knew it!" he exclaimed. "Blue hair, how unusual. But it fits her!"
Blue hair. These were a little too many coincidences for the taste of the black haired boy. Actually it couldn't be any other way. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest, beating that painfully and fast, as he stood on tiptoes, and was impudent enough to even support himself on the shoulders of the two big fat guys, who instantly snapped a "Hey!" but then didn't gave a damn about it.
"Move aside for the princess of Arabasta!" the Igaram-Double cried, which turned out to be the real Igaram.
Luffy's heart instantly sank into his feet, and his mind completely stopped working. There was only one wish that shined inside of him, I have to get to her! Without giving a damn who he pushed aside, he violently made his way through the crowd to the front. Was it really her? How long has it been? Was that fate?
Finally he stumbled out of the crowd, arriving at the very front, where a marine shoved him back into the row with his sword.
Luffy didn't even notice it, because his glance was glued to blue long hair, and Vivi's thin body, as she walked pass him. Allthough he couldn't see her face, he freezed for a few seconds. But he knew he had to get her attention somehow before she was gone.
Because he couldn't come up with any other method, he chose the one that was typical for him, and cried from the top of his lungs, "VIVI!"
And then she turned around, looking at him with her beautiful, deep blue eyes, and Luffy just grinned, knowing in this moment that there really must be something like a god or fate.
To Be Continued...
Cliffhanger! XD
I just noticed that the Mugiwara priates all have to hide like some kind of stars! XD Oh well, at least they're save that way, right?
Uhm, review? Please? Pretty please:)