Theme- #61 Fairy Tale
Words: 850
Rating: T
Chapter 4:
Back at the ship, Chopper had retreated to his office to sort out the plants he'd gathered and Sanji had retreated to the kitchen to prepare what he'd found on the island for storage.
Robin sat on deck, a book on her lap, three others on the table beside her. leafing through the old tomes. Something about this place, the ruins in particular had struck a memory, something she'd read somewhere.
A while later, the other half of the crew had returned from their exploring and Robin expressed her concerns to Luffy, Sanji adding in about the plant life.
"We saw some weird stuff too, like animals that didn't belong in the same place." Franky told them.
"Yeah! We saw this REALLY cool tiger for like a second and then a few minutes later, a flamingo. And there's lots of beetles that aren't really found all together." Luffy said with his usual enthusiasm.
"Don't forget about the camp." Brook reminded them.
"That's right!" Luffy said, "Looks like some people where camped out for a while here but they're all gone now."
"What sort of a camp?" Sanji asked, brow furrowing. "Like mom, dad and the kids on vacation sort of camp?"
"Nope, more like set up with precision sort of a camp. Tents, bigger HQ tent, communal fire pit sort of a thing, maybe military by the looks of it." Usopp muttered, "Though none of the tents or supplies are still there, they're long gone..."
"Marines?" Asked Robin.
"Most likely, " Sanji agreed, "Which means we should probably get out of here as soon as possible."
Usopp handed Robin a plastic baggie and inside where pieces of charred paper. "These were in the fire pit. If I clean em up and piece them together, think you can decipher them?"
Robin nodded, "I can certainly try..."
With that, Usopp made his way to his workshop, Chopper in tow, awed by Usopp's 'super sleuth skills'.
Luffy shaded his eyes and looked at the sky. "Nami and Zoro should be back soon..."
"If they aren't back in a bit, we'll head after them. Moss head probably got them lost..." Sanji said, lighting a cigarette and heading in the direction of the galley.
Robin sank back in her chair, opening another volume. It wasn't too long later when she sat up, glancing to Franky, who was napping on the chair next to her. He cracked an eye at her sudden movement.
"Take a look at this..." She said, showing him an article.
"This book deals exclusively in legends that have almost reached conformation level, meaning more than a few people have backed them up as being true..." Her fingertip moved over the text. "...No story is more debated than that which tells of elaborate traps, supposedly used over centuries by governments and pirates alike, of a wandering island, appearing when ships are in need. The purpose of these islands vary, some to split crews, steal crew members or eliminate pirate crews that have otherwise eluded capture. Many stories tell of the use of elaborate traps, magic and the use of psychological warfare, torture and violence. Often these islands are described as a wonderous mix and match of flora and fauna, as they seem to be hastily thrown together..." The article went on, Franky soaking it in.
"Seems kind of vague though, and hoaky. Like a fairy tale or some silly children's story..." Franky said sceptically.
Robin nodded, "I agree, it was just something I'd remembered reading. And after Thriller Bark, we can't be too careful. There are things in this world that cannot be explained."
"That's true..." Franky said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should go talk to Strawhat and give the island another once over, look for Nami and Zoro."
After what had seemed like hours Zoro and Nami noticed a gradual change, the levelling off of the incline.
"Think we're almost there." Zoro pointed out.
Nami's foul mood had seemed to calm during the walk, giving way to exhaustion. "Good..." She said in relief. "We can take a quick look, grab water and head back. We have to be back before sunset."
Zoro nodded, something in the distance catching his eye as the breeze moved through the leaves and branches of the jungle. "You see that?"
"Huh?" Nami pushed her sweat dampened bangs out of her face and squinted in the direction Zoro had indicated. "Is that a building?"
"Or ruins or something..."
"That means there could be people," Nami said, eyes lighting up. "You think they're friendly? That they have a shower?" She asked brightly.
Zoro rolled his eyes, "You seem to convienantly forget you're a wanted pirate don't you? We need to be careful..."
"Fine.." Nami pouted, "But if they are pirate friendly, I'm taking a shower."
Zoro nodded absently, that feeling he'd had earlier increasing, his hand moving to rest on the hilt of his swords as they approached. He hoped Nami was right, that there were just a group of friendly settlers, but something in his gut told him that wouldn't be the case.
He really hoped he was wrong.
