Hello, here the next one! Aokiji may seem a little OC-ish, but I was trying to catch the mood as best as I could. Also, Nico Robin will be making her first appearance here, and so will the rest of the Strawhats eventually. I haven't quite decided how that's gonna play out, but Conan will meet them all eventually. Any suggestions for that part are more than welcome. One more thing, I apologize if anyone doesn't like the Aokiji/Olivia pairing, but in my opinion, it's a realistic guess. Olivia and Aokiji are around the same age, and it wouldn't be too big of a stretch for them to have had Robin together, not to mention it made a kick-ass secret. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed
Convenience or coincidence were the only explanations for Aokiji's appearance here' it made summoning the Admiral much easier. Suddenly, three lower marines ran up to the rich pig and the Admiral.
"Sir! Prisoners Nico Robin and revolutionary Inazuma, are on their way here as requested by holy lord, Saint Roswald!" One of them said.
Jimmy's eyes widened, while the Admiral looked slightly interested. The fat pig spoke. "Oh goody! New toys to play with! The ones at the auction looked used anyways!"
"Indeed sir, we'll make preparations for them right away. I'm sure you'll find Nico Robin's appearance, pleasing." Implied one of the marines.
"Are my services still required here, or can I shall I call for back up, and start the onslaught?" Aokiji asked in annoyance.
"Ah, yes." Saint Charloss waved him off. "Go do that." Jimmy inwardly cursed, he had to do something, before the Admiral left, this was probably his only chance. Suddenly jumping, Jimmy looked down at something that was pressing against his leg. He blinked, thinking he had seen it all with the rich people dressing their dogs. This pooch had a bubble-helmet similar to his owners, only much smaller. Sighing, the young detective knew what he'd have to do.
As the admiral was about to leave, a voice stopped him. "You shouldn't leave so soon, Admiral-san, the Tenryubito need you for security, don't they?" Aokiji's eyes widened as he saw an adult version of the abducted child that escaped from Marineford appear before them. The younger marines readied their rifles and pointed them at him. Jimmy smirked. "Ah, ah…do you want anything to happen to him?" Jimmy held the dog up in front of him.
"Saru!" Saint Charloss exclaimed, almost running up to him. Aokiji blocked him, though. "What are you waiting for? Shoot him!"
"They'll kill your dog first." Sighed the admiral.
"Wah! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Saint Charloss took it back, he pointed accusingly at the smug Jimmy. "You fiend! How dare you abduct our Saru! Release him at once!"
"Oh, I will. I just have one little request." Jimmy smirked.
"And what would that be?" Aokiji glared.
Smirking, Jimmy replied. "Glad you asked, Admiral-san. I want a tour of Mariejois, and I want you to be my tour guide."
Eyes narrowing, the veteran marine replied. "You're kidding."
"No, I am not." Smiling, Jimmy walked to the stair case and spun slightly for them. "I'm kind of a history buff, so I love big, regal, complex places like this with a bunch of stories behind it. And since, I'm obviously an unpredictably, dangerous intruder. It would not make sense for any marine, other than yourself here, to escort me around the premises. This way, I get my tour, you get the dog, and everyone's happy."
"I'm assuming, you want to leave here alive?" The admiral raised a brow.
"Oh, that's something so obvious that it doesn't need to be stated, right?" Jimmy smiled. "So, do we have a deal?"
Turning to the spoiled bubble-head and the lower marines, he sighed. "Fine. No one follow, I'll return your dog safely, Sir." Walking passed the detective, the younger man gave a mock bow and followed.
"Take care of him! Saru needs his luxury pillow every five minutes!" Wailed the desperate noble.
With Ace
The pirate and the starfish stared indifferently inside the walls of the massive complex. Imagining what his poor brother had to go through, growing up in this environment. Finding, the brat wasn't going to be easy. He knew the kid's time as an adult was almost up, according to Jewelry, and he had waste a bunch of energy blasting through doors of a hidden passage way to get here.
"Ace-kun! We have to hurry!" Pappug whispered.
"I know, I know." He quieted the sea creature under his hat. Oyaji kept it for him.
"Move it! You're property now!" Leaning against a corner, Ace and Pappgu glanced down the hall. Their eyes widened, it was one of his brother's crewmates and a revolutionary. Nico Robin and Inazuma have definitely seen better days. Smirking, Ace would be glad to remind them what those days felt like.
With Jimmy
Walking behind the admiral, he held the squirming dog calmly and waited until he led them somewhere reclusive. Aokiji eventually lead them to a gazebo area with stained glass at the top of the ceiling, like an inside patio. Turning to the younger man, the admiral sighed. "You can let the dog go, I won't attack you. It won't do you any good anyways, that mutt peed on my shoes anyways."
"Fine." Jimmy sighed, dropping the pooch, who scurried away. "It was tiring carrying it anyways."
"How long before Jewelry Bonney's devil fruit wares off?" He asked.
"About five minutes." Jimmy sighed. "I missed being an adult."
"The Black Organization took a lot from you, huh?" Aokiji looked away slightly. "How did you manage to cope? Being a kid again?"
"…It wasn't easy, but I managed. Besides…it's pretty convenient. Culprits don't even know when I'm investigating them, I can solve crimes for fun, and I help out hopeless bums become famous." Jimmy smiled, and frowned when he felt a burning sensation rising. "Jewelry didn't warn me about this hurting."
"She normally only has people in the age hold for a short period of ten minutes; if it extends any further, there's often intense biological stress." The admiral explained. "Your life is not in danger, the pain will pass."
Jimmy clutched his chest slightly, and fell to his knees; smoke started to appear about him. "I got something to tell you after this." He winked and let the smoke engulf him.
Aokiji waited patiently for the young man to transform back, and after the smoke cleared, the fake child the World government abducted stood before him, smirking triumphantly. "You had something to tell me?"
"Yeah, I did. But first, I want to talk to you first." Conan nodded. "About twenty years ago, the island of Ohara was completely wiped out by the demon-child, Nico Robin. As well as murdering the people of her island, she posed a great threat to the World Government. Sound familiar?"
Aokiji narrowed his eyes. "I was one of the Vice-Admirals in charge of case at the time. Why?"
"I personally find it a bit strange." Conan replied. "That an eight-year-old, whether she's a genius or not, would be capable of pulling such a fleet off. In fact, unless if I was under death threat or my loved ones were being threatened with death, I wouldn't have believed it myself. Which is also what happens here, right? Anything the World Government says goes?"
"What are you getting at?" The Admiral asked.
Conan smirked. "Nothing really, other than that if anyone stuck up for Nico Robin at all, it meant going against the World Government, which would mean death. I haven't seen literal heresy in quite awhile. I my world, it wasn't heard unless if it were mentioned of two past dictators, Hitler and Stalin." The detective then looked at Aokiji in the eye. "You seem like an honest man, Admiral-san. May I ask what you thought of Nico Olivia, Robin-san's mother?"
"…I'm not sure what you're implying, but I was in charge of her capture and arrest. Which is what placed me in Ohara to begin with, at the time." The older man answered warily. "Why bring up Nico Olivia? What does she have to do with anything?"
"She doesn't, other than you." Conan replied casually. "Aokiji-san, I'm perfectly aware of what actually happened in Ohara." The detective said, patience suddenly warring thin. "It sickened me to know that my field of work could actually be compared to those World Government bastards. There were three main reasons why the World Government had the Navy wipe out Ohara: they were researching something called the 'True History', they sheltered Nico Olivia who also knew what the 'True History' was at the time, and lastly…it was merely because they dared defy the Gorosei." Aokiji's eyes widened. "In the documents I dug up, it showed the transcripts of the conversation the lead archeologist had with Spandam Sr."
"What's the point in looking this up?" Aokiji asked agitated.
"After researching Gol. D. Roger's pre-mortem time before death, I discovered that he and Nico Olivia were strangely at the height of their careers, had everything they could possibly want, and then turned themselves in for execution. At first I thought it was a tragic coincidence, until I looked at the destination they were at last- Raftel. Both Roger-san and Olivia-san fell for the same trap, so I researched her more, and then I discovered your connection with her." Conan spoke evenly. "Aokiji-san, I don't wish to speak disrespectfully of your private life, but you abandoned your lover and daughter."
Suddenly, the room suddenly grew very cold, making Conan slightly nervous. After a few minutes, an angry Aokiji spoke. "You will never speak of Olivia in front of me, nor will you ever mention your discovery to anyone."
"You're right I won't, for a price." Conan smirked and took out the item he retrieved from Aokiji's security deposit box. The Admiral didn't move as he stared at the photograph in the detective's hands. It was a picture of Olivia holding a newly born Robin in the hospital.
"It's not like that picture proves anything." He growled.
"It's in the Navy's private hospital quarters only reserved for the Vice-Admirals and above, and besides…there's a love letter from Olivia written on the back of the picture, addressing you. Your identification would impossible to mistake." Conan reasoned. "There's too much at stake for the Navy to kill me, and I need your help, so you might as well swallow your pride and help me. In return, I won't say a word of this to anyone, even under torture."
"Why should I trust you?" Aokiji glared.
"Because I hold the only memory you could afford to keep of Olivia-san and Robin-san, and if you won't help me, I'll be forced to destroy it." Conan sighed and looked away. He really felt guilty for this.
After a few minutes of silence, the Admiral spoke. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"
Nodding Conan spoke. "Nothing really, for now, I just want information. First, let's start with the Black Organization- I know it was Tsuru-san who first contacted them, but she's entirely against it. I want to know who gave Tsuru-san the order to contact them and why it had to be her specifically. Also, how did her superiors come to contact them to begin with?"
Sighing, the admiral scratched the back of his head. "That's a lot of information, and sadly, I don't know all of it myself." Conan just looked at him to continue. "I don't know which of my superiors came into contact with them first, nor do I know why it was Tsuru that was chosen to be their main correspondent between the Navy and them. However, I do know that the World Government is deeply involved in this, and have been calling the shots for this entire operation."
"Then why was I placed in the Navy's hands?" The detective questioned.
"Most likely because of your intelligence." The admiral replied. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you now have enough dirt to bury the Navy, and you're in the process of collecting material on the World Government. Any of the World Government facilities would've provided you too much access to their secrets, not that it did them much good."
"You'd be correct in your assumption." Conan sighed. "Which reminds me…the Gorosei…who are they exactly?"
"I figured you'd run into that name eventually." The admiral replied. "The Gorosei is a group of five elders, who have been in power for as long as I can remember. No one knows who they are really or how they got their positions, but they essentially rule the whole world. They call the shots with the Navy, World Government, and can even manipulate the Pirates somewhat. Using that leverage, they use it balance out the world into the three powers."
Conan narrowed his eyes. "So they instigate their order through the war between the Pirates and the Navy, and have the World Government intervene when either side gets too powerful. And judging by the way you're speaking, the existence of the Gorosei isn't a secret, but it isn't exactly common knowledge either."
"People know about the Gorosei's existence, but only ig researched and no one knows their true position in the world. The official positions they hold are scholars and tacticians that collaborate with Commander-in-Chief Kong, making plans to make the waters between the islands safe." Aokiji explained sadly. "As you can tell, it's a little more than that."
"This Commander-in-Chief Kong-san, who is he exactly?" Conan asked.
"He was the Fleet Admiral at the time of Gol. D. Roger's execution." Aokiji answered. "He later moved on to become the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government, after Roger's execution."
"So he, like the Gorosei, has complete control over the Navy and World Government." The detective deducted.
"Yes." Aokiji nodded. "However, he's the one who over looks their operations and makes sure things get done."
"So in other words, he's their front man." Conan concluded.
"Ah."
"Then what about the Tenryubito? What are they needed for?" All this information was useful, but it was hellishly complicated.
"Their statuses right?" Making sure he understood what the kid was referring to. "Quite honestly, I don't know that either, I never bothered to question it."
"Or you overlooked it." The detective growled. Aokiji shot him an annoyed look, Conan frowned and continued. "Fine. Where can I find such information?"
"…In this facility, you'll find the answers you're looking for in Commander Kong's office. It's on the third floor, with the tenth door on the right. Also…Olivia and Roger were executed around the same time, focus on that." Aokiji looked to the side.
Conan looked at him as if he just had an epiphany. "You know the secret too, Olivia told you before she died. She and Roger-san discovered the same secret, and collaborated information with each other. I don't get it Aokiji-san…if you knew the Gorosei's secret, why…?"
"My relationship with Olivia was a secret that not even Cipher Pole knew." The admiral cut him off. "To this day, no one knows except for you and me, and for your sake, keep it that way. Had I known Olivia was on Ohara at the time, I would've had the fleet turn around, had I known I had a daughter…"
"You didn't know Robin-san was your daughter until after the incident." The young detective was almost speechless.
"I pitied the child and gave her an escape route, and told her to never to step out of line again. After she left, I went back into the village and found Olivia. She told me everything…about Robin…about the secret…about everything she discovered. She died in my arms after she told me the story; she gave me that picture, the only remnant I have of her." Aokiji explained looking down.
"Did you really not know Olivia-san was pregnant? Why didn't you try to find Robin-san?" Conan raised a brow.
"It wasn't like my relationship with her was intended, I bought her from the auction house to have a couple of one-night-stands with her, and it turned into a full-blown internal affair. Then one morning-after, she said she didn't want to be with me anymore. She didn't give me any explanation or reason, she just told me it was over. And being the man I am, I accepted. But I'm also a very bitter, jealous man who thought she had Robin with another." Aokiji reminisced sadly of his hurtful words to his lost daughter.
"So you also thought Olivia-san cheated on you." Conan nodded. "So to protect Robin-san…"
"I didn't pursue it any further, they had men surrounding her, they could kill her at any point they wanted to." He clenched his fist.
"You also suspected someone else knew and then your career and the only safety net Robin-san had would be compromised." Conan concluded. "Then explain the Water Seven incident."
"I was prepared to save her if necessary, but I also wanted to test the Strawhat's resolve to save her. Call me a coward, but…I felt paralyzed." The older man explained solemnly. "I nearly killed my own daughter, my own lover didn't feel as though I was trustworthy, and I chose my career as an Admiral over what was right. I'm not only telling you where to look because I feel bad, but I also want to make it right. I'm even prepared to bust her out of here, if necessary." Aokiji finished.
Conan nodded and handed the photo back to him, and looked up at the large man. "I'll be a lot more inconspicuous if I'm escorted to his office by you, but don't go in with me."
Nodding, Aokiji added. "Say 'Garp knows the trap'…never mind what it means, it'll make him back off if he's there. Say you got it from Sengoku in passing."
Smirking, Conan nodded. "Let's do this then, shall we?"
With Ace
After freeing the revolutionary and his brother's crewmate, they had combined their strengths and successfully taken over a full wing of the giant place. After twisting the neck of another guard, Nico Robin sat down in a chair for some much needed rest. "Good to see you again, Ace-san."
Lowering his hat, he nodded. "You too, Miss Robin. So…why aren't you with my brother? Where's the rest of your crew?"
Frowning, Robin considered her answer. "We were attacked by Barthemellow Kuma a few days ago, and were all separated from the attack. Each of us landed on a different island, and I was unfortunate to land on Tequila Wolf. And I was even more unfortunate to be transported with fellow inmate and revolutionist, Inazuma."
Looking to the mentioned Okama. The multicolored man made a slight bow. "I am Inazuna, revolutionist and follower of Monkey D. Dragon."
Frowning at the name of his brother's father, Ace asked. "So how's the bastard doing?"
"Fine thanks, but refrains from saying bad things about my leader." He replied stoically.
"Considering that Luffy didn't even know he had a father when I met him, I have the right to call Dragon whatever I want." Ace smirked but then frowned. "We don't have time for this, the reason why I'm here is because I'm looking for a kid…who helped me out back at Marineford."
"Really?" Robin smiled coolly. "Tell us more."
"I will. But first…tell me more about the attack. Where's Luffy?" Ace had a deadly look in his eyes, and it wasn't going away until he got his answers.