Rebel
I know i'm late! I'm so sorry! It took me nearly two months before i could come up with more ideas to push this story on! Now that we have some juicy revelations going down! I can finally get this tractor moving!
I do not own One Piece! The concept goes to Hanzatsu-Hime and the characters go to the one and only Oda!
Death-By-Sanity: Sorry for the wait! Luffy, he's not too predictable but you can always guess when something goes completely wrong that he'd be in the thick of it! And I did mention that Zoro would defy all things that people deem impossible and sure enough, poor Law gets dragged with him. YES YES YES! I was so happy when i read that the Clima Tact would get another upgrade! And i definitely cannot WAIT to watch the movie!
jolphuong: ahaha you caught that tidbit didn't you ;) Retribution's entire theme does circle back to that song so i guess i can say that it is the Theme Song of this story. Welp, i hope your detective eyes can find some more niches here and there!
Robin was, for lack of better word, completely flabbergasted, and nothing much in this lifetime surprised her.
It was something straight out of one's fantasy island. It was as if an artist had cut out a piece of the world and created and entire niche of its own beneath the water. Carved in marbles of various colors and layered in pristine stone, the long and towering walls loomed high in the sky rising as far as the bubble would allow them. Delicately designed in the utmost intricate details, the pointed, dome-like structures and etched towers of the Inner City was…cold… and absolutely magnificent. The sky of the Inner City was even more splendid. Flashes of the fading night sky with wafting billowing clouds and southern lights wove in shimmering colors over the Inner City, casting a mixture of dark shadows along the white walls and shining glimmers of light beyond every arch. The pale gleam of the moon shone like a beacon onto the entire city. Large, curvaceous structures and bridges intertwined in and out of the entire foundation, a twisting staircase twirled at the zenith of the entire city, the end point of the stairs stretched to the skies as if they could kiss the moon.
"This is the Inner City?" Franky sputtered as he flicked back his glasses and all but gaped at the stone structures staring defiantly back at him. The warriors only smiled and maneuvered them to a walkway where a large raft waited for them. Once they were all inside did they raft begin to move, maneuvered by long sticks stuck deep in the still waves.
As they drew near, the historian gripped the edge of the wooden boards and leaned forward, her head tilted back as she stared at the imposing barrier in front of them; what hid behind those walls? Why would this island choose to hide itself from the rest of the world? She stayed silent, watching as they were all herded off the raft and toward a door painted and rimmed in gold. A group of Kshatriya stood on guard in front of the entrance, their bodies tightened, their heads swiveled as one toward the small assembly marching toward them.
"The Monarch has requested for them." one of the warriors nodded to each other and after a moment's hesitation, slid to the side to allow them to pass. The architect noticed as they passed the sneers and curled lips of distain on the men's faces as they walked by. None of the Kshatriya uttered a word, but the emotions playing across their faces were more than enough to state their sentiments:
Foreigners were despised.
It wasn't a surprise, when the doors had parted open, to see the much-praised twenty feet sculpture of what seem to be a symbolic form of the Monarch posing in front of the entrance. The man had the mouth of some sort of large and majestic animal with its jaws stretched wide, fangs flashing, head thrown back as if roaring to the sky. The pearl white wings of a raptor arched and splayed out in a dominant flare on his back, powerful hind legs covered in scales and the hands of a giant outstretched to the open sky. Although it was quite unusual to portray a revered person in the form of such a beast, Robin had to admit that it was quite a sight to behold. A shoulder jostled her to the side and the woman turned to watch as her rambunctious captain shot straight past her and headed straight for the figurine.
"WOOOOO!" Robin covered her mouth to hide a smile,
Of course. Only Luffy could make this day completely entertaining no matter how dire the situation.
"I'm kinda hungry." Luffy mumbled and he rubbed his stomach as it gave an audible rumble, "can we go in already?" the captain was just itching to see if he could get pass the pleasantries and stretch his hands onto the walls and swing himself over.
Heck, he was just about to do it when the doors gave a groan and the gold –wrought marble gates parted open.
"WOOOOO!" the rubberman couldn't stop himself from blowing past the Ksh-or whatever-they're-called and just like that, with his mouth wide open in a ridiculous grin and his eyes shining in wonder, he had his head lodged side the mouth of a fifteen feet, marble cut, figure standing in the entrance of the Inner City,
"COOL! THERE'S SOMETHING INSIDE THIS STATUE!" the man had stuck his head inside the statue of what he thought was some sort of cool animal…
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING SITTING ON OUR MONARCH'S STATUE! GET DOWN IMMEDIATELY!" two warrior instantaneously grabbed for his legs and tried to drag him off, however, his legs merely stretched till only the soles of his feet touched down leaving the rest of his body still inside the mouth of the sculpture,
"GET OFF!" the warrior screamed and Luffy pressed his hands against the statue's face and pushed,
"I'm stuck." He let his body dangle there for a moment before he laughed; there was something funny about the situation he was in: aside from that, his nose was getting itchy and he wasn't sure if he could shove his hand inside to scratch it.
"WHAT?" the warrior gasped and another four pairs of hands tugged uselessly at his clothes,
"I said I'm stuck!" Luffy exclaimed and there was a chorus of frantic mumbles,
"Get out of the mouth of our Monarch!" Luffy shrugged and wiggled again; the position he was in was actually pretty darn comfortable, his elastic body allowed him to just hang…
The captain's nose twitched and Luffy stiffened and he lifted his head as far as it could go and sniffed…it couldn't be…his nose didn't lie…that was the smell of…
"MEAT!" quick as lightening, the man had his hands gripping the statue and his feet braced against the figure's marble body. With a jerk, he popped his head from the statue's gaping mouth, failing to hear the loud cracks sounding from the strength he exerted to pull himself from the mouth…
A loud gasp sounded just as Luffy had squeezed his head out. He sprang down and straightened,
"I'm out!" the captain felt something heavy between his hands and looked down to see that he was holding the Monarch's marble head. He looked up to see the warriors and every single citizen in the Inner City openly gawk at him in horror. His crewmates merely shook their heads in exasperation,
"S-sorry." He was already turning his back and running just as the sound of guns firing in his direction; it didn't matter if they shot him, his protesting stomach was his first priority.
Robin was still smiling as the shipwright chuckling next to her turned to face her,
"Should we go after him?" there was an excited pitch in his voice and she offered him a grin of her own,
"Of course." Her hands rose and crossed, a multiple number of hands sprouted from the startled Kshatriya's backs, yelps and curses and flailing arms erupted in the entrance of the Inner City and the historian sprang forward along with the lumbering cyborg with the doctor attached to his head and quickly pushed their way out to catch up with their captain. Of course, an uproar was to be expected as the crowd let out a bellow and gave chase, throwing whatever they could get their hands on at the small group.
Robin nearly tripped when an arm wound around her waist and for the second time in a row, she found herself pressed tightly against Franky's chest, her breasts squishing uncomfortably onto his shoulder. Amidst the screams, the historian had an inkling of what her captain's insane notions and merely closed her eyes and held on for dear life. Chopper's pleas fell on deaf ears as a surge of power ripped over her hips and she felt her entire body shoot high into the sky. Her stomach rolled as Luffy swung them as far as he dared on top of one of the Inner city's towers. Before she could even step back to breathe, the arm around her tightened and they were flung once more into the air. This time, she left her eyes open in time to see the Strawhat raise his foot in the air and bring them down on top of a pale tipped roof. Plaster shattered and the foundation gave a shudder as her captain dragged them all down with him right smack on top of a pub table,
"FOOD! FOOD! GIMME THE BIGGEST PIECE YOU'VE GOT!" Luffy flopped down onto a stool and banged his fists on the counter, his tongue flopped eyes, dark eyes shining in anticipation. The man wiping down the empty glasses gaped at him and nearly dropped his tumbler as he staggered back. His panicked eyes darted from the destroyed roof to the slightly bent table and his face flushed beet red,
"Are you going to pay for the damage?!" he demanded hotly as Robin crossed her legs under the table. She shot the man an apologetic smile as Franky barked in laughter and offered the bartender a friendly grin,
"Sorry, I'll fix it for you." the cyborg chuckled again and clouted his captain's head, "he's blind to everything when it comes to food."
"I can't think unless I eat something!" Luffy protested and he stared fixatedly at the poor bartender. The man gave his roof another worried glance before he turned around and headed for the back of the room,
"Give me ten minutes and I'll whip something up for you." Chopper stiffly unlocked his stranglehold on Franky's head and shakily clambered down to sit on the surface. His blue nose twitched when the undeniable smell of fried meat wafted from the back of the room and Luffy practically climbed onto the table, salivating all the while. He let out a sound of pure joy at the sight of a large plate of nothing but pan-seared red meat plated in front of him,
"Enjoy." The bartender jerked his hand back in time to escape a row of blunt teeth as Luffy dove in. Robin accepted a warm cup of chamomile and nodded her head in thanks, "what brings you here to the Inner City? I'm surprised you've been invited in the first place; we don't usually get many visitors." Franky lifted his head from his own plate, a kabob shoved into the corner of his mouth,
"We're actually hoping to trade with you guys before we head out." The barkeeper looked incredulously at the shipwright,
"Trade? You want to trade with us?" he snorted and wiped his hands, "we haven't traded with anyone outside of this godforsaken city for the last decade or so." Robin raised a brow,
"I read that your Monarch gave orders to shut down the borders to this Island. Is there a reason for this?" a strange emotion passed over his face and he quickly coughed and harrumphed,
"It's been so long since that happened that I don't remember the reason." It was more than clear that he was lying through his teeth but the historian decided not to push,
"Did you close down because your food was bad?" Luffy received another clod over the head for his remark. The man glared at him,
"Of course not! My tavern is one of the most frequented places in the Inner City!" he crossed his arms frowned before craning his neck to the nearby window, "It sure is unusually loud today." The man tilted his head to the side even further to look, "I wonder why they're so many people running around outside the stree-" the doors to the tavern burst open and a young man dashed in out of breath,
"Bartender! There are intruders in this city! We need to bring them to the Insurgence! The Kshatriya are calling everyone out to help captu-" his pale orbs landed onto Luffy busy stuffing his mouth and his eyes bulged out.
"Close the door boy!" the man barked and the entire crew tensed as the young lad spun around and slammed shut and plastered his back against the door. Robin discreetly clenched her hands, her expression one of nonchalance as she watched with a practiced eye at the boy. One word caught her attention and she turned to look at the victualler,
"The Insurgence?" Nothing escaped her ears; her mind was already working to piece the little things she'd picked up when they crash-landed onto the table. Keen observation had rewarded her with the realization that- "You're not a simple bartender are you?" The lines on his face became more pronounced and he stepped forward,
"How did you guess?" Robin smiled as a sudden wave of exhaustion settled over her body like a soothing balm and she realized belatedly as her eyes were already closing that they'd been handily drugged,
"Your…hands...I recognize…the insignia." A loud squawk of alarm had her using what little strength she had to twist her neck to see Chopper topple off of Franky's slumped head and onto the ground; he was the only one who hadn't touched the offered meal and drinks. The reindeer's body immediately expanded, his muscles swelled as his furry form shot up. There was a soft snick of a bullet loosened from barrel that she nearly missed and the historian watched as the projectile sank directly into the doctor's neck.
He sank to the ground like a stone.
Heavy hands clamped onto her shoulder and she felt herself dragged up and over the counter. Creaks and snaps of metal being heaved over wood and the accompanying sleepy murmur echoed dimly over her ears as the Strawhats were slowly hauled into the abyss.
A few seconds later, silence was all that remained in the room.
"Not many of us frequently pass through here," the Vaishya motioned for the group to step past the thick roots as they continued to trek deeper into the forest. Nami ignored the churning in her stomach and focused on the breathtaking expanse of trees that loomed over her head,
"They're beautiful," she murmured and tilted her head back to allow Sanji to lift his head up,
"How long have they been growing here?" he grunted when his foot kicked one of the roots and reflexively tightened his grip onto the navigator.
Nami sucked in a shaky breath and began to silently count.
"These trees have been here for as long as I can remember," the Vaishya tucked the glove back into her pocket as they continued to move forward,
"So…what does the monarch want from us?" Usopp rubbed his nose and secured his bag around his waist only to trip,
"I don't know. We don't know much about him. We don't hear a lot from him either." She shrugged her slim shoulders, "According to my dad, long ago, the Monarch split the population apart with his hand and with his breath, he laid down the laws. My family rarely enters the Inner City, I've only been there a handful of times," the wistful note in her voice told them just how isolated the Outer City was from their counterpart.
"Is there anyone we can trade with in the Inner City?" She turned to look at Brook and her shoulders lifted again,
"Probably not, there have been rumors of some kind of rebel group wrecking havoc in there so people are probably too scared to leave their homes." The musician seem to perk up at that,
"Rebel group?" another unconcerned sniff,
"I heard it from some of the Vaishyas who travel back and forth from the city, they said the group wasn't happy with the way the Monarch was blocking our land from other countries." Usopp tapped his finger against his nose,
"But why did he block the island anyways? I don't see how this benefits any of you."
"It doesn't." the Vaishya's fist tightened and for a second, she stopped and stood there with her hands clenched. When she turned to face them, her expression was one of heartbreaking anguish, "my mother and brother was separated from us when he declared that he was going to pick and choose who would get to live in the Inner City and who would be kicked out." She inhaled and stiffly turned her head away, "we didn't have a choice, he'd already overthrown the previous ruler and had a lot of Brahmins who supported him." Her slender body was practically shaking as she walked on, "he wanted to divide who he thought would be of use to him and who were worthless. My dad has heart problems and I…" her mouth clamped shut for a second, "we were immediately kicked out." Nami felt her heart twist in sympathy as she watched the pubescent teenager shoulder the visible burden on her back. It was clear although she was young; she was forced to take on the role of the responsible parent.
It wasn't too farfetched to say that the Vaishya's dilemma wasn't anymore different than hers when she was younger.
When they reached the hole, a loud curse boomed from below along with another string of profanities bursting from down below. Nami's heart pounded and her clenched hands loosened as the familiar baritone reached her ears. Sanji stopped at the edge and bent forward to look down,
"Mosshead? Is that you?" There was a pause and a mutter of "why him" sounded before the gruff rasp of the swordsman's voice echoed back,
"Get us out of here flame brows! We're stuck down here and I've got an unconscious surgeon hanging on my back!" The cook snorted and smirked,
"Let me guess, you lost your way again and ended up falling in this hole didn't you?" a bellow that promised vengeance along with some choice words regarding his nosebleed and a few other things was Zoro's angry retort. The Vaishya frowned, confused,
"How did they get in here in the first place? It is impossible for anyone to get past the barrier without killing themselves." She reached down to pull up a camouflaged ladder fashioned from strong ropes, "there are ladders on every side of the hole just grab one and began to lower herself down,
"Hold onto tight to me Nami-swan," The navigator readjusted her grip onto her crewmate's shoulders as Sanji tossed the ladder down and carefully descended to the bottom. The walls, to her surprise, weren't fashioned from stone or any kind of material used to build foundations. When she reached out to touch, she pulled back in astonishment, the materials were-
"Wooden walls?" her voice resounded over the telltale rumble of what could only be water down below. She shivered and held on as wind buffeted her hair sending it into a whirlwind,
"Yes, the entrance to the Inner City is through the trunk of a Sequoia. We need to go underwater in order to reach it,
"UNDERWATER?" Brook's panicked tremble had the musician freeze up mid descent,
"I'll carry you Brook," Usopp's reassurance seem to pacify him, but barely. Nami tried to peer through the dim lighting as the sound of waves crashing against the walls grew louder,
"Nami, I need you to wrap your legs around my hip, I can't climb down properly if you don't." The woman hesitated, before she gave him a tight nod and gingerly changed her grip to his hips. Her calves shifted forward, bringing her pelvic against the small of his back and her long legs crossed together.
As they got closer, her eyes caught Zoro's emerald hair and when he tilted his head up, those dark eyes collided with hers and the navigator swallowed when his gaze shifted from her face to her legs wrapped around the cook's body. His mouth twisted down into a silent snarl and for a brief second, a flash of nothing but pure, unadulterated rage crossed over his face. The sentiment quickly passed and his expression smoothened over, but the visible stretch of skin over jaw and the way he kept that heavy gaze fixated onto her had her body reflexively stiffening.
However, she wasn't reacting to the man in arousal of his dominant anger.
Dread pierced her heart as realization washed over her and Nami trembled; she wasn't aroused by his anger.
She was incredibly and irrevocably: afraid.
Thank you for reading! I'll do my best to be quicker with updates!