Author's Note: Number 52...like months later...ugh. I'm sorry guys, I really am, but always remember I'm never giving up on this story, I will get another chapter out there sooner or later! I can't even say I've been trying my hardest because I know I haven't. Just with grad and my military entry stuff on the go it's been rather stressful. Thanks to all who have waited around and I'm sorry for making you do that, but I hope you enjoy this chapter, might be a tad rusty and maybe rushed but that because i just had a spare hour or two to do this. And a huge thank you to my reviewers, I know a lot of people do this but your reviews really do make me write faster just because it reminds me that people still do in fact read my story! Well with that, lets get on with the story! Thank you! Enjoy!
Previous Chapter Reviews:
Pokemonjkl: Thanks for the review! And I know haha I personally would hate that, people i don't know touching me, but hey some girls like that kind of stuff, getting dolled up by other people...pampered. But i have a feeling Kuki was with me on this one hahaha. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
14musician: Of course you can, i just have one rule...you have to let me see them! Haha and thank you so much, my life's been hectic but hey everyone's probably is. Thank you for those kind words and the review. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Girl-luvz-manga: Haha I'd say, more shocked if anything. I just love putting him in situations like this... so funny haha. I think I'm a tad evil to the characters I like...my bad. Thank you for the review, hope you like this chapter!
"Did you end up getting any sleep after?" Robin asked, stirring her coffee with a delicate looking piece of silverware.
Kuki shuffled around in her seat, trying to find a way to sit in all of the fabric that would be comfortable, "Not Really..." she mumbled, sighing "That picture was sort of creeping me all night, and then all the maids just stormed in and attacked me with brushes and this thing." she finished, signalling down to the expensive cloth clinging to her.
Nami looked up from her fruit and nodded, "I'd say, if I were you it would creep me out too."
All who were listening in on the girls conversation tilted their heads in confusion.
"There's a portrait of the Queen and the Prince in Kuki's room." Robin explained, bringing the teacup up to her mouth.
"Ah, feeling a bit of guilt?" Franky asked, smirking at the currently dolled up Helmsman.
Kuki shook her head, that wasn't the reason, well at first it was but to be honest she hardly thought of that again up until now. Kuki looked down at the plate in front of her, eggs, hash browns, and some fruit. It was placed out beautifully, and looked delicious, but she didn't know if her current clothing would allow her to eat, it barely let her breath.
"The Queen has the exact same eye colour as Kuki does." Nami added, popping the last strawberry into her mouth.
"Hmm, that is strange." Chopper muttered under his breath as he nibbled on a piece of french toast smothered in icing sugar.
The blonde girl looked up from her plate to the ship doctor, "But not completely weird right? Like...people can have the same eye colour all the time."
"Well yes," the reindeer answered, "But your eye colour is kinda different in it's own, and don't you think its weird that the Queen has the same eye colour as you, who is supposed to be the 'Next Queen'?"
Kuki sighed loudly and dropped her face into her hands, "Not you too Chopper." she whined.
Grumble
"What was that?" Sanji muttered, finally getting into the conversation.
Kuki blushed and hid her face deeper within her hands, "Sorry...I'm just really hungry."
"Well then eat something, the foods really good here." Nami chuckled.
The Helmsman looked back at her food, oh it really did look good, her mouth was salivating just at the thought of eating, but she already felt as if she was going to burst out of the dress...
"I can't..." she almost cried, smelling the still hot hash browns.
"Is it because you only have hunger for my food Kuki-Hime? I can go to the kitchen and make you something delicious!" Sanji offered, grabbing her hand closest to him with heart in his eyes.
"It's not that Sanji, this dress is just really tight and it's hard to even breath in it let alone eat." she explained lightly pulling her hand away as she frowned at her food once again.
"Why not just take it off?" Zoro offered, finally being able to get his act together.
It really would be better for him if she was wearing her normal clothes rather then this dressy stuff.
Kuki looked over at him, "I wish I could, but all the strings for the corset are in the back..."
"Well I could help." he offered, anything to get her out of that dress.
Smack
"Of course you would you Baka-Marimo!" Sanji hollered, standing over Zoro as he was on the ground from the cook's sneak attack.
Kuki barely had anytime to blush at the misunderstanding of the Swordsman's words.
"I didn't mean it like that you Love-Cook!" Zoro yelled back, defending himself.
"Trying to take advantage of Kuki-Hime in her time of need! Despicable!"
"Time of need!? What are you going on about you Baka?!"
The boys carried on while the crew just snickered behind them, absolutely loving the First Mates blush of embarrassment.
"Robin..." Kuki hushed, creeping behind the older woman as her eyes scanned the hallway.
After breakfast, the one Kuki couldn't take part in, the Archeologist suggested that the two of them look around and try and get some answers for themselves. Kuki was all for the idea, until they started for the main tower. Robin seemed to beeline straight for this area, the castle itself had three towers connecting to the base. One to the left, where the crew were currently staying, one to the right, where Kuki and the Prince, as she guessed, where placed, and one in the middle at the back of the castle. It was the shortest out of the three, and it seemed that the closer they got to it the less guards were around, placing a ball of fear in Kuki's stomach, fear of getting caught for something they shouldn't be doing.
"If you don't act like your doing something wrong then people wont think your doing something wrong." Robin smiled, pointing out the Helmsman's current body language.
With that, the blonde straightened up and breathed, rushing to catch up to the tall, long legged lady. Her walking pace made Kuki have to do some awkward kind of jog/walk just in order to stay in line with her.
"I feel like...we're not supposed to be this way." Kuki whispered to her partner in crime, eye one of the few guards placed at the wall in the hallway they were walking down.
The Archeologist just smirked, "More the reason why we should come down this way."
The Helmsman sighed and sucked it up, she too wanted answers, maybe even more then Robin, she just wasn't used to sneaking around. The feeling in her stomach was sickening, like how a child feels sneaking a cookie from the cupboard thinking any moment their parents would walk in and catch them.
Doors, signalling the end of the hallway, were in front of them. They were different from the large heavy, extravagant ones all throughout the castle that were always open. These were closed and wooden, seemingly older then the rest. Robin just strolled up and gave them a small push, opening them just enough to sneak into as well as sending a large screech down the hallway they had come from. Kuki glanced behind her to see if anyone was coming and then hurriedly snuck into the room after the older woman, closing them behind her. The room was huge, a large circular area surround by tall bookcase and a spiral staircase that ran all the way up the tower to the top where a doorway hinted to another room at the top. In the middle of the room a large desk sat with a chair, some books already laid there open as if someone had been reading before. The archeologist took no time to walk over to the desk and skim threw the books that laid there, Kuki on the other hand walked up to the tall bookcases, placing a hand on the ladder contraption placed on them. It seemed to be able to slide across the bookcases on rails.
"I think our new inventor friend was here." Robin muttered, drawing the blonde's attention to her.
"What do you mean?" the Helmsman asked, walking over to the desk.
Robin handed one of the books to Kuki to look at.
"Electronics?" the girl asked out loud, reading the cover.
"It seems our shipwright caught her attention," the Archeologist added, "shes studying mechanical body parts and electronics."
Kuki's eyes skimmed over the books on the desk, and then to the stairs lining the wall. At a closer look, the girl could see a number of paintings following the stairs all the way to the top. Robin seemed to notice the Helmsman's interest and left the books to the stair case, closely followed by the tiny pretend Princess.
"There all...girls" Kuki exclaimed, taking in the photos one by one.
The first was obviously old, the colour was dull, and the paint was chipping at parts but one thing stood out.
"Her eyes." Robin stated.
The pit in Kuki's stomach grew.
"Their the same colour as yours."
No matter how dull the paint had gotten, the eyes were still the bright, sky blue...the same as Kuki's.
Robin seemed to notice the Helmsman's silence and just kept on up the stairs, with every picture they both noticed the same thing. The eyes, were all the same, in every picture. Kuki's nervousness turned to straight out panic, what was going on here?
"That's..." the blonde muttered, coming up to the last picture before the doorway.
The woman was beautiful, with long black hair and a kind smile on her face.
"The Queen." Robin finished for her.
"But does that mean..?" Kuki didn't even want to finish her thought process.
"That all the pictures here are of past Queens?" the older woman asked, looking back down at all the paintings, "I think so."
Kuki didn't say anything, just walked up the last few steps and grasped the door handle to the room at the top of the tower. Just what was going on here? She could play the current Queen off as just coincidence, but all of the past Queens? She breathed in and gave the door a push, opening to reveal circular room with a dome like ceiling. A small circle hole was cut out of the ceiling right in the middle. Letting late morning sunshine pour down into the middle of the room where a sickly looking black plant of sorts stood, if you could call it a plant. It looked like a small tree that was badly burnt, not holding any leaves or anything of the sort. The rest of the room was decorated in what seemed like gold, the entire ceiling stretching down to the walls were panels of the stuff engraved with pictures Kuki couldn't even begin to understand.
"Wow..." Kuki muttered, slowly walking into the room as her head faced up as she looked at the engravings.
"Amazing..." Robin mumbled, taking in it all with a large grin on her face.
Kuki had never seen such a sincere smile on the archeologist's face before, unless she was talking about history stuff and those poneglyphs.
"This writing...is ancient." the older woman explained, running her hand over the panels that she could reach.
Instantly, Robin pulled out her small book and began working on the hidden words. Kuki on the other hand walked towards the tree. It was just barely taller then her, and small, golden bricks out lined the dark soil it was planted in. Something about the plant was off, what was it? Why did it look dead? Was it dead? Why was a black, leave-less tree so special as to be the main focus of this room? Kuki carefully reached her hand out, wanting to touch one of it's many branches.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you." a voice called out from the doorway, making Kuki jump.
The Helmsman's head whipped over to the intruder, seeing Lily standing in the doorway.
"I don't know how breakable that thing is." the Island's inventor continued, walking over to the girl.
Robin didn't even take the notice, only glanced over and then went back to her deciphering.
"I...ugh..." Kuki mumbled, not knowing what to do as she was caught red handed.
"One of the guards informed me that you two were coming here, so i decided to join." Lily explained, looking around the room, "I haven't been up here in a while anyway."
"Oh...well.." the girl stuttered, not believing that she wasn't going to get in trouble, "What is this anyway?" she asked, spitting out the first sentence that came to her mind.
Before Lily could answer, Robin closed her book and turned towards the two.
"It's a devil fruit tree." the Archeologist explained, walking over to get a good look at the anomaly.
"What? Really...I've never seen one before..." Kuki gasped, taking a better look at the plant.
This was the thing that produced the powerful fruit, this dead looking thing.
"Their incredibly rare..." Robin added, "But more importantly, it's your Devil Fruit's tree."
