Chapter 14

Circus Act

Maxwell woke up looking at a ceiling. A fan lazily spun around overhead. He almost didn't want to get up, it was so comfy. Then the mage remembered where he was.

The Strawhat crew, after leaving Usopp and the Merry, had booked an inn to sleep for the night. They ordered 4 rooms. Sleeping arrangements were pretty straight forward. Luffy and Zoro had been bunking in one room. Nami had Sanji had booked another, (with Sanji on the floor). And Maxwell and Chopper had kept to their own room. They even had a spare room ready for Robin… if she ever came back, and they would switch when necessary.

The rooms were simple, just a bed, a couch, a coffee table, and a washroom. A water heater stood under the windowsill, it supposedly kept the room when when the weather was cold. You couldn't see much out the window though. At most, you see the brick wall of the next building and the alleyway below. It wasn't like they couldn't book the more refined hotels. But they were pirates… And had to follow Nami's budget.

Still, Maxwell couldn't really complain. After sleeping on a bed of ropes and crates for so long, an actual mattress was a nice relief. Even if they had left everything back on the ship... Actually, they had left everything back on the ship. No notes, no chest, no supplies. The crew had left with only what was on them at the time. For Max, that was his bamboo staff, his armor, and the foci of Mordred, Mineive, and Salem.

They had been oddly silent since the duel… Maxwell honestly wasn't sure if he had to be worried or not. He could still feel them in the Fade. It was like they were talking to…

Maxwell shook his head, detaching from the sensation. It was better to leave them to their own devices. They'll come if called.

The mage stretched as he got out of bed. His armor was hanging over a chair by the coffee table. He then noticed a note left there between the three foci.

"'Can't sleep. Up on the roof top. Find us when you're awake. —Chopper,'" Maxwell read the note and then sighed. Chopper had taken leaving Usopp the hardest. The little doctor had looked up to him, even when he was telling his tall tales. Luffy, Ussop, and Chopper always had so much fun together. Now, things would neve be the same. Chopper wasn't allowed to treat him after the duel. The most he could do was leave an pile of medical supplies in front of him. Hopefully, Usopp could use them when he woke up.

Maxwell put down the note and got ready for the day. He showered, trimmed his beard, and then got his clothes on. Breakfast could be worried about later. Thankfully Chopper had left the room key for the door. The mage closed the door and locked it behind him. He was now in his full armor, foci secured to his waist, and staff on his back.

Maxwell made sure his gloves where secure when he noticed Sanji in the hallway. "Ah Sanji, good morning."

"Morning Max. Have you seen everyone? I checked the rooms, but they're all empty."

Maxwell looked at the doors Sanji had left ajar. They were definitely the rooms the crew had rented. However, none of the beds had been slept in.

"Everyone must be on the roof then," Maxwell concluded, "Chopper left me a note—" He then noticed the bags under the chef's eyes, "…Did you get any sleep last night?"

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, "...Not really," then started walking down the hall. Maxwell followed. They were going to head to the roof.

The inn's corridors were in the shape of a square horseshoe. Wood trimming ran across the bottom of the walls, with some electric lamps hanging above their heads. The floor was a wooden stained orange, clean from vacuuming, and the walls were a gentle beige. Fairly neutral colours. The stairway was a rectangular spiral, with white plaster and wooden steps. It was easy enough to follow, they just had to walk up.

Maxwell and Sanji open the door to the roof, and sure enough, they saw Zoro and Chopper up top. No sign of Nami though.

"There you are..." said Sanji. The roof top was a white tiled platform, with a ring of railing and a belfry erected in the corner. "Where's Luffy?"

Chopper pointed to a domed tower not to far away, "There." Luffy sat on top of it, just within yelling distance. It seemed he still wanted some time alone.

Maxwell decided just to sit beside Zoro against the belfry, "Morning Zoro."

"Hey Max." The swordsman didn't even look at him. It seems none of them really had any sleep last night...

Chopper just looked back at the chef, "So Sanji, where'd you go?"

Sanji lean against the rails, "I was keeping watch on the peninsula... I thought maybe Robin would come back there... Wonder where she went, without saying a word..." Maxwell frowned at that. It was bad enough to wonder where Robin was after everything last night with Usopp, "I think I'll search around on the streets today. If anything happens, we'll regroup in the here."

"I'll go too! I want to find Robin!" Chopper volunteered.

"Okay... Sure," the chef blinked. Sanji was willing to get some help. The more the better, right?

"LUFFY!" Nami suddenly burst through the doors of the roof. She sounded distressed.

Nami then noticed everyone else was on the roof as well, "Big news guys! Everyone in the city is talking about it! Luffy...!" Nami ran up to the railing. The captain finally turned around to see what she was talking about, "Last night, Iceberg was shot!"

"Ice-Pops was shot...!?" This news certainly grabbed Luffy's attention.

Maxwell shot straight up at the news. Assassination attempts were never good, not unless you were in Orlais. Wasn't Iceberg the head of the Galley-La company?

"Yeah, he was shot. Iceberg's alive, but he's unconscious right now...!"

"Who's that, Nami?" Sanji asked the navigator. Maxwell looked over at the chef. How did he not know about—? Ah… right. Kokoro… Maxwell covered his eyes in disappointment. Sanji's perversion was suddenly becoming a lot more clear.

Nami looked at Sanji, "The guy who took care of us the other day at the shipyard. He's the president of the Galley-La Company and the mayor of Water 7."

Sanji blinked at the information, "Wow! He must be one important guy..."

"It's said to be the greatest catastrophe to ever happen in this city," Nami emphasized.

"That guy..." Luffy thought about the town, "He's respected by so many people... I'll go look." He then jumps off his tower and onto the street below.

"Wait, Luffy! I'll go too." Nami calls out to him. She then dashes across the roof to the stairwell.

Sanji stands up, "Then we'll go search for Robin." He turns back to his sitting crewmates, "Max, Zoro, you coming?"

"...No. I'll wait and see what happens next..." Zoro leans back and puts both hands behind his head. Sanji looks at him in confusion.

Zoro and Maxwell share a look though. They both knew something bad was about to happen. And while Zoro was content to sit and wait for the next move, Maxwell wasn't.

Assassinations? Riled up crowds? And a little magic and suddenly it was a witch hunt. It was safer being on the move, the Mage Rebellion had taught him that much. They were stuck on this island after all, and Maxwell would rather be anything but a sitting duck.

"I'll come with you guys," Maxwell stood up to join Sanji and Chopper, "Stay safe, Zoro."

O O O

Sirens whirled to life as an intercom spoke up, "[This is an announcement. The Water 7 weather forecast department has officially declared an Aqua Laguns warning for the entire island. Repeat: The Water—]"

"Hey! The Aqua Laguna's coming!" "Go tell people who haven't heard about it!" "Take a break from work!"

Chopper, Sanji, and Maxwell stopped in the street to listen to the announcement. What was an Aqua Laguna? People were looking up from their newspapers as if it was both an expected, and unexpected event.

Sanji flagged down one of the townsfolk, "Hey, you, what was that announcement about?"

"Huh?" The man looks at them, then smiles in realization, "Ah. You must be travellers. What a bad time to be here, eh. Aqua Laguna is what you would call a high tide."

"High tide?" Maxwell frowns.

"Yeah. Make sure you get to a high place. This town's gonna sink."

"What!?" All three members balk at the man's explanation, "This town's gonna sink!?"

"Well, it's not like it'll happen immediately," the resident amended, "Don't worry, it usually happens at around midnight, after the warning. It's like this every year. Take care!" Sanji, Chopper, and Maxwell where then left by themselves in the street.

"Wait... This place is gonna sink!?" Chopper gets his wits about him.

Sanji isn't spared from the worry, "...It seems that way... So we have to hurry and find Robin."

"I don't like this guys...!" Maxwell starts stroking his beard in thought, "Robin, Iceberg, Aqua Laguna… This is all rather convenient, don't ya think?"

"Well yeah!" Sanji exasperates at how obvious that was, "But what the heck are we supposed to do, old man!? We got to find Robin!"

"Well..." Both Sanji and Maxwell look down at Chopper who had spoken up, "There's one thing we CAN do..."

Maxwell and Sanji look at each other hen back at Chopper.

O O O

"HEY, HEY! THERE'S A FREAKIN' GIANT HIGH TIDE CALLED AQUA LAGUNA COMING THIS WAY!" "YEAH, YEAH! THIS TOWN'S GONNA SINK AT AROUND MIDNIGHT! THE BEACH IS GOING TO GO BLOOP!" "Oh for Maker's sake..."

Sanji and Chopper then start yelling at each other.

"This is bad! We can't just stand around doing nothing! We gotta get to a higher place!" "Yeah, yeah! We gotta take refuge! Refuge! Refuge!"

Maxwell sighed. They had to do it this way, why again?

Sanji, Chopper, and Maxwell were standing on the peninsula where they had left Usopp and the Merry. They shouldn't technically be there, but since Usopp was injured, and didn't seem to have head into town, Chopper thought it might be a good idea to warn him... Only they couldn't warn him directly. Thus, the shouting match.

...

...

...

"I think he heard you," Maxwell deadpanned.

"Good. Now, RUN AWAY!" "RUN AWAY!" "…OI! I'M NOT AS FAST AS YOU TWO! WAIT UP!"

Usopp turned to see an empty peninsula as he thought he heard Sanji and Chopper... It was getting windy.

O O O

Maxwell slowed to a halt trying to catch his breath. He had lost track of Sanji and Chopper a while ago and was now alone in the city, "Sweet… Sweet Andraste... Of course those two would get overzealous... about running away…! Whew…!"

"Hey! There he is!" "It's the Magister!" "GET HIM!"

"Huh?" Maxwell looked up to see a bunch of angry people coming right at him.

*BANG! Whistle~!*

"F #$!" Maxwell barely dodged a bullet whizzed by his head. The mage immediately dashed into an alley. It was a mob. He had to run! They had muskets, pistols, hammers, knives, and pitchforks. He had to lose these guys and hide!

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!" Maxwell ran through the streets, dipping into alleyways and jumping over canals with a Fade Step.

It was times like these that Maxwell wished he knew an invisibility spell. He jumped over a barge that was being unloaded. Maxwell had been runout of towns before. Villages in Thedas would find out he's a mage and band up to make him leave. Usually it was because of ignorance, or ignorance. That or they didn't want the Templars coming down on the heads. The Templars had made just as much of a mess as the mages when they broke off from the Chantry.

Maxwell didn't know why he was being chased this time, though.

He saw a news flyer float down and quickly grabbed it before hiding behind a few crates in an alley. "I THINK HE WENT THIS WAY!" Maxwell breathed as he listened to the stampede of feet go past him. He lost them, for now.

Maxwell quickly opens the paper to look at the title. He saw people throwing out newspaper like these earlier when he was with Sanji and Chopper.

BREAKING NEWS: WANTED

PIRATES RESPONSIBLE

It has just been confirmed that the assassin who tried to take Mayor Iceberg's life was none other than the notorious criminal, Nico Robin. There had been no evidence of how the Pirate had entered the Mayor's house, but with his testimony, Iceberg has confirmed that this member of the Strawhat Pirates was responsible for the shooting him. Not moments after, including a brawl with the crime boss Franky, Strawhat Luffy burst through Mayor Iceberg's window after denying accusations. He, and a female crew member, have since escaped.

The Strawhat Pirates are considered extremely dangerous and should be treated with caution. They are stranded in Water 7 due to the state of their ship, and you are thus recommended to notify the authorities. Lead by Monkey D. Luffy, the Strawhats are considered a small crew, but four individuals have been issued high bounties by the World Government. (Pictures above.)

We, of the Mizumizu Newspaper, are confident in abilities of our Galley-La Company employees and local authorities. And these criminals shall be brought to justice.

(Any information as too their whereabouts of these pirates are willing to be purchased by Mizumizu Newspaper.)

"F #$!" Maxwell angrily threw down the newspaper as he absorbed the information. Robin was responsible. She had shot Iceberg. This didn't make any sense! None of this made sense! Why would Robin have any reason would she have to shoot Iceberg!? She didn't even know the status of the ship! Worse, they had no idea where she was! And these townsfolk seemed to be anything but calm in order to listen to them. It was a full blown witch hunt!

Maxwell looked around the corner to see if he was alone. The town would be after him now. They had Luffy's, Zoro's, Robin's, and his bounty photos. He was too recognizable. Maxwell needed a distraction. A disguise...

The mage then noticed he was right next to a costume shop.

"...That'll do."

O O O

The shop had thankfully been deserted. Whether the clerk had joined the mob, or evacuated, Maxwell had no idea. He stole what he needed, dressed up, and strutted down the street in his new threads.

If you would believe his luck, he found a remarkably similar replica of an Orlesian Nobleman's mask. That immediately made him finalize his disguise. Thank Andraste he remembered how to do the headdress.

Maxwell had dressed up as a sort of poor man's version of an Orlesian Noble. He had his moustached mask on, with the towel-bar headdress wrapped around his cranium. He was out of his Warden armor and now wore white, open chested, collared shirt with long puffy sleeves. He even had a cravat and a yellow dress vest on. Maxwell also now wore puffed up pants, his belt, some stockings, and gold buckled shoes. His armor, clothes, and foci had been gathered up in a cloak, wrapped like a sack, and hung off his staff as if it were for a picnic. He felt like the Fool Tarot card from some charlatan fortuneteller's deck.

But to really pull of the disguise, he to talk like an Orlisan. Strut like and Orlesian. Be born like he had a silver spoon, Orlesian! And it came in handy too.

A rioter with a hammer came across Maxwell, "Hey, you! Have you seen this guy running around here!?" The man had pointed at a bounty photo of himself.

"Ah... No, no~!" Maxwell waved his hand, speaking with an outrageous Orlesian accent, "I've not zeen zis man before in my life! But maybe... I think I saw a'someone running that'a way."

"Oh! Thanks man!" The mobster took a step before remembering something, "By the way, I recommend you head to the train station as soon as you can. You don't want to be caught up with Aqua Laguna!"

"You are too kind, monsieur." Maxwell nodded as thanks, and the citizen ran off where he had instructed.

"...Whew. That was close... I hope I can find the others before—Oof!"

Maxwell had run into someone, "Chopper!"

He was in his Human-Point, "Eh!? Who are you!?" and freaking out that someone had recognized him.

"No—Wait—! Chopper," Maxwell lifted his mask a bit, "It's me!"

"MAX!" Chopper immediately shrunk down to his usual form and hugged him, "I was so worried! We lost you and then we saw the paper! Thank God you're alright!" Chopper quickly got a hold of himself though, "Have you seen Luffy, Nami, or Zoro!?"

"Can't say that I have. I was just about to look for them myself." Maxwell looked around, making sure they didn't seem to suspicious, "Wait, where's Sanji?"

Chopper looked down as if saddened again, "He's out searching for Robin... And I have something to tell you...!"

Maxwell frowned at the little reindeer.

O O O

Luffy looked at Chopper hard, "Are you sure!? Robin really said that!?"

The mage and the doctor had found Luffy, Nami, and Zoro hiding under a bridge. Apparently, Luffy and Nami had run into Zoro, and he was being chased by a rather large mob. They hid underneath by Luffy holding on to the underside of the bridge with his hands and toes. Chopper had accidentally scared him when he looked at him upside down.

Chopper just nodded to Luffy. They then all gathered on an abandoned rooftop too talk.

Maxwell thought over what Chopper had just said.

…Let's say our farewell here.. In this town… Yes. You guys are falsely accused of the crime. However, for me, it is the truth. I did, in fact, infiltrate the mayor's office last night. I am shrouded in darkness that you have no knowledge of. And that darkness will eventually be the death of you. Now… you will be my scapegoats for this incident. I will leave soon… and the situation will worsen. After today… We will never meet again… Why am I doing this? Yes, there's no need to tell you all that… We haven't known each other long… And after today, we won't see each other again. Say hello to everyone for me. In the time I've been with you… You treated me well. Goodbye…

The message was certainly convoluted. Robin made her intentions clear, but why warn them at all?

"It's time for everyone to wake up…" Zoro tapped the center of their circle with one of his sheathed katanas, "Robin started out as our enemy. Then we let her on owner ship. She wouldn't have left us out of fear after all this time. Before the sun goes down, we need to figure out…"

Is that woman a friend, or foe…?

…

…

…

The mage spoke up, "…I don't think Robin is an enemy."

Zoro, Luffy, Nami, and Chopper all look at Maxwell, expecting an explanation.

"I need to admit something. When Robin first revealed herself stowing away on our ship, I already knew she was aboard."

The four crewmates look at Maxwell shocked. Zoro puts his katana back, "I knew you were entirely too calm when that woman was aboard!"

"I know, I know…! I had more reason to distrust her than any of us. But…" Maxwell grimaced and then sighed, "I had just woken up, and Merry had told me someone was hiding. I confronted her about it, but when I saw her something about Robin seemed… broken."

Maxwell looked over at his captain, "Luffy. Do you remember what Robin said when she told us she wanted to join the crew?"

"'…You made me live when I wished for death… That is your crime. I have no place to go nor return to. So let me stay on this ship.'" It was Chopper who had spoken the words. He remembered meeting Robin for the first time. The little doctor hadn't experienced encountering Miss All-Sunday before Alabasta.

Luffy nodded, agreeing she said something similar like that. After Luffy had defeated Crocodile, Robin had been content to be crushed under a collapsing temple at the time.

"The light had been gone from her eyes," Maxwell told them. "It was a look I all to familiar with… The look of someone who had lost all hope, and been on the run for far to long." Maxwell rubbed his bearded chin as he looked down in thought.

Everyone shifted uncomfortably at the mages tone. We'll, except Luffy. Maxwell was reminiscing. The whole crew knew Maxwell was a casualty of war, one that had effected his world. The mage had lost his home, his friends, his mentors, mothers, fathers, lovers, everything to that war.

"I don't know what's kept her going…But—" Maxwell looked up and gazed into everyone of their eyes, "—I know what it's like to find new purpose. To cling onto something when all else has left you. And we are anything but cowards."

Maxwell nodded being more sure by the moment, "We need to solve this mystery. And that means finding Robin. Nothing else will suffice."

Luffy, Nami, and Chopper all nod in agreement with Maxwell's choice. They all considered Robin their friend, and they all needed to understand why she was doing this. She never did give a proper explanation about why she was going about this way. They'll be cautious, but they weren't going to give up on her yet.

Zoro just nods, "I agree. Now we just need a plan…"

The swordsman then tuns to Chopper, "'The situation will worsen. After today… We will never meet again…' Robin really said that. Right Chopper?"

"Uh huh," the little doctor nods back.

Zoro looks at the crew, "She said we won't meet after today. It sound like she's announcing that she's going to do something that makes things worse for us… The attempt on the mayor's life has already cause thi much of an uproar… If someone wants to make matters worse, there's only one way…"

"The successful assassination of the mayor," states Nami.

"That's the natural thing for us to think," Zoro reasoned, "But now that we know she's framing us for the crime, this could be viewed as a trap to lead us to the crime scene… If we are found at Galley-La Headquarters, then we'll automatically be framed."

"Wait! You sound like you're already thinking of Robin as an enemy!" Nami accused the swordsman.

Maxwell was about to speak up, but Zoro raised a hand to stop him, "I'm not really on either side. Whether to believe it or not… If I pick one side and the truth is the opposite… The instant in which I make my move, I'll be slowed down." The mage noticed Zoro's hand on one of his sheaths. The thumb fingering the guard, almost in anticipation.

Zoro continued, "If something's gonna happen, it's going to happen tonight. Do we go to the crime scene?"

Luffy's face is resolute, "We go."

"I don't mind if we do… But we have a problem," Nami points out, "Sanji said he saw Robin walking with someone. Iceberg said the same thing. A masked person. That's not any of us… Or at least not usually."

Maxwell shrugs at Nami's comment. He was out of the mask and headdress, but he still had his costume pieces on.

Nami looks back at the crew, "Maybe they're the reason for Robin's sudden change."

"Did he do something to Robin!? To control her!?" asks Chopper. He was shocked at the idea.

"That's the optimistic guess," said Zoro. "The pessimistic—"

"They wouldn't be partners, Zoro," Maxwell cut him off, "At worst Robin's past is catching up to her, and she's falling into old habits. That person is just a part of it."

"But just knowing about a masked person doesn't help much." Nami points out, "What's the goal on this trip?"

"…To catch Robin!" Luffy then stands up, "Maxwell was right. We need to find her. Otherwise we'll never know the truth. Just thinking about it like this is a waste of time."

Zoro scratched his head as he too got on his feet, "…She is someone who the World Governmant has tried and failed to capture for 20 years…"

"Yes," Nami agrees, "but this is the only way for us to find out the truth."

"Be prepared for anything..." Maxwell digs out his foci from his makeshift bag, and places them around his waist, "This won't end quietly."

"Okay! I'll try my best too!" Chopper as all in for the plan… Even if it was just a goal.

Everyone stood on the rooftop as the wind blew past them.

"…Then let's go."