"Here's another sexy lady with super big bazongas! Are you free tonight?"
Ai, Kuzan, couldn't you have given me a better script to work with?
The man has good taste though, I'll give him that.
Anyhow, if my memory serves me right, Sanji and Usopp would butt in… right about now.
"What's the big idea, you tall lanky jerk?!"
"Pay attention you jerk!"
There it was.
And then my line was…
"Calm down guys, geez, I was only taking a scroll."
Something like that? I got less and less confident in my memory the longer the conversation went on, I was almost sure there were a few discrepancies, hopefully however they wouldn't be big enough to actually make a difference.
Lazily raising my face, I once again took in their appearances. A green-haired swordsman, a scrawny long-nosed boy, a black-haired archeologist, an orange-haired navigator, a blonde cook, a reindeer, and what brought it all together…
A small rubbery boy with a straw hat.
This was the savior, the messiah, the promised one or whatchamacallit.
I didn't see it.
Not one bit.
Maybe it was because I was over three meters tall now, but damn did they look insignificant.
Like sticks which would shrivel up and crack under the lightest winter breeze.
Weak.
But I'm sure that was just my inexperienced eyes fooling me.
Probably.
Although I retained most of Kuzan's memories and experiences, they functioned more as a movie that I had watched rather than anything I had emotion and connected with on a personal level. It was as if it had been sectioned off so that it didn't imprint in any way on the person I had been before transmigrating. Even if it had, I didn't notice it anyhow. We were of the same temperament even before this mumbo jumbo situation happened, so even if there were some slight changes, it wouldn't bother me much anyway.
We(?) were cool like that.
So, even if I had a decent idea of how I would go about handling myself in a fight, it would be wrong to say that I was at peak strength. It would be more accurate to liken my current situation to a good impersonation.
Mind you, that was in no way insignificant, few would be able to push me around as it stood, none who were in my near vicinity, so I wasn't stressing much about it.
Still, my sense of danger and power was probably the most out of whack, I gathered, I wasn't getting many signals from the strawhats at all, only slightly more than the group of stranded civilians I helped reach a populated island just before heading back here.
They couldn't possibly be that weak.
Probably.
Though I can't claim to have finished reading the story, there was undoubtably a happy ever after finish for this world as a consequence of these sevens' soon to be more adventures. This was the crew that would supposedly change the world for the better, once and for all. Going around helping kingdoms and taking down vile pirates and government operatives alike, they were the integral force which this worlds development revolved around, starring in the arguably greatest manga in existence, One Piece.
If there were any interaction I most definitely shouldn't mess up, it would be this one.
Although it should be noted that the ten days long battle with Sakazuki was also high up on that list, for other reasons entirely.
Actually… wouldn't it be alright to avoid that one altogether?
Yeah, let's just not.
Once more looking at the group, I noted that they all had bizarre expressions on their face, Robin the most obvious of them all, stuck terror-stricken. The rest of the groups relaxed mood had died an early death, most of them already standing at attention, ready for combat.
Ah.
Did I end up leaking some sort of bad intent during my reverie?
Probably.
They were staring.
"Arara?"
Kuzan used to say that a lot no? The perfect filler in a conversation, which would magically fix any awkward situation?
I saw a few twitched faces here and there, but they remained silent.
Well.
Off-road it was then, improvising was something I was good at, having become intimate with the way of life during my education from start it to finish. I only needed to scare them a bit, right? Help them learn to take future fights more seriously? And show Robin how fragile the group as a whole was? I think I can do that. Hopefully I don't embarrass myself.
"Actually, never mind."
With a dramatic wave of my hand, shifting my stance to a more serious one, I pointed one of my fingers up into the air, the gravitas of the situation growing heavy with the movement.
"Got orders from up above. You're all targets."
"Got orders from up above. You're all targets."
The words were uttered softly, but Robin was able to pick up on the icy intent hidden beneath right away. Though it had been a long time since they saw each other, the marine named Kuzan had made a deep impression on her. As the direct cause of death of her dear childhood friend Saul, and the only reason she managed to escape Ohara alive, saying that she had conflicting feelings regarding him would be putting it lightly.
In her years growing up, she had oft thought about him. Anger. Despair. Gratitude. Such sentiments were the most often felt. She had also pictured how their "reunion" would go about several times. Some were happy, some were sad.
Yet, in all of her daydreams, she hadn't ever imagined the detached expression currently adorning his face. As if this was just another day for him, and she was just an unknown pirate he had little to no attachment to. The thought left her despairing, what little hope she had gained in humanity since accompanying the straw-hat pirates cracking. Surely… he hadn't forgotten about her? For some reason, the possibility hurt her more than if he had been openly antagonistic.
That couldn't be the case however, he had been specifically sent after them. After her.
Him.
An Admiral.
Few knew the level of battle power such a figure represented better than her, combat bred things forged to fight the true terrors of the sea. If she were to be honest, she had trouble believing that they were the of same species, their feats so deity-like any comparisons were rendered mute, even other "superhumans" paled set up against their image.
And he was sent out here to pluck some unruly weeds, like some errand boy.
"Orders from above.", he had said.
The people in positions of power to do such things were few, first to mind was the fleet admiral, Sengoku. Her hunch, however, told her to look in the direction of the world government, and their ruling figures in the five elder stars.
Was she really that important, to warrant such cruel headhunting?
Was it so big a sin to be curious?
She didn't think so, and had never had bad intentions in her thirst for knowledge.
The world cared little.
She didn't know where her disposition and dreams originated from, not truly. They felt too strong and too right to have a flimsy starting point. It was something innate, which would tug at her strongly whenever her thoughts of abandoning her search for better safety.
She felt like she couldn't live without knowing, but if the world was to keep pushing her down like this, with her troubles and situation not even phasing the man who had unknowingly taken up a core part of her mind and heart, maybe it was to better to just… just…
Another tug.
No, that wasn't the answer.
Kuzan hadn't called her out by name, but she had felt his eyes linger on her frame for a second too long earlier. Would he have come to apprehend the pirate group had she not joined them? She didn't think so.
He had struck her as a compassionate man the last time they met, by marine standards anyhow. Though as aforementioned, a long time had passed. Maybe he had changed, maybe he only had a soft spot for children, it didn't matter much in the end.
She was grown now, with all that entailed.
With growth, came experience, and her experience was telling her that…
Battle was imminent.
"You think we're just gonna lie down and take it? Try if you can, you bum!"
Sanji.
"That's right! You think you can come here and threaten my crew just like that? I've got a bone to pick with you too!"
Luffy.
"I'll cut you."
Zoro.
All fools.
"Guys!" Robin all but screeched, her remaining composure dying an early death in the face of her companion's incomprehensible charge into danger, "this is not a fight you can win!"
She knew they must have heard her, for she saw the hardening of their features, as they once more committed themselves to their decision. The nervous gazes of the rest of the crew also zeroed in on her.
Luffy reared his head towards her, voice unusually gentle, "Robin, have some faith in your captain, alright?"
Sanji, not one to be outdone, quickly followed up "That's right, Robin-chan! You just sit back and watch the show!"
Zoro made that grunt of his, "If I die here, then I'm a man that could only make it this far."
At least he was realistic.
They were foolhardy and stubborn to a fault, and wore their heart on their sleeve. This was the type of crew she had decided to join up with. It was both their biggest strength and worst weakness.
They had made many mistakes and reckless decisions throughout their journey so far.
She had a feeling this one would be the last.
"If you're all done talking…" Like a boogeyman, Kuzan once more entered the picture, the almost touching scene breaking apart as he unleashed that intimidating aura of his.
Should she run?
Tug.
She had a feeling that was the wrong decision.
Without warning, the grassy plain in which they were occupying burst into white frosty terrain, cold snuffing out whatever semblance of warmth that had ever existed in the area. Hallowing winds erupted as a consequence of the temperature change, spawning white fogs in the process, ice particles flying within. It obscured much of the surrounding sight, leaving the pirate group in the eye of the storm.
Combat starting, Robins mind quickly turned analytical, terror momentarily set aside. She gingerly put her right hand inside the raging blizzard currently surrounding them, eyes widening not even a moment later. She hurriedly took it out, hesitantly touching the now almost frozen stiff limb, already almost numb to most senses.
Retreating seemed impossible. Never mind the normal body of her, Usopp, Chopper and Nami, even the fantastically rubbery body of her captain would probably find it a difficult thing to traverse the storm. Most important of all she had no way of knowing exactly just how large the thing was, sight impossible for more than three meters out into it.
Her motions now more mechanical than anything else, she turned back around to the earlier resolute figures of her crewmates, now openly shivering, casting several glances around looking for the marine, Kuzan long since obscured by the blizzard.
Should-
Tug.
she-
Tug.
run?
Tug.
She lost her train of thought without reaching a conclusion, when she suddenly caught sight of several giant phantoms approaching from all angles, their terrifying visage managing to break through the storm. Their approach shook the ground, several sets of feet trampling the earth into smithereens. Howls were mixed with bloodcurdling shrieks as the wind surrounding them began to pick up to something even more fierce. One after another, they stepped into full view, solid crystalized form shown on full display. They stood sentinel, seemingly happy to stand as onlookers for now.
The scene caused the hearts of all of the pirates to pound, regardless of their own respective physical strength. The surrounding wind was growing more and more blurry. As for their expressions, no remaining hint of confidence could be found.
Materializing from seemingly nothing, Kuzan appeared in front of them once again. The same apathetic look present, the cold not fazing him in the slightest. "You aren't ready." He said despondently, as if it was a shame.
Sanji, being the closest, saw the chance for what it was. Within striking distance, discarded the surrounding frost which had formed around him, and hurriedly made to strike with his right foot.
Kuzan seemed to see the movement before it even happened, lazily raising his hand to block it, even before impact radiating a void coldness which made even Robin at a large distance pause in disbelief.
Sanji, being the closest, of course saw it too, but he could do nothing more than complete the movement, the force committed too much for him to pull back now.
He was pretty sure he should have felt pain, but all that remained was numbness, one second his foot was there, the next…
Gone.
Shattered.
To dust.
"SANJI!" Came the guttural collective roar of both Zoro and Luffy, incoherent cries coming out from the rest of the crew.
Robin saw that both Zoro and Luffy made to fight Kuzan, who himself had an absurdly strange expression on his face, but her mind was elsewhere.
SHE-
Tug.
HAD-
TUG.
TO-
TUG. TUG. TUG.
RUN.
Finally, she could feel something breaking inside her. She didn't know how or what, but something had changed. At first, she worried that it might have been some blood vessels, but the cracking, haunting sound that suddenly filled her ears sounded more like a carriage filled with glass getting run through by a sea-king. The world around her seemed to shift, distorting in a way only she seemed able to see. All of it was hard to process, but in those few blurry seconds after, all she was left with was an incredible sense of freedom. And with it-
She bolted.
Gone was any and all inhibition. Filled with new purpose and sense of autonomy, she charged through hellish surrounding blizzard with reckless abandon.
Immediately, she knew something was off. Though its appearance was the same, the temperature of the blizzard was much milder. While not comfortable, it didn't hurt her body in any impactful manner.
Despite the intelligent, sane part of herself telling her to just fully grasp this chance of escape, she ended up turning back towards Kuzan in bewilderment.
She was surprised to see him meeting the gaze, with an intensity she didn't know him capable of producing. Somehow, he managed to match her bewilderment, looking at her like one would while trying to finish a puzzle with missing pieces.
Once again, her emotions were made a mess. He obviously held her in some significant regard, which excited her in a way which she didn't know how to put in words. Her life, situation and issues mattered to someone who knew the whole of the person named Nico Robin.
He was looking after her, in his own way, it seemed. Did he not approve of her current companions? Did he want her to be alone? Did he orchestrate this for her to break free from that predestined path she had unknowingly been following?
She didn't know.
She didn't need to know.
For now.
She broke his gaze as soon as Luffy and Zoro entered into combat with him, surprisingly, he chose not to touch either, opting instead to dodge around in a seemingly endless dance.
She felt the need to turn and continue running, and feeling the thought having no outside influence, she happily gave in, not sparing anything else a second glance as she vanished from view into the blizzard.
So, I started this with the intent of it being a comedy, the starting thought was literally an SI having to say the phrase "super big bazongas", but it evolved/devolved into this thing as I wrote. It is intentional that the writing changes between the different points of views, intentionally being more relaxed and silly in first person, and more serious from other sources. The shift may be a bit too much though...? The change of mood seemed a bit too extreme even though it was intentional, but at the same time, straying from the original vision of the SI having some silly thoughts and not quite understanding the magnitude of his decisions would feel bad, and mess up quite a few future encounters I have thought out. This setup establishes early on that he's really in over his head, despite packing quite the punch, sometimes too much for his own good, as shown above. Though I feel odd about it, Im still happy with it, as it is. Still, curious how you all feel about it. I happily welcome all well-intentioned responses, thanks for reading.