Wishfull-star: I actually had had one more "weakness" that affected Luffy like the sea stone did, making him angry and aggressive, and that was being submerged in water. And that Ace warned Zoro about that, having seen it up close many times. But I eventually got rid of that because I kept finding plot holes regarding it lol.
"Thank you all," the king said, cutting through the sounds in the room. He then bowed his head to the pirates. Zoro wondered if a king should be doing this. Especially to pirates.
"Cobra, your majesty, this is a big matter! Kings shouldn't bow their heads..!"
"Status exists if you wear your clothes. But here in the bath, there isn't a naked king! I am thinking as a father, and with a citizen's heart. To thank you. Thank you, everyone."
Luffy beamed. "Neehee." He heard Vivi thanked Nami, and what he thought but tried to ignore was a kiss. His face fell slightly. Poor Nami.
That day, the palace got a call from a ship. "You have a den den call," the guard said, making them all wonder who could be trying to reach them there. "It's someone called Bon Bon."
"Huh? Bon Bon? Who the hell is that?" Sanji wondered.
"How should I know?" Usopp asked when they all looked at him. Whoever it was said they were their friend. Who?
"Forget it, just listen to him!" Luffy said, wondering if it was their recent frenemy. He hoped so, he was an awesome guy! Sanji said it'd better not be a trap.
"HEY, HEY! GYAHAHAHA! IT'S ME! OKAMA! O! KA! MA!" Bon Clay's voice shouted over the snail. Luffy cheered, and Sanji pointed out he was the enemy! Luffy laughed and shrugged. Sanji hung up, but he just called right back. He didn't think they were enemies anymore, and happily told them he had taken and was on their ship.
"What?!" they shouted angrily. Sanji demanded to know where the hell he was. Luffy thought he was telling the truth, not because he could hear his heartbeat - which he couldn't - but that he was an honest guy. At least, from what Luffy had seen. Though he did some dishonest things as Mr. 2. But Luffy had realized past enemies could be future allies.
At least, this time that is.
"Wait, just listen to me!" Bon Clay exclaimed, still a bright smile in his voice. "Aren't we friends?! Your ship is at the upstream of the Sandora river."
When asked if they could trust him, both Luffy and Usopp said he was their friend. Besides, they only had to look. Wouldn't be so bad. The captain said he thought he was telling the truth. When asked why, he had no satisfactory answer. He was sitting in Zoro's lap, who was absentmindedly tracing circles on Luffy's stomach.
"That's right. If it's a trick, well just kill him," Zoro said simply, making Luffy pout. "There's no guarantee you're always right, Luffy." He nodded, knowing Zoro was right in that.
"It's decided then! Let's pack up," Luffy decided. Vivi appeared in the doorway. She shyly said, "Everyone… please tell me what I should do," she said quietly, sitting on a couch and looking down at her lap.
Nami immediately told her she could come in 12 hours and no later. They would wait for her that long, but once the time was up, they had no choice but to leave. Both girls looked near tears, but were hiding it as best as they could. Vivi nodded. "If you want to come along and travel with us again, that's only how long we can wait. If you come, you'll be a pirate and go on adventures with us! Because you're a princess, that's the only way we can do it."
"Come with us, Vivi! Please! You gotta come with us!" Sanji scolded Luffy for trying to pressure her. It was a difficult choice.
"Okay, let's go," Zoro said simply, sounding bored. Chopper demanded to know if Zoro didn't want her to come. "I never said that!"
That night, they rode off to the ship, where Bon Clay said he was waiting, all on the ducks like Carue, fast and taking them far across the country. Luffy was continuing to eat the leftovers from their feast, looking at Nami sadly. She looked so upset. "Nami?" Luffy asked. She plastered on a smile and said she was just tired. Liar. She had to know he could tell and looked back down. Luffy hoped Vivi would come. But he'd heard her indecision and fibbing when she said she'd think about it. She was heavily leaning towards not being a pirate with them.
Sanji thought she was upset about a good friend, not a severe crush. Luffy didn't know the extent of what they did or felt for each other, but he could tell it was more than friendship. He saw the expression on Nami that he saw on Zoro: beyond fondness. So, he was very sad for her.
She tried lifting her own spirit by mentioning never getting the money that Igaram and Vivi had promised in the beginning. Maybe that was what the objective for her was at first, but it wasn't by the end. Besides, it was clear the kingdom needed all the money they could get to rebuild itself, together.
When they made it to the coast, Bon Clay was actually there. He guarded their ship for them. Watching his crew get mad at him for being their enemy made Luffy sad. Bon Clay had indeed been their enemy, but now they were disbanded, so they should forgive one another! No enemies anymore, and he had saved their ship. It was a true act of friendship.
"Why did you take so long?!" he asked with a big smile. "Long time no see! Were you all thinking about me?!"
They said goodbye to the ducks, who would go back to Alubarna. Bon Clay continued to call them friends and give a tearful goodbye, even if they were very recently enemies. Baroque Works was disbanded, they had zero reasons to be enemies anymore. Sanji and Zoro started carrying the luggage back onto the ship.
Bon Clay pointed out that he'd saved their ship from being seized by marines. "Then you did this to keep them from the marines, right?" Usopp asked.
"That's right! We're friends, right?!" The three youngest danced with him like only a couple days ago. It felt so much longer, to be honest. Zoro wondered if he really did this out of choice. "Of course! This is the time when enemies should band together to bust out of this situation!"
"WOOO!"
"We thank you all for the offer!" Bon Clay's crew said. Luffy hoped they would meet again someday. Bon Clay cried, and agreed vehemently.
But once they made it to the wider river and out into the ocean, there were many marine ships waiting for them. And unfortunately, they weren't shooting cannons, but long spears that pierced the ship easily. Bon Clay's ship came and was in the same position. They were being pummeled from all sides, unable to do anything but have Usopp get in a lucky shot. But they couldn't go the direction of the former bounty hunter because they needed to wait for Vivi.
They explained why they had to go the way they did, and then added they were doing it for their friend, which touched Bon Clay even more. So, he chose to be a decoy to let the Straw Hats pick up their friend. He had a heart of gold, really. He transformed into Luffy, and pretended to be him, leading them away from the actual crew. As they sailed away, Luffy listened to them. They had no ulterior motive, and were all prepared for the consequences of taking the blame for them and their escape. Luffy cried as he told everyone, Chopper and Usopp joining, "What a wonderful guy!"
"A heart of gold!"
"The best okama alive!"
Once they seemed safe, marine ships out of view, Luffy was unashamedly pressed against the wall of the cabin and kissed passionately by Zoro, who was just fine kissing back. Nobody told them to get a room, just made disgusted noises. Luffy smiled when the older man pulled back. "Missed you."
"I missed you, too. A long couple a' days," Luffy replied happily. They sailed to the corner, and Luffy finally smelled something. He opened the storage room, and found Robin there, hiding. "Hey, you're here!" She looked startled, but sighed and nodded her head. "Why?" Zoro came in, and demanded to know why she was there.
"I have nowhere else to go. I want you to let me join your crew," she said simply, confidently. Luffy cocked his head, and the rest came to see. Usopp and Zoro were the most skeptical, even though she'd saved Luffy twice.
Luffy said, "Well, you can only stay if Vivi doesn't. If she does, you gotta go." Chopper asked if it was really a good idea, hiding behind Usopp's legs, who was hiding behind Zoro. Luffy turned to them and smiled, saying she wasn't a bad person. But she should stay in there for now. Robin smiled and nodded.
Luffy turned to Zoro. "Well, we can have some fun in our room! We still have half an hour until the time, right?" Zoro grinned and they went to the boy's room, making everyone keep out. Luffy straddled Zoro on the couch and kissed and licked up his neck. Zoro pulled him down and licked up his own neck, leaving a hickey or two.
Luffy sucked on the skin a bit before he bit down. It was easier to bite with his longer canines, even if it wasn't that much longer. Zoro didn't even bother to hide his reaction, louder than usual. He gripped Luffy's back tightly. When Luffy pulled away, Zoro's face was pink and he was panting.
"That was more intense than normal," Luffy said lighty, wiping his mouth. Zoro said he wasn't sure why. Luffy leaned forwards against his chest, taking in the smell of Zoro. "I'm proud of you. You got so much stronger after your fight. Everyone did," Luffy said softly.
"Including you," Zoro said, playing with his hair, his hat hanging on his back from a sting Nami made to hold it securely on his back. Luffy didn't reply. He didn't feel he'd grown. He'd just completely depended on others and revealed a big weakness. He needed blood more than he thought. Hopefully he never got that hurt again.
Luffy said he didn't want to talk about it. "Tough. We're talking about it. You won. Even if you lost twice, you got back up. You weren't discouraged, you continued to fight. No matter what happened, you continued to go after Crocodile, even exhausted and in pain. Even when you were bleeding out of your face, you continued to fight. Even if the fight didn't end up how you wanted, it didn't dampen the work and determination you had to win," he said firmly.
He understood what Zoro meant, and nodded, looking up at him with a smile. Zoro kissed his forehead, and Nami banged on the hatch to tell them it was time. They climbed out, and could hear Vivi's voice talking to her subjects, but Luffy smelled her closer. Robin was inside. Sanji said she wasn't coming, and Nami's face fell hard.
But then she came into view, calling for them. "Everyone!" she called over the speaker on Carue's back.
"Vivi! Carue! Look, she's coming! Let's turn back quickly!"
"The marines are coming, we gotta hurry!" Chopper said. Sanji just cried out Vivi's name happily.
"I'm here… to say goodbye!" Vivi called. Nami's face crumpled, and Luffy took her hand without a word or look. "I… can't go with you all. Thank you all for what you've done for me! Even though I still want to go with you… Right now, I really love this country! So, I can't come. I… Even though I want to stay here," she called, tears in her eyes and down her cheeks. "But if there was one day where we meet each other once again, will you all take me as a friend?!"
The marines heard and saw her there, so they couldn't reply. Even though Nami looked like she had things to say. But she firmly said they couldn't answer, they had to leave without troubling her. But they responded in their own silent way, but thrusting their arms with the X marks on them in the air.
Nami was sobbing, and once they finally set sail, she hurried to her now lonely room. Luffy heard her crying into her pillow. It made him so sad. He hugged Zoro tightly, who hugged him back. "I won't leave," he said firmly. Luffy nodded.
Usopp was still. Sanji went inside. "Did Nami… and Vivi…?" the long nosed teen said. Luffy and Zoro didn't answer, just looked away. "Poor Nami…" Usopp said sadly, sincerely. "I won't tell Sanji or anyone."
"Thanks," Luffy said with a smile. "We should leave her alone for now, I think. She likes looking strong, crying will not make her feel good." Usopp then asked what they would do about Robin, their stowaway. "I said we were keeping her if Vivi didn't come. Well, we finally have a girl crew mate. Hopefully she and Nami can get along."
He worried Robin would clash with everyone.
She came out looking a bit bittersweet, and sat down on a chair. Sanji and Nami were inside. Chopper and Usopp were afraid of her, and Luffy and Zoro weren't bothered. Well, Luffy wasn't. Zoro touched his sword. "If you are here to use Luffy as some cool research tool, then you can get off now," he said darkly.
Robin leaned back in the chair. "Well, I am an archaeologist, and Luffy is very interesting." Zoro scowled angrily. "But I'm not here to study him. I'm here because I have nowhere else to go. And traveling like this should bring interesting things to learn, correct?"
"Yeah, we're starting out on a new adventure now! Neh, you have to tell me stuff, okay?" She smiled, and asked how he knew she was good. "You did bad things and were an enemy, but I just didn't think you were a bad person. I can't explain it." Robin's cool facade wavered, but he pretended not to notice.
Luffy said he'd be back, and decided to go talk to Nami, who wasn't crying anymore. He knocked on the hatch, and opened it. Nami was on the couch, face in the pillow. That's where Vivi had been sleeping. "I'm okay. We had talked about it, but I just… got my hopes up in the end I guess," she said, no longer crying. "I won't cry anymore. I'm glad she came with us, even if it wasn't forever."
She gave a true smile, though her eyes were still pink. "And since you saw the good in Miss Wednesday, I'll be open about Robin. If she's not a total bitch." Luffy beamed and nodded. He asked for Nami to show her the tricks of her new staff. And laughed about her fight. Though it sounded more fun than his was.
They walked out, and Nami suggested something. "We should have you do endurance training." Luffy tilted his head. "Try and increase how long you can go while fighting between drinks of blood. It would be dangerous if you needed it so often and you couldn't get it."
"Well, I won't let myself die like I did," he said with conviction. "Hey, what are you doing?" Luffy wondered when he saw Usopp with Robin at one of the deck tables, writing things down.
"An interview," Usopp said simply. He looked up and told Robin to explain herself. She complied, not looking bothered by the demand. She seemed surprised, though, that nobody was yelling at her to get lost. She had saved Luffy twice, and they'd all seen the state he was in after he got sick and beat Crocodile.
She began, "I started being an archeologist at 8 years old, then I had a bounty put on my head." Usopp was surprised she said she was an archaeologist and not an assassin. "Family tradition. So for the next 20 years, I ran from the World Government. Being just a child, I couldn't survive in the world on my own. That's why I've been various villains to protect myself. That's why I'm quite good at stealthy things."
"Hmm, you are pretty confident. What kind of operations?"
"Assassination," Robin said politely, though she looked a bit amused. Usopp freaked.
"According to my investigation, Luffy, I've concluded she's too dangerous to stay here! Get rid of her!" he cried. Luffy pretty much ignored this.
He said, "Hey, tell me a lie." Those on deck looked surprised by the command. She did, and said she was a purple bear with yellow spots. Luffy couldn't tell she was lying by either her voice or heart beat. He couldn't tell her lies, or what she was feeling. "Thought so."
The captain said nothing else until Chopper, who was hiding behind the corner of the cabin, asked what happened. "She's a really good liar." Usopp insisted that they couldn't trust her if that was the case. "No, we have to trust her. If I can't tell she's lying, then all we have is her word. Right?" Nami sighed and looked at Robin coldly.
"You better not be deceiving us and Luffy's good intentions," she said coldly. Robin smiled pleasantly and said she had no reason to lie to them. She wouldn't be giving her entire life history, but she had no reason to lie. Nothing to hide. "Still, I don't like that you can lie without anybody knowing."
"Well, then what's the point of me lying then? As I said, I have nowhere to go. Why would I make myself look bad if this is the only place I can stay? I'm not a fool, Navigator-san," Robin said lightly. Zoro wasn't happy either. Luffy said it was fine and sat with Chopper. Sanji looked happy to have another lady, so maybe Nami would get a break for a bit.
While Robin was talking with Sanji, Zoro and Usopp not looking very happy, Nami standing at the railing, a hand popped up out of the ground. Luffy and Chopper looked at it. Luffy grabbed it only for another arm to show up behind him and pull him down. He and Chopper started laughing.
Two hands popped out of Luffy's hat, and he did a Chopper impression. He started laughing, as did Usopp. "Luffy did impressions of Nami and Sanji when we were in jail. He was so good at it!" He laughed some more. Sanji walked over and demanded to know what he'd said. "Sorry Sanji, you'd have to be there to witness it."
"Why you-!"
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, the arms forgotten until they started tickling the two youngest, laughing loudly. Robin went to talk to Zoro, who was standing at the railing, glaring at her suspiciously. Luffy wondered if he was upset she was there for him, but Luffy hadn't been. He didn't eavesdrop on their conversation.
The log pose was pointing to an autumn island, which disappointed Luffy. "I was sick and didn't even get to play in the snow!" he whined. Usopp said they'd come across a winter island sometime. "But I want it now."
"You're not going to get it now, deal with it," Nami said, checking the pose again before going to read. Robin was sitting on the steps. She seemed to be both uncomfortable and relaxed at the same time. Luffy smelled a bunch of wood, and looked around before he looked up and screamed.
And Robin has joined!