Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.
Water 7 opening: Inferno by 9mm Parabellum Bullet (Berserk 2016 op)
(The opening guitar rift shows a zooming shot onto the Going Merry, set against a large water based city)
Inochi wo moyashi tsukuse
Owaranai yoru no hate made
(A scroll of all the Straw Hats, before it ends with Gian, and a familiar blue aura envelops him and takes the form of his Full Transformation)
Issun saki wa kurayami ga kuchi wo akete ugomeiteru
(The scene starts by showing a large building that has the words Galley-La on it, with a group of people out front led by a man with purple hair and a striped suit.)
Akumu ni somaru genjitsu dare mo nigerarenai tsuki no shita de
(It then shows, Usopp laying broken on the ground, Luffy, Zoro, Gian, Sanji and Chopper all having a dark look in front of their eyes as they face down a group of armed people. Before it cuts to a flash of what appears to be a mask.)
Kesshite orenai ken wo tore
Ore ga ore de iru tame ni
(It then shows a scene of what appears to be a young girl, before that girl grows into Robin
and she and Gian face each other.)
Mou nani mo ushinawanai you ni
(It shows flashes of an island on fire and the same young girl running. Then cutting to a close of up the Going Merry with what appears to be a tear coming down from her eye. The subsequent guitar instrumental shows multiple clips, first with a blue hair man with sunglasses striking a pose, followed by Luffy punching Usopp while tears streamed from his eyes, before a group of shadowed figures rose up behind the scene with Gian and Robin, the latter promptly yanked back, as she reaches out desperately. Gian does the same and the shadows behind Robin morphs into a red cyclopean eye with a toothed beak. All this takes place with occasional snapshots of the World Government insignia flashing between scenes, said image shown to be a massive door as it slowly opens.)
Kono chi wo nagashi tsukuse kizuato wo kirisaite
(A massive wave is coming towards the city of Water 7, as some of the Straw Hats board a train trying to outrun the wave.)
Unmei wo kuiyabure ikura demo waru akage
(The same Galley-La building is now on fire, cutting to inside with a man with a black top had staring coldly at a panting and bleeding Luffy.)
Owari no nai yoru wo koete inochi wo moyashi tsukuse
(Robin looks back at Gian with worry, now bleeding on the ground and still trying to reach her as her eyes slowly tear up. She attempts to reach out too only for a pair of curved blades to cut off her path as Gian lunged desperately and his face morphs from anguish to rage. The following guitar rips show a series of fantasy shots where Gian's Full Transformation thrashes and roars before firing an Atom Ray into the sky. The series of cuts ends with a damaged Going Merry with the Straw Hats flag still waving.)
And let's begin
Italics: Thoughts, flashbacks, calls
Bold: Attack names, Kaiju voice.
Nico Robin was no stranger to pain.
Losing her people at the mere age of 8? A memory that never left her.
Being constantly betrayed by the people she took refuge with? To be expected, though still hurtful.
It shouldn't be new to her at this point, her entire life wasn't one of rainbows and sunshine.
Yet why does this pain feel fresh?
The mood aboard the Going Merry was somber, tense. All things considered, none of the Straw Hats haven't been distant with her, often coming in and checking if she's alright.
But it's just a matter of time, it always happens.
The door opened, and Robin's breath hitched when she saw a very familiar face. 'Beast Warrior' Gian rubbing his sore muscles. Even now she still marvels at his Devil Fruit's healing factor, considering what he just went through. The same could be said about 'Straw Hat' Luffy, now back to his usual energy after what they encountered.
She herself was not so luck, even now she's still bedridden. She looked up at Gian's approaching face, no signs of suspicion, just concern and worry.
"Hey," then he said it "We need to talk."
Flashback:
"You won't get away with this! Mark my words Straw Hat I will have my revenge one day!"
"God, I'm glad that's over with." Gian grumbled to everyone's agreement "He was really annoying."
The person he referred to was none other than Foxy the Silver Fox, a pirate with a bounty of $24 000 000 beri. Normally the crew expected pirates to bother them, but this time it was a special case.
Through multiple gauntlets of tests and games, to which the prize was a member of the opposing team's crewmember, the Straw Hats managed to overcome the Davy Back Fight and come up on top.
It was certainly a strange day.
As the Foxy Pirates sailed away, still cursing Luffy for taking their flag and giving them a very poorly drawn replacement, the group were relieved that their friends didn't get taken away. They had nearly given up Chopper and Robin due to Foxy's cheating tactics and his slowing Devil Fruit, but now they were ready to leave again.
"Seriously, the whole thing was such a pain in the ass! The only thing that made it better was the boxing match!" Gian groaned "And that's only because of the guest appearance, which I didn't get to see!"
"Gian, it was a boxing match, you turned it into a wrestling match instead!" Sanji pointed out.
"That wasn't me! That was 'Red Hot Beast Warrior'!" the Kaiju-Zoan denied it "Can't believe I missed that, I heard the crowd went through the roof!" he happened to be knocked out by a stray punch Luffy missed during the boxing match.
"How do you not even remember any of it?" Zoro sighed. The memory of the Kaiju-Zoan user striding in with a black t-shirt that says 'Kaiju 3:16" was never going away.
"Again, not me!" Gian still doesn't know what's going on "Remember, I don't drink, and 'Red Hot Beast Warrior' has this gimmick where he guzzles an entire barrel of sake before he gets into the ring!"
"Man I wish you were there to witness it all!" Usopp laughed "He had this signature move where he first kicks the other guy and then he picks him up, flips them around and slams them flat!"
"Ugh, he even did the Atomic Bomb...! Then again he does at every match."
"It really was an exciting match! 'Beast Warrior' was such a bad ass!" Chopper exclaimed.
"That was so much fun! He and I had this great tag team move!" Luffy grinned at the fond memory, of course only those three couldn't see past the disguise.
"GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE NONE OF YOU TRIED TO WAKE ME UP!" Gian screamed in anguish.
"We did…" Nami deadpanned "You disappeared and next thing we knew you were walking into the ring."
Robin let out a soft chuckle; Gian is so amusing at times.
The rest of the crew just shook their heads and accepted this, apparently this being the first time they've even known about their First Mate's wrestler persona that surfaces when he gets knocked out by a boxing glove.
Now, on their way back to old man Tonjit's house, the group were all ready to leave.
"Hey old man! I'm back!" Luffy called out, and the old man grinned upon seeing that.
"I take it that you've prevailed?"
"We hope you can reunite with your clan!" Nami smiled and the old man beamed. It was then that Gian spotted a tall figure leaning against the house.
"Hey, are you a friend of Tonjit-ojisan's?" the figure didn't respond.
"Oh, he showed up a while ago! I almost forgot about him, but he said he had something to do." Tonjit explained.
"Hey! What's your name? Do you-Robin?"
That's when he noticed it, the normally cool archaeologist's composure. Normally showing a calm face, Robin's entire body seemed to freeze up when she spotted the man, her face just barely masking shock and anxiety.
It just so happened then that the man chose to woke up.
"Arara… I didn't expect visitors…"
"Huh? Who are you supposed to be?" Luffy perked his head.
The man looked at them with a rather bored expression "Me? I'm not anyone important. I'm here trying to relax, though I did originally plan to do something, wonder what it was again?"
"Is he ok?" was the question on everyone's mind.
"Anyways, I was taking a nap. Don't worry I'm not here to do anything to you guys."
Gian narrowed his eyes "So you are up to something…" there's a feeling he can't shake when it comes to this tall stranger. The fact that Robin's eyes were borderline expressing fear of all things, coming from a woman he knows to be absent of such an emotion, is not doing him any favors.
"Eh, I can get to it later." The man waved it off "Anyway I can always-"
"A-Aokiji…"
"What was that Robin?" Gian turned.
"His name is Aokiji! He's a marine! Not just that, but he's one of the 3 Admirals!"
And that's when everyone instantly became on edge.
"A-A-Admiral?!" Usopp yelped.
"Then he's a big shot then…?" Zoro gritted.
"Why is someone of such high caliber coming after us of all people?" Gian took a step back
"Oh… I thought I saw someone familiar." And the tall marine reared up to his full height, easily towering over all of them "You look like you're doing good for yourself, Nico Robin."
"What do you want from us?" Gian shouted. Even though he's never seen them, the 3 Admirals of the Marines were easily some of the strongest people on the seas. He's only heard of them by name; Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji, the latter which is now standing in front of them now.
Said Admiral only held up his hands "Relax, I'm not out with any orders, I just came to take a walk. I don't want to do anything- god even trying to explain this is tiresome. I forgot everything I was going to say!"
The crew blinked, for an Admiral Aokiji wasn't exactly what they expected.
After making a few more pleasantries, Tonjit bid farewell to the group. It was here that crew witnessed firsthand the powers of a Marine Admiral when a Sea King attacked from the shore, only to have Aokiji casually step forward.
"Ice Age!"
"I-I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Nami looked on, for the entire sea instantly froze over in a bed of ice. Even the massive Sea King was now no more than a frozen statue.
"You mentioned your clan is on another island and you were cut off?" the Admiral shrugged "I hope this helps. The water should remain frozen for a while."
"AH… A-Alright..!" Tonjit stammered and shakenly gotten up on his horse before riding off with the rest of his group. Everyone is still in shock over the sheer display of power.
"H-He just froze the sea?!" Luffy yelped.
"What you see here, is the power of an Admiral." Robin said.
Aokiji looked over the group with a small smirk.
"Anyway, I was going to arrest Nico Robin, but now I think that'll be too much work."
"Wait… what are you trying to do with Robin?!" Gian barked.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on her!" Sanji shouted.
"So you ARE trying to capture us!" Luffy shouted and strode forwards, only to be held back.
"Luffy! Don't overreact he's an Admiral! We can't fight against that!" Usopp hissed. Aokiji narrowed his eyes.
"Monkey D. Luffy… I see it now, all that anger really does reminds me of your grandfather.
"Y-You know Jii-chan?" Luffy stammered. His grandpa is a rather…interesting person.
"He's quite the legend in our ranks you know, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise." Aokiji explained "He actually helped me out a few times before, I'm glad I got to see what his grandson was like." Then, without warning, a sheet of ice crackled along the ground towards the crew, causing them to yelp and dodge out of the way.
"What the hell?!"
"Now that I think of it, there's a lot of future threats here, threats that could very much impact the world if left unchecked." Aokiji said the whole things still in his bored voice "Yeah, it's decided, I'm just going to kill all of you here."
"Everyone be careful! He's on a whole other league compared to us!" Gian shouted.
"Arara, we don't actually have to fight." the Admiral sighed before pointing to Robin, who at this moment is still frozen with fear. "I'm only here to arrest that woman. She's the most dangerous out of all of you. 79 million beri since the age of 8, she survives by betraying, backstabbing and escaping every organization that's no longer beneficial to her."
"Is that supposed to sway us?!" Gian shouted.
"As I said, you aren't laying a hand on her!" Sanji snarled.
"Come on, if you truly knew who she really is, then you wouldn't be so keen to come to her defense." Aokiji taunted "Her, a demon that has brought the end to many crews just like yours."
"What are you talking about?!" Zoro shouted.
"It's all happened in the past before, a pirate crew meets its demise and she's the only survivor." Aokiji explained nonchalantly "It isn't just pirates though, isn't it? Everyone around you dies, you know that for a fact don't you, Nico Robin?"
"Stop…Talking…" Robin began to seethe, bring her arms to a cross.
"Your words are starting to wear on me…" Gian growled, taking a step forwards.
"I'm just giving you advice. It truly will be your downfall if you decide to keep her with you." and Robin could listen no longer after that, multiple arms sprouted around the admiral, catching him in a death grip.
"ENOUGH!" Gian and the others almost never saw the calm and collected archeologist lose her temper before, but right now Robin's actions were anything but calm.
"Whoever this is, he's obviously brought up something with her…" Gian thought.
"If you're coming to arrest me, then arrest me already!" Robin shouted "Treinta Fleur: Clutch!"
And with a sickening snap, Aokiji crumpled as the arms dissolved back into flower petals. The crew were shocked at the sudden display. The archaeologist was now breathing heavily.
"R-Robin… D-Did you just-?!" Usopp choked out.
"I-Is he dead?" Chopper whimpered.
"…We need to leave." Gian began to turn but then noticed one thing:
Aokiji's body was nothing more than ice.
And before he knew it, the Admiral had already reformed out of the very same ice.
"Hey now, that wasn't very nice…?" Aokiji sneered before forming a very long sword of ice from a few strips of grass. Robin, petrified by the sight, could not defend herself as he prepared to swing down.
"Ice Saber!"
*Clang!
The sudden arrival of Zoro blocking with Wado Ichimonji managed to save the woman's life. Sanji immediately followed up with a kick, knocking the makeshift blade away from the Admiral.
"Gomu Gomu no..Pistol!" Luffy's own punch collided with the man's torso, seemingly knocking the air out of him.
Then he grinned.
As Luffy cried out in pain as his own fist began to freeze! Two more shouts of pain erupted as Zoro's arm and Sanji's leg were also encapsulated within ice. To say the crew were beyond terrified now would be an understatement.
"HE JUST FROZE THEM WITH A SINGLE TOUCH!" Nami screamed.
"So much ice!" Chopper shouted "If we don't do anything they could get frostbite! Usopp we need to help them!"
"I…I want to help…!" Usopp wept "B-But why can't I move…? It's like I'm frozen in too!"
"That's a lie! You're just too afraid!" Chopper yelled, though he couldn't blame him.
"Just what the hell is he?!" Gian gritted, before roaring and charging forwards with Atom Splitter. Aokiji smirked as he formed another Ice Saber, the two weapons clanging together.
"Gian wait!" Chopper shouted "Don't be-!"
And a single kick knocked the Kaiju-Zoan user down too, ice beginning to form over his midsection.
"Robin, run away!" Nami shouted.
"Heh, this crew cares about you a lot!" Aokiji sneered "But I know who you really are, you're just going to betray them like everyone else, isn't that right Nico Robin?"
"T-That's not true!" Robin stammered "These guys, they're-!"
"Ice Time!"
Whatever she had to say was cut short as Aokiji wrapped her in a bear hug. The effects were instant as ice crept over her, and soon Robin was nothing more than an ice sculpture.
"YOU BASTARD!" Luffy shouted.
"Relax, she's still alive. You might want to defrost her soon though. Because if you don't then…" everyone could do nothing but watch in horror as Aokiji raised a fist.
"ROBIN! NO!"
And Gian charged forth again, Atom Splitter ablaze in blue as he delivered a downward slash just as Aokiji was about to shatter the navigator with a punch. As Aokiji parried the blow again with his frozen sword, it was enough time for Luffy to get the frozen Robin away from the battlefield.
"I don't know if you knew that my Hie Hie no Mi is a logia, but attacking me as with a seastone weapon is creative." He grinned "Still, is it really worth risking your life for this devil?"
"SHUT UP! You crossed the one line you never should've crossed!" Gian snarled, his eyes beginning to turn amber as wisps of blue fire sparked around him, melting the ice across his chest. Aokiji only shook his head.
"I see, this makes sense." Sharp icicles began to form on the ground around him "it's only natural for a devil to find herself with a monster."
"Is that so? Then this monster is going to TEAR YOU TO PIECES ON HER BEHALF!"
Gian's attacks were wild and brutal, Aokiji parried them all easily. It all ended when a stray hit missed, and Aokiji wasted no time in impaling Gian through a non-vital part of his chest, the ice quickly spreading and bringing him to his knees.
"GIAN!" Usopp screamed, Nami hesitantly raised her Clima-tact and Robin reached for a Rumble Ball; they might have to fight too.
"Run away!" Luffy screamed "Run back to the ship…! Make sure Robin is safe! I'll save Gian!"
"W-What?! Luffy you can't possibly-!" Usopp screamed.
"GO!"
"But we have to help you!"
"Forget it Usopp!" Sanji shouted "Luffy's doing this for us too, we need to have faith in him!"
And reluctantly the rest of the crew bolted, gathering Robin up and running back towards the ship. Aokiji watched them go before turning back to the Straw Hat captain.
"So you're trying to save them…" ice formed over his body as he walked forwards "The amount you would go for your crew, not only for a demon child but also for a herald of the Kaiju…"
"I don't care what they are!" Luffy shouted "You won't hurt them as long as I'm here!"
The ground behind the Admiral suddenly erupted in a vortex of blue flames, Gian's Partial Transformation reared up, ice melting around him. His were full of fury as he took a heavy step forwards. Luffy gulped slightly when he felt the unnatural power, but Aokiji only gave a bored look.
"Aokiji…" his voice was deep as usual, but thicker this time, more unnatural, or so Luffy thought.
"Arara… You're looking as if the last of your restraints are beginning to pop. No wonder you're so protective of Nico Robin, the two of you can easily bring the world down."
Gian hardly registered Luffy as he lunged, fists catching fire as he slammed them towards the Admiral, only for the man to catch him easily in a power struggle with twin ice fists. The sudden stop was enough to knock Gian out of his rage induced haze.
"He could stop me even in a Partial Transformation… Just how powerful are the Admirals?!"
"I didn't mean for this, but I really do have to kill you two now." As Luffy lunged forwards and tried to throw another punch, Aokiji whirled around and tossed the Kaiju-Zoan user straight at him, causing them to collide and smash into the ground. The two of them looked up to see said man tower over them. Before they could do anything, they heard one last phrase:
"Ice Time!"
Terror.
That was all that was felt.
Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp and Chopper could do nothing except run, not daring to look back as the mists of cold continued to flow, emanating from the frozen environment. Meanwhile, the Admiral stared at the 2 frozen pirates. Even now they were so defiant, Luffy's fist still frozen in an attempt to strike him, and Gian's Partially Transformed claw was inches away from his face. The heat from the Kaiju-Zoan user was great, but even so the ice held fast.
"It's so easy to just break you 2 into pieces now." Aokiji spoke with an uncaring tone "But since you did stop Crocodile, consider this as our payment for our debt. I will tell you again, it's better for you to leave that woman here. Nico Robin brings nothing but misfortune to those around her."
"That's what happens, when you let her on your ship."
The others came back for them soon, by then Aokiji was already gone. Without a word they set about defrosting their nakama, putting them into hot showers immediately and tending to their wounds as best they could. This encounter only proved once thing: despite it all, The Straw Hats still have a long ways to go.
Flashback end:
That was all 3 days ago, since then the mood on the ship have been rather somber. Never have the crew been so utterly defeated, and with still a long way to go, they'll need to be prepared.
Gian and she haven't spoken with each other much during that time, nor anyone else for that matter. Even Luffy's normally boundless energy seemed to have lessened. The captain and First Mate are doing much better now, but she had been distancing herself.
And now said first mate was now currently in her room. Her behavior did not go unnoticed after all.
"What is there to talk about?" was her response "Do you have any more questions regarding that book?" a rather bad cop out, she thought, considering Gian hadn't asked about Steve Martin's journal for a while now, saying that he'd much rather find things out as he goes, especially considering their predicament a week ago.
"Hey, can't a guy check up on his favorite girl?" Gian gave a wry smile.
"That sounded so bad…" inward he smacked himself for saying that. Robin's face hasn't moved during that time. Sighing, he placed the tray of soup down and sat next to her.
"You've been cooped up ever since we got back, whatever he said about you obviously affected you more than we see."
"It's the past, but it's also the truth." Robin said after sometime "Though I suppose you sort of knew that, given you found me with Crocodile to begin with."
"I don't believe it." Gian shook his head "Sure, before you might have ditched a crew or two, but I know you won't betray us."
"You are far too certain of that notion. You have no idea what I have done before."
"I don't care about that. A person's past isn't something that has to hang with them for the rest of their lives." Gian shook his head "Triton-senpai once told me that what you did in your early is like the concept art for a new project, and the rest of your life is what you make from that. There will be changes, perhaps a complete overhaul, but it just goes to show you what you deem your life worth is up to you." he reached over, tentatively placed his hand on the archaeologist's shoulder "There's so much I still don't know about you, what your past is, and perhaps I never will. But I care about the current Robin, just as I care about the current Luffy, Zoro and the others. It's who is beside me this instant that matters."
"That's easy for you to say." Robin shook her head "You haven't a single clue of how the World Government sees me, what my dream could potentially lead to."
Gian gave an exasperated sigh "Just a few days ago, you told me that a person's destiny is complicated, that you can choose to believe everything was set by fate, or that you can accept things just happen. So why are you so dead set on what some Admiral has to say now?"
"It's not the same thing. Your involvement with the Kaiju-Zoans only really became set once you entered the Grand Line, but after my home island's destruction, I have to find out about what I know. It's the only thing left for me now." Robin argued
"Even so, we won't just abandon you like he said. Your dream is part of our dream as well, and as long as you're a part of this crew that won't change." Gian asserted.
The archaeologist sighed "You say all this, even with the chance I might betray you? I've done it before, what's to say I won't do it again?"
Gian only shook his head "You've had to do many things in order to survive, there's no doubt about that. But I know you're not a bad person. You've proven that many times already. Saving my life back in Mu, helping look into so much information I never knew before, that's the Robin I know. We'll make sure you never have to be afraid for your life again."
Robin stared at him, her eyes unreadable. Finally she sighed softly "Your optimism is refreshing, if misinformed." Gian only grinned.
"I like to think it as thinking of better things. Now come on, if you don't get up and walk around your joints are gonna be even stiffer."
As he left the room, Robin's eyes followed him. She won't lie; 'Beast Warrior' Gian, the entire crew really, have surprised her more than she thought. She's been in multiple pirate crews before, but none have acted the way they have.
These guys really cared for one another, despite their more often than not childish argument over rather trivial things. They supported each other and always have each other's backs. In a way they were more than just a crew, they were a family.
"Family," Robin mused "It's been a while since I've experienced that."
Memories of a burning island, a kind hearted giant being frozen, and the last look she had of a white haired woman suddenly flashed in her head, causing her to gasp.
"Oh, 'Beast Warrior', sometimes you put too much faith into people."
It was only after that did Robin finally get out of bed, hoping just this once that she didn't have to use her usual tactics.
Later:
"Damn it… Damn it… Damn it…" Usopp muttered darkly as he hammered a few pieces of wood into the Going Merry. The poor ship's conditions have deteriorated steadily since the past week and what little repairs the crew did make are now no longer doing the job. They will need a shipwright, and soon.
"Ok, from now on, no more stunts or roughhousing on this ship!" Nami ordered "Merry's is now very damaged and we need to make it until we can find a shipwright!" she glared at Luffy as she said that "That means you Luffy!"
"It was an accident…" the captain mumbled.
Gian sighed and flicked his hair backwards "It's just been stressful for us since we came back up from Mu hasn't it? First there was the risk of losing some of us to another crew and then we nearly all got absolute zeroed by one of the highest ranked marines out there. Now we gotta make sure Merry doesn't dismantle before we reach the next island."
"I'm still shaken up about Aokiji… Do you think we'll be encountering guys like that all the time now? Those who are much stronger than us?" Usopp shivered.
"Count on it, we're getting deeper into the Grand Line now." Sanji confirmed "There's no doubt that stronger opponents will be showing up more now."
Usopp only gulped at that.
Meanwhile the crew continued to attempt to patch their beloved ship up, mostly with spare wooden boards and steel plates. Needless to say, it was a shoddy job.
"Her condition is getting really bad now…" Zoro commented "I wonder if it's time for a new one?"
"HEY!" Usopp snapped "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying, it might be-"
"Did you forget how we got her? She's a gift from Kaya!"
"I don't want to see Merry go!" Chopper sniffled.
"Don't worry, Usopp, we haven't forgotten!" Luffy smiled "She's a valued nakama to us all, so in the meantime let's try to fix her up the best we could!" Luffy said as he continued hammering in trying to patch up the ship. Usopp was touched by that statement.
"L-Luffy," He mumbled through tears "You're such a g-"
But then Luffy's strength shone through again, and he ended up smashing a hole in Merry's railing "…Oops."
"-BASTARD! ARE YOU TRYING TO FIX HER OR DESTROY HER?!" Usopp screamed in exasperation and rage.
"I'm trying to fix her! I promise- Whoops, I did it again."
"LUFFY!"
Gian only sighed. They really should've learned how to do carpenter work.
"Nami, how far until the next island?" he asked as the Navigator investigated her Log Pose "Merry's looking less like a ship and more like a wood carving now."
"We're still going west, we shouldn't be that far and-huh? What's that?"
The sound of splashing water alerted the group as they looked over and saw an unusual sight: a large brown frog with a top knot swimming as fast as it could. The creature was determined, its scarred body showcasing hidden strength.
"It's a frog!" Luffy shouted "I bet it'll taste good! After it!"
The promise of food did seem enticing to the crew after all the troubles they went through, so everyone was quick to pick up an oar and enter pursuit of the amphibian.
"This frog sure is a fast one!" Gian noted "And don't most of them live in fresh water?"
The chase was on, but the big amphibian always seemed to be a step ahead of them. So invested in their chase they were they never even noticed that the Merry had suddenly ran aground.
"Uh, are we at the island?" the Kaiju-Zoan user questioned.
"We're not supposed to be!" Nami shouted back "And I don't see any land!"
"Hey, what are those?" Usopp suddenly pointed. The crew leaned over and saw a most surprising sight: train tracks, just peeking above the waterline, in the middle of the sea.
"Are those what I think they are?" Sanji blinked.
"Hey, the frog is getting away!" Luffy called out.
Zoro suddenly got an unsettling feeling.
"Uh, if these are train tracks, then where's the-"
And a loud whistle jolted them from their thoughts as the crew looked up in horror as the locomotive blitzed towards them, mere moments away.
"We're gonna be run over!" Nami screamed.
"Row!" Gian shouted "Row harder!"
Thankfully, with a bit of luck they managed to get off the rails just as the train screamed past them. The frog wasn't so lucky, it went against the train head on and was sent flying. The crew grimaced at that.
"That has got to hurt…" Usopp winced.
"But that train though, who would've thought that a train would be so far at sea?" Gian mused.
"It is really cool!" Chopper agreed "I wonder wear it goes?"
"Well, I think we're about to have the answer to that!" Nami pointed, and the Straw Hats could soon see a small station. As they sailed closer a little girl holding a smiling bunny waved at them. She had a big smile on her face as she greeted them.
"Hi, Pirates! Are you here to see Grandma?"
As she said that another person walked out, a short, rotund elderly lady with similarly wide smile on her face, teetered out of the station, a bottle of sake in her hands.
"Nagagaga! It's always good to see visitors here at the station!" the old woman hiccupped, clearly intoxicated.
"My name is Chimney!" The little girl smiled "That's Kokoro-obaasan and this is Gonbe, our cat!"
"That's not a-" Gian frowned but Nami shushed him.
"So what brings you all here?" Chimney asked them.
"We just saw the most incredible thing!" Luffy told them "There was a train running on tracks over water! I've never seen anything like it!"
"Yeah, up until the part where we almost got ran over." Gian shrugged.
Kokoro chuckled at that "So you already saw it then, the Sea Train 'Puffing Tom?' It's well-known in these parts!"
"We also saw a frog, shame it got ran over though." Zoro commented.
"Oh, Yokozuna isn't dead! He's always trying to compare his strength with Puffing Tom, it's been like that for a couple of years!" Chimney explained.
"You mean he's alive? How the heck? That train must be going at least a hundred kilometers an hour!" Gian exclaimed. Kokoro laughed at that.
"That Yokozuna, he just loves to compete with that train."
"Wow, he's a hard worker!" Luffy commented "I don't think we'll eat him now."
"Anyway, the Sea Train has helped a lot of people. It connects multiple islands together that would normally take days to reach by ship and increased the amount of trade of everything in the region." Kokoro told them "Is there anywhere you want to go? There's a couple of good locations here." She said as she revealed a few train tickets.
"Hmm, San Faldo, the Carnival City…" Gian mused "That sounds fun, wonder if they got any comedy shows?"
"OOOH! That one says Gourmet City!" Luffy panted excitedly as he pointed to another "Let's go there!"
"Guys, don't get side tracked!" Nami reminded them "We have to keep following the Log Pose!" Kokoro's eyes lit up when she saw that.
"Nagagaga! That's pointing in the direction of Water 7! It's a fountain city where the most famous shipwrights are made!"
Everyone was happy to hear that "Really?" Nami smiled "We just so happen to be looking for a shipwright!"
"Then that's where we go!" Luffy grinned "Let's go find a shipwright and make them our nakama!"
"I can see that ship of yours has definitely seen better days, here I'll help you out a bit." The old lady handed them a piece of paper "this is a reference letter, when you get to Water 7 give it to a man named Iceburg. If there's anyone that can help you, he can!"
"Wow, Kokoro-baasan is such a kind person!" Usopp grinned.
"Thank you so much for this!" Gian nodded gratefully "How can we repay you?" Kokoro only laughed.
"To sail the seas on a fine ship is a good time for anyone, I hope that feeling lasts for you all. Here, I have a map of the city as well. You should reach Water 7 within a few days at most. You have a week until your Log stores Water 7 so enjoy your time there, Water 7 is truly a beautiful place!"
"We go there a lot too!" Chimney beamed "Maybe we'll see you soon!"
"Yeah!" Luffy waved back "I definitely want to see you all again!"
"Now run along now, kids and best of luck!" Kokoro waved. The crew exchanged farewells with the small family and went off on their way.
Soon, it could be said that their mood had been the brightest since the last couple of days.
"This is such good luck! We were just looking for a shipwright and now we're almost to a city full of them!" Gian cheered.
"You hear that Merry" Usopp swooned "You're gonna be fixed soon!"
"Guys!" Luffy said "Our shipwright should be a big guy at least 5 meters tall!"
"How's he gonna fit on the ship?" Zoro laughed before pointing to Gian "We already have this big guy here!"
"Keep me out of this!" the Kaiju-Zoan user chuckled "As long as they're good with their hands I'm down for anyone."
"If you ask me, our shipwright should be a beautiful woman." Sanji added.
"No! They have to be as big as a mountain!" Luffy cried again.
"Like Gian said, as long as they're skilled that's what matters." Zoro scoffed.
"A girl as big as a mountain isn't a bad idea though." Gian shrugged.
Nami smiled, things were really going their way! "It was really lucky of us to meet Kokoro-baasan, now we have this map too! We can use it to easily find this Iceburg guy!" and as she said that, she discovered that the map was rather poorly drawn, in fact it was nothing more than a rough doodle that hardly looked like a city with the name 'Water 7' scrawled on it, and another bit of words that said: Around Here.
"Oh…" she sighed before throwing it onto the ground "THIS IS USELESS!"
"Oh my, it's like Luffy drew it…" Chopper commented.
"Alright!" and it just so happens Luffy took up art again "We're gonna look for a guy that looks like this! Keep your eyes out once we get there!" said drawing seemed to be a person wearing blue stripes, but that was all that could be made out.
"Luffy, I would run from a person like that if I see them!" Usopp shuddered.
"Me too, except that guy looks like he's part octopus so he'll just follow us out to sea." Sanji added.
"Luffy he looks like a mime…" Gian sighed "I'm am afraid of mimes."
"Since when?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow.
"Since now."
All in all, everyone is happy once again.
"Well then, since we might be staying for about a week I'm giving you all a week's allowance!" Nami said "Spend it wisely!"
"Yayyy! Nami's so generous!" Chopper cheered.
"Huh? Nami's giving us money?" Gian did a mock surprise "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"
"YOU GET NOTHING THEN!"
"NO PLEASE IT WAS JUST A PRANK!"
As everyone laughed in merriment, Robin watched them all silently, a smile playing on her lips all the while.
There's no doubt about it now, these guys truly are close to her heart.
They won't betray her, not by a long shot.
Inwards, Robin sighed. She knows her dream has made her an enemy of the World, and for that she's had a target on her back for as long as she can remember.
Those same forces will come for her one day, and with the Straw Hats in the way, they will come for them too.
If it comes to that, then she simply can't bear to see them in pain.
She can't bear to see him in pain.
As she watched the crew continue their antics, her eyes focused on 'Beast Warrior' Gian once again. During the time they've known each other, Robin found that the two of them, despite coming from different backgrounds, were more similar than she thought.
They both went through traumatic events, and both contain power that could potentially change the world.
But while she remained in the darkness, he found light.
And Robin will see to it that said light will never be extinguished.
After all, if the forces of the World can't bear her cursed existence, then at the very least she wants him to live.
She wants all of them to live.
With that, Nico Robin put those thoughts behind her and continued to observe the crew, hoping that, just once, her fate won't tie down these people.
Elsewhere:
On the outside it seemed like just like any regular compound. But once you got through the doors that all changed.
The interior was ransacked, debris and objects thrown everywhere, the signs of battle evident.
And then the bodies began to pile up, clean quick kills. These people weren't your average contract killers, they were trained assassins here to get the job done.
Though with what's shown, it seems that these people went overboard.
"Stupid owl…" growled a large wolf man with a Fu Manchu and eastern style clothing as he removed a bloody claw from the chest of one of his victims "You had to go and open that big mouth of yours don't you? This took way longer than necessary!"
"Chapapa! It's not like it was any trouble!" another man spoke up, a large round looking man with a zipper for a mouth.
"We were only supposed to kill 3 people!" the wolf man growled before shifting back to his regular form: a dark skinned human person "Because of you we had to kill 23 more! We're supposed to be CP9, the highest ranking agents of the regular Cipher Pol! Yet here we are making everything bloody!"
"Yoyoi! In a way this makes it easier for us, Jabra." A third man, this one a tall one with flowing pink hair wielding a shakujo stepped out of the shadows "We leave no loose ends for this rebel group to ever cause trouble again!"
"Shut it, Kumadori!" the man called Jabra snapped "We've spent that long undercover and we almost blew it!"
"Oh, of course! How I shamed myself! I will commit seppuku for making this mission so difficult! Seppuku-Tekkai!" The man called Kumadori shouted dramatically as strange cherry blossom petals danced around him, he prepared to stab himself with his staff, only to mysteriously harden his body at the last moment, rendering the self-induced injury null.
"WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT?!" Jabra snarled. This was not the first time he had to see this.
A sudden yell of pain shouted as the trio stared at an open door way, a red glow emanating from it. Moments later, a bloody man stumbled out, shaking with fear as multiple scorch marks dotted his body. His eyes full of panic, he almost didn't recognize the 3 people sent to kill him.
"P-Please! Help me! There's a terrifying monster in here and he-!"
A spray of blood made him choke out the last words as the man stared down at the new wound; a wickedly curved sword jutting out of his chest. He stumbled in vain before looking back at his attacker: a fourth assassin, this one dressed in a deep black and red collard jacket and similarly black pants. His steel toed boots, each tiped with a sharp spike, thumped against the ground. The man, one that seemed around 40 years old, displayed no emotion, though that could be hard to see due to his ruby colored visor as well, completely blocking his eyes.
"We've already wasted enough time with you weaklings." The man said, his voice equally devoid of emotion "We should've just killed them when Fukuro spilled the beans."
"Chapapa, only you enjoys killing this much." Fukuro turned out to be the zipper mouthed man from before, it seemed that he's known for talking, or at least talking unintentionally.
"If it's for the World Government, then I serve as its tool." He then drew out a second curved blade; twin khopesh swords gleamed in the fire light, before kneeling down to the injured rebel leader.
"Now, I wonder how I will dispose of you?" he pondered, each word driving more terror into his soon to be victim "Shall I slice of each finger from your hands, then take your arms? Or shall I start from your feet and work your way up?"
"D-Damn you CP9! Damn you to-"
"Ah, it seems I ran out of time. I'll have to end this quickly then." And with a single sweep of his remaining blade, the man beheaded his target, the rebel leader's head tumbling into the darkness. All said and done, the man looked at his 3 companions.
"Mission complete, time to report back."
"Finally! I swear, this mission was so stupid! Lucci and his guys got to go and retrieve the blueprints for Pluton, but all we get to do is kill a couple of rebels!"
"Do not forget Jabra, we are CP9 agents, we dispose of those who goes against the Government, no matter how complicated."
"Oh don't worry, Gylzar! We're not all sociopaths like you and Lucci!" Jabra drawled "If I wasn't mistaken, you're the only one happy with killing that many people!"
"They were rebels, they deserve no mercy." Gylzar, the man with the red visor, only scoffed.
"Chapapa, Gylzar-san is still a phantom with blades! I'm willing to bet he's this close to unleashing his-!"
"Yoyoi, Gylzar-san was not given directive to utilize his power!" Kumadori interjected "And he wouldn't go against protocol!"
"It was unnecessary to do so, these people were mere fodder for my blades." And Gylzar was about to lead the way, until he heard the ringing of a transponder snail.
*Gatcha
"It's Gylzar, what further directives must we do, Chief Spandex."
"It's SpandAM! God dammit!" the voice on the other was impatient and wears on the ears. The snail took an appearance of a partially masked man with purple hair.
"Names are unimportant, all that matters is I carry out my directive."
"Whatever, I assume the mission is complete?"
"Indeed, we have successfully eliminated the rebel leaders. We will be returning now"
"About that actually, there's a few new bits of information. I've gotten words that the Straw Hat Pirates will be heading to Water 7 soon. You know what that means?"
"I've heard of them, but surely Lucci will be able to handle a few pirates to get to Nico Robin."
"Our target isn't only that woman! There's another target in the crew, he's your objective. Send the rest of your squad back to Enies Lobby, the higher ups requested you alone."
"Understood." And Gylzar hung up, much to Jabra's chagrin.
"What the hell? Why do you get to go but we don't?!"
"Chapapa, it's because of 'Beast Warrior' Gian!" Fukuro pipped up "Gylzar-san is to capture him!"
"'Beast Warrior?" The First Mate?" Jabra balked "It's about that whole dumb conspiracy about monsters isn't it? We already have one here!"
"It's all still unconfirmed. But those above us are not below taking precautions." Gylzar stated "If he is what they think he is, then he either joins us, or be eliminated. The Gorosei have deemed him enough of a threat if left unchecked."
"And are you going solely because of that?" Kumadori asked. Gylzar's visor flashed red for a second.
"As the World Government wills it, I will complete my directive." And for the first time, he grinned, his mouth full of pointy teeth "Besides, it's fun to meet a fellow cursed being."
A/N: Thus begins Water 7, the arguable most well-known arc of the pre-timeskip next to Marineford. As you can see, Long Ring Long Island was only briefly alluded to, and only the part with Aokiji remaining. As I said, I want the story to move on quickly, and for the most part I deemed it unnecessary to repeat, and looking at it it'll be hard to make changes for it anyway.
G: Nah you just lazy.
I also have school, and I'd rather not spend so long on an arc that overall won't contribute much to my plans for this story.
G: Whatever you say pal.
Anyway, now that we're here, prepare for some new things that will happen here! New opening, new enemies, new friends, new Kaiju-Zoan user, it's gonna be a fun part for both here and Enies Lobby. I've got to say, I've been waiting for the day I start this portion of the story for a long time, it's weird to think that over 3 years have gone by since I've started this story, and now we're finally here! With school and all that, I'm surprised I even got this far!
Along with that I should mention that my guidebook for this story is out now! You can check out One Piece: Monster's Log in my profile. If you're confused about how I'm tying in Godzilla elements with this story, that'll be the place to look. I'll try to update that every 3 chapters or so.
And that's all for now, we'll be continuing with Water 7 soon! It'll mostly be canon material again for the next little bit, but it'll diverge a bit more when we get to Enies Lobby!
Responses to Reviews:
To Hannibal the Bahamut:
In a way it is. I tried to portray Godzilla in a more ancient way this time around, considering how old that flashback is supposed to be. Some forms will also be referenced later on.
To omegadramon2:
You'll be seeing Gideon's reaction in a part later. What Manda said will come back around some other time.
To Darkmaster1000000:
G: I SEE ALL, I HAVE THE POWER-
Don't
Glad you enjoyed this chapter! There will be action later!
To KaldoreEren:
G: We all in this!
We should have a name
To The One and Only Logan:
Gi: I get fans too!
G: Jesus at this rate he'll be more popular than me.
You're not popular to begin with.
G: Eat my ass.
I haven't seen that special before, but it sounds fun! Maybe I can sneak it in as part of the Log Book!
To Matt:
You can start guessing now!
G: Wait who's Brook? And why do I hate him already?
You'll see, who knows? You'll even like him.
To Kristopher B:
G: Speaking of RWBY, what happened to that other-
I'll get to it! Soon! It's just that Vol. 6 is kind of a wild ride and I haven't quite finished watching it yet and everything that's been revealed is kinda throwing a wrench in the plans I had for the story, but one day I'll start it, maybe?
G: Wow, such commitment.
I do like longer reviews if they have some form of constructive criticism. Like some of Vergil Leonidas' and C.S Skywalker's do that a lot. CC is the lifeblood of this story, it helps to see where I'm at!
To Chance Green G King:
Let's just say you're getting there…
G: Wink wink.
To The Storm Master 567:
Gideon will for sure be at Marineford, you can bet on that!
And our next Kaiju-Zoan user will be here soon!
To Brady420:
Glad someone else watched that treasure of a movie.
G: It's a true classic.
To SolanaLeonhart:
Oh please ask any and all questions! We're here to answer as long as it don't spoil too much!
G: We're a semi open book!
And I'll check it out soon! Whenever I'm in the mood to read something.
To andrewgibson03:
G: That's really specific
Yeah, it sounds like a good concept though! I don't do requests for stories but if you can write it that seems like a great idea!
And that's all for now! We'll see you next time!
Leave a review or Gian steals your girl.
G: Bold of you to assume everyone here is heterosexual.