SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 75 out, this is Chapter 76 of this fic and I am finally back on the On Piece bandwagon. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairings: Ace/Sasha, sibling Luffy/Sasha and Sabo/Sasha, patriotic-retainer Law/Sasha

Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichirō-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC.

Chapter 76: Arc 7: First Meeting With An Admiral, Sasha's Declaration!

"Guys, I see an island!" Usopp hollered from the crow's next, the crew having descending from Skypiea with little fanfare..

"Looks like an unpopulated island." Nami peered through the spyglass.

"Prepare the anchor, we're landing!" Luffy declared.

"Well then, everyone go find some ingredients." Sanji instructed upon landing.

"No rats or frogs." Nami reminded.

"Sanji, we've got lots of fish, vegetables and fruit." Luffy called out, the rest of the crew returning from their ingredient-hunting.

"Sanji, Zoro, let's go find more ingredients for our emergency storage." Nami waved after their lunch break.

"Hey, Chopper, did you can Sasha find any medicinal plants?" Usopp asked, after the foliage trip.

"We found a lot." Chopper nodded. "This island has a lot of rare plants."

"Well, it'd take quite some time to categorize the ones we found." Sasha mused. "You guys know, I've been thinking about this for a while now, but what is this strange line?" she looked down at the line that was stretched through the forest.

"What could it be?" Usopp wondered. "It looks like a bicycle came through."

"This is an unpopulated island, isn't it?" Sanji reminded. "There's no way there could be bicycles tracks on an island with no people."

"We're coming out of the jungle." Luffy announced as the forest petered out. "We're found an open area." he noted, seeing the clearing. "What's wrong with Chopper?" he asked, when the reindeer ran up ahead.

"He's heading for that rock." Zoro stated. "Is something there?"

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Luffy hurried over when Chopper was knocked back by something.

"What's this?" Chopper exclaimed, Aokiji's shadow casting over him.

"A raccoon?" Aokiji peeled off his eyemask.

"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper fumed. "See, horns!"

"Who's this guy?" Luffy gaped.

"Who're you?" Aokiji asked, seeing Luffy, Zoro and Sanji.

"Who's that huge man?" Usopp exclaimed, as he and Nami caught up with the others.

"Robin, what's wrong?" Sasha looked at the stunned woman on the grass.

"Ara?" Aokiji was surprised. "Don't get so frightened, ladies. I'm not acting on orders. The weather is nice, so I'm just taking a walk."

"He's a Marine, and one of the World Government's greatest powers." Robin supplied. "Marine Base Admiral, Aokiji."

"You've become quite a beautiful lady, Nico Robin." said Admiral commented.

"To think that he's got Robin this shaken up." Nami gaped.

"Admiral?" Sanji echoed. "He's that high up?"

"There're only three officers in the Navy who hold the position of Admiral." Robin stated. "Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru. The only one above them is Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who reigns as the top official in the Navy. That man is one of the three men called the World Government's ultimate powerhouses."

"Hold on a sec, you guys." Aokiji sighed. "Did you hear what I said? I said I just took a stroll, didn't I? Don't get so worked up. To start with, you guys are... you know... I forgot." he shrugged. "Oh well. My motto as a marine is 'total slovenly justice'. In any case, well..." he dropped his Marine coat on the grass and laid on the ground. "To make a long story short, I have no intention of capturing you guys, so don't worry. I came to check the whereabouts of Nico Robin, who disappeared after the Alabasta incident, after all. Just as I thought, she's been with you guys. I'm going to at least report this to Headquarters, though, as with another wanted person, the total bounty for you guys has now changed."

"So, you're a marine." one of a shipwrecked passengers walked out of the forest with the other survivors. "I wish you had told us sooner."

"They're probably the passengers who drifted here from a wrecked ship." Aokiji reasoned. "About a month ago, there was a report that a passenger liner went missing in this area."

"You are not what I expected of an Admiral." Sasha looked down at the lazing Hie Hie Fruit user as Chopper treated the shipwrecked survivors and the rest of the crew fed them.

"We're the only one who made it to this island." one of the survivors related. "On our way back from a gourmet tour to the gourmet town, Pucci, our ship collided with a huge frog that was doing the front crawl and shattered to pieces."

"That's Yokozuna." Aokiji supplied.

"Then, after a great struggle, we were able to make it on this island." the survivor recounted. "Yet we lived on the verge of starvation for a month. We rejoiced when we saw someone coming but when we looked carefully, he was riding a bicycle on the sea."

"That was me." Aokiji interjected.

"And then, the next one that came was a pirate ship." the survivor continued.

"Then you guys are..." Aokiji started. "You guys, get ready to depart right away." he pointed to the shipwrecked survivors. "Fortunately, there's an inhabited island not so far from here. You should go there and get the treatment you need."

"There's no ship." Usopp mused. "They don't have a Log Pose either. How are they supposed to get to that nearby island?"

"They'll be fine." Aokiji assured.

"It's true that that man can make it happen." Robin confirmed.

"Step back a bit." Aokiji instructed, squatting down by the shore after Sanji loaded up the provisions. "Ice Age." he put his hand into the sea and froze the water, along with the Sea King that had risen from the water. "This will probably last at lease a week." he strolled back to land. "Take your time and head in that direction." he pointed. "You'll get to an inhibited island in four days."

"What?" Luffy demanded, seeing the musing Aokiji after they saw the survivors off.

"How should I put it..." Aokiji stated. "You're just like your gramps, Monkey D. Luffy. You're free-spirited, or should I say, hard to figure out?"

"Gramps..." Luffy stammered.

"Now you've done it." Sasha sighed. "Aniki still hasn't gotten over the trauma of grandfather's 'Fists of Love'."

"Your gramps really helped me a while back." Aokiji admitted. "The reason I came here was to have a look at Nico Robin and the two of you." he looked at Luffy and Sasha. "On second thought, maybe you should die now, huh? The government is still taking you lightly, but if I delve into your history, I can tell that your group has a backbone. Although your group is small, since it's gathering shrewd members, it'll probably become a problem later on. The circumstances that initially led to your search orders, all the actions you took up until now, the speed of your group's progress; I've been dealing with outlaws for a long time, but it worries me to think how you'll turn out. The reason I especially regard you guys as dangerous, is you, Nico Robin."

"So, you're after Robin after all!" Luffy snapped. "I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!"

"Her bounty amount isn't just an indication of her strength." Aokiji droned. "It's also indicates the level of danger she poses to the government. That's why you got a 79-million Berry bounty on your head at the age of eight. I'm impressed that your survived as a child. You betrayed people and ran away. You gained people's favor and used them. You've survived in the underworld by being quick to switch sides. So this is the group that you chose as your next hideout, huh?"

"How insulting you are!" Sanji snapped. "What grudge do you hold against Robin-chan?"

"I don't have a grudge against her." Aokiji corrected. "If we were somehow connected, it's that I let her get away once, that's about it. It was a long time ago. You guys will eventually realize it, too. In the not-so-distant future, you'll regret you took in such a troublesome woman. As proof, the organizations Nico Robin had something to do with up until today, all got annihilated." he got up. "Except for her. I wonder why, Nico Robin?"

"Just get to the point already!" Robin snapped, readying to attack. "if you want to capture me, go ahead and do it!"

"20 years ago," Sasha stated calmly, her Divine Haki radiating around her. "What was the justification of initiating Buster Call on an island of defenseless archaeologists? Yes," she noted Aokiji's raised brow. "I know of Ohara and... Jaguar D. Saul. What is the Gorosei so fearful of? No, it could not be the revival of the Ancient Weapons; what they are truly afraid of is...the truth of the Void Century. Am I wrong?"

"You..." Aokiji was taken aback. "What... who are you?"

"I am Queen Selena, the Dragon Empress." Sasha declared, her Divine Haki strengthening as the image of an Oriental dragon manifested behind her. "More than 800 years ago, I was betrayed by the ancestors of the Celestial Dragons." Sasha stated matter-of-factly. "Simply because their puny egos couldn't stand the fact that they were ruled by a woman. I sense you are a reasonable man, despite your allegiance; can you truly say the Celestial Dragons, descendants of Queenslayers, deserve to rule this world?"

"Then, Dragon Empress, what is your intention?" Aokiji asked.

"My purpose is simple." Sasha replied. "Reveal the truth of the Void Century and let the world decide. And if the common people wishes to dethrone the Celestial Dragons, then I will topple the World Government and reclaim what was initially mine."

SailorStar9: Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.