Chapter 5. Nico Robin, Duelling Giants and A Talking Reindeer Doctor.
The now named Nico Robin sat a little more comfortably, she explained why she was on Merry and why she was helping Crocodile destroy Alabasta, without actually helping him. She told them about her devil fruit, the flower flower fruit, Robin could bloom parts of her body onto any visible surface. She could also spawn eyes and ears around a given area which sounded perfect for recon and surveillance.
She hadn't planned on telling them such info but she felt she had no choice right now. The crew were in no doubt as to how strong she could be if she learned the skills they knew. Luffy already knew Robin's backstory courtesy of Betty. This was the woman Luffy hoped to meet in Alabasta, luckily she came to them.
Betty was the main reason Robin was more relaxed, Robin had heard of Betty and her connections to the Revolutionary Army. knowing she was onboard took away some of her worries. Betty knew better than anybody the skills Nico Robin had, she was a master of her craft and even the RA had trouble tracking her.
Not only had Robin survived, she had thrived. She improved and advanced many times, having an eighty million beri bounty as an eight year old kinda forced your hand. Luckily for Robin she was no ordinary eight year old, she already had the tools she needed to survive. Her only issue was she had nobody and nowhere to go. She was a fugitive little girl and many people would try and use her for their own benefit without a second thought.
She had lived alone in the shadows. Growing, learning and waiting. By the time she was eighteen years old she was a beautiful and intelligent, articulate and seriously sexy to a degree that wasn't even fair young woman. Information had become relatively easy to acquire, granted she had broken more bones than she originally intended. Not one hand had ever been allowed to touch her.
The next six years were wasted on fruitless endeavours and wild goose chases while she desperately searched for the truth. Eventually she found herself in the sandy kingdom of Alabasta. Within months a partnership had been formed.
Robin heard Alabasta was home to something she spent most of her life longing to find. The poneglyphs, special indestructible stones that are inscribed with ancient knowledge, written in an ancient text that as far as she knew only she could read. The ones she learned from were all killed when the government authorised a buster call on ohara, Robin had survived alone since the day the world government took everything from her.
That is why she was labelled as an enemy of the world. A dirty lie, nothing more.
Robin could only do so much on her own, if she had a dependable like minded group of people, a crew you could say. Maybe she still had a chance to make her dream become reality, before the real demons chasing her finally caught up.
Once Robin finished her story, which just flowed from her lips unchecked including how she met and partnered with a Warlordd, although she had no real reason to divulge as much as she did. She definitely felt better. Maybe it was the fact that as she spoke she could see the faces of everyone around her warp into rage filled scowls or the fact she sensed zero hostility at all. She didn't know for sure but she felt so much better for it.
Robin had incredible instincts honed over two decades, they were screaming absolutely nothing at her, they were silent comfortable even. She had never felt as calm as she did now. For the first time in twenty years she felt peace.
Nami looked at Luffy already knowing what was running through his mind as he stared at Robin and it wasn't her huge chest that seemed to be working diligently to free itself from its confines. She had said the one word Luffy could not ignore.
"She said the D word Nami" he said softly, making his lover smile. He asked the question, "You said you have a dream Robin, would you care to tell us what it is?", the hope in his voice obvious to those who knew him.
Robin could not help but stare at the teen captain, his eyes seemed to bore straight through her but in a rather pleasant way. Before she even realised she had matched his grin, her lips moved without control, "my dream is to learn the true history of the void century, by finding the Rio poneglyphs and learning the true history of the world". The passion in her voice was absolute, the whole crew could feel it in her words.
Nami was the first to speak, "are you willing to put yourself through back breaking training needed to back up your convictions?".
"Yes" was her simple and immediate answer. Her beautiful smile didn't budge.
The whole crew smiled knowing what came next.
Nami continued, "Are you willing to stake your life for it?". Nami already knew the answer but she knew Luffy wanted to hear her say it.
Robin turned to Nami, "of course, that is what I've been doing for years". She said with the same passion. "Thank you Robin, now I think our captain has one last question for you". They smiled at eachother as they looked back to Luffy.
Luffy however surprised them all, Nami included.
"Everybody on deck!" he said with authority. Robin was shocked at his tone and the speed at which the crew followed his orders. She was even more surprised when they all seemed to blur from the room. She froze, did they set her up, were these people really who they said they were or were they part of the plot to bring her down.
She shook as she stood, her legs felt heavy and uncooperative. All the worst case scenarios flashed through her mind as she made her way outside. She reached for the door handle but needed two attempts to turn it. She opened it and exited the kitchen to learn her fate.
As she approached them they were still smiling and she could sense no ill intention. They looked the same as just a few seconds ago.
They were expecting questions from her but she simply stood, fists clenched like she was ready to fight them all to survive. Before Luffy could ask her to join, he had to make sure she could trust them. She had mentioned cp9 and Luffy had been told who used the techniques by his grandfather as he was learning them, so he had to show her they were genuine in their intentions towards her.
Luffy began,"I know you recognise what we all just did". She nodded.
He continued, "We are not a part of that organisation of lapdogs, nor are we anything like them. I was taught by my gramps over the last decade or so, he is a vice-admiral in the marines and did not hold back on me, I genuinely had to fight to survive him most of the time". Robin nodded her understanding.
He could feel Nami getting upset as she remembered some of the states she often found him in after the old bastard left. He continued on, "When I ate my fruit, no when we ate our fruits, He grabbed Nami's hand tightly, my grandpa knew I would grow up to be a real force to be reckoned with. He decided to try entice me to be a marine by teaching me what he called, The Ninja Moves".
"As a seven year old boy I was instantly drawn in and of course I wanted to learn these ninja moves after hanging around with super cool pirates for the last year, they could do some of the amazing things I expected all ninja could do, shishi". For some unknown reason all the Male members were grinning madly at the thought of ninja.
The female members all stood with their heads tilted in confusion, Robin included. Though she was pretty sure ninja were nothing compared to this boy and his crew. The women didn't know what ninja meant to all men, bless em.
Luffy carried on," That is when he started teaching me the rokushiki techniques. I was so far above kids even twice my age in terms of speed, strength and all round physical ability and that was without the hybrid fruit I ate, the gum gum hellcat fruit".
"With those powers and the Genes I was made of their really was no limit to what I was capable of. I took to those techniques like a duck to water. I progressed faster than he could have dreamed by a wide margin. What he did not know shishishi, was I was teaching Nami everything he taught me when he wasn't there. That is why she is so tough now, shes been doing this as long as I have and she has been planning this journey for the best part of a decade".
Even his crew sans Betty looked surprised, although it did explain some things.
Robin was now more relaxed, she believed every word he said and found her admiration for him and the orangette growing rapidly.
Luffy was far from done so he continued on, " Nami and I never relented in our training not even for a second, not even to this day. A lot of things happened in the last ten years but that is for another time. On my sixteenth birthday that is when we met Betty, she had been sent by my father to see what kind of man I would become".
"She taught us many things in the twelve months following her arrival, about ourselves and eachother and once the year was up we begged her to stay and travel with us. After she spoke to my father, who actively encouraged her to travel with us even though he would be losing his east blue commander she agreed to join us and now she is my vice captain ".
"She taught us about the real dangers of the world and made us aware of the many grey areas too. That is when she told us about you Robin, how the world had robbed you of everything and forced you to foot the bill for your own destruction, how could an eight year old destroy a fleet of battleships".
"We both hated that and promised one day we would find you and help you fight those evils. We were hoping to meet you in Alabasta, luckily you found us".
He finished and looked at Robin who had tears streaming down her face, she couldn't comprehend how these two mere teens could have the strength to seek out an enemy of the world just so they could help her, it was just so alien to Robin. just looking at the face of the orangette, who also had tears running freely down her cheeks gave her such a wanted loving feeling, she had not felt this way since before the day her beautiful mother Olvia was ripped away for all eternity.
After giving her a few seconds for her to process the information she was hearing he continued to speak, "With all that said Robin, I am going to ask you to join. First I think you need one final push and we aim to not disappoint. Crew state your dreams" he said in a booming voice. They all did just that loudly and proudly.
Robin was truly blown away by the conviction of the small crew, they spoke like the only obstacle was time.
Luffy stood there, the obvious driving force behind the entire crew along with his navigator. Zoro then asked if it was time to show off yet, while grinning at his captain. Luffy smiled back at his relentless first mate. "Alright Robin I guess it is time to show you what you Will be learning if you join us".
"Get comfy beautiful, this will be fun" Nami said happily. Robin did just that, she was dying to see what they were capable of, just imagining using these techniques that haunted her so, was such an adrenaline rush.
Luffy decided to get the ball rolling,"okay let's start at the bottom, Shave is first Robin and it is really simple and the easiest to learn. Simply kick the ground ten times in the blink of an eye". He got Sanji to show her, the blonde stood in front of her and kicked the ground a dozen times and blurred the length of the deck, he did it again and was back infront of Robin.
"I could do none of these things a month ago Robin-chan" Sanji said as he blew a heart shaped smoke ring. Robin's eye twitched at the chan part but smiled at the smoke heart.
"It really is that easy Robin, Nami will show you Geppo" Luffy said. Nami nodded and hopped up into the sky effortlessly, Robin could here the sound of each step as Nami seemingly hopped on nothing. Nami fell back to deck and landed like a cat, making Robin smile. "Geppo is kicking the air so fast and hard it creates a platform for you to push off resulting in what you just saw, interested?", he asked. Robin nodded with a smile.
"Good , now its Rankyaku, Betty if you would". Betty smiled and used Geppo to get airborne before releasing a vicious roundhouse kick, a blade of wind shot out in a perfect arc and slammed into the ocean, leaving a trench one hundred metres long by ten metres wide, the ocean then rushed back in to fill the vacated space resulting in a twenty metre column of spray climbing into the air before it fell back down, as did Betty.
"Next is kami-e, Nami can show you this one too", he said. "Zoro attack me with all three swords", she said. Zoro was quickly on his feet as he attacked her, he disappeared and reappeared a metre infront of the petite navigator. Robin thought there was no way for her to not take damage.
Imagine her shock when Nami simply said "Kami-e" and started moving like paper in the wind. She avoided every slash and stab attack he threw at her effortlessly. She vanished and appeared a hundred feet above him and swung her leg in an arc, "Dark Rankyaku" she called out as a black tinted air blade raced towards Zoro.
He instantly took his stance, "Oni Giri" he roared to counter her attack. He shot forward and met the blade head on, after a few seconds his arms seemed to bulge and he overpowered Nami's attack. Before anybody knew it she was sat in her deckchair. "Good job Zoro, I put a lot into that attack". He smirked at her, "yes I know you did" he said slightly peeved he could not do that yet.
"Tekkai next ", the captain said. He got the whole crew to attack him and stood wholly unconcerned as he was kicked, punched and attacked with katana. Robin wondered just how strong Luffy really was, he could take on his entire crew effortlessly, Nami and Betty who were clearly more advanced than the others included.
After showing the last one Shigan which really took Robin's fancy as she thought of using it with her powers. He gave a brief explanation of Haki and gave a quick demonstration of it, then everything calmed down. There were still questions to be asked and answered.
"So what do you think Robin, you interested in learning these skills, with your devil fruit you would be monstrous in a year or two". He asked her.
She smirked at him,"yes but how do you know I wont try using them on you or your crew once i learned them", Robin asked honestly.
He looked at her with a glare, making her tense a little. "That's simple Robin, you are Nakama now, Nakama dont do those things to eachother", he said as his face changed to a smile.
Robin shed new tears as she thought about something somebody dear to her once said a long time ago. He was right!, in just an hour with this crew Nico Robin had been smashed to pieces and rebuilt brand new.
"Robin, join my crew. Sail with us on our crazy adventure of dreams", he asked as his crew stood either side of him, all expecting a positive outcome and a new Nakama.
Robin could hold it in no longer, tears fell as the walls of her reservoir collapsed. She wanted to fall but stood strong, she wanted to hide but light filled her darkness. She wanted to kill every one of them for playing such a horrendous joke on her but she knew it was real. She always wanted friends she could rely on, to comfort her to pick her up when she fell and to make her laugh when she was sad.
Suddenly there was a moment of clarity, like the eye of a hurricane, she became calm again. She looked into Luffys eyes, "what do you want Robin?", he asked her in a soft tone. "I-I want to live, please take me to sea with you", she cried as loud as she could.
She felt many arms wrap around her, holding her tight offering the warmth and comfort she needed for so long. She was offered everything a family gave, She had never been happier than she was now and simply basked in the radiance of her new crew, no her new family on her new home, with the brand new future ahead.
"Welcome aboard Robin, Strawhat archeologist and Nakama of the future king of the pirates" Luffy said softly as her face was buried in his chest.
After the events of the morning Robin was resting in a bed Nami made up for her in the ladies quarters, she was sleeping soundly as the day left her exhausted. She would sleep for as long as she wanted, recharging as much as possible. Luffy's training was none optional.
They would spend the rest of the day relaxing as everything they did made noise. They had been warned by the world's scariest navigator, she never spoke a word as a simple look was enough for them.
The following morning Sanji prepared breakfast, it was still an hour before he made the call to his Nakama. Sanji heard the door creak behind him, he turned to see Nico Robin looking refreshed and wearing some of Betty's clothes as Nami's would have been too small. She wore simple white Jean's with a white tank, hoody and a black baseball cap with white pumps. Her hair was in a messy ponytail.
"morning cook-San, that smells wonderful" she said happily as she sat at the table.
He smiled back at the ravenette bombshell, "morning Robin-chan, large black with a hint of vanilla?" he asked as he boiled some water.
"Yes please" she replied. "You want a snack to tide you over until everyone else arrives?" he asked. She declined politely saying she did not mind waiting so they could eat together for the first time, the thought of her new friends made her smile, her heart was so full right now.
About twenty minutes later she heard feminine voices. She turned to face the door and was met by three huge smiles as they walked over to their seats. "morning Robin, did you sleep well?" Nami asked.
"Like a baby" she replied.
Nami was wearing tight blue Jean's, a dark hoodie and sneakers with her hair in a messy ponytail. Betty wore black jeans with an over sized sweater and a beeny hat with her shades. Vivi wore Jean's a little tank and pumps with her usual fur lined jacket.
Nami led them as they all took their seats. Sanji served them all their usual beverages, freshly squeezed orange for Nami, Earl grey tea for Betty and Vivi had a milky coffee. The four women sat and got to know eachother better, talking about what women usually talked about.
Zoro was next followed by Usopp. They were both given their morning drinks, oolong tea for Usopp and sake of course for Zoro. "Sake for breakfast? Robin asked the swordsman. He nodded stating, "there was never a bad time to drink". She giggled at him, at least he owned it.
The wait was on, the wait for the customary sign their captain was awake and Hungry. Then it came "Sanji Meat!", the daily signal for Sanji to begin plating breakfast. They felt fast heavy footsteps that seemed to shake merry as they landed.
The kitchen door whipped open, revealing a shirtless Strawhat wearing captain. The three females drooled slightly at the sight, it was the first time Robin had seen him like this, she had to admit he looked good, really good infact. Robin felt a hand tap her arm gently, making the archaeologist stiffen when she realised she was staring at the navigators boyfriend.
She turned to Nami and could see the wicked smile on her face, "like what you see Robin?" she whispered. Robin shook her head in denial, "you must be drooling at something else then", Nami teased. "we can talk about it later". Robin nodded while sighing.
Nami squeezed her arm gently, "it's ok Robin, he has that effect on every woman he meets", Robin could only nod again. Luffy took his seat and breakfast was underway. The crew getting to know their new crewmate better.
The Strawhats continued onto their next destination, little garden was its name Robin informed them. With a brief description of what kind of place it was before Luffy cut her off, politely saying he wanted to find out for himself. Which made Robin smile, he really was different, happily sailing to unknown lands without a care in the world. It would be another four days til they reached it.
Until then it would be training and then more training, as Luffy's sadistic side returned with a vengeance. He even upped it by twenty percent, mostly because Zoro was never satisfied and always felt like he should be doing more.
Luffy and Nami made a routine for Robin to follow, based on what she was capable of already and what would benefit her most. Robin agreed, the thought of crushing cp9 singlehandedly would be her biggest motivation. Aswel as protecting her new family, She was determined to never lose this feeling of belonging.
She would become a monster slayer, truth be told she could not wait. After four days of lifting weights and performing fitness drills mixed in with meditationn, alongside Rokushiki and Haki training which had been a real eye opener for the stunning archeologist. She already had a great devil fruit, which with an awakening would be so powerful, add Haki and Rokushiki Robin would be a one woman army.
"Island Ahead!", Usopp shouted from the crows nest, earning the crews attention. They all stood on deck, "how long Usopp" Nami asked. "About thirty minutes" replied the sniper. "Alright everybody get ready and prepare for anything, this is an ancient island who knows what we will find" the navigator said before she and the other women entered their quarters.
A minute under half an hour later they reached the island and dropped anchor. Before the crew disembarked Nami told them the plan, they would separate into two teams. Luffy, Nami, Robin and Usopp were team one, Betty, Zoro, Sanji and Vivi would be team two. They would explore the island and contact eachother if they found anything of note.
Sanji had special orders from Luffy, "Keep Vivi safe at all costs, understood?". It was safe to say he would be taking those orders deadly serious.
Before they set out there was some things to give Robin. "Robin, can you come here for a second please" Nami asked. Robin smiled and made her way over to Nami. "We have a few things for you, first is your den den mushi" Robin was surprised to be given a black transponder snail, she obviously knew what it was. "Both mine and Luffy's numbers are on the base.
Robin's snail took on her features, black hair, a defined nose and big blue eyes. She smiled as she put it in her satchel. Next Nami gave her Luffy's vivre card, "I assume you know how it works ?", the navigator asked. Robin laid it in her palm and watched as it moved towards the captain.
"Next is your seastone blade, I'm sure you are aware of its uses". Robin nodded as she looked at the beautiful little katana like blade. "Finally Robin I want you to have this" Nami said as she pulled out her other golden staff.
She handed it to Robin, she looked at it in awe at the intricate carvings and patterns before she spoke,"Nami-San this staff is at least four hundred years old, where did you find these" she asked. Nami grinned, "I stole them from the nobles of Goa kingdom, they had way more stuff than they needed so I lightened their load a little".
Luffy laughed at her, "I'd hardly call over a billion beri a little Nami, shishishi", he said. "you stole over a billion beri from Goa, how on earth did you pull that off Nami-San?" Robin asked. "Let's just say my devil fruit allowed me to convince them to part with vast portions of their wealth, pretty simple really" she said as she shrugged her shoulders.
Robin realised she hadn't asked Nami what fruit she ate, before she could ask the navigator answered the unasked question. "I ate the warp warp fruit Robin, I can warp anything anywhere instantly, I can also warp minds and objects. I mainly use it for speed right now, not even Luffy can beat me in a race from points A-B, one step and I can be anywhere instantly" she finished.
Robin was seriously impressed by the eighteen year old, especially since Robin could also tell how intelligent she was too. She was as smart as she was but again Robin had twenty years experience compared to Nami's few months. Nothing beat real world experience.
Nami gave her a quick how to, "Hold it at arms length Robin and push the little button right there". Robin pushed the button and a two foot section shot out from one end, a small "eek" left Robin's lips in the process, causing Nami to giggle. Robin quickly corrected herself, coughing daintily into the top of her manicured hand, ignoring the giggles around her.
"Push the button again Robin" Nami instructed. Robin did and the end retracted. "If you hold that button for two seconds, both ends will extend". Robin pushed and held the button and like Nami said both ends shot out. The staff was now a little under seven feet long, Robin held the button and both ends retracted.
"Thank you, its beautiful i promise to look after it Nami-san" she said as she studied the relic. Nami smiled as the beauty hugged her, "it's yours Robin, do what you want with it, it's exactly the same as mine as they were a pair and dont thank me thank the nobles of goa". "fufu" Robin giggled shaking her head, Nami stuck her tongue out.
Robin already knew she was going to have a great relationship with the beautiful navigator. She also decided to keep it in her hand so she could get used to the weight of the heavy gold staff.
Nami then unexpectedly turned to Usopp, "Usopp I have something for you too, I think you will really like them. I dont know if you could use them , they would look pretty badass at your hips though". She handed him a flat case which he set down on the deck before opening the lid. His eyes lit up as he picked one of the golden revolvers out of its case.
He was speechless, he had never seen anything as beautiful, well except Kaya. He had seen all manner of weapons, mostly in magazines. He knew these were of a much higher quality altogether. They were pure gold and he could tell they would be very powerful and accurate.
He would definitely be able to use them with his powers, Mr five did so he had no doubt the great sniperking Usopp can do a much better job. "I would like to test them while we are here if that is ok captain?" he asked. "Sure, you cant really train on merry so I think we can spend a little time working on your devil fruit Usopp" his captain replied with a smile.
Luffy already knew what was on the island as he could sense it clearly. There was only two threats on the island but there was also a few human signatures, nothing his crew should be worried about. "Adventure!" he yelled out, as usual his excitement got the better of him. Robin could only sweat drop at the insanely strong little kid. "Does he always act like a little kid?" she asked Nami.
Nami smirked at her, "Yes, but leave out the little" she replied making Robin and Vivi blush heavy. Nami just laughed as the crew split up and made their way towards the interior of the island. In the direction of what looked like mountains.
As they moved into the forest Nami could see Luffy was itching to explore and she knew he wanted to do some training with Usopp. Since she had no idea how long her logpose would take to reset she saw no harm in letting him have his fun.
"Luffy" she chirped sweetly. Two seconds later he was stood infront of her with his hands on her hips. "What's wrong Nami, are you hurt?". Robin saw the momentary concern on his face at the thought something might have happened to Nami, she smiled at the interaction between the teens.
"I'm fine Luffy" she said. "You want to do some training with Usopp, we could be here a while so I think you have a couple of hours before we meet Betty and the others for lunch, sound good?" she asked her captain.
He looked at Usopp, " sound good?" Luffy asked his sniper. Usopp nodded with a thumbs up adding, "sounds good". He turned back to Nami and scooped her up, he kissed her deep for a few seconds, Nami made sure Robin could see, Luffy finally put her down. He then wrapped his right arm around the nearest tree and his left a dozen times around Usopp.
"bye bye " Nami said waving at him. They shot through and over the tree tops.
Nami turned to Robin and linked arms, "do you wanna train or explore" she asked already knowing her answer. The two women started walking towards an overgrown jungle on an ancient prehistoric island chatting happily completely unconcerned.
Two other women on the island were not having such a good time. "Why did we get stuck with these two idiots?" Vivi moaned getting a laugh from Betty. All they had done since the teams parted was fight over a stupid hunting contest that started when Sanji asked Zoro to keep an eye out for anything they could take back to merry to restock the meat supplies.
Not to mention Zoro constantly trying to go the wrong way for no apparent reason, even walking in a straight line.
The revolutionary and the princess decided to take their leave and went off on their own. Sanji came back to where he thought they were and slumped when he remembered what his captain had said "I'm a dead man if anything happened to Vivi, stupid mossheads fault, I'm gonna kill him before I die" he went charging back to his rival to continue the contest.
Luffy and Usopp were now stood in a good sized clearing discussing how Usopp could best use his abilities. He already had some promising ideas for ammunition for his revolvers and his new slingshot he got at Loguetown. All he needed was the raw materials to make dozens of bullets and packinkos. his slingshot ammo was easy to make, he would just drill a tiny hole, inject his sweat and seal it up with putty, making his lead stars way more powerful and deadly.
Luffy told him he should try to ignite himself so he could get used to the feeling of his power, turned out it was quite easy to do. Luffy obviously turned it into a game, for the first hour they played cat and mouse where Usopp would try and burn Luffys clothes but as much as he tried he could not score a hit on his captain, he came close but Luffy was just too fast. Usopp was getting a good feel for his powers though.
The second hour was spent punching rocks and trees trying to control the size and ferocity of the explosions. He wanted his powers/explosions to be directly proportional to the amount of strength he used. Which would eventually support some form of tier system which would regulate his powers in actual combat.
When he had more time with it, a simple system of numbers and letters would be used for close combat. One would be a small explosion and one A would be a small short explosion whereas ten J would be the most powerful huge explosion with a long duration. He didn't really know if it would work but it was only his initial thoughts and would no doubt evolve over time.
He couldn't just carpet an area when he was fighting alongside his Nakama so he hoped he could reach the point where he could focus his explosions to a fine point enabling him to pinpoint his attacks locally rather than just blowing somebody up.
By the time they finished Usopp had laid waste to a good portion of the immediate jungle and was pretty exhausted. Now he knew what his powers were and how he could control them he felt a lot better. He was also thinking of a way he could repay Nami, her gesture of faith had changed his life forever.
Luffys snail rang just as the two hours were up. "Hey Nami, what's up?" Luffy asked his lover.
"Nothing is wrong, we are at camp and Sanji is making dinner, didn't think you would want to miss out on all this lovely dino meat" she replied in a teasing tone. Luffy had no intention of missing out on such tasty sounding meat so asked her to come get them which she did. A few seconds later Luffy took his first bite of dino meat. "Its so good" he said crying tears of happiness.
Laughter echoed through the jungle as a fun time was had by all, except one. The little pig tailed girl who was clearly upset at the death of her partner. He was given the option to surrender but ignored it due to his own ignorance. Unluckily for him the first people he tried to attack was a pissed off swordsman and a very heated chef who were in the middle of their contest.
At the time of the interruption Sanji was winning which meant Zoro was already well up for a fight. So when the freak in the wax suit tried to take them by surprise it didn't end well for him.
Zoro focused on his katana as he applied his Haki as well as he could and activated the new attack he was learning. "Dark Demon Cutter" he shouted just as Mr three sent a wave of wax his way, Zoro was too fast and appeared behind mr three as he slid Wado into its scabbard, as it clicked the wax armour fell off his body as three horrible wounds exploded in a geyser of blood.
If that didn't kill him then the dozens of flaming kicks on and around the wounds certainly did as Sanji battered him into the ground.
Sanji pulled out his snail to contact Nami to tell her what happened and ask what they should do with the little girl. He was told to forget about the body and bring the girl back to her. Nami asked Zoro to look for the devil fruit of Mr three. They had their orders and returned to camp.
When they arrived back at camp they were surprised to see two giants sat with the crew. The giants were huge and the crew found out they had been duelling for a century for a reason lost in time. When Zoro and Sanji began bickering again about who had the biggest catch, the giants named Dorry and Brogy had a eureka moment.
"Gegyagyagyagya, Thank you tiny humans, we remember why we started duelling in the first place" Dory said
"Gabababababa, It was a hunting contest, we could not decide which was the biggest, so according to Elbaf law we decided to settle it with a divine duel" Brogy added.
Robin was next to speak, "you are still fighting a hundred years later because a winner of the contest could not be decided, correct?" she asked.
Both giants nodded looking a little embarrassed. It turned out the mountains were not mountains at all, they were the skeletons of their catches from a century ago. "Give me a minute" said Nami. She used Geppo to sore above the skeletons so she could get a better view of their sizes. She could see the one on the left was longer.
She fell back to camp, "the one on the left as we look at them is the biggest, so whoever caught that one is the winner" she told them.
Brogy threw his arms into the air, "Sorry old friend but it looks like I'm the winner of our divine duel, Gegyagyagyagya" he said to his friend.
Dorry smiled back at his friend, " it looks that way, I couldn't have lost to a better rival, Gababababa" he replied as the two shook hands, " now if there was only a way to get back home " he added. " where is your ship?" Luffy asked.
The giants deflated as they remembered what the island eater had done to their ship. "our ship was completely destroyed by a huge sea king that lives off the coast, even if we wanted to return to Elbaf we have no ship, even if we did we have no way to navigate home" Dorry said in sadness.
Betty smiled, "I might be able to help you with that problem, Nami could you warp us back to the ship plz?" she asked. Nami nodded.
Nami and Betty came back a few minutes later. Betty walked upto the giants and held out her hands, "I got this from somebody I believe you know, my friend and associate Morley" she said as she handed Dorry an eternal pose to Elbaf.
Both huge figures were shocked that she knew Morley, the rather eccentric giant known for wearing short skirts. "I never thought that weirdo would be a factor in us returning home but I sure am glad he gave you that pose lady" Brogy told her.
"Having seen what you two built to live in I'm sure building a ship big enough for the two of you wouldn't take too long, What's a couple more years when you know you will be heading home when its complete?" Sanji added.
Both giants laughed," well said little one, we've been here for a hundred what is a couple more indeed, thank you all for helping us maybe we will see you in Elbaf one day, we will ensure a heroes welcome if you do, that is a promise" Brogy said getting a nod in agreement from Dorry.
Luffy had stars in his eyes at the thought about the land of the Giants.
"We will definitely go there one day" Usopp said after witnessing Dorry and Brogy's honour bound duel.
"Dorry how long does it take for the logpose to set?" Nami asked. "Not long, only a year" replied Dorry. "What, a whole year?" Nami screeched before her brain filled in the gaps. "Ah! wait, it's a volcanic island so the magnetic field will be very large and strong, makes sense". Both giants nodded at her.
Vivi was the one to address the navigator, "Nami-san, I already have an eternal pose to Alabasta so we dont need to wait a year".
Nami turned to Vivi before she turned to a giggling Nico Robin. Nami steamed upto her hands on hips, "You've got one too I take it?", Robin nodded before pulling it out of her satchel, still giggling at the flushed orangette. Nami then looked at Betty, "Dont say a word". Betty burst out laughing along with the crew and the giants at the navigators woes.
They returned to Merry by hitching a lift on the shoulders of giants. The crew loaded all the dinosaur meat they could into the fridge, freezer and dry storage. It wouldn't last too long if the captain had his way. The preserving salts were not needed. Before preparing Merry to sail.
They said there farewells to their new friends and possible future allies and sailed directly forward, like they had been instructed by the giants. The crew knew Luffy could destroy the island eater but this was the right thing to do just so Dorry and Brogy could keep their honour by helping just as they were helped.
The island eater rose out of the depths, it was ginormous and Vivi was about to comment how cute it was, then it opened its vast maw exposing razor sharp teeth the size of redwoods. Nami turned to the giants as they were beginning to be drawn in to its cavernous body.
Dorry took a stance as they looked at the monstrous goldfish, "So, you're fully grown, island eater" he said.
Brogy took his own stance next to Dorry, "You wont be eating anymore islands again" he added.
Dorry was then surrounded by a purple aura as Brogy was surrounded by a red aura, then in unison, "Only the blood-stained serpent can we not pierce!, behold the strongest spear of the giant warrior tribe of Elbaf!". They roared as they both swung their mighty battleaxe and long sword which were both black.
A huge swirling beam of energy left each weapon and raced towards the giant fish, the beams merged and grew in density as a result. "Hakoku!" they bellowed as the attack hit and blasted a huge hole front to back out of their target giving the Merry a path forward as the island eater began to sink to the depths below.
Dorry and Brogy would probably eat it over the next few weeks and months. The strawhats and the giant warriors waved until they could no longer see or hear eachother.
"Well that was certainly a fun adventure, we met giants, Usopp was able to get a little bit of practice done, we ate tasty dinosaur meet and were all fine, I'd give it an eight out of ten, Nami take a note" said the boisterous captain. "yup not bad for our first real island on the grandline" Usopp added.
Betty did her usual reporting to HQ, while Nami, Robin and Vivi spoke to the now named Marianne about what she wanted to do now, they knew she couldn't go back to Baroque works but she could stay with Vivi once Alabasta was freed. The young girl liked the idea of living with a princess.
Once things calmed down the crew slipped into the normal routine, they had not done anything strenuous on the island so there was no need to rest. After a few hours though he called a stop to it and in classic Luffy style he was sat painting with Marianne on Merrys deck, laughing and comparing pictures as Nami watched him fondly.
Once Betty finished her report she decided to grab some clothes before heading to the shower. She entered the room and began picking out something to wear, she heard a wheeze coming from where Robin was napping. Then she heard a strained groan coming from the same place.
She walked over to Robin's cot and called her name quietly, "Robin" she got no response.
Betty moved closer and gently shook Robin's arm, "Robin can you hear me?" she said a bit louder. Robin finally stirred enough to look at Betty but said nothing. She was sweating profusely and her breathing was laboured, she looked in a bad way.
Betty placed her hand on Robin's forehead, it was so hot Betty's armament activated to protect her hand. She pulled her hand away and the black faded, she rushed out of the room, "Luffy, Nami come quickly, its Robin there's something seriously wrong with her, my Haki activated as soon as I touched her forehead to see if she had a fever. She's not well at all!" she said clear as she could.
Nami touched Luffy's hand and they were instantly at her side. "Robin its Nami, can you hear me" she asked as she moved Robin's hair away from her face. Robin barely had the energy to nod.
Nami turned to Luffy, "Sorry but you will have to leave us Luffy, I need to get her out of these clothes. Can you send Vivi to help and ask Betty to bring a bowl of water and a towel please, I will call you when she's more comfortable". Luffy didn't say anything, he just went and did what was asked of him.
Vivi entered to help Nami with Robin's clothing. The princess was shocked at how sick Robin had become in only a few hours, she had been a bit cold with Robin initially but once she heard her story she realised the archaeologist was doing the same thing Vivi was, surviving. How could you hate somebody for that, She now saw Robin as a symbol of hope. The walking definition of Never give up.
Luffy looked at Sanji and then at Marianne, without exchanging a word Sanji took the young girl into the kitchen to keep her occupied. "Is she gonna be ok?" she asked.
"I'm sure she will be fine" Sanji said, "she's very strong that woman, shes survived worse than this now come on I have something you will like". She smiled at him as they entered the kitchen.
Nami and Vivi worked quickly yet gently as they took her sodden Jean's and tank off, they checked her body while they could. "Nami-San look at this" the princess said.
Vivi had found a deep swollen bruise with two little red marks at the small of her back, it looked like a really bad bug bite but it was clearly more serious.
Betty came in just as they found it, "any ideas Betty, I've never seen anything like it". Betty shook her head as she looked at the bite, "I dont Nami, I never saw anything like it either, I'm gonna go check any medical texts I have in my chest" she answered before leaving the room.
Nami sighed as she placed the damp towel on her friends head, hoping it would at least do something. "Vivi will you tell Luffy he can come in please?, I can feel his worry". Vivi left the room and Luffy walked in a few seconds later and sat by his Nakama's side.
Nami pulled up another chair and sat at Luffy's side as he grabbed Robin's hand, he felt fractionally better when he felt a little tensing of her hand at his touch.
"Is she gonna be ok Nami?" he asked with hope in his voice. "I dont know, whatever it is I've never seen it before and it's so aggressive it's scary, it reduced her to this state in just a matter of hours Luffy, I just hope Betty can find something in those texts she has".
Luffy didn't know what to say, he felt like shit. He could fight most enemies with his fists but he couldn't punch a deadly bug bite.
Betty trawled through every medical text she had but nothing matched the description of Robin's bite mark. She knew they had just left an ancient island, so the bugs and parasites could very well be ancient too. worse case scenario, there was no cure. Betty sunk that thought, there was a cure they just had to find it.
Betty told the captain and navigator she couldn't find a match in any book and that the best course of action was to keep on sailing and hope they could find a doctor who could first diagnose it and then hopefully treat it. Robin's temperature was almost a hundred and five degrees, she was edging closer to her body shutting down.
For the next three days the crew tended to their Nakama round the clock, making sure she was as comfortable as she could be as she battled what was trying to kill her. The crew could do nothing to actually ease her pain as they had almost no medical knowledge outside of regular ailments or injuries.
Robin had got progressively worse over the last three days, she was in and out of consciousness constantly and her temperature was now over one hundred and five, if it continued to climb she would die.
Then the words they had been longing to hear finally came, "island!" Usopp shouted, the sniper had not left the crows nest since Robin was struck down. His eyes were the best so he refused to allow them to close, if Robin was fighting a killer infection then he would fight sleep with the same ferocity.
The entire crew sans Vivi who stayed to change Robin's towel rushed outside and followed the direction Usopp was pointing. It had become very cold over the last few hours so Nami presumed they were approaching a winter island, she could now confirm it as she looked in its direction.
She immediately put the crew to work to maximise Merry's speed while Betty and Vivi prepared Robin for when they reached it.
However, as the were about halfway Zoro said something unexpected, "there is a person stood on the water". His Nakama looked at him in no mood for jokes, "The hell is that supposed to mean mosshead?" Sanji asked aggressively.
Zoro grit his teeth, "It means exactly what I said damn dartbrow, there is a man stood on the goddam water, look for yourself". The crew looked and indeed there was a man standing on the ocean. Nami then reminded them about the dangers of waking Robin, "if she heard even one word of what you two loudmouthes just said, Seppuku would be the nicer option".
As Merry sailed closer to the strange man without altering course. He began to rise up and it seemed he was stood on some kind of underwater ship, Luffy thought it was cool but kept it for himself, this was definitely not the time to be pissing his girlfriend off, she had been hit hard by Robin's condition. She wished it was her who had been bitten as her Haki would have blocked the bite.
Add that to getting Vivi home in time to save her country and the result was a stressed navigator, she wouldn't be back to normal until Robin was better and they were in Alabasta. The rest of the crew were stressed too but they were all trying to be strong for eachother.
Then the hatch at the top of strange ship opened up and a rotund ugly son of a bitch climbed out and stood facing the Strawhats. "Who the hell are you commoners and why are you sailing towards my isl- was all he said in his obnoxiously loud voice as a hand grabbed him by the face and began to squeeze.
He grabbed the hand with both of his own but try as he might he could not budge it. He was then asked one simple question by a very angry captain, "Live or Die?". Luffy released his grip just enough for the man to speak.
"Live" was the mans reply, Luffy then threw him by his face and he went flying hundreds of feet up where he was met by a furious orangette, she again had only one question "Do you have anywhere you would like to visit?"she asked as she too grabbed his face, "do you know who I am?, you disgusting commoners will pay for this outrage!" he said.
"I'll take that as a no, solitary confinement it is then" she told him before he vanished to a place Nami knew of a long way away. He would be lonely for a long time that's for sure. She landed back at Luffy's side, "did you send him to that place Nami?" he whispered. She nodded with a smirk.
Luffy gave her a hug and a kiss on her forehead before sending her back inside to make sure Robin was ready."Betty, Zoro and Usopp go search that ship, see if there is anything we might be able to use, but dont damage the ship I'm taking ownership of it". Betty told her captain the Merry should continue to the island and that they would catch up. That's exactly what he did.
Betty, Zoro and Usopp entered the ship and knocked out and tied up the remaining crew before taking everything they deemed worthy of taking. Five or so minutes later they had ransacked the ship and were currently stood infront of twenty doctors all wearing dirty scrubs and explaining who they were, also who the strange man was, the former ruler of the kingdom they were heading to.
They did receive one positive bit of news though. They were told that if what Robin was bitten by was an ancient bug Drum was probably the only place in the Grandline that was home to a doctor that could treat it and that she would, but only for a large fee. Betty contacted Nami and told her about dr Kureha and asked her to come get them and the twenty doctors.
Not long after the three Strawhats were back on Merry with the ishin twenty, who were originally from Drum kingdom before Wapol took them for himself and to increase the kingdom's dependency on him. Vivi as you could imagine was livid when she heard how he treated his people.
None of that mattered to Luffy as they arrived at the island. They docked and secured Merry before Robin was lifted onto Luffys back, Nami made him take his shirt off to better maintain Robin's bodyheat as she herself wore only her underwear.
Nami and Betty then tied Two thick wool blankets around the two, Robin's legs were wrapped around Luffys waist so they could tie the bottom of the blankets to make sure there was no drafts. Nami moved Robin's hair out of her face as she slid a fur beeny over her head. She placed a soft kiss on the archaeologist's cheek and gave the orders to go find the treatment their Nakama was depending on.
The crew moved off the dock and onto land but just as they did they were confronted by a platoon of soldiers and all had rifles and pistols trained on the small crew.
Luffy was in no mood for this shit, He activated his Haki and knocked them all but one out. Robin was completely unaffected such was Luffy's control.
The only person remaining looked like a deer in the headlights but he was surprised when Nami, Betty, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp and Vivi all walked towards him and got on their knees.
"We dont want trouble our friend is dying and we heard the only person that could help her lives here, we have no idea what she was bitten by but her temperature is almost at one hundred and six please help us, your men are all fine too they are just sleeping, my captain doesn't like people pointing weapons at his crew especially when one is already at deaths door" Nami explained without raising her head.
Robin somehow heard what was said "Luffy, let me see please" she requested tiredly. Luffy turned his body enough for Robin to be able to see the entire crew and Vivi on their knees begging for help. She was too tired to cry but Luffy heard a faint "thank you" before sleep claimed her again.
The man was a large fellow with similar dimensions to Luffy, well built and around seven feet tall. "My name is Dalton, I'm a former royal guard but now I am the head of security for Drum island, how can I be sure you wont attack us once you receive help for your friend?" he asked genuinely out of concern for his own people.
Nami vanished and came back with the twenty doctors. "What?, they are the ishin twenty how are they here?" he questioned as doubt began to creep into his mind. It was the ishin twenty that put his mind at ease by explaining what had happened with wapol.
Dalton quickly lowered his guard, he was a good judge of people and he somehow knew they were genuine in their reasons so he asked them to follow him to his home so they could at least get Robin comfortable again.
Nami rushed back to Robin to make sure she was ok before they followed Dalton. They tracked through the snow and freezing conditions before reaching his humble cabin.
Dalton provided Robin with a nice warm clean and comfy bed, along with towels and fresh water. Vivi and Sanji were tending to her as Nami requested.
Once Robin was all tucked up again, Betty decided to get more information. "So Dalton, how do we find this Kureha? we dont have time to sit around waiting, our friend is dying" she asked.
Dalton looked down, "we dont find her, she finds us, he said. She has a sixth sense, that's the only way I could describe it because she always comes down and helps the ones most at risk right when they needed it the most, then she takes whatever she wants as payment. She is a bit of a rogue that one she does things her own way".
Dalton looked back up making eye contact with Luffy, a more serious look on his face. "Make no mistake, if there is anybody who can help your friend it's her, if there is anyone that would possibly have a cure it is her. She is almost one hundred and forty years old too and while she may not seem like a very nice person, she always puts the ones in her care first. Shes at least professional enough to do that".
"That's good to hear" Luffy said with a small smile, "we dont care if Kureha leaves us penniless, whatever it takes".
"So all we have to do now is find her, where does she live Dalton?" Nami asked. Dalton sighed, "This is where I tell you some bad news, she lives in Drum castle at the top of the tallest rocky peak, three kilometres above where we are now and there is no way to get up there".
Nami spoke to put him at ease, "Do you have a clear picture of Drum castle, if you do getting up there is not an issue. The issue would be getting up there and her not being home". It was Luffy of all people that had the simple solution, "Dalton do you have a picture of the doctor, that way we could go straight to her, right Nami?".
Nami smiled at her captain, "You dont have ideas very often, but when you do they usually suck but not this time Monkey".
Dalton looked like he was confused as to why they were asking about pictures but after he was made aware some of the Strawhats were themselves devil fruit users and what they were capable of.
First Dalton thanked God these pirates were of a totally different mindset to the ones that swept through the island not too long ago. Secondly he prayed that dr Kureha did indeed have the means to help their friend. The thought of an anguish ridden Luffy rampaging with the powers at his disposal was truly terrifying.
Dalton left his home and changed into his Bison form and headed towards the home of a friend who ran the islands gift shop, he sold pictures and souvenirs for a living so he was the first port of call. He indeed did have a picture of Drum castle but no pictures of the witch doctor but it was better than nothing. He then made the trip back home.
While he was gone Sanji made warm drinks for everyone even if it was just to occupy restless hands for the most part. Every one of them jumped to attention as he returned with a small but clear picture of the castle which he handed to Nami, who studied the picturesque castle for a few minutes before handing it back. "That's all I needed thank you Dalton" Nami said.
"Right me and Luffy are gonna warp to the castle and find this doctor, if she wont come down here we will take Robin to her. If she wants to play games she will lose, condemning our friend to death would be a very big mistake" she stated as a matter of fact.
Dalton gulped at the miasma of death surrounding the two. He could feel the power they had especially the captain, Dalton could only speculate about the real power this kid had but he knew it was insane, the orangette seemed to be the only reason he did not blow.
The crew nodded before the two pirates vanished. Sanji stepped upto Dalton,"would it be ok if I made everybody some food Dalton, it is the only way i know to not stress out about things like this?" he asked.
Dalton gave him the green light but told them he didn't have much food they would like as he was a herbivore.
This wasn't an issue as Sanji could visit Merry and bring his own food. Zoro agreed to give him a hand while the others busied around Robin keeping her as cool and comfortable as they could. Usopp kept Marianne entertained by painting and telling her stories to pass the time.
Luffy and Nami arrived at the castle and the first thought was how beautiful it looked, just like in the books Nami read as a small child. However this wasn't Nami's fairytail it was Robin's and it would have the happy ending. Although the powerful blizzard that swirled around them was fierce they felt no cold.
They walked upto the huge and for some reason wide open main gate and entered the castle proper. It looked barren and empty almost eerily so but they carried on as they could feel two signatures, they walked up the staircase while asking if anybody was home. As they reached the top of the stairs they came across a door with light poking through the gaps in the frame.
Luffy knocked on the door hoping somebody would answer. To their shock the door flew open, "doctorine why did you kno-, the figure stopped dead in his tracks when he realised he was stood infront of two complete strangers. "Aaarrrggghhh" was the only thing that left his mouth afterwards as he fell on his butt.
Luffy and Nami suddenly felt a strong prescence approaching their position fast. The aura seemed to have violent intentions, they both turned and faced the direction the aura was coming from. They were not scared but prepared to defend themselves regardless of the threat level.
Then they finally laid eyes on her, she was a youngish looking old lady but she wore clothing more suited to someone Nami's age. She wore hipster Jean's a tight t-shirt under a leather jacket and cowboy boots she had shades and spectacles on her forehead. She even had a naval piercing.
The most striking observation was she reeked of experience and knowledge. There could be no doubt that this was the one they hoped to find, Dr Kureha, she fit the description perfectly.
Without so much as a thought both dropped to their knees and bowed to the doctor, taking her by surprise somewhat. She kept her demeanor and smirked. Before she could ask what they were doing here Luffy spoke up, "Please help us, we have a friend who was bitten around four days ago and she is dying".
Kureha lost her smirk, "where was she bitten, by that I mean which island?" she asked. "Little garden" Nami offered. Kureha clicked her tongue, "should have known, people still treat that place as a holiday destination eh " she said with a scowl. "does she have a temperature?" the doctor asked. " yes she is nearly at one hundred and six" Nami told her.
Kureha's body language changed upon hearing that. "Not good, did you find any Mark's on her skin, if so please describe it accurately!" she said in a firm tone.
Nami explained the bite mark and the bruising that surrounded it and how fast it attacked Robin once she had been bitten. Kureha stopped her as she was about to continue. "Bring her to me, right now!. If it is what I suspect it is we have no time to waste, she could be dead within twenty four hours".
Luffy and Nami were left reeling by the gut check they just received but they instantly went to get Robin. Leaving the doctor and her assistant open mouthed at the fact they just disappeared. "That explains how they got up here at least, I get the feeling these are no ordinary folks chopper my boy" she said as she laughed at the stars in his eyes.
She stopped laughing and began making preparations for their soon to be here patient, "chopper you go prepare the bed, I will prepare the treatment and antidote". She knew it was kestia, especially since they visited little garden. She hadn't seen a single case of it in the last century but she always kept the antidote.
Luffy and Nami arrived back at Daltons cabin and Nami told everybody the doctor agreed to help Robin and the fact that in one more day they would have lost her. Luffy sat at Robin's side, he grabbed her hand gently before leaning close to her ear, "Robin we found the doctor, she agreed to help but we have to take you to her so we need to get you ready ok?".
A tiny smile on her lips was her only reaction. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek before exiting the room so Nami could prepare Robin for the transfer.
The rest of the crew were visibly relieved at the great news. They were happy too that their captain seemed to return to normal now he knew Robin would be ok after the treatment.
Luffy then walked upto Nami and hugged her tight, "Thank you Nami, I knew you would find a way, that is one of the reasons why i love you so much" he said as he kissed her on the nose. She smiled at his tender words but her focus quickly returned to Robin. Luffy hugged Vivi too not noticing the delicate blush, nobody had spent more time at Robin's side, Vivi proved once and for all why she would make a great queen.
Luffy and Nami arrived back at the castle with Robin and as soon as Kureha saw her state she knew it was kestia also known as the five day virus. Robin was placed in bed and the dr administered the antidote, she made sure Luffy and Nami understood this was a process and she only gave her the first shot. All they could do now was wait.
Kureha decided this was the perfect time to discuss payment but before she named her price Nami disappeared only to return seconds later with two black cases which she laid infront of Kureha the good? doctor.
She opened both cases and nearly collapsed herself as she looked upon one hundred million beri. "yes that will do nicely, thank you, you can go back to your friends or you can rest in a different room but I want this room empty so she can rest properly, doctors orders".
Both teens complied after giving Robin a kiss on each cheek, they would go back to the crew for some food and maybe a bit of rest as the doctor told them Robin would be out for upto twenty four hours. They and the crew ate before they grabbed some shut eye.
The following morning Robin finally woke. She still felt weak of course but nothing compared to the previous days. She soon noticed the little reindeer that was clip-clopping about around her. "Hello little one" she said in a soft voice, the reindeer panicked and ran away hiding behind a wall, only his entire body was visible and just his eye was hidden.
Robin giggled at the super cute sight. "you are just too cute" she said. Suddenly the cutie ran upto Robin dancing happily with a huge smile on his face "Oi you bastard, you complimenting me doesn't make me happy" he said while wiggling side to side. Robin had never seen something so damn adorable.
He was quickly back to normal and told her she needed to rest still, she nodded her understanding but asked him a question first, " excuse me doctor, do you know where my friends are?". Chopper smiled at her before replying, "your friends are in the other room, these two refused to leave" he said as he pointed to the foot of her bed.
Robin raised herself up so she could see, much to choppers annoyance. She laid her eyes on the captain and navigator, Robin was powerless to stop herself shedding tears. Luffy was sat in the chair as Nami laid in his lap, Luffy's arms wrapping tightly around her. Robin could only smile, they had done exactly what they told her they would and of course she knew it wasn't just these two, it was all of them but they were special. So very special to her, she loved them both dearly and she had only known them for the shortest time.
She decided she would do everything in her power to ensure their happiness.
She rested her head on her pillow and drifted off back to sleep allowing chopper to change the towel for a fresh one. He walked back to his workstation while a single sad thought ran through his mind" I wish I had friends like that" as a single tear rolled down his cheek.
Chopper was unaware that he actually spoke it as he thought it, he also had no idea a certain Strawhat wearing teen heard it loud and clear and shed his own solitary tear. Maybe they could change that before they left.
Robin woke around six hours later. She felt almost back to her normal self, the first thing she saw was Luffy and Nami begging the little doctor to join their crew. Robin chuckled , of course they were.
They heard Robin's chuckle and both turned to face her at the same time. "Robin!" they both yelled as they began to close the distance. "I dont want to lay down anymore, can you help me sit please?" she said and asked.
"Of course" Nami said, Luffy propped her up as Nami rearranged her pillows. "Are you hungry Robin or do you want a drink?" Luffy asked his archaeologist. She smiled at her captain, "I'd like a glass of water please, I feel as though I've just run a marathon". Both teens giggled before Luffy jumped up and went to get Robin some water.
"He has no idea where hes going does he?" she asked.
"Nope, not a clue. Doctor can we get a glass of water please?" Chopper nodded and grabbed a beaker from the cupboard in his workstation, then grabbed his two step ladder and began to fill the beaker for Robin.
"Have you ever seen anything so cute Robin?" Nami asked her friend. Robin shook her head " no, Nami-San have you seen him hiding yet?" she asked. Nami nodded as both said " Kawaii!" in unison.
Chopper brought Robin her water and told her to sip it which she did. "So, how are you feeling Robin" Nami asked.
Robin drank a few more sips before Nami took the glass and sat it on the table at Robin's bedside. "I feel almost normal Nami-San, a little bit weaker than normal but at least I can think properly" she said with her beautiful smile back on her face. "Its strange though I feel happy" she added.
"Happy?" Nami questioned. "Yes, happy because you and captain-San did exactly what you said you would. You told me you would find help and here I am on the road to recovery, baby steps but on the road nonetheless, thank you both from the bottom of my heart".
Luffy made his overdue reappearance and to their surprise he brought a glass of water and handed it to Robin, "Sanji says if you want something to eat we just have to let him know, if the doctor allows it that is" he told her.
"Thank you captain-san, for the water and saving my life". He beamed at her, "I'm just glad you are ok Robin, we got a bit lucky but all that matters is you're gonna be fine"
"Yes I agree but I'm only alive because you two kept your promise so thank you both" . Both teens returned the smile and told her not to worry about it.
Over the next two days Robin gradually returned to her normal self, she could move about freely and the colour returned to her cheeks, she had the spring back in her step too. Her energy was still low but Sanji already had a nutrition plan worked out for her so it wouldn't take long for her energy reserves to replenish.
The entire time Robin was undergoing her treatment and recovery the crew worked on convincing Chopper to join them. It worked as the little reindeer after hearing their stories and telling them his own sad story of how he was rejected by his own kind realised they were just like him, misfits that came together for a common goal, chasing their dreams.
What happened to Robin had left them exposed to the fact they needed a doctor and Chopper had learned from two of the very best, dr Kureha and the man he considered his father dr Hiriluk. He was the perfect fit for the Strawhats and would no doubt find happiness travelling with them and chasing his own dream to to cure all the worlds illnesses and diseases.
Nami had spent time trying to get Kureha to release Robin from her care and allow Chopper to take over her treatment, the doctor was reluctant to let him leave as he was like a son to her but she knew he had his heart set on it. After she got to know more about the crew and what they were willing to do aswel as the crazy dreams they all had she finally agreed to let him take control of his own future.
Nami had also managed to get her to let Robin and Chopper to leave today, all it cost was ten million and the key to the armoury which she had been looking for. Nami swiped it off Wapol before he went on his own adventure.
Time really was pressing on and they needed to get to Alabasta. The news coo had delivered the morning papers and the crew read that the war was only days away and tens of thousands of soldiers had joined the rebels, tipping the balance out of the kings favour.
The crew finally returned to Merry, it felt amazing being back on their lovely little ship. Chopper loved it and he loved what would be his infirmary too. It was small but at least he had somewhere to treat his crew and that is all he cared about.
Just before they left the island dr Kureha called them and asked them not to leave yet as she had a special going away present for chopper and asked them to look up towards the Drum mountains. Five minutes later a huge Boom was heard and as they looked on they saw the most beautiful sight, the entire sky above the island was bathed in pink, it was like a giant sakura tree painted by gods.
Chopper cried in happiness as his fathers dream became reality. Now though it was time for Chopper to leave and make his own dream reality. Merry sailed away as the focus of the crew returned to Vivi and Alabasta. It was time to take the fight to Crocodile and end the war. The warlord had no idea what was heading his way.
That is chapter 5 done, hope you enjoyed.
Next chapter, Crocodiles demise.
