"We'll just drop anchor here in this cove for tonight," Nami called out so that everyone could hear her. "It's dangerous to push forward in this light, since there are coral reefs all around."
"Awww…" Luffy pouted, but even he could tell that the little island wouldn't have much of a night life. "Kia! You're going to explore the island with me right?" he asked his sister.
"As long as Zoro lets me," she replied, giving the swordsman a teasing grin.
He rolled his eyes at her. "We always explore the islands," he told her. "And I'm not your sensei, so you don't need my permission."
"Maybe she's just asking her boyfriend…" Usopp said in a sing song reply, and Zoro glared at him, even as the others chuckled.
"Usopp, don't make me hurt you," Kia told him with a frown.
"It may have been your idea, Kia, but Zoro went along with it," Usopp replied with a smirk.
"Because he's a good friend, and I owe him for it," she retorted.
"Wait… so he's NOT your boyfriend?" Luffy asked, confused.
"No, we're just friends," Kia replied, seeing the annoyance on Zoro's face growing. "I only said that because those foxy pirates were saying that I was in love with Foxy."
She smiled at the looks of disgust that everyone gave at the thought.
"Speaking of…" Zoro spoke up. "You still owe me a million drinks for that, Kia."
"A… MILLION?!" Luffy and Chopper cried.
"Not true," Kia replied, ignoring the look of shock on Zoro's face, and the look of relief on the captain and doctor's. "I gave you money for drinks during the davy back fight, so I only owe you 999,998 drinks."
"WHAT?!" Chopper cried.
Zoro grinned, and gave her a nod. "I guess that's true."
"Kia, I'll be your boyfriend for a million pieces of meat!" Luffy offered, and Kia laughed.
"While you'll be a great boyfriend someday, captain, I don't think that day is any time soon," she replied.
"Hey, that's rude!" he answered.
"Well…" she looked at him in thought. "A boyfriend usually shares his food with his girlfriend…" she drawled.
"Uh…" he thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're just my sister!"
Kia laughed again, loving that Luffy knew himself so well. "You're very predictable, captain."
"Don't worry Kia, we'll find you a boyfriend!" he shouted happily, and she spluttered.
"Captain, that's not necessary!" she said as she ran after him. He laughed as he saw her coming towards him, and ran off, enjoying the new game.
"Those two, I swear," Nami huffed, shaking her head.
"It would be interesting to see who the captain finds for her though," Robin said with a smile.
"Crappy Captain," Sanji muttered, as he brought over a tray. "Nami my swan, Robin my dove, would you like a snack?"
"No thank you," Nami replied, watching as Luffy changed course, heading straight for them. "I'm going to get some sleep."
"Just coffee for me," Robin replied, giving another smile as she watched Kiana successfully tackle the captain, and give his forehead a few raps with her knuckles.
Kia shot awake, panting. She held herself, trying to stop the shaking, and wondering why she would be so terrified about having a One Piece dream. Sure, it had been about Blackbeard somehow winning, and the Straw Hat crew being defeated, but it shouldn't make her feel as if it was one of the worst things in the world. It was a fictional story after all.
She rolled over, to step out of bed, and found herself on the floor with a thump.
"Ow…" she groaned, picking herself up. "What happened?" she muttered.
As her eyes searched the room, she saw nothing, it was pretty dark. She moved around slowly, reaching out with her hands until she felt the wall. She kept one hand on it, and reached out with the other, wanting to ensure that she didn't crash into anything. Just as her eyes adjusted to a thin line of light somewhere above her, she stubbed her toe on something.
She held her yell in, and scrunched up her face at the pain. After a few moments when it subsided, she discovered that the had found the stairs that would take her closer to the light.
As she went upwards, she decided the light was from a room above her, which meant that she had been correct in her assumption that she was on a ship.
Kia hesitated slightly, knowing that she wasn't anywhere that she recognized, and worried what could be on the other side of the door.
Why can't I remember how I got here? she wondered. Did I have a few drinks?
She shook her head. She'd have a wicked headache if that were the case, but nothing else was making sense. Okay, what do I know? she asked herself. I'm on a boat, but it's definitely not ours. I remember casting off with my sisters, then… she drew a blank. What have we gotten ourselves into? Was there an accident? Perhaps someone saved us? I need to get topside and get my bearings.
Deciding that prolonging the inevitable was pointless, she continued up the staircase. Reaching the door, she reached above her, pushing it upwards and popped her head into the next room.
Blinking in the dim light, she let her eyes adjust, and then noticed a door that looked as if it went to the deck. She moved towards it slowly, trying not to make any noise. Opening it revealed the deck, where there was greater light, but still dim. Kia looked around at the sky, noting the colors that were starting to appear. It's almost dawn… and I'm awake? That's weird.
She moved around quietly- something was bugging her, and she couldn't seem to figure out what it was. There was a feeling, like someone was watching her, and she spun around.
Robin raised her eyebrow at Kiana. She sure was acting strangely, but then again, she always took some time to settle after having a nightmare. This was the first time she had simply walked past her though. It was as if she hadn't seen her.
"Another nightmare?" Robin asked, seeing the look of confusion on her face, and able to tell that the younger girl wasn't wanting company. "I'll be here if you need me," she offered, pointing to the room Kiana had just come through.
"All… right," Kia answered, still on edge. The dark haired woman gave a nod, and went back into the room, shutting the door behind her. How did I miss seeing her? Kia asked herself. And why does she seem so familiar?
She began walking the deck, the nagging feeling was growing stronger, but she felt much better out in the open. She walked up another short flight of stairs onto the upper deck, and moved over to the railing. She gazed out at the water in thought, enjoying the sunrise.
Kia had no idea how long she stood there, but the sun was fully risen when she heard a slam, and what sounded like a scream. She moved over to the the railing that faced into the ship, and blinked rapidly, then rubbed her eyes.
It… can't be…
Her face broke out in a grin, as she finally realized what was happening. She was dreaming. An incredible dream to be sure, but she lifted her eyes to look around the ship and she knew she was right.
I'm on the Going Merry! she squealed to herself. That woman was Robin, and THAT is Chopper!
She smiled as she watched the little creature freak out. This is amazing! I hope I get to see everyone, and I hope I can hug them all! She stopped as she realized what she was thinking. Oh, yeah, they don't know me. Well, at least Sanji won't mind, right? she thought with a snicker. Though I'll probably have to tackle Zoro to get a hug. Wait, it's MY dream, I can do whatever I want! I can hug Zoro, and eat some of Sanji's food, and make Chopper do his happy dance, and stretch Luffy's face!
She couldn't wait to see them all, but now that she knew where she was, she wanted to explore. She could see the kitchen on the other side of the upper deck, and looking behind her, she saw the captain's "special seat" of the figurehead. She wanted to clap her hands, and wished she had a camera.
Kia laughed at herself, keeping her hand over her mouth so as not to draw attention. Really Kia, you're dreaming and you wish you had a camera? How dumb can you be!
She walked down the stairs, intent on seeing what the kitchen looked like, when the small hatch in the deck opened, and she watched with glee as Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp climbed out.
"Oh man, this ship has seen better days," Sanji spoke up.
"Hey, there's land over there!" Luffy called, running to the side. "I wonder what island it is!"
Kia was itching to just run over and hug Luffy, and maybe pull his cheeks a little, when the door opened behind her.
"We have a problem you guys," Robin said as she strode forward. "It's our navigator here." Robin looked over, seeing Kia. "Are you feeling better Kiana?" she asked.
"Uh, yes, thank you," Kia replied.
"Whoa, who are those three?" Luffy asked as he turned and saw them. He turned to Usopp. "Are they part of your giant pirate crew, captain?"
"Yeah that's it!" Usopp replied hastily.
"Don't tell me you've lost your memories too?" Robin asked in shock.
They looked up as Sanji had stepped forward towards them with a smile, and his hand over his heart. "Now I know how foolish a moth must feel as it is helplessly drawn toward the flame. I'm irresistibly compelled to leap head first into the brilliant radiance of the beauty before me."
"..."
They had no reply, for it was a little strange, hearing his breathy voice, and his attempt to be romantic.
"Enchanté, gorgeous ladies," he said with a debonair smile. "My name is Sanji, and I would love to treat you to a gourmet meal this evening if you are available." Without even realizing it, Kia now held a flower, and she wondered how he kept them looking so nice when inside his jacket.
"Okay, that sounds great!" she replied, delighted that she'd get to have some of his food, seeing his eyes light up, and a weird smile on his face. She'd have no problem getting him to flirt with her either, she thought with a smirk.
"What, really?!" he squeaked, and then gave a cough. "But of course, my darling," he said, trying to act suave again.
Luffy burst out laughing. "He's almost as funny as you are!" he said to Usopp.
"It's like he's a completely different person," Usopp said in confusion.
"Kiana?" Robin asked, looking at her in concern, wondering how to fix this before it got out of hand.
"Yes Robin?" she replied.
Robin's eyebrow went up again. "You know who I am?" she asked, and Kia nodded eagerly.
"Of course!" she answered happily. She pointed to the others one by one calling out their names. "You're Robin, the archeologist, that's Nami the Navigator, Sanji the chef, Usopp the sniper, and Luffy the captain," she said. Then remembering the 'hiding' reindeer, she pointed behind her and added- "and Chopper the doctor. Oh and Zoro's around here somewhere too."
Robin gave a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't all alone in this. "Thank goodness you remember, it seems like everyone else has no memory of their time as part of the crew."
"Hold on just a minute!" Nami yelled out, pushing Sanji away from her. "Who are you people and what the heck is that about?" she asked, pointing over to Chopper. The group looked where she was pointing, to see Chopper trying to hide, but hiding his face while his body was exposed.
"Isn't that… backwards?" Robin asked.
Without a pause, Chopper immediately moved his body behind the barrel he was using as a hiding place.
"Whoa!" Luffy exclaimed. "What is that thing?"
"A deer?" Usopp asked.
"Shut your pie-hole, human! I'm a reindeer!" Chopper shouted.
"It just talked!" Luffy and Usopp shouted.
"I say we catch it!" Luffy said in excitement, as he ran after Chopper. "Hey orange-haired lady, help me catch it!"
"What?!" Nami replied. "No way, buzz off loser!"
"Kiana, how are we going to fix this?" Robin asked, and Kia just turned with a grin and a shrug.
Robin thought for a minute, and then raised her voice over the shouting of the boys. "All right, that's enough nonsense!" she called. "Anyone who wants answers, listen up!"
They all stopped and looked over to Robin.
"Okay…" Usopp said slowly. "We're listening."
"We're currently located somewhere in the Grand line. Did any of you remember that?" she asked.
"The Grand line?!" Luffy exclaimed. "Woo-hoo! This is amazing!"
"Whaa?" Usopp also exclaimed in horror. "Are you seriously happy about this? The Grand line is a horrible place filled with monsters! The only reasonable reaction is to panic and freak out!"
"Excuse me miss, but can you tell me how I can get back to my restaurant? I promised this lovely lady a fine meal, and I really shouldn't lose my job," Sanji spoke up.
"You don't want to do that," Robin replied. "It's taken us a ridiculous amount of time to get here. Going back on your own would be suicide."
"Are you sure this is the Grand line?" Luffy asked as he looked out at the water. "It looks like the normal sea."
"Navigator?" Robin asked, looking over at Nami.
"Why are you looking at me?" Nami asked defensively.
"That thing on your wrist," Robin gestured, and Nami looked at her wrist in shock. "It's called a log pose. It's the only way to navigate a ship in the Grand line, because normal compasses won't work due to the magnetic fields."
"This doesn't make any sense!" Nami frowned, still looking at her wrist, now examining the gold bracelet that she was sure was her sister's. Why would I be wearing this?! she thought. "Why would I be traveling with a group of people that I don't know, and have nothing in common with?!"
"That's why," Robin said, looking up at the sail. Everyone else looked up to see the jolly roger flapping in the breeze, though all their reactions were different.
"We're on a pirate ship?!" Luffy asked happily.
"Didn't I tell you?" Usopp stated quickly. "You're on Captain Usopp's pirate ship!"
"Uh, you know what's interesting?" Sanji said dryly. "The fact that your jolly roger is wearing a straw hat, captain."
"Oh, right," Usopp said, moving towards Luffy. "Because that hat is actually mine…"
"Touch my hat, and I'll kick your butt to the other side of the ocean!" Luffy glared angrily.
"Huh?" Usopp asked as he cringed back, his arm still outstretched to grab the hat. "How do you know it's yours?" he asked.
"My friend gave me this hat, it's like treasure to me!" Luffy said seriously.
"Pirate this, pirate that, who cares?" Nami spat out. "I hate pirates, everything about them! I would NEVER travel with pirates, so now I know that everything you've said is a big stinking pile of garbage!"
"Hey, you don't have to be so rude," Usopp said with a frown.
"I only love money and tangerines, and I don't see of either of those here, do you?" she snapped at him.
"Tangerines…" Robin replied as she pointed. "Like those?"
Nami turned and stepped back, seeing the group of trees that were on the upper deck, the little reindeer trying to hide among the branches.
Then an arm suddenly sprung from the branch, picking a tangerine and lobbing it to Nami.
"Whoa, a mystery tree!" Luffy said in awe.
"Who the hell are you?" Nami asked Robin.
"They're your friends," Kia finally spoke up. She hadn't liked hearing them argue and yell with each other, but she hadn't wanted to get involved in crew business. "Now, I can either tell you how you all got here, or you can simply read your own words in the log book, but either way, you need to realize that you are missing quite a bit of memories."
"What do you mean, missing?" Usopp said skeptically.
Kia looked at Robin, who nodded, "Obviously all the memories from the last thing you remember, until today," Robin answered him. "Memories of deciding to leave home, join this crew, and our adventures thus far."
Nami scowled, but turned around to go back into the ship, presumably to go after the log book.
Hearing a scream, Robin and Kiana looked up, seeing Luffy and Usopp chasing after Chopper again.
"Reindeer, huh?" Sanji asked as he leaned against the wall, and lit a cigarette. "That's a true delicacy when thinly sliced and served with vegetables."
"You mean we can eat it?" Luffy asked with a grin, walking over carrying a squirming and screaming Chopper.
"Reindeer steak with berry sauce is even better if you ask me," Sanji replied.
"Then steak it is!" Luffy called, holding Chopper out and looking dazzled at the idea. Kia stormed over and smacked the back of his head, but before she could get Chopper away, he had finally had enough.
"That's it!" he cried, and changed into his heavy point, towering over Luffy. He swung out, catching the captain with a back hand. "I'm not human food!"
"AHH!" Usopp screamed, and Chopper aimed for him, scaring him away as he struck the mast.
"Chopper, that's enough, you made your point," Kia said, looking up at him, even as he glared down at her. He looked at her, his head tilting in confusion.
"I… I know you," he said, and turning small again, he put his nose in the air and sniffed. "I… I mean you, were attacked and your leg was broken, and started healing in the wrong position."
"Uh… what?" she asked, confused, and eyes wide.
"Oh, well, you were unconscious at the time," he said sheepishly, waving it away.
She gave a grin, even not knowing what he was talking about, and spoke to the rest of them. "Chopper is the ship's doctor," she said happily. "The best doctor around, and better than any human you may meet."
"Really?" Sanji asked, eyes wide.
"Shut up!" Chopper yelled. He started clapping and doing a little dance as he continued yelling. "You can praise me all you want you stupid human, but don't think I like it or anything!" Kia was thrilled to see it.
"Uh, it sure looks like you do," Sanji said, a smirk growing on his face.
"Yes, his name is Chopper, and he's a reindeer that ate the human-human fruit, and gained human abilities. He's not the only one either," Robin said as she held out her arm showing how limbs grew from it over and over. "I ate the flower-flower fruit and gained devil fruit abilities, and Luffy ate a devil fruit as well, isn't that right?"
"Yep!" Luffy said as he walked back to them, unharmed. "I ate the gum-gum fruit, and I'm a rubber man," he said as he pulled his cheek out far to show them.
"And you… you're all pirates?" Chopper asked.
"Yes, though you are a pirate too," Robin told him.
"Well, I guess I'll allow it," Usopp chimed in. "You're officially a member of my crew!"
"Whaaat?" Chopper asked, horrified. "But why?"
"Don't tell me you believed him," Sanji said with a roll of his eyes.
"Anyway, we've been sailing together for quite some time, an eight member crew," Robin continued, and Kia's eyes went wide at what that meant for her.
"Wait, eight?" Usopp asked. "I only count seven."
"You up there Swordsman?" Robin called toward the crow's nest. "You want to come down?"
Everyone looked up as a man hopped over the side of the nest, dropping down to the deck below, and landing in a crouch. He stood up, looking around at the group, some who looked impressed, some who looked terrified, as well as a guy who scoffed at him. He decided he was the first to get cut down if this situation went south.
"It's a little early for so much noise," he commented as he took his survey of the people around him. "I was trying to sleep."
"Aaah!" Usopp cried out, panicked. "Who's this guy? State your name!"
"You're not supposed to ask someone for their name unless you give yours first," Zoro replied. Before he could get a response, he heard someone else behind him.
"Hi! I'm Luffy! So, what's your name?"
He turned around, looking at the strange boy in front of him. "I'm Roronoa Zoro," he answered.
"The pirate hunter?" the blond guy asked.
"That's not a description I've ever applied to myself," Zoro replied. "Other people stuck me with it."
"But you are a bounty hunter?" Sanji sneered, not liking the look his date for dinner was giving the man.
"Sometimes. If I'm stuck somewhere or need money to live, but it's not like it's my profession or anything."
"So I imagine you're here hunting pirates."
"Beats me, I have no idea why I'm on this ship."
"Okay, okay." Kia stepped forward, wanting to stop them all from leaving while she could. "It's simple. You're on this ship because you're part of the crew," she explained.
Zoro stepped forward, looking down at the girl, smirking when she simply looked back up at him, seeming unimpressed, though the look in her eyes said differently.
"Oh really," he snarked. "I doubt that."
"Uh-huh," she replied. "Then riddle me this, where did you get those two swords?" she asked, pointing. He looked down, ready to make fun of the way she asked her question, when he stopped.
"Uh… I count three…" Usopp muttered.
What… these two swords… aren't mine. Where DID they come from? And why do they feel familiar somehow? Zoro thought. He looked back up at her, confusion in his gaze.
"If you let me, I can tell you," she replied. "Or, we can simply work together to get all your memories back."
Robin gave a sigh, tension that had been growing leaving her body. She was so sure the crew wasn't going to believe her, and she worried about what would happen to them all.
"All right," Zoro replied. He moved over to the mast and sat down, leaning against it. "Just a short explanation will do."
"Yes, you prefer action to a story," Kia replied with a smirk, "I know. But we really should get Nami too, so I only have to say it once."
Hearing the revving sound had Kia flipping around, to see Nami come out on deck on her waver. She screamed and gunned it again, using Usopp as a ramp to fly out of the ship. The group watched as she moved over the water and away from the ship.
"Crap," Kia said with a frown. She turned back to the rest of the group. "All right, this is going to be really simplified, but here goes.
"Every one of you joined this crew because of Luffy here," she said pointing to Luffy. They all looked at him, then back to her with a skeptical glance. She smiled. "Luffy has a dream, and along the way, he found each of you, and invited, begged, blackmailed, or just yelled at you to come join his crew."
"Heh-heh," Luffy chuckled. That sounded like him.
"And for your part, though most of you were stubborn, and didn't agree right away, you finally decided to join, mostly because by doing so, Luffy was going to help you reach your own dreams."
That startled them, and they each glanced over to Luffy again, then back to Kia.
"Now, Robin and I could tell you about the adventures you've been on together so far, but honestly? I think we should find out who took your memories. Because it's obvious to me that you didn't lose them, they were taken."
"You mean someone stole them?" Zoro asked with a glare.
"What makes you think that, my darling?" Sanji asked.
"Well," she replied, holding her chin as she thought about it. "You all remember being somewhere else, then waking up here, right?" They nodded to her, and she turned to Robin. "And you remember them all being here last night?" she asked.
Robin looked at her strangely, but nodded. "Yes. When we reached this point, there was very low light, and since there is coral around the island we put down the anchor and went to bed. Well, except for me, as I was doing some research, and the swordsman," she said gesturing to Zoro, "who was on watch."
"I don't think that had anything to do with it," Sanji said, deep in thought. "I mean, then why would the pirate hunter have lost his memories, and the beautiful Kiana not?"
Kia flushed at his words, though she smiled happily.
"True, however Kiana did wake up very early because she had another nightmare," Robin pointed out.
"And I remember waking up, so I must have fallen asleep at some point," Zoro added, not looking pleased about it.
"Wait, what do you mean another nightmare?" Sanji asked, looking from Robin to Kia and back again. "Kiana my dove, do you have nightmares often? I would be glad to comfort you!"
"Uh…" Kia said, unsure of how to react.
"Stupid pervert," Zoro muttered. "Hardly the time."
"Yes," Robin replied to Sanji, when it was obvious that Kiana wasn't going to. "Kiana has been suffering from nightmares that keep her from sleeping through the night."
"Ah, so perhaps she didn't lose her memories, because she was already awake when it happened?" Sanji postulated. "And the pirate hunter did, because he had fallen asleep?"
"It could all be a coincidence," Robin said. "But it's the only thing I can think of as to what was different between us."
Kia turned around and paced the deck for a moment. Robin said that I suffered from nightmares? she thought. As in happening more than once? Thinking it through, she realized that she had made herself part of the crew in this dream, and she nodded. Makes sense, not having to introduce myself and try to explain things. Better to just jump in as part of everything!
She stopped her pacing, giving a low whistle as she thought of the monumental task of getting these guys to work together without their memories of comradeship, and she froze as she heard gasps. The five boys were staring at her in shock.
"That's right!" Chopper said. "There was a horn! I remember hearing someone blow on a horn!"
"Same here, yeah!" Luffy spoke next. "I remember hearing the same thing!"
"Me too," Sanji said, deep in thought, moving to the kitchen to grab food for everyone.
"Yeah," Zoro added.
Usopp started shaking. "And then," he said, "a little boy suddenly appeared out of nowhere."
"I get the feeling this kid somehow stole our memories, since we all remember him," Zoro said gravely, as he fingered his sword.
"That may not be the case, however he obviously is involved somehow," Robin replied.
"Do you think," Chopper asked quietly, "that we'll lose more of our memories each time we fall asleep?"
"Aah!" Usopp screamed, and Chopper screamed at being startled. "Don't scare me like that!" Usopp shouted.
"I don't know," Robin answered, ignoring the outburst. "But if it does keep happening, you could reach the point of being unable to remember who you even are."
"Say," Luffy said, as he got up and walked to the side of the boat, looking out at the water. "What's the big deal about remembering all that stuff anyway? I mean, it sucks that I can't remember all the fun we've had, but now we can just start over, and go on new adventures!" He turned back with a grin.
"What?!" Usopp demanded. "Are you crazy? There's a chance that we could lose all our memories! You really want to risk losing all your thoughts and dreams?!"
"That's not going to happen," Luffy replied, taking off his hat and looking at it, the memories he held so dear brought back to the surface. "Nothing can take away my dreams, and I know it's the same for you guys too."
This guy is freakishly optimistic, Usopp thought.
Same old captain, Robin thought as she chuckled. Doesn't even need his memories to know who he is.
Maybe there's a reason this guy is the captain, Sanji thought as he passed around some food. He turned back as he heard a yelp, and heard Chopper complain that his food was gone. He looked up, seeing Luffy with his mouth full, and without a thought, he struck out with a foot, kicking Luffy in the face.
"Never mess with another man's food, got it?" Sanji asked in a deadly voice.
"I'm shorry…" Luffy said from across the ship.
Sanji glared, wondering when he went crazy, since he was taking the words the boy had said seriously.
"We could stay here and try to come up with a medicine or try to research the island, but I think we should go ashore, and question the townspeople. Maybe they know the boy that you all saw," Kia suggested.
"I agree," Zoro added. "Sitting around here won't help."
"We also need to find Nami," Kia said.
"That's a great idea!" Sanji said happily.
"I don't know, that girl was pretty mean. Why should we go looking for her?" Usopp asked.
"Well, they said she's part of the crew," Luffy answered with a smile. "So that means she's our friend too, right?"
"Exactly," Kia answered. "She's part of the Straw Hat Pirates, and they never leave a man behind."
"Well then, let's get going!"
"Yesterday? I… am not sure…"
"Not again!" Usopp groused. He turned back to his supposed crew. "Every single person we've spoken to can only remember the last few hours, and haven't seen anyone!"
"It's very strange," Robin commented, while Luffy laughed.
"It's just like what happened to us," Chopper said quietly.
"It may be more than mere coincidence," Robin added. "But, we'll have to keep trying."
"It's getting late though," Kia added. "We'd be better to go back to the ship and start again in the morning."
"I would definitely feel better there, but I'm not sure I want to fall asleep again," Chopper said with a tremble. "I don't want to lose more of my memories!"
"I'll stay up and watch over you," Kia replied, offering her hand for Chopper to hold. He looked at her in consideration, and then tentatively took it. He wasn't sure why, but he felt close to her, as if they had been friends.
"Not that way, swordsman," Robin spoke up, and Zoro turned with a growl.
"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.
Zoro insisted on staying up with her, which surprised and delighted Kia. They sat side by side in the crow's nest, her with a blanket, waiting for the culprit to show up again. However, once the others left, Kia discovered that the real reason Zoro stayed with her was because he wanted to interrogate her.
"I don't see myself becoming a pirate," he said in an accusing voice. "In fact, the longer I'm here, the more I think that maybe you all are the ones stealing memories."
"I don't know how you think we could do that, but at least you agree that you've lost them," Kia replied with a roll of her eyes.
"I have two swords that are of extremely high quality," he muttered. "And I had no money to buy them. And you knew that only two of them were ones I wouldn't recognize."
She smirked at him. "Because I know how you broke the other two, and how you were able to get those," she answered.
"Exactly," he said smugly, as if she had walked right into his trap. "So either you're the one who did this… or you've been telling the truth."
He looked over at her with a deadly glare. "But even if I don't have those memories, I know who I am, and what my dream is. And that's all that matters."
"So basically, you don't want me to just tell you," she replied with an easy smile.
"No, I don't," he replied. "But if the real thief doesn't show, you'll have some explaining to do," he threatened.
Kia gave him a nod, "I'm going to do all I can to get your memories back," she said quietly. Zoro glanced over at her, seeing that she was being honest, and gave her a nod in reply. After that, they sat quietly. Every so often they would nudge the other to be sure that they were awake. And so they waited.
Kia became alert as she felt Zoro tense beside her. He moved quietly, and she followed, peeking over the rim of the crow's nest. They watched as a small boy came aboard the ship. He looked to the figurehead, then shook his head, and moved across the deck.
Putting the mouthpiece of the horn to his mouth, he blew a long note.
Kia and Zoro glanced at each other, and she could see the excitement in his eyes, as well as the smirk on his face. The kitchen door burst open, and Robin and Sanji came out.
"Nice try, but I'm more than ready for you," the boy called, and he blew on the horn again. Kia could see Sanji falter and hold his head, even as Robin fell to the ground with a sound of pain.
"You don't need to be asleep you see, it is simply easier that way," the boy said.
"That's it," Zoro muttered, and he put his hand on the rail, and vaulted himself over the side towards the boy. Kia just watched, knowing that she wouldn't be much help in a fight.
And the fact was, she was a little unnerved. The boy was supposed to be on the figurehead of Merry, and Luffy would attack him for sitting in his seat. And that would give Luffy his memories back. But this… she looked around as she had the thought, and couldn't see Luffy anywhere.
Hearing a yell, she looked back below her, and seeing the boy trembling before Zoro with his horn laying on the deck, she started scrambling down the mast.
She could hear Usopp yelp, "What's happening to him?!"
"I'm scared!" Chopper added, just as Kia moved over to them.
Zoro was lying on the deck, covered by a shiny blue smoke cloud.
"Should we try to do something for him?" Sanji asked, even as they watched the smoke dissipate. "It looks like it went in him."
"He's not moving," Robin stated.
"Well, he's still alive, I'm sure," Kia said as she walked towards him.
"Maybe we should let the doctor examine him?" Robin suggested.
"Yeah!" Chopper said with a firm nod, then started calling. "Doctor! Doctor!" He gasped as he realized what he was doing. "Wait that's me!"
Kia leaned over as well as Chopper, looking into Zoro's face, even as he started to move. His eyes opened slowly, and his gaze fell on Kia.
"Kia," he said with a glare, and she smiled, though it took on a panicked tinge as she realized that he had his memories back… and he remembered her.
"Zoro?" she questioned, wondering what he would say.
He moved to stand, tilting his head left and right to stretch and settle himself.
"How dare you speak so familiarly to her?!" Sanji demanded, standing in front of Kia to act as some sort of shield. "What happened while you two were on watch?!"
"Nothing," Kia said, even as Zoro gave the cook a wicked looking smile. True, he hadn't cared about helping Kia out before, and he wasn't going to insist on his owed drinks, except when annoyed. He had agreed to her ridiculous boyfriend request for one simple reason, and it looked like he was about to reap the rewards yet again.
"Kia, I'm hurt. On the last island you told everyone I was your boyfriend," he replied with a cocky smile, delighting as the cook's face dropped into shock and dismay.
Kia's eyes went wide, and she glanced over to Robin for verification before she took it as fact. She saw Robin chuckle, obviously amused.
"I don't believe it…" Sanji pouted. "The lovely Kiana… it can't be true…"
"It's true, that is what she said," Robin stated as she laughed.
"Oh, uh… sorry," she told Zoro, trying to play it off. "I was just trying not to overload everyone with information," she explained lamely.
"It looks like you have your memory back, Swordsman," Robin said with a smile.
"Yes, I do," Zoro replied.
"Then it's obvious that all your memories were stolen," Robin stated. "And who the culprit is."
"That brat," Sanji said with a nod.
"What would a kid want with our memories anyway?!" Usopp asked in exasperation.
"Beats me," Robin answered as she sat down.
"Where's Luffy?" Kia asked.
"Sleeping still," Usopp groused, as he pointed towards the kitchen. "Though I have no idea how he slept through all that."
"Let him sleep," Zoro said, taking charge. "We'll have to go ashore in the morning, try to find that kid and get all your memories back."
"You know, I'm not certain I want my memories back," Sanji said with a sneer. "And who made you captain anyway?!"
"Sanji, don't say that!" Kia replied, looking distressed.
"Oh I'm so sorry my darling, did I upset you with the thought of not remembering our bond?" he asked with a grin. "You must be wanting help to rid yourself of a swordsman, is that it?"
Kia looked back to Zoro, giving him a glare that clearly said, 'now what?' He rolled his eyes, but he stepped forward anyway.
"Look, you don't have to believe me, but the truth is, we are the Straw Hat pirates. And when our captain gets his memories back, if we aren't all here, he'll go chasing off after those that are missing." He looked over at Usopp and Chopper as well. "Luffy is our captain, and we joined his crew. That means we can't just leave whenever we feel like it."
"Or as the captain would say, we're all friends," Robin said with a chuckle, enjoying the look on the swordsman's face.
"I'm sure that kid won't come back tonight, but just in case, I'll stay on watch. Everyone else, get some rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll head back to the island." Zoro waited to see if there would be any rebuttals, but the crew quietly followed his orders. He turned back to see Kia looking at him timidly, and he looked at her in confusion.
"Uh… I'm not…" she started, and he didn't know what she was trying to say. Then she moved for him, and his hand automatically went to block what he thought was a blow. Then he stood in shock as she had her arms around him, giving him a hug.
Kia stood on her tiptoes and gave his cheek a kiss, part of her embarrassed, and part pleased. "Good night Zoro," she said quietly, and headed off after Robin. She hoped she was right in assuming that she didn't stay and sleep with Zoro when he was on watch. She knew she was playing with fire now, but she couldn't say she couldn't remember dating him… the others already thought she hadn't lost her memories.
Just play it cool, she told herself as she went down the stairs to the girl's room. It's your dream, so the others should think your behavior is normal, right?
The next morning came, though no one got much sleep besides Luffy. He was raring to go, running around the ship yelling for the others to wake up so they could go have an adventure.
Zoro finally corralled him into helping carry some supplies, and by the time they were ready, everyone else was up and ready to go.
"So what should we explore first?" Luffy asked with a grin.
"We're not exploring," Zoro said for what felt like the tenth time in so many minutes. "We're looking for Nami, and that kid with the horn."
"So you really got your memories back, huh?" Luffy asked.
"Yes."
"And I'm your captain."
"Yes."
"But, you don't call me captain."
"No, you didn't ask us to."
"So if I did, then you would?"
"No!"
"That's rude, why not?"
Robin and Kia smiled at each other, hearing Zoro's exasperation. "I'll call you captain," Kia said with a smile.
"Kia and Robin usually call you captain," Zoro explained, not so patiently. "But you said we're your friends, so we call you Luffy. Unless the situation calls for it."
"Like when?" Luffy asked, as he looked around the small village they were approaching. He didn't seem to notice the glare Zoro was aiming at him, nor the growling that was coming from him. "So the orange haired girl is our navigator?" he asked.
"Yes she is," Kia answered. "The best navigator in the world."
"And so pretty too," Sanji murmured.
Hearing the sound of an engine had them all turning, just as Nami drove up on the waver. "Hey Nami!" Kia shouted as she waved. Nami took one look, and turned around, eager to get away.
"Luffy, quick! Stretch your arm and stop her!" Kia called, and he did just that.
Nami grumbled, but she reluctantly stopped trying to escape from them, though she held onto her bag of treasure like it was her lifeline.
"So why'd you run away from us?" Luffy asked her.
"You'll never get this away from me, got it? You'll have to kill me first!" she yelled back.
"Don't say that!" Sanji cried, upset at the thought. "I would never harm a beautiful lady like you, no matter what! I promise to not lay a finger on you." He smiled as his voice change to giddy. "Though I'd really like to!"
Usopp gave him a look and muttered to Chopper, "Hey doc? What kind of disease does he have? Can't you do anything for him?"
"It's definitely a serious condition, but I'm pretty sure there's no cure."
"Look it'll kill me, but I'll make you a deal," Nami suggested to Luffy.
"What kind of deal?" he asked.
"I promise to give you ten percent of my treasure, if you promise to take me back to Cocoyashi village."
Luffy shrugged, but looked to Robin and Kiana before answering. They both shook their heads.
"Sorry, no can do," Luffy replied.
"What?!" Nami yelled. "Grrr… fine! Twenty percent!"
"Nope."
"Thirty!"
"Nu-uh."
"Fifty! But no more!"
"No way."
"Just how much of my treasure are you trying to get?!" she shouted, and Luffy looked confused.
"None, since you won't part with any of it," Kia answered with a smirk.
"Hey," Nami asked, "How'd you know I was going to double cross you?" She gasped and put a hand over her mouth, though Luffy just laughed.
"Because, you're part of the crew, and you're all friends," Kia replied with a smile.
"There's no way I'd be friends with the likes of them," Nami said, pointing to Luffy.
"Strange but true," Kia replied. "Especially since those guys are the ones that beat Arlong's crew."
Nami's eyes went wide, and she looked like she would fall over, but Luffy caught her, and helped her to a bench to sit. "What… what are you saying?" she whispered, not daring to hope. She looked up to Luffy who shrugged and grinned.
Kia moved forward, and crouched in front of her, causing Nami to look down at her. "I think you know," she said gently. "And once you get your memories back, you'll remember all the amazing things you've been through with your crew, and why you felt you were able to leave home. All I'm asking is that you stick with us until we find your memories."
Nami looked back, uncertain of whether she could trust the girl that she had no memory of, but finally decided that it couldn't hurt. If what she was saying was true, and Arlong was defeated? Nami wanted to remember that most of all.
She gave a short nod. "All right, but nobody touches me, and this treasure is mine," she stipulated, pointing to the large sack.
Kia gave a nod, and stood back up. "You guys hear that?" she asked the others, getting nods in return. "All right then. The next step is to find the boy with the horn." She looked around at them, and gave a weary sigh. "And find Zoro, since he seems to have gotten lost."
The others looked around in shock, finally noticing that the swordsman wasn't with them any longer, and Robin chuckled.
"Does this happen often with him?" Usopp asked in shock.
"He has a terrible sense of direction," Robin replied. "But somehow always gets where he needs to be."
"He's funny!" Luffy laughed.
"Where did those idiots go?" Zoro groused. He decided there was no point in trying to find them on an empty stomach, so he went fishing, and caught himself a fish big enough for several meals. He sat and ate, waiting for whoever was following him to finally show themselves.
"If you came to eat, help yourself," Zoro offered to the trees, knowing that someone was watching from behind them.
"While I am hungry, that isn't the type of food that I eat," the boy replied as he stepping into the clearing, holding out his horn. For a moment, Zoro thought he was giving himself up, but then noticed that the boy wore a smug smile.
Zoro's eyes narrowed, and he reached for his sword, but found that he was unable to move. "Hey, what… are… you doing?" he gritted out.
The boy started laughing, even as the thing that Zoro mistook for a horn started glowing. "A pirate and a pirate hunter?" the boy asked. "Seems only natural that you'd want to fight."
With that, the creature's eyes started to glow, and Zoro's mind went blank.
"What I don't understand," Nami stated as she brought up the rear of the group. She had refused to let the others corner her. "Is why you're letting the kid with no memory lead us around!"
Kia looked back and smiled. "Well, he is the captain after all. And besides, Robin is actually the one leading, since she has an idea of finding the kid with the memory horn."
"Memory horn?" Sanji asked with a smirk.
Kia shrugged. "Seemed like a logical name for it, since it seems to be involved in your stolen memories somehow."
"So, Kia my dear, I was wondering something," Sanji said as he moved to walk next to her. "I feel horrible for not remembering, but I have a feeling that I was involved, uh, romantically speaking with someone. And I can't help feeling that it was perhaps… you? Did something happen to drive you to that neanderthal?"
"As far as I know, you've been as single as they come, Sanji," she replied trying not to smile as his face fell. "But hey, we can still have dinner tonight, right?" she asked. "Become friends?"
"Yes of course!" he proclaimed. "No matter what!" He turned to give her a charming smile. "Even if we don't have our memories back, then I'll just enjoy making new ones with you, my darling!"
"Ah, here we are," Robin announced.
"Is this where that kid lives?" Usopp asked, shivering as he looked around the trees. "This place gives me the creeps."
"Yeah, me too," Chopper added.
"Where are we, anyway?" Luffy asked.
"Now I see," Robin murmured, and Luffy ran by shouting about seeing a butterfly.
"What's up Robin?" Kia asked, amused.
"I just discovered who stole your memories," she announced the the rest of them. "And, incidentally, it isn't who we thought it was."
"Wait, you mean it wasn't that brat?" Sanji asked.
"No," Robin replied. "I'll show you. We're heading now, to the sea god's palace."
"Okay…" Luffy said in confusion. "But why? And who's the sea god?"
Robin chuckled. "Oh, just a hunch. Everything will become clear there, I'm sure."
The group continued on, following after Robin across the island. Kia could hear Usopp telling Chopper about the dangerous monsters that were lying in wait, and she thought of warning Chopper about believing him, but decided to let it go. It wasn't like Chopper wouldn't have believed him, even if he had his memories.
She wanted to keep her focus on Nami, since she kept glancing furtively around, seeming agitated. Kia knew Nami wouldn't last much longer without getting new information, and Robin wasn't one to share so others had a chance to work it out themselves.
Hearing screaming behind them, Kia and the others turned to see Chopper and Usopp running back and forth between the path and the trees.
"What are those guys up to?" Luffy asked.
"It looks like Usopp is chasing Chopper with a snake," Kia replied with a shrug. "I guess they're just having fun."
"Let's keep moving then," Robin suggested.
"Okay!" Luffy called, heading out in front of her. "I want to meet this sea god!"
Not long afterwards, they could hear Usopp yelling for them to wait up. They stopped and turned back, seeing Usopp, Chopper and Zoro coming up from behind them on the path.
"Look who we found!" Usopp shouted.
"Zoro!" Kia said happily. "Glad we found you!"
Her smiled slowly morphed into a frown, as Zoro simply stared intensely at her, making her uneasy. "Zoro?" she asked tentatively, stepping closer. Sanji's hand on her shoulder stopped her movement, and she looked back in question.
"Something isn't right," Sanji said softly. "He's acting completely different than earlier. And he's glaring at you."
"Robin…" Kia gave her a glance, and she nodded, crossing her arms in preparation, though she wasn't certain what was going on.
Luffy stepped forward. "I'm glad you came back!" he said. "You need to show us how you were able to get your memories back!"
"Watch out!" Sanji called at the same time as Robin and Kia.
"Be careful captain!"
"Luffy!" Kia shouted, as Zoro lunged forward, slashing across Luffy's neck as he passed him.
Kia stepped forward as well, just as Zoro sheathed his blade and she slugged him in the face as hard as she could, hoping to snap him out of it. Her hand blossomed in pain, and Zoro merely glared at her, seemingly unaffected. She shook out her hand, glaring back at him and wondering what possessed her to do that, grateful that her hand wasn't broken.
"Zoro, you jerk!" she shouted in his face, darkly pleased when she saw him test his jaw to make sure it was fine.
"His head's gone!" Nami shouted in terror.
"Whew, that was close!" Luffy stated, bringing his head back up from where he had ducked it to avoid the sword. "You should be more careful!"
He smiled as Zoro turned around to stare balefully at him. The moment was quiet as the two faced off, one smiling, the other frowning.
Then Zoro pulled out another sword.
"Stop it, both of you!" Robin yelled.
"Something is wrong with him," Kia replied. "He'd never fight Luffy like this."
Zoro moved suddenly, running forward to strike at Luffy again. Luffy dodged, then shot his arm upwards, grabbing hold of a tree branch, and pulling himself to safety. "That's dangerous," he scolded Zoro. "You should stop."
Zoro didn't answer, just swung out, slicing through the tree trunk with one easy movement. Luffy's eyes went wide as he and the tree fell over.
Robin, Sanji, Nami and Kia all moved back quickly to avoid being hit as the tree smashed to the ground. "You really want a fight, huh?!" they could hear Luffy yell from the foliage.
"Robin, we need to find that thing and get their memories back, before one of them gets hurt!" Kia said in a rush. "You guys go, I'll keep an eye on them!"
"That guy is pissed!" Usopp said from his hiding place behind them.
"He looks as though he's under some form of hypnosis," Chopper diagnosed. "Though how, or why is hard to say."
"We'll all need to work together to stop him then," Sanji replied with a disgusted sigh.
"No, you stay out of this," Luffy said as he popped out of the branches. "This is between me, and him."
"Luffy, he doesn't know what he's doing, he's being forced to fight!" Kia shouted. Luffy looked down at her face, and back to the swordsman who was waiting for him on the path. He turned back to the crew that he wanted to remember.
"All right then, you guys go on ahead. I'll take care of him."
"No Captain," Kia argued, though he didn't look back. "I need-"
"I said, go on," he interrupted her. Kia wanted to continue to argue, but Robin just smiled and gave her hand a tug.
"Very well then," Robin answered. "Come on everyone."
"We're not actually going to leave him to fight the pirate hunter all alone, are we?" Usopp asked.
"Out priority is getting your memories back," Robin responded as she started walking, pulling on Kia's hand to keep her moving. "We leave this to the captain."
The others looked to Luffy's back as he faced off against Zoro, then turned and followed the two women further down the path. "We're going to see the sea god, so just snap out of it!" they heard as they left.
They heard a shout of "Gum-gum…" and the ground shook as the top of the fallen tree rolled away, separated from its trunk.
"That fight will probably be brutal, since they can't remember being friends," Sanji commented.
"Zoro is very strong," Kia muttered. "Luffy is a natural fighter, and was able to see that already. He'll know that he won't stop him unless he fights with everything he's got."
"Come on," Robin urged. "The faster we get your memories back, the faster the fight will end."
"HEY! YOU OWE ME A NEW SHIRT!" they heard echoing through the trees, and they moved more quickly.
"Wait a minute guys," Nami said as she stopped the group. "Let's just go back to the ship! I'm a navigator, I can take you anywhere you want to go. These people are pirates! They're sneaky and scheming, and who knows what their actual plans are!"
Nami could see the younger pirate giving her a disappointed look, but she wouldn't let that sway her. "You want to go home to your friends and families don't you?" she asked. "I know I do!"
"I cannot blame you for not trusting us, since you've lost your memory," Robin stated calmly. "But whether you believe me or not, I ask that you follow me."
"I knew it! She's been lying to us!" Nami yelled.
"We all have dreams that we want to achieve," Robin began, and Nami cut her off.
"Give me a break! People can't live just chasing dreams!"
"Nami!" Kia yelled, her eyes stormy. "Shut up!"
This surprised them all enough that there was silence. Robin asked quietly, "What could be more important and fun than chasing your dreams? If the captain were here, that is what he would say." She looked over to Kia, her eyes asking for help.
Kia fumed, even knowing that they were just scared, and they couldn't remember joining the crew. She just lost any patience that she still had in her worry for Zoro and Luffy. "Look, Robin doesn't know you all as well, so she can't tell you how or why you joined. She's still relatively new to the crew, and bonds like that take time. Not to mention, that most of us want to leave the past in the past, right?" she asked.
The four looked at Kia in surprise. "And I don't have time to spell it all out, okay?" she said in aggravation. "There's no way I could know all about you all, without having us all be a crew, don't you think? So here!"
She stepped forward pointing in Sanji's face. "Chef Zeff wanted you to go, to find your dream, because its his dream too!" she said in haste, then moved on pointing at Nami. "Nojiko gave you that bracelet to remember her in your travels! Because you weren't coming back for a long time!"
She whirled on Usopp. "How will Kaya and the Usopp pirates feel if you went back without accomplishing your goal?" she demanded, then looked down at Chopper, and took a breath, looking at him sadly. "We're your friends," she said. "And friends trust and help each other," she added to the rest of them.
She whirled back around, and strode up the hill at a fast pace, her worry for Luffy and Zoro giving her anxiety. Robin smiled at the four thunderstruck members of her crew. She did not know most of what Kia had said, but it was obvious that they did.
"I won't stop you if you want to go," she said quietly. "But please, don't give up on us yet. Let's see this through!"
"Kia my love, wait for me!" Sanji called as he raced after her, the heavy sack he was carrying for Nami in tow.
Nami watched them all turn and walk after the pirates. She stared after them, her arms crossed over her chest. "Fine, I'll go on my own." She turned to walk the other way, and stopped suddenly, looking back. "My gold!"
"Pirates just don't know when to quit, do they?"
Nami and Usopp looked up at the strange little boy with his seahorse shaped horn in fright. They could remember him, but nothing afterwards, and they worried what other memories that they would lose now that they saw him again.
"I'm going to manipulate all of you, just like I did that swordsman, and have you annihilate each other." He held out his horn, and Usopp and Nami shrieked.
"No, don't look at it!" Robin called, using her power to create hands that covered their eyes, causing them to scream in terror.
"What are these hands on my face?!"
"AAAAHHH! Get them off me!"
Sanji dropped the sack of gold and ran for them. "It's not my style to kick a kid, but hey," he muttered.
"Wait!" Robin called. "It's not the boy!"
"Don't look at it Sanji!" Kia shouted.
Sanji heeded their warnings, though he didn't stop. He got himself into position, and closed his eyes, kicking out and striking the horn from the boy. It flew towards the rock that Nami and Usopp were sitting against and crashed into it.
Kia could see glittering blue smoke emerge from it's snout, and she turned to Robin with a smile. "That's it!" she said. "Their memories!" But she was surprised as the blue smoke came straight at her.
Sanji looked at the little boy in anger as he sat up, confused. "What happened?" the boy asked.
"Someone stole our memories…" Sanji said threateningly. "Was it you?!"
The boy ran away in fright, and Robin moved closer to talk to Sanji.
"Mr. Cook, that little boy was a victim as well, being manipulated. I think we all know who the real thief is…"
They looked down, seeing the seahorse wiggle.
"It's not a horn, is it?" Sanji asked, and the seahorse jumped up, and started bouncing away. "What the-?" He chased after it, stopping it in its tracks. "If you think you're leaving without giving back every last memory you took from us, you're dead wrong, got it?!"
The others looked over as the seahorse made squeaking noises angrily at Sanji.
"Listen. I went to a lot of trouble to get all these memories. I'm not giving them back, you idiot!"
"What?!" Sanji demanded of Chopper after he spoke.
Chopper quickly hid behind Kia's leg, scared of the blond man.
Robin chuckled. "The doctor can understand animals, and was simply translating for us," she explained.
She looked at Kia in concern, who was suspiciously quiet, and looking at the others with wide eyes.
Sanji glared back down at the animal. "Don't give me that crap you stupid octopus."
After a serious of furious noises, Chopper said, "You ignorant jerk, I'm not an octopus, I'm a seahorse! Got it? That's what he said, not me."
"It doesn't matter what you are, because you're a little thief!" Sanji yelled with a mighty kick, and the seahorse sailed across the clearing into a tree trunk, more of the blue smoke emerging from it.
"Give them all back!" Sanji cried out, chasing the animal to kick it again and again, while the rest of them stood up, and looked at each other in happy recognition.
"It's you!"
"Chopper! Nami!"
"Robin, Kia, I'm so sorry!"
Kia looked down, as Chopper hugged her leg, and she smiled, even though her mind was whirling. Crap… I really did lose my memories! But they think I didn't… now what?! I might have to blame Luffy for knowing about their pasts… Sorry in advance Captain!
"I'm so glad you're back!" she said to Chopper, crouching down to give him a squeeze.
"Sanji!" Nami called, as she raced over.
"We got our memories back!" Chopper called out as he followed Usopp.
"Mr. Cook, what about you?" Robin asked excitedly.
He turned with a dance, his eyes lit up with love. "Of course I did, my stunning Robin, my gorgeous Nami! You're both breathtakingly beautiful with or without my memories!"
Kia sat where she was, still above them as they had jumped down to a small piece of land that jutted out above the water.
"I wonder if Luffy and Zoro got their memories back yet or not?" Usopp asked.
The sound of a crunching branch had everyone turning, to see Zoro practically upon them, his three swords out, his bandanna on. They all knew what that meant- fighting mode.
"Where's Luffy?" Nami asked, but he didn't answer, just kept making his way towards them at a steady pace. He got close enough that Usopp could see the blood on his sword.
"Wait, you don't think… that Zoro killed him, do you?" Usopp asked.
"Oh no…" Chopper mumbled.
"What happened to the captain?" Robin asked, stepping forward. Sanji moved quickly, putting himself in between Zoro and the others.
"If you plan to attack these ladies…" he said softly. "You'll have to go through me."
Zoro's response was to move his blade through the tall grass, slicing pieces off with the casual swing. The others started backing up, and stopped when they heard the squeaking of the seahorse coming from behind them.
"What's he saying now?" Usopp asked.
"Cut them to pieces, Roronoa Zoro…" Chopper translated.
"AARGH!" Kia shouted as she jumped on Zoro's back.
"Hey!" Zoro yelled, trying to shake her off.
"Zoro, you moron, knock it off, you're scaring them!" she shouted.
Sanji, who had been about to attack, ended up crashing into them, and barely kept himself upright by hanging onto Zoro.
"Stay out of my way, Kia!" Zoro yelled. "And you too, dumb-ass cook!"
At the same time, Luffy made it to the edge of the clearing, and saw Zoro, who he had been looking for. Without thinking of the consequences, he used his arms to slingshot himself over. Which of course, he over shot, pulling the other three with him across the water in the cove, and crashing into rocks on the other side.
"You guys okay?" Chopper called as they raced over to the crash site.
"Luffy, you moron!" Zoro yelled.
"Oww…" Kia groaned, though she was surprised to find herself relatively unharmed.
Robin, looking at the crash site, started giggling. "How adorable," she commented.
"Kia my dove, are you … all right?" Sanji asked as he opened his eyes. Then he screamed, and moved faster than he ever had.
Kia looked up from where Luffy held her, protecting her from harm during the crash. She saw both Zoro and Sanji jump up and storm away from each other, each of their faces showing disgust.
"What happened?" she asked, confused.
"Well, let's just say that all three boys thought they were holding you, so they held on pretty tight," Nami said with a grin. "Sanji and Zoro weren't too happy to find out they were mistaken about who they were protecting."
Luffy sat up, taking Kia with him as she giggled.
"What's so funny, Kia?" he asked her.
"Nothing," she replied, as the two in question glared at Luffy. "You should apologize though," she whispered to him. "I think they got hurt in that crash."
"Oh yeah?" he asked. "Hey, I'm sorry about that!" he called out to them, and they grumbled in response. "We're all back together!" Luffy said happily. "And I remember all of you! Now we can get back to our adventure!"
"Everything is back to normal," Nami sighed out happily. "Thank goodness."
"Yes, you almost left us," Usopp said in accusation.
"Not like you were any better!" Nami retorted.
"Yes, this is more like it," Robin chuckled.
"Realizing that seahorse horn was the real culprit was brilliant, Robin my love," Sanji complimented.
"It's getting dark, we should go," Kia said, looking around.
"So where did the memory thief go?" Sanji asked.
Zoro growled and ran to the edge of the water. "It's obvious, where he is," he stated.
"It will keep taking the memories of the people in the town if we don't stop it," Nami said with concern. Luffy was thinking about that, as Zoro dove into the water. The crew couldn't help but laugh as Usopp gave a commentary of Zoro's fight with the seahorse. And they weren't sure who was winning…
"You're next Usopp!" Zoro yelled. He came up with the seahorse in his hands, and looked over to his friends with a scowl, as the seahorse squeaked at him.
"Now for my last resort!" Chopper said in translation. The crew looked to the seahorse, wondering what that meant.
The animal blew like it would make a trumpeting sound, but instead a thick blue smoke came from it. Everyone blinked, trying to see where it went, then stood still in shock at the people standing in front of them.
One by one, they called out their names, but Kia already knew who they were. Family, friends, the people that her friends held in their memories. She also knew they weren't really there, but she was so happy to see every one of them.
Nami's mom, Usopp's crush, Zoro's inspiration, Chopper's first friend, Sanji's mentor… she took a good look at all of them. Hearing Luffy shout out happily, "Hey you guys!" had her focusing, and seeing Shanks, and Ace.
Man, I hope I get to meet Shanks sometime, she thought wistfully. Noticing someone else next to Ace, her eyes opened wide, and started tearing up. Mom… Dad… she said inwardly as she gasped. Her sisters were there too- her family was looking at her and smiling. And she couldn't help but smile back, even knowing it was just a picture from her memory.
An arm around her shoulders had her wanting to see who it was but she couldn't look away. She was pretty sure she knew her brother well enough now to recognize him just by his nearness.
"Look Kia, our families are together, just like us," he said quietly, and seriously, which had her turning, just to be sure it was really him.
"Yeah, they are," she replied. Her sound of disappointment was echoed by the others as the picture changed, and Luffy stiffened.
"You jerks wanna fight?!" he shouted. The crew looked on in horror at the floating likenesses of the ruthless villains they had faced.
"You meddlers made me lose all the delicious memories from the villagers, but with everything I'll gather from you, I'll be able to transform!" Chopper translated.
"Huh?"
The bright light in the sky had everyone shielding their eyes. Suddenly they were looking up at what could have been a hot air balloon. Then they were looking at each other in confusion.
"Who am I?" Luffy asked.
"What am I doing here, and who are you guys?!" Usopp shouted.
"Now I'm a millennial dragon!" Chopper translated.
"You ARE?!" Usopp and Luffy asked, looking at him.
"Huh?"
"That racoon-dog can talk!"
"I'm a racoon-dog?" Chopper asked, horrified.
"A racoon dog and a dragon?" Sanji asked as he lit a cigarette.
"This can't be real… it's like I'm on an entirely different planet," Kia mumbled to herself, slowly backing away.
"A dragon?" Luffy said excitedly. "Must ride it!"
"Like you can get up there," Usopp rolled his eyes.
"Won't know 'til I try!" Luffy called, moving back to get a running start.
Kia stopped, her mouth gaping wide as the boy fell over a cliff, somehow holding on with a foot, then rocketed into the sky as if he had slingshot up. She stood frozen as he landed right on the dragon, and his arms stretched to wrap around it.
The group of people on the ground were trying hard to remember something… anything! And the boy's words, along with the translation of the dragon's from the racoon-dog, seemed familiar somehow.
"You're making me lose the memories!" the dragon said.
Luffy inhaled deeply, and remembered everything. His eyes narrowed at the creature responsible for all their trouble. "If you want memories, then go out and make some of your own!" he shouted. "Gum-gum pistol!"
He gave the inflated seahorse a solid punch, but he was done playing nice. He knew he needed to get his friend's memories back too. "I'll make you give them all back!" he called, letting go of the creature and striking out with his foot as he fell back.
His kick was perfect, and the creature deflated as the sparkling blue smoke came out in a whoosh. The group on the ground watched the creature as it was flung away, until they couldn't see it anymore.
Kia held her arm out to steady herself, it was a jolt, having all her memories returned in a moment.
"Help me out of here, won't ya?" She heard Zoro complain to Sanji as he tried to climb out onto land.
"I bet you thought that was funny, getting me riled up about thinking of you with Kia," Sanji sneered in response.
"I can't help it if you aren't boyfriend material," Zoro snarled back, his contempt showing.
"That's enough, this joke has gotten old!" Kia said as she ran forward to help separate them, giving both of them glares.
"Captain?" Robin asked, turning to see if Luffy was all right.
His head came up and he grinned at her. "I kicked that dragon's ass!" he cheered.
"If I remember correctly, aren't millennial dragons hatched? I mean, don't they come from eggs? You can't just become one," Zoro said as they walked back towards the ship.
"Yeah, and eating memories won't change that," Sanji added.
"Oh, is that right?" Chopper asked.
"Sure!" Usopp replied. "You probably didn't know about this, but before we came to the Grand Line we saw some millennial dragons with our own eyes!"
"Whoa!" Chopper said in awe.
"Never mind that though, I'm more excited to see what Nami and Luffy come back with," he continued. "Since we saved the village, they should be treated like heroes!"
"Damn straight!" Zoro agreed. "And heroes need booze!"
"Already trying to forget something, are we?" Sanji leered.
"Shut up!"
"Nami will be happy with money of course," Usopp said. "But what horrific prize will Luffy ask for?"
"He has been talking about a bronze statue lately," Kia replied, and the others shook their heads.
"They just went back for the waver," Robin stated. "Who knows if they'll even see the villagers."
"I can't believe the villagers thought you were the ones who stole their memories!" Usopp said after Nami and Luffy came racing back to the Merry, and explained what had happened.
"Who else did they have to blame," Nami said in disgust. "They only saw us!"
"My bronze statue… I almost had it…" Luffy pouted.
"What can you expect, we are pirates after all. Getting rewarded isn't supposed to happen to us," Zoro stated as he hauled up the anchor.
"Losing your memories is a whole lot of trouble," Usopp concluded.
"I seem to recall you trying to scheme us into joining your pirate crew," Sanji said dryly.
"Oh come on," Usopp smiled. "You can still join if you want!"
"And worse, a simpleton that let his mind and body be taken over by a neurotic seahorse," Sanji continued as he smirked at Zoro.
"WHAT?!" Zoro glared, getting up in Sanji's face.
"If you had been keeping watch instead of sleeping, then none of this would have happened, stupid moss head."
"Shut up! I was tired, okay?"
"Well, if you're that tired," Sanji growled as they faced off yet again. "Why don't you sleep forever?"
Nami growled, and pushed them apart. "Enough bickering!" she yelled. "Or else you'll be getting another dose of amnesia!" She stalked away from them, as the ship left the cove, and moved to get her bearings.
"What's that?" Kia asked, and they looked to where she was pointing down into the water.
Luffy looked over, but since no one sounded excited, he figured it was probably nothing.
"Get some rope, maybe I can pull it up," Usopp said as he eyed the bottle.
"Here you go," Chopper said as he handed over the rope.
It took a couple of tries, but Usopp was able to lasso the bottle's neck and pull it up the ship.
"An eternal pose?" Robin asked, as she saw the little compass tied to the bottle. "How odd."
"There's a note inside," Usopp said, as he fished it out, and handed it to Kia.
"What's it say?" Zoro asked, already beginning to lift weights as he sat near them.
"It's a map, of an island," Kia stated, and she turned it over. "Oh, there's a note. If you are a brave pirate among all other pirates, bring your crew to Omatsuri island!" she read.
"Sounds like a trap," Usopp muttered.
"So what, is it like, a festival island or something?" Zoro asked.
"Keep reading Kiana," Robin said.
"All right," Kia replied. "Visit the Grand line's only resort island, where everyday is like a festival! Come be soothed by our salons and spas-"
"Salons and spas?" Nami interrupted as she came over to look at the paper. "That sounds amazing!"
Kia smiled at her, and then went back to reading. "Enjoy amber colored sunsets among beautiful women-"
"Beautiful women!" Sanji interrupted this time. "This sounds like the place to go!"
Kia shook her head, and went back to the note. "And a dream come true full course meals," she finished.
"Dream come true?" Chopper asked. "What kind of food is it?" he asked Kia.
"It's definitely a trap," Usopp said firmly.
"A trap?!" Chopper asked in horror.
"What do you think Luffy?" Zoro asked. When no response came, he looked up to the figurehead where Luffy still sat.
"Well Luffy?" Nami asked. "If you want to go, we need to change our heading."
Still no reply, and Sanji and Zoro shouted, "LUFFY!" in exasperation.
"Read the first part again, Kia," he said finally.
"Uh… If you are a brave pirate among all other pirates, bring your crew to Omatsuri island," she reread.
"Okay then, I've decided," Luffy answered, standing up and turning to face them. "Let's go there, because we are brave pirates!"
The crew moved to follow the order, adjusting the ship's trajectory. "We can't stay long, otherwise we'll never get back on course," Nami cautioned.
"Robin?" Chopper asked, seeing the look of worry on her face. "What's wrong?"
She looked down and smiled, pushing away thoughts of what would have happened to her, if she had never regained her lost memories. It had only been a few minutes, but she worried all the same.
"It's nothing," she answered, even as she stretched. "Just a little tired," she explained.
"I bet," Sanji spoke up. "Robin didn't get to sleep even once during that entire ordeal."
"Oh, that's right!" Chopper said. "Definitely need to get some sleep then Robin!"
"And I'll start preparing a special recuperative dinner," Sanji added.
"What? Dinner!" Luffy jumped down to the deck with a grin. "Yeah! Sanji, Dinner!"
"I said, I'll start preparing dinner, so shut up, and wait!"
Kia grinned also, though her smile faded as Nami began to speak.
"Robin, I didn't see anyone in the smoke for you. Did I just miss it?" she asked in worry.
"No, he didn't have any of my memories to pull from," Robin said with a smile to calm the navigator down.
"But then… why did we see your family, Kia?" Nami asked, as she looked over to her friend.
"I'm not sure…" Kia answered. "But… I had slept for a bit, remember? Maybe he only got a few of my memories." She had planned to tell them that Luffy had told her stories of their adventures if they asked, but that wouldn't work now. She hoped that this explanation would work. Otherwise, she'd just have to play dumb.
"That makes as much sense as any of it," Usopp replied. "I may not like losing my memories, but I'll be happy to forget about that seahorse!"
"Agreed," Nami said with a nod.
Kia yawned then, and mentioned that she'd probably like a nap as well, though Zoro gave her a look. "What?" she asked.
"No skipping workouts Kia," he replied, and she groaned, but moved over to get her weights.