"Hey… do you hear that?" Nami asked. Everyone's voices died down to listen.
"Yurari… yura yura…"
"Is that… singing?" Kia asked, looking around, and seeing only a lone fisherman pulling in his nets.
"I think it's that guy," Usopp pointed, as they approached.
"What's he saying?" Luffy asked, as he looked.
"Be quiet, and let's find out!" Nami scolded.
"King of seas… golden crown…." the man's singing was both simple and haunting, and the whole crew were still even as the Merry began to pass the fisherman. They just stared.
"White snake's eyes… two moons…."
"How is there snow on the peaks of a summer island?" Robin asked herself as she looked at the approaching island from where she stood in the crow's nest.
Chopper smiled, as the granny started swaying back and forth to the fisherman's song, her hands moving in a slow fashion along with the words.
"Sound of black winds…. A thin feeling.…"
The song died off there, and the granny gave a sigh of pleasure.
"What was that song?" Nami asked. "It mentioned the golden crown."
The old woman smiled. "It's a folk song of the island. Even the little children can sing it."
Nami's eyes narrowed. "Wait. Is this song the reason you think the golden crown really exists?" she asked.
"Of course!" the old woman replied.
"I knew it was bogus information Luffy!' Nami yelled. "But you just had to believe it!"
"No, it's true!" the old lady argued.
Sanji, ever wanting to see Nami smile, decided to change the subject. "Hey Granny, what's the name of this island?" he asked.
"Mecha Island," she replied.
"Mecha?" he asked, to clarify.
"But this island doesn't look mechanical at all," Usopp said, as he looked out the side of the ship. "In fact, it looks the exact opposite. Pretty, and quiet, and peaceful. Who named it?" he asked.
"I don't know," the old woman answered with a shrug. "It's always been called that."
"Well, no matter," Usopp said. "Where should we dock?" he asked her.
"Anywhere," came the reply.
Usopp rolled his eyes to Kia, and turned to look at the old woman. "Look, we're pirates! Pirates can't just dock anywhere."
"Oh…" the woman said, pursing her lips in thought. She pointed over to her right, and said, "How about that beach there?"
Usopp followed her pointing, and saw a solitary beach. He turned to give Chopper the heading, since he was steering.
"Hey, what's that?!"
The crew stopped at their captain's cry, looking toward the front of the ship where he was sitting on the figurehead.
"What is it?" Nami asked.
"There are some weird things on the beach!" he called back.
Usopp walked over to the railing again, and tilted his head out. He could make out the faint pieces that were along the beach, looking like some sort of track. "Yeah, they look like some kind of machines!" he answered.
"Those are my son's," the lady said with a nod. "Ever since his father died, he has been building all sorts of things out of junk, like he's obsessed."
Usopp looked like he would say more, but there was a loud whirring sound, and he looked back to the beach as large mechanical soldiers popped up from the sand. There were so many lining the beach he didn't think he could count them all, and each one had a bow and arrow pointed directly at their ship.
"AAAHH!" he screamed as he backed quickly away. "We're in deep trouble if those arrows come flying at us!"
Kia saw that that woke Zoro up, and he stood to assess the danger for himself. He glanced at them, and she followed him as he went to the staircase, as she wanted a better look at them as well.
"We can-" Sanji started, but Zoro interrupted.
"I can handle this," he told them, as he put his swords on his belt. "Alone," he said, with a pointed look at Kia, who frowned.
"I just wanted to get a look at it all," she muttered.
"Stay here, and be ready," he told her, as he turned to head up the stairs.
"What's going on?" Chopper called, coming from the kitchen.
"We aren't sure," Kia replied, making her way to the back stairs to join him at the railing. I can still have a good view from there, she thought.
"Hey! We aren't here to plunder!" Luffy called out, even as the old woman came running to his side. "We are just bringing Granny back, like she asked!"
He reached over, and grabbed the woman by the back of her kimono, and held her up for the island to see.
"HOW DARE YOU TREAT HER LIKE THAT?!" A tin sounding voice echoed over the water. And then another shouted, "MOMMY!"
The crew looked at each other, wondering what was going on. Kia glanced at Chopper, and then up to Luffy, thinking that he may decide to fight if the people on the island decided to. Before she could even get past that thought, something came flying over the water and towards the ship.
Is that a… plane? she wondered to herself.
If so, it was more like a glider, as it didn't have an engine. It gracefully, and quickly zoomed towards Luffy, who shouted "COOL!"
The next moment, it was flying back to the island, and the old woman next to Luffy was gone.
"COOL!" Usopp and Chopper both shouted, and Nami gave Usopp a smack, and ordered Chopper back to the controls to steer.
"HEY!" Nami shouted to the island. "SHE PROMISED US A REWARD IF WE BROUGHT HER HOME! THE GOLDEN CROWN!"
There was silence for a moment, before the tin sounding voice began laughing. "And you believed that?!" it cackled at them. "Only fools and children believe that story to be real!"
"I KNEW IT!" Nami fumed, stamping her foot. "I can't believe we came all this way!"
"Nothing we can do about it now," Kia replied, sounding disappointed. "Let's just get out of here.
"I want to see the island though," Luffy pouted, shouting from across the ship.
"TURN YOUR SHIP AROUND, PIRATE LOSERS!" the voice echoed. "GO BACK TO BREAST FEEDING, YOU BABIES!"
"That was a horrible insult," Sanji commented. "I can't believe that was the best he had."
"YOU ASKED FOR IT!"
With a whooshing sound that sounded more like a roar, the mechanical soldiers all released their arrows. Chopper, Usopp and Nami screamed, and started looking for places to hide. Sanji grabbed Nami gently, then said, "you too," as he pulled Usopp by his nose to get out of the way.
"That's nothing!" Luffy smiled, winding his arm.
"Oy, Luffy!" Zoro said, joining him on the figurehead. "It's my turn."
Luffy looked disappointed, but he couldn't deny Zoro. He hardly asked for anything, so Luffy tried to agree whenever he did. He stepped back, giving Zoro room.
"Thirty-six worldly desires," Zoro murmured as he took a stance. "One sword… Thirty-six pound phoenix!" he called as he slashed out. His strike flew out from him, shattering all the arrows into pieces which fell into the water before them.
Robin stood where she was, watching the entire thing. "That's our swordsman," she said with the hint of a smile.
"Way to go Zoro!" Kia called out happily, seeing him turn to glance at her, before turning back. But she thought he looked pleased.
"AAH! You're hit!"
Kia looked down in panic, then let out a sigh of relief. Usopp had an arrow piece through his hat, but he looked fine, even as he ran in circles, screeching.
"It went through your hat, you're fine!" Sanji bellowed, trying to get him to stop.
"Oh, I am?!" Usopp looked at his hat, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I mean, of course I am!"
It all seemed a little unreal to Kia, because she wasn't paying attention any longer to what the people on the ship and the people on the island were yelling at each other. But she did notice when a fan as large as a building came up from under the sand on the beach.
The man on the beach switched it on, and the wind was strong enough that they had to hold on or get blown away. It was worse because they couldn't adjust the rigging to combat it. The main sail was filled with air, and the force almost tipped the Merry over.
However, the fan's strength also became its weakness. Everything behind the fan had been being pulled toward it, and at that moment, the robot archers directly behind it were sucked into the fan, and crunched into pieces by the blades. Those pieces shot out towards the Merry, and everyone took cover as Robin shouted out a warning.
Kia only stood back up once the noise of the fan was gone, and she peeked over to the shore, seeing that it was broken, which was a relief. Looking back at the ship, she was dismayed to see the damage that the shrapnel had caused. Chunks of metal were lodged into the mast, the walls, and even the planking of the deck, and the main sail was shredded.
"What happened?" Luffy asked, as he stood up.
"They hurt the Merry, that's what," Usopp cried indignantly. "HEY!" he shouted towards the beach. "WE WERE PROMISED A REWARD FOR BRINGING THE OLD LADY BACK, AND THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT US?!
"What?!" the man called back. "What reward?"
"THE GOLDEN CROWN!" Nami yelled.
There was a pause, and then the man started laughing hysterically. He jeered at them, and insulted the pirates' intelligence until Robin finally had enough and shut him up with a clutch maneuver.
"Did you break him?" Kia called up to her.
"He's fine," she replied, even as she began to climb down from the crow's nest, the head of one of the robots under her arm.
"Look at our sail," Nami lamented. "We can get by with the lateen sail for now, but we need to get it fixed and soon. We should just get going, and find the next island."
"What?!" Luffy said, appalled. "We haven't found the treasure yet!"
Nami, at her wit's end, just shook. She had been trying not to take her anger out on Luffy, since he was the captain and all, but sometimes he just didn't get it. "Didn't you hear that guy?" she asked him, her voice dangerously soft, and a tight smile on her face. "There isn't a treasure!"
"Yes there is!" Luffy said stubbornly. "The old lady said so!"
"I don't know captain," Kia stepped in. "It sounds like it's just a story."
"Exactly!" Nami agreed.
"Perhaps," Robin said, and the other girls looked to her in surprise.
"You think it may be real?" Nami asked her.
"I have no proof," Robin explained. "But I feel as though both the man and the old woman are telling the truth, as they know it. She just believes it, and he feels that because no one has discovered it, that it is just a story."
"I suppose…" Kia said, though she didn't know what to think.
"Let's give it some time, before we decide to write it off," Robin suggested.
"I'll make dinner then," Sanji offered.
"YEAH!" Luffy called, as he started jumping up and down. "DINNER!"
"While we wait, Captain, should we train?" Kia asked him, getting a grateful look from Sanji.
"Let's play a game!" Luffy said with a grin.
"Train first, then game," Kia corrected, and Luffy nodded.
"Okay Kia," he said. "Are you working on dodging or hitting?"
Kia had been thinking about this a lot, and since it looked like their adventures were taking a drastic turn from the story she knew, she decided to help Luffy learn what his devil fruit could do. Otherwise, who knew when he'd come up with second gear.
"Well, actually, I thought we'd work on you this time," she said, even as he looked at her blankly.
"Me?" he asked, as his hand went under his hat do he could scratch his head. "Why do I need to train?"
Kia gave him a scathing look. "Oh, so you're saying that if Ace, or your Gramps, or even Shanks were here right now, you could beat them no problem?" she asked sarcastically. She smiled when he looked a little sheepish. "That's what I thought," she continued.
"Well but I'm working harder everyday," he complained.
"I know, but I think we need to come up with some new ideas for you to try," she told him. She gestured both Usopp and Chopper over, to have them help. "We can all come up with ideas, and you can try them out, and see if it is something you can do."
"What?" Usopp asked, since he missed the first part of the conversation.
"I'm thinking that Luffy needs to work on his devil fruit powers more," Kia explained. "He can do some pretty amazing things, but a devil fruit is only limited by the person's imagination."
"What do you mean?" Chopper asked, intrigued.
"Well, for example, Luffy told me once that when he was first training with Ace, and he wanted to use gum gum pistol, it didn't work very well. Ace could grab his arm as it shot forward, and fling Luffy off into the distance."
"REALLY?!" Usopp and Chopper exclaimed.
"You didn't have to tell them that," Luffy pouted.
"The point is, that Luffy had an idea of what he wanted to do, and then worked to make it happen, and now it's one of his best fighting moves, right?" she asked.
"Ah, I see," Usopp said, nodding. "So we're thinking of other things he could do, that maybe can become another fighting move for him."
"Right," she concluded. "So Luffy, what made you want to use gum gum pistol?" she asked him.
He smiled, and she could tell it was from the memory, and not because of her. "When I was trying to convince Shanks that I was old enough to join his crew, I told him I was strong- that my punches were like pistols."
Kia's heart warmed, both at the memory, and the way he softened as he told it. "I really want to meet Shanks someday," she said softly.
Luffy looked in her eyes and nodded. "You will," he said. "You're part of my crew, and I have to return his hat to him… once we've become great pirates."
She nodded once to him. "And training is part of making that happen," she said. "So, what about your other moves?" she asked. "Like gum gum rocket, or balloon?"
Luffy put his hand on his chin. "Well… uh… I don't remember. I just did them."
"You were asking too much here, Kia," Usopp muttered.
"I suppose that's true," she replied with a shrug. "Maybe we just think of something that would be helpful, or that you want to do, and then we try to figure out how to do it?" she asked.
"This is boring," Luffy said, and she turned to him, seeing his finger up his nose.
"Fine," she said with a shrug. "Just remember what I said, about anything being possible. Don't think you can't, just because your devil fruit seems to have limitations. There is always a way around it."
"I don't get it, but okay," Luffy said, as he trotted off to ask about dinner.
"Well, that didn't go as planned," Kia muttered.
"What did you mean, Kia?" Chopper asked.
"Well, let's use Robin for example," Kia said, not noticing that Robin looked up from her book in surprise at the change of topic. "On the surface, her powers seem pretty self explanatory, with being able to have her limbs bloom anywhere like flowers. But, what else have we seen her do?" she asked.
"Uh, well, she used several hands together, and made a vine to swing to safety a few times," Chopper said as he stopped to think about it. "She uses the hands both for offense and defense, and even to make ladders for climbing or nets for saving people."
"Exactly," she agreed. "But what about during the dead end race?" she asked him, not wanting to just give him the answer.
He tilted his head, looking confused.
"She was able to make what looked like a giant hand, by putting a lot of limbs to work together," Usopp spoke up, as he joined them. "It kept us from crashing at the beginning of the race."
"Oh yeah!" Chopper said excitedly. "I forgot about that!"
"So my point is, that thinking about what you want to do with your power is a good way to stretch yourself, see what you are truly capable of. Knowing now that Robin can put her limbs together to make other shapes… who knows what she's capable of!"
"Yeah, like she could make a shield or something?!" Usopp said, agape at the new possibilities.
"Well, but remember they are her limbs, so if she made a shield out of them, it would still hurt her," she said gently. But she began wondering that if Robin knew armament haki, what such a shield could do for her. "I was thinking more like having a nose or mouth somewhere above the water would make it so she could breathe, and not drown, in case she ever got thrown in.
"Though now that I say that, I realize she can't use her power if she's in the water…" she added, feeling embarrassed.
"No, that's true, but it's smart to think of things like that, because it can lead to other ideas," Usopp said. He looked around at the water. "Just taking the time to look around, getting ideas from the places and animals around you can help you think of things, Chopper."
"That's so smart! Thanks Usopp!" Chopper cried, doing a little wiggle. "I want to grow even stronger so I can help the crew more!"
"Well, Captain Usopp is always here for good ideas," Usopp said with pride.
"Remember Chopper," Kia drew his attention. "Your fruit has all the potential of humanity, plus your natural instincts as a reindeer, so don't let yourself think something can't be possible." Chopper nodded, even as Sanji came out to call everyone to eat.
"Well maybe don't try flying," Usopp said to Chopper as they walked towards the outdoor table Sanji had set up. "I don't know any reindeer or humans that have wings."
"Yeah, unless they build some," Kia added, giving Usopp a wink, seeing his eyes light up at the possibility.
Wings… an interesting thought, Robin mused as she followed the trio to the table. She was glad that she had been listening in on their conversation. Kiana never failed to get her thinking.
"Let me get this straight," Kia said, exasperated. "I go to help with the dishes for a few minutes, and while I'm gone, you not only figure out that the treasure is real, but that the song we heard earlier held the clues?"
"Yep!" Luffy and Usopp answered.
She turned to them, eyes shrewd. "And then, somehow, Luffy accidentally punches a rock- which, I don't really want to know about- and it crumbles apart, showing a mysterious cave that no one ever found before?!"
"Yeah!" Luffy cheered.
"And then, the people from the island came to invite us to meet with the island's boss, and they want us women to dress up for the occasion? Tell me why we agreed to this?!" she demanded.
"Because they are going to give us food!" Luffy said happily. Nami simply gestured to Luffy with an open hand, clearly saying it was all his doing. "C'mon Kia, please?!" Luffy asked.
She knew he could just give her the order, but the fact he was asking had her softening. "All right, fine," she agreed, turning to go to her room.
"You can wear one of mine," Nami offered as she walked back with her.
"Looks like I'll buy some dresses next time we go shopping," Kia replied.
"I don't mind sharing," Nami said, and Kia gave her a questioning look. "Because then I'll need to buy more," Nami answered the unspoken question.
"Of course," Kia said with a laugh.
After arriving in the girls room, Kia saw that Robin had put on a bright blue dress that looked great. The problem she had, was with how revealing it was. Robin could pull it off, no problem, and looked perfectly comfortable. She on the other hand…
"Please don't take offense Robin, because you look amazing, but I hope there's something less risque that I can wear," Kia said unhappily.
"No offense taken," Robin replied with a small smile. "I was thinking that since they asked us to dress up, then perhaps we can go all out, and provide a distraction. They are obviously wanting something from us, to invite us to speak with them after how they greeted us this morning."
"You think so too, huh Robin?" Nami asked as she shimmied into a strapless red dress that had a slit over one leg that went up to her thigh. "Should I add some dark stockings, or not?" she asked their opinions.
"The stockings would dress it up more," Kia replied, and Robin nodded in agreement. "I guess we're going all out then," she said, looking at the options that Robin had pulled from the closet for her. The most bold choice was a one pieced halter jumpsuit. It had a cutout to show cleavage, and sleeves were attached at the torso, leaving the shoulders and back bare. It reminded her of a retro style back home, but what really sold her on it was that it was pants.
However, she'd need help to make the front look decent. "Nami, remember what I said when you bought me that push up bra the last time we went shopping?" she asked, as she picked up the outfit and turned to her friend. "I guess you win, because I'm about to eat my words."
Nami gave her an evil smirk. "You should know better than to bet against me," Nami grinned. "You owe me a hundred thousand berries."
"I guess you can add it to my tab," Kia said, as she began to unbraid her hair. The waves it created would just help sell the retro look she was going for. And with her hair down, she wouldn't feel too self conscious about her back being bare.
"Like Robin said, let's go all out," she added, smiling back at them as they grinned at her.
As it turned out they needn't have bothered. The ruler of the island was a strange man named Ratchet, who reminded Kia of a guy from school that was only interested in getting the highest scores. He studied and worked, and had no time for anything else, including friends or girls.
Ratchet was also single minded- but his goal seemed to be the treasure of the golden crown. During the time they spent in his home, his mother had come in several times trying to warn him about something, but he kept using his machines to evict her from the room.
It only made him more suspicious to the women, but the boys didn't seem to care. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were so impressed by all the machines that Ratchet created, and the idea of teaming up for the treasure hunt, that they thought he was the nicest guy.
Zoro just went along with Luffy, as he usually did. And Sanji couldn't seem to think about anything else but how the girls looked. He shouted over and over about being in love with Robin and Nami, and while he didn't shower Kia with love, he did offer her an arm to escort her ashore, and told her that she looked amazing.
After Luffy agreed to help find the treasure, the crew went back to the Merry, having been told that Ratchet would come for them in the morning, and they would all explore the cave together. They were actually able to spend a peaceful night, which didn't happen all too often.
The next morning, Ratchet and his two men showed up in a small boat that had what looked like a giant wind up fan on the back which was attached to the mast by a twisted piece of cloth. Luffy asked about it, and Ratchet explained how it moved the motor as it unwound while they waited for everyone to board.
Of course, Luffy had to try it out, and he and Kia stood at the back, making sounds as the fan distorted their voices. Nami shook her head at them, and threatened bodily harm to finally get them to stop. Ratchet had Luffy wind up the motor again, as Usopp disengaged from the Merry. And then, they were off towards the cave, Nami giving instructions for Zoro to protect her if needed, and Usopp looking like he would be ill.
It was silent as they entered, and Ratchet lit a few lanterns in order to give enough light to explore. At first there was no reason to stop, as there was only a single path through the water, with walls reaching the top of the cavern on both sides.
"This will be easy to find since there is only one way to go," Usopp spoke up.
Luffy started singing the song of the island, his voice echoing through the cavern. Everyone else relaxed as they looked around them.
"Did you hear that?" Chopper asked, turning to look up at Kia, who was sitting next to him.
"Hear what?" she asked, looking down at him. "Are you still hearing a voice?" She had been pretty concerned about Chopper, who had claimed to hear something calling to him when they were on the island the previous night, that no one else could hear.
She knew that Chopper wasn't crazy, so she assumed it was some sort of animal, but he didn't agree. It sounded different than any animal had. Which brought her back to worrying about him.
"No, not that," he replied. "It sounds like a strange wind."
"A strange wind?" she asked, with a frown, and straining to hear. "Hey Luffy, stop singing for a minute," she called. "Chopper heard something."
They all listened intently as they moved through the tunnel. There was the sound on moaning, not unlike caverns she had heard about back home though.
"Could it be the sounds of a black wind?" Robin asked.
"You mean from the yurari song?" Ratchet's man asked.
"Maybe," Robin answered.
"If so, then what could be the "thin feeling" that comes after?" the other man asked.
"Who knows?" Robin replied, her eyes thinning. No wonder they wanted us to go with them, she thought. They want us to figure everything out for them.
"Perhaps it makes someone lose weight?" Sanji said, as he puffed out smoke. "Like falling in love so hard that you can't even eat!"
Kia rolled her eyes at him, and gave his shin a small kick to get him to snap out of it.
"The flow is faster now," Nami murmured.
"What?" Robin asked, turning back to look at her.
Nami was manning the tiller, keeping the boat on course. "The fan motor has stopped, but we're actually picking up speed," she explained.
"What's that?!" Usopp shouted, and screamed. "Look!"
Chopper squealed, and jumped up to grab onto Zoro's head in his panic. Kia started to giggle, until Zoro glared at her, and she had to purse her lips in order to hold it in.
The occupants of the small boat looked out at the water around them, seeing many boats like theirs that were wrecked, and littering the sides of the cavern.
"They are all very old," Robin commented. "Most are rotting."
"What's that pile up there?" Sanji asked as he looked forward.
Nami gasped, and grabbed the tiller. "Everyone keep your mouths shut, or you'll bite your tongues off!" she yelled.
They looked at her in confusion, and looked ahead. The walls of the cavern converged, and there was only a narrow opening to get through. Most of the rotted boats hadn't made it, and were pushed into a pile against the walls next to the opening by the waves.
"We can't make it through that!" Usopp shouted. "It's too small!"
"So break it open with your impact dial," Sanji said, unworried.
"Are you kidding?!" Usopp turned to ask furiously. "I'm the one that would break open!"
"I can figure something out," Ratchet mused, thinking furiously.
"Mr. Ratchet, sir!" his men cried.
Luffy looked at it, and decided what needed to be done. He jumped over Usopp, grabbed onto the mast and tore it off, tossing it and the cloth aside. He stretched his arms over to the fan, and twisted them around each other as tightly as he could.
"Everyone HANG ON!" Kia shouted, seeing what he was doing.
"Gum gum rubber motor!" Luffy called, letting his arms go. The motor went into overdrive, and the small boat became as fast as a speed boat, the front of it coming up out of the water. Nami had a hard time keeping her eyes open, but knew that she needed to see, or they'd crash.
They sped through the opening, the stabilizers on either side of the boat breaking off as they plunged ahead. Once they made it, Luffy let go, and the boat came to a stop.
The passengers sat up slowly, wondering how they were still alive.
"What were you thinking?!" Usopp shouted at Luffy.
"I thought if we went faster, we'd make it," Luffy replied with a grin. "And we did!"
"Thanks for the heads up Kia," Sanji said, helping her up. "Otherwise we may have fallen out."
"No problem," she replied, pushing her hair out of her face. She knew several pieces had gotten blown out of her braid from that, and she'd have to redo it eventually. "Chopper, you oka-"
She stopped suddenly, seeing Zoro trying to get the huge ball of fluff that was Chopper in panic mode off his head.
"Whoa…" Sanji said with a smirk. "A ball moss man."
"He could suffocate in there," Kia said, jumping up to try to get Chopper coherent again. She gave him a few taps on the face, and he turned small, even though he was still out of it. Zoro took a deep breath, gasping for air.
"You were choking me!" he shouted to Chopper.
"We're not done!" Nami called, as she pointed ahead of the boat. Everyone turned to look, seeing how the water simply disappeared ahead of them.
"Waterfall!" everyone screamed as Luffy shouted, "Woo-hoo!"
Sanji thought quickly, grabbing a life preserver, and jumping out of the boat as he yelled for Luffy to blow up. Luffy responded by sucking in air, and using his balloon shape. Sanji gave him a swift kick, shooting Luffy below the boat into the water just as it crashed on top of him, and bounced towards the shore.
"Luffy, give me your hand!" Zoro called, and Luffy stretched out to grab onto him, even as the boat sped away.
Sanji grabbed onto Luffy's body, successfully avoiding having to use the preserver, and did an impressive impression of water skiing as they shot towards Zoro.
Zoro let go a little too late, and they rammed into him, knocking him flat at the bottom of the boat. The boat had such momentum that it skid past the water and across the ground, eventually crashing and throwing most everyone out onto the dirt and rocks.
Kia opened her eyes, wondering how she avoided getting hurt, only to find that she was surrounded by Luffy. She lifted her head, and looked into his face. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and his face squished into a grimace as if waiting for the worst.
She grinned. "Thank you Lulu," she whispered and gave him a kiss on the nose. He flushed slightly, as he always did when she called him that… it was their little secret after all.
He had mentioned at one point that she always called him captain, and that she could use his name too, because they were family now. She had told him that she liked calling him Captain, because it made her feel like she belonged with the crew.
"But when I need you to know how much you mean to me, I'll call you Lulu," she had said.
"What?!" he had answered, taken aback.
"It'll be my special name for you," she had replied. "And when you hear it, you'll know that I love you to pieces, okay brother?" He thought about it, and eventually nodded.
"Well, then I'll call you Kiki," he had responded. "And you'll know I love you back, little sister."
"You're welcome Kiki," he whispered back to her now as he gave her a little squeeze. She laughed at the memory, and the dopey grin on his face as he opened his eyes, and jumped up. He avoided looking at her, even as he put her on her feet, and he glanced around the cavern they were in now.
"What an adventure," he called, moving to search around them.
Kia didn't say anything about their interaction, as it was something they both treasured and kept a secret from everyone else. It somehow felt more special that way… something shared by siblings.
Kai went to check on the others, helping pry Sanji off of Nami- he had landed in her lap, and didn't want to move. Zoro looked mad, but she discovered he had a huge bump on his head, thanks to having been laying at the bottom of the boat. Usopp seemed scratched up since he landed on rocky ground, but okay, and Robin looked fine, and she had been holding Chopper so he was okay too.
They all stood, gathering around to salvage what they could from the boat, though there wasn't much. Their supplies had been in the storage areas on the sides of the boat, that had been taken out earlier.
Robin glanced at the boat, and smirked. "So now we know that it was the BOAT that got the thin feeling mentioned in the song," she mused, and Kia laughed.
"I'm glad it was the boat and not us," Nami replied with a sigh. "Though now there are many more paths to search, and we don't have supplies."
"If I may suggest," Ratchet finally spoke up. "We could split up and search in smaller groups, that way we can save time."
"Whoa!"
Everyone turned to where Luffy's voice came from. "Come see what I've found!" he called down to them.
"Maybe we should check that out first?" Usopp suggested dryly to Ratchet.
Nami stared at Ratchet, wondering how in the world someone that seemed so smart could literally be this stupid.
Robin had found some carvings in one of the statues that Luffy had discovered, which had turned out to be the rest of the lyrics to the yurari song. Hearing about a blue jug being drunk empty, had Ratchet deciding that they needed to actually drink the lake in front of them.
Having Luffy and Chopper actually try to drink it all was not surprising for their crew, but a scientist that claimed he was a genius should know better.
Then, when Luffy had made one of his blunders that turned out to be the right thing, and the giant statue of an ibis came crashing into the water, piercing a hole at the bottom, and made the water recede; Ratchet had declared that since the next lines of the song spoke of a green forest, it would of course appear at the bottom of the lake.
Nami just shook her head, and gestured for the others to sit as they waited for the water to go down. Zoro had saved Luffy from drowning, so there was nothing else to do then.
The water drained, and Ratchet was shocked to find only rocks below them.
"Obviously there wasn't a forest under the water," Nami commented dryly. This guy is definitely NOT a genius. Plenty of ability to make inventions and machines, but no common sense, she thought.
She waited with Kia as the others moved forward to explore. Luffy ran around until he tripped and went crashing into a crack between a wall, getting himself stuck, and his crew just watched as he wiggled around, trying to free himself.
"Captain?" Robin asked, as she came closer to him. "Would it be all right if I went to check something out?"
"Is it about the treasure?" Luffy's voice sounded odd and echoing from where his head was stuck behind the wall.
"Is it hollow behind that?" Kia asked Nami quietly. "How is he able to talk so we can understand?"
"There must be some space, otherwise he wouldn't be able to move his mouth," Nami agreed.
"I don't think it's directly related, no," Robin answered.
"Okay then," Luffy called.
"Luffy!" Chopper shouted as he moved forward. "Can I go too?" he asked. "I have something to check out as well!"
"Okay," Luffy replied. "Uh, Sanji! Will you go with them?" he asked. He could hear Sanji yelling Robin's name happily, so he figured that was a yes.
He pulled and pushed for a few more minutes, and finally decided he couldn't get free.
"Zoro!" he called, upset. "Will you help me?"
Zoro huffed, but stood to do what he was asked.
"It sounds like there is some sort of tunnel behind him," Nami told Zoro. "Try not to destroy it."
He gave her a dry look, but held back on his attack. He slashed several times in differing directions, cutting the rocks around Luffy's head and freeing him- though all the pieces landed directly on top of him.
Luffy pushed up through the rubble with a shout. "Thanks Zoro!"
He could see everyone looking at him- make that past him, and Luffy turned around to see what the big deal was.
There on some sort of altar looking thing, was a spear. And it was bright green.
"Now we need to strike that with lightning!" Ratchet said, and at least this time, Nami could agree. The song had literally said that lightning would hit the green forest. "We will have to go back for now," he continued. "I can make something that will produce a lightning type effect, I'm sure of it!"
"Go back?" Luffy said, with a frown. "No way. We'll just hit it now."
"Are you stupid?" Ratchet yelled. "We need lightning!"
"Nami?" Luffy turned to look at her, and Nami gave a smirk as she moved forward.
"Okay Captain," she said, pulling out the pieces of her climatact from the sheath on her thigh. She grabbed the first piece and blew into it. "Cool ball!" she said, and did the same with the next piece. "And heat ball!"
"What?!" Ratchet said in disbelief. "That- that's amazing!"
Nami smirked as she spun the two pieces in her fingers, generating hundreds of the balls up above them to form the clouds she needed.
"You aren't the only one that can make amazing things, huh?" Usopp said with pride.
"I suppose it is interesting," Ratchet said, unwilling to praise it too much yet. "But are you sure it will work?
"Oh yeah, it has a lot of power," Luffy replied, his pride coming from his crew.
"Get ready everyone," Nami called, and they all smiled, even as Ratchet's men covered him. "Thunderbolt Tempo!"
The cloud produced a lightning strike which shot down and covered the area around the spear. In another instant it was gone, and the spear glowed eerily. The light shot into the ground, moving in odd shapes outward from the spear, and then everything was as it was before.
"Hey, what happened?" Nami asked, surprised that her cloud had dispersed so quickly.
"Yes, finally," Kia heard Ratchet murmur, and she turned to him.
"Finally what?" she asked, suspiciously.
He gave her a smile, and turned to the others. "I really must thank you," he said.
They all looked around as the light showed again, making cracks in the walls as it traveled upwards. Everything began shaking, and the ceiling started to collapse.
"TAKE COVER!" Kia shouted.
Usopp and Nami started screaming as pieces fell all around them. "Luffy!" Usopp called as a rock fell directly on him. It shattered a moment later, and he stood.
"I'm okay," he said, as he caught up to them. The four of them hid behind a large rock, and it seemed to outside of the falling rocks, as none of them were hurt.
"Where's Zoro?" Nami asked.
"I don't know… he's probably somewhere around in here," Luffy answered.
"That's not reassuring at all," Nami groused, and she turned to look at Kia. "Kia? You okay?" she asked, then followed where Kia was looking.
"Is… that…" she said, then stopped as her mouth hung open.
The pair stood, gaping, as off in the distance, past the island, a large pile of rocks were coming up out of the water. And then something moved, and an eye looked back at them. Luffy stared as well, though now he finally understood what he had been hearing.
"A turtle?!" Nami shouted, grabbing onto Kia.
"And it's huge!" Luffy shouted.
"Whoa…" Kia breathed, unsure of whether to panic or be amazed. She knew in this world creatures like this existed- but she hadn't known there were others besides Zunesha- the elephant that carried the island of Zou.
"So this island is actually a turtle?!" Nami cried.
"I get it!" Luffy called happily, even as Zoro joined them, and freaked out at the sight of the turtle. "This turtle will take us to the golden crown!" Luffy crowed.
At the top of the island- Robin, Sanji and Chopper stared out at the turtle that they rode upon. "So this is the Island turtle, huh?" Sanji asked Chopper. "My dear Robin found the information about how the island was responsible for waking the turtle, back in the temple."
"Has she been talking to you, Doctor?" Robin asked.
"No, not really," Chopper answered. "She isn't making much sense, and I think she may still be half asleep. She keeps saying something about babies."
"The writings I found said that the islanders were responsible for waking her, so that she could lay her eggs," Robin explained.
A gentle rumbling had them pausing. "Do you hear that strange noise?" Sanji asked.
"It sounds like a machine," Chopper agreed. "Over there!"
They watched in horror as huge metal pieces began sprouting all over the island.
"What is happening?" Sanji asked. "What are those things?"
"I think we will have to go to the castle to find out," Robin replied.
"I just hope Nami and Kia are okay," Sanji said, even as he turned and began running back to find a way down from the temple. "Rubber! Nose! Stupid swordsman!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "If anything happens to them, no dinner for you!"
"That mechanical geek!" Nami ranted. "They're going to give me all the money on the island for this!"
"Because they tried to kill us?" Kia asked sardonically.
"They tried to rip us off!" Nami countered. "It's unforgivable!"
"That's why you're angry?" Zoro muttered.
"But check out that castle!" Luffy said with stars in his eyes. "It's a transforming fortress!"
"Don't be impressed!" Nami snapped.
"That's asking too much," Kia told her.
They looked up as Sanji called their names, happy that they were okay. They gave him a wave, and started looking for a way to meet up. Not finding one, Nami finally yelled for them to meet at the castle, and they took off.
"I'll wait for you here!" Usopp called from behind them. Luffy reached back and grabbed him, with an easy stretch, pulling him along with them as they ran for the castle.
It didn't take long to find the huge building, but it didn't seem like there were any entrances. Kia looked around, and saw the outline of something, and called Luffy over.
"Here Captain, can you knock this section in?" she asked. "I think this will be a good enough door."
Luffy reared back and gave it a resounding smack, and the metal crunched inwards along the seam, creating a bigger than needed door. Luffy strode in, and yelled for Ratchet, though he called him Skinny Glasses.
Kia loved the way that Luffy would pick a characteristic of a person in order to remember them. In this case, a tall skinny man that wore huge glasses. She thought it very apt.
The crew waited for the trio to catch up, and then they walked into the building behind Luffy.
"He's not going to come out, just because you call for him," Zoro said to Luffy."
"You said his ambition is to take over the world with the Island Turtle?" Sanji asked as he flanked Luffy on the other side. "He'll have to pay for what he did to us first."
"He won't touch this turtle," Chopper swore.
"Yay, go Zoro!" Usopp called from his place outside.
"Shut up!" Zoro replied.
"Just get in here, Usopp," Kia turned to give him a glare. "You're safer with us, then out there alone."
"Eep!" he scurried inside as he realized she was right.
"I wonder what will show up next," Robin said, in a curious tone.
"Let's go!" Luffy yelled, and he, Zoro and Sanji raced off.
"Wait, at least check out the situation… and they're gone," Nami said with a sigh. "Why can't they ever just be smart about these things?"
"C'mon Usopp," Kia said as she grabbed his hand. "Let's go together."
Robin nodded, and they moved forward, stopping when they noticed that Chopper hadn't moved.
"Chopper?" Nami asked. "You okay?"
He was quiet for a moment, then murmured, "the turtle is talking again," he said.
"What is it saying?" Robin asked.
Chopper didn't reply, he just stared off. Finally he turned to Nami. "Is it all right if I go off on my own? I want to speak to the turtle."
Nami looked to the others, and then shrugged. "Okay," she replied. "Be careful, and make sure to ask the turtle about the treasure!"
He gave her a nod, then turned, and raced out the Luffy-made door.
"Wait, I should go too," Usopp said, and the ladies frowned at him. "NOT because I'm scared," he muttered. "Jeez."
"Then why?" Kia asked.
"The Merry," he replied. "If this turtle starts swimming, the Merry will get wrecked, being so close to shore. And if the turtle dives? The Merry will get sucked under since it's connected to it."
"Hmm, good point," Nami said, thinking it over. "You never know when someone will need a rescue." She turned to Usopp. "Okay, but don't get too far away. You could be someone's only hope."
"You got it," he said, and Kia was happy to note that his legs weren't shaking- a telltale sign that he was scared.
As he ran off, she turned to the others. "He cares a lot about that ship," she said. "He wasn't shaking at all at the thought of going out there alone."
"He can be quite brave when he doesn't think too much about it," Nami agreed with a smile. "Well? Shall we go?" she asked.
They nodded, and the three of them entered the building.
Fighting their way through the fortress, was no easy task. There were traps, there were obstacles, and there was Ratchet, who through a set of tubes was able to hear what was going on all throughout the building. The three of them caught up to the boys when they fell into a trap, and eventually found the granny that originally brought them to this island.
Luffy asked about Chopper and Usopp, and Kia explained. But when Ratchet made some comment about using the turtle, Luffy finally had enough and took off following one of the communication tubes in order to find him, leaving the rest of them.
They moved together, with directions from Ratchet's mother, to find the way out. As they climbed some stairs there was a window, where they saw mechanical tentacles spread out across the island.
"Do you see that?" Robin said. "The turtle is moving."
"He must be controlling it with those machines," Nami said, frowning. "Luffy may stop him, but we need to stop the machines before the turtle is forced into something devastating."
"I'm sure Chopper is trying to find a way to free it, and Usopp will have the Merry following," Kia mused. "Should we split up?" she asked.
"Let's get out of here first, and then see," Zoro said, as he kept moving.
They heard Luffy scream, and they all instinctively started running.
"Are we sure Zoro should be leading?" Sanji asked.
"Hey, shut up!" Zoro replied as he burst through the door at the end of the stairs.
They all skid to a stop, finding themselves on a small platform. Kia laid down, giving Zoro a hand in pulling himself up. He looked up at her, and gravely said, "This is not my fault."
She grinned at him, and decided to tease. "Of course not," she said sarcastically. "But you were leading…"
He glared at her, promising her all sorts of workout torture later, when Robin shouted, "Hang on!"
The platform fell as if on hinges, and Zoro and Kia fell with it. Robin was quick to grab onto everyone with her extra limbs, but the two of them fell through her hands.
"KIANA!" she shouted.
"ZORO!" Nami yelled.
"DO SOMETHING IDIOT!" Sanji screamed. "IF KIA DIES, SO DO YOU!"
"Grab onto me!" Zoro called, reaching out for Kia, and she grabbed onto him. She couldn't help but scream, they were so high up, there was no way they could survive this fall. Zoro pulled out a sword and jabbed it into the building to slow their progress. He grit his teeth, trying to find a hold, but the sword cut through the metal wall like it was cloth.
"They have too much momentum!" Nami told the others, as she watched in fright for her friends.
"His sword is too sharp!" Robin added, her own fear palpable.
"C'mon Zoro…" Sanji said under his breath, tension growing.
They continued to fall, though they had been slowed somewhat. Kia looked around as they descended, and found something. "There!" she called to Zoro. "The building is sloped, and it will probably hurt, but we can slow down some. If we can slide the right direction, we can aim for the water!"
"That will flatten us!" he called back.
"You have a better idea?!"
He didn't like it, but it was all they had. Giving a grunt, he pushed off from the wall, making them change trajectory and crash into the sloping wall with a thud.
He tried to turn them, cushioning her with his own body, and gave a gasp of pain as the impact stole his breath. They rolled and slid down the side, both of them leaning and pushing against the metal to change their direction, but to no avail.
"No, no, no!" Nami yelled, seeing that they were headed for a pile of machinery that was below a metal track.
"They might make it," Robin said breathlessly, and Nami looked closer to see a cart sitting on the track, and the pair were falling right for it.
The three on the platform sighed with relief as they landed, and they could see them moving. They were probably hurt, but still alive. The car started moving along the track, but they would be okay.
"Let's get out of here," Robin suggested, and she began to pull herself back to the doorway. "We'll need to find a different way out."
Kia sat up, wincing, though she knew Zoro was really the one in pain. She checked him over to ensure he wasn't fatally injured, then reached back and slapped him.
"Hey!" he yelled, sitting up as well. "What the hell, Kia?!"
"I should be the one asking that!" she shouted. "I know you heard me!"
"You think I'm going to listen when you spout nonsense?!" he yelled back. Neither one bothered to pay attention as the car moved along the track, they were too engrossed with their argument.
"NONSENSE?!" Kia screamed, furious with him. "I can't take care of myself! Wasn't the whole point of training so that I didn't need protecting?! I told you not to shield me, and I meant it!"
"You don't get to tell me what to do!" he snarled back at her. "I protect my crew mates, even if they don't want me to!"
"Oh really?!" she growled sarcastically. "How often do you save Sanji, huh?!"
"If he really needed me to, I would!" he shouted, giving her shoulders a shake.
"If you keep rescuing me, I'll never get stronger!" she shouted back. She glared at him, and pointed to the brake for the car. "And can you stop this thing?!"
He turned, grabbing onto the brake lever, and noticed something coming towards them on the tracks.
"No," he replied, though he was still angry, he let it go and focused. "We have company."
Ratchet's man came riding up on another car, though this one was much more intricate. With a push of a button, arms came out from the sides with saw blades, ready to slice at them as soon as he got close.
Zoro looked back, seeing Kia ready to fight. But he wasn't ready to let her do that, the blades would cut right through her weapons.
He pulled out his bandanna and tied it on his head. He stood in the car, and pulled out his swords.
"I can help," Kia called as she also stood, knowing what he was thinking of doing. He glanced back and gave a grin.
"You can take care of yourself, right?" he asked. "Prove it."
He turned back, but jabbed backward with his sheath, causing her to lose her footing and fall into the seat, even as he jumped from the car.
"ZORO, YOU JERK!" he heard her yell as the car sped off without him. He skidded to a stop, and pulled out his swords, ready and waiting for the man to come at him.
The fight was very quick, as the man thought he couldn't stop the machine. In fact, it was only a block of the saw blades, and one strike to take the man down.
Zoro stood, and pulled his bandanna off. "That was a let down," he grumbled to himself. "Not worth how pissed Kia will be."
Kia wasn't pissed any longer, but she was fuming. Once the car had finally gone around the entire island, and she was able to find the Going Merry- Nami, Robin and Chopper were already aboard with Usopp.
They asked her what was wrong, but she just shook her head. She didn't think that they would understand.
She sat at the railing, watching as Zoro, Sanji and Luffy worked in tandem to take out Ratchet's fortress, Luffy going a little too strong on his attack, and the other two stepping in to keep him from hurting the turtle. She didn't speak to anyone, just nodded or shook her head as she was asked questions.
At Chopper's request, they followed the Island turtle, making sure she was safe to lay her eggs, and then they set sail. Luffy called them back before they could get far, and they all conceded that Luffy had been right… there was a treasure after all. The giant turtle eggs were golden on the inside, and once the babies had broken out, the cracked edges looked just like a crown.
They used quite a bit of rope to attach one of the huge shell pieces and began towing it behind them. Kia didn't think it would make it very far without sinking… it was gold after all, but she didn't say anything. She just looked up at their makeshift sail- made from parachutes taken from Ratchet- and listened for the inevitable crying from Nami and Luffy about losing the treasure.
It took about an hour… longer than she had originally thought, but most of the crew took the loss in stride, and Robin's giggling had Kia thinking that she had known what would happen as well.
After another hour, Kia decided that she was no longer mad, but pouting. Zoro obviously wasn't going to apologize, so if she wanted him to treat her differently, she'd have to do what he said, and prove it.
She didn't join him for a workout, and he didn't invite her either. She worked on her own, tailoring her workout to smaller weights with more reps, wanting to be able to to have more endurance, and more stamina.
After eating, she went to see Usopp, and spoke to him about what she could do to ensure her escrima sticks could withstand a blade attack. He was less hopeful than she, but if they found the right type of wood, he could make them extremely hard, which could fend off most normal blades.
He suggested that she ask Zoro, but she just shook her head and continued, moving on to her throwing knives. She wanted to have them made with cheaper metal, even scrap pieces, so that she wouldn't feel bad about not collecting them.
Usopp agreed to make her practice knives that way, but said he couldn't let his friends fight with inferior weapons. She finally consented, and then asked what she could do for him. He gave her several ideas of materials he was always collecting, and she promised to leave room in her bag for things she could bring back for him.
She went back on deck, where she was ganged up on by Nami and Sanji, demanding to know what had happened between her and Zoro.
Luffy happened to wander over at that moment, and was wondering what was going on. When he heard Nami's question, he pushed his way to stand in front of his sister. He gave her a once over. "Something happen between you and Zoro, Kia?" he asked, looking suspiciously over at the sleeping form of his swordsman. "I told you I could find you a boyfriend."
Kia slapped her hand to her forehead, even as Nami chortled and Sanji looked ill. "That's not it at all Luffy," she said, shaking her head. "Zoro keeps protecting me," she complained.
The three of them were quiet as they looked to Zoro and back to her.
"Uh… so what's the problem then, Kia?" Nami asked, uncertain of what was happening.
"I told him not to," she replied through gritted teeth. "But when we were falling, he turned us before we landed so that he cushioned me."
"A good thing too, or he'd be dead," Sanji said, giving her a curt nod. "It's a man's job to protect a lady."
"Oh, stop it Sanji," she burst out, and he looked at her in surprise. "That's not it either!"
Luffy looked at her, seeing that she spoke the truth, and he turned to his first mate. "Oy, Zoro! Come over here and explain it!" he called.
They could each see Zoro huff, and then he stood, and lumbered over to where they were standing. "What?" he asked gruffly.
"Kia wants to know why you're protecting her, and Sanji says you just should because you're a man, and she's a lady, but Kia says that's not it," Luffy explained as if they had all not heard it the first time.
"Thanks Luffy, but how about you all let me and Zoro talk in private, okay?" Kia asked in exasperation. She could see the three of them frown, but she waited in silence until each of them walked away. She didn't notice that Nami went quickly towards Robin and asked for help in eavesdropping.
She faced Zoro, even as he looked back at her. She could tell he wasn't annoyed, more resigned to following his captain's order, but that didn't mean he would speak first.
So, she'd rile him up a bit. "So, is Sanji right?" she asked sarcastically. "Am I such a fine and fancy lady that I need a man to protect me?"
"Do you?" he asked, his eyebrow raising in mockery.
She rolled her eyes. "Of course not," she muttered.
"I don't think so either," he replied quietly. He turned, and walked over to the railing, and she followed after him, putting more distance between them and the rest of the crew.
She waited- she could be just as patient, or stubborn, as he. Finally he spoke. "I get why the pervert feels that way, but that's not what I was taught," he told her. "In the dojo, boys and girls were all taught the same, and both were expected to excel."
He glanced at her. "I don't protect you because you need me," he told her. "I protect you because I need you."
She looked at him in confusion. "What?" she asked. This isn't like Zoro… she thought.
He looked back out to the water. "Ever since Luffy called you his sister, you changed," he said slowly, hoping she would understand, and he wouldn't have to spell it out. "And so has he. There is something… better between you two. And… I guess after everything with the Foxy pirates and that whole boyfriend thing…"
"Wait, stop," she demanded. "If you're about to tell me you actually want to be my-"
"OF COURSE NOT!" he shouted, his face going red in embarrassment.
Kia breathed a sigh of relief. "That makes me feel better," she said meekly. "Not that you aren't great, and I like your muscles… I think you know that…" he glared at her, and she felt a weight come off her.
"So, you noticed something good between me and Luffy, and what?" she asked, trying to figure out the puzzle. She thought she had an idea, but wasn't sure. "You… don't have that with someone?"
"No one," he replied quietly. "I have my friends, yes, but family?" he scoffed. "I didn't think I needed it, not ever. Now… I'm not so sure."
He sounded wistful, and she felt her heart constrict in her chest. "Well, the way I see it, we've only got one problem then," she told him.
"What, me protecting you?" he sneered, and she shook her head.
"No, just like with Luffy, I'm okay with it, because I know why he does it, and now I feel the same way with you," she answered.
He gave her a confused look. "Then, what's the problem?" he asked, worried when she grinned at him.
"I give my brothers nicknames and hugs, Ro-Ro," she said quietly, and she threw her arms around his waist. "I have to have hugs."
"GAH!" he yelped, trying to get her off of him. "Not a chance!" he shouted.
"Come on, at least once!" she yelled back happily. "Please big bro!"
She could tell by the way he froze for a second that that had thrown him for a loop, and probably brought back memories.
"Get off me, Kia!" he shouted, twisting in her embrace until he finally got free. She grinned up at him, knowing he was strong enough to throw her off immediately, but hadn't.
"No hugs," he said, glaring down at her. "You get those from Luffy."
"Okay," she said with a pout, then brightened. "Do I still owe you those drinks?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied with a smirk. "But every time I don't have to save you, you can take one off what you owe me."
She positively beamed at him, and he felt as if he suddenly had that something better he had been trying to explain to her.
"Promise?" she asked, holding out her hand for him to shake on it.
"Promise," he answered, as they shook hands.
She nodded to him and then put her hands on her hips. "I may be agreeing to be your sister, but don't think for a second that I'm going to let you boss me around."
"Hmph," he grunted. "You'd be disappointing me if you did."
She smiled, and walked back to where Luffy was waiting for her. "Looks like it is all okay now," he said happily.
"Yeah, it is," she answered, and she went into his open arms for a hug. "He saw what you had, and wanted it too," she said quietly. "Family."
Luffy looked over at his friend, and grinned. "He has all of us too," he whispered.
"Maybe he's not ready to admit that to himself yet," she whispered back.
She leaned away with a yawn. "So, I didn't tell you before, but good job on taking down Ratchet," she said.
"Yeah, about that," he said, looking concerned.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I'm not sure what happened," he said, frowning down at his hands. "But all of a sudden when I hit him with my bazooka, it was like I had extra power," he explained. "And it was so fast!"
Kia's eyes went wide, wondering if this was the way he would learn about second gear. "Well, I'm not sure," she answered. "But you are a natural fighter. Whenever you feel as if you can't win, you always shift into overdrive."
"Huh?" he asked her, baffled. "What's that mean?"
"You know, like the waver," she said, trying to give a good example. "If the first speed isn't working, you shift to the second."
"Oh…" he thought a moment. "So it's a mystery then!" he exclaimed, feeling unburdened now. "Thanks Kia!"
She shook her head as he pranced away. She knew it wouldn't be that easy.