Treasure Hunters

Author Notes: The lack of the response to the last chapter… was disturbing. I only hope people are not losing interest. After all, I'll finish the story, but it's better if I have an audience. Please leave a review so I know that you're out there!

I also had trouble selecting a title for this chapter, so I went with the one that I think applies to the most notable scene.

Disclaimer: Still not mine… except for what is mine. But most of it belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

Chapter 13: The Death of a Child/Uneasy Lullabies

Suggested Tracks: "The Crane Wife 1," The Decemberists; "Dreams," The Cranberries

From the Internal Monologue of the Brave Man of the Ocean, Sogeking

We landed on the next island, and it turned out I was only half-lying. This island did have people on it! A whole village, on the island of Hephaesta! I was so happy I almost peed myself. (Boy am I glad this is an internal monologue!) Turns out, this is one of the three named islands, aside of Little Oar Peak. It's also the only other inhabited one! We are the luckiest people in the world! They figured we were castaways and were happy to feed us. I had never been hungrier in my life, because all the fruit we took with us to row here, I gave to Nami.

We told them what happened to us, at least what they needed to know, and a few lies. I told them we were lost after an accident split our crew up. I said I was her brother, that she was expecting. I did not say that we were pirates. I told them enough to make Nami look honorable; "I could have sworn we saw her husband here from that other island, but either I was hallucinating or he left without any of you noticing him. He's been looking for her, but we just don't seem to cross paths!"

They offered us pity, and an empty house. There was only one bed, but since we were siblings, we wouldn't mind, right? I slept on the ground. I offered to do repair work at the watermill to keep us fed. Nami still can barely bring herself to move, she just stays inside.

She still cries a lot, and she's only getting worse. I keep promising her, "He'll come soon, he won't leave this place without you!" But it's not enough. Nami told me the worst part.

"He said getting pregnant was the stupidest thing I'd ever done. Can you imagine? Most men are proud when they find out all their sweat and effort and pleasure meant something. Not him. I'm stupid for doing it. All I've ever had going for me on this crew is my mind, but he thinks I'm stupid. I didn't plan to have kids, but I wasn't set against it! But no, I'm stupid, I'm stupid! He probably hates me. He's probably not looking for me at all. He's no better than Zoro was!"

Yes, I was angry. But she still loves him, so I can't let her know that I want to strangle him! I wish I would see him, because I'd get a gun and shoot him.

As much as she cries for him, I have to keep her hopes up. I had to do it. I hate it, but I had to do it. "Nami! It's Sanji! I see Sanji!" I scream it aloud as I run to the hut. She jumps from her chair by the window and rushes outside as fast as she can, and we run together to the shore. "I saw him in a boat, just on the horizon!" We get there, but there's nothing there. I give her my scope. Not there. Of course not. "Damn, he's gone! You know, I waved to him. I think I heard him say he couldn't come yet, because he wanted to get you a present to make up with you. But he'll be back soon, I swear, he was here!"

It's enough. She's a little comforted. It helps her, it gets her to put down her notebook and come outside, even if she knows I'm lying. I do it again the next day, and the next, and the next. I lie again and again. "I did see him! He said he was afraid you'd still be mad at him!" "He was there, but the wind out there was so strong, and when he was trying to wave, it must have blown him off course!" "He said that one of your tangerine trees fell off the boat, and he was trying to find you a new one, so you wouldn't be mad that it was gone!" "He promised he'd be back tomorrow, he said he had to shave before you could see him!" "He was yelling for you, 'Nami-swan! Nami-swan! Quick, go get her! I can't stay long!' I guess I wasn't fast enough. Sorry."

I'll lie to her about what I don't see, but I'm not going to tell her about what I did see. It was the middle of the night, and I saw a ship passing by. I could tell, by size alone, that it wasn't the Thousand Sunny. I saw its flag when it shone a spotlight around the shore, and it was definitely a Marine ship. I knew they were looking for our crew, and I didn't want them to think for even a second that Nami and I were there. I quickly fashioned a slingshot with some extra rubber from the tool kit and a few sticks, and whipped up a rudimentary fire star with a few things from around the house. I stood in the middle of the forest as the Marine ship began to circle the island like a shark, and I fired the star at the farthest island I could see, hoping it would hit something and catch. It did, thank god! I saw the fires begin to spread between the faraway trees, picking up in the sea wind, and the Marine spotlights turned to it. They'll leave to check it out, and probably won't think anything more of this place.

Today, I am Sogeking, brave man of the island, and I will protect my crew with my life. Nami is the only crew member I have right now, and she needs me. I won't fail her now!

"Robin, but no Gilly," Sanji remarked in seeming disgust. Zoro had gotten back as quickly as possible, due to Franky remotely piloting them, and Robin had slept most of the ride. The evening was late already, and Zoro had just made it back to the Sunny after three days' travel. Chopper had taken Robin into his care the moment she got off the boat, and Zoro went to talk to Sanji. Zoro shrugged, as Sanji lit a fresh cigarette.

"Robin said Gilly would be safe, and I can trust that. I'm just worried about Robin now. I hope there's no permanent damage from that hit she took on the head." Sanji nodded in agreement with Zoro as the swordsman shuffled his feet anxiously. "Have you seen Usopp, Nami, or Luffy?"

"Nothing," Sanji grumbled, rubbing his temples. Zoro took a good look at him. He had big, blue bags under his bloodshot eyes, his chin was shaded with stubble, he hadn't bothered to put on a tie, his shirt and pants weren't ironed, and his fingers were yellowish from his increase in nicotine intake. The only thing under his care that was clean was the kitchen, but Zoro already had heard from Brook that the food had not been as good, saying:

"I think Sanji has not been thinking about his work."

"Oi, how is Robin?" Franky asked from the door, poking his head in.

"We don't know yet, we're waiting on Chopper to let us know," Zoro answered, and he folded his arms behind his head. "She was talking last I saw her, and I think that she can mostly move, but she's really weak. Not saying nice stuff either; kept muttering about being a terrible mother. I imagine she's dazed. Chopper will probably let us know her condition as soon as he has her settled in."

"Right." Franky entered, setting a paper-wrapped bundle on a side table by the door. "Zoro, what is your plan now?"

"Robin gave me a description of the island where Gilly was left. I'm going to head back to where she was and try and find it. Maybe I can find some trace of her to follow. If not, then I'll follow my instincts."

"Papa Wolf on the prowl," Sanji chuckled wearily.

"I'll rig the Mini-Merry II up with its own Den-Den Mushi. As long as you stay within the magnetic range of the Archipelago, we should be able to contact you and check on you," Franky said. "If you see anything or anybody, or if we see anything or anybody, we talk."

"Good idea, Franky." Zoro then turned to Sanji to mutter, "You better not call me unless you've got good reason."

"You're sure you didn't see Nami?" Sanji looked back at him.

"No! Idiot…" Zoro grumbled. Franky sighed as the two sulked, and left, taking his paper bundle with him. He made his way down to the infirmary, where Chopper had made the room more comfortable for Robin. There were no lights on, just a few lit candles, and she was laid in the bed with the sheets up and her hands folded over her chest. Chopper met him by the door.

"I was just coming to find you and the others. Good news." Chopper smiled. "She's just weak from hunger and fatigue. A combination of the 'Zoro' and 'Luffy' treatments will have her back on her feet in no time- a few days sleeping in a proper bed and some food." He paused. "And painkillers. She also is on lots of painkillers."

"Would you mind if I spoke to her?"

"Sure, but she might fall out on you." Chopper looked down at his feet. "She's kind of delirious."

"I don't mind. I just want to check on her." Franky patted Chopper's head. "You're a good doctor, for a raccoon."

"Shut up! Saying things like that doesn't make me happy at all, you asshole! And I'm not even a raccoon!" Chopper blushed and squealed. Franky chuckled and went to Robin's bedside. She didn't open her eyes, but he saw her lips shift to a smile.

"The smell of motor oil and cola. Nice to see you, Franky, in a sense of the word."

"You're a sight for sore eyes too." Franky rubbed his right eye, which was already beginning to betray him. "I made you something to 'super' things up a little in here." He unwrapped the paper bundle, and Robin opened one eye to look. He held up a trio of metalwork flowers, welded of scrap copper and tin and twisted wires. They reflected the light from the candles. "You don't have to water them or anything." He set them in an empty glass by her bedside. "I would have picked you some real ones, but I didn't want to rip up your garden." She giggled softly.

"Very kind of you. I can only hope you are still my friend when I lay on my deathbed."

"Don't talk about death," he hissed. "It's a jinx."

"Franky, I have felt like death warmed over for the past week, so I apologize if I am… more morbid than usual." Robin closed her eyes again and sighed. "I'm a terrible mother."

"No, don't say that," Franky muttered. "For one, Gilly's not even your daughter. But you couldn't have stopped what happened, and you did what you could."

"She's the closest I'll ever have to a child of my own, and I couldn't protect her." Robin sighed, pressing the back of her head into the pillow.

"Aw, don't talk like that!" Franky sniffled and rubbed his eyes. "It breaks my heart to hear you talking so negatively! You're the only one of us, other than Zoro and Luffy, that the shrimp listens to. I'm sure you'll be a fantastic mom when you do have kids of your own!"

"I don't think I can," Robin sighed, shaking her head. "I've killed too many children to ever have that honor for myself."

"What? Why are you saying these things?" Franky took her hand, rubbing his thumb in her palm. "Come on, Robin, cheer up. Please."

"You don't even understand," she whispered. "I'm a murderer. All the terrible things I did… I didn't even have a choice sometimes. They wouldn't hire a girl on skills alone, but I was just a young thing, I needed someone to protect me… I had to sleep with them. They would protect me if I laid with them, and I won't lie- I tried to enjoy it." Franky's eyes widened at this, as Robin's gaze drifted upwards. "The first time I conceived, I was sixteen. I was a frightened child, and I told the boss. He made to turn me into the authorities for my bounty, because I was of no more use to him, and I betrayed him just as fast. I escaped, and I found a back-alley doctor who could get rid of it. He scraped my insides out with a sterilized wire, and I bled the thing out." Her eyes were spilling tears. "The second time was five years later. I didn't tell the boss that time, but another woman in the organization I worked in gave me a mix of herbs that triggered miscarriage. I was sick for a week, but nine months later, I didn't give birth."

"You made mistakes, we all make mistakes, but you've got a different future now," Franky interjected. He was trying very hard not to look like he was crying, even though she wasn't looking at him.

"The last time was four months before I met Luffy," Robin continued, as though she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Sleeping with that man was the worst thing I ever did, he was cold and heartless, and he didn't even take his hook off when I was on top of him. That time, I did it on my own with an untwisted wire coat hanger. I didn't have any other option." She clutched the sheets under her hands, unable to lift them to clear the salt from her face. "I was put into hospital with an infection a few days later. That doctor told me that my womb was more scar tissue than flesh from being shredded up and poisoned, that most of it was dead, and it would be a miracle if I ever conceived again. Even if I did, it probably wouldn't be able to attach, it would just leave me. Whatever chance I had to give life to this world, I destroyed it with my own two hands."

"So what?" He growled protectively, and he physically took Robin into his arms, still wrapped in the bed sheet, and he sat himself on the bed where she had laid with her laid in his lap. Tears lined his cheeks, but he cleaned her face instead. "I can't even begin to imagine your pain; the death of a child is a terrible thing to suffer. But I lost a lot too. I wasn't much of a man, I was an outcast. My parents rejected me, and I had no family. All I had were two hands. I built my family from the ground up, and even if I was a criminal and despised, they loved me. I built this boat from the ground up, and I call you all my brothers and sisters. My dreams came back together when I met you, even though I was told you were the bane of my life." Franky ran his fingers through her hair. "You led me to them. You led me here. You said your crime was your existence, and you say you're unable to create a new existence." Franky rubbed her head, and she closed her eyes. "Here's what you have to do now. Keep existing. Keep living. Time will heal all of your wounds. Just keep living on, and things will be okay. And you can always turn back to me, because if you need me to, I'll lead you on." Franky rubbed her cheek, and she smiled. "Even if you don't have any children of your own, you're a super mother."

"Franky…" She swallowed hard. "We're going to survive. We're all going to survive, aren't we?"

"Damn right we are." Franky stood and laid Robin back down like a baby in a cradle, and tucked her back in very carefully. "You just rest. I'll be back." He blew out the candle nearest her bed and closed the door behind him.

"Bawwwwh!" Franky looked, and saw Chopper sitting against the door with his eyes bursting with tears. "Woooobinnnn!"

"Hey! You were eavesdropping!" Franky accused, pointing at him dramatically. Chopper kept wailing, and Franky finally dropped beside him to join in, forming a river down the hallway. "Bawwwwh! I'b dot cwyin' cause ob Wobin, I'b cwyin' cause I'b zo bad ad you! Baaawh! Wooobinnnnn!"

Four weeks after being separated from the crew, four weeks of exposure, starving, and overwork, Luffy found he could do no more. He had fallen asleep on a sandy shore, too exhausted to move, and not even knowing if he would or could wake up. When he did wake up, it was not because he was well-rested or because the sun was in his eyes. It was barely daybreak, and he woke with his body racked with terrible pain. He opened his eyes as he felt it ripple down his stiff abdomen, and groaned softly as he recognized the sensation of a contraction. "Guess you finally gave up, huh?" Luffy said aloud. "Sorry, little guy, I'm just not ready for you. You… have to stay in there… just a little longer." He smiled weakly, and sat up. He knew, sadly, that it was time to dispose of the tiny corpse. He crawled from the shade to the shore, still shuddering with pain, and thrust his hands into the dry sand. "I guess I'll make you a cradle."

He began to dig. He dug through the sand, forcing it out between his spread legs even as his insides contracted again and again, not even stopping from the pain. He dug deep, until he reached sea level, where the sand was thick and wet like clay, and then deeper. Water pooled around his feet, and pain rolled down his body like shockwaves. The grave was finally finished when Luffy felt the distinct, painful sensation of being stretched out against his will, and the sun was high overhead. He sat himself on the edge of his hole, kicked his shorts off and tossed them over his head. "I guess you can't help it. I wish I had a knife," Luffy sighed. He stretched to reach between his legs, and felt something pressing out against him. He pressed into it, and found it was a thin skin of thin fluid, a membrane thin enough for him to dig his fingernails into and break. He felt the fluids spill down his legs, and moaned in discomfort as he felt the very top of the head. The pain came in faster and harder waves like the rising tide, and he began to pray that he wasn't birthing a monster.

"You're early, little guy. Really early. You weren't supposed to be alive for a few more weeks still. You've gotta be small, don'cha?" He was telling himself more than the baby. He spread his legs wider over the sandy pit he'd created. He could only gasp for breath as the pain grew worse. Even though it was worse than the first time, he didn't have the strength to raise his voice. He was stuck between the pain knocking him out and being in too much pain to close his eyes. He took a few big, deep breaths as his abdominal muscles constricted around him like a snake, and managed to scream: "Zoro! I wish you were here!" He pressed down on his belly with his hands, and he felt the head slip out of him a little further. He reached to cup it with one hand, and choked when he felt that it was covered with hair. Pain came in vicious waves, and he screamed again, "ZORO!" He forced himself to push again, making the whole head emerge into his hand. Tears streamed from his angry eyes as he felt the pain of being ripped apart from the inside out, and reached with his other hand to wrench at the infant's torso. He was no longer following his contractions or waiting for his muscles to do the work. He simply pulled and pulled against the one part of his body that didn't want to stretch.

It took ten agonizing minutes for him to extricate the infant. He'd had no more strength to cry out, only grunting like an animal, but the silence in the air as he forced the baby out was the most tense and heavy noise he could have imagined. With the head cradled in one palm, he pulled the torso out first against the resistance of his muscles. His fingers found the cord, and he pulled it out of the way so it wouldn't hinder him. He pulled the legs out slowly, millimeter by millimeter, and by twisting the ankles out through the aching opening, finally held the body he had created. He cradled it in his hands, head in one hand and bottom in the other, and examined his son's body. The cord on his bellybutton was still pulsing, and the baby was still and motionless in his hands. Luffy gawked to think on how small he was, how strange he looked, even with a full head of black hair. He stared dumbly at the tiny boy, ignoring the blood and gunk still sliding from him, because in his shock, he'd stopped feeling the pain. He shivered weakly and slid down into his own hole, biting his lower lip and choking back tears of sorrow. He knew it was time to bury him, but he couldn't bear to put him down. He loved the soul he'd lost.

Then, he saw the baby's chest rise and fall. Luffy looked on in utter, mute wonder as the baby coughed a few times, fluid spewing from his mouth and nose, and he finally released a shrill cry. His eyes opened; they were a haunting, ghostly grey. His voice rose in long shrieks, he writhed a few insistent squirms, and Luffy laughed in disbelief through his tears.

"You… why are you alive?" He kept the baby laid flat on his palms, shaking his head as he gazed at his tiny, dark-haired son, and wept, "I have nothing for you. There's nothing I can give you, nothing to offer you but a grave. I have no clothes for you, no blanket for you, no hat for you, no food. I don't even have a family for you. You… you should have died!" He gripped the infant tight to his chest, pouring tears. "Why aren't you dead?"

Once the baby started crying, he didn't stop. Luffy slid down the ravine he'd dug with him against his chest. He supported his back on the wall and summoned all his strength to lift the baby's belly close to his mouth. He took a deep breath, rolled his tongue back so he didn't have to taste what he was about to do, and bit through the cord. He spat the blood out and shifted the baby into one hand to brush the remnants of the cord aside. He laid the baby against his tilted chest, curving his limp back against his arm, and removed his shirt with his free hand. He laid the inside of it, which was not coated in sand, over the baby's body to try and keep him warm. He knew that there was nothing he could do to feed him- he didn't have the strength left in him to crawl back out of the hole and get to water, and even that wouldn't nourish the infant's need for real food and energy. He didn't know this; he still cried and cried in senseless, inexplicable fury at the entire world that was not nearly as nice as he had been led to believe.

"Shh, shh," Luffy crooned gently. He felt like he'd lost a fight on the inside, struggling now to move and breathe. The baby just kept screaming, and as much as it wrenched at Luffy's heart and gut, he didn't want him to stop, not even to open his eyes and look at him. "Saa, saa, saa, yosha, yosha, yosha," he murmured under his breath, trying as hard as he could to keep the weak baby upright. His crying started to slow a little. "Saa, there, there. Good boy. I know what will help you." Luffy took his own hat off, shook the sand off of it, and placed it over his head to keep his pink skin shaded from the sun. "I have a gift from your Daddy, too. He gave you a name for me to call you." Luffy smiled weakly. "I will call you Torao. Roronoa D. Torao. That is your name now. I'm sorry about the mean things I said to you before. I hope you can forgive me." Torao hiccupped, but still sobbed on. "Shh, shh, shh, nice boy. I can't do anything for your cold skin or empty belly. Just keep crying so I know you're alive. You have to stay alive a little longer. You're my son. You've got to be great. You're either going to die here or live forever!" Tears still ran from Luffy's eyes, and he choked on his sobs as Torao finally silenced into a weary, fitful sleep. "Shh, shh, yosha, yosha, yosha, I love you, Torao. Please wake up. Please, wake up, somehow…"

Luffy was too weak to crawl out of the hole, and even if he did have the strength, he wouldn't have the strength to paddle, and he wouldn't be able to do it with a baby in his arms. He knew for a fact that Torao deserved life, but he didn't know if it was a life he could give him.

He knew it was only a matter of time.

He slept after a while, and Torao was still silently sleeping on his chest the next time he awoke, his breaths shallow and weak. He did not awake from being well-rested or from having the sun in his eyes, but instead roused because someone was pulling him from the hole.

"Wrap him in a sheet, he's sunburned all over. Get the baby, we need to get the sand off of him and get him dressed." As he was dragged to the surface, he saw that he was surrounded by other men, and one of them pried Torao from his hands. Luffy groaned.

"N-no, don't…"

"It's okay, Straw Hat Luffy. We're here to help," one of them told him. "We've got food for both of you."

"His name is Torao, okay? Just in case." Luffy closed his eyes again. "That's his name."

Luffy knew, somehow, that he and his baby son were safe.

End Notes: Huzzah for Roronoa D. Torao!

Over the next few chapters, I'll be including a few SBS-style facts about the Small Straw Hats. If you want to ask any questions about the kids, leave a review!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Review!

See you next week!