Treasure Hunters
Author Notes: I'm glad people are still reading this. This story is actually already much longer than the original Genuine Treasure! Woo me!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Gilly and Torao. Figures, I get to keep the cute ones. Everything else is Oda's.
Chapter 14: Den-Den Ojii
Zoro drove on from place to place from the beach where Gilly had been left. Each desolate mound of sand he stopped at was more hopeless than the last. He looked for little footprints or signs of life everywhere he stopped. Even a single strand of green hair in the wind would have been enough. It was the middle of the night when he reached another island with fruit and greenery, a livable one, and he could see lights from the ocean. He landed and barely remembered to put down anchor before running forward. He could see a few homes that still had lights on- common sense said that they were awake. He knocked on the door of one of the homes with lights on, and heard a familiar voice.
"Shh, she's asleep!" Usopp cracked the door open. "What's- oh." Usopp stared at Zoro, the two of them in utter disbelief with one another. Usopp stepped outside and closed the door behind him. "Keep your voice low; Nami's been having a lot of trouble sleeping." Zoro gawked, in utter surprise to have found their sharpshooter. Finally, he found something to say.
"Usopp!"
"Good to see you too," he grinned, as Zoro's expression brightened.
"I can't believe you're actually here. Both of you are here. This is great." Zoro grinned. "I almost want to hug you, but I'm not going to."
"That's fine by me," Usopp chuckled, looking down and scratching the back of his head. "How did you get here?"
"I was on the Mini-Merry!" Zoro grinned. "Man, I didn't even get too far from the Sunny when I got blown in the wind. I split off from the others to look for Gilly and Luffy, but I found you guys!"
"Have you found Gilly yet?" Usopp frowned.
"No, I was looking for her. She's not here?"
"We haven't seen her, no. What about Luffy, or Robin?"
"Robin, yes. She was injured, but she's recovering."
"Good." Usopp sighed a little. "Listen, I need a huge favor." He glanced back over his shoulder. "Nami… Nami's really upset because of Sanji. I know this sounds really stupid, but we're safe here, and I want her to be with him. Don't rescue us."
"What?" Zoro glowered at him. "You mean leave you here? I can't do that! Luffy would want our entire crew back together, and there's no way the two of you are quitting on us now!"
"I don't want to quit, and Nami doesn't either! I just want Sanji to give her the validation she needs…" Usopp sighed and thought for a moment. "Is there any way you can contact the ship?"
"Franky installed a Den-Den-Mushi. I could call them right now."
"Transmit your coordinates to them. Franky should be able to locate you and direct the Sunny here." Usopp folded his arms. "I want Sanji himself to come and take her back. Besides that, you need to find your kid, and if you waste time taking us back to the Sunny before continuing, it might be too much for her."
"You're right." Zoro couldn't believe he was saying it. "Okay, do you know this island's coordinates?"
"Yeah, I do. Do you want me to do the talking?"
"Come with me." Zoro began to walk back towards the shore behind Usopp's hut, but Usopp stopped him.
"Boat is over there," Usopp hissed, pointing the opposite direction towards the town. Zoro looked, snorted, and let Usopp lead the way.
"I would have found it eventually."
Usopp patted the Mini-Merry's figurehead as he reached it, smiling with some relief, before sitting in the driver's seat and picking up the Den-Den-Mushi.
"Thousand Sunny, coming in. Thousand Sunny, do you copy? Mini-Merry calling! Mini-Merry calling!"
"Good evening!" Someone picked up the Baby Den-Den-Mushi, but both of their voices were muffled due to the long transmission distance. "Reading you, Zoro!"
"Not Zoro. Usopp. Franky, take down the following coordinates, I'm waiting here for you. You and Sanji get here as quick as you can."
"This isn't Franky."
"Whoever this is! Just take down the coordinates." As Usopp read off the coordinates, he heard a distinct clacking on the end of the line. He ignored it as best as he could. "Do you need me to repeat anything?"
"No, I've got it perfectly. Judging by our current position, we should be able to make it in two days or less. I will direct the ship towards you right away. I would talk longer, but it's very difficult to hear you. Take care of yourself, Usopp! We'll be there as soon as we can!" The Sunny disconnected from the Merry, and the door to the lounge opened.
"Brook, what's up?" Franky asked, peering in as the skeleton hung up the snail-phone.
"Zoro just contacted us. He's found an island with people on it." Brook would be trying to hide a grin if he didn't appear to be grinning all the time anyway. "We can get some food there, and they might have seen our missing comrades. I'm going to direct the ship to their coordinates, and we'll see what's there."
"Super!" Franky gave Brook a thumbs up. "Just give me those coordinates, I'll change the ship's bearing right now!"
"Usopp, has Nami been alright?" Zoro finally asked as he prepared to depart again.
"No, not really." Zoro frowned back at Usopp.
"Is her kid alright?" Zoro folded his arms. "She didn't… lose it, did she?" Usopp urgently shook his head.
"No, nothing like that! Her kid is fine. It's huge, Zoro. I'm telling you, no lie, she looks bigger than Luffy was the last time I saw him. It's like she just exploded over the past five weeks. But that's not the only thing bothering her!" Zoro frowned, and Usopp continued, "She's been upset because of how Sanji treated her. He's a pig. She won't even talk about him to my face, but when she thinks I'm not listening, she cries about it." Usopp hung his head. "She's miserable."
"Geez," Zoro muttered, shaking his head. "Take care of her, okay, Usopp? I'm trusting you." Zoro and Usopp shook hands, and Usopp watched as Zoro pushed off and began to sail onwards in search of Luffy.
"Hey, little girl?" Gilly peered out of the barrel she had hidden in, to see a man looking for her. "Little girl? Come out, we have something for you to see!" He turned to the barrel she was peeking out of, and smiled. "Hey, come on out." He lifted the barrel lid up. Gilly's eyes were ringed red from crying, her hair messy from pulling at it, and her voice raw from screaming. She had hidden (this time) after throwing the tantrum of the century and destroying a barrel of sake by battering it with her sword until the metal ring bent and burst. She had been a figurative tornado seed since arriving on their ship, ready to go off on a frightened streak of destruction at the drop of a hat. This time, however, she was afraid of what would happen.
"Are you going to throw me off the ship?" She whimpered.
"Well, we're going to have to tell your father what you did." He smiled slyly. "In fact, we can go tell him right now…"
"Daddy?" She gasped.
"Yep." He smiled at her. "We found your dad, we think. Come on, I'll show you." He lifted her out by the back of her shirt and frog-marched her to their infirmary. "Make a hole, guys!" A whole bunch of other men were gathered around to try and get a look, but the man with Gilly managed to get to the front. "Little girl, is this your dad?"
Gilly gawked at Luffy, who was sleeping soundly, in utter horror. "Daddy! Daddy!" She pulled out of her retainer's grasp and jumped onto Luffy's legs. "Daddy, your tummy went away! Where's my baby brother?" Two of the men lifted her off of him and held her back.
"Calm down, kid. Your baby brother is over here," one of them told her in a very firm voice, and pointed to another bed, where a bundle made in a striped shirt was laid. "It is a boy, right?" He looked over to one of the men who'd found Luffy.
"Oh yeah. Bloody, messy baby boy. He looks okay, though." He picked up the little bundle and made his way in front of Gilly. He knelt down in front of her. "Hold out your hands. You have to support his head and bottom." Gilly, wide-eyed, opened her arms, and accepted her baby brother into her arms. "This is Torao, according to your dad." Gilly very carefully sat down with Torao in her lap, cradling him in her knees and staring at him with eyes bigger than half-dollars. He was squinting up at her, completely confused and unable to comprehend his situation. "Yup, we fed him some warm milk and wrapped him up nice and tight, and he hasn't cried since!"
"Well, yeah, cause he's my baby brother. He's totally awesome, even if he is kinda small." Gilly smiled proudly. She looked back up and over to Luffy. "Daddy…"
"He'll be okay, alright? We're giving him lots to drink, and he'll get to eat a whole lot when he's awake, so you just give him a few days." The men were mostly smiling down at her, and for the first time since she'd arrived, she felt comforted.
"Hey!" Someone peered in the door. "There's a call on our Den-Den Mushi for the kid."
"Daddy?" Gilly gasped. "Is it my Daddy?"
"Isn't he…?" The man at the door looked to Luffy. "Never mind. It's not your father, it's our boss. He wants to talk to you, and he wants to see the little boy." One of the men took Torao from Gilly's arms, and the messenger led Gilly up to the control room, where the ship's captain was chattering urgently with the snail.
"… We suspected it was her, but we didn't want to interrupt your work to let you know."
"I'm surprised," the voice on the other end of the snail-phone replied. "Ah! There she is. That is most definitely her." Gilly frowned, but noticed the snail's eyes were glowing. She looked up at one of her escorts.
"Can he see me?"
"Yes, he likes to see who he's talking to, though he doesn't like people seeing him. Go on, say hello." He nudged her forward with one hand, and she hesitantly approached the receiver. The snail was silent and still, eyes focusing on her in an eerie way. Finally, she leaned close to the receiver and whispered:
"Hullo?"
"Hello!" The snail wore a big grin as it replied cheerfully, and Gilly jumped back nervously. "What is your proper name?"
"I am Roronoa D. Gilea," she replied, curtsying a little bit. "Most everyone calls me Gilly, though." She shuffled her feet nervously. "Or… little girl. Some people say little girl."
"Gilly, then." She smiled a little, happy to hear someone using her familiar name. "And who is that?" Gilly looked behind her. "The one in the stripes." Gilly focused on the bundled baby.
"Oh, that is my baby brother. His name is Tora…" She scrunched up her nose in thought. "Toro… Toto." She nodded, as if to decide. "Yes, his name is Toto. What's your name?"
"Gentlemen, leave me with the two children," the voice on the other end of the line instructed. There was a moment of silence, as the other men looked between one another, debating this instruction. Finally, they moved to carry his instructions out. The man holding Torao gently laid the newborn in her arms, and she sat on the ground to be sure she wouldn't drop him. The captain and the two other men left the room, closing it behind him, and the snail smiled down at her. "My name is Dragon, Gilea. Monkey D. Dragon."
There was an awkward pause.
"That's so weird!" Gilly giggled after a moment. "My daddy's name is Monkey D. Luffy!"
"What an odd coincidence! I did not know it was such a common name." The snail seemed to smile even wider at her deduction. "My, if we have the same last name, it is as if I were his father! Do you know what it would mean if I were your father's father?"
"Oh! Are you my uncle?" Gilly tilted her head curiously, and Dragon laughed.
"No! No! I am your grandpa. You may call me grandpa, if you like."
"I have a grandpa?" She smiled a little.
"You may have one, if you like." Dragon was obviously smiling, extremely pleased, but the snail matching his emotion was very creepy to Gilly. His tone shifted to patronizing, though still affectionate. "I feel very badly that I have not met you yet. I am, sadly, a very busy man, and I work very, very far away."
"It's okay." Gilly lowered her eyes. "I didn't even know I had a grandpa. I guess I have one now. But I have Daddy and Daddy and all my aunts and uncles. I'm not lonely. Except without them." She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "They're away. There was this big wind, and then me and Auntie Robin were alone. Except Auntie Robin was asleep and not waking up. Then the Shi-shi-bu-guy came and he took us on his boat and he gave me a real sword, and then he put me all alone on an island and left with Auntie Robin. Then I was all alone and I was so sad and I wanted to cry and cry and cry but I did not cry, and then this boat found me and they put me on this boat and I was scared because I don't know anybody, and then I cried and cried and cried until I ran out of tears and I broke stuff and then I hid because I was scared. And now Daddy won't wake up!" Gilly rubbed her eyes again, as Torao yawned softly.
"There, there, Gilly," Dragon intoned gently. "I can assure you your father is alive, and he will remain so. He likes to sleep, does he not? He is much like his own grandfather. And I know your Auntie Robin is alright, as she was taken back to your other uncles to get better. In addition, your father Roronoa Zoro, is looking for you right now. The moment my men see him, you will be reunited with him. All of my friends here are going to be very nice to you."
"But, Mister Grandpa, they are going to be angry at me." She sniffled again. "I did some bad things."
"They will not be angry, Gilea. My friends know you are very scared, and we are going to be very nice to you. You need to behave yourself though, so they will be able to tell your father how good you were. Can you do that?"
"Yessir," Gilly mumbled. "I will be good until Daddy is okay." She looked up at the snail with doleful eyes. "You remind me a little of my Daddy."
"Is that so? Which one?" The snail smiled again.
"Daddy." Gilly shrugged. "Because you are very serious, even though you are smiling a lot, and very smart. Do you have green hair too?" She smiled a little, and Dragon laughed.
"No, I do not. But you do remind me of your father, too."
"Really? Which one? I have two, you know." Gilly beamed. Dragon chuckled again.
"Luffy. My son. You're much like him."
"Yes, some people say that, but I think I look more like Daddy!" Gilly seemed very proud. "So, Mister Grandpa, will I ever get to see you?"
"I don't think Fate has yet thought that far ahead, but I imagine you and I shall cross paths someday."
"That would be very nice," she nodded. "We should have a tea party."
"Ah, that would be lovely. I certainly hope your handsome little brother will be old enough to join us. Now, Gilly, I must continue my business with my friends, but I will ensure you are very well taken care of. You are a very lovely granddaughter. Run along and get the captain, my dear."
"Yessir." Gilly got to her feet, still holding Torao, and went to the door. "Hello? I can't open the door, but Mister Grandpa wants to talk to you!" Dragon laughed into his receiver as the captain opened the door in a panic.
"Don't call him that!" The captain chided nervously. "Go put your baby brother down in his bed!" Gilly handed the baby to one of the other men, and they walked her back down to the infirmary. He went to the phone. "Sorry, sir, you have to forgive her, probably calls lots of adult men that! She doesn't mean you're old, I'm sure-"
"Calm down, Captain," Dragon reassured him. "It's alright if she calls me grandpa. She is but a little child. I expect you to take very good care of her in my stead…"
End Notes: As a brief side note, the chapter's title is a bit of portmanteau- Den-Den Mushi, the electrical transponder snail, with Ojii, Japanese for "grandfather." The chapter's title means, essentially, "Electric Grandpa!"
I also forgot to mention a translation detail last chapter! Torao's name means "tiger" or "tiger's tail," depending on what source you check. He's so cute.
In fact, as promised, it's time for Small-Straw-Hat-SBS Corner! These answers are based on things Oda answered for all of the Straw Hats in the SBS, so now it's time for Gilly's answers!
Roronoa D. Gilea:
Representative Color: Maroon
Animal Resemblance: Ram
What Chopper thinks she smells like: Baby powder (under 2 years,)Apples (2 years and older.)
Favorite Island and Season: Summer on a Spring island.
Favorite Food: Candied-apples, hard candies, peach dumplings
Family Member: Oldest niece
Nationality if she lived in our world: Chinese (Picture her with her hair in little bao-baos, wearing a little red qipao. Adorable.)
Do you have any questions you would like answered about the Small Straw Hats? Leave them in a review, and I'd be happy to answer them for all the younger Straw Hats (once they are introduced, of course.)
Questions? Review!
Comments? Review!
Ideas? Review!
Anything? Review!
Nothing? Still review!
I am not certain as to whether or not there will be a new chapter next week, as I will be going on vacation to Italy. If there is a new chapter, it will be posted early, possibly on Wednesday night. If there is not, it will be posted as soon as I get back. Please review!