Yo! It's been a while hasn't it? Yeah, ok, now then. As always, this one took some time. I'll try to upload faster from now on but...don't trust me I'm telling you XP Anyway, let's not waste anymore time and continue with the story. Thanks to all readers, reviewers and especially my beta in advance. So, here we go...
Chapter 9: History behind the Tree. Exciting or Weird?
As time passed, the sun started hiding behind the thick clouds surrounding the island. Under the huge trademark tree of the island stood Zoro, gazing indifferently towards the setting sun, his arms crossed casually. After a few moments, he sensed someone approaching. When he turned his gaze to his right, he found Robin, staring at him with a slight questioning look in her eyes. A faint smirk appeared on Zoro's face.
"You came." He placed his right hand on Wado's hilt and let other fall to his side as he turned to face Robin. "I thought you wouldn't come."
After a moment of silence Robin answered with a smile, "You asked so earnestly. It would've been rude to deny the request." She placed her right hand behind her neck to settle her long hair flowing along the moderately strong wind." Besides, I always try my best not to hurt my friends' feelings." She impulsively walked closer to the tree and felt its thick wood with her left hand.
All of a sudden, Zoro's smirk was replaced by a serious expression. "Is that so?" The swordsman walked closer to her. Noticing his advance, Robin turned to have a proper look but before she knew it he was already dangerously close to her, his face an inch away from her own. Robin instinctively backed away but she was blocked by the tree. With amazing speed he placed his left hand to the right side of her head and his right hand to the left of her shoulder trapping her between his arms and hindering any means of escape.
"You won't hurt my feelings either, right?" Zoro almost whispered, moving in even closer. Surprised by his aggressive actions, Robin avoided his gaze and stared at his chest with wide eyes. That would certainly make things more problematic if she were to confront this assault head on.
"Robin…" Zoro whispered again, leaning forward. Before she would lose herself completely she controlled herself and placed her hands on his chest.
"Zoro please, stop it." Robin strictly said as she pushed him back with the necessary force to repel the swordsman, thus freeing herself from his arm cage.
"Robin." Zoro's tone changed all of a sudden. A plea of sorts had replaced his tough voice, and he called her as if he was trying to find out whether she was there or not. She didn't know if he was playing her, she had only retreated a few steps; it wasn't like he would lose complete sight of her.
"Huh?" Robin was surprised at his sudden change in attitude and turned to face him, her arms ready to bloom replicas to hold him back.
"Robin!" He said again the same way. "Robin?" And again with more questioning tone. "ROBIN!" This time he shouted, which startled her a bit, and next moment everything around her disappeared in a puff of smoke. As she lowered the book from in front of her face she saw an annoyed Nami staring at her with a frown.
"Did you listen to even a single word I said?" Nami sternly asked, placing her hands on her hips. Robin looked around to find herself into a bookshop and finally realized that until several moments ago she was with Nami buying some books.
"Are you still not listening?" Nami said again.
"Sorry, I got so absorbed while reading that I didn't pay attention." Robin answered with her usual warm smile.
"Well…that's not surprising but…a romance novel? I've never seen you getting so much absorbed in a romance novel before. What's with that?" Nami had hit the bull's eye, which forced Robin to give it a thought as well. Of course she wasn't absorbed into a romance novel; she was in fact…daydreaming. Yes, 'calm-and-collected-but-scary-at-times' Nico Robin was daydreaming. There's no way she would reveal that to the navigator.
"I'm not interested in this novel itself. But, there is a very strange and intriguing fact about the story which pulled me in." Robin calmly answered, slightly improvising.
"And what's that interesting fact?"
"This story is based on a real life event. That event is connected to the history of this island and the big tree in its center. And most important of all…" Nami noticed a glint of excitement in Robin's eyes "…it happened in the Void Century."
Now Nami was interested as well. How can something related to Void Century be found in a romance novel? That sounded ridiculous. World Government has done everything to hide the true history, even going so far as to destroy every book with even the word "void" somewhere in its pages. How could this book have escaped their millions of eyes?
"Robin, are you sure that it's from Void Century?"
"It's hard to believe, then again we can't expect every single piece of information to be true."
"So, what's this event then?" Nami asked out of curiosity. Even if it does turn out to be just a made up story, something that pulled Robin in so much has to have something worth listening to.
"According to what I've found so far, it happened more than eight hundred years ago." Robin started explaining, but was interrupted by Nami right away.
"Isn't that a bit too specific? Sounds like a made up story to me."
Robin let out a soft chuckle and continued, "Don't be fooled just yet. Upcoming parts are even more suspicious. But not much is known regarding Void Century so we can't say anything. It may be the truth."
"Very well, continue please."
Robin didn't hesitate to take advantage of Nami's invitation. "At that time, an unknown and mysterious army wielding an unimaginable power appeared in New World. Its power was immense, greater than any power humankind had ever witnessed before. One after the other they kept destroying and conquering islands. Even the biggest powers that ruled in the world that time were easily annihilated. Some said it was an army of demons, others say they were a group of mages using the Dark Arts and according to some vague information, they were beings from another world. There were a lot of rumors about their true identity but nothing were confirmed in the end. Anyway, after destroying islands one after another, their next target was this place."
"Days before they raided here, one of their Generals named Hozen came here just for the purpose of personal observation. That's when a surprising event occurred. He met a woman named Ayumi under the very tree that still stands tall today, and unbelievable as it is, after few days of meeting he fell in love with that woman. He had a change of heart and tried to persuade his superiors to stop their meaningless slaughter and skip this island. But they didn't accept it and labeled him as a traitor."
"Not ready to fight his own kind, he fled to this island to be with Ayumi. Hozen was a well known and highly regarded General of that army, so they felt his loss greatly and decided to annihilate every single thing existed on this island in the hopes of regaining their lost commander. When Hozen heard of the monstrous army's devious plot, he decided to step ahead and face them himself."
"According to what's written in the information panel, Hozen's strength was so immense that just by himself he defeated the whole army. Even their King was defeated by his hands. Was the army completely annihilated by Hozen or are there any survivors? These questions are still unanswered. Only thing that is known is that sometime later Hozen took Ayumi with him and left this island. What happened to those two afterwards is unknown. Last time they were seen was at the time of their departure, disappearing under the tree where they had first met."
Robin finished her summary with this and looked at Nami, who returned the look with a confused one of her own. "You were right. It is kinda…romantic, but in a way this whole story is messed up. It's just so far-fetched."
Robin let out a soft chuckle.
"One person took out whole army including its King. Do you honestly believe that?" Nami questioned.
"There are still those sort of people in the world. Our boys are one of the best examples." Robin clarified.
Nami paused for a moment to think, then continued. "But…this whole army was strong. Let's look at it this way. What if all the Yonko had a fight, do you think just one can beat all others?"
"Not everyone is on the same level when we talk about an army."
Nami let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, then. Let's say Yonko, Admirals, Vice-Admirals, Revolutionaries and Shichibukai had a fight. Now it's completely relevant I guess?"
The young cartographer was on a roll, and Robin found it amusing. But if Nami were to understand the moral of the story completely, the archaeologist would have to explain it fully herself.
"That's not the point, Nami. We are talking about the Void Century, the Grand Line, and on top of that the New World. Common logic doesn't work here; you should know that better than anyone else. As I've already said, we cannot believe every piece of information but cannot neglect its possibility either."
Nami had to admit Robin was right. Anything happening in the New World could not be explained logically so even scientists and researchers had to accept things as they were and simply move on to solve those mysteries.
"I guess you're right," Nami shrugged her defeat. "It doesn't concern me anyway."
Both women prepared to leave the shop. The book Robin was reading was just a romance novel but it had some very valuable information as well. She wanted to purchase it but since there were only few copies in the whole kingdom it wasn't available for sale. Besides that, the fact that it was 'The Devil Child' Nico Robin, a member of the infamous Straw Hat pirates, shop owner wouldn't let her rent it either.
The owner was scared shitless while refusing her but…he did it anyway. Robin really wanted to break every single bone in his body and hang him upside down outside the shop, but controlled her urge to do so. The fact that this was the only thing that was dangerous enough to make Nico Robin daydream kept her from unleashing the hidden darkness that resided within her. Anyway, Robin had a troublesome evening waiting for her and she still had to figure out how to handle it. She couldn't be bothered with such trifles.
Aside from all the exciting information about the island's history, both women found out that this place was named 'Cloud Ring Island' mainly because of its geography. It would take three days for the log pose to set, and despite all 'the big tree' being a legendary spot, it had no specific name. It was just called The Tree. Nami also found out that the bridge between the two portions of the island was made up of the same material as the Red Line and that bridge is supporting whole weight of the airborne portion of the island. The Red Line itself was one of the biggest mysteries. Nami devised a theory that somehow through under the ocean this island was connected to Red Line. That was just a theory though.
~On Thousand Sunny~
As usual, Zoro was resting on the deck with his eyes closed and swords placed in the space between his back and railing, tucked in his red sash. He opened his eye when he noticed his crew members boarding the ship. Sanji, Luffy, Ussop, Chopper, Franky and Brook: all except the two women were here.
What the hell? Did they meet up in the town or something? Zoro thought, lazily scratching the back of his head.
"OI MARIMO, WAKE UP ALREADY. WE'RE BACK!" Sanji yelled at the top of his lungs, fully knowing that Zoro would be annoyed by this, and he wasn't wrong either. A few veins started twitching in Zoro's forehead. He slowly stood up jumped down on lawn before everyone.
"I can hear you, alright, and I already knew before you told me," Zoro said calmly and cracked his neck a few times. "I can sense your perverted existence from a mile away, Prince Nosebleed."
Twitch. A vein popped in Sanji's forehead, declaring the beginning of a holy war. "What did you say?" Sanji asked, gritting his teeth.
Zoro ignored him. "So, Prince Nosebleed, did you find any other source of nosebleeds in town or was it just you helplessly chasing after someone again?"
Twitch, twitch.
"Man, I can't believe how helpless you are. Here you are always running after them and still gained nothing. On the other hand, I, who doesn't give a shit about women, still have a hoard of them after me. Looks like you're just a sore-swirly loser after all. Now who would want an ass of that sort, eh? Am I right or am I right? Prince Sore-swirly-loser?"
Twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch… twitch. There's no way Sanji would leave it like that. This was pure disrespect of his love for women. So this time Sanji fired back.
"You useless moss-head, acting all high and mighty just because of one stroke of luck. I'm sure all those ladies were just interested in those lush green fields on your head. They studied you pretty well, right? So, what did they discover? Does all the energy from your brain go straight to your hair? Maybe that's why your hairs are so green while brain is all shrunk and useless. Maybe they wanted to see how the hell you live with just muscles and green moss while there is no brain, eh? Am I right or am I right? Mr. Green Shit?"
Tick marks appeared at the swordsman's temple, rivaling the cook's. "Anyway, at least they were not interested in useless swirly brows which can't even be used to hypnotize someone. But I'm sure those Okama friends of yours have studied you quite well. So, what did they find out, eh? Just like your brows, is it all curly in your head as well, eh? Eh?"
"Now then Marimo-san? Care to tell me how do you know that? Maybe you're very good friend with those Okamas. Maybe a bit too friendly? Since you don't feel anything for women not even the slightest, you're one of those friends as well, eh? And what's that? If that's the case maybe all of us should be more careful around a green-headed Okama like you, eh?"
A slight pause ensued in the atmosphere before Zoro broke the silence again.
"Forget it." Zoro muttered, placating himself by crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "I guess these curly brows have hypnotized your own brain so just forget it."
"Eh?" Sanji's head was about to explode into anger but at the same time he was surprised by Zoro's calm reaction.
Zoro indifferently blinked a few times and looked at the sky for a moment. Somehow he was getting better at controlling his anger. And thanks to that he could pester ero-cook all he wanted without losing his temper. He didn't know whether this was a good thing or not, but for now it was getting late and he had an important meeting to attend. Though he was still unsure whether this meeting would even happen or not. So, for once he decided to drop this useless bickering and go to the designated spot. Taking a peaceful nap under that tree might be a refreshing activity as well.
"Just drop it. I'm getting sick of this useless bickering anyway." Zoro answered straight to Sanji who was looking at him with a very confused look. He walked up to railing and jumped down to harbor.
"Oi, where are you going?" Sanji asked.
"Going for a walk." Zoro answered. "Got a problem with that?"
"Oh." Sanji turned to Luffy and yelled, "OI, LUFFY! ZORO IS GOING FOR A WALK! WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL OR HE MIGHT FIND ONE PIECE BEFORE YOU DO."
"WHAT? REALLY?" Luffy yelled back.
Twitch, twitch. Guess Zoro was still not perfect in controlling these things called 'veins'. But he didn't lose his temper and calmly answered. "Don't worry, if that happens I'll use all the wealth I can to cure your nosebleed."
"IT'S ALREADY CURED!"
"…and tell me, while I'm at it I might get your curls fixed as well, not to mention curls in your head too."
"TAKE THIS SHIT HEAD!" Sanji ferociously yelled showing him the legendary finger. Zoro didn't pay any attention and started walking.
Almost an hour passed, during which time both Nami and Robin also returned to Sunny just to be greeted by dancing love struck Sanji.
"~Welcome back Nami-san, Robin-chan. Ah my heart, after confronting a heinous event of facing that green disaster of nature, to be greeted by the peerless beauty of two angels, I'm indeed the luckiest man ever lived~!" After circling almost two loops around both women, he knelt before Robin, taking her hand in his own and pressing his lips lightly to its back. Although it was an almost every day occurrence, Robin was no more moved by his actions than usual, even if she was slightly more amused.
"Shouldn't that be Zoro? Since almost an army of women was after him." Ussop said in a dull tone, his eyelids have closed as he paused on his way to the lower decks with a barrel of cola in his arms.
Twitch, twitch. Oh great, now everyone was mocking Sanji, and that definitely hurt.
"Or maybe Luffy? Since the Pirate Empress Hancock is in love with him." Ussop added some fuel to the fire.
"SHUT UP OR I'LL KILL YOU." Letting go of Robin's hand and turning to Ussop, Sanji exploded, making Robin chuckle softly.
"Whatever," Nami interrupted, placing her bags into the irate cook's arms, keeping the new cartography apparatus and Robin's books to herself, planning to deposit them into the library later. "Here, Sanji-kun, take all this stuff to our room." All of his anger gone, Sanji noodled in the direction of the women's room.
"So, anything unusual happen?" Nami asked as the cook moved away.
"Nothing except that Sanji and Zoro had a little fight. After that, Zoro left for a walk." Ussop answered. His last sentence alerted Robin a bit. Even though no one knew it was completely related to her.
"That's not unusual. But…I do hope Zoro will return from wherever he went." Nami hefted her remaining purchases and started walking towards the library. Robin turned around and looked at the big tree once again.
Of course, he looked so serious when he made that request. He'll be waiting for me at that place after all. Since I accepted the request, I have no choice but to go there.
Nami noticed Robin being spaced out, her eyes fixated on the giant plant growing at the epicenter of the island, and stopped to question her friend. "Is something wrong? Robin."
Robin looked back at her and, as always, gave her trademark smile. "Not really, I was just thinking of visiting that Tree since it's said to be connected with such an historical event."
"Hmmm…well good for you. But be careful or some unbelievably strong guy might fall in love with you while you're there." Nami giggled a bit before walking off to the library, but she had no idea that what she said had a deep impact on Robin's mind.
Something like that… may have already occurred. But, at least we're from the same army. So, it shouldn't be too troublesome…for others. Robin stood still for a brief moment while thinking different scenarios of her upcoming date before lifting all the books with some extra limbs and walking off to the library as well.
~Somewhere in the town of Cloud-Ring Island~
Zoro gulped down another swing of rum as he strolled lazily through the nearly empty streets of the town. His Haki couldn't sense any sort of human in his general vicinity, but a large group of them had converged ahead, probably gathering around the base of the Tree. Suddenly, Zoro noticed something unusual.
I've been walking all this time. I take my eyes off just for one second and that damn tree moves further away. What the hell's with that? A moving tree? Zoro paused to think for a moment, then mumbled, "Just what you would expect from New World. Whatever, I'll get there if I just keep moving. How fast can a tree be anyway?"
With this Zoro took another gulp from the bottle before setting off to his destination.
Well...yeah, yeah, I know. Most of the readers want to know that what is it that Zoro wants to tell Robin but, you know, it was getting kinda long. I originally planned to go all the way in this chapter and wrap up this 'date' matter once and for all, but the length of the explanation of Cloud Ring's History and a little fight between Zoro and Sanji increased unexpectedly, and I was like 'Oh man! I can't go on, I'm gonna loose it anytime, let's finish it here.' And so, here we are. By the way, does the name 'Cloud-Ring' really suck or what? Also the names Hozen and Ayumi. Well, that's because I'm not good at all with these kind of things.
...!...
WHAT? YOU'RE NOT GONNA REVIEW? BECAUSE I MADE YOU ANGRY YOU'RE NOT GONNA REVIEW? PLEASE DON'T BE SO CRUEL T_T PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON ME.
THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWING IN ADVANCE. SEE YA NEXT TIME :D