Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, I wonder if Robin owns part of it though. She is in it.
Summary: Welcome to Populi Island, where something makes all the animals sleep.
Warnings: A little ZoLu, definite FraRo, nonexistant ZoNa, swearing
KittyLuffy: After so long, we have chapter 4 of Luffy Wants a Pet!
Robin: Yet, the series is not finished like we had promised.
KittyLuffy: I'm still gonna blame you, Robin.
Robin: Alright. So, please enjoy reading this chapter. We spent a lot of time putting love into it.
KittyLuffy: Literally. Robin got a little out of hand...
Robin: Oh, shush! Now, please enjoy.
Luffy Wants a Pet
There was only so much Luffy could do to contain his excitement. An island, big and round, was looming only a mile off. Yelling with Chopper and Usopp, he cried, "Island, Island, we're going to an ISLAND!" until Sanji stopped them with a boot because Nami had told him to. The three sat quietly, becoming jittery as the Thousand Sunny came closer and closer to a visible port.
"Good; we can get supplies," Sanji said, stomping out his cigarette and digging in his pocket for a new one. Lighting it, he wondered about what Nami had told the crew, save for Luffy.
"This island is flourishing with a lot of people and a lot of tourist attractions."
"And why do we care?" Zoro asked with a yawn, having been woken up for the meeting.
"Because," Nami answered, "these tourist attractions are gonna give us one hell of a time."
"Why, Nami-san?" Robin asked, peering down at the map and seeing nothing particularly strange about the island.
"Populi Island is known as the Isle of Sleeping Animals." Everyone turned to stare at Zoro, the most recent pet of Luffy's. It had taken two months to get the red collar off safely, taking a few scalpels, a blowtorch, and one Egg Star. Within those many weeks before that, Zoro had been dragged around every day, following Luffy's weird pet instructions until bedtime.
"Oh no," Usopp gulped, "an island full of snoozing animals means that Luffy could pick up as many as he wanted without them fighting back. We'd be overloaded with scary beasts in seconds." Everyone nodded and imagined the poor ship becoming more of a zoo than it already was.
"So," Nami said to wrap up the meeting, "if Luffy is with your group, steer him away from any animals you might see."
After picking straws, Robin and Franky would be responsible for Luffy and strange object shopping. Zoro, Usopp, Nami, and Chopper would have the regular food shopping. Sanji and Brooke would stay and watch the ship. That was how it was going to be.
They felt the bottom of the boat lightly scrape sand as the Sunny Go was hidden in a cove. There was the port of course, but, as pirates, the crew would have to all have Luffy-sized brains to think to leave their ship there.
"Yahoo!" Luffy yelled happily, jumping off of Sunny's figurehead and onto white sand. Past the beach, there was a grand forest that was just screaming pure adventure.
"Wait up," Usopp called, "we wanna see too!" Chopper followed Usopp slowly down the ladder, eyelids fluttering in a not very excited way. The reindeer gave his head a little shake before trying picking up his pace. When they safely reached the sand, the two found a strange sight.
"Oi," Usopp grumbled, kicking the other raven-haired teen lightly with a foot, "why are you lying in the sand like that?"
"Luffy?" Chopper asked, slowly patting at Luffy's cheek. The crew's doctor blinked back dizziness a few times and swayed a little, only to fall on top of his captain.
"Chopper?" Nami called, seeing the two bodies slumped in a heap. "Usopp, what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Usopp defended himself, spreading out his arms to show he had no weapon or item that would make him the culprit of the odd happening.
"Nami-san," Brooke said slowly, "I think I know what happened." Everyone looked at Brooke who hopped quickly off the ship and walked up to the two forms in the sand. "Yohoho! They are asleep."
"No way," Nami breathed, " I thought it might be food, but something in the island's air makes the animals sleep?"
"Mugiwara isn't an animal."
"You still have much to learn if you think that, Franky" Sanji grumbled, jumping into the sand to pick up Chopper. Turning back to get on the ship, the cook continued with, "Someone grab Luffy." Zoro dropped from the deck into the water and went to grab the sleeping captain.
As soon as the swordsman flipped Luffy over, incredibly loud snores started up. Everyone sweat-dropped as Zoro was forced to stuff his dear bandana into his beloved's mouth to keep from losing his hearing.
"It isn't normal for his snores to be this loud," Sanji and Zoro stated at the same time. The two glared at one another for a moment before Luffy was hefted over the green-haired man's shoulder. The four jostled up the ladder.
"Maybe this happened because his brain is on the same wavelength as a beast and that makes his snores more animal-like," Robin offered, understanding that her captain was odd enough for her hypothesis to make sense. Nami nodded in agreement.
"Luffy is so stupid; he probably would be influenced by whatever makes the creatures on this island sleep anyway."
"I have to agree with you, Nami-swan," Sanji swooned, his visible eye becoming a pink heart. Zoro grunted at the distasteful sight as he passed across the grassy deck to the men's bunk. The blonde's foot connected with a sword sheath and the fight continued as the two sleepers were put to bed. Then, came a thought to the love cook's mind.
With a puff of smoke, Sanji was quickly back outside to gaze at Nami with a smile, "Well, can I go with you, now that Marimo is going to stay with his captain?"
"Who said I wasn't going?" Zoro asked, shutting the door to the room as he exited back onto the deck. A bag was slung over his arm, signifying that he was planning to collect supplies, thus, going to leave the ship.
"Well, you're just gonna get lost, Shitty Swordsman. Stay here."
Usopp heard the words on the wind and shouted, "No! If Zoro were to stay here with Luffy, who would protect me? Er, if Zoro stayed here with Luffy, who would protect Luffy?" Zoro blushed.
"What type of person do you think I am?" the swordsman growled down to Usopp, who screamed and ran to join Franky and Robin. The two were starting to head into the forest in the direction of where the town was bound to be.
"Usopp's got a point," Nami agreed, "so Sanji, you and Brooke are to stay on the ship just as planned." Sanji cried comically as the skeleton man came back up the ladder while the ginger and Zoro were about to go down it.
"My, does Luffy-san have a loud snore! Sanji-kun, we will have lots of fun with earplugs," the skeleton man said, clapping a bony hand on the cook's shoulder, "but wait, I have no ears! SKULL JOKE! Yohohoho!" Nami leapt from the ladder and dashed away from the terrible joke that would never be funny.
Sanji stomped out his cigarette and kicked the musician up the slide before going to the kitchen to retrieve a shopping list he had. After running back outside, he chucked it at Zoro, who caught it without turning around. "If one thing on that list is missing, you're gonna go hungry tonight!"
"Shut it, Ero Smoke! And don't you dare touch Luffy!"
"Why would I? Don't you dare touch Nami-san!"
"Why would I? She's a– ow!" Sanji watched as Nami beat Zoro before dragging him to follow the others into the woods. It would be many hours before the crew returned, so the two awake on the Thousand Sunny decided to do a thorough cleaning – of the girl's room. Oh, how much fun they had…
The town was made up of brick buildings and small motels. Many people in varying clothes walked the streets while storekeepers yelled out what they had for sale. Tour guides were also yelling their prices, holding up banners that animal-watchers might be searching for. Just as the navigator had said, it was a very bustling place.
Robin and Franky had gone hand in hand to search for their items such as sheets of metal and soap while Usopp, Nami, and Zoro followed their noses to find the food and spices. Of course, it had taken the second group much longer to get into town for two reasons. One being that Zoro had decided to try a shortcut he made himself and Usopp noticed just as the swordsman disappeared into the distance. Two being that the forest was filled with sleeping animals Nami thought were incredibly cute.
"I wouldn't mind one of these," Nami had sighed, rubbing the tummy of a gigantic purple koala snoozing on a bush, "If only Luffy weren't so moronic."
Now, there were tasks to be done. Robin surveyed the city using her powers to flower an eye on a roof, finding a hardware store in the eastern corner. Franky stared at her lovingly, hoping she would let him be a SUPER strong man and carry everything back to the ship. But Robin was a very independent woman and he didn't want to hold her down.
"Robin," the blue-haired man asked, "do you want to split up and gather things quickly or…?" The archeologist gave a smile and walked in the direction she had pointed out moments before. Turning to him, Robin held out her hand.
"I think we can be just as fast if we shop together." The sly older members of the crew had a great time on their shopping trip, making a somewhat romantic date out of a regular island chore.
On the other hand, the discombobulated trio was fighting over which stalls to buy from. They had branched in different directions for twenty minutes, planning to meet at the point wherever Zoro ended up (because he'd probably never locate any set rendezvous).
Usopp had heeded the beckoning calls of a vender who had some odd-looking fruits and vegetables. "For a good price, young man," the old woman cackled, "you can get all of these wonderful foods." When she stated how much everything she had would cost, he thought it was the best offer out of the only one he had heard.
On the other hand, Nami had found a meat stall that was run by a big, muscleman. With a bounce of her breasts and a wink straight at him, the butcher was offering her big slabs of his wares for unbelievably cheap prices per pound. "For you, I think I could knock off another zero," he had whistled as she jumped in a flirting joy. How she loved Populi Island if its inhabitants were so kind.
Zoro got lost as soon as he took his first step. The town was pretty big, but he had found himself on the outskirts of it within minutes. A man with a beard called the swordsman over and led him to a stand. "I sell spices I grow and use myself," was the advertisement, "and I have to say they're darn good." It was a stroke of luck that Sanji had given Zoro a list of spices to take care of. The price for all of the herbs on the paper was a bit on the expensive side, so Zoro trudged away without buying, searching for one of his group members.
It took ten minutes of random walking to locate the familiar face of Nami. Usopp was close by and the three got to reviewing their findings. Each was sure their one stall was best, but the other two would complain that there were more places to shop that might be cheaper or have better wares.
"We're getting nowhere," Nami sighed as she shook her smarting hand. After punching Usopp in the nose, her fist hurt. He must have been strengthening that long thing.
"I have to agree," Zoro yawned, "so why don't we just buy what we saw and be done?"
"No way," the ginger growled at the swordsman, "the price is too high on your spices and we both know it."
"So?"
"Unless the extra coming from your pocket, I'm not paying."
"Then it's all from Ero Smoke's pocket. I just wanna get this shopping trip over with." Zoro walked away from his crewmates, determined to relocate the stall and haggle a better price – even if it was by threatening the poor man with his swords. But just as expected, his feet decided to lead him to a random storefront again and again. It ended up being a spice shop.
"Please buy from me," the young man with shaggy brown hair pleaded from behind the counter every time Zoro ambled past the open door, "Even spices will go bad if they sit around without being used!"
"Just how much would it be for everything on this list?" Zoro growled, tossing the begging storekeeper Sanji's paper. The price was even higher than the other offer at the bearded man's stand, so Zoro shook his head and walked out. After three minutes, he was back at the entrance.
"So, you do want to buy something! I'm so glad," the man said, grinning with delight.
"I don't. I just ended up here again."
"But look; everything on your list is right here! I got them all out for you."
"Thanks, but no thanks."
"These are the biggest sizes I have," the shopkeeper started to sob, "and I'll give them to you for the price of the smallest ones!"
"And how damn much would that be?" The brunette voiced again the price he had given earlier.
"Too high, even for bottles that size."
"Nami?" Zoro jumped forward in shock, not having noticed the navigator's presence behind him.
"If you knock off a zero, we'll think about it," she continued in a cutesy tone that was too faked for anyone to believe.
"No one has bought anything from my store since two months ago. Sorry, but I have to make a living somehow…"
"What a lie! Everyone but you can sell their wares?"
"It's true. No one seems to need spices anymore."
"You know what?" Zoro asked Nami. She shook her head and watched as Zoro slipped the empty bag off his shoulder. "I actually think we should just buy from this guy."
"What? No way! Didn't you say there was a bearded man with a better price? It was still high, but not as bad as this."
"Shitty Cook can pay for it all, remember?" Zoro grinned evilly to himself. This shopping trip was annoying the hell out of him. If he could make Sanji cough up the money as well as get back to the ship to have a good sleep until dinner, it would be perfect.
"Well, I guess so…" Nami sighed, seeing that Zoro would keep her running around for stupid supplies for even more time if she didn't just give up and give in.
"Then it's settled. You," Zoro nodded to the man who was crying tears of joy, "fill the bag." Nami placed the needed beli on the counter before leaving the shop. She had left Usopp to haul the meat and other foods back to the ship. Now, it was the perfect hour to get some well-deserved girl-time.
"Here I come, new clothes!" she yelled in delight as she located the island's famously inexpensive fashion district a few streets downtown.
"That's a cute girlfriend you've got," the brown-haired man stated as he stuffed box after bottle into Zoro's bag. It was just a bit of small talk, but it made Zoro want to barf at how wrong he was.
"She's not my–"
"No need to hide it. Here. For being such a good customer, I'll give you something great for free." Zoro stopped and watched as the storekeeper shifted through a few dusty boxes until he produced a small bottle. The man cleaned it on his apron before handing it over with a wink. "We sell these at a high price to the tourists who come to see the sleeping animals," he explained, observing Zoro's eyes scan the label of the bottle. "There are many different kinds of Populi Powder, but I think this one would be best for such a lovely, romantic couple."
"So what do you do with it?" Zoro asked, ignoring the last comment.
"There's special powder in there. Just sprinkle a little on the animal's nose so it inhales the dust. Then, sit back and watch."
"What? Is it going to sneeze or something?"
"It might, but that's not the point."
"Will it die?"
"Of course not! Er, anyway… Okay, I guess you don't like surprises much, do you?"
"No. Not at all," Zoro stated bluntly.
"Well, the animal should wake up. They do naturally sometimes, but only after heavy rains when the air is cleared," was the explanation.
"I see. This'll make the bitch happy." Zoro put the bottle into his pocket before hefting the filled bag of spices.
"B-bitch?" the shopkeeper echoed as he watched his customer trot out the door.
"My 'girlfriend'. Ha, that's a good one."
"Oh. Zoro?"
"Hey… I knew I'd find you here."
"Zoro-bro is just lost, isn't he?" Franky stated the obvious as Zoro stepped out of the bush he had been walking through.
"Shut up. Know where I can find the ship?"
"You are not even close," Robin laughed, putting her free hand up to cover her mouth. Her other set of fingers were intertwined in Franky's.
"Dammit. Can you point me in the right direction?"
"Actually, I cannot. We finished shopping and left it all with the kind blacksmith. Since then, we have been having so much fun on our Sleeping Animal Observation Adventure. I was planning to figure out our location when we got back to town." Zoro stared at Robin, then at Franky. As a blush came to the cyborg's cheeks, Zoro nodded at the handholding. The green-haired teen remembered when he and Luffy were at that stage in their romance. How boring it had been.
"You can resume whatever you were doing. Sorry to interrupt your date," the swordsman commented shamelessly, scratching his head apologetically.
"N-no worries, Zoro-bro!" Franky stuttered, face turning red, "Sorry we can't help you find Sunny!"
"S'okay." It was a bit depressing to watch the two stroll away hand in hand. Zoro found it so dull that the two weren't acting like the adults they were. A thought tugged at the back of his mind and he recalled the bottle in his pocket. "Hey, you two, I got something from a shopkeeper earlier. You wanna see what it does?"
"You bought something you don't know works?" Robin asked, turning herself slightly to look at Zoro.
"No, he gave it to me. Said it wakes up the animals or something."
"Robin, wouldn't that be fun? We've been staring at sleeping animals this whole time…" The woman of the trio laughed at her childish boyfriend.
"I guess it would be interesting. Let us see if it actually works."
Zoro took the bottle out of his pocket and handed it to Franky as the two walked back to their crewmate.
"Populi Powder," the daters read in unison. Under the blue lettering was a fancy pink heart. On the back, it stated in tiny capitals, "WORKS ON SLEEPING POPULI ANIMALS ONLY. DO NOT USE OFF-ISLAND."
"Find one you want to wake up," the Straw Hat first mate commanded, searching for something not too big, but not too small. "How about that thing?" The couple turned to spot a green creature that could be explained as half cat, half bear. Furry and very cute, Robin nodded as Franky popped the cap off the bottle.
"Oh, it's some SUPER powder," the cyborg stated as he dumped a little in his large hand, "all sparkly and pink."
"Just put some on its nose and it should wake up. We should probably get out of the way, just in case something bad happens though. That man was really strange."
Robin and Zoro hid behind a tree as Franky bravely stepped up to the animal a tiny bit smaller than he himself was. Shaking the powder off his hand, he quickly stepped back as the beast began to stir. He was back holding Robin's hand a moment later.
The cat-bear's nose twitched as it inhaled the powder. Slowly, its round eyes opened, making Robin gasp in delight. It was so cute! Rubbing the sleep from its eyes with its long cat tail, the green creature got up and stretched before dashing to its left.
"Where is it going?" Franky asked dumbly, knowing his companions were as stumped as he was.
"Let's follow it," Zoro replied, dashing from the hiding place and matching the animal's trail. An excited Robin pulled Franky along as the three went after the cat-bear they had awoken.
Sniffing this way and that, the beast finally found what it was looking for. An orange cat-bear was slumbering under a tree. Pouncing on the other of its kind, the wide-awake animal aroused its friend. The new cat-bear blinked and the two began rolling together on the forest floor.
"Ah," Robin giggled, "they are playing."
"Or wrestling," Zoro decided.
"Or play-wrestling," Franky connected.
"I guess this is play-wrestling Populi Powder then. The storekeeper said there were different types people could buy."
"Well, he gave you a good one."
The three watched from a distance as the two cat-bears spun and leapt on one another, happily ignoring the humans. They pawed at each other and played a game of nipping ears. After ten minutes, Zoro had seen enough. Stretching, he told the two lovebirds that he was going to go wake up Luffy. The shopkeeper's powder sure worked. During the viewing, the green-haired man had realized that maybe it would awaken his sleeping little lover for a while. Chopper too, but he wasn't the main focus.
It was a good idea to plan, so Zoro did. Thinking up many scenarios based on the cat-bears' rolling and biting, he had a top three proposals. If Luffy jumped him and wanted to spin, that was what they would do. If Luffy attacked him and wanted a mock fight, they'd do so in the woods. If Luffy bounced on him and wanted to play, a touristy jog around the island would be a good plan.
"Just need to find the ship…" Zoro grumbled as he made his way through the forest.
Gazing at the cat-bears, Robin and Franky sat together, still holding hands. Franky's heart had started beating loudly in his chest the moment Zoro was out of sight. Alone with the love of his life, he was watching animals play and doing nothing more than grasping her hand.
"Um… Robin…?"
"What is it, Franky?"
"Is it okay if I…"
"If you what?" Robin looked at her man with an expectant twinkle in her eyes. They still hadn't done it. After so many months, the first kiss between them was still nonexistent. It was the perfect time.
Bending forward slightly, Franky angled his head as he carefully tilted Robin's chin towards him. Robin closed her eyes and waited for his lips to brush against hers.
"OH SUPER GOD! WHAT ARE THEY DOING?"
Eyelids snapping open, Robin saw a shocked expression on Franky's face. Turning to look at the animals, the historian's jaw would have dropped if she weren't such a composed woman. The cat-bears had stopped wrestling and the green one was pinning the orange one to the ground. Facing each other, the two animals proceeded in doing what the powder was meant for them to perform.
"There are many different kinds of Populi Powder, but I think this one would be best for such a lovely, romantic couple."
KittyLuffy: Oh SUPER God. Why is there such a terrible cliff hanger?
Robin: Hey, you told me Franky and I would kiss! Why did we not?
KittyLuffy: This isn't a FraRo fic; it's ZoLu! Now its rated M because of what's gonna go down...
Robin: I'm excited for the next part, but KittyLuffy...
KittyLuffy: *Ignores* Readers and nice people, please comment! I need all the support I can get.
Robin: The more comments, the better the story. That is how I work.
KittyLuffy: And not how I work. Hopefully it won't take too long. No promises!