Closing herself into an empty closet, Kimiko smiled at the uniforms lining the walls of the small room. "Perfect." She smirked examining the pink nurse's outfits for one in her size. Quickly she threw the fitted dress overtop of her grey tank top and black pants and then rolled up her pants legs to make her outfit more believable that she was a nurse of the marine base.
"I just hope the others are okay…" She whispered putting on the white hat and apron completing the uniform. She raised her hand to turn the knob of the door and then panicked at the sight of her black gloves. "Shoot, what do I do?" She thought retreating her hand.
Kimi turned her attention back to the center of the room looking for any type of gloves she could find. 'If I didn't wear my gloves…I don't even want to think about it…maybe there are some medical gloves somewhere…' She thought silently to herself. "HA!" Kimi smiled triumphantly raising in the air a pair of latex gloves. As Kimi slowly slipped off her right glove she stopped just before it exposed the tops of her hands. 'Don't look, it will only bring back horrible memories…' She thought closing her eyes tightly and then removed and replaced her fingerless gloves for the latex ones instead. She kept her eyes shut as she removed and replaced her left one as well.
'There…no harm and you can't even see it.' She smiled balling her fists to ensure their strength. Not wanting to lose her personal pair of gloves, Kimi raised the nurse skirt and then stuffed them into her pants pocket. "Now to escape…"
She opened the closet door and walked out trying to find her crew members in her disguise. "I gotta find one of the others…" She whispered only to herself. "Or the Merry…"
Just then she heard a ruckus behind herself and frowned. "Oh my goodness!" She tried to protect her body from the many woman dressed in the same nurse uniform as she but failed. They pulled her along with them as they spoke, "Why are you saying? Hurry up! We have many men to treat from the battle ship that just returned to the base!"
Kimi nodded running along with the woman. "Oh okay. Got it!" She nodded entering the infirmary.
"Don't just stand there! Treat the wounded right away!" Kimi heard a nurse yelling to another one. She looked to her side at a very familiar face. "Nami-? Oh um hello there friend!" She ran over trying to hide her friendship with the navigator.
"Kimi!" Nami whispered disguised in the same outfit. "What are you doing here?" She took the plate the other nurse handed to her and walked over to a patient. "Trying to find you and the others. Have you heard anything?" Kimi asked.
"Yea, I heard Zoro was captured! Not a surprise." Nami pouted placing a bandage on the wounded sailor. "We need to be searching for the others and the Merry!" She whispered.
Kimi nodded, "I know…what should we do?" the scientist whispered.
Nami shook her head and then heard a familiar voice giving demands from the other side of the room causing both her and Kimi to turn their heads. "Chopper?" The two whispered at one another and then turned their heads around to see the reindeer in his human form.
"Nami? Kimi? What are you ladies doing?" Chopper smiled at the two crew members.
"We should be asking you the same thing!" Kimi smiled at his fake mustache and oversize glasses disguising his animalistic qualities.
"Excuse me!" The purple-haired doctor walked over to Chopper and the girls. "Could you tell me what's going on? I've seemed to have fainted. Oh wait! You're a doctor! I don't know where you came from but I'm glad you're here so you can save all of the men!" The woman smiled through her glasses similar to Kimi's.
"Well without emergency surgery, these men will die!" Chopper included, "There's no time to lose! We must operate on the wounded now!"
"Yes…well…" the woman smiled faintly and then fell to her knees.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Kimi kneeled to the doctor in the hopes of helping her back up.
"I…I can't do it…I can't stand to see people in pain…I can barely administer a shot let alone…"
"Oh just perfect!" Nami pouted, "This is a military base you know, how you can call yourself a doctor if you can't stand the sight of a little blood?"
"Well you see I'm just a pediatrician, I was the only one left after the other doctors were called away…" The woman frowned lightly.
"Well you're in charge of the infirmary right now, right?" Kimi asked trying to persuade the female doctor to work so that they may escape. "Chopper, let's just get the hell out of here!" Nami whispered as Kimi tried to help the woman stand back on her feet.
"I can't…" Chopper shook his head and then looked back at the pediatrician, "Your duty as a doctor is to save patients, right? These patients only have you as their doctor; you are the only one who can help them! You must never say that you can't do it!" He gave the woman a pep talk. "You have to believe in yourself."
"You really think I can help?" She nervously questioned.
"Of course, I'll help you!"
"Hey, we don't have time for that!" Nami tried to persuade the reindeer but instead Kimi held her orange-haired friend back, "We should help." She smiled sweetly and then looked back at Chopper and the purple-haired doctor.
"Doctor, the operating rooms are ready!" Two nurses came in to inform the group.
Chopper nodded and he, the woman and Kimi followed the two nurses to the operating rooms. "Chopper! Kimi!" Nami growled.
"Nami, you can go on without me. Chopper and I will find a way out." Kimi smiled and continued on.
"If I didn't stay, Doctorine would be angry with me." Chopper nodded and then followed as well.
Nami growled, "Ugh, I just can't leave you all by yourselves…" She ran behind following with the other doctors.
For a constant hour and a half, the Strawhats and the female doctor, Kobato, operated on the injured Marines. They had almost been discovered by one of the Marine leaders but luckily for the intense surgery, Dr. Kobato excused the man from the room and continued on with the procedures.
Dr. Kobato was especially grateful after the surgeries were complete and did not even freak out or question Chopper when he changed back into his regular form. But just before Nami, Chopper and Kimi were about to plan for an escape, a knock came from the operating room doors.
"Yes?" Dr. Kobato answered and listened as the marine guards informed her that Pirates had infiltrated the base and that they could be disguised as doctors. Suddenly the female doctor shut and locked the doors walking angrily at the three pirates.
However, what the three pirates designated as anger, was actually worry as Dr. Kobato held all three of her fellow 'doctors' hands warning them to escape from the mean pirates.
"Well actually…" Kimi sighed.
"We are the pirates they are looking for." Chopper finished.
Nami shook her head, "Listen we are in a big hurry, is there any way you could tell us where the docks are?" Instead of an answer, Kobato screamed loudly causing herself to pass out and the guards on the other side of the operating room doors to knock and try to rescue the woman.
"Nami! Chopper! Quick!" Kimi yelled devising a plan before the marines came in. Nami and Kimi tied a piece of cloth around their mouths while Chopper hid alongside of one of the injured patients. Kimi also cloned herself and made her doppelganger open a vent shaft and crawl through just as the Marine's busted open the door.
"Oi! Are you ladies alright?" one of the men untied Kimi and Nami's bonds. "Yes! The pirates escaped through that vent!" She pointed and then released her control on her clone just as the two men climbed to follow the pirates through the shaft.
Kobato started to push her body from off the ground now awake from her tiring scream from before. She looked at the pirates once again taking a deep breath but luckily, Nami stopped her scream by placing her hand over the woman's mouth. "I know you'd like to scream but I'd rather you didn't." She stuck her tongue out.
"Nami, Kimi, we have to escape quickly!" Chopper peaked out from a curtain.
"Come to think about it…" Kobato titled her head, "You do look weird." Kimi sweatdropped at her sudden realization.
"Yes well, I ate one of the Devil's Fruits, so I can transform." He answered.
"Well we should be getting on our way." Kimi smiled and stood to her feet along with Nami. "Oh, wait Mr. Deer!" Kobata made the three turned around from their position to escape. "Even if you're a pirate, and a mysterious deer, you showed me what it means to be a doctor and I'd like to repay you somehow."
"I'm not a deer!" Chopper twirled around bashfully, "I'm a reindeer!"
"Ah! I'm sorry! You said you needed to get to the docks correct? If you'd like, I can take you there."
"But Dr. Kobato, wouldn't helping pirates get you into a lot of trouble?" Kimi questioned.
She nodded and then smiled, "If they catch us, I'll just pretend to be a hostage!" Nami looked worriedly at the blue-haired woman waiting for a confirmation from the older female. If this plan didn't go accordingly they could be placed in an intense situation. Kimi smirked and crossed her arms, "Let's get going!"
The young scientist devised a plan to have Nami, Kimi, and Kobato drag a rolling operating cart through the hallway while Chopper lay on the table as a pretend patient. With Nami's conclusion of the ship being on the East side of the base, Kobata led the way to Dock 88.
As they made their way to the entrance of the docks, a couple of Marines blocked the entrance. Kobato simply yelled at the marines, "There's an emergency at the dock! Please let us through!" But Kimi and Nami refused to stop running and they ran over and pushed aside the Marine's blocking the way.
They continued to run, even faster now as the two female pirates realized they were closing in on their destination, until they reached the threshold of the dock room and then collided an object with the operation cart.
"What the hell is going on!" Nami screamed as she and Kimi realized Ussopp had been the object they hit, while Zoro, Sanji and a trapped Luffy were already fighting in the dock. Chopper noticed Ussopp's mangled body in front of him and hopped from out of the sheets to help his fallen crewmember.
Panicking at the heat of the moment, Kimi closed her eyes and thought of a way to avoid the Marines from capturing her and the navigator. She looked over her shoulder, smiled and winked at Zoro and Sanji on her right and then screamed.
Her piercing scream was none like any other scream the men had heard. It was very girly and loud compared to a regular distressed scream, "We've been taken hostage! We can't defend ourselves!" Catching on with Kimi's plan, Kobato and Nami screamed with the blue-haired woman as well.
Kobato smiled and screamed as well, "The reindeer threatened to kill us if we didn't come with him! He is one of the pirates!"
Kimi winked at Chopper while his body blocked her and the other two from the Marines. "That's right!" Chopper turned around slinging Ussopp onto his shoulder, "Crying babies are silent when I am near! I am the Strawhat's most ferocious madman! If my demands are not met then the hostages will face my wrath! Hurry and move aside so we can go through!"
Kimi smiled as Zoro clapped for Chopper during his entire speech and then screamed as he stopped. "Please do what he says!" She screamed holding her hands together, "He is so scary! All the pirates are!"
Finally with the blue-haired woman's statement the Marine general declared for the other's to stand down and let the pirates to board the ship. Everyone walked forward in silence as the Marines reluctantly watched the females and men walk to the pirate ship.
"Nami, Kimi, Chopper, love cook, when I give the signal, run to the ship." Zoro whispered holding onto Luffy who had been weakened by the sea prism stones from before. "Luffy, stretch your arms and get everyone onboard the ship." He finished.
They continued to walk in silence until a simpleton Marine dropped his gun making the group turn to face him. "Oops how careless." He muttered and just then Kobato was taken from the group. Another tried to sneak up on Nami, but she punched him before he could reach her.
"Time to go!" Kimi whispered and smiled looking at Luffy and Zoro, "Come on Captain!" she nodded hoping he could rescue them.
Luffy smiled and then his arm stretched around the group flying the group to the deck of the ship. Just as Kimi and the others landed, the Merry began to fall from off of the docks and into the sea ready for an escape. "Nice going!" Kimi giggled and threw off her nurse uniform revealing her grey tank-top and black skinny jeans. She pulled her fingerless gloves from out of her pocket but stopped just before she replaced the latex on her hands.
She looked around as the others frantically ran about the ship ready to make the ships escape. Nodding to herself, the blue-haired woman walked silently inside the empty kitchen to replace her gloves from before. "There, all better." She smiled throwing the rubber into the trash. A rumble shook the entire ship making Kimi loose her balance momentarily and tumbling to the wood floor. "What the heck?" She rubbed her bottom and then stood to her feet running out of the room to the others.
Robin and Nami were talking with one another with a map of the base in their hands. "Oh hey Robin!" Kimi smiled and examined the map to see the best means of escape. But shortly after she looked at the piece of paper, more cannon balls fired into the sky.
"I thought they wouldn't shoot with hostages on our ship!" Ussopp cried and then noticed Kimi had changed. "Oi! Kimi, you made them attack!" He yelled with sharp teeth.
"Oh, sorry!" Kimiko blushed and then ran to the side of the ship looking back at the three Marine ships following and shooting at the Merry. "We don't even have any cannon balls or gunpowder to counter attack!" Ussopp shouted desperate at the situation.
"Isn't it obvious?" Robin smiled to the two ladies, "The Marines confiscated them when we abandoned the ship."
Kimi thought for a second and then looked back at the gaining ships behind. "Everyone!" She cried and jumped from the first story of the boat to and then ran to the center of the deck. "I have an idea…just trust me on this one…" she looked at Luffy waiting for a confirming nod.
"Yosh!" The young captain smiled holding onto his precious strawhat.
"Clone, clone, illusion!" Kimi raised her hands to her triangle position and touched the mast of the ship. "Wha?" Ussopp, Chopper and Luffy looked over the edge of the Merry and then gasped. "COOL!" Their eyes sparkled at the sight of four similar Going Merry's blocking the incoming cannon balls.
"Kimi!"
"No way!"
"Amazing!"
Kimi smirked at her plan, she had never done this type of thing and she was proud to say that it was working. However, the fact that whenever her regular clones would be destroyed would affect her, the same went for the clones of the Merry ships. Except, these types of clones required more of a strength to mentally control.
One of the Merry clones had been hit and destroyed causing Kimi to gasp in pain at the mental control to keep the others in effect. "Great job Kimi, just a little bit more!" Nami persuaded the girl as the almost reached the dock to freedom. Another one of the ships were blasted away causing the woman to fall backwards from the harsh mental control.
"Oi! Kimi-chan!" Sanji caught her before she tumbled to the floor and raised her back onto her feet. "Thanks. Hurry everyone…I can only keep this up for so long…" but just as she said that the last two clones of the pirate ship had been blasted completely draining Kimi from her mind control. She fell forwards blacking out from the intensity of her Devil Fruit ability.
"Hey Kimiko! Wake up!" Chopper's high-pitched voice rang through the intelligent scientists head. She opened her eyes sitting up quickly thinking that they were still under attack from the Marines. However, she didn't expect her head to collide with another head in the process of rapidly sitting up straight. "OI!" Zoro's voice called from her side and she clutched her now aching and swollen head.
"Oi Marimo! What do you think you're doing hitting Kimi-swan!" Sanji kicked Zoro's head causing another swollen bump to sprout from his green hair. The woman smiled nervously rubbing her forehead, "Sorry Zoro, what's happening?" She looked to Chopper and then around her surroundings only to realize she and the rest of the crew were in the kitchen.
While Kimi had been passed out, Chopper moved her to the kitchen laying her on the floor to protect her from the Marines. Just as the crew was about to escape, Nami had realized the Marines had not only stolen most of their food and supplies but also the gold they found from Skypiea as well.
They had docked once again in the Marine base in the hopes for stealing back their precious gold. "But with the Merry in this dock how do we know that the Marines won't spot her?" Chopper frowned as the crew devised their scheme.
Kimi placed a finger to her lips thinking of some way for Merry to be disguised. "What if we built a fake ship?" She declared looking at the others.
"Wha-?" Nami started to growl but Ussopp ran over patting the blue-haired woman's back, "Great idea!"
"There were a lot of supplies and materials in the base." Robin confirmed. "Yosh! Let's go!" Ussopp ran out of the kitchen to protect their precious ship. With the help of Kimi's clones the wood base to disguise the Merry as a Marine ship was built, while Luffy and Ussopp insisted they be the one to paint it.
"Nice job." Nami thumbs up the woman after she released her helpful clones. "Miss Scientist, are you feeling better from your attack?" Robin smiled at her.
Not sure how to comprehend the concern from her female counterpart, Kimi simply blinked. "Um well…" She looked at the others, "Yes…It was just the fact that whenever I create a clone it takes a certain part of mental capacity to hold onto it and make it act the way I want to. Whenever they are hit or destroyed, it almost gives a small pinch, so-to-say, in my head." She looked back at the ship and then to the others, "Merry is ten times more the mental capacity to create and when something that large is destroyed-"
"It hurts ten times more than a regular clone." Zoro finished the statement causing her to nod confirmation. "I'm sorry I passed out…that's the first I've ever created something that large."
"Done!" Ussopp wiped his sweaty forehead. "Well at least it will stop them from coming after the Merry for a short while." Zoro crossed his arms looking at the paint job from his crewmates. "But I wonder how long we can keep them fooled?" Sanji finished.
"Yosh! Let's go get our gold back!" Luffy declared but a hit on his head stopped him and the others from venturing out into the base. "Do we even have a plan? All eight of us can't just go rampaging through the base, they will see us!" Ussopp nodded, "And Nami, where is the Waver?"
"Oh, oops! It's still in the tall grass from earlier!"
"Exactly, so we have to devise a plan to get everything together and escape quickly!" He then proceeded to un-roll the map of Navarone, showing everyone his means of attack. "Okay gold collecting team will be Luffy, Zoro, Robin and me, Captain Ussopp-sama!" He pointed to himself, "Next waver recovery team will be Nami and Sanji!"
"Nice plan Ussopp!" The blonde cook smiled and cheered at his female partner.
"Ussopp, do I have to guard the ship again by myself?" Chopper cried climbing onto the swordsman.
"No, that's why Kimiko will be here with you to guard the ship!" The long nosed man rolled the map once again nodding to the scientist. "I'm sure you will be fine with the Merry being camouflaged and all. We just need you two here in case we get back and are hurt!"
Kimi smiled and picked Chopper up from Zoro's shoulders, "Don't worry Chopper, at least we aren't going back into the scary and deadly Marine base like our super brave crewmates are." She smiled evilly knowing her statement would make the sudden burst of confidence deflate from the sharpshooter.
"Stop…" Zoro muttered to the woman while Luffy began to laugh. "Yosh! Let's get going already!" And with that the crew left.
"Come on Chopper." Kimi placed him down and then walked in the secret entrance of the ship. "Let's start to get everything ready for when the others return." She smiled sweetly and then placed her glasses on her face.
"Kimi?" Chopper squeaked from their chores once they arrived on the deck, "Why is it that you constantly wear those gloves?" He pointed at her hands asking innocently his question. "I noticed you wearing latex gloves when we were in disguise too, you even double gloved when we were operating…why?"
The woman lowered her head and her shoulders not knowing how to answer the reindeer's question, "Well you see…" She took a deep breath, adjusted her glasses and then looked back up at the reindeer, "When I was little, I was experimenting with some harsh chemicals. I wasn't paying attention and the chemicals burnt the top layer of skin off of the back of my hands."
"What? That's horrible! If you want I can-"
"No!" Kimi defensively yelled before Chopper could finish, "We…we went to the doctors and they said they did as best as they could but…they told me I would always have this terrible scaring." She looked down at her gloved hands and frowned. "I don't like the way it looks and honestly I am embarrassed by it…so I designed and created these gloves to work in the science lab and for daily life." She looked back at smiled slightly. "Sorry…I didn't mean to yell at you earlier it's just that-"
Suddenly a motor sound came from below making Chopper and Kimi run to the edge. "Nami, Sanji!" Kimi whispered at the two on the small waver. "Are Luffy and the others back yet?" She asked making Kimi shake her head. "Don't worry about us! Kimi and I are bravely protecting the ship!" Chopper yelled tying to sound valiant.
"Sanji, stay here with these two, I'm going to check on the others." Nami kicked him off of the waver and then drove off. "Nami-san is so cute when she is plotting!" Sanji muttered with a heart in his visible eye. "But now I can have a date with Kimi-san!" He ran to the ship and hugged the woman causing her to push out of his arms. "Enough of that Sanji-san." She shook her head and then walked off continuing on with her duties before the others arrived.
With the help of everyone in the crew, the Strawhats escaped from Navarone using the octopus as a hot air balloon to travel away. Kimi smiled as their friend, the floating octopus, deflated once again, this time as a shorter distance from the sea compared to the distance of falling into the Marine base. After taking care of the small octopus's minor injuries, Luffy released him into the sea below.
"Thank you!" Kimi waved to the pink sea creature as a good-bye then walked off as the rest of the crew said their good-byes. Despite the feeling of wanting to see how the rest of the night played out, Kimi couldn't shake the waves of pure exhaustion rippling in her body.
She entered the girl's room and laid on her small twin sized bed. "Things sure have been interesting…father." She placed her gloved hands behind her head and crossed her legs trying to get comfortable. "I wish you could see all of the battles I've faced while I've been out at sea." She yawned and then closed her eyes thinking of the thoughts her father would tell her. 'I miss you…' She thought and then faded into a dream, or rather, a memory of her past.
"Kimiko, look at this wonderful chemical composite you have created!" Kazuhiro smiled widely at his youngest daughter. "You are truly a genius, my child! If only your mother could see-"
"STOP THAT FATHER!" A dark blue-haired teenaged girl balled her fist. Like Kimi and her father, the girl wore a similar white lab coat. "Mother would not have loved Kimiko as much as you do and you know it! Stop telling her lies!" The girl screamed and took the glass beaker from out of her father's hands and smashed it into the wall. "I hate her! Do you hear me, Kimiko? I HATE you!"
The young blue-haired child cried behind her oversized glasses at the attitude of her stubborn sister, "But sissy…"
"Don't but sissy me!" The girl stormed out from the lab leaving Kazuhiro and Kimiko alone. "Ah Kimi, Kimi, Kimi…" The man smiled pulling the small child into his arms. "Your mother would have been proud of you, I just know it." He kissed her forehead and then placed her back on the chair. "Excuse me, I must have a word with your sister…" He closed the steel door leaving the young Kimi alone in the basement laboratory.
"I didn't mean to do it…" The girl looked down at her black gloves as her tears spattered on the leather. "Mommy…I'm sorry…" She shook her head making the tears roll off of her face. "I will just have to try harder!" she raised her hand in the air frowning confidently.
"KIMIKO!" her sisters voice rang from behind the doors making the girl fall from off of the top of her chair. "KIMIKO!" Her sister yelled furiously once more…
"Kimiko! KIMIKO!" Nami's voice seemed to fade from her sisters. Kimi screamed sitting straight up panting from her dream/memory.
"Finally! We've made it to the next island. How in the hell you slept through all of the storms, I'll never know." She walked away from Kimi's bed to her own to put on her shoes. "You're just like that good-for-nothing drunken swordsman!" She pouted and then stood. "Well?"
Kimi shook her head and then stood from her comfortable bed, "Time to go?" Kimi asked making Nami roll her eyes. "Come on Miss smarty-pants, you know your outfit is completely hideous?"
Kimi looked down at her skin-tight black jeans and grey tank top. "What should I do?" She frowned not having an ounce of fashion sense in her bones. The navigator's eyes lit up and she quickly dug in her clothes for something Kimi could wear. "Yosh! This should do it!" Nami smiled and then left the room.
Kimi frowned at the yellow crop-top placed on top the pile. Now way was she about to show off her stomach, it was just something the people of her village just didn't do. Continuing to look at the rest of the pile, Kimi pulled on the cropped blue jeans and converse tennis shoes. Instead of wearing the god-awful crop-top, Kimi dug through her own drawer of clothes finding a perfect 3/4ths length baseball shirt. Like the rest of Kimi's dull wardrobe, this shirt had been white and black and did not show off any part of her skin whatsoever.
"Miss Scientist? Are you coming?" Robin's voice called from the other side of the door. She jumped at the woman's voice and quickly pulled her glasses from off of the nightstand into her pocket. "Of course!" She opened the door smiling, "Ready to go!"