Ok to be perfectly honest I didn't expect this story to get past Chapter 5, and now here I am back with Chapter 12. That is awesome.
Vivi walked out on to the deck the next morning to see a scene that she had gotten all too used to during her first time with the straw hats. Luffy and Usopp were chasing Carue around the entire ship, with Nami viciously yelling at them to stop, Zoro and Sanji were in another corner having another fight over something that, to anyone else, would've seen very stupid, and Chopper was in the back of the ship talking to a few of the fish about any dangers that might inhabit the nearby seas.
Still, something was out of place. She couldn't quite center just what it was that made this picture seem a little off, until she saw the archaeologist sitting on a lawn chair in the front of the ship, reading a book. They had decided to talk about everything sooner or later, and she figured that the sooner that they had this talk, the easier it would be to be on the same ship as the woman.
She started walking towards the front of the ship, and in turn caught the attention of the blonde haired cook. "Vivi-chwan. Is there anything you need, mellorine?" The hearts were literally pouring out of him.
"No, Sanji-kun, it's fine. I'm not hungry right now." She smiled at him and continued walking.
"Ah, Vivi-chwan is so cute when she isn't hungry." This was making Zoro more and more sick.
"I'm not hungry either, so does that make me cute as well, blondie?"
"What did you just say, marimo?"
"I don't think I stuttered."
And with that, the feet and the swords started flying.
Meanwhile Vivi had worked her way past the cat and mouse game between Luffy, Usopp, and Carue and went up the stairs to the bow deck. She walked up to Robin. "Hey."
The archaeologist looked up from her book with a smile on her face. "Hello there, princess-san. How are you doing this morning?"
"Ok, I guess. I'll get right to the chase. The talk you and me were supposed to have?"
"You would like to have it right now?" The archaeologist closed her book. "Very well then, but first let me grab you a chair so that we can be a little more comfortable." And using her Hana Hana powers, she passed a chair from the ladies room to where Vivi was standing.
Vivi sat down and took a deep breath. "Ok I suppose we can start with the fact that you were with Crocodile, and that you were helping him to take down my coun-. I mean Alabasta."
The archaeologist caught this little slip. "Hmm, didn't you want to say your country? So why didn't you?"
"It's not my country anymore. I had to sever any ties I had to my country so that they wouldn't be abused by the world when I got out that I was with you."
"I see, but still just because officially, as far as the world is concerned, it isn't your country anymore, that doesn't mean that you can't call it your country. You will always be from the kingdom of Alabasta, and no one can take that away from you."
Vivi smiles weakly. She did have a point there. "Thanks, I guess."
"But back to the original conversation. You are right. I did help Crocodile try to take over your country, but it was not because I wanted to help him rule the seas. To be perfectly honest, back then I could have cared less who or what got hurt. All I wanted was to accomplish my dream."
"Your dream?"
"To find the Rio Poneglyph."
"The Rio Poneglyph. Wait, does that mean that you can actually read them?"
"That is correct, princess-san. Crocodile said there was one in Alabasta, and it was the only lead to the Rio Poneglyph that I had. Crocodile said that it was suppose to have information about Pluton, a kind of super-weapon. But I never had any intention of giving it to him."
"So, how did you end up with Luffy-san?"
Robin looked over at the captain, who was currently getting choked by Nami. "Sencho-san fought with Crocodile, three times actually. It was amazing, because he only learned from his past battles with him and eventually found a way to defeat him. He had been poisoned by Crocodile during the fight and probably wouldn't have even made it out of the tomb if I hadn't given him the antidote."
Vivi had been listening silently to the older woman's story.
"I had lost my will to live after I had come up short on finding the Rio Poneglyph once again. I would have been happy if I died in that tomb. But it was not to be. I wasn't sure whether he wanted to repay me for saving him, or if he simply wanted to save me, but in the end he brought me with him and Cobra out of there. Like I said I wanted to die there, but he made me live. Therefore I told him that since he made me live against my will, he had no choice but to let me join the crew. Surprisingly, he let me join without hesitation."
Vivi smiled again. Typical Luffy. Then a dark thought entered her mind.
"Wait, who is to say that you won't turn on him the moment your dream is in hand? After all, you did it to Crocodile, right?"
"True, princess-san, I have done this with just about every single organization I have been with. Once they outlive their usefulness, I dump them just like that. However there is one major difference between them and him." The captain continued his chase with Carue.
"And what is that?"
"He doesn't ask anything of me. He doesn't want anything from me. As long as his crew is happy, he cares about nothing else. I respect him for that, and I have decided to follow him until I achieve my goal, and until I help him achieve his."
"Wait, I thought you said that you had lost all hope of-" Robin cut her off.
"When we went to Skypiea we found another poneglyph. It had information on another deadly super-weapon, but also inscribed on top of it was a message from Gol D. Roger. In short, it said that all of the poneglyphs had to be chained together in order to ascertain the location of the Rio Poneglyph. So now, with a renewed spirit and new life, I am searching for my dream once again."
"I- I see." She held her head down. "I'm sorry I doubted you, doubted Luffy-san. You and Crocodile caused so much grief for my country, and I can never forget that. So many died when none of them had to." A quick flash back of all of the people that either died or were seriously injured flashed through her mind, ending with the scene of Pell flying away with Baroque Work's bomb in tow, and then disappearing in a gigantic explosion. "You can understand my reasoning right?"
"Of course I can. I would have felt the same way. I know that nothing I say can ease that pain, but for whatever it is worth, I am sorry for what I caused back then."
Vivi only nodded. "Thank you again for talking with me like this."
"Sure, princess-san."
Vivi smiled again and stood. "Well, I'll see ya around." She walked over to the captain, who was now being attacked by Carue and Nami this time.
Robin smiled and returned to her book.
Whew, now that was a good one. At least I hope it was. That is for you to decide, so please R&R.
Be back with 13 soon.
P.S. I have another story up if anyone would like to read it. It is called Aftermath.
