Chapter 4 - Escape and Regroup
The 8-year old Rei looked up at the fully grown woman. "When did you eat a Devil Fruit?"
"Since when did you become a pirate?" Ain retorted.
"What did you do to Rei and Nami?!" Robin demanded, interrupting the pair.
"I ate the Moda Moda fruit," Ain said, "I'm a regressive human. With one touch, I can transform anything back 12 years in time. Rei-senpai is back to his 8 year old self. If I touch him one more time, it will regress another 12 years and make his existence disappear."
"Rei-senpai?!" Chopper repeated, "Do you two know each otherr?"
Before she could answer, there was a loud explosion from the back of the ship, They turned around to see the kitchen and dining hall area had burst into flames. Zoro and Sanji fell down onto the lawn deck and the sheer force of the explosion sent them skidding across to the other side.
"Oof!" they grunted as their backs banged against the wall. Vines immediately started to wrap around them.
"Mosa mosa!" the vine man cried.
Rei looked at the explosion and saw Luffy. He was clenched between a large robotic fist that belonged to a large man with purple hair. He was man that Rei had only heard stories about and they were all very gruesome and violent stories. "Don't make me laugh," the man said to Luffy, "You'll become the Pirate King with that power alone?"
Luffy struggled from the hold but it was useless against the man's Sea Prism Stone.
"Luffy!" Nami cried.
"Stop it!" Rei shouted.
"Should I crush you like this?" the man asked. "What do you think, Pirate King?"
"You would do that to Garp's grandson, "Black Arm" Zephyr?!"
Everything went still as Z was struck by what Rei had just said. He slowly turned his head to look at her before peering suspiciously at Luffy. "What's your name?"
"Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy announced proudly.
The man clenched his teeth. "I see," he seethed before throwing Luffy down to the lawn deck below. He landed right between Chopper and Rei.
"Are you okay, Luffy?" Chopper asked worriedly but Luffy was too mad to respond.
"Master Z," Ain said as she and the Mosa Mosa fruit user rushed to his side, "I'm happy you're alright."
Zephyr and his crew jumped back onto their own ship. He crossed his arms and looked down at the Straw Hats. "We're destroying this pirate ship with a simultaneous attack from our fleet," he announced to his crew.
"What are you doing, Zephyr?!" Rei shouted up at him.
"I am no longer Zephyr! I am the Commander of the New Navy, Z!" he declared, "I will obliterate every single pirate! Try to survive while you still can."
Cannons from all around them started to fire at the Thousand Sunny. The ship rocked back and forth but stayed strong. Rei knew it was not for long though. She and Luffy quickly got up to their feet.
Luffy rushed over to the edge of the ship. "What are you doing?!" he demanded, "Our fight is not over yet!"
"Sunny!" Franky howled as he struggled against the vines.
Shing! Thwack!
The vines fell away from him with a slice from Rei's daggers. She raced around the lawn, freeing the others. With her size now dramatically reduced and lightened, she got to everyone in no time at all. They struggled to their feet as cannon fire rained down on them. Zoro was the last person to be freed and he froze in shock at the little girl in front of him.
"Know It All?!" he growled. "What the hell?!"
"Ah! Nami-swannn what happened to you?!" Sanji cried next to Zoro.
"Regressive powers…Devil Fruit User..." Rei panted as her knees gave out and she fell forward. Zoro caught her right before her face could hit the floor. The blood from her chest started to drip down his arm.
"I'm free! Super!" Franky shouted as he struck his super pose.
"Stop posing, Franky! Luffy! We need to get out of here!" Zoro shouted at Luffy's back.
Luffy clenched his teeth, frustrated at the dire situation they were in before finally turning away from the bannister. He leapt into the air to kick away any incoming cannonballs.
Sanji jumped into the air to follow suit but there were too many being fired at them. A few cannonballs slipped past the monster fighters and explosions rang out all over the ship. Zoro cut away any that was falling onto the lawn deck but he could only use one sword as his other arm was clutching Rei, who was slumped over his shoulder and unconscious.
"Luffy, we need to run!" Robin called to the captain.
Luffy back at them and saw his crew. He saw Nami in her child form, Sanji desperately trying to kick away as many cannonballs as he could, Usopp and Chopper in a fearful panic, and then he saw Rei with Zoro.
"Ahhhh!" Luffy cried frustratingly as he tore himself away from Z. He landed back on the lawn deck and rushed over to look over her. "Franky! Retreat!" he ordered, "Now!"
Franky ran to the steering wheel. "Okay, Sunny, I believe in you! Emergency escape system. Coup d'burst!"
With a bang, the Thousand Sunny rocketed out of harm's way and into the air. The force of the wind extinguished any remaining flames on the ship.
The sound of a pounding hammer woke Rei up. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up but a firm hand on her shoulder pushed her back down. Her head knocked against something hard and she tilted her head to see who the hand belonged to.
Zoro glared down at her as he sat cross legged next to her head. "Stay," he growled.
"Where are we?" she asked. She could only see the sky in her field of vision and the sun looked like it was about to set.
"Some island," Zoro answered which wasn't helpful at all, "Franky is repairing the Sunny now."
As if on cue, the shipwright called down from the ship, "Ow! Luffy! I'm going to completely fix Sunny, don't you worry. It will take some time to fix but while I take care of her, you'll go after Z, right?"
"Ah!" Luffy replied, "I'm leaving Sunny with you!"
Rei turned her head to the side to see if she could spot the captain but the only thing she could see was the rest of the Straw Hats scattered around her. It appeared they were at a dock. Chopper and Nami were sitting at the edge of it and Nami appeared to be counting money.
"This is for the doctor. This is for the load," she said as she flipped through the bills in her hand.
"I'm so sorry," Chopper said defeatedly, "All of this because I wanted to save that Z."
"Don't apologize," Zoro called out from his seated position.
"A pirate shouldn't regret doing what he believed in," Sanji added.
"And a doctor should never turn his back on a patient," Rei said softly.
"It's not your fault," Sanji continued, "We all know that."
Chopper took in their words and then nodded solemnly. "Thank you."
The Straw Hats smiled back at him. He hopped down from his perch and walked over to Rei. He checked her pulse and then put a hoof on her head. "Are you feeling okay, Rei?"
"I'm fine, Dr. Reindeer. Did my wounds open again?" she asked.
"Of course it did," Zoro snapped, "What else did you think was going to happen with you running around like that?! How can you blatantly disregard your wounds?"
"You do it all the time, Zoro," Chopper said with a frown.
"Whose side are you on?!" Zoro growled at the reindeer, which made him shriek and hide behind Usopp.
Rei ignored the swordsman's outburst and looked back up at the sky. "The question is...whose side is Z on? I've never even heard of the Neo Navy before."
"I wonder who could he be," Usopp said. "When he found out we were pirates, he attacked out of nowhere."
"You seem to know him, Rei," Robin prodded, "And the Ain girl too."
"He was an Admiral of the Navy," Rei replied, "The same generation as Garp and my father."
"ADMIRAL?!" the Straw Hats shouted.
"He used to be but then something happened years ago that made him leave the Navy. My dad told me all these stories about him. He was a very well respected and powerful marine but I don't know why he left. The Navy had always kept information on their Admirals very quiet. All I know is that he's merciless and will kill a pirate on the spot without trial."
"And what about Ain?" Nami asked, "You two seem to know each other."
"She trained at Beffi Island," Rei said, "But I only encountered her once. She was a first year and I was in my third. She had said she wanted to be in the Navy."
"You must've made quite a first impression on her," Robin remarked, "She could've hit you again with her powers but she withdrew when she saw your face."
"I met her when I was eight so I must look exactly like how I did then," Rei answered, "Except my hair is long now."
Nami frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "She called you Rei-senpai and she attacks with two daggers just like you."
"And she wore a cloak too," Chopper chimed in.
"So she's another copy-cat," Zoro huffed, "Big deal."
"Big deal? She's from Beffi Island! She must be a crazy fighter like Rei," Usopp shrieked.
"Rei-san, from my experience, super fans can get very crazy. You have to keep an eye out on them. AH! Although, I have no eyes. Yohohohoho!" Brook laughed.
Rei furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Brook in confusion. "A fan? Why would anyone be a fan of me?"
"Well, what happened when you two first met?" Robin asked.
"I told her I thought of her as inferior," Rei replied.
Zoro snorted out a laugh while the other Straw Hats were incredulous. "WHAT?!" they exclaimed.
"She must be one of those types of girls who are drawn to abusive relationships," Nami, Chopper, Brook, and Usopp murmured to one another. "Yeah. One of those girls who like the bad boy types."
"That can't be the reason," Sanji snapped as he put his arms in the air in defeat. "Rei-chan, why don't you tell us exactly how you remember it?"
Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I think I was training with King Tannenbay…"
When she finished the story, Sanji lit a cigarette and took a couple of puffs before speaking. "It must be quite a shock for her to see someone she admired greatly turn into a pirate."
"Pirates and marines are all the same out at sea," Rei replied, "We all have our reasons to be here and to do what we believe is right."
"Clearly Ain does not share that same sentiment," Robin said.
"The other guy is a problem too," Sanji added, 'The one with the vines."
"Next time we see them, we're going to set things straight," Zoro said, "Besides, we need to avenge Sunny. Sunny showed so much bravery."
"If it wasn't for Sunny's strength, we would all be swimming at sea because of the Navy attack," Nami chimed in.
"And if it wasn't for Rei intervening, I would've been turned into a child too," Chopper said.
"You are a child," Usopp chided as he pinched Chopper's cheeks and pulled at them.
"And Rei stopped her from touching me too," Robin added.
"I bet you'd be happy to be 18 again," Usopp teased, "You'd have everything back in the right place."
Instantly, arms sprouted out from both side of his neck and Robin's hands pulled his cheeks out, mimicking what he had done to Chopper.
"I'm sorry!" Usopp cried as he fell to the ground.
"You jerk, don't joke around when our ladies are in trouble!" Sanji lectured.
"We need to find the Navy and pay them back," Robin said.
"Are you serious?" Usopp whined, "I don't want to mess with those dangerous people again. Let's just stay on this island until Sunny is repaired!"
"What are you talking about?" Nami snapped, "If we don't find them, my body won't return to normal! With this body of a child, I can't do anything! The navigation in the New World will be a lot harder."
Zoro looked down at Rei in her current form. Even as a child, she had toned muscles along her arms and legs. She blinked up at him and seemed to have read his mind. "I was already close to graduating from the academy when I was eight. I turned into a full cadette for the Army by the age of ten," she said.
"You're still injured. Reverting you back to your child form didn't heal your wound," Zoro retorted.
"I'd still like to return to normal," Rei said, "I'd hate to think that I'd have to redo all those years of training and reshape my body."
Sanji's ears perked up at Rei's words. "Reshape? Body?" He glanced over at Nami, "That means I'll be able to closely follow Nami's precious days while her body matures?! I'll be able to see the moment when the larva turns into a butterfly?!"
Nami blushed and quickly covered herself with her arms.
"Disgusting," Zoro spat out.
"Like you won't enjoy watching Rei-chan grow and become the strong fighter that you know her to be," Sanji hissed at the swordsman, "You could even train her so she becomes a great swordswoman. Pass down your three sword style. She'd become your apprentice."
Zoro's ears twitched at the idea but then he shook his head and held Sanji by his collar. "Don't put me in the same thought process as you, you pervert!
"Watch your mouth, Morimo!" Sanji yelled back. "I'm going to kill you! If you went back into a kid, I'd give you a lesson."
"Idiot," Zoro retorted, "I'd defeat you even as a kid."
"Then I would defeat you even younger. At 3 years old!"
"What?! I would have defeated you when I was a baby!"
"What did you say?!" Sanji butted his head against Zoro's, who immediately pushed back.
Nami's small hands wedged themselves between the two men and she pushed their faces away from each other. "This is no time to fight!"
Grrrrrrrr.
They all froze and looked down at the sound. Rei clutched her stomach and her eyes widened. "Was that me?" she asked.
"Ah! You're finally hungry!" Sanji yelled as he ran towards the Sunny, "I'll go get something for you. Wait right there, Rei-chan!"
"I want some food too!" Usopp shouted after him.
"And some booze for me," Zoro added.
"And sweets!" Chopper and Brook called out.
"Screw you guys! I'm just getting food for the ladies," Sanji yelled back before disappearing from sight.
Zoro leaned against the base of the stone wall and closed his eyes. He was so very tired. He hadn't gotten a good rest since they arrived in the New World. First all that trouble on Beffi Island and now this Z geezer. Zoro sincerely hoped once they get this over with and get on their way to the next island, he could just get a moment's peace for napping and even training. It's been awhile since he lifted weights and did his usual workout routine.
Recently there was all this stuff that kept him busy and it all seemed to revolve around that damn new crew member. He grunted out loud but if anyone heard, they probably thought he was just talking in his sleep. That girl was going to be trouble and Zoro knew it. He was trying to stay as far away from her as possible but he always found himself looking at her with a wary eye and keeping tabs on what she was doing. I need to keep my distance with her. This just shows I need more discipline.
He opened his eyes, with a scowl, and walked away from the group. They all stared at him in surprise but said nothing. He went further down the dock until he saw two very heavy boulders. He bent his knees and hoisted the boulders onto his shoulder. He held his arms out and remained in the squatting position.
"Looks like Zoro's starting his training again," Usopp mused as he bit into a rice cracker.
"At least some things are still normal," Chopper added with a twitch of his nose.
"For us to go back to normal, we have to gather more information about Z and the New Navy," Nami said as she ate the sandwich in her hand.
"Rei, Is there anything more you can tell us about Z or about Ain?" Robin asked hopefully over her sandwich.
"I've told you everything I know." Rei silently ate her bowl of soup. She was sitting up and leaning against Sanji, who had offered to help feed her the soup. She thought it was a very nice gesture but politely declined. Although she did wonder why Zoro's nostrils flared and snorted out an angered breath when the cook offered to help and seated himself to support her.
Rei saw her own reflection in the clear soup and froze. It was the first time she had seen herself since the fight. She looked at her eight year old self, wide-eyed and with rounded cheeks. She looked down at her body and saw her blood covered shirt. She looked around at her crew. They all were weary and tired. She glanced over at Luffy, who had not said a word. He just sat quietly on the steps, watching Franky fix his ship. The Straw Hats definitely suffered some blows from Z's attack and they still have not shaken it off.
Rei caught her reflection again and she instantly felt frustrated. What good was she to them? She couldn't fight nor could she provide any helpful information. What was the point of her being on the crew if she couldn't do them any good? Right now she was just another person they had to worry about. A burden.
Clank!
Rei didn't realize how tightly she was squeezing the bowl and had broken it with her hands. The hot soup dripped down her arm along with some blood from where the ceramic had cut into her skin. The Straw Hats looked at her in startled silence. Even Zoro looked over from his exercise but only his neck moved.
"Rei-san…" Brook approached her cautiously, "Is everything okay?"
Rei threw the bowl to the side and got up to her feet. "I'm fine. I'll just go get another bowl."
"Rei-chan," Sanji tried, "I'll go with you. Why don't you help me bring food out for the guys as well?"
Out on the side, Zoro clenched his jaw. He wanted to see what was going on with the Know It All but he knew he would regret it if he did. This whole exercise was to help him train his discipline and he'll be damned if a girl came in between him and his training. He scowled and remained silent. He stared straight ahead and he willed himself not to listen to what the cook was saying.
"I could use an extra set of hands and I'd rather not trust any of these idiots to help me," Sanji said as he sat up and offered Rei his hand. "I don't want them to know where I hid the key to the refrigerator."
Rei put her small hand in his and he lifted her to her feet. "Okay, I'll help," she said even though in actuality she knew he was the one helping her.