A/N: Sorry for the delay! I started a new job, which had taken up a lot of my time but I'm back now! Keep leaving those reviews and suggestions :)
Also, in case you're wondering about timeline, this takes place right before chapter 57 of Zoro & the Mask. I should've mentioned that earlier but better late than never!
Chapter 8 - Reasons
The rain fell down hard as an after effect of the volcanic eruption. The whole island was destroyed, going up in spectacular and terrifying flames. Rei sat in silence along with the rest of the Straw Hats with Mobston and his family at their warehouse. They all watched their captain sit by himself, outside in the rain without any cover. He was fully awake and covered in more bandages than Rei.
"He was shot by a Sea Prism Stone bullet," Chopper said as he held up the bullet for everyone else to see, "It was lodged in Luffy's shoulder."
Rei felt her body tense up at the sight of the bullet. No wonder Luffy couldn't fight back against Z's hold. Rei stood up and headed for the door.
"Rei-san, where are you going?" Brook asked.
"To the Sunny. I'm going to get my belt," Rei whispered through clenched teeth. She avoided using too much of her voice as she felt anger and unsettled by what had transpired on the island.
"Idiot! You're not supposed to fight," Zoro snapped. Rei turned around and for a second her eyes flashed a bright green of fury.
"Try and stop me," she said darkly before marching out into the rain.
Zoro ran after her and grabbed her by the arm. "Stop being so reckless."
Thwack! Rei punched Zoro in the stomach and the swordsman doubled over. "Oof!" he gasped. He let go of her arm and she proceeded towards the Sunny.
"Rei-chan!" Sanji shouted in surprise as the Straw Hats rushed out after her. Only Chopper stopped in front of Zoro, who was still doubled over but he had his head up and glared towards Rei.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Zoro demanded at Rei's back but she said nothing.
Usopp went over to Zoro too but Zoro glared at him to back off. He straightened his back and then turned his anger towards the cook. "You deal with her."
"I'm not the one who-" Sanji started to say.
"I don't care. I am done with her. Since you guys are such great friends, she's all yours!" Zoro bellowed before marching past the cook and towards Luffy, along the stone wall. When he was out of sight, he took a small block of wood out of his jacket pocket and threw it to the side, where it splintered into little pieces.
He had asked for a piece of wood from Franky when they first docked on this island. Franky had given him a weird look and Zoro had felt a little foolish. He had figured Rei would've wanted something to do pass the time while they looked for answers on the island. He thought she would've stayed behind with Franky due to her injuries. He felt like a bigger fool now. Serves me right to get involved with a woman.
Sanji pushed his wetted hair out of his face but before he could go after Rei, who was already aboard the Sunny. Robin placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping the chef. Robin's purple umbrella covered the both of them, shielding him from the downpour temporarily.
"I'll go," Robin volunteered.
Sanji contemplated Robin's words and then conceded. "Ah, this might need more of a lady's touch," Sanji nodded. He then pulled out a parcel from inside his jacket pocket and gave it to Robin, "Here. Give this to Rei-chan."
"What is it?" Robin asked.
Sanji leaned over to her ear and whispered so that none of the other Straw Hats could hear him. The sound of the rain also helped to drown out the sound. When he finished, Robin gave Sanji a warm smile. "That is a great idea," she said.
"Just don't tell anyone it's from me."
"Why not?"
Sanji pushed the wet strand of hair out of his face again. "Because a certain swordsman would probably destroy it if he found out it was from me."
Robin chuckled and walked off towards the Thousand Sunny. When Robin caught up to Rei, she was already on the lawn deck, tying her utility belt around her waist. Even at it's tightest, the utility belt would not clip around her waist so she had to make due with a knot.
"I'm fighting," she said tersely to Robin.
"I know," Robin said as she carried the umbrella over so that it shielded both of them from the rain. "But why the sudden determination?"
Rei took a deep breath. "Z threatened my family," Rei replied slowly, "He threatened my uncle and took the straw hat."
Robin folded her arms. "Oh, so that's why Luffy looks so serious as well."
"Fighting Z because he messed with us is one thing," Rei said, "But he made it personal by bringing in my family."
Robin looked at Rei in surprise. "I would think he already made it personal when he attacked us."
"That's different. "Red-Hair" Shanks is my family."
"So are we," Robin said. She walked over and placed her hands on Rei's shoulders. "It took me awhile to realize it myself but we...we are not just a crew of pirates. Our bond is just as strong as a family."
She nudged Rei forward towards the edge of the Sunny. When they looked overboard, they saw that the Straw Hats, minus Luffy and Zoro, were standing at the base of the gangway with their umbrellas and waiting for Rei. "We're a family and that includes you too. You're our nakama and that means we'll fight with you and fight for you every step of the way."
Robin nudged Rei again with the handle of the umbrella and Rei looked up at her. "All you need to do is tell us."
"Tell you what?"
"Whatever it is that you want."
"I'm still trying to figure that out myself."
Robin pulled out the parcel that Sanji had given her and she handed it over to Rei.
"What's this?"
"Something to help you on your way," Robin said.
Rei untied the string and unwrapped the wax paper. When she opened up the parcel, she found a small green notebook inside. She looked at Robin curiously. "A notebook?"
"You can use it to keep track of things you like and don't like. It can help you figure out what you want in the end."
Rei leafed through the notebook and looked back at Robin before tucking it into her utility belt. "Thank you, Robin."
"Oh, I'm just one of the many people here who care about you," Robin said giving Rei's shoulder a quick squeeze, "We're your nakama and you are ours."
"Ow! Rei-sis, you can super count on us," Franky shouted from the top deck.
Rei jumped in surprise as she had forgotten the shipwright was still making repairs on the ship. She looked up at Franky with his sunglasses lifted up and he gave her a thumbs up sign. When did I start trusting all of them enough to let my guard down like this?
Robin smiled up at the cyborg. "Do you need an umbrella, Franky?"
Franky pressed his nose and a small umbrella appeared from the top of his head. It only stopped the rain from hitting his hair. The rest of his body was completely exposed.
"Oy! Rei, are you ready to come down?" Usopp called as he waved his arms in the air to get their attention.
"I think if I wrap another bandage around you, it might help keep your stitches in place," Chopper shouted optimistically.
"Rei-san, we'll fight with you tooth and nail. Ah! Even though I don't have any nails. Yohohohoho!" Brook said with a laugh.
"See? We'll stand by you on whatever it is you decide to do," Robin said as she led Rei down the plank and reunited with the group.
Only Nami remained quiet as she was worried at another important member of the crew. "Luffy…" Nami murmured from under her red umbrella as she walked over to where the captain sat. Rei and the others followed quietly behind her.
"How long are you going to stay here?" a deep voice called from behind.
Nami turned towards the sound and dropped her umbrella. She ran backwards, away from him, and towards Luffy. "A-A-Aokiji!" she screamed.
"Ahhhh!" Chopper and Usopp shouted too, "Aokiji!" Robin's hand covered her mouth and her face went pale.
"What is Aokiji doing here?" Chopper asked.
"It's alright," Luffy said calmly, turning around from his seat with his back facing the sea, "We met a few moments ago."
Aokiji's eyes met Rei's and he nodded at her. "Rei-kun," he said.
"Kuzan-san."
"Kuzan?!" the Straw Hats exclaimed incredulously.
"Oy! Oy! Oy!" Zoro snapped at Rei, "How are you two on a first name basis?"
"We go way back," Aokiji said lazily, "You know, Rei-kun, Sakazuki was the one that made that deal with Tarantula. He was never a fan of Split Island."
"Any follower of Absolute Justice would never understand the existence of Beffi," Rei replied without batting an eye. She was not surprised to hear that Akainu was behind the deal that almost took her father away and destroy her home, "But you didn't come here to talk to me. You're here to tell us about your sensei, Z."
"What?!" the Straw Hats gaped at Aokiji, "Z was your sensei?!"
"He trained many marines during his time as Admiral," Aokiji explained, "I'm just one of many of his disciples."
"You, Akainu, Borsalino, Strawberry, Smoker…" Rei started to list, "Any officer that has raised in the ranks in the past 30 years have been his students."
"Including Ain. She's your fellow classmate, I believe," Aokiji said, "Her, Binz, and Zephyr were the only surviving members when a pirate attacked their ship with his Devil Fruit powers. Zephyr lost his arm in the process."
"That's how he got his Sea Prism Stone arm…" Usopp murmurred.
Aokiji nodded. "He created an attack unit after that and they started to hunt Devil Fruit users."
"Why did he leave the Navy?" Rei asked.
"Because the only thing keeping him in the Navy was destroyed. That year, the pirate that had killed his disciples was chosen to be a War Lord by the government," Aokiji said.
"A man with the motives and the means to destroy both the pirates that he hates and the marines that have disappointed him…" Rei murmured," Is that why they stole the Dyna Stones?"
Aokiji let out a snort of air. "Still as intuitive as always, Rei."
"What's a Dyna Stone?" Brook asked.
"Those are rocks they say has the power comparable to the Ancient Weapons," Robin answered, "If they receive an impact and are exposed to oxygen, they create a massive explosion. They were under the Navy's control and strictly forbidden to use in civil zones."
"But now it's in Z's hands and he used it to ignite the volcano," Rei added, "It's not the first time he's done that too. Am I right, Kuzan?"
Aokiji nodded, "He's using them to destroy the three End Points of the New World."
"What's an End Point?" Usopp asked.
"It's this theory that there's this large magma concentrations that's under three volcanos," Zoro stated, "If you destroy all three volcanoes, it unleashes the magma and its enough to cover the sea and destroy the New World."
There was a moment of silence and Zoro looked up to see all the Straw Hats blinking at him with their jaws dropped, including Luffy, who's rubber jaw reached all the way to the ground.
"What?" he growled.
"HOW DOES A MEATHEAD LIKE YOU KNOW SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!" Sanji exclaimed, "And to put it so simply too?!"
"The Know It All explained it to me," Zoro huffed, "I don't understand what the big deal is."
"So an old dog can learn new tricks," Sanji said with a whistle.
Usopp threw his arms around Rei, who didn't know what to make of the scene. "I have seen a miracle! Rei, you are doing god's work."
"Oy! Aren't you guys overreacting just a bit?!" Zoro snapped.
"Guys! We need to focus!" Nami said turning to Aokiji, "I can't believe I'm saying this but...Zoro's right. Isn't End Point just a theory?"
Aokiji frowned and looked Nami up and down. "Hard to believe you and Rei are the same age but so far apart in intellect."
"Hey, watch your mouth!" Nami shouted, clutching her umbrella, "Does the End Point really exist?"
"Yes," Aokiji admitted, "The World Government covered it up and made everyone believe it was a lie. Don't you think it would be terrible if pirates showed up wanting to use that power? Only the Government and the Navy superiors know about its existence."
Rei folded her arms. "And no one expected a former Admiral to use it."
"That's true," Sanji said as he lit a cigarette under his umbrella, "If it was a lie, the Navy wouldn't be so desperate to stop him. We got involved with a very dangerous man."
"Like Rei said, Z has already destroyed two out of the three End Points. Once he destroys the last one, there will be a chain reaction that connects all three End Points," Aokiji continued, "Every single pirate in the New World will get burned to death."
"Along with the One Piece," Rei deduced, "Ending the pirate age as we know it."
"But if he does that, he'll also involve innocent people!" Usopp interjected.
"That's just wrong!" Chopper protested.
"Don't you think you guys are being a bit naive?" Aokiji lectured, "How much fear and victims do you think pirates create in this world? Don't tell me you're oblivious to it."
He stared hard at Rei. "Z hates everything the pirates stand for and the chaos they create around the world. He hates it so much that he doesn't care if he dies along with them. The fate of the New World is at stake."
"That doesn't matter!" Rei and Luffy shouted at the same time. They both stared at each other in surprise for a moment before Luffy continued. "I'm going to get my hat back and I'm going to settle things with him. I promised Shanks that I would become a great pirate and return that hat to him. If I let that guy take my hat, I won't be able to become the Pirate King!"
"But you know...The New World will…" Usopp started to say but Rei interrupted him.
"It's very simple," Rei said to Aokiji, "The fate of the New World is not our problem. We were going after Z before we knew about the End Points and learning this changes nothing. How he feels about pirates has nothing to do with us just like whatever fear or violence another pirate crew creates is unrelated to us as well. We're doing it for three reasons and three reasons only."
She held up three fingers for emphasis. "One, we need to get Ain to reverse her Moda Moda fruit effect on me and Nami. Two, we need to pay them back for the damage they've done to Sunny…"
"And three…?" Aokiji asked with a bemused look.
Rei glanced over at Luffy. He looked at her curiously back. "For our nakama," she said and a grin spread across Luffy's face.
Zoro and Sanji smirked at Rei's statement and even Robin let out a small chuckle.
"Although personally, I'm doing it because if Luffy loses that Straw Hat, I won't be able to face my uncle," Rei admitted. "Nor my dad for that matter."
Luffy jumped off the ledge and landed next to Rei. "Shi-shi-shi-shi," he laughed as he rubbed her head and messed up her hair, "Let's go then."