I am, so, so, so, sorry! Please don't kill me! ;~; I've been so tardy with my updates. I've just been swamped with school work, social problems and doctors. I can't see the next chapter being up any time soon to be honest. I swear I WILL get it up, I just don't know when. I am so sorry. Oh, and this chapter is a lot shorter than usual. Again, please forgive me.
"The Government isn't taking you seriously," Aokiji continued, still sitting cross legged on the grass as we stood before him. I was mentally calling him every bad word I knew whilst standing in font of Robin. "After carefully analysing the situation, it has become obvious that you are a very determined group of individuals… Your group currently consists merely of a handful of rogues, yet judging from the degree of trouble you've been causing… There is little doubt that as time passes, you will become an acute threat. In the time between issuing the first bounty on a member of your party, to the present time… Your growth, so to say, has been quite extraordinary. And though you have so far limited yourself to fighting other pirates, I am concerned with what the future holds once you grow tired of your prey and search for new game."
"Wh…Why are you saying all this!" Usopp panicked, holding his hands up in front himself whilst waving them. "Aren't you only here for a walk!"
"Your party is now especially dangerous," Aokiji continued, "because of you… Nico Robin.
"So you came to take Robin away after all! I'm gonna send you flying!" Luffy yelled at the marine.
"The size of your bounty does not only reflect the threat of your combat abilities pose," Aokiji said, speaking just to robin. "It also goes to show how dangerous you are to the government. And even though you were only eight years old… You had such a high bounty on your head. As a child you were a true survivor… Betraying you partners and using them as tools… After the recent feat of survival you have undertaken… Are these the new tools that you have chosen to manipulate to achieve your goals!"
"You freaking asshat!" Sanji swore and Usopp grabbed into him, holding him back. "Don't you dare say things like that! What did Robin ever do to you!"
'That's not for you to decide! Whether or not she is using us is for us to deal with, not you!' I snarled, kneading my claws into the ground.
"Calm down, Sanji!" Usopp begged.
"She didn't do anything to me…" Aokiji answered. "She only escaped once after I arrested her… But that's a long story. One that you will eventually learn. That woman's curse will bring that day to pass soon enough. Here's the proof; every group that Nico Robin has ever associated with has ended up completely annihilated, always leaving her as the sole survivor. Why is that so, Nico Robin?"
"Shut up you!" Luffy yelled. "What happened in the past doesn't matter!"
"I see," Aokiji sighed. "You have already earned the trust of these people…"
"What are you trying to do!" Robin finally yelled, crossing her arms over her chest. "You want to arrest me? Come get some! Treinta Fleur*!" Multiple arms shot out of the ground and out of Aokiji, grasping him.
"Robin! Don't do it!" Usopp yelled, clutching his head.
"Ararara," Aokiji laughed calmly. "It seems that I have said too much. How disappointing… I though you would be smarter than this…"
"CLUTCH!" The arms tightened, bending Aokiji backwards in a position that would have broken a normal man's back. Aokiji's body crackled, shattering into shards of ice before falling to the ground in a pile.
'No way! It can't be that easy!' I gaped.
"Waaah!" Chopper cried, eyes bulging out. "He died!"
"This is bad Come on, run! We have to get out of here!" Usopp called.
'No, look…' A shape started growing out of the pile of ice, slowly taking on a human form as Aokiji regenerated.
"Hmm, that was harsh." He straightened himself back up, shards of ice clinging to his clothes. He then reached down and clasped some of the grass, yanking it out of the ground. Aokiji threw it up in the air, blowing towards the floating blades of grass. His breath, thanks to the help of his devil fruit powers, turned the grass blades into a solid ice sword. "Ice Saber. I wasn't planning on killing you, but…"
As he went to swing the sword at Robin and I, Zoro appeared in front of us, blocking the ice sword with one of his Katana. I quickly jumped into action, straight after Zoro moved. I charged forward, tucking in my head in an attempt to headbutt the marine in the knees to knock him off balance.
"SLICE SHOOT!" Sanji yelled, jumping up in the air and sweeping his leg down towards Aokiji.
"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy charged, flinging back his fist.
Aokiji dropped his sword, causing Zoro to stumble for a step before Aokiji reached out and wrapped one of his hands around Zoro's forearm. With his other hand, he caught Sanji leg, stopping his kick in mid-air. Just as my head was about to make contact, he lifted up his leg faster than what I could follow, sweeping my feet out from under me with his foot. I hit the ground roughly on my side, his foot placing itself in my chest to pin me to the ground.
"Bullet!" Luffy finished, flinging his fist into Aokiji's stomach. All four of us made sounds of pain when ice started crawling up our bodies from the point that was in contact with Aokiji. Luffy's fist, Zoro's arm, my chest, and Sanji's leg was encased in ice as the yelled in pain. I let out a shocked yelp, my chest tightening as the ice crept over it.
"Gyaaaah!" Usopp yelled. "He froze them!"
"He took down the four of them with one strike!" Nami yelped as Aokiji threw the other three of them to the ground near me, lifting his foot off my chest. All of us were still crying out in pain as the ice burnt through our clothes and fur and into our skin. Because of the shock of the cold, I had exhaled as the ice had encased my chest, and now it had tightened, I couldn't breathe in. To get air in my lungs, my rib cage needed to be able to expand, but the ice made that impossible.
"This is bad!" Chopper flailed his arms. "We have to treat them immediately or their hands, chests, and legs will never heal!"
"You've got some good friends this time," Aokiji said, turning his attention back to Robin as ice started to crawl all over his body. "But… You're still yourself, Nico Robin."
"You're wrong…" Robin protested, her voice shaking. "I have…
Aokiji cut her off by leaning forward, wrapping his arms around her like he was trying to hug her. Ice crept from his body, seeping onto Robin's body.
"Robin! Get away from him!" Luffy screamed, trying to push himself off the ground.
"ROBIN!" Sanji yelled, clutching his leg.
'ROBIN!' I tried to howl in rage, but I couldn't manage to get enough breath to even do that.
Robin didn't manage to escape in time. Ice covered her whole body, leaving her as a frozen statue. Aokiji let go of her, stepping back as Luffy finally managed to get back to his feet. "YOU BASTARD!"
"Chill, kid…" Aokiji scolded. "If you thaw her properly, she'll live. However, her body is very brittle right now. If she breaks apart, she'll die. Like if I were to, oh let's just say, smash her like this…" He pulled back his fist, aiming it at the frozen Robin.
'DON'T!' I begged, struggling back up to my feet.
"YOU!" Luffy yelled. "STOP!"
"ROBIN!" Usopp, Nami and Chopper gasped.
Just as Aokiji swung his fist, Luffy grabbed Robin on his knees, bending over backwards with frozen Robin resting on his chest. "That was close…"
Aokiji just lifted up foot, getting ready to stamp it down on Robin and Luffy.
"GYAAAA!" Usopp screamed, dashing past and grabbing Robin. Aokiji's foot landed on Luffy, stomping him into the ground as Usopp got away with Robin and ran back to Chopper and Nami.
"Usopp! Chopper! G… Get back to the ship! Start thawing Robin!" Luffy ordered.
"R…Roger!" Both of them called.
"For God's sake…" Aokiji sighed. "Don't save a woman like her."
Nami stepped up in front of Aokiji, swinging her pole at the marine. Aokiji just raised his hand and blocked it, staring at Nami. "Thanks for the suggestion, but no thanks," Nami said. "The pirate world is supposed to be filled with women like her."
Aokiji just grasped the pole before swinging it to the side, sending Nami flying back into the ground. "Stand aside, Little Miss!"
"Ah!" Nami gasped, impacting with the ground.
"NAMI!" Sanji called, finally back on his feet as he charged at Aokiji. Zoro was also up again by this point, and he rushed Aokiji as well. I was back on my feet, although black was eating at the corner of my vision due to the lack of air I was getting. Nevertheless, I advanced on Aokiji with the other two.
"WAIT, YOU THREE!" Luffy yelled causing us all to pause. "Don't fight him. I want to fight him alone!" Luffy slipped into a battle stance. "Let's settle this one on one."
"Fine with me, but be warned, this will be a battle to the death," Aokiji warned.
'Urgh…' Everything spun around me, my vision going black for a few seconds as my legs gave out on me. I slumped roughly to the ground, squeezing my eyes as I tried to stop the panic taking over my brain. My brain was currently screaming that it needed air, and since I couldn't give it air, it was starting to send the signals for my body to panic and go into self-preservation.
"Mamori!" Sanji called out in the background and I cracked one of my eyes open, although I could only seem smudges of colours.
"That dog… The ice on its chest is constricting its rib cage. It can't breathe. You might want to get it thawed out too, if you want it to live," Aokiji said.
"Zoro, Sanji, take Mamori back and get her thawed out too!" Luffy ordered.
'Shit, I'm… Such a pain in… the ass…' I grumbled mentally, my eye sliding closed as I passed out.
'Mmm,' I mumbled, cracking my eyes open. 'Urgh, my head hurts.' When my vision cleared I noticed that I was in the kitchen, sprawled on the ground with a blanket over me. I lifted my head slowly up off my paws, flinching as my head yelled in protested, shortly followed by my ribs. I guessed they were still a little pissed off over the fact they couldn't breathe before…
I look around the room more and I noticed that Luffy and Robin were laid out on mattresses, both of them still passed out. I relaxed a bit when I realized they were both fine, meaning Aokiji hadn't killed either of them.
The door creaked open, and Chopper wandered in slowly, looking at Robin and Luffy. He then looked over at me and our eyes met. He seemed to freeze on the spot, his eyes going large as he gasped, "Mamori! You're awake! How are you feeling?" He quickly scrambled over to me, stopping right in front of me. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
I blinked owlishly, my brain still a bit sluggish as I stared at his hand. 'I can't see any fingers, Chopper…'
"Oh no!" Chopper cried out, flailing his arms. "You did get brain damage! I couldn't get you breathing soon enough! Waa! It's all my fault."
'Woah, woah, woah! Slow down Chopper!' I argued back at him, trying to calm him and to get him to stop yelling. It was making my headache worse. 'Brain damage? What the hell are you talking about? You don't have fingers, you have hooves!'
He paused before looking down at his hooves. "Oh."
I snickered, pushing myself back up to my feet as the blanket slipped off my back, pooling on the floor. 'You're too cute Chopper. I'm fine. I've just got a headache, that's the worst of it.'
"You should really lie back down! You're still sick! You weren't breathing for about 20 minutes before we managed to defrost your chest…"Chopper complained.
'I'm fine, I swear to you. My brain was already messed up, so no major damage done. I think some fresh air will do me good actually,' I responded, flashing him a smile. 'How are Robin and Luffy? And how long have I been out?'
"They're both fine! Still unconscious, but alive," Chopper responded, looking at them. "And you've only be unconscious for one day."
'Good, good.' I nodded my head. 'Imma head outside now and get some fresh air. If you need any help, just call out.'
"Okay, but don't do anything too strenuous. You need to rest."
'Got it, Doc!' I chirped, trotting over to the door and pushing it open. I quietly slipped out, closing it behind me.
"I CAN DIE HAPPY!" A loud voice I recognized as Sanji's screamed.
"Shut up, bastard! I'm trying to sleep!" Zoro yelled at the cook.
I cracked my eyes open, a bit annoyed at having been woken up from my nap with Zoro. It had been several days since the fight with Aokiji, and we had decided to stay anchored off the island until Robin and Luffy were fully back up to strength.
"Yes, yes! I'm sorry for waking you up, Mr. Cactus!" Sanji said smugly, waving dismissively at Zoro.
"What's that, Dartboard!" Zoro snapped back and I sighed in annoyance. Those two idiots could never get along for well, even after they worked so well together to beat the Groggy Monsters.
"Is all you do sleep around here?" Sanji questioned, glaring at Zoro.
'Oh come off it!' I snapped mentally, flicking my tail in annoyance.
"I sleep whenever I want. Are you trying to pick a fight?" Zoro stood back up, facing off with Sanji.
I stood up, stepping between the two men whilst growling loudly at them. They both paused, looking down at me and I met their looks with a glare.
"Robin!" Nami exclaimed, drawing out attention. I turned to look at the door to the kitchen and I saw Robin standing there.
"Robin, how do you feel?" Chopper asked merrily. "Are you cold?"
"Thank to you I feel great now. Thanks, Doctor," Robin replied with a smile.
"Okay, but you should rest more," Chopper ordered, doing his happy dance.
"You look happy," Usopp pointed out.
"No, I don't! Idiot!" Chopper cried, still doing his dance.
I was sitting up on the front deck, eating something Sanji had cooked up that was called Paille. I had no idea what it was, but anything that Sanji cooked tasted great, so I ate it with no complaints. Zoro was standing near me as well, eating his own meal. Usopp, chopper ad Luffy were on the lower deck, being as noisy as normal, thus why Zoro and I had retreated somewhere somewhat quieter. Sanji, Robin and Nami had been smart enough to go into the kitchen.
"…What is that?" Zoro paused his eating.
'Hm?' I lifted my head up and followed his line of sight to the ocean in front of the boat. I stopped and stared for a few seconds, blinking owlishly as I tried to figure it out. I thought my eyes were deceiving me. It was a frog that was doing free style.
"IT'S A FROG!" Luffy yelled as he noticed it too. "A GIANT FROG! IT'S SWIMMING FREE STYLE! I WONDER WHERE HE'S GOING IN SUCH A RUSH!"
"Luffy, frogs don't swim in free style…" I heard Usopp say skeptically before there was a pause of silence. "AH! IT DOES!"
Luffy quickly jumped up and ordered the oars to be pulled out so that we could chase after the swimming frog. Zoro, Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp quickly got them out and started to sail the ship after the frog as fast as they could.
I couldn't help so I jumped onto the figurehead of the ship, carefully watching the frog as it continued to swim in front of us.
"Hey!" Nami yelled, slamming the kitchen door open. "Why are we changing direction!"
"Um, Nami, we found a huge frog with scars all over his body!" Luffy chirped. "We have to catch him for a BQQ no matter what!"
"You're going to eat it!" Chopper and Zoro exclaimed at the same time.
'Typical…' I grumbled, not taking my eyes off the frog.
"Hmm? Is that… A light tower!" Nami exclaimed and I guessed that she'd seen a light tower in front of us. My stupid short sighted dogginess made it impossible for me to see just yet. "Why is there a light tower in the middle of nowhere? I wonder who lives there."
"Did you find an island?" Chopper questioned and I smirked, realising that my doggie hearing had made me the only one to hear her.
"No, just a light tower!" she replied. "But the log pose isn't pointing to it..."
"What about the frog! Tell me where it is!" Luffy demanded as they continued to row the boat.
"The frog is going in the direction of the tower as well," Robin called out as she and Sanji walked out from the kitchen.
"First you wash the frog with white wine. Then you coat it with flour and fry it…" Sanji mumbled to himself.
"Wait, Robin! Sanji!" Nami protested but it was too late.
'What is that… 'I mumbled to myself when I heard a strange noise in the distance.
"FULL SPEED AHEAD!" Luffy yelled and the others complied, getting closer and closer to the light tower.
"What is wrong with all of you!" Nami snapped in annoyance.
"Hold up everyone! Do you hear a strange noise?" Sanji asked when he noticed it too. The sound kept getting closer and close and everyone else started to notice it as well.
"Eh? What is that?" Chopper gasped.
"Gero!" the frog cried out as it jumped out of the water in front of us. It then landed on something under the water, facing towards the oncoming noise.
'What in the world… Something's not right here…' I growled suspiciously.
"Oh! The frog stopped! Let's get him!"
CHOO CHOO
'OH FUC-'
"BACK! BACK! TURN 180 DEGREES!"
I jumped off of the figurehead as a train came flying out from under a bridge on the floating light station. I hit the deck, dropping to the ground and digging my claws into the wood as the train went flying towards us. Everyone else panicked, speeding up the oars to try and get themselves out of the way.
"WAAAAH!"
I felt the boat being jerked roughly as the train speed past, the wind rushing past us as such a speed that it nearly lifted my small frame off the deck. I could hear some of the other crying out in shock and then I felt the boat smash back down on the water.
"WHAT WAS THAT!"
'Holy sugar honey ice tea,' I panted, my eyes snapping back open as I jumped up to my feet.
"AH!" Luffy yelled. "HEY! FROG, GET OUT OF THERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"
I snapped my head around to the side in time to see the frog standing on the water in front of the large train, not moving a muscle.
"What's that big metallic thing! A ship?"
"No…With its shape… It shouldn't be able to sail on the sea!" Nami gasped loudly.
"GEROH!" the frog called it challenge and the train just went flying through it, sending the frog flying into the air.
"WAAH! HE GOT HIT!" Luffy panicked as the frog fell into the water and the train continued to rush past us. Since echoed for a second as the train went speeding into the distance and everyone was staring in confusion and shock. "That ship was blowing smoke…"
'It's not a ship. It's a train,' I grumbled, sending the others an odd look. Had they never seen a train before?
"Ah!" A little girl cried as she exited the building on the light tower platform, taking one look at us before turning back around to the door and yelling, "It's terrible! Granny! Granny! Pirates!"
"What! Really, Chimney!" an old lady gasped as she stumbled out of the building, a weird looking bunny following her. "Alright, hold on!"
"Someone came out of the building! She is calling for reinforcements..." Zoro said in a tense manner. I ran down the stairs so that I was on the main deck with the others.
"Ah…Hey… Hm! What were you yelling about?" the old lady burped, flopping to the ground. "I forgot."
"You're too damn drunk!" Usopp snapped.
'Why can we never meet normal people?' I sighed, eyeing the girl, drunk old lady and bunny.
*Trienta Fleur: Thirty Flowers.
Beta read by praeses