Soooo...what can I say, everyone? Unfortunate circumstances left me without much free time for quite a long time now. That said, I managed to find a bit of time to update but unfortunately it'll be a bit of a short chapter, probably the shortest I've done, yet. I'll do my best to keep updating when life permits~! That said, there may or may not, and in fact definitely is a bit of a lemon in this chapter! As usual, I hope you all enjoy~!


"Haah...haah...whew~," Run breathes, slowly lowering his fist, and tossing a mangled handful of metal to the earth beside him. The steel before him is gouged, twisted, crumpled and barely recognizable as the plate it once was. Several holes continue through the mangled plate to the stone behind it, gouging it out several meters deep. "Still not there, yet. Just what am I missing here?" Run sighs and reaches up to scratch the stubble along his jaw. "Aah, I need a break!" He turns away from the plate, approaching a large chunk of stone. His coat rests on the top beside a near full wooden crate of bottles.

A bloody battle for Udon, dealing with those guards left behind one after another has certainly been a lot more difficult than Run had imagined, especially given the brief resistance from the prisoners. Who'd have thought their spirits were already so broken that they'd side with the guards? Fortunately, things were more or less settled by the intervention of the 'Akazaya Samurai' whom they'd discovered included Kiku, Raizo and a 'kappa' by the name of Kawamatsu. Although, it was fairly plain for Luffy, Chopper and Run to see that the 'kappa' was actually a Fish Man.

After the dust was finally settled, Luffy had come to the conclusion that he'd put his mind to training and strengthening his Haki instead of immediately charging to challenge Kaido. While Run had intended to help him, Hyogoro had beat him to the punch...which was probably for the best considering Run was more at home on the 'student' side of the teacher-student relationship. So, without much choice, Run is more or less left to his own devices...and his own training. With a grunt he takes a seat on the large chunk of stone, and pulls a bottle from the small crate before uncorking, upending and nearly draining half the contents of the bottle in a few pulls.

"Aaah~...this would taste a lot better with someone to share it with." Run's iris' suddenly flash a brilliant crimson and he glances over his shoulder slowly, watching silently for several long moments before Hyogoro finally appears from behind a large chunk of stone. "Dahaha~. Come to check on my progress while Luffy is resting, old timer? 'Fraid I'm not making much head way." If the man is surprised by Run answering his unspoken questions, he doesn't show it but instead approaches with a smile.

"Well, if you know why I'm here," begins Hyogoro. "Then won't you at least offer this old man a drink?"

"Won't you just turn it down? Need to be clear headed for Luffy's training." Hyogoro's smile grows as he approaches the crumpled plate.

"Have you come any closer to discovering what you're after?"

"Unfortunately not. I just can't seem to recapture the feeling I had before but...I'll figure it out." A grin splits his face. "I know it'll come to me..."


- - - Two Days Before the Fire Festival, Amigasa Village - - -


"Ohhhh~! Are you really letting us use these?!" gushes Luffy, staring into the box at the armor. Chopper quickly hops up onto the edge of the massive crate, his eyes nearly turning to stars as he stares at a set of armor that can only be intended for him.

"Wow! It's a samurai helmet!" calls Chopper, grabbing it and holding it up to examine it. "I wanna show it to Usopp, too!" Brook quickly bends to retrieve a piece of armor from the box, and the three quickly scramble to dress themselves in the armor given to them by Hitetsu. The three strike several poses, imagining themselves as Samurai no doubt as the rest of the crew watches on.

"Chobro and the others look so cool!" calls Carrot.

"Mm, they're certainly cute," agrees Robin. "Like little bugs."

"Dahahaha~!" laughs Run, lounging back against the stone beside her. "They do kind of look a little like beetles with the horns on the helmets." The red head sits with knees raised and elbows resting on them, watching as the trio seem to deflate slightly under Robin's words. Eight solid days of training in Udon...eight solid days and only once he'd completely exhausted himself and his Haki did he feel as though he'd come close to recapturing the feeling from the battle with Kaido and Junko. A loud 'boom!' suddenly fills the air, accompanied by crashing water and everyone present immediately turns in the direction of Zoro and Sanji. The two men stand with foreheads butted, growling at one another like a pair of dogs. "Wow. Good cut. Oooh, head's up, fellas." Before either man can react, Nami strikes both men in the head hard enough to knock the two to the ground and raise a knot on each of their heads.

"Would you idiots knock it off?!" demands Nami. "Now isn't the time to be screwing around!" The two men struggle to pull themselves together for a moment before finally picking themselves up off the ground. Hearing approaching footsteps all heads turn to find a familiar group of Minks approaching them.

"Since everyone is here," Robin begins, as everyone gathers around. "We can discuss the plan for Onigashima. Orochi said that it's winter at the entrance of Onigashima."

"What do you mean by entrance?" questions Shishilian.

"The mainland of the Land of Wano has many different seasons," Carrot tells him. "We're coated with fur, so we're fine with cold weather."

"Yes. For use the weather is more important than the season. It's supposed to be a full moon that day, but if it hides behind the clouds, it's useless."

"But the Sulong transformation will depend on luck," Wanda reminds him. "It's more important to have Master Nekomamushi and the Guardians here."

"Hmmm," grunts Luffy, drawing their attention as he paces away from the group to stare out at the horizon over the sea. "Big Mom is here...but Jinbe isn't here yet! Thanks to him, we got away from Big Mom! He joined us after he settled things!" Zoro approaches, standing beside their captain.

"They'll be here," Zoro assures him. "We've still got time..."


Warning~! Lemon Comin' in Hot~!


"You know...I had an interesting dream last night," Run mutters, voice sounding distant and cluttered by the cob-webs of sleep. The scratching of a pencil against paper pauses for a brief moment, and Run opens a single grey eye to stare at the woman seated at a table. Robin scans the surface of the paper lying on the table before continuing with her translation though he notes a bit of smile on her face in the dim candle light. After seeing the Minks off, the rest of the crew had taken what little bit of time was left to wind down in the face of the impending assault on Onigashima...of course, that means time to translate the rubbing taken from Big Mom's Poneglyph.

"I thought you said you don't dream," Robin reminds him.

"No, I rarely dream." He shifts on the floor, crossing his ankles and threading his fingers behind his head. "Well? Aren't you going to ask? It was a good one." Robin giggles a bit, and sets her pencil down on the table before turning. She props an elbow up on the table and rests her chin on her hand.

"I'm all ears, Run."

"Well, since you asked, I suppose I can tell you." He closes his eye, and shifts slightly once more. "I woke in a nice warm bed...wrapped up in someone's arms..." A soft noise reaches his ears, and a smile begins to slowly spread across his face. "...it was quite the cozy little cabin we found ourselves in..." Run can hear her moving, carefully approaching his prone form almost imperceptibly. "...but we didn't leave the bed...not even once..." The scent of her perfume surrounds him, and his eyes open when a soft weight settles on his hips. "...my, my, Nico Robin. You wouldn't happen to be planning to take advantage of me, would you?"

"Mm..." Deft fingers glide up the flat planes of his abdomen, releasing buttons along the way. "...and if I was?" A grin splits his face, and he sits up on his elbows with a grin.

"How scandalous. Here I was-" A pair of hands suddenly close over his eyes, and he carefully backwards as Robin's weight settles on his groin. He finds his arms pulled towards his head gently, restrained at the wrists by a pair of unseen hands. Soft finger-tips glide under the fabric of his shirt, pushing it aside as they spread across his chest. There's a soft rustling now, the shifting of cloth and her hair begins to tickle his nose as her lips brush against his ear.

"What's wrong? No witty remark?"

"Hah! What can I say? Seems you've got me over a barrel. Aah...actually, wasn't there a time in Foosha where one of us was-" His muscles briefly tense and then just as quickly relax under the pressure of a hand gently grasping a very tender part of his anatomy.

"Don't be crass. Besides..." The hand travels up towards the button of his pants, deftly unbuttoning them. "...is that what you should be concerned about now?" Maybe it was because it had been two years since they'd found themselves in such an intimate situation, or maybe it was because of this new way Robin wanted to do things...whatever the case, it had his heart hammering in his ears and his head swimming. His breathing becomes a bit heavier when her hand slides under the waist band of his boxers.

"No...no, definitely not." He tenses a bit when she grabs him, a smooth giggle echoing in his ear. "Aah, I'm a little concerned...about how much you're enjoying this...Robin."

"Mm, aren't you the one enjoying it?" With a smooth motion, she frees him from his too tight boxers. "You could easily free yourself, Runelle. It's not as if I could over-power you..." She presses a kiss to the side of his neck, and he feels her weight lift from his hips, and the sound of shifting cloth reaches his ears over the hammering of his heart. "...mm, last chance to take control."

"Seems you've got everything under control," Run hisses out the last word, as she lowers her hips once more. Both groan in satisfaction as she settles with a smooth glide in his lap. "Really, really under control." Robin moves slow, warm and wet and squeezing as her hips rise and fall while her breathing quickens. The arms restraining the red head suddenly disappear in a shower of flower petals and he moves instantly. He rises, arms encircling her as he showers her neck and collar bone with kisses. Fingers tangle in crimson locks, holding tight as her hips rock against his and his teeth suddenly scrape across her shoulder. Robin's hips begin to rock more insistently, grinding and pressing against him as the tension rises, teetering on the edge of finally spilling over.

"Robin!" groans Run, arms squeezing her tight against him, muscles corded and breathing gusty. A pleasant tingle races through her at the sound of his voice, heavy with need and desire...desire she's stoked in him. She grasps his hair, tilting his head back to stare into his eyes as rocks against him, her motions quick and jerky as they both search for a release too long in coming. The barest hint of a smile appears on her face as she notices his jaw clench and his muscles tense only moments before her back arches, mouth opening in a silent gasp as they reach climax. Silence falls as they shudder against once another, held in a tight embrace for several long moments. "Th...That was..."

"Mm." Robin presses a kiss to his lips, hands cupping his face and thumbs stroking his cheeks. "Glad you enjoyed it..."

"Aah, that's once way to- oh, shit!" He glances down and then back up at her quickly with grey eyes wide. "I didn't wear a-"

"It's fine."

"A-Aah, I may not know a lot but I DO know how kids are made."

"Would that...be a bad thing?" The red head blinks in surprise. Children? With Robin? Truthfully, he wasn't opposed to the idea. But he also knew that having children meant settling down for a while...it would be difficult to go chasing after that next answer to whatever question she had with children. So, he wasn't sure if it was in the cards for either of them. A grin splits his face as he turns the idea over in his head.

"My, my, Nico Robin...sounds like yer intendin' ta make an honest man of me." She giggles and starts to rise, only to come to an abrupt halt when Run holds tight. She arches a brow in response while his grin only grows. "Ah-ah. You always try ta run off after but...not this time." He leans forward and presses a kiss to her collar bone. "This time yer gonna stay all night...or at least until the sun comes up, Nico Robin..."


"Hnngh," grunts Run, slowly opening a single grey eye in response to the rather obnoxiously loud chirping of the birds. "Aaah...go away, please, birds." There's a soft shift beside him, accompanied by a gentle giggle moments before someone presses a kiss to his shoulder. Robin presses her forehead against his back, an arm sliding over and a hand coming to rest on his chest. "You know, I've never been little spoon before but..." He grasps her hand and raises it to press a kiss to her knuckles. "...I'm warmin' up to the idea."

"We'll have to try it again," Robin tells him.

"Aah, I don't want to leave bed."

"Mm, we'll be missed."

"They'll keep." The chirping of the birds is suddenly shattered by laughter and then arguing by voices extremely familiar to the two of them. The voices approach, eventually stopping several meters away from their home for the night.

"Ooooiiii! Robin! Run! It's time to get up!" shouts the voice of Luffy. "Sanji says it's breakfast time!"

"See?"

"Tell casanova we'll be right there, Luffy!" Run shouts back, listening to the rapidly retreating footsteps of Luffy. "He sure can kill a good time..."


- - Day of the Fire Festival - -


"Why?" complains Run, staring up at the sky. "It doesn't rain for almost two weeks and now we've got a storm to compete with." A grin splits his face as a bolt of lightning streaks through the grey clouds over-head. "Aah, whatever. At the very least, it'll make things difficult for Kaido's forces, too." These last two days have been a blur of moving pieces, and even attempted sabotage. Whether it was Orochi or Kaido's men is a matter of opinion but someone had attempted to destroy the Sunny. Thankfully, the only thing they'd succeeded in doing was burning the ships sails...unfortunately that had put them behind schedule.

"Would you quit complaining and wake these two up?" Nami barks at the red head from the lower deck. "How can they sleep with everything that's going on?" Luffy and Zoro sit leaning against the mast, completely ignoring or oblivious to the rain, thunder and lightning and even churning sea. The loud report of cannon fire breaks the silence on deck, and Run stares past the bow at a trio of ships bearing Kaido's roger. They bear down on a small skiff occupied by Kin'emon, Kiku, Kawamatsu, Raizo, Inuarashi and Shutenmaru. Zoro suddenly snorts and lifts his head with a groan.

"Huh? Is the ship repaired?" Zoro asks. Luffy awakens with a grunt and leaps to his feet quickly with a grin.

"Waaaah! After I eat, sleep and wake up, I'll be the strongest I've ever been!" bellows Luffy, thrusting his arms skyward. "Now, fire!" Once more the loud bark of cannon fire echos across the sea, striking one of Kaido's ships broad side in the churning sea. The sea begins to bubble and roil even more violently under the small skiff and it's suddenly lifted from the sea by a large submersible. More cannon fire echos across the sea, and once again Kaido's ships are struck broadside, tilting in the direction of the Sunny as another ship sails in their direction, all of them converging on Law's ship.

"Aah, gimme a break," complains Run. "Would that guy just keel over already?"

"Luffy! Are you alright?!" shouts Kin'emon.

"Hehehe~! So you came after all, Jaggy!" calls Luffy, grinning at Kid in the distance.

"I'm not going to let you have Kaido's head, Straw Hat!" Kid barks at him.

"This isn't what we were told!" cries a voice from the enemy ships. "All we were told to do is sink the Samurai's boat! No one told us we'd be facing members of the Worst Generation! They're all supposed to be the prison! What are they doing here?!"

"You guys!" Luffy screams at them. "How could you mess with the Samurai's boat?!"

"You're no sea experts! Don't be reckless!" adds Law.

"You lot should just stand aside!" orders Kid.

"The sea is for pirates to fight on...!"