Legal things: All One Piece characters, plot, and settings belong to Eiichiro Oda. I did not receive any revenue or payment of any kind for the writing of this story. Enjoy Chapter 9!
Magina and Chopper walked side by side silently. She had troubles concentrating though, especially when her throat felt so raw and hoarse. Where was Robin? There was no trace of her, even after the hour they spent searching. She just disappeared. Magina shivered, an uneasiness weighing on her mind.
"Oh! Magina! I'm smelling something familiar!" Chopper said excitedly.
Magina listened carefully. She smiled.
"It's Sanji. He's just around the corner. It might be better for us to split up. I'll search in a different direction while you let Sanji know what's going on. Who knows? Maybe he has some new information too," she suggested.
"Hmm, that's a good idea. But Magina, be careful and don't overdo it!" Chopper ordered before they separated.
Magina shook her head. Overprotective doctors…they were impossible to live with. She wandered the streets, mindful of the songs within her hearing. She nervously rubbed her hands together.
After twenty minutes of fruitless searching, Magina caught a faint strain from one of her nakama. But the usual upbeat rhythms were fading out, broken…She caught her breath and ran towards a crowd that was gathering.
"Hey! Are you alright? Does anyone know this guy?" a loud male voice called.
The crowd got thicker the closer Magina came. She kept hearing the murmurs of the crowd as she tried to squirm her way past.
"Such a brutal thing to do!"
"It looks like a horrible mugging."
The press of curious bodies momentarily squeezed the breath out of her. Magina was about to push her way through the last of the crowd when she heard a familiar voice.
"Usopp! Usopp! Hey! Wake up!"
"Please let me through!" Magina begged the man in front of her. He graciously let her past. Nami knelt on the ground next to Usopp
"Nami! Usopp!"
Nami glanced at her as Magina ran up to them and knelt at Usopp's other side.
"You three wouldn't happen to be pirates, would you?" a curious person in the crowd asked.
"Shut up! Don't just stand there like an useless idiot!" Nami snapped back angrily.
"Who did this to you, Usopp?"
Everything was happening too fast. Robin's disappearance and now somebody beat up Usopp. Magina clenched a fist helplessly, a surge of anger rising rapidly. Nami propped Usopp up carefully.
"Usopp, did the Franky Brothers do this? Was it them?" she demanded.
Usopp labored to breathe and in a choked whisper, he replied, "Yeah. I'm too weak. They took the money."
Magina was confused. She knew that Usopp, Nami, and Luffy went to exchange their treasure for Beli but who were the Franky Brothers? Why were they causing trouble for the Straw Hat Pirates?
"Nami…" Usopp continued weakly, tears streaming down his face. "I can't face them…I can't. I'm too much of a disgrace. I couldn't even protect the money that was going to repair Merry. We were finally going to repair her! Dammit!"
Magina couldn't stand it. She felt so helpless! She couldn't think of anything to say to bring her nakama out of his misery.
"Usopp, it's okay. Don't worry about the money. Their hideout is close to where Merry is anchored. I'll bring Chopper back soon and he'll treat your wounds. We're going to kick their asses and get our money back!" Nami said.
Nami helped Usopp lean against a wall. "Just stay right there and I'll be right back with more help. Magina?"
"I'll stay here and watch over him. They won't get away with this, Usopp."
Nami sent the crowd away and left the two of them alone. Magina immediately tore off one of her sleeves and dipped it into the canal. She brought the rag out and wrung the excess moisture out.
"We'll just clean some of these wounds before Chopper gets here," Magina began, "It'll help…"
"Sorry, Magina, but I don't want any help," Usopp said, staggering to his feet.
"You shouldn't be moving around. You're hurt!"
He chuckled bleakly. "My pride is wounded more than I am. If I ever want to face Luffy again, I have to get that money back on my own."
Magina stared at him. She couldn't just let him go into danger by himself.
"All on your own? Brave warriors of the sea don't need backup?"
"You didn't lose the money. I can't ask you to come with me," Usopp replied hobbling down the street.
"Well, whoever these Franky Brothers are, I have a score to settle with them too," Magina said, grabbing one of Usopp's arms and supporting him.
"You're not going to stop me?" Usopp wheezed painfully.
"You're being stubborn. You wouldn't listen to me anyway, right? Just like you can't stop me from coming with you," Magina clenched her jaw, daring him to tell her differently.
He sighed once he recognized that she was being serious.
"Fine. Then, I've got a plan. Here's what we do…"
…
Mimi was just about to explode with frustration. The Straw Hats were here at Water 7 and she still wasn't ready for her rendezvous with Zoro-sama. She glanced around the area one more time.
"Mimi, what are we looking for anyway?" Jotaro asked, a hint of exasperation leaking through his song.
"I don't know exactly. I'll know it when I see it…" she trailed off. She abruptly smiled with dark satisfaction. "That's it. It's perfect."
…
Zoro was trying his best to ignore what that rectangular bastard was doing. The shipwright took his assessment job seriously and checked bow to stern and more. Zoro decided to let the man continue his task until he heard wood breaking below deck. He strolled over to the opening and went to take a look. Floorboards were scattered about the shipwright and a gaping hole stared back at Zoro.
"Oi! What are you doing down there?"
The shipwright glanced up. "Don't worry. I'll leave everything the way I found it."
The man bent to look down the hole that he made. Zoro heard a soft grunt of surprise. What did he see? Without another word, the shipwright climbed back up.
"Hey! I thought you said you'd put everything back! You can't just leave the floor like that!" Zoro objected angrily.
"There's no point in fixing it now. The ship's sailing days are over."
"What? Are you serious? If you're lying, then you'll have to answer to me!"
"I'm a professional. I wouldn't lie about this."
Something in the man's tone of voice forced Zoro to accept the possibility that it might be true. The shipwright left as abruptly as he came, leaving Zoro to think and to watch. How would everyone react to this crisis? Usopp and Luffy, they would be the hardest to convince that it was the truth.
Zoro glanced at the prow of the sturdy caravel. The goat head smiled sadly back at him.
"Merry…is it true? You really can't sail anymore?"
Of course, there was no answer. Zoro slowly sat by his katana, staring at the blue sky. All he could do now was to wait until someone returned. He didn't have to wait long before Chopper and Sanji climbed onboard. Zoro had an instant twinge of worry.
"Chopper, where is Magina?"
"She's out searching for Robin. She didn't come back here, did she?"
"Who? Magina? No, she hasn't."
"You block-headed marimo! He meant Robin-chan. She's disappeared. We were hoping that she returned here," Sanji said angrily.
Zoro didn't rise to the bait. He sighed heavily, wondering how he should tell them about Merry.
"We have another problem."
"Another concern that's bigger than the fact that Robin-chan has disappeared?" Sanji barked at him.
Zoro looked up dismally. Robin's disappearance was a serious matter too but Merry's issue had the potential to change their whole pirate careers. Chopper glanced nervously in between him and the cook. Eventually as the silence dragged on, Sanji's angry scowl diminished and was replaced by a worried frown.
"W-What is it, Zoro?" Chopper asked.
"Merry can't sail anymore. Sailing to Water 7 was her last journey."
"Oi. That's a bad joke, shitty swordsman, even for you." Sanji paused. "Wait, are you being serious?"
Zoro nodded slowly. "A shipwright examined her earlier. That's what he told me."
Sanji and Chopper stared at him in shock.
"So, our ship…"
"Merry can't be repaired? Then, what's going to happen to her?" Chopper demanded.
"Dunno. It'll all depend on what Luffy and the others want to do. They're at the shipyard now and they'll tell those shipwrights what to do," Zoro leaned against the railing.
The objections were still coming, he knew it. They had to let it sink in first before arguing it out and then finally accepting the inevitable.
"Just wait a minute! She's been sailing just fine until now! Merry traveled with us ever since we began in East Blue!" Sanji protested.
"It's because she's sailed the entire way with us. A person can overcome obstacles by training and getting stronger. Ships aren't able to do that. Any wounds they receive during a journey just pile up and never heal."
Chopper looked about ready to cry. Sanji lit a cigarette and stalked to the opposite side of the stern.
"I still don't like it. Can you imagine what Usopp's going to say when he hears about this?"
"I don't like it either. I mean, I love Merry!" Chopper exclaimed.
Zoro sighed. "We all do. There's nothing we can do about it now. The damage is too extensive."
Silence descended heavily, each person lost in their own private worries and thoughts. A familiar call interrupted the oppressive quiet.
"Hey, guys!"
Chopper ran to the railing. "It's Nami!"
Sanji leaned over too. "Wasn't she with Usopp and Luffy? Why did she come back alone? Nami-san! Did anything happen? Ah! Wait there! I'll carry you onboard!"
Nami shook her head. "Just carry the suitcase, Sanji-kun. This isn't the time to be playing around."
She explained that she found Usopp and showed on a map where she left him.
"I found Magina too. She volunteered to watch over him. Usopp was hurt badly. And this," Nami pointed to a spot in the south-west corner of the map, "this is the Franky Brother's hideout. That's where our stolen money should be too."
"Understood," Sanji saluted crisply and grabbed the map.
Zoro followed quickly behind while Chopper took the rear. He smiled grimly. Magina was safe and he was probably going to get a real fight after all. The three of them rented another Yagara Bull and set off to pick up Usopp and Magina.
So, I really can't believe that I managed to write an entire chapter in two days but somehow, someway I managed it. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to get another chapter done by the time my sister leaves. No promises though! My laptop is at the doctor's as we speak so hopefully it'll be a shorter period than 6 months. I'll keep working hard to get Chapter 10 out. Wish me luck, lol. Thanks to everyone that's reading Dream Like Eternity! Review if you wish. I love hearing what everyone thinks. *Grin*
Nakama-best friend, comrade, companion, a combination of all three
Beli- the currency in the One Piece world
Marimo-moss head, a favorite insult of Sanji's
Yagara Bull- a fish unique to Water 7, carries passengers on their backs
SoraLover987142- You wouldn't believe how fun it was to write that scene. Lol. It was a good thing for that salesman that he grabbed both of her hands, otherwise he'd be sporting some new stab wounds! *Wink*