One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
Kingdom Hearts characters belong to Square Enix and Disney
OCs belong to me.

-Chapter Two Hundred and Ten-

"Stop yelling—if you thaw her out carefully, she'll live" Aokiji informed us as if wanting to quell our fears. "However, her body is extremely fragile in this state, so you'll need to handle her with care" he warned. "If any part of her breaks, she'll die—for example, if I were to smash her apart like this!" fear shot through us all as we tensed the second he raised and swung his fist.

"Robin!" Chopper sobbed.

"Stop it! Please!" I begged.

"No!" Nami cried as Usopp began to panic.

"Stop!" Luffy shouted, flinging himself toward the two and grabbing Robin as he dodged the attack before it could properly connect. "That was close..." he sighed in relief as Usopp quickly rushed over and snatched up Robin, leaving the captain to take the full force of the next attack the Admiral had sent their way. Instead of his foot connecting with the frozen woman and smashing her into a million pieces, it hit Luffy.

"Alright!" Nami cheered.

"Thank goodness..." I sighed, relieved to know that the woman was going to be alright.

"That was amazing, Usopp!" Chopper praised.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Aokiji frowned as Luffy grabbed hold of his foot, preventing him from going after the sharpshooter.

"Usopp! Chopper! Quick—take Robin back to the ship!" Luffy shouted as he did his best to hold the Admiral in place. "Thaw her out and keep her safe!"

"Right! You got it, captain!" Chopper and Usopp nodded.

"Skylar?" Nami questioned as I quickly scampered up off the ground and rushed past her, following after the two.

"I'm going to go help them!" I called back as I ran by, still tightly clutching my frozen wrist close to my chest.

"Hurry! But be gentle—okay!" Usopp worriedly shouted.

"He's cold!" Chopper squeaked.

"I know, but Robin's even colder, genius!" Usopp frowned.

-Later-

"She…she can't breathe like this...can she...?" Usopp nervously asked as we gently splashed warm water from the filled tub over Robin's frozen body.

"I think she's in a state of suspended animation" Chopper answered.

"Doesn't that mean she'll die if we don't do something?" Usopp whimpered, not really liking the reindeer's response.

"If we warm her up too quickly, she'll shatter!" Chopper frowned, quick to deter the sharpshooter from going too quickly in fear that the frozen woman would break.

"So we'll need to be gentle" I calmly said, the ice on my frozen wrist slowly melting as I kept it buried in the warm water while using my other hand to gently scoop and splash water over Robin.

"Right, we'll have to restore her body temperature from the inside out" Chopper nodded.

"Are you sure this is really going to work?" Usopp asked.

"I don't know, but it's the only thing that's—"

"Whoa! Wait a minute, you don't know?" Usopp interrupted. "This is Robin's life we're talking about here!" he frowned, causing the reindeer's eyes to water.

"Hey, Usopp!" I snapped, causing the sharpshooter to flinch before looking down. "Look, I know this is stressful and all, but there's no need to snap at Chopper, okay? He's doing the best he can—no doctor learns how to fucking unfreeze an entire person!" I scolded, not appreciating the tone he was taking with the reindeer for being uncertain.

"Skylar's right, I've never treated anyone whose entire body was frozen before..." Chopper slowly nodded. After some time, we felt it safe enough to turn on the showerhead and let it rain warm water down onto the frozen woman without any fear of it automatically being too much for her. "I know that Aokiji said she's still alive, but I just don't see how that could be possible!" he loudly sniffed after a moment's silence, uncertain if he should actually believe the Admiral or not.

"Don't give me that crap—if you can't do anything to save her then no one in the whole world can! Do you understand me?" Usopp frowned. "You are the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates, got it!" he sternly huffed.

"I know, okay! Just shut up and stop yelling at me!" Chopper cried, not appreciating the tone or pressure the other pirate was now putting on him.

"Both of you need to calm down and just look" I said, motioning toward Robin's frozen body. "The ice is already starting to melt—she'll be defrosted soon and everything will be fine, so don't worry" I gently assured them. "Crying and screaming won't help anyone—no matter if her still being alive underneath all this ice makes sense or not, we should just be thankful that she is" both nodded in agreement as it fell silent between the three of us once more as we got back to work.

"Chopper!" we soon perked up to the sound of Zoro shouting for the doctor. Nervously looking between the two of us, Chopper hastily hopped off his stool and rushed out onto the deck, leaving Usopp and me to continue defrosting Robin. I heaved a sigh as I pulled my frozen wrist out of the water and checked on it—most of the ice was now gone, leaving the skin red and raw and still practically numb from where it had been frozen.

"How's your wrist?" Nami worriedly asked right as she entered the bathroom behind Chopper—switching out with Usopp who left to go and check on the others who had finally returned and see what was happening.

"Well the ice is almost gone...but it still feels rather numb..." I confessed, holding my still somewhat frozen wrist up for Chopper to see as he now worriedly examined it. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to put something warm on it later" I assured him, gently smiling at the reindeer before looking back at Robin. "But right now, we think we should keep our focus on Robin" and with that, the two nodded as we went back to work on melting the ice that coated our friend...

It took a while, but when we did finally get the last of the ice to melt, Nami and I were quick to start drying her unconscious body and warm her up as Chopper checked her vitals to truly make sure she was alive. At some point, Zoro and Sanji came and dropped off a frozen Luffy—helping to move Robin somewhere else to rest so that the bathroom wasn't too crowded as we began dethawing the captain. Similar to Robin, it took some time and a lot of patience, but we eventually had Luffy completely dethawed.

"How's your wrist doing now?" Nami asked, the two of us now drenched to the bone as we leaned up against the tub after finishing drying the unconscious captain off and having him whisked away by Chopper so he could have his vitals checked and be bundled up to rest.

"Well, I think I'm finally gaining some feeling back" I answered, lifting my hand and curling my finger as I rolled my wrist. "I can only imagine how long it's going to take for those two to regain any kind of feeling back in their bodies..." I quietly murmured, leaning against the ginger's shoulder as she raised a hand and patted the side of my head.

"Come on, let's go and see how the others are holding up" she eventually motioned after a second or two of silence, standing and offering me her hand as she helped me up. Stepping out onto the deck, I smiled as I walked over toward Zoro before wincing when he suddenly grabbed my cheek and harshly pulled at it.

"What were you thinking recklessly rushing in like that?!" he scolded. "Where you even thinking?!"

"Sorry, won't happen again" I apologized, words coming out strange due to the hold he had on my cheek. Slowly, his glare softened as he heaved a heavy sigh before releasing his hold on my cheek and picking up my bandaged wrist so that he could press gentle kisses around it.

"Dumbass..." he quietly muttered as I giggled.

"Aw, how sweet!" Nami cooed, harshly elbowing a grumbling Sanji as if to not only silence him but also quietly warn him to behave and not pick any fights that could ruin this peaceful and tender moment.

"Both of their hearts..." Chopper began when he eventually opened the door to the room where Luffy and Robin were peacefully resting and stepping out onto the deck. Everyone held their breath with a mixture of anticipation and worry as we nervously waited to hear the news of their condition. "Are beating!" he brightly smiled, happy to deliver such good news to the rest of us and let us know that they were indeed still alive and breathing.

"Luffy!" Usopp cheered along with everyone else.

"Robin!" Sanji cooed as he and the sharpshooter hastily rushed the open doorway, only to be instantly stopped by Chopper who grew big so that he could properly block their path and hold them back.

"You can't go in yet! I don't want them disturbed—understand?!" the reindeer scolded, not wanting either pirate to unintentionally disturb either of his patients' rest.

"Hey, Doctor Chopper, how about I make them some food" Sanji suddenly suggested.

"Calling me doctor won't make me happy or anything, you stupid jerk!" Chopper happily grinned as returned to his regular size. "But I suppose some warm drinks would be nice for when they wake up" he agreed, not opposed to the idea of a warm meal or anything of that sort.

"Anything warm would be nice for them at this point I bet" I smiled.

"Yeah, I'll carry them into the lounge later" Chopper nodded.

"Hey, Nami, should we set sail?" Zoro suddenly asked, wrapping an arm around me.

"No, not yet" Nami shook her head. "Not while the captain's out of commission—the Log Pose has our new heading, but let's rest here for the day" she suggested as we started to gather up the discarded towels.

"Looks like someone's worn out" I remarked as Usopp slumped to the ground.

"What's wrong, Usopp?" Zoro asked. "You look beat."

"Are there going to be more guys like him coming after us everywhere we go?" Usopp suddenly and warily asked.

"Well, we are pirates and the Marines chase pirates, so I'm guessing that's a yes" I nodded.

"This is crazy!" Usopp groaned as he slumped further to the ground. "I don't know how much more of it I can take..." he grumbled.

"Get some sleep, idiot" Zoro rolled his eyes. "You're just exhausted, okay."

-Later-

I couldn't sleep...but was that really much of a surprise?

It's funny.

I already knew the consequences of going out to sea with a bunch of pirates—I already knew that there was a possibility my whereabouts could be discovered at any point in time. Hell, I even promised Sora that I'd kick up a fuss to catch his attention out of spite since we knew that such a reveal would be a sickening blow to that awful pride of his. But...I guess somewhere along the road, I grew too attached to this crew. Somewhere along the way I grew to fear what they would think of having an Admiral's daughter on their ship. Maybe back then, near the very beginning, I didn't care all that much because I knew I could always just leave if I had to...but that wasn't really an option now—the thought of leaving them didn't sound all that pleasing anymore after everything we've been through.

Sure, back then before Zoro and I confessed it would have hurt to just up and leave before learning if he remembered me or not, but safety always came first when it came to me and my brothers—getting away from them was always our first priority since the day we left. Since the day we decided to recklessly set out on a dingy little boat with barely any supplies and nothing but pathetic prayers that we'd either find a safe haven or be mercifully taken by death. Leaving back then would have probably been a lot easier compared to now...accepting whatever reactions they would have if they found out back then would have probably been a lot easier than it would if they were to learn about who my father was now. I've become too attached to them—I've come to care too much for them and I knew that was dangerous. It was dangerous to fall for people who I could so easily be ripped away from if I made one wrong move.

I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when I came to care for them as much as I do now—it was impossible to recall the day I decided that I actually enjoyed being on this crew and wasn't just tagging along because I wanted to experience something new or because they had a familiar face with them...I wonder...

What would they do if they knew?

Would they turn me in?

Would they kick me off the crew to avoid the trouble of having me here?

I didn't know the answers to these questions and that scared me. They're my...they're my friends and Zoro has become so much more than that, but that didn't stop the fear. What if they suddenly decided that they no longer trusted me...that they...no longer wanted me as a friend?

I don't know what I would do if that happened.

I don't know how well I would be able to handle such a rejection after everything I've been through. I've never allowed myself to get this attached to so many people before who weren't my brothers—I never allowed myself to really have friends before after Zoro. It had hurt so much the day my brothers and I had to flee his island...it hurt having to leave him behind and even with that promise we had made I always had my doubts that he would ever really remember me or care enough to. Sure, the confession we made back during the Davy Back Fight was enough proof to prove those doubts wrong, but still. I didn't like the pain that day had left behind...I didn't like that feeling of fear in knowing there was always the possibility I'd just be forgotten by someone I deeply cared about—someone I knew who wasn't obliged to remember me because I felt they had no real reason to.

Sora and Cloud have reasons to remember me—they have reasons to hold me close to their hearts and never forget me...but not all friends have a reason to do the same. None of the members of this crew have any reason to really hold me as close to their hearts as I do them. None of them have to care about me as much as I care about them...they all could so easily move on and forget me if they wanted to and that's what terrifies me...

It terrifies me knowing that there's a possibility that they were right and I really was just nothing.

Quietly, I listened to the sounds of the other's soft breathing as they peacefully slept...yet it wasn't enough to help calm me from the fears that now plagued me. Not even the feeling of Zoro cuddling up into my side with his arms wrapped tightly around my body and his head resting on my chest brought me any sort of warmth or comfort like it usually did.

There was only the fear of the unknown.

It just felt like bad things were coming this way—I don't know when and I don't know how, but meeting Aokiji again felt like it might just cause a domino effect. Not particularly for me...but for Robin. She was the one he had deemed important. She was the one he chose to fixate on to the point that he showed little care in really confronting me or acknowledging me outside of that small interaction we had had before he froze my wrist.

"I don't exactly have time to deal with you right now—you're not my main priority and maybe you should be thankful for that"

I recalled his words from earlier...should I be thankful that I hadn't been his main priority? I knew the answer and yet it made me feel sick to selfishly think that he was right knowing that the alternative was him trying to kill a friend of mine. Robin and I may not speak much and our interactions may be limited due to how wary she sometimes made me with the way she'd occasionally stare or ask questions that felt like they were trying to pry too deeply into things they shouldn't. But she was still a friend and someone I've come to care about alongside the rest...she was a good person. That's why it scares me to think what was to come after this impromptu run-in with Aokiji.

Then again...I could just be overreacting due to how riled up everyone got because of the events of today. Who knows? Maybe nothing else will happen—maybe our run-in with him will result in nothing. Although I doubt it...

With that thought in mind, I fell into an uneasy sleep.

A/N: Enjoy

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