Chapter 6: The Archaeologist and her Captain
"Has the entire place been evacuated?" Koby asked Hibari. She nodded her head as the fire was extinguished a short while ago. The damage to the building was significant and a majority of books were burned and unrecoverable. Unfortunately, while there were no civillian casualties, two of the four marines who confronted him perished in the explosion, the other two were fighting for their lives. He hoped they survive.
"Yes. Aside from a few injuries, all the civilians seem to be safe." Koby was relieved there were no innocent casualties.
"Do we know exactly what happened?" Hibari took out a piece of paper that she used to get answers from one of the marines and recounted his statement to the Admiral.
"It seems a hooded man came into the building and detonated explosives. He remembers the man smelling really bad and screamed out 'Burn' before he got knocked out from the blast." Hibari told him. "Then when the older man named Benji was retrieved by the Grunt and Nico Robin, we learned that he was the person behind it all. He apparently wanted some secret books that she hid in a secret compartment. He tried attacking her, but was saved by the grunt." Hibari answered.
"I see. That's good. So...Luffy reunited with a member of his crew." He said the last part softly, showing a small smile.
"Hai." She nodded, a small smile of her own.
"Where are they now?" He asked, looking around for them.
"As soon as the fire was extinguished, they went back inside. I think Nico Robin wanted to show him something." She answered and looked at the Library. "Oh, right. Robin also told me that Benji, the old man we arrested, mentioned something about him threatening her with another explosion. I set out a search team to confirm the validity of his threat."
"Well done, Hibari." His compliment made her blush.
"T-Thank you, Koby-san!" She saluted her Admiral.
"Is the culprit conscious? I have a few questions to ask him."
"Yes. We currently have him being held away from the civilian section. I'll lead you to him." Koby nodded.
"Thank you." He looked over to the building and smiled softly. 'I'll let them catch up for now...' With that final thought, he followed Hibari towards the culprit.
~OP~
Robin was incredibly blissful. Her captain was alive and breathing right in front of her. He was also...eating all the food she had with a big grin on his face, a sight Robin was ecstatic to see. He was still filled with so much life, just like she remembered him. It was such a nostalgic and heart warming feeling.
Luffy finished the last piece of food and awarded himself with a few slaps on his bloated stomach. "That was so good! Thanks, Robin!"
Robin giggled warmly. "You're welcome, Luffy."
"Shi shishishishi!" He laughed alongside her. "By the way Robin, what was up with that guy? Why was he trying to hurt you?" He asked curiously with a tilt of the head.
"Oh, nothing too serious. He was just a fool who wanted something that was worthless. A greedy old man." Robin replied.
"I see. What did he want?" He asked as Robin smiled. She stood up from her seat on the floor next to him and entered her secret room. Luffy watched her pick up a book from one the glass cases and came back. She sat down next to him and showed him the book. "A book?" He blinked, feeling a little confused.
"Yes. He believed I was hiding this and the other books from the library because they were valuable." She answered with a warm smile. "While he might be able to sell these for a good amount, they wouldn't be worth as much to anyone besides myself."
"Hmmm...so like my hat?" He asked with a grin.
"Hehehehe~ I guess you can say that. However, they can also be considered your treasure as well." She told him and he stared at her in slight confusion.
"Huh? Why?" She smiled before turning to the first page.
"Straw Hat Pirates: Logbook 1" She read out loud and Luffy's eyes widened.
"Huh? You mean that's..." Robin nodded and smiled fondly.
"These are the logbooks we used to write down all our adventures. Of course they are only just copies of the real ones, but I wanted to write a copy of all our logbooks and then release them eventually for everyone to read and know about our adventures." She explained. "The only reason I hid them was because they weren't ready yet."
"Sugoi...that's so cool, Robin." He grinned widely as he returned to normal and was no longer bloated.
"Hehehehe~ I'm glad you think so." Robin happily chuckled. "If you're curious about the original logbooks, several of us kept one in case someone wanted to go after them, at least until I finish copying them."
"I see. That's good." Luffy then wondered about the others. "How is everyone else doing?"
Robin smiled. "From the last time I heard from them, they were all doing well."
"That's good!" Luffy snickered happily.
"Sadly, I haven't heard from some of them in a while, but the others tend to keep tabs and let me know how everyone is doing. It's been tough not being able to see everyone everyday like before, but..." Robin added.
"I see...sorry..." Robin softly gasped, but she shook her head immediately.
"Don't be. It isn't your fault. To be honest, some of us wondered what would have happened at the end of our journey. Some of us started thinking about our lives afterwards." Luffy wasn't aware of these thoughts from his crew, but he also wasn't foolish to believe that they would eventually have to go their separate ways. He just never imagined the reason they'd do so was because of his 'apparent death'.
"Sorry...I...don't remember anything..." Robin raised her eyebrows, but understood what he was referring to.
"I see. So, I guess asking you about what happened would be pointless." While she was curious, she couldn't blame Luffy at all. She wanted to know, but if he couldn't remember than there was no point in pursuing the topic further. However, she could ask him one thing. "Luffy, how did you come back to us?"
Luffy tilted his head and hummed in thought. "Well, I don't remember how they found me, but I was helped out by this nice girl and her kid. They were really nice. They fed me and helped me get my memories back, Shi shishishishi!" Robin smiled, loving the sound of his laugh hitting her ears.
"I see. Then I should give them my thanks." Luffy nodded.
"Yeah, we can when we go see them, Shi shishishi." At that, Robin frowned. Luffy noticed and felt his chest tighten a bit.
"Luffy...sorry...but I don't think I can go with you." Luffy mouth opened a bit and he sucked in his breath at her words.
"W-What? W-Why not?" Robin frowned as she looked down to the floor.
"I'm sorry. Your death left a huge hole in all of us. We didn't want to believe you died. We searched and searched, but never found anything. We...we had no choice to move on. I'm sorry." Luffy shook his head.
"No, don't be. I don't blame you guys at all. I understand. It was the right thing for you guys to do. I wouldn't want you guys to keep searching for me if there was no way you could ever find me. I'm glad you guys moved on and continued living. It makes me happy to know that you at least tried." He smiled at her. "I mean, look, this is your place, right? I may not know much about books, but even I can tell this place is incredible. I'm so happy for you, Robin!"
Robin felt tears well up in her eyes. She then couldn't help, but cry again. For years, she felt guilty, as well as everyone else did, that they couldn't find him. That they had no choice, but to eventually give up their search. She, and the others, would talk about 'what ifs' and so on with each other whenever they saw each other and talked about him. They were so worried that they didn't search hard enough to find him. While he couldn't remember what happened to him, just seeing him, talking to him, hearing he forgave them was more than enough to make all these years of guilt go away.
Luffy softly smiled at her as he watched her cry. He moved over to her and gave her a soft hug, for which she returned as she cried into his shoulder. "Thank you...Luffy..."
"Of course...that's what friends are for, Shi shishishishi." Robin really loved hearing the sound of his laugh and couldn't help but laugh along. Instead of her usually calm and soft laugh, she laughed with him in the same way her savior, Jaguar D. Saul laughed, making Luffy grin happily.
"Dere shishishishi." The two shared that slight moment together, just feeling the warmth they brought together from the tender hug. They pulled away and Robin rubbed the tears from her eyes. She then smiled at Luffy and took a better look at her now older Captain. To say Luffy didn't turn out to be more handsome as he got older would be an understatement. His face was a bit more chiseled and was helped out by the beard he had growing around his chin and jaw, making him look more mature. He was even slightly taller than the last she remembered him. The most surprising feature that she noticed was his long hair, wrapped in a ponytail. "It's very weird seeing you with longer hair, hehehehe~"
Luffy blinked and reached behind him to grab his ponytail. "Really? Shi shishishi! I guess it does. I kept tripping on it so that Marine girl who is with Koby tied it so I didn't do that anymore."
Robin couldn't help the chuckle. "I see. That makes sense." Her imagination took over. The image of Luffy running and then tripping on his long hair brought a pleasant imagery in her mind that made her giggle. She then went back to the topic of what happened to Luffy. "Koby-san, he was the one who find you, right?"
Luffy nodded. "Yep. After I walked around and stopped this guy from hurting Mary's daughter. Koby looked for me and then helped me get my memory back."
"I see. I assume Mary is the person who helped you." Luffy nodded. "That's good to hear." She then frowned again as the topic from before resurfaced. "I wish I could go to thank her personally, but...I can't leave." Luffy frowned and put his head down. "It's not that I don't want to, but like I mentioned before, we have new lives now. This library is my pride and joy. After what happened today, I have to stay to assess the damage and help start the rebuilding process. So...I'm sorry that I can't join you."
"I get it, Robin." Luffy looked up and gave her a small smile. Robin felt her chest tighten a bit. The smile was warm, but also sad. She knew Luffy wanted to get the whole crew together and go back on adventures like the old days, but it was difficult. She was needed here. If the events of the day didn't happen, then maybe she would have gladly accepted his offer and go on more adventures. She wanted to relive those fun experiences and see the world again. See her crew mates again. See their reactions when they see that Luffy was alive. The timing was just utterly terrible.
"If there was anyway I could, I would instantly go with you." Robin added.
Luffy pouted but nodded his head. "I know..."
Robin gave the boy, no, man a soft smile. "Maybe later on you can come by and pick me up. Then I can join you and the others. However, Luffy...please understand that the others might not join you either." Luffy gasped at that. While he did think of the possibility that they wouldn't join either, hearing it from Robin hurt more than he thought it would. Could he really sail without his entire crew ever again?
"I..." He didn't have any response to that realization. He really wished things turned out differently. He really wished he didn't disappear fromt heir lives for seven long years. Things might have been different. "You're...probably right..." He muttered, lowering his head.
Robin cursed herself as she wanted nothing more than to sail with him again. However, she had responsibilities and needed to stay. She really hated Benji. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be." He lifted his head and grinned. "I understand and I don't blame you." He then stood up. "It'll be fine. I'm gonna go see the others and if they also decide not to join me then I will respect their choice. As their Captain, that's all I could do."
Robin looked up at him and smiled warmly. He truly was their Captain and a tremendous one at that. He respected them as equals and would never force them to do anything. They all had their new dreams and responsibilities and he was going to respect their choices. "You're right. Thank you, Luffy."
"Shi shishishishi!"
~OP~
"Take him away." Koby ordered some Marine Grunts as they dragged Benji away. He struggled a bit before forcing out a few final statements.
"H-Hold on a minute! That guy that attacked me! He was him wasn't he? He was..." Koby activated his haki and knocked out Benji as he foamed in the mouth and became limp. He was dragged away as Koby sighed.
"Talk about some troublesome news..." Koby rubbed his temple as he felt a headache form.
"Koby-san?" Hibari whispered as he turned to give her a smile.
"I'm fine. I just didn't expect him to be a member of Crux." Hibari frowned and nodded in agreement. "They've been causing so much trouble lately. What's worse is that they are using those infected with Imunemia to carry out some despicable acts." Koby felt his stomach turn at the thought.
"The man who set off the explosives...he was infected too?" Koby nodded.
"While he could be lying about that, it's still too risky to overlook. Make sure everyone get tested to make sure he didn't spread the illness to anyone before the leave." Hibari nodded and saluted.
"Yes, sir!" She turned and took a few steps towards another Marine grunt to pass on the order.
"Robin-sensei! You're alright!" Koby became alerted to the yelling and shouting as he turned his head to see Robin emerge from inside. He watched with admiration as the looks of staff and civilians greeted her with smiles and relief.
Koby smiled. After everything Robin had to go through in her life, the image of people being happy to see her was a sight to behold. He looked over and saw Luffy standing a few feet behind her, a happy smile on his face. However, he could tell there was a bit of sadness in that smile. 'I see...I guess that means she isn't...' His thoughts trailed off.
Luffy spotted Koby looking at him and grinned while waving his hands at him. The Admiral smiled and walked over to him. He stood by his side as they both watched Robin being greeted happily by admirers, children and people who were grateful for everything she had done. They stayed silent as Koby had a hard time bringing up any conversation about what happened between the two. He hoped he was wrong, but with the way he smiled earlier, he was not expecting a happy result.
"Robin is not coming." Luffy suddenly said. Koby frowned.
"I see...sorry..."
"Why? You helped bring me to her. Thanks...but I get why she can't come...sucks though..." Luffy lowered his head as his bangs covered his eyes. Koby turned his head slightly to Luffy and felt sorry for his friend. He knew this was very tough on him. He wanted to help, but if this was something that was already decided, then there was nothing he could really do.
"Robin-sensei, will the Library be closed now?" A child asked as she looked down at him and gave him a soft smile.
"I'm afraid yes. For the time being...until we can assess the damage and start rebuilding her. Don't worry, I know she'll be back and be stronger than ever." Her smiled widened as it gave hope to the group of people.
"We will gladly wait!"
"Yeah!"
"I can't wait to see it when it gets fixed!"
Luffy couldn't help the smile on his face. Seeing so many people happy around Robin was great to see. He couldn't be happier for his friend and former crew mate.
"Ummm..." Both men turned around to see Gabi standing behind them. Her hands rested in front of hos as she gave a small bow to them. "Sorry to interrupt. My name is Gabi. I'm Robin-sensei's secretary."
"Secre-what?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion.
"Secretary. She's Robin-san's assistant." Luffy blinked and then remembered the blue haired guy from Water Seven having a secretary.
"I see." Luffy nodded anyway.
Gabi assumed he was probably still confused about her job and simply moved on, and continued speaking. "You're Robin-sensei's friend, no?"
"Un. I am. She is...I mean was a member of my cr-"
"Shhhhhh!" Koby hissed as quietly as he could to silence Luffy. "Yes, Robin-san and he go way back, hahahahaha! They met each other during the war seven years ago." Coby chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. However, he did catch the past tense Luffy used, which told him more than enough that Robin was not going to come along with them.
"I see..." Gabi narrowed her eyes at Luffy through her glasses as Luffy became a bit uncomfortable by her staring.
"W-What?" Luffy asked, feeling a bit agitated.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare...Monkey D. Luffy." Both men were surprised to hear her say his name.
"W-Wait...you know who he..." Gabi nodded.
"Robin-sensei spoke very highly of you from time to time whenever we hung out together. Most importantly, I was also helping out with her work on her new rendition of the logbooks of your adventures, so it would make sense that I would recognize her Captain." She spoke as she saw the scar under Luffy's eye.
"I-I see...please...we beg you...don't tell anyone." Koby asked the girl.
"I do not plan to, don't worry." She responded as Koby sighed in relief.
"Is there something you want from me?" Luffy asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Yes. I have a request, if you don't mind listening to." Luffy blinked and wondered what this request was. "I wish for you to take Robin-sensei with you." Luffy made a small gasp in surprise.
"Why?" Gabi adjusted her glasses.
"You see. Robin-sensei was always good at hiding her emotions. However, the more you get to know her, the more you see through her. She always felt a bit sad whenever I would speak with her. No question, it was more than likely about you. I can tell, whenever I helped her out with copying your logbooks, that she missed you and the journeys she had with you. She had done so much for me and gave me an opportunity when no one else did, so I want to help her in anyway I can. The moment I saw you and recognized who you were, I knew her Captain was back. I knew this would be her chance to be happy again and experience those adventures she missed. That's why I want you to take her with you."
Luffy stared at her as if he was in thought. He lowered his head. "Sorry, but I can't." Gabi didn't react to his response.
"May I ask why?" Luffy looked back at her.
"She said no. I can't make her do anything she doesn't want to." He replied without going into specifics.
"I see." Gabi looked over to Robin. "I had a feeling that would be the case. I'm also guessing that her reasoning is because she feels she has a responsibility to this library as its creator, correct?"
"yeah." Luffy nodded.
"Then, that makes things easier."
"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head.
"Excuse me for a moment." Gabi bowed and walked past the two and approached Robin. "Robin-sensei."
"Hm? Ah, Gabi-san. I'm glad you are alright." Robin was relieved to see her secretary and closest friend of these past few years okay and uninjured.
"Thank you. I am glad you are okay too." She responded back with a small smile. She then looked at everyone and took a small bow towards them. "I am sorry, but I need Robin-sensei's time, if you do not mind." She told them. The group looked at each other and some gave her a nod before they dispersed, saying goodbye to Robin. Once they were alone, Gabi spoke to her again. "Please follow me." She turned around and headed back to Luffy and Koby.
"Oh, good to see you, Admiral. Thank you for your help today and...well..." She glanced over at Luffy. "...hehehehe~ Thank you." Koby smiled and gave her a nod, understanding what she was thanking him for.
"Shi shishishishi!" Luffy only chuckled as he placed his hands behind his head.
"Robin-sensei, I was speaking to them just a moment ago and I have a requested them to bring you along." Robin was caught a bit by surprise by this.
"Gabi-san?" Gabi turned to Robin and lowered her head in respect.
"I want to thank you for everything you have done for me and the library. I truly mean it." She began as Robin's eyes widened. "You have done more for me than I can ever repay. Which is why I want you to go on adventures again with your Captain."
"Wait...Gabi-san...you know..." Robin was surprised by the revelation that she knew about Luffy.
"Yes. After spending enough time with you and all the stories you told...helping you copy the logbooks, it's only natural I would recognize the man you respect and consider your Captain." Robin stared at her and sighed with a soft smile.
"I guess that's true...thank you...but I can't...I need to stay. After what happened to the library I..."
"Please do not worry about the library." Gabi interrupted her.
"Huh?"
"I understand how important the Library is to you. Today's events was really terrible and I don't blame you for wanting to stay and help rebuild it." She honestly told her without raising her head. "However, I cannot let this opportunity go to waste for you. You finally have reunited with your Captain. The stories you told me have always been of fondness and wonder. I can tell how much you missed him, your crew and the adventures. That's why I want you to go."
"Gabi-san...but..." Robin was surprised by her words. While she did want to go with him, to go on adventures again with her Captain, she knew it was her responsibility to be here. To help with the rebuild.
"...please Robin-sensei. Do not worry about the Library. I will take responsibility and rebuild the Library back. Please, allow me the chance to do this. I want you to do what will make you happy. After everything you have done for me, this is the way I want to repay you. To give you this opportunity again. After all, it's not often a friend comes back to life, you know." She raised herself and gave her a warm smile.
Robin felt her chest tighten and tears form in her eyes. "Gabi-san...thank you..." She gave Gabi a big smile in return as the two woman shared a hug with each other. Luffy and Koby watched with big smiles on their faces as well. Luffy wanted to jump in joy that Robin would be joining him. However, he wanted to hear from her before anything. It was difficult to hold back his excitement, but he did.
The two broke up the hug and Robin wiped the tears from her eyes. She was crying a lot more today than she had in the last few years. Today was a special occasion as she was filled to the brim with happiness. She then turned to Luffy and smiled warmly at her Captain. "Luffy...may I join you? Go on new adventures? Just like old times?"
Luffy grinned widely and he couldn't hold back his excitement. "OF COURSE!" He yelled out with his arms raised as she laughed at his answer. Koby wanted to shush him to not garner any attention, but decided against it. This was an exciting moment for him so he let it go. He smiled at Luffy, happy that he was going to sail again with a member of his crew. "Shi shishishishi!"
"Koby-san!" Koby turned his head to see Tashigi run over to him and saluted him.
"Tashigi-san...what's wrong?" He asked the Vice-Admiral.
"I received a report of the man I've been after being spotted nearby at Sabaody Archipelago. I request to go on ahead and go after him. We can then reconvene there." Koby hummed as he stared at the determined look on her face.
"Hmmm...Tashigi-san...may I ask who this person is?" Koby asked as Tashigi groaned a bit.
"I...well..."
"Tashigi-san...I think I have a guess who it is...and I think they would like to know too." He smiled looking back at Robin and Luffy. Luffy tilted his head in confusion as Robin chuckled softly, connecting the dots in her head.
"I...I guess you're right." She took a deep breath before answering his question. "It's Roronoa Zoro!"
END
Sorry for the long wait, been busy with work life and other things. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!