I clenched my fists, trying to stay calm and think straight. On the surface, Aokiji could be considered a decent Marine, barely, but his attitude of Lazy Justice was too fickle for me to let my guard down. I'd managed to fast-talk Smoker because his morals were strong and firm, but if I tried the same thing on either of the two admirals who weren't psychopathic bastards? If they got bored or disagreed with me, I'd end up as either a humanoid dry-ice popsicle or a freaking burnt sieve.
The only mercy was that, most likely, he wouldn't be hostile right away, but considering how much I had done on the SBS, if he was in any kind of order-following mood, then I was screwed.
So, yeah, no pressure.
"Robin, what's wrong? Do you know this guy?" Luffy demanded.
"We met once before," Aokiji lazily stated.
"To terrify Robin like this…" Nami breathed, eyes darting between the two. "Cross, who is he?"
I swallowed a lump in my throat, clenching and unclenching my hands to keep my blood from freezing solid in my veins. Which was way not metaphorical enough; I swore it was several degrees cooler out than it had been just a few minutes ago.
"One of the three individuals who comprise the Marines' Ultimate Military Force," I managed to get out. "And back their position as one of the Big Three superpowers in the world today: Admiral Aokiji."
The reaction from our crew was immediate, sonorous, and, above all else, panicked.
"A-Admiral?! What the hell is someone like that doing here? Shouldn't he be chasing down some pirate with a billion-beri bounty or something?!" Usopp cried incredulously. Then he stiffened and slowly looked toward me, and I stiffened as well. Shit, had I really done so much damage that they'd send an Admiral after me?! I mean, I could only imagine why Akainu wasn't literally burning down the Grand Line to get at me, but—!
"Don't worry, don't worry, he doesn't have a bounty yet," Aokiji interjected, casually waving one hand. "Not for lack of desire, mind you. The World Government is still trying to properly define his crimes, is all. Nobody's ever really done what he's done before. Well, that and we don't have a picture yet."
I relaxed as he said that, though I had trouble reading his tone. I supposed I was hoping that I could find some hint of approval or disapproval from his voice. I took a chance and spoke up. "So, you're nothere on anyone's orders?"
The admiral shrugged nonchalantly. "Nah, I'm just out for a walk. No need to panic."
"Oh, well, that's good, then! Care to join us for some 'cheese'?" I asked in a hopefully casual tone. Fortunately, much of the crew face-faulted in response to my question, and the resulting amusement did wonders calming me down.
"Y-Y-You can all relax, I think," Vivi stuttered. "I-I-In my experience, Aokiji does seem to be the… tamest of the Admirals."
"Ah, Your Highness," Aokiji nodded at her, his eyes traveling to her chest. "Nice boobs. Are you free tonight?"
Sanji and Vivi made sounds like geese being strangled underwater, and it clearly took an effort for the cook to restrain himself from attacking.
"Gross, you must be like three times her age!" Su shuddered in disgust.
I myself felt a sweatdrop weighing down on my temple. Yeeeaaah, I'd forgotten about this little scene…
"Vivi, is this guy seriously an admiral?" Usopp hissed incredulously.
"Yes," she, Carue, and I said together, and Vivi grimaced before continuing. "Though Su has a point, I don't recall him being so perverse last time I met him."
"You didn't have a body then, and I got older," Aokiji shrugged. "Anyway, no need for you all to panic. Like I said, I'm just out for a walk. You guys are… uh…" He scratched the side of his head for a second before shrugging indifferently. "Ah, forget it."
"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE!"
"I uphold the motto 'Lazy Justice'," he said.
"WE CAN SEE THAT!"
"Anyway… don't mind me, I'm getting tired of standing," he said, shifting his position so that he was lying down.
"Is this guy really one of the strongest Humanity has to offer?" Leo wondered.
"Lemme put it this way." I jabbed my thumb over my shoulder. "If he wanted us dead, we'd be corpses a quarter-mile that way."
Most of the crew gave me shocked looks, while Aokiji waved his hand dismissively. "Now, now, Mister Cross, hold on a second. That estimation is entirely inaccurate."
I blinked in surprise. "Really? I thought that would be well within your range?"
"He means you're underestimating him, Cross," Robin whispered, terror dripping from every word. "If he'd wanted, he could have easily sunk us while we were still several miles offshore…"
I felt my gut drop out from me as the memories of the manga came flooding back. "Oh. Yeah, that sounds about right…" I replied, just barely keeping the wobble out of my voice. "I think I might have blocked that out."
"This guy is that strong?" Conis whimpered fearfully.
I cocked my head to the side. "We… might be underselling him a bit."
"Yeah, well, don't worry about it," Aokiji sighed lazily (how else?) as he scratched his side. "I just decided to wander around a bit to gather information on two subjects: whether Nico Robin had decided to leave Alabasta or burrow in for the long haul, and to gauge what kind of a person one rabble-rouser named Jeremiah Cross is like."
I allowed myself a grim smile at that. "Wow, way to make a guy feel special, Admiral."
Aokiji ignored me, looking at the archaeologist on the ground behind me. "Nico Robin, I'm honestly kind of surprised. I expected to find Jeremiah here, obviously, but you? You've always made it a point to be as incognito as possible. And despite that, you're staying with a pirate crew that's become the most well-known in the world."
Robin stared back, unmoving. After a few seconds, Aokiji shrugged. "Well, I'm not questioning your choice. But that does mean I'll have to let HQ know so the crew's bounty can be… what's the word? Right, recalculated. 100 million plus 60 million plus 55 million plus 79 million is—"
"A number too big for you to calculate because you just can't be bothered to work up the energy," I cut in, earning several incredulous looks, especially from Robin.
Aokiji looked at me before shrugging again. "Eh, you're right, they can calculate it themselves," he said.
"Seriously?" Zoro muttered in disbelief.
"What do you want with Robin and Cross?" Luffy asked, anger clear in his voice.
"He-Hey, Luffy, there's no need to get worked up. He just said he's here on a walk!" Usopp hastily said.
"He's right, Luffy, don't pick a fight with an Admiral! You can't win a fight against someone like him!" Vivi added, somehow sounding even more desperate than Usopp.
"Like I said, I'm not planning on doing anything while I'm here," Aokiji said blandly, with just a hint of reproach.
"And we're going to trust the words of the Admiral whose sense of Justice is only a little less wishy-washy than Kizaru's because…?" I trailed off dryly.
Aokiji stared silently at me before sighing and waving his hand. "Eh, I'd argue, but it doesn't seem worth the effort."
"YOU'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO DEFEND YOURSELF!?" Usopp demanded incredulously.
"How did someone like thistraumatize Robin?" Donny muttered in confusion.
"Anyway, I heard something while I was napping. You," he said, pointing at Tonjit, who glanced around in confusion before pointing at himself. "I wasn't in a deep sleep, so I heard what you said. You want to get back to your village, right? Pack your things."
"Hey, don't listen to him!" Luffy said hastily. "He's—"
"The good guy, you moron," I deadpanned.
"—the good guy, you moron, you shouldn't—wait, what?" Luffy said, looking back at me. Then his eyes lit up, and he pounded his fist in his hand. "Oh, right! We're the bad guys, so the Marines are the good guys. Sometimes I forget! Shishishi!"
"So much for him being smarter," Usopp muttered to Vivi, who was massaging her temples with an exasperated groan.
Boss, meanwhile, was eyeing the Admiral suspiciously. "And how exactly do you propose to do that, huh?" He gestured his fin toward the coastline. "I've been in those waters, swam out a bit. The currents are completely unreadable, and the paths between the island peaks are too deep to track from the surface. I just don't see—!"
THOCK THOCK THOCK!
"Hey, what the—!?" Boss glared up at me as I rapped my knuckles on his shell.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for today's grand prize, name the two-word phrase that explains any strange, unexplainable phenomena we might encounter," I announced.
"OH! OH!" Soundbite waved his eyestalk eagerly. "What is 'DEVIL FRUIT'?"
"Correctamundo!" I crowed as I pointed at Soundbite. "Congratulations, little snail, you've just won an all-expenses paid trip to the wonderful festival island of San Faldo!"
"Woohoo!"
"Ah, I'm sorry, but…" Conis spoke up. "I know that Devil Fruits can be very powerful, yes, but the gap between the island's high points must be extremely long! Is there really a power capable of spanning them like that?"
"Yes…"
I winced as Robin's weary voice spoke up behind me, shooting a guilty look over my shoulder. To think that I'd forgotten about the near-panic attack she was suffering while I tried to keep myself calm.
"His powers," Robin continued, distant. "They are more than capable of accomplishing the task…"
From there, the good part of our meeting with the admiral went as I had expected. An ordeal of packing for Tonjit, an uninjured Sherry promising to get him there fast, and an uneventful walk to the coast, well away from the Merry. Well, almost uneventful.
"So, aren't you going to—?" Nami began, only for me to cut her off with a motion across my throat. Thankfully, she only needed to take one look at my dead-serious expression to slow her pace a little and fall back behind as though nothing had happened. Once that was handled, I watched Aokiji for a second before moving to the edge of the group, where Robin was only just managing to keep pace. She barely even spared me a glance before renewing her vigil on the Admiral's back.
"That was foolish, Cross," she whispered. "I have no doubt you know how strong this man is; the entire crew working together would have no chance of defeating him."
"And yet, if he provoked you enough, you'd ignore all of that and try to snap him in half, despite knowing that it would do nothing," I whispered back before raising my hands when she snapped a look at me. "But! I get where you're coming from, and you're right. I'm sorry, I was acting like an idiot back there, but with me I either put up a strong front or I act like any other person, and on the Grand Line, breaking down just isn't an option. Just…" I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "Just stay coo—calm, alright? He'll no doubt try and push your buttons, get you to give him an excuse to strike, but it won't work, got it?"
Robin bit her lip as she looked at Aokiji again. "I can't guarantee that, Cross. He knows me, he knows what to say—"
"And I know something even better than that," I interrupted, grabbing her shoulder. "I know the truth. He can twist it and paint it however he wants; I know what really happened. And honestly, that should be enough. After all—"
I leaned forward slightly and gave her an honest smile. "If anyone here knows just how powerful the truth can be in the face of adversity, it's the heiress of Ohara, right?"
Robin flinched so hard that she stopped walking as I said that, but she recovered the next second, nodding as she resumed walking. And I was gratified to see some confidence back in her step.
"When this is over, I WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT OHARA," Soundbite murmured.
I grumbled slightly as I kept walking. "With any luck, you'll learn it soon enough from her own mouth," I breathed back, too quietly for anyone else to hear.
And from there, the walk was uneventful. The only thing that really surprised me, though I suppose that it shouldn't have, was that by the time we actually reached the coast, Luffy seemed to have warmed up to Aokiji. I vaguely remembered something about that in the story, but was he actually this friendly? Well, either way, it wasn't quite to the point where he was calling him by name, buuut—
"So, what are you going to do? You can't swim if you have a Devil Fruit, so are you going to fly them across? That'd be so cool!"
"Heh," Aokiji smirked, somewhat bitterly. "Sorry, Straw Hat, but the only fruit I know that could carry this much through the air is the Float-Float Fruit, and the pirate who ate that hasn't been active since Roger's execution. Just watch. And move back for a minute, please…"
Everyone complied, watching quietly as Aokiji dipped his hand into the water. I shook my head at Soundbite, who seemed confused for a moment before his eyes widened, and he grit his teeth to keep from crying out. I turned back towards the ocean in time to catch the massive yellow sea king as it breached the surface and (rather stupidly) bull-rushed Aokiji.
"O-OH NO, IT'S THE MASTER OF THE LOCAL SEAS!" Tonjit cried fearfully.
"I-It's going to eat him!" Conis cried as she grabbed for her Burn Bazooka.
"Shit!" Leo cursed in agreement, one sword unsheathed and the other halfway out, the rest of the squad mirroring him.
"Wait!"/ "Hold it."
Conis looked incredulously at the fox clinging tightly to her shoulder, fur fluffed out to the max, while the four dugongs obediently, though nervously, ceased preparing their weapons at their teacher's command and raised flipper.
"Don't bother." Boss grimly huffed out a cloud of smoke. "You're already too late."
"Yeah…" Su nodded nervously, her ears and tail twitching with frantic energy. "Can't you tell? It's obvious. So, so obvious. That thing…"
Aokiji glanced up at the aquatic titan with cold disdain.
"…it's already dead."
"Ice Age."
And just like that, the world stopped.
There was no other word for it. Everything around us just flat-out stopped moving. Not just the ocean, frozen into solid ice, and not just the Sea King, now the world's largest ice sculpture. I mean the whole world froze. The wind, the grass, my freaking heartbeat. The awe-inspiring display of power before us stole the breath from my lungs. As in, I felt it whoosh out from the sheer impact of the scene.
Of course, from the burning chill in my lungs, the sheer wave of coldhitting me might have had something to do with it.
For a few brief seconds, the world was at peace. Until the CRACK! of the frosted-over Admiral standing up broke the silence.
"H-Holy crap…" Lassoo whimpered.
"S-Su, how did you—?" Conis stammered out.
"You know that 'animal instinct' thing where animals know when a storm's about to hit or something like that?" Su shivered fearfully as she cringed as far away from Aokiji as possible. "Kinda firing on full cylinders at the moment."
"I think this is the last time I underestimate someone who acts weird," Donny squeaked.
"Good, you'll live longer," Boss grimly stated, his 'knuckles' white around the rope-dart at his side.
Nami gave me a horrified look. "And there are two others like him?!" she whispered.
"Oh, no, no, nooo." I shook my head. "There aren't two like him. There are two worsethan him. At least he has some respect for human life."
Nami paled, a stark contrast to most of the crew, who were all smiles as they followed down after Tonjit to see him off. The only other one who stayed in earshot was Zoro. "So, any advice for when he attacks?"
"Just one thing: protect Robin," I muttered back before following the rest of the crew.
Because as dire as the situation was about to be, the current state? Walking on the frozen ocean and staring at a sculpture that had been a living, frothing sea king not moments ago was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Even if the sea king in question must have been brain-dead stupid if it didn't recognize that it was attacking an apex of apex predators. Meh, call it Darwin in action. The point was, the whole scene was just as awe-inspiring as it was absolutely terrifying.
Alas, the farewell to Tonjit couldn't take longer than it took for him to go out of sight, and consequently, for Luffy to finally notice the cold. At that point, I walked closer to Sanji, and as I was casually passing him by, I muttered, "Help Zoro. Protect Robin."
Sanji didn't pause or break stride, merely altering his gait slightly so that he was shadowing-but-not-shadowing Robin.
All too soon, we were back on dry land, and all too soon, Aokiji sank into a sitting position with a world-weary sigh. Luffy tilted his head in confusion while Zoro and Sanji exchanged looks of understanding.
"What's wrong?" Luffy asked curiously.
"How do I put this… you're the spitting image of your grandfather, Monkey D. Luffy," Aokiji said tiredly, prompting the rubber man to stiffen. "You're both wild souls, neither of you willing to let anyone tell you what to do…"
"Y-You know my grandpa?!" Luffy whimpered fearfully, looking about ten seconds away from bolting.
"How could he not know him, Luffy?" I asked dryly. "Heck, he probably trainedhim."
In response to that assertion, Aokiji… shrugged?! "'Training' might be overstating things a bit… but the old man did show me a thing or two, I guess." The way he was absentmindedly shaking out his knuckles put the lie to his supposed nonchalance and sent a chill down my spine. And Luffy's, too, from the shiver that wracked his body. Seriously, the man was terrifying enough on his own merits, but now this?! What the hell, Oda?!
"But to continue my earlier thought, as bad as Straw Hat is, you're making him even worse," the frost-coated Admiral slowly turned his gaze to me. "Mister Jeremiah Cross."
That was unexpected, but it got worse.
"Maybe I should just kill you all right here and now. The World Government sees you as the greatest threat, Mister Cross, but analysis of official reports and your SBS has shown that your whole crew is a determined, dangerous lot. Half your number may be animals, but your size is nothing to scoff at. One day, you'll surely become an acute threat. From the time that Straw Hat received his first bounty up until now, your growth has been extraordinary. And though for the most part, you've only preyed on pirates or tyrants unless the situation demanded otherwise, you've made no secret of the fact that you despise the World Government."
"Wh-Why are you saying all of this?! You said you were just out for a walk!" Usopp stammered.
"Believe me, when it comes to him and Kizaru, that only means they don't feel like killing you at thatmoment." I shifted on my feet uncomfortably. "Ten seconds later? Whole different story."
"And if Cross's impossibly comprehensive knowledge isn't enough, your crew is now especially dangerous because of you, Nico Robin," Aokiji continued, completely ignoring the byplay.
"So you're saying you want to take Robin away from us?!" Luffy snarled, adopting a fighting stance while Zoro and Sanji flanked Robin, whose face was a mask of impassiveness.
"Now, now, let me explain…" Aokiji waved his hand placatingly. "It's not quite so simple. See, the size of a person's bounty does not merely reflect their combat capabilities. It also reflects how much of a threat that person is to the World Government." He pointed at Robin. "That's why she had such a large bounty placed on her head at the age of eight. Since then, Nico Robin has always been something of a survivor. Betraying those who gave her shelter, using them as shields so she could escape to a new group. And now, rather than hiding in a warzone, she's picked this crew as a new set of scapegoats, and one as globally active as this?" He sighed, shaking his head. "I am concerned by these circumstances, to say the least."
Despite my forewarning, Robin's mask cracked clean through and exposed the terror she was feeling. The Admiral's words had shaken her, and I had to actively remind myself that as much as I really, really, really wanted to, trying to tear this bastard down would most likely be fatal.
"You—!" Sanji started to snarl, only for Vivi to hastily grab his sleeve and hold him back.
"What did Robin do to you in the past, Aokiji?" Vivi asked, her tone as civil as it could be when her voice shook like a leaf and sweat poured down her brow.
"Oh, she never did anything to me personally," the Admiral shrugged. "I only know her because she escaped from me a long time ago. But since then?" He slowly cracked his neck back and forth. "Well, suffice to say that the rest of you will learn one day the extent to which this woman is a curse given life."
I'm not quite sure what hurt more at that instant: the sight of Robin, from the corner of my eye, shuddering and drawing in on herself, or the way my fingers were starting to bite through the bandages covering the palm of my hand.
"And the proof of that?" Aokiji continued, every bit of him as cool as liquid nitrogen. "Why, you've seen it for yourselves: every organization that Nico Robin has been a part of has ended up completely annihilated, always leaving her as the sole survivor."
It was all I could do to stay silent as this falsehood, this distortion of the truth sowed its discordant oats amongst the crew. Though there was a lot of uncomfortable shuffling and glancing around, no blame had been thrown. And watching Robin, though she looked utterly haunted, she didn't look close to breaking either. I started to think that we might be able to pull through this.
Until he said it. Until he fucking went there and said it.
"That's always how it's been for her, ever since the time when she was eight."
At first, I blinked in confusion, wondering why he'd been so specific about that. Then the truth hit me like a ton of bricks.
Twenty years ago. The Archaeologists. Ohara.
That bastard was pinning fucking Ohara on her.
I didn't even need to look back at Robin to know how she was feeling, because I was damn well feeling it too. To hell with the consequences and to hell with this asshole. If he wanted to go that far in the name of making Robin attack first, if he wanted to warp the truth into a weapon like that, that was his problem. And it meant that he didn't have the right to complain when I decided to fight back.
And I started my counterattack the only possible way I could.
"Pfheheheheh…"
With a dry and grim chuckle that caused everyone to freeze and stare at me.
"What's so funny, Jeremiah Cross?" Aokiji wondered, his only reaction a raised eyebrow.
"Pfheheheh, heh, hoooh…" I wound down my laughter by exaggeratedly wiping a tear from my eye. "Ohh, nothing, nothing, I swear. I'm just amused, is all. Just, you know, the way you said it. It, it's just funny, is all!"
"Care to elaborate?" the tall man inquired, a hint of warning entering his tone.
I slowly allowed a savage grin to spread across my lips. "You sure you want that, Admiral? Really, really sure? After all, once I start talking…" I slowly cracked my neck back and forth. "I don't stop until something breaks. And I don't think you're strong enough not to crack."
Aokiji tensed, but folded his arms in a show of relaxation. "Please, continue." He narrowed his eyes menacingly. "I insist."
"Cross, please," came a whisper directly into my ear. I glanced back at Robin, and smiled grimly.
"Sorry, Robin. I know I said I'd be careful, and I really wanted to avoid this…" I shook my head, removing a horrified Soundbite from my shoulder and handing him to the nearest crewmate, Conis. "But when someone goes that far, hurts one of my friends that bad, talking me down is as hopeless as talking logic to Luffy."
Soundbite whimpered as I turned away, and locked eyes with Aokiji. "This is gonna suck, isn't IT?"
"Like a black hole," I quietly answered. Then I re-donned my grin and spoke more audibly. "So, what did I find amusing? Well, it was just how you told the story. See," I gestured in his direction. "The way you tell things, it soundslike what happened to those groups was all Robin's fault. But, see, that's… correct, but it's not really right, is it, Admiral? She," I waved my hand at Robin. "Never actually didanything, did she?" I paused and reconsidered that. "Well, alright, she mighthave helped us with Baroque Works, and I don't know the details of whoever else she worked with. But the point is, the reason that those organizations all collapsed, it wasn't her doing." I slowly pointed my finger up at him, my face now pointedly devoid of emotion. "It was all you. You and the rest of the World Government's dogs."
Aokiji frowned, and I felt the temperature drop a degree or two, but I ignored that and pressed on. "You're the ones who started the fights against those groups, who destroyed them and made Robin run. You'rethe ones who put a bounty on her head, and made it so that she couldn't trust anyone in the world. You're the ones who hunted her, day and night, without cease or pause, like bloodhounds after a scent."
"Now, now, Mister Cross, I'd be careful with what you say," Aokiji retorted coldly. "After all, you're talking about things you know nothing about. Nico Robin is a legitimate threat to the World Government. We were justified in our pursuit."
I let out a bark of humorless laughter. "A threat? Why, because she destroyed some battleships? Give me a freaking break!" I swung my arm back at Robin. "Her powers make limbs in her line of sight. She's trained those powers for the last twenty years and couldn't sink a ship; how could she do it when she was eight?!" I shook my head. "No. She's not a threat because of what she can do. She's a threat because of what's in her head."
I took a challenging step forward, glaring bloody murder at the Admiral. "Do you even know why you're hunting her? Twenty years after the fact, after climbing so far up the ranks, do you even have an inkling of the real reason the Elder Stars sentenced her to death? As to why they let—no, ordered what happened twenty years ago to take place?"
"It's not my place to ask."
Wrong answer, icehole. "Of course you don't. After all, it's your whole motto of 'Lazy Justice'," I spat. "Akainu doesn't need to ask. Kizaru doesn't care either way. But you, you don't think it's worth the effort to care, you just do what they say because it's easier. Well, let me make it nice and easy for you!" I jabbed a finger back at Robin. "The facts of the matter are thus: the World Government put a bounty on her head when she was eight. Years. Old. When her only crime was to learn something that the World Government didn't want her to know. They didn't consider any alternatives, didn't even contemplate mercy, they just cut her straight out of society. If you had any shred of decent, that would be enough for you to realize that the organization you've dedicated your life to is completely corrupt."
"And don't give me any of that 'single incident' crap, Kuzan, we both know that's not true!" I shouted over him. Aokiji actually reeled back at that, clearly not having expected me to know even more. Seizing the opportunity, I pointed at Vivi. "They accused a princess of a member nation, who sacrificed everything to save her country from one of their own boxed crooks, of treason because of a one-sided blood feud, forcing her to become a pirate. Forcing her father to give up the 'protection' you'd probably claim the Government offers. And that's just the start. I know five islands off the top of my head that the World Government has driven to hell, not even countingthe two currently represented on our crew."
I had him, I could see it. Mentioning Alabasta, specifically, had rattled him something fierce. He didn't speak, so I continued.
"And speaking of that protection," I spat, packing every ounce of venom into that word. "I'll concede that some Marines do act for the protection of all civilian. And I applaud their work. But they're a minority, Kuzan, and that's only going to get worse. When Sengoku steps down, you'll be his prime candidate to replace him, I'm sure, but who do you think the Five Elder Stars will want in his place? Someone cool-headed and restrained like you? Hell no. They'll want someone who will keep their definition of peace by any means necessary, even if it means murdering hundreds of innocent men, women, and children to remove any risk of their definition of criminal slipping through their clutches."
His fists clenched as he heard my words, no doubt realizing exactly what I was referring to. But still, despite me rattling him he was way too calm—time for the realguns.
"You could challenge him to a duel to the death, and Sakazuki would still become Fleet Admiral. You know what the future holds, Kuzan. So, right now, you need to ask yourself… 'Is this what you call justice? Can you take pride in something like this?'"
Aokiji stiffened, and Robin gasped quietly at Jaguar D. Saul's last words. Then I gave him a slight smile, nothing but bitterness within, and spoke the words that I knewwould break him.
"I know exactlywhat happened that day, Kuzan. I know what you did and why you did it. I know how you felt then, and admittedly, I've only got a good guess as to how you feel now. But there is one thing I know above all else: I might not have known him personally…but I know that if he were here right now, seeing what you are and what you're doing, what you've done…he'd be disgusted with you."
I had only a split second to notice Aokiji's expression turn from cold to downright apoplectic—
Before he was suddenly in front of me, arm drawn back.
My pupils dilated. "Ah, shi—!"
WHAM!
I tumbled into the grass, wheezing, desperately trying to get back the air the backhand to my chest had smashed out of my lungs. That meant the first thing I managed to process through the pain was that I wasn't breathing. The second was that he had strapped me with bands of fucking ice SHIT TOO TIGHT!
"Sengoku was right, Jeremiah Cross," Aokiji breathed frigidly. "I really shouldn't have let you open your damn mouth."
"Grrgghh…" I wheezed as I rammed my fist against the restraints, trying desperately to draw a breath but failing. "Bas… tard…!"
"Actually, in retrospect, I think that Akainu might have been right for once, too."
My struggles abruptly ceased at the sight of the icicle-laden foot hanging over my head.
"Sometimes," Aokiji droned darkly. "You just need to stamp out the bugs."
I clenched my eyes shut—
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
FWOOM!
Only to shoot them open at the very sudden burst of heat I felt a few inches above my head. I took in Aokiji a few steps back, glaring daggers in Conis's direction, having barely dodged the Burn Bazooka blast. She didn't hestitate, aiming and firing another blast even as she ran to me, knelt down, and pressed Soundbite to my chest.
"What do we say to Death? NOT TODAY!"
CRACK!
"GAH!" I gasped like a drowning man coming up for air as the ice shattered and my lungs were freed, putting Soundbite back on my shoulder. "Mother-fucker that stings!"
"Good, means that YOU'RE STILL CONSCIOUS!"
As I caught my breath, I took in the rest of the crew. To a man they were ready to follow Conis's example, their expressions ranging from Nami's firm resignation to Boss's cold determination to Luffy's outright fury.
But above all of them was the best and worstthing that I could have heard at that moment:
"LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE, AOKIJI!" Robin yelled, crossing her arms and glaring bloody murder at the admiral.
My eyes widened in panic as I snapped an arm up at her. "Robin, don't—"
"You have noright to protest anymore, Cross," she outright snarled. "You've had your say; now here's mine. TREINTA FLEUR!"
Before I could do or say anything further, thirty arms bloomed all over Aokiji's body, poised to snap his body in half. He turned his attention to her, his powers beginning to freeze the duplicate arms. But despite her slight wince and the steam starting to waft up from her real arms, she stood strong.
"My, my. It looks like I underestimated this crew; they've actually pushed you to attack me to try to protect them?" Aokiji said, perfectly calm despite the hold poised to break him.
"You killed the first friend I ever made right in front of me the last time we met," Robin spat venomously. "Now, for the first time in twenty years, I've actually found friends who still believe in me, even after you did everything you could to turn them against me. And now that I've found them…" She snapped her hands shut. "I am done running. CLUTCH!"
And just like that, Aokiji's form shattered into diamond dust, and Robin, though panting, had a distinct look of triumph on her face.
I, however, felt distinctly less enthused. "Very nice, very badass," I grit out as I watched the ice particles shifting. "Oh, and by the way, everyone? His fruit, the Ice-Ice Fruit? It's a fucking Logia, which means that that little display, impressive though it was, accomplished absolutely jack and shit beyond pissing him off. In summary?"
"Burn him before he pulls himself together, got it," Lassoo growled, padding forward in his hybrid form.
Aokiji chose that moment to reform his upper body, the air and ground crackling from near-instant snap-freeze.
Lassoo sucked in a deep breath before belting out a thick ball of tar. "CANI-PLASTER!"
The Admiral, already half-reformed by that point, spared the black gelatinous ball a glance before blowing out a misty white cloud, leaving a jagged black hunk of ice to drop to the ground a few feet away from impact. He didn't even glance at it as he stood up.
Lassoo's eyes widened and his tail dropped between his legs as he started inching backward. "Ah…"
"Actually," I continued in a faux-calm tone of voice. "What I was about to say was this." I promptly turned around and belted down the coastline, grabbing Robin's jacket and dragging her along with me. "FUCKING RUN!"
"We covered this earlier, Cross," Aokiji said dryly. "Feet or miles…" I noticed him crouching down and pressing his palm to the ground as I looked back. "There's nowhere that you can run. Observe. Ice Age."
FWOOSH!
I had all of two seconds to note the wave of cold that swept past my feet—
"WOAHSHIT!"
CRACK!
Before my feet slid out from beneath me due to my feet losing all traction on the frozen soil, sending me crashing to the ground.
"…Duly noted," I mumbled into the ice.
"I wonder if he'll be able to pull himself back together after THIS!"
I managed to flip myself over in time to see Chopper swipe his arm out and send a number of vials spinning through the air, all of them surrounding Aokiji.
"EAT THIS…" Chopper snarled viciously, a number of scalpels splayed in his hoof. "CHERRY BLOSSOM BLAST FLURRY!" With that, the currently-psycho-doctor snapped his hoof out and flung his blades at the vials, striking each one dead on, breaching the glass—
KA-BOOM!
And causing the contents within to react violently with the air.
I winced and shielded myself from the wave of light and heated air that resulted.
It only got worse when Conis fired her Burn Bazooka with all the firepower the Dial could muster, followed by Nami practically bringing the wrath of Zeus down on his head. Even Usopp contributed what he could, his hands blurring with how fast he was firing.
Everybody watched the resulting smog, and when it cleared… Aokiji stood there, completely unscathed and with his normal, bored expression back in place.
"Well, I'll give you this much," he drawled as he flicked a clod of dirt from his jacket. "If I weren't a Logia, that probably would have stung a bit."
"WHAT THE HELL DOES IT TAKE TO KEEP THIS GUY DOWN?!" Usopp screamed.
"Does anyone have any sea prism stone, New World-grade pirates, or convincing enough acting skills to make him think you're Sengoku?" I asked sarcastically. "Or we could just try building a sauna."
"This is not the time, Cross!" Robin grit out.
"What part of the words 'coping mechanism' are you people failing to grasp!?" I shot back at her.
"Sounds like the core concept to me."
Robin and I froze, slowly turning our gazes up to stare in terror at Aokiji looming over us.
"I am really starting to hate that technique…" I whimpered.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"/"GET AWAY FROM ROBIN-CHWAN!/""GET AWAY FROM MY CREW!"
Zoro, Sanji, Boss, and a lobster-red Luffy lunged at Aokiji from behind. He turned his head halfway, briefly regarding them, before moving, fending off Boss with a kick and grabbing one of Zoro's arms before simply tossing him away. Luffy and Sanji, he didn't even touch; his powers crippled them with frost as soon as they touched his body. By the time he was done, the Monster Trio plus one were left rolling on the ground, agonizing over their frostbitten limbs. He turned back to us, and moved for Robin. Gritting my teeth and steeling my nerves, I interposed myself between them, arms flung out to shield her.
Aokiji raised an eyebrow at me before shrugging indifferently. He then clamped one hand down on my shoulder opposite where Soundbite was and reached past me with the other. And then…
"Ice Time."
CRACK!
"AAAARGH!"
It was… almost indescribable.
Intellectually, I knew at the time that the ice—dry ice, at that—was far below zero and thus extremely cold, but physically? Physically, that ice burned. It burned worse than almost any other burn I'd felt before, almost as bad as the hell Enel had put me through, and it was spreading, going down my arm, down my side, across my chest—
"GRGH, MOTHERFUCKER!" I snarled out in agony. "RIGHT ON THE FUCKING SCARS, YOU RAGING BASTARD!"
It took every bit of willpower Zoro had forced into me to not just slip into oblivion, and I came damn close to giving up the ghost, too, but there was one sound that made me hang in there.
The sound of Robin whimpering in the exact same agony behind me.
It took a second for me to muster the mental wherewithal to do anything, but once I did, I reached up with my unfrozen hand and grabbed the arm Aokiji was using to freeze my hand. I winced as the ice burned at my already mutilated fingers, but I held fast, prompting him to glance down at me.
"Let. Her. Go," I snarled in the Admiral's face.
Aokiji stared at me, his expression unreadable, for several seconds with no notable change in the ice's progression. Then, all at once, the freezing stopped advancing, and Aokiji pulled back.
I didn't even have time to contemplate the fact that I wasn't being frozen anymore when a grunt of pain behind me captured my attention, prompting me to spin around and grab Robin just before she toppled over.
I'll be honest, it wasn't good. Whereas I'd managed to get away with only one of my arms and the upper part of one of my legs frozen, the entire right half of Robin's body was completely encased in ice, her remaining half visibly struggling to support the dead weight. How she was still conscious, staring in visible fear at Aokiji, was beyond me.
"Nico Robin," Aokiji stated quietly. "As Cross somehow knows, Jaguar D. Saul was my friend, too. It was because of his final wishes that I allowed you to escape from Ohara that day. I still feel responsible for your life, but after twenty years of wandering, I felt that it was time for you to die. But it seems that you've found your place after all."
Robin's breathing hitched, her eyes widening. The rest of the crew seemed stunned as well, myself included. Was… Was he really serious? Had he just approved of Robin staying with us!?
He sighed and turned away, waving his hand carelessly as he padded toward the ocean. "Well, I suppose we owe you all somethingfrom the Alabasta incident, so I'll let you go today."
I was so relieved I thought I might pass out. Vivi, however, still spun her Lion Cutters—no, wait, Lion Cut-ter, singular. Her other hand was—clutching her necklace again. "Just today?" she snarled.
Aokiji paused and glanced back at Vivi before rolling his eyes. "Alright, let me rephrase that: I won't come after your crew again unless I'm outright ordered to. Better?"
Vivi held her glare for a few seconds before allowing her Cutter to stop spinning.
"Good." And with that, he started walking again, and we allowed ourselves to relax.
"You've found people who will protect you, Nico Robin. They're willing to take on the world for you, clearly."
But, of course, it couldn't be that simple.
"But can they win? I seriously doubt that."
I couldn't have felt more pain in that moment if he tore all of my bandages off, for moments before Robin gave up the fight to stay awake, I saw the spark that had been growing there over the past few weeks flicker and die.
Damn it… Damn it… DAMN IT!
"Damn you…" I hissed. "Damn every last one of you monsters straight to hell."
Aokiji paused again before chuckling deeply. "A monster, huh. That's rich, coming from a demon like you."
I grit my teeth as I glared at Aokiji's back. "Well, at least. I'm. Honest."
That shut him up.
And so, without a single word further, Admiral 'Aokiji' Kuzan of Marine HQ walked out onto the winter wasteland he'd constructed, slowly striding off into the distance…
Leaving us all to process our complete and utter defeat.
-o-
"Geeze, you work fast, Chopper," I complimented, flexing the new bandages on my arm. "Thanks for the quick unfreeze, I didn't expect it to be this fast."
"It's nothing, Cross," the reindeer replied. I snapped my head over to him, and he sighed. "No, Cross, it still doesn't make me happy, but right now, I don't feel like I've done that much good, considering how my best shot did absolutely nothing against Aokiji."
"You're so let down that you're not even going to flip out like you usually do? I mean, in the story, you were more focused on defrosting—"
"In the story, I wasn't as good at fighting as I am now," Chopper absentmindedly interrupted as he ruffled through his bag. "In this reality, your advice helped me get stronger and more confident. Back on Skypiea, it was different. I knew that Luffy would have to beat Enel, and he did. But this time…" He rammed his hoof into his bag, and I damn near shit myself at the clink of glass on glass it produced. "None of us could do anything. I couldn't do anything. I… couldn't even help…"
I grimaced in acknowledgement but shook my head. "Try not to let it bother you too much, Chopper."
"And why the hell not, Cross?" Chopper snarled, whirling around with an expression equal parts vicious and desperate.
I pointed my finger at the cabin wall. "Because currently, our four strongest frontline fighters are warming their frostbitten asses in the ocean after getting said asses absolutely handed to them. In victory, it's not very fair to use them as milestones, but in defeat, they're perfect justifications."
"So what you're saying…" Soundbite started slowly. "Is that there's no SHAME IN LOSING IF THEY LOST TOO?"
"Something like that," I said, waving my hand. "Aokiji is very much in the big leagues in this world. Today, we had no chance of winning, but he let us live because he has some decency. I have no doubt that someday, our crew will have to fight someone of his caliber and win, or die trying. But as long as we keep training, we won't be hit with more than we can take. We'll be pushed to our limits just about every time, yes. But we'll survive."
Chopper groaned and kneaded his temples. "Damn it, Cross, how can you be so sure of that with everything that's gone wrong?"
I smiled fondly and patted the top of his hat. "I'm not saying this based on my knowledge, Chopper. I'm saying it based on something I believed before I came here and now know with ironclad certainty: our captain, Monkey D. Luffy, will become the Pirate King, and by extension we will be the crew that puts him on top. It's thatsimple."
Chopper stared at me, eyes shimmering with hope, for a few seconds before a smile bloomed on his face. "Yeah, you're right. He won't die before he reaches his dream, and neither will the rest of us." He tilted his smile upward as he patted a hoof on the deck. "None of us will…"
That sobered me up a little, but I did my best not to show it. Fortunately, I got a good excuse not to dwell on my promise to Merry in the form of Conis coming into our impromptu medical room in the kitchen.
"Everyone else asked me to check on how Robin's doing. Is she going to be alright?" she asked.
I couldn't suppress my grimace at that. "Physically?" I jabbed my thumb at the tub of lukewarm saltwater she was soaking in. Already, the ice had retreated significantly, releasing her face and torso and leaving only the lower parts of her extremities fragile. "She'll be fine. It was touch and go for a bit since Aokiji literally turns people into ice, but she's thawing well, so she's out of any critical danger."
I groaned and kneaded the bridge of my nose. "No, the real damage was all in Aokiji's parting shot, and fixing that's… not gonna be so easy." I shook my head. She had called us her friends. She had been readyto accept us. She had been one. Freaking. MINUTE! away from exchanging secrets, from her accepting us wholeheartedly. And now, we'd be lucky if she'd still call us by our names.
I gave Conis a solemn look. "As soon as Boss and the Monster Trio are healed, bring everyone in here, and Chopper, be ready to wake her up."
The two nodded and got to work, leaving me to watch over Robin in solemn silence.
If I was honest with myself, my relationship with Robin was different from the rest of the crew. Back before I came to the Blue Seas, I was always the older brother in my family. Whether with my natural brother or my stepsiblings, I'd always been the eldest, the one… sort of in charge, given how they never respected me worth shit, but I digress. Anyway, the point is that growing up, I didn't really have a… peer that I could relate to, someone with similar interests. And don't get me wrong, I loved the rest of the Straw Hats to death and back, and most of the time, I could match their energy.
But with Robin, I could find peace and quiet. With her, I could enjoy a quiet moment of debate over some story or other, or a nice, sharp back-and-forth snarkfest. To put it simply, while the rest of the crew were siblings and cousins of similar or slightly lesser ages, Robin had become like the big sister I'd never had. And the idea that all of that could have just been undone by some paltry words?
I groaned and kneaded my temples. I had to get this right on the first try, I had to, because if I didn't, I wasn't sure that I'd get another chance before everything went straight to hell.
It was the longest half hour of my life until the others were ready, by which time Robin had completely defrosted. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen while Chopper prepared the smelling salts. Or at least, the horrific concoction he called smelling salts.
"Alright, fair warning." Chopper bit his tongue as he waved the vial under Robin's nose. "After a trauma like this, the reactions of patients waking up have a tendency of being somewhat—"
Robin's eyes snapped open and CRAP HARD GRIP ON MY THROAT COULDN'T BREATHE!
"—VISCERAL!" Chopper gagged out around the arm that was coiled around his neck.
"No shit!" I wheezed out as I yanked at the fingers that were throttling me.
"Let him go OR GET READY TO lose a thumb AGAIN!" Soundbite roared.
Robin started slightly, blinking rapidly as she came back from her adrenaline high. After a moment, she gasped in shock and snapped her arms down, dissolving the limbs that had incapacitated the crew. "I-I'm so sorry, I just—! I-It was reflexive, I didn't mean—!"
"No harm done, Robin," I rasped, wincing as I rubbed a particularly sore part of my throat. "Well. No lasting harm. Anyway, you don't have anything to worry about. You're back with your friends now."
I hoped, so hard, that the trauma of being frozen, or at least the sheer hurt of the ordeal, would have chased away Aokiji's little parting shot. But by how hollow the smile she gave me was, that hadn't happened.
"Yes… Yes, you're right…" Robin relaxed back into the tub, turning a grin on Chopper that made him shiver uncomfortably. "Thank you for the assistance, Mister Doctor, I apprecia—"
"Come on, Robin!" I cut in, causing her to jump and cracking the mask she was trying to bolt back into place. The sheer anguish that briefly showed nearly stopped me. Nearly. "Are you really going to let the words of that coldhearted bastard undo everything you've been looking for over the last twenty years? You called us your friends—hell, we are your friends, fullstop!"
She made a weak attempt to smile. "Mister Jeremiah—"
"DON'T YOU 'MISTER JEREMIAH' ME!" I snapped, slamming my fist into the wall. I noted Sanji holding himself back in my peripheral vision as I stomped over to her. "Damn it, Robin, I thought you were past this! It doesn't matter what the hell that bastard said or what scare tactics he tried to use. We stillwant to be your friends, and I thought that after all this time, you were willing to trust us. The words of someone like him shouldn't make a difference!"
Her composure slipped again, briefly showing the anguish I'd seen before, but she still tried to hide behind a painfully neutral expression rather than show vulnerability. I gritted my teeth. If I had to take drastic measures at this point, so be fucking it.
"Robin, I broke that mask before through kindness, but I can and will go the other way and get you spitting nails if I have to. If I can do it to Aokiji, I can do it to you," I warned her. I exhaled, letting my agitation flow out, and gave her a pleading look. "Listen, Robin. Do you reallywant us to go back to seeing Crocodile's right hand-woman, instead of seeing you? Do you reallywant to go back to being Miss All Sunday?"
As I'd spoken, Vivi had remained silent, her body slightly angled away from Robin, but the glances she occasionally shot her spoke volumes.
"Come on, Robin!" Nami jumped in, pleading. "You're one of the only people on the crew with a lick of sense. Without you, I'd- we'd go crazy in hours!"
"You can keep up with me when I'm talking about science, even when I go off the deep end!" Chopper added, tears shimmering in his eyes. "I'm fine with everyone else just smiling and nodding, but you actually read my notes and understand them! You even helped me develop half of the combat formulas I'm using! You're almost as much of a mentor to me as Doctorine!"
I'll be honest, that was the only thing that made me reconsider this whole venture. Briefly.
"You're a stone-cold bitch with cheap-as-all-hell powers and enough practice keeping your emotions to yourself that I probably wouldn't trust you if Cross and Luffy didn't," was Zoro's contribution. Before anyone (Sanji) could tear his head off, he sighed and scratched at his head, looking away. "And you're one of the strongest women I've ever met."
Sanji probably would've gone next had Boss not noticed Luffy silently regarding Robin. Instead, he clamped his flipper over the cook's mouth long enough for our captain to speak. "You're a member of this crew, Robin, no matter what." He stated it as though it was an immutable fact. And knowing Luffy, it was.
I capped it all off by clamping my hand down on her shoulder and leaning forward, looking her dead in the eyes. "You belong here, Robin. You know it, we know it. So, after everything you've gone through with us, all the good times and the bad that we've shared, do you reallywant us to treat you like everybody else you've met for the last twenty years, and vice-versa?"
She tried to keep up her cool, uncaring mask, she really did. But she couldn't look me in the eye, and after a moment she gave up trying. In that moment, I swear I saw something sparkling from her face drip into the tub below her.
"… No," she breathed at last, hugging herself. "But what else would you have me do? This crew… this is the first place I've actually felt secure since… since…" She bit down on her lip before she could say anything further.
Arrrrrgh. So close! "Seriously, Robin? Even after all this, all we've gone through, you can't bring yourself to tell them?" I demanded, unable to keep the hurt out of my voice.
Slowly, she looked up, tears actually shimmering in her eyes. "No, I can't… Because I can't deny what Aokiji said. We… you'reall strong, incredibly so… but not strong enough to fight the world." She looked away. "Nobody is…"
"At the risk of Sanji kicking me, that's a steaming load of bull," Mikey hotly announced.
The cook took a deep draw from his cigarette before snorting it out. "I never thought I'd agree with anyone insulting a woman in any form, but I agree with the dugong," he stated. "You're the only one here who believes that, Robin dear."
"How can you say that, Sanji?" she said, voice rising. "What just happened with Aokiji—"
"Is only going to help us,"Zoro cut in sharply. "We lost, and none of us are happy about that, but we survived. We've seen what we're up against. Now we just need to get to the point that when we meet him again, we won't lose."
"And unless shit somehow goes sideways in a manner most spectacular, we won't have to face anyone we can't beat again, Robin," I said carefully, looking at Luffy the whole time. Unfortunately, his head was still bowed, preventing anyone from reading his expressions.
"You can't—" Robin began.
"Do you really think that I'm lying?" I interrupted.
"I—no, but you don't know—" she stammered.
"Do you really think that our captain, Monkey D. Luffy, will ever let any of us down?" I pressed, quietly but intensely.
There was a minor spark of recognition in Robin's eyes, a bit of light coming back into her face. She looked at me, and then at Luffy. He looked up slightly, revealing one of his eyes, and Ace couldn't have had more of a fire burning in his than Luffy's had at that moment. Robin looked at him for what felt like an eternity before slowly looking away, ashamed.
"I want to say that I believe…" she whispered, clutching tightly at her arms. "But after all these years—"
"Cross."
Robin's mouth clamped shut, and we both looked back at Luffy. He looked like he had a bad taste in his mouth, but his eyes still burned. "I'm… changing my orders," he grit out. "From now on, you have my permission to say anything you know—" He shuddered. "But only if it can help us get stronger, that's it!"
I gaped, and most of the rest of the crew seemed equally stunned, but Luffy just looked at Robin, a wry grin slowly growing on his face. "After all, if we're going to take on the whole world, then we'll need to be a lot stronger, right?"
I glanced at Robin, finding nothing but gape-mouthed astonishment, before looking back at Luffy. "Yeah, that'd be for the best. I mean, we'll get through what's coming up next as long as we fight like hell…" I paused, wracking my memories for the next couple of arcs. "But yeah, I'd be a lot more comfortable if we took what little time we have here on Long Ring Long to hone our skills."
"Training whenever you can DOES HURT!" Soundbite piped up. "HURTS THEM, ANYWAY!"
"Well, I'm all for it. If I know what to shoot for, I should be able to reach it faster," Zoro grinned.
"My students and I train regularly anyways, so we'll just have to train twice as hard, right, boys?" Boss said confidently, pounding his 'fist' into his 'palm.'
"BOSS, YES, BOSS!" the dugongs barked as they snapped to attention.
"I don't plan on letting another lady get injured in my sight. I'll be glad to train," Sanji said firmly.
"Count me in, too," Chopper nodded in agreement.
"I could definitely use a chance to get used to wielding my arsenal now that I have the chance," Conis mused to herself.
Everyone else responded in the same vein, some speaking, others only nodding, but none opposed. I turned back to Robin and felt a pang of sympathy at the sheer shock on her face. For anyone to be so taken aback at the idea that anyone would be willing to risk their lives for them… it was moments like this that I was really grateful for the transceiver hanging at my side.
Still, what Robin did next washed away my sorrow and rage: she smiled. An honest, true smile. It was weak and frail, but that wasn't important to me. No, what was truly important was that the spark of life that I'd seen extinguished earlier was back in her eyes. Not as strong as before, unfortunately, but there. Ready to be fanned back up.
Buoyed by her reaction, I nodded and clapped my hands. "Right! Everyone who isn't still recovering from hyper-hypothermia, meet me on the deck in ten minutes. I'm going to need that long to make sure I don't forget anything. Oh, and!" I hastily stuck my finger up, everyone pausing mid-step as I shot apologetic looks at Robin, Conis, and the dugongs. "For the record, I do apologize for my cryptic, nigh-savant-like bullshittery. But! I promise that once everything is said and done on the next island we arrive on, I will let you all in on the secrets I hold. Agreed?"
Conis and Su exchanged looks. Something passed between them before the angel nodde. "You saved my home with whatever knowledge you have, Cross. I'm perfectly willing to wait as long as I need to learn it."
"Speak for yourself!" Su sniffed. "You'd better talk soon and fast, bub, or else I'll snatch slimeball and make him tell me!"
"JUST TRY IT, puff-BALL!" Soundbite shot back.
Boss waddled between them, flippers held up in a placating gesture. "Hey, easy, you two. Way I see it, the when doesn't matter. But then, I'm a soldier, and you are my superior." He jabbed his cigar at me. "Until you do something suicidally stupid, my boys and I will listen to you no matter what."
The TDWS nodded in agreement, though Mikey was noticeably reluctant.
"Sooo… we don't get a vote in asking for spoilers early, then?" SMACK! "OW! I was just asking, geeze!"
"Well, if we've got ten minutes, I'll go ahead and double-check the upgrades I've finished," Usopp muttered, seeming somewhat subdued. I frowned as he left, suddenly remembering that while Merry had been one catalyst that drove him to leave the crew, there had been two, and his rock-bottom self-esteem from meeting Aokiji was the other. I neededto nip that in the bud when I had the chance, or else we might be looking at a shitton of trouble anyway.
Vivi and Carue left the room next, and most of the crew followed soon after, Chopper lingering the longest to ensure the water was still the right temperature for Robin. Soon, only Luffy and I were left.
"Robin," I said, glancing at Luffy for a moment before giving her a compassionate look. "I'm ready to back you up on that whenever you are."
She shuddered and clenched her eyes shut. After a moment, she opened them and gave me a light smile. "I'm still not certain… but I…" She nodded hesitantly, the action slowly picking up strength. "For the first time in I don't know how—" Robin shook her head with a dry chuckle. "Lying again, and you no doubt know it. For the first time in twenty years, I have hope again…" She graced me with a much wider, more heartfelt smile. "And it's all thanks to you. You have my thanks, Mis—" Robin flinched and her smile turned apologetic. "Cross."
I smiled back and clenched her shoulder reassuringly. "We'll get through this, Robin, don't worry. Now, here." I picked up a vial Chopper had left behind and handed it to her. "Take your medicine and get some rest. We'll wake you up around dinnertime, alright?"
Robin chuckled as she took the vial and downed it. "Knowing Sanji, you didn't even…" She trailed off into a yawn. "Even need… to…" She blinked blearily at the vial. "Huh… it would… appear that Chopper… improved his formula… recently…" I caught the vial as she nodded off and sank a few inches into the water.
I watched her sleep for a moment before groaning and hanging my head. "Damn it, Robin…" I ground out.
"Eh? What's wrong?" Luffy asked. "Robin's happy again, isn't that a good thing?"
I shook my head. "That's what she said, Luffy, and I want to believe her so badly it hurts." I sighed, defeated. "But Robin is a world-class actor, and I honestly can't tell whether or not she was faking those emotions, because I know damn well that she could."
"You had better not be saying she doesn't think we're her friends, Cross," Luffy growled.
"No, Luffy, not at all," I said, shaking my head. "In fact, that's the only thing I'm completely certain of at the moment."
"Then we should trust her! It's what friends do!" Luffy nodded as though that were that.
"Captain, that's the exact reason why we can't trust her."
"Eh!?"
I gestured between him and myself. "We're her friends, Luffy, her friends who she cares about more than life itself." I pointed at him. "You should know better than anyone that people, even people as smart as her, tend to do stupid, stupid, stupid things, so long as it ends with saving their friends… or their family, as the case may be."
Luffy's expression darkened like a thundercloud, but he didn't have an answer to that.